Lowering the bar for hydrogen-powered technology
The Hydrogen Materials Advanced Research Consortium, or HyMARC, a multilab collaboration co-led by Sandia, is developing two types of hydrogen storage materials to meet challenging energy density targets set forth by DOE. The newly expanded collaboration is using the most promising strategies to optimize the materials for future use in vehicles.
Armoring satellites to survive, operate through attacks
Researchers at Sandia launched a seven-year mission campaign this month to develop the science, technology and architecture needed for autonomous satellite protection systems. The campaign, called STARCS, will fund dozens of Laboratory Directed Research and Development projects.
Autonomy New Mexico interns build drones to test hypersonic tech
Sandia is developing autonomy and artificial intelligence for flight systems soaring at more than 3,800 mph. The technologies to get there will initially be tested on drones that shuffle around at about 5 mph.
Steve Younger signs annual stockpile assessment letter
Laboratories Director Steve Younger signed Sandia’s annual nuclear weapons stockpile assessment letter in late September. Completion of this annual assessment letter is required by law, and is one of the principal responsibilities of the Labs director.
Containing a nuclear accident with ground-up materials
Sandia researchers are developing a promising new way to contain the hot molten mass that develops within a nuclear reactor during a catastrophic accident and prevent the spread of radioactive contamination.
HOT SHOT findings could save defense technology developers time and money
An early milestone for developing missile technologies is to show they can work in computer simulations or large-scale field tests that shake and spin components without falling to pieces. Now, HOT SHOT sounding rocket data analysis has revealed a way to improve these tests, providing an earlier, more accurate indicator of whether an experimental technology will ultimately succeed in flight.
Younger: A Sputnik moment is coming
Laboratories Director Steve Younger and Chief Research Officer Susan Seestrom took the stage at the Steve Schiff Auditorium Aug. 26 to discuss “discovery science” and what it means for Sandia. The talk was the latest installment of the New Research Ideas Forum.
Sandia helps Puerto Rico grid resilience
The Sandia-developed Microgrid Design Toolkit provides what-if analysis of microgrid design choices to provide quantitative insights to decision makers for hybrid energy solutions. Using the MDT tool, utilities and other community stakeholders can identify vulnerabilities in infrastructure particularly susceptible to natural disasters and related consequences.
Getting to the nuts and bolts of nuts and bolts
After more than five years, a mathematical breakthrough devised by a structural engineer and a computational scientist may save Sandia time and resources to test complex systems. The method is now being used in production in Sandia's Sierra code, and the designers say its potential is limited only by researchers' imagination.
Sandia Labs manufacturing spinoff steps into national market
Sandia’s Entrepreneurial Separation to Transfer Technology program helped Joe Beck and Eric Branson, both former employees, launch their small business. The Albuquerque-based Advanced Manufactured Power Solutions, or AMPS, is a custom manufacturing company builds battery packs, cables and other small components of larger machines.