Pluto was demoted from a planet in 2006 according to the definition of a planet set by the International Astronomical Union, after discussion and voting from astronomers and planetary scientists from all over the world. However, the controversy of this move is far from over. FSI’s Philip Metzger is challenging the reclassification, with a literature Read More …
With the Florida Space Institute (FSI) Senior Design Program, UCF students have an opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary teams to tackle real problems in space research. The program kicked off early in 2018 with three goals: Match NASA Kennedy Space Center project opportunities with UCF Senior Design Faculty and Student Teams Create unique, NASA-mentored, Read More …
Dr. Julie Brisset, an Associate Scientist at the Florida Space Institute, was recently awarded a NASA grant to study man-made dust clouds in microgravity. The Dust In-Situ Manipulation System (DIMS) is a platform that can conduct controlled experiments on dust grains; ultimately providing insight on how dust grain material properties, sizes, and shapes affect how Read More …
The Arecibo Observatory officially opened on November 1, 1963 in Puerto Rico. Next week, on-site and off-site activities are planned to celebrate Arecibo Observatory’s 55thanniversary and the important scientific contributions it has been involved in. On October 29th, UCF will host Dr. Kristen Jones, a post-doctoral researcher from the Arecibo Observatory to discuss her path Read More …
FSI workers at Arecibo Observatory for a workshop
Click here to read the article in the Orlando Sentinel.
Click here to watch FSI Associate Scientist Phil Metzger’s interview at Channel 6 News Orlando
Data collected from the William E. Gordon Telescope at the Arecibo Observatory helped researchers confirm the strong equivalence principle of general relativity for heavy objects. An essential concept in Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, the equivalence principle, proposed that all objects accelerate identically in an external gravitational field. Prior to the results by Archibald, et al. published in Nature, Read More …
Imagine being able to see a flea on the surface of Pluto. That’s a good way to describe what the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico helped a group of Canadian researchers do. The team, led by Robert Main of the University of Toronto, was able to observe unprecedented details of a pulsar 6,500 light years from Earth. Astronomers study Read More …
Philip Metzger, a planetary scientist in UCF’s Florida Space Institute, has won the Outstanding Technical Contribution Award for 2016 from the Aerospace Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The award was presented to Dr. Metzger at a banquet on April 12, 2018, during Earth & Space 2018, the 16th Biennial ASCE International Conference Read More …