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Ian Whittaker

Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University

I completed my PhD in 2010 looking at the interaction of the Sun with the upper atmosphere of Venus. Since then I have held six postdoctoral contracts, covering medical imaging, solar physics, the Earth's radiation belts, lightning in tropical cyclones, X-ray astronomy, and X-ray observations of the Earth's magnetopause.

I currently teach at Nottingham Trent University, where I am responsible for astrophysics lectures, laboratory supervision, tutorials and student projects. I am very strongly interested in space science outreach, encouraging students and the public to take an interest in how our planet interacts with the solar system.

Space Science Series

Privatised Moon landings: the two US missions set to open a new era of commercial lunar exploration

Jan 04, 2024 04:37 am UTC| Business

Two commercial spacecraft are scheduled to launch to the Moon early in 2024 under a Nasa initiative called the Commercial Lunar Payload Service CLPS. This programme is intended to kickstart a commercial transportation...

Space Science Series

Earth has many objects in orbit but definitely only one Moon – despite what some people think

Nov 10, 2023 14:37 pm UTC| Science

Big Brother has always chosen its contestants for entertainment value rather than for intellectual debate. This was recently highlighted in a discussion started on the programme by dental therapist Chantelle, who suggested...

Space Science Series

Nasa's Psyche mission is set for launch – here's how it could unveil the interior secrets of planets

Oct 15, 2023 04:07 am UTC| Science

Its unlikely to be a bad omen, but Nasas mission Psyche is currently due to launch on Friday 13 October. Lifting off at 10.19 EDT on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, it faces a perilous journey and isnt scheduled for arrival...

Space Science Series

Chandrayaan-3: India hopes to land a rover on the Moon for the first time

Aug 22, 2023 04:20 am UTC| Science

On Wednesday August 23, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 will deploy its lander and rover to the surface of the Moon. As the name suggests, this is the third mission in a programme of...

Scientists have started steering lightning with lasers – here's how

Jan 24, 2023 07:36 am UTC| Science

Lightning may look beautiful but every year it kills thousands of people, does huge amounts of damage to buildings and infrastructure, and causes power outages. The only protection we have is lightning rods, which were...

Space Science Series

The UK is about to have its first space launch – but Cornwall is unlikely to become a new Cape Canaveral

Oct 19, 2022 08:52 am UTC| Science

Virgin Orbit, a US company which provides launch services for satellites, has announced that the first orbital space mission from the UK will blast off from Cornwall. The rocket, which will carry nine satellites, along...

Ax-1: why the private mission to the International Space Station is a game changer

Apr 05, 2022 11:57 am UTC| Science

Its not long since billionaires were competing to get to the edge of space. Now, the first set of private citizens are getting ready to take a SpaceX shuttle up to the International Space Station (ISS). Unlike the short...

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Economy

Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors

Asian share markets opened the week on a cautious note, largely tracking weaker Wall Street futures, as extreme volatility in silver prices and a packed global economic calendar unsettled investors. The sharp moves in...

India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations

Indias latest Union Budget placed manufacturing firmly at the center of its economic strategy, prioritizing key sectors such as semiconductors, biopharma, electronics, renewables, and capital goods. While the government...

Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry

British Prime Minister Keir Starmers recent visit to China underscores the complex balancing act Western middle powers are attempting as rivalry between Beijing and Washington intensifies. While the trip allowed China to...

U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Markets Brace for Big Tech Earnings and Key Data

U.S. stock futures edged lower on Sunday evening as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a busy week filled with major corporate earnings and crucial economic data. The pullback follows weakness in technology...

South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges

South Koreas manufacturing sector showed its strongest momentum in nearly a year and a half in January, driven by a sharp rebound in export demand and improving business confidence, according to a private sector survey...

Politics

Peter Mandelson Resigns from Labour Party Amid Renewed Jeffrey Epstein Links

Former British government minister Peter Mandelson has resigned from Prime Minister Keir Starmers Labour Party following renewed media scrutiny over his past connections to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein. The...

Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns

Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is poised for a decisive victory in the upcoming lower house election, according to a new opinion poll released by the Asahi newspaper....

U.S. Accuses Cuba of Harassing Top Diplomat Amid Rising Tensions

The United States has accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its senior diplomat in Havana after videos emerged showing small groups of Cubans verbally harassing him during visits outside the capital. The incident...

Democrats Score Surprise Texas State Senate Win, Fueling Momentum Ahead of 2026 Midterms

A Democratic candidate has won a closely watched Texas state senate special election by a double-digit margin, flipping a Republican-held seat for the first time in decades and adding to growing Democratic momentum ahead...

Trump Proposes Two-Year Shutdown of Kennedy Center Amid Ongoing Turmoil

President Donald Trump has proposed that the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts suspend all events for approximately two years, beginning July 4, as part of what he described as a major transformation...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang praised and gently pushed Taiwans leading technology suppliers to ramp up production, highlighting the intense global demand for artificial intelligence hardware during a high-profile visit to the...

Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure

Oracle has announced plans to raise between $45 billion and $50 billion in 2026 as it accelerates the expansion of its cloud infrastructure to meet surging demand from major technology and artificial intelligence clients....

Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate

Speculation around a potential Musk Inc has resurfaced as Elon Musks companiesSpaceX, Tesla, and xAIexplore closer ties amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation. With SpaceX expected to go public later...

SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz

SpaceX delivered a strong financial performance last year, generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to people familiar with the companys results. The figures,...

SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom

SpaceX has revised its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for artificial intelligence training, a move that could significantly support Elon Musks broader AI ambitions. The policy change comes as...