Nickel-titanium shape memory alloy spring tire designed for Mars rover

NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, announces that its engineers have developed an airless compliant tire that consists of several hundred coiled wires of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy woven into a flexible mesh, giving the tires the ability to support high loads while also conforming to the terrain.

Concentrations of rare earth elements >300 ppm found in American coal basins

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, reports that its engineers have found high rare earth element concentrations in coal samples taken from the Illinois, Northern Appalachian, Central Appalachian, Rocky Mountain Coal Basins, and the Pennsylvania Anthracite region.