September 1, 2001
RELEASE: 01-175
NASA GRANTS OPEN THE STARS TO SELECTED EDUCATORS
NASA today announced a big step toward improving the way it brings space science to local communities around the country.
The agency's Office of Space Science, at its headquarters in Washington, selected seven recipients for grants to help space scientists become involved in educational activities, build partnerships between the space science and education communities, and serve as the regional points-of-contact for space scientists and educators seeking information on and involvement in NASA's Space Science education and outreach program.
In addition, the program is designed to provide meaningful opportunities for groups that might not ordinarily participate in NASA research and education programs.
"This new selection will deepen connections between NASA's Office of Space Science and educators across the country and improve our ability to search out productive opportunities for the space science community to participate in education and public outreach," said Dr. Jeffrey Rosendhal, Director of Education and Public Outreach for NASA's Office of Space Science. "We also expect this to provide an injection of fresh ideas and new capabilities to our educational and public outreach team."
A representative at each selected institution will serve as a bridge between the space science and local and regional education communities, including formal education, informal education, and public outreach organizations.
"One goal of this program is to channel the expertise of the space science community into directions that will best benefit the educational process and contribute to the public understanding of space science," added Dr. Rosendhal.
"We want to encourage scientists working on NASA-funded research in communities throughout the country to get involved in bringing space science into the local educational systems and communities in creative ways. The Broker/Facilitators we selected today will work with these scientists to bring space science to areas such as local schools, museums, libraries, service organizations and others to help meet the unique needs of each region," he said.
The program will work to build partnerships between those scientists and professional educators to ensure both the scientific integrity and the educational usefulness of the projects and products that are created.
Each award is for 5 years, at approximately $300K per year, starting in January 2002.
The individuals and institutions receiving the awards are:
* Dr. Kathleen Johnson, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston * Dr. Julie H. Lutz, University of Washington, Seattle * Dr. Cherilynn A. Morrow, Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. * Dr. Nitin Naik, Wheeling Jesuit University, Wheeling, W. Va. * Dr. Carolyn C. Narasimhan, Depaul University, Chicago * Dr. Cassandra Runyon, College of Charleston, Charleston, S.C. * Dr. Cary I. Sneider, Museum of Science, Boston
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
RELEASE: 01-176
HAND-HELD COMPUTERS MAY REDUCE AIRPORT CONGESTION
NASA researchers have found that small, Internet-linked computers in the hands of airport workers may help unclog the nation's air terminals.
The research finding is based on studies at San Francisco International Airport and other air terminals. NASA scientists at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., collaborated with United Airlines on the two-year project. Researchers also suggest that additional "curb-to-gate" changes, including better signs in terminals, synchronized clocks and improved check-in procedures, as well as improvements in airline and airport operations, may help reduce flight delays.
"The study recommends the development of a next generation of airport information systems. These would include use of hand- held computers to allow airline employees and others to update schedules on the tarmac, on baggage carts and in gate areas," according to Roxana Wales, Ph.D., a member of the Ames research team. "Delays can arise at any point in a flight, including preparations before leaving the gate; and difficulties at one point can lead to a slipped schedule at any other point.
"We have to focus on the entire system. Much of the current attention focuses on the movement of planes instead of the whole process of getting people from point A to point B."
Other experts across the country have advocated adding runways to airports and are working to improve air traffic control systems.
"Airline and airport operations need to be included in the debate of how to streamline the nation's air travel system," said Wales.
"United Airlines gave us access to all areas of their operation. They badged us for access to non-public areas and allowed us to interact and talk with employees at all levels. This is extraordinary access for a group of researchers," she explained.
The team conducted extensive research in airline operation centers, on baggage ramps where airplanes are loaded and unloaded, in airline lobbies, at counters, at passenger gates and in control towers.
Today's airport information and communication systems are designed for routine aircraft turnaround, according to the NASA research team. Problem and delay situations "require a 'richer' information environment to facilitate decision- making," Wales said.
The good news is that there are near-term solutions in sight that include simply integrating information systems across groups in airports, according to the NASA researchers. They also said that better communications and other improvements should include not only airline employees, but all workers involved in smoothly getting a passenger from the street to his or her destination.
"A breakdown in the process, where the customer is unable to understand and expediently move through one step to another, at any point, can contribute to a delay," said Zara Mirmalek, research team member. The team conducted research at San Francisco's United domestic terminal and airports serving Atlanta, Chicago and Oakland, Calif.
New research has revealed a surprising connection between red tides in the Gulf of Mexico and giant dust clouds that blow across the Atlantic Ocean from the distant Sahara Desert. Satellites can spot such dust clouds en route from Africa to the Americas, so space-based data could help scientists predict when red tides will strike the Florida coast.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast30aug_1.htm?list448368
The "giant impact" theory, first proposed in the mid-1970s to explain how the Moon formed, has received a major boost as new results demonstrate for the first time that a single impact could yield the current Earth-Moon system. And did you know that Earth's day used to be only 5 hours long? http://www.swri.org/9what/releases/canupmoon.htm
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Well Preserved Meteorite Yields Clues to Carbon Evolution in Space - a fresh meteorite, unlike other similar space rocks, contains very few amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Implications for the origins of life at http://www.asu.edu/asunews/Releases/Meteor0801.htm
Because the Earth's oceans reflect light better than the land, it would appear to "flicker" in brightness to a far distant observer. This fact might provide an additional technique for eventually locating an Earth-like planet around another star. Story at http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=5874 , and check out Terrestrial Planet Finder (a big goal for our future) at http://tpf.jpl.nasa.gov/
Violent gas collisions that produced supersonic shock fronts in a dying star are seen in a new, detailed image from our Hubble Space Telescope. The future of the Sun in 5 billion years at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_179.html
A spiky landscape of bright ice and dark dust shows signs of slow but active erosion on the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto in new images from our Galileo spacecraft. The pictures give the highest resolution view ever seen of any of Jupiter's moons. So what causes the erosion? Story at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_178.html , Galileo at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
CONTRACT EXTENSION AWARDED TO LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE OPERATIONS
NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi has awarded a two-year option extension of the Test and Technical Services Contract to Lockheed Martin Space Operations, Stennis Programs, Houston, to provide test and technical services at the center. The original contract was awarded Sept. 1, 1994.
The total estimated contract value of the two-year extension is $77,824,865. This brings the total estimated contract value to $309,249,109 for the base period and three option periods. The period of performance of the extension is from Sept. 1, 2001, through Aug. 31, 2003.
Lockheed Martin will provide support to propulsion test operations, systems engineering, operator maintenance, and test-technology development in support of Stennis missions.
Additionally, the company will provide support to test- article contractors in the evaluation of liquid, hybrid, solid and other propulsion systems, subsystems and components; and provide technical services for research and development, administrative and institutional program activities in a broad range of science, engineering and technology requirements for Stennis and the center's resident agencies and commercial customers.
********************************************************** Genesis Mission Outreach E-News, 21st Edition August 2001 ********************************************************** Visit the Genesis mission outreach Web site at: http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov ********************************************************** Genesis Launch Report
After a flawless launch on August 8 at 12:13:40 p.m. EDT, the Genesis spacecraft is on its mission to "catch a piece of the sun." View JPL news release and launch replay at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_169.html At 64 minutes, 12 seconds into the mission, the Genesis spacecraft separated from the Delta's third stage. Immediately after separation, Genesis' solar arrays unfolded and pointed toward the sun. The spacecraft's signal was successfully acquired by the NASA Deep Space Network complex at Goldstone, California, 85 minutes after launch.
Kennedy Space Center maintains a photo archive of images that reveal mission progress from the time of spacecraft arrival at Cape Canaveral until the time of launch. You can view these spectacular images at: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/subjects/genesis.htm
********************************************************** Genesis Mission Status Update
The Genesis spacecraft is performing well. This week, the doors of the Genesis Ion Monitor (GIM) and Genesis Electron Monitor (GEM) were successfully opened. After a period of outgassing, the GEM and GIM were turned on. Their performance indicates that the door is open. Instrument checkout was also successfully completed. The science algorithm WIND, which will ultimately be used to automatically determine the solar wind regime and deploy or stow the solar wind collector arrays accordingly, was enabled, with stellar results. The algorithm correctly determined a solar wind speed of 380 km/sec, a proton density of less than one per cubic centimeter, and temperature of 90,000 Kelvin (TK Fahrenheit). The spacecraft's measurements were confirmed by comparison with data from the ACE spacecraft, currently in the vicinity of Genesis' destination, L1. Daily precession maneuvers have been successfully implemented to keep the spacecraft orientation correct with respect to the sun. This is important because these precession maneuvers continue to validate that the spacecraft is in spin-track mode using star trackers.
Are you interested in following mission progress? You can remain informed on Genesis and its progress by accessing the Genesis mission homepage where you will find mission status updates, or go directly to our status updates page: http://www.genesismission.org/mission/statusupdate.html
********************************************************** Genesis and the Media
If you were unable to personally experience the August 8 Genesis launch from Cape Canaveral, we hope you were able to view television coverage of the event via NASA TV's live online video stream or on CNN live. Hundreds of national and international newspapers, television and radio stations, and online news reporters got into the excitement of the Genesis launch, releasing news around the event. Imagine the anticipation when the science canister returns in September 2003! Stay tuned.
********************************************************** A Back to School Apple for the Teacher
Teachers, are you looking for new and exciting ways to get your students involved in science? The Genesis mission Web site features a new cleanroom electronic field trip that you can access online at: http://www.genesismission.org/educate/Field_Trip/genesis/cd_index.html "How can middle school students be fascinated by a clean room?" The interactive field trip virtually walks your students into NASA's cleanest room at Johnson Space Center, and takes them through several interactives, including suiting up in a bunny suit, using a liquid particle counter, and several group activities on attaching collector wafers onto the array frame. The field trip is part of a NASA Genesis cleanroom trilogy, including a newly-released middle school education module titled "Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom": http://www.genesismission.org/educate/scimodule/Cleanroom.html and a video, "Cleanroom Technology": http://www.genesismission.org/mission/mediarelease/index.html
If you are looking for a multifaceted way to bring the technology and design National Science Education Standards into your curricula in a substantive and real-world way, don't miss these!
********************************************************* Would you like to implement Genesis materials into your educational program?
Genesis materials provide standards-based instructional strategies that can be used in varied formal and informal settings. http://www.genesismission.org/educate/scimodule/moduleoverview.html Educators from around the country are invited to field test any of our education modules or Genesis Kids materials this school year. We will send you a module notebook of your choice and evaluation forms you can use to provide valuable feedback. Make a difference. Become a
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 08/23/01 - 08/29/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Madrid tracking station on Wednesday, August 29. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/ .
Recent spacecraft activities include the conclusion of the second Radio Science Subsystem Gravitational Wave Experiment (GWE) system test, an Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer Interplanetary Hydrogen Survey, a Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) High Frequency Receiver calibration, and a Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) Arcturus observation. Real-time commands were uplinked to the spacecraft as planned to perform two clearings of the Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem high water marks, test an RPWS trigger command, perform a checkout of the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS), set the VIMS Solid State Recorder equivalency bit to non-equivalent, and de-register the on-board Mission Sequence Subsystem (MSS) D7.2 modules.
The RADAR instrument collected radiometry calibration data in raster scans over the Sun, Jupiter, and five microwave sources. The measurement of the Sun provides the critical data needed to fully calibrate the side lobes of the antenna beam pattern, while the measurements of Jupiter and the microwave sources will complete the RADAR team's original instrument checkout plan, an important part of calibrating the RADAR's radiometer. In addition to the calibration data, the operation provided valuable thermal data to understand how the instrument will perform under various thermal loads, which will help with tour planning.
The Science Planning Team began the tour Science UPlink Verification (SUPV) activity. This activity will take the integrated plans from the Titan and Satellite Orbiter Science Teams and the Target Working Teams (TWTs) to the next level of design detail to understand better how to build these tour sequences. For the first SUPV activity the group is developing the detailed pointing designs and power mode transitions for the Titan-3, Titan-5, and Titan-6 flybys. The TWTs have also begun to integrate the science and engineering requests associated with tour orbits 4 through 14 based on the Cassini Information Management System inputs from the Science Teams and the Project.
The Navigation team has delivered a high precision reference trajectory for the first few orbits of the Cassini Tour. This trajectory includes all of the changes made to the original baseline for the new Huygens probe mission including a slightly larger orbit insertion burn, the Titan-a, Titan-b, and Titan-c encounters, and a probe flyby altitude of 65,000 km with an orbit delay time of 2.1 hours. Some parts of this trajectory are still subject to change as the final details of the revised probe mission are worked out.
The Deep Space Mission System (DSMS) held a delivery review for the DSS-25 Cassini Upgrade Task. This task designed and implemented improvements at DSS-25 in support of the GWE, including improved frequency stability, a Ka-band uplink capability, improved pointing, a state-of-the-art media calibration system, and new open-loop receivers. The Review Board commended the group for the dramatic progress.
Program training began this week for new Uplink Operations, Science Planning, and Mission Support and Services Office personnel. Classes included an overview of the Sequence Virtual Team Uplink Process, services available from the Cassini Solution Oriented Services help desk, and the "Helpful Stuff" presentation that provides new Program members with information on where to go for Cassini documents, forms, schedules, and general information.
A Software Review Certification Requirement (SRCR) meeting was conducted by the System Engineering Office to review VIMS Flight Software (FSW) version 4.2. Test procedures were discussed and the FSW was approved for check-out in the Integrated Test Laboratory (ITL), with the uplink date of the software still to be decided.
The Instrument Operations (IO)/RADAR team held a requirements and design review. Topics included operations processes for uplink; downlink; and instrument pointing, health and safety; as well as development activities for the instrument testbed, sequencing software, instrument flight software, and data processing software. This review completed a series of reviews of the four facility instruments.
A Mission Assurance website has been established which facilitates mission assurance awareness, information, and requirements in addition to providing direct links to both the On-Line Risk Management Tool and the Problem/Failure Reporting System. The new Risk Management Tool has recently been filled with data that assigns risks to personnel who are then responsible for disposition of the risks.
Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
Cluster spacecraft surf the plasma waves
ESA's four Cluster spacecraft continue to provide ground-breaking new information about the interaction between our nearest star - the Sun - and planet Earth. As they sail through the sea of plasma (electrons and protons) that fills near-Earth space, the identical instruments on the Cluster quartet are helping scientists to create the first three-dimensional views of this turbulent region.
Read more about this at: http://sci.esa.int/content/news/index.cfm?aid=1&cid=1&oid=28226
NASA IMAGES BRING PLANETS, WEATHER, GEOLOGY TO CLASSROOMS Fit the giant planet Jupiter and its moons into your classroom. Explore the peaks and valleys of the ocean's floor without getting all wet. Travel to distance galaxies and back in one class period. Experience the excitement of a gravity-free environment by watching an astronaut eat floating M&Ms.
Nearly 100 images -- from Buzz Aldrin taking a walk on the moon to colliding galaxies to the volcano of Mt. Etna, Italy -- are available through NASA's educational Web site The Space Place (http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa. <http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/> gov <http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/> ) for classroom use. The pictures featured help bring a number of topics alive, including the Solar System, weather, geology and geography.
Educators can access "Goodies for Teachers" by simply clicking on the schoolhouse icon on The Space Place home page. There, teachers can choose Earth- and space-related printable pictures in the following categories: Solar System; Earth (Geography and Mapping, Oceans, Volcanoes, Weather); Astronauts; Stars, Galaxies and Nebulae; and Rockets, Space Shuttles, International Space Station, Rovers.
Within each category are several images from which to choose. Teachers can click on the small image to view it in a larger format. To print a clean copy (without browser information on the page), save the .jpg file (File/Save As) to the hard drive or a disk, and open and print it using any paint program (Photoshop, Windows Paint, PowerPoint, Macpaint, etc.) The image file can also be placed into a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, document for printing.
The Space Place includes images and curriculum for use in the classroom, as well as discovery-based learning activities for students to do on their own. For more information about The Space Place and "Goodies for Teachers," contact Nancy Leon at nancy.j.leon@jpl.nasa.gov .
August 30, 2001
National Space Development Agency of Japan
Launch Success of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No.1
National Space Development Agency of Japan successfully launched the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No.1 (H-IIA/F1) at 4:00 p.m. on August 29, 2001, Japan Standard Time, from Tanegashima Space Center. The launch vehicle was successfully lifted off with its flight azimuth of 90 degrees.
The H-IIA Launch Vehicle No.1 flied normally, and the second stage was successfully injected into the geostationary transfer orbit. The separation of the Laser Ranging Equipment (LRE) was confirmed about 39 minutes and 47 seconds after the lift-off.
NASDA would like to send our deep appreciation for cooperation and support of all related personnel and organizations for the launch of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No.1.
For your information, the weather at the time of the launch was clear with the wind of 2.9 m/s to the east-south-east, and the temperature was 28.9 deg. (C).
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109
Rosemary Sullivant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHAT'S SHAKING WITH QUAKE PREDICTION?
Noted earthquake expert Dr. Lucile Jones will discuss the problems and progress of earthquake prediction in a pair of free lectures sponsored by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. The first lecture will also be webcast over the Internet.
The first lecture will be held at JPL on Thursday, August 30, and the second at Pasadena City College on Friday, August 31. Both lectures are open to the public and will start at 7 p.m.
In her lecture, "Earthquake Prediction: A Practical Approach to an Impossible Problem," Jones will explore the evolution in earthquake prediction. She will discuss why classical earthquake prediction is such a difficult problem and how several different approaches have failed. She will also show how long-term assessments of the earthquake potential of different faults and probability studies of foreshock and aftershock activity are useful ways to understand earthquake risk.
Jones is a visiting research associate at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and scientist-in-charge for Southern California with the U.S. Geological Survey. She is a familiar face to many Southern Californians, as she is frequently interviewed on television after earthquakes occur.
Lecture seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The lecture at JPL will be held in the von Karman Auditorium, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., off the Oak Grove Drive exit of the 210 (Foothill) Freeway. For directions to JPL, see http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/directions.html .
Information on the webcast is at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/aug01.html .
On Friday, the lecture will be held in Pasadena City College's Forum at 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. For more information, call (818) 354-0112.
Find information on the von Karman lecture series at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures.html or call JPL's Public Services Office at (818) 354- 0112.
Report # 26 Wednesday, August 29, 2001 9 a.m. CDT Expedition Three Crew Well into their four-month stay on board the International Space Station (ISS), the Expedition Three crew continues to unpack and stow equipment from the Russian Progress cargo ship that arrived at the outpost nearly a week ago. Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin have almost completely emptied the Progress 5 craft, stowing new supplies inside the ISS.
The arrival of the Progress vehicle at the Station sets the stage for the launch of the next module for the outpost next month --- the Russian Docking Compartment named Pirs, the Russian word for pier. The Docking Compartment will automatically link up to the nadir, or earthward facing docking port of Zvezda two days after launch, providing an additional docking port for future Russian vehicles arriving at the ISS. A Progress-style instrumentation and propulsion stage attached to Pirs, which will provide the new module with its thruster capability to reach the ISS, will be jettisoned shortly after the new component docks to Zvezda.
The crew members are also working on unpacking equipment recently delivered on the STS-105 shuttle mission. They installed the Volatile Organic Analyzer (VOA) this week and will activate it later this week. The VOA is designed to sample the air inside the ISS, detecting and identifying any possible contaminants. Flight controllers at Mission Control, Houston will command the VOA to take daily local samples of the air. The Expedition Three Crew can also take remote air samples from anywhere in the ISS.
One of the voltage converter units in the Zvezda associated with one of eight power-producing batteries for the Service Module was successfully replaced this week after it recently experienced a problem. All of Zvezda,s systems are functioning normally.
In addition to attending to the new supplies, the Expedition Three crew continues to oversee a variety of science investigations. Oversight from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA,s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, except for the Human Research Facility, which is monitored and controlled from the Telescience Support Center (TSC) at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. For details on ISS science, visit the following website:
http://www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov
The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an altitude averaging 240 miles (385 km). Sighting opportunities from the ground for many cities around the world can be viewed at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/
The next ISS status report will be issued next Wednesday, September 5, or earlier, if events warrant.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 35812
RELEASE: 01-291
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Expedition Three Science Operations Status Report for the week ending Aug. 29, 2001
The first cell culture experiments aboard the International Space Station are on the way to being completed by early next week.
Commander Frank Culbertson has been working with the 32 cell cultures that are growing kidney, ovarian and colon cells. Last week, he started the experiment by initiating cell growth in each culture and then placing them in the Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller. This incubator keeps the cells at 36 degrees Celsius.
While completing many activities with the cell cultures, Culbertson has been working closely with Payload Communications Managers at the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
On Monday, Aug. 27, Culbertson preserved eight of the cultures by injecting a fixative into the samples. Then, he placed the cultures in the Biotechnology Refrigerator, where they will be stored until the Space Shuttle brings them home later this year. For the remaining cultures -- still growing inside the incubator -- he replenished the nutrient media to encourage cell growth. He also checked the samples with a special device that monitors the health of the cells and growth media.
Four separate investigations are being carried out as part of the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System, or CBOSS. Scientists are studying different types of normal and abnormal cells to see if microgravity -- the low-gravity inside the Space Station -- results in cells that form tissues more like those found in the human body. On Earth, most cells grown in cultures form flat, thin specimens that do not allow scientists to examine how the cells work together.
This research is the first opportunity for scientists to begin growth of cell cultures that have never been exposed to Earth's gravity. This is possible because the crew was available to start the experiment soon after the cells were delivered to the Space Station. This will make it easier for investigators to determine the differences between samples grown in space and samples grown in Earth's constant gravity.
This cell culture system is an interim platform for cell-based research aboard the Space Station that will be used until the permanent Biotechnology Facility is delivered to the Station. This experiment is managed by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and is part of the Microgravity Research Program at the Marshall Center.
The Expedition Three crew also became test subjects for a new human life sciences experiment started in space this week: the Renal Stone investigation studies a possible countermeasure for preventing kidney stone formation. Previous data have indicated that space flight causes changes in the human renal system, including the kidneys. Exposure to microgravity may increase the risk of kidney stone development during and immediately after space flight.
During Expedition Three, the crew is testing potassium citrate as a possible therapy for minimizing renal stone development. This week, they are setting up equipment for collecting urine samples, and they are completing diet logs.
Many experiments continue to be monitored by the crew and operated by investigators at telescience centers around the world. The Experiment on Physics of Colloids in Space science team has commanded several runs during Expedition Three from the NASA Glenn Research Center's Telescience Support Center in Cleveland, Ohio. A colloid is a system of particles suspended in a fluid. Common examples are paint, milk and ink. Microgravity research may yield insights that could lead to engineering new colloid products on Earth.
A group of scientists at the University of Alabama in Birmingham are sending commands to the Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth experiment, which is growing biological crystals in space. This experiment is the first to allow scientists on the ground to control the crystallization rate of biological samples. Using nitrogen gas, the scientist can adjust the evaporation rate of the solution surrounding the forming crystals. Analysis of crystals grown in space may provide insights into numerous biological processes on Earth, with applications ranging from medicine to agriculture.
Part of setting up any new laboratory is characterizing the environment where the experiments are conducted. Three experiments that study the microgravity environment recorded data during the Progress spacecraft docking last week. The Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System and the Space Acceleration Measurement System recorded the vibrations inside the Station during the dockings activities.
The Active Rack Isolation System ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS-ICE) has captured data during the docking and undocking of the Progress spacecraft, as well as the Shuttle undocking, recording vibrations outside and inside EXPRESS Rack 2. As the events occurred, the ICE experiment recorded detailed data on how the ARIS vibration isolation system in EXPRESS Rack 2 responded to the docking activities. ICE has recorded both low-frequency vibrations during crew exercise and Station reboosting operations and broad frequency vibrations during hammer testing and spacecraft dockings and undockings. Next, engineers will collect measurements with a calibrated "shaker" device to further define the system's ability to protect delicate microgravity experiments from specific higher frequency vibrations.
In addition, the Bonner Ball Neutron Detector, delivered during Expedition Two, continues to record data on the Station's radiation environment.
Photography targets uplinked this week to the Space Station for the Crew Earth Observations research program include dust, smoke, smog and volcanic ash over Europe; fault patterns in rocks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains; the Yangtze river delta and the Nile river delta; industrial haze over the northeastern United States and Canada; and agriculture land patterns, surface geology and dust storms in California's central valley region.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Weird chemistry: Researchers study unique radiation-driven reactions in extreme cold and high vacuum of Jupiter's moons
By his own admission, Thomas Orlando deals with "weird chemistry." In fact, the Georgia Institute of Technology researcher studies chemical processes that are literally out of this world -- reactions occurring on the moons of Jupiter, driven by extreme radiation at ultra-cold temperatures.
Based on laboratory simulations, work by Orlando and other researchers is helping planetary scientists understand data reported by a NASA spacecraft flying past the Galilean satellites Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The studies provide new insight into the unique chemical reactions that take place on extremely cold icy surfaces under high vacuum, driven by high-energy electrons and ions rather than normal thermal processes.
The moons, which are gravitationally locked to Jupiter, co-rotate with Jupiter and lie within Jupiter's intense magnetosphere. Here they are constantly bombarded by radiation with the trailing sides receiving a greater radiation dose than the leading sides.
"When the magnetospheric particles (ions and electrons) are smashing into the surface of the moons, strange things happen even though the surface is about as cold as cold can be. Radicals are produced, ionization occurs and reactive species produce materials that wouldn't normally be produced," explained Orlando, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "The bottom line is that weird chemistry goes on when there is too much energy."
Orlando will discuss aspects of this "weird chemistry" at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society on August 29th in Chicago. His presentation will be part of a chemical education section on the importance of radiation and high-energy chemistry in both the laboratory and the real world -- which includes the outer reaches of our solar system.
Near-infrared data sent from the Galileo spacecraft in 1997 indicated the presence of frozen brine on the surface of Europa. This suggestion was mainly discussed by McCord and co-workers (Science 280, 1242-45, 1998) and many planetary scientists believed the brine could have originated in a subsurface ocean beneath Europa's frozen crust. Brought to the surface by cryo-volcanic action, the brine would have been flash-frozen in the extreme cold (below 130 degrees Kelvin, or minus 145 degrees Celsius) and ultra-high vacuum (less than 10 -10 Torr).
To test that hypothesis, a team of scientists led by Orlando (formerly of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) and Prof. Tom McCord of the University of Hawaii, duplicated the freezing of brine under similar conditions of temperature and vacuum, then cycled the samples through the thermal changes that occur on the surface of Europa. Near-infrared analysis of the resulting samples showed characteristics similar to what the spacecraft reported, supporting the brine theory.
"We made some pretty good connections to what the planetary scientists had seen on the surface of these moons," said Orlando. "We thought about flash freezing from the chemical physics standpoint because if you freeze the brine fast enough, you can 'lock' the waters of hydration into their local positions. These water molecules should have a different optical signature than the rest of the water molecules in ice."
Spacecraft have also measured oxygen molecules (O2) as part of a tenuous atmosphere on the moons. To understand how oxygen could be produced and liberated from extremely cold ice on the moons, Orlando's research team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory bombarded ice samples with an electron beam much like those used in the microelectronics industry. The result was an unexpected reaction that involved the production of a stable precursor molecule that would not form under conditions seen by most chemists.
Simulations may also help scientists construct a time line for tracking the evolution and transformation of the moons' surfaces. Since the high radiation is constantly changing the ice, understanding the rate at which those processes occur might allow researchers to date them -- particularly if changes can be measured from one space mission to the next.
Beyond the Galilean satellites, Orlando's interest extends to Mars, comets, asteroids and even the dust found in space. "Radiation induced processes are generally the rule in outer space," he said. "They're not limited to just one system. We are just simulating what cosmic rays do. Cosmic rays produce electrons so we study the chemistry these electrons initiate."
A chemical physicist, Orlando began studying chemical reactions driven by radiation while a researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. There, the interest was in the effects of radiation on production of hydrogen and oxygen from nuclear waste. Transitioning that knowledge to planetary science shows the value of interdisciplinary studies, Orlando says.
"We're working in an interesting area where chemical physics, surface science and radiation chemistry can help planetary scientists address the issues raised by the really superb mission data," he noted. "The planetary science community is getting data so good that we can take a molecular view of what's happening."
At Georgia Tech, Orlando has established a laboratory to continue the study of radiation effects on icy surfaces. Using equipment that can produce ultra-high vacuum and temperatures down to 15 Kelvin, he plans to study the production of hydrogen molecules, and to better understand how small changes in the processing conditions affect the characteristics of the very cold ice -- and what can be driven from it.
"The surface morphology and the surface temperature greatly affect the products you make," he said. "At one temperature, you might make a lot of O2. At another temperature, you may just sputter off water molecules and get water into the gas phase. The general radiation processing of low-temperature water is still not completely characterized."
Also on the agenda: photochemistry studies of iron oxides on Mars, sulfuric acid interaction with radiation -- and possible nanotechnology and medical applications using controlled electron-beam technology.
August 29, 2001
Permian Extraterrestrial Impact Caused Largest Mass Extinction on Earth
By Kara LeBeau, GSA Staff Writer
What actually ended the Permian Period some 251 million years ago? Most Earth scientists think gradual sea fall, climate change, oceanic anoxia, and volcanism were the causes. But that's not so. A group of geologists working in southern China found evidence that it was an asteroid or a comet that smacked our planet, exploded, and then caused the most severe biotic crisis in the history of life on Earth.
In the September issue of Geology, Kunio Kaiho from Tohoku University reports their findings of a remarkable sulfur and strontium isotope excursion at the end of the Permian, along with a coincident concentration of impact- metamorphosed grains and kaolinite and a significant decrease in manganese, phosphorous, calcium, and microfossils (foraminifera). Their discoveries at Meishan (Mei Mountain) suggest that an asteroid or a comet hit the ocean at the end of the Permian, triggered a rapid and massive release of sulfur from the mantle to the ocean-atmosphere system, swooped up a significant amount of oxygen, precipitated acid rain, and possibly set off large-scale volcanism.
"Understanding the cause of this event is important because it represents the largest mass extinction," Kaiho said, "and it led to the subsequent origination of recent biota on Earth."
Kaiho discovered the significance of the site when he took samples from it in 1996 and again in 1998. He plans to investigate other evidence of impactevents.
"We would like to clarify paleoenvironmental changes and causes of the end Permian mass extinction in different places and of the other mass extinctions which occurred during the past 500 million years: end Ordovician, Late Devonian, and end Triassic," he said.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.
Researchers test asteroid collector in zero gravity conditions
A University of Arkansas team will work in zero gravity to test a sample collector for a proposed NASA mission that one day may bring asteroids to Earth from space.
The test will be a crucial step in proposing a NASA space mission called HERA that would collect samples from three near-Earth asteroids and return those samples to Earth.
The test flight will take place the week of Sept. 25 aboard NASA's KC-135 airplane at Johnson Space Center in Houston. A team led by Derek Sears, professor of cosmochemistry and director of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Science, (AOCSPS) will fly for several hours while the plane makes parabolic dips in the air, creating pockets of microgravity conditions that last for up to 20 seconds. The researchers will have two days of flights to test the sample collector, and will experience microgravity anywhere from 30-40 times on each day.
"The collector is not only the most technically difficult portion of the mission. It's the only thing that hasn't been flight tested before," Sears said.
Researchers flying on the test mission will include Sears; Melissa Franzen, a AOCSPS summer research student from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa; Jeffrey Preble and John DiPalma from SpaceWorks, Inc.; and Paul Bartlett of Honeybee Robotics, Inc. Honeybee Robotics recently secured a NASA contract to create tools for the next Mars lander. Engineers from Honeybee designed the asteroid sample collector, modifying a similar prototype for comets, which they had developed some time ago. SpaceWorks, Inc. built the test fixture that will enable the collector to be tested on the plane.
The collector has two sharp blades made of tungsten carbide that counter- rotate at various speeds, chopping up small bits of rock and sending them flying upwards into the collector -- at least in theory, a theory the researchers plan to test on board NASA's KC-135 in September.
To test the collector, the researchers need asteroid-like materials, so Sears and his colleagues have ordered large bags of concrete, gravel, sand and iron filings to create different mixtures for use while in flight. From what scientists know about asteroids from images and from meteorites, Sears speculates that a mixture of iron, sand and gravel will come closest to re-creating an asteroid surface.
The researchers hope to answer several questions through this flight:
* Does the collector work? Can it transfer material from the surface to the container? * How much of the surface material does the collector pick up? * What's the largest particle the collector can pick up? * Does the collector physically change the particles (for example, does it crush them)? * To what extent does the collector change the composition of the surface particles?
"We don't want to pick up just the light materials, for example," Sears said.
Five people will fly aboard the KC-135 and conduct the experiments. One person will work with the samples. The second person will operate the cutter. A third person will record everything with a digital video camera. And a fourth person will keep records of all the experiments on a laptop computer.
The "asteroid" materials will be mixed together in three different ways -- a combination of sand and iron filings, a gravel mixture and concrete -- to provide a range of possible surfaces that the collector might encounter in space.
"We're not optimistic that we can sample concrete," Sears said. "But these materials get to the heart of the really interesting question -- what will the real asteroid surfaces be like?"
The question has become more pressing in recent years with the discovery of hundreds of near-Earth asteroids. These discoveries have caused an increasing public concern about asteroid collisions and have generated growing scientific interest in asteroid composition.
Scientists can guess at what an asteroid might have in it through examination of pictures from EROS taken by the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission or through meteorite data. But investigations of actual asteroid pieces would give concrete answers to some of their questions.
The proposed HERA mission would use technology derived from the NEAR mission to visit three near-Earth asteroids. The spacecraft would then collect samples of rocks upon the surface of all three bodies before returning to Earth.
An official proposal for the mission could be sent to NASA sometime next year, but first the collector must pass another test -- this one in a vacuum created by the AOCSPS Andromeda Chamber, a barrel-like collector that researchers can use to simulate the conditions of space. Those tests are planned for December.
Fighting Wildfires Before They Start
ldfires break out in unexpected places, then they do things that surprise firefighters. But maybe such fires won't always be so unpredictable. Trailblazing scientists are combining satellite data with sophisticated computer programs to learn more about capricious wildfires -- including where they're likely to start and what we can do to prevent them.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast28aug_1.htm?list448368
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
RELEASE: 01-62AR NASA SCANS VINEYARDS FROM ABOVE TO HELP GROWERS
NASA researchers are helping growers improve wine quality by using remote-sensing technology to scan vineyards from high above California.
Scientists are using images taken from airplanes and satellites to map vineyard leaf area to help vintners measure ripening rate, disease incidence, soil drainage and fruit quality.
"For hundreds of years, winegrowers have known that grapes harvested from different areas in their vineyards can produce wines with unique flavors and tastes," said Tim Mondavi, winegrower and vice-chairman of Robert Mondavi Winery, Oakville, Calif. "We are now using NASA's advanced remote-sensing technologies to understand the subtle nuances of our vineyards, and with astounding results."
Researchers divided groups of vines in the study area into high-, moderate- and low-vigor areas, which have unique flavors and levels of grape maturity, allowing for different styles of wine. Results of the study confirm that the low- and moderate-vigor areas produced higher quality wines, while the high-vigor area produced medium quality wine. The winery has engaged a commercial remote-sensing vendor for 'decision support' across its Napa properties, the researchers said. Scientists also measured light levels, water status, chlorophyll and other factors on the ground.
"In certain regions of France, grapes have been grown for more than 1,700 years. Vintners in these regions have had abundant time to understand how vintage varies throughout the vineyard," explained principal investigator Lee Johnson, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. "By contrast, the majority of vineyard development in California's Napa Valley has occurred since the mid-1960s." Until now, Napa vintners generally have treated large 'blocks' of vines as single units for cultivation and harvest. -more- -2- Remote-sensing imagery allows Robert Mondavi winegrowers to better understand micro-regions within their vineyards. "We now identify vine vigor to see weak and strong areas of growth in the vineyard, then we break up how we harvest," said Daniel Bosch, vineyard technical manager at Robert Mondavi Winery. "We can taste those differences in the grapes at harvest."
"Winemakers blend wines from different lots to create a desired flavor profile in the final wine," Johnson said. "A greater number of distinct wine lots will provide the winemaker with increased latitude in blending and serve to increase quality."
Scientists on the ground measured leaf area in selected sample sites at the Robert Mondavi Winery. The researchers then combined the ground-gathered leaf area data with aerial and satellite information to make an accurate map of the vineyard under study. Researchers used red and 'near' infrared images to monitor plant density, comparing various vine areas. Study results are scheduled for publication in the journal Applied Engineering in Agriculture, and for presentation at the Third International Conference on Geospatial Technologies in Agriculture and Forestry.
NASA 'remote sensing' of vineyards by airplane and satellite first began at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1993 to track the phylloxera infestation that was affecting northern California. From the late 1980s, California winegrowers faced destruction of their vines by infestation of the pest that kills vines by feeding on their roots. Infested areas must eventually be replanted on a phylloxera-resistant or tolerant rootstock. Additional information about NASA Ames' grapevine studies is on the Internet at: http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/vintage/vintage.html
Proposals for the FY 2002, Solar, Heliospheric and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE) program are due at NSF on Thursday, November 1, 2001. Approximately $500,000 will be available for awards.
Because this is a new initiative at NSF, it is important to read the program solicitation in detail. This is available in electronic format only at:
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf01143
All proposals must be submitted via FastLane. For more information, see:
http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov
In consultation with the SHINE steering committee, the following areas will be emphasized:
1) Solar properties of CMEs and related phenomena, including their origin and near-Sun evolution, and the conditions that lead to their occurrence.
2) Interplanetary characteristics of CMEs, including their propagation through and interaction with the background solar wind, and the connection between interplanetary and near-Sun characteristics.
3) Acceleration of solar energetic particles by eruptive phenomena on the Sun, such as flares and CMEs, and their subsequent transport in the interplanetary medium.
4) Quasi-steady structure of the corona and interplanetary medium, as it relates to geoeffective phenomena in general. This includes understanding or characterizing the background solar wind and how it evolves, and its relationship to solar properties such as coronal holes.
5) Solar cycle dependence of the above phenomena.
Studies that seek to use multiple data sources (ground-based observations, space-based remote sensing, and in situ measurements) and which combine theory/modeling with analysis of observations are especially encouraged.
For more information, please contact Paul Evenson, Program Director, Solar Terrestrial Research at (703) 292-8529 or pevenso@nsf.gov
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Call for Papers for 2002 URSI Joint Session Organized by Commissions G and H: Meteor Physics and Observations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Meers M Oppenheim <meerso@bu.edu>
2002 URSI National Meeting: Boulder, Colorado, January 9-12, 2002
Joint session organized by Commissions G and H: Meteor Physics and Observations
The Earth is struck by between 100 and 1000 tons of material from space each day, mostly in the form of particles smaller than a grain of sand moving at, typically, between 11 and 72 km/s. By studying these meteoroids, researchers can improve our understanding of the distribution and characteristics of matter in the solar system and the local interstellar environment. Further, meteoroids enable meteor-burst communication and provide a method of remotely characterizing the mesopause region of the atmosphere. Meteoroids also present a threat to spacecraft through impacts and by generating conducting paths along which current flows can disable spacecraft. The objective of this session is to discuss recent advances in the physics and radio science of meteoroids. In particular this session will focus on recent results from both large aperture radars and more ``traditional'' measurements (e.g., HF/VHF meteor radars and optical) and comparisons between these results. Appropriate for this session are studies of: 1) radar observations of meteoroid head and/or trail regions; 2) radio and plasma science of meteoroid interaction with the atmosphere; 3) dynamics and chemistry of meteoroids and meteor trails; 4) impacts of meteoric constituents on atmospheric phenomena; 5) hypervelocity impact effects on spacecraft; and 6) dynamics, sources and spatial distribution of meteoroids including sporadic, storm, and interstellar meteoroids.
Organizers: Meers Oppenheim and John Mathews
The DEADLINE for receipt of abstracts is SEPTEMBER 7, 2001
The web page http://cires.colorado.edu/ursi contains general information, abstract submission instructions and guidelines. All abstracts for the URSI 2002 must be submitted through the web. No other submission methods are available this year. Please consult with the web page listed above for specific details.
August 28, 2001
Call for Papers on "Comparative Approach Applied to Solar System Bodies" as part of the AGU Fall 2001 Special Session SA06: "Future Directions in Aeronomy" (joint SA, P, A, AE)
Please note that the session number has been changed to "SA06".
Terrestrial and planetary scientists are specifically invited to contribute papers (oral or poster) dealing with an assessment of present knowledge in mesospheric, ionospheric, and thermospheric processes and an exposition of the outstanding problems that are expected to occupy the spotlight in the years ahead. In particular, the "Comparative Approach Applied to Solar System Bodies" is becoming increasingly fruitful as spacecraft mission and ground-based datasets are assimilated and interpreted using state-of-the-art multi-dimensional models. The range and complexity of solar system environments available to study upper atmosphere processes attest to the planetary scope of aeronomy and its bright future. A portion of this special session (SA06) on Future Directions in Aeronomy will be devoted to comparative planetary topics. Your participation is most welcome.
Please visit the following website for more information: (http://www.bu.edu/csp/imaging_science/SA06_01FallAGU.html).
August 27, 2001
For release: Aug. 27, 2001
RELEASE: 01-288
Four from NASA's Marshall Center receive honors for Women's Equality Day
Four employees at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., were honored at the annual Women's Equality Day program Monday at the Sparkman Center on Redstone Arsenal.
Melissa Van Dyke from the Space Transportation Directorate, Phyllis Olinger from the Office of Chief Counsel, and Jill Holland from the 2nd Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program Office were recognized as outstanding women achievers. Jolene Martin of the Space Shuttle Projects Office was recognized as the Federal Women's Program Supervisor of the Year.
Nominations for those to be honored were solicited from across the Marshall Center. A panel of their peers selected the winners.
Dr. Susan D. Parker, state auditor for Alabama, spoke at the Women's Equality Day program. Elected in 1998, Parker is responsible for all property audits and inventory management for Alabama, and appoints registrars in 66 of 67 counties. As fifth in line of succession to the governor's office, Parker is the highest-ranking woman officeholder in Alabama.
Women's Equality Day was established in 1971 to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. That event was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world's first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y.
William Uher Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
RELEASE: 01-173
NASA COMES TO THE AID OF AIRCRAFT-NOISE SUFFERERS
Residents of communities near airports may someday breathe an audible sigh of relief as a result of NASA tests using one of the world's largest wind tunnels to evaluate a variety of 'quiet' aircraft technologies.
Aircraft are at their 'loudest' when landing gear, wing flaps and slats are deployed, creating large amounts of wind turbulence and generating lots of noise. Engineers at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., with support from NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., will use Ames' 40 x 80-foot (12.2 x 24.4-meter) subsonic wind tunnel to test design modifications that reduce aircraft noise on a 26 percent-scale model of a Boeing 777 aircraft.
"This wind tunnel test is the culmination of eight years of work to make aircraft quieter during the time when the most noise is produced -- take-off and landing. This is the first time that all of these noise-control devices will be tested together. Each device works separately, but this test will determine how well they work together," said engineering lead Kevin James of Ames.
"These technologies, developed by NASA and an industry airframe-noise reduction team, will revolutionize the design of future generations of commercial aircraft. Communities will experience less noise, and their citizens' quality of life will be improved, with the implementation of the advanced technologies to be demonstrated in this critical experiment," said Bill Willshire, noise reduction program manager at Langley. The research to develop quieter aircraft is funded under the Aerospace Vehicle System Technology Noise Reduction Program managed by Langley.
The model -- known as the Subsonic Transport Acoustic Research (STAR) model -- consists of the left half of the aircraft. It will be mounted with the wing vertical in the test section. The model is complete with a wing, landing gear, leading-edge slats and flaps that are fully extended to duplicate take-off or landing conditions.
"This is one of the most detailed wind tunnel models of a commercial aircraft ever tested. The model has all the control surfaces and parts of the real aircraft. It has a semi-wingspan of 26 feet (7.25 meters) and is built to a tolerance of 0.030 of an inch (.0762 centimeters)," said James. "The Boeing 777 was picked for the development of these quiet modifications because it is already a relatively quiet aircraft. We wanted the challenge of making it even quieter," he added.
To determine noise levels, the test will use one large, fixed acoustic-sensor array and one mobile acoustic (or "microphone") array that can cover the entire length of the model. Acoustic arrays enable engineers to measure the noise generated from small portions of the model. With the microphone array, noise generated from the flap edge can be separated from noise generated from the slat. The benefit of the microphone array is very much like that of a microscope, allowing researchers to look at individual noise-generating parts. The model is also heavily loaded with sensors that monitor wind-speed, turbulence and pressure.
"We've learned a great deal over the past several years and have significantly improved our sensor array designs. A mobile array was needed because some of the noise produced is very directional. The sensor needs to be in position to 'see' the noise in order to accurately detect the noise," said James.
Europe to identify underground water on Mars
Geologists poring over the latest images from Mars keep on turning up new and tantalising evidence that water once flowed freely on the planet's surface - and may still flow from time to time. If their interpretation is right, underground aquifers or ice layers should be commonplace on the planet. Yet no spacecraft flown so far has been capable of identifying them.
To read more about this go to: http://sci.esa.int/content/news/index.cfm?aid=1&cid=1&oid=28192
August 24, 2001
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Jane Platt Hubble European Space Agency/Lars Lindberg August 24, 2001
HUBBLE HATCHES IMAGE OF ROTTEN EGG NEBULA SHOCKS
Violent gas collisions that produced supersonic shock fronts in a dying star are seen in a new, detailed image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The picture, taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, is online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/wfpc . The camera was designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Stars like our Sun will eventually die and expel most of their material outward into shells of gas and dust. These shells eventually form some of the most beautiful objects in the universe, called planetary nebulae.
"This new image gives us a rare view of the early death throes of stars like our Sun. For the first time, we can see phenomena leading to the formation of planetary nebulae. Until now, this had only been predicted by theory, but had never been seen directly," said Dr. Raghvendra Sahai, research scientist and member of the science team at JPL for the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2.
The object is sometimes called the Rotten Egg Nebula, because it contains a lot of sulphur, which would produce an awful odor if one could smell in space. The object is also known as the Calabash Nebula or by the technical name OH231.8+4.2.
The densest parts of the nebula are composed of material ejected recently by the central star and accelerated in opposite directions. This material, shown as yellow in the image, is zooming away at speeds up to one and a half million kilometers per hour (one million miles per hour). Most of the star's original mass is now contained in these bipolar gas structures.
A team of Spanish and American astronomers used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to study how the gas stream rams into the surrounding material, shown in blue. They believe that such interactions dominate the formation process in planetary nebulae. Due to the high speed of the gas, shock-fronts are formed on impact and heat the surrounding gas. Although computer calculations have predicted the existence and structure of such shocks for some time, previous observations have not been able to prove the theory.
This new Hubble image used filters that only let through light from ionized hydrogen and nitrogen atoms. Astronomers were able to distinguish the warmest parts of the gas heated by the violent shocks and found that they form a complex double-bubble shape. The bright yellow-orange colors in the picture show how dense, high-speed gas is flowing from the star, like supersonic speeding bullets ripping through a medium in opposite directions. The central star itself is hidden in the dusty band at the center.
Much of the gas flow observed today seems to stem from a sudden acceleration that took place only about 800 years ago. The astronomers believe that 1,000 years from now, the Calabash Nebula will become a fully developed planetary nebula, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
The Calabash Nebula is 1.4 light years (more than 8 trillion miles) long and located some 5,000 light years (2,900 trillion miles) from Earth in the constellation Puppis.
The image was taken in December 2000 by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope is online at http://www.stsci.edu . More information about the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 is at http://wfpc2.jpl.nasa.gov .
Other scientists on the team include Valentin Bujarraba and Javier Alcolea of Observatorio Astronomico Nacional, Spain, and Carmen Sanchez Contreras of JPL.
The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., manages space operations for Hubble for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
A New Comet -- Found the Old-Fashioned Way
Last weekend an amateur astronomer found a new comet the old-fashioned way. Without the aid of computers or digital cameras, he simply looked through his telescope and there it was! You can see the newfound Comet Petriew for yourself in the morning sky gliding between the constellations Taurus and Gemini.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast24aug_1.htm?list448368
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 08/16/01 - 08/22/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Wednesday, August 22. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/ .
Recent spacecraft activities include a Magnetospheric and Plasma Science observation, an Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer Interplanetary Hydrogen Survey and Periodic Instrument Maintenance, a Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) High Frequency Receiver calibration, and an autonomous Solid State Recorder Memory Load partition repair. Real-time commands were uplinked to the spacecraft as planned to transition to the Reaction Wheel Assembly for attitude control and to perform a Command & Data Subsystem Memory Readout of the Non-Interfering Error Log.
Instrument Operations (IO) Radio Science Subsystem conducted a test of the X-band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) as part of the second Gravitational Wave Experiment System Test, which began this week. The X-band TWTAs were placed in standby mode for 18 hours, then warmed up for 2 hours and turned on again. This was done to obtain thermal information relevant to operations mode development. A similar test was performed the following day with the Ka-Band TWTA, to obtain thermal information that will be useful for tour development.
The Science Planning Team began holding weekly Target Working Team (TWT) meetings to integrate science activities for the entire tour. In addition to the Titan Orbiter Science and Satellite Orbiter Science Teams (TOST and SOST), the four new teams responsible for integrating segments of the tour are the Saturn, Magnetosphere, Rings, and Cross-Discipline TWTs. The TWT meetings are held Monday through Thursday and will continue for the next three years or until the tour has been completely integrated. Additional tour planning took place at an all-day SOST meeting, which was held to continue work on integrating the targeted icy satellite flybys.
The Spacecraft Operations Office (SCO) held the third in a series of Maneuver Automation Tool progress briefings. There has been substantial progress and the prototype scripts and block are well along in development. The developer is preparing for formal delivery of the software and documentation in January 2002.
The Navigation team delivered the Cassini orbit determination quarterly update, which covered the data arc from April 2001 to July 2001. The predicted Saturn encounter is several thousand kilometers from the Trajectory Correction Maneuver 17 aimpoint due to normal TCM-17 delivery dispersions and spacecraft thruster activities including the safing event earlier this year. However, this is well within expected trajectory variations at this point in the mission, and will have no noticeable effect on subsequent maneuvers.
The Thermal Devices team has completed the analysis of the Reaction Control System catalyst bed heater tests performed in cruise sequence C26. The results of both tests were normal and validate the 32-minute warm-up time and the thermal stability of having both branches powered simultaneously.
The Uplink Operations office completed system testing for Mission Sequence Subsystem (MSS) D7.6, including Integration Test Laboratory and High Speed Simulator retest of modules for MSS D7.6. The integrated retest was completed last weekend, and the MSS D7.6 Delivery Coordination Meeting took place this week. The new delivery includes significant updates to Science Opportunity Analyzer, Pointing Design Tool, and the MSS modules, both ground-expanded and on-board.
IO installed and performed initial testing of a new Remote Terminal Interface Unit (RTIU) for the RPWS team. Testing of the RTIU was successful with individual commands, and further work and testing is planned for more complex commanding.
The Mission Planning (MP) team held a review of Saturn Orbit Insertion planning status. Discussion included the recommendation to use the High Gain Antenna (HGA) to protect the spacecraft during ring plane crossings. The group decided to hold a half-day debris hazard review in conjunction with the upcoming October Project Science Group meeting. MP also received reports from main-engine nozzle testing at White Sands Test Facility, and negotiated with propulsion experts for a September reassessment of Cassini nozzle vulnerability.
Mission Assurance completed generation of a Mission Operations Assurance Plan (MOAP) for the program. This plan documents the Operations Assurance effort for Cassini and relies heavily on the synergistic relationship between Mission Assurance and Systems Engineering. Detailed role statements for both Mission Assurance and Systems Engineering are provided, with traceability to both the Mars Climate Orbiter Failure Review Board recommendations and the JPL Design Principles. The MOAP is currently being tailored by Cassini Systems Engineering and should be released to the Flight Team within a few weeks for review.
Cassini Outreach Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Virtual Telescope Observes Record-Breaking Asteroid (ESO PR Photos 27a-b/01)
ESO has published a joint Press Release about observations of what has turned out to be the largest known asteroid in the solar system. Read the details at:
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2001/phot-27-01.html
2001 Report # 25 6 a.m. CDT, Thursday, August 23, 2001 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
2001 International Space Station Status Report #25 Just hours after the return of the Expedition Two crew to the Kennedy Space Center, the Expedition Three crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) received new supplies and fuel this morning following the flawless docking of a Progress resupply freighter.
The unmanned Progress 5 craft linked up to the aft docking port of the Zvezda Service Module at 4:51 a.m. Central time (951 GMT) after an automated two-day excursion following its launch Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The docking occurred over Central Asia.
Within a few minutes after docking, hooks and latches were commanded to close between the Progress and Zvezda, forming a hard mate and a tight seal between the two craft. Hatches between the two vehicles will be opened later today, enabling Station Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin to unload some 3000 pounds of supplies and personal effects.
The arrival of the Progress vehicle at the Station sets the stage for the launch of the next module for the outpost next month --- the Russian Docking Compartment named Pirs, the Russian word for pier. The Docking Compartment will automatically link up to the nadir, or earthward facing docking port of Zvezda two days after launch, providing an additional docking port for future Russian vehicles arriving at the ISS.
At the Kennedy Space Center, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms are in excellent shape, readapting to gravity and enjoying life back on Earth after167 days in space, 163 days of which were spent aboard the ISS. They are scheduled to return to Ellington Field in Houston late this afternoon with their Discovery crewmates, Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry following yesterday's landing of Discovery at the Florida spaceport.
In addition to attending to the newly arrived Progress craft, the Expedition Three crew continues to oversee a variety of science investigations. Oversight from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, except for the Human Research Facility, which is monitored and controlled from the Telescience Support Center (TSC) at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. For details on ISS science, visit the following website:
The next ISS status report will be issued next Wednesday, August 29, or earlier, if events warrant.
August 23, 2001
Headquarters, Washington, DC Aug. 23, 2001 (PhoRELEASE: c01-q
NASA AWARDS CONTRACTS FOR NEW REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENT TECHNOLOGY
NASA awarded funding for 11 new contracts for technology development of innovative Earth Science remote-sensing instruments under its Instrument Incubator Program (IIP).
The objective of the program is to invest in new and innovative technologies that could lead to smaller, less expensive and more efficient flight instruments.
The technologies selected include active and passive techniques for measuring global carbon dioxide, the buildup of which may be a contributor to the global increase in the greenhouse effect. Also selected are instrument technologies for microwave radiometry and advanced radars to measure global precipitation, soil moisture and sea surface salinity, leading to a more accurate understanding of climate change. In addition, investments will be made in instrument technologies for the measurement of far-infrared thermal radiation, an emerging science area not previously explored, with the potential to better understand the Earth's radiation balance.
Instrument technologies leading to the potential measurement of tropospheric ozone and other gases from space will be advanced by investments in Fabry-Perot interferometer technologies. Geomagnetic measurements enabled from investments in magnetometer technologies can provide a means to study the structure and dynamics of the Earth's interior, leading to better utilization of natural resources including water and land use and the mitigation of natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding, sea level change, and severe storms.
NASA received 64 proposals for technology development efforts and was able to select 11 for funding. The total funds made available for these investigations averages nearly $1 million per year for three years or a total of approximately $29.5 million.
The 11 proposals focus on near term investment to support high- priority measurements in the areas of:
* Atmospheric Chemistry: Tropospheric profiles of O3, CO, NOx * Solid Earth: Topography and the Deformation of Land and Ice * Global Carbon Cycle: CO2 Column Abundance and Profile * Global Water and Energy Cycle: Precipitation Rate, Tropospheric Winds, and Sea Surface Salinity/Soil Moisture * Climate Variability and Prediction: GPS Altimetry and Ocean Surface Winds Atmospheric Chemistry (Tropospheric profiles); Solid Earth (Topography and the Deformation of Land and Ice); the Global Carbon Cycle; Global Water and Energy Cycle (Precipitation Rate, Tropospheric Winds, and Sea Surface Salinity/Soil Moisture); Climate Variability and Prediction (GPS Altimetry and Ocean Surface Winds).
The investigations selected by NASA's Office of Earth Sciences are:
* James Anderson, Harvard University: ICOS, CAPS and CRDS: New Techniques for Precise, Low-Cost, Airborne, In Situ Mapping of Species for AURA Collaborative Science * William Heaps, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Fabry-Perot Interferometer for Column CO2 * Eastwood Im, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): The Advanced Precipitation Radar Antenna and Instrument * Joel Johnson, Ohio State University: Digital Receiver with Interference Suppression for Microwave Radiometry * Allen M. Larar, NASA Langley Research Center: Tropospheric Trace Species Sensing Fabry-Perot Interferometer * Robert Menzies, JPL: Laser Absorption Spectrometer for Global-Scale Profiling of Tropospheric Carbon Dioxide * Mahta Moghaddam, JPL: Dual-Low-Frequency Radar for Soil Moisture Under Vegetation and At-depth * Martin Mlynczak, NASA Langley Research Center: Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere * Robert Slocum, Polatomic Inc., Richardson, Texas: Miniature Vector Laser Magnetometer * Eric Smith, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Engineering Development of Lightweight Rainfall Radiometer as Candidate for Baseline Global Precipitation Mission Constellation Microwave Radiometer * William Wilson, JPL: Development of Ultra Stable Microwave Radiometers for Future Sea Surface Salinity Missions
August 22, 2001
Virtual Telescope Observes Record-Breaking Asteroid New data show that '2001 KX76' is larger than Ceres
Ceres, the first asteroid (minor planet) to be discovered in the Solar System, has held the record as the largest known object of its kind for two centuries. However, recent observations at the European Southern Observatory with the world,s first operational virtual telescope, Astrovirtel, have determined that the newly discovered distant asteroid '2001 KX76' is significantly larger, with a diameter of 1200 km, possibly even 1400 km.
Read more about this at: http://sci.esa.int/hubble/news/index.cfm?oid=28146
The Strange Spires of Callisto
NASA Science News for August 22, 2001
NASA's Galileo spacecraft has spotted curious icy spires jutting from the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto. The bizarre-looking natural features have researchers scratching their heads and wondering if the surface of the frigid moon might be a more dynamic place than they once thought.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast22aug_1.htm?list448368
GALILEO'S FLYBY REVEALS CALLISTO'S BIZARRE LANDSCAPE
A spiky landscape of bright ice and dark dust shows signs of slow but active erosion on the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto in new images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft.
The pictures taken by Galileo's camera on May 25 from a distance of less than 138 kilometers, or about 86 miles, above Callisto's surface give the highest resolution view ever seen of any of Jupiter's moons.
"We haven't seen terrain like this before. It looks like erosion is still going on, which is pretty surprising," said James Klemaszewski of Academic Research Lab, Phoenix, Ariz. Klemaszewski is processing and analyzing the Galileo Callisto imagery with Dr. David A. Williams and Dr. Ronald Greeley of Arizona State University, Tempe. The images were released by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which manages the Galileo mission.
Callisto, about the same size as the planet Mercury, is the most distant of Jupiter's four large moons. Callisto's surface of ice and rock is the most heavily cratered of any moon in the solar system, signifying that it is geologically "dead." There is no clear evidence that Callisto has experienced the volcanic activity or tectonic shifting that have erased some or all of the impact craters on Jupiter's other three large moons.
The jagged hills in the new images may be icy material thrown outward from a large impact billions of years ago, or the highly eroded remains of a large impact structure, Williams said. Each bright peak is surrounded by darker dust that appears to be slumping off the peak.
"They are continuing to erode and will eventually disappear," Klemaszewski said. One theory for an erosion process is that, as some of the ice sublimes away into vapor, it leaves behind dust that was bound in the ice. The accumulating dark material may also absorb enough heat from the Sun to warm the ice adjacent to it and keep the process going. The new images show portions of the surface where the sharp knobs have apparently eroded away, leaving a plain blanketed with dark material.
The close-up images show craters as small as about 3 meters (10 feet) across, though not as many as some predictions anticipated. One scientific goal from the high-resolution images is to see how many small craters are crowded onto the surface. Crater counts are one way to estimate the age of a moon's surface, and since Callisto has been so undisturbed by other geological processes, its cratering density is useful in calibrating the estimates for Jupiter's other moons.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages Galileo for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about the mission is available online at: http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov .
The close-ups and the first complete Callisto global color picture from Galileo are available on the Internet at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/callisto .
the ESO 3.6-m telescope at La Silla has been in operation since the mid-1970's. It is still used for front-line observations in many research fields, as described in today's ESO Press Release. It concerns the discovery of three stars with unusual amounts of Lead in their atmospheres - read the full account at:
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2001/pr-19-01.html
Will you be in Chile and pass through the Antofagasta region where the Paranal Observatory is located? A new Webpage is now available with full information (in English and Spanish) about visits to the site of the ESO Very Large Telescope. Look at:
http://www.eso.org/paranal/site/visitors/
For release: Aug. 22, 2001
RELEASE: 01-285
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Expedition Three Science Operations Status Report for the week ending Aug. 22, 2001
Scientific research on the Expedition Three mission got off to a rapid start in the past week, with the setup and activation of several new experiments and others continuing from Expeditions One and Two.
Spacewalking Space Shuttle astronauts Dan Barry and Patrick Forrester installed the Materials International Space Station Experiment on the outside of the Quest airlock module on Thursday, August 16. Two suitcase size containers of experimental materials for solar cells, paint and other applications will be exposed to the harsh space environment of space for the next year before they are retrieved for analysis.
On Saturday, August 18, the Expedition Three crew -- astronaut Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin -- performed the Hoffman Reflex experiment for the second time since their launch. This experiment measures spinal cord excitability as a way of studying the effectiveness of crew exercise in space. They will do the experiment again near the end of their mission.
Three experiments that study the microgravity environment recorded data during the Shuttle undocking on Monday, August 20. The Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System and the Space Acceleration Measurement System recorded the vibrations inside the Station caused by the separation of the two spacecraft. The Active Rack Isolation System ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS-ICE) captured the undocking vibrations inside EXPRESS Rack 2, as well as the response of the ARIS vibration dampening system in the rack. ARIS-ICE also recorded the station reboost and water dump on Thursday, August 16. Having recorded both low-frequency vibrations during normal crew operations and broad frequency vibrations of the undocking, ARIS-ICE will collect measurements next week with a calibrated "shaker" device to further define ARIS' ability to protect delicate microgravity experiments from vibrations.
The crew and the Payload Operations Center on Tuesday, August 21, activated and checked out EXPRESS Rack 4 during several orbital passes when both Ku-band telemetry and S-band commanding were available. Controllers turned on power to the rack's eight lockers and two drawers provided for experiments, activated and loaded control software into the rack computer, and enabled the rack's smoke detector and water system used for cooling. EXPRESS Racks provide power, data and other utilities to experiments.
The Experiment on Physics of Colloids in Space science team began their Expedition Three operations Tuesday with a 12-hour run commanded from the NASA Glenn Research Center's Telescience Support Center in Cleveland. Another 12-hour run is planned for Friday. A colloid is a system of particles suspended in a fluid. Common examples are paint, milk and ink. Colloids are commonly used on Earth. Microgravity research may yield insights that could lead to engineering new colloid products on Earth.
Also on Tuesday, the crew began setup work with the Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth (DCPCG) experiment. Scientists hope this experiment will allow them to refine the methods and hardware for growing biological crystals using real-time, or dynamic, control of the protein solution. Past protein crystal experiments have largely been passive -- requiring little, if any, crew or ground control interaction. This experiment allows scientists on the ground to remotely control the crystallization rate of DCPCG samples. Analysis of crystals grown in space may provide insights into numerous biological processes on Earth, with applications ranging from medicine to agriculture.
The crew began setup and activation on Wednesday, August 22, of the Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller. This device can house 32 stationary tissue culture modules operating at a carefully controlled temperature. It is part of the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System, an interim platform for cell-based research aboard the Space Station prior to the launch of the permanent Biotechnology Facility. The system is comprised of sub-rack modules that provide semi-automated bioreactors, gas supply systems, computer control systems and passive and low-temperature stowage systems. The system will enable investigations on normal and cancerous mammalian cells, including ovarian and colon cancer cells, neural precursor and human renal cells.
Photography targets uplinked this week to the Space Station for the Crew Earth Observations research program include bush fires in South Africa, several new lakes west of Lake Nassar in Egypt, air pollution over Europe and the Ohio River valley in the United States, agriculture in the Tigris and Euprhates River area of Turkey, Andean glaciers, East Africa's Great Rift valley, and the Tuamotu Archipelago.
With Expedition Two coming to an end, officials reflected on the expedition and declared it a successful beginning to continuous science operations aboard the orbiting research outpost.
"We are well on our way to building and operating a world-class facility in orbit," said John Uri, lead increment scientist for Expedition Two, from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We flew and operated 18 investigations in a number of scientific disciplines. We accomplished virtually all of the goals we set out to accomplish. The crew took on the research program as their own, giving up personal time to catch up or get ahead on tasks. The mission set the tone for the rest of the expeditions on the station."
Lybrease Woodard, lead Expedition Two Payload Operations Director, with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said the payload control team successfully demonstrated the Station payload operations concept, involving the station crew, the operations center in Huntsville and telescience centers around the world.
"It was like leading a new orchestra," she said. "Everybody learned how to play their parts and then came together like a symphony." _______
The Web
Status Report http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/NEWSROOM/news/releases/2001/01-285.html
ISS Science Operations News http://www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/
Experiment Fact Sheets http://www.scipoc.msfc.
Guy Webster Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA RELEASE: 01-174
GALILEO FLYBY REVEALS CALLISTO'S BIZARRE LANDSCAPE
"We haven't seen terrain like this before. It looks like erosion is still going on, which is pretty surprising," said James Klemaszewski of Academic Research Lab, Phoenix, AZ. Klemaszewski is processing and analyzing the Galileo Callisto imagery with Dr. David A. Williams and Dr. Ronald Greeley of Arizona State University, Tempe.
The jagged hills in the new images may be icy material thrown outward from a large impact billions of years ago, or the highly eroded remains of a large impact structure, Williams said. Each bright peak of dust is surrounded by darker dust that appears to be slumping off the peak.
"They are continuing to erode and will eventually disappear," Klemaszewski said. One theory for an erosion process is that, as some of the ice turns into vapor, it leaves behind dust that was bound in the ice. The accumulating dark material may also absorb enough heat from the Sun to warm the ice adjacent to it and keep the process going. The new images show areas where the sharp knobs have apparently eroded away, leaving a plain blanketed with dark material.
The close-up images show craters as small as about 3 meters across, or about 10 feet, though not as many as some predictions anticipated. One scientific goal from the high-resolution images is to see how many small craters are crowded onto the surface. Crater counts are one way to estimate the age of a moon's surface, and since Callisto has been so undisturbed by other geological processes, its cratering density is useful in calibrating the estimates for Jupiter's other moons.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, manages Galileo for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.
Additional information about Galileo's mission is available online at:
http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov
The close-ups and the first complete Callisto global color picture from Galileo are available on the Internet at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/callisto
Annette Wells Department of Defense Space Test Program KSC Release No. 101 - 01 KODIAK STAR SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH FROM ALASKA SEPT. 17 The launch of Kodiak Star aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena 1 launch vehicle from Alaska's Kodiak Launch Complex is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 17 at the opening of a launch window that extends from 5 - 7 p.m. ADT (9 -11 p.m. EDT). This will be the first mission to be launched into an earth orbit from Kodiak Island. Riding atop the Athena I, the Kodiak Star payload consists of four individual satellites. Starshine 3, whose ride into space is sponsored by NASA, consists of over 1,500 hand-polished mirrors, 31 retro-reflectors and seven clusters of solar cells powering an amateur radio transmitter. The spherical satellite, one meter in diameter and weighing 200 pounds, can be used to study orbital decay. It will be deployed into a 300-mile-high orbit at an inclination of 67 degrees. Flashes from the satellite will occur every two seconds. They will be visible just after sunset and just before sunrise as far north as Point Barrow, Alaska and as far south as McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The Starshine Program involves participation from students in kindergarten through high school. This will be the first time that students from Alaska, and nations at high latitudes, can participate in the project due to the higher orbital inclination. PICOSat, PCSat and Sapphire are payloads sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program. PICOSat, the primary DoD satellite, is a technology demonstration satellite with four experiments on board. PCSat was designed by midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, and will become part of the amateur radio community's Automatic Position Reporting System. It will receive identity and position data from amateur radio operators and re-transmit it to ground stations. Sapphire is a micro-satellite built by students at Stanford University and Washington University - St. Louis. Sapphire's primary mission is testing infrared sensors for space use. LAUNCH MINUS 1 DAY PRELAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE AND TOUR The prelaunch press conference will be held on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m. ADT (5:30 p.m. EDT) in the launch control center conference room at the Kodiak Launch Complex . Participating in the press conference will be: Chuck Dovale, NASA Launch Manager, Kodiak Star John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida Rick Malone, Athena Mission Director Lockheed Martin Astronautics Denver, Colorado Gil Moore, Starshine Program Director Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium Monument, Colorado Lt. Col Perry Ballard, USAF Deputy Program Director, DoD Space Test Program Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico At the conclusion of the press conference, news media representatives will be given a tour of the Kodiak Launch Complex, owned by the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation. PRESS ACCREDITATION Media desiring to cover the launch of Kodiak Star should send a letter of request for accreditation to: Press Accreditation, Kodiak Star NASA XA-E1 Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 Letters may also be faxed to 321/867-2692. The request should be written on news organization letterhead and contain the full name, Social Security number and birth date of those planning to cover the launch. For further information, contact the NASA News Center at 321/867-2468. KODIAK STAR MEDIA DESK AND LAUNCH COMPLEX TRANSPORTATION A Kodiak Star Media Desk will be established in the lobby of the Buskin River Inn, located adjacent to the Kodiak Island Airport. Press badges for accredited news media may be picked up on L-1 day, Sunday, Sept. 16, beginning at 11 a.m. Transportation to and from the Kodiak Launch Complex will be provided. The press bus for the prelaunch news conference and launch complex tour will depart from the Buskin River Inn at 11:45 a.m. Due to significant parking limitations and security reasons, no privately owned vehicles are permitted at the launch site. On launch day, Sept. 17, press credentials may also be picked up beginning at 1 p.m. at the Kodiak Star Media Desk. The press bus for launch will depart from the Buskin River Inn at 2 p.m. NASA TELEVISION, V CIRCUIT AND WEB COVERAGE The Kodiak Star prelaunch press conference from the Kodiak Launch Complex will be carried live on NASA Television beginning at 1:30 p.m. ADT on Sunday, Sept. 16. Remote question and answer capability from other NASA field centers is not possible. However, if time permits, some questions may be answered by press conference participants if received not later than 24 hours in advance. These should be faxed on news organization letterhead to 907/487-2823. On launch day, Sept. 17, live launch coverage on NASA Television will begin at 3:30 p.m. ADT (7:30 p.m. EDT) and continue until it has been confirmed that Kodiak Star's four satellites have deployed. The final deployment confirmation, that of Starshine, is expected to be communicated from Antarctica approximately 2 hours, 10 minutes after launch. NASA Television is located on the GE-2 satellite, transponder 9 (C band), located at 85 degrees West. In Alaska, the Kodiak Star launch will also be carried on Galaxy 10, transponder 23 (Ku band), located at 123 West. Audio of the prelaunch press conference and launch will be provided on the "V" circuits. These can be accessed directly by dialing 321/867-1220, 1240, 1260, 7135, 4003. Full coverage of Kodiak Star activities will be webcast and may be accessed via the NASA Kennedy Space Center home page at www.ksc.nasa.gov <http://www.ksc.nasa.gov>.
BRAIN-INSPIRED COMPUTING
A new NASA-developed computing device allows machines to work much like the brain.
This technology may allow fast-thinking machines to make decisions based on what they see. A planetary rover might use this technology to avoid obstacles, select scientifically interesting spots to explore just by what it sees and navigate through terrain on its own without review from ground controllers. A spacecraft might use the technology to avoid hazards and identify a pre-selected landing site with very high precision.
"This may well be recognized as a quantum leap in the pursuit of intelligent vision, allowing machines to be significantly more autonomous," said Dr. Anil Thakoor, supervisor of the Bio-Inspired Technology and Systems Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
The device works much like the brain, whose power comes from the complex networks of interconnections called synapses between brain cells. Networks of these brain cells, called neurons, allow humans to make instant decisions based on an observed image or scene. The new processor captures the same capability to process images in real time as a scene unfolds.
The Three-Dimensional Artificial Neural Network processor is capable of recognizing objects in real time and in highly cluttered background scenes. It can process an image and is capable of a certain degree of judgment about the objects, much the same way as a person looks at a variety of objects and makes judgments about the nature of those objects.
Two technologies give the compact processor an unprecedented ability to process a stream of images in a way similar to that used by the human eye-brain combination. One is the JPL-pioneered, highly interconnected networks of ultra-low-power electronic synapses on very- large-scale-integrated (VLSI) chips that mimic the core of a brain. The other is the three- dimensional stacking of those chips in a sugar-cube sized package developed by Irvine Sensors Corporation, Costa Mesa, Calif.
The device achieves a computing speed of more than a trillion operations per second using only 8 watts of power. That is more than a thousand times faster than a typical commercially available desktop computer that consumes more than 100 watts of power. Engineers believe potential commercial benefits for the new technology may be found in public safety and in creating a personal computer that can respond to users' emotional states by simply recognizing the users' facial expressions. The development may also be useful to the video game industry in improving interactive technologies.
JPL's Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, under sponsorship from the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, developed the processor. The processor allows real time onboard target recognition by an interceptor for missile defense. Managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, JPL is the lead U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system.
STATUS REPORT: 01-283
NASA hurricane researchers explore Tropical Storm Chantal
High-flying researchers from NASA's Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX) have taken a look inside Tropical Storm Chantal, a storm that continues to follow the track of forecast models, but has not intensified as previously predicted.
Two specially equipped NASA research aircraft, an ER-2 and a DC-8, took off from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., at 2:05 p.m. EDT Monday on an eight-hour mission to collect high-altitude information on Tropical Storm Chantal. "Chantal provides us a great example of why we need to continue research of severe storms," said CAMEX researcher Dr. Ed Zipser of the University of Utah, Salt Lake. "At several points during its journey west across the Caribbean Chantal indicated that it was beginning to follow the forecast models, then abruptly violated expected behavior. Chantal's behavior is providing us with an opportunity to learn more about the dynamics of severe tropical storms and hurricanes."
The aircraft flew from Jacksonville south to Orlando then west and south across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Channel east of Mexico. The flight path then transited the Yucatan Channel south to intersect Tropical Storm Chantal east of Belize.
The DC-8 research aircraft, a converted commercial jetliner, flew an inverted figure four at 35,000 to 40,000 feet, while the ER-2 flew a similar pattern above the storm at 65,000 feet. The overlapping patterns, or "stacked formation," over Chantal samples the storm at various altitudes permitting scientist to study the storm from top to bottom.
On Sunday the NASA team flew the first flights of the Aerosonde Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle, a small aircraft that will fly into the boundary area of hurricanes. No problems were found during the first flight. NASA hopes to send the Aerosondes in the violent base of the storm, where no piloted vehicle dares to go.
The CAMEX mission unites researchers from 10 universities, five NASA centers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The study is part of NASA's Earth Science enterprise to better understand the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment.
Status report http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/NEWSROOM/news/releases/2001/01-283.html
CAMEX-4 science site http://camex.msfc.nasa.gov
Marshall CAMEX news http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/newsroom/camex
This Week on Galileo August 20 - 26, 2001
Another very quiet week of cruise activities is in store for the Galileo spacecraft. On Thursday, a test of the on-board gyroscopes is conducted. The electronic circuits governing these gyros have shown sensitivity to the intense radiation experienced as we fly close to Jupiter. Periodically running these tests allows us to determine if the software scale factors that are applied to the gyro measurements need to be updated to correctly interpret the information. The last such test was performed on August 7, just after the flyby, and this test will show to what extent the circuits have recovered from the radiation effects in the intervening two weeks.
Continued playback of the data stored on the tape recorder during the Io flyby occupies the Galileo science community this week. Data from the Solid State Imaging camera, the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, and the instruments that measure the electromagnetic fields and particles of the Jupiter environment are on tap. This week's playback should include the measurements taken just as Galileo reached its closest approach to Io, at a distance of 200 kilometers (124 miles), including views of the Isum, Tvashtar, and Prometheus volcanoes.
For more information on the Galileo spacecraft and its mission to Jupiter, please visit the Galileo home page at one of the following URL's:
http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo
NASA SATELLITE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AND U.S. FOREST SERVICE PROVIDE RAPID RESPONSE TO WILDFIRES
U.S. firefighters and land managers are using the most modern NASA satellite data to combat wildfires. NASA's Terra satellite is providing a view of fires across the entire United States, helping local officials manage fires more effectively, both during and after wildfires. The effort is a collaboration between NASA, the University of Maryland, College Park, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service.
The Terra satellite beams daily images of western U.S. wildfires to NASA within a few hours of the time that it passes over the region. These images and active fire detections are transmitted to the Forest Service. The images will become a regular part of the Forest Service's fire monitoring toolkit.
Maps derived from the data show daily active fires and areas that were burned during previous days. In the future, other Terra- derived data will help teams of scientists rehabilitate burned areas. They will use burn severity maps -- derived from satellite and ground measurements -- to prevent further erosion, soil loss and adverse impacts to water quality. Terra data will provide a quick look, which can then be refined on the ground. The maps will also help scientists identify critical wildlife habitat affected by the fire and facilitate reforesting an area.
"NASA remains deeply committed to working cooperatively with its sister agencies to monitor and combat wildfires across the nation," said Ghassem Asrar, NASA's Associate
Administrator for the Office of Earth Science. "Our investment in the Terra Earth Observing System is starting to pay tremendous dividends to the American taxpayer."
To use the Terra data to tackle forest fires, the three institutions are integrated under the Rapid Response Project, which includes a complex communications network. Rob Sohlberg at the University of Maryland's Department of Geography leads the project with Jacques Descloitres at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. This program was created in response to the 2000 fire season, with its extensive wildfires in Idaho and Montana.
"The Active Fire Maps offer the potential for understanding the 'big picture' when working on resource allocations decisions," said Alice Forbes, Deputy Director for Forest Service Fire and Aviation Operations at the National Interagency Fire Center, Boise, ID. "The maps can also help the public understand where the fires are located, and give them a look at the burned areas after fire season."
By October, the Forest Service will have the capability to produce its own fire images within minutes of a Terra overpass. The Forest Service is currently building a processing center, called the Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC), in Salt Lake City, UT, to generate real-time images of western wildfires. However, the Forest Service will still receive imagery of the eastern United States from the University of Maryland and NASA.
The University of Maryland and NASA have developed all of the needed software, which will be installed at the USFS direct broadcast station. The Forest Service has developed the corresponding software that creates the maps from the Terra data using standard Forest Service mapping techniques.
"The University of Maryland sends images and active fire location information daily to RSAC staff who are overlaying state boundaries and topographical features on the images to best determine where fires are occurring," said Keith Lannom, the Operations Program Leader at RSAC. These maps show current active fire areas in real- time on the Internet."
Data for tracking fires comes from Terra's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The Terra spacecraft is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research effort being conducted to determine how human-induced and natural changes affect our global environment.
Wei Min Hao, the Project Leader of the Fire Chemistry Project at the Forest Service's Fire Science Laboratory in Montana is developing a method to track smoke dispersed by wildfires, and to determine the impact that it has on regional air quality. Hao said, "During fires where there are large amounts of smoke, reconnaissance planes that normally map fires can't fly into an area, but MODIS can provide those pictures from space." Dr. Yoram Kaufman from NASA is working with Dr. Hao on these products.
The MODIS Rapid Response Fire Maps can be accessed through the National Interagency Fire Center Web site (click on RSAC Fire Maps link) at:
http://www.nifc.gov/firemaps.html
For additional information, please see:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20010810modisfiremonitor.html.
NASA COMPUTER TOOL SMOOTHS FLOW OF AIR TRAFFIC
Air traffic controllers will be able to make decisions about air traffic with greater accuracy thanks to a new NASA software tool.
Researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley, recently monitored more than 1,000 take-offs, landings and overhead flights near Denver to test the en-route data exchange (EDX) tool. The tool allows for the "real-time" delivery of flight data to automated air traffic management software, giving controllers the ability to predict aircraft position and avoid potential conflicts.
"The ability to accurately predict aircraft trajectories more than 20 minutes in advance is crucial to the success of air traffic management," according to Rich Coppenbarger, EDX technical lead. "EDX allows automation used for air traffic control decisions to be more accurate, thereby increasing fuel efficiency and system capacity, and reducing controller workload," he added.
EDX delivers 32 types of data from the plane to air traffic controllers, who are using NASA's Center-TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) Automation System, or CTAS. Some data, including aircraft speed, weight, flight plans and weather conditions, are processed immediately, and the rest are stored for later analysis.
"Field experience has shown that controllers must have confidence in the accuracy of underlying trajectory predictions in order to utilize our automation effectively. EDX provides that level of trust by providing a wealth of accurate and timely data," said Coppenbarger.
With cooperation from United Airlines, 48 Boeing 777 aircraft received EDX software upgrades. The 777 was chosen because of its state-of-the-art avionics and advanced handing of 'datalink' information.
The six-month test of EDX was conducted at the Denver Air-Route Traffic Control Center with the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Washington, D.C.; Honeywell, Morristown, NJ; and United Airlines, Chicago.
The next step is evaluation of the tool's capabilities for future application to real-time flight plan development and modification. This capability can be viewed as an important step toward attaining Free Flight, which is a FAA program that will give pilots the freedom to choose their own flight paths in real time.
The tools within the CTAS suite are designed to help air traffic controllers manage the increasingly complex air traffic flows at large airports and en route. The tools in CTAS benefit air travelers by reducing delays while maintaining safety.
EDX is being developed under the Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) project, a part of NASA's Aviation Systems Capacity Program led by Ames Research Center. Ames has been conducting air traffic control research and development since the mid-1980s.
CONTRACT RELEASENASA EXERCISES DELTA II CONTRACT OPTION FOR ESSP 3/CLOUDSAT NASA today announced that it is exercising a contract option with the Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, CA, for a Delta II vehicle to launch the ESSP 3/CloudSat mission. The spacecraft are planned for launch on April 30, 2004.
This firm-fixed price option is covered under the NASA Med-Lite contract awarded to Boeing in 1996. NASA's total launch services budget for the ESSP 3/CloudSat mission is valued at approximately $60 million.
ESSP-3 (formerly Picasso-CENA), the third mission of the NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program, will carry three instruments to study clouds and chemicals in the Earth's atmosphere. The ESSP-3 satellite flies in formation with the Aqua spacecraft to provide a comprehensive global dataset which will greatly improve our ability to predict future climate change.
ESSP-3 is a collaboration between NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC), Hampton, VA; the French space agency CNES, Paris; Hampton University, Hampton, VA; the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Paris; and Ball Aerospace Corp., Boulder, CO.
CloudSat's trio of satellites will be the first spacecraft to study clouds on a global basis, contributing to better predictions of clouds and their role in climate change. The CloudSat mission is a partnership between Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO; NASA; the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA; the Canadian Space Agency, Saint-Hubert; the U.S. Air Force; the U.S. Department of Energy; and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, CO.
NASA's ESSP 3/CloudSat Program is managed by the Earth Science Enterprise and NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
MAHONE NAMED ACTING ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today named Glenn Mahone, NASA Press Secretary and Senior Advisor, as the new Acting Associate Administrator for Public Affairs.
Mahone was first appointed to the Administrator's office in April 2000. As a senior advisor and press secretary, he provided advance and on-site communications guidance, coordinating the Administrator's appearances for national and local events, often involving the White House, members of Congress and aerospace industry leaders.
"I am delighted Glenn has agreed to accept this important appointment," said Administrator Goldin. "His guidance and advice are deeply respected by NASA's senior managers and his new leadership role will be vital to the continued success of our public affairs outreach efforts."
Before joining NASA, Mahone served as a key advisor to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, providing advice on communications strategy and directing the preparation of speeches and other support material for internal and external use. In 1997, he was a commercial sales and marketing manager for ADT Security Services, Baltimore, MD.
Mahone's previous experience also includes work as management consultant to the President and CEO of Stephens Engineering Company, Inc., Lanham, MD, and he was a consultant for employment and training for the U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC.
Before coming to Washington, Mahone was Director of Information Services and Press Secretary for the Arkansas Secretary of State and he worked as Director of Public Affairs for KHTV-TV, a CBS television network affiliate in Little Rock.
Mahone has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from the University of Central Arkansas, with a minor in journalism.
ADMINISTRATOR NAMES DIRECTOR OF SECURITY MANAGEMENT & SAFEGUARDS
Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today announced the appointment of David Saleeba as Director of the newly formed Office of Security Management and Safeguards at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
His principal responsibilities include the oversight and assessment of the agency's physical and information/technology security programs, as well as representing NASA to the external security community, and advising the Administrator on all security issues.
"Safety and security are priority issues for NASA," said Administrator Goldin. "Saleeba's extensive experience will be an important asset to this agency and I am pleased he has decided to accept this opportunity."
Saleeba brings to NASA nearly 30 years experience in law enforcement and security, including 26 years with the U.S. Secret Service, most recently as Special Agent in Charge and Chief of the Secret Service's Headquarters Intelligence Division, Washington, DC.
Past assignments with the Secret Service included tours in Miami, New York, two White House protective assignments, and five years as the Special Agent In Charge of the New Mexico District.
Saleeba has also led liaison and cooperative projects with local, state, and federal law enforcement, three Air Force bases, and the Los Alamos and Sandia National Research Laboratories.
His experience includes security operations in all 50 states, 59 foreign countries, and he has testified before Congress on legislative initiatives affecting federal law enforcement and counterintelligence.
In the early 1970's, he served on the Metro-Dade County Police Department in Miami, FL, as police officer and detective with the department's Organized Crime Bureau.
Saleeba is a 1971 graduate of Pennsylvania State University and currently lives with his wife, Kathy, in Virginia.
August 18, 2001
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 08/09/01 - 08/15/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Madrid tracking station on Tuesday, August 14. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the Present Position web page ("http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/").
Recent spacecraft activities include a Magnetospheric and Plasma Science
observation, two Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) High Frequency Receiver Calibrations, and an RPWS Instrument Expanded Block Test. Real-time commands were uplinked to the spacecraft as planned to update the definition of the X-Band and Ka-Band body vectors, to perform routine Command & Data Subsystem (CDS) memory readouts of the sequence registration table and non-interfering error logs, and to clear the AACS High Water Marks.
In support of Tour planning, a program was uplinked that will characterize the behavior of the X-Band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier when operated in the manner planned to be used during the tour. This program will execute later this week.
Mission Planning continued timeline development for tour Orbit Trim Maneuvers (OTMs). It was determined that nominal OTMs can be placed in the middle ofnearly all expected DSN passes without encountering background sequence telemetry mode changes, which could interfere with storage of OTM data and subsequent science playback.
The Cassini Information Management System 1.3 was delivered. This delivery provides Extensible Markup Language (XML) export capability to support near-term Science Operations Plan development milestones.
The full Integration Test Laboratory retest of all modules for Mission Sequence Subsystem D7.6 completed successfully.
Mission Support & Services Office Security personnel have begun leading the annual Cassini security training courses, in an effort to make sure all Cassini team members are informed of the up-to-date security policies and procedures.
Cassini Outreach personnel made a presentation on Saturn and Cassini to 30 college and high school educators at a course jointly sponsored by JPL and California State University, Northridge. Thirty-three Solar System Educators were updated on Cassini results from Jupiter and practiced using an activity from the Saturn Educator Guide. These master teachers will share their expertise with other teachers in their communities and elsewhere, so that more solar system exploration materials will be used in classrooms through out the U.S.
NASA PROGRAM BRINGS THE STARS HOME
Teachers are learning how to take control of a telescope located high above Los Angeles. They will learn how to operate the telescope using the Internet and how to download bountiful images of far out galaxies right to their classroom computers.
The Telescopes In Education program, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is sponsoring the two-day workshop on Aug. 17 and 18 for more than 15 teachers. The program aims to give educators and students access to research-quality telescopes and charge-coupled device cameras created at JPL and located at the Mount Wilson Observatory.
"We realize many people live in remote areas and that visits to observatories by schools are sometimes not feasible," said Gilbert Clark, program manger. "We wanted to bring science and astronomy home. That means giving teachers the access and the ability to remotely operate a telescope from the comforts of their classroom."
Educators and students can reserve observation time lasting from one hour to all night for any evening of the week. Special observation times or long-term, repetitive observing runs require special arrangement. More information about the program is available online at http://tie.jpl.nasa.gov/ .
In the 1999-2000 school year, the program enabled more than 10,850 students nationwide from kindergarten through high school, to conduct astronomical observations and meaningful research. Over the last nine years, the Telescopes In Education program has created a legacy of students who have learned science through this program of hands-on astronomy.
Telescopes In Education is a NASA education outreach program sponsored by NASA's High Performance Computing and Communications Learning Technologies Program, the Office of Space Science and the Office of Human Resources and Education. JPL space exploration missions, businesses and numerous volunteers also support the program. Managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology, JPL is the lead U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system.
GRAND CANYON TOUR, NASA STYLE
If schedule or budget kept you from visiting the Grand Canyon this summer, you can still enjoy the stunning features created by the Colorado River over the centuries, courtesy of NASA.
A new image shows a simulated true-color perspective view of the Arizona natural wonder. Facing north-northeast, the view is dominated by the North Rim, and it is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide at the horizon. Grand Canyon Village is on the lower right of the image, and the Bright Angel Trail is visible as it crosses the Tonto Plateau. The trail also goes to Phantom Ranch, the green area across the Colorado River.
The image was taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, an imaging instrument flying on NASA's Terra satellite. The image is available at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/usa/west.html . More information on the mission is available at:
http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov .
The Terra spacecraft, the flagship of a fleet of satellites dedicated to understanding our global environment, is part of NASA's Earth Sciences Enterprise, a long-term research program dedicated to understanding how human-induced and natural changes affect our world.
August 17, 2001
NOAA Honors Students with the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Award
The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), awards the newly established Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship to five outstanding graduate-level researchers, in the fields of oceanography, marine biology and maritime archaeology. Soon after the death of NOAA's Dr. Foster, in June of 2000, Congress created the scholarship as a means of honoring her life's work and contribution to the nation. The funding is drawn from the National Marine Sanctuaries Act which is administered by the NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS). The current funding enables NOAA to award five scholarships. Each scholarship recipient will receive an annual stipend of $16,800 and up to $12,000 annually for tuition. Doctorate students are eligible to continue the scholarship program for four years and Masters-level students for two years.
This is the first year of the program and NOAA received over 500 applications for the five awards. "We received a large number of applications from a pool of extremely well-qualified students. It is great to see such interest in the first year of the program," said NOAA Acting Administrator, Scott Gudes. Students were evaluated based on financial need, academic excellence, recommendations and a statement of intent which also indicated the student's research and career goals.
The five recipients are as follows:
Winnie Wing Yee Lau, Seattle, Washington: Ms. Wing Yee Lau is currently pursuing a doctorate in biological oceanography at the University of Washington. As an undergraduate, Ms. Wing Yee Lau majored in both integrative biology and environmental sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. Ms. Wing Yee Lau decided to pursue a graduate degree in basic scientific research not only because she loved making new discoveries but also because she realized that a solid scientific knowledge is the foundation of effective management of ecosystems.
Ku'ulei S. Rodgers, Waimanalo, HI: Ms. Rodgers is from and is currently pursuing a doctorate in marine biology. Ms. Rodgers was born and raised on the island of O'ahu, the main island in the Hawaiian chain. Ms. Rodgers has always been employed in the marine field. She spent several years working as an ocean recreation specialist teaching drownproofing to public school children and as a marine mammal trainer at an oceanarium. However, Ms. Rodgers' career in marine biology began late in life at Windward Community College where she quickly developed a strong background in marine science. Rodgers continued her education by earning her master's degree at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa where she narrowed her focus to coral reef research. Rodgers' current doctoral work also focuses on coral reef research. Rodgers is specifically working to identify bioindicators that may serve as an early warning of coral reef decline.
Stefan Claesson, Biddeford, Maine: Mr. Claesson is pursuing his doctorate in natural resources at the Universrity of New Hampshire. Mr. Claesson received his bachelor's degree from Boston University and his masters in nautical archeology from Texas A&M University. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts to Swedish immigrants, and raised in Cape Neddick, Maine, he has always had a strong connection to the sea and an equally strong interest in maritime history and archaeology. Mr. Claesson has conducted archaeological surveys for shipwrecks and other vestiges of maritime culture along the southern coast of Maine for the past five years. Mr. Claesson is currently working to develop a Geographic Information System for the management and preservation of maritime cultural resources in New England.
Jennifer Wagner Whiteis, Trumansburg, N.Y.: Ms. Whiteis is pursuing a doctorate in oceanography. Ms. Whiteis started her academic career at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington where she studied earth sciences and she then transferred to Cornell University where she graduated with a bachelors degree in geology. While studying at Cornell, Ms. Whiteis was awarded a NASA Space Grant Fellowship to carry out a project using remote sensing techniques to study physical ocean parameters that impact coral disease in the Caribbean Sea. This experience motivated her to continue studies with a more detailed, in-depth research project using a combination of multiple satellite sensors and in situ data to examine the impact of global climate change on Caribbean corals.
Laurie Ann Sorabella, Gloucester, VA: Ms. Sorabella is currently pursuing a masters in marine biology at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Ms. Sorabella's research centers on estuarine and coastal habitat restoration and on citizen involvement in restoration initiatives. Ms. Sorabella's thesis, entitled "Oyster and Seagrass Interactions in Ecological Restoration," has two objectives. First, to define the most desirable oyster strain for use as broodstock in oyster reef restoration and second, to characterize water quality changes associated with a restored oyster reef and estimate the potential for reefs to create a more habitable environment for seagrasses. Before graduate school, Ms. Sorabella became inspired by the power of community involvement when she worked as Virginia Habitat Restoration Coordinator for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
"Throughout her career, Dr. Foster was well respected as a personal supporter of mentoring, a champion of diversity, and an advocate of fair and equal treatment of all people in the workplace. This scholarship is an excellent way to pay tribute to her life, "added Gudes.
The applications represented all the coastal regions of the United States, including several from Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Applications were ranked by a panel of NOAA employees and finalists selected based on the ranked scores. A separate panel selected the five award winners for the 2001-2002 school year from the finalists.
A call for applications for the 2002-2003 school year is expected to be released some time this fall.
NOAA's National Ocean Service is a federal agency devoted to exploring, understanding, conserving, and restoring the nation's coasts and oceans. NOS promotes safe navigation, supports coastal communities, sustains coastal habitats and mitigates coastal hazards. NOS balances environmental protection with economic prosperity and leads the effort to ensure that our nation's coastal areas remain safe, healthy and productive. NOS is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For more information, check the Foster scholar Web site at http://fosterscholars.noaa.gov
NOAA DELIVERS LIFE-SAVING DISASTER-PREPAREDNESS INFRASTRUCTURE AND SYSTEMS TO CENTRAL AMERICA Ceremony in Nicaragua Marks Final Phase of $16M NOAA Reconstruction Effort
Representatives from the United States and Nicaragua are marking the final phase of NOAA's $16 million project at a ceremony in Managua, Nicaragua on August 22. A team of weather, hydrology and ocean experts from the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are nearing completion of a $16 million disaster recovery program in five Central American countries devastated in 1998 by Hurricane Mitch, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane in more than two centuries. "NOAA is committed to working with our international partners to safeguard lives, property and sensitive ecological resources," said Scott B. Gudes, acting administrator for NOAA. "This project marks a critical step to improving weather forecasting and disaster-preparedness in Central America and creating an international standard for information sharing and cooperation."
The NOAA reconstruction project is part of an overall $17 million Department of Commerce (DOC) effort to address problem areas identified as critical to mitigating against the effects of future natural disasters in Central America and the Caribbean. The DOC plan called for NOAA, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and the International Trade Administration (ITA) to address five areas: (1) Base infrastructure; (2) Forecast and Early Warning Systems; (3) Disaster Preparedness and Response; (4) Sustainable, Resilient Coastal Communities; and (5) Economic Revitalization.
NOAA's efforts focused on two key areas; early warning & preparedness, and coastal assistance:
EARLY WARNING & PREPAREDNESS
Recognizing Central America had limited severe weather warning and forecast services, NOAA helped create the infrastructure necessary to improve forecasting and early storm warnings through disaster preparedness and response. Key elements include:
$ Replaced damaged and expanded automatic meteorological and hydrological stations. $ Reestablished upper air station in Honduras critical for hurricane forecasting. $ Provided automated precipitation gauges for real-time data. $ Improved capabilities to receive and interpret satellite imagery for the region. $ Established a regional, seasonal climate prediction system. $ Provided a satellite ground station that brings high resolution digital imagery from NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). $ In cooperation with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) rebuilt tools to measure water levels, tides and geodetic positioning networks. $ NOAA and USGS provided technology for state-of-the-art river and flood forecast systems.
Retired General Jack Kelly, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) director said, "While we can't stop the catastrophic floods from hurricanes, we can do something to help local officials warn residents. Furthermore, all Americans will be better protected because the new data from our international partners will improve our hurricane forecasts." Weather data from Central America provides critical insight into where a hurricane might go and how strong it will be.
COASTAL ASSISTANCE
NOAA also advised on regional watershed management and assisted in building more sustainable and resilient coastal communities. NOAA's environmental scientists are improving coastal management in the region to lessen the impacts of future weather disasters and improve response capabilities. This includes: $ improved capabilities along coasts to cope with impacts of hurricanes $ installed tide gauge networks $ rebuilding aquaculture shrimp industry and providing more information on water circulation and contaminant levels in the Gulf of Fonseca - an important bay on the Pacific coast.
"A degraded environment threatens local economic prosperity and the well being of coastal residents," said Margaret Davidson, acting director of the National Ocean Service (NOS). "The coastal area of the Gulf of Fonseca is a vital economic resource to the region. Its estuaries help support the community and small-scale commercial fishing, shrimp aquaculture and salt production. We are providing information to improve coastal management and maintain economic vitality."
NOAA's reconstruction projects are expected to be completed by December 2001 and is part of a $621 million hurricane reconstruction project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov
To learn more about Hurricane Mitch and NOAA's reconstruction program, please visit: Hurricane Mitch Report - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1998mitch.html Hurricane Mitch satellite images - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/reports/mitch/mitch.html NOAA GOES Homepage - http://www.oso.noaa.gov/goes
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Guy Webster
Galileo Millenium Mission Status August 16, 2001
NASA's Galileo spacecraft is transmitting to Earth scientific information from its dash past Jupiter's moon Io last week, including top-priority measurements of magnetic forces above Io's north pole.
A first look at the data already suggests that Io's internally generated magnetic field is either absent or quite weak, said the principal investigator for Galileo's magnetometer instrument, Dr. Margaret Kivelson of the University of California, Los Angeles. Stronger conclusions will have to await more analysis. Determining whether Io has an intrinsic magnetic field is the primary science goal for the flyby on Aug. 6, Universal Time, and for Galileo's next encounter, an Oct. 16 pass near Io's south pole.
Sampling of other early data indicates that Galileo's camera appears to have resumed functioning in time to capture some of the final images planned during last week's flyby, said Dr. Eilene Theilig, Galileo project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Some exposures planned while Galileo was closest to Io were lost because of an intermittent electronic problem that has affected the camera for more than a year. Project engineers believe the problem probably results from cumulative exposure to intense natural radiation near Jupiter.
"We're now expecting to get images from five of the 16 planned observations, including global images of Io," Theilig said. Stored data on Galileo's tape recorder from the camera and other instruments will continue to arrive at Earth antennas of the JPL-managed Deep Space Network throughout the next eight weeks.
Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter since 1995. After its original two-year tour of the Jovian system, NASA extended the intrepid robot's mission three times to take advantage of Galileo's continuing ability to return valuable scientific information. The spacecraft has handled more than three times as much radiation from Jupiter's radiation belts as it was engineered to withstand. Its nuclear electrical power source continues to provide reliable electricity for its on-board instruments, computers, radio and other systems.
Data from the Aug. 6 flyby are still being analyzed to determine whether Galileo flew through an active plume as it skimmed over Io. The Tvashtar volcanic area near Io's north pole was spouting a tall plume when last observed seven months earlier. Io is the most volcanic world known. Observations by Galileo's infrared and radiometer instruments, as well as the camera's images, should provide new details about volcanic activity near the pole, Theilig said.
Determining whether Io has an intrinsic magnetic field will narrow the possible models for the moon's interior and give better understanding of planetary interiors in general, said Galileo Project Scientist Dr. Torrence Johnson of JPL. Magnetic fields such as those that exist at Earth, Jupiter and Jupiter's moon Ganymede are generated by movement of fluid material deep inside.
Io's density and heat output tell scientists that it, like Earth, has a molten iron core. If Io indeed lacks an intrinsic magnetic field, that would suggest its molten core lacks the vigorous convective motion that is believed to result in Earth's field, Johnson said. "That might fit a model where Io's core is swaddled by a hot, warm blanket that heats the core from outside," he said.
Fluctuations in the pull of Jupiter's gravity as the moon's distance from the planet varies are believed to generate much of Io's internal heat by flexing a stiffer mantle layer surrounding Io's core. New magnetic data will help scientists evaluate and refine that model of Io's heating, Johnson said.
Data from instruments that monitor particles and energy fields around the spacecraft will also help in understanding currents that couple Io to the atmosphere and ionosphere of Jupiter, he said.
Additional information about Galileo, Io and Jupiter is available online at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
August 17, 2001 Kirsten Larson Headquarters, Washington Doug Peterson Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
Release: H01-167
NASA NAMES 23 ASTRONAUTS AND COSMONAUTS TO SHUTTLE FLIGHTS IN 2002
NASA has named crew members to three missions scheduled to visit the International Space Station in the second half of 2002.
STS-112 (scheduled for July), STS-113 (August) and STS-114 (November) will involve assembly work, and the last two also will exchange space station expedition crews. In all, these missions will carry 23 astronauts and cosmonauts, including nine first-time flyers.
STS-112, commanded by Jeffrey S. Ashby (Capt., USN), will deliver a segment of the space station's truss and equipment to help spacewalkers move around the station's exterior. Pamela A. Melroy (Col. select, USAF) will serve as pilot. Mission specialists include David A. Wolf (M.D.), Piers J. Sellers (Ph.D.), Sandra H. Magnus (Ph.D.) and Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, RSC Energia.
Ashby has flown twice, on STS-93 in 1999 and STS-100 this year. Melroy flew on STS-92 in 2000. Wolf first flew in 1993 on STS-58; in 1997 he traveled to the Russian space station Mir, where he spent 123 days. Sellers, Magnus, and Yurchikhin will be making their first trips into space.
STS-113, commanded by James D. Wetherbee (Capt., USN), also will carry a truss segment, along with additional equipment to assist spacewalkers. Pilot Christopher J. Loria (Lt. Col., USMC) will join Wetherbee on the flight deck. Michael E. Lopez-Alegria (Capt. select, USN) and John B. Herrington (Cmdr., USN) will serve as mission specialists.
Wetherbee, a veteran astronaut, has been in space five times: STS-32 in 1990, STS-52 in 1992, STS-63 in 1995, STS-86 in 1997 and STS-102 in 2001. Loria and Herrington are first-time flyers, and Lopez-Alegria will take his third trip to space, having flown on STS-73 in 1995 and STS-92 in 2000.
The Expedition Six space station crew -- Commander Kenneth D. Bowersox (Capt., USN), Donald A. Thomas (Ph.D.) and Nikolai M. Budarin, RSC Energia -- will travel to the station aboard STS-113. The Expedition Five crew, made up of Valeri G. Korzun (Col., Russian Air Force), Peggy A. Whitson (Ph.D.) and Sergei Y. Treschev, RSC Energia, will return to Earth on STS-113.
Bowersox was a member of STS-50 in 1992, STS-61 in 1993, STS-73 in 1995 and STS-82 in 1997. Thomas previously orbited Earth during STS-65 in 1994, STS-70 in 1995, STS-83 in 1997 and STS-94 in 1997. Budarin returns to space for his third long-duration flight after stays on Mir in 1995 and 1998. Expedition Five's Korzun takes his second long-duration trip to space after a stay at Mir that ended in 1997, while Whitson and Treschev will make their first trips into space.
STS-114, which had been labeled STS-113 in earlier planning schedules and news releases, will be commanded by Eileen M. Collins (Col., USAF) and piloted by James M. Kelly (Lt. Col., USAF). The mission is a space station utilization and logistics flight. The mission includes Soichi Noguchi (NASDA) and Stephen K. Robinson (Ph.D.) as mission specialists. The mission will return Expedition Six to Earth and take Expedition Seven to the station. Expedition Seven is comprised of Yuri I. Malenchenko (Col., Russian Air Force), Sergei Moschenko, Khrunichev Space Center, and Edward T. Lu (Ph.D.).
Collins served as pilot on STS-63 in 1995 and STS-84 in 1997, and commanded the STS-93 mission in 1999. Kelly flew his first mission aboard STS-102 earlier this year. Robinson, having flown on STS-85 in 1997 and STS-95 in 1998, also serves as a backup crewmember for Expedition Four. Malenchenko served as commander of Mir 16 and flew on STS-106 in 2000. Moschenko is making his first space flight, while Lu flew aboard STS-84 in 1997 and STS-106 in 2000. Noguchi will be taking his first flight into space.
Further information is available on the Internet:
Crew Biographies http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
International Space Station http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
Space Shuttle Launch Schedule http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/future/index.html
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
Having a Ball on Mars
An amusing accident in the Mojave desert has inspired a new kind of Mars rover -- a two-story high beach ball that can descend to the Martian surface, land safely, and explore vast expanses of the Red Planet.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast17aug_1.htm?list448368
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Colleen Sharkey Rosemary Sullivant
NASA SCIENTISTS BECOME HURRICANE CHASERS
Scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will head into hurricanes this summer, hoping to improve predictions of these deadly storms by using new data-collecting technology. The four scientists are part of NASA's fourth Convection and Moisture Experiment, a massive field experiment based at Jacksonville Naval Station, Fla., from Aug.16 through Sept. 24. Their instruments will be on two NASA aircraft as they fly over, through and around selected hurricanes in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.
The goal of the experiment is to take the mystique out of hurricanes. By examining how a hurricane evolves and behaves, investigators hope to make possible more accurate, longer-range forecasts. Since evacuation is often the key to saving lives during a hurricane, researchers are paying special attention to a hurricane's behavior when it hits land.
Participants in this year's Convection and Moisture Experiment from JPL include:
--Bjorn H. Lambrigtsen, who led the team that designed and built the High Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Sounding Radiometer for this mission. An advanced atmospheric microwave sounder, the instrument can "see" through clouds. On previous investigations of this project, two separate microwave sounders recorded temperature and humidity. This new instrument, smaller and lighter than its predecessors, will have the ability to do both.
The radiometer will fly in one of the wing pods of the high-altitude Earth Research- 2 aircraft, a former U2 spy plane. From an altitude of about 20 kilometers (65,000 feet), it will scan the atmosphere below the plane from side to side with a searchlight-type beam and map the temperature, humidity and cloud distributions inside a hurricane. Lambrigtsen and his team will participate in all flights of the Earth Research-2 craft. From their instrument's measurements, they will derive vertical profiles of temperature, water vapor and liquid water. They will also estimate rain rates and create an ice-particle scattering index, which will be used to develop a formula for calculating cloud ice. Co-investigators are Drs. Lance Riley and Evan Fishbein, also from JPL. -- Dr. Robert Herman, who will lead the JPL Laser Hygrometer team. The laser hygrometer is a miniature laser spectrometer for rapid measurements of water vapor. During this mission, the instrument will be mounted on a NASA DC-8 aircraft to measure water vapor as the airplane flies through tropical hurricanes. The data will help scientists understand just how much moisture the air can hold before ice clouds form. The instrument will also provide information on latent heat, the heat released when water condenses, which is an important energy source that drives storms. These data should provide a better understanding of the processes that regulate water in the atmosphere and tropical storms.
-- Dr. Michael Mahoney, the principal investigator for the DC-8 Microwave Temperature Profiler and the Earth Research-2 Microwave Temperature Profiler. The instruments scan vertically in each aircraft's flight direction. Looking straight down, straight ahead and straight up, they measure temperature at different frequencies to create a complete temperature profile.
On the DC-8, the Microwave Temperature Profiler displays air temperature data in real-time and is updated every 15 seconds. An experimenter onboard the DC-8 can control this real-time data and provide it to scientists immediately. The temperature profile of the atmosphere is a vital part of hurricane research because it helps scientists understand the stability of the atmosphere. The instrument can also help pinpoint the exact location of the troposphere, the lower part of Earth's atmosphere. In addition, it can measure the flow of air parcels to determine if there are gravity waves in the atmosphere that could affect the level of ozone depletion. On the Earth Research-2 aircraft, the microwave temperature profiler operates autonomously, and the data is processed later.
-- Dr. Eastwood Im, who will administer the Dual Frequency Airborne Precipitation Radar, an airborne dual-frequency radar that will measure the 3-D structure of rainfall. Two crucial parts of the new instrument -- the pressure box and antenna -- are from a previous airborne radar developed by JPL, called Airborne Rain Mapping Radar. The new instrument is an improvement over the earlier radar because it has two frequencies, which will improve rainfall measurements, and can process data in real time.
The instrument team plans to fly this radar in a rotating figure-four pattern across the rainstorm through the hurricane's eye, as well as through the rainbands at the storm's edge. Data collected will help determine rain rate, vertical motion and location of melting ice along the DC-8 flight track below the aircraft.
The fourth Convection and Moisture Experiment is sponsored by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. These investigations will be conducted in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division and the U.S. Weather Research Program. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
August 16, 2001
BURST OF STAR FORMATION DRIVES BUBBLE IN GALAXY'S CORE
These NASA Hubble Space Telescope snapshots reveal dramatic activities within the core of the galaxy NGC 3079, where a lumpy bubble of hot gas is rising from a cauldron of glowing matter. The picture at left shows the bubble in the center of the galaxy's disk. The structure is more than 3,000 light-years wide and rises 3,500 light-years above the galaxy's disk. The smaller photo at right is a close-up view of the bubble. Astronomers suspect that the bubble is being blown by "winds" (high-speed streams of particles) released during a burst of star formation. Gaseous filaments at the top of the bubble are whirling around in a vortex and are being expelled into space. Eventually, this gas will rain down upon the galaxy's disk where it may collide with gas clouds, compress them, and form a new generation of stars. The two white dots just above the bubble are probably stars in the galaxy.
Credits: NASA, Gerald Cecil (University of North Carolina), Sylvain Veilleux (University of Maryland), Joss Bland-Hawthorn (Anglo- Australian Observatory), and Alex Filippenko (University of California at Berkeley).
To see and read more, please click on: http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/28 and links in http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/latest.html http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html and http://hubble.stsci.edu/go/news
The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
H-Reflex Experiment on the International Space Station
Saint-Hubert, August 16, 2001- A second H-Reflex experiment will take place today on the International Space Station.
Canadian scientist, Dr. Doug Watt of McGill University, is continuing his research into the effects of microgravity on human reflexes. This research has important implications for the health and safety of astronauts and may also lead to improvements in managing balance disorders on earth, particularly in the elderly.
For live coverage, media can log on to the NASA TV satellite on GE-2, Transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 MHz and audio of 6.8 MHz. http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/video/
REMINDER:
What: H-Reflex experiment on the International Space Station
When: Thursday, August 16 from 9:40am to 11:40am
Where: NASA TV
For more information on this experiment, visit the Canadian Space Agency web site at http://www.space.gc.ca or read the press release sent on Tuesday, August 7th, 2001 at: http://www.space.gc.ca/whatsnew/releases/pressrel/2001/010807.asp.
NOAA OFFICIALS DISCUSS HURRICANE MITCH RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT Mark Completion of Life-Saving Central American Weather Forecast Effort
NOAA Officials will be available to discuss NOAA's $14 million effort to put in place weather forecasting technology and infrastructure in Central America to avert future tragedies brought on by hurricanes and severe weather in the region. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch claimed 11,000 lives in the region, making it the deadliest Atlantic hurricane in more than two centuries. Interviews with NOAA and Central American government officials and B-roll footage of will also be made available via satellite. The final phase of NOAA's reconstruction project will be celebrated at a ceremony in Managua, Nicaragua on August 22.
WHAT: Media Availability
WHERE: Teleconference
WHEN: Friday, August 17, 2001 10:30 a.m. - Noon; and 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
WHO: Retired General Jack Kelly, director, National Weather Service Gregory Withee, assistant administrator, NESDIS Jamie Hawkins, deputy director, National Ocean Service
SATELLITE COORDINATES: Friday, August 17, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT Transponder: PANAMSAT Band: Ku Downlink Frequency: 11921 MHz (h) Audio 6.4 and 6.8 For more information about Hurricane Mitch and NOAA's reconstruction program please visit: Hurricane Mitch Report - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1998mitch.html Hurricane Mitch satellite images - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/reports/mitch/mitch.html NOAA GOES Homepage - http://www.oso.noaa.gov/goes.
SPACE STATION PROGRAM REVIEW TEAM TO MEET AUG. 20-21; REPORTERS INVITED TO ATTEND
The first meeting of the ISS Management and Cost Evaluation Team is scheduled for Aug. 20-21 at NASA Headquarters. The Aug. 20 session is open to the public, and reporters are invited to attend.
During the Aug. 20 session, which begins at 8:30 a.m., Administration and NASA officials will provide a broad overview of the Agency, the Human Exploration and Development of Space Enterprise and the International Space Station program.
The meeting will be held in conference room MIC-7, on the 7th floor of the NASA Headquarters building. NASA Headquarters is located at 300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC. Reporters wishing to attend this session should call Kirsten Larson (202/358-0243) or Ray Castillo (202/358-1600) to make the necessary arrangements. Because of the small size of the room, media television cameras will not be admitted to the meeting.
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin created the ISS Management and Cost Evaluation Team last month to take a focused look at the budget and management challenges facing the International Space Station program.
Chaired by Thomas Young, the former president of Martin- Marietta Corp., the task force will help NASA address the quality of the ISS cost estimates as well as program assumptions and requirements, identifying high-risk budget areas and potential risk mitigation strategies.
The full membership of the panel can be found on the Internet at:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-152.txt
ISS Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force August 20, 2001 NASA Headquarters
8:30 a.m. Panel Introductions 8:45 a.m. Opening Remarks Tom Young Chairman
9 a.m. Welcome Daniel Goldin NASA Administrator
9:30 a.m. Office of Management Sean O'Keefe and Budget Perspective OMB Deputy Director
10 a.m. NASA Organization, Malcolm Peterson Budget Overview NASA Comptroller
10:45 a.m. Break
11 a.m. Human Exploration and Joseph Rothenberg Development of Space Associate Administrator Office of Space Flight
Noon Lunch
1 p.m. ISS Facilities and Dr. Kathie Olsen Research Chief Scientist
2 p.m. ISS Development Status Michael Hawes Deputy Associate Administrator, Space Station Office of Space Flight
3 p.m. Break
3:15 p.m. ISS-The Partners Angela Diaz Director, Human Space Flight and Research, Office of External Relations
4 p.m. Congressional TBD Perspective NASA Legislative Affairs
5 p.m. Adjourn
X-43A MISHAP INVESTIGATION UPDATE
The board investigating the X-43A mission loss on June 2 is continuing to meet at the Orbital Sciences Corp. facility in Chandler, Ariz., where they relocated on June 24. Orbital is where the Pegasus-derived booster rocket was built. The Pegasus was attached to the X-43A to provide the boost to a predetermined altitude.
The X-43A mission, first in a series of three, was lost moments after the X-43A and its booster rocket were released from the wing of the B-52 carrier aircraft. Following booster ignition, the combined booster and X-43A experienced structural failure, deviated from its flight path and was deliberately terminated.
Robert W. Hughes, the board chairman from Marshall Space Flight Center, has said that the likelihood of finding a single root cause of the mishap is still possible but becoming less probable. Hughes restated that the investigation team was working to fully understand the causal relationship and emphasized that the solution might involve several contributing causes rather than a single cause.
To date, the team has closed approximately 85 percent of the fault tree of several hundred possible or contributing causes. The remaining potential causes, most dealing with launch vehicle control, are being systematically investigated and evaluated.
The X-43A is designed to be the first scramjet-powered aircraft, capable of attaining speeds as high as Mach 10.
NASA's Langley Research Center at Hampton, Va., leads the X-43A program, with flight operations conducted by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Micro Craft, Inc., of Tullahoma, Tenn., built the 12-foot-long X-43A vehicle. The mishap investigation team includes representatives from NASA centers including Dryden, Langley, Marshall (Alabama), Goddard (Maryland), Kennedy (Florida), plus all of the contractor elements.
NASA selects Pace and Waite, Inc. for document services at Marshall Center
NASA has selected Pace and Waite, Inc., of Huntsville, AL, to provide center-wide document services at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL.
Under the contract, Pace and Waite will provide services for managing data requirements, checking engineering drawings and operating the center's documents release desk. Services to be provided are a continuation of an effort currently being provided by Pace and Waite under a five-year contract that ends this year.
The contract could have a potential value of approximately $39 million over five years if all provisions are utilized. The cost-plus-incentive-fee performance-based contract includes indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity provisions. This contract will become effective Sept. 1, 2001, and includes a one-year performance period plus four one-year priced options, which may be exercised at NASA's discretion.
Marshall is NASA's lead center for development of space transportation and propulsion systems. New technologies are being explored to make space more accessible by reducing the cost of launching space vehicles while improving flight safety. Marshall is also NASA's lead center for microgravity research - conducting unique scientific studies in the near-weightlessness of space to improve life on Earth.
SCIENTIFIC STUDY TRACKS GIANT BLUEFIN TUNAS ACROSS ATLANTIC Research to help U.S. press for more effective international management
An independent study, funded in part by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA fisheries), improves scientists' understanding of the migratory habits of one of the world's most valuable marine fish, the Atlantic bluefin tuna. NOAA Fisheries managers believe the study, which tracked giant bluefin tuna throughout the north Atlantic Ocean, provides data which can strengthen international management measures. The study reported in the August 17 issue of the journal Science, with noted tuna researcher Dr. Barbara A. Block of Stanford University as lead author, provides significant insight into the migration patterns of these giant fish. This five year study was co-authored by Dr. Eric D. Prince of NOAA Fisheries.
"The study confirms and expands on past migration-related traditional tagging data and provides a wealth of new knowledge about the diving patterns, thermal biology, feeding characteristics and environmental preferences of Atlantic bluefin tuna," said Bill Hogarth, acting NOAA fisheries director. "We are pleased to be a part of this important research that gives scientists and managers a clearer picture of the migratory, feeding and spawning habits of these fish."
Block and her team of researchers used two new state-of-the-art electronic tags to monitor the movements of the fish. This group of scientists assisted in the development of a new generation of electronic tags initiated with a grant from NOAA fisheries. Using a combination of satellite pop-up tags and archival tags, scientists were able to track the tuna's migration and monitor several behavioral activities. More information about the archival and pop-up tags is available at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/aa/aa_pressroom/aa_pkits_newsreleases.asp
NOAA fisheries managers are particularly interested in the newly reported data because of their implications for future management decisions. An accompanying article, also in the Aug. 17 journal Science, titled "Whose fish are they anyway?" and co-authored by NOAA fisheries' Northeast Fisheries Science Center director Dr. Michael Sissenwine, examines this controversial marine fishery. Journalists may receive a copy by e-mail from: scipak@aaas.org. Subscribers may access the article at http://www.sciencemag.org. The public may obtain the article by calling (202 326-6450. Bluefin tuna in the Atlantic are highly sought after because they are prized by recreational fishermen and they have a high commercial value in Asian sushi and sashimi markets, with some fish going for as high as $60,000. Harvesting of bluefin and other Atlantic tuna is managed through catch quotas established by agreements of member countries through the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) based in Madrid, Spain. Currently, bluefin tuna are managed as two separate stocks, eastern and western. The western stock, the smaller of the two, has tight restrictions placed on it. The larger eastern stock has fewer restrictions. While scientists have been aware of mixing of the stocks in international waters, where many countries fish, the nature of mixing has not been well studied until now.
"The U.S. and its recreational and commercial fishing groups, along with environmental and conservation organizations, has long supported the need to rebuild Atlantic tunas through international agreement and compliance," said NOAA fisheries' Director of the Office of Habitat Conservation, Rolland Schmitten, who is the U.S. ICCAT Commissioner. "We've seen that effective science and management in the international arena have arrested the decline of the western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock. The Block study is a critical link in the knowledge we need to ultimately rebuild the stock throughout the Atlantic. This science reaffirms that the level of harvest of eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna is excessive and must be reduced, and that management measures in the east can affect the west."
At the request of the United States, ICCAT is already moving forward with two stock mixing issues. ICCAT members have endorsed new research on bluefin tuna in the central Atlantic to collect biological samples of spawning size bluefin tuna in the Mid-Atlantic ocean to help determine if there is a spawning area there. ICCAT scientists will review recent studies, including the Block study, and prepare recommendations on how best to account for the new mixing data on bluefin tuna in future stock assessments and management decisions. Their recommendations will be presented to the full ICCAT scientific body in October and to the ICCAT commissioners in November.
In the Block study, researchers discovered that Atlantic bluefin often are traveling throughout the entire North Atlantic and, in some cases, into the Mediterranean Sea. Individual tuna also migrated from the Western Atlantic to the east and back again in the same year. The Science article reported that the western-tagged bluefin travel to distinct spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico or the Eastern Mediterranean. "The results indicated that western-tagged bluefin are vulnerable to fishing from all Atlantic bluefin tuna fisheries," the authors report.
For more information about the Block study, go to: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/report/
NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species and their habitat. To learn more about NOAA fisheries, please visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov
NASA SELECTS PACE AND WAITE, INC. FOR DOCUMENT SERVICES AT MARSHALL
NASA has selected Pace and Waite, Inc., of Huntsville, AL, to provide center- wide document services at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL.
The contract could have a potential value of approximately $39 million over five years if all provisions are utilized. The cost-plus-incentive-fee performance- based contract includes indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity provisions. This contract will become effective Sept. 1, 2001, and includes a one-year performance period plus four one-year priced options, which may be exercised at NASA's discretion.
Table of Contents/AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION ============================================================================ 1. NSF Information Technology Research Program Solicitation 2. Call for Papers for Fall 2001 AGU Special Session SM03: Electrodynamic Coupling of High Latitude Ionosphere and Plasma Sheet (joint with SA, AE) 3. Job Announcement - Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Branch of the University of California (UC) Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) ============================================================================ * Please direct all replies to editor@igpp.ucla.edu * * !!!! DO NOT send any message to agu_spa@igpp.ucla.edu !!!! * **************************************************************** SPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPA * * * * . . . . . . . * * * AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION . * ***** * . .. . . . . . . . . * ********* * SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER . .. *********** . . . . . . . . * * *********** * * Volume VIII, Issue 83 . o . *********** . . . . . . . . * ********* * 15 August, 2001 . .. * ***** * . .. . . . . . . . . * * * Editor: Guan Le . * * * Email: editor@igpp.ucla.edu . . . . . . . * SPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPASPA
----------------------------------------------------------- 1. NSF Information Technology Research Program Solicitation ----------------------------------------------------------- From: "Baker, Kile B." <kbaker@nsf.gov>
The National Science Foundation has put the Program Solicitation for the 2001-2002 Information Technology Research program (NSF 01-149). You can access the find the full Program Solicitation via the World Wide Web at this URL: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf01149
The ITR program covers a broad area of science and technology. Proposals are solicitied in three major classes, Large projects (proposals involving multiple institutions with total budgets in the $5 - $15 Million range), Medium (proposals with budgets in the $500 K - $5 M range), and Small (budgets under $500 K total). The ATM division will be accepting proposals in all classes, but the emphasis will be on proposals in the Medium class.
Although broad areas of science and technology are included in the ITR program, the area of greatest interest to the ATM division will be comprehensive models that may include ensemble forecasting, nesting and/or data assimilation techniques to understand the complex interactions taking place in the Earth system and provide better predictive capability of phenomena ranging from natural hazards to biogeochemical cycles, space weather and climate change; methods and co-laboratories for the integration of heterogeneous environmental data sets from multiple observatories into models.
Please note that Large class proposals require a pre-proposal. Please also note the following deadlines:
Large projects: Pre-proposal deadline, Nov. 9, 2001; full proposal deadline, .April 4, 2002. Medium projects: Proposal deadline Nov. 13, 2001. Small projects: Proposal deadline Feb. 6, 2002.
For more information on the ITR program as a whole, please consult the Program Solicitation (NSF 01-149, see URL above). You will also find additional information at the ITR web site, http://www.itr.nsf.gov. If you would like more detailed information on the individual topics that will be supported in the ATM division please contact the Program Director in the area of your interest. You can find information about the various ATM programs and contact information at http://www.geo.nsf.gov/atm/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Call for Papers for Fall 2001 AGU Special Session SM03: Electrodynamic Coupling of High Latitude Ionosphere and Plasma Sheet (joint with SA, AE) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Vassilis Angelopoulos <vassilis@ssl.berkeley.edu>
Recent studies from the FAST, POLAR and Geotail spacecraft have revealed that copious amounts of electromagnetic energy flux propagate down the field lines from the nightside plasma sheet in the form of dissipative Alfven waves. Space imagers have shown that the increased Alfvenic wave power correlates with the poleward motion of active aurorae, or activations of the poleward boundary, while in situ, low altitude measurements suggest that upward ion beams and counterstreaming electron events are observed at high intensity on the same field lines. Fast flows emanating from reconnection, or other near-Earth processes, provide ample free energy for the aforementioned waves. This session addresses the electromagnetic coupling of plasma sheet activations with the high latitude ionosphere. In particular, Alfven wave generation, propagation, and dissipation along (or at the ionospheric foot of) the field lines is or primary interest. The effect of the waves on ion and electron populations, the ionospheric closure of the pertinent current, and the effective damping of the ultimate source are themes of importance. Recent Cluster auroral zone field line traversals at various altitudes also provide a unique multi-spacecraft viewpoint which is particularly interesting and timely. Observational, simulation and theory papers are encouraged.
Conveners: *V. Angelopoulos, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450; tel: 510-643-1871, fax: 510-643-8302, E-mail: vassilis@ssl.berkeley.edu; and J. R. Wygant, University of Minnesota, Tate Laboratory of Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church Street, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0112, tel: 612-626-8921 fax: 612-626-2029, Email: wygant@ham.space.umn.edu
INVITED SPEAKERS (Tentative Theme):
C. W. Carlson (Auroral observations of high latitude processes and possible mapping to plasma sheet) A. Keiling (The high latitude aurora seen from POLAR altitudes, sources and sinks of plasma sheet energy) R. Nakamura (Plasma sheet processes resulting in field-aligned energy flux generation; the source region) W. Lotko (Wave generation and dissipation along field lines leading to high latitude auroral forms).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Job Announcement - Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Branch of the University of California (UC) Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Bruce L. Barraclough" <bbarraclough@lanl.gov>
Summary: The Los Alamos branch of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) is searching for a Director. This Center at Los Alamos is a branch of a University of California multi-campus research unit with a mission to foster and sponsor collaborative research in solid earth geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, planetary geophysics, astrophysics, ocean/atmospheric, and magnetospheric sciences and other geophysical and planetary phenomena between the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of California and other universities. The IGPP Director provides scientific/technical leadership and line management of IGPP. The Los Alamos National Laboratory is managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy. Collaborations between the Laboratory and the University are very important to the intellectual vitality of the Laboratory, and the IGPP Director serves to foster such collaborations in the scientific areas mentioned above. The branch funds a range of collaborative projects involving Laboratory and University investigators. The Director will be responsible for overseeing a yearly peer-review process to select proposals for funding. The Institute hosts visiting scholars, post doctoral fellows, and graduate students for short and long-term visits. Organizationally, the Institute is located within the Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) Division that is within the Strategic and Supporting Research Directorate at Los Alamos. IGPP plays an institutional role within the Laboratory and encourages collaboration with scientists throughout the entire Laboratory. The Director of IGPP at Los Alamos is expected to develop and lead a coordinated program that will target and create cooperative basic research programs. The Director is expected to guide long-term research activities that are consistent with the Laboratory's policies for funding discretionary research. The Director is expected to develop a strong working relationship with the IGPP External Advisory Committee as well as plans to implement their recommendations. While it is expected that the majority of the Director's time will be devoted to the tasks above, the opportunity for individual research by the Director is negotiable. The Director's line management responsibility includes accountability for the quality of research; strategic planning; development and maintenance of technical capabilities; environment, safety and health; security; workforce excellence, productivity, and diversity; financial management; cost effectiveness; and communications. The IGPP Director must maintain effective working relationships with leaders, managers, and staff throughout the Laboratory, government, university, and industrial officials and collaborators.
Required Skills: * Demonstrated successful experience in one of the following disciplines: solid earth geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, planetary geophysics, astrophysics, ocean/atmospheric sciences, magnetospheric sciences, mineral physics, or other related scientific areas. * Demonstrated success in management of personnel in a scientific organization, including effective management of resources. * Successful experience establishing and maintaining research collaborations. * Experience and accomplishments in strategic and tactical planning and in leading execution of the plans. * Ability to balance competing interests with available resources and establish clear priorities and focus. * Track record of commitment to responsible and high-quality operations, including safety, environmental protection, and security. * Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, including uncompromising honesty and integrity; and ability to earn the respect of subordinates, supervisors, peers, and customers. * Record of effective two-way written and oral communications skills, as evidenced by internal and external interactions, including briefings, presentation, publications, and meetings. * Ability to obtain a Q clearance. Desired Skills: * Detailed knowledge of the Laboratory, the University, DOE, and other national and international programs of relevance to the Center%92s activities. * Experience with the management and administration systems and practices of national laboratories and/or UC universities. Education: Ph.D. degree in a scientific or engineering field relevant to IGPP or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Job Number: 017583 Title: CENTER LEADER Number of Openings: 1 Series/Level: TSM MGT Recruiting Scope: Open to all Organization: EES-DO Status: Open Date Posted: 07/17/2001 Job Type: Regular Full-time Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter. Notes to Applicants: For specific questions about the status of this job, call (505) 665-9955 .
John Bluck
Aug. 15, 2001 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
NASA PAO on duty NASA Newsroom, Jacksonville Naval Air Station, FL
RELEASE: 01-59AR NASA AMES COORDINATES HUGE HURRICANE OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN
Learning how to increase the warning time before Atlantic hurricanes make landfall is a goal of some100 U.S. researchers from NASA and other agencies who will a begin a 5-week campaign on Aug. 16.
Airborne researchers will fly above, around and through these weather monsters, and also will use satellites, balloons, unpiloted aircraft and ground-based instruments to gather hurricane data. Scientists from five NASA centers, several government agencies and 10 universities are cooperating to study tropical storms that erupt in the Atlantic Ocean.
"The Ames Earth Science Project Office is coordinating and managing the overall project," said Steve Hipskind, project manager at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. Called the Fourth Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX-4), the scientific campaign begins Aug. 16 with a 'media day' for journalists at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, FL. The project is scheduled to last until Sept. 24.
A major campaign goal is to produce more accurate hurricane predictions of storm landfall to decrease the size of coastal evacuations and to increase warning time. Researchers also are striving to reduce landfall track and intensity forecast errors and improve precipitation forecasts to enable more accurate inland flooding predictions.
"We will be making measurements in hurricanes with the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft out of Jacksonville Naval Air Station, FL," Hipskind said. "In addition, we will be flying a low-altitude uninhabited aerial vehicle (drone airplane), the Aerosonde. There will be ground instrumentation (several large weather radar and balloon soundings), as well as a large theoretical and satellite science team. Our collaborators include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Air Force 'Hurricane Hunters,' both of which provide operational aircraft reconnaissance in hurricanes, as well as the NOAA Hurricane Research Division and the United States Weather Research Program." The National Science Foundation is providing researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research for the campaign.
Mike Craig of Ames is sharing project management responsibility with Hipskind. Craig is doing much of the planning with Hipskind and taking the field lead for the second half of the deployment. The large team of researchers will select hurricanes and study them as they approach landfall in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast of the United States. Aircraft operations will be within a 1,725-mile radius (2,760 km) of Jacksonville.
CAMEX-4 is focussed on the study of hurricane development, tracking, intensification and landfall impacts using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote instruments. When possible, scientists will compare and validate measurements with coincident observations from the QuikSCAT, Terra and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellites. This study will yield high spacial and temporal information of hurricane structure, dynamics and motion. Scientists want to capture two complete "snapshots" of a hurricane.
The resulting data -- when analyzed within the context of more traditional aircraft, satellite and ground-based radar observations -- should provide additional insight to hurricane modelers and forecasters who strive to improve hurricane predictions.
NASA Ames is responsible for assuring the airworthiness and flight safety of the remotely piloted Aerosonde aircraft, and the overall operational readiness and collaborative agreements for all of the participating aircraft, according to Hipskind. Each Aerosonde weighs about 30 pounds (less than 15 kg) and will fly between 500 ft. and 1,500 ft. (150 m - 450 m) in the hurricane's winds to gather data and send it back to researchers. Should one of the tiny uninhabited aircraft be sucked up to higher altitudes, controllers would send a signal to destroy it to avoid a collision with another aircraft.
"Ames also has participating scientists," Hipskind said. "Paul Bui is the principal investigator for the meteorological measurement system for the DC-8 aircraft, and Lenny Pfister is the co-investigator on both Paul's experiment, as well as a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA) laser hygrometer on the DC-8." A hygrometer is an instrument that measures humidity in the air.
Bui's experiment includes three major systems on the DC-8 airplane that normally flies at a medium altitude between 20,000 ft. and 40,000 ft. ( 6,000 m - 12,000 m). The systems will measure air velocity to give scientists a three-dimensional picture of wind directions. Bui also will provide extremely accurate temperature measurements, critical to understanding details of hurricane cloud formation.
While remote sensing of the hurricane environment is the primary objective of CAMEX-4, separate flights will study thunderstorm structure, precipitation systems and atmospheric water vapor profiles. The objective of these flights is to improve precipitation estimates from microwave instruments, particularly to validate NASA satellite measurements.
The NASA Earth Science Enterprise sponsors CAMEX-4. More CAMEX-4 information is on the Internet at: http://www.hurricanes.nasa.gov and http://camex.msfc.nasa.gov
Aug. 15, 2001 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Phone: 650/604-5026 or 650/604-9000 e-mail: jbluck@mail.arc.nasa.gov
NASA PAO on duty NASA Newsroom, Jacksonville Naval Air Station, FL Phone: 904/542-3846 E-mail: david.steitz@hq.nasa.gov
RELEASE: 01-59AR
NASA AMES COORDINATES HUGE HURRICANE OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN
-more- -2- CAMEX-4 is focussed on the study of hurricane development, tracking, intensification and landfall impacts using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote instruments. When possible, scientists will compare and validate measurements with coincident observations from the QuikSCAT, Terra and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellites. This study will yield high spacial and temporal information of hurricane structure, dynamics and motion. Scientists want to capture two complete "snapshots" of a hurricane.
Steve Roy Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
RELEASE No: 01-59
NASA BRAVES STORMS IN QUEST FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HURRICANES
As this year's hurricane season arrives, a team of researchers participating in a NASA study is ready. Armed with airplanes from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., robotic aerial vehicles and a fleet of sophisticated instruments, the researchers are ready to meet these potentially deadly and destructive storms head-on, gathering data vital to improve hurricane modeling and prediction.
They are taking part in the Convection And Moisture Experiment (CAMEX) - the fourth in a series of field investigations sponsored by the Earth Science Enterprise at NASA Headquarters, Washington D.C. The mission unites researchers from 10 universities, five NASA centers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Based out of the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville, Fla., this year's mission takes place Aug. 16 through Sept. 24 - traditionally the most active part of the hurricane season. During CAMEX, researchers will gather storm data from multiple sources, including aircraft, unpiloted aerial vehicles, satellite observations, ground-based radar and other sensing instruments. Unique in this mission is the fact that each storm will be monitored simultaneously from near sea level to 65,000 feet.
Temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, ice crystal sizes, and lightning characteristics are examples of the kinds of information that will be collected. These data are expected to provide additional insight to hurricane researchers and forecasters who continually strive to improve hurricane predictions.
"One reason NASA studies hurricanes is to understand the best way to use information from NASA resources, such as its satellites, to provide better warnings to the American public and people around the world affected by hurricanes," said Robbie Hood, CAMEX mission scientist from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
"During the last CAMEX experiment in 1998, we flew over hurricanes and collected a vast amount of data, sampling the hurricanes' upper regions at altitudes of 35,000 feet or higher," said Hood. "This year, we're asking ourselves additional questions, such as, 'How does a hurricane intensify?' and "What is its rainfall potential after it comes to shore?' The highest number of hurricane-related deaths are due to inland flooding, so inland rainfall is something we will be monitoring very closely."
NASA Dryden's ER-2 and DC-8 will fly into the season's hurricanes carrying a suite of scientific instruments to study selected storms as they approach landfall in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast of the United States.
The DC-8, equipped with instruments that will measure the storms' structure, environment and changes in intensity and tracking, will fly into storms at 35,000 to 40,000 feet. At the same time, the specially equipped ER-2, a high-altitude research aircraft, will soar above storms at 65,000 feet.
Although investigating hurricanes is the primary objective of CAMEX-4, separate flights will study thunderstorm structure, precipitation systems and atmospheric water vapor profiles. This portion of CAMEX-4 is known as Keys Area Microphysics Project (KAMP). The project seeks improved precipitation estimates from passive and active microwave instruments - equipment that detects precipitation and surface water by measuring natural microwave emissions from cloud water, cloud ice, rainfall and surface water. Flights for the microphysics project will take place in the area of Key West, Fla.
CAMEX-4 is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research program dedicated to better understanding the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment.
Donald Savage Headquarters, Washington
Amber Jones National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA RELEASE: 01-166
ASTRONOMERS FIND JUPITER-SIZED PLANET ORBITING STAR IN BIG DIPPER
A team of astronomers has found a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a faint nearby star similar to our Sun, raising intriguing prospects of finding a solar system like our own.
The planet is the second found orbiting the star 47 Ursae Majoris in the Big Dipper, also known as Ursa Major or the Big Bear. The new planet is at least three-fourths the mass of Jupiter and orbits the star at a distance that, in our Solar System, would place it beyond Mars but within the orbit of Jupiter.
"Astronomers have detected evidence of more than 70 extrasolar planets," said Morris Aizenman, a senior science advisor at the National Science Foundation (NSF). "Each discovery brings us closer to determining whether other planetary systems have features like those of our own."
"For the first time we have detected two planets in nearly circular orbits around the same star," said team member Debra Fischer of the University of California at Berkeley. "Most of the 70 planets people we have found to date are in bizarre solar systems, with short periods and eccentric orbits close to the star. As our sensitivity improves we are finally seeing planets with longer orbital periods, planetary systems that look more like our Solar System."
The planet-search team, which is supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, has been instrumental in finding a majority of the planets outside our Solar System (also called extrasolar planets). Besides Fischer, the team includes Geoffrey Marcy, also of Berkeley, Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Steve Vogt of the University of California at Santa Cruz and Gregory Laughlin of NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA. Their report on the new planet has been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal.
A few years ago, Marcy and Butler discovered a planet more than twice the mass of Jupiter in a circular orbit around the same star. The star is one of 100 that the scientists have targeted since 1987 in their search for evidence of extrasolar planets. Using telescopes at the University of California's Lick Observatory, they measure changes in the characteristics of light emitted by the stars. Those changes, they believe, signal the presence of a planet periodically pulling the star toward or away from Earth.
Fischer was able to see the periodic wobble from the second planet, smaller and farther from the star than the first, because of improved instrumentation.
The star is a yellow star similar to the sun, probably about seven billion years old and located about 51 light-years from Earth. A light-year, the distance light travels in one year, is approximately 6 trillion miles.
"Every new planetary system reveals some new quirk that we didn't expect. We've found planets in small orbits and wacky eccentric orbits," said Marcy. "With 47 Ursae Majoris, it's heartwarming to find a planetary system that finally reminds us of our solar system."
Samples of the Future
The advanced space ships of tomorrow will be crafted from far-out materials with extraordinary resistance to the harsh environment of space. An experiment strapped to the outside of the ISS aims to put such materials through their paces.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast15aug_1.htm?list448368
August 15, 2001
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, California 93523
For Release: August 14, 2001
Mike Braukus NASA Headquarters
Frederick A. Johnsen, News Chief NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
RELEASE No: 01-58
NASA SOLAR AIRCRAFT SETS ALTITUDE RECORD; COMMUNICATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL BREAKTHROUGHS EXPECTED
A new world record altitude of 96,500 feet over the Pacific Ocean was reached by the solar-powered Helios Prototype flying wing at 4:08 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (HST), Aug. 13, fulfilling the expectations of engineers from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and AeroVironment, Inc., builders of the 247-ft. wing. This is the first time a non-rocket powered aircraft has maintained flight this far above the earth. Sustained operations at that altitude promise to enable capabilities ranging from environmental monitoring to radically improved communications on earth to simulating flight in the atmosphere of Mars.
Daniel S. Goldin, NASA Administrator, who has been a strong supporter of solar powered flight, said, "This is a ground breaking accomplishment which will advance this technology to new heights."
The remotely-piloted wing took off from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai at 8:48 a.m. HST. Flying at about 25 miles an hour, the mission lasted nearly 17 hours, landing at 1:43 a.m. Aug. 14.
The record flight sets the stage for follow-on missions that will use a regenerative fuel system now under development to enable Helios to remain aloft 24 hours a day for months at a time. The record altitude was achieved during daylight hours, relying on solar cells on the wing's surface to provide electrical power. Descent after dark was possible as the 14 electric motors were no longer needed to maintain altitude. During descent the propellers acted as generators, providing electrical power to control the aircraft.
"This is like going to the Olympics and setting a new world record for engineers," said NASA Dryden Flight Research Center solar aircraft project manager John Del Frate. "This achievement did not come easily. Thousands of things had to work right for something like this to come together."
Production variants of Helios might see service as long-term earth environmental monitors, as well as communications relays, reducing dependence on satellites and providing service in areas not covered by satellites. The successful flight at high altitude also provides NASA with information about flight on Mars, since the atmosphere at that height above earth replicates the atmosphere near the Martian surface.
Mike Braukus Headquarters, Washington
Frederick A. Johnsen Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA
RELEASE: 01-165
NASA SOLAR AIRCRAFT SETS ALTITUDE RECORD; COMMUNICATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL BREAKTHROUGHS EXPECTED
NASA's solar-powered, propeller-driven Helios aircraft set a new world record altitude of 96,500 feet on Monday, surpassing the old record for aircraft without rocket power by more than 10,000 feet. Sustained operations at that altitude promise to enable capabilities ranging from environmental monitoring to radically improved communications on Earth to simulating flight in the atmosphere of Mars.
NASA Adminstrator Daniel S. Goldin, who has been a strong supporter of solar-powered flight, said, "This is a ground breaking accomplishment which will advance this technology to new heights."
The remotely piloted wing, built by AeroVironment, Inc., Monrovia, CA, took off from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai at 8:48 a.m. local time. Flying at about 25 miles an hour, the aircraft stayed aloft almost 17 hours, passing the old altitude records of 80,200 feet for propeller-driven aircraft and 85,068 feet for any aircraft not powered by rockets. Helios reached its highest altitude at 4:08 p.m. local time and landed at 1:43 a.m. Tuesday local time.
The record flight sets the stage for follow-on missions that will use a regenerative fuel system now under development to enable Helios to remain aloft 24 hours a day for months at a time. The aircraft reached record altitude during daylight hours, relying on solar cells on the wing's surface to provide electrical power. Descent after dark was possible as the 14 electric motors were no longer needed to maintain altitude. During descent the propellers acted as generators, providing electrical power to control the aircraft.
Production variants of Helios might see service as long-term Earth environmental monitors or as communications relays, reducing dependence on satellites and providing service in areas not covered by satellites. The successful flight at high altitude also provides NASA with information about flight on Mars, since the atmosphere at that height above Earth replicates the atmosphere near the Martian surface.
August 14, 2001
David E. Steitz Headquarters, Washington
Steve Roy Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
Bill Dougherty Office of Public Affairs, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL
NOTE TO EDITORS: N01-046
NASA HURRICANE MISSION BRIEFING ON AUG. 16 IN JACKSONVILLE, FL
NASA will kick off the fourth Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-4) during a press conference and aircraft tour at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, FL, on Thursday, Aug. 16, at 9 a.m. EDT. Media wishing to attend the press conference should meet at the Yorktown Gate of NAS Jacksonville no later than 8:30 a.m. for escort to the briefing room. Following the briefing, media will be escorted to the airfield to view the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 research aircraft, as well as the remotely piloted Aerosonde aircraft, and other planes involved in the mission.
Based out of NAS Jacksonville, this year's mission will run from Aug. 16 through Sept. 24 - traditionally the most active part of the hurricane season. During CAMEX, researchers will gather storm data from multiple sources, including piloted aircraft, remotely piloted aerial vehicles, satellite observations, ground-based radar, and other ground-based sensing instruments.
CAMEX-4 is the latest in a series of field research investigations sponsored by the Earth Sciences Enterprise at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. It unites researchers from 10 universities, five NASA centers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
For more information about the CAMEX field campaign, please see:
http://camex.msfc.nasa.gov
http://www.earth.nasa.gov
Dancing around the Black Hole
recent observations with the infrared-sensitive ISAAC instrument on the VLT ANTU telescope have allowed a team of French and Swiss astronomers to obtain measurements of stars that move very close to the central black holes in some active galaxies. They were surprised to find signs of the presence of young stars in this area. The full story is available as ESO PR 18/01 at URL:
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2001/pr-18-01.html
Other, recent observations with the VLT concern the spectrum of (one of) the most distant objects known, a quasar with redshift 6.3. Details have been published in a Press Release by the Max-Planck-Society, available on the web at:
http://www.mpg.de/pri01/pri0152.htm
("Juengster Quasar durchleuchtet Urmaterie des Universums" - in German).
Important message to media representatives:
Please note that two international Press Conferences on the subjects of "Black Holes" and "Exoplanets" will be held in conjunction with the upcoming JENAM conference in Munich (Germany) on September 11 and 12, respectively. Full information is available at:
http://www.eso.org/outreach/pr-events/
August 13, 2001
This Week on Galileo August 10 - 19, 2001
With the hectic activity of the Io encounter now behind it, Galileo settles into the more peaceful pace of orbital cruise. But first, the last bit of cleanup from the flyby must be taken care of. On Friday, August 10, the spacecraft executes an orbit trim maneuver. This engine burn will correct any remaining uncertainties or errors in the flyby path, and begin to nudge the spacecraft towards its next target. That target once again is Io, which we will pass in mid-October.
On Saturday the spacecraft again uses its thrusters, this time to turn in place and point the antenna closer to the Earth. This 4 degree turn takes about 10 minutes to perform. On Sunday, routine maintenance of the propulsion system is performed. This will guarantee that all parts of the propulsion system are properly exercised, not just those branches that are used for the particular maneuvers and turns we have done recently.
In addition to these navigation and engineering tasks, playback of the science data from last weekend's flyby continues. A quick survey of the data on the tape takes up the first week or so of playback. Due to the effects of the accumulated radiation the spacecraft has received in its nearly six years in orbit around Jupiter, measurements from several instruments have been affected. The survey will determine if any of the data on the tape are bad, and allow the scientists to plan how best to retrieve the good data on subsequent passes over the tape.
RELEASE: 01-275
NASA study to brave storms in quest for better prediction, understanding of hurricanes
As this year's hurricane season rolls in, a team of researchers participating in a NASA study is waiting. Armed with airplanes, robotic aerial vehicles and a fleet of sophisticated instruments, they're ready to meet these potentially deadly and destructive storms head-on, gathering data vital to improve hurricane modeling and prediction.
They're part of the Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX) -- the fourth in a series of field research investigations sponsored by the Earth Science Enterprise at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. The mission unites researchers from 10 universities, five NASA centers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Based out of the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville, Fla., this year's mission will run from Aug. 16 through Sept. 24 -- traditionally the most active part of the hurricane season.
During CAMEX, researchers will gather storm data from multiple sources, including aircraft, unpiloted aerial vehicles, satellite observations, ground-based radar, and other ground-based sensing instruments. Unique in this mission is the fact each storm will be monitored simultaneously from near sea level to 65,000 feet.
Temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, lightning and ice crystal sizes are examples of the kinds of information that will be collected. These data are expected to provide additional insight to hurricane researchers and forecasters who continually strive to improve our understanding of these storms.
"During the last CAMEX mission in 1998, we flew over hurricanes and collected a vast amount of data, sampling the hurricanes' upper regions at altitudes of 35,000 feet (10,600 meters) or higher," said Hood. "This year, we're asking ourselves additional questions, such as, 'How does a hurricane intensify?' and 'What is its rainfall potential after it comes to shore?' The highest number of hurricane-related deaths are due to inland flooding, so inland rainfall is something we will be monitoring very closely."
The CAMEX team plans to fly into the season's hurricanes aboard two NASA planes, the ER-2 and DC-8, both from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Carrying a series of instruments, these aircraft will fly over, through, and around selected hurricanes as they approach landfall in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and along the East Coast of the United States.
The DC-8, equipped with instruments that will measure the storms' structure, environment and changes in intensity and tracking, will fly into storms at 35,000 to 40,000 feet (12,200 meters). At the same time, the specially equipped ER-2, a high-altitude research plane, will soar above storms at 65,000 feet (19,800 meters).
NASA also is funding the flight of several unpiloted aerial vehicles called the Aerosonde Robotic Aircraft, managed in conjunction with the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Small, robotic aircraft designed for collection of meteorological data over oceans and remote areas, the Aerosondes will operate over the North Atlantic Ocean taking observations in the lower atmosphere. In the first use of unpiloted aircraft in an operation of this type, the Aerosondes will skim the ocean surface collecting data on atmospheric temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and winds data that cannot be obtained by any other method.
Although investigating hurricanes is the primary objective of CAMEX-4, separate flights will study thunderstorm structure, precipitation systems, and atmospheric water vapor profiles.
This portion of CAMEX-4 is known as Keys Area Microphysics Project (KAMP). The project seeks improved precipitation estimates from passive and active microwave instruments equipment that detects precipitation and surface water by measuring natural microwave emissions from cloud water, cloud ice, rainfall and surface water. Flights for the microphysics project will be approximately 300 nautical miles (560 km) from the Key West, Fla., area.
The hurricane study is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research program dedicated to better understanding the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on our global environment.
Exploring Mars: Blowing in the Wind?
One answer to roving across the surface of Mars may be blowing in the wind. Literally.
Researchers exploring different methods to deliver scientific instruments to various Martian locales are studying the potential for a giant, lightweight, two-story tall beach ball. Equipped with scientific instruments, the so-called "tumbleweed ball" conceived by JPL researchers could potentially explore vast tracts of planetary terrain, blown by the wind.
The wind blowing across the face of the red planet would be the only engine needed to move the giant tumbleweed ball from place to place, said Jack A.Jones,
who is leading JPL's research into various inflatable machines for exploring space. JPL's Inflatable Technology for Robotics Program aims to create rugged, all-terrain vehicles and other devices with low mass and low-packing volume.
A scientific payload, carrying instruments such as magnetometers or water-seeking radar, would be held in place by tension cords at the tumbleweed's center. Cameras mounted inside the ball would peer out at the local terrain. When scientists identify a promising spot and want the tumbleweed to put down roots and sit for a spell, the ball could be partially deflated. Then, when it's time to move along again, the ball could be reinflated to roll on toward new frontiers.
"This is preliminary work," Jones admonishes as he prepares for more field tests. But he is enthusiastic about the promise this technology may hold for the exploration of Mars and other solar system bodies.
Much of Mars' terrain is sloping and littered with boulders, which makes tough going for most vehicles. But researchers were excited by the results of tests this summer of a 1.5 meter-tall version of the tumbleweed. The tests confirmed that 6-meter diameter (about 20-feet) balls should be able to climb over or around one-meter rocks and travel up slopes as high as 25-degrees in the thin, but breezy martian air.
Follow the Bouncing Ball
Serendipity and a busted wheel on an experimental rover played a roll in planting the idea that would grow into the tumbleweed ball.
Previous tests of beach ball-size tumbleweed prototypes had been disappointing. "They got stuck," Jones explained. Driven by the wind, the toy-size balls lodged against knee- and waist-high rocks like those that dominate much of Mars' terrain. As rovers, the beach balls flopped.
But then, while conducting tests of an experimental inflatable rover in the Mojave Desert's Dumont Dunes, one of the bright yellow rover's shoulder-high spherical "tires" broke off the vehicle and blew away.
"It went a quarter of a mile in nothing flat," recalled technician Tim Connors, who quickly saddled up with the driver of a passing all-terrain recreational vehicle to chase down the runaway sphere. The moderate, 20-mile per hour afternoon winds drove the ball fast and far.
"It soared," Jones said of the big ball. Watching Connors in hot pursuit, the researchers marveled at the speed of the rogue sphere and the ease with which it moved across the desert, unimpeded by boulders. "Tim was flying over the sand dunes trying to catch it," he said. "The ball went up steep, steep cliffs of sand. Nothing stopped it." Until Connors, on the borrowed ATV, was able to catch up and corral the escapee.
"And therein was planted the seed," said Jones, "that if we make these things big enough, nothing will stop one."
Toys, Balloons, and Serious Science
In a lab that appears to mix three parts of serious R&D to one part of Santa's festive workshop, Jones and his colleagues are surrounded by shiny Mylar balloons of various sizes, pink and yellow beach balls, heavy-duty nylon tumbleweed ball prototypes, tall tanks of compressed gas and worktables full of mechanical and electronic devices. The team, which includes senior engineer Sam Kim and design engineer Jay Wu is now preparing for desert tests later this month that will incorporate a radar into the ball's center to test the prototype's ability to find underground water. Such instrumentation could eventually be used to search for possible water hidden beneath Mars' surface.
The ball is weighted so that it has a preferred axis of rotation. It tends to roll with the heaviest part down, so two weights opposite each other send the ball along a straight path. The upcoming tests will also try out a center-of-mass control device that Connors conceived of which would allow the ball to be steered by pumping contained fluid to the left, right or center of the tire, which will be slightly oblong.
"Again, this is experimental, so we're trying different things," said Jones. "But I'm pretty confident it will work."
"With a 20 kilogram ball and 20 kilogram payload, the 6-meter diameter tumbleweed ball is light enough that it could be added on to another lander and deployed from the ground, or it could be in its own delivery vehicle," said Jones. The large, lightweight ball could possibly also serve as its own parachute and landing airbag, he said, able to withstand the bounce following a 30-meter per second terminal velocity descent at Mars. The ball itself shares the same heritage as the airbag used for Pathfinder and that which will be used for the Mars Exploration Rover.
Upcoming Tests
Other work being planned for coming months include desert drop tests with a prototype tumbleweed ball made of super rugged Vectran, the same material used for the Mars Pathfinder's airbag landing system. In the coming year, Jones hopes to arrange for long-range testing of hundreds or thousands of kilometers in the harsh, challenging, Marslike environment of the Arctic or Antarctic.
RELEASE: 01-58AR
AMES COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL TEST OF MARS AIRPLANE PROTOTYPE
Soaring gracefully down to Earth from a balloon floating 101,000 feet high above Oregon, a NASA prototype of an airplane that someday may fly over Mars successfully completed a high-altitude flight test this week.
Conducted at Oregon's Tillamook airport by the Kitty Hawk 3 project at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, the test was designed to validate the aerodynamic performance of the prototype. Nicknamed "Orville" after one of the famed Wright brothers who first flew on Dec. 17, 1903, the NASA 731 glider was dropped from a helium-filled balloon that towed it up to an altitude of 101,000 feet - the highest ever for such a test - before releasing it. Engineers and scientists hailed the test as a great success.
"It was a great flight and everything went really well. It appears that we realized all of our test objectives," exclaimed a jubilant Andy Gonzales, an Ames aerospace engineer who served as the flight test director. Low-altitude tests of NASA 729, another prototype called "Wilbur," were conducted last month at Ames.
"Mars has always fascinated people," said Larry Lemke, an aerospace engineer at NASA Ames who serves as Ames' project manager for advanced Mars mobility concepts, which include airplanes as well as other systems. "Every time we send a mission up there, we come back with fascinating discoveries."
According to Lemke, a Mars airplane is an idea whose time has come. "The Mars airplane is an idea that has been around for about 25 years, and over the past five years or so, it has been growing in popularity," he said. "I think a Mars airplane will play a role in exploring the Red Planet."
Conventional in appearance, the Mars airplane concept developed by Ames engineers features a long, straight wing and twin tails in the rear. The remote-controlled glider tested in Oregon featured an approximately four-foot-long fuselage and an eight-foot wing span.
"The flying we have successfully completed in Oregon is very similar to the flying that we will be doing over Mars during a productive exploration mission," Lemke said. "One unique aspect of flying a Mars mission with an airplane is that it must be constructed in a fold-up configuration in order to fit inside a spacecraft."
In its future configuration for Mars, the aircraft is expected to have its own propeller propulsion system capable of operating in the Mars atmosphere, which is comprised mostly of carbon dioxide. It will also carry a variety of sophisticated instruments to observe and conduct science experiments.
"The possibility of life on Mars is a very hot topic and an interesting question, so I'm sure you will find instruments on board that are designed to find signs of water on Mars, which is necessary for life," Lemke said.
"In addition, we would have a large array of cameras on the airplane to be able to see large areas of the Mars terrain in very high resolution," Lemke said. He said the cameras aboard the aircraft would be so precise, they could see objects on Mars as small as the size of a quarter. "I think the images will be stunning," he said. "During a Mars airplane mission, we will be able to view the planet at very close proximity and this will convey to the public that there is a real planet there, not just an abstract."
"Our test flight at Tillamook airport showed the airplane's flight was very smooth and stable which makes for a good platform for science instruments," said Gonzales.
Ames engineers predict the next few years will be challenging, as they prepare for a potential mission to Mars. "We will be expanding the envelope and developing a much more complex aircraft for exploring Mars," Lemke said. The next step will be to develop a Mars airplane model with folding wings and later, one with a propeller propulsion system.
NASA STUDY TO BRAVE STORMS IN QUEST FOR BETTER PREDICTION, UNDERSTANDING OF HURRICANES
Based out of the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville, FL., this year's mission will run from Aug. 16 through Sept. 24 traditionally the most active part of the hurricane season. During CAMEX, researchers will gather storm data from multiple sources, including aircraft, unpiloted aerial vehicles, satellite observations, ground-based radar, and other ground-based sensing instruments. Unique in this mission is the fact each storm will be monitored simultaneously from near sea level to 65,000 feet.
"One reason NASA studies hurricanes is to understand the best way to use information from NASA resources, such as its satellites, to provide better warnings to the American public and people around the world affected by hurricanes," said Robbie Hood, CAMEX mission scientist from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL.
"During the last CAMEX mission in 1998, we flew over hurricanes and collected a vast amount of data, sampling the hurricanes' upper regions at altitudes of 35,000 feet (10,600 meters) or higher," said Hood. "This year, we're asking ourselves additional questions, such as, 'How does a hurricane intensify?' and 'What is its rainfall potential after it comes to shore?' The highest number of hurricane- related deaths are due to inland flooding, so inland rainfall is something we will be monitoring very closely."
The CAMEX team plans to fly into the season's hurricanes aboard two NASA planes, the ER-2 and DC-8, both from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA. Carrying a series of instruments, these aircraft will fly over, through, and around selected hurricanes as they approach landfall in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and along the East Coast of the United States.
NASA also is funding the flight of several unpiloted aerial vehicles called the Aerosonde Robotic Aircraft, managed in conjunction with the University of Colorado at Boulder. Small, robotic aircraft designed for collection of meteorological data over oceans and remote areas, the Aerosondes will operate over the North Atlantic Ocean taking observations in the lower atmosphere. In the first use of unpiloted aircraft in an operation of this type, the Aerosondes will skim the ocean surface collecting data on atmospheric temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and winds data that cannot be obtained by any other method.
This portion of CAMEX-4 is known as Keys Area Microphysics Project (KAMP). The project seeks improved precipitation estimates from passive and active microwave instruments equipment that detects precipitation and surface water by measuring natural microwave emissions from cloud water, cloud ice, rainfall and surface water. Flights for the microphysics project will be approximately 300 nautical miles (560 km) from the Key West, FL area.
August 11, 2001
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. GENESIS MISSION STATUS Friday, August 10, 2001-Photos & Art work By: NASA
Two days after launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., the Genesis mission continues to proceed exceedingly well. Since the spacecraft's signal was acquired by a Deep Space Network ground station at Goldstone, Calif., at 10:38 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Aug. 8, the mission team has continued to monitor the status of spacecraft subsystems. All of them are performing normally. Ground controllers established a two- way communication link between Genesis and Earth, enabling the navigation team to start collecting data to assess the spacecraft's flight path.
Genesis' flight path was adjusted successfully today at about 10:21 a.m. PDT. The small thrusters burned for 53.5 seconds. This moved the spacecraft about 5.2 meters per second (11.6 miles per hour) into a path to reach the Lagrange 1, or L1, point, where the gravities of the Sun and Earth are balanced. Genesis will reach L1 in November 2001. The navigation team expects to be able to determine by Monday how to modify the spacecraft's flight path during the next adjustment in early September.
Among various housekeeping events just after launch, the team commanded the spacecraft to transmit to Earth and brought the spacecraft out of safe mode. Safe mode is a standby state used to keep the spacecraft dormant during launch. Genesis has now communicated with all three of NASA's Deep Space Network stations -- in Goldstone, Calif.; Canberra, Australia; and Madrid, Spain.
The team also commanded Genesis to spin at its normal rate, 1.6 revolutions per minute. Genesis will collect pieces of the Sun called solar wind to help scientists better understand our solar system's development.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Genesis mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colo., designed and built the spacecraft and will operate it jointly with JPL. Major portions of the payload design and fabrication were carried out at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.
August 10, 2001
Horse Flies and Meteors
Like bugs streaking down the side window of a moving car, long and colorful Perseid Earthgrazers could put on a remarkable show before midnight on August 11th.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast09aug_1.htm?list448368
EDUCATORS LEARN ABOUT THE INS AND OUTS OF THE SOLAR SYTEM
Educators from around the country are studying such NASA missions as 2001 Mars Odyssey, currently en route to the red planet, during an institute sponsored by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, from Aug. 9 to 11. Thirty-three educators are participating in the Solar System Educator Program Institute. Most are teachers from kindergarten through high school levels. Others are from museums, science centers or planetariums. All of them come with a strong background in teaching science or math and a passion for training teachers. This nationwide network of highly motivated educators is at the heart of the program. Each educator agrees to lead at least three workshops per year in their home states. Over the course of a year, the program trains thousands of educators, teaching them ways to incorporate space education into their lesson plans.
"The program goal is to inspire America's students, create learning opportunities and enlighten inquisitive minds by engaging them in the planetary exploration efforts conducted by JPL," said Terri Formico, program coordinator at JPL.
More information is available at http://www.ssep.org/ .
Space Explorers Inc. and the Virginia Space Grant Consortium manage the program for JPL. NASA/JPL missions and programs participating in the institute include the Cassini mission to Saturn, the Stardust and Deep Impact comet missions, the Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Mars Exploration Program, the Outer Planets program and Europa Orbiter mission and the Deep Space Network of ground-based antennas that communicate with spacecraft, the JPL Education and Public Outreach Office and NASA's Solar System Exploration Education and Public Outreach Forum.
Karen Horting Science's Next Wave, Washington
RELEASE: 01-162
NASA PROVIDES "SCIENCE'S NEXT WAVE" FOR MINORITY SCHOOLS
As part of its ongoing commitment to education, NASA has teamed with the journal Science to provide Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Leadership Alliance access to a weekly on-line publication devoted to scientific training and career development.
The online publication, "Science's Next Wave," provides global news, profiles of emerging careers, and advice from experts in the scientific community at large. Next Wave is a global source of information that is updated weekly and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from the Internet.
"This resource was initially provided to NASA employees. With the assistance of George Reese, Associate Administrator for Equal Opportunity Programs, we decided to extend the program to include HBCUs when we realized what a great opportunity this could be to link the best and brightest minds to promising careers in science. We hope that the subscription will inform as well as encourage students, especially minorities, to pursue science-related career opportunities that are available," said Dr. Kathie Olsen, NASA Chief Scientist and Acting Associate Administrator for Biological and Physical Research at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The subscription will cover the minority schools in the Leadership Alliance, including: Clark Atlanta University, Delaware State University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University at Baton Rouge, Spelman College, Tougaloo University, Xavier University, and the University of Puerto Rico system.
"Sadly, the number of underrepresented minorities receiving graduate degrees in the sciences is still extremely low. For this reason, we are heartened by NASA's commitment to make the training and mentoring of underrepresented minority science students a top priority," said Ellis Rubinstein, editor of Science.
Some of the resources that will be available to the students are the Career Development Center for Postdocs and Junior Faculty, the Grant Doctor, and the new Postdoc Network. These features provide information for beginning scientists, tips on writing grants and locating funds, help with time management, and question-and-answer sessions.
More information on "Next Wave" or the Leadership Alliance can be found at:
http://www.nextwave.org
http://www.leadershipalliance.org
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA RELEASE: 01-57AR
SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL WINS NATIONAL ROBOTICS CONTEST FOR 2ND YEAR A San Jose 'continuation' high school team has won a national robotics competition for the second year in a row, this time in Seattle.
On Wednesday, Foothill High School won the 2001 National Botball Tournament in Seattle at the American Association of Artificial Intelligence conference. Botball is a robotics sport for which students construct and compete autonomous LEGO robots that manipulate objects on a tabletop.
"Here we have the kids that society expects the worst of, and they give us their absolute best," said mentor Alan Federman, an engineer at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. "I am very proud of this school. Nobody has ever won two consecutive national robotics contests," he said. Last year, Foothill students were leaders of the championship alliance of the 2000 FIRST Robotics Tournament in Orlando, FL. In the Orlando contest, students constructed a large, remote-control robot entirely different from this year's botball model.
"After that Foothill win in 2000, a lot of people thought it was a fluke, something that could never happen again in a million years," Federman said.
Foothill's students, mostly of Hispanic or Asian heritage, sometimes are classified as 'youth at risk.' For the robotics work, they must understand basic principals of engineering and computer programming.
Foothill teacher Jeneva Westendorf assisted the student team. NASA Ames engineer Terry Grant mentored team members. In addition, former NASA engineer Jeff Ota, a member of the East Side Union District High School board, was involved in the project.
Forty-seven student teams from across the nation competed in this year's botball tournament in Seattle. Three other schools from the East Side Union High School District in San Jose also took part and did well in this year's competition. These schools are Andrew Hill High School, Overfelt High School and Independence High School.
The NASA Robotics Education Project assists students in learning engineering and computer skills by supporting the botball competition and other educational robotics activities.
Additional information is on the Internet at: http://robotics.nasa.gov and at: http://www.kipr.org
NOAA HURRICANE SCIENTISTS TEST NEW FORECAST DEVICES DURING TROPICAL STORM BARRY
Even though Tropical Storm Barry's winds were a few miles an hour shy of hurricane strength, the storm gave hurricane researchers at the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) several opportunities to test new technology that may tell them more about wind speed changes and landfall characteristics of tropical cyclones.
Hurricane researchers at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), supporting the U. S. Weather Research Program (USWRP), are working closely with NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) to develop new techniques that will provide a better understanding of wind structure and storm intensity changes, plus valuable information on storm track guidance.
Dr. Hugh Willoughby, director of AOML's Hurricane Research Division said, "The real accomplishment this summer is the closer connection between ground-breaking research and practical forecasting that benefits every coastal resident in harm's way."
Knowing wind speed at ground level when a hurricane makes landfall is of paramount importance to local emergency management personnel. To provide that information, meteorologists at AOML have created H*Wind, a program that visually depicts the wind speeds and denotes in easy-to-read color bands the regions of hurricane and gale force winds around a storm. Hurricane specialists at the hurricane center tried their hand at running H*Wind for the first time during Tropical Storm Barry, focusing on timely analysis and quality control of real-time wind observations. H*Wind is also being used in a post-storm analysis to determine Barry's actual wind speed at landfall.
Being able to accurately predict where a tropical cyclone will make landfall is another key factor to forecasters. For the best measurements, hurricane researchers have developed a technique that identifies the "sweet spots" in a storm that will yield the most accurate data. Scientists on board NOAA's hurricane surveillance Gulfstream-IV jet used the technique to take measurements of Tropical Storm Barry. Those measurements were incorporated in the models that the National Hurricane Center specialists used to issue landfall forecasts. It is anticipated this technique will provide nearly 15 percent improvement in the landfall forecast when fully operational.
For more information about NOAA's hurricane research mentioned in this press release, please visit the following sites: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/assessment/ http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Storm_pages/wind.html http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/HFP2001/ http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/project2000/jk_proj2.html
For more information on NOAA's National Hurricane Center, please visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
For more information on NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center, please visit: http://www.omao.noaa.gov//aoc/index.html
Kirsten Larson Headquarters, Washington
Susan Hendrix Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
RELEASE: 01-163
NASA TO ACCEPT TDRS-H COMMUNICATION SATELLITE
Boeing Satellite Systems, El Segundo, CA, has completed the verification and checkout process for the Boeing-built Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-H, launched June 2000. NASA and Boeing are finalizing conditions for acceptance of TDRS-H, and negotiations are expected to conclude in late August.
Upon acceptance of the TDRS-H spacecraft, NASA's existing fleet will expand to seven on-orbit spacecraft. The agency will move the TDRS-H to its operational location at 171 degrees West longitude in September and rename it TDRS-8. The spacecraft then will be ready to serve the scientific community for years to come.
TDRS-H soon will be joined by TDRS-I and -J. TDRS-I is scheduled to launch Oct. 29 aboard an Atlas IIA rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, at 11:14 p.m. EST, and TDRS-J will launch in October 2002. Once in place, the three next-generation satellites will double the capacity of data transmission and will provide nearly continuous, high- bandwidth communications links between Earth and space for the International Space Station, Space Shuttle and a host of near-Earth orbiting space research missions into the next decade.
NASA's acceptance of TDRS-H has been delayed due to a performance shortfall on the Multiple-Access (MA) phased array antenna aboard the spacecraft. During on-orbit testing in August 2000, Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc., discovered that the MA communication services were performing at less- than-specified capability. All other communications services, including the newly added Ka-band single-access services, have been activated and tested and are performing well.
"Boeing has been extremely responsive since the problem was first identified," said Robert Spearing, Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications at NASA Headquarters. "Launching TDRS-H ahead of actual need, gave us time to identify any shortcomings and address them successfully before there was an impact on our customers." "We are convinced that Boeing understands the most probable root cause of the underperformance and has taken the necessary actions to prevent any such shortfall from occurring on TDRS-I and -J," said TDRS Project Manager Robert Jenkens Jr. of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Boeing has modified and tested TDRS-I and -J to ensure optimal performance.
The TDRS satellite fleet relays large volumes of data -- including voice, television and scientific information -- from human-rated vehicles or orbiting scientific spacecraft back to control centers on the ground. Aside from providing near-continuous coverage for human space missions, the next- generation TDRS spacecraft will relay data from the Hubble Space Telescope, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, LANDSAT and the Earth Observing System. The spacecraft also provide expendable-launch-vehicle tracking services to launch service providers.
NEW VIEW OF PRIMORDIAL HELIUM TRACES THE STRUCTURE OF EARLY UNIVERSE
NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite has given astronomers their best glimpse yet at the ghostly cobweb of helium gas left over from the big bang, which underlies the universe's structure. The helium is not found in galaxies or stars but spread thinly through the vastness of space. The helium traces the architecture of the universe back to very early times. This structure arose from small gravitational instabilities seeded in the chaos just after the big bang. These FUSE observations help confirm theoretical models of how matter in the expanding universe condensed into a web-like structure pervading all of the space between galaxies.
The FUSE is a NASA Origins mission developed and operated by The Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (France), the Canadian Space Agency, the University of Colorado, and the University of California, Berkeley. FUSE was launched on June 24, 1999 on a three-year mission to obtain high-resolution spectra in the far ultraviolet wavelength region (905-1185 Angstroms) of faint galactic and extragalactic objects. For further information about FUSE, visit the mission web site at http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu.
To see and read more, please click on http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/27 or links in http://hubble.stsci.edu/go/news http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/latest.html and http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html
HELIOS PROTOTYPE TO ATTEMPT RECORD FLIGHT THIS WEEKEND
A new world's altitude record for a non-rocket-powered aircraft could be achieved over Hawaii this weekend by the NASA-sponsored Helios Prototype solar-electric flying wing. The flight from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on the island of Kauai is tentatively set for Saturday, Aug. 11, with backup flight days scheduled for Aug. 12 and 13, and Aug. 16 through 19. The Helios Prototype is believed capable of reaching altitudes in the vicinity of 100,000 feet under ideal conditions. Engineers estimate the aircraft could reach at least 95,000 feet on this mission with 100,000 feet still a possibility, well above the current record of 85,068 feet for sustained horizontal flight set by a SR-71 in 1966. Designed and built by AeroVironment, Inc., of Monrovia, Calif., the ultra-lightweight Helios Prototype's development is funded and managed under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project. The demonstration flight should validate the Helios' capability as a platform for high-altitude environmental monitoring and atmospheric sampling missions.
NASA SCIENTIST TO SPEAK SATURDAY AT THE TECH MUSEUM
Dr. Charles Wade, senior staff scientist in the Life Sciences Division at NASA's Ames Research Center,
will speak at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose on Saturday, Aug.11, at 2 p.m. in the Center for Learning.
Wade's talk is titled "Altered gravity and life processes: building habitats for living systems on the International Space Station.
" Ames' Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) is leading NASA's efforts to develop the systems required to support
a wide range of fundamental gravitational biology research on the International Space Station. SSBRP manages the
development of several habitats that will provide life support, environmental control, and monitoring
systems for various research subjects and specimens, including plants, cells, eggs, insects, aquatic species and rodents.
Scientists in Ames' Life Sciences Division study how the unique environment of space affects living systems,
from cells in culture to physiological studies in animals and humans. Through a better understanding of
fundamental physiology will come knowledge useful for both the maintenance of human health on
Earth and the development of countermeasures to the effects of long-term space flight.
The division conducts ground-based life sciences research, and implements flight experiments
onboard the space shuttle, the International Space Station, and a variety of unpiloted international
spacecraft. It also develops the technology required to perform life sciences research on the ground
and in space and works to transfer technology and promote education to improve the quality of
life on Earth. More information is available at: http://lifesci.arc.nasa.gov/
Life sciences research at Ames is supported by NASA's Office of Biological and
Physical Research, which promotes basic and applied research to support human exploration
of space and to take advantage of the space environment as a laboratory. More information is available at: http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/
The Tech Museum is an educational resource designed to engage people of all ages and backgrounds
in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives, and to inspire young people to become
innovators in developing the technologies of the future. More information is available at: www.thetech.org
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 08/02/01 - 08/08/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Madrid tracking station on Wednesday, August 8. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/ .
Recent spacecraft activities include the conclusion of a Magnetospheric and Plasma Science observation, a Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) High Frequency Receiver Calibration, powering off the Composite Infrared Spectrometer, and an autonomous memory load partition repair of Solid State Recorder-B.
The third and final of the instrument muting tests was completed this week. This test puts Cassini in a position to perform future Probe Checkouts with the instruments placed in a sleep state and having their Bus Interface Unit's transmission port 'muted'. Prior to these tests, Probe Checkouts required the Cassini instruments to be powered off for the duration of the activity. This new capability will allow the instruments to avoid incurring an undesired cycle as they are powered off and on again.
In support of the C28 sequence process, the "b" version of the C28 sequence products was released, as was the draft package for the Preliminary Sequence Integration and Validation meeting. A meeting was held to define the Integration Test Laboratory (ITL) simulation support for Flight Software Normalization activities for the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) and Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. Also discussed were the results of the successful instrument mute tests and the corresponding impact on C28 testing.
A preliminary package of the Command and Data System Version 9 Flight Software was delivered to the ITL for Huygens Probe relay testing. Probe relay testing has begun in subsystem mode with this new build of the flight software.
The entire set of modules for Mission Sequence Subsystem (MSS) D7.6 has been successfully tested both individually and in small groups by the ITL and High Speed Simulator, and an integrated retest is planned for later this week in preparation for the MSS D7.6 delivery.
The CDA Remote Terminal Interface Unit (RTIU) has been successfully tested, and the new RTIU for RPWS is scheduled to begin testing later this week. The RTIU converts the 1553 real-time instrument data interface to an Ethernet interface for data processing and performance testing with the instrument engineering model.
An on-line Risk Management Tool has been completed for Cassini. Mission Assurance has begun the process of entering data from the Significant Risk List, for risk tracking and assessment. Following a few additional modifications and data entry, the tool will be rolled out for use by the Cassini Risk Team.
A delivery review for the Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System V26.2 release was held this week. This version implements necessary capabilities for the Gravitational Wave Experiment.
The Program Review Plan has been updated and distributed to the flight team for review by Mission Assurance. The plan reflects the high-level review process to assess readiness for SOI, probe relay, and Saturn tour operations, and includes an integrated schedule of program level reviews.
The Cassini Design Team met to collect comments from Cassini personnel on the review process for the Ground Data System and Tour Downlink Operations Concepts reviews. These "lessons learned" comments are being collected by System Engineering for evaluation and implementation in future reviews.
The Mission Planning team held a review of the Cassini navigation tracking requirements. Topics included having ranging "on" at all times as a default, reductions in the 2-way Doppler requirement, and alternative solutions to a requirement that one third of all Cassini DSN support come from the Madrid tracking station.
A Cassini image of Jupiter is featured in the September issue of Sky and Telescope Magazine.
August 9, 2001
NASA SELECTS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CONCEPTS FOR FURTHER STUDY
NASA's New Millennium Program, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has selected 13 technology organizations to study advanced technologies that may fly in 2004 and 2005 as part of the Space Technology 7 project.
Space Technology 7 will test and validate advanced technologies that may become part of future NASA space missions. The newly-contracted studies will be completed by November. The technology concepts and providers are:
-- Aero-Entry/Capture/Maneuver -- technologies that allow a spacecraft to be captured into orbit via sophisticated controlled entry into atmospheres of planets (provided by the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.; NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.; Lockheed Martin Astronautics Operations Space Systems, Denver, Colo.)
-- Autonomy and On-board Processing -- software and hardware for an autonomously operated mission with a rapid sense- decide-act loop that integrates on-board science processing, activity planning and subsystem decision conflict resolution (provided by NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.; JPL; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.; BAE Systems, Information and Electronics Systems Integration Inc., Manassas, Va.)
-- Disturbance Reduction System -- sensor and thrust-producing technologies to control a space vehicle's trajectory so that its payload responds only to gravitational forces (provided by Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.; Busek Co. Inc., Natick, Mass.)
-- Solar Sail System -- technologies to deploy, control and operate a solar sail (provided by JPL; Swales Aerospace, Beltsville, Md.; Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.; AEC- Able Engineering Company, Inc., Goleta, Calif.)
"The Space Technology 7 integrated system flight validation concepts are very challenging advanced technologies," said Dr. Chris Stevens, Program Manager of the New Millennium Program at JPL. "I am very pleased by the number and quality of the responses to the solicitation and look forward to the results of the ST7 Concept Study Reports." In December 2001, an independent review board at NASA will evaluate the reports and select which technology will fly.
Further information on the New Millennium Program is available at http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov . The New Millennium Program was created in 1994 to identify, develop and flight-validate advanced technologies that can lower costs and enable critical performance of science missions in the 21st century. The program is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Earth Science and Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
SPACECRAFT RIDING HIGH TO CATCH SOME RAYS NASA's Genesis spacecraft launched flawlessly atop a Delta 7326 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Station at 12:13:40 p.m. EDT (9:13:40 a.m. PDT) today. Genesis will become the first mission ever to return a sample of extraterrestrial material from beyond the Moon when it catches a piece of the Sun to return to Earth. The Genesis team reported that the spacecraft was in excellent health and that its power and temperature levels are normal. The spacecraft is in communication with NASA's Deep Space Network, and is controlled through the mission operations area at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., where the mission is managed. At 64 minutes, 12 seconds into the mission -- or 1:17 p.m. EDT -- the Genesis spacecraft separated from the Delta's third stage. Immediately after separation, Genesis' solar arrays unfolded and pointed toward the Sun. The spacecraft's signal was successfully acquired by the NASA Deep Space Network complex at Goldstone, Calif., 85 minutes after launch at 1:38 p.m. EST. In September, Genesis will arrive at a point where the gravities of the Sun and Earth are balanced. It will open its collector arrays and begin to monitor and collect the solar wind, ions flowing from the outer layer of the Sun. The samples of solar wind it returns will help scientists understand how the solar system evolved. In September 2004, Genesis will return to Earth. The capsule in which the samples are sealed will plummet to Earth, slow with the aid of a parachute and be snagged in mid-air by a helicopter. The precious samples will be airlifted to the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, where they will be distributed for scientific analysis and safely curated in order to be available for the next century of planetary science studies. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Genesis mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colo., designed and built the spacecraft and will operate it jointly with JPL. Major portions of the payload design and fabrication were carried out at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. Additional information is available oline at http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov.
August 8, 2001
2001 News Releases
Spacecraft Riding High to Catch Some Rays Delta II rocket in Earth orbit Go to Genesis home page
NASA's Genesis spacecraft launched flawlessly atop a Delta 7326 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Station at 12:13:40 p.m. EDT (9:13:40 a.m. PDT) today.
Genesis will become the first mission ever to return a sample of extraterrestrial material from beyond the Moon when it catches a piece of the Sun to return to Earth.
The Genesis team reported that the spacecraft was in excellent health and that its power and temperature levels are normal. The spacecraft is in communication with NASA's Deep Space Network, and is controlled through the mission operations area at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., where the mission is managed.
At 64 minutes, 12 seconds into the mission -- or 1:17 p.m. EDT -- the Genesis spacecraft separated from the Delta's third stage. Immediately after separation, Genesis' solar arrays unfolded and pointed toward the Sun. The spacecraft's signal was successfully acquired by the NASA Deep Space Network complex at Goldstone, Ca., 85 minutes after launch at 1:38 p.m. EST.
In September, Genesis will arrive at a point where the gravities of the Sun and Earth are balanced. It will open its collector arrays and begin to monitor and collect the solar wind, ions flowing from the outer layer of the Sun. The samples of solar wind it returns will help scientists understand how the solar system evolved.
In September 2004, Genesis will return to Earth. The capsule in which the samples are sealed will plummet to Earth, slow with the aid of a parachute and be snagged in mid-air by a helicopter. The precious samples will be airlifted to the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, where they will be distributed for scientific analysis and safely curated in order to be available for the next century of planetary science studies.
Additional information is available on the Internet at: http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov.
August 7, Mid Day News 2001
NOAA FISHERIES TO REVIEW DECLINES IN NORTHWEST ORCA POPULATION
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA fisheries), an agency of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced today that it will study the reasons behind a decline in the number of killer whales that congregate in Washington state's Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca in summertime. The agency will begin a formal status review based on a conservation coalition request to provide the whales Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. The review is the first in a series of steps that could lead to ESA protection by mid-2003.
"We take very seriously the recent declines in killer whale populations and are determined to find out what's causing it," said Donna Darm, the acting head of NOAA fisheries' Northwest regional office in Seattle. "Accepting this petition to conduct the review is an important first step in determining an appropriate course of action."
NOAA fisheries said it would now convene a biological review team of killer whale experts to try to find out if these whales constitute a distinct population segment as defined by ESA, why the whale's population is declining, and to make a recommendation about whether the agency should formally propose an ESA listing next May.
The Northwest's familiar black and white killer whales, also called orcas, are officially known as the "eastern North Pacific southern resident stock of killer whales," to distinguish them from other killer whale groups. They spend their summers in Washington's Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca and the nearby Strait of Georgia in British Columbia, where they are the frequent object of photographers and whale-watching cruises in the area.
The southern resident population has always been small, according to NOAA biologists, but it has fluctuated widely since record keeping started in the early 1970's, going from the low of around 70 to a peak of about 97 in 1996. The population is now estimated to be about 78 animals.
A killer whale workshop, convened by the fisheries service in early 2000 and attended by killer whale experts from Canada and the United States, affirmed the population drop but could draw no certain conclusions for the reason, although it cited pollution, lack of prey (especially salmon), and even whale watching as possible causes.
"We know so little about these animals outside their summer foraging areas," said Brent Norberg, NOAA fisheries biologist. "We don't even know where they spend the winter or the extent of their range. That makes determining the reason for the decline quite a challenge."
If NOAA fisheries decides to formally propose the whales for ESA protection, it would have another year to complete more scientific work, hold public hearings and make a final determination, likely by May 2003. In the meantime, it will meet with scientists, including those from the state and tribes, to familiarize them with the steps involved in an ESA status review and to solicit information needed by the biological review team.
The petition to list the southern resident killer whales and designate their critical habitat was submitted by a coalition of conservation groups that included the Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Whale Research, Whale Museum, Ocean Advocates, Washington Toxics Coalition, Orca Conservancy, American Cetacean Society, Friends of the San Juans, People for Puget Sound, Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club, Project Seawolf and Ralph Munro.
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA fisheries) is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species and their habitat.
Further information including a copy of the petition is available at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov
To learn more about NOAA fisheries, please visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov
Today on Galileo Tuesday through Thursday, August 7-9, 2001 The Conclusion of the Io 31 Encounter
The pace has truly slowed down, now, as the Flight Team heaves a sigh of relief at the successful encounter. But there are still a few choice science observation opportunities to take advantage of. On Tuesday, at 6:43 a.m. PDT [See Note 1], the Solid State Imaging camera (SSI) takes a 3-color picture of the face of Io which perpetually faces Jupiter, looking for recent volcanic activity.
Then at 7:39 a.m. PDT, SSI looks at Jupiter for over two hours, taking 13 pictures, mostly through a green filter, of an area just north of the equator. By watching the same area of clouds over time, scientists can measure the propagation speed of mesoscale, or medium-scale, waves in the visible clouds. The motions of these clouds provides a probe into what is occurring in the underlying layers of the atmosphere. The wavelength and speed of these waves give information about the thermal stratification of the atmosphere, and about wind shear at depth, which affect the meteorology at the cloud-top levels.
At 10:17 a.m. PDT the instruments that measure the electromagnetic fields and particles of the Jovian environment end their period of continuous data collection, which began 59 hours ago, on Saturday.
At 1:50 p.m. PDT, a routine test of the on-board gyroscopes is performed. These gyros have shown a great sensitivity to the high radiation environment through which we fly. This test will determine if the software scale factors that are used to interpret the signals provided to the spacecraft's attitude control software will need to be updated prior to our next required use of the gyros.
Wednesday morning, at 2:20 a.m. PDT, the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) again looks at the area trailing the Great Red Spot in Jupiter's atmosphere, looking at cloud dynamics and compositional variation in the region.
At 3:26 a.m. PDT, SSI takes one last look at Io, a 3-color picture of the face of the satellite which forever faces away from Jupiter. This picture will also capture the Tvashtar volcano, arguably our most exciting target for this flyby. This is our last recorded observation for this orbit, because at 1:48 p.m. PDT, we begin playing back all of the data that we have stored on the tape recorder over the last 4 days. As we begin playing the data back, we are also using the large 70-meter (230 foot) diameter communications antenna near Canberra in Australia to send up the next series of commands that will govern the Galileo spacecraft's activities for the next two months of cruise. On Friday at 2:55 p.m. PDT, the scepter of control is passed to this new set of commands, and we bid a fond (and tired!) farewell to the Io encounter.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 35812 For Release: Aug. 7, 2001 RELEASE: 01-264 NASA's Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program advances propulsion technology with successful engine test series NASA's Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program - also known as the Space Launch Initiative - is making advances in propulsion technology with this third and final successful engine hot-fire designed to test electro-mechanical actuators. Information learned from this hot-fire test series about new electro-mechanical actuator technology - which controls the flow of propellants in rocket engines - could provide key advancements for the propulsion systems of future spacecraft. The test of twin Linear Aerospike XRS-2200 engines, originally built for the X-33 program, was performed Monday, Aug. 6, at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss. The engines were fired for the planned 90-seconds and reached a planned maximum power of 85 percent. The test was originally slated to attain full-power during 100-seconds of testing. Prior to the test, engineers determined the necessary results could be achieved at reduced duration and power. Based on this determination, both planned duration and planned power were reduced. Two shorter hot-fires of the aerospike engines were performed last month in preparation for the final test firing on Aug. 6. The Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program, led by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., is a technology development program designed to increase safety and reliability while reducing costs for space travel. "Because every engine proposed by industry for a second generation vehicle has electro-mechanical actuators, we took advantage of these aerospike engines already on the test stand to explore this relatively new technology now -- saving us valuable time later," said Garry Lyles, Propulsion Projects Office manager of the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program at the Marshall Center. "This data is critical toward developing the confidence required to support the use of these actuators on future launch vehicles."
Electro-mechanical actuators electronically regulate the amount of propellant (fuel and oxidizer) flow in the engine. The new technology is a potential alternative and improvement to the older pneumatic and hydraulic-fluid systems currently used by the aerospace industry to drive and control critical rocket engine valves. "This series of engine firings tested the actuator control system in what we call a 'real condition of use' environment," said Dr. Donald Chenevert, electro-mechanical actuator project manager at the Stennis Center. "Firing allows us to see how the integrated system handles the extreme cold of cryogenic propellants, the stress loads of the propellants pushing through the valves, and the dynamic response to commanded flow rate changes. Additionally, we have many other unique conditions such as shock and vibration loads not found in a lab, so we capture more realistic data about the true performance of the actuators." Engineers are performing engine post-test inspections, and early indications are that all test objectives have been met, Chenevert said. The final data is to be fed directly into the engine systems being considered for a second generation reusable launch vehicle, Lyles said. "Propulsion is one of the highest and most critical technology areas that we are exploring," said Dennis Smith, manager of the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program Office at the Marshall Center. "Our goal also is to find, improve or develop technologies such as airframes, avionics, health management systems and ground operations - all to make getting people and payloads into space safer and cheaper." The Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power Unit of The Boeing Company in Canoga Park, Calif., developed the aerospike engine and supported the engine tests at Stennis Space Center.
RELEASE: 01-158
FIRST NASA/DREAMTIME HIGH TECH CAMERA WILL SOAR TO SPACE STATION
NASA will take a giant leap for humankind when the first commercially provided and flight-certified high definition television (HDTV) camera, which will provide more visual clarity of space activities, rides aboard Space Shuttle Discovery to become a permanent resident on the International Space Station. Discovery is currently scheduled for launch on Aug. 9.
High tech cameras and equipment are a prime benefit of the multimedia agreement between NASA and Dreamtime Holdings, Inc., Mountain View, CA. NASA partnered with Dreamtime on May 17, 2000, to collaborate on a variety of multimedia-related services and products.
The partnership, in response to the Commercial Space Act of 1998, is officially termed "The NASA/Dreamtime Agreement for the Collaboration on Multimedia" and was negotiated to maximize NASA's existing multimedia assets and enhance the agency's television infrastructure.
"This will be the beginning of a return on the NASA/Dreamtime investment," said Joe Rothenberg, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight. "It marks a big milestone on the road to telling the NASA story in a new and different way."
This HDTV camera will provide high resolution images for documentation of space activities and for enhancement of data collected by NASA scientists, researchers and engineers conducting experiments. Imagery will be accessible to the news media and to the general public through the Internet and other distribution methods.
The camera hardware includes a Sony HDW-700A HDTV camera, telephoto lens, wide-angle lens, battery packs and tapes. The accompanying batteries can be recharged in orbit, enabling continuous documentation of station activities.
Although HDTV cameras have flown aboard other space shuttle missions, the NASA/Dreamtime camera is the first to go through flight certification for the International Space Station. This process also makes this the first commercially certified HDTV camera, that is, certified at no cost to the taxpayer.
"Our partner, Lockheed Martin, did an incredible job developing new systems to certify the camera in record time," said Bill Foster, CEO of Dreamtime. "Images from this camera have five times the clarity of a standard digital camera. Not only will it be able to document space from a new perspective, it also will allow our partners to record in real time the science of space."
HDTV cameras and equipment both for on-orbit installation and use at NASA Field Centers are among many benefits Dreamtime expects to deliver. In addition, the partnership, through Dreamtime efforts, will digitize a significant portion of NASA imagery and create a multimedia database that will allow greater public access to basic research capabilities and free downloads of low resolution versions of those images. It also will help enhance public awareness of NASA by developing documentaries and educational programming for television broadcast.
Mixed Up in Space
Imagine waking up, startled by the bright flash of a cosmic ray inside your eyes. Groggy from sleep, you wonder ... which way is up? And where are my arms and legs!? Throw in a dash of vertigo and occasional mild illusions, and you're beginning to sense what it can be like to live in space -- a world where up and down have no meaning.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast07aug_1.htm?list448368
Sonja Alexander/ Adam Mahone Headquarters, Washington, DC August 7, 2001 RELEASE: 01-159
NASA ANNOUNCES NEW AEROSPACE SAFETY ADVISORY PANEL MEMBERS
NASA has named six new members and eight new consultants to the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.
The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) is a senior advisory committee reporting to NASA and the U.S. Congress. The panel was established by Congress after the 1967 Apollo 1 spacecraft fire, which killed U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
New members include: * Otto Goetz, former Chief Engineer of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Project; * Sid Guttierrez, former astronaut, currently Manager of the Physical Sciences Department, Sandia National Laboratories; * Shirley McCarty, former Principal Director of Software Engineering at The Aerospace Corporation; * Retired Admiral Paul Reason, former Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; * Roger Schaufele, Professor of Aircraft Design, California State University; * Robert Sieck, former Director of Shuttle Processing, NASA Kennedy Space Center.
New Consultants include: * Dr. Wanda Austin, Senior Vice President, The Aerospace Corporation; * Richard Bruckman, former Director of the FA-18 Weapon System Support Activity, China Lake; * Dr. Ulf Goranson, former Chief Engineer at Boeing's Structure Labs; * Dr. Bernard Harris, former astronaut, currently Director of The Harris Foundation; * Dr. Nancy Leveson, Professor, Aeronautics Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; * Forrest McCartney, former Vice President for Launch Operations, Lockheed Martin; * Julian May, former Vice President for Technical Operations, Delta Airlines; * Art Zygielbaum, former Technical Lead, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Additional information on the Panel may be found on the Internet at: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/codeq-1.htm
August 7, 2001
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SHUTTLE and PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS_REPORT
NOTE: This is an orbiter processing report and does not necessarily reflect the chronological order of upcoming Space Shuttle flights. Visit http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/schedule.htm on the KSC Home Page for the latest schedule of future Shuttle missions.
MISSION: STS-105 - 11th ISS Flight (7A.1) - Leonardo MPLM VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103 LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: August 9, 2001 at 5:38 p.m. EDT TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: August 21, 2001 at about 1:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 11 days, 19 hours and 39 minutes CREW: Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry, Forrester; (ISS up) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Turin; (ISS down) Usachev, Voss, Helms, ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: After a thorough engineering evaluation, Shuttle managers today determined that the hydraulic power unit on Space Shuttle Discovery's left-hand solid rocket booster is ready for flight with no additional work required.
The launch countdown began on time at 5 p.m. today in firing room No. 3. and preparation at Pad 39A continues on schedule toward the Aug. 9, STS-105 launch date. Discovery's aft compartment has been closed out for flight and Shuttle ordnance installation is complete. Payload interface verification testing is also complete.
The STS-105 crew and Expedition 3 crew arrived at KSC Sunday at about 1:15 p.m. to begin final preparation for flight.
Upcoming Milestones Cryogenic loading of Discovery's onboard tanks Aug. 7 Flight crew equipment late stow Aug. 8 Rotating Service Structure moved away from Shuttle Aug. 8 (9:30 p.m.) External tank loading Aug. 9 (8:42 a.m. - 11:42 a.m.)
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
GALILEO MILLENNIUM MISSION STATUS
NASA's Galileo spacecraft has successfully completed a flyby of Jupiter's moon Io, skimming about 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the surface of the highly volcanic moon at 0459 Universal Time today (9:59 p.m. Sunday, Pacific Daylight Time).
Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said that signals confirming the veteran spacecraft's basic health were received five and a half hours after the flyby via a Goldstone, Calif., antenna of the Deep Space Network.
As of 1700 UT (10 a.m. PDT) today, the spacecraft had recorded about three-fourths of the scientific data that its instruments had been programmed to collect during this swing through the inner portion of the Jovian system. Besides studying Io, Galileo has made observations of cloud patterns on Jupiter.
Initial telemetry did not reveal whether or not Galileo passed through a volcanic plume on Io. Galileo's route went directly over a volcano named Tvashtar, which had been spouting a tall plume of gases when last observed seven months ago. "As expected, we don't have any sign at this point that the plume was still active, but whether it was or not, we expect this flyby will give us valuable new information about changes in the Tvashtar area from recent activity," said JPL's Dr. Eilene Theilig, Galileo project manager. The area was to be examined by Galileo's camera and near-infrared mapping spectrometer.
Galileo's camera, which has had an intermittent electronic problem for more than a year, appears not to have been working during the closest part of the flyby. Engineers have narrowed the cause of the problem to one of two electronic components probably damaged by radiation from Jupiter's radiation belts. Nine or more of the camera's 16 planned observations during the encounter period were probably lost, Theilig said. Engineers are attempting to restore the camera to functioning status in time for more- distant observations planned for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Recorded data from the camera and Galileo's other instruments will be transmitted to Earth over the next two months. "We're looking forward to getting data back from the observations to confirm that the scientific instruments worked as planned," Theilig said.
The flyby's polar route was selected so Galileo could collect magnetic measurements that might indicate whether Io generates its own magnetic field, like the Earth, Jupiter, and Jupiter's moon Ganymede. That information could give scientists a better understanding of what goes on deep inside Io, the most volcanically dynamic world in the solar system. The magnetometer and other instruments for studying fields and particles appear to have been working during the flyby.
Coming close enough to Jupiter to approach Io subjects Galileo to intense natural radiation from Jupiter's radiation belts, increasing the risk to the spacecraft's electronics.
"Galileo has already performed much longer than expected, so we're pleased every time it completes another encounter without showing new problems," Theilig said. "We're especially satisfied to get the magnetic field measurements that were the highest priority science objective for this flyby."
Galileo has already received more than three times the cumulative radiation exposure it was designed to withstand and has continued making valuable scientific observations more than three years after its original two-year mission in orbit around Jupiter.
Galileo will fly near Io again, over the south pole instead of the north, on Oct. 16, 2001.
Additional information about the mission is available at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Galileo was launched from NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis on Oct. 18, 1989. It began orbiting Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
August 6, Mid-Day Edition
GENESIS NEXT PLANNED LAUNCH OPPORTUNITY AUG. 8
The launch of NASA's Genesis spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket has now been scheduled to occur at 12:13:40 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 8.
Mission managers met with Eastern Range officials today to assess the availability of the Aug. 8 launch day. Range officials confirmed their ability to support the Genesis launch attempt with no impact to Space Shuttle mission STS-105, currently slated for Aug. 9.
The Delta II launch vehicle and Genesis spacecraft are both in excellent condition and ready to support the new launch date. The near term Genesis launch period extends to Aug. 15. Genesis mission managers will convene a follow-up launch readiness review Tuesday morning as part of standard prelaunch preparations.
Genesis will be NASA's first sample return mission of this millennium, when it captures a piece of the Sun and returns to Earth. It will travel to a point where the Sun and Earth gravities are balanced, open its collector arrays and capture elements in the solar wind. The samples will help scientists learn about the beginnings of our solar system.
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
GALILEO MILLENNIUM MISSION STATUS August 6, 2001
Michael Braukus Headquarters, Washington
RELEASE: 01-156
NASA SELECTS TWO DESIGN TOOLS AS SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR
Computer programs that reduce aircraft engine analysis time and improve the study of fluid dynamics in rocket engines have been selected as NASA's 2001 software of the year winners.
The Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) software allows multi-fidelity analysis in designing aircraft engines, offering key technological advances to increasing the U.S. aerospace industry's competitiveness. The General Electric Aircraft Engines Co. estimates a 55 percent reduction in engine analysis time using this new software.
The development of NPSS was led by Cynthia Gutierrez Naiman of NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, and included a team of 39 other engineers from Glenn; Arnold Engineering Development, Arnold Air Force Base, TN; Dynacs, Cleveland; General Electric Aircraft Engines Co., Cincinnati; GESS, Cleveland; Honeywell, Tucson, AZ; Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, CT; Modern Technologies Corp., Middleburg Hts., OH; Rolls Royce Corp., Indianapolis; RS Information Systems, Inc., Cleveland; and The Boeing Company, Seattle.
The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) is a general purpose computer program for analyzing fluid-flow rate, pressure, temperature and concentration in rocket engines, turbo pumps and fuel tanks. The program is capable of modeling liquid fuel phase changes including compressibility, mixture thermodynamics and the effects of external influences, such as gravity and centrifugal force.
The development of the GFSSP software eliminates the need to develop specific-purpose software. Cost savings also can be realized through reducing hardware testing and continuous improvement. It is estimated that one organization's use of GFSSP can save between $825,000 and $1.5 million.
Alok Kumar Majumdar of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, led the development team, which included engineers from Marshall, ERC, Inc. and Sverdrup Technology, also of Huntsville.
Kyle Herring Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX RELEASE: 01-157
ASTRONAUT CABANA ASSUMES NASA LEAD OPERATIONS ROLE IN RUSSIA
Astronaut Robert D. Cabana has been named NASA's Director, Human Space Flight Programs, Russia, effective Aug. 8. He assumes this role at a time when the International Space Station (ISS), while still under construction, has become self-reliant, and larger and more capable than any other space station in history.
Cabana will act as Deputy to both the ISS Program Manager and the Director of the Johnson Space Center, Houston, with full authority to represent both in all matters pertaining to NASA human space flight activities in Russia.
Cabana replaces astronaut Michael A. Baker (Capt., USN) who has served as head of the Moscow operation since its inception in January 1998. At that time, the office was formed to facilitate the transition from the Phase One Shuttle-Mir program to the assembly and operation of the International Space Station.
"Mike has done an outstanding job in coordinating NASA's operational efforts in Russia and provided leadership and friendship to both the NASA team in Moscow and our Russian colleagues," said Roy Estess, Acting Director of the Johnson Space Center. "We look forward to having him back in Houston."
As Director, Human Space Flight Programs, Russia, Cabana will be NASA's lead representative to the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos) and its contractors. His role is to continue oversight of all human space flight operations, logistics, and technical functions, including NASA's mission operations in Korolev and crew training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City .
"I can think of no one better suited to continue the role established by Mike Baker as the International Space Station moved from dreams to reality," said Estess. "The station has reached another milestone with the delivery of the Airlock Quest, and we are fortunate to have Bob lend his leadership and space flight expertise to the program as it continues to grow."
Currently, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield (Col., CAF) is serving as the Director of Operations, Russia, overseeing training activities for astronauts in Star City.
"Bob's leadership skills and experience provide an excellent backbone for NASA's partnership with our Russian colleagues," said Tommy Holloway, ISS Program Manager. "He has been a great asset to the program as an interface with not only our Russian colleagues, but with all the ISS International Partners, and I am confident he will continue to do so, albeit from another location."
Cabana has flown four shuttle missions, including the first assembly flight of the International Space Station, when Endeavour delivered the Unity module and joined it to the Zarya Control Module, the first component of the station launched into orbit. Unity now serves as the attachment point for both the U.S. Laboratory Destiny and the newest U.S. element the Airlock Quest, as well as a shuttle docking port. Cabana's management roles have included Chief of the Astronaut Office for three years during the Shuttle-Mir Program and most recently Manager for International Operations for the ISS Program.
Baker has flown four shuttle missions, including serving as commander of Atlantis' STS-81 mission in January 1997, the fifth docking of a shuttle to the Mir Space Station. Prior to that flight, Baker served as the NASA Director of Operations at Star City from March to October 1995.
For additional information on Cabana, Baker, Hadfield or any astronaut, visit the NASA Internet biography home page at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
For more information on the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Programs, tour the NASA human space flight web site at: http://www.station.nasa.gov
NOAA to Participate in Tsunami Review, International Symposium
Significant advances in efforts to protect coastal residents from tsunamis, the large and potentially deadly waves usually generated by seismic events in the ocean, have resulted from a team effort led by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The accomplishments and the next steps will be the subjects of a review of the Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program and an international symposium during the week of August 6 in Seattle, Wash. "It's time for us to take a look at what we've accomplished since we first developed a coordinated plan to save lives and property five years ago. But more important, we have a chance to use new science and technology to improve the tsunami mitigation plan for the next five," said Eddie N. Bernard, director of NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle and chair of the tsunami project steering group.
The tsunami program is a federal/state effort to seek ways of warning residents in coastal areas of the hazard, as well as try to mitigate the damage from such events. The program began in 1996. Program accomplishments include:
§ Forming a successful partnership between the five Pacific states (Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska). § Establishing consistent tsunami mitigation plans, evacuation route signs and procedures for communities in the five states. § Developing tsunami inundation maps that show areas that could be affected by tsunami waves. These maps have led to the creation of mitigation plans and evacuation routes for communities. § Upgrading NOAA's tsunami warning system to significantly reduce warning times and increase the ability to detect tsunamis started by earthquakes and accurately track tsunamis across the ocean.
NOAA's ability to upgrade its warning and tracking systems and the states' ability to develop mitigation plans and evacuation procedures has led to a process where individual towns and cities can take it one step further to become certified and recognized as a community that is TsunamiReady," Bernard said.
On June 30, Ocean Shores, Wash., was recognized as the first community to earn TsunamiReady designation.
The review panel will take a look at the accomplishments of the federal and state partnership and discuss the next steps in tsunami warning and awareness activities and regional coordination.
The symposium will feature an international array of scientists and engineers who specialize in tsunami research and mitigation. Presentations will focus on tsunami-related technical advances and the state of the science. Topics include tsunami generation, prediction and simulations, disasters and mitigation, instrumentation and observations, warning and preparedness, databases, and propagation. Among the presentations will be an update from a tsunami response team sent to Peru to investigate the near-shore tsunamis generated by the June 28 earthquake.
The week's events include the program review on August 7 and the international symposium August 8-9 at the University of Washington in Seattle. The week will conclude with a field trip on August 10 to the site of the 1700 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami followed by a public forum in Ocean Shores, Wash., with area officials and tsunami experts.
The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov
Agendas for the Review and the Symposium can be found at: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/its2001/.
For information about the Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, visit: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami_hazard/.
To learn more about the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, visit: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov.
Kennedy Space Center KSC Release No. 98-01 GENESIS NEXT PLANNED LAUNCH OPPORTUNITY AUG. 8 The launch of NASA's Genesis spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket has now been scheduled to occur at 12:13:40 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 8. Mission managers met with Eastern Range officials today to assess the availability of the Aug. 8 launch day. Range officials confirmed their ability to support the Genesis launch attempt with no impact to Space Shuttle mission STS-105, currently slated for Aug. 9. The Delta II launch vehicle and Genesis spacecraft are both in excellent condition and ready to support the new launch date. The near term Genesis launch period extends to Aug. 15. Genesis mission managers will convene a follow-up launch readiness review Tuesday morning as part of standard prelaunch preparations. Genesis will be NASA's first sample return mission of this millennium, when it captures a piece of the Sun and returns to Earth. It will travel to a point where the Sun and Earth gravities are balanced, open its collector arrays and capture elements in the solar wind. The samples will help scientists learn about the beginnings of our solar system. >August 6, 2001
Today on Galileo Monday, August 6, 2001 Day 3 of the Io 31 Encounter
The day begins with our focus still firmly on Io, with Galileo only a little over an hour past closest approach, and the view is now of a nearly fully sunlit hemisphere of the volcanic satellite. The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) starts today's observations at 12:08 a.m. PDT [See Note 1] with a view of the Amirani and Maui region, looking at the temperatures of a hot spot at Amirani and surveying the distribution of sulfur dioxide in the area.
The Solid State Imaging camera (SSI) then follows at 12:25 with a medium-resolution look at Masubi Fluctus (or flow). This is our first view of this area at this resolution (393 meters per pixel or 1270 feet per pixel). The five images taken here also capture the site of a new hot spot first seen by NIMS during our previous encounter in May.
The ball is still in the SSI court, as it next views two other regions of flow -- Lei-Zi Fluctus and Kanehekili Fluctus. During the approximately three minutes that these pictures are being taken, Galileo is moving further away from Io at 7.1 kilometers per second (4.4 miles per second). As the distance increases, our resolution drops, and by the end of these observations, we can only see objects 410 meters across (1330 feet). Finally, the camera views the terminator, or day-night boundary of Io, looking at three areas, called Surya, Tohil, and Culann. By viewing areas near sunrise (or sunset) it is possible to use any shadows cast by the features to determine their relative heights.
NIMS again comes to the fore, and spends the next hour constructing temperature maps of several regions on the satellite, including the Prometheus volcano and Emakong. These maps can be compared with data obtained during previous orbits, such as our most recent Io flyby in February 2000. The comparison will show if any changes have taken place in the distribution of material, and will show if any new active regions have cropped up.
Next, SSI views the tiny inner satellite Amalthea, with the highest resolution we have yet achieved on this side of the body. However, given our distance from Amalthea at the time (635,000 kilometers or 395,000 miles), this still limits us to only being able to see features larger than 6.5 kilometers (4 miles). This picture will also be used to help pin down the exact location of Amalthea, using a technique called optical navigation. By improving our knowledge of the orbit of this satellite, we also improve our ability to maneuver the spacecraft to a planned close flyby in November of next year. At that time, we will be viewing the same side of the satellite that this view shows.
The Photopolarimeter Radiometer (PPR) instrument now rejoins the observing armada, as it spends the next two hours mapping the entire visible surface of Io for the first time in daylight. By comparing daytime temperatures of features with nighttime temperatures obtained in earlier observations, scientists will be able to determine the total amount of volcanic heat flowing out of Io, and thus better understand the processes by which Jupiter's tides heat Io and cause the volcanic activity. PPR then continues with a second, half-hour map of the entire disk of Io, this time measuring the polarization of the light, rather than the temperatures. This data provides insight into the detailed physical structure of the surface materials.
By now, it's 7:18 a.m. PDT, and time for another quick picture of Amalthea, to help triangulate its position. In the four and a half hours since the previous look, both the spacecraft and the satellite, which only takes about 10 hours to completely circle Jupiter, have moved considerably.
At 8:00 a.m. PDT PPR directs its focus on Callisto for its second of three brief studies of the polarization of light from that satellite during this orbit. The final observation comes at 7:37 p.m. PDT this evening.
There are longer pauses between the observations now, and it isn't until 10:00 a.m. PDT that NIMS looks again at Jupiter's atmosphere, measuring the cloud dynamics and compositional variations in the turbulent area lying just behind the Great Red Spot.
At 1:16 p.m. PDT, Galileo reaches this orbit's closest point to the icy satellite Europa, which was the focus of our observations throughout most of 1998. Our distance this time is 609,000 kilometers (380,000 miles), and, as with Sunday's distant pass by Ganymede, Europa is too far away to warrant any science observations.
Between 6 and 8 p.m. PDT, the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) reloads its memory. In the past, this instrument has shown susceptibility to the radiation seen near Jupiter, which causes the microprocessor controlling the instrument to stop operating correctly. Though such an upset is certainly not guaranteed, this pre-emptive reload will restore the instrument to a proper operating state without needing the ground controllers to intervene.
By 9:20 p.m. PDT, the spacecraft has receded sufficiently from the fierce radiation field of Jupiter to allow the attitude control software to look once again for four stars to guide our way. For the past two days, we have been relying on a single bright star, whose signal in the star tracker sensor rises above the noise caused by the radiation. That noise has now subsided, and fainter stars can also be reliably viewed. More stars provide the software greater accuracy in determining the orientation of the spacecraft.
During this entire day, the suite of instruments which measure the fields and particles in the Jupiter system have been actively, quietly, and continuously collecting data and storing the results in the large science data memory buffer in the spacecraft computer. These data are then relayed to Earth whenever a ground tracking antenna views the spacecraft. The continuity of this data is important in understanding the detailed structure of the Jupiter environment as Galileo slices deeply into, and then back out of, the dynamic magnetosphere of the giant planet.
----- Note 1. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) is 7 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The time when an event occurs at the spacecraft is known as Spacecraft Event Time (SCET). The time at which radio signals reach Earth indicating that an event has occurred is known as Earth Received Time (ERT). Currently, it takes Galileo's radio signals 49 minutes to travel between the spacecraft and Earth. All times quoted above are in Earth Received Time.
August 5,2001
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 07/26/01 - 08/01/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Monday, July 30. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/ .
Recent spacecraft activities include two Radio and Plasma Wave Science High Frequency Receiver calibrations and two Cassini Plasma Spectrometer data set collections. The Composite Infrared Spectrometer was powered on for instrument muting tests, and the second of the three muting tests was completed this week. These tests are being conducted by the Spacecraft Operations Office (SCO) in support of future Huygens Probe checkouts. The SCO also completed an Attitude Control Subsystem Reaction Control Subsystem calibration.
The Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Cassini Ground Data System (GDS) was held, which included a system-level design overview from each office and updates of the Cassini software inventory, subsystem interfaces, and data flow.
In support of the C28 sequence development, the preliminary Sequence Integration & Validation Package was created and released.
The C29 Science Planning Virtual Team (SPVT) Project Briefing was held, with the Project approving the integrated plan for implementation. The first product input port for this process falls within the next week, and the entire C29 SPVT phase will be complete in early September.
Meetings of both the Magnetosphere and Cross-Discipline Target Working Teams were held last week. Discussion included data input to the Cassini Information Management System as well as MAPS campaigns and Saturn imaging movies.
The last updates of the D27 Multi Mission Image Processing Laboratory software were delivered for testing. These updates are evolutionary updates to both Uplink and Downlink support software.
Today on Galileo Sunday, August 5, 2001 Day 2 of the Io 31 Encounter
Today is a busy day, which will end with our close flyby of Io. First up, however, at 1 a.m. PDT (see Note 1), is a measurement by the Photopolarimeter Radiometer instrument (PPR) of a white oval storm in Jupiter's atmosphere at around 30 degrees south latitude. These persistent storm features have been a frequent target for Galileo's scrutiny over the past five years, and this long-term study has yielded significant insight into their dynamics and life-cycle. This large, counter-clockwise rotating feature, called "BA", is about the size of the Earth. Our expectations are that the feature, which is the product of a merger of three smaller white ovals early in 2000, will either decay and dissipate or possibly grow larger, similar to the Great Red Spot.
Following this, PPR turns its gaze on the north polar region of the giant planet, an area crowded with many small storms which have a surprisingly long life. We are observing a phenomenon first noted in ground-based observations of Jupiter's temperatures near its arctic pole. The polar region has an irregular boundary that appears to form a wave. Our observations will tell us whether we can observe this phenomenon at higher spatial resolution to refine our plans in the next orbit's encounter (in October) to map the phenomenon at all longitudes. The Cassini spacecraft, which passed Jupiter in December of last year, was able to make a far more comprehensive study of a snapshot in time of the global atmospheric environment than is possible from Galileo, with its limited data rate. However, Galileo, being much closer to Jupiter, and for a far longer time, can study specific features in much greater detail, and track their evolution. Combining these two types of data is what keeps planetary scientists happy, and provides significant advances to our knowledge of the weather patterns on Jupiter.
At 4:30 a.m. PDT the tape is moved halfway down its length and back again. Keeping the tape moving in this way helps prevent it from sticking to the heads. The tape did stick in October of 1995 as Galileo first approached Jupiter. This caused the project to change the mission strategy for the December 1995 Jupiter Orbit Insertion period to guarantee capturing the unique data provided by the Galileo Probe as it entered the Jupiter atmosphere. This change in strategy meant forgoing recording any data from the optical instruments during the 1995 Io flyby. Fields and particles data was recorded, since that strategy was much simpler, and resulted in less risk to the tape recorder. That unfortunate situation has meant that the Io passes we have made in the extended mission have been that much more exciting, due to the long wait for the data.
At 10:22 a.m. PDT Galileo reaches its closest point to the satellite Ganymede. At 1,066,747 kilometers, however, it is too distant to provide useful enough science return to trade the resources against the detailed look at Io yet to come. In fact, for the remainder of the mission Ganymede is too distant to provide a suitable target for observations, and so we have looked our last upon this satellite!
At 2:50 p.m. PDT the spacecraft passes into the shadow cast by Jupiter. This solar occultation lasts until 5:00 p.m. In addition, at 3:56 p.m. Galileo also passes behind Jupiter as seen from Earth. This situation is used by the Radio Science team. Sixteen minutes before the start of the occultation, the radio signal sent by the spacecraft is changed to a pure tone, with no telemetry modulation. By following carefully the changes to this signal as it passes deeper into the atmosphere, the team can determine temperatures and pressures of the different layers of gases and clouds. The physical occultation lasts until 5:58 p.m., and the radio signal is changed back to the normal telemetry mode 17 minutes later.
Evening is now upon us, and at last we turn our gaze to the primary target for this orbit, the satellite Io. PPR once again takes the lead with a series of observations between 6:05 p.m and 10:23 p.m. PDT. During this time, the instrument takes a global temperature map of the satellite, and nightside detailed temperature maps of the Pele and Loki volcanoes. PPR also examines the north polar region of the satellite, which was found to be unexpectedly warm during previous flybys. A scan from the equator to the south pole will pass over the Pillan volcano. Finally, a map of the Lei Kung Fluctus region is performed. Fluctus is Latin for 'flow', and indicates that this area seems to be a large lava flow.
One additional unique aspect to this flyby is that this is the first time in the nearly six years of the Galileo orbital mission that the spacecraft has had a major encounter activity with no ground communications coverage. The large, 70-meter diameter antenna near Madrid, Spain is currently undergoing an extensive series of equipment modifications to provide support for future space missions, and is unable to view Galileo during this encounter. At the two other Deep Space Network communications complexes that are used to track spacecraft, Galileo sets below the horizon as seen from the Canberra, Australia site about 3 hours before closest approach, and does not rise as seen from the Goldstone, California site until 5 hours after closest approach. During this time, all data acquired on the spacecraft are stored either on the tape recorder or in buffer areas of computer memory.
At 10:14 p.m. PDT, the spacecraft is only a half hour away from Io, and the Fields and Particles instruments begin to record their data continuously at a high rate (at least 7.68 kilobits per second, far higher than the possible real-time rates of 20 to 60 bits per second) for the next hour.
At 10:19 p.m. PDT, the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) instrument cycles its power and reloads its memory to prepare for the close Io flyby. In the event that the high radiation environment near Io and Jupiter causes the instrument electronics to hiccup, this reset should provide the best protection for the most critical data collection at closest approach.
Activities start coming thick and fast now, as we get closer. At 10:26 p.m. PDT the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) joins the fray, observing the Pele, Pillan, and Isum regions on the night side of Io, looking for thermal anomalies and measuring any volcanic activity. While these observations are taking place, the Solid State Imaging camera (SSI) is cycling its power in preparation for the highest resolution images to come.
At 10:41 p.m. PDT, the spacecraft reaches its closest approach to Jupiter, at a distance of 4.9 Jupiter radii (350,300 kilometers or 217,720 miles) above the cloud tops. This is not the closest we've been to the planet. That distinction came during our December 1995 entry into Jupiter orbit, when we passed by at 3.0 Jupiter radii (214,500 kilometers or 133,300 miles).
Once again, PPR steps to the fore, and at 10:43 p.m. PDT directs its gaze straight down towards the satellite. At this time, the spacecraft pointing is fixed, and it is Io that passes before our view, as Galileo flies by at 7.1 kilometers per second (4.4 miles per second or 15,840 miles per hour!). Our closest point to Io comes at 10:48 p.m. PDT, when Galileo is a scant 200 kilometers (124 miles) over the surface. Since we are flying over high northern latitudes, just 13 degrees from the pole, PPR will be able to study in great detail the unusually high temperatures seen in this region.
Two minutes later, at 10:50 p.m. PDT, SSI captures a series of six pictures of Io in less than two minutes, looking at the volcano Tvashtar. In these pictures, we will be able to see features as small as 3.4 meters across (11 feet). The Tvashtar volcano was active when Galileo and Cassini viewed the area in December of 2000. The Galileo camera spied a bright lake of lava at the site, and the Cassini camera, using an ultraviolet filter, was able to detect a plume of erupting gaseous material reaching nearly 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the surface. There is no direct evidence that the site is still active at this time, but if there is any volcanic activity as we fly by, either lava flows or eruptions, Galileo will acquire its closest look yet at active volcanism on Io, the most geologically active body in the solar system.
In comparison, the MISR instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite has recently been observing the active eruption of Mt. Etna on the island of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. Amusingly, from a linguistic standpoint, the plume of ash and dust from Mt. Etna is now drifting across the Ionian Sea! Is this a portent for Galileo's view? The oracles have been mute on this point. The Terra satellite flies at an altitude of 705 kilometers (440 miles) above the Earth, whereas Galileo's closest point to Tvashtar is only 320 kilometers (200 miles). For pictures of Mt. Etna from the Terra spacecraft, visit the web site http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/ , and then imagine what Galileo might be seeing from less than half that distance!
As SSI catches its breath from these pictures, NIMS takes over and maps the distribution of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the high northern latitudes of Io, starting at 10:52 p.m. PDT. Then at 10:59 p.m. SSI sets its sights on the volcano Prometheus, as this feature sits on the limb of Io as seen from the spacecraft. When viewed in this way, any possible volcanic eruptions can be seen silhouetted against the dark of the sky. Two minutes later, SSI returns to gaze at Tvashtar from greater range for another six pictures. These more distant, wider angle views of the area provide more general context information, with a resolution of about 52 meters (170 feet), within which the earlier pictures will give us the fine detail.
For ten minutes starting at 11:04 p.m. PDT, NIMS will be mapping the Tvashtar region, and the instrument's spectral measurements will provide information about the composition of the surface materials.
At 11:21 p.m. PDT, SSI begins a series of images of various interesting locations on Io, with exotic names like Savitr, Amirani, Maui, and Itzamna Patera. These names, as are all the feature names on Io, have been chosen by the International Astronomical Union to represent volcanic beings from myth and history from many Earthly cultures.
At 11:28 p.m. PDT, NIMS begins a 16-minute observation of the Gish Bar hot spot, looking for changes that may have occurred since we last viewed this feature. Volcanic regions on Io are extremely variable, and a particular site may be active on one orbit, then dormant on the next only a month later.
PPR, which started the observation set today, neatly frames this 24-hour period with a final observation, a single scan from the north pole to the south pole on Io, measuring the temperatures and helping to study the unusual polar warming on this bizarre satellite.
At this point in the flyby, we have still used up only half of the tape in our on-board tape recorder. Once past closest approach to Io, Galileo is able to look back and see a nearly fully sunlit hemisphere, which sets the stage for a whole new set of observations being possible. But that is a story for another day. Tomorrow...
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/solar_system/features/lopes_index.html
Spotlight: Lava Flows Freely on Jupiter's Moon Io
From Interview-August 1, 2001
Dr. Rosaly Lopes is on the team for one of the Galileo instruments that has returned information about active volcanoes, the near-infrared mapping spectrometer, or NIMS.
Scientists using NASA's Galileo spacecraft have made many discoveries about the volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io since Galileo began orbiting Jupiter in 1995. The spacecraft's final three encounters with Io are in August and October, 2001, and January 2002.
Dr. Rosaly Lopes, a volcanologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is on the science team for one of the Galileo instruments that has returned information about active volcanoes, the near-infrared mapping spectrometer, or NIMS. She is a native of Brazil who earned her doctorate from the University of London. In September 1979, she was doing field research at Mt. Etna, on the Italian island of Sicily, when a crater only about a mile away from her exploded and killed several people. "I really learned to respect volcanoes," Lopes said.
Q: How did you get interested in studying volcanoes on Io? A: I studied volcanoes on Earth and Mars for my Ph.D. I had just started in 1979, the year Voyager discovered volcanoes on Io, so that was a great excitement. My opportunity to study volcanoes on Io came with Galileo, when I started planning the Io observations for NIMS.
Q: How volcanic is Io? A: We consider Io the most volcanic body in the solar system because its volcanoes put out the most heat. We have found more than 100 volcanoes on Io, but Earth has more than 600 active volcanoes, so it's not the number that make Io the most volcanic. It's the heat output. Io is only about one-third as big as Earth, but it puts out about twice the energy. One of Io's volcanoes, Loki, is more powerful than all of Earth's volcanoes combined.
Q: Are Io's volcanoes like Earth's volcanoes? A: Yes and no. The types of eruptions we have observed on Io are similar to types of eruptions on Earth -- lava flows, calderas, fire fountains like in Hawaii -- but there are some very different aspects. One is that lava on Io is much hotter than any lava that flows on Earth today. Billions of years ago Earth had lava that hot. Another difference is that the calderas, the volcanic craters, on Io are much larger than on Earth. Lava flows are much larger, too. [An Io volcano named] Amirani has a lava flow 300 kilometers [190 miles] long, and that's much longer than any on Earth. Globally, Io erupts more than 100 times as much lava per year as Earth, including Earth's undersea eruptions.
Q: Where could you go on Earth that might look like Io? A: The big island of Hawaii has the Kilauea volcano that has been active for about two decades. Yellowstone is a large caldera that has many areas with brightly colored sulfur. Stromboli [in Italy] has been active for at least 2,000 years. Some very old lava flows on Earth, such as some in South Africa, are a composition called komatiite, which we think is the composition of Io's lavas. Probably the most similar place on Earth just in terms of the great amount of volcanic activity is under the ocean at the mid-ocean ridge.
Q: What makes Io so volcanic? A: Although both Earth and Io have active volcanism, the way the volcanism happens is quite different. On Earth, volcanism is tied to plate tectonics, and we don't believe Io has plate tectonics. Io is in a tug of war between Jupiter and Europa and Ganymede, two of the other large moons of Jupiter, and that is what heats it up. If Io weren't in its very peculiar orbit around Jupiter, it wouldn't have active volcanism. It would have cooled off a long time ago.
Q: Some people say Io looks like a pizza. What are all those bright colors? A: We think the bright colors are due to sulfur in various forms but that the very dark colors are due to active lavas. Every place we see high temperatures, if we look at the surface we see dark materials. That would be the olives on the pizza. The reds are deposits from the plumes of volcanoes. With time, the reds become yellow because of changing to a different form of sulfur. We're still quite puzzled by what some of the very small green areas are. We joke and call them golf courses. They may be areas rich in sulfur but contaminated by another material. Another possibility is they are very olivine- rich lava. Olivine is a green mineral.
Q: What is there about Io that is still a mystery to you? A: We still don't know if Io has its own magnetic field, like the Earth does. That would help us understand the interior. We hope we will still get an answer from Galileo about that. There are other questions that will still remain after Galileo. What is the composition of the lavas? We are using their temperature to say what is the most likely composition based on comparison with lavas on Earth, but we don't really know whether lavas on Io are something entirely different. We won't know that until we can go back with more refined instruments or maybe someday go there and bring back some samples. When we study volcanoes on Earth, one of the first things we do is collect samples of lava and take them back to the lab, but for Io, that's a long way in the future. August 4, 2001
Today on Galileo Saturday, August 4, 2001 The Encounter Begins
This morning at 4:49 a.m. PDT [See Note 1] Galileo's 31st encounter begins. Once again, this hardy spacecraft plunges deeply into Jupiter's intense radiation field to fly by the fascinating moon Io, the innermost of the giant planet's four largest satellites. These four satellites, also called the Galilean satellites, share the namesake of the spacecraft, Galileo Galilei. This Italian astronomer spied these fascinating worlds in 1610 when he first gazed through his primitive telescope. How different things are today, when we can visit them with robotic spacecraft such as our Galileo, and unravel their secrets by getting up close and personal! From tiny points of light, the Voyager and Galileo spacecraft have transformed these bodies into full and complex worlds.
First up, at 9 a.m. PDT, the Photopolarimeter Radiometer instrument turns on its power and performs a calibration by looking at a target plate mounted on the spacecraft. This observation establishes a baseline reading for the operation of the instrument against which the science measurements taken later in the sequence can be compared. When this is completed, the instrument sets its sights on Callisto for a measurement of the polarization of the light from that body. By studying how the polarization of the reflected sunlight changes as we view the body from different angles, scientists can determine the small-scale structure of the surface. This observation takes place near the closest approach to Callisto by Galileo on this orbit, but that is still from a distance of 350,000 kilometers (220,000 miles), nearly three times the distance at which Voyager 1 passed the satellite in 1979.
At 1:10 p.m. PDT, the attitude control software on the spacecraft is configured to use a single star as its primary reference. Ordinarily, the software uses the signals from three or four stars to accurately determine the orientation of the spacecraft. When in the high radiation environment close to Jupiter, however, noise floods the star scanner detector and masks the signals from the fainter stars. By focusing on a single bright star, whose signal is above the noise, the software can safely maintain its knowledge of Galileo's attitude. The star being used is the same one we used on the last flyby in May, Achernar, or Alpha Eridani, the brightest star in the constellation of Eridanus, the River.
At 4:30 p.m. PDT, the Solid State Imaging camera (SSI) is turned off and then turned on again, just before its first observation. In recent orbits, the SSI instrument has experienced problems during our passage through the radiation belts which result in completely saturated, overexposed images. Experience has shown that cycling the power may help to clear this situation, at least temporarily. Eight times during this encounter the SSI instrument will cycle power and reload its internal software just before key blocks of observations, to make sure that the instrument is as healthy as we can make it. This first SSI observation is an attempt to view a plume of material which may still be erupting from the Tvashtar volcano on Io. This volcano has been extremely active lately, and is a prime target of observations during this flyby, since the path of the spacecraft will take it very nearly directly overhead of the feature just after closest approach. This observation will also serve as part of a survey to determine what other volcanic features may be currently active.
At 9:30 p.m. PDT, SSI is cycled once again, and a single picture is taken of Callisto, viewing that portion of the satellite that perpetually points towards Jupiter. This picture will capture the Lofn and Heimdall regions of Callisto near the terminator, or day-night boundary, of the satellite. This image will help to determine the relative geological ages of the regions, as well as examine the transition between two different terrain types.
At 11:00 p.m. PDT, the suite of Fields and Particles instruments (the Energetic Particle Detector, Magnetometer, Heavy Ion Counter, Plasma Wave, and Plasma instruments) complete their configurations in preparation for tomorrow's close pass by Jupiter and Io, and begin collecting and transmitting to Earth real-time science data. This continuous real-time data collection will span 59 hours during this sequence, concluding Tuesday morning about 10 a.m. PDT.
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Enrico Piazza
ETNA VOLCANO: UPDATE FROM SPACE
Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, continues to spill rivers of lava following a July 17 eruption. The recent activity of the 3,315-meter (10,876-foot) high volcano can be seen in two images taken Sunday, July 29 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer on NASA's Terra spacecraft.
The images are available at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/volcano .
One image shows the lava advancing toward the town of Nicolosi on the Italian island of Sicily. While the last two days have been relatively calm, a river of lava is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away from the town. Thick ash clouds caused airport closures and forced residents in the nearby city of Catania to use umbrellas while walking outside. The other image shows a large sulfur dioxide plume coming from the summit of the volcano.
More information on Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer is available at:
http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov.
The Terra spacecraft, the flagship of a fleet of satellites dedicated to understanding our global environment, is part of NASA's Earth Sciences Enterprise, a long-term research program dedicated to understanding how human-induced and natural changes affect our world. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899
KSC Joel Wells
KSC Release No: 95-01
GENESIS NEXT PLANNED LAUNCH OPPORTUNITY AUG. 12
The launch of NASA's Genesis spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket was postponed again today because of unacceptable weather conditions. Launch is now scheduled to occur at 12:08:13 p.m. EDT, Sunday, Aug.12.
Mission managers today officially reserved Aug. 12 and 13 on the Eastern Range, and will consider any earlier opportunities that become available. The near term Genesis launch period extends to Aug. 15. The Delta II rocket and Genesis spacecraft remain in excellent health.
KSC Bruce Buckingham KSC Release No. 94 - 01 MISSION STS-105 EVENTS, KSC NEWS CENTER OPERATING HOURS SET
News conferences, events and operating hours for KSC's News Center have been set for the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-105, the 106th launch in the Shuttle program. The preferred time for launch on Thursday, Aug. 9 is about 5:38 p.m. EDT at the opening of a window that extends for about 5 minutes. The news conferences and events listed below will be carried live on NASA Television (unless otherwise noted) and originate from the KSC News Center.
The four-member STS-105 crew and the three-member Expedition Three crew will arrive at KSC on Sunday, Aug. 5, at about 12:30 p.m. EDT. News media representatives planning to cover the event must be at the KSC News Center by 11:30 a.m. (in the event of a possible early crew arrival) to be transported to the Shuttle Landing Facility.
On launch day, the crew will depart their KSC living quarters and be driven to the launch pad at about 1:47 p.m. Media interested in attending this event should be at the KSC News Center no later than 12:45 p.m.
In addition to daily 9 a.m. countdown status briefings, a prelaunch press conference will be held two days before launch. The full briefing schedule is listed below.
News media representatives with proper authorization may obtain STS-105 mission credentials at the Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3 (south of KSC) on Merritt Island during published times. Credential and badging hours are listed below.
STS-105 BRIEFINGS & EVENTS SCHEDULE (all times are EDT) (All briefings are held inside the KSC Press Site auditorium and will be carried live on NASA TV unless otherwise noted)
L-4 Days - Sunday, Aug. 5 12:30 p.m. ----- STS-105 Flight Crew Arrival (Live on NASA TV)
L-3 Days - Monday, Aug. 6 9 a.m. ------ Countdown Status Briefing * Steve Altemus, NASA Test Director * Glenn Chin, STS-105 Mission Manager * Ed Priselac, Shuttle Weather Officer * * 5 p.m. - Launch countdown begins * * L-2 Days - Tuesday, Aug. 7 * 9 a.m. ------ Countdown Status Briefing * Pete Nickolenko, NASA Test Director * Glenn Chin, STS-105 Mission Manager * Ed Priselac, Shuttle Weather Officer * * 4 p.m. ----- Prelaunch News Conference * Ron Dittemore, Shuttle Program Manager, NASA, JSC * Bill Gerstenmaier, Deputy Manager, ISS Program, NASA, JSC * Dave King, Director of Shuttle Processing, NASA, KSC * John Weems, Launch Weather Officer * * L-1 Day - Wednesday, Aug. 8 * 9 a.m. ------ Countdown Status Briefing * Steve Altemus, NASA Test Director * Glenn Chin, STS-105 Mission Manager * Ed Priselac, Shuttle Weather Officer * * L-0 Day - Thursday, Aug. 9 * (Tanking begins at about 8:42 a.m.) * 12 Noon ----- NASA Television live launch programming and commentary begins * * Launch Day Crew activities: 7:30 a.m. --------Wake up * 8 a.m. -------------Breakfast * 12 noon --------- Lunch * *12:30 p.m. -----Crew Photo * 1:07 p.m. --------Weather briefing * *1:30 p.m. -------Suit-up photo * *1:47 p.m. ------ Walkout/depart for pad * *2:17 p.m. ------ Arrive at pad * *3:32 p.m. ------Close hatch * *5:38 p.m. ------ Launch of Discovery * (* Carried live on NASA TV) * * 6:30 p.m. ----- Post-launch Press Conference * Jim Halsell, Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager, KSC * Mike Leinbach, Shuttle Launch Director, KSC
KSC News Center office hours for STS-105 (Times may be adjusted in real time depending on mission events and timelines.)
Sunday, Aug 5........................ 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6........................ 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7...................... 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8.................. 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9 (Launch Day)... 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. * [FOR MISSION DAY SCHEDULES SEE NOTE BELOW] Tuesday, Aug. 21 (Landing day)... 8 a.m. -- 7 p.m.
* NOTE: The KSC News Center will support media questions for overnight and weekend STS-105 Mission Status Briefings and the in-flight crew news conference. Media interested in attending the briefings that occur after normal office hours (8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday), MUST make their intentions known to the KSC News Room at least 24 hours in advance, in order to secure proper access to the press site. Times of these briefings are available in the NASA TV schedule at: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html
Pass and Identification Hours Sunday, Aug. 5 ----------------------------- 10 - 11:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6 ----------------------------- 8 a.m. - 12 noon Tuesday, Aug. 7 ---------------------------- 8 a.m. - 12 noon Wednesday, Aug. 8 ----------------------- 8 a.m. -- 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9 (Launch day)---------- 7 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
News media may obtain STS-105 mission credentials at the Pass and Identification Building at Gate 2 on State Road 3, Merritt Island, during the above published times.
News media with annual Shuttle credentials are reminded to sign the logbook at the query counter in the News Center.
NEWS MEDIA ARE REQUIRED TO BE UNDER PUBLIC AFFAIRS ESCORT AT ALL TIMES WHILE AT KSC EXCEPT WHEN DRIVING TO THE NEWS CENTER OR THE COMPLEX 39 CAFETERIA.
NEWS MEDIA ARE ALLOWED AT THE PRESS SITE ONLY WHEN THE KSC NEWS CENTER IS OPEN.
Status reports and other NASA publications are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/kscpao.htm .
Information about the countdown and mission can be accessed electronically via the Internet at: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/ and at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/
For updates on future shuttle missions, visit: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/schedule.htm
Joel Wells
KSC Release No: 96-01
LAUNCH COUNTDOWN FOR SHUTTLE MISSION STS-105 BEGINS AUGUST 6
NASA will begin the countdown for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-105 Aug. 6 at 5 p.m. EDT at the T-43 hour mark. This mission marks the 11th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the 5th Shuttle mission this year. The KSC launch team will conduct the countdown from Firing Room 3 of the Launch Control Center.
The countdown includes 29 hours and 32 minutes of built-in hold time leading to a preferred launch time at about 5:38 p.m. on Aug. 9 with a launch window not to exceed 5 minutes. The exact location of the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) will be determined during the T-9 minute built-in hold. The launch director will at that time determine the exact time of launch.
Mission STS-105 is the 30th flight of the orbiter Discovery and the 106th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program. STS-105 is scheduled to last about 12 days with a planned KSC landing at about 1:17 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Discovery rolled into KSC's Orbiter Processing Facility on March 21, 2001, after completing mission STS-105. The orbiter rolled out of OPF bay 2 and into the VAB on June 13. While in VAB high bay 3, Discovery was mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters. The entire Space Shuttle stack was transferred to Launch Pad 39A on July 2.
On mission STS-105, the seven-member crew will berth the 4.5-ton Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) to the International Space Station. Leonardo, which will be used to carry laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies to and from the Station, will be attached to the Station using the Shuttle's robot arm. The Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) tank, which will provide intermediate ammonia resupply to the Station's cooling system, will be installed during two spacewalks. The three-member Expedition Two ISS crew will return to Earth following eight days of docked operations and will be replaced by the three-member Expedition Three crew.
The STS-105 crew includes Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Daniel Barry, as well as Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, the Expedition Three crew members. (end of general release)
COUNTDOWN MILESTONES *all times are Eastern Launch-3 Days (Monday, Aug. 6)
* Prepare for the start of the STS-105 launch countdown * Perform the call-to-stations (4:30 p.m.) * Countdown begins at the T-43 hour mark (5 p.m.) * Begin final vehicle and facility close-outs for launch * Check out back-up flight systems * Review flight software stored in mass memory units and display systems * Load backup flight system software into Discovery's general purpose computers * * Launch-2 Days (Tuesday, Aug. 7) * * Remove mid-deck and flight-deck platforms (12 a.m.) * Activate and test navigational systems (10 a.m.) * Complete preparation to load power reactant storage and distribution system (1 p.m.) * Flight deck preliminary inspections complete (1 p.m.) * * Enter first built-in hold at T-27 hours for duration of 8 hours (9 a.m.) * * Clear launch pad of all non-essential personnel * Perform test of the vehicle's pyrotechnic initiator controllers (2 p.m.) * * Resume countdown (5 p.m.) * * Begin operations to load cryogenic reactants into Discovery's fuel cell storage tanks * (5 p.m. - 12 a.m.) * * Launch-1 Day (Wednesday, Aug. 8) * * Enter 4-hour built-in hold at T-19 hours (1 a.m.) * * Demate orbiter mid-body umbilical unit (1:30 a.m.) * Resume countdown (5 a.m.) * * Final preparations of the Shuttle's three main engines for main propellant tanking and flight (5 a.m.) * Begin filling pad sound suppression system water tank (7:30 a.m.) * Resume orbiter and ground support equipment close-outs * Pad sound suppression system water tank filling complete (12:30 p.m.) * Close out the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform * Enter planned hold at T-11 hours for 12 hours, 42 minutes (1 p.m.) * * Begin star tracker functional checks (1:30 p.m.) * Activate orbiter's inertial measurement units * Activate the orbiter's communications systems * Install film in numerous cameras on the launch pad (3:30 p.m.) * Flight crew equipment late stow (5:30 p.m.) * Move Rotating Service Structure (RSS) to the park position (9:30 p.m.) * Perform ascent switch list * Fuel cell flow-through purge complete * * Launch Day (Thursday, Aug. 9) * * Resume countdown at T-11 hours (1:42 a.m.) * * Activate the orbiter's fuel cells (2:52 a.m.) * Clear the blast danger area of all non-essential personnel * Switch Discovery's purge air to gaseous nitrogen (3:57 a.m.) * * Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at the T-6 hour mark (6:42 a.m.) * * Launch team verifies no violations of launch commit criteria prior to cryogenic loading of the external tank * Clear pad of all personnel * Chilldown of propellant transfer lines (8:12 a.m.) * Begin loading the external tank with about 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants (about 8:42 a.m.) * * Resume countdown (8:42 a.m.) * * Complete filling the external tank with its flight load of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants (about 11:42 a.m.) * Final Inspection Team proceed to launch pad * * Enter planned 2-hour built-in hold at T-3 hours (11:42 a.m.) * * Perform inertial measurement unit preflight calibration * Align Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) tracking antennas * Perform open loop test with Eastern Range * * Resume countdown at T-3 hours (1:42 p.m.) * * Crew departs Operations and Checkout Building for the pad (1:47 p.m.) * Complete close-out preparations in the white room * Check cockpit switch configurations * Flight crew begins entry into the orbiter (about 2:17 p.m.) * Astronauts perform air-to-ground voice checks with Launch and Mission Control * Close Discovery's crew hatch (about 3:32 p.m.) * Begin Eastern Range final network open loop command checks * Perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks * Complete white room close-out * Close-out crew moves to fallback area * Primary ascent guidance data is transferred to the backup flight system * * Enter planned 10-minute hold at T-20 minutes (4:22 p.m.) * * NASA Test Director conducts final launch team briefings * Complete inertial measurement unit preflight alignments * * Resume countdown at T-20 minutes (4:32 p.m.) * * Transition the orbiter's onboard computers to launch configuration * Start fuel cell thermal conditioning * Close orbiter cabin vent valves * Transition backup flight system to launch configuration * * Enter estimated 40-minute hold at T-9 minutes (4:43 p.m.) * * Launch Director, Mission Management Team and NASA Test Director conduct final polls for go/no go to launch * * Resume countdown at T-9 minutes (about 5:23 p.m.) * * Start automatic ground launch sequencer (T-9:00 minutes) * Retract orbiter crew access arm (T-7:30) * Start mission recorders (T-6:15) * Start Auxiliary Power Units (T-5:00) * Arm SRB and ET range safety safe and arm devices (T-5:00) * Start liquid oxygen drainback (T-4:55) * Start orbiter aerosurface profile test (T-3:55) * Start main engine gimbal profile test (T-3:30) * Pressurize liquid oxygen tank (T-2:55) * Begin retraction of the gaseous oxygen vent arm (T-2:55) * Fuel cells to internal reactants (T-2:35) * Pressurize liquid hydrogen tank (T-1:57) * Deactivate SRB joint heaters (T-1:00) * Orbiter transfers from ground to internal power (T-0:50 seconds) * Ground Launch Sequencer go for auto sequence start (T-0:31 seconds) * SRB gimbal profile (T-0:21 seconds) * Ignition of three Space Shuttle main engines (T-6.6 seconds) * SRB ignition and liftoff (T-0)
SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-105
T-TIME LENGTH OF HOLD HOLD BEGINS HOLD ENDS T-27 hours 8 hours 9 a.m. Tues. 5 p.m. Tues. T-19 hours 4 hours 1 a.m. Wed. 5 a.m. Wed. T-11 hours 12 hours, 42 minutes 1 p.m. Wed. 1:42 a.m. Thurs.
T-6 hours 2 hours 6:42 a.m. Thurs. 8:42 a.m. Thurs. T-3 hours 2 hours 11:42 a.m. Thurs. 1:42 p.m. Thurs. T-20 minutes 10 minutes 4:22 p.m. Thurs. 4:32 p.m. Thurs.
T-9 minutes about 40 minutes 4:43 p.m. Thurs. 5:23 p.m. Thurs.
CREW FOR MISSION STS-105 Commander (CDR): Scott Horowitz Pilot (PLT): Rick Sturckow Mission Specialist 1: Patrick Forrester Mission Specialist 2: Daniel Barry Expedition Three CDR: Frank Culbertson Expedition Three: Mikhail Tyurin Expedition Three: Vladimir Dezhurov SUMMARY OF STS-105 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES
Thursday, August 9 7:30 a.m. Crew wake up 8 a.m. Breakfast 9:30 a.m. Medical checks 12:00 p.m. Lunch *12:30 p.m. Photo opportunity 1:07 p.m. Weather Briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2) 1:07 p.m. Don flight suits (MS1, MS3, MS4, MS5) *1:17 p.m. Don flight suits (CDR, PLT, MS2) *1:47 p.m. Depart for launch pad *2:17 p.m. Arrive at white room and begin ingress *3:32 p.m. Close crew hatch *5:38 p.m. Launch
* Televised events (times may vary slightly) All times Eastern
August 3, 2001
Kathleen Burton Aug. 3, 2001 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Release: 01-54AR
NASA Scientists Propose New Theory of Earth's Early Evolution
NASA scientists recently proposed a new explanation for the rise of oxygen in Earth's early atmosphere - an event that may have jumpstarted the evolution of complex life.
The idea is suggested in two research papers from NASA's Ames Research Center in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. Both papers address how the Earth got its oxygen-rich atmosphere. One uses theoretical models and the other measurements of 'microbial mats,' communities of microorganisms similar to those found on early Earth. The papers are "The Role of Microbial Mats in the Production of Reduced Gases on Early Earth," by Tori Hoehler, et al., and "Biogenic Methane, Hydrogen Escape, and the Irreversible Oxidation of Early Earth," by David Catling, et al. They were published in the July 19 issue of Nature and the Aug. 3 issue of Science, respectively.
Catling's team argues that oxygen increased in Earth's atmosphere more than 2 billion years ago because hydrogen atoms from water hitched a one-way ride into space inside methane gas produced by primitive microbes. This irreversible loss of hydrogen, they say, left behind an excess of oxygen, which gradually filled the Earth's crust and then flooded Earth's atmosphere.
"Without oxygen, the most sophisticated life on Earth would have been green microbial scum," said Catling. "Fortunately, some bacteria in the early oceans were able to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen was lost to space, leaving the oxygen behind."
Before 2.4 billion to 2.2 billion years ago, the Earth's atmosphere contained almost no oxygen and could support only single-celled forms of life. The first complicated cells, like the ones that make up today's plants and animals, appear in 2.1 billion-year-old fossils just after the rise of oxygen.
Hoehler and his team measured gases released from modern microbial mats in Baja, Mexico, under conditions simulating the early atmosphere. These mats are close cousins to those that once made up much of the early Earth's biosphere. The team found that the mats released large amounts of hydrogen at night. "If the Earth's early microbial mats acted similarly to the modern ones we studied, they may have pumped a thousand times more hydrogen into the atmosphere than did volcanoes and hydrothermal vents, the other main sources," Hoehler said.
Hoehler and his co-authors suggest that some of the hydrogen might have escaped directly to space, while the remainder could have provided an important food source for other microbes - such as those that produce methane. "We found that the elevated levels of hydrogen within the mats favor the biological production and release of methane. This supports the premise of Dr. Catling's work," Hoehler said. But either way, hydrogen escaped and the Earth became more oxidized.
Questions of how and why oxygen built up in the Earth's atmosphere have been controversial for decades. Although scientists have ample evidence that oxygen first appeared in the atmosphere a little more than 2 billion years ago, why this happened has long been the subject of speculation. Fundamentally, the oxygen in the air is a byproduct of photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, plants and microbes use sunlight to steal hydrogen from water. The hydrogen is mostly used to make organic matter from carbon dioxide and the unwanted oxygen is released. But microbes that make oxygen in photosynthesis were living on Earth at least a half-billion years before oxygen first flooded the atmosphere.
For oxygen to stay in the atmosphere, the hydrogen and oxygen (or the organic matter made from the hydrogen) must be kept apart. Otherwise, they will react with each other and the oxygen will disappear. Conventional theories have focused on the burial of dead organic matter deep in the Earth, where it is 'hidden' from atmospheric oxygen. The possibility that a lot of hydrogen might escape to space was largely ignored.
According to Catling, his theory of high levels of hydrogen-containing methane gas, which acquired its hydrogen indirectly from water, also would account for why early Earth didn't freeze. "Three billion years ago, the sun was only 4/5ths as bright as it is now. The Earth should have frozen over," he said. But methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, would have kept the Earth warm.
Related information about both papers may be obtained from: http://www.sciencemag.org and http://www.nature.com
Other authors, all of NASA Ames Research Center, include Drs. Brad Bebout and David Des Marais on the Nature paper and Drs. Kevin Zahnle and Christopher McKay on the Science paper.
NASA's Exobiology and Astrobiology Programs provided funding for both projects.
JPL Pasadena, CA
Galileo Gets One Last Frequent-Flyer Upgrade
The resilient Galileo spacecraft doesn't know when to call it quits. So, NASA has outlined the details of one last mission extension, which includes five more flybys of the Jovian moons before a final plunge into the crushing pressure of the giant planet's atmosphere.
Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter for more than five years and survived radiation exposure more than three times what it was built to withstand. Galileo's mission has previously been extended twice and during that time it has returned an enormous wealth of scientific information, including evidence of a sub-surface ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa.
"We're proud that this workhorse of a spacecraft has kept performing well enough that we can ask it to keep serving science a little longer," commented Dr. Jay Bergstralh, Acting Director of Solar System Exploration at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
On May 25, Galileo should pass about 123 kilometers (76 miles) above the moon Callisto, the second largest of Jupiter's 28 known moons. The effects of Callisto's gravity will set up the space probe for a swing over both polar regions of the intensely volcanic moon Io in August and October.
Galileo will take pictures, measure magnetic forces, and study dust and smaller particles. Science goals include studying the extent of volcanism on Io, both in new and previously active sites; determining whether Io generates its own weak magnetic field; and gaining a better understanding of a doughnut-shaped ring, the Io Torus, that encircles Jupiter and contains electrically charged gases.
In 2002, having completed its imaging mission, Galileo will continue studies of Jupiter's massive magnetic field with seven instruments. In January, the orbiter will fly near the equator of Io.
In November, it will swing closer to Jupiter than ever before, dipping within about 500 kilometers (about 300 miles) of the moon Amalthea, which is less than one-tenth the size of Io and less than half as far from Jupiter. Scientists will use Galileo measurements to determine the mass and density of Amalthea. They will also study dust particles as Galileo flies through Jupiter's gossamer rings and seek new details of the magnetic forces and the densities of charged particles close to the planet.
Galileo's final orbit will take an elongated loop away from Jupiter. Then in August 2003, the spacecraft will head back for a direct impact and burn up as it plows into Jupiter's 60,000 kilometer-thick atmosphere. This final act was approved by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences last December.
"Galileo has already succeeded beyond expectations, and we have the opportunity to learn still more in coming months, but it is sad to see the end of the road up ahead," said Eilene Theilig, Galileo project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. "Exposure from Jupiter's intense radiation belts has impaired some of Galileo's instruments, but it is still producing valuable scientific results."
The science program for the Galileo mission extension was recommended to NASA by a blue-ribbon panel of planetary scientists, who met last July, and will cost $9 million. "This mission extension accomplishes the highest priorities of the review panel in a cost effective way," said Paul Hertz, Galileo Program Executive at NASA Headquarters.
Galileo was launched Oct. 18, 1989, aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis. On Dec. 7, 1995, a probe released earlier from Galileo made measurements while dropping through Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Galileo's top scientific accomplishments include:
* Produced strong evidence that Europa has a melted saltwater ocean under the ice layer on its surface. The spacecraft has also found indications that Ganymede and Callisto have layers of liquid saltwater, too. * Detailed the varied and extensive volcanic processes on Io, catching plumes erupting, fire fountains in process and lava flows expanding, among other observations. * Delivered a probe that made the first measurements of Jupiter's atmosphere from within the atmosphere. * Made the first close approach to an asteroid and made the first discovery of a satellite orbiting an asteroid. * Discovered the first internal magnetic field of a moon. Ganymede's intrinsic magnetic field actually creates a "mini- magnetosphere" embedded within Jupiter's vast magnetosphere. * Provided the only direct observation of Comet Shoemaker- Levy's impact into Jupiter.
RELEASE: 01-261
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Expedition Two Science Operations Status Report for the week ending Aug. 2, 2001
The Space Station crew and ground teams are preparing to conclude one successful science expedition and begin another.
"We're coming down the home stretch for Expedition Two, with a few activities remaining before we return the rest of the science on 7A.1 Shuttle mission," said John Uri, lead increment scientist for Expeditions Two and Three, from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "And now we're gearing up to begin the research on Expedition 3."
The 7A.1 Station mission, scheduled for an August 9 launch, will carry the Expedition Three crew to the orbiting research facility and return home with the Expedition Two crew after a five month tour of duty in space.
Three Expedition Two experiments returned home aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis recently. Expedition Three will have 18 experiments, including 10 continuing from Expedition Two, as well as eight new experiments.
About 11 hours of crew time are allocated for remaining experiment activities this week, not counting task list items that the crew can do as time permits. In fact, the crew has accomplished a number of payload activities using the task list.
"The crew has taken on the research program as their own," Uri said. "They have been able to catch up or get ahead on work and have given up their own time. The Expedition Two crew has set the bar very high."
On Monday, July 30, the crew completed stowing the Middeck Active Control Experiment for return. They also received a new list of targets for the Crew Earth Observation photography program, including a geologic fault zone in Tanzania and the Antarctic ice sheet and icebergs near the South Sandwich Islands. The science team confirmed that the crew was also able to capture an image of the Mt. Etna volcano in Sicily.
They were also scheduled this week to take documentation photos of the Protein Crystal Growth Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar experiment, which arrived on the recent Shuttle mission and was located in Zarya, the Russian FGB module.
The crew this week also has continued to recharge batteries for the Dosimetric Mapping experiment's portable radiation sensors, transfer radiation data to a portable computer for later transmission to the ground, and fill out their weekly questionnaire for the Interactions study dealing with interpersonal and cultural relationships among the crew during the Expedition.
A priority for the science team and the crew today is replacing a possible faulty actuator on the Active Rack Isolation System, an experimental device designed to protect delicate microgravity experiments from vibrations caused by crew activities and powered equipment. ARIS uses eight actuators, designed to act like powered shock absorbers to damp vibrations before they reach experiments. Ground controllers have been running tests of the device with seven actuators to demonstrate its fault tolerance.
Telescience activities controlled by scientists on the ground, are continuing with a pair of vibration measuring experiments - the Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System and the Space Acceleration Measurement System, as well as the Physics of Colloids in Space experiment.
Transition activities continue as the Expedition Three cadre at the Payload Operations Center prepares to take over for Expedition Two controllers on August 6. Controllers are continuing to update the software on board the Station to recognize the new payloads, and control software on the ground is undergoing similar updates.
HUBBLE PHOTOGRAPHS WARPED GALAXY AS CAMERA PASSES MILESTONE
The Hubble telescope has captured an image of an unusual edge-on galaxy, revealing remarkable details of its warped dusty disk and showing how colliding galaxies spawn the formation of new generations of stars. The dust and spiral arms of normal spiral galaxies, like our own Milky Way, appear flat when viewed edge-on. This Hubble Heritage image of ESO 510-G13 shows a galaxy that, by contrast, has an unusual twisted disk structure, first seen in ground-based photographs.
Image Credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: C. Conselice (U. Wisconsin/STScI)
To see and read more, please click on: http://heritage.stsci.edu and http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/23 and links in http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/latest.html http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html and http://hubble.stsci.edu/go/news
Strange things happen to the body when humans venture into space
Strange things happen to the body when humans venture into space and the familiar pull of gravity vanishes. Scientists say exercise is the key to adapting to life in orbit -- and returning to Earth. This story describes some of the reactions of the human body to weightlessness and the unusual contraptions astronauts use to workout in space.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast02aug_1.htm?list448368
August 2, 2001
DISCOVERY SET TO LAUNCH NEXT SPACE STATION ASSEMBLY PHASE AUG. 9
Space Shuttle Discovery will launch a new crew and a host of supplies and scientific racks and experiments to the International Space Station Aug. 9, beginning a new phase of station assembly that will expand the complex as research work grows.
Discovery's launch on the 12-day STS-105 mission has been set for 5:38 p.m. EDT Aug. 9.
"This flight is representative of many shuttle missions to come as station assembly and operations enter a new phase," Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore said. "Although extremely complex and challenging assembly flights will continue, they'll be interspersed with missions dedicated to changing station crews, experiments and supplies. Discovery is set to launch only about two weeks after Atlantis' return from the station, and the team has done a tremendous job."
Discovery will be commanded by astronaut Scott Horowitz (Col., USAF). Frederick "Rick" Sturckow (Major, USMC) will be the space shuttle's pilot. The shuttle crew also includes Patrick Forrester (Lt. Col., USA) and Dr. Daniel Barry, mission specialists who will perform two spacewalks during the mission to install logistical equipment and prepare for future station assembly.
Launching to the station aboard Discovery will be the Expedition Three crew, led by American Commander Frank Culbertson, and joined by Russian crewmates Vladimir Dezhurov, mission pilot, and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin.
The station's second resident crew, directed by Russian Commander Yury Usachev, with American astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms, will return to Earth aboard Discovery, ending more than five months in orbit.
Discovery is expected to land about 1:17 p.m. EDT Aug. 21 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL.
Additional information about the launch of STS-105 and the International Space Station is available on the Internet at:
http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/STS-105/index.htm
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/shuttle/countdown
Latest Scientific Advances Featured at International Tsunami Symposium
The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will bring together the world's foremost tsunami research scientists and mitigation engineers to discuss technical advances and progress in tsunami science at the International Tsunami Symposium held at the University of Washington in Seattle. Participants will discuss topics of tsunami generation, prediction, simulation, warning, preparedness, instrumentation and observations.
University of Washington Kane Hall, Room 210 Seattle, Wash.
Tuesday, August 7 1996 Plan Review, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday, August 8 - Thursday, August 9 International Symposium, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, August 10 Field Trip to site of the 1700 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami zone 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. (The field trip includes a canoe trip along the Copalis River, a public forum with local officials and international tsunami experts, and dinner on the beach.)
KSC Release No: 93-01
NEXT GENESIS LAUNCH OPPORTUNITY AUG. 3
The launch of NASA's Genesis spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket was postponed again this morning because of unacceptable weather conditions. Launch will now occur no earlier than 12:23:53 p.m. EDT, Friday Aug. 3.
Workers at Launch Complex 17 tonight will prepare for fuel loading efforts on the Delta's 1st stage, currently scheduled to begin at about 2 a.m. Friday. Mission managers will assemble for a weather update at about 5:45 a.m. Friday to determine if a launch attempt is feasible. The current forecast indicates a 70 percent chance of weather violation at launch time on Friday. The primary concerns are thick clouds, rain showers, and thunderstorms. Status reports and other NASA publications are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/kscpao.htm .
Information about the countdown and mission can be accessed electronically via the Internet at: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/ and at http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/
SPACECRAFT TO FLY OVER SOURCE OF RECENT POLAR ERUPTION ON IO
NASA's Galileo spacecraft will buzz the north pole of Jupiter's moon Io early next week to get unprecedented magnetic measurements and examine the site of a dramatic recent volcanic eruption.
The durable robot will skim about 200 kilometers (124 miles) above Io's surface at 9:59 p.m. Aug. 5, Pacific Daylight Time (12:59 a.m. Aug. 6, EDT). A few seconds later, Galileo will speed over an area that was belching a giant plume of volcanic gases seven months ago. The spacecraft will be flying at a lower altitude than the top of the plume, creating the possibility that Galileo will fly right through a volcanic plume for the first time.
"Plumes in the polar regions of Io appear to be infrequent and short-lived, so we don't know whether this one will still be there or not," said Dr. Eilene Theilig, Galileo project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
The Galileo flight team at JPL chose the polar path of this flyby because magnetic readings above the pole might reveal whether Io generates a surrounding magnetic field of its own, like the magnetic field around Earth. Determining that would add to understanding of Io's hot interior, said Dr. Torrence Johnson, Galileo project scientist at JPL.
"All of our previous magnetic measurements at Io have been on equatorial passes, and from those we can't tell whether the field at Io is induced by Jupiter's strong magnetic field or produced by Io itself," Johnson said. Polar measurements may give enough additional information to distinguish between those two possibilities.
As a side benefit, the path will take Galileo directly over a dynamic volcano named Tvashtar. In November 1999, Galileo imaged an active "curtain of fire" eruption at Tvashtar. The volcano was hurling magma more than 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) high. The eruption had become much less violent and had shifted to a different part of Tvashtar by Galileo's next flyby, three months later. Then, a tenuous gas plume from Tvashtar was discovered from images taken by Galileo and by NASA's Cassini spacecraft within a few days of when Cassini passed Jupiter on its way toward Saturn on Dec. 30, 2000. The plume rose as much as 385 kilometers (239 miles) high. Where sulfurous material from it fell back to the surface, it created a red ring about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) in diameter. If the plume is still active and the same size, Galileo will fly through about the top quarter of it. The project's scientists and engineers estimate that at that altitude the plume material is very thin gas without particles large enough to penetrate the spacecraft.
Whether the plume is active or not, Galileo will look for changes in the Tvashtar region. "We'll be trying to figure out just where the plume erupted from," Johnson said.
As Galileo passes Io, it will be out of communication with Earth. NASA's Deep Space Network, which provides the communication link for interplanetary spacecraft, has a large antenna temporarily out of service in Spain, the only one of the network's three sites that will have Jupiter in view above it during the flyby. The antenna is being upgraded to help handle an increased number of missions that will need communications in 2003 and 2004. Confirmation of Galileo's status during the flyby will not be received until several hours afterwards. Images and other data from the flyby will be returned gradually over the following two months.
Io is the innermost of Jupiter's four largest moons. Heat from tidal flexing powered by Jupiter's gravitational pull makes it the most volcanically active world in the solar system, with an estimated 200 to 300 volcanoes rapidly resurfacing it.
Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter in elongated loops since 1995. Four of its previous 31 close flybys of Jupiter's moons have been by Io. It will swing near Io twice more after next week, once in October and again in January, then near the small inner moon Amalthea once before a mission-ending plunge into the crushing pressure of Jupiter's atmosphere in 2003. Galileo's mission was originally scheduled to end in 1997, but has been extended three times to take advantage of the spacecraft's durability.
The orbiter has survived more than three times the cumulative radiation exposure it was designed to withstand. Some electronic components have been affected by the radiation, and each loop near Jupiter increases the odds of more serious damage from exposure to the radiation belts around the planet, Theilig said. Engineers have developed some new strategies for attempting to minimize the loss of images caused by an intermittent problem that has affected Galileo's camera since last summer.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages Galileo for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about the mission is available online at
MISSION: STS-105 - 11th ISS Flight (7A.1) - Leonardo MPLM VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103 LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Aug. 9, 2001 at 5:38 p.m. EDT TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Aug. 21, 2001 at about 1:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 11 days, 20 hours and 25 minutes CREW: Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry, Forrester; (ISS up) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin; (ISS down) Usachev, Voss, Helms, ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Following the Flight Readiness Review Wednesday, NASA managers confirmed Aug. 9 as the official launch date for STS-105. At Launch Pad 39A, workers have completed replacement of Discovery's master events controller No. 2 and retests are nearing completion. Routine checks of the spacesuits are complete also.
Orbiter aft compartment close-outs will continue into the weekend with aft door installation scheduled for Saturday evening. Shuttle ordnance work begins this afternoon and ordnance device installation is scheduled to occur late tonight.
Payload Processing Note: The Integrated Vehicle Test (IVT) between the Orbiter and the MPLM will be performed today. The payload bay doors will be re-opened Friday evening to support Simplesat payload prelaunch operations. The doors will be closed for flight Monday.
Upcoming Milestones Flight crew arrival at KSC Aug. 5 (12:30 p.m.) Launch countdown begins Aug. 6 (5 p.m.) Begin external tank loading Aug. 9 (8:42 a.m.)
MISSION: STS-108 - 12th ISS Flight (UF1) - MPLM VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1 TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 29, 2001 at 7:23 p.m. EST TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 9, 2001 MISSION DURATION: 10 days CREW: Gorie, Kelly, Godwin, Tani; (ISS up) Onufrienko, Bursch, Walz; (ISS down) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees Processing Note: Technicians are performing a condensate modification on Endeavour's life support system. While the vehicle is powered down, workers are also performing planned modifications on orbiter wiring and harnesses. Workers will install the heads-up display No. 1 in the cockpit later this week.
MISSION: STS-109 - HST Servicing Mission 3B VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102 LOCATION: OPF bay 3 TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 17, 2002 at 3:52 a.m. EST TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 28, 2002 MISSION DURATION: TBD CREW: Altman, Carey, Grunsfeld, Currie, Newman, Linnehan, Massimino ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 308 nautical miles/28.5 degrees
Processing Note: Technicians are checking the orbiter's Ku-band antenna and replacing window No. 2 today. Installation of the cross-feed line installation for the orbiter maneuvering system and reaction control system concludes today with flush and drain work to follow. Water spray boiler checks begin tonight.
MISSION: STS-110 - 13th ISS Flight (8A) - ITS, SO, MT VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Feb. 28, 2002 KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: March 9, 2002 MISSION DURATION: 9 days CREW: Bloomfield, Frick, Ross, Smith, Ochoa, Morin, Walheim ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Processing Note: Today, workers are removing Atlantis' three main engines for inspection. The orbiter's forward reaction control system is undergoing functional tests. Payload removal operations have been delayed because weather has hindered payload canister arrival at the OPF. If weather permits, the payload may be removed Friday.
August 1, 2001
2001 International Space Station Status Report #232001 Report # 23 Wednesday, August 1, 2001 5 p.m. CDT Expedition Two Crew A week and a half removed from the most recent shuttle visit to the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew continues preparations for ending its mission aboard the complex as Discovery is readied for the STS-105 launch a week from tomorrow at 4:38 p.m. Central time to deliver supplies, logistics and the next crew to live aboard the orbiting outpost.
Almost immediately after Atlantis departed following its mission to install an addition on the home in space, station Commander Yury Usachev, and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms began unpacking and stowing supplies delivered by Atlantis, while at the same time beginning to prepare for the arrival of their replacement crew.
The Expedition Three crew consists of Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. The three will be delivered aboard Discovery by its crew of Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Dan Barry and Pat Forrester.
The STS-105 and Expedition Three crews will travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Sunday and the countdown begins Monday.
While Discovery,s countdown to launch to the ISS is set to begin, half a world away at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the fifth Progress supply craft is being readied for launch Aug. 21 followed Sept. 15 by the launch of the next station component a Russian docking compartment named Pirs, the Russian word for pier.
Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev, Voss and Helms also continue to oversee a variety of science investigations while packing for the trip home. Oversight from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA,s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, except for the Human Research Facility, which is monitored and controlled from the Telescience Support Center (TSC) at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. For details on ISS science, visit the following website:
The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting in excellent shape at an altitude averaging 240 miles (385 km). Sighting opportunities from the ground for many cities around the world can be viewed at:
The next ISS status report will be issued Wednesday, Aug. 8.
NASA News National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 NASA Contacts: Joel Wells, Kennedy Space Center
KSC Release No: 91-01
GENESIS LAUNCH POSTPONED AT LEAST 24 HOURS DUE TO WEATHER
The launch of NASA's Genesis spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket was postponed today because of thick cloud conditions in the flight path of the launch vehicle. Launch will now occur no earlier than 12:27:09 p.m. EDT, Thursday Aug. 2.
Mission managers will assemble for a weather update at about 10 p.m. tonight to determine the feasibility of a launch attempt tomorrow. The current forecast indicates an 80 percent chance of weather violation Thursday, a 60 percent chance of violation Friday and a 40 percent chance of violation Saturday. The primary concerns are rain showers, thick clouds and thunderstorms.
No significant technical issues were worked during the countdown and the Delta II rocket and Genesis spacecraft remain in excellent health. The two-minute launch window opens Friday at 12:23:53 p.m. EDT and Saturday at 12:23:40 p.m. EDT.
The thick cloud rule prohibits launch if the vehicle's flight path travels through nontransparent clouds greater than 4,500 feet thick. Updates from the weather reconnaissance aircraft reported clouds 8,000 feet thick in the Delta's flight path during the final built-in hold at T-4 minutes.
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Enrico Piazza,
JASON 1 SATELLITE ARRIVES AT VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE The Jason 1 satellite, a joint project of NASA and CNES, the French space agency, arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., today to begin final preparations for launch no earlier than Sept. 15. Jason 1 is the follow-on to Topex/Poseidon, a U.S.-French spacecraft that has been making precise measurements of ocean surface topography since 1992. These data are used to map ocean currents, improve the understanding of ocean circulation, measure global sea level change and improve global climate forecasts. The French-built Jason 1 spacecraft was flown from Nice, France, to Vandenberg on an Antonov-124 cargo plane and then transported to a clean room at Spaceport Systems International, located on the base. After French and U.S. project members complete their final adjustments and tests, the spacecraft will be fueled and turned over to the Boeing Company on Aug. 22 in preparation for launch. Jason 1 will be launched from Space Launch Complex 2 West at Vandenberg Air Force Base atop a Delta II rocket. The rocket has a dual payload system that allows the launch vehicle to carry two satellites at once. Jason 1 will share part of the ride with another spacecraft called Timed, a joint atmospheric mission of NASA and the Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. Jason 1 will be carried at the top of the rocket's nose cone and will separate first. The launch window is about 20 minutes each day. On Sept.15, the window opens at 12:59 a.m PDT. The launch window gets earlier by about 12 minutes each day. A 10-day launch period is scheduled. Once it reaches its final orbit, Jason 1 will assume the flight path of Topex/Poseidon, which will move into a parallel orbit. They will circle Earth every 112 minutes at an altitude of about 1,330 kilometers (830 miles), measuring the surface topography of the oceans to within 4 centimeters (about 2 inches). Please Sign Our GuestbookOur Site MapThe AstroNewsNetWork Mall