Venus and Mars in High Contrast

As the nation celebrates another birthday, see the spangled Venus and a dim Mars in July before dawn's early light. Mars, our neighboring red planet, rises about 3 a.m. in the northeastern sky, followed shortly by a brilliant Venus. Both can be seen high in the east before sunrise in the constellation Taurus, but the differences are striking. Venus, at a negative fourth magnitude, is very bright

Space Station Room With A View

The crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is about to get a new "eye-pod." The Tranquility node headed for the space station early in 2010 will feature a viewing dome unlike any other window ever flown in space. The dome, called the Cupola, is literally studded with windows for observing Earth, space, and the marvelous expanse of the ISS itself.The Cupola, named after the raised

AT and T reports massive satellite explosion caused by forwarded Michael Jackson jokes

AT&T spokesman Clay Bertrand held a press conference in Cape Canaveral, FL to announce the massive explosion of one of their cell phone service's major satellites."Preliminary reports show that the satellite-- which, at the time, was traveling over the southern United States--exploded due to the incredible volume of bad Michael Jackson jokes being forwarded through our text messaging service,"

Lessons for the future of human space flight

As we contemplate the future of the nation’s human space flight program at this critical juncture, I would like share my own thoughts based on almost 40 years of experience working in the space program—from JPL scientist in 1968 to NASA Associate Administrator for the Office of Space Science in 1993–1998, to continuing passionate advocate ever since. I think there are eight high-level lessons

NASA sends into orbit sophisticated weather satellite, meant to track hurricanes and tornadoes

A sophisticated new weather satellite rocketed into orbit Saturday, giving forecasters another powerful tool for tracking hurricanes and tornadoes.An unmanned rocket carrying the nation's latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite blasted off early Saturday evening, a day late because of thunderstorms. The satellite headed toward a 22,000-mile-high orbit, where it will undergo six

Obama The next step in space exploration

people around the world will celebrate an American triumph. The 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing recalls a period of ingenuity and perseverance that captured the world’s imagination. I was in Houston interviewing with NASA for a spot in the astronaut corps during that phenomenal yet bittersweet moment.Even as humans touched the lunar surface for the first time, we knew we wouldn’t

The lost NASA tapes: Restoring lunar images after 40 years in the vault

The lost NASA tapes: Restoring lunar images after 40 years in the vaultLiquid nitrogen, vegetable steamers, Macintosh workstations and old, refrigerator-size tape drives. These are just some of the tools a new breed of Space Age archeologists is using to sift through the digital debris from the early days of NASA, mining the information in ways unimaginable when it was first gathered four decades

More about apocalypse 2012 solar flares

The expected maximum solar flares, which astrophysicists have calculated will definitely take place towards to end of 2011-2012, may knock out all electrical and satellite communications. But what will we do without these communications? Now, never before in known human history has the world been threatened with the possibility of a major nuclear conflict. It happened before on a limited scale

NASA Awards For ISS Three-Year Deal Runs Through At Least 2012

NASA has signed a $144 million follow-on contract with ARES Corp. of Burlingame, CA, for International Space Station Program integration and control services. ARES will provide support for configuration management, data management, information technology, safety and mission assurance, vehicle integrated performance, resource and budget analysis, program schedule development, engineering and

Economic Recovery May be in the Stars, Aerospace Experts

Space experts fear that, 40 years after putting a man on the moon, the United States is now at risk of losing the modern space race, which could crush the country's chances of becoming the global leader in commercial space development.Washington, D.C. - infoZine - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - Heavyweights of both the aerospace industry and government agencies that regulate it spoke about

Students compete to send robot to the moon

Team Omega Envoy finished preparations Saturday to send their prototype lunar rover to the North Pole. UCF students have created a company dedicated to building and landing a lunar rover in hopes of winning $30 million in prizes from Google. The competition is an effort to have a 90 percent privately-funded group send a robot to the moon to travel 500 meters, collect HD video and panoramic views,

Rogue knob could ground space shuttle Atlantis

NASA is pondering how to remove a rogue knob which has firmly wedged itself between a window and the dashboard of space shuttle Atlantis - an apparently minor affair which could actually result in a six-month delay in the venerable vehicle's STS-129 mission to the International Space Station, or even see the shuttle grounded for good. According to NASAspaceflight.com, the offending part is "a

Ufo - 'Scenes from the ISS' shows the world from an astronaut's eyes

You may have seen the shots of Russia's Sarychev volcano eruption NASA posted earlier this week. Well, the folks over at the Boston Globe's Big Picture went through the archives of other photos taken from the ISS, and have dug up some gems. Some of our favorites are down below. The first is probably the wildest: what looks like an instrumentation panel or a blueprint is actually a photo of roads

The Exoplanet Sleuth Behind NASA's Kepler Mission

Space scientist William "Bill" Borucki is a soft-spoken, pleasant person who grew up in a small town in Wisconsin where he liked to build and launch rockets. He still does, and he convinced NASA to build and launch Kepler, the first spacecraft capable of finding Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. Bill displays a number of similarities to another mild-mannered Midwesterner, a guy named

SEDL to help NASA with Web site

Austin nonprofit SEDL has received an $80,000, four-year grant to evaluate the development of an educational Web portal called MyMoon: Virtual New Media Environments for Lunar Space Exploration. The evaluation is funded by the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences-2008 program, which is part of the Education Public Outreach for Earth Space Science division of the National Aeronautic

Ulysses to end its 18-year space mission

Orbiter taught more than expected about sun, its interaction with spaceAfter more than 18 years of dedicated service, the solar orbiter Ulysses is due to end its tenure June 30.The joint ESA/NASA spacecraft will finally switch off its transmitter, after defying several earlier expectations of its demise.Ulysses is the first spacecraft to survey the environment in space above and below the poles

NASA moon bombing violates space law - may cause conflict with lunar ET/UFO civilizations

Commentary: The planned October 9, 2009 bombing of the moon by a NASA orbiter that will bomb the moon with a 2-ton kinetic weapon to create a 5 mile wide deep crater as an alleged water-seeking and lunar colonization experiment, is contrary to space law prohibiting environmental modification of celestial bodies. The NASA moon bombing, a component of the LCROSS mission, may also trigger conflict

Local Astronaut Talks all Things NASA

Lots of kids want to be an astronaut when they grow up but Shane Kimbrough did it. The Lovett graduate talks all things NASA to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the International Space Station.Kimbrough is one of several astronauts traveling to various U.S. regions to spread knowledge and excitement about the importance of continuing space exploration. While in Atlanta, Kimbrough will be

NASA to nature: Florida's Space Coast has plenty to offer

Two elements rule Florida's Space Coast: sea and sky. And those are the two biggest reasons to plan a summer getaway to Brevard County on the Atlantic Coast. A vacationer might break it down more like this: surf and shuttle. A July 11 shuttle launch — weather and mechanical issues permitting — may be enough to lure you and your brood to the other coast, especially since the program will end in

Jet Streams Suspected of Triggering Sunspots

The sun is in the pits of a century-class solar minimum, and sunspots have been puzzlingly scarce for more than two years. Now, for the first time, solar physicists might understand why.At an American Astronomical Society press conference this week in Boulder, Colorado, researchers announced that a jet stream deep inside the sun is migrating slower than usual through the star's interior, giving

NASA Partners With California Space Authority Regolith Challenge

NASA today announced that it has signed an agreement with the California Space Authority, Inc., (CSA) to collaborate on participatory science and public outreach using a simulated lunar surface environment.Under the terms of a Space Act Agreement, CSA will establish an office at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., in NASA Research Park. This fall, NASA Ames and CSA, along with its

Space Telescope Science InstituteJoins the Search for Other Earths in Space

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., is partnering on a historic search for Earth-size planets around other stars. STScI is the data archive center for NASA's Kepler mission, a spacecraft that is undertaking a survey for Earth-size planets in our region of the galaxy. The spacecraft sent its first raw science data to STScI on June 19.The Institute was the logical

MDA to provide Government of Canada a broad-area maritime surveillance system using RADARSAT-2 capabilities

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. a provider of essential information solutions, announced today it has signed a $25 million (CAD) contract with the Government of Canada to provide the Department of National Defence (DND) with a comprehensive broad-area maritime surveillance solution based on MDA's RADARSAT-2. In June 2007, MDA received a contract for $2.8 million (CAD) to conduct the

NASA Selects Proposals to Enhance Science Education and Outreach

NASA has selected four organizations to share approximately $18 million over five years for education and public outreach activities to help inspire the next generation of science leaders and explorers. The cooperative agreements support the astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary and Earth divisions of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, which is providing the funding for the activities."NASA

Astronauts Talk to International Space University Students Live from Space at NASA Ames

NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., will welcome more than 500 guests, including an international cadre of students and faculty from nearly 40 countries for the International Space University and Singularity University Opening Ceremony on June 29, 2009. The ceremony will be held in the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts and will feature a multimedia celebration of

NASA Gives Media, Public Look Inside Apollo Moon Rock Vault

NASA will offer reporters an unprecedented chance to conduct interviews with scientists inside the lab that stores moon rocks Apollo astronauts collected during their six missions. The July 2 interview opportunities from the Apollo Lunar Sample Processing Lab and Storage Vaults at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will take place nearly 40 years after humans first walked on the moon.Using

Hometown Astronaut to Appear at Progressive Field

Greater Cleveland astronaut Michael Good will be the honored guest at NASA Night at Progressive Field on Saturday, June 27.Good will toss out a ceremonial first pitch during pregame ceremonies prior to the 7:05 p.m. Cleveland Indians versus Cincinnati Reds game at Progressive Field. Also he will present to the Tribe an Indians jersey that flew with him aboard the space shuttle during the recent

Singularity University Launches Inaugural Summer Program at Moffett Field

40 Students Chosen From More Than 1,200 Candidates to Kick Off Graduate Summer Program StudentsFocused on Addressing "Humanity's Grand Challenges" Through Scientific and Technological Collaboration and Innovation Leading Venture Capital Firm Joins University as Corporate Founder, Key Financial DonorSingularity University (SU) -- the new academic institution with the goal of preparing the next

Possible International Space Station Contacts for Field Day 2009

According to NASA ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, there is a good possibility that groups participating in ARRL Field Day may be able to make a contact with one of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS)."Some of the crew members of the International Space Station plan to make contacts with operators on the ground during Field Day operations as time

Progress Update on NASA's Constellation Program

NASA's Jeffery Hanley went to the US Human Spaceflght Plans committee in Washington to do a show and tell on Constellation, the space program that will take us to the Moon and Mars. He played this report on its state.While there are some naysayers who claim that Orion, Ares I and V are not the best option to take us back into real space exploration, NASA thinks the contrary. The Right Stuff

Harding professors awarded $1.5 million NASA grant to search for life on Mars

A team of Arkansas researchers has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by NASA to develop a system to search for life on Mars.The team includes Harding University professor Dr. Edmond Wilson and assistant professor Dr. Constance Meadors.Wilson and Meadors are members of the Arkansas NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research team, which also includes scientists from University of

Mars rover may be stuck, but still doing science

Spirit’s wheel dug into layers of soil at Troy location, exposing stuff to studyThe Mars rover Spirit is keeping scientists' spirits up by doing some science while it is stuck in soft soil on the Red Planet. The rover has been immobile, trapped hub-deep since May 6. Engineers have replicated the landscape in a lab back home and, using an identical rover model, tried to figure out what to do, so

GOES-O Fact Sheet

GOES-O Spacecarft Project

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-O represents a continuation of the newest generation of environmental satellites built by Boeing for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the technical guidance and project management of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. GOES satellites provide the familiar weather pictures seen on many United

Mission Accomplished: Leaving Hubble Better Than Ever

Take one space shuttle, seven highly trained astronauts, tons of equipment, and one legendary orbiting telescope and you have the 5.3 million-mile odyssey that was the final servicing mission for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.Why is Hubble important?NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is fulfilling the hopes astronomers long held for a large, optically superb telescope orbiting above Earth's distorting

Herschel's Observatory Cover Flips Open

The Herschel observatory has flipped its lid -- the cover protecting the telescope's instruments was successfully removed on June 14, 2009, at 2:54 a.m. Pacific Time. Herschel, a European Space Agency mission with significant participation from NASA, is already well on its way to an orbit around a point 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth. That location, called the second Lagrange

European Satellites Probe a New Magnetar

NASA's Swift satellite reported multiple blasts of radiation from a rare object known as a soft gamma repeater, or SGR. Now, astronomers report an in-depth study of these eruptions using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) satellites.The object, designated SGR 0501+4516, was the first of its type discovered in a decade and is only

SABER Offers a New Way to Study Earth’s Ionosphere and the Effect of Geomagnetic Storms

Researchers have developed a new way to measure Earth’s aurora and are using the technique to learn more about a region of the ionosphere that plays a key role in satellite and radio communications during geomagnetic disturbances.Shortly after NASA’s Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) mission began routine operation in 2002, a solar-geomagnetic storm blasted

NASA's Slender New Rocket to be Tested for Stability Before Launch

The first flight test of NASA's new rocket configuration to carry astronauts into space will take place later this year. Ares I-X consists of a four-segment first stage solid rocket motor, and a simulated upper stage that represents the weight and shape of the Ares I rocket and Orion crew vehicle. It will be launched in a suborbital arc into the Atlantic to collect data on its flight dynamics and

Panel to review NASA work

Officially, it's the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans commission, better known as the Augustine Commission after its chairman, aerospace veteran Norman Augustine. The 10-member commission was appointed by the White House in May with the task of reviewing NASA's manned spaceflight and exploration capabilities and plans. Today, NASA officials confirmed, commissioners will tour Marshall

NASA broadcasting HD shorts today

NASA is broadcasting a couple video shorts which started today at 10 a.m. ET. The first is a 20-minute piece that documents 167 feet of the space station’s pressurized modules and shows how equipment and supplies are stored. A shorter 5-minute piece explains the Canadian Bodies In the Space Environment (BISE), which studies how humans orient themselves in zero gravity. NASA is providing the HD

COSMIC BLOB PICTURES: Galactic "Coming of Age" Revealed

Mysterious "blobs" of glowing gas in far-flung regions of space are mysteries no more, according to astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.The huge reservoirs of hydrogen gas were found about a decade ago during surveys of young, distant galaxies. The blobs glow brightly in visible light, but the sources of immense energy required to power the glow remained unclear.Now, in new images

NASA Gets Heat For Ditching Metric System on New Shuttle Replacement

If you've ever worked on bikes or cars, you know how annoying it can be to work with both English/imperial and metric units at the same time; well, the same goes doubly with spacecraft, but NASA's theoretically modular and standards-adhering Constellation system is shaping up to be the odd one out in space, where the metric system rules. Since Constellation's foundation--which includes the Ares

Obama faces a Kennedy decision on space

Obama’s choice for future spaceflight could be as momentous as JFK’sHardware for the Ares I-X flight test rocket is prepared for stacking in NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ares I-X is meant to test components for NASA's next-generation launch vehicle. The flights of stairs at right provide a sense of scale.When the Soviet Union was beating America’s pants

Space Launch Complex 37B Ready To GOES-O

Commercial launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O, (GOES-O) is scheduled to occur on June 26th aboard a Delta IV rocket.The launch will take place at Space Launch Complex-37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, with a launch window extending from 6:14 to 7:14 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Boeing Launch Services procured the launch vehicle and associated support

Open Government Directive, Phase III: Drafting

President Obama issued a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government in which he called for recommendations on making the government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative.From the start, the White House Open Government Initiative has approached the crafting of these recommendations in an open fashion. An initial Brainstorming phase in late May asked you to identify topics for the

NASA MODIS Image of the Day: June 23, 2009 - Crop Recovery in Afghanistan

In 2008, drought struck Afghanistan and nearly destroyed the country's winter grain crop. Combined with trade disruptions and transport-corridor conflicts, the poor harvest caused local grain prices to skyrocket. Authorities worried that 2009 would repeat the difficulties of 2008, and dry weather lasting from late 2008 through early 2009 increased concern. Beginning in March 2009, however, rain

Amazing NASA images part 1 of 2: volcanic plume seen from space

The International Space Station took this amazing snapshot of an eruption in progress in the Kuril Islands near Japan on June 12th.The Sarychev volcano plume seen here above Matua Island shows some fascinating features detailed by NASA in the photo slideshow below.The 'hole' punched in the cloud deck is theorized to be caused in part either by the shockwave of the volcanic blast and/or sinking

Discovery handed special heatshield coating DTO on behalf of Orion

Shuttle Discovery has been tasked with a special DTO (Detailed Test Objective) - on behalf of the Orion Project Office - to be carried out during STS-128’s re-entry. A “Catalytic Coating” has been applied to two of Discovery’s Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles, providing Orion - and shuttle - engineers with refined aeroheating data. STS-128 Processing Latest: Discovery is

NASA returns to the moon--first image from lunar mission

Fly me to the moon, we said--and NASA complied. Shown here--the first live streaming image from LCROSS, taken early today from slightly more than 5,000 miles above the lunar surface. LCROSS is one half of a paired robotic mission that will scout ahead for planned manned lunar missions. The LRO will orbit the moon; LCROSS and an upper stage are intended to study the moon, then crash into the

LRO and LCROSS Reach The Moon

Two NASA spacecraft will reach major mission milestones early Tuesday morning as they approach the moon -- one will send back live streaming imagery via the Internet as it swings by the moon, the other will insert itself into lunar orbit to begin mapping the moon's surface. After a four and a half day journey to the moon, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, will be captured by the

5 High-Tech Fixes for USA Infrastructure

To find innovative new solutions to the world's toughest technical challenges, we called some of America's smartest engineers and scientists for their quick fixes and long-term plans. Here, we look at 5 out-there ideas that could shape the future of U.S. Infrastructure—robots that clean pipes, tailless airplanes, earthquake-proof buildings and more ways to stop deadly asteroids.Build Better

Borders(R) Teams with Astronomy Magazine, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for 'Train Like an Astronaut' Sweepstakes

Borders to host in-store Space Camp kids event July 25; recommends great space-inspired reads for kids, adultsANN ARBOR, Mich., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of man's first steps on the Moon, Borders(R) has teamed with Astronomy magazine and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for the "Train Like an Astronaut" Sweepstakes. Beginning today through July 27,

Live From the Moon: NASA Probe Beams Home New Lunar Views

A new NASA probe beamed down live images of the moon early Tuesday to reveal a stark surface littered with craters, as it flew toward a planned crash at the lunar south pole later this year. The $79 million Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, launched toward the moon on June 18 and began sending images today at 8:20 a.m. EDT (1220 GMT). LCROSS and an attached empty

Diversity of Mars captured by world's most powerful camera on Nasa probe

Located on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a Nasa probe launched in 2005, the HiRise camera has already taken detailed images of the outlines of ancient extraterrestrial seas and rivers – the first unambiguous evidence that shorelines once existed on the Red Planet.The camera has also witnessed the moment when the warmth of the Martian spring forced puffs of dust through the thin polar

Photo Report: Mini-Research Module (MRM-2) Familiarization at RSC Energia

The S.P. Korolev Rocket & Space Corporation Energia specialists have performed the regular scheduled training sessions to familiarize the International Space Station (ISS) crews themselves with the structure, composition and equipment of Mini-Research Module (MRM-2), which is to be included in the International Space Station Russian Segment in November, 2009.Today the Russian cosmonauts O. Kotov,

LCROSS Lunar Swingby Streaming Video (Launch +5 days)

LCROSS lunar swingby video stream coverage will begin approximately 5:10 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. First video data from the LCROSS spacecraft will come in at 5:20 a.m. Swingby imagesOverviewAfter its successful launch, LCROSS is now on its way to the moon. Approximately five days after launch, the spacecraft will perform a lunar swingby to enter into an elongated polar Earth orbit to

NASA Blog: LCROSS First Shot

This morning when I woke up, I told myself, well another two days of preparation, and we'll have our shot on Friday. I woke to the news of the continuing problems with the STS-127 hydrogen leak, and all indications from KSC were that we'd have to slip to June 19 given the late hour of the discovery. Then, I started reading e-mail - a firestorm of activity! "We're GO for June 18!" Whoa! The day

NASA Blog: A Window Into LCROSS

What a crazy week at NASA Ames. I really thought I'd be writing more (though some of you are probably wishing I'd write a little less when I actually get a chance to write)! But there's so much to write about!Here we are finally, on launch week! NASA Ames has been really getting excited about flight missions, with Kepler, Pharmasat, and now LCROSS. Lately, the Center has been posting countdowns

New NASA Missions to Reach Moon Tuesday, Sending Back Live Video

NASA spacecraft will reach major mission milestones early Tuesday morning as they approach the moon -- one will send back live streaming imagery via the Internet as it swings by the moon, the other will insert itself into lunar orbit to begin mapping the moon's surface.After a four and a half day journey to the moon, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, will be captured by the moon's

Never-before-seen Images From Saturn Kick Off Celebrations at Royal Observatory Greenwich in London

In anticipation of the upcoming equinox at Saturn, the imaging science team on NASA's Cassini spacecraft is releasing today a series of images and movies capturing scenes possible only once every 15 years.This bounty of sights, that includes time-lapse sequences in which Saturnian moons eclipse each other and cast long shadows onto the planet's famous rings, represents only some of the fruits

NASA ESMD PAO Statement Regarding Release of LRO Imagery

Keith's note: I received this by email from ESMD PAO Representative Grey Hautaluoma this afternoon:"At the present time the highest priority is to assure safe operation of all LRO spacecraft subsystems, so we do not yet have a detailed schedule for instrument activation.LRO's lunar orbit insertion is scheduled for Tuesday morning, followed by orbit trimming burns over the next four days. Then we

Full documentAdministration Priorities Office of Management and Budget (OMB)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Administration is concerned with the reduction of $670 million from the President's FY 2010 request for Exploration Systems. This large reduction would likely cause major negative impacts to any options that may emerge from the ongoing blue ribbon review of U.S.

NASA ARC Internal memo: Message from the Center Director: Social Networking at Ames

Subject: Message from the Center Director - Social Networking at AmesFrom: Centerwide AnnouncementDate: Monday, June 22, 2009Message from the Center Director Social Networking at AmesPublic social networking sites (such as Twitter and Facebook) are used to connect people with similar interests or affiliations. Recently there has been some controversy regarding the use of social network sites

Effects of a Spaceflight Environment on Heritable Changes in Wheat Gene Expression

Once it was established that the spaceflight environment was not a drastic impediment to plant growth, a remaining space biology question was whether long-term spaceflight exposure could cause changes in subsequent generations, even if they were returned to a normal Earth environment. In this study, we used a genomic approach to address this question. We tested whether changes in gene expression

The Search for Alien Life in Our Solar System: Strategies and Priorities

With the assumption that future attempts to explore our Solar System for life will be limited by economic constraints, we have formulated a series of principles to guide future searches: (1) the discovery of life that has originated independently of our own would have greater significance than evidence for panspermia; (2) an unambiguous identification of living beings (or the fully preserved,

Sonograms of the Sun Explain Mystery of the Missing Sunspots

Scientists from the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson, Arizona, have discovered that a solar jet stream deep inside the Sun is migrating slower than usual through the star's interior, giving rise to the current lack of sunspots and low solar activity, according to work being presented this week at the meeting of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society (AAS/SPD)

Moon Missions - 40 Years Apart - But Still Like Minded

This pirate flag image sits at the bottom of the LRO Mission Team's Blog. At the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) located in an abandoned McDonalds outside the gate at ARC, we adopted a similar motif ... we fly a similar flag in our front window and opened our recent presentation at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference with one as well. We even have t-shirts for sale!

TEXAS LOCAL FAMILY PROUD OF NASA SCHOLAR

KRISTINA COUTEE WENT TO NASA'S PROGRAM NOT EXPECTING THAT SHE WOULD COME HOME KNOWING THAT AFTER GRADUATION SHE WOULD RETURN TO NASA NEXT YEAR FOR A PAID INTERNSHIPSHE PLAN TO ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY OF CLEAR LAKE TO GET HER BASICS DONE.THEN TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, WHILE INTERNING AT NASA WORKING AND LIVING SIDE BY SIDE WITH SOME OF NASA'S BEST. SHE IS TO STUDY AEROSPACE ENGINEERING AND

NASA's Mars Odyssey Alters Orbit to Study Warmer Ground

NASA's long-lived Mars Odyssey spacecraft has completed an eight-month adjustment of its orbit, positioning itself to look down at the day side of the planet in mid-afternoon instead of late afternoon.This change gains sensitivity for infrared mapping of Martian minerals by the orbiter's Thermal Emission Imaging System camera. Orbit design for Odyssey's first seven years of observing Mars used a

New NASA Radar Could Predict Timing of Mega California Earthquake

Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., have reportedly begun using a new radar to give them a 3-D close-up of the San Andreas Fault, a continental transform fault that stretches about 800 miles through California. The radar — attached to the bottom of a jet flying 45,000 feet over the state — is expected to measure exact surface elevations along the fault.

NASA Sends Orbiter To Map Moon's Surface

NASA, the U.S. space agency, is hoping to send a manned mission to the moon by the year 2020, and preparations have already started in a serious way. After blasting off Thursday, a new lunar spacecraft should reach the moon this morning and start photographing and mapping the surface of the moon from its orbit 30 miles up. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO for short) will greatly improve

GOES-O Stacked for FlightImage above: The Delta IV rocket and its GOES-O satellite payload have been joined at Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in preparation for flight. The Delta IV will loft the weather satellite into an orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth where the GOES-O instruments can focus on weather and climate. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 17 June 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.Upon wakeup, CDR Gennady Padalka terminated his fifth experiment session for the long-term Russian sleep study MBI-12/SONOKARD, by taking the recording device from his SONOKARD sports shirt pocket and later copying the measurements to the RSE-MED laptop for subsequent downlink to the ground. FE-3 Romanenko’s

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 18 June 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.Bob Thirsk & Frank DeWinne began the second day of their second session with the NASA/JSC experiment NUTRITION w/Repository, after the 8-hr overnight fast. [This was an all-day session of urine sample collections for both several times until termination tomorrow after 24 hrs. DeWinne also assisted the FE-4 in

JPL Instrument Set for NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission

NASA is scheduled to launch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, an unmanned mission to comprehensively map the entire Moon, tomorrow, June 18. One of the instruments aboard, the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, will make the first global survey of the temperature of the lunar surface while the orbiter circles some 50 kilometers (31 miles) above the Moon.“The terrain on the far side of the Moon

Sabotage on shuttle? NASA doesn’t think so

Agency is investigating all possible explanations for hydrogen leak problemNASA does not suspect sabotage was behind the glitch that twice delayed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour recently. The agency is investigating all possible explanations for the problem, but has no specific processes to search for intentional tampering, officials said."NASA is not concerned about sabotage at all,"

Review Panel Hears Rival Plans for New Spaceflights

NASA’s goal is to return to space after the retirement of the shuttles next year, but a panel reviewing the agency’s human spaceflight program heard very different ideas Wednesday on how to get there.In dueling PowerPoint presentations before the 10-member panel, appointed by the Obama administration in April, NASA officials defended their progress in developing the next generation of rockets,

From Mars to Norfolk: NASA technology could serve on the high seas

To improve maritime security, the American military might take its cue from the Mars Rover.But unlike NASA's workmanlike retriever, the Navy wants a guard dog that can approach pirates and drug runners with an attitude.And on Thursday, a version of it was prowling the waters off Naval Station Norfolk.It is one of more than 90 technologies included in a grand-scale sea experiment known as Trident

Bombing kills 20...Geithner testifies...NASA to the moon...

Bombing kills 20...Geithner testifies...NASA to the moon MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) Authorities say at least 20 people have been killed in a bombing in Somalia. A hospital spokesman says the blast targeted a hotel frequented by Somali officials. There's word that Somalia's national security minister is among the dead. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A consulting firm says health coverage is going to get

Nerd Alert: Wanna be a NASA 'insider'?

For some time now I have been getting "inside information" from NASA. It’s not that these things are unavailable to the general public, it’s just that most these stories, data and updates are not posted on the standard (or even off-the-beaten-path) news sites. One of these sources is NASA Tech Briefs. Available as a free printed subscription or web based service, NASA Tech Briefs is actually a

LIVE: NASA Set for Return to the Moon with LRO/LCROSS

With Wednesday’s early morning launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour scrubbed just before 2am. EDT, the Eastern Range has undertaken a tremendous effort to reconfigure for Thursday’s scheduled launch of an Atlas V rocket carrying NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and sister payload Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) from complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.

Nasa poised for lunar launch tonight in step towards taking man back to the moon

Prepare for lift-off: Nasa poised for lunar launch tonight in step towards taking man back to the moonNasa is poised to launch an unmanned rocket to the moon tonight in a step towards taking man back to the moon.The U.S. space agency is gearing up to send two robotic probes to Earth's natural satellite at 10.12pm to examine its surface for a possible lunar landing.It hopes to take astronauts to

ULA Atlas V Trips On Out To Pad For June 18th Launch

An Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance, with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellites (LRO/LCROSS) aboard, rolls out from its Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, to its launch pad today. The rocket is now poised for a June 18th launch with three, one second launch windows of 5:12

NASA heads back to the moon

NASA is set to blast off probes Thursday on a landmark lunar exploration mission to scout water sources and landing sites in anticipation of leading man back to the moon.The US space agency, hoping to send astronauts to Earth's natural satellite by 2020 for the first visit since 1972, announced it is on course to launch the dual LRO and LCROSS missions atop an Atlas V rocket from Florida's

U.S. Shoots for the Moon, This Time to Stay

The U.S. space program: we may have spent the last 40 years mostly ignoring the moon, but when we go back, we go back with a bang. Later today — if weather conditions and hardware permit — NASA will launch its much-anticipated and deeply dimaginative Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the first American spacecraft of any kin to make a lunar trip since 1999. Not only will LRO help us study the

Climate catastrophe getting closer, warn scientists

A man smokes a cigarette near a coal-fired power station near Beijing. The world faces a growing risk of "abrupt and irreversible climatic shifts" as fallout from global warming hits faster than expected, according to research by international scientists.The world faces a growing risk of "abrupt and irreversible climatic shifts" as fallout from global warming hits faster than expected, according

Today's launch is a milestone for NASA, ASU

NASA's unmanned spacecraft to the moon is scheduled to launch today from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The highly anticipated launch - the first of its kind in a decade for the United States - is the space agency's first step toward achieving its goal of sending humans back to the moon by 2020. The hope is that, one day, astronauts will be able to stay and train there for extended periods. The $504

40 years on, another giant step for Nasa

Nasa unveils plans for manned missions to the moon - but what will they achieve, 40 years on from the first lunar landing? Samira Ahmed reports.

US scientific decline opens door to Swiss

At a time when American dominance is weakening and Swiss research is making its mark, Switzerland is aiming to intensify scientific cooperation with the United States.The US decline in the scientific domain is relative but significant. Significant enough for the US Congress to pass a law in 2007 designed to ensure the country's supremacy in research. Image caption: Solar energy,

Thales Alenia Wins Pacts For Space-Station Work

Thales Alenia Space, seeking to carve out a bigger role in future European and U.S. exploration programs, has signed contracts to build nine cargo modules to service the International Space Station and to develop a separate, experimental atmospheric re-entry vehicle. The contracts, announced at the Paris Air Show in the past two days, illustrate how Thales Alenia Space is trying to expand from

Grand Canyon of Gale Crater (ESP_012195_1750)

Grand Canyon of Gale Crater (ESP_012195_1750)Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona OBSERVATION TOOLBOX Acquisition date:03 March 2009 Local Mars time:3:46 PM Latitude (centered):-5.2 ° Longitude (East):137.4 ° Range to target site:273.4 km (170.9 miles)Original image scale range:27.4 cm/pixel(with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~82 cm across are resolvedMap projected scale:25

Funding threatens US return to moon by 2020

US ambitions of returning to the moon by 2020 and then heading to Mars risk being grounded because of "unrealistic" funds allocated to NASA, said Senator Bill Nelson, a former space shuttle astronaut."NASA simply can't do the job it's been given -- the president's goal of being on the moon by 2020," Nelson told the first public meeting of the Review of US Human Space Flight Plans Committee in

Space Sciences - General Reference and Real-Time Astronomical Data

Take a virtual tour of the International Space Station - visit NASA's website about the ISS and take a live tour of the inside. You can choose which modules you want to visit and move the camera around inside to get a full 360-degree view.See this OUSTANDING, award-winning website on Black Holes. Get the data on the current

First direct evidence of lightning on Mars detected

An illustration of a dust storm on Mars. Credit: Brian Grimm and Nilton RennoFor the first time, direct evidence of lightning has been detected on Mars, say University of Michigan researchers who found signs of electrical discharges during dust storms on the Red Planet.The bolts were dry lightning, says Chris Ruf, a professor in the departments of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences and

Whistleblowers’ evidence of NASA UFO fraud might kill UK hacker case

Evidence that U.S. space agency NASA has defrauded U.S. taxpayers for billions of dollars could scrap NASA’s case against UK hacker Gary McKinnon. Credible witnesses have claimed that NASA has altered or destroyed its photos containing images of UFOs. This could become a legal and public relations nightmare for NASA.The space agency is attempting to prosecute McKinnon for hacking into NASA

Ancient lake shore on Mars: Primo spot for hunting signs of past life?

Turn the clock back 3.4 billion years, transplant North America’s Lake Champlain to the floor of Mars’ Shalbatana Vallis, and you have a pretty good idea of what a team of scientists says it has uncovered on the red planet. The find suggests that substantial amounts of water pooled and persisted on the martian surface hundreds of millions of years later than many planetary scientists currently

Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 17 Jun 2009

:Product: Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity:Issued: 2009 Jun 17 2200 UTC# Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA,# Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force. Space Environment Center (NOAA)Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical ActivitySDF Number 168 Issued at 2200Z on 17 Jun 2009IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 16/2100Zto 17/2100Z:

University of Colorado team finds definitive evidence for ancient lake on Mars

First unambiguous evidence for shorelines on the surface of Mars, say researchersIMAGE: This is reconstructed landscape showing the Shalbatana lake on Mars as it may have looked roughly 3.4 billion years ago. Data used in reconstruction are from NASA and the European Space Agency.A University of Colorado at Boulder research team has discovered the first definitive evidence of shorelines on Mars,

NASA Exploration Exhibit to Visit Chantilly, Va., June 19-21

America's plans for opening the space frontier -- including new human exploration of Earth's moon and future voyages into the solar system beyond -- are featured in an interactive exhibit that will be on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar -- Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.The NASA Exploration Experience

NASA Announces Education Research Program Award Recipients

NASA has awarded approximately $19 million to colleges and universities nationwide to conduct research and technology development in areas of importance to NASA's mission. In addition, the awards enable faculty development and higher education student support.The selections are part of NASA's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, known as EPSCoR. The program is designed to

Northrop Grumman Foundation's Earthwatch Educator Program Announces Scholarship Recipients

Northrop Grumman Corporation announced the scholarship recipients of its Earthwatch Educator Program, an innovative environmental education program for teachers across the country.Twenty-two educators from communities in which the company operates have been selected to participate in an Earthwatch expedition focused on climate change or oceans preservation. This is an invaluable experience

NASA Learning Technologies Project Office releases FY 2009 Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center's Learning Technologies Project Office (LTPO) has released a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) to conduct research and evaluation on the design and usage of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) and Persistent Immersive Synthetic Environments (Virtual Worlds) for NASA Science, Technology, Engineering and

NASA prepares to take first steps back to the Moon

A robotic scout to reconnoiter the Moon like never before and a sleuth that will dig into a tantalizing mystery at the lunar south pole are awaiting blastoff Thursday aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The 19-story booster will hurl toward the Moon its double payload comprised of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Together, the

21st century lunar orbiter a precursor to human missions

When the next generation of lunar astronauts step foot on the Moon in the years ahead, the definitive travel guide compiled by an instrument-laden spacecraft launching this week will detail the best and worst places to go and the risks the crews could face. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is NASA's trailblazer to create detailed maps of the terrain, plot out potential landing sites, identify

Professor leads NASA mission's effort to map moon's surface temperatures

When NASA launches the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a yearlong unmanned mission to comprehensively map the entire moon, later this month, UCLA's David Paige will be leading its Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, which will perform the first global survey of the temperature of the lunar surface as the spacecraft orbits some 31 miles above the moon.When NASA launches the Lunar Reconnaissance

Moon ice and Mars weather report

The current lunar mission LRO LCROSS, was pushed back for Endeavour and is now set for Thursday afternoon at the earliest or possibly Friday. That mission, among other purposes, will be searching for ice under the Moon's surface. This may provide support for a human base station. In addition, research may provide the potential that other planets or moons in our solar system have water- essential

LOIRP In The News

More Photos From the Lunar Time Machine, Universe Today "The LOIRP team is working on digitizing the data, and restoring the images to their full resolution. These images are especially timely, given the upcoming launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, hopefully this week. NASA can compare detailed high-resolution images from 1966 to

Air University honors former astronaut with honorary degree

The commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to orbit the moon, was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree by Air University officials for his contributions to aviation and space exploration at the USAF Test Pilot School Saturday.Retired Col. Frank Borman received the honorary degree presented by Lt. Gen. Allen G. Peck, the Air University commander, in front of family, friends, faculty and

Space Shuttle Endeavour delayed again as NASA races against the clock

A hydrogen leak in the same general area that delayed the first attempt at launching Endeavour STS-127 has been located for the third time. Check out the time lapse of engineers fixing the last leak below. This will delay Endeavour's plan to return to the International Space Station for a 13 day mission to attach Japan's final module. According to NASA, the next try will be July 11 at the

Asteroid probe set to “collide” with Earth in June 2010

Japanese scientists have announced that a 1,124-pound (510-kilogram) space probe will “collide” with our home planet in June 2010 to simulate an approaching asteroid. According to a report in National Geographic News, the Hayabusa spacecraft is currently on its way back to Earth after a successful mission that landed on and hopefully collected samples from the asteroid Itokawa.Potential samples

NASA’s space flight plans

If you’re a space wonk and have some time tomorrow you might want to go to NASA’s public meeting about the plans for human space flight. Starting at 9am at the Carnegie Institution auditorium and running till 5pm topics will include the Constellation Program, the International Space Station, other orbital transport systems, and how it all gets paid for. If you can’t sneak out of work but can keep

NASA to launch Israeli technology

First Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to be launched Wednesday includes technology developed by Kfar-Saba based Sital company. 'This is proof Israelis are preferred over competitors around the world,'The American National Aeronautics and Space Administration will be launching its first Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in its Vision for Space Exploration plan on Wednesday, using technology that was

Enormous eruption reveals dead star in deep space

Astronomers, using ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) XMM-Newton and Integral space observatories, have observed an enormous eruption, which after careful analysis, has revealed a dead star belonging to a rare group: the magnetars.X-Rays from the giant outburst arrived on Earth on August 22, 2008, and triggered an automatic sensor on the NASA-led, international Swift satellite. Just twelve hours

Fuel Leak Again Postpones Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour

NASA postponed the launch of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission Wednesday because of a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle's external fuel tank.Endeavour's next launch opportunity is July 11. This date comes after the end of an orbital sun-angle condition called a beta angle cut-out, which occurs between June 22 and July 10. The cut-out creates a

Gas leak delays space shuttle launch for 2nd time

NASA canceled the launch of space shuttle Endeavour on Wednesday for the second time after a potentially dangerous hydrogen gas leak surfaced while the ship was being fueled.An identical problem stymied a launch attempt on Saturday. Technicians had replaced seals in a hydrogen vent line in hopes of stemming the leak. The next opportunity to launch Endeavour will be on July 11, a NASA

SpaceX Update: Falcon 9 Flight 1

First Stage EnginesEngine testing for the inaugural Falcon 9 flight proceeds at a rapid pace with no major problems or concerns. Six of the nine first stage flight engines have completed acceptance testing and all nine flight engines are on schedule to complete acceptance testing by mid July.Merlin 1C first stage engine firing on the stand at our Texas testing facility.Second Stage EnginesOur

NOAA SEC Space Weather Outlook #09- 24

Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space Weather Prediction CenterBoulder, Colorado, USASPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK #09- 242009 June 16 at 10:33 a.m. MDT (2009 June 16 1633 UTC)**** SPACE WEATHER OUTLOOK ****Summary For June 8-14No space weather storms were detected.Outlook For June 17-23No space weather storms are expected.Data used to provide space weather services are

NASA LaRC Notice of availability of inventions for licensing 16 June 2009

Source: Langley Research Center [Federal Register: June 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 114)] [Notices] [Page 28573-28574] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16jn09-81]NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION[Notice (09-054)]Government-Owned Inventions, Available for LicensingAGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.ACTION: Notice of

NASA JSC Notice of availability of inventions for licensing 16 June 2009

[Federal Register: June 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 114)] [Notices] [Page 28574] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16jn09-84]NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION[Notice (09-053)]Government-Owned Inventions, Available for LicensingAGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.ACTION: Notice of availability of inventions for

NASA GRC Notice of availability of inventions for licensing 16 June 2009

[Federal Register: June 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 114)] [Notices] [Page 28574] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16jn09-83]NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION[Notice (09-051)]Government-Owned Inventions, Available for LicensingAGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.ACTION: Notice of availability of inventions for

NASA GSFC Notice of availability of inventions for licensing 16 June 2009

[Federal Register: June 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 114)] [Notices] [Page 28574] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16jn09-82]NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION[Notice (09-052)]Government-Owned Inventions, Available for LicensingAGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.ACTION: Notice of availability of inventions for

NASA MSFC Notice of availability of inventions for licensing 16 June 2009

[Federal Register: June 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 114)] [Notices] [Page 28574-28575] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16jn09-86]NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION[Notice (09-049)]Government-Owned Inventions, Available for LicensingAGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.ACTION: Notice of availability of inventions for

NASA ARC Notice of availability of inventions for licensing 16 June 2009

[Federal Register: June 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 114)] [Notices] [Page 28574] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16jn09-85]NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION[Notice (09-050)]Government-Owned Inventions, Available for LicensingAGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.ACTION: Notice of availability of inventions for

AIP FYI #77: FY 2010 House NASA Appropriations Bill

The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy NewsNumber 77: June 16, 2009(This FYI is unusually long because of extensive committee report language on NASA. Readers are urged to click on the above link for a more readable version.)There is important language in the House Appropriations Committee report accompanying the FY 2010 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill on

Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 16 Jun 2009

:Product: Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity:Issued: 2009 Jun 16 2200 UTC# Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA,# Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force.Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical ActivitySDF Number 167 Issued at 2200Z on 16 Jun 2009IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 15/2100Zto 16/2100Z: Solar activity was very low. A

NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Customers or users who want to call to ask about problems or report outages can use the following contacts:- For questions about data quality (noisy data, dropouts, schedules), GOES or POES products, or status of spacecraft can call the SAB Shift Supervisor at 301-763-8444- To report an outage or document a problem, call the ESPC Operations Crew Lead at 301-457-5218. All LRIT data users are

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 16 June 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.FE-5 Frank DeWinne performed the periodic WRS (Water Recovery System) sample analysis in the TOCA (Total Organic Carbon Analyzer), after first priming (filling) the TOCA water sample hose. After the approximately 2 hr TOCA analysis, results were transferred to SSC-7 (Station Support Computer 7) via USB drive

NASA: Commercial Partners Are Making Progress, but Face Aggressive Schedules to Demonstrate Critical Space Station Cargo Transport Capabilities. GAO-

Full reportWhat GAO FoundDuring the course of our review, we found NASA's management of the COTS project has generally adhered to critical project management tools and activities and the vast majority of project expenditures were for milestone payments to COTS partners. NASA has established fixed-price, performance-based milestones in its agreements with commercial partners and partners are only

NASA MODIS Image of the Day: June 16, 2009 - Kiritimati (Christmas Island)

Kiritimati Island, a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands, has a large infilled lagoon that gives it the largest land area (125 square miles, 321 square km) of any atoll in the world.It is shown in this image captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on June 9, 2009. Captain Cook named the atoll Christmas Island when he arrived on Christmas Eve in 1777. The name "Kiritimati" is

NASA Exploration Exhibit to Visit Chantilly, Va., June 19-21

America's plans for opening the space frontier -- including new human exploration of Earth's moon and future voyages into the solar system beyond -- are featured in an interactive exhibit that will be on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The NASA

NASA's future goes under scrutiny

A 10-member committee of former astronauts, aerospace executives and academics kicks off an 11-week evaluation of America's manned-spaceflight program today — and the stakes couldn't be higher.Chaired by retired Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine, the committee must deal with an incredibly tight schedule, pressure from NASA contractors and their backers on Capitol Hill and a reliance on NASA

NASA prepares for GOES-O launch

The U.S. space agency is preparing to launch the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The liftoff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-O satellite is targeted for June 16, during a 6:14 a.m. to 7:14 a.m. EDT launch window. "Launching GOES-O will contribute the data needed for accurate NOAA forecasts for

NASA fuels space shuttle for second launch try

* Shuttle launch scheduled for 5:40 a.m. EDT (0940 GMT)* Fuel leak stymied first launch try* Shuttle to deliver Japanese porch to space stationBy Irene KlotzCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 16 (Reuters) - Delayed by bad weather, NASA on Tuesday began filling space shuttle Endeavour's fuel tank for launch, hoping to begin a key construction mission at the International Space Station.Fueling

EXOPOLITICS: Will the White House press corps ask Obama about the extraterrestrial and UFO presence?

Ever since the Durant Report of the 1953 U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s Robertson Panel, mainstream media have considered the extraterrestrial and UFO presence to be the “3rd rail” of journalism – “touch it and you die”. The 1953 CIA Robertson Panel essentially decreed that any discourse about extraterrestrial or hyperdimensional civilizations be treated with ridicule or scorn, and that any

LRO Steps Aside For Endeavour

NASA will try again to launch the space shuttle Endeavour on June 17, and still push to get the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) under way this week as well. Both spacecraft were scheduled to launch from Florida that day, after a gaseous hydrogen leak forced the shuttle program to scrub Endeavour's planned June 13 launch. But in an effort to "maximize" the space agency's launch opportunities

NASA probes lead way back to moon

NASA embarks on a landmark mission of lunar exploration this week with the launch of probes to scout for water sources and landing sites, in a bid to lead humanity back on the first visit to the moon since 1972.The US space agency, with its eye on sending astronauts to Earth's natural satellite by 2020, is on course to blast off the dual LRO and LCROSS missions on Thursday atop an Atlas V rocket

Busy week for STS-127 ISS mission and LRO/LCROSS Moon mission

NASA announced June 15, 2009, that the space shuttle Endeavour will lift off on June 17 for the Space Station, followed by the launch, one day later, of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite for its very important mission to study the Moon up close and personal.The launch of STS-127 is scheduled to occur at 5:40 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), 940 UTC,

Micro Materials look to win more business after Astronaut drops in

Former NASA astronaut Scott ‘Doc' Horowitz met staff from Micro Materials earlier this month as part of a push by International Business Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government's trade and investment arm, to increase hi-tech exports to the United States ahead of a huge Welsh trade mission to Washington in June. Colonel Horowitz served as a commander and pilot on four space shuttle missions and later

NASA Awards Scholarships to 100 College Students

NASA has selected 100 full-time undergraduate students to receive a one-year college scholarship. NASA's Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology, or MUST, project awards scholarships and internships to students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields. "Education projects such as MUST seek to inspire and equip diverse

Lero to commercialise NASA-developed technology

Following the award of a US patent for NASA technology to Professor Mike Hinchey, the co-director of the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre (Lero), and his former NASA colleagues, Lero is to commercially develop the technology here in Ireland. The patent (No 7,543,274) supports the automatic generation of provably correct software using a combination of trace-based and

Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Mission Overview

Mission SummaryThe Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) is an Explorer mission that was managed by the Office of Space Science Mission and Payload Development Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).More on the ACE personnel, including scientific Co-Investigators can be found here.ACE launched on a McDonnell-Douglas Delta II 7920 launch vehicle on August 25, 1997 from

Space Missions - Past and Future Missions

Future Missions Crest Canadian contribution Mission name Mission Date Launch vehicle Astronaut: Robert Thirsk Expedition 20/21 May 2009 Soyuz Spacecraft Astronaut: Julie Payette Mission STS-127 June, 2009 Space Shuttle Endeavour Past Missions Crest

Neptec's Laser Camera System for Return to Flight and Assembly Missions

Neptec's Laser Camera System (LCS) is a wide angle, high-speed, high-precision, laser scanner. Installed at the end of the new extension boom for Canadarm on the Space Shuttle for the Return to Flight missions, the scanner can inspect even hard-to-reach areas on the underside of the Shuttle that cannot normally be viewed from the Shuttle. The scanner gives NASA the ability to detect even fine

Inspection Boom by MDA: One of critical Canadian tools that serves the return to flight

Background Following the Columbia shuttle accident in early 2003, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) was formed to mandate improvements to the Shuttle program. One of the requirements was a way for NASA to inspect the underside of the Shuttle before reentry. Building on the technology and experience acquired by MDA in building several generations of space-borne

STS-121 Mission Timeline

If there are only 2 spacewalks [Flight Day from 1 to 13]If there are 3 spacewalks [Flight Day from 8 to 14]Flight days 1 to 7 would remain the same, but activities on the following days would change.Flight Day 1 Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery at 2:38 p.m., EDTPayload bay door is openedKU band antenna is deployedThe crew powers up CanadarmThe crew plays back

STS-121 Mission Profile Shuttle Crew

Shuttle CrewThe seven STS-121 astronauts take a break from training to pose for the crew portrait. From the left are astronauts Stephanie Wilson, Michael Fossum, both mission specialists; Steven Lindsey, commander; Piers Sellers, mission specialist; Mark Kelly, pilot; European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany; and Lisa Nowak, both mission specialists. (Photo: NASA)Commander: Steve

STS-121 Mission Overview

Mission STS-121Mission STS-121 took place from July 4 to 17, 2006. During these 13 days in space, the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery continued to test new equipment and procedures that increase the safety of space shuttles. Canada played a critical role in this mission by providing an extension to the Canadarm tipped with a Laser Camera System that allow the inspection of every inch of the

NASA Satellite Captures First View of 'Night-Shining Clouds'

A NASA satellite has captured the first occurrence this summer of mysterious shiny polar clouds that form 50 miles above Earth’s surface.Image above: This image shows one of the first ground sightings of noctilucent clouds in the 2007 season. Credit: Veres Viktor of Budapest, Hungary taken on June 15, 2007. The first observations of these "night-shining" clouds by a satellite

The Earth Observation Group at NGDC

The Earth Observation Group at NGDC is home to the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Archive. In addition to maintaining the archive, the EOG performs research on the data as well as creating products. The DMSP is a Department of Defense (DoD) program run by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). The DMSP designs, builds, launches, and maintains

Kiritimati (Christmas Island) the northern Line Islands

Satellite: Aqua

NASA delays moon-mapping mission by a day

Continuing delays in the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour caused NASA managers on Monday to move back the scheduled launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter moon-mapping mission by a day, to no earlier than Thursday.Endeavour's launch, originally planned for Saturday at Cape Canaveral in Florida, was delayed by a leak in the hydrogen venting system on the shuttle's giant external fuel tank

International Space Station Timelines (June 16 2009)

International Space Station Timelines (June 16 2009) These are copies of the flight plan timelines used by the crew onboard the International Space Station. The timelines are sent to the crew in Russian, and partially translated for ground controllers in America. No all-English translations are available at this time.Radiogram No. 517u Form 24 for 06/16/09ISS Handover. Tool StowageGMT

International Space Station Timelines (June 15 2009)

International Space Station Timelines (June 15 2009)These are copies of the flight plan timelines used by the crew onboard the International Space Station. The timelines are sent to the crew in Russian, and partially translated for ground controllers in America. No all-English translations are available at this time.Rg 512u form 24 for 06/15/09Air Pressure Unite (БНП) R&R in DC1. R&R - Water

International Space Station Timelines (June 14 2009)

International Space Station Timelines (June 14 2009)These are copies of the flight plan timelines used by the crew onboard the International Space Station. The timelines are sent to the crew in Russian, and partially translated for ground controllers in America. No all-English translations are available at this time.Radiogram No. 0508u Form 24 for 06/14/2009Crew Off Duty.GMT CREW

Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) Releases New Image of Apollo 12/Surveyor III Landing Site

This image LO3-154-H was taken by Lunar Orbiter III on 20 February 1967 and shows the landing site for both Surveyor III (landed 20 April 1967) and Apollo 12 (landed 19 November 1969).Figure 1 shows the region without labels. Figure 2 shows major features plus EVA routes.Figure: 2 Apollo 12/Surveyor III landing site as seen by Lunar Orbiter III with prominent features and EVA routes (larger

Register Today for NASA Education Workshops Taking Place This Summer

"Voyage" to the Moon and Beyond Educator Workshop at Space Center Houston on July 7, 2009Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a full day of educational experiences at Space Center Houston. The "Voyage" to the Moon and Beyond Educator Workshop will take place on July 7, 2009. Each educator will leave this workshop with new curriculum support materials, lunar sample

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 15 June 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Underway: Week 3 of Increment 20.FE-2 Wakata & FE-4 Thirsk began the day with the extended “Bisphosphonates” biomedical countermeasures experiment for which Wakata & Thirsk (the latter having joined the experiment on 6/8) ingested an Alendronate pill before breakfast. [The Bisphosphonates study should

NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Monday, June 15, 2009

Customers or users who want to call to ask about problems or report outages can use the following contacts:- For questions about data quality (noisy data, dropouts, schedules), GOES or POES products, or status of spacecraft can call the SAB Shift Supervisor at 301-763-8444- To report an outage or document a problem, call the ESPC Operations Crew Lead at 301-457-5218. All LRIT data users are

Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 15 Jun 2009

:Product: Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity:Issued: 2009 Jun 15 2200 UTC# Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA,# Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force.Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical ActivitySDF Number 166 Issued at 2200Z on 15 Jun 2009IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 14/2100Zto 15/2100Z: Solar activity was very low. No

International Space Station Communications ISSCOM.065

EVA of Padalka and Barratt on 5-6-2009.On the 1st of June 2009 during the pass in ISS Orbit 60348 between 1147 and 1156UTC the cosmonauts tested the space suits. There was a strong cross-modulation from an airtraffic control centre (probably Frankfurt a/M).The EVA on 5-06-2009 started at 0752UTC ended at 1246UTC, so the duration was 4 hrs and 54 mins. During this EVA the cosmonauts installed a

International Space Station Communications ISSCOM.064

S-TMA15: 2nd flightday, 28-5-2009.Communications S-TMA15 with TsUP Moscow.(Explanation: About QSB, this means reception interrupted. About "R", this means I received this.)Orbit 17: 1216-1217UTC. Just one call of Parus-1 (Romanenko) Very short: Elevation 0 degrees.Orbit Orbit 18: 1337-1343UTC. Rom. about the CO2 situation. They will not chan change this for the time being. Go ahead with your

International Space Station Communications ISSCOM.061

In the first place my congratulations to you all with the 47-th anniversary of the flight of Yuriy Gagarin.For me an extra stimulus to go on with my monitoring of the Russian channels. Regretfully the radio communications after 21 October 2007 decreased considerably. But for me now and then traffic revealed enough interesting facts to keep my logbook up to date.After 12 October 2007 VHF-1 (

NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4863

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class ScienceDAILY REPORT #4863PERIOD COVERED: 5am June 9 - 5am June 10, 2009 (DOY 160/0900z-161/0900z)OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULEDACS/WFC/S/C 11811ACS CEB-R Optimization Iteration 3During the early weeks of SMOV the ACS-R team will work to find the best parameters for CEB-R and the WFC CCD operations before continuing with the normal SMOV activities

NASA Advanced Supercomputing Facility N258 Electrical Supply Reliability Improvement Project Phases IB and III

Synopsis - Jun 11, 2009General Information Solicitation Number: NNA09282501R Posted Date: Jun 11, 2009 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jun 11, 2009 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Jul 18, 2009 Current Response Date: Jul 18, 2009 Classification Code: Y -- Construction of structures and facilities NAICS Code: 237130 - Power and Communication Line and

NASA Solicitation CIO Executive Board Membership

Synopsis/Solicitation Combo - Jun 12, 2009General Information Solicitation Number: NNH09297734Q Posted Date: Jun 12, 2009 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jun 12, 2009 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Jun 19, 2009 Current Response Date: Jun 19, 2009 Classification Code: U -- Education and training services NAICS Code: 813920 - Professional

LCROSS Lessons Learned: A Recap of First Week Rehearsal

The LCROSS First Week Rehearsal was all it was cooked up to be. With a fully realistic operations timeline, long hours, and a representative dose of problems inserted by our beloved Test Conductor, "FWR" was all-consuming. Our team emerged successful, having achieved all of the major objectives of the first week. However, this test was not a walk in the park. Under the stress of continuous

Impressions from the San Sebastian meeting Open Questions in the Origin of Life (OQOL)

The 2009 San Sebastian meeting on OQOL was the follow-up to an analogous meeting held in Erice, Sicily three years ago. The general idea was to identify and discuss the areas in the field that are still "in the darkness", i.e. remain poorly understood despite their importance. We asked what were the reasons of our persisting ignorance, and what could we do to shed light on the "dark" areas. The

AIP FYI #75: FY 2010 House Appropriations Bill: National Science Foundation

The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy NewsThe report accompanying the House Appropriations Committee version of the FY 2010 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill has just been posted. This report stresses the importance of science and technology to the nation, stating in regard to the National Science Foundation:"The value of the NSF to the future growth of the

Strategic Science Initiatives in the Origins of Life Report from the NAI meeting

The NAI held a strategic science initiative workshop in Tempe, AZ on May 13-15, to identify areas where increased collaboration between the funded NAI teams could lead to greater scientific insights and productivity. One of the initiative areas focused on origins of life research; the origins initiative was chaired by George Cody (Carnegie team) and John Peters (Montana State team) and Stephen

Planetary Science Decadal Survey: White Papers Posted for Comment

Comments are being solicited from members of the astrobiology community on the following paper(s) that will be submitted to the 2009-2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Papers will be revised based on community feedback. Additonal papers will be posted here as they become available.Astrobiology Research Priorities for Exoplanets (Last Updated: May 28, 2009)Astrobiology Research Priorities for

NASA Cassini Significant Events 06/03/09 - 06/09/09

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired on June 9 from the Deep Space Network tracking complex at Canberra, Australia. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and all subsystems are operating normally. Information on the present position and speed of the Cassini spacecraft may be found on the "Present Position" page at: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/

NASA MODIS Image of the Day: June 15, 2009 - Circles in Thin Ice, Lake Baikal, Russia

Late in April 2009, astronauts aboard the International Space Station observed a strange circular area of thinned ice in the southern end of Lake Baikal in southern Siberia.Images Siberia is remote and cold; ice cover can persist into June. This MODIS Aqua image from April 20, 2009, shows one of these circles, which is the focal point for ice break up in the very southern end of the lake. The

NASA Awards Hydrospheric and Biospheric Science Services Contract

NASA has selected Sigma Space Corporation of Lanham, Md., to provide Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Support Services. The total maximum ordering value of the cost-plus fixed fee contract will be $120 million. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) Sigma will provide support to the Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight

NASA and soft power, again

As we embark on yet another NASA budgetary roller coaster ride, courtesy of our political masters in Washington, it may be time to step back and examine why NASA is such an important part of America’s image at home and abroad. It is not simply the memories of what the space agency accomplished 40 years ago, and the still-haunting black and white film of John F. Kennedy telling us that “We choose

NASA selects Saft America to develop next-generation

NASA officials awarded Saft a multi-million dollar contract to develop next-generation lithium-ion (Li-ion) technologyfor NASA. In order to launch and operate rovers, landers, astronaut packs, and other space electronics applications on the moon, the new technology must offer very high specific energy. Based

Earth Observatory Surface Energy Budget and Atmosphere’s Energy Budget

Surface Energy BudgetTo understand how the Earth’s climate system balances the energy budget, we have to consider processes occurring at the three levels: the surface of the Earth, where most solar heating takes place; the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, where sunlight enters the system; and the atmosphere in between. At each level, the amount of incoming and outgoing energy, or net flux, must be

Earth Observatory Heating Imbalances and Earth’s Energy Budget

Heating Imbalances Three hundred forty watts per square meter of incoming solar power is a global average; solar illumination varies in space and time. The annual amount of incoming solar energy varies considerably from tropical latitudes to polar latitudes (described on page 2). At middle and high latitudes, it also varies considerably from season to season. The peak energy received at

Earth Observatory Overview and Incoming Sunlight

OverviewClimate and Earth’s Energy BudgetThe Earth’s climate is a solar powered system. Globally, over the course of the year, the Earth system - land surfaces, oceans, and atmosphere - absorbs an average of about 240 watts of solar power per square meter (one watt is one joule of energy every second). The absorbed sunlight drives photosynthesis, fuels evaporation, melts snow and ice, and warms

Biography of Julie Payette

Personal Profile: Born October 20, 1963, in Montréal, Quebec, Ms. Payette enjoys running, skiing, racquet sports and scuba diving. She has a commercial pilot license with float rating. Ms. Payette is fluent in French and English, and can converse in Spanish, Italian, Russian and German. She plays the piano and has sung with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Piacere Vocale in Basel,

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Launch Detatils

LaunchLaunch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.Launch Pad: Launch Complex 41Launch Date: June 17Launch Time: 3:51 p.m. EDTEnroute to Launch Complex 41at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida+ Kennedy Photo Gallery June 11, 2009 - We held our mission rehearsal today. Key players on the LRO, LCROSS, and vehicle launch teams practiced

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission Detatils

Mission Overview The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is the first mission in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, a plan to return to the moon and then to travel to Mars and beyond. The LRO objectives are to finding safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. The spacecraft will be placed in low polar orbit (50 km)

ISS could stay in service through 2025 - Russian Space Agency

European, American and Japanese partners of Russia on the International Space Station may want the orbiter to continue its mission until at least 2025, the head of Russia's Space Agency said Monday. "Partners from the European Space Agency have, for example, a strong desire to extend the station's flight terms, and they can be understood: the Columbus scientific lab is totally new... its resource

NASA uses Russian equipment to search for Moon water

NASA will launch two spacecraft to the Moon on Wednesday. One of them, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), will carry the Russian-made Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND). After making the four-day trip, it will orbit the Earth’s satellite at low altitude for about a year, making analyses to determine the presence of water. Then it will enter into a higher, more stable orbit,

US, Russian satellites collide in space

HIGH-SPEED prangs are not confined to the road. They also happen far above our heads. In a space-age first, two satellites have collided in orbit. Early on Wednesday morning, Sydney time, a Russian communications satellite and an American Iridium mobile phone spacecraft smashed into each other, 790 kilometres above Siberia. The cosmic bingle left both write-offs. US Air

KODAK Imaging Technology to Explore Moon

With this week's scheduled launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, imaging technology from Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) will again play a key role in the exploration of our solar system. Using images captured by KODAK CCD Image Sensors, the orbiter will be used to create a comprehensive atlas of the moon’s features and resources to aid in the design of a future manned lunar outpost. The

Chance to meet a real life astranaut at Spaceport

Youngsters are being given the chance to meet a real NASA astronaut, as Spaceport sets out on another journey into the world of space. American Dr Rhea Seddon, the sixth woman in history to make the journey into space, is visiting Spaceport as part of a whistle-stop tour of the UK. On Friday evening, Dr Seddon will give a one-off talk to 100 space enthusiasts and the session is open to the

Volcano ash flies high - June 15, 2009

Sarychev Peak on Matua Island in the Russian Kuril Islands is blowing its top and the ash cloud is threatening aircraft flying over the area. The volcano began spewing on June 12, and since then, according to US Air Force Weather Agency, that ash has now spread 700 nautical miles (1,300 kilometers) east-southeast and 400 nautical miles (740 kilometers) west-northwest of the volcano. The image

NASA Return to Lunar Orbit Will Scout for Future Human Exploration

Atop an Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida sits the first step in what will surely be a long and arduous task for NASA—returning humans to the moon. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, set to lift off this week, will orbit the moon in search of potential landing sites and useful resources, such as water ice, that would facilitate a long-term human presence.For

Space Shuttle Update: Launch facing tight deadline

Canadian astronaut Julie Payette and her six American crew mates could be on their way to the International Space Station on Wednesday.They were set to blast off aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Saturday, but the launch was scrubbed because of a gaseous hydrogen leak near the external fuel tank.NASA engineer Leroy Cain said yesterday that repairs on Endeavour are coming along and the U-S

GE and NASA to give open-rotor jet engine systems a spin

GE and NASA plan to test a number of open-rotor fan blade systems for jet aircraft engines Image via GE AviationGE Aviation and NASA will run a wind tunnel test program over ther northern summer to evaluate and test counter-rotating fan-blade systems for open-rotor jet engine designs. The newly improved rig for testing was originally used by GE and NASA in the 1980s on scale models of

Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite [LCROSS] Fact Sheet

LCROSSLunar CRater Observation and Sensing SatelliteLunar MysteryEarth’s closest neighbor is holding a secret. In 1999, hints of that secret were revealed in the form of concentrated hydrogen signatures detected in permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles by NASA’s Lunar Prospector. These readings may be an indication of lunar water-ice and could have far-reaching implications as humans

Gamma-ray burst occurring in a dusty region

Dark gamma-ray bursts hidden by space dustGamma-ray bursts, the universe's most brilliant flashes of light, have revealed areas of star formation previously hidden to astronomers. The find could help astronomers understand how the universe's first stars formed and died. Gamma-ray bursts are twin beams of radiation and light that act like camera flash bulbs, helping astronomers probe the universe.

Catastrophic Space Crash

The crash of two satellites has generated an estimated tens of thousands of pieces of space junk that could circle Earth and threaten other satellites for the next 10,000 years, space experts said. One expert called the collision "a catastrophic event" that he hoped would force President Barack Obama's administration to address the long-ignored issue of debris in space.

Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) Releases Moon's South Pole

This image was taken by Lunar Orbiter IV in May 1967 and shows the south pole of the Moon. Figure 1 shows the region with out labels. Figure 2 shows major features plus notation regarding processing artifacts from the spacecraft's film processing system. The moon's south pole is located near the rim of Shackleton Crater.Adjacent to the south pole is Shoemaker crater named in honor of famed

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 14 June 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – off-duty day for CDR Gennady Padalka (Russia), FE-1 Michael Barratt (USA), FE-2 Koichi Wakata (Japan), FE-3 Roman Romanenko (Russia), FE-4 Robert Thirsk (Canada) and FE-5 Frank DeWinne (Belgium). Ahead: Week 3 of Increment 20.Upon wakeup (~2:00am EDT), Mike Barratt & Koichi Wakata continued their new

Endeavour launch scrubbed for at least 4 days

NASA officials have said that space shuttle Endeavour won't get a launch attempt this weekend, and likely won't get another launch attempt until June 20.Officials have instituted a 4-day scrub turnaround, meaning if the repairs go as expected, Wednesday, June 17 would be the earliest Endeavour could launch. That seems unlikely with a planned Atlas launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 14 Jun 2009

Product: Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity:Issued: 2009 Jun 14 2200 UTC# Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA,# Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force.Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical ActivitySDF Number 165 Issued at 2200Z on 14 Jun 2009IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 13/2100Zto 14/2100Z: Solar activity was very low. No

NASA says Endeavour shuttle launch will likely take place June 17

Canadian astronaut Julie Payette and her six American crew mates will have to be patient for a few more days after NASA announced the launch of Endeavour was re-scheduled for sometime between this coming Wednesday and Saturday.The scheduled weekend launch was cancelled after a gaseous hydrogen leak was found near the external fuel tank.NASA engineer Leroy Cain said Sunday that repairs on

AASC to Manufacture Cygnus Structure

Applied Aerospace Structures Corporation (AASC) has been awarded a contract by Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) to manufacture and test the composite structure for the Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft. The twelve-sided, 103" diameter x 50" tall structure is based on Orbital's STAR 2 platform design, and will be comprised of a forward and aft aluminum ring and graphite

Inside a 'Clean Room': NASA Puts Mars Rover Together

It may not look like much now, unassembled under silver tarps, but once it's completed and launched, the Mars Science Laboratory will be the biggest, most powerful vehicle ever sent to the red planet. The assembly of MSL (recently re-named "Curiosity") here at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is moving along slowly but surely — mission engineers are taking their time now that they have two

NASA PharmaSat Status Report 12 June 2009

The PharmaSat nanosatellite has successfully completed an experiment that could help scientists better understand how effectively drugs work in space. PharmaSat continues to collect data that could help scientists learn more about how yeast adapts to changes in its environment.NASA's PharmaSat nanosatellite launched May 19, 2009 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional

NASA Awards First Recovery Act Contract for Johnson Repairs

Using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NASA has awarded to DRI Commercial Corporation of Irvine, Calif., a contract to repair critical infrastructure facilities at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston that were damaged during Hurricane Ike in September 2008. The funds will be used to perform roof repairs and roof ledge replacements at Johnson. (Logo: http:

NASA Hosts Media Briefings About Earth System Science Advances

NASA will hold two media briefings to present new developments in research and benefits to society made possible by the Earth system science approach pioneered by the agency during the last 20 years. The briefings will be held on June 23 and 24 at 12:30 p.m. EDT at the National Academy of Sciences, 2100 C St., NW, Washington. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

International Space Station Timelines (June 13 2009)

GMT CREW ACTIVITY06:00-06:10 CDR, FE-3, FE-4, FE-5 Morning inspection06:00-06:05 FE-1, FE-2 SLEEP data logging06:05-06:10 FE-1, FE-2 Morning inspection06:10-06:40 Post-sleep06:40-07:30

Reaching for the Stars Surrey Satellite (SSTL)

Maggie Aderin-Pocock darts through a maze of dark corridors of the high-security satellite works at the space firm Astrium in Stevenage, U.K. A locked door opens into a vast, bright room, where the bones of a satellite hang overhead: a gigantic metallic cube packed with wires and electronics. "This is Aeolus," she beams. The satellite is designed to monitor wind speed in Earth's atmosphere, and

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 13 June 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – light-duty day for CDR Gennady Padalka (Russia), FE-1 Michael Barratt (USA), FE-2 Koichi Wakata (Japan), FE-3 Roman Romanenko (Russia), FE-4 Robert Thirsk (Canada), FE-5 Frank DeWinne (Belgium). After this morning’s scrub of the Endeavour STS-127-2J/A launch, due to an external H2 leak at the

Global Hawk UAV Adapted For Environmental Research

NASA Partnering With NOAA On High Altitude Research Tool NASA and Northrop Grumman Corporation have unveiled the first Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system to be used for environmental science research, heralding a new application for the world’s first fully autonomous high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft. The debut took place Thursday at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards,

NASA reschedule the delayed shuttle Endeavour for launch

NASA managers Sunday deferred making a formal decision on whether to reschedule the delayed shuttle Endeavour for launch Wednesday or press ahead instead with launch of the agency's $583 million Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission aboard an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket. But with both missions facing tight launch windows, Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain said the agency's preference was to

NASA kick-starting lunar science

If you're in the planning stages of sending people back to the moon, as NASA is, you'd better know as much as possible about it. That's one of the reasons NASA launched, in late 2007, the Lunar Science Institute (LSI), an organization with an annual budget of $10 million for the study and research of the moon, as well as the role of supporting and inspiring new generations of lunar scientists.

EdLI - Bringing NASA to Bethpage

Former NASA Consultant Kevin Manning recently visited Clare McCarthy’s third grade class at the Bethpage School District’s Charles Campagne Elementary School.Mr. Manning worked with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, NASA’s specially designed telescope that can detect X-ray emission by orbiting above the Earth. He shared some unbelievable pictures, footage, and stories of outer space while teaching

MARS Takes Its Case for Life on Mars to the American People

At its first public lecture on June 7th at Conspiracy Con 2009 in Santa Clara, California, the Mars Anomaly Research Society (MARS), a Washington State non-profit corporation, presented evidence showing that Mars, Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor, is inhabited and accused NASA, the US space agency, of a cover-up of life on Mars.The president and founder of MARS, Andrew D. Basiago, who

NASA Selects Saft America to Develop Next-Generation Lithium-ion Technology

High-energy Technology Needed for NASA's Future Missions Saft, a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance batteries, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to develop the next-generation lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology for NASA. After a competitive review, Saft was selected for its expertise in electrochemistry and its ability to take products developed in the

Shuttle Teams Make Leak Repairs, Consider Launch Options

NASA managers will make a final decision by Monday afternoon about whether to launch space shuttle Endeavour on Wednesday, June 17 or wait until later in the week.Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center are working to fix a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside Endeavour's external fuel tank. The leak postponed Endeavour's Saturday morning scheduled launch to the

One giant leap: astronaut tweets from space

Astronauts are giving a behind the scenes look at the space shuttle Atlantis's high-risk mission to service the Hubble telescope, thanks to micro-blogging sensation Twitter. Mike Massimino, 47, blasted off into space this week with six other crew members. But thanks to Twitter, the space veteran is keeping his promise to stay posted, even from space. "Next stop, Earth

Six more swine flu cases - nasa

Of the 20 cases tested positive so far, 11 have been discharged. The rest are stable and admitted at identified health facilities Hardnews Bureau Six more persons tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) virus in Bangalore and Jalandhar. Of these, three cases were reported from Hyderabad, two from Bangalore and one from Jalandhar. The total number of swine flu cases rose to 23 in India. A school

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.: NASA fixing leak on shuttle fuel tank

NASA is repairing a leaky hydrogen gas line on Endeavour’s fuel tank in hopes of possibly launching the space shuttle on Wednesday. The leak forced mission managers to call off a launch attempt Saturday.The repair work began Sunday and should be completed in time for Endeavour to lift off Wednesday on the space station construction mission. But that’s the same day a pair of science spacecraft are

Former NASA Administrator Criticizes Obama NASA Pick

Former NASA administrator Michael Griffin has left his post as the official lead man for the U.S. space agency, but remains skeptical of his replacement appointed by President Barack Obama, Charles Bolden.Even though Griffin believes Bolden is qualified for the job, he's concerned regarding Bolden's decision to study and review the NASA manned spaceflight program."This review is not, in my

Loma Linda University lands NASA grant

Loma Linda University is one of four schools that will share a $28.4 million research program to determine how astronauts stand up to radiation in space. Teams of researchers from Loma Linda, the University of Texas, New York University and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. will supervise and conduct the studies over a five-year period beginning in January. "It shows that we're in the

LIVE COVERAGE: Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL (WREX) - Everything appears to be a "go" for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour. The forecast is good for NASA's planned launch at 6:17 a.m. Rockford time. Endeavour and its astronauts are heading to the International Space Station to deliver the final segment of Japan's huge space station lab, along with some spare parts for the orbiting outpost. When Endeavour arrives

Hydrogen Leak Halts Shuttle Launch

Stan Honda/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images There would be no countdown to launch after NASA delayed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour due to a hydrogen gas leak.KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Saturday’s launching of the space shuttle Endeavour was called off because of a hydrogen leak similar to one that delayed a space shuttle launching in March.The National Aeronautics and Space

Longest Total Solar Eclipse in 500 Years

The graphic shows the simulated image of a total eclipse of the Sun which is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth on July 22, 2009. [Photo: NASA] Have you ever seen a total solar eclipse? If not, you should not miss the chance to observe the spectacular natural phenomenon next month, which is said to be the longest one to occur in nearly 500 years in China. Wang

STS-127 Mission Information

Image above: Front row, Commander Mark Polansky (right) and Pilot Doug Hurley. Back row (left to right), astronauts Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Canadian Space Agency's Julie Payette, Tom Marshburn and Tim Kopra, all mission specialists. Kopra is scheduled to join Expedition 20 as flight engineer after launching to the International Space Station with the STS-127 crew. Image credit: NASAMark L

Space Station Assembly Kibo Japanese Experiment Module

The Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, called Kibo -- which means "hope" in Japanese -- is Japan's first human space facility and enhances the unique research capabilities of the International Space Station. Experiments in Kibo focus on space medicine, biology, Earth observations, material production, biotechnology and communications research. Kibo experiments and systems are operated from the

Photos: Looking back at NASA's X-15 aircraft

4-H Flag Going on Space Mission

the 4-H Flag, depicting the familiar 4-H Clover, will go into space as part of the load of Space Shuttle Endeavour, as part of the STS-127 mission. The mission will deliver the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station. The 16-day mission will include five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms outside of the Japanese

Astronauts forced to make room aboard crowded space station

Another Canadian will blast off on Saturday to join crew on orbiting research facilityAstronauts are preparing for their most ambitious experiment yet on the International Space Station: how to get along and be productive in an isolated, risky and increasingly crowded environment.With the arrival of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour, which is scheduled for launch at 7:17 a.m. Saturday from the

Black and gold astronauts

The two Purdue University alumni who will soon be aboard the shuttle Endeavour are no strangers to outer space -- or each other.Space shuttle commander Mark Polansky and mission specialist David Wolf both graduated from the West Lafayette campus in 1978."Polansky knew (astronaut Greg) Harbaugh and Wolf as undergraduates," said John Norberg, a Purdue writer who has documented the school's history