Hangar One may house new airship (www.mv-voice.com)→ NASA Ames deputy director Lew Braxton told a crowd last Thursday that the agency was hard at work on a plan to restore Hangar One within the next 18 months in order to return it to "its original purpose." "There is a possibility we will have another [airship out here," Braxton said as he talked about NASA's plan for Hangar One. The announcement was a revelation to those at the Moffett Field Restoration Advisory Board meeting, some of whom said they'd heard rumors, but no confirmation, that NASA wanted to once more park a huge airship inside the iconic structure. Among other things, it would mean that NASA plans to re-skin the hangar after the Navy strips off its toxic siding.
Martian methane belch: From rocks or microbes? (http://news.yahoo.com)→ WASHINGTON – A surprising and mysterious belch of methane gas on Mars hints at possible microbial life underground, but also could come from changes in rocks, a new NASA study found. The presence of methane on Mars could be significant because by far most of the gas on Earth is a byproduct of life — from animal digestion and decaying plants and animals. Past studies indicated no regular methane on Mars. But new research using three ground-based telescopes confirmed that nearly 21,000 tons of methane were released during a few months of the late summer of 2003, according to a study published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science. "This raises the probability substantially that life was there or still survives at the present," study author Michael Mumma of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center told The Associated Press.
Mars Methane Gas May Signal Biological Activity, Study Says (www.bloomberg.com)→ Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Mars’s surface shows signs of the presence of methane gas, a marker of biological activity or even primitive life forms, said scientists studying the Red Planet with telescopes. Methane can be produced by either living organisms or geological processes, scientists said. The gas may come from organisms like some on Earth that live more than a mile below the surface. “Both geochemical and biological origins have been explored, but no consensus has emerged,” said the scientists led by Michael Mumma of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in the study to be published in tomorrow’s edition of the journal Science. More than 90 percent of Earth’s methane is produced by living systems, with the remainder generated by geochemical processes, the study said. Researchers observed the Mars gas using high-dispersion infrared spectrometers at three ground- based telescopes. “There have been previous reports of methane on Mars, but they turned out to be incorrect,” Chris McKay, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, said in a telephone interview. “If there really is methane on Mars, it’s very exciting.”
Foothill-De Anza pushes ahead with NASA project (www.mercurynews.com)→ Despite tough economic times, Foothill-De Anza College is proceeding with plans to participate in the creation of a 70-acre high technology and science campus at Moffett Field. College Chancellor Martha Kanter said the project, which could cost the college $220,000 this year, will offer educational opportunities to a rapidly growing Peninsula population. And because the project is focused on emerging technologies, she said it will teach skills for working in industries such as solar energy and nanotechnology. The campus will include labs, classrooms, commercial space, up to 1,600 housing units and a partnership with NASA, said Charles Allen, vice chancellor of facilities and operations.
NASA can bring space advancements down to benefit Earth (www.marketwatch.com)→ SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- NASA is promoting itself in more down to earth terms these days: It claims the technology it develops to explore life in outer space can actually help sustain life on this planet. NASA's "Greenspace" is a Web site launched last year to showcase several environmentally friendly projects that are underway at NASA's Ames Research Center. Visit
Greenspace.
Software Faulted In Failed Hypersonic Test (www.aviationweek.com)→ ORLANDO, Fla. - Preliminary findings of an investigation into the August 2008 loss of NASA's HyBoLT (hypersonic boundary layer transition) rocket-boosted experimental project suggest a software fault was to blame.
HyBoLT was aimed at gathering data on transition flow physics - one of the fundamental areas of mystery in the high-speed atmospheric flight regime - but was cut short 20 seconds after liftoff from NASA's Wallops Island, Va., test site when the ATK-provided ALV X-1 booster went out of control (Aerospace DAILY, Aug. 25, 2008).
The vehicle was intended to boost a wedge-shaped copper forebody dubbed SOAREX (suborbital aerodynamics and re-entry experiments) to gather data on hypersonic re-entry shapes during the descent. "But it was destroyed after liftoff when it veered sharply," said Seokkwan Yoon, NASA Ames hypersonic aeronautics research scientist.
Like telescopes? Mount Lemmon? Try this (http://regulus2.azstarnet.com)→ “Moon Impact,” Jan. 12, Feb. 10, and March 12. Adam Block, program coordinator for the SkyCenter, will host guest observers in taking images of the moon that will help NASA select a target for a 2.2-ton projectile that will be fired into the moon next spring in a search for water. The target is for a shadowed crater in a polar region, where the moon is most likely to have water. SkyCenter images will support NASA’s “LCROSS” mission, or the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission. LCROSS is piggybacking on the upper stage of the Atlas V rocket scheduled to launch NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter toward the moon in April 2009.
The Greening of NASA (http://www.spacecoalition.com)→ NASA’s Ames Research Center is located in Silicon Valley, near San Francisco – a fertile valley of entrepreneurs as well as space research.
Remembering shuttle Columbia's 7 astronauts (http://news.yahoo.com/)→ CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In a new report, NASA reviews the way the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed and how the astronauts died as part of an effort to design a better spacecraft for the future. Here is a look at the seven who perished Feb. 1, 2003.
Onboard video of a 2 stage rocket at NASA Ames (http://www.youtube.com)→ Ball Aerospace Completes Environmental Testing for Kepler Mission (http://www.marketwatch.com)→ BOULDER, Colo., Dec 10, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has successfully completed a series of rigorous environmental and operational tests for NASA's Kepler mission to verify seamless operation of the system level hardware and software.
Looking for Life on Mars – in a Canadian Lake (http://www.astrobio.net)→ On the surface, Pavilion Lake, nestled among the peaks of Canada’s Marble Range, looks like a thousand other mountain lakes. It’s not unusually large or deep. It’s not especially acidic, or alkaline; it’s not overly salty; nor are there high concentrations of minerals dissolved in its water. Locals come here to fish, to boat, to swim, and to watch the summer clouds drift by.
Moffet Field: Google Lunar X PRIZE 'Mystery Team' Revealed (http://cbs5.com)→ SAN JOSE, Calif. — Four companies and a team from MIT Space Systems Laboratory announced their intention to compete for the Google Lunar X Prize Wednesday (Dec. 17). The effort is one of many NASA hopes to inspire as part of its drive to promote more commercial exploration and use of space, often using off-the-shelf technologies. "This is the most exciting time in space since Apollo--maybe ever," said S. Pete Worden, the director of NASA's Ames Research Center.
'Mystery' Lunar X Prize team unveiled (http://news.cnet.com)→ MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--There are now 16 announced teams registered for the Google Lunar X Prize competition, with a so-called "mystery" team unveiling its participants Wednesday. During a press conference held at NASA Ames Research Center here, the Next Giant Leap team--which had actually been the fifth team to register for the competition--finally pulled the wraps on its team members and the companies or institutions they work for.
Video: NASA wants you in space (www.eetimes.com)→ SAN JOSE, Calif. — Four companies and a team from MIT Space Systems Laboratory announced their intention to compete for the Google Lunar X Prize Wednesday (Dec. 17). The effort is one of many NASA hopes to inspire as part of its drive to promote more commercial exploration and use of space, often using off-the-shelf technologies. "This is the most exciting time in space since Apollo--maybe ever," said S. Pete Worden, the director of NASA's Ames Research Center.
Student Opportunities at NASA Centers (www.spaceref.com)→ This one-time email is to let you know about some of the wonderful opportunities for students at NASA centers. Please find below paragraphs provided by participating NASA centers advertising their student programs. Please share it with students who might be interested in participating.
Student Opportunities at Ames Research Center:
Ames Research Center (Mountain View, CA) is a leader in information technology research with a focus on supercomputing, networking and intelligent systems. Ames conducts the critical R&D and develops the enabling technologies that make NASA missions possible. Ames also is a leader in nanotechnology, fundamental space biology, biotechnology, aerospace and thermal protection systems, human factors and astrobiology research. Ames participates in several agency education programs such as NASA's Undergraduate Student Researcher's Program (USRP; http://www.epo.usra.edu/usrp), an undergraduate internship program for science, engineering and mathematics majors, and the Graduate Student Researcher's Program (GSRP; http://fellowships.hq.nasa.gov/gsrp) for graduate study leading to masters or doctoral degrees related to NASA research and development. Acting as a portal between minority institutions and the funding priorities of our nation, the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation's (UNCFSP; http://uncfsp.org/) division of Science and Technology offers internships and fellowships to faculty members undergraduate students and graduate students who have an interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.. Some of the UNCFSP opportunities at Ames include, NASA Science and Technology Institute Summer Scholars Project (NSTI-SSP), NSTI Summer Faculty Fellowship Project (SFF), and Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology (MUST). Ames specific student opportunities would include the Foothill-DeAnza Internship Program (FHDA; http://internships.fhda.edu/), a career development program for community college students, and the Education Associates Program (EAP; http://edassoc.arc.nasa.gov/), a program that is driven by actual research opportunities and needs at Ames. For information on the full list of Ames educational opportunities, please visit the Ames Education website at http://education.arc.nasa.gov/.
Vertical Gun Range Engineer (www.popularmechanics.com)→ When Chuck Cornelison gets ready for target practice, he loads his 12-ft-long gun and shoots projectiles in excess of 18,000 mph. But he’s not firing ordinary shells: The manager of NASA’s Ballistic Range Complex is shooting tiny replicas of meteors and spacecraft from three guns to mimic how craters form and how vehicles may fare in space. The guns were built in 1964 to study re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere for the Apollo missions; now they’re simulating the space debris that might pummel a moon colony. “We’ve come full circle,” Cornelison says. “There’s always something new to try.”
Ice-belching volcanoes active on Saturnian moon, probe suggests (www.azstarnet.com)→ New observations from the Cassini spacecraft appear to support the idea that active, icy volcanoes may exist on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The volcanoes are thought to behave similarly to those on Earth, but instead of spewing molten rock and lava, the volcanos — called cryovolcanoes — spew superchilled water, ammonia and methane. "Cryovolcanoes are some of the most intriguing features in the solar system," Rosaly Lopes, a Cassini radar team investigation scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a news release.
Moon’s Polar Craters Could Contain Lunar Ice (www.redorbit.com)→ A lunar base on the Moon may be possible due to craters on the Moon’s surface that astronomers believe could hold ice, providing a crucial water supply. Astrophysicists believe lunar ice could be hidden in the Moon's polar craters that are permanently shaded from the sun. NASA researchers analyzed data from a space probe sent to the Moon in 1998 that showed hydrogen on the moon is concentrated into craters in the Moon’s poles where temperatures are colder than minus 170 degrees Celsius. Hydrogen, together with the oxygen that is abundant within moon rock, is a key element in making water.
Mystery Team for the Google Lunar X Prize Reveals Team at NASA Ames Research Center (http://www.spaceref.com)→ MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, December 17, 2008 - Next Giant Leap (www.nextgiantleap.com), a small company that was the fourth team to register for the Google Lunar X-Prize, publically announced its name and team members at a press conference held today at the NASA Ames Research Center. Based in the United States, the Next Giant Leap (NGL) team boasts highly qualified members from the academic, aerospace and small business communities. NGL was founded on the concept that a small but focused team is the ideal vehicle to efficiently engineer the winning Google Lunar X PRIZE entry. Founded by entrepreneur Michael Joyce in November of 2007, the team was known only as the "Mystery Team" for the first year.
Lander Data Sheds Light on Mars Polar Water (www.space.com)→ Data from the now-defunct NASA Phoenix Mars Lander is shedding light on the current water cycle on Mars, particularly how water moves between the surface and the atmosphere in the northern polar region.
Titan's Volcanoes Give NASA Spacecraft Chilly Reception (http://newswire.ascribe.org)→ PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- Data collected during several recent flybys of Titan by NASA's Cassini spacecraft have put another arrow in the quiver of scientists who think the Saturnian moon contains active cryovolcanoes spewing a super-chilled liquid into its atmosphere. The information was released today during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
Ball Aerospace Completes Environmental Testing for Kepler Mission (www.marketwatch.com)→ BOULDER, Colo., Dec 10, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has successfully completed a series of rigorous environmental and operational tests for NASA's Kepler mission to verify seamless operation of the system level hardware and software.
Astronomers Find the Two Dimmest Stellar Bulbs (www.jpl.nasa.gov)→ It's a tie! The new record-holder for dimmest known star-like object in the universe goes to twin "failed" stars, or brown dwarfs, each of which shines feebly with only one millionth the light of our sun. Previously, astronomers thought the pair of dim bulbs was just one typical, faint brown dwarf with no record-smashing titles. But when NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope observed the brown dwarf with its heat-seeking infrared vision, it was able to accurately measure the object's extreme faintness and low temperature for the first time. What's more, the Spitzer data revealed the brown dwarf is, in fact, twins.
NASA gives tour of latest supercomputer (www.eetimes.com)→ MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — NASA officially launched its Pleiades system, the world's third largest supercomputer at a ribbon-cutting ceremony here Thursday (Dec. 11). The system represents a shift to commodity PC processors in a design that pushes the limits of Infiniband communications.
The stars her destination (www.alumni.berkeley.edu)→ Natalie Batalha's worst enemy is the clock. Installed around the corner from her office at NASA Ames Research Center, a looming LED display is counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the launch of the Kepler Mission: NASA's first attempt to find habitable Earth-like planets in our galaxy.
Traveler's Dilemma: When It's Smart To Be Dumb (www.sciencenews.org)→ ...Indeed, when economists have tested this scenario, called the Traveler’s Dilemma, on real people in the lab, the players hardly ever follow the game theory prescription. The average payment turns out to be not far from $100. Most people choose the maximum bid — even though $99 always brings in as much money, and sometimes more. The only situation when people played the “rational” strategy that game theory predicted was when the penalty and reward were made very large. To find out if that’s just because people don’t do the analysis, a research team repeated the experiment using professional game theorists playing for real money. But even among game theorists, game theory failed: Nearly a fifth chose $100, and two-thirds chose $95 or higher. “Game theorists don’t believe their own theory,” says
David Wolpert of NASA Ames Research Center, one of the researchers on the study...
Secretive Space Vehicle Tested at Private Texas Site (www.space.com)→ That secretive rocket work being bankrolled by billionaire Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com fame has shed some new light on its activities. Blue Origin is developing New Shepard, a rocket-propelled vehicle that takes off and lands vertically and is designed to routinely fly multiple astronauts into suborbital space at competitive prices. Flight tests of the suborbital craft have been staged at a private launch site in Texas. Blue Origin is now noting that, in addition to providing the public with opportunities to experience spaceflight, New Shepard will also provide frequent opportunities for researchers to fly experiments into space and a microgravity environment. To help shape this activity, the group has announced that interested parties should contact Blue Origin's independent representative for research and education missions, Alan Stern, the former NASA chief of space science.
Leading Silicon Valley Companies Make Strides in Emissions Reduction (http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com)→ A report released Monday shows leading Silicon Valley businesses and cities have made positive changes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions levels and otherwise improve the environment while saving money. Sustainable Silicon Valley, a partnership of 100 members, works to focus partners as key decision makers on the critical environmental problems such as CO2 emissions, urban sprawl and water supply, Board Chair Bruce Paton said. Partners in the organization include all the counties in Silicon Valley, most of the cities, and large companies such as Lockheed Martin Corp., Hewlett Packard Co. and eBay Inc., Paton said. The organization’s Fourth annual report released Monday indicates that some of the leading Silicon Valley organizations have already achieved CO2 emission reduction goals laid out in California State Assembly Bill 32, which requires greenhouse gas emissions levels be reduced to 1990 levels, about 20 to 25 percent, by 2020. Paton said the one of the key findings in the report is that some businesses and organizations successfully reduced emissions by 20 to 25 percent while saving money and using existing technology. “They haven’t required rocket science,” Paton said.
UCSC to host international renewable energy program (www.mercurynews.com)→ Next year, UC Santa Cruz and the NASA Ames Research Center will host a renewable energy program through a collaboration with other UC campuses and two universities in Denmark, it was announced this week. The four-week summer program, called the Lolland California Renewable Energies, or LoCal-RE, follows a similar program attended last year by U.S. and Danish students in Lolland, Denmark, where they learned firsthand about technologies being implemented there. Last year's focus was on the policies that govern such resources as wind, biogas and hydrogen, and the problems encountered when implementing renewable energy technologies. The group reviewed big-picture questions about energy availability and the technologies currently used to harvest renewable energies. Learning from experts in the field was one of the greatest successes of the program, said Ali Shakouri, a professor of electrical engineering at UCSC's Baskin School of Engineering. Instead of just listening to lectures, students observed the challenges encountered and solutions implemented in real situations. The focus of this year's program will be on real-world challenges of implementing those technologies. Projects will focus on the implementation of renewable energy resources relevant to California and to potential international collaborations.
The Hunt For Habitable Planets (www.sciencenews.org)→ For years, planet hunters have been preoccupied with hot Jupiters—giant, gaseous planets that tightly hug their sunlike parent stars. These massive, close-in planets, not yet directly seen, are the easiest to find because they induce the largest wobble in the motion of the stars they orbit. But now astronomers are following a rockier road—seeking rocky, icy planets only a few times as massive as Earth. Soon, astronomers predict, they will discover an Earth-sized planet that orbits within the habitable zone of its parent star. And if David Charbonneau has any say about it, that historic find will come from eight tiny telescopes his team has just finished assembling at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mount Hopkins in Arizona.
The Right Stuff (www.good.is)→ Three things our beleaguered NASA isn’t getting wrong. NASA gets a lot of flack these days, and it’s not without reason. Despite the $20.2 billion that it receives every year, two-thirds of the agency’s programs are either significantly over budget or behind schedule. With the planned retirement of the Shuttle in 2010–and with no new ship ready to replace it—the U.S. will have to rely on extensive assistance from the Russian Federal Space Agency to get astronauts into space. Add to this concoction a few years’ worth of P.R. disasters—from chief Administrator Michael Griffin’s controversial statements on global warming to the attempted kidnapping of U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman by Lisa Nowak, the love-crazed, diaper-wearing astronaut—and the negative connotation associated with NASA seems earned.
NASA educator discusses life on Mars (http://broadside.cocc.edu)→ On Friday, Nov. 14, NASA educator Anthony Leavitt spoke about the past, present, and future of Mars exploration to a diverse crowd at Central Oregon Community College.
Behind Spacehack: GeekDad Talks to Ariel Waldman (http://blog.wired.com)→ The site is the brainchild of Ariel Waldman, recently named one of the most influential individuals in Silicon Valley. Waldman was previously a program coordinator at NASA CoLab, which connects communities inside and outside NASA to collaborate. She agreed to answer a few GeekDad questions about the new site.
USRA Research Institute For Advanced Computer Science Celebrates (http://uk.sys-con.com)→ he Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is proud to announce the 25th anniversary of its Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS). Since its inception in June, 1983, RIACS has conducted basic and applied research in computer science in support of NASA Ames Research Center in particular and of the nation's aeronautics and space-related programs in general.
Inside NASA's 747 Flying Telescope (http://gizmodo.com)→ Although still three years from starting actual scientific missions, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) airborne observatory is tenaciously getting closer to its first job day. After two decades of research and $500 million modding a Boeing 747—including the 2.5-meter telescope itself that you can see tested in this video—SOFIA got a High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultation two weeks ago, an instrument that will help it to measure objects' surfaces and atmospheres. Now, NASA is completing final tests at their Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility before its first open-door flight later this year.
Reaching for the Stars (abclocal.go.com)→ Fresno, CA, USA (KFSN) -- Teachers often go to great lengths to motivate their students to reach for the stars. One fortunate and unique group of kids motivated a Valley teacher to bring Outer Space to them thanks to his association with NASA. Together they met a challenge that thousands of students and teachers across America were taking on.
Zeppelin provides a backdrop Moffett's 75th anniversary (www.mercurynews.com)→ Airship Ventures' 246-foot-long German-built Zeppelin for hire made a stunning backdrop for Moffett Federal Airfield's 75th anniversary. Airship Ventures, based at Moffett and founded by Los Gatos residents Brian and Alexandra Hall, began flying passengers around the Bay Area in early November and dedicated their sleek machine — Eureka — at the Nov. 21 event. Brian Hall told the crowd that the name is rooted in California's history, is an expression of triumphant scientific discovery and is one of people's exclamations when they first see the airship.
RPI receives $7.5M from NASA to open astrobiology center (www.bizjournals.com)→ Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has received a $7.5 million grant from NASA to be used for opening of the New York Center for Astrobiology. The center will be part of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). Rensselaer said NAI is a “virtual” institute of universities that combine expertise “to advance our understanding of the origin and distribution of life in the universe.” It is based at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.
Photos: A vast zeppelin over the Valley (http://news.cnet.com)→ My CNET News colleague James Martin last month was among the first to ride in the new Zeppelin NT, which start-up Airship Ventures is basing out of Moffett Field at NASA Ames Research Center near Mountain View, Calif.
NASA’s Astrobiology Origins (www.astrobio.net)→ Recently in Washington DC, a portrait was unveiled at NASA Headquarters. The painting depicts Dan Goldin, NASA’s Administrator from April 1992 to November 2001, with his hands resting on Earth, while a number of planets orbit in the background. This artistic touch alludes to the discovery of alien worlds that began in earnest during Goldin’s time in office, and links his legacy to NASA’s Astrobiology program.
Moffett airfield turns 75 (www.mercurynews.com)→ Eureka! They found a name for it. The first airship in more than 70 years stationed at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View will be called — Eureka. That name was selected at the end of a contest that drew 1,500 entries, one of the many activities that drew hundreds of people to Friday's celebration of Moffett's 75th anniversary at the NASA Ames Research Center.
World's largest zeppelin dedicated at NASA facility (http://news.cnet.com)→ MOFFETT FIELD, CALIF.--NASA celebrated the 75th anniversary of this iconic airfield and research center today by dedicating a brand-new zeppelin from a private company called Airship Ventures. The zeppelin NT ("new technology"), which is one of just three that currently exist in the world, and the biggest, at 246 feet, was named "Eureka," a name that relates to the fact that the ship is based in California, as well as the fact that it is "rooted in scientific principles," said Brian Bell, a co-founder of Airship Ventures, the ship's owner, minutes before he revealed the new name. At an event to celebrate the two milestones attended by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), as well as Pete Worden, director of the NASA Ames Research Center here, Alexandra Bell, also a co-founder of Airship Ventures, spoke of the experience of getting the zeppelin program off the ground.
New views of the Moon (http://blogs.nature.com)→ Scientists and sky-gazers got a fresh view of the Moon yesterday. NASA released a newly processed 42-year-old image, taken in 1966 by the Lunar Orbiter 1 (LO1), of Earth rising above the lunar surface. The film that holds the image had been sitting in a California barn for the last four decades. A team recovered the roll, along with dozens of others, and estimates there are nearly 2,000 images from LO1 and four other related spacecraft from the 1960s. Since the film is now being processed with digital technology, the resulting images could become some of the highest resolution ones ever taken of the lunar surface.
The Moon View (http://www.nytimes.com)→ Last week, NASA released a newly restored image of a younger Earth. It was taken from Lunar Orbiter 1 in 1966, the first of several orbiters that helped gather data for the first moon landing in 1969. The photograph shows Earth just cresting the Moon’s curving horizon, the first picture of our planet framed by the surface of the Moon.
NASA Supercomputer in Upper Ranks (http://kliv.com)→ Mountain View - NASA has announced that a supercomputer at Ames Research Center has been ranked as the third fastest in the world. The Pleiades supercomputer contains almost 13,000 Intel Xeon processors and runs 487 trillion operations per second.
IBM Roadrunner retains supercomputer crown (www.vnunet.com)→ IBM's Roadrunner cluster has once again claimed the title of fastest supercomputer in the world. The Los Alamos research system extended its run at the top of the rankings with a top computing rate of 1.105 petaflops, more than one thousand trillion operations per second. Roadrunner was unveiled last spring, and immediately jumped to number one on the March 2008 issue of the Top 500 Supercomputer list. Roadrunner's lead did narrow significantly, however. Cray's Jaguar system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory became only the second system ever to break the petaflop barrier, with a speed of 1.059 petaflops. Third on the list was the SGI Pleiades cluster at NASA's Ames Research Center, with a relatively pedestrian 487.01 teraflops, followed by the US Department of Energy's BlueGene/L cluster. The top nine supercomputing systems were all located in the US.
NASA releases digital version of iconic Earth image at Moffett Field (http://thecalifornian.com)→ MOFFETT FIELD - NASA today released an image of Earth that has been restored in all its splendor since it was taken from space 42 years ago. The image, taken by Luna Orbiter 1 in 1966, has become an icon, depicting the planet rising above the surface of the moon. When the image was captured, only a portion of the true resolution was retrievable from lunar orbit due to limited technology at the time.
Roadrunner outraces supercomputer rivals (http://news.cnet.com)→ ...Third place went to an SGI Altix ICE system called Pleiades, based at NASA's Ames Research Center facility, that turned in 487 teraflops ("tera-" meaning a mere trillion). IBM's BlueGene/L finished fourth at 478.2 teraflops (it was second in June at that same performance level) and its BlueGene/P finished fifth, at 450.3 teraflops...
Powered by Silicon Graphics, Pleiades Supercomputer Fuels NASA's Journey to Moon, Then Mars (http://uk.sys-con.com)→ AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Supercomputing 2008, Booth 1009 -- With its sights set on colonizing the moon and eventually sending astronauts to Mars, NASA is calling on researchers to solve some of the most complex science and engineering problems in history. Key to that effort is Pleiades, the world's third fastest supercomputer, installed at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. The 51,200-core SGI(R) Altix(R) ICE 8200EX system from Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) (Nasdaq: SGIC) is capable of generating a theoretical peak of 609 trillion operations per second (TeraFLOPS).
NASA Research Finds Way Into IT, Consumer Products (http://news.idg.no)→ ...Scott Hubbard , who worked at NASA for 20 years before joining the faculty at Stanford University , where he is a professor in the aeronautics and astronautics department, said that NASA research has had a significant impact on the IT industry over the past 40-plus years. "The integrated circuit and [the emergence of] Silicon Valley were very closely linked with NASA," Hubbard said. For example, he noted that hardware pioneer Silicon Graphics Inc. got off the ground with the help of investments from NASA. Hubbard also pointed out that NASA engineers have worked "hand-in-hand" with businesses and universities to help develop a variety of technologies, including microelectromechanical systems, supercomputers and microcomputers, software and microprocessors...
NASA Scales Up 1966's Moon Image to Amazing Ultra-High Resolution (http://gizmodo.com)→ When NASA released this image from their Lunar Orbiter 1 back in 1966, the first photograph ever of the Earth rising above the Moon's surface, it was low resolution but they still amazed the world. This week, they have surprised every space aficionado re-releasing the same image in ultra-high definition. The cool part now is that NASA hasn't used any upscaling or magical infinite zoom-in filter from CSI. Instead, they have created a new technology that uses refurbished analog machines and a new digital process that fully extracts the information stored in the program's old magnetic tapes, something that was impossible to do in the 60s.
NASA turns to open-source problem-tracking databases (http://news.cnet.com)→ When the Space Shuttle Endeavour launches Friday afternoon, assuming it is not delayed, the astronauts onboard and the technicians on the ground at mission control will have at their disposal new software that could streamline the process of problem reporting and analysis. The software, called the Problem Reporting Analysis and Corrective Action (PRACA) system, was created by the Human-Computer Interaction Group at NASA's Ames Research Center, and is designed to give a wide cross-section of people in the Space Shuttle ecosystem access to a single database package for tracking problems with the Shuttle and its associated infrastructure.
Long-lost Lunar Photos Get Another Day In The Sun (www.cbsnews.com)→ (AP) The old moon has never looked this good.
Mankind's first up-close photos of the lunar landscape have been rescued from four decades of dusty storage, and they've been restored to such a high quality that they rival anything taken by modern cameras.
NASA and some private space business leaders spent a quarter million dollars rescuing the historic photos from early NASA lunar robotic probes and restoring them in an abandoned McDonald's.
The first refurbished image was released Thursday _ a classic of the moon with Earth rising in the background.
"This is an incredible image," said private space entrepreneur Dennis Wingo, who spearheaded the project. "In terms of raw resolution, there has been no mission that has flown since or even today that is as good."
New pictures of the moon discovered (http://abclocal.go.com)→ Here is a reminder that sometimes it pays not to throw things away. There are some remarkable photographs of the moon now available-- because of what a retired NASA employee kept in her garage all these years.
NASA unveils lunar image recovery project (http://news.cnet.com)→ MOFFETT FIELD, Calif.--Scientists who want to see how the moon has changed in the years since the Apollo missions will soon have the ability to do just that. That's thanks to a new NASA project in which the agency has restored 42-year-old images taken of and from the moon, all of which will be made freely available to the public.
And while many people will surely have an interest in examining the iconic images, several NASA personnel on hand Thursday at an event celebrating the project explained that it provides the real scientific benefit of making it possible to closely compare even the smallest changes to the lunar surface over the last 40-plus years.
The images in question were taken in the 1960s by cameras onboard five separate Lunar Orbiter spacecraft. They were captured on magnetic tapes and then transferred to film for analysis.
Unfortunately, the full resolution of those images was not available because the technology didn't exist to extract it all.
And in the years since, the data has been stored on large tapes, awaiting the eventual decision of what to do about them.
Now, the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP), which is based at NASA Ames Research Center here, has undertaken the task of translating the original analog data from 1,500 tapes taken from the Lunar Orbiter spacecraft and stored at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory into digital form from which the highest resolution can finally be analyzed.
Now in Sight: Far-Off Planets (www.nytimes.com)→ A little more of the universe has been pried out of the shadows. Two groups of astronomers have taken the first pictures of what they say — and other astronomers agree — are most likely planets going around other stars.
AIChE Recognizes Nanotech Pioneers (www.eponline.com)→ Meyya Meyyappan, chief scientist for exploration technology at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., is being recognized for accomplishments over a distinguished career, while Ravi Kane, the Merck assistant professor of chemical and biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., is being honored for the prominence of his growing body of work. Both are being recognized by The Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum (NSEF) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
NASA's new way of tracking battery life (www.gcn.com)→ A NASA-led team has shown how a novel statistical algorithm could be applied to better predict the life span of batteries.
"Batteries represent complex systems whose internal state variables are either inaccessible to sensors or hard to measure under operational conditions," the researchers wrote in an article published in the August 2008 issue of IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine.
Anyone who runs a laptop PC on battery power can certainly testify that this is the case. The software meter could indicate that hours of battery life remain but only minutes later indicate that the battery is almost completely drained.
"Estimating the remaining life of any process is difficult because you don't know exactly how the component will be used in the future," said Kai Goebel, the senior scientist at the
NASA Ames Research Center who led the research.
Tests Running On Common Spacecraft Bus (www.aviationweek.com)→ In an old paint hangar here, NASA's Ames Research Center has its Hover Test Vehicle (HTV) encased in web safety netting as it perfects the control software that will allow the simple spacecraft to land and hop around on the lunar surface.
Construction of Collaborative Support Facility (www.spaceref.com)→ NASA/ARC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources for the construction of a Collaborative Support Facility, Building N232. NASA Ames Research Center plans to construct a new building to be located on the existing Bush Circle at Moffett Field, California. The building and the on-site work shall be constructed as sustainable entities.
How Water Made Earth Livable for Us - The Peroxy Way (www.space.com)→ Living on a planet with an oxygen-rich atmosphere we tend to forget that our planet is an anomaly. About 4.5 billion years ago, when the solar system accreted out of a disk of gas and dust, the Earth was thoroughly reduced. Over the course of the first 1-2 billion years our planet became slowly, but inextricably ever more oxidized. Vast amounts of iron rich sediments precipitated out of the oceans, known as "Banded Iron Formations" or BIFs, indicating that reduced ferrous iron, Fe2+, converted into ferric iron, Fe3+. This required a large, sustained supply of oxidizing power.
Comet Organics May Be the Original Material of an Early Solar System (http://spacefellowship.com)→ (NASA) - NASA scientists have discovered a new class of organics in the comet dust captured from Comet Wild 2 in 2004 by NASA’s Stardust mission spacecraft. More “primitive” than any material found in meteorites, scientists believe these organics may represent some of the original material used to build everything in our Solar System, including life on Earth.
Lunar Lander Team Set (www.aviationweek.com)→ NASA Ames Research Center will put its small spacecraft technical expertise in collaboration with Odyssey Moon Ventures to develop lunar landing technology.
Cassini might hold secrets to life on Saturn moon (http://space.newscientist.com)→ The Cassini probe may have already collected data that could reveal the presence of life on Saturn's moon Enceladus, a new study argues. But mission scientists say teasing out the subtle signature of life may prove difficult. Researchers have been fascinated with Enceladus since July 2005, when Cassini revealed a dramatic plume of ice particles and water vapour shooting out from the moon's south pole. The plume's origin is still being debated, but some models suggest the moon holds an ocean of liquid water beneath its surface. This ocean could be a potential habitat for extraterrestrial life. Now, a team led by Christopher McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, says Cassini could offer up the first evidence that life exists or once existed on the 500 km-wide moon.
NASA practices for earthquakes (www.mercurynews.com)→ NASA-Ames Research Center authorities have asked residents not to be concerned if they see smoke or fire trucks at the Moffett Field facility next week. As part of a two-day earthquake preparedness drill on Nov. 5-6, there will be a staged plane crash, mass evacuations and lots of first responders, said Philip Snyder, deputy chief of protective services at Moffett. The goal is to involve many of the 4,000 average daily staff of researchers, civil servants and contractors in the second exercise of this type at the site in a year.
NASA to aid firm building lunar lander (www.fortmilltimes.com)→ COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A private firm aiming to win a $30 million contest to send an unmanned, robotic rover to the moon will receive technical help from NASA under a deal reached Thursday with the U.S. space agency. NASA will provide design drawings, technical data and engineering support to Odyssey Moon Ventures, which is developing a coffee table-sized lunar lander in an effort to win the contest sponsored by Google Inc. The bulk of the Google Lunar X prize will go to the first private company that can land a robotic rover on the moon and beam back a gigabyte of images and video to Earth.
Aspiring lunar entrepreneurs contract for help from NASA (http://afp.google.com)→ SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — In a cosmic case of role reversal, aspiring lunar entrepreneurs based on the Isle of Man have hired NASA to build them a robotic rover to send to the moon. While it has historically been the US space exploration agency dishing out work to private contractors, Odyssey Moon said Thursday that it has contracted NASA as part of its mission to turn lunar travel into a money-making business. Odyssey Moon is an international partnership that began its project about four years ago. "The prospect for commercial delivery of NASA science and exploration instruments to the Moon is consistent with the precedents already set by the NASA COTS program supporting commercial supply for orbital operations," said NASA Ames research center director Pete Worden.
Lunar Lander Deal Struck (http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com)→ NASA and Odyssey Moon Ventures have made a $500,000 deal for the joint development of a low-cost lunar lander for future moon missions - with the money flowing in a direction that's different from usual. Odyssey, the first team to sign up for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize, will be paying NASA for technical support.
USRA Selects Scientists for SOFIA 'First Light' Observations (www.marketwatch.com)→ On behalf of NASA, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) has selected three astronomers to participate in the first scientific observations conducted by the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that carries a 2.5-meter (98-inch) diameter airborne infrared telescope. SOFIA short science, or "first light" observations, scheduled to begin in summer 2009, are the initial steps in a 20-year celestial observation program. Naming researchers to participate in these observations marks a major program milestone.
Zeppelin taking to the skies over Bay Area (www.sfgate.com)→ Flying in the world's largest airship is a very quiet, smooth-as-silk experience. The six-cylinder aircraft engines hum unobtrusively, allowing the ship's 12 passengers to chat easily among themselves and the crew in the narrow gondola. Grand vistas can be seen through large windows, some of which can be opened.
Californians float a plan: Return of the zeppelin (www.sfgate.com)→ Zeppelins, the giant floating airships used to carry passengers and drop bombs until the 1930s, haven't been seen in American skies for more than 70 years. Now a California company is bringing the iconic aircraft back to the United States, with plans to offer aerial tours of the San Francisco Bay area in a newly built zeppelin. It's one of just three in the world — the others are in Germany and Japan. Airship Ventures Inc.'s zeppelin arrived in the Bay Area on Saturday, passing over the Golden Gate Bridge en route to its new home at Moffett Field, a former naval air station in Mountain View, about 40 miles south of San Francisco.
Majestic airship lands at Moffett Field (www.mercurynews.com)→ For the first time in 71 years, a rigid air ship was coursing American skies, floating up this time from Salinas like a majestic, singular cloud. It passed over ocean whales, children playing Saturday soccer games and literally bowed to a gawking crowd on the Golden Gate Bridge. Then, in the afternoon, it languidly touched down at one of its new local terminals — the tarmac of Moffett Field in Mountain View." Grins. Handshakes. Champagne. Pilot Kate Broad celebrated by firing up a cigarette. It had all gone — to put it mildly — a heck of lot smoother than the last time a zeppelin had come to the U.S. from Germany. That was 1937 with the airship Hindenburg, which caught fire and exploded as it landed in New Jersey after a transatlantic flight. On Saturday it was the 246-foot-long Airship Ventures Zeppelin NT, the world's largest, makings its maiden Bay Area voyage.
Zeppelins return to the skies in San Francisco (http://www.cnn.com)→ SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Zeppelins, the giant floating airships used to carry passengers and drop bombs until the 1930s, haven't been seen in American skies for more than 70 years. The Airship Ventures zeppelin flies over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, on Saturday. Now, a California company is bringing the iconic aircraft back to the United States, with plans to offer aerial tours of the San Francisco Bay area in a newly built zeppelin. It's one of just three in the world; the others are in Germany and Japan. Airship Ventures Inc.'s zeppelin arrived in the Bay Area on Saturday, passing over the Golden Gate Bridge en route to its new home at Moffett Field, a former naval air station in Mountain View, about 40 miles south of San Francisco.
Zeppelin airship to call Moffett Field home (www.paloaltoonline.com)→ Airship Ventures Zeppelin, a 246-foot-long airship, will arrive at Moffett Field in Mountain View Saturday afternoon after a cross-country flight.
In the Deal of the Year category: Winner was NASA Ames Research Center, High Technology Campus, in Mountain View (www.bizjournals.com)→ The Business Journal on Thursday night named the winners of its 2008 Structures Awards, which honor the best people and projects in Silicon Valley real estate.
Zeppelin Airship flying into valley today (www.mydesert.com)→ The first Zeppelin airship to fly in the skies over the U.S. in 71 years, according to a news release. The Airship Ventures Zeppelin will end its cross-country transit flight by making a stop in The Coachella Valley before continuing on to its new home base at Moffett Field/NASA Ames Research Center.
Zeppelin returns stateside after 70 years (www.lcsun-news.com)→ DEMING - The first Deutsche Zeppelin airship in the United States in 70 years floated into Deming late Monday afternoon, refueling at Deming Airport. A crew of 25, traveling by road, awaited to prepare the Zeppelin for departure. Owned by Airship Ventures of Moffett Field, Calif., the 237-foot Zeppelin left Deming at about 9 a.m., Tuesday. Its next stop was Tucson, en route to California, to moor at the former U.S. Naval Air Station Moffett Field, north of Mountain View at the south end of San Francisco Bay. The property is home to NASA's Ames Research Center. Moffett Field opened in 1931 as Airbase Sunnyvale and became Moffett Field in 1933. It has been used for airship and other landings since then. It closed as a military base in 1994.
SOFIA Telescope Mirror Reinstalled (www.aviationweek.com)→ Engineers and technicians have reinstalled the 2.5-meter telescope mirror for NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a modified 747SP, at NASA Dryden's Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif.
Volcanoes May Have Provided Sparks and Chemistry for First Life (www.nasa.gov)→ GREENBELT, Md. - Lightning and gases from volcanic eruptions could have given rise to the first life on Earth, according to a new analysis of samples from a classic origin-of-life experiment by NASA and university researchers. The NASA-funded result is the subject of a paper in Science appearing October 17.
“Alien” Water Bears Amaze Scientists (www.astrobio.net)→ Tardigrades, commonly known as "water bears", have been reared under laboratory conditions and subjected to a barrage of tests. Their survivability shows that animals can survive extreme conditions, and also may indicate how humans could adapt to the rigors of space.
Editorial: Hope for Hangar One (www.mercurynews.com)→ The momentum to save Moffett Field's Hangar One just took a big swing in the right direction, with a Washington agency urging the Navy to save the mammoth garage for dirigibles built in 1932. The Navy's latest idea was to remove toxic materials and save only the 17-story skeleton. But the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has concluded that Hanger One can be turned into a "viable, reusable building." It urged the Navy to work with NASA/Ames Research Center to make this happen.
Armageddon from Planet Nibiru in 2012? Not So Fast (http://dsc.discovery.com)→ The scoop: Conspiracy theorists are convinced a rogue planet will destroy the Earth in 2012, and movie makers are already trying to cash in on the hysteria. An astrobiologist calls for a reality check.
Unbeknownst to most of us, a small but vocal group of conspiracy theorists is convinced that a rogue planet is about to enter the inner solar system and doom the Earth.
They say that this threatening planet on a 3600-year orbit was discovered by the ancient Mesopotamians, who named it Nibiru, and it was known also to the Mayans, who associated it with the end of their calendar "long count" in December 2012. In Web sites, blogs, and radio talk shows, they insist that NASA is tracking Nibiru -- but that this information is being kept from the public as part of a worldwide conspiracy.
Life on Earth's Final Frontier (http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com)→ A strange breed of bacteria that has been found living alone, nearly two miles underground, is just the kind of creature suited to survive far beneath the surface of Mars, scientists say.
The rod-shaped microbe, dubbed Desulforudis audaxviator, can survive in complete darkness, without oxygen, in temperatures around 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) - as long as it has a trickle of water flowing through radioactive rocks. It was found living under such conditions in a 1.75-mile-deep (2.8-kilometer-deep) gold mine in South Africa.
Computer Simulations Reveal Exotic Weather on Distant Worlds (http://uanews.org)→ Computer simulations of the atmospheric circulation on Jupiter-like planets around other stars can explain temperature observations of these planets and shed light on the exotic weather experienced by these far-away worlds. Approximately 300 planets have been discovered around other stars, and for most of those planets, scientists know little more than the mass and orbital properties of the planet. However, for a handful of the brightest planets, temperatures have been inferred from observations carried out with spacebased platforms such as NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Those observations and the computer simulations used to explain them, hint at weather patterns truly alien to our Earth-based experience.
Goldmine bug DNA may be key to alien life (environment.newscientist.com)→ A bug discovered deep in a goldmine and nicknamed "the bold traveller" has got astrobiologists buzzing with excitement. Its unique ability to live in complete isolation of any other living species suggests it could be the key to life on other planets.
A community of the bacteria Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator has been discovered 2.8 kilometres beneath the surface of the Earth in fluid-filled cracks of the Mponeng goldmine in South Africa. Its 60 °C home is completely isolated from the rest of the world, and devoid of light and oxygen.
Hangar One preservationists get a boost (www.mercurynews.com)→ Pressure is mounting on the Navy to restore Hangar One at Moffett Field after it finishes cleaning up toxins embedded in the 76-year-old structure's siding and roofing.
An independent federal agency this week called on the secretary of the Navy to amend plans that would otherwise strip the hangar to its steel frame. The Washington, D.C.-based Advisory Council on Historic Preservation sent a letter Wednesday to the Navy recommending the military service forge a partnership with NASA/Ames Research Center, Hangar One's owner since 1994, that ensures the structure is turned into a "viable, reusable building" after PCBs, asbestos and lead are removed.
The tale of a curiously extreme microbe (www.sfgate.com)→ Scientists call the curious microbes extremophiles because they thrive in the most extreme environments - in the fierce radiation of nuclear reactor fuel tanks, in the maws of erupting undersea volcanoes, in toxic wastes so poisonous a drop could kill a person, and in the geysers and fumaroles of Lassen and Yellowstone.
$1B campus set for liftoff in Mt. View (www.thetechherald.com)→ A group of higher education institutions led by the University of California, Santa Cruz is negotiating to build a $1 billion campus with nearly 3 million square feet at NASA Research Park at Moffett Field alongside a Google Inc. satellite campus announced earlier this year.
Bizarre underground bug discovered living in complete isolation (www.thetechherald.com)→ Bacteria discovered living in complete isolation in a goldmine 2.8 kilometres below the surface of the Earth, may hold the key to existence in similar environments in the Solar System, new research has shown. Analysis of the bacterium Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator found it had all the requirements needed to live in complete isolation of other species in the waters of the Mponeng gold mine, in South Africa. “This really stands one of the basic tenets of microbial ecology on its head,” says Carl Pilcher, director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute at the NASA Ames Research Center headquartered at Mountain View, Calif. to the New Scientist. "Virtually all other known ecosystems on Earth that don't use sunlight directly do use some product of photosynthesis," says Pilcher.
Government 2.0: NASA CoLab-oration (http://mashable.com/2008/10/06/nasa-colab/)→ Abraham Lincoln once said, “With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.” These words are no less true today, over 150 years later. But now there are many new technologies and tools available that can be used to measure and influence public opinion. One thing I have been thinking about a lot lately is how the government can use these tools to further its existing goals, and enable novel ones as well. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, known by most people as NASA, is a government agency heavily covered by mainstream news media – when things go wrong. But there is an interesting new experimental initiative at NASA called CoLab, the goals of which are to act as “advisor and consultant to groups within NASA, building direct and open collaborations between the public and NASA scientists and engineers…[and] use technology to facilitate public contributions to NASA activities.”
COMMUNITY OF ONE (www.sciencenews.org)→ Genetic analysis reveals how a single species of bacterium thrives on its own three kilometers underground. A fracture deep underground in a South African gold mine holds a rare biological find — an ecological system populated by a single species of bacteria. An analysis of the bacterium’s complete genetic makeup, published October 10 in Science, reveals that the bacteria have all the tools to survive completely alone.
Asteroid Watchers Score a Hit (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)→ Two days ago, Science reported that astronomers were predicting an asteroid impact for the first time (ScienceNOW, 6 October). Chalk one up for the astronomers. "The prediction clearly was correct," says planetary scientist David Morrison of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
Liquid Mirror Telescopes on the Moon (science.nasa.gov)→ October 9, 2008: A team of internationally renowned astronomers and opticians may have found a way to make "unbelievably large" telescopes on the Moon. "It's so simple," says Ermanno F. Borra, physics professor at the Optics Laboratory of Laval University in Quebec, Canada. "Isaac Newton knew that any liquid, if put into a shallow container and set spinning, naturally assumes a parabolic shape—the same shape needed by a telescope mirror to bring starlight to a focus. This could be the key to making a giant lunar observatory."
Video: Mercury exposed (http://news.cnet.com)→ Spacecraft Messenger completed its mission early Tuesday and sent stunning images of planet Mercury back to Earth. CNET's Kara Tsuboi interviews NASA Ames' planetary scientist Jack Lissauer about why there's been so little exploration of the solar system's smallest planet and what researchers hope to glean from this mission and a planned orbit in 2011.
Spacecraft Explodes Like Fireworks on Reentry (http://news.nationalgeographic.com)→ Shown to stunning effect in this video released Monday by NASA, the Jules Verne unmanned cargo ship put on a rare fireworks display as it burned up and exploded (look for it at the 28-second mark) on September 29, 2008.
Asteroid Enters Atmosphere, Just As Predicted (www.ktvu.com)→ MOUNTAIN VIEW -- NASA scientists at Ames Research Center in Mountain View say scientists did something Monday night that they've never been able to do before. They were able to predict where and when an asteroid would enter the earth's atmosphere.
Astronomy, space exploration have nun flying (www.sciencecentric.com)→ Many people contemplate the union of science and religion. But few have embraced both with the fervour and dedication as that of Sister Clarice Lolich, a nun in the Community of the Holy Spirit, a NASA space science education specialist, Solar System Ambassador and bona fide thrill-seeker.
Small Asteroid to Enter Atmosphere Monday Night (www.foxnews.com)→ A very small asteroid will streak into the skies over Sudan tonight, astronomers announced. It is expected to burn up in the atmosphere, creating a show. It will not strike Earth. It is the first time an asteroid "impact" has been predicted with near certainty, astronomers said. The space rock is only about 6 feet in diameter (3 meters) and poses "no risk to those on the ground," said David Morrison of NASA's Ames Research Center. A similar-sized object during the day would likely go unnoticed, he said.
NASA Partners With Forest Service On Air Tanker Safety Study (www.nasa.gov/dryden)→ EDWARDS, Calif. — NASA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service on a project to examine the mission suitability of Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 fire retardant delivery aircraft. The aircraft under study are a DC-10 belonging to 10 Tanker Air Carrier LLC and a 747 owned by Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. The DC-10 tanker has already been successfully employed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in past wildfire suppression missions.
Nicaraguan Volcano Provides Insight Into Early Mars (www.marsdaily.com)→ Volcanic eruptions were commonplace on ancient Mars, when vents and fissures spewed out gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Such locales were very hot and very acidic - characteristics that would seem to be inhospitable to life. But in recent years researchers have discovered a vast array of primitive organisms living in analogous environments on Earth.
Europe's station resupply ship concludes mission (www.spaceflightnow.com)→ An historic chapter in Europe's space program came to a close Monday when Jules Verne, a human-rated supply ship for the international space station, completed its mission with a fiery suicidal plunge into Earth's atmosphere.
USRA Issues RFP for lcross Observation Campaign Proposals (www.earthtimes.org)→ The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for participation in a USRA-NASA sponsored Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Observation Campaign. USRA is working with NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC) and George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to coordinate the Observation Campaign for LCROSS.
European spaceship blazes home (blogs.nature.com)→ It’s a plane. It’s a meteor. Nope, it’s Jules Verne.
The European Space Agency (ESA) craft, an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), blazed across the sky and then smashed into the Pacific Ocean on Monday. Jules Verne, Europe's biggest, most sophisticated spaceship, was heading back to Earth with trash after stocking the International Space Station with food, water and other supplies. Scientists intentionally let the atmosphere shred Jules Verne to shed light on how natural fireballs like meteors explode as they enter Earth's atmosphere.
European Spaceship's Death Plunge Caught on Film (www.space.com)→ GLASGOW, Scotland — Europe's unmanned space cargo vehicle successfully reentered the atmosphere over the south Pacific Ocean Sept. 29, breaking up into dozens of fragments that fell into the ocean along a pre-selected path that had been cleared of maritime traffic, European Space Agency (ESA) officials said.
Program managers expect that photographic data from two aircraft ESA hired from NASA, and an imager aboard the international space station flying overhead at the time, will provide precise data on the amount of debris that survived reentry.
Scientists Eager to See European Spacecraft's Death Dive (www.space.com)→ A European space freighter the size of a London double-decker bus is headed for a fiery death on Monday with a team of scientists hoping for a ringside seat.
Researchers from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and other groups are preparing to watch from afar as the unmanned cargo ship Jules Verne plunges through the Earth's atmosphere and burns up over the Pacific Ocean after a successful supply run to the International Space Station. The spacecraft's demise will mark a dramatic end for the first of ESA's new fleet of Automated Transfer Vehicles.
Junior high girls take break from socializing for science (www.paloaltodailynews.com)→ Think most junior high girls would rather spend their Saturday afternoon gossiping about boys or hanging out at the mall than attending a science festival? That's just the kind of stereotype organizers of the Sally Ride Science Festival are trying to debunk. And about 400 fifth- to eighth-grade girls proved them right by attending the festival Saturday at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View.
With a Twinkle, Pulsating Stars Could Deliver Signals from E.T. (www.sciencenews.org)→ Searching for signals from extraterrestrials can be a ticklish business. Astronomer John Learned thinks tickling certain stars in just the right way might be a good strategy for ET to phone Earth.
How Rare Is the Earth? (www.space.com)→ Is the Earth a rare place in our galaxy, or are Earth-like planets as common as stars? Scientists do not yet have the data to answer this question, but should get it through NASA's upcoming Kepler Mission. Personally, I find the Kepler Mission to be inspiring. With this space mission, we're taking a big step on the quest to understand our place in the universe.
This weekend's events (Sept. 27-28) (www.paloaltoonline.com)→ Astronaut Wendy Lawrence will speak and various educational workshops will take place at the Sally Ride Science Festival, which happens tomorrow (Sept. 27) from 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Mountain View.
The Spectacular Breakup of ATV: One Final Experiment (wwww.wibw.com)→ In early March 2008, the European Space Agency launched a new spacecraft called the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). ATV is a bigger version of the Russian Progress, a re-supply ship for the International Space Station (ISS). ATV had a perfect launch and docked to ISS as planned. After delivering supplies, the craft was used as crew quarters, and at one point helped push ISS out of the way of a dangerous piece of orbital debris. On September 5, 2008, it was finally time to call an end to the mission and the ATV was undocked from the ISS, ready to enter Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean. Lacking a heat shield to save weight, the craft will break up on reentry in a spectacular fireball.
Astronomy lecture series launches 10th year (www.losaltosonline.com)→ As part of the 10th annual Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, Stanford University physicist Leonard Susskind is scheduled to present an illustrated, nontechnical lecture, “The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking,” 7 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Smithwick Theatre at Foothill College, 12345 S. El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. The Foothill College Astronomy Program, NASA Ames Research Center, SETI Institute and Astronomical Society of the Pacific co-sponsor the free lecture series. Past lectures from the series are available online in MP3 format at
www.astrosociety.org/education/podcast/index.html.
COMING UP: Sally Ride Science Festival (www.mv-voice.com)→ The Sally Ride Science Festival, designed for students and parents dedicated to encouraging girls' interest in science, math and technology, is returning to NASA Ames this Saturday.
NASA Scientist Participant Suborbital Research Program RF (www.spaceref.com)→ The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recognizes the advancement of the commercial suborbital spaceflight industry and requests information on potential flight experiments enabled by this capability.
Saturn's Rings Not As Young As They Look (www.sciencenews.org)→ Slashdot discussion (http://science.slashdot.org)→ Planet-hugging circles of particles might be more massive -- and thus much older -- than previously thought.
Shoaib fails the rocket science test (www.telegraph.co.uk)→ PAKISTAN'S Shoaib Akhtar believes he became the first bowler to break the 100 mph barrier, but an English-educated, cricket-mad scientist who works for NASA has said the entire procedure of calculating who is the world's quickest is flawed.
Scientists Debate Planet Definition and Agree to Disagree (www.psi.edu)→ Recognizing the need for further scientific debate on planet definition, more than 100 scientists and educators representing a wide range of viewpoints on the issue converged for three days on the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University (APL) for "The Great Planet Debate: Science as Process" conference (http://gpd.jhuapl.edu/) last month.
Congress members lend support to Hangar One preservationists (www.paloaltodailynews.com)→ A dozen local lawmakers led by Palo Alto U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo called on the Navy today to restore Hangar One for reuse once it's been scrubbed of toxins.
Fuentek Designs and Facilitates Training Session for NASA Innovative Partnerships Program (apexbusinessnews.com)→ Laura A. Schoppe, president of Apex-based Fuentek, LLC has announced that the firm coordinated and executed a training session for NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program on August 4 and 5 at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.
Sally Ride Science Festivals (space.about.com)→ Dr. Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, invites 5th- through 8th-grade girls to join in upcoming day-long science festivals scheduled throughout the country. Sally Ride Science Festivals bring together hundreds of students for an exciting day of science and socializing.
UCSC hits fundraising record for research, renovations (www.mercurynews.com)→ The University Affiliated Research Center at the NASA Ames Research Center received the biggest research award, nearly $30 million, as part of the university's long-term agreement with the space agency to work on new technology.
Eight-legged space survivor gives 'panspermia' theory new life (www.usatoday.com)→ The revelation last week that tiny eight-legged animals survived exposure to the harsh environment of space on an Earth-orbiting mission is further support for the idea that simple life forms could travel between planets.
NASA Humanist Chris McKay: Where Darwinism Fails (www.scoop.co.nz)→ Over the phone I detect a touch of William Shatner's Kirk in the voice of NASA astrobiologist Christopher P. McKay. McKay admits he was inspired by the television series Star Trek 30 years ago and the "great voyages of discovery"...
NASA CoLab presents Luna Philosophie #12 (Laughing Squid)→ NASA CoLab presents Luna Philosophie #12 featuring Brian Day, Educational Technology Technical Lead at NASA Ames Research Center, who will be giving a talk at Yahoo! Brickhouse this Wednesday, September 17th on NASA’s High-Impact Return to the Moon.
Red Bluff Girl Scouts visit Ames Research Center (astrobiology magazine)→ Girl Scouts from Red Bluff Troop 70130 volunteered their time at NASA Ames Research Center's Return to the Moon Family Night event at Moffett Field in Mountain View.
Science by the Light of the Moon (astrobiology magazine)→ Researchers, students and professionals from around the world gathered in July at the NASA Lunar Science Conference to discuss the future of robotic and human exploration of the moon.
The Yin-Yang of Ultraviolet Radiation (www.space.com)→ Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon' (www.cnn.com)→ Scott Fisher is the Chair of the Interactive Media Division at the University of Southern California. In the 1980s he helped develop the archetypal 'glove and goggles' virtual reality system at NASA's Ames Research Center.
Private Suborbital Spaceships Could Aid NASA Science (www.space.com)→ ALAMOGORDO, NM — NASA is eyeing ways to use privately operated suborbital vehicles to help carry out its space agenda.
Winemakers Need Space to Make Good Wines (Wine Spectator)→ Most winemakers know that the root of superb wine is in the soil of the vineyard.
Looking for life on Mars - in a Canadian Lake (Astrobiology Magazine)→ On the surface, Pavilion Lake, nestled among the peaks of Canada’s Marble Range, looks like a thousand other mountain lakes.
San Jose astronaut serves on STS-125 (The Californian.com)→ California astronaut Megan McArthur will embark on her first space journey next month as part of NASA's final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA ready to help save Hangar One (Mountain View Voice)→ City officials say they came away from a meeting with NASA Ames on Tuesday confident that the space agency is eager to save Hangar One.
NASA Seeks Next Carl Sagan - and E.T. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com)→ NEW YORK - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, famous for its manned missions to the moon, announced the creation of the Carl Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowships in Exoplanet Exploration on Wednesday.
Mars Research in Polar Bear Country (http://astrobiology.nasa.gov)→ Interview with Hans Amundsen
Massive $208 million petascale computer gets green light (http://networkworld.com)→ The 200,000 processor core system known as Blue Waters got the green light recently as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and its National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) said it has finalized the contract with IBM to build the world's first sustained petascale computational system.
NASA Ames Research Center technology spins off to hospitals (http://www.marketwatch.com)→ The genesis of On-Cue technology comes from NASA, where Allocade's Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Don Rosenthal, worked as a leading computer scientist within the Artificial Intelligence Application Group at the NASA Ames Research Center.
Scientists See Moon as Research Outpost, Training Ground (http://www.wibw.com/)→ One of the host of challenges facing NASA as the agency plans to rekindle robotic and human exploration of the moon is the development of a corps of investigators and technologies suitable for long-term missions akin to the research stations that dot Antarctica.
Space junkies ask 'who owns the moon?' (news.cnet.com)→ Within the next 10 years, the U.S., China, Israel, and a host of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?
ISS to Call High School Simulated ISS (UPI.com)→ CLOVIS, Calif., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Buchanan High School pupils in Clovis, Calif., taking part in a 48-hour space station simulation, will be able to chat with a real space station crew member.
NASA to study Ares rocket propellant tank explosion risks (www.flightglobal.com/blogs)→ NASA Ames Research Center is to study the uncertainty in simulations of Ares launch vehicles propellant tank explosions.
Space junkies ask 'who owns the moon?' (news.cnet.com)→ Within the next 10 years, the U.S., China, Israel, and a host of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon.
ISS to Call High School Simulated ISS (UPI.com)→ Buchanan High School pupils in Clovis, Calif., taking part in a 48-hour space station simulation, will be able to chat with a real space station crew member.
Meeting Intel's Future Processor Family (InternetNews.com)→ Intel today offered a look inside its next generation of processors, the Nehalem family, with new details and demos during the Intel Developer Forum (IDF). Nehalem was the code name for the processor, which Intel recently dubbed officially as the Core i7.
Ares I Engineers See Fix For Thrust Problem (Aviation Week)→ Ares I engineers are scheduled to present their final recommendation this week on fixing a potentially dangerous thrust oscillation on the new crew launch vehicle.
Space Agency Presses Full-speed Ahead on Exploration Plans (Government Executive)→ NASA might be operating under a lean budget, but that isn't preventing officials at the 50-year-old space agency from dreaming big.
NASA delays robotic moon mission until 2009 (Associated Press)→ NASA has delayed the launch of an unmanned spacecraft to the moon to scout for potential landing sites for astronauts.
Inside NASA's Plan to Bomb the Moon and Find Water (Popular Mechanics)→ Short on time and tight on money, a team of NASA engineers aims to solve the mystery of lunar ice in late winter—by crashing its low-budget kamikaze spacecraft into a crater.
KARI signs a Statement of Intent for participation in the ILN (University of Mississippi School of Law)→ KARI signs a Statement of Intent for participation in the ILN on August 12th, 2008
Reflections on NASA at 50: Pete Worden (Discovery Channel)→ Simon P. "Pete" Worden, a retired Air Force brigadier general and University of Arizona astronomy professor, is the director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.
Web3D Consortium Announces the ReLaunch of its CAD Working Group (www.prnewsnow.com)→ The Web3D Consortium (www.web3d.org) announces the re-launch of its CAD Working Group co-chaired by Alan Hudson of Yumetech, Paul Keller of NASA - Ames Research Center, and William Glascoe of CSC.
NASA, Fuentek Evaluating MMO Game Proposals (Tech Journal South)→ t’s no secret that convincing bright students to pursue science, engineering and math careers is vital to the nation’s continuing as a worldwide technology innovator.
Phoenix Mars Scientists Undaunted by Recent Chemical Find (Tucson Citizen)→ Al Globus returns to the program.
This Week on the Space Show (The Space Fellowship)→ Al Globus returns to the program.
Voyaging to the Stars on a Solar Breeze: Space Sail to Take Flight (Scientific American)→ How do you power a spacecraft in deep space?
NASA Uses Remote Sand Dunes as Stand-in for Moon (Associated Press)→ MOSES LAKE, Wash. (AP) — Two NASA astronauts in spacesuits drove their lunar truck up a steep sand dune in a barren, wind-swept landscape so forbidding it was reminiscent of the surface of the moon.
The Finish Line for the Next Space Race: Planet Earth (www.wired.com)→ NASA's heated space race with the Russians resulted in Americans orbiting the Earth, landing on the moon, creating new constellations of satellites and building a space station.
Nanotechnology At NASA Could Play Medical Role On Earth (www.usmedicine.com)→ Startling changes can come over a material when it is manipulated at the atomic or molecular level.
NASA Helps Firefighters Track Wildfires (www.sayeducate.com)→ For homeowners in many California counties this summer, wildfires have been a personal menace. At one point this month, more than 1700 fires were burning threatening huge swaths of the Golden State.
NASA Scientists Suggest Planting a Lunar Garden (tribe.net)→ NASA scientists are suggesting that before sending humans back to the moon, we should launch plants there and watch them grow.
NASA/Ames scientists map our return to the moon (MercuryNews.com)→ Thirty-nine years to the day after Neil Armstrong radioed "The Eagle has landed" from the Sea of Tranquility,
Sweeping Panoramas, Courtesy of a Robot (New York Times)→ A panorama of the Harmandir Sahib, informally referred to as The Golden Temple or Temple of God, in Amritsar, India, taken with the GigaPan camera system.
Are Students Taking NASA's Place? (Discovery News)→ Well, not really. But in terms of performing some functions that used to be the exclusive domain of NASA and some major aerospace contractors, they may indeed be filling a significant void.
California Has A Brand New Reliable Firefighter (eFluxMedia)→ The newest add-on to California’s Fire Department is a drone called Ikhana, developed by NASA, which will help the state’s fire crews efficiently battle the many blazes reported on an almost daily base.
NASA Drone's Sensors Help Battle California Wildfires (EE Times)→ NASA's Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is spotting for the firefighters battling the more than 300 wildfires raging in California this week (June 14).
NASA Responds to California Wildfire Emergency Imaging Request (www.newsblaze.com)→ A remotely piloted aircraft carrying a NASA sensor flew over much of California earlier this week, gathering information that will be used to help fight more than 300 wildfires burning within the state.
NASA Drone Assisting in Big Sur Wildfire Fight (Monterey County Herald)→ While traditional firefighting aircraft have been hampered by low visibility in the smoke, at least one type of airplane doesn't have that issue as it flies over the Basin Complex Fire.
NASA / NSS Space Settlement Design Contest March 31, 2009 (Teaching with Contests.com)→ This annual contest, co-sponsored by NASA Ames and the National Space Society (NSS), is for 6-12th graders from anywhere in the world.
Zero-gravity Team Finds Spray Cooling Works in Space (University of Wisconsin-Madison News)→ When Falcon 1 takes off in a few weeks, one of the "piggyback" payloads will be a 4 kg (less than 10 lbs) NASA satellite about the size of a bread box that can unfurl into a 10 meter square solar sail on orbit.
SOFIA Telescope Mirror Gets Key Coating (Aviationweek.com)→ The two-ton primary mirror for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has gotten a shiny protective aluminum coating as preparations continue for the 747SP's service entry next year.
NASA's Kepler Telescope Set to Use 3PAR in the Search for Distant Earth-Like Planets (CNN.com)→ 3PAR® (NYSE: PAR), the leading global provider of utility storage, announced today that NASA Ames Research Center has chosen 3PAR Utility Storage for a mission that will send the Kepler Space Telescope into orbit around the Sun to find planets in solar systems outside our own.
SpaceX's Next Launch Will Carry NASA Solar Sail Experiment (Wired)→ When Falcon 1 takes off in a few weeks, one of the "piggyback" payloads will be a 4 kg (less than 10 lbs) NASA satellite about the size of a bread box that can unfurl into a 10 meter square solar sail on orbit.
NASA Unveils 128-Screen Visualization System (InformationWeek.com)→ NASA announced it has developed the world's highest resolution visualization and data exploration system, with 128 screens and the size of a billboard.
Google to build at NASA Ames→ After cooperating on several scientific projects, Google and NASA announced Wednesday they have negotiated a long-term lease that will allow the Internet search giant to build a major tech campus at the space agency's Ames Research Center in Mountain View.
