06/19/2013 12:00 AM EDT
Thursday, June 20, 2013
NASA's Space Launch System Program Kicks Off Preliminary Design Review
NASA and Italian Space Agency Sign Agreement on Exploration of Mercury
06/20/2013 12:00 AM EDT
At
a meeting in Rome Thursday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and
Italian Space Agency (ASI) President Enrico Saggese signed a Memorandum
of Understanding for cooperation on the European Space Agency- (ESA) led
BepiColombo mission to Mercury, strengthening mutually beneficial
cooperation between NASA and ASI in planetary exploration.
IRIS Preps for Launch
06/20/2013 12:00 AM EDT
The
fully integrated spacecraft and science instrument for NASA's Interface
Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission is seen in a clean room at
the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Sunnyvale, Calif. facility.
The solar
arrays are deployed in the configuration they will assume when in orbit.
IRIS is scheduled to launch on June 26, 2013. Understanding the
interface between the photosphere and corona remains a fundamental
challenge in solar and heliospheric science.
The IRIS mission opens a
window of discovery into this crucial region by tracing the flow of
energy and plasma through the chromosphere and transition region into
the corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS is designed to provide
significant new information to increase our understanding of energy
transport into the corona and solar wind and provide an archetype for
all stellar atmospheres.
The unique instrument capabilities, coupled
with state of the art 3-D modeling, will fill a large gap in our
knowledge of this dynamic region of the solar atmosphere. The mission
will extend the scientific output of existing heliophysics spacecraft
that follow the effects of energy release processes from the sun to
Earth.
Image Credit: NASA/Lockheed Martin
Banking on satellites in Africa
Earth from Space
NASA Television to Air June 24 Space Station Spacewalk
06/19/2013 12:00 AM EDT
NASA
Television will provide live coverage when two members of the
Expedition 36 crew venture outside the International Space Station on
Monday, June 24.Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Rare Clear View of Alaska
06/19/2013 12:00 AM EDT
On
most days, relentless rivers of clouds wash over Alaska, obscuring most
of the state's 6,640 miles (10,690 kilometers) of coastline and 586,000
square miles (1,518,000 square kilometers) of land. The south coast of
Alaska even has the dubious distinction of being the cloudiest region of
the United States, with some locations averaging more than 340 cloudy
days per year.
That was certainly not the case on June 17, 2013, the
date that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on
NASA's Terra satellite acquired this rare, nearly cloud-free view of the
state. The absence of clouds exposed a striking tapestry of water, ice,
land, forests, and even wildfires. Snow-covered mountains such as the
Alaska Range and Chugach Mountains were visible in southern Alaska,
while the arc of mountains that make up the Brooks Range dominated the
northern part of the state.
The Yukon River -- the longest in Alaska and the third longest in the United States -- wound its way through the green boreal forests that inhabit the interior of the state. Plumes of sediment and glacial dust poured into the Gulf of Alaska from the Copper River. And Iliamna Lake, the largest in Alaska, was ice free. The same ridge of high pressure that cleared Alaska's skies also brought stifling temperatures to many areas accustomed to chilly June days.
Talkeetna, a town about 100 miles north of Anchorage, saw temperatures reach 96°F (36°C) on June 17. Other towns in southern Alaska set all-time record highs, including Cordova, Valez, and Seward. The high temperatures also helped fuel wildfires and hastened the breakup of sea ice in the Chukchi Sea.
Image Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFCCaption: Adam Voiland
That was certainly not the case on June 17, 2013, the
date that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on
NASA's Terra satellite acquired this rare, nearly cloud-free view of the
state. The absence of clouds exposed a striking tapestry of water, ice,
land, forests, and even wildfires. Snow-covered mountains such as the
Alaska Range and Chugach Mountains were visible in southern Alaska,
while the arc of mountains that make up the Brooks Range dominated the
northern part of the state.The Yukon River -- the longest in Alaska and the third longest in the United States -- wound its way through the green boreal forests that inhabit the interior of the state. Plumes of sediment and glacial dust poured into the Gulf of Alaska from the Copper River. And Iliamna Lake, the largest in Alaska, was ice free. The same ridge of high pressure that cleared Alaska's skies also brought stifling temperatures to many areas accustomed to chilly June days.
Talkeetna, a town about 100 miles north of Anchorage, saw temperatures reach 96°F (36°C) on June 17. Other towns in southern Alaska set all-time record highs, including Cordova, Valez, and Seward. The high temperatures also helped fuel wildfires and hastened the breakup of sea ice in the Chukchi Sea.
Image Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFCCaption: Adam Voiland
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