NC Space Grant News Archives NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) seeking candidates - 04 Feb 2010 The NASA USRP is seeking candidates for the Fall 2010 internships. This is a mentored internship program for undergrad students at 12 NASA Centers and research support facilities across the US. Students majoring in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics will have the opportunity to gain hands-on technical research experiences. Qualifying students must be enrolled at a university in their sophomore, junior or senior year, have at least a 3.0 GPA and be a US citizen. To apply and learn more go to the USRP web site. Fall 2010 Deadline: April 30, 2010 NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program - 15 Jan 2010 The NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) is seeking candidates for the Summer 2010 internship session for one more week (Application Deadline – January 22, 2010). The USRP program is a mentored internship for undergraduate students that are offered at all 12 NASA Centers and research support facilities across the United States. For more information or to apply visit the USRP website. UNC-TV to feature PARI on Exploring North Carolina - 13 Jan 2010 On Thursday, January 14th at 8:30 pm and again on Friday, January 15th at 9:30 pm UNC-TV will broadcast an Exploring North Carolina segment on the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI). This new show will feature many of PARI’s recent research and education program developments. NC Space Grant students have participated in internships at PARI for several years. NC Space Grant Student selected as Intern for White House Council on Environmental Quality - 10 Dec 2009 Anup Engineer, a senior in Environmental Technology at NC State University, has been awarded an internship by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Interns are given a wide range of assignments including conducting research, managing incoming inquiries, attending meetings, and writing memos on a variety of environmental issues. They have the opportunity to be involved in groundbreaking projects, working closely with staff from all levels and a variety of backgrounds.

Aero/Space News Florida Lawmakers Pushing for Space Shuttle Extension, New Rocket   11 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Florida lawmakers on Wednesday introduced legislation to extend the shuttle beyond its scheduled retirement International Space Station Could Fly Through 2028, NASA Partners Say   11 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com The International Space Station could continue to fly through 2028, eight years longer than current plans, the countries backing the outpost have said. Historic Space Antenna Starts Vital Repairs   11 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com NASA has begun vital repairs on its giant Mars Antenna at the Deep Space Network site in Goldstone, Calif. Life-Enabling Molecules Spotted in Orion Nebula   11 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com NASA's Herschel telescope finds signatures of life-enabling molecules in Orion nebula. Water Discovered in Apollo Moon Rocks Likely Came from Comets   11 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Genuine lunar water has been in Apollo moon rocks for the first time, a finding that suggests the wet stuff originally came from comets. Comparison of Comet Enflow and VA One Acoustic-to-Structure Power Flow Predictions   11 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Comet Enflow is a commercially available, high frequency vibroacoustic analysis software based on the Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA). In this method the same finite element mesh used for structural and acoustic analysis can be employed for the high frequency solutions. Comet Enflow is being validated for a floor-equipped composite cylinder by comparing the EFEA vibroacoustic response predictions with Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) results from the commercial software program VA One from ESI Group.... Integrated Analysis of Airport Capacity and Environmental Constraints   11 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: LMI conducted an integrated analysis of airport capacity and environmental constraints. identifying and ranking the key factors limiting achievement of NextGen capacity goals. The primary metric used was projected throughput, which was estimated for the years 2015 and 2025 based on the unconstrained demand forecast from the Federal Aviation Administration, and planned improvements including those proposed in the NextGen plan. A set of 310 critical airports was identified.. collectively accounting for more than 99 percent of domestic air traffic volume; a one-off analytical approach was used to isolate the constraint being assessed.... Mineralogical and Chemical Characterization of Lunar Highland Soils: Insights into the Space Weathering of Soils on Airless Bodies   11 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: With reflectance spectroscopy, one is measuring only properties of the fine-grained regolith, most affected by space weathering. The Lunar Soil Characterization Consortium has undertaken the task of coordinated characterization of lunar soils, with respect to their mineralogical and chemical makeup. It is these lunar soils that are being used as 'ground-truth' for all air30 less bodies.... Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotope Measurements of Martian Atmospheric CO2 by the Phoenix Lander   11 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Precise stable isotope measurements of the CO2 in the martian atmosphere have the potential to provide important constraints for our understanding of the history of volatiles, the carbon cycle, current atmospheric processes, and the degree of water/rock interaction on Mars [1]. The isotopic composition of the martian atmosphere has been measured using a number of different methods (Table 1), however a precise value (<1%) has yet to be achieved. Given the elevated Delta(sup 13)C values measured in carbonates in martian meteorites [2-4] it has been proposed that the martian atmosphere was enriched in 13C [8].... Satellite Radar Photo Shows Eerie Space Station   11 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com A newly released photo from a German satellite has revealed the International Space Station (ISS) as an eerie apparition glowing in X-rays. Sun's Nemesis Pelted Earth with Comets, Study Suggests   11 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Is our Sun part of a binary star system? Some have suggested an unseen companion star, nicknamed 'Nemesis,' is sending comets towards Earth. Galaxy Study Validates General Relativity On Cosmic Scale   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Berkeley CA (SPX) Mar 11, 2010 - An analysis of more than 70,000 galaxies by University of California, Berkeley, University of Zurich and Princeton University physicists demonstrates that the universe - at least up to a distance of 3.5 billion light years from Earth - plays by the rules set out 95 years ago by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity. GE - Satcom: New Name, New Look For Satlynx   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Stuttgart, Germany (SPX) Mar 11, 2010 - Satlynx is soon to become GE - Satcom. Along with the name change, the company will have a dynamic new corporate identity and website to match. 'The evolution of our brand is a natural progression' says Ronny Svang, President and CEO of GE - Satcom. Atom smasher set for high speed bash by early April: CERN   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Geneva (AFP) March 10, 2010 - The world's most powerful atom smasher will be brought up to unprecedented power by early April, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research said on Wednesday. Mysterious Cosmic Dark Flow Tracked Deeper Into Universe   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 11, 2010 - Distant galaxy clusters mysteriously stream at a million miles per hour along a path roughly centered on the southern constellations Centaurus and Hydra. A new study led by Alexander Kashlinsky at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., tracks this collective motion - dubbed the 'dark flow' - to twice the distance originally reported. US military to step up video-game training   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington (AFP) March 10, 2010 - The US military plans to step up the use of video-games, hoping to curb casualties on the battlefield by training troops through simulations, a commander said Wednesday. China Plans To Launch Third Unmanned Moon Probe Around 2013   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Beijing, China (XNA) Mar 11, 2010 - China plans to launch its third unmanned probe to the moon, Chang'e-3, around 2013 and expects to complete the three-phase moon mission in 2017, an official said here Wednesday. Catastrophic Event Halted Star Birth In Early Galaxy   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com London, UK (SPX) Mar 11, 2010 - Scientists have found evidence of a catastrophic event they believe was responsible for halting the birth of stars in a galaxy in the early Universe. They report their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Arabsat 5A Satellite Shipped To Launch Site   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Toulouse, France (SPX) Mar 11, 2010 - The first Arabsat 5th generation satellite today left the Astrium facilties in Toulouse and was loaded in Blagnac airport on an Antonov cargo airplane that will transport it to French Guyana in view of an April launch into geostationary orbit. Japanese baby-bot with runny nose teaches parenting skills   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Tsukuba, Japan (AFP) March 10, 2010 - It giggles and wiggles its feet when you shake its rattle, but will get cranky and cry from too much tickling: Meet Yotaro, a Japanese robot programmed to be as fickle as a real baby. COMS Flies To Kourou   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Toulouse, France (SPX) Mar 11, 2010 - It is the 'Swiss Army Knife' of satellites. COMS (Communications, Oceanography and Meteorology Satellite) is the first European 3-axis stabilised geostationary observation satellite to carry three payloads dedicated to meteorology applications, ocean observation and telecommunications. SpaceX Static Fire Update   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Hawthorne CA (SPX) Mar 11, 2010 - SpaceX has performed our first Static Fire for the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. We counted down to an T-2 seconds and aborted on Spin Start. Given that this was our first abort event on this pad, we decided to scrub for the day to get a good look at the rocket before trying again. Everything looks great at first glance. China chooses first women astronauts   11 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Beijing (AFP) March 10, 2010 - China has selected its first two women astronauts to serve on a team that will undertake future missions launched by the nation's burgeoning space programme, state media reported Wednesday. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 11 March 2010   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 11 March 2010 NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Wednesday, March 10, 2010   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Northrop Grumman Joins With Local Colleges to Help Students "Defend Their Networks" as Collegiate Cyber Competition Gets Underway   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Northrop Grumman Joins With Local Colleges to Help Students 'Defend Their Networks' as Collegiate Cyber Competition Gets Underway NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5050   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5050 NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5049   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5049 Zero Gravity Corporation Establishes The Zero-G Weightless Lab   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Today, Zero Gravity Corporation announced the establishment of the ZERO-G WEIGHTLESS LAB. The specially designed two-day program provides the only commercial access to Martian, Lunar, zero and hyper gravity environments for scientific research. Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Close the Space Gap, Keep America First in Space   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Close the Space Gap, Keep America First in Space Heads of Agency International Space Station Joint Statement   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States met in Tokyo, Japan, on March 11, 2010, to review ISS cooperation. GeoEye Selects Lockheed Martin to Begin Engineering and Manufacturing of GeoEye-2, the Company's Next Commercial Earth-Imaging Satellite   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. GeoEye Selects Lockheed Martin to Begin Engineering and Manufacturing of GeoEye-2, the Company's Next Commercial Earth-Imaging Satellite NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5048   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5048 NASA Solicitation: EVA Radio Miniaturization Studies   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Solicitation: EVA Radio Miniaturization Studies NASA Solicitation: Astronaut Crew Guest Support   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Solicitation: Astronaut Crew Guest Support NASA Solicitation: The Expansion of the SERVIR System to the Himalaya Region   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Solicitation: The Expansion of hte SERVIR System to the Himalaya Region Cassini Data Show Ice and Rock Mixture Inside Titan   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. By precisely tracking NASA's Cassini spacecraft on its low swoops over Saturn's moon Titan, scientists have determined the distribution of materials in the moon's interior. Dumpster Diving for Science   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Last month, researchers working out of an abandoned McDonald's restaurant on the grounds of NASA Ames Research Center recovered data collected by NASA's Nimbus II satellite on 23 September 1966. NASA Offers 'Fast' Opportunities for Zero-G Technology Testing   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA has announced opportunities to test emerging technologies during flights on an airplane that simulates the weightless conditions of space. NASA TV Provides Coverage of One Space Station Crew's Return to Earth and Another's Journey There   11 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA Television will cover the landing of two current International Space Station crew members and the launch of three upcoming station residents later in March and April. NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 11 March 2010   11 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. NASA TV Media Channel Provides Clean Feeds for News Organizations   11 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA Television provides a standard digital television channel as a resource for news media. NASA Offers 'FAST' Opportunities For Zero-G Technology Testing   11 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA has announced opportunities to test emerging technologies during flights on an airplane that simulates the weightless conditions of space. Heads of Agency International Space Station   11 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met in Tokyo, Japan, on March 11, 2010, to review ISS cooperation. From the left are Dr. Keiji Tachikawa, President of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator; Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of the European Space Agency; Anatoly N. Permirov, Head of the Russian Space Agency; and, Dr. Steve MacLean, President of the Canadian Space Agency. With the assembly of the ISS nearing completion and the capability to support a full-time crew of six established, they noted the outstanding opportunities now offered by the ISS for on-orbit research and for discovery including the operation and management of the world's largest international space complex. The heads of agency reaffirmed the importance of full exploitation of the station's scientific, engineering, utilization, and education potential. They noted that there are no identified technical constraints to continuing ISS operations beyond the current planning horizon, and that the partnership is currently working to certify on-orbit elements through 2028. They emphasized their common intent to undertake the necessary procedures within their respective governments to reach consensus later this year on the continuation of the ISS to the next decade. Image Credit: JAXA Heads of Agency International Space Station Joint Statement   11 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States met in Tokyo, Japan, on March 11, 2010, to review ISS cooperation. Just One Hitch in Choosing China's First Women Astronauts   10 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com China has selected two female pilots as its first women astronauts, but they had to pass the marriage test first. Einstein Was Right: General Relativity Confirmed   10 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Score one more for Einstein. A new study has confirmed his theory of general relativity works on extremely large scales. SpaceX Aborts Test Firing of New Rocket's Engines   10 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) aborted the Falcon 9 rocket's first static fire test March 9. SpaceX Aborts Test Firing of Falcon 9 Engines   10 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) aborted the Falcon 9 rocket's first static fire test March 9. Volcanoes   10 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This slide presentation reviews the different types of volcanoes showing several views of current volcanic activity. There are several pictures of volcanoes that have erupted in the recent past.... An Overview of NASA's Orbital Debris Engineering Model   10 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This slide presentation reviews the importance of Orbital debris engineering models. They are mathematical tools to assess orbital debris flux. It briefly reviews the history of the orbital debris engineering models, and reviews the new features in the current model (i.e., ORDEM2010).... Optimization Testbed Cometboards Extended into Stochastic Domain   10 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: COMparative Evaluation Testbed of Optimization and Analysis Routines for the Design of Structures (CometBoards) is a multidisciplinary design optimization software. It was originally developed for deterministic calculation. It has now been extended into the stochastic domain for structural design problems.... Smithsonian Rolls Out Red Carpet for Hubble 3D Premiere   10 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Tuesday for the world premiere of the Hubble 3D IMAX film. Fastest Orbiting Stars Circle Each Other in Mere Minutes   10 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Astronomers have reported the fastest known orbiting pair of stars ever known, a finding that challenges binary star formation models and could help uncover elusive gravitational waves. Lord of the Rings in Opposition   10 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Saturn will be in opposition on Monday March 22 and visible all night. Space shuttle can fly beyond 2010, if money is there: NASA   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington (AFP) March 9, 2010 - The US space shuttle fleet can continue flying beyond NASA's September 30 deadline if the money is made available to keep it going, a US space agency official told reporters Tuesday. NASA offers communication simulation   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington (UPI) Mar 9, 2009 - NASA says it is now offering the public an interactive computer program that allows virtual explorers to experience many space-related simulations. Competition up in 3-d defense imaging   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Albuquerque (UPI) Mar 8, 2009 - International competition in three-dimensional imaging for defense applications is gathering momentum as security industry companies worldwide scramble to develop new technologies, with market forecasts that the sector will see major growth in the coming years. Russia Shortlists 11 For 520-Day Simulation Of Mars Mission   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - Russia's Institute of Medical and Biological Problems announced on Thursday the names of 11 volunteers on the shortlist to take part in a 520-day simulation of an expedition to Mars, a spokesman said. China's Fourth Space Center To Be Completed By 2015   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - China's fourth space center, Wenchang, will be put into service between 2014 and 2015, not in 2013 as it was previously announced, the CCTV channel reported on Tuesday. Combat Interference With New GVF Installation Certification   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington DC (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - To strengthen VSAT-industry competitiveness, satellite operators and VSAT manufacturers recently called upon the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) to expand the reach of the GVF VSAT Installation and Maintenance Training Programme. American Aerospace Accepting Research Reservations On Last Shuttle Mission   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Radnor PA (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - American Aerospace Advisors has announced that it is accepting commercial reservations for research on STS-133 (ULF-5), the last scheduled Space Shuttle mission, which will provide approximately two weeks of microgravity time. Most Extreme White Dwarf Binary System Found   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Warwick, UK (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - An international team of astronomers, including Professor Tom Marsh and Dr Danny Steeghs from the University of Warwick, have shown that the two stars in the binary HM Cancri definitely revolve around each other in a mere 5.4 minutes. This makes HM Cancri the binary star with by far the shortest known orbital period. Russian Volga Region Moves To Produce Flying Saucers   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Ulianovsk, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - The government of the Ulianovsk Region in the Volga area has approved a five-year program to produce so-called 'flying saucers' - a bizarre hybrid of a helicopter and an aerostat. NASA Launches Interactive Simulation Of Satellite Communications   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moffett Field CA (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - NASA has unveiled an interactive computer simulation that allows virtual explorers of all ages to dock the space shuttle at the International Space Station, experience a virtual trip to Mars or a lunar impact, and explore images of star formations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Historic Deep Space Network Antenna Starts Major Surgery   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 10, 2010 - Like a hard-driving athlete whose joints need help, the giant 'Mars antenna' at NASA's Deep Space Network site in Goldstone, Calif. has begun major, delicate surgery. Russia, India May Jointly Make Glonass, GPS Navigation Devices   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 10, 2010 - Russia and India might establish a joint venture to produce navigation equipment for GPS and its Russian equivalent Glonass, the head of the Russian federal satellite navigation operator said on Tuesday. Improving Operational Effectiveness Of Government Satcom Deployments   10 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Fayetteville NC (SPX) Mar 10, 2010 - Improved standards of operational effectiveness for U.S. Government agencies is being facilitated through delivery of training that enables high-performance deployments of satellite communications systems. The development arises in conjunction with increasing reliance upon VSAT-based solutions for communications worldwide. Snapshot of the International Space Station   10 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day On March 13, 2008, the International Space Station passed across the field-of-view of Germany's remote sensing satellite, TerraSAR-X, at a distance of 195 kilometers, or 122 miles, and at a relative speed of 34,540 kilometers per hour, or more than 22,000 mph. In contrast to optical cameras, radar does not 'see' surfaces. Instead, it is much more aware of the edges and corners which bounce back the microwave signal it transmits. Smooth surfaces such as those on the station's solar generators or the radiator panels used to dissipate excess heat, unless directly facing the radar antenna, tend to deflect rather than reflect the radar beam, causing these features to appear on the radar image as dark areas. The radar image of the station therefore looks like a dense collection of bright spots from which the outlines of the space station can be clearly identified. The central element on the station, to which all the modules are docked, has a grid structure that presents a multiplicity of reflecting surfaces to the radar beam, making it readily identifiable. This image has a resolution of about one meter (about 39 inches). In other words, objects can be depicted as discrete units--that is, shown separately--provided that they are at least one meter apart. If they are closer together than that, they tend to merge into a single block on a radar image. Since this image as taken, the station has expanded and is more than 90 percent complete, including a full complement of solar arrays. Image Credit: DLR NASA Advisory Council Commercial Space Committee Meeting 30 March 2010   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Advisory Council Commercial Space Committee Meeting 30 March 2010 NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 9 March 2010   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Nimbus II and Lunar Orbiter 1 Imagery: A New Look at Earth in 1966   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. As the images were enhanced and dropped into Google Earth it became clear that we have imagery that overlapped in time to show the weather on that late August day as evening crept up on Africa and Europe. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 10 March 2010   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 10 March 2010 Kosmas and Posey Introduce Bill to Minimize Human Spaceflight Gap   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Today, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) and Congressman Bill Posey (FL-15) introduced legislation to maintain a robust human spaceflight program, minimize the spaceflight gap, and protect Space Coast jobs. NASA Invites Media to Photo Opportunity at Launch Pad March 16   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Invites Media to Photo Opportunity at Launch Pad March 16 World Premiere of "Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission" at the Austin, Texas Film Festival, March 14 and 18   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. World Premiere of 'Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission' at the Austin, Texas Film Festival, March 14 and 18 NOAA SEC Space Weather Outlook #10- 11   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NOAA SEC Space Weather Outlook #10- 11 Dome Away From Home   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. After more than three decades of service to researchers and staff stationed at the bottom of the world, the dome at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was deconstructed this austral summer. NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 10 March 2010   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. SpaceX Falcon 9 Static Fire Update 9 March 2010   10 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. On March 9 SpaceX performed our first Static Fire for the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. We counted down to an T-2 seconds and aborted on Spin Start. Astronomers Confirm Pair of White Dwarfs as the Fastest Orbiting Stars Known   09 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Astronomers have reported the fastest known orbiting pair of stars ever known, a finding that challenges binary star formation models and could help uncover elusive gravitational waves. NASA: Space Shuttles Could Fly Longer With Extra Funds   09 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com NASA could continue to fly space shuttles beyond their planned 2010 retirement if given more money, the shuttle program chief said. Virgin Galactic Applauds Legal Protection Against Space Tourist Lawsuits   09 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn applauded New Mexico legislation reducing the risk of industry-crippling lawsuits against space tourism companies. The Morphology of Passively Evolving Galaxies at Z approximately 2 from HST/WFC3 Deep Imaging in the Hubble Ultradeep Field   09 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: We present near-IR images of six passive galaxies (SSFR< 10(exp -2)/ Gyr) at redshift 1.3 < z < 2.4 with stellar mass M approximately 10(exp 11) solar M, selected from the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS), obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the WFC3/IR camera. These images provide the deepest and highest angular resolution view of the optical rest-frame morphology of such systems to date. We find that the light profile of these galaxies is generally regular and well described by a Sersic model with index typical of today's spheroids.... Shifting the Intertial Navigation Paradigm with the MEMS Technology   09 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: 'Why don't you use MEMS?' is of the most common questions posed to navigation systems engineers designing inertial navigation solutions in the modern era. The question stems from a general understanding that great strides have been made in terrestrial MEMS accelerometers and attitude rate sensors in terms of accuracy, mass, and power. Yet, when compared on a unit-to-unit basis, MEMS devices do not provide comparable performance (accuracy) to navigation grade sensors in several key metrics.... Air Force to Test New Hypersonic Aircraft   09 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com The U.S. Air Force is gearing up for the first of four planned test flights of a hypersonic aircraft designed to operate for much longer durations and cover far greater distances than previous platforms of its type. Buzz Aldrin Gears Up For 'Dancing with the Stars'   09 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Buzz Aldrin, 80-year-old veteran of the Apollo 11 moon landing, is gearing up to compete in the new season of TV's Dancing With the Stars. Oldest Measurement of Earth's Magnetic Field Reveals Battle between Sun and Earth for Our Atmosphere   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Scientists have discovered that the Earth's magnetic field 3.5 billion years ago was only half as strong as it is today, and that this weakness, coupled with a strong wind of energetic particles from the young sun, likely stripped water from the early Earth's atmosphere. (University of Rochester press release) Arctic Seabed Methane Stores Destabilizing, Venting   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory A section of the Arctic Ocean seafloor that holds vast stores of frozen methane is showing signs of instability and widespread venting of the powerful greenhouse gas, according to a new study. (University of Alaska Fairbanks press release) New Evidence Hints at Global Glaciation 716.5 Million Years Ago   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Geologists have found evidence that sea ice extended to the equator 716.5 million years ago, bringing new precision to a 'snowball Earth' event long suspected to have taken place around that time. (Harvard University press release) Research Team Breaks the Ice with New Estimate of Glacier Melt   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory The melting of glaciers is well documented, but when looking at the rate at which they have been retreating, a team of international researchers steps back and says not so fast. (Northern Arizona University press release) NASA and NOAA's GOES-P Satellite Successfully Launched   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-P, lifted off on March 4, joining four other similar spacecraft to improve weather forecasting and monitoring of environmental events. Were Short Warm Periods Typical for Traditions Between Interglacial and Glacial Epochs?   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory In Central and Eastern Europe, the slow transition from the Eemian Interglacial to the Weichselian Glacial was marked by a growing instability in vegetation trends with possibly at least two warming events. (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres press release) Salt-Seeking Satellite Shaken by Quake, But Not Stirred   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory NASA's Aquarius instrument, and the Argentinian spacecraft that will carry it into space, rode out the Feb. 27 Chilean earthquake without a scratch. Snow in Eastern United States and Canada   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired March 6, 2010, this true-color image shows snow cover over the eastern reaches of Canada and the United States. Snow cover appears the most opaque in Ohio, central New York, and between Lake Huron and its neighboring lakes to the east. Chilean Quake May Have Shortened Earth Days   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory The Feb. 27 magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile may have shortened the length of each Earth day. Glaciers off the Antarctic Coast   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired March 8, 2010, this true-color image shows two icebergs, Iceberg B-09B and an iceberg recently broken off the Mertz Glacier, floating in the Southern Ocean, just off the George V Coast. Flooding in Southwestern Queensland   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired March 8, 2010 (top), and February 23, 2010 (bottom), these false-color images show changes in river levels in Australia’s Channel Country. Vegetation appears bright green. Clouds appear sky blue. Water varies in color from electric blue to navy. Bare ground appears tan. Improved Near-Real-Time Tracking of 2010 El Niño Reveals Marine Life Reductions   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory The ongoing El Niño of 2010 is affecting north Pacific Ocean ecosystems in ways that could affect the West Coast fishing industry, according to scientists. (University of California - San Diego press release) Joanne Simpson, 1923-2010   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Dr. Joanne Simpson (1923–2010) pours over reams of images of tropical clouds filmed during flights across the tropical Pacific. The photos and her hand-drawn maps of cloud formations became the foundation for her groundbreaking “hot towersâ€� hypothesis about atmospheric circulation in the tropics. Student Ready To Battle At 17th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - More than 100 student teams from around the globe will drive their specially crafted lunar rovers through a challenging course of rugged, moon-like terrain at NASA's 17th annual Great Moonbuggy Race in Huntsville, Ala., April 9-10. Bully Galaxy Rules The Neighborhood   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Paris, France (ESA) Mar 08, 2010 - Located half a billion light-years from Earth, ESO 306-17, is a large, bright elliptical galaxy in the southern sky of a type known as a fossil group. Astronomers use this term to emphasise the isolated nature of these galaxies. However, are they like fossils - the last remnants of a once active community - or is it more sinister than that? Did ESO 306-17 gobble up its next-door neighbours? Fuel To The Fire   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moffett Field CA (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - What's adding fuel to the fire of climate change? Well, fire. Some stunning images recently taken by NASA's Aqua satellite show one of the Earth's latest firestorms - this one at the Dundes Nature Reserve in Western Australia. Nearly 200,000 acres have gone up in flames as of February 18. That's a lot of carbon added to the atmosphere. New Investment Fund Backs Space Technologies Finding Uses On Earth   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Paris, France (ESA) Mar 09, 2010 - For years, ESA has been bringing space technologies down to Earth through its Technology Transfer Programme and Business Incubation initiatives. Now, the Agency will strengthen these initiatives by supporting new businesses using space innovations through a dedicated venture capital fund. Alternative Energy Crops In Space   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - What if space held the key to producing alternative energy crops on Earth? That's what researchers are hoping to find in a new experiment on the International Space Station. How ESA Got Its Tweet Back   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Cologne, France (ESA) Mar 09, 2010 - On Friday, Esa Alanen and family visited the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, as guests of ESA, to say thanks for relinquishing the Twitter name www.twitter.com/esa. ASTRA 3B Topped Off For Arianespace Year-Opening Flight   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - Satellite preparations for Ariane 5's initial launch of 2010 have moved into a new phase with the fueling of ASTRA 3B - which is one of two passengers to be orbited by the heavy-lift vehicle on March 24. Iran unveils missiles, launch pad spotted   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Tehran (UPI) Mar 8, 2009 - As the United States and other powers mull tightening economic sanctions on Iran, Tehran says it has begin mass production of cruise missiles -- just the thing to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Rocket To Go To Moon Under Design   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Beijing, China (XNA) Mar 09, 2010 - A new heavy-thrust carrier rocket is under scientific research, with the goal of sending astronauts to the moon, scientists said. How Black Holes May Shape Galaxies   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Boston MA (SPX) Mar 09, 2010 - New observations from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory provide evidence for powerful winds blowing away from the vicinity of a supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy. This discovery indicates that 'average' supermassive black holes may play an important role in the evolution of the galaxies in which they reside. France To Pay Russia One Billion For 14 Soyuz Carrier Rockets   09 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 09, 2010 - France has put aside some $1 billion to buy 14 Soyuz carrier rockets from Russia, French satellite launch firm Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said Tuesday. NASA Launches Interactive Simulation of Satellite Communications   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA today unveiled an interactive computer simulation that allows virtual explorers of all ages to dock the space shuttle at the International Space Station, experience a virtual trip to Mars or a lunar impact, and explore images of star formations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA Launches Interactive Simulation of Satellite Communications   09 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Launches Interactive Simulation of Satellite Communications NASA Extends Johnson Safety and Mission Assurance Contract   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA has exercised a $60 million, one-year extension option for a contract with Science Applications International Corporation of Houston to provide support to safety and mission assurance activities at the agency's Johnson Space Center. A Mosaic of Cassiopeia   09 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day This mosaic of images from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explore, or WISE, in the constellation of Cassiopeia contains a large star-forming nebula within the Milky Way Galaxy, called IC 1805 or the Heart Nebula, a portion of which is seen at the right of the image. IC 1805 is more than 6,000 light-years from Earth. Also visible in this image are two nearby galaxies, Maffei 1 and Maffei 2. In visible light these galaxies are hidden by dust in IC 1805 and were unknown until 1968 when Paolo Maffei found them using infrared observations. Both galaxies contain billions of stars and are located some 10 million light-years away. Maffei 1 is a lenticular galaxy, which has a disk-like structure and a central bulge but no spiral structure or appreciable dust content. Maffei 2 is a spiral galaxy that also has a disk shape, but with a bar-like central bulge and two prominent dusty spiral arms. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA Astrobiology Science News 8 March 2010   08 Mar 2010 - The Astrobiology Network - Copyright 2010 Claire Light's Chapbook Investigates Surreal Crimes of Astrobiology, io9 Orbital migration of low-mass planets in evolutionary radiative models: Avoiding catastrophic infall, astro-ph Could the Mono Lake arsenic prove there is a shadow biosphere?, Times Online Antarctica's Tunguska Event, Discovery Now China Targets More Space Program Firsts   08 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com The leaders of China's human spaceflight endeavors say 2011 is shaping up to be the most ambitious year in the history of the country's space program. Obama To Discuss Space Plan in Florida   08 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Florida April 15 to discuss the impact of his administration's new vision for human spaceflight, the White House announced March 7. Biogeochemical Activity of Siderophilic Cyanobacteria and Insights from their Genomes Implications for the Development of New Biosignatures   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Verifying the links between genomie features in living organisms and their mineralization/demineralization activity will help to reveal traces of life on Earth and beyond. Among contemporary environments, iron-depositing hot springs (IDHS) may represent one of the most appropriate natural models for insights into ancient life since organisms may have originated on Earth and possibly Mars in association with hydrothennal activity and high [Fe(2+)]. Siderophilic or 'iron-loving' cyanobacteria (CB) inhabiting IDHS may have genomic features and properties similar to those of ancient organisms because abundant Fe(2+) in IDHS has a strong potential to increase the magnitude of oxidative stress.... 2009 Space Shuttle Probabilistic Risk Assessment Overview   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Loss of a Space Shuttle during flight has severe consequences, including loss of a significant national asset; loss of national confidence and pride; and, most importantly, loss of human life. The Shuttle Probabilistic Risk Assessment (SPRA) is used to identify risk contributors and their significance; thus, assisting management in determining how to reduce risk. In 2006, an overview of the SPRA Iteration 2.1 was presented at PSAM 8 [1].... Hubble Space Telescope Crew Rescue Analysis   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: In the aftermath of the 2003 Columbia accident, NASA removed the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) from the Space Shuttle manifest. Reasons cited included concerns that the risk of flying the mission would be too high. The HST SM4 was subsequently reinstated and flown as Space Transportation System (STS)-125 because of improvements in the ascent debris environment, the development of techniques for astronauts to perform on orbit repairs to damaged thermal protection, and the development of a strategy to provide a viable crew rescue capability.... A General Algorithm for Reusing Krylov Subspace Information. I. Unsteady Navier-Stokes   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A general algorithm is developed that reuses available information to accelerate the iterative convergence of linear systems with multiple right-hand sides A x = b (sup i), which are commonly encountered in steady or unsteady simulations of nonlinear equations. The algorithm is based on the classical GMRES algorithm with eigenvector enrichment but also includes a Galerkin projection preprocessing step and several novel Krylov subspace reuse strategies. The new approach is applied to a set of test problems, including an unsteady turbulent airfoil, and is shown in some cases to provide significant improvement in computational efficiency relative to baseline approaches.... Lunar Surface Operations with Dual Rovers   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Lunar Electric Rovers (LER) are currently being developed that are substantially more capable than the Apollo vehicle (LRN ,'). Unlike the LRV, the new LERs provide a pressurized cabin that serves as short-sleeve environment for the crew of two, including sleeping accommodations and other provisions that allow for long tern stays, possibly up to 60 days, on the hear surface, without the need to replenish consumables from some outside source, such as a lander or outpost. As a consequence, significantly larger regions may be explored in the future and traverse distances may be measured in a few hundred kilometers (1, 2).... An Experimental Study of Fan Inflow Distortion Tone Noise   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The tone noise generated when a fan ingests circumferentially distorted flow was studied by an experiment conducted with the Advanced Noise Control Fan at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The inflow was distorted by inserting cylindrical rods radially into the duct. The rods were arranged in circumferentially irregular patterns in three of the five configurations tested.... Propulsion Diagnostic Method Evaluation Strategy (ProDiMES) User's Guide   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This report is a User's Guide for the Propulsion Diagnostic Method Evaluation Strategy (ProDiMES). ProDiMES is a standard benchmarking problem and a set of evaluation metrics to enable the comparison of candidate aircraft engine gas path diagnostic methods. This Matlab (The Mathworks, Inc.) based software tool enables users to independently develop and evaluate diagnostic methods.... FIB-NanoSIMS-TEM Coordinated Study of a Wark-Lovering Rim in a Vigarano Type A CAI   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Wark-Lovering (WL) rims are thin multi layered mineral sequences that surround most Ca, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). Unaltered WL rims are composed of the same primary high temperature minerals as CAIs, such as melilite, spinel, pyroxene, hibonite, perovskite, anorthite and olivine. It is still unclear whether the rim minerals represent a different generation formed by a separate event from their associated CAIs or are a byproduct of CAI formation.... Mud Volcanoes as Exploration Targets on Mars   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Tens of thousands of high-albedo mounds occur across the southern part of the Acidalia impact basin on Mars. These structures have geologic, physical, mineralogic, and morphologic characteristics consistent with an origin from a sedimentary process similar to terrestrial mud volcanism. The potential for mud volcanism in the Northern Plains of Mars has been recognized for some time, with candidate mud volcanoes reported from Utopia, Isidis, northern Borealis, Scandia, and the Chryse-Acidalia region.... An Overview of NASA's Oribital Debris Environment Model   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Using updated measurement data, analysis tools, and modeling techniques; the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office has created a new Orbital Debris Environment Model. This model extends the coverage of orbital debris flux throughout the Earth orbit environment, and includes information on the mass density of the debris as well as the uncertainties in the model environment. This paper will give an overview of this model and its implications for spacecraft risk analysis.... Volcanic Coatings on Picritic Apollo 17 Glasses; Submicrometer-Deposits of Fe-CR-Metal   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The purposes of our ongoing investigations of Apollo 15 green and Apollo 17 orange and black volcanic glasses are threefold: first, to increase our understanding of the volcanic origin of the glasses; second, to determine the nature of the coating materials deposited on the glasses during their cooling in the volcanic environment; and, third, to help determine the nature of the gases involved in the volcanic fire-fountaining that occurred at approximately 3.5 Ga on the moon. We are continuing studies of coatings on volcanic glasses using analytical techniques not available when these glasses were originally studied; these include high-resolution FE-TEM and X-ray mapping, along with other highly detailed methods including TEM electron diffraction analysis. Initial studies of Apollo 15 green volcanic glasses using the techniques described above revealed for the first time the presence of areas containing distinct layering of volcanic surface deposits.... Jarosite in the Shergottite Que 94201   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Veins of the hydroxylated, potassium ferric sulfate mineral jarosite - KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 - have been identified in the martian meteorite Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94201. Iron potassium sulfate had been reported in QUE 94201 by Wentworth and Gooding. Jarosite has been reported in other Martian meteorites - Roberts Massif (RBT) 04262, Miller Range (MIL) 03346, and Yamato 000593 - and it has been identified on the Martian surface by Moessbauer spectroscopy.... Evidence for Interlayer Collapse of Nontronite on Mars from Laboratory Visible and Near-IR Reflective Spectra   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Dioctahedral smectites (e.g., nontronite and montmorillionite) are interpreted to occupy the optical surface of Mars at a number of locations on the basis of spectral features derived from interlayer H2O and MOH (M=Fe(3+)2, Fe(3+)Al, Al2, etc.) as observed by orbiting MRO-CRISM and MEx-OMEGA hyperspectral imaging spectrometers. At wavelengths shorter than approximately 2.7 micrometers, the strongest bands from interlayer H2O occur at approximately 1.4 and 1.9 micrometers from 2v1 and v1+v2, respectively, where v1 and v2 are the fundamental stretching and bending vibrations of the H2O molecule. Smectite MOH vibrations occur near 1.4 micrometers (stretching overtone) and in the region between 2.1 and 2.7 micrometers (stretching + bending combination).... Radiation Critical Readiness Review   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This slide presentation reviews the radiation preparedness and radiation monitors on the International Space Station (ISS). It includes information on the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC), Radiation Area Monitors, Extra-Vehicular Charged Particle Directional Spectrometer (EV-CPDS), and the space radiation analysis group.... Development and Implementation of Nationally Recognized Laboratory for Material Characterization in the Microwave and Millimeter Wave Bands   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This report provides a progress update for establishing a laboratory for material characterization in the microwave and millimeter wave bands. During the launch of STS-124 a large area of refractory bricks was liberated from the flame trench built for the exhaust of the solid rocket motors (SRM). The inspection of the liberated area revealed many defects, debonds, corrosion and voids that are a cause for concern relating to the health of the entire flame trench wall.... Current and Near-Term Future Measurements of the Orbital Debris Environment at NASA   08 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office places great emphasis on obtaining and understanding direct measurements of the orbital debris environment. The Orbital Debris Program Office's environmental models are all based on these measurements. Because OD measurements must cover a very wide range of sizes and altitudes, one technique realistically cannot be used for all measurements.... Space Station Wins Prestigious Collier Trophy   08 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com The International Space Station Program has won the prestigious 2009 Collier Trophy. Warp Speed Will Kill You   08 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Harmless interstellar hydrogen becomes deadly ionized radiation that would fry the crew and electronics of starships traveling near light speed, according to a physicist. Phytoplankton Bloom in the Arabian Sea   08 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Phytoplankton swirled across the Arabian Sea on February 18, 2010, drawn into thin green ribbons by turbulent eddies. President Obama to Rally for Space Plan in Florida Meeting   08 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com President Barack Obama will present a conference April 15 in Florida on the country's future in space exploration, the White House announced Saturday. Discovery Shuttle Astronauts Practices for April Launch   08 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Discovery shuttle astronauts staged a dress rehearsal for their planned April 5 launch on Friday. GOES Satellite Sends First Signals From Space   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com El Segundo CA (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - Boeing has received the first on-orbit signals from the third Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) built by Boeing for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The satellite, GOES-P, is healthy and ready to begin thruster firings to move to its on-orbit test location. GOES-P is a Boeing 601 satellite that will provide enhanced Earth-observation and weather-monitoring services. From 2-Trillion-Degree Heat, Researchers Create New Matter   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com College Station TX (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - A worldwide team of researchers, including 10 from Texas A and M University, have for the first time created a particle that is believed to have been in existence immediately after the creation of the universe - the so-called 'Big Bang' - and it could lead to new questions and answers about some of the basic laws of physics because in essence, it creates a new form of matter. ISRO Fires Up L110 Liquid Core Stage Of GSLV- MK3 Launcher   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Mahendragiri, India (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - Indian Space Research Organisation conducted the static test of its liquid core stage (L110) of GSLV Mk III launch vehicle, for 150 seconds at its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) test facility at Mahendragiri at 16:00 hrs yesterday (March 5, 2010). Battle Between Sun And Earth For Our Atmosphere   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Rochester NY (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - Scientists at the University of Rochester have discovered that the Earth's magnetic field 3.5 billion years ago was only half as strong as it is today, and that this weakness, coupled with a strong wind of energetic particles from the young Sun, likely stripped water from the early Earth's atmosphere. Is That Titan Or Utah   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 08, 2010 - Planetary scientists have been puzzling for years over the honeycomb patterns and flat valleys with squiggly edges evident in radar images of Saturn's moon Titan. Now, working with a 'volunteer researcher' who has put his own spin on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, they have found some recognizable analogies to a type of spectacular terrain on Earth known as karst topography. At a poster session on Thursday, March 4, at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, displays their work. 30 Years Later, What Killed The Dinosaurs Is Revisited   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com San Diego CA (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, paleoceanographer Richard Norris is one of 41 scientists presenting evidence that an asteroid impact really did kill off dinosaurs and myriad other organisms 30 years after the theory was first proposed. Lava Likely Made River-Like Channel On Mars   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - Flowing lava can carve or build paths very much like the riverbeds and canyons etched by water, and this probably explains at least one of the meandering channels on the surface of Mars. These results were presented on March 4, 2010 at the 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference by Jacob Bleacher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Boeing Transfers US Portions of International Space Station to NASA   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Houston TX (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - Boeing has officially turned over the U.S. on-orbit segment of the International Space Station (ISS) to NASA with the signing of government form DD-250 at the conclusion of an Acceptance Review Board meeting in Houston. China Plans To Launch Unmanned Space Module Next Year   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Beijing, China (XNA) Mar 05, 2010 - China plans to launch an unmanned space module, Tiangong-1, in 2011, which is expected to accomplish the country's first space docking and regarded as an essential step toward building a space station, an expert said Wednesday. Biggest, Deepest Crater Exposes Hidden, Ancient Moon   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Pasadena CA (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - Shortly after the Moon formed, an asteroid smacked into its southern hemisphere and gouged out a truly enormous crater, the South Pole-Aitken basin, almost 1,500 miles across and more than five miles deep. X-51 Getting Ready For First Flight   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Mar 08, 2010 - There's some pretty exciting stuff going on at Edwards Air Force Base as the flight test center team gets ready to conduct an awe-inspiring X-51 first flight. The plan is to air launch the X-51A WaveRider using an expendable solid rocket booster from under the wing of a B-52, this spring. China Launches New Remote-Sensing Satellite   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Jiuquan, China (XNA) Mar 08, 2010 - China has successfully put into orbit another remote-sensing satellite, 'Yaogan IX' at 12:55 p.m.(Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province, according to a statement from the center Friday. Obama to host April space conference   08 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington (AFP) March 7, 2010 - US President Barack Obama will host a space conference next month in Florida to chart his vision for the future of human spaceflight, the White House said Sunday. NASA Hosts First-Ever Water Sustainability Forum March 16-18   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA today announced its founding partnership of Launch, an initiative to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges through a series of forums. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5047   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5047 NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5046   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5046 Revisiting chicxulub: A broad look at the evidence for a dinosaur-killing impact   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. One factor that is not in dispute: the end of the Cretaceous 65.5 million years ago was marked by one of the most devastating extinctions our planet has faced. Mars Rover Opportunity Update: Driving Around Material Ejected From Young Crater   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Opportunity is continuing the circumnavigation of 'Concepcion' crater. During this period Opportunity traversed around a ray of ejecta that is comprised of rock debris from the impact that formed the crater. NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Monday, March 08, 2010   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Monday, March 08, 2010 Historic Deep Space Network Antenna Starts Major Surgery   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Like a hard-driving athlete whose joints need help, the giant 'Mars antenna' at NASA's Deep Space Network site in Goldstone, Calif. has begun major, delicate surgery. NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 8 March 2010   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Mars Rover Spirit Update: Winter Preparations Nearly Complete   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Spirit is in her winter position, still embedded in the area called 'Troy' on the west side of Home Plate. World Premiere of Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission Planned for SXSW Film Festival   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. An historic 12-day journey to space by legendary game developer and space explorer Richard Garriott will have its world premiere at this year's South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin. Static testing of L110 liquid core stage of GSLV- MkIII launch vehicle conducted   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. ISRO conducted the static test of its liquid core stage (L110) of GSLV Mk III launch vehicle, for 150 seconds at its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) test facility at Mahendragiri at 16:00 hrs on March 5, 2010. NASA Hosts First-Ever Water Sustainability Forum March 16 -18   08 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA today announced its founding partnership of Launch, an initiative to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges through a series of forums. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 8 March 2010   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 8 March 2010 New investment fund backs space technologies finding uses on Earth   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The Open Sky Technologies Fund (OSTF) is an early-stage venture capital fund aimed at nurturing the most promising business opportunities arising from space technologies and satellite applications for terrestrial industries. NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Friday, March 05, 2010   08 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Friday, March 05, 2010 Huygens on Titan   08 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day In 2005 the robotic Huygens probe landed on Titan, Saturn's enigmatic moon, and sent back the first ever images from beneath Titan's thick cloud layers. This artist's impression is based on those images. In the foreground, sits the car-sized lander that sent back images for more than 90 minutes before running out of battery power. The parachute that slowed Huygen's re-entry is seen in the background, still attached to the lander. Smooth stones, possibly containing water-ice, are strewn about the landscape. Analyses of Huygen's images and data show that Titan's surface today has intriguing similarities to the surface of the early Earth. Image Credit: ESA Irrigation Project along the Orange River   07 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired February 15, 2010, this true-color image shows emerald-green irrigated fields along the Orange River, which separates Namibia from the Republic of South Africa. NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: March 3, 2010   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: March 3, 2010 Richard O. Covey to Retire as USA President & CEO   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Richard O. Covey today announced his intentions to retire as President and Chief Executive Officer of United Space Alliance, effective March 26, 2010. COM DEV Begins Work on Two Commercial Satellites   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. COM DEV Begins Work on Two Commercial Satellites NASA Cassini Significant Events 02/24/10 - 03/02/10   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired on Mar. 2 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. NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 6 March 2010   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 7 March 2010   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 7 March 2010 NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 7 March 2010   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. President Obama to Host Space Conference in Florida in April   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. On April 15, President Barack Obama will visit Florida to host a White House Conference on the Administration's new vision for America's future in space, the White House today announced. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 6 March 2010   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 6 March 2010 Is That Saturn's Moon Titan or Utah?   07 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed the chemical fingerprints of potentially life-enabling organic molecules in the Orion nebula, a nearby stellar nursery in our Milky Way galaxy. GOES-P Satellite Launches   06 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory This photo shows the GOES-P satellite launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 4, 2010. Thick Ice in the Baltic Sea   06 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Enough ice lines the coasts of Sweden and Finland in this true color image from March 5, 2010, that it is difficult to tell where the coast ends and the sea begins. Snow across the Upper Midwest   06 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired March 4, 2010, this true-color image snows snow cover extending from Missouri across the Great Lakes. Uniform snow cover in the southwest gives way to a mixture of snow and forest in the northeast. Widespread Fires, Smoky Skies Across Southeast Asia   06 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Hundreds of fires in Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam were creating smoky skies on March 5, 2010. China Launches Military Reconnaissance Satellite   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com China successfully launched another Earth observation satellite from the Jiuquan space base Friday. Exotic Antimatter Created on Earth   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Scientists have created a never-before seen type of exotic matter that is thought to have been present at the earliest stages of the universe, right after the Big Bang. New Rocket Engine Could Reach Mars in 40 Days   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com A private company's VASMIR plasma rocket could fit NASA's bill for getting humans to Mars in a much shorter time. Huge Moon Crater Offers Window to Past   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com A crater on the edge of the Moon's South Pole-Aitken basin may a view of the original surface. FORUM: Sweden Launches Experiment Rockets   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Interesting articles in our Community forum. Study of Plume Impingement Effects in the Lunar Lander Environment   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Plume impingement effects from the descent and ascent engine firings of the Lunar Lander were analyzed in support of the Lunar Architecture Team under the Constellation Program. The descent stage analysis was performed to obtain shear and pressure forces on the lunar surface as well as velocity and density profiles in the flow field in an effort to understand lunar soil erosion and ejected soil impact damage which was analyzed as part of a separate study. A CFD/DSMC decoupled methodology was used with the Bird continuum breakdown parameter to distinguish the continuum flow from the rarefied flow.... Exploring Martian Impact Craters: Why They are Important for the Search for Life   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Fluvial features and evidence for aqueous alteration indicate that Mars was wet, at least partially and/or periodically, in the Noachian. Also, impact cratering appears to have been the dominant geological process [1] during that epoch. Thus, investigation of Noachian craters will further our understanding of this geologic process, its effects on the water-bearing Martian crust, and any life that may have been present at the time.... Aerocapture Guidance and Performance at Mars for High-Mass Systems   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing System Analysis (EDL-SA) project has been tasked with performing systems analysis to identify the optimal technologies required to land a 20-50 MT Exploration-class mission on Mars. It has been shown that it is not possible to safely land these large systems using heritage Mars EDL systems, or analogous Earth or Moon EDL systems. In 2007, NASA conducted a Mars Exploration Architecture Study which included an in depth review of the science motivations and engineering technology requirements for a human Mars mission campaign.... Consequences of Longterm-Confinement and Hypobaric Hypoxia on Immunity in the Antarctic Concordia Environment   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This slide presentation reviews the affects of longterm-confinement and hypobaric hypoxia on immunity in the Antarctic Concordia environment. It includes information on spaceflight-associated immune dysregulation, immune-related knowledge gaps, and ground-based space flight analogs.... Non-Microgravity Provocations to Crew - Food   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This slide presentation reviews the importance of food for long term space exploration missions. The Goals and objectives of the NASA food system is to develop a food system that is safe, nutritious, acceptable and efficiently balances appropriate vehicle resources: volume, mass, waste, water, power, cooling, air, and crew time. The importance of not only the nutrition, but the socialization of meals is also discussed.... Orion Pad Abort 1 GN and C Design and Development   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The first flight test of the Orion Abort Flight Test project is scheduled to launch in Spring 2010. This flight test is known as Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) and it is intended to accomplish a series of flight test objectives, including demonstrating the capability of the Launch Abort System (LAS) to propel the Crew Module (CM) to a safe distance from a launch vehicle during a pad abort. The PA-1 Flight Test Article (FTA) is actively controlled by a guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) system for much of its flight.... The Epiregolith   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The physical properties of the lunar regolith were originally inferred from remotely sensed data, first from the Earth and later from orbiting spacecraft. The Surveyor landings and the Apollo surface explorations produced a more concrete characterization of the macroscopic properties. In general, the upper regolith consists of a loosely consolidated layer centimeters thick underlain by a particulate but extremely compacted layer to depths of meters or tens of meters.... How Cold are the Floors of Lunar Polar Shadowed Craters?   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Almost five decades ago Watson, et al, [1] speculated that molecules of volatile species might accumulate within the cryogenic environments of permanently shadowed polar craters. The subject was largely a scientific curiosity until recently. In the mid-1980's, people began to seriously discuss the feasibility of long-term or permanent human settlement of the Moon.... Conditions of Core Formation in the Early Earth: Single Stage or Heterogeneous Accretion?   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Since approx.1990 high pressure and temperature (PT) experiments on metal-silicate systems have showed that partition coefficients [D(met/sil)] for siderophile (iron-loving) elements are much different than those measured at low PT conditions [1,2]. The high PT data have been used to argue for a magma ocean during growth of the early Earth [3,4]. In the ensuing decades there have been hundreds of new experiments carried out and published on a wide range of siderophile elements (> 80 experiments published for Ni, Co, Mo, W, P, Mn, V, Cr, Ga, Cu and Pd).... Test Validation of the Repair to the Space Station Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ)   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The SARJ LITE (Lubrication Interval Test) test rig was built as a method to evaluate the performance of the grease repair on the Starboard SARJ of the International Space Station(ISS). The on-orbit SARJ was temporarily parked after receiving significant degradation on one of its race ring nitrided surfaces as a result of inadequate lubrication ( high dry contact friction) and unaccounted for roller traction kinematics. In a scaled down rig, flight like roller bearings were preloaded and cycled on a nitrided 15-5 race surface.... Microbial Diversity in Surface Iron-Rich Aqueous Environments: Implications for Seeking Signs of Life on Mars   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The success of selecting future landing sites on Mars to discover extinct and/or extant extraterrestrial life is dependent on the correct approximation of available knowledge about terrestrial paleogeochemistry and life evolution to Martian (paleo) geology and geochemistry. It is well known that both Earth and Mars are Fe rich. This widespread occurrence suggests that Fe may have played a key role in early life forms, where it probably served as a key constituent in early prosthetic moieties in many proteins of ancient microbes on Earth and likely Mars.... Orion Entry Display Feeder and Interactions with the Entry Monitor System   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Orion spacecraft is designed to return astronauts to a landing within 10 km of the intended landing target from low Earth orbit, lunar direct-entry, and lunar skip-entry trajectories. Al pile the landing is nominally controlled autonomously, the crew can fly precision entries manually in the event of an anomaly. The onboard entry displays will be used by the crew to monitor and manually fly the entry, descent, and landing, while the Entry Monitor System (EMS) will be used to monitor the health and status of the onboard guidance and the trajectory.... Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program - Space Rocks for Classrooms, Museums, Science Centers, and Libraries   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: NASA is eager for students and the public to experience lunar Apollo samples and meteorites first hand. Lunar rocks and soil, embedded in Lucite disks, are available for educators to use in their classrooms, museums, science centers, and public libraries for education activities and display. The sample education disks are valuable tools for engaging students in the exploration of the Solar System.... Epidemiologic Analyses of Risk Factors for Bone Loss and Recovery Related to Long-Duration Space Flight   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: AIM 1: To investigate the risk of microgravity exposure on long-term changes in bone health and fracture risk. compare data from crew members ('observed') with what would be 'expected' from Rochester Bone Health Study. AIM 2: To provide a summary of current evidence available on potential risk factors for bone loss, recovery & fracture following long-duration space flight. integrative review of all data pre, in-, and post-flight across disciplines (cardiovascular, nutrition, muscle, etc.) and their relation to bone loss and recovery... Hematite at Meridiani Planum, Mars, Investigated by Simultaneous Fitting of MER Mossbauer Spectra   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity encountered sedimentary outcrop rocks at its landing site. Spherules with diameters in the millimeter range were found to weather from the outcrop rocks. With Opportunity s miniaturised M ssbauer spectrometer MIMOS II, hematite was detected in spherules and in the outcrop matrix [1,2].... Cryogenic Carbonate Formation on Mars: Clues from Stable Isotope Variations Seen in Experimental Studies   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Discoveries of large deposits of sedimentary materials on the planet Mars by landers and orbiters have confirmed the widely held hypothesis that water has played a crucial role in the development of the martian surface. Recent studies have indicated that both water ice and liquid water may have been present and in the case of water ice perhaps is still present on or near the surface of Mars. However, there remains much controversy about the prevailing atmospheric conditions and climate of Mars during its history and whether liquid water existed on the martian surface simply during discrete geological events or whether this water was present over relatively much longer geologic time periods.... Integrated Immune   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This slide presentation reviews the program to replace several recent studies about astronaut immune systems with one comprehensive study that will include in-flight sampling. The study will address lack of in-flight data to determine the inflight status of immune systems, physiological stress, viral immunity, to determine the clinical risk related to immune dysregulation for exploration class spaceflight, and to determine the appropriate monitoring strategy for spaceflight-associated immune dysfunction, that could be used for the evaluation of countermeasures.... Day of Launch Profile Selection for Pad Abort Guidance   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A day of launch selection approach that involves choosing from an array of pitch profiles of varying loft was analyzed with the purpose of reducing the risk of a land landing failure during a pad abort. It was determined that selecting from three pitch profiles can reduce the number of waterline abort performance requirement failures approximately in half without compromising other performance metrics.... Midodrine as a Countermeasure to Orthostatic Hypotension Immediately After Space Shuttle Landing   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Midodrine prevents post-space flight orthostatic intolerance when testing is conducted in a controlled laboratory setting within 2-4 hours after Space Shuttle landing. It is unknown if midodrine is as effective during re-entry and immediately following landing. METHODS: Cardiovascular responses to 10 minutes of 80 head-up tilt in five male astronauts were compared before and immediately after Space Shuttle missions.... NASA SPoRT GOES-R Proving Ground Activities   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) program is a partner with the GOES-R Proving Ground (PG) helping prepare forecasters understand the unique products to come from the GOES-R instrument suite. SPoRT is working collaboratively with other members of the GOES-R PG team and Algorithm Working Group (AWG) scientists to develop and disseminate a suite of proxy products that address specific forecast problems for the WFOs, Regional and National Support Centers, and other NOAA users. These products draw on SPoRT s expertise with the transition and evaluation of products into operations from the MODIS instrument and the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA).... NASA Satellite Observations: A Unique Asset for the Study of the Environment and Implications for Public Health   05 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This slide presentation highlights how satellite observation systems are assets for studying the environment in relation to public health. It includes information on current and future satellite observation systems, NASA's public health and safety research, surveillance projects, and NASA's public health partners.... NASA Launches New High-Tech Weather Satellite   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com NASA launched GOES-P, the newest in a series of weather satellites, Thursday to help forecasters predict sunshine and showers alike. NASA Uses Fish to Fight Space Sickness   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com NASA scientists study the inner ear mechanics of toadfish to better understand problems that astronauts face in readjusting to Earth's gravity Early Earth's Magnetic Field Was a Weakling   05 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Early Earth's magnetic field weaker than today, likely led to water loss from atmosphere, bigger auroras. Dust Extends from Saudi Arabia to Iran   05 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired March 4, 2010, this true-color image shows a thick dust plume stretching from Saudi Arabia to Iran, obscuring part of the Persian Gulf. NASA Briefing Highlights Education Outreach During Next Shuttle Flight   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA will highlight the educational activities planned on the next space shuttle mission during a news briefing at 12 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, March 9. Challenger Learning Center New Mexico is "Go for Launch"   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Challenger Learning Center New Mexico is 'Go for Launch' Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 5 March 2010   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 5 March 2010 NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 5 March 2010   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Aderholt "Extremely Pleased" NASA May Be Planning Alternatives To Ending Constellation   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Briefing Highlights Education Outreach During Next Shuttle Flight   05 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA will highlight the educational activities planned on the next space shuttle mission during a news briefing at 12 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, March 9. NASA Administrator Reaffirms Support for 2011 Budget   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. I'm open to hearing ideas from any member of the NASA team, but I did not ask anybody for an alternative to the President's plan and budget. NASA Internal memo: Message from the Administrator - March 5, 2010   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. I advised the President on our budget for FY11 and it is MY budget. I have not asked anyone to develop an alternative to that budget and plan, and I don't want anybody to do so. First of missing primitive stars discovered   05 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Astronomers have discovered a relic from the early universe - a star that may have been among the second generation of stars to form after the Big Bang. Winds of Change   05 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day This is a composite image of NGC 1068, one of the nearest and brightest galaxies containing a rapidly growing supermassive black hole. The X-ray images and spectra obtained using Chandra's High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer show that a strong wind is being driven away from the center of NGC 1068 at a rate of about a million miles per hour. This wind is likely generated as surrounding gas is accelerated and heated as it swirls toward the black hole. A portion of the gas is pulled into the black hole, but some of it is blown away. High energy X-rays produced by the gas near the black hole heat the ouflowing gas, causing it to glow at lower X-ray energies. X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown in red, optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope in green and radio data from the Very Large Array in blue. The spiral structure of NGC 1068 is shown by the X-ray and optical data, and a jet powered by the central supermassive black hole is shown by the radio data. This Chandra study is much deeper than previous X-ray observations. Using this data, researchers believe that each year several times the mass of our sun is being deposited out to large distances, about 3,000 light years from the black hole. The wind likely carries enough energy to heat the surrounding gas and suppress extra star formation. These results help explain how a supermassive black hole can alter the evolution of its host galaxy. It has long been suspected that material blown away from a black hole can affect its environment, but a key question has been whether such 'black hole blowback' typically delivers enough power to have a significant impact. NGC 1068 is located about 50 million light years from Earth and contains a supermassive black hole about twice as massive as the one in the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy. Image Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/ MIT/C.Canizares, D.Evans et al), Optical (NASA/STScI), Radio (NSF/ NRAO/VLA) Rock Solid Link: Asteroid Doomed the Dinosaurs   04 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Scientists have debated for two decades whether a giant space rock wiped out the dinosaurs or not. Now they have a rock solid link to an asteroid impact. Galactic Lenses Confirm Universe�s Age, Size   04 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Galaxies used as lenses confirm age, size, expansion rate of universe. Life Sciences Data Archives (LSDA) in the Post-Shuttle Era   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Now, more than ever before, NASA is realizing the value and importance of their intellectual assets. Principles of knowledge management-the systematic use and reuse of information, experience, and expertise to achieve a specific goal-are being applied throughout the agency. LSDA is also applying these solutions, which rely on a combination of content and collaboration technologies, to enable research teams to create, capture, share, and harness knowledge to do the things they do well, even better.... Test and Delivery of the Chemin Mineralogical Instrument for Mars Science Laboratory   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The CheMin mineralogical instrument on MSL will return quantitative powder X-ray diffraction data (XRD) and qualitative X-ray fluorescence data (XRF; 14 Human Research Program Space Human Factors Engineering (SHFE) Standing Review Panel (SRP)   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Space Human Factors Engineering (SHFE) Standing Review Panel (SRP) evaluated 22 gaps and 39 tasks in the three risk areas assigned to the SHFE Project. The area where tasks were best designed to close the gaps and the fewest gaps were left out was the Risk of Reduced Safety and Efficiency dire to Inadequate Design of Vehicle, Environment, Tools or Equipment. The areas where there were more issues with gaps and tasks, including poor or inadequate fit of tasks to gaps and missing gaps, were Risk of Errors due to Poor Task Design and Risk of Error due to Inadequate Information.... Human Factors in Training   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Future space missions will be significantly longer than current shuttle missions and new systems will be more complex than current systems. Increasing communication delays between crews and Earth-based support means that astronauts need to be prepared to handle the unexpected on their own. As crews become more autonomous, their potential span of control and required expertise must grow to match their autonomy.... Improved Low-Temperature Performance of Li-Ion Cells Using New Electrolytes   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: As part of the continuing efforts to develop advanced electrolytes to improve the performance of lithium-ion cells, especially at low temperatures, a number of electrolyte formulations have been developed that result in improved low-temperature performance (down to 60 C) of 26650 A123Systems commercial lithium-ion cells. The cell type/design, in which the new technology has been demonstrated, has found wide application in the commercial sector (i.e., these cells are currently being used in commercial portable power tools). In addition, the technology is actively being considered for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) applications.... The Intracloud to Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Ratio Associated with Extreme Weather Over the Contiguous United States   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This poster reviews the program to estimate the intracloud (IC) to cloud-to-ground (CG) ratio (Z = IC/CG) of a large sample of extreme (i.e., severe) weather events over the contiguous United States (CONUS) using coincident Optical Transient Detector (OTD) [or Lightning Image Sensor (LIS)] and National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) observations... Ka-Band Waveguide Two-Way Hybrid Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The design, simulation, and characterization of a novel Ka-band (32.05 0.25 GHz) rectangular waveguide two-way branch-line hybrid unequal power combiner (with port impedances matched to that of a standard WR-28 waveguide) has been created to combine input signals, which are in phase and with an amplitude ratio of two. The measured return loss and isolation of the branch-line hybrid are better than 22 and 27 dB, respectively. The measured combining efficiency is 92.9 percent at the center frequency of 32.05 GHz.... Insulation-Testing Cryostat With Lifting Mechanism   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The figure depicts selected aspects of an apparatus for testing thermal-insulation materials for cryogenic systems at temperatures and under vacuum or atmospheric conditions representative of those encountered in use. This apparatus, called 'Cryostat-100,' is based on the established cryogen-boil-off calorimeter method, according to which the amount of heat that passes through an insulation specimen to a cryogenic fluid in a container, and thus the effective thermal conductance of the specimen, is taken to be proportional to the amount of the cryogenic fluid that boils off from the container. The design of Cryostat-100 is based partly on, and incorporates improvements over, the design of a similar prior apparatus called 'Cryostat-1' described in 'Improved Methods of Testing Cryogenic Insulation Materials' (KSC-12107 & KSC- 12108), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 24, No. 12 (December 2000), page 46.... Biasable, Balanced, Fundamental Submillimeter Monolithic Membrane Mixer   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This device is a biasable, submillimeter-wave, balanced mixer fabricated using JPL s monolithic membrane process a simplified version of planar membrane technology. The primary target application is instrumentation used for analysis of atmospheric constituents, pressure, temperature, winds, and other physical and chemical properties of the atmospheres of planets and comets. Other applications include high-sensitivity gas detection and analysis.... New Insights into the Origin of Magnetite Crystals in ALH84001 Carbonate Disks   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Martian meteorite ALH84001 preserves evidence of interaction with aqueous fluids while on Mars in the form of microscopic carbonate disks believed to have formed approx.3.9 Ga ago at beginning of the Noachian epoch. Intimately associated within and throughout these carbonate disks are nanocrystal magnetites (Fe3O4) with unusual chemical and physical properties, whose ori gins have become the source of considerable debate. One group of hypotheses argues that these magnetites are the product of partial thermal decomposition of the host carbonate.... Spherulitic Growth of Hematite Under Hydrothermal Conditions: Insights into the Growth Mechanism of Hematite Spherules at Meridiani Planum Mars.   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Hematite-rich spherules were discovered embedded in sulfate-rich outcrop rock and as lag deposits of whole and broken spherules by the Opportunity rover at Meridiani Planem [1-6]. The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), which has a wider spectral range compared to the Mars Exploration Rover Mini-TES, provided an important constraint that hematite-rich spherules are dominated by emission along the crystallographic c-axis [7-10]. We have previously synthesized hematite spherules whose mineralogic, chemical, and crystallographic properties are strikingly similar to those for the hematite-rich spherules at Meridiani Planum [11].... White-Light Phase-Conjugate Mirrors as Distortion Correctors   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: White-light phase-conjugate mirrors would be incorporated into some optical systems, according to a proposal, as means of correcting for wavefront distortions caused by imperfections in large optical components. The proposal was given impetus by a recent demonstration that white, incoherent light can be made to undergo phase conjugation, whereas previously, only coherent light was known to undergo phase conjugation. This proposal, which is potentially applicable to almost any optical system, was motivated by a need to correct optical aberrations of the primary mirror of the Hubble Space telescope.... Lunar Dust-Tolerant Electrical Connector   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: An electrical connector was developed that is tolerant of the presence of lunar dust. Novel features of the connector include the use of a permeable membrane to act both as a dust barrier and as a wiper to limit the amount of dust that makes its way into the internal chamber of the connector. The development focused on the Constellation lunar extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit s portable life support system (PLSS) battery recharge connector; however, continued research is applying this technology to other lunar surface systems such as lunar rover subsystems and cryogenic fluid transfer connections for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) applications.... Concentric Nested Toroidal Inflatable Structures   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Assemblies comprising multiple limited- height toroidal inflatable structures nested in a concentric arrangement have been invented to obtain more design flexibility than can be obtained in single taller, wider toroidal inflatable structures (see figure). Originally intended for use as containers for habitats for humans in outer space or on remote planets, these and related prior inflatable structures could also be useful on Earth as lightweight, compactly stowable, portable special-purpose buildings that could be transported to remote locations and there inflated to full size and shape. In the case of a single inflatable toroidal structure, one important source of lack of design flexibility is the fact that an increase in outer diameter (which is sometimes desired) is necessarily accompanied by an increase in height (which is sometimes undesired).... The Mission Assessment Post Processor (MAPP): A New Tool for Performance Evaluation of Human Lunar Missions   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) Constellation Program paves the way for a series of lunar missions leading to a sustained human presence on the Moon. The proposed mission design includes an Earth Departure Stage (EDS), a Crew Exploration Vehicle (Orion) and a lunar lander (Altair) which support the transfer to and from the lunar surface. This report addresses the design, development and implementation of a new mission scan tool called the Mission Assessment Post Processor (MAPP) and its use to provide insight into the integrated (i.e., EDS, Orion, and Altair based) mission cost as a function of various mission parameters and constraints.... Context Modeler for Wavelet Compression of Spectral Hyperspectral Images   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A context-modeling sub-algorithm has been developed as part of an algorithm that effects three-dimensional (3D) wavelet-based compression of hyperspectral image data. The context-modeling subalgorithm, hereafter denoted the context modeler, provides estimates of probability distributions of wavelet-transformed data being encoded. These estimates are utilized by an entropy coding subalgorithm that is another major component of the compression algorithm.... Two Concepts for Deployable Trusses   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Two concepts that could be applied separately or together have been suggested to enhance the utility of deployable truss structures. The concepts were intended originally for application to a truss structure to be folded for compact stowage during transport and subsequently deployed in outer space. The concepts may also be applicable, with some limitations, to deployable truss structures designed to be used on Earth.... Optical Testing of Retroreflectors for Cryogenic Applications   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A laser tracker (LT) is an important coordinate metrology tool that uses laser interferometry to determine precise distances to objects, points, or surfaces defined by an optical reference, such as a retroreflector. A retroreflector is a precision optic consisting of three orthogonal faces that returns an incident laser beam nearly exactly parallel to the incident beam. Commercial retroreflectors are designed for operation at room temperature and are specified by the divergence, or beam deviation, of the returning laser beam, usually a few arcseconds or less.... Integrity Monitoring of Mercury Discharge Lamps   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Mercury discharge lamps are critical in many trapped ion frequency standard applications. An integrity monitoring system can be implemented using end-of-life signatures observed in operational mercury discharge lamps, making it possible to forecast imminent failure and to take action to mitigate the consequences (such as switching to a redundant system). Mercury lamps are used as a source of 194-nm ultraviolet radiation for optical pumping and state selection of mercury trapped ion frequency standards.... Self-Referencing Hartmann Test for Large-Aperture Telescopes   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A method is proposed for end-to-end, full aperture testing of large-aperture telescopes using an innovative variation of a Hartmann mask. This technique is practical for telescopes with primary mirrors tens of meters in diameter and of any design. Furthermore, it is applicable to the entire optical band (near IR, visible, ultraviolet), relatively insensitive to environmental perturbations, and is suitable for ambient laboratory as well as thermal-vacuum environments.... High-Speed Ring Bus   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The high-speed ring bus at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) allows for future growth trends in spacecraft seen with future scientific missions. This innovation constitutes an enhancement of the 1393 bus as documented in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1393-1999 standard for a spaceborne fiber-optic data bus. It allows for high-bandwidth and time synchronization of all nodes on the ring.... Quad-Chip Double-Balanced Frequency Tripler   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Solid-state frequency multipliers are used to produce tunable broadband sources at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The maximum power produced by a single chip is limited by the electrical breakdown of the semiconductor and by the thermal management properties of the chip. The solution is to split the drive power to a frequency tripler using waveguides to divide the power among four chips, then recombine the output power from the four chips back into a single waveguide.... Spatio-Temporal Equalizer for a Receiving-Antenna Feed Array   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A spatio-temporal equalizer has been conceived as an improved means of suppressing multipath effects in the reception of aeronautical telemetry signals, and may be adaptable to radar and aeronautical communication applications as well. This equalizer would be an integral part of a system that would also include a seven-element planar array of receiving feed horns centered at the focal point of a paraboloidal antenna that would be nominally aimed at or near the aircraft that would be the source of the signal that one seeks to receive (see Figure 1). This spatio-temporal equalizer would consist mostly of a bank of seven adaptive finite-impulse-response (FIR) filters one for each element in the array - and the outputs of the filters would be summed (see Figure 2).... Reconfigurable Hardware for Compressing Hyperspectral Image Data   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: High-speed, low-power, reconfigurable electronic hardware has been developed to implement ICER-3D, an algorithm for compressing hyperspectral-image data. The algorithm and parts thereof have been the topics of several NASA Tech Briefs articles, including Context Modeler for Wavelet Compression of Hyperspectral Images (NPO-43239) and ICER-3D Hyperspectral Image Compression Software (NPO-43238), which appear elsewhere in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. As described in more detail in those articles, the algorithm includes three main subalgorithms: one for computing wavelet transforms, one for context modeling, and one for entropy encoding.... Measuring a Fiber-Optic Delay Line Using a Mode-Locked Laser   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The figure schematically depicts a laboratory setup for determining the optical length of a fiber-optic delay line at a precision greater than that obtainable by use of optical time-domain reflectometry or of mechanical measurement of length during the delay-line-winding process. In this setup, the delay line becomes part of the resonant optical cavity that governs the frequency of oscillation of a mode-locked laser. The length can then be determined from frequency-domain measurements, as described below.... Investigating Dynamics of Eccentricity in Turbomachines   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A methodology (and hardware and software to implement the methodology) has been developed as a means of investigating coupling between certain rotordynamic and hydrodynamic phenomena in turbomachines. Originally, the methodology was intended for application in an investigation of coupled rotordynamic and hydrodynamic effects postulated to have caused high synchronous vibration in the space shuttle s high-pressure oxygen turbopump (HPOTP). The methodology can also be applied in investigating (for the purpose of developing means of suppressing) undesired hydrodynamic rotor/stator interactions in turbomachines in general.... Use of Nanofibers to Strengthen Hydrogels of Silica, Other Oxides, and Aerogels   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Research has shown that including up to 5 percent w/w carbon nanofibers in a silica backbone of polymer crosslinked aerogels improves its strength, tripling compressive modulus and increasing tensile stress-at-break five-fold with no increase in density or decrease in porosity. In addition, the initial silica hydrogels, which are produced as a first step in manufacturing the aerogels, can be quite fragile and difficult to handle before cross-linking. The addition of the carbon nanofiber also improves the strength of the initial hydrogels before cross-linking, improving the manufacturing process.... ICER-3D Hyperspectral Image Compression Software   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Software has been developed to implement the ICER-3D algorithm. ICER-3D effects progressive, three-dimensional (3D), wavelet-based compression of hyperspectral images. If a compressed data stream is truncated, the progressive nature of the algorithm enables reconstruction of hyperspectral data at fidelity commensurate with the given data volume.... Measuring Cyclic Error in Laser Heterodyne Interferometers   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: An improved method and apparatus have been devised for measuring cyclic errors in the readouts of laser heterodyne interferometers that are configured and operated as displacement gauges. The cyclic errors arise as a consequence of mixing of spurious optical and electrical signals in beam launchers that are subsystems of such interferometers. The conventional approach to measurement of cyclic error involves phase measurements and yields values precise to within about 10 pm over air optical paths at laser wavelengths in the visible and near infrared.... Nanoionics-Based Switches for Radio-Frequency Applications   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Nanoionics-based devices have shown promise as alternatives to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and semiconductor diode devices for switching radio-frequency (RF) signals in diverse systems. Examples of systems that utilize RF switches include phase shifters for electronically steerable phased-array antennas, multiplexers, cellular telephones and other radio transceivers, and other portable electronic devices. Semiconductor diode switches can operate at low potentials (about 1 to 3 V) and high speeds (switching times of the order of nanoseconds) but are characterized by significant insertion loss, high DC power consumption, low isolation, and generation of third-order harmonics and intermodulation distortion (IMD).... Radiation-Hardened Solid-State Drive   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A method is provided for a radiationhardened (rad-hard) solid-state drive for space mission memory applications by combining rad-hard and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) non-volatile memories (NVMs) into a hybrid architecture. The architecture is controlled by a rad-hard ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or a FPGA (field programmable gate array). Specific error handling and data management protocols are developed for use in a rad-hard environment.... Hypervelocity Impact Performance of Open Cell Foam Core Sandwich Panel Structures   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Open cell metallic foam core sandwich panel structures are of interest for application in spacecraft micrometeoroid and orbital debris shields due to their novel form and advantageous structural and thermal performance. Repeated shocking as a result of secondary impacts upon individual foam ligaments during the penetration process acts to raise the thermal state of impacting projectiles ; resulting in fragmentation, melting, and vaporization at lower velocities than with traditional shielding configurations (e.g. Whipple shield).... NASA Tech Briefs, February 2010   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Topics covered include: Insulation-Testing Cryostat With Lifting Mechanism; Optical Testing of Retroreflectors for Cryogenic Applications; Measuring Cyclic Error in Laser Heterodyne Interferometers; Self-Referencing Hartmann Test for Large-Aperture Telescopes; Measuring a Fiber-Optic Delay Line Using a Mode-Locked Laser; Reconfigurable Hardware for Compressing Hyperspectral Image Data; Spatio-Temporal Equalizer for a Receiving-Antenna Feed Array; High-Speed Ring Bus; Nanoionics-Based Switches for Radio-Frequency Applications; Lunar Dust-Tolerant Electrical Connector; Compact, Reliable EEPROM Controller; Quad-Chip Double-Balanced Frequency Tripler; Ka-Band Waveguide Two-Way Hybrid Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers; Radiation-Hardened Solid-State Drive; Use of Nanofibers to Strengthen Hydrogels of Silica, Other Oxides, and Aerogels; Two Concepts for Deployable Trusses; Concentric Nested Toroidal Inflatable Structures; Investigating Dynamics of Eccentricity in Turbomachines; Improved Low-Temperature Performance of Li-Ion Cells Using New Electrolytes; Integrity Monitoring of Mercury Discharge Lamps; White-Light Phase-Conjugate Mirrors as Distortion Correctors; Biasable, Balanced, Fundamental Submillimeter Monolithic Membrane Mixer; ICER-3D Hyperspectral Image Compression Software; and Context Modeler for Wavelet Compression of Spectral Hyperspectral Images.... Compact, Reliable EEPROM Controller   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: A compact, reliable controller for an electrically erasable, programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) has been developed specifically for a space-flight application. The design may be adaptable to other applications in which there are requirements for reliability in general and, in particular, for prevention of inadvertent writing of data in EEPROM cells. Inadvertent writes pose risks of loss of reliability in the original space-flight application and could pose such risks in other applications.... NASA, Remote Sensing and Archaeology: An Example from Southeast Louisiana   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: NASA Stennis Space Center, located in Mississippi, USA, undertook an archaeological survey of the southeastern Louisiana marshes beginning in 2003. Progress on this activity was severely hampered by the 2005 hurricane season when both Katrina and Rita devastated the study area. In 2008, the NASA team reinitiated the analysis of the project data and that work continues today.... Human Factors in Training: Space Medical Proficiency Training   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The early Constellation space missions are expected to have medical capabilities very similar to those currently on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). For Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) missions to the ISS, medical equipment will be located on the ISS, and carried into CEV in the event of an emergency. Flight surgeons (FS) on the ground in Mission Control will be expected to direct the crew medical officer (CMO) during medical situations.... History of Nebular Processing Traced by Silicate Stardust in IDPS   04 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (CP-IDPs) may be the best preserved remnants of primordial solar system materials, in part because they were not affected by parent body hydrothermal alteration. Their primitive characteristics include fine grained, unequilibrated, anhydrous mineralogy, enrichment in volatile elements, and abundant molecular cloud material and silicate stardust. However, while the majority of CP-IDP materials likely derived from the Solar System, their formation processes and provenance are poorly constrained.... NASA Prepares 'Plan B' for New Space Plan   04 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com NASA chief Charles Bolden is drawing up a Plan B for space exploration to bring to at least one lawmaker this week. Heavy Rain in Queensland   04 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory This color-coded image shows estimated rainfall amounts in Queensland and neighboring states from February 24 to March 2, 2010. Lowest rainfall amounts appear in pale green, and heaviest amounts appear in dark blue. Fires and Smoke Across Southeast Asia   04 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Skies across Southeast Asia were thick with smoke from hundreds of fires, probably agriculture related, on March 3, 2010. Dust Plumes over Jordan, Syria, and Iraq   04 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired on the afternoon of March 3,2010, this image shows an intensified dust storm over Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. Compared to an image from earlier in the day, this image shows larger, thicker plumes and less distinct source points. Alien Plants Get New Twist in World of 'Avatar'   04 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com The film 'Avatar' takes viewers to a fictional moon, where the alien plants glow, shoot poison leaf tips and communicate. Senator Proposes Bill to Extend Space Shuttle Program   04 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com A Texas senator introduced a bill Wednesday that would keep NASA flying the space shuttle program two years longer than planned. Hidden Glaciers Are Common on Mars   04 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Vast glaciers of ice are common on Mars, but you have to dig below the surface to find them, new radar views from a NASA spacecraft show. Robot vs. Robot: Live In Washington and Across the Nation   04 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA, in cooperation with local technology firms and sponsors, launches a nationwide series of high school robotics competitions that begin March 5 and 6 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place N.W., in Washington. From 2-trillion-degree heat, researchers create new matter -- and new questions   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. From 2-trillion-degree heat, researchers create new matter -- and new questions NASA Readies for Spring 2010 Ice Bridge Campaign   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The project team is finalizing flight paths over Greenland's ice sheet and surrounding sea ice, where scientists will collect measurements, maps and images from a suite of airborne instruments. Mars Dunes: On The move?   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. New studies of ripples and dunes shaped by the winds on Mars testify to variability on that planet, identifying at least one place where ripples are actively migrating and another where the ripples have been stationary for 100,000 years or more. NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 4 March 2010   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Orbital to Acquire General Dynamics' Satellite Development and Manufacturing Business   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Orbital to Acquire General Dynamics' Satellite Development and Manufacturing Business Orbital to Host Conference Call on March 5 to Discuss Acquisition of General Dynamics' Spacecraft Business   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Orbital to Host Conference Call on March 5 to Discuss Acquisition of General Dynamics' Spacecraft Business NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5045   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5045 Student Teams Ready to Battle Lunar Terrain at NASA's 17th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Student Teams Ready to Battle Lunar Terrain at NASA's 17th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race Turning up the heat: Finding out how well the Webb telescope's sunshield will perform   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Turning up the heat: Finding out how well the Webb telescope's sunshield will perform Students Testing Building Blocks for Spacecraft on NASA Rocket Flight   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Students Testing Building Blocks for Spacecraft on NASA Rocket Flight NASA Accepting Proposals for Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences 2010   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Accepting Proposals for Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences 2010 Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 4 March 2010   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 4 March 2010 Lava Likely Made River-like Channel on Mars   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Flowing lava can carve or build paths very much like the riverbeds and canyons etched by water, and this probably explains at least one of the meandering channels on the surface of Mars. Biggest, Deepest Crater Exposes Hidden, Ancient Moon   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Shortly after the Moon formed, an asteroid smacked into its southern hemisphere and gouged out a truly enormous crater, the South Pole-Aitken basin, almost 1,500 miles across and more than five miles deep. Apollo 17 Astronaut Honored by National Engineering Society   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The American Society of Civil Engineers will award Harrison Schmitt with the inaugural Columbia Medal, which recognizes individuals who have made significant advances in the fields of aerospace engineering, science and technology. Student Teams Ready to Battle Lunar Terrain at NASA's 17th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race   04 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA and NOAA's GOES-P Satellite Successfully Launched   04 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-P, lifted off Thursday aboard a Delta IV rocket at 6:17 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Phobos Flyby Success   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Mars Express encountered Phobos last night, skimming past at just 67 km, the closest any manmade object has ever approached Mars' enigmatic moon. The data collected could help unlock the origin of not just Phobos but other 'second generation' moons. Long-term Degradation of Optical Devices on the Moon   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts placed the first of several retroreflector arrays on the lunar surface. Their continued usefulness for laser-ranging might suggest that the lunar environment does not damage optical devices NASA JSC Memo: Commercial-Crew Vehicle Transition Concepts 1 March 2010   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The following paper provides recommendations for the transition to a commercial-crew vehicle to the ISS which leverages the experience gained in the operation of the Space Shuttle, the ISS, and in the design of Constellation. TerraSAR-X image of the month: The International Space Station   04 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. On 13 March 2008, the International Space Station passed across the field-of-view of Germany's remote sensing satellite, TerraSAR-X, at a distance of 195 kilometres (122 miles) and at a relative speed of 34,540 kilometres per hour (over 22,000 mph). Iceberg Collision in Antarctica   04 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day An oblong iceberg roughly as big as Rhode Island called B-09B (center right in this image) collided with the edge of the Mertz Glacier in eastern Antarctica this month breaking away a new iceberg (top left) that is nearly as large at B-09B. This image from Feb. 20, 2010, is one of a series of images from NASA's Aqua satellite that showed the progression and aftermath of the collision. The floating ice tongue of the glacier is created as ice flows down from Antarctica and onto the water. Glacier tongues grow longer year by year until they eventually break off, calving a new iceberg. Image Credit: NASA Spacecraft Makes Closest Ever Pass by Mars' Moon Phobos   03 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com A European probe made its closest-ever swing by Mars' moon Phobos Wednesday on a quest to learn more about the mysterious moon. Radar Map Of Buried Martian Ice Adds To Climate Record   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 04, 2010 - Extensive radar mapping of the middle-latitude region of northern Mars shows that thick masses of buried ice are quite common beneath protective coverings of rubble. An Island Of Stars In The Making On The Outskirts Of Orion   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Paris, France (SPX) Mar 04, 2010 - The delicate nebula NGC 1788, located in a dark and often neglected corner of the Orion constellation, is revealed in a new and finely nuanced image released by ESO. Although this ghostly cloud is rather isolated from Orion's bright stars, the latter's powerful winds and light have had a strong impact on the nebula, forging its shape and making it home to a multitude of infant suns. China's space station plan delayed for 'technical reasons'   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Beijing (AFP) March 3, 2010 - China has postponed the next step in its ambitious space station programme until 2011 for technical reasons, state media said Wednesday. Russia faces cosmonaut shortage: official   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moscow (AFP) March 3, 2010 - Russia faces a shortage of candidates to be cosmonauts as fewer Russians than before are showing an interest in going to space, the head of its space training centre said on Wednesday. Chatty robots, flying alarm clocks at top high-tech fair   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Hanover, Germany (AFP) March 3, 2010 - Robots that teach Chinese, computers controlled by moving the eyes and flying alarm clocks were among the weird and wonderful gadgets wowing crowds Wednesday at the world's top high-tech fair. Aerovel 'Strolls-Out' Flexrotor Long-Endurance Robotic Aircraft With VTOL   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Husum WA (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - When a new airliner is ready for its public debut, it emerges from a giant hangar in a glitzy roll-out extravaganza. But when you have a very small aircraft and an equally small company, you have to think on a different scale. Tad McGeer, Aerovel's president, recalls that 'We started a company called Insitu in 1992 to develop the miniature Aerosonde for long-range weather reconnaissance.' USAF Eyes Mini-Thrusters For Use In Satellite Propulsion   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Wright Patterson AFB OH (SPX) Mar 04, 2010 - Mini- thrusters or miniature, electric propulsion systems are being developed, which could make it easier for the Air Force's small satellites, including the latest CubeSats, to perform space maneuvers and undertake formidable tasks like searching for planets beyond our solar system. Poland approves revised US missile shield agreement   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Warsaw (AFP) March 2, 2010 - Poland on Tuesday agreed to a new version of a deal on stationing an American missile shield, a government statement said, adding it would be aimed essentially at potential threats from Iran. Rockwell Collins Conducts Waveform Testing For JTRS GMR   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Fort Lauderdale FL (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - Rockwell Collins has successfully conducted UHF SATCOM and HF waveform Functional Qualification Testing (FQT) on the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) vehicular Ground Mobile Radios (GMR). This testing is conducted to ensure that the Software Communications Architecture compliant waveforms met all allocated JTRS requirements. Orbital Sciences Selects GS Yuasa to Power Cargo Transport Missions To ISS   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Roswell GA (SPX) Mar 04, 2010 - GS Yuasa Lithium Power (GYLP) has announced it has been awarded a contract to supply batteries for Orbital Sciences Corporation's (Orbital) Cygnus maneuvering space vehicle. Cygnus will be used to provide cargo delivery services to the International Space Station. From NACA To NASA: 95 Years Of Innovation In Flight   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington DC (SPX) Mar 04, 2010 - Ninety-five years ago a committee of 12 volunteers with a budget of $5,000 embarked on a mission to change the face of U.S. aviation, and in doing so established a legacy of innovative aeronautical research that continues at NASA today. China's BYD, Daimler team up on electric vehicle   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Geneva (AFP) March 2, 2010 - Chinese auto maker BYD (Build Your Dreams) and German giant Daimler have signed a preliminary agreement to mass produce an electric car together, executives said at the Geneva motor show on Tuesday. Predicting The Fate Of Stem Cells   03 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Troy, NY (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a new method for predicting - with up to 99 percent accuracy - the fate of stem cells. Delicate Nebula Looks Like a Cosmic Bat   03 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com A new photo of a small nebula hidden near the constellation Orion reveals gas in the shape of a bat spreading its wings. Milky Way a Cannibal, Ancient Star Confirms   03 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Discovery of old star in small galaxy backs up theory that Milky Way formed by cannibalizing dwarf galaxies. SpaceX Rocket Countdown Rehearsal A 'Great Success'   03 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket came to life Friday afternoon as engineers loaded 75,000 gallons of propellant aboard the vehicle during a simulated countdown. Chile Earthquake Damage Seen From Space   03 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Astronauts in space have taken photographs of Chile in the aftermath of the country's devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake. NAI 'Workshop Without Walls': The Organic Continuum from the ISM to the Early Solar System   03 Mar 2010 - The Astrobiology Network - Copyright 2010 TO: NAI Newsletter distribution list FROM: George Cody (NAI CIW team) and Douglas Whittet (NAI RPI team) SUBJECT: Announcement and invitation to attend NAI 'Workshop Without Walls': The Organic Continuum from the ISM to the Early Solar System DATES: March 11-12, 2010 Workshop Website: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/2010vcworkshop A two-day workshop using NAI remote communications tools will be held on March 11 and 12, 2010 to present topics spanning the cosmic evolution of organic complexity, from small molecule formation in interstellar clouds to organic synthesis and inventories in protoplanetary disks, the solar nebula, and primitive bodies such as comets and asteroids in our solar system. Workshop topic areas include * Interstellar Dust and the Organic Inventory of Protostellar Envelopes * Organic Astrochemistry of Protoplanetary Disks * Laboratory Studies of analog ISM and outer Solar System Materials * Organics and Volatiles in Comets * Organic matter in Interplanetary Dust particles. * The Organic Inventory in Asteroids and Primitive Meteorites This workshop is also a test of how to best use the advanced virtual communications capabilities of NAI to initiate greater cross-team awareness and dialog on a focused research area well represented across the NAI. What we learn from this will inform the greater NAI community.   The workshop is open to all and will be accessible via internet browser- no special software or equipment is required. To receive connection details, please register on the NAI website: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/2010vcworkshop Human Research Program Human Health Countermeasures Element Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Risk Standing Review Panel (SRP)   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Risk Standing Review Panel (SRP) was favorably impressed by the operational risk management approach taken by the Human Research Program (HRP) Integrated Research Plan (IRP) to address the stated life sciences issues. The life sciences community at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) seems to be focused on operational risk management. This approach is more likely to provide risk managers with the information they need at the time they need it.... Implementation of an Autonomous Multi-Maneuver Targeting Sequence for Lunar Trans-Earth Injection   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Using a fully analytic initial guess estimate as a first iterate, a targeting procedure that constructs a flyable burn maneuver sequence to transfer a spacecraft from any closed Moon orbit to a desired Earth entry state is developed and implemented. The algorithm is built to support the need for an anytime abort capability for Orion. Based on project requirements, the Orion spacecraft must be able to autonomously calculate the translational maneuver targets for an entire Lunar mission.... Pharmacological Issues for Astronauts   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Medication-induced side effects, called untoward effects by pharmacologists, can be a problem with any medication. Few therapies are perfectly specific for the desired physiological activity; rather they act on multiple biological targets and result in multiple physiological effects. There are several strategies that are employed to prevent, alleviate or counteract medication-induced side effects.... NASA's Orbital Debris Conjuction Assessment and Collision Avoidance Strategy   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: NASA has successfully used debris avoidance maneuvers to protect our spacecraft for more than 20 . years. This process which started out using parametric data and maneuver boxes has seen considerable evolution and now allows us to continue nominal operations for all but the most threatening objects. This has greatly reduced the interruptions to the critical mission objectives being pursued by NASA s Space Station, Space Shuttle, and robotic satellites.... Psychosocial Characteristics of Optimum Performance in Isolated and Confined Environments (ICE)   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) Element addresses human health risks in the NASA Human Research Program (HRP), including the Risk of Adverse Behavioral Conditions and the Risk of Psychiatric Disorders. BHP supports and conducts research to help characteristics and mitigate the Behavioral Medicine risk for exploration missions, and in some instances, current Flight Medical Operations. The Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) Element identified research gaps within the Behavioral Medicine Risk, including Gap BMed6: What psychosocial characteristics predict success in an isolated, confined environment (ICE)?... Lessons Learned from Performance Testing of Humans in Spacesuits in Simulated Reduced Gravity   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Introduction: The overarching objective of the Integrated Suit Test (IST) series is to evaluate suited human performance using reduced-gravity analogs and learn what aspects of an EVA suit system affect human performance. For this objective to be successfully achieved, the testing methodology should be valid and reproducible, and the partial-gravity simulations must be as accurate and realistic as possible. Objectives: To highlight some of the key lessons learned about partial-gravity analogs and testing methodology, and to suggest considerations for optimizing the effectiveness and quality of results of future tests.... Finite Element Model Calibration Approach for Ares I-X   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Ares I-X is a pathfinder vehicle concept under development by NASA to demonstrate a new class of launch vehicles. Although this vehicle is essentially a shell of what the Ares I vehicle will be, efforts are underway to model and calibrate the analytical models before its maiden flight. Work reported in this document will summarize the model calibration approach used including uncertainty quantification of vehicle responses and the use of nonconventional boundary conditions during component testing.... Ares I-X Launch Vehicle Modal Test Overview   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The first test flight of NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle, called Ares I-X, is scheduled for launch in 2009. Ares IX will use a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Flight test data will provide important information on ascent loads, vehicle control, separation, and first stage reentry dynamics.... Methods for Estimating Environmental Effects and Constraints on NexGen: High Density Case Study   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This document provides a summary of the current methods developed by Metron Aviation for the estimate of environmental effects and constraints on the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). This body of work incorporates many of the key elements necessary to achieve such an estimate. Each section contains the background and motivation for the technical elements of the work, a description of the methods used, and possible next steps.... The Monotonic Lagrangian Grid for Fast Air-Traffic Evaluation   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This paper describes the continued development of a dynamic air-traffic model, ATMLG, intended for rapid evaluation of rules and methods to control and optimize transport systems. The underlying data structure is based on the Monotonic Lagrangian Grid (MLG), which is used for sorting and ordering positions and other data needed to describe N moving bodies, and their interactions. In ATMLG, the MLG is combined with algorithms for collision avoidance and updating aircraft trajectories.... Computational Analyses in Support of Sub-scale Diffuser Testing for the A-3 Facility   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Simulation technology can play an important role in rocket engine test facility design and development by assessing risks, providing analysis of dynamic pressure and thermal loads, identifying failure modes and predicting anomalous behavior of critical systems. Advanced numerical tools assume greater significance in supporting testing and design of high altitude testing facilities and plume induced testing environments of high thrust engines because of the greater inter-dependence and synergy in the functioning of the different sub-systems. This is especially true for facilities such as the proposed A-3 facility at NASA SSC because of a challenging operating envelope linked to variable throttle conditions at relatively low chamber pressures.... Aeroelastic Studies of a Rectangular Wing with a Hole: Correlation of Theory and Experiment   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: Two rectangular wing models with a hole have been designed and tested in the Duke University wind tunnel to better understand the effects of damage. A rectangular hole is used to simulate damage. The wing with a hole is modeled structurally as a thin elastic plate using the finite element method.... Ares I-X Launch Vehicle Modal Test Measurements and Data Quality Assessments   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Ares I-X modal test program consisted of three modal tests conducted at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA s Kennedy Space Center. The first test was performed on the 71-foot 53,000-pound top segment of the Ares I-X launch vehicle known as Super Stack 5 and the second test was performed on the 66-foot 146,000- pound middle segment known as Super Stack 1. For these tests, two 250 lb-peak electro-dynamic shakers were used to excite bending and shell modes with the test articles resting on the floor.... A Comparison Between Orion Automated and Space Shuttle Rendezvous Techniques   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Orion spacecraft will replace the space shuttle and will be the first human spacecraft since the Apollo program to leave low earth orbit. This vehicle will serve as the cornerstone of a complete space transportation system with a myriad of mission requirements necessitating rendezvous to multiple vehicles in earth orbit, around the moon and eventually beyond . These goals will require a complex and robust vehicle that is, significantly different from both the space shuttle and the command module of the Apollo program.... Orion Entry Performance-Based Center-of-Gravity Box   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The Orion capsule is designed both for Low Earth Orbit missions to the ISS and for missions to the moon. For ISS class missions, the capsule will use an Apollo-style direct entry. For lunar return missions, depending on the timing of the mission, the capsule could perform a direct entry or a skip entry of up to 4800 n.mi. in order to land in the coastal waters of California.... Assessment of Prone Positioning of Restrained, Seated Crewmembers in a Post Landing Stable 2 Orion Configuration   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: During the Orion landing and recovery subsystem design review, June 2009, it was noted that the human system and various vehicle systems, the environmental control and life support (ECLSS) and guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) systems for example, are negatively affected by Orion assuming a stable 2 (upside down; Figure A) configuration post landing. The stable 2 configuration is predicted to occur about 50% of the time based on Apollo landing data and modeling of the current capsule. The stable 2 configuration will be countered by an active up-righting system (crew module up-righting system; CMUS).... Flash-Type Discrimination   03 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This viewgraph presentation describes the significant progress made in the flash-type discrimination algorithm development. The contents include: 1) Highlights of Progress for GLM-R3 Flash-Type discrimination Algorithm Development; 2) Maximum Group Area (MGA) Data; 3) Retrieval Errors from Simulations; and 4) Preliminary Global-scale Retrieval.... NASA Moves Space Shuttle Discovery to Launch Pad   03 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com NASA hauled the space shuttle Discovery out to its seaside launch pad in Florida early Wednesday to prepare for a planned April 5 blastoff. Shadow Play on Jupiter   03 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com An interesting series of double moon crossings begins this week on Jupiter. World of Change: Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia   03 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Based on data from NASA’s Landsat 5 satellite, these natural-color (photo-like) images document the growth of the Hobet mine in Boone County, West Virginia, as it expands from ridge to ridge between 1984 to 2009. Growth of Mountaintop Mine, West Virginia, 1984-2009   03 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Based on data from NASA’s Landsat 5 satellite, these natural-color (photo-like) images document the growth of the Hobet mine in Boone County, West Virginia, as it expands from ridge to ridge between 1984 to 2009. Hutchison Introduces Bill to Close Gap in U.S. Spaceflight   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today introduced legislation to close the gap in U.S. human space flight that will occur if the space shuttle is retired before the next generation of space vehicle is developed. 2010 Einstein Fellows Chosen   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. 2010 Einstein Fellows Chosen NASA Announces 2010 Carl Sagan Fellows   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Announces 2010 Carl Sagan Fellows NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5042   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5042 NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5041   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5041 Students to 'Sink or Swim' in Regional Ocean Science Competition   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Students to 'Sink or Swim' in Regional Ocean Science Competition NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Collier Trophy   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA's International Space Station Program has won the 2009 Collier Trophy, which is considered the top award in aviation. STScI Announces the 2010 Hubble Fellows   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. STScI Announces the 2010 Hubble Fellows NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 3 March 2010   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. The Cosmic Bat: An Island of Stars in the Making on the Outskirts of Orion   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The delicate nebula NGC 1788, located in a dark and often neglected corner of the Orion constellation, is revealed in a new and finely nuanced image that ESO is releasing today. NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Speeds Past Data Milestone   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA's newest Mars orbiter, completing its fourth year at the Red Planet next week, has just passed a data-volume milestone unimaginable a generation ago and still difficult to fathom: 100 terabits. Kosmas Presses Budget Committee to Continue Shuttle Funding   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Kosmas Presses Budget Committee to Continue Shuttle Funding Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 3 March 2010   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 3 March 2010 NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5043   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5043 NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5044   03 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #5044 NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Collier Trophy   03 Mar 2010 - NASA Breaking News NASA's International Space Station Program has won the 2009 Collier Trophy, which is considered the top award in aviation. Seeing Eye-to-Eye on How to Fly   03 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day The National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, or NACA, which celebrates its 95th anniversary on March 3, provided the nation's earliest research and helped develop important technologies, as well as knowledge of flight safety and efficiency. NASA adopted many of these research techniques and many of the places in which to do it, like wind tunnels and entire research centers, from the NACA. Engine cowlings to cover propellers and a series of proven air foil shapes for aircraft wings--both of which reduced drag and improved speed and efficiency--were chief NACA contributions subsequently adopted by every aircraft of the day and improved upon over the decades. This image shows NACA chief test pilot Melvin Cough outside a hangar at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. The test vehicle on the right is a Curtiss BF2C-1 Goshawk, which was used by the U.S. Navy in the early 1930s and featured retractable landing gear. Image Credit: NACA NASA's Fermi Probes 'Dragons' Of The Gamma-Ray Sky   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington DC (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - One of the pleasures of perusing ancient maps is locating regions so poorly explored that mapmakers warned of dragons and sea monsters. Now, astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope find themselves in the same situation as cartographers of old. Space agencies find new use for 'Leonardo'   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Houston (UPI) Mar 2, 2009 - U.S. and Italian space agency officials say they have found a new use for an existing Multi-Purpose Logistics Module known as 'Leonardo.' Scientists now listen to the solar wind   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Ann Arbor, Mich. (UPI) Mar 2, 2009 - U.S. scientists say they have 'sonified' solar wind data, allowing researchers to listen to the solar wind that's usually represented as numbers or graphs. Arianespace At World Satellite Risk Forum 2010   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Dubai, UAE (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - During the World Satellite Risk Forum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from March 1 to 3, 2010, Arianespace is reaffirming its role as the benchmark launch service provider for the Middle East. Russia Launches Proton-M Carrier Rocket With 3 Glonass Satellites   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Mar 03, 2010 - A Proton-M carrier rocket bearing three Glonass satellites was launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan early on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Space Forces said. A Glow In The Martian Night   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moffett Field CA (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - Astrobiology Magazine (AM): Let's talk about the paper you just published in the journal Science. Great Impact Debates   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moffett Field CA (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - Don Yeomans: As mentioned in last week's debate, an asteroid or comet larger than a kilometer colliding with the Earth would be a very rare event. One would only expect a collision of this type to occur every several hundred thousand years. Nevertheless, it has happened before and it could happen again in the near future. In the unlikely event that a sizable near-Earth object (NEO) is found to be on an Earth-threatening trajectory, would we have the technology to deflect the object in time so that it would pass harmlessly past the Earth? Iceberg Collides With The Edge Of An Ice Shelf In The Antarctic   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Bonn, Germany (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - Looking like a needle of ice and snow, iceberg B-15K was caught in the act by the German Aerospace Center's (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) TerraSAR-X satellite as it collided with an ice shelf in Atka Bay, Antarctica. Next Gen X-ray Telescope To Be Unveiled   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Redondo Beach CA (SPX) Feb 26, 2010 - Northrop Grumman will showcase its innovative hardware design for NASA's International X-Ray Observatory (IXO) during the premier conference of the world's leading high energy astrophysicists. IXO is the next generation X-ray telescope slated for development by the space agency. Student Rocket REXUS 7 Launched   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Esrange, Sweden (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - The first student rocket planned for this week, REXUS 7, was successfully launched from SSC's launch facility Esrange Space Center. The rocket carried three student experiments onboard. The rocket reached an altitude of 83 km and landed north of Esrange Space Center. The recovery operation has started and the payload will be brought back to the students by helicopter for further analysis. Webb Telescope's First Primary Mirror Meets Cold Temperature Specifications   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - The James Webb Space Telescope reached a mission-readiness landmark today when its first primary mirror segment was cryo-polished to its required prescription as measured at operational cryogenic temperatures. This achievement sets the stage for a successful polishing process for the remaining 18 flight mirror segments. How To Hunt For Exoplanets   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington DC (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - A new report launched by the Institute of Physics (IOP) Exoplanets - The search for planets beyond our solar system explains how new technological advances have seen the discovery of more than 400 exoplanets to date, a number expected to rise to thousands in the next few years. Astronomically Large Lenses Measure Age And Size Of Universe   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Stanford CA (SPX) Mar 03, 2010 - Using entire galaxies as lenses to look at other galaxies, researchers have a newly precise way to measure the size and age of the universe and how rapidly it is expanding, on a par with other techniques. Universe's Energetic Cosmic Fog Stumps Scientists   02 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Fermi telescope finds active galactic nuclei don't create most of gamma ray background. Chile Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth   02 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com The Chilean earthquake may have shortened the length of days on our planet. Galactic Lenses Confirm Universe's Age, Size   02 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com Galaxies used as lenses confirm age, size, expansion rate of universe. NDE Methods for Space Shuttle High Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation Tiles   02 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This viewgraph presentation describes the nondestructive evaluation methods that are suitable for detecting bond line defects in Space Shuttle High Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation Tiles.... Performance Analysis of Apollo Navigational Starter Routine   02 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: The focus of this project is to recreate and analyze the effectiveness of the original Apollo Starter Routine (ASR) which was used to generate the state vector of the Apollo spacecraft based on a series of radiometric observations. The original Apollo navigation software is unavailable in a modern programming language and the original coding has not been preserved. This necessitates its recreation using the original software documentation.... Design Considerations of Polishing Lap for Computer-Controlled Cylindrical Polishing Process   02 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This paper establishes a relationship between the polishing process parameters and the generation of mid spatial-frequency error. The consideration of the polishing lap design to optimize the process in order to keep residual errors to a minimum and optimization of the process (speeds, stroke, etc.) and to keep the residual mid spatial-frequency error to a minimum, is also presented.... U.S. Materials Science on the International Space Station: Status and Plans   02 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This viewgraph presentation reviews the current status and NASA plans for materials science on the International Space Station. The contents include: 1) Investigations Launched in 2009; 2) DECLIC in an EXPRESS rack; 3) Dynamical Selection of Three-Dimensional Interface Patterns in Directional Solidification (DSIP); 4) Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR); 5) Materials Science Laboratory; 6) Comparison of Structure and Segregation in Alloys Directionally Solidified in Terrestrial and Microgravity Environments (MICAST/CETSOL); 7) Coarsening in Solid Liquid Mixtures 2 Reflight (CSLM 2R); 8) Crystal Growth Investigations; 9) Levitator Investigations; 10) Quasi Crystalline Undercooled Alloys for Space Investigation (QUASI); 11) The Role of Convection and Growth Competition in Phase Selection in Microgravity (LODESTARS); 12) Planned Additional Investigations; 13) SETA; 14) METCOMP; and 15) Materials Science NRA.... J-2X Test Articles Using FDM Process   02 Mar 2010 - New NASA STI Abstract: This viewgraph presentation gives a brief history of the J-2X engine, along with detailed description of the material demonstrator and test articles that were created using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process.... Is NASA's New Space Plan Really That Radical?   02 Mar 2010 - SPACE.com President Obama's new plan for NASA has been called radical, but others counter that similar changes have happened before. NASA Finds Warmer Ocean Speeding Greenland Glacier Melt   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory A new NASA study finds undersea melting of glaciers in west Greenland due to ocean warming is playing a major, previously overlooked, role in their evolution. First Images From ESA's Water Mission   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory In less than four months since launch, the first calibrated images are delivered by ESA's SMOS mission, showing clear information on global variations of soil moisture and ocean salinity to advance our understanding of the water cycle. (European Space Agency press release) More Frequent Fires Could Aid Ecosystems   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory With a changing climate there's a good chance that forest fires in the Pacific Northwest will become larger and more frequent -- and according to one expert speaking at a professional conference, that's just fine. (Oregon State University press release) More Tropical Cyclones in Past Could Play Role in Warmer Future   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory More frequent tropical cyclones in Earth's ancient past contributed to persistent El Niño-like conditions, according to a team of climate scientists. (Yale University press release) University of Hawaii at Manoa Team Going After Regional Climate Patterns of Global Warming   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Analyzing global model warming projections in models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a team of scientists finds that ocean temperature patterns in the tropics and subtropics will change in ways that will lead to significant changes in rainfall patterns. (University of Hawaii at Manoa press release) Ice Shelves Disappearing on Antarctic Peninsula   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Ice shelves are retreating in the southern section of the Antarctic Peninsula due to climate change, which could result in glacier retreat and sea-level rise if warming continues, threatening coastal communities and low-lying islands worldwide. (United States Geological Survey press release) NASA Scientist Nadine Unger Discusses Which Sectors of the Economy Impact the Climate   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Nadine Unger, a climatologist with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, discusses her recent study that analyzed how different human activities affect climate. Smoke Plumes over Concepcion, Chile, Following Large Earthquake   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Smoke plumes and apparent damage to a bridge are visible in this astronaut photograph of Concepción, Chile, following the magnitude 8.8 earthquake on February 27, 2010. Violent Storm Strikes Western Europe   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Acquired February 27, 2010, this true-color image shows storm clouds extending from the Atlantic Ocean across Portugal, Spain, France, and northern Italy. ICESat's Notable Moments in Science   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory ICESat has provided a critical look at ice thickness at Earth's polar regions over the course of its seven-year life. That mission is now coming to an end. Cold Snaps Plus Global Warming Do Add Up   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Despite recent extreme winter weather in certain parts of the world, the basics behind global warming haven’t changed. 2009 was the second-warmest year on record. Piecing Together the Temperature Puzzle   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory A new video and image gallery highlight NASA's scientific study of global climate change. Road Transportation Emerges as Key Driver of Warming in New Analysis from NASA   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory A new NASA study indicates that motor vehicles are the greatest contributor to atmospheric warming: They release greenhouse gases that promote warming, while emitting few aerosols that counteract it. NASA Studies Recent Storms to Improve Space Based Global Weather Monitoring   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory NASA studies data from three unique weather monitoring tools to help predict how storms evolve. NASA and NOAA Ready GOES-P Satellite for Launch   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory The GOES-P satellite is now on the launch pad and will launch on March 2. Missing 'Ice Arches' Contributed to 2007 Arctic Ice Loss   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory In 2007, the Arctic lost a massive amount of thick, multiyear sea ice, contributing to that year's record-low extent of Arctic sea ice. 8.8 Magnitude Quake near Concepcion, Chile   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory This map of topography and water depth reveals subduction’s influence on the West Coast of South America near the epicenter of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on February 27, 2010. Windy Weather Carries Dust over Egypt and Saudi Arabia   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Dense plumes of dust blow east across Saudi Arabia in this true color satellite image from February 26, 2010. Temperature Trackers Watch Our Watery World   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Earth Observatory Climatologists have long known that human-produced greenhouse gases have been the dominant drivers of Earth's observed warming since the start of the Industrial Revolution, but other factors also affect our planet's temperature. World's top high-tech fair goes 3D   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Hanover, Germany (AFP) March 2, 2010 - The world's biggest high-tech fair opened to the public Tuesday as the IT sector sought to rebound from a terrible 2009 by wooing consumers with trendy gadgets to make life easier and more fun. NASA announces new satellite initiative   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington (UPI) Mar 1, 2009 - The U.S. space agency says it is starting an initiative to launch small cube-shaped satellites for educational and not-for-profit organizations. Investigating Material Ejected From Young Crater   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Pasadena CA (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - Opportunity Status for sol 2158-2165: Opportunity is located near the very young crater 'Concepcion.' The rover has been investigating the ejecta material around the crater, with some rocks exhibiting a dark rind. On Sol 2158 (Feb. 18, 2010), Opportunity continued the in-situ investigation of the rock target, 'Chocolate Hills.' Mars Express Heading For Closest Flyby Of Phobos   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Paris, France (ESA) Mar 02, 2010 - ESA's Mars Express will skim the surface of Mars' largest moon Phobos on Wednesday evening. Passing by at an altitude of 67 km, precise radio tracking will allow researchers to peer inside the mysterious moon. LockMart Orion Team Fabricates World's Largest Heat Shield Structure   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Denver CO (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - The Lockheed Martin-led team developing the Orion crew exploration vehicle achieved a major technology milestone by completing fabrication of the world's largest heat shield structure. SES WORLD SKIES To Host Extensive 3D TV Tests   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Princeton NJ (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - With its 3D-ready satellites and teleports serving as the distribution backbone, SES WORLD SKIES has announced it plans to join leading broadcasters, programmers, TV makers and technology providers in a series of extensive tests aimed at accelerating the delivery of 3D TV. Spirit In Energy Saving Mode   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Pasadena CA (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - Spirit Status for sol 2177-2184: Spirit is in her winter position, still embedded in the area called 'Troy' on the west side of Home Plate. Efforts continue to prepare the rover for winter. LockMart Solar X-ray Imager To Be Launched On NOAA GOES-P   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Palo Alto CA (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - The Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) instrument, designed and built by Lockheed Martin at its Space Systems Advanced Technology Center (ATC) is ready for flight. MESSENGER's Odometer Reading: Four Billion Miles!   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Baltimore MD (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - The MESSENGER spacecraft has crossed the four-billion-mile mark since its launch. The probe has completed about 81 percent of its journey toward its destination to be the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury. Satellites, Rockets And More   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Baltimore MD (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - On Sept. 17, 1959, a little heralded Thor Able rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Perched atop the rocket was Transit 1A, a satellite designed by scientists and engineers at Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory that the U.S. Navy hoped would provide accurate location information to ballistic missile submarines and be used as a general navigation system. MTN Supplies Satellite Communications System For Oasis Of The Seas   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Miramar FL (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, has been equipped with MTN Satellite Communications' (MTN) state-of-the-art VSAT satellite communications system. The Free World Is Losing NASA's Space Leadership   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Bethesda MD (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - I carefully read your comments every week and think it's time to share with you an article prepared for Launchspace readers on the subject of U.S. manned space programs. Russia launches three new navigation satellites: report   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Moscow (AFP) March 1, 2010 - A Russian Proton-M rocket was launched into space Monday with three new satellites for Moscow's GLONASS navigation system, aimed at competing with US and European systems, a report said. NASA Radar Finds Ice Deposits At Moon's North Pole   02 Mar 2010 - Space News From SpaceDaily.Com Washington DC (SPX) Mar 02, 2010 - Using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists have detected ice deposits near the moon's north pole. NASA's Mini-SAR instrument, a lightweight, synthetic aperture radar, found more than 40 small craters with water ice. The craters range in size from 1 to 9 miles (2 to15 km) in diameter. NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 2 March 2010   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Radar Map of Buried Martian Ice Adds to Climate Record   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Extensive radar mapping of the middle-latitude region of northern Mars shows that thick masses of buried ice are quite common beneath protective coverings of rubble. NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Tuesday, March 02, 2010   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NOAA SATOPS Morning Report: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 Commercial Spaceflight Federation Commends New Mexico for Passage of Key Liability Legislation   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. On Saturday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law the 'New Mexico Space Flight Informed Consent Act,' following similar legislation already passed in Virginia and Florida. NOAA SEC Space Weather Outlook #10- 10   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NOAA SEC Space Weather Outlook #10- 10 Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 2 March 2010   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 2 March 2010 Webb Telescope's first primary mirror meets cold temperature specifications, sets program landmark   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The James Webb Space Telescope reached a mission-readiness landmark today when its first primary mirror segment was cryo-polished to its required prescription as measured at operational cryogenic temperatures. How to hunt for exoplanets   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. How to hunt for exoplanets NASA's Fermi probes 'dragons' of the gamma-ray sky   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. A new study of the ever-present fog of gamma rays from sources outside our galaxy shows that less than a third of the emission arises from what astronomers once considered the most likely suspects -- black-hole-powered jets from active galaxies. The Hubble Space Telescope Science Observing Community now has a home on Facebook   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. The Hubble Space Telescope Science Observing Community now has a home on Facebook NASA ARC Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive License: Abraxis BioScience, LLC   02 Mar 2010 - SpaceRef Top Stories - Copyright 2007, SpaceRef Interactive Inc. NASA ARC Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive License: Abraxis BioScience, LLC The Crab Nebula   02 Mar 2010 - NASA Image of the Day The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova noted by Earth-bound chroniclers in 1054 A.D., is filled with mysterious filaments that are are not only tremendously complex, but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light-years. In the nebula's very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester, A. Loll (ASU)