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NASA TV's This Week @NASA, M
…
** STS-131 UPDATE -- JSC/KSC
…
03/05/2010
| Description |
** STS-131 UPDATE -- JSC/KSC The STS-131 Crew and space shuttle Discovery continues their progress toward an April 5 launch to the International Space Station. Discovery has been rolled out to Launch Pad 39A, while the seven STS-131 astronauts participated in launch countdown dress rehearsal activities and other prelaunch training. ** AMES CREATES A WINNER -- ARC The World Wind Java computer program developed at the Ames Research Center has earned NASA's 2009 Software of the Year Award. World-Wind is an open-source platform used to display NASA and U.S. Geological Survey data on virtual 3-D globes of Earth and other planets. ** DEEP SPACE DOWN UNDER - JPL NASA is replacing an aging fleet of 230-foot-wide antennas used in the Deep Space Network with new ''beam wave guide'' antennas that enable the network to operate on several different frequency bands within the same antenna. The replacement antennas are approximately half the size of the originals. The NASA Deep Space Network - or DSN - is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. ** 2009 QASAR AWARD -- GRC Christopher DellaCorte, of the Glenn Research Center's Tribology & Mechanical Components branch has received the 2009 Quality and Safety Achievement or Qasar Award for figuring out what caused severe degradation of a starboard solar array alpha rotary joint on the International Space Station. ** STEM EDUCATORS WORKSHOP -- LARC Teachers became students while participating in the second annual NASA Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics -- STEM -- Educators, Workshops held this year in Charlotte, N.C. The 40-session workshop provided elementary, middle and high school teachers with creative hands-on ways to incorporate NASA content into their classrooms. The workshops are specifically designed to give teachers tangible resources for immediate use in classrooms. ** FIRST ROBOTICS KICKOFF -- HQ The NASA supported ''For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology'' Robotics program began its 19th year with regional competitions like this one held in Washington, D.C. FIRST is a nationwide competition that teams young people with professionals to solve engineering design problems in a competitive way. |
| Date |
03/05/2010 |
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Power Beaming
EC02-0179-11 An experimental
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08/01/02
| Description |
EC02-0179-11 An experimental radio-controlled model aircraft is seen here in flight powered only by light energy beamed to it by a spotlight. August 1, 2002 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
08/01/02 |
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Power Beaming
EC02-0179-12 An experimental
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08/01/02
| Description |
EC02-0179-12 An experimental radio-controlled model aircraft is seen here in flight, powered only by light energy beamed to it by a spotlight. August 1, 2002 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
08/01/02 |
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Power Beaming
EC02-0179-2 Dryden Model Sho
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08/01/02
| Description |
EC02-0179-2 Dryden Model Shop's Tony Frakowiak remotely flies an experimental model aircraft being powered by a spotlight operated by student intern Derrick Barrett. August 1, 2002 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
08/01/02 |
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Power Beaming
EC02-0232-13 An experimental
…
10/02/02
| Description |
EC02-0232-13 An experimental radio-controlled model aircraft casts two unique shadows as it flies inside a Dryden hangar using two spotlights as energy sources. This phase of testing was used to develop procedures and operations for ''handing off'' the aircraft between different sources of power. October 2, 2002 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
10/02/02 |
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Power Beaming
EC02-0232-4 Dryden Model Sho
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10/01/02
| Description |
EC02-0232-4 Dryden Model Shop's Tony Frakowiak remotely flies an experimental model aircraft being powered by a spotlight operated by Dryden aerospace engineer code RA Ryan Warner. October 1, 2002 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
10/01/02 |
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Power Beaming
EC02-0232-6 An experimental
…
10/01/02
| Description |
EC02-0232-6 An experimental radio-controlled model aircraft is seen here in flight powered only by light energy beamed to it by a spotlight. October 1, 2002 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
10/01/02 |
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Power Beaming
EC03-0249-36NASA Dryden proj
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09/17/03
| Description |
EC03-0249-36NASA Dryden project engineer Dave Bushman carefully aims the optics of a laser device at a solar cell panel on a model aircraft during the first flight demonstration of an aircraft powered by laser light. September 17, 2003 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
09/17/03 |
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Power Beaming
ED03-0249-07With a laser bea
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09/17/03
| Description |
ED03-0249-07With a laser beam centered on its solar panel, a lightweight model aircraft is checked out by technician Tony Frakowiak and researcher Tim Blackwell before its power-beamed demonstration flight. September 17, 2003 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
09/17/03 |
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Power Beaming
ED03-0249-18With a laser bea
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09/18/03
| Description |
ED03-0249-18With a laser beam centered on its panel of photovoltaic cells, a lightweight model plane makes the first flight of an aircraft powered by a laser beam inside a building at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. September 18, 2003 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
09/18/03 |
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Power Beaming
ED03-0249-20Powered by a las
…
09/18/03
| Description |
ED03-0249-20Powered by a laser beam directed at it from a center pedestal, a lightweight model plane makes the first flight of an aircraft powered by laser energy inside a building at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. September 18, 2003 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida Power Beaming Project Description |
| Date |
09/18/03 |
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Three 34m (110 ft.) diameter
…
| Description |
Three 34m (110 ft.) diameter Beam Waveguide antennas. These antennas are the latest addition to the Deep Space Network. The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, located in the Mojave Desert in California, is one of three complexes which comprise NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN provides radio communications for all of NASA's interplanetary spacecraft and is also utilized for radio astronomy and radar observations of the solar system and the universe. |
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Three 34m (110 ft.) diameter
…
| Description |
Three 34m (110 ft.) diameter Beam Waveguide antennas. These antennas are the latest addition to the Deep Space Network. The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, located in the Mojave Desert in California, is one of three complexes which comprise NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN provides radio communications for all of NASA's interplanetary spacecraft and is also utilized for radio astronomy and radar observations of the solar system and the universe. |
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Space Sail Concept
A lightweight sail (center)
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7/5/00
| Date |
7/5/00 |
| Description |
A lightweight sail (center) that could be used to propel a spacecraft for interstellar exploration is depicted in this frame from an animation. In this image, the sail receives beamed energy from a solar-powered satellite. The satellite converts its power to a microwave or laser beam to aim toward the sail. NASA scientists recently demonstrated both the microwave and laser beam concepts in successful laboratory experiments. Future spacecraft that explore the depths of space will need to be very lightweight and be propelled by a reliable source of energy. Solar sails and microwave- and laser-beamed sails meet these requirements, with minimal weight since in the first case the "engine" is the Sun, and in the latter two the engine is left at the point of origin. By use of a remote laser or microwave source from a satellite, beamed energy can be directed to the exploring spacecraft's sails. The result is the same as a sailboat receiving energy from the wind. Sails for both the microwave and laser experiments were made of carbon-carbon microtruss fabric. This very light but stiff fabric can withstand high temperatures that are typical of flight-level power densities. JPL manages Interstellar Technology Development for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. ##### |
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NSCAT/ADEOS
This artist's rendering show
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8/13/96
| Date |
8/13/96 |
| Description |
This artist's rendering shows Japan's Advanced Earth Observing Satellite in low-Earth orbit carrying the NASA Scatterometer. NSCAT is the stick-like instrument in the foreground on the front of the satellite. At any given time NSCAT's array of six dual beam antennas -- each measuring 3 meters by 20 centimeters by 20 centimeters (10 feet by 6 inches by 6 inches) -- will scan two bands of ocean on either side of the satellite's near-polar sun- synchronous orbit. Information from NSCAT will help scientists predict climate changes and improve weather forecasts and will also help them understand ocean circulation and the role of air- sea interactions. The Japanese satellite and science instruments are scheduled for launch on August 16, 1996. The NSCAT instrument was built and will be managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
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View of 34m (110 ft.) Beam W
…
| Description |
View of 34m (110 ft.) Beam Waveguide antenna at the Canberra Complex. The Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, located outside Canberra, Australia, is one of the three complexes which comprise NASA's Deep Space Network. The other complexes are located in Goldstone, California, and Madrid, Spain. |
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34m Beam Waveguide antenna a
…
| Description |
34m Beam Waveguide antenna at the Madrid Complex. The Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex, located outside Madrid, Spain, is one of the three complexes which comprise NASA's Deep Space Network. The other complexes are located in Goldstone, California, and Canberra, Australia. |
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L-Band West Texas
This radar image of the Midl
…
6/22/95
| Date |
6/22/95 |
| Description |
This radar image of the Midland/Odessa region of West Texas, demonstrates an experimental technique, called ScanSAR, that allows scientists to rapidly image large areas of the Earth's surface. The large image covers an area 245 kilometers by 225 kilometers (152 miles by 139 miles). It was obtained by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR- C/X-SAR) flying aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on October 5, 1994. The smaller inset image is a standard SIR-C image showing a portion of the same area, 100 kilometers by 57 kilometers (62 miles by 35 miles) and was taken during the first flight of SIR-C on April 14, 1994. The bright spots on the right side of the image are the cities of Odessa (left) and Midland (right), Texas. The Pecos River runs from the top center to the bottom center of the image. Along the left side of the image are, from top to bottom, parts of the Guadalupe, Davis and Santiago Mountains. North is toward the upper right. Unlike conventional radar imaging, in which a radar continuously illuminates a single ground swath as the space shuttle passes over the terrain, a Scansar radar illuminates several adjacent ground swaths almost simultaneously, by "scanning" the radar beam across a large area in a rapid sequence. The adjacent swaths, typically about 50 km (31 miles) wide, are then merged during ground processing to produce a single large scene. Illumination for this L-band scene is from the top of the image. The beams were scanned from the top of the scene to the bottom, as the shuttle flew from left to right. This scene was acquired in about 30 seconds. A normal SIR- C image is acquired in about 13 seconds. The ScanSAR mode will likely be used on future radar sensors to construct regional and possibly global radar images and topographic maps. The ScanSAR processor is being designed for 1996 implementation at NASA's Alaska SAR Facility, located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and will produce digital images from the forthcoming Canadian RADARSAT satellite. Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X- band (3 cm). The multi-frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those changes which are induced by human activity. SIR-C was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. X-SAR was developed by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German space agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), with the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft und Raumfahrt e.v.(DLR), the major partner in science, operations, and data processing of X-SAR. ##### |
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Amazing Andromeda Galaxy
| Title |
Amazing Andromeda Galaxy |
| Description |
The many "personalities" of our great galactic neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, are exposed in this new composite image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The wide, ultraviolet eyes of Galaxy Evolution Explorer reveal Andromeda's "fiery" nature -- hotter regions brimming with young and old stars. In contrast, Spitzer's super-sensitive infrared eyes show Andromeda's relatively "cool" side, which includes embryonic stars hidden in their dusty cocoons. Galaxy Evolution Explorer detected young, hot, high-mass stars, which are represented in blue, while populations of relatively older stars are shown as green dots. The bright yellow spot at the galaxy's center depicts a particularly dense population of old stars. Swaths of red in the galaxy's disk indicate areas where Spitzer found cool, dusty regions where stars are forming. These stars are still shrouded by the cosmic clouds of dust and gas that collapsed to form them. Together, Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Spitzer complete the picture of Andromeda's swirling spiral arms. Hints of pinkish purple depict regions where the galaxy's populations of hot, high-mass stars and cooler, dust-enshrouded stars co-exist. Located 2.5 million light-years away, the Andromeda is our largest nearby galactic neighbor. The galaxy's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, our Milky Way galaxy's disk is about 100,000 light-years across. This image is a false color composite comprised of data from Galaxy Evolution Explorer's far-ultraviolet detector (blue), near-ultraviolet detector (green), and Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer at 24 microns (red). |
|
Fade to Red
| Title |
Fade to Red |
| Description |
This animation shows the Andromeda galaxy, first as seen in visible light by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, then as seen in infrared by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The visible-light image highlights the galaxy's population of about one trillion stars. The stars are so crammed into its core that this region blazes with bright starlight. In contrast, the false-colored Spitzer view reveals red waves of dust against a more tranquil sea of blue stars. The dust lanes can be seen twirling all the way into the galaxy's center. This dust is warmed by young stars and shines at infrared wavelengths , which are represented in red. The blue color signifies shorter-wavelength infrared light primarily from older stars. The Andromeda galaxy, also known affectionately by astronomers as Messier 31, is located 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, making it the ideal specimen for carefully examining the nature of galaxies. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy can be spotted with the naked eye as a fuzzy blob. Andromeda's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. When viewed from Earth, Andromeda occupies a portion of the sky equivalent to seven full moons. Because this galaxy is so large, the infrared images had to be stitched together out of about 3,000 separate Spitzer exposures. The light detected by Spitzer's infrared array camera at 3.6 and 4.5 microns is sensitive mostly to starlight and is shown in blue and green, respectively. The 8-micron light shows warm dust and is shown in red. The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to better highlight the dust structures. |
|
Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| Description |
This infrared composite image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Andromeda galaxy, a neighbor to our Milky Way galaxy. The main image (top) highlights the contrast between the galaxy's choppy waves of dust (red) and smooth sea of older stars (blue). The panels below the main image show the galaxy's older stars (left) and dust (right) separately. Spiral galaxies tend to form new stars in their dusty, clumpy arms, while their cores are populated by older stars. The Spitzer view also shows Andromeda's dust lanes twisting all the way into the center of the galaxy, a region that is crammed full of stars. In visible-light pictures, this central region tends to be dominated by starlight. Astronomers used these new images to measure the total infrared brightness of Andromeda. Because the amount of infrared light given off by stars depends on their masses, the brightness measurements provided a novel method for "weighing" the Andromeda galaxy. According to this method, the mass of the stars in Andromeda is about110 billion times that of the sun, which is in agreement with past calculations. This means the galaxy contains about one trillion stars (because most stars are actually less massive than the sun). For comparison, the Milky Way is estimated to hold about 400 billion stars. A small, companion galaxy called NGC 205 is visible above Andromeda. Another companion galaxy called M32 can also been seen below the galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy, also known affectionately by astronomers as Messier 31, is located 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, making it the ideal specimen for carefully examining the nature of galaxies. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy can be spotted with the naked eye as a fuzzy blob. Andromeda's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. When viewed from Earth, Andromeda occupies a portion of the sky equivalent to seven full moons. Because this galaxy is so large, the infrared images had to be stitched together out of about 3,000 separate Spitzer exposures. The light detected by Spitzer's infrared array camera at 3.6 and 4.5 microns is sensitive mostly to starlight and is shown in blue and green, respectively. The 8-micron light shows warm dust and is shown in red. The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to better highlight the dust structures. |
|
Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| Description |
This infrared composite image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Andromeda galaxy, a neighbor to our Milky Way galaxy. The main image (top) highlights the contrast between the galaxy's choppy waves of dust (red) and smooth sea of older stars (blue). The panels below the main image show the galaxy's older stars (left) and dust (right) separately. Spiral galaxies tend to form new stars in their dusty, clumpy arms, while their cores are populated by older stars. The Spitzer view also shows Andromeda's dust lanes twisting all the way into the center of the galaxy, a region that is crammed full of stars. In visible-light pictures, this central region tends to be dominated by starlight. Astronomers used these new images to measure the total infrared brightness of Andromeda. Because the amount of infrared light given off by stars depends on their masses, the brightness measurements provided a novel method for "weighing" the Andromeda galaxy. According to this method, the mass of the stars in Andromeda is about110 billion times that of the sun, which is in agreement with past calculations. This means the galaxy contains about one trillion stars (because most stars are actually less massive than the sun). For comparison, the Milky Way is estimated to hold about 400 billion stars. A small, companion galaxy called NGC 205 is visible above Andromeda. Another companion galaxy called M32 can also been seen below the galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy, also known affectionately by astronomers as Messier 31, is located 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, making it the ideal specimen for carefully examining the nature of galaxies. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy can be spotted with the naked eye as a fuzzy blob. Andromeda's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. When viewed from Earth, Andromeda occupies a portion of the sky equivalent to seven full moons. Because this galaxy is so large, the infrared images had to be stitched together out of about 3,000 separate Spitzer exposures. The light detected by Spitzer's infrared array camera at 3.6 and 4.5 microns is sensitive mostly to starlight and is shown in blue and green, respectively. The 8-micron light shows warm dust and is shown in red. The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to better highlight the dust structures. |
|
Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| Description |
This infrared composite image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Andromeda galaxy, a neighbor to our Milky Way galaxy. The main image (top) highlights the contrast between the galaxy's choppy waves of dust (red) and smooth sea of older stars (blue). The panels below the main image show the galaxy's older stars (left) and dust (right) separately. Spiral galaxies tend to form new stars in their dusty, clumpy arms, while their cores are populated by older stars. The Spitzer view also shows Andromeda's dust lanes twisting all the way into the center of the galaxy, a region that is crammed full of stars. In visible-light pictures, this central region tends to be dominated by starlight. Astronomers used these new images to measure the total infrared brightness of Andromeda. Because the amount of infrared light given off by stars depends on their masses, the brightness measurements provided a novel method for "weighing" the Andromeda galaxy. According to this method, the mass of the stars in Andromeda is about110 billion times that of the sun, which is in agreement with past calculations. This means the galaxy contains about one trillion stars (because most stars are actually less massive than the sun). For comparison, the Milky Way is estimated to hold about 400 billion stars. A small, companion galaxy called NGC 205 is visible above Andromeda. Another companion galaxy called M32 can also been seen below the galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy, also known affectionately by astronomers as Messier 31, is located 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, making it the ideal specimen for carefully examining the nature of galaxies. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy can be spotted with the naked eye as a fuzzy blob. Andromeda's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. When viewed from Earth, Andromeda occupies a portion of the sky equivalent to seven full moons. Because this galaxy is so large, the infrared images had to be stitched together out of about 3,000 separate Spitzer exposures. The light detected by Spitzer's infrared array camera at 3.6 and 4.5 microns is sensitive mostly to starlight and is shown in blue and green, respectively. The 8-micron light shows warm dust and is shown in red. The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to better highlight the dust structures. |
|
Andromeda Makes a Splash
| Title |
Andromeda Makes a Splash |
| Description |
This infrared composite image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Andromeda galaxy, a neighbor to our Milky Way galaxy. The main image (top) highlights the contrast between the galaxy's choppy waves of dust (red) and smooth sea of older stars (blue). The panels below the main image show the galaxy's older stars (left) and dust (right) separately. Spiral galaxies tend to form new stars in their dusty, clumpy arms, while their cores are populated by older stars. The Spitzer view also shows Andromeda's dust lanes twisting all the way into the center of the galaxy, a region that is crammed full of stars. In visible-light pictures, this central region tends to be dominated by starlight. Astronomers used these new images to measure the total infrared brightness of Andromeda. Because the amount of infrared light given off by stars depends on their masses, the brightness measurements provided a novel method for "weighing" the Andromeda galaxy. According to this method, the mass of the stars in Andromeda is about110 billion times that of the sun, which is in agreement with past calculations. This means the galaxy contains about one trillion stars (because most stars are actually less massive than the sun). For comparison, the Milky Way is estimated to hold about 400 billion stars. A small, companion galaxy called NGC 205 is visible above Andromeda. Another companion galaxy called M32 can also been seen below the galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy, also known affectionately by astronomers as Messier 31, is located 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, making it the ideal specimen for carefully examining the nature of galaxies. On a clear, dark night, the galaxy can be spotted with the naked eye as a fuzzy blob. Andromeda's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. When viewed from Earth, Andromeda occupies a portion of the sky equivalent to seven full moons. Because this galaxy is so large, the infrared images had to be stitched together out of about 3,000 separate Spitzer exposures. The light detected by Spitzer's infrared array camera at 3.6 and 4.5 microns is sensitive mostly to starlight and is shown in blue and green, respectively. The 8-micron light shows warm dust and is shown in red. The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to better highlight the dust structures. |
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NASA KSNN - CDs
NASA Kids Science News segme
…
6/1/03
| Description |
NASA Kids Science News segment explaining the technology of CDs. |
| Date |
6/1/03 |
|
NASA KSNN - Magnetism
Let's Make an electromagnet!
6/1/03
| Description |
Let's Make an electromagnet! |
| Date |
6/1/03 |
|
NASA SCI Files - Space Shutt
…
NASA Sci Files segment descr
…
9/25/02
| Description |
NASA Sci Files segment describing how NASA uses pulleys to attach the space shuttle to the 747 for its cross-country trip from California to Florida. |
| Date |
9/25/02 |
|
NASA TV's This Week @NASA, M
…
** STS-131 UPDATE: JSC/KSC T
…
03/05/10
| Description |
** STS-131 UPDATE: JSC/KSC The STS-131 Crew and space shuttle Discovery continues their progress toward an April 5 launch to the International Space Station. Discovery has been rolled out to Launch Pad 39A, while the seven STS-131 astronauts participated in launch countdown dress rehearsal activities and other prelaunch training. ** AMES CREATES A WINNER: ARC The World Wind Java computer program developed at the Ames Research Center has earned NASA's 2009 Software of the Year Award. World-Wind is an open-source platform used to display NASA and U.S. Geological Survey data on virtual 3-D globes of Earth and other planets. ** DEEP SPACE DOWN UNDER: JPL NASA is replacing an aging fleet of 230-foot-wide antennas used in the Deep Space Network with new ''beam wave guide'' antennas that enable the network to operate on several different frequency bands within the same antenna. The replacement antennas are approximately half the size of the originals. The NASA Deep Space Network - or DSN - is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. ** 2009 QASAR AWARD: GRC Christopher DellaCorte, of the Glenn Research Center's Tribology & Mechanical Components branch has received the 2009 Quality and Safety Achievement or Qasar Award for figuring out what caused severe degradation of a starboard solar array alpha rotary joint on the International Space Station. ** STEM EDUCATORS WORKSHOP: LARC Teachers became students while participating in the second annual NASA Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics -- STEM -- Educators, Workshops held this year in Charlotte, N.C. The 40-session workshop provided elementary, middle and high school teachers with creative hands-on ways to incorporate NASA content into their classrooms. The workshops are specifically designed to give teachers tangible resources for immediate use in classrooms. ** FIRST ROBOTICS KICKOFF HQ: The NASA supported ''For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology'' Robotics program began its 19th year with regional competitions like this one held in Washington, D.C. FIRST is a nationwide competition that teams young people with professionals to solve engineering design problems in a competitive way. |
| Date |
03/05/10 |
|
NASA TV's This Week at NASA,
…
The seven member STS-131 cre
…
03/26/10
| Description |
The seven member STS-131 crew continues to prep for its April mission to the International Space Station. Flying aboard the space shuttle Discovery the crew will deliver about 13-thousand pounds of supplies to the station. * NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy aircraft, SOFIA completed a two-week series of 'light envelope expansion' test flights. * Brenda Manuel, NASA Associate Administrator for Diversity and Equal Opportunity, was honored by the Society of Women Engineers as this year's recipient of the group's President's Award. A lawyer by training, Manuel was recognized for her longtime encouragement of women to pursue careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.* The final support beam for the Ames Research Center's new green building was installed during a special 'Topping Out' celebration. * Former moonwalker, Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin has again captured the nation√¢s attention as a contestant on the ABC television series, 'Dancing with the Stars.' |
| Date |
03/26/10 |
|
Titan (T30) Viewed by Cassin
…
| Description |
Titan (T30) Viewed by Cassini's Radar May 12, 2007 |
| Full Description |
This north polar image of Titan was acquired by Cassini's radar instrument on May 12, 2007. Stretching from 69 degrees north, 329 degrees west to 33 degrees north, 227 degrees west, this swath gently curves from west-to-east at the left end to north-to-south at the right. It is more than 2,700 kilometers (1,678 miles) long and varies from 200 to 500 kilometers (124 to 310 miles) in width, covering the southern extreme of a large dark area previously imaged by the Imaging Science Subsystem (see Exploring the Wetlands of Titan). The thin white stripe at immediate left is an artifact related to the instrument's multi-beam operation, throughout the swath there are some near-vertical stripes that are also artifacts. As displayed here, the extreme left end of the image shows the west margin of a dark area interpreted to be a lake of liquid methane and probably ethane, with obvious shore-like features, such as bays, inlets and islands. Radar images show smooth areas as dark, and this lake is among the darkest areas seen so far on Titan. The eastern margin of the lake is similarly complex, and some of the shoreline features seem related to ridges and lower topography on the shore, as if the liquid in the lake has filled lower-lying areas between ridges. Some of these channels drain into the lake, while others go into a slightly brighter, more uniform area that may be connected to the lake just off the lower edge of the image (for more details on this area, see Coasts and Drowned Mountains). Farther to the right, moving southward, a complex region of ridges and channels transitions to more subdued landforms with circular or lobate features, some of which have raised rims. The terrain toward the right of the image is rougher, with topographic depressions that resemble dried lakebeds, lacking the dark material seen in the lakes farther north. Toward the right end of the image, farthest from the north pole, a series of long, low depressions is seen against a relatively dark background. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
August 13, 2007 |
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Enceladus Flyby
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
This computer generated animation shows what the instruments on board of the Cassini spacecraft will be doing during the July 14, 2005 Enceladus flyby. The upper right panel shows Enceladus in the fields-of-view (boresights) of the cameras on Cassini. The magenta rectangles are Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) slits. The red box is the Wide Angle Camera (WAC). The white box is the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC). The red circle and small red rectangles are the fields of view of the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument. The lower right panel displays how Enceladus looks to the "prime" instrument at the current time. The left panel tells the viewer the attitude (orientation) of the Cassini spacecraft throughout the flyby, the color of the "beam" on Enceladus tells the viewer which instrument is prime at any time. However, because all four cameras/spectrometers (NAC, UVIS, VIMS and CIRS) all generally co-aligned, all these instruments will be taking data, no matter which slit is shown in the lower right panel. The movie starts seven and a half hours before closest-approach, with a CIRS scan that will provide temperature and composition maps of Enceladus. The Near Angle Camera will take a high-resolution global image of Enceladus. Jut prior to closest approach, Cassini will then turn to view a star whose path will pass behind Enceladus. This will allow the instruments (particularly the UVIS, shown by the magenta slits in the left panel starting at 19:51:50) to search for evidence of a tenuous atmosphere. Next, the spacecraft turns back to Enceladus (now looking at the night side of the body) and does CIRS mapping of the night side. During this observation, Cassini rolls to keep an attitude that is good for the magnetometer. The flyby concludes with another mosaic and a UVIS crescent observation. |
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Titan's Land-o-Lakes
| Description |
The Cassini spacecraft's Titan Radar Mapper instrument imaged this area atop Xanadu, the bright area of Titan, on April 30, 2006. |
| Full Description |
The Cassini spacecraft's Titan Radar Mapper instrument imaged this area atop Xanadu, the bright area of Titan, on April 30, 2006. The picture is roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) wide by 400 kilometers (249 miles) long, and shows features as small as 350 meters (1148 feet). Chains of hills or mountains are revealed by the radar beam, which is illuminating their northern sides (in this image, north is up). Interspersed between the chains of hills are darker areas where topographic features are absent or partly buried. The darkest areas could contain liquids, which tend to reflect the radar beam away from Cassini in the absence of winds, making the area appear quite dark. At Titan's icy conditions, these liquids would be methane and/or ethane. Stubby drainage features can be see faintly between the chains of hills, suggesting flow of the liquid across parts of the region. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Image credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
May 8, 2006 |
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| Description |
Huygens probe jettison |
| Full Description |
Huygens probe jettison In this artist's rendition, the Huygens probe is finally ejected by the Cassini spacecraft and begins its 22-day coast phase toward Titan. Equipped with six scientific instruments, the probe will descend through Titan's dense, murky atmosphere. Throughout its descent -- and possibly even after reaching the surface of Titan -- the Huygens probe will beam data to the Cassini orbiter, to be relay back to Earth. |
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Ion Beam
| title |
Ion Beam |
| date |
09.15.1959 |
| description |
This small ion rocket is being tested inside a vacuum test facility. The test was being monitored by a small camera lens inside the test chamber. Ion rockets are an idea that has existed since the 1950s. They were first used operationally by the Soviet Union and later were employed by American commercial spacecraft and NASA space probes. They provide very low thrust, but are extremely efficient. *Image Credit*: NASA |
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Illustration of Colliding Ne
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| Name |
Illustration of Colliding Neutron Stars |
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Artist's conception of the d
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| Title |
Artist's conception of the deployment of the Advanced |
| Full Description |
An artist's concept of the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) shown after release from the space shuttle's cargo bay. ACTS was launched on September 12, 1993 and built by Lockheed Martin Astro-Space. The unique feature of ACTS is that it was a "switchboard in the sky" in that it incorporates on-board switching and steerable, spot-beam antenna that allow routing of signals to take place on the spacecraft. ACTS technology was cost-effective (when compared to other satellites) and provided more communication capacity than previous satellites. |
| Date |
9/9/87 |
| NASA Center |
Headquarters |
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Shuttle Test Using Electron
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| Title |
Shuttle Test Using Electron Beam |
| Full Description |
A space shuttle model undergoes a wind tunnel test in 1975. This test is simulating the ionized gasses that surround a shuttle as it reenters the atmosphere. |
| Date |
04/14/1975 |
| NASA Center |
Langley Research Center |
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Goldstone Deep Space Communi
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| Title |
Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex |
| Full Description |
Three 34m (110 ft.) diameter Beam Waveguide antennas located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, situated in the Mojave Desert in California. This is one of three complexes which comprise NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN provides radio communications for all of NASA's interplanetary spacecraft and is also utilized for radio astronomy and radar observations of the solar system and the universe. |
| Date |
01/01/1990 |
| NASA Center |
Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
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Ion Beam
| Title |
Ion Beam |
| Full Description |
This small ion rocket is being tested inside a vacuum test facility. The test is being monitored by a small camera lens inside the test chamber. Ion rockets are an idea that has existed since the 1950s. They were first used operationally by the Soviet Union and later were employed by American commercial spacecraft and NASA space probes. They provide very low thrust, but are extremely efficient. |
| Date |
09/15/1959 |
| NASA Center |
Glenn Research Center |
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Launch Preparation
| Title |
Launch Preparation |
| Full Description |
Inside the nose cone of this Delta rocket is Goddard's geophysics research satellite, a 906-lb. (411-kg) satellite that looked more like a dimpled cosmic golf ball. The spacecraft, which NASA launched from the Western Test Range in California in 1976, provided a stable point in the sky to reflect pulses of laser light. By timing the return of the laser beam to an accuracy of about one ten-billionth of a second, scientists expected to measure the relative location of participating ground stations within one inch or a few centimeters. These measurements allowed scientists to track and analyze tectonic plate movement and continental drift. The spacecraft, called the LAser GEOdynamics Satellite (LAGEOS), was the precursor to the current-day Global Positioning System (GPS) system operated by the Defense Department. |
| Date |
01/01/1976 |
| NASA Center |
Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Hubble Finds a New Black Hol
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| Title |
Hubble Finds a New Black Hole - and Unexpected New Mysteries |
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Hubble Discovers Powerful La
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| Title |
Hubble Discovers Powerful Laser Beamed from Chaotic Star |
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Hubble Observes the Fire and
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| Title |
Hubble Observes the Fire and Fury of a Stellar Birth |
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Hubble Finds an Hourglass Ne
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| Title |
Hubble Finds an Hourglass Nebula around a Dying Star |
| General Information |
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release? A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference. This Hubble telescope snapshot of MyCn18, a young planetary nebula, reveals that the object has an hourglass shape with an intricate pattern of "etchings" in its walls. A planetary nebula is the glowing relic of a dying, Sun-like star. The results are of great interest because they shed new light on the poorly understood ejection of stellar matter that accompanies the slow death of Sun-like stars. According to one theory on the formation of planetary nebulae, the hourglass shape is produced by the expansion of a fast stellar wind within a slowly expanding cloud, which is denser near its equator than near its poles. |
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Hubble Finds Searchlight Bea
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| Title |
Hubble Finds Searchlight Beams and Multiple Arcs around a Dying Star |
| General Information |
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release? A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference. This Hubble telescope picture of the Egg Nebula, also known as CRL2688, shows a pair of mysterious "searchlight" beams emerging from a hidden star and criss-crossed by numerous bright arcs. This image sheds new light on the poorly understood ejection of stellar matter that accompanies the slow death of Sun-like stars. The nebula is really a large cloud of dust and gas ejected by the star, expanding at a speed of 115,000 mph (20 km/s). A dense cocoon of dust [the dark band in the center] enshrouds the star and hides it from our view. Starlight escapes more easily in directions where the cocoon is thinner and is reflected towards us by dust particles in the cloud, giving it its overall appearance. Objects like CRL2688 are rare because they are in a very short evolutionary phase. However, they may hold the key to our understanding of how red giant stars transform themselves into planetary nebulae, the glowing remnants of dying stars. |
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Hubble Goes to the Limit In
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| Title |
Hubble Goes to the Limit In Search Of Farthest Galaxies |
| General Information |
What is a Space Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a Space Science Update (SSU), broadcast on NASA television. The SSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Stretching the Hubble telescope's vision farther across space and further back into time than ever before, astronomers have peered into a previously unseen realm of the universe. A "long-exposure" infrared image has uncovered the faintest galaxies ever seen. Astronomers believe some of these galaxies could be the farthest objects ever seen. A powerful new generation of telescopes will be needed to confirm the suspected distances. The picture on the left contains over 300 galaxies, which have spiral, elliptical, and irregular shapes. The two images on the right represent close-up views of objects that may be over 12 billion light-years away, the farthest galaxies ever seen. Each faraway galaxy is centered in the frame. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1998/32/text/ ] |
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Very Long Baseline Array Rev
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| Title |
Very Long Baseline Array Reveals Formation Region of Giant Cosmic Jet Near a Black Hole |
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Very Long Baseline Array Rev
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| Title |
Very Long Baseline Array Reveals Formation Region of Giant Cosmic Jet Near a Black Hole |
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Very Long Baseline Array Rev
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| Title |
Very Long Baseline Array Reveals Formation Region of Giant Cosmic Jet Near a Black Hole |
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Lost and Found: Hubble Finds
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| Title |
Lost and Found: Hubble Finds Much of the Universe's Missing Hydrogen |
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