Browse All : Beam and Earth

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

NSCAT/ADEOS

This artist's rendering show …

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.

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. #####

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.

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

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.

Hubble Discovers Powerful Laser Beamed from Chaotic Star

Hubble Discovers Powerful La …

Title	Hubble Discovers Powerful Laser Beamed from Chaotic Star

Hubble Observes the Fire and Fury of a Stellar Birth

Hubble Observes the Fire and …

Title	Hubble Observes the Fire and Fury of a Stellar Birth

Lost and Found: Hubble Finds Much of the Universe's Missing Hydrogen

Lost and Found: Hubble Finds …

Title	Lost and Found: Hubble Finds Much of the Universe's Missing Hydrogen

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Resolves a Dark "x" Across the Nucleus of M51

NASA's Hubble Space Telescop …

Title	NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Resolves a Dark "x" Across the Nucleus of M51
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. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided astronomers with what may be their first direct view of an immense ring of dust which fuels a massive black hole at the heart of the spiral galaxy M51, located 20 million light-years away. Surprisingly, they found that the ring is standing almost perpendicularly to the relatively flat spiral galaxy, like a top spinning on its side with respect to the floor. Even more surprising is the discovery of a secondary ring or dust lane which is contrary to all expectations. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1992/17/text/ ]

predicted. "They were so strong that you can see them in the raw data," Kosovichev says. The solar seismic waves appear to be compression waves like the "P" waves generated by an earthquake. They travel throughout the Sun's interior. In fact, the waves should recombine on the opposite side of the Sun from the location of the flare to create a faint duplicate of the original ripple pattern, Kosovichev predicts. Now that they know how to find them, the SOHO scientists say that the seismic waves generated by solar flares should allow them to verify independently some of the conditions in the solar interior that they have inferred from studying the pattern of waves that are continually ruffling the Sun's surface. SOHO is part of the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program, a global effort to observe and understand our star and its effects on our environment. The ISTP mission includes more than 20 satellites, coupled with with ground-based observatories and modeling centers, that allow scientists to study the Sun, the Earth, and the space between them in unprecedented detail. ISTP is a joint program of NASA, ESA, Japan's Institute for Astronautical Science, and Russia's Space Research Institute.

SOLAR FLARE LEAVES SUN QUAKI …

Description

SOLAR FLARE LEAVES SUN QUAKING Scientists have shown for the first time that solar flares produce seismic waves in the Sun's interior that closely resemble those created by earthquakes on our planet. The researchers observed a flare-generated solar quake that contained about 40,000 times the energy released in the great earthquake that devastated San Francisco in 1906. The amount of energy released was enough to power the United States for 20 years at its current level of consumption, and was equivalent to an 11.3 magnitude earthquake, scientists calculated. Dr. Alexander G. Kosovichev, a senior research scientist from Stanford University, and Dr. Valentina V. Zharkova from Glasgow (United Kingdom) University found the tell-tale seismic signature in data on the Sun's surface collected by the Michelson Doppler Imager onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft immediately following a moderate-sized flare on July 9, 1996. "Although the flare was a moderate one, it still released an immense amount of energy," said Dr. Craig Deforest, a researcher with the SOHO project. "The energy released is equal to completely covering the Earth's continents with a yard of dynamite and detonating it all at once." SOHO is a joint project of the European Space Agency and NASA. The finding is reported in the May 28 issue of the journal Nature, and is the subject of a press conference at the spring meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Boston, Mass., May 27. The solar quake that the science team recorded looks much like ripples spreading from a rock dropped into a pool of water. But over the course of an hour, the solar waves traveled for a distance equal to 10 Earth diameters before fading into the fiery background of the Sun's photosphere. Unlike water ripples that travel outward at a constant velocity, the solar waves accelerated from an initial speed of 22,000 miles per hour to a maximum of 250,000 miles per hour before disappearing. "People have looked for evidence of seismic waves from flares before, but they didn't have a theory so they didn't know where to look," says Kosovichev. Several years ago Kosovichev and Zharkova developed a theory that can explain how a flare, which explodes in space above the Sun's surface, can generate a major seismic wave in the Sun's interior. According to the currently accepted model of solar flares, the primary explosion creates high-energy electrons (electrically charged subatomic particles). These are funneled down into a magnetic flux tube, an invisible tube of magnetic energy, and produce X-rays, microwaves and a shock wave that heats the solar surface. Kosovichev and Zharkova developed a theory that predicts the nature and magnitude of the shock waves that this beam of energetic electrons should create when they slam down into the solar atmosphere. Although their theory directed them to the right area to search for the seismic waves, the waves that they found were 10 times stronger than they had, predicted. "They were so strong that you can see them in the raw data," Kosovichev says. The solar seismic waves appear to be compression waves like the "P" waves generated by an earthquake. They travel throughout the Sun's interior. In fact, the waves should recombine on the opposite side of the Sun from the location of the flare to create a faint duplicate of the original ripple pattern, Kosovichev predicts. Now that they know how to find them, the SOHO scientists say that the seismic waves generated by solar flares should allow them to verify independently some of the conditions in the solar interior that they have inferred from studying the pattern of waves that are continually ruffling the Sun's surface. SOHO is part of the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program, a global effort to observe and understand our star and its effects on our environment. The ISTP mission includes more than 20 satellites, coupled with with ground-based observatories and modeling centers, that allow scientists to study the Sun, the Earth, and the space between them in unprecedented detail. ISTP is a joint program of NASA, ESA, Japan's Institute for Astronautical Science, and Russia's Space Research Institute.

Neutral Simulator Buoyancy S …

Name of Image	Neutral Simulator Buoyancy Simulator-Test NB32
Date of Image	1980-01-07
Full Description	Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. The MIT student in this photo is assembling two six-beam tetrahedrons.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator-E …

Name of Image	Neutral Buoyancy Simulator-EASE Project (NB32)
Date of Image	1980-01-07
Full Description	Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. The MIT student in this photo is assembling two six-beam tetrahedrons.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator - …

Name of Image	Neutral Buoyancy Simulator - EASE Project (NB32)
Date of Image	1980-01-07
Full Description	Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. The MIT student in this photo is assembling two six-beam tetrahedrons.

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator-N …

Name of Image	Neutral Buoyancy Simulator-NB32-Assembly of Large Space Structure
Date of Image	1980-02-27
Full Description	Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, theprospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. Construction methods had to be efficient due to the limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Pictured is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student working in a spacesuit on the Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) project which was developed as a joint effort between MFSC and MIT. The EASE experiment required that crew members assemble small components to form larger components, working from the payload bay of the space shuttle. The MIT student in this photo is assembling two six-beam tetrahedrons.

STS-46 Mission Insignia

Name of Image	STS-46 Mission Insignia
Date of Image	1992-05-01
Full Description	Designed by the crewmembers assigned to the flight, the STS-46 crew patch depicts the Space Shuttle Atlantis in orbit around Earth, accompanied by major payloads: the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) and the Tethered Satellite System (TSS- l). In the depiction, EURECA has been activated and released, its antennae and solar arrays deployed, and it is about to start its ten- month scientific mission. The Tethered Satellite is linked to the orbiter by a 20-krn. tether. The purple beam emanating from an electron generator in the payload bay spirals around Earth's magnetic field. Visible on Earth's surface are the United States of America and the thirteen-member countries of the European Space Agency (ESA), in particular, Italy -- partner with the USA in the TSS program. The American and Italian flags, as well as the ESA logo, further serve to illustrate the international character of STS-46.

Body Imaging

Name of Image	Body Imaging
Date of Image	2001-09-01
Full Description	The high-tech art of digital signal processing (DSP) was pioneered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the mid-1960s for use in the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. Designed to computer enhance pictures of the Moon, this technology became the basis for the Landsat Earth resources satellites and subsequently has been incorporated into a broad range of Earthbound medical and diagnostic tools. DSP is employed in advanced body imaging techniques including Computer-Aided Tomography, also known as CT and CATScan, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). CT images are collected by irradiating a thin slice of the body with a fan-shaped x-ray beam from a number of directions around the body's perimeter. A tomographic (slice-like) picture is reconstructed from these multiple views by a computer. MRI employs a magnetic field and radio waves, rather than x-rays, to create images.

Body Imaging

Name of Image	Body Imaging
Date of Image	2001-09-01
Full Description	The high-tech art of digital signal processing (DSP) was pioneered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the mid-1960s for use in the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. Designed to computer enhance pictures of the Moon, this technology became the basis for the Landsat Earth resources satellites and subsequently has been incorporated into a broad range of Earthbound medical and diagnostic tools. DSP is employed in advanced body imaging techniques including Computer-Aided Tomography, also known as CT and CATScan, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). CT images are collected by irradiating a thin slice of the body with a fan-shaped x-ray beam from a number of directions around the body's perimeter. A tomographic (slice-like) picture is reconstructed from these multiple views by a computer. MRI employs a magnetic field and radio waves, rather than x-rays, to create images.

Body Imaging

Name of Image	Body Imaging
Date of Image	2001-09-01
Full Description	The high-tech art of digital signal processing (DSP) was pioneered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the mid-1960s for use in the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. Designed to computer enhance pictures of the Moon, this technology became the basis for the Landsat Earth resources satellites and subsequently has been incorporated into a broad range of Earthbound medical and diagnostic tools. DSP is employed in advanced body imaging techniques including Computer-Aided Tomography, also known as CT and CATScan, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). CT images are collected by irradiating a thin slice of the body with a fan-shaped x-ray beam from a number of directions around the body's perimeter. A tomographic (slice-like) picture is reconstructed from these multiple views by a computer. MRI employs a magnetic field and radio waves, rather than x-rays, to create images.

Body Imaging

Name of Image	Body Imaging
Date of Image	2001-01-01
Full Description	The high-tech art of digital signal processing (DSP) was pioneered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the mid-1960s for use in the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. Designed to computer enhance pictures of the Moon, this technology became the basis for the Landsat Earth resources satellites and subsequently has been incorporated into a broad range of Earthbound medical and diagnostic tools. DSP is employed in advanced body imaging techniques including Computer-Aided Tomography, also known as CT and CATScan, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). CT images are collected by irradiating a thin slice of the body with a fan-shaped x-ray beam from a number of directions around the body's perimeter. A tomographic (slice-like) picture is reconstructed from these multiple views by a computer. MRI employs a magnetic field and radio waves, rather than x-rays, to create images. In this photograph, a patient undergoes an open MRI.

Gravity Probe B Detector Mou …

Name of Image	Gravity Probe B Detector Mount Assembly
Date of Image	2004-01-01
Full Description	In this photo, the Gravity Probe B (GP-B) detector mount assembly is shown in comparison to the size of a dime. The assembly is used to detect exactly how much starlight is coming through different beams from the beam splitter in the telescope. The measurements from the tiny chips inside are what keeps GP-B aimed at the guide star. The GP-B is the relativity experiment developed at Stanford University to test two extraordinary predictions of Albert Einstein?s general theory of relativity. The experiment will measure, very precisely, the expected tiny changes in the direction of the spin axes of four gyroscopes contained in an Earth-orbiting satellite at a 400-mile altitude. So free are the gyroscopes from disturbance that they will provide an almost perfect space-time reference system. They will measure how space and time are very slightly warped by the presence of the Earth, and, more profoundly, how the Earth?s rotation very slightly drags space-time around with it. These effects, though small for the Earth, have far-reaching implications for the nature of matter and the structure of the Universe. GP-B is among the most thoroughly researched programs ever undertaken by NASA. This is the story of a scientific quest in which physicists and engineers have collaborated closely over many years. Inspired by their quest, they have invented a whole range of technologies that are already enlivening other branches of science and engineering. Launched April 20, 2004 , the GP-B program was managed for NASA by the Marshall Space Flight Center. Development of the GP-B is the responsibility of Stanford University along with major subcontractor Lockheed Martin Corporation. (Image credit to Paul Ehrensberger, Stanford University.)

Cosmic Rays

Title	Cosmic Rays
Explanation	Have you ever been hit by a beam of high energy particles from above? Surely you have -- it happens all of the time. Showers of high energy particles occur when energetic cosmic rays [ http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/dick/ cos_encyc.html ] strike the top of the Earth's atmosphere. Cosmic rays were discovered unexpectedly [ http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/ hist_1900.html ] in 1912. It is now known that most cosmic rays are atomic nuclei [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_nucleus ]. Most are hydrogen [ http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/1.html ] nuclei, some are helium [ http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/2.html ] nuclei, and the rest heavier elements. The relative abundance changes with cosmic ray energy -- the highest energy cosmic rays tend to be heavier nuclei. Although many of the low energy cosmic rays [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_rays ] come from our Sun, the origins of the highest energy cosmic rays remains unknown and a topic of much research. This drawing [ http://universe.nasa.gov/be/library/ images-library4.html ] illustrates air showers [ http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/hfm/CosmicRay/Showers.html ] from very high energy cosmic rays [ http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. Cosmic rays [ http://www.auger.org/qa/qa.html ] may even be important [ http://www.fnal.gov/pub/inquiring/matter/whysupport/index.html ] to Earth's weather -- common lightning [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040818.html ] may be triggered by passing cosmic rays.

The Topography of Mars

Title	The Topography of Mars
Explanation	Mars has its ups and downs. Visible on the above interactive topographic map [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/Mars_topography_from_MOLA/ ] of the surface of Mars [ http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html ] are giant volcanoes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000529.html ], deep valleys [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?Mars+valley ], impact craters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010108.html ], and terrain considered unusual [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010327.html ] and even mysterious [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980407.html ]. Particularly notable are the volcanoes of the Tharsis province [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990618.html ], visible on the left in (false-color) red and white, which are taller than any mountains on Earth [ http://www.highalpex.com/Peaklist/top100.html ]. Just to the left of center is Valles Marineris [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950720.html ], a canyon much longer and deeper than Earth's Grand Canyon [ http://www.nps.gov/grca/ ]. On the right in blue is the Hellas Planitia [ http://www.solarviews.com/cap/mgs/mgstopo5.htm ], a basin over 2000 kilometers wide that was likely created by a collision with an asteroid [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/asteroids.html ]. Mars has many smooth lowlands in the north [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980924.html ], and many rough highlands in the south [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991203.html ]. This map was created by the Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/mola.html ] (MOLA) on board the robot Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/ ] currently orbiting Mars [ http://www.sciam.com/1196issue/1196kargel.html ]. MOLA measures heights on Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/mars.html ] by precisely determining the time it takes for a low power laser beam [ http://www.howstuffworks.com/laser.htm ] to bounce off [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/measure.html ] the surface. Zoom in by clicking anywhere on the above map [ http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/tharsis/map_lab.html ].

3C175: Quasar Cannon

Title	3C175: Quasar Cannon
Explanation	3C175 is not only a quasar, it is a galaxy-fueled particle cannon. Visible as the central dot is quasar [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/96/35/quasar.html ] 3C175, the active center of a galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961125.html ] so distant [ http://isaac.exploratorium.edu/~pauld/activities/astronomy/cityuniversesize.html ] that the light we see from it was emitted when the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ] was just forming [ http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/niel/scales/geohist1.ascii ]. The above image [ http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~abridle/3c175.htm ] was recorded in radio waves [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] by an array of house-sized telescopes called the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000530.html ] (VLA). Shooting out from 3C175 is a thin jet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000706.html ] of protons [ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/proton.html ] and electrons [ http://www.aip.org/history/electron/ ] traveling near the speed of light [ http://www.what-is-the-speed-of-light.com/ ] that is over one million light-years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] long. The jet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000619.html ] acts like a particle cannon [ http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_wendwar.html ] and bores through gas cloud in its path. How this jet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010816.html ] forms and why it is so narrow remain topics of current [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?1994AJ....108..766B ] research [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1999ApJ...511...84H ].

The Shuttle Launches an Inflatable Antenna

The Shuttle Launches an Infl …

Title	The Shuttle Launches an Inflatable Antenna
Explanation	High above the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950622.html ] the Space Shuttle Endeavor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950807.html ] launches a new type of instrument - an inflatable antenna. The officially designated Inflatable Antenna Experiment [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/iae/iae_indx.html ] was released Monday, May 20th, as part of a Spartan [ http://sspp.gsfc.nasa.gov/sp207.html ] satellite - which contains many scientific experiments. The antenna is roughly the size of a tennis court and is even visible from Earth [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/sts-77/orbit/orbiter/sighting/ ]. At the end of the mission, the antenna will be jettisoned while the rest of the Spartan is recovered by the Shuttle. The function of an antenna is to broadcast radio messages, and the large dish at the end helps focus radio waves into a narrow beam which can be detected over long distances.

A Telescope Laser Creates an Artificial Star

A Telescope Laser Creates an …

Title	A Telescope Laser Creates an Artificial Star
Explanation	What do you get when you combine one of the world's most powerful telescopes [ http://astro.nineplanets.org/bigeyes.html ] with a powerful laser [ http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/LizaLi.shtml ]? An artificial star. Monitoring fluctuations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000725.html ] in brightness of a genuine bright star can indicate how the Earth's atmosphere [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/atmosphere.html ] is changing, but many times no bright star exists in the direction where atmospheric information is needed. Therefore, astronomers have developed the ability to create an artificial star [ http://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/optics/lgsao/ ] where they need it -- with a laser [ http://cfao.ucolick.org/pubs/newsletters/02/firstlight.shtml ]. Subsequent observations of the artificial laser guide star [ http://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/optics/lgsao/lgsbasics.html ] can reveal information so detailed about the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere that much of this blurring can be removed by rapidly flexing the mirror. Such adaptive optic [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_optics ] techniques allow high-resolution ground-based observations of real stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021114.html ], planets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000218.html ], nebulae [ http://kalhjasse.as.arizona.edu/~payoung/IC2149.html ], and the early universe [ http://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/news/aas/melbourne.html ]. Above, a laser beam shoots [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010425.html ] out of the Keck II 10-meter telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971227.html ] on Mauna Kea [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/north_america/hawaii/mauna_kea.html ] in Hawaii [ http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/hi ] in 2002, creating an artificial star.

The High Energy Crab Nebula

Title	The High Energy Crab Nebula
Explanation	This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/n1952x.html ] is so energetic that it glows in every kind of light [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] known. Shown above [ http://trifle.gsfc.nasa.gov/UIT/Astro1/Astro1_pictures.html ] are images of the Crab Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951122.html ] from visible light to the X-ray [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#X-ray ] band. NUV stands for "near ultraviolet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#uv ]" light, FUV means "far ultraviolet" light, and VIS means visible light. In the center of the Crab Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951123.html ] lies the powerful Crab pulsar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980905.html ] - a spinning neutron star [ http://astro.uchicago.edu/home/web/miller/nstar.html ] with mass comparable to our Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960916.html ] but with the diameter of only a small town [ http://www.portup.com/houghton/ ]. The pulsar expels particles and radiation in a beam that sweeps past the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971026.html ] 30 times a second. The supernova [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/supernova.html ] that created the Crab Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980905.html ] was seen by ancient Chinese astronomers [ http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial2.html ] and possibly even the Anasazi Indians [ http://www.chaco.com/park/archaeology/nebula.html ] -- in 1054 AD, perhaps glowing for a week as bright as the full moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950903.html ]. The Crab [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1992ApJ...395L..13H ] still presents mysteries today [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1995ApJ...454L.129F ] as the total mass of the nebula and pulsar appears much less than the mass of the original pre-supernova star!

Unusual Aurora During Solar Wind Dropout

Unusual Aurora During Solar …

Title	Unusual Aurora During Solar Wind Dropout
Explanation	On May 10, for some unknown reason, the Solar Wind [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wsolwind.html ] virtually stopped. Normally our Sun [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/sol.html ] emits a wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970217.html ] of between five and ten energetic particles per cubic centimeter moving outward at about 500 kilometers per second. Late on May 10, however, this gale was reduced [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/news/9912/prsample.html ] to a mere breeze of one particle per every five cubic centimeters. The Sun's Corona [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990915.html ] was suddenly able to flow out into the Solar System [ http://www.fourmilab.ch/solar/solar.html ] relatively unimpeded, creating beams of energetic electrons [ http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/on-line/electron/section2/discovery.html ]. One such beam apparently reached Earth's North Magnetic Pole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991019.html ], and was seen as the unusual X-ray aurora digitally reconstructed in the above false-color image [ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/news/9912/immovies.html ]. Our atmosphere absorbed the electrons. This display gave direct evidence, however, that Earth's North Magnetic Pole [ http://www.geolab.nrcan.gc.ca/geomag/e_nmpole.html ] was connected to the Sun, while the Earth's South Magnetic Pole connected [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sechtml/tut.html ] to the distant Solar System. The Solar Wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990208.html ] returned to normal on May 12.

Apollo

Title	Apollo
Description	Construction of the Lunar Landing Research Facility. Work is on the cross-member beam. James Hansen noted that "it was conceived in 1962 by engineer Donald Hewes and built under the careful direction of his quiet but ingenious division chief, W. Hewitt Phillips, this gigantic facility designed to develop techniques for landing the rocket-powered LEM on the moon's surface."(p. 373) Hansen further reports Hewitt Phillips' account of the construction: "*Since we knew that the moon's gravity is one-sixth that of the Earth's, we needed to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight to simulate the actual conditions on the moon.' Perhaps, some practical method could be devised to lower the apparent weight of a mock-up LEM to its lunar equivalent by a method of suspension using vertical cables attached to a traveling bridge crane. From this basic notion, the design evolved. A huge gantry structure was built that would dominate Langley's landscape for years to come. Phillips and Hewes wanted the supporting gantry to be even taller, but because of the heavy military air traffic from adjacent Langley AFB, the structure was limited to 200 feet. The completed facility, however, stood 240 feet 6 inches, excluding the top warning lights and antennae." (p. 374) From A.W. Vigil, "Piloted Space-Flight Simulation at Langley Research Center," Paper presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1966 Winter Meeting, New York, NY, November 27 - December 1, 1966. "Ground-based simulators are not very satisfactory for studying the problems associated with the final phases of landing. This is due primarily to the fact that the visual scene cannot be simulated with sufficient realism. For this reason it is preferable to go to some sort of flight-test simulator which can provide real-life visual cues. One research facility designed to study the final phases of lunar landing is in operation at Langley. ... The facility is an overhead crane structure about 250 feet tall and 400 feet long. The crane system supports five-sixths of the vehicle's weight through servo-driven vertical cables. The remaining one-sixth of the vehicle weight pulls the vehicle downward simulating the lunar gravitational force. During actual flights the overhead crane system is slaved to keep the cable near vertical at all times. A gimbal system on the vehicle permits angular freedom for pitch, roll, and yaw. The facility is capable of testing vehicles up to 20,000 pounds. A research vehicle, weighing 10,500 pounds fully loaded, is being used and is shown [in this picture]. This vehicle is provided with a large degree of flexibility in cockpit positions, instrumentation, and control parameters. It has main engines of 6,000 pounds thrust, throttle able down to 600 pounds, and attitude jets. This facility is studying the problems of the final 200 feet of lunar landing and the problems of maneuvering about in close proximity to the lunar surface." Published in James R. Hansen, Spaceflight, Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo, (Washington: NASA, 1995), pp. 373-378.
Date	05.15.1963

Full Scale Dynamic Mode of t …

Title	Full Scale Dynamic Mode of the EOS-AM1 Satellite
Description	Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) is a program dedicated to reducing vibrations in spacecraft through structure optimization coupled with active and passive vibration control. The Engineering Design Branch supports this program by maintaining the CSI Evolutionary Model (CEM). It is a truss structure that can be modified to dynamically simulate different spacecraft. The model is now configured to simulate the Earth Observing System (EOS)-AMI spacecraft. Two flexible appendages dynamically interact with the main bus structure: a high gain antenna and a solar array mast. Up to three science instruments can be simulated using two-axis gimbals mounted to the bottom of the model. The simulated instruments pointing performance is measured by an optical scoring system that detects the angle a laser beam coming from the gimbal. The model can be actuated in several ways. Reaction wheels control attitude in pitch and roll. Active piezo-electric elements close to the gimbals suppress vibrations. Passive damping struts can be added. A zero gravity environment is simulated by the use of five pneumatic- magnetic suspension machines. These machines allow the model to essentially float on a cushion of air. The low spring rate of suspension machines simulates zero gravity in the vertical direction. The pendulum motion of five 70 feet long cables approximate zero gravity in the horizontal plane.
Date	07.11.1994

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, crew insignia

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Veh …

johnsonspacecentermediaarchi …

STS-46 Atlantis, Orbiter Veh …

s46-s-001

mediatype	IMAGE
mediatype	image
creator	NASA
identifier	s46-s-001

3-D Data from ICESat: Image …

nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …

Orbiting the Earth at nearly …

ICESat_cloud

mediatype	IMAGE
mediatype	image
date	2003-01-12
creator	NASA -- Image courtesy NASA
identifier	ICESat_cloud

Wet-Season Floods Along the Mekong River: Image of the Day

Wet-Season Floods Along the …

nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …

August is often a critical t …

Mekong_RST_2006240

mediatype	IMAGE
mediatype	image
date	2006-03-13
creator	NASA -- Image product by www.hatfieldgroup.com Hatfield Consultants Ltd. RADARSAT-1 images copyright the Canadian Space Agency
identifier	Mekong_RST_2006240

Total Solar Eclipse: March 29, 2006: Image of the Day

Total Solar Eclipse: March 2 …

nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …

* earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ …

albers_eclipse

mediatype	IMAGE
mediatype	image
date	1991-07-11
creator	NASA -- Eclipse photo, top, copyright Steve Albers, Dennis DiCicco, and Gary Emerson. Mir photo, bottom, copyright Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).
identifier	albers_eclipse

Vertical Profile of the Smok …

nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …

A new instrument in orbit ab …

GLAS_2003301

mediatype	IMAGE
mediatype	image
date	2003-10-28
creator	NASA -- Image courtesy Steve Palm, https://icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ICESat Team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
identifier	GLAS_2003301

Radar image San Francisco Bay Area, California

Radar image San Francisco Ba …

PIA02730

Sol (our sun)

C-Band Interferometric Radar

Title	Radar image San Francisco Bay Area, California
Original Caption Released with Image	Enterprise, Washington, DC. Size: 38 km (24 miles) by 71 km (44 miles) Location: 37.7 deg. North lat., 122.2 deg. West lon. Orientation: North to the upper right Original Data Resolution: 30 meters (99 feet) Date Acquired: February 16, 2000 Image: NASA/JPL/NIMA, The San Francisco Bay Area in California and its surroundings are shown in this radar image from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). On this image, smooth areas, such as the bay, lakes, roads and airport runways appear dark, while areas with buildings and trees appear bright. Downtown San Francisco is at the center and the city of Oakland is at the right across the San Francisco Bay. Some city areas, such as the South of Market district in San Francisco, appear bright due to the alignment of streets and buildings with respect to the incoming radar beam. Three of the bridges spanning the Bay are seen in this image. The Bay Bridge is in the center and extends from the city of San Francisco to Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands, and from there to Oakland. The Golden Gate Bridge is to the left and extends from San Francisco to Sausalito. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is in the upper right and extends from San Rafael to Richmond. Angel Island is the large island east of the Golden Gate Bridge, and lies north of the much smaller Alcatraz Island. The Alameda Naval Air Station is seen just below the Bay Bridge at the center of the image. Two major faults bounding the San Francisco-Oakland urban areas are visible on this image. The San Andreas fault, on the San Francisco peninsula, is seen on the left side of the image. The fault trace is the straight feature filled with linear reservoirs, which appear dark. The Hayward fault is the straight feature on the right side of the image between the urban areas and the hillier terrain to the east. This radar image was acquired by just one of SRTM's two antennas and, consequently, does not show topographic data, but only the strength of the radar signal reflected from the ground. This signal, known as radar backscatter, provides insight into the nature of the surface, including its roughness, vegetation cover and urbanization. The overall faint striping pattern in the images is a data processing artifact due to the preliminary nature of this image product. These artifacts will be removed after further data processing. This image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission(SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11,2000. SRTM uses the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar(SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. The mission is designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian Space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science

Venus - Outflow Channel in S …

PIA00483

Sol (our sun)

Imaging Radar

Title	Venus - Outflow Channel in South Navka
Original Caption Released with Image	This SAR image from the southern portion of Navka (24.4-25.3 degrees south latitude, 338.5-340.5 degrees east longitude) is a mosaic of twelve Magellan orbits that covers 180 kilometers (108 miles) in width and 78 kilometers (47 miles) in length. In the center of this image are two bright deposits running north to south. These deposits outline an outflow channel that flowed from a 60-km diameter crater that is to the south of the channel. Inside the outflow channel and outlined by 'bathtub ring' deposits are small cones, most likely of volcanic origin. At the end of the outflow channel, where one would expect the smallest particles to be deposited, are specular features which may represent sand dunes. Seasat and space shuttle radar images of sand dunes on Earth also show specular reflections from smooth dune faces that are near-normal to the radar beam. Other evidence for aeolian activity are the dark and bright windstreaks running east to west that form behind cones. Notice how the wind changes direction from a southeast-northwest flow at the right of the image to an east-west flow at the eastern edge of the outflow channel.

A Mostly Quiet Pacific

PIA04878

Sol (our sun)

Altimeter

Title	A Mostly Quiet Pacific
Original Caption Released with Image	Some climate forecast models indicate there is an above average chance that there could be a weak to borderline El Niño by the end of November 2003. However, the trade winds, blowing from east to west across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, remain strong. Thus, there remains some uncertainty among climate scientists as to whether the warm temperature anomaly will form again this year. The latest remote sensing data from NASA's Jason satellite show near normal conditions across the equatorial Pacific. There are currently no visible signs in sea surface height of an impending El Niño. This equatorial quiet contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and U.S. West Coast where lower-than-normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue (indicated by blue and purple areas). The image above is a global map of sea surface height, accurate to within 30 millimeters. The image represents data collected and composited over a 10-day period, ending on Nov. 3, 2003. The height of the water relates to the temperature of the water. As the ocean warms, its level rises, and as it cools, its level falls. Yellow and red areas indicate where the waters are relatively warmer and have expanded above sea level, green indicates near normal sea level, and blue and purple areas show where the waters are relatively colder and the surface is lower than sea level. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. The Jason satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beam microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward the Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface. (For more details, visit the Jason Website [ http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ].)

Fade to Red

PIA08506

Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)

Title	Fade to Red
Original Caption Released with Image	Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines.

Fade to Red

PIA08506

Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)

Title	Fade to Red
Original Caption Released with Image	Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines.

Fade to Red

PIA08506

Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)

Title	Fade to Red
Original Caption Released with Image	Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines.

Fade to Red

PIA08506

Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)

Title	Fade to Red
Original Caption Released with Image	Infrared Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Poster 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. Note: The size of the Full-Res TIFF for the still image is 14772 samples x 4953 lines.

General Description	STS-99 Shuttle Mission Imagery

STS-34 Shuttle Solar Backscatter UV (SSBUV) get away special (GAS) canisters

STS-34 Shuttle Solar Backsca …

Title	STS-34 Shuttle Solar Backscatter UV (SSBUV) get away special (GAS) canisters
Description	Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (UV) (SSBUV) get away special (GAS) canisters are mounted on a GAS adapter beam assembly (GABA) or gas bridge assembly (GBA) on the starboard wall of Atlantis', Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104's, payload bay (PLB). The GAS canister on the left has a motorized door assembly (MDA). During STS-34, SSBUV instrument will calibrate similar ozone measuring space-based instruments on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) TIROS satellites (NOAA-9 and NOAA-11). SSBUV uses the Space Shuttle's orbital flight path to assess instrument performance by directly comparing data from identical instruments aboard TIROS spacecraft, as the Shuttle and the satellite pass over the same Earth location within a one hour window. SSBUV is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). SSBUV insignia are printed on the GAS thermal blanket coverings.
Date Taken	1989-09-11

STS-34 Galileo / Shuttle Solar Backscatter UV (SSBUV) flight configurations

STS-34 Galileo / Shuttle Sol …

Title	STS-34 Galileo / Shuttle Solar Backscatter UV (SSBUV) flight configurations
Description	Artist concept of Atlantis', Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104's, payload bay (PLB) titled STS-34 GALILEO/SSBUV shows the flight configuration of the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (UV) (SSBUV) and the Galileo spacecraft and inertial upper stage (IUS). An inset shows the details of the SSBUV get away special (GAS) canisters. SSBUV canisters will be mounted on a GAS adapter beam assembly (GABA) or gas bridge assembly (GBA) on OV-104's PLB starboard wall. One GAS canister has a motorized door assembly (MDA). During STS-34, SSBUV instrument will calibrate similar ozone measuring space-based instruments on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) TIROS satellites (NOAA-9 and NOAA-11). SSBUV uses the Space Shuttle's orbital flight path to assess instrument performance by directly comparing data from identical instruments aboard TIROS spacecraft, as the Shuttle and the satellite pass over the same Earth location within a one hour window. SSBUV is managed by Goddard Space
Date Taken	1989-09-11

STS-43 TDRS-E / IUS is deployed from OV-104's payload bay (PLB)

STS-43 TDRS-E / IUS is deplo …

Title	STS-43 TDRS-E / IUS is deployed from OV-104's payload bay (PLB)
Description	During STS-43, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite E (TDRS-E), atop the inertial upper stage (IUS) and raised to a 58-degree deployment position in the airborne support equipment (ASE) aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) table with the forward frame ASE latch actuator released and umbilical cables separated, is released by a spring-loaded ejection system and a Super*zip ordnance separation device from Atlantis', Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104's, payload bay (PLB). TDRS-E/IUS combination rises above OV-104's PLB at approximately 0.4 foot per second. The scene is highlighted against the Earth's limb and the cloud-covered Pacific Ocean below. In the foreground on the port side and mounted on a getaway special (GAS) adapter beam are (forward to aft) the two Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) GAS canisters (one with motorized door assembly (MDA)) and the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) GAS canister. Along the starboard sill longeron is the Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator
Date Taken	1991-08-11

Narrow Search

Remove

What

Where

Who

When

Browse All : Beam and Earth