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Asteroid Gaspra's True Color …
title Asteroid Gaspra's True Colors
date 10.29.1991
description These two color views of the asteroid Gaspra were produced by combining three images taken through violet, green, and infrared filters by the Galileo spacecraft on October 29, 1991, from a distance of about 16,000 kilometers. The view on the left shows Gaspra in approximately true color, the surface is covered with rocks that are somewhat less gray than those on Earth's Moon. In the version on the right, the colors were enhanced to bring out the muted color variations on the asteroid and to increase the ability to discriminate between surface features. The subtle variations in color may be due to slight differences in rock composition or to differences in the texture of the surface layer. Gaspra is about 19 x 12 x 11 kilometers and irregular in shape. The illuminated portion seen in these views is about 16 x 12 kilometers. These color images were produced for the Galileo project by the U.S. Geological survey, Flagstaff, Arizona. The Galileo project, whose primary mission was the exploration of the Jupiter system, was managed for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. *Image Credit*: U.S. Geological Survey
Asteroids Mathilde, Gaspra a …
title Asteroids Mathilde, Gaspra and Ida
description Mathilde, Gaspra, and Ida (left to right, all at the same scale). The image of Mathilde was taken by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft on June 27, 1997. Images of Gaspra and Ida were taken in 1991 and 1993, respectively, by the Galileo spacecraft. The visible part of Mathilde measures 37 miles (59 kilometers) wide and 29 miles (47 kilometers) high. Mathilde has more large craters than the other two asteroids. Mathilde is shown at about the same brightness as the other two asteroids, but is actually much darker. *Image Credit*: NASA
Aurora Australis
title Aurora Australis
description Red and green colors predominate in this view of the Aurora Australis photographed from the Space Shuttle in May 1991 at the peak of the last geomagnetic maximum. The payload bay and tail of the Shuttle can be seen on the left hand side of the picture. Auroras are caused when high-energy electrons pour down from the Earth's magnetosphere and collide with atoms. Red aurora occurs from 200 km to as high as 500 km altitude and is caused by the emission of 6300 Angstrom wavelength light from oxygen atoms. Green aurora occurs from about 100 km to 250 km altitude and is caused by the emission of 5577 Angstrom wavelength light from oxygen atoms. The light is emitted when the atoms return to their original unexcited state. At times of peaks in solar activity, there are more geomagnetic storms and this increases the auroral activity viewed on Earth and by astronauts from orbit. Photographing them requires careful technique with long exposures and fast film (in this case ASA 1600). Such film can only be used on short-duration Shuttle flights and not from the Space Station because it is sensitive to radiation damage in orbit over time. The most recent astronaut photograph of aurora was taken before the April 2001 flurry of solar activity, and showed only a relatively low-energy green glow. This image was taken by the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery in May 1991. *Image Credit*: NASA
NASA's Hubble Space Telescop …
Title NASA's Hubble Space Telescope To Monitor Changes On Mars
NASA's Hubble Space Telescop …
Title NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Establishes Accurate New Distance Measurement To Neighboring Galaxy
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. Recent observations of the remnants of Supernova 1987A, conducted with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have provided an unexpected bonus - an accurate determination of the absolute distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located in the southern hemisphere. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1991/03/text/ ]
NASA's Hubble Space Telescop …
Title NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Produces Clear Color Photo of Jupiter
HST's First Observation Of J …
Title HST's First Observation Of Jupiter
Mars, Three-color Composite
Title Mars, Three-color Composite
NASA Hubble Space Telescope …
Title NASA Hubble Space Telescope Observations Indicate Nearby Hydrogen Clouds May Be Associated With Galaxies
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. Astronomers reported today that recent ultraviolet observations with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope suggest that what were thought to be randomly distributed, nearby primordial clouds of hydrogen may actually be associated with galaxies or clusters of galaxies. Read more: * Release Text [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1992/04/text/ ]
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index …
Title HoloGlobe: Vegetation Index for 1991 on a Flat Earth
Abstract This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Completed 1996-08-10
TOMS Ozone at the South Pole …
Title TOMS Ozone at the South Pole: October Averages from 1979 through 2000
Abstract The year 2000's Antarctic ozone hole is the largest ever observed. Scientists continue to investigate the phenomenon, and are somewhat surprised by its scale. Using data from NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument onboard the Earth Probe satellite, researchers can evaluate and compare current conditions over the south pole to readings taken by other instruments in years past. Continued monitoring of polar ozone levels helps researchers gain a better understanding of how the planet's climate may be changing. The following animation shows how ozone loss at the south pole has grown since the mid-80s. Early readings over Antarctica indicate little or no ozone depletion beyond naturally predicted levels. But as the 80s and 90s progress, a clear change in atmospheric chemistry takes place at the bottom of the world. The hole starts small in the late 80s and spreads as subsequent winter cycles break apart ozone molecules.
Completed 2000-10-03
Safari 2000 Tropospheric Ozo …
Title Safari 2000 Tropospheric Ozone
Abstract The fires that raged across southern Africa in August and September of 2000 produced a thick 'river of smoke' that observers compared with the aftermath of the Kuwaiti oil fires in 1991. NASA-supported studies currently underway on the event will contribute to improved air pollution policies in the region and a better understanding of its impact on climate change.
Completed 2000-11-16
Safari 2000 Tropospheric Ozo …
Title Safari 2000 Tropospheric Ozone
Abstract The fires that raged across southern Africa in August and September of 2000 produced a thick 'river of smoke' that observers compared with the aftermath of the Kuwaiti oil fires in 1991. NASA-supported studies currently underway on the event will contribute to improved air pollution policies in the region and a better understanding of its impact on climate change.
Completed 2000-11-16
Safari 2000 Tropospheric Ozo …
Title Safari 2000 Tropospheric Ozone
Abstract The fires that raged across southern Africa in August and September of 2000 produced a thick 'river of smoke' that observers compared with the aftermath of the Kuwaiti oil fires in 1991. NASA-supported studies currently underway on the event will contribute to improved air pollution policies in the region and a better understanding of its impact on climate change.
Completed 2000-11-16
Before and During the Great …
Title Before and During the Great Mississippi Flood of 1993
Abstract During the first half of 1993, heavy rains in the midwest United States caused the greatest flood ever recorded on the Upper Mississippi. The Mississippi River remained above flood stage from April through September of that year, and many of the dykes and water control systems along the rivers in this region were overwhelmed. These images from the Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper clearly show the flooded regions near St. Louis. The pink areas near the flooded regions show the scoured land from which the flood waters have receded. A comparison of the image during the flood with an image from a year before clearly shows the preponderance of cultivated fields in the lowland flooded region, evidence that floods and river meanderings have deposited rich soil in these regions in the past.
Completed 2006-04-04
TOMS Ozone at the South Pole …
Title TOMS Ozone at the South Pole: September Averages from 1979 through 2000.
Abstract The year 2000's Antarctic ozone hole is the largest ever observed. Scientists continue to investigate the phenomenon, and are somewhat surprised by its scale. Using data from NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument onboard the Earth Probe satellite, researchers can evaluate and compare current conditions over the south pole to readings taken by other instruments in years past. Continued monitoring of polar ozone levels helps researchers gain a better understanding of how the planet's climate may be changing. The following animation shows how ozone loss at the south pole has grown since the mid-80s. Early readings over Antarctica indicate little or no ozone depletion beyond naturally predicted levels. But as the 80s and 90s progress, a clear change in atmospheric chemistry takes place at the bottom of the world. The hole starts small in the late 80s and spreads as subsequent winter cycles break apart ozone molecules.
Completed 2000-10-03
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Mount Pinatubo Particle Mode …
Title Mount Pinatubo Particle Model
Abstract The global impact of the June 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines can be seen in this particle model. Immediately following the eruption large amounts of sulfur dioxide and dust spread through the earth's atmosphere. The colors in this animation reflect the atmospheric height of the particles. Red is high and blue is closer to the earth's surface.
Completed 2002-02-20
Minimum Measured Ozone Level …
Title Minimum Measured Ozone Level in 1991
Completed 2002-10-09
Sea Ice Yearly Minimum 1979- …
Title Sea Ice Yearly Minimum 1979-2007
Abstract In 2007, Arctic summer sea ice reached its lowest extent on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. At the end of each summer, the sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent and what is left is what is called the perennial ice cover which consists mainly of thick multi-year ice floes. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry as new shipping lanes open. This visualization shows the annual Arctic sea ice minimum from 1979 to 2007. A graph is overlaid that shows the area in million square kilometers for each year's minimum day. The 'previous record' and the '2007' record are highlighted.
Completed 2007-09-24
AC91-0610-1
This data was acquired by th …
10/21/91
Description This data was acquired by the NASA C-130B Earth Resources Survey aircraft flying at 6,000 ft. mean sea level at 10:26 a. m. on October 21, 1991. The sensor used was the NS001 Thermatic Mapper Simulator, with a ground resolution of 4.6 meters (15ft). The image area is 4.7 x 3.2 km (2.9 x 2 mi.). The area covered is the Oakland Berkeley Hills near the Caldecott Tunnel (Upper right). Targets over 600 degrees centrigrade are shown as yellow in this composite of three infrared bands (11.6, 2.3, & 1.6 microns). A large condominium complex at the upper right is completely consumed. Areas already burned off sow as pale red. The blue clouds at left are condensed water vapor within the smoke plume, which blocks the infrared wavelength, the smoke itself is transparent. Many hundreds of individual structures can be seen either actively burning or as heat of smouldering debris.
Date 10/21/91
AC91-0610-7
NASA C-130B Earth Resources …
10/23/91
Description NASA C-130B Earth Resources Aircraft imagery at 11,000ft. Post Fire in natural color (reference to original flight footage Accession number 04353 frame 0056) The area covered is the Oakland Berkeley Hills California Highway 13 junction with Highway 24 at top center. PCD0201-18
Date 10/23/91
AC91-0610-8
NASA ER-2 Earth Resources Ai …
10/23/91
Description NASA ER-2 Earth Resources Aircraft imagery Post Fire in natural color at 11,000ft (reference to original flight footage Accession number 04353 frame 0057) The area covered is the Oakland Berkeley Hills in California near the Caldecott Tunnel (Upper right). PCD0201-19
Date 10/23/91
Photo Description NASA's Hyper-X Program Manager Vince Rausch talks about the X-43 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/X-43A/index.html ] from his office at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA.
Project Description Vincent L. Rausch was named Hyper-X Program Manager and started working at NASA Langley Research Center in July 1996. He is responsible for the overall execution of the joint Langley ? NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Hyper-X program which will flight-validate the performance of an airframe-integrated supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine installed on an X-43 research aircraft [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/X-43A/index.html ]. Mr. Rausch joined the NASA Headquarters Office of Aeronautics in 1991 as the Assistant Director for Aeronautics (High-Performance Aircraft). In this capacity, he coordinated NASA high-performance aircraft programs with the Department of Defense. In 1992, he was appointed Director for National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) and served as the agency focal point for NASA involvement in the DOD ? NASA NASP program. In 1995, as Director, Inter-Enterprise Operations, he coordinated Aeronautics Enterprise activities with the other NASA enterprises (Space Science, Earth Science, and Human Exploration and Development of Space). Before retiring as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force in 1991, Mr. Rausch spent three years as the first Director of the NASP Inter-Agency Office (NIO) in the Pentagon. His NIO responsibilities included the DOD portion of the NASP budget, congressional liaison, and day-to-day coordination with NASA. From 1986 to 1988, he served in the NASP Joint Program Office (JPO) at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. His positions included acting Program Manager, Director of Program Operations, and Director of Systems Applications. From 1982 to 1986, while assigned to the Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD), at Wright-Patterson AFB, he directed the Transatmospheric Vehicle (TAV) program which examined single- and two-stage-to-orbit military spaceplanes. He also led ASD participation in the Copper Canyon program, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded effort which established the feasibility of the NASP. His Strategic Air Command operational experience includes over 3,000 hours in the B-52 and 56 combat missions. Mr. Rausch is the recipient of the Air Force Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), Air Force Commendation Medal (with one oak leaf cluster) and a NASA Outstanding Service Award. He has a BA from Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA, and an MBA from Inter-American University, San Germain, PR. He is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute, Air War College, Armed Forces Staff College, Air Command and Staff College, and Squadron Officer School. A native of Charlottesville, VA, Mr. Rausch and his wife, Diane, reside in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Photo Date February 11, 2004
Research pilot Mark Pestana
Photo Date April 16, 2001
STS-37 Shuttle Crew after Ed …
Photo Description The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis gives the "all's well" thumb's-up sign after leaving the 100-ton orbiter following their landing at 6:55 a.m. (PDT), 11 April 1991, at NASA's Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, to conclude mission STS-37. They are, from left, Kenneth D. Cameron, pilot, Steven R. Nagel, mission commander, and mission specialists Linda M. Godwin, Jerry L. Ross, and Jay Apt. During the mission,which began with launch April 5 at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, the crew deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory. Ross and Jay also carried out two spacewalks, one to deploy an antenna on the Gamma Ray Observatory and the other to test equipment and mobility techniques for the construction of the future Space Station. The planned five-day mission was extended one day because of high winds at Edwards.
Project Description 470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., Space Shuttles are the main element of America?s Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle?s altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International?s Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell?s Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of
Photo Date 1991
STS-40 Landing at Edwards
Photo Description Space Shuttle Columbia nears its touchdown on Runway 22 at Edwards, California, at 8:39 a.m., 14 June 1991, as the STS-40 life sciences mission comes to an end at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated Dryden Flight Research Center) after nine days of orbital flight. Aboard Columbia during the extended mission were Bryan D. O'Connor, mission commander, Sidney M. Gutierrez, pilot, mission specialists James P. Bagian, Tamara E. Jernigan, and Margaret Rhea Seddon, and payload specialists Francis Andrew Gaffney and Millie Hughes-Fulford. STS-40 was the first space shuttle mission dedicated to life sciences research to explore how the body reacts to a weightless environment and how it readjusts to gravity on return to earth. Columbia was launched on the STS-40 mission 5 June 1991, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Project Description 470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., Space Shuttles are the main element of America?s Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle?s altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International?s Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell?s Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of
Photo Date 1991
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1-50 of 118