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Radar images of newly discov
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8/26/99
| Date |
8/26/99 |
| Description |
Radar images of newly discovered 1999 JM8, an unusually large asteroid with a slow rotation rate, reveal the object's bizarre shape as it streaked past Earth in late July and early August at a close approach of 8.5 million kilometers (5.3 million miles), about 22 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. The object, thought to be several miles wide, was captured by a radar team led by Dr. Lance Benner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, after its discovery on May 13, 1999, using NASA's Goldstone radar facility in California and the Arecibo Observatory's radar in Puerto Rico. The images, clockwise from the top left, were taken on August 5, July 28, August 2 and August 1. Radar illumination is from the top and the asteroid's rotation is clockwise. The Goldstone images taken on July 28 have a vertical resolution of 38 meters per pixel and those taken on August 1 have a vertical resolution of 19 meters per pixel. The images taken by the Arecibo Observatory on August 2 and 5 have a vertical resolution of 15 meters per pixel. 1999 JM8 resembles Toutatis, a similarly sized, slowly rotating asteroid that also crosses Earth's orbit and that last flew past the planet on November 29, 1996, at a close approach of 5.3 million kilometers (3.3 million miles). Discovery of a second large Earth-crosser with a similarly slow spin rate suggests that slowly tumbling asteroids are fairly common among near-Earth objects. However, although collisions are thought to be the primary process determining asteroid spin states, astronomers do not know how these slow, complex rotation states come about. 1999 JM8 was discovered with a U. S. Air Force telescope in New Mexico that is part of MIT's Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research project. Radar observations by Ostro, Benner and their team were supported by NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Goldstone Solar System Radar is part of NASA's Deep Space Network. The Arecibo Observatory, in Puerto Rico, is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, which is operated by the Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation and with support from NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ##### |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/5/99
| Date |
8/5/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a radar antenna, part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), is nestled in the cargo bay of the orbiter Endeavour just before door closure. SRTM is the primary payload on mission STS- 99, scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. A specially modified radar system, the SRTM will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware consists of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/5/99
| Date |
8/5/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a radar antenna, part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), is ready to be stored in the payload bay of the orbiter Endeavour before door closure. SRTM is the primary payload on mission STS-99, scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. A specially modified radar system, the SRTM will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware consists of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/5/99
| Date |
8/5/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a radar antenna, part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), is stored in the payload bay of the orbiter Endeavour before door closure. SRTM is the primary payload on mission STS- 99, scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. A specially modified radar system, the SRTM will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware consists of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the center of orbiter Endeavour's payload bay is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), being prepared for transfer out of the orbiter to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers inside orbiter Endeavour's payload bay observe as an overhead crane maneuvers to lift the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) for its transfer out of the orbiter to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Inside orbiter Endeavour's payload bay, a crane lifts the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) for its transfer out of the orbiter to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Inside orbiter Endeavour's payload bay, a crane lifts the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) clear of the orbiter for transfer to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
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8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers observe as an overhead crane lowers the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) into a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM was removed from orbiter Endeavour's payload bay to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
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The Saturn-bound Cassini spa
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8/16/99
| Date |
8/16/99 |
| Description |
The Saturn-bound Cassini spacecraft will fly past the Earth Tuesday, August 17, at 8:28 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (August 18 at 03:28 Universal Time). Launched in October 1997, Cassini will gain a boost in speed during its Earth flyby, which occurs at an altitude of 1,166 kilometers (725 miles) over the eastern South Pacific at -23.5 degrees latitude and 231.5 degrees longitude. Two successful flybys of Venus, next week's flyby of Earth, and a flyby of Jupiter in December 2000 all give Cassini the additional speed it needs to reach Saturn in 2004. Cassini is a joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, and is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. [Image for NASA-JPL was created by John Aiello of JPL.] |
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JPL scientists are using spa
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8/2/99
| Date |
8/2/99 |
| Description |
JPL scientists are using space-age technology to monitor the world's largest, smelliest flower, blooming at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA. The flower, called Amorphophallus titanum, or the "corpse flower," smells like rotting flesh as it blooms, and its temperature rises dramatically. JPL installed an infrared camera and monitor near the flower so botanists can study the temperature fluctuations, and visitors to the Gardens can also take a peek. The camera was provided by the Space Infared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), an orbiting observatory scheduled to launch in 2001 on a mission to study the early universe and look for dust debris around nearby stars where planets may be forming. JPL manages SIRTF for NASA. |
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If NASA is involved in the s
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5/1/99
| Date |
5/1/99 |
| Description |
If NASA is involved in the search for life, shouldn't it have working alliances with life sciences institutions? Can future spacecraft be modeled after life forms, being born and growing in remote corners of the solar system? Can the search for the cure for cancer be accelerated through new applications of space program technologies? These and other such thought-provoking questions were the topic at the First NASA-National Cancer Institute (NCI) Workshop on Sensors for Bio-Molecular Signatures, held at the Doubletree Hotel in Pasadena, June 2-4. The event was designed for multi-disciplinary teams to explore ways that NASA engineers and NCI researchers can work together in coming years. In attendance, from left, were: JPL Director Dr. Edward Stone, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, Caltech President Dr. David Baltimore, NCI Director Dr. Richard Klausner, Dr. Carol Dahl, Director, Office of Technology and Industrial Relations, NCI, and Dr. Leon Alkalai, Manager, NASA Center for Integrated Space Microsystems, JPL, coordinator of the workshop. |
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With its technology testing
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7/31/99
| Date |
7/31/99 |
| Description |
With its technology testing objectives almost fully accomplished, NASA's Deep Space 1 mission is about to undergo its most comprehensive challenge: the exotic spacecraft is set to fly within 10 miles (15 kilometers) of asteroid 1992 KD on July 29, the closest encounter with an asteroid ever attempted. Deep Space 1 will rely on its experimental autonomous navigation system, or AutoNav, to guide the spacecraft past the mysterious, little-known space rock at 12:46 a.m. EDT at a relative speed of nearly 35,000 mph (56,000 kilometer per hour). During the encounter, Deep Space 1 will be in the ecliptic plane (the plane in which Earth and most other planets orbit the Sun), moving more slowly than the asteroid, which will be progressing up through the ecliptic plane from below. Thus it may well be more apt to say that the asteroid will zoom by Deep Space 1 than the reverse. |
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Sulfuric Acid on Europa
Frozen sulfuric acid on Jupi
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9/1/99
| Date |
9/1/99 |
| Description |
Frozen sulfuric acid on Jupiter's moon Europa is depicted in this image produced from data gathered by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The brightest areas, where the yellow is most intense, represent regions of high frozen sulfuric acid concentration. Sulfuric acid is found in battery acid and in Earth's acid rain. This image is based on data gathered by Galileo's near infrared mapping spectrometer. Europa's leading hemisphere is toward the bottom right, and there are enhanced concentrations of sulfuric acid in the trailing side of Europa (the upper left side of the image). This is the face of Europa that is struck by sulfur ions coming from Jupiter's innermost moon, Io. The long, narrow features that crisscross Europa also show sulfuric acid that may be from sulfurous material extruded in cracks. Galileo, launched in 1989, has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons since December 1995. JPL manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ##### |
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April 1999 Mojave Field Test
FIDO uses a robot arm to man
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4/1/99
| Date |
4/1/99 |
| Description |
FIDO uses a robot arm to manipulate science instruments and it has a new mini-corer or drill to extract and cache rock samples. Several camera systems onboard allow the rover to collect science and navigation images by remote-control. The rover is about the size of a coffee table and weighs as much as a St. Bernard, about 70 kilograms (150 pounds). It is approximately 85 centimeters (about 33 inches) wide, 105 centimeters (41 inches) long, and 55 centimeters (22 inches) high. The rover moves up to 300 meters an hour (less than a mile per hour) over smooth terrain, using its onboard stereo vision systems to detect and avoid obstacles as it travels "on-the-fly." During these tests, FIDO is powered by both solar panels that cover the top of the rover and by replaceable, rechargeable batteries. |
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April 1999 Mojave Field Test
FIDO uses a robot arm to man
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4/1/99
| Date |
4/1/99 |
| Description |
FIDO uses a robot arm to manipulate science instruments and it has a new mini-corer or drill to extract and cache rock samples. Several camera systems onboard allow the rover to collect science and navigation images by remote-control. The rover is about the size of a coffee table and weighs as much as a St. Bernard, about 70 kilograms (150 pounds). It is approximately 85 centimeters (about 33 inches) wide, 105 centimeters (41 inches) long, and 55 centimeters (22 inches) high. The rover moves up to 300 meters an hour (less than a mile per hour) over smooth terrain, using its onboard stereo vision systems to detect and avoid obstacles as it travels "on-the-fly." During these tests, FIDO is powered by both solar panels that cover the top of the rover and by replaceable, rechargeable batteries. |
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April 1999 Mojave Field Test
FIDO uses a robot arm to man
…
4/1/99
| Date |
4/1/99 |
| Description |
FIDO uses a robot arm to manipulate science instruments and it has a new mini-corer or drill to extract and cache rock samples. Several camera systems onboard allow the rover to collect science and navigation images by remote-control. The rover is about the size of a coffee table and weighs as much as a St. Bernard, about 70 kilograms (150 pounds). It is approximately 85 centimeters (about 33 inches) wide, 105 centimeters (41 inches) long, and 55 centimeters (22 inches) high. The rover moves up to 300 meters an hour (less than a mile per hour) over smooth terrain, using its onboard stereo vision systems to detect and avoid obstacles as it travels "on-the-fly." During these tests, FIDO is powered by both solar panels that cover the top of the rover and by replaceable, rechargeable batteries. |
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Airborne images of the Willo
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9/3/99
| Date |
9/3/99 |
| Description |
Airborne images of the Willow fire in Southern California's San Bernardino County, taken September 1 from a NASA ER-2 airplane, show the blaze in wavelengths that are not visible to the naked eye and would vastly improve firefighters' ability to contain them. Whereas the human eye can only see in the visible portion of the light spectrum, from 400 nanometers to 700 nanometers, NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, known as AVIRIS, measures the full spectrum of light from 400 nanometers to 2,500 nanometers. (A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.) The color portion of the first set of images, beginning at the left, shows the Willow fire as it was seen from an aircraft on September 1. Vegetation is dark green and smoke can be seen rising from the fire. To the left of the color image is the first infrared image taken at a wavelength of 500 nanometers. The light is diffused by smoke particles and vegetation appears dark due to the absorption of chlorophyll molecules. In the next spectral image, taken at 1,000 nanometers, less of the light is scattered by the smoke and the surface near the fire is seen more clearly. At this wavelength of light, healthy vegetation appears bright because of the light scattering of leaves, while scorched vegetation appears dark. At the still longer wavelength of 1,500 nanometers, the smoke is nearly transparent. At this wavelength, AVIRIS began to clearly measure the actual light coming from the burning fire. At 2,000 nanometers, only light from the burning fires can be seen. In this image the major fires and many small hotspots can be seen. In the future, AVIRIS will continue to be used to gather valuable information on forest fire risk in both wilderness and urban areas. Currently, important research is being pursued by Drs. Dar Roberts of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Susan Ustin of the University of California, Davis and John Gamon of California State University, Los Angeles, as well as many others. AVIRIS was designed, built and is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. With full spectral coverage, AVIRIS data are used to carry out a range of research activities and applications covering ecology, geology, coastal and inland water studies, snow and ice studies, wild fires, environmental contamination and urban studies. Data collection is made possible by NASA's ER-2 aircraft, which is housed at the Dryden Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ##### |
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Airborne images of the Willo
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9/3/99
| Date |
9/3/99 |
| Description |
Airborne images of the Willow fire in Southern California's San Bernardino County, taken September 1 from a NASA ER-2 airplane, show the blaze in wavelengths that are not visible to the naked eye. This set of infrared snapshots, taken by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, represents all of the infrared camera's 224 spectral channels, stacked in the image-cube format to depict the full AVIRIS measurement. The top and right panels show the full spectrum measured for each spatial element along the along the edge of the image. Spectroscopic or color analysis enables scientists to determine temperature variations, adjacent vegetation type and biomass, as well as the water content of leaves in the vegetation. These are important factors for understanding, controlling and extinguishing fires. AVIRIS was designed, built and is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. Data collection are made possible by NASA's ER-2 aircraft, which is housed at the Dryden Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ##### |
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This computer-generated imag
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7/31/99
| Date |
7/31/99 |
| Description |
This computer-generated image shows the EOS-AM1 Spacecraft, with the MISR instrument on board, orbiting Earth. Direction of flight is toward the lower left. The actual locations imaged by the 9 cameras, each with 4 color bands, along the Earth's surface are illustrated here with translucent surfaces. The background star field is also realistic. (Image courtesy of Shigeru Suzuki and Eric M. De Jong, Solar System Visualizaiton Project. JPL Image # P-49081) |
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TOPEX/La Nina
The cold pool of water in th
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3/10/99
| Date |
3/10/99 |
| Description |
The cold pool of water in the Pacific known as "La Nina" still persists, although it is slowly weakening, according to scientists studying new data from the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. A new image, produced using sea-surface height measurements taken by the satellite, is available on the Internet at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/elnino/ . It shows sea-surface height on February 27, 1999 relative to normal ocean conditions, reflecting the heat content of the ocean. The low sea level or cold pool of water along the equator (shown in purple and blue), commonly referred to as La Nina, still dominates the equatorial Pacific Ocean. This La Nina, which first appeared in May through June 1998, still persists, although it is slowly weakening, scientists say. Given its persistence and present strength, the ocean cooling trend is expected to continue to exert a strong influence on global climate systems throughout the spring and into the early summer. This situation is similar to the 1997-1998 El Nino, which extended into late summer 1998. The world's oceans are the great reservoirs of heat that influence global climate because they can cool or heat the atmosphere above. This transfer of heat drives weather patterns across both land and sea. La Nina provides a physical link connecting the large, slow changes in the ocean with predictable changes in day-to-day weather. "La Nina shifts the high-altitude weather highway known as the 'jet stream,'" said Dr. William Patzert, an oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "It funnels storm tracks to the Pacific Northwest, which has resulted in heavy rainfall and lots of snow in that region so far, as well as the upper Midwest. Much of the Southwest, by contrast, has been shielded from stormy weather and, as a result, has received significantly less precipitation than normal to date. "This year's La Nina was average in its intensity, but at its peak, it was associated with a 15- to- 20-centimeter deep trough (6 to 8 inches) in the central tropical Pacific," Patzert said. "The depression was correlated with a 2- to- 3-degree Centigrade (about 3.5 to 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit) dip in normal ocean surface temperatures." The image also shows that the very large, unusual area of higher or warmer water (shown here in red and white) in the western Pacific Ocean, from the tropics to the Gulf of Alaska, continues to expand. Although the appearance of this feature is not fully understood, it is recognized as influential to overall weather and climate. The white areas in the image indicate that the sea-surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal, in the red areas, sea-surface height is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The green areas indicate normal conditions. The purple areas are between 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal, and the blue areas are between 5 to 13 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) below normal. The TOPEX/Poseidon mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ##### |
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This whimsical image dealing
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7/23/99
| Date |
7/23/99 |
| Description |
This whimsical image dealing with NASA's Deep Space 1 mission was developed in cooperation with Spectrum Astro Inc., Gilbert, AZ, JPL's primaryindustrial partner in Deep Space 1 spacecraft development. |
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SeaWinds Tracks Giant Iceber
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The giant B10A iceberg, near
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9/3/99
| Date |
9/3/99 |
| Description |
The giant B10A iceberg, nearly as large as Rhode Island, is seen in this SeaWinds image as a small white dot in the upper left (approximately 10 o'clock position) between the tip of South America and the large circular continent of Antarctica. SeaWinds, launched on the QuikScat satellite in June 1999, is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. |
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A Hidden, Massive Star Clust
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| Title |
A Hidden, Massive Star Cluster Awash with Red Supergiants |
| Description |
The sky is a jewelry box full of sparkling stars in these infrared images. The crown jewels are 14 massive stars on the verge of exploding as supernovae. These hefty stars reside in one of the most massive star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. The bluish cluster is inside the white box in the large image, which shows the star-studded region around it. A close-up of the cluster can be seen in the inset photo. These large stars are a tip-off to the mass of the young cluster. Astronomers estimate that the cluster is at least 20,000 times as massive as the Sun. Each red supergiant is about 20 times the Sun's mass. The larger color-composite image was taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope for the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) Legacy project. The survey penetrates obscuring dust along the thick disk of our galaxy to reveal never-before-seen stars and star clusters. The false colors in the image correspond to infrared-light emission. The stars in the large color-composite image all appear blue because they emit most of their infrared light at shorter wavelengths. The inset image, a false-color composite, was captured by the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). Astronomers identified the cluster as a potential behemoth after spotting it in the 2MASS catalogue. They then used the Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona to analyze the cluster's colors. From that analysis, they discovered the red supergiants. They confirmed the red supergiants' pedigree by studying the colors of other red supergiants in data taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The cluster lies 18,900 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Scutum. It is the first in a survey of 130 potentially massive star clusters in the Milky Way that astronomers will study over the next five years using a variety of telescopes, including the Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes. The Spitzer image was taken April 4, 2004, the 2MASS image on July 4, 1999. The science team that studied the star cluster consists of Don Figer, Space Telescope Science Institute/Rochester Institute of Techology, John MacKenty, Massimo Robberto, and Kester Smith, Space Telescope Science Institute, Francisco Najarro, Instituto de Estructura de la Materia in Madrid, Spain: Rolf Kudritzki, University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and Artemio Herrero, Universidad de La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain. |
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A Hidden, Massive Star Clust
…
| Title |
A Hidden, Massive Star Cluster Awash with Red Supergiants |
| Description |
The sky is a jewelry box full of sparkling stars in these infrared images. The crown jewels are 14 massive stars on the verge of exploding as supernovae. These hefty stars reside in one of the most massive star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. The bluish cluster is inside the white box in the large image, which shows the star-studded region around it. A close-up of the cluster can be seen in the inset photo. These large stars are a tip-off to the mass of the young cluster. Astronomers estimate that the cluster is at least 20,000 times as massive as the Sun. Each red supergiant is about 20 times the Sun's mass. The larger color-composite image was taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope for the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) Legacy project. The survey penetrates obscuring dust along the thick disk of our galaxy to reveal never-before-seen stars and star clusters. The false colors in the image correspond to infrared-light emission. The stars in the large color-composite image all appear blue because they emit most of their infrared light at shorter wavelengths. The inset image, a false-color composite, was captured by the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). Astronomers identified the cluster as a potential behemoth after spotting it in the 2MASS catalogue. They then used the Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona to analyze the cluster's colors. From that analysis, they discovered the red supergiants. They confirmed the red supergiants' pedigree by studying the colors of other red supergiants in data taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The cluster lies 18,900 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Scutum. It is the first in a survey of 130 potentially massive star clusters in the Milky Way that astronomers will study over the next five years using a variety of telescopes, including the Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes. The Spitzer image was taken April 4, 2004, the 2MASS image on July 4, 1999. The science team that studied the star cluster consists of Don Figer, Space Telescope Science Institute/Rochester Institute of Techology, John MacKenty, Massimo Robberto, and Kester Smith, Space Telescope Science Institute, Francisco Najarro, Instituto de Estructura de la Materia in Madrid, Spain: Rolf Kudritzki, University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and Artemio Herrero, Universidad de La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain. |
|
A Hidden, Massive Star Clust
…
| Title |
A Hidden, Massive Star Cluster Awash with Red Supergiants |
| Description |
The sky is a jewelry box full of sparkling stars in these infrared images. The crown jewels are 14 massive stars on the verge of exploding as supernovae. These hefty stars reside in one of the most massive star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. The bluish cluster is inside the white box in the large image, which shows the star-studded region around it. A close-up of the cluster can be seen in the inset photo. These large stars are a tip-off to the mass of the young cluster. Astronomers estimate that the cluster is at least 20,000 times as massive as the Sun. Each red supergiant is about 20 times the Sun's mass. The larger color-composite image was taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope for the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) Legacy project. The survey penetrates obscuring dust along the thick disk of our galaxy to reveal never-before-seen stars and star clusters. The false colors in the image correspond to infrared-light emission. The stars in the large color-composite image all appear blue because they emit most of their infrared light at shorter wavelengths. The inset image, a false-color composite, was captured by the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). Astronomers identified the cluster as a potential behemoth after spotting it in the 2MASS catalogue. They then used the Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona to analyze the cluster's colors. From that analysis, they discovered the red supergiants. They confirmed the red supergiants' pedigree by studying the colors of other red supergiants in data taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The cluster lies 18,900 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Scutum. It is the first in a survey of 130 potentially massive star clusters in the Milky Way that astronomers will study over the next five years using a variety of telescopes, including the Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes. The Spitzer image was taken April 4, 2004, the 2MASS image on July 4, 1999. The science team that studied the star cluster consists of Don Figer, Space Telescope Science Institute/Rochester Institute of Techology, John MacKenty, Massimo Robberto, and Kester Smith, Space Telescope Science Institute, Francisco Najarro, Instituto de Estructura de la Materia in Madrid, Spain: Rolf Kudritzki, University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and Artemio Herrero, Universidad de La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain. |
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NASA Connect - Geometry of E
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NASA Connect Video containin
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12/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Video containing six segments as described below. NASA Connect Segment involving students participating in an activity to measure and calculate ellipses. The activity explains ellipses and their relation to Earth and Mars. NASA Connect Segme |
| Date |
12/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - Quieting The
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NASA Connect Video containin
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4/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Video containing four segments as described below. NASA Connect segment exploring the research and study efforts applied towards acoustics and noise, especially that related to aircraft. The segment also explains the study of psychological effects of noise on people. NASA Connect segment featuring a panel of two experts from NASA that answer students' questions by phone and email. The questions pertain to aircraft and noise reduction. NASA Connect segment exploring all the basics of sound including how it works and how it travels. The video also explains how the ear works. NASA Connect segment involving students in an activity called the Speed of Sound. The students investigate how sound waves travel at different speeds under various conditions. |
| Date |
4/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - Recipes For t
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NASA Connect Video containin
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2/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Video containing five segments as described below. NASA Connect Video answering questions from emails and call-ins. Two experts sit in to answer questions about future space vehicles, composite materials, and daily uses for those materials. |
| Date |
2/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - The Measureme
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NASA Connect Video containin
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Video containing seven segments as described below. NASA Connect Video explains how scientist use LIDAR to help them measure aerosols in the atmosphere. It also describes active remote sensing.NASA Connect Video that explores how aerosols af |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - Tools of the
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NASA Connect Video containin
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10/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Video containing five segments as described below. NASA Connect Video that explains aerodynamic forces that affect aircraft performance and how these forces relate to each other. NASA Connect Video involving students in an activity to create |
| Date |
10/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - MOAT - Active
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NASA Connect Segment explain
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment explains how scientist use LIDAR to help them measure aerosols in the atmosphere. It also describes active remote sensing. |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - MOAT - Aeroso
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NASA Connect Segment that ex
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment that explores how aerosols affect our health and how aerosols in the atmosphere are measured. It explains remote sensing and its two types with examples. |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - MOAT - Aeroso
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NASA Connect Segment that ex
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment that explains how the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere affects the Earth's weather conditions. |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - MOAT - Atmosp
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NASA Connect Segment involvi
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment involving students in an activity to determine the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere. |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - MOAT - Remote
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NASA Connect Segment involvi
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment involving students who investigate the application of remote sensing using the NASA Connect Website. |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - MOAT - Remote
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NASA Connect Segment studyin
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment studying the atmosphere with Picasso-Cena, a new technological satellite, to explore the affects of aerosols in the atmosphere and how it will affect the environment. |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - MOAT - SAGE I
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NASA Connect Segment explori
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11/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment exploring the differences between the remote sensing devices of SAGE II and Picasso-Cena. It also explains how Picasso-Cena will help scientists measure aerosols more accurately. |
| Date |
11/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - QTS - Acousti
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NASA Connect segment explori
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4/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect segment exploring the research and study efforts applied towards acoustics and noise, especially that related to aircraft. The segment also explains the study of psychological effects of noise on people. |
| Date |
4/1/99 |
|
NASA Connect - QTS - Expert
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NASA Connect segment featuri
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4/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect segment featuring a panel of two experts from NASA that answer students' questions by phone and email. The questions pertain to aircraft and noise reduction. |
| Date |
4/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - QTS - Science
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NASA Connect segment explori
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4/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect segment exploring all the basics of sound including how it works and how it travels. The video also explains how the ear works. |
| Date |
4/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - QTS - Speed o
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NASA Connect segment involvi
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4/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect segment involving students in an activity called the Speed of Sound. The students investigate how sound waves travel at different speeds under various conditions. |
| Date |
4/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - RFTF - Compos
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NASA Connect Segment answeri
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2/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment answering questions from emails and call-ins. Two experts sit in to answer questions about future space vehicles, composite materials, and daily uses for those materials. |
| Date |
2/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - RFTF - Compos
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NASA Connect Segment involvi
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2/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment involving students in an activity that investigates the strenth and deflection of composite material with and without reinforcement. It reviews vocabulary including polymer, fiber, stress cracks, and maximum deflection. |
| Date |
2/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - RFTF - Compos
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NASA Connect Segment explori
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2/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment exploring composite material, what it is, and how it is made. Explains the goals of composites are to develop stronger, more durable, lighter weight materials for space vehicles. |
| Date |
2/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - RFTF - New Ma
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NASA Connect Segment explain
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2/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment explaining the process of testing new materials. It also explores the process for testing and analyzing structures for new space vehicles at room temperature and extreme temperatures. |
| Date |
2/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - RFTF - Recipe
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NASA Connect Segment that ex
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2/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment that explores how scientists use recipes in chemistry to formulate new combinations and build new materials. Explains the difference between chemical and physical changes of substances. |
| Date |
2/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - GoE - Ellipti
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NASA Connect Segment involvi
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12/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment involving students participating in an activity to measure and calculate ellipses. The activity explains ellipses and their relation to Earth and Mars. |
| Date |
12/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - GoE - Geometr
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NASA Connect Segment explori
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12/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment exploring ideas of water on Mars. It also explains the Mars Microprobe and its navigation on mars and how this relates to geometry. |
| Date |
12/1/99 |
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NASA Connect - GoE - Mars Ex
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NASA Connect Segment explain
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12/1/99
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment explaining why we are exploring Mars. It also reveals tools and techniques used to explore Mars. |
| Date |
12/1/99 |
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