Narrow Search
 
 
Advanced Search

Browse All : Images of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) from 2002

Printer Friendly
1 2 3 4
1-50 of 188
     
     
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Hubble Finds that Earth is S …
Title Hubble Finds that Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst
Global Sea Surface Temperatu …
Title Global Sea Surface Temperature from June, 2002 to September, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. In this visualization sequence covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, the most obvious effects are the north-south movement of warm regions across the equator due to the seasonal movement of the sun and the seasonal advance and retreat of the sea ice near the North and South poles. It is also possible to see the Gulf Stream, the warm river of water that parallels the east coast of the United States before heading towards northern Europe, in this data. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears just to the west of Peru as part of a La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves and can also be seen in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean about the same time.
Completed 2004-02-12
Global Sea Surface Temperatu …
Title Global Sea Surface Temperature from June, 2002 to September, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. In this visualization sequence covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, the most obvious effects are the north-south movement of warm regions across the equator due to the seasonal movement of the sun and the seasonal advance and retreat of the sea ice near the North and South poles. It is also possible to see the Gulf Stream, the warm river of water that parallels the east coast of the United States before heading towards northern Europe, in this data. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears just to the west of Peru as part of a La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves and can also be seen in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean about the same time.
Completed 2004-02-12
Photo Description With a laser beam centered on its solar panel, a lightweight model aircraft is checked out by technician Tony Frakowiak and researcher Tim Blackwell before its power-beamed demonstration flight.
Project Description Researchers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville have flight-demonstrated a small-scale aircraft that flies solely by means of propulsive power from an invisible, ground-based infrared laser. Flights of the lightweight, radio-controlled model airplane inside a large building at NASA Marshall are believed to be the first time that a plane has been powered only by laser energy. The demonstration was a key step toward the capability to beam power to an aircraft, allowing it to stay in flight indefinitely -- a concept with potential for the scientific community as well as the remote sensing and telecommunications industries. During the flight demonstration in September 2003, an engineer manually directed the laser's energy beam from a central platform at infrared-sensitive photovoltaic cells carried on a panel on the bottom of the aircraft to power the motor as it flew circles inside the large building. A similar demonstration using a large theatrical spotlight was flown in the summer of 2002 at NASA Dryden, proving that beamed visible light could be used to power the 11-ounce aircraft. The spotlight beamed power to a solar panel attached underneath the aircraft frame that converted the light into electrical energy for the tiny, six-watt motor. An aircraft was flown using microwave energy 20 years ago, but these were the first known demonstrations of beamed light energy to fly an airplane. The lightweight model aircraft used for these demonstrations was controlled using the same over-the-counter radio control instrumentation available to model aircraft hobby enthusiasts. Beaming power via a laser to an aircraft is just one concept being explored by NASA to enable solar-electric powered aircraft to fly through the night when solar energy is not available. Another promising technology that is well along in development would use either regenerative or non-regenerative fuel cell systems to achieve the same purpose. (For more on the power-beaming demonstration, see DFRC news release 03-54, available on-line at chandra.etouch.net/centers/dfrc/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2003/03-54.html).
Photo Date September 17, 2003
Photo Description With a laser beam centered on its panel of photovoltaic cells, a lightweight model plane makes the first flight of an aircraft powered by a laser beam inside a building at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
Project Description Researchers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville have flight-demonstrated a small-scale aircraft that flies solely by means of propulsive power from an invisible, ground-based infrared laser. Flights of the lightweight, radio-controlled model airplane inside a large building at NASA Marshall are believed to be the first time that a plane has been powered only by laser energy. The demonstration was a key step toward the capability to beam power to an aircraft, allowing it to stay in flight indefinitely -- a concept with potential for the scientific community as well as the remote sensing and telecommunications industries. During the flight demonstration in September 2003, an engineer manually directed the laser's energy beam from a central platform at infrared-sensitive photovoltaic cells carried on a panel on the bottom of the aircraft to power the motor as it flew circles inside the large building. A similar demonstration using a large theatrical spotlight was flown in the summer of 2002 at NASA Dryden, proving that beamed visible light could be used to power the 11-ounce aircraft. The spotlight beamed power to a solar panel attached underneath the aircraft frame that converted the light into electrical energy for the tiny, six-watt motor. An aircraft was flown using microwave energy 20 years ago, but these were the first known demonstrations of beamed light energy to fly an airplane. The lightweight model aircraft used for these demonstrations was controlled using the same over-the-counter radio control instrumentation available to model aircraft hobby enthusiasts. Beaming power via a laser to an aircraft is just one concept being explored by NASA to enable solar-electric powered aircraft to fly through the night when solar energy is not available. Another promising technology that is well along in development would use either regenerative or non-regenerative fuel cell systems to achieve the same purpose. (For more on the power-beaming demonstration, see DFRC news release 03-54, available on-line at chandra.etouch.net/centers/dfrc/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2003/03-54.html).
Photo Date September 18, 2003
Photo Description NASA Dryden project engineer Dave Bushman carefully aims the optics of a laser device at a solar cell panel on a model aircraft during the first flight demonstration of an aircraft powered by laser light.
Project Description Researchers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville have flight-demonstrated a small-scale aircraft that flies solely by means of propulsive power from an invisible, ground-based infrared laser. Flights of the lightweight, radio-controlled model airplane inside a large building at NASA Marshall are believed to be the first time that a plane has been powered only by laser energy. The demonstration was a key step toward the capability to beam power to an aircraft, allowing it to stay in flight indefinitely -- a concept with potential for the scientific community as well as the remote sensing and telecommunications industries. During the flight demonstration in September 2003, an engineer manually directed the laser's energy beam from a central platform at infrared-sensitive photovoltaic cells carried on a panel on the bottom of the aircraft to power the motor as it flew circles inside the large building. A similar demonstration using a large theatrical spotlight was flown in the summer of 2002 at NASA Dryden, proving that beamed visible light could be used to power the 11-ounce aircraft. The spotlight beamed power to a solar panel attached underneath the aircraft frame that converted the light into electrical energy for the tiny, six-watt motor. An aircraft was flown using microwave energy 20 years ago, but these were the first known demonstrations of beamed light energy to fly an airplane. The lightweight model aircraft used for these demonstrations was controlled using the same over-the-counter radio control instrumentation available to model aircraft hobby enthusiasts. Beaming power via a laser to an aircraft is just one concept being explored by NASA to enable solar-electric powered aircraft to fly through the night when solar energy is not available. Another promising technology that is well along in development would use either regenerative or non-regenerative fuel cell systems to achieve the same purpose. (For more on the power-beaming demonstration, see DFRC news release 03-54, available on-line at chandra.etouch.net/centers/dfrc/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2003/03-54.html).
Photo Date September 17, 2003
Water Mist Experiment
Name of Image Water Mist Experiment
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description The Water Mist commercial research program is scheduled to fly an investigation on STS-107 in 2002 in the updated Combustion Module (CM-2), a sophisticated combustion chamber plus diagnostic equipment. The Center for the Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS), a NASA Commercial Space Center located at the Colorado School of Mines, is investigating the properties of mist fire suppression in microgravity with Industry Partner Environmental Engineering Concepts. These experiments consist of varying water droplet sizes and water mist concentrations applied to flame fronts of different propane/air mixtures. Observations from these tests will provide valuable information on the change of flame speed in the presence of water mist. Shown here is a flame front propagating through the Mist flame tube during 1-g testing at NASA/Glenn Research Center.
Laminar Soot Processes
Name of Image Laminar Soot Processes
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description Image of soot (smoke) plume made for the Laminar Soot Processes (LSP) experiment during the Microgravity Sciences Lab-1 mission in 1997. LSP-2 will fly in the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002. The principal investigator is Dr. Gerard Faeth of the University of Michigan. LSP uses a small jet burner, similar to a classroom butane lighter, that produces flames up to 60 mm (2.3 in) long. Measurements include color TV cameras and a temperature sensor, and laser images whose darkness indicates the quantity of soot produced in the flame. Glenn Research in Cleveland, OH, manages the project.
Volunteer Losing Balance Wea …
Name of Image Volunteer Losing Balance Wearing Inverted Glasses
Date of Image 2002-08-07
Full Description Brad McLain for the Space Biology Museum Network puts a volunteer back on balance as he tries to adjust to a world inverted by a special pair of glasses. This helps illustrate how dependent the human vestibular system is on visual cues. A volunteer is The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.
Volunteer Interacting with a …
Name of Image Volunteer Interacting with a Rotating Chair Demonstration
Date of Image 2002-08-07
Full Description Brad McLain for the Space Biology Museum Network spins a volunteer in a rotating chair to illustrate how dependent the human vestibular system is on visual cues. The volunteer's thumbs indicate which way she thinks she is turning. Similar tests are conducted on astronauts to study how they adapt to space and readapt to Earth. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.
Dwarf Wheat grown aboard the …
Name of Image Dwarf Wheat grown aboard the International Space Station
Date of Image 2003-02-09
Full Description Dwarf wheat were photographed aboard the International Space Station in April 2002. Lessons from on-orbit research on plants will have applications to terrestrial agriculture as well as for long-term space missions. Alternative agricultural systems that can efficiently produce greater quantities of high-quality crops in a small area are important for future space expeditions. Also regenerative life-support systems that include plants will be an important component of long-term space missions. Data from the Biomass Production System (BPS) and the Photosynthesis Experiment and System Testing and Operations (PESTO) will advance controlled-environment agricultural systems and will help farmers produce better, healthier crops in a small area. This same knowledge is critical to closed-loop life support systems for spacecraft. The BPS comprises a miniature environmental control system for four plant growth chambers, all in the volume of two space shuttle lockers. The experience with the BPS on orbit is providing valuable design and operational lessons that will be incorporated into the Plant Growth Units. The objective of PESTO was to flight verify the BPS hardware and to determine how the microgravity environment affects the photosynthesis and metabolic function of Super Dwarf wheat and Brassica rapa (a member of the mustard family).
Soybeans Growing inside the …
Name of Image Soybeans Growing inside the Advanced Astroculture Plant Growth Chamber
Date of Image 2003-02-09
Full Description This composite image shows soybean plants growing in the Advanced Astroculture experiment aboard the International Space Station during June 11-July 2, 2002. DuPont is partnering with NASA and the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to grow soybeans aboard the Space Station to find out if they have improved oil, protein, carbohydrates or secondary metabolites that could benefit farmers and consumers. Principal Investigators: Dr. Tom Corbin, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a Dupont Company, with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, and Dr. Weijia Zhou, Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR), University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Scientists Inspect Plant Gro …
Name of Image Scientists Inspect Plant Grown onboard the ISS in 2002
Date of Image 2003-02-09
Full Description The Advanced Astroculture (tm) unit is growing plants on its second flight on the International Space Station. Dr. Weijia Zhou (left), director of the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, inspects soybeans grown in the plant growth unit aboard ISS in 2002. Coating technology is used inside the miniature plant greenhouse to remove ethylene, a chemical produced by plant leaves that can cause plants to mature too quickly. This same coating technology is used in a new anthrax-killing device. The Space Station experiment is managed by the Space Partnership Development Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
STS-111 Onboard Photo of End …
Name of Image STS-111 Onboard Photo of Endeavour Docking With PMA-2
Date of Image 2002-06-09
Full Description The STS-111 mission, the 14th Shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station (ISS), was launched on June 5, 2002 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour. On board were the STS-111 and Expedition Five crew members. Astronauts Kerneth D. Cockrell, commander, Paul S. Lockhart, pilot, and mission specialists Franklin R. Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin were the STS-111 crew members. Expedition Five crew members included Cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun, commander, Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Y. Treschev, flight engineers. Three space walks enabled the STS-111 crew to accomplish mission objectives: The delivery and installation of the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System (MBS), an important part of the Station's Mobile Servicing System that allows the robotic arm to travel the length of the Station, which is necessary for future construction tasks, the replacement of a wrist roll joint on the Station's robotic arm, and the task of unloading supplies and science experiments from the Leonardo multipurpose Logistics Module, which made its third trip to the orbital outpost. In this photograph, the Space Shuttle Endeavour, back dropped by the blackness of space, is docked to the pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-2) at the forward end of the Destiny Laboratory on the ISS. Endeavour's robotic arm is in full view as it is stretched out with the S0 (S-zero) Truss at its end.
STS-111 Liftoff From Launch …
Name of Image STS-111 Liftoff From Launch Pad
Date of Image 2002-06-05
Full Description Aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour, the STS-111 mission was launched on June 5, 2002 at 5:22 pm EDT from Kennedy's launch pad. On board were the STS-111 and Expedition Five crew members. Astronauts Kenneth D. Cockrell, commander, Paul S. Lockhart, pilot, and mission specialists Franklin R. Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin were the STS-111 crew members. Expedition Five crew members included Cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun, commander, Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Y. Treschev, flight engineers. Three space walks enabled the STS-111 crew to accomplish mission objectives: the delivery and installation of a new platform for the ISS robotic arm, the Mobile Base System (MBS) which is an important part of the Station's Mobile Servicing System allowing the robotic arm to travel the length of the Station, the replacement of a wrist roll joint on the Station's robotic arm, and unloading supplies and science experiments from the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which made its third trip to the orbital outpost. Landing on June 19, 2002, the 14-day STS-111 mission was the 14th Shuttle mission to visit the ISS.
STS-111 Crew Portrait
Name of Image STS-111 Crew Portrait
Date of Image 2002-03-08
Full Description Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on June 6, 2002, these four astronauts comprised the prime crew for NASA's STS-111 mission. Astronaut Kenneth D. Cockrell (front right) was mission commander, and astronaut Paul S. Lockhart (front left) was pilot. Astronauts Philippe Perrin (rear left), representing the French Space Agency, and Franklin R. Chang-Diaz were mission specialists assigned to extravehicular activity (EVA) work on the International Space Station (ISS). In addition to the delivery and installation of the Mobile Base System (MBS), this crew dropped off the Expedition Five crew members at the orbital outpost, and brought back the Expedition Four trio at mission's end.
STS-118 Astronaut Barbara Mo …
Name of Image STS-118 Astronaut Barbara Morgan
Date of Image 2007-10-18
Full Description Barbara R. Morgan (center), STS-118 astronaut and mission specialist, dons a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, prior to the start of a mission training exercise in the Space Vehicle Mock Up Facility at Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance (USA) personnel were on hand to assist Morgan. Morgan was chosen as the first educator to become a mission specialist astronaut in 2002. The Educator Astronaut Project evolved from the Teacher in Space Project. Both aimed to engage and attract students to explore the excitement and wonder of space flight and to inspire and support educators. Morgan's primary duty was the same as it is for the entire crew, accomplish the planned objectives of the station assembly mission. But she also took part in several education-related activities.
STS-109 Crew Portrait
Name of Image STS-109 Crew Portrait
Date of Image 2001-11-08
Full Description Posing for the traditional preflight crew portrait, the seven astronauts of the STS-109 mission are (left to right) astronauts Michael J. Massimino, Richard M. Linnehan, Duane G. Carey, Scott D. Altman, Nancy J. Currie, John M. Grunsfeld and James H. Newman. Altman and Carey were commander and pilot, respectively, with the others serving as mission specialists. Grunsfeld was payload commander. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on March 1, 2002, the group was the fourth visit to the the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for performing upgrade and servicing on the giant orbital observatory.
STS-31 Mission Onboard Photo …
Name of Image STS-31 Mission Onboard Photograph-Hubble Space Telescope
Date of Image 1990-04-25
Full Description In this photograph, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is clearing the cargo bay during its deployment on April 25, 1990. The photograph was taken by the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC) mounted in a container on the port side of the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery STS-31 mission. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit for 15 years or more. The HST provides fine detail imaging, produces ultraviolet images and spectra, and detects very faint objects. Two months after its deployment in space, scientists detected a 2-micron spherical aberration in the primary mirror of the HST that affected the telescope's ability to focus faint light sources into a precise point. This imperfection was very slight, one-fiftieth of the width of a human hair. A scheduled Space servicing mission (STS-61) in 1993 permitted scientists to correct the problem. During four space walks, new instruments were installed into the HST that had optical corrections. A total of four HST servicing missions have taken place since its deployment: STS-61 in December 1993, STS-82 in February 1997, STS-103 in December 1999, and STS-109 in March 2002. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors.
Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Name of Image Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description The Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 will measure the viscous behavior of xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. The sample cell at the heart of CVX-2 will sit inside a thermostat providing three layers of insulation. The cell itself comprises a copper body that conducts heat efficiently and smoothes out thermal variations that that would destroy the xenon's uniformity. Inside the cell, the oscillating screen viscometer element is supported between two pairs of electrodes that deflect the screen and then measure screen motion.
Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Name of Image Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description The Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 will measure the viscous behavior of liquid xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. Resembling a tiny bit of window screen, the oscillator at the heart of CVX-2 will vibrate between two pairs of paddle-like electrodes. The slight bend in the shape of the mesh has no effect on the data. What counts are the mesh's displacement in the xenon fluid and the rate at which the displacement dampens. The unit shown here is encased in a small test cell and capped with a sapphire windown to contain the xenon at high pressure.
Critical Viscosity of Xenon …
Name of Image Critical Viscosity of Xenon team
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description The Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 will measure the viscous behavior of xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. The thermostat for CVX sits inside the white cylinder on a support structure (at left) that is placed inside a pressure canister. A similar canister (right) holds the electronics and control systems. The CVX-2 arrangement is identical. The principal investigator is Dr. Robert F. Berg (left) of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD.
Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Name of Image Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description The Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 will measure the viscous behavior of xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. Because xenon near the critical point will collapse under its own weight, experiments on Earth (green line) are limited as they get closer (toward the left) to the critical point. CVX in the microgravity of space (red line) moved into unmeasured territory that scientists had not been able to reach.
Critical Viscosity of Xenon …
Name of Image Critical Viscosity of Xenon investigators
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description Dr. Dr. Robert F. Berg (right), principal investigator and Dr. Micheal R. Moldover (left), co-investigator, for the Critical Viscosity of Xenon (CVX/CVX-2) experiment. They are with the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. The Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 will measure the viscous behavior of xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. Although it does not easily combine with other chemicals, its viscosity at the critical point can be used as a model for a range of chemicals.
Laminar Soot Processes
Name of Image Laminar Soot Processes
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description Interior of the Equipment Module for the Laminar Soot Processes (LSP-2) experiment that fly in the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 (LSP-1 flew on Microgravity Sciences Lab-1 mission in 1997). The principal investigator is Dr. Gerard Faeth of the University of Michigan. LSP uses a small jet burner (yellow ellipse), similar to a classroom butane lighter, that produces flames up to 60 mm (2.3 in) long. Measurements include color TV cameras and a radiometer or heat sensor (blue circle), and laser images whose darkness indicates the quantity of soot produced in the flame. Glenn Research in Cleveland, OH, manages the project.
Critical Viscosity of Xenon …
Name of Image Critical Viscosity of Xenon team
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description The Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 will measure the viscous behavior of xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. The thermostat for CVX sits inside the white cylinder on a support structure (at left) that is placed inside a pressure canister. A similar canister (right) holds the electronics and control systems. The CVX-2 arrangement is identical. The principal investigator is Dr. Robert F. Berg (not shown) of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD.
Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Name of Image Critical Viscosity of Xenon
Date of Image 2001-01-24
Full Description The Critical Viscosity of Xenon Experiment (CVX-2) on the STS-107 Research 1 mission in 2002 will measure the viscous behavior of xenon, a heavy inert gas used in flash lamps and ion rocket engines, at its critical point. Shear thirning will cause a normally viscous fluid -- such as pie filling or whipped cream -- to deform and flow more readily under high shear conditions. In shear thinning, a pocket of fluid will deform and move one edge forward, as depicted here.
STS-107 payload arrangement
Name of Image STS-107 payload arrangement
Date of Image 2001-05-31
Full Description This diagram shows the general arrangement of the payloads to be carried by the multidisciplinary STS-107 Research-1 Space Shuttle mission in 2002. The Spacehab module will host experiments that require direct operation by the flight crew. Others with special requirements will be on the GAS Bridge Assembly sparning the payload bay. The Extended Duration Orbiter kit carries additional oxygen and hydrogen for the electricity-producing fuel cells. Research-1 experiments will cover space biology, life science, microgravity research, and commercial space product development, research sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research. An alternative view without callouts is available at 0101765.
STS-107 payload arrangement
Name of Image STS-107 payload arrangement
Date of Image 2001-05-31
Full Description Thisdiagram shows the general arrangement of the payloads to be carried by the multidisciplinary STS-107 Research-1 Space Shuttle mission in 2002. The Spacehab module will host experiments that require direct operation by the flight crew. Others with special requirements will be on the GAS Bridge Assembly sparning the payload bay. The Extended Duration Orbiter kit carries additional oxygen and hydrogen for the electricity-producing fuel cells. Research-1 experiments will cover space biology, life science, microgravity research, and commercial space product development, research sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research. An alternative view with callouts is available at 0101764.
Prostate tumor grown in NASA …
Name of Image Prostate tumor grown in NASA Bioreactor
Date of Image 2001-05-15
Full Description This prostate cancer construct was grown during NASA-sponsored bioreactor studies on Earth. Cells are attached to a biodegradable plastic lattice that gives them a head start in growth. Prostate tumor cells are to be grown in a NASA-sponsored Bioreactor experiment aboard the STS-107 Research-1 mission in 2002. Dr. Leland Chung of the University of Virginia is the principal investigator. The NASA Bioreactor provides a low turbulence culture environment which promotes the formation of large, three-dimensional cell clusters. Due to their high level of cellular organization and specialization, samples constructed in the bioreactor more closely resemble the original tumor or tissue found in the body. The Bioreactor is rotated to provide gentle mixing of fresh and spent nutrient without inducing shear forces that would damage the cells. The work is sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research. The bioreactor is managed by the Biotechnology Cell Science Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC). NASA-sponsored bioreactor research has been instrumental in helping scientists to better understand normal and cancerous tissue development. In cooperation with the medical community, the bioreactor design is being used to prepare better models of human colon, prostate, breast and ovarian tumors. Cartilage, bone marrow, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islet cells, liver and kidney are just a few of the normal tissues being cultured in rotating bioreactors by investigators. Credit: NASA and the University of Virginia.
NASA Studies Lightning Storm …
Name of Image NASA Studies Lightning Storms Using High-Flying, Uninhabited Vehicle
Date of Image 2001-01-01
Full Description A NASA team studying the causes of electrical storms and their effects on our home planet achieved a milestone on August 21, 2002, completing the study's longest-duration research flight and monitoring four thunderstorms in succession. Radio news media can talk with Dr. Richard Blakeslee, the project's principal investigator, and Tony Kim, project manager at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), about their results and how their work will help improve future weather forecasting ability. Based at the Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, researchers with the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) used the Altus II remotely- piloted aircraft to study a thunderstorm in the Atlantic Ocean off Key West, two storms at the western edge of the Everglades, and a large storm over the northwestern corner of the Everglades. This photograph shows Tony Kim And Dr. Richard Blakeslee of MSFC testing aircraft sensors that would be used to measure the electric fields produced by thunderstorm as part of NASA's ACES. With dual goals of gathering weather data safely and testing the adaptability of the uninhabited aircraft, the ACES study is a collaboration among the MSFC, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Pernsylvania State University in University Park, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Propulsive Small Expendable …
Name of Image Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System (ProSEDS)
Date of Image 2001-07-01
Full Description This photograph shows two Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) engineers, Mark Vaccaro (left) and Ken Welzyn, testing electrodynamic tethers in the MSFC Tether Winding and Spark Testing Facility. For 4 years, MSFC and industry partners have been developing the Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System experiment, called ProSEDS. ProSEDS will test electrodynamic tether propulsion technology. Electrodynamic tethers are long, thin wires that collect electrical current when passing through a magnetic field. The tether works as a thruster as a magnetic field exerts a force on a current-carrying wire. Since electrodynamic tethers require no propellant, they could substantially reduce the weight of the spacecraft and provide a cost-effective method of reboosting spacecraft. The initial flight of ProSEDS is scheduled to fly aboard an Air Force Delta II rocket in the summer of 2002. In orbit, ProSEDS will deploy from a Delta II second stage. It will be a 3.1-mile (5 kilometer) long, ultrathin base-wire tether cornected with a 6.2-mile (10 kilometer) long non-conducting tether. This photograph shows Less Johnson, a scientist at MSFC, inspecting the nonconducting part of a tether as it exits a deployer similar to the one to be used in the ProSEDS experiment. The ProSEDS experiment is managed by the Space Transportation Directorate at MSFC.
Water Mist fire suppression …
Name of Image Water Mist fire suppression experiment
Date of Image 2001-10-04
Full Description The Water Mist commercial research program is scheduled to fly an investigation on STS-107 in 2002. This investigation will be flown as an Experimental Mounting Structure (EMS) insert into the updated Combustion Module (CM-2), a sophisticated combustion chamber plus diagnostic equipment. (The investigation hardware is shown here mounted in a non-flight frame similar to the EMS.) Water Mist is a commercial research program by the Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS), a NASA Commercial Space Center located at the Colorado School of Mines, in Golden, CO and Industry Partner Environmental Engineering Concepts. The program is focused on developing water mist as a replacement for bromine-based chemical fire suppression agents (halons). By conducting the experiments in microgravity, interference from convection currents is minimized and fundamental knowledge can be gained. This knowledge is incorporated into models, which can be used to simulate a variety of physical environments. The immediate objective of the project is to study the effect of a fine water mist on a laminar propagating flame generated in a propane-air mixture at various equivalence ratios. The effects of droplet size and concentration on the speed of the flame front is used as a measure of the effectiveness of fire suppression in this highly controlled experimental environment.
Water Mist fire suppression …
Name of Image Water Mist fire suppression experiment
Date of Image 2001-10-04
Full Description The Water Mist commercial research program is scheduled to fly an investigation on STS-107 in 2002. This investigation will be flown as an Experimental Mounting Structure (EMS) insert into the updated Combustion Module (CM-2), a sophisticated combustion chamber plus diagnostic equipment. (The investigation hardware is shown here mounted in a non-flight frame similar to the EMS.) Water Mist is a commercial research program by the Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS), a NASA Commercial Space Center located at the Colorado School of Mines, in Golden, CO and Industry Partner Environmental Engineering Concepts. The program is focused on developing water mist as a replacement for bromine-based chemical fire suppression agents (halons). By conducting the experiments in microgravity, interference from convection currents is minimized and fundamental knowledge can be gained. This knowledge is incorporated into models, which can be used to simulate a variety of physical environments. The immediate objective of the project is to study the effect of a fine water mist on a laminar propagating flame generated in a propane-air mixture at various equivalence ratios. The effects of droplet size and concentration on the speed of the flame front is used as a measure of the effectiveness of fire suppression in this highly controlled experimental environment.
Water Mist fire suppression …
Name of Image Water Mist fire suppression experiment
Date of Image 2001-10-04
Full Description The Water Mist commercial research program is scheduled to fly an investigation on STS-107 in 2002. This investigation will be flown as an Experimental Mounting Structure (EMS) insert into the updated Combustion Module (CM-2), a sophisticated combustion chamber plus diagnostic equipment. (The investigation hardware is shown here mounted in a non-flight frame similar to the EMS.) Water Mist is a commercial research program by the Center for Commercial Applications of Combustion in Space (CCACS), a NASA Commercial Space Center located at the Colorado School of Mines, in Golden, CO and Industry Partner Environmental Engineering Concepts. The program is focused on developing water mist as a replacement for bromine-based chemical fire suppression agents (halons). By conducting the experiments in microgravity, interference from convection currents is minimized and fundamental knowledge can be gained. This knowledge is incorporated into models, which can be used to simulate a variety of physical environments. The immediate objective of the project is to study the effect of a fine water mist on a laminar propagating flame generated in a propane-air mixture at various equivalence ratios. The effects of droplet size and concentration on the speed of the flame front is used as a measure of the effectiveness of fire suppression in this highly controlled experimental environment.
Orbiter Atlantis (STS-110) L …
Name of Image Orbiter Atlantis (STS-110) Launch With New Block II Engines
Date of Image 2002-04-08
Full Description Powered by three newly-enhanced Space Shuttle Maine Engines (SSMEs), called the Block II Maine Engines, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center launch pad on April 8, 2002 for the STS-110 mission. The Block II Main Engines incorporate an improved fuel pump featuring fewer welds, a stronger integral shaft/disk, and more robust bearings, making them safer and more reliable, and potentially increasing the number of flights between major overhauls. NASA continues to increase the reliability and safety of Shuttle flights through a series of enhancements to the SSME. The engines were modified in 1988 and 1995. Developed in the 1970s and managed by the Space Shuttle Projects Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center, the SSME is the world's most sophisticated reusable rocket engine. The new turbopump made by Pratt and Whitney of West Palm Beach, Florida, was tested at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Boeing Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, California, manufactures the SSME. This image was extracted from engineering motion picture footage taken by a tracking camera.
STS-110 S0 Truss Removed Fro …
Name of Image STS-110 S0 Truss Removed From Cargo Bay
Date of Image 2002-04-11
Full Description Backdropped against the blackness of space and the Earth's horizon, the S0 (S-zero) truss is removed from Atlantis' cargo bay and onto the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station (ISS) by Astronauts Ellen Ochoa, STS-110 mission specialist, and Daniel W. Bursch, Expedition Four flight engineer, using the ISS' Canadarm2. Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis, STS-110 mission, prepared the International Space Station (ISS) for future spacewalks by installing and outfitting the 43-foot-long S0 truss and preparing the first railroad in space, the Mobile Transporter. The 27,000-pound S0 truss was the first of 9 segments that will make up the Station's external framework that will eventually stretch 356 feet (109 meters), or approximately the length of a football field. This central truss segment also includes a flatcar called the Mobile Transporter and rails that will become the first "space railroad," which will allow the Station's robotic arm to travel up and down the finished truss for future assembly and maintenance. The completed truss structure will hold solar arrays and radiators to provide power and cooling for additional international research laboratories from Japan and Europe that will be attached to the Station. Milestones of the STS-110 mission included the first use of the Station's robotic arm to maneuver spacewalkers around the Station and it was the first time all of a Shuttle crew's spacewalks were based out of the Station's Quest Airlock. It was also the first Shuttle to use three Block II Main Engines. The Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis, STS-110 mission, was launched April 8, 2002 and returned to Earth April 19, 2002.
Destiny's Earth Observation …
Name of Image Destiny's Earth Observation Window
Date of Image 2002-04-16
Full Description Astronaut Michael J. Bloomfield, STS-110 mission commander, looks through the Earth observation window in the Destiny laboratory aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The STS-110 mission prepared the ISS for future spacewalks by installing and outfitting the S0 (S-zero) truss and the Mobile Transporter. The 43-foot-long S0 Truss, weighing in at 27,000 pounds, was the first of 9 segments that will make up the Station's external framework that will eventually stretch 356 feet (109 meters), or approximately the length of a football field. This central truss segment also includes a flatcar called the Mobile Transporter and rails that will become the first "space railroad," which will allow the Station's robotic arm to travel up and down the finished truss for future assembly and maintenance. The completed truss structure will hold solar arrays and radiators to provide power and cooling for additional international research laboratories from Japan and Europe that will be attached to the Station. Milestones of the STS-110 mission included the first time the ISS robotic arm was used to maneuver spacewalkers around the Station and marked the first time all spacewalks were based out of the Station's Quest Airlock. It was also the first Shuttle to use three Block II Main Engines. The Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis, STS-110 mission, was launched April 8, 2002 and returned to Earth April 19, 2002.
Endeavor Approaches Docking …
Name of Image Endeavor Approaches Docking Port of ISS
Date of Image 2002-06-07
Full Description Pictured here is the forward docking port on the International Space Station's (ISS) Destiny Laboratory as seen by one of the STS-111 crewmembers from the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour just prior to docking. In June 2002, STS-111 provided the Space Station with a new crew, Expedition Five, replacing Expedition Four after remaining a record-setting 196 days in space. Three spacewalks enabled the STS-111 crew to accomplish additional mission objectives: the delivery and installation of a new platform for the ISS robotic arm, the Mobile Base System (MBS) which is an important part of the Station's Mobile Servicing System allowing the robotic arm to travel the length of the Station, the replacement of a wrist roll joint on the Station's robotic arm, and unloading supplies and science experiments form the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which made its third trip to the orbital outpost. The STS-111 mission, the 14th Shuttle mission to visit the ISS, was launched on June 5, 2002 and landed June 19, 2002.
NASA Studies Lightning Storm …
Name of Image NASA Studies Lightning Storms Using High-Flying, Uninhabited Vehicle
Date of Image 2002-08-01
Full Description A NASA team studying the causes of electrical storms and their effects on our home planet achieved a milestone on August 21, 2002, completing the study's longest-duration research flight and monitoring four thunderstorms in succession. Based at the Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, researchers with the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) used the Altus II remotely-piloted aircraft to study thunderstorms in the Atlantic Ocean off Key West and the west of the Everglades. The ACES lightning study used the Altus II twin turbo uninhabited aerial vehicle, built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. of San Diego. The Altus II was chosen for its slow flight speed of 75 to 100 knots (80 to 115 mph), long endurance, and high-altitude flight (up to 65,000 feet). These qualities gave the Altus II the ability to fly near and around thunderstorms for long periods of time, allowing investigations to be to be conducted over the entire life cycle of storms. The vehicle has a wing span of 55 feet and a payload capacity of over 300 lbs. With dual goals of gathering weather data safely and testing the adaptability of the uninhabited aircraft, the ACES study is a collaboration among the Marshall Space Flight Center, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, NASA,s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Pernsylvania State University in University Park, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
STS-109 Extra Vehicular Acti …
Name of Image STS-109 Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA)
Date of Image 2002-03-05
Full Description Astronaut James H. Newman, mission specialist, floats about in the Space Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay while working in tandem with astronaut Michael J. Massimino (out of frame),mission specialist, during the STS-109 mission's second day of extravehicular activity (EVA). Inside Columbia's cabin, astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, controlled the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to assist the two in their work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The RMS was used to capture the telescope and secure it into Columbia's cargo bay.Part of the giant telescope's base, latched down in the payload bay, can be seen behind Newman. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the HST. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had responsibility for the design, development, and contruction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. STS-109 upgrades to the HST included: replacement of the solar array panels, replacement of the power control unit (PCU), replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS), and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.
1 2 3 4
1-50 of 188