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OSTM Taken Off Plane

The shipping container with …

5/21/08

Description	The shipping container with the OSTM/Jason-2 spacecraft inside is offloaded from the aircraft at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OSTM, or Ocean Topography Mission, on the Jason-2 satellite is a follow-on to Jason-1. It will take oceanographic studies of sea surface height into an operational mode for continued climate forecasting research and science and industrial applications. This satellite altimetry data will help determine ocean circulation, climate change and sea-level rise. OSTM is a joint effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales and the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation. OSTM/Jason-2 will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 from Vandenberg on June 15. April 29, 2008 Photo credit: NASA/Steve Greenberg, JPL
Date	5/21/08

More Los Angeles Fire Images

Triple-digit temperatures, e …

9/1/09

Description	Triple-digit temperatures, extremely low relative humidities, dense vegetation that has not burned in decades, and years of extended drought are all contributing to the explosive growth of wildfires throughout Southern California. The Station fire, which began Aug. 26, 2009, in La Canada/Flintridge, not far from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, had reportedly burned 105,000 acres (164 square miles) of the Angeles National Forest by mid-day Aug. 31, destroying at least 21 homes and threatening more than 12,000 others. It is one of four major fires burning in Southern California at the present time. This image was acquired mid-morning on Aug. 30 by the backward (northward)-viewing camera of the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite. The image is shown in an approximate perspective view at an angle of 46 degrees off of vertical. The area covered by the image is 245 kilometers (152 miles) wide. Several pyrocumulus clouds, created by the Station Fire, are visible above the smoke plumes rising from the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles in the left-center of the image. Smoke from the Station fire is seen covering the interior valleys along the south side of the San Gabriel Mountains, along with parts of the City of Los Angeles and Orange County, and can be seen drifting for hundreds of kilometers to the east over the Mojave Desert. The accompanying plots are histograms that display the heights of the smoke plumes and wind speeds. In this data set, the plume is injecting smoke more than 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) above sea level. MISR observes the daylit Earth continuously and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees north and 82 degrees south latitude. This image was generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbit 51601. MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The MISR data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
Date	9/1/09

Cruising Over California

Looking for an inexpensive s …

6/29/09

Title	Cruising Over California
Date	6/29/09
Description	Looking for an inexpensive stay-cation? Join JPL scientist Mike Abrams for a space-based flyover tour of California.

Happy Halloween

The Cassini team sends "bats …

10/30/09

Description	The Cassini team sends "bats wishes" for a happy, healthy and fun Halloween. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Image Credit: NASA
Date	10/30/09

Happy New Year!

Wishing all a joyful new yea …

12/31/09

Description	Wishing all a joyful new year, members of the Cassini-Huygens team offer us their views of Saturn and the Cassini spacecraft. Cassini-Huygens, a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, which is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, for NASA. The Cassini orbiter (pictured at the top right of this image) and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. Image Credit: NASA/JPL
Date	12/31/09

Smoke over Lake Toba, Indone …

KidSat Images - Fires in Ind …

10/1/97

Date	10/1/97
Description	KidSat Images - Fires in Indonesia As the Space Shuttle Atlantis flew over the Indonesian archipelago on Saturday, September 27, middle school students across the country used the Kidsat camera to photograph the fires and smoke that blanket the island of Sumatra . A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E). [Mission Elaspsed Time (MET) 00215343 - 00215750] Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Nino which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. Due to the lack of trade winds, the seasonal warm waters in the eastern Pacific have spread over to South America. Consequently, the water temperature in Indonesia has dropped significantly. This decrease in temperature has not produced enough warm water vapor to produce the normal seasonal showers that usually encompass the area. The effects of the fires have been astronomical. So far the fire has been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839. To put a relative point to this number, a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. Currently, the fire's rage has been quelled by winds and rain which have lifted the smog and dampened the fires. However it is estimated that 100,000 fire fighters are needed to stop the fire. This KidSat image (MET 00215424) of the northern regions of Sumatra was captured on September 27, 1997 during the Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 3.1 degrees S 98.6 degrees E and is 140 km wide and 205 km long. Smoke from the fires completely covers the land. The only indication of surface features is from the clouds that rise above the smoke over Danau Toba, the largest lake in Sumatra. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. Commands are sent from middle schools through a Mission Operations Gateway at the University of California, San Diego, to a Thinkpad on the Shuttle flight deck. Images are transmitted back to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where they are immediately placed on the Internet for the KidSat students and the rest of the world to view and use. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). #####

Map of northern Sumatra, Ind …

This map corresponds to KidS …

10/1/97

Date	10/1/97
Description	This map corresponds to KidSat image MET 00215424 of the northern regions of Sumatra that was captured on September 27, 1997 during the Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 3.1 degrees S 98.6 degrees E. As the Space Shuttle Atlantis flew over the Indonesian archipelago last Friday, middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke that blanket Sumatra. A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E). Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Nino which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. Commands are sent from middle schools through a Mission Operations Gateway at the University of California, San Diego, to a Thinkpad on the Shuttle flight deck. Images are transmitted back to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where they are immediately placed on the Internet for the KidSat students and the rest of the world to view and use. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). #####

Southern tip of Sumatra, Ind …

KidSat Images - Fires in Ind …

10/1/97

Date	10/1/97
Description	KidSat Images - Fires in Indonesia Middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke over southern Sumatra from a camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis Saturday, September 2. A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E). [MET 00215343 - 00215750]. Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Nino which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. Due to the lack of trade winds, the seasonal warm waters in the eastern Pacific have spread over to South America. Consequently, the water temperature in Indonesia has dropped significantly. This decrease in temperature has not produced enough warm water vapor to produce the normal seasonal showers that usually encompass the area. The fire has now been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839. To put a relative point to this number, a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. Currently, the fire's rage has been quelled by winds and rain which have lifted the smog and dampened the fires. However it is estimated that 100,000 fire fighters are needed to stop the fire. This KidSat image (MET 00215624) of the southern tip of Sumatra was captured on September 27, 1997 during Space Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 3.0 degrees S, 102.9 degrees E and is 140 km wide and 205 km long. A clear view is visible of the southern tip of Sumatra with the volcanoes that make up the backbone of the island appearing darker than the surrounding land. Travelling northwest, the first smoke plumes are visible in the rain forests east of the mountains where land is being cleared for palm plantations. The prevailing winds are from the southeast and are blowing most of the smoke to the northwest of this image (see image 00215637 and 00215701). The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). #####

Southern Sumatra, Indonesia

KidSat Images - Fires in Ind …

10/1/97

Date	10/1/97
Description	KidSat Images - Fires in Indonesia Middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke over southern Sumatra from a camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis September 2. A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E). [MET 00215343 - 00215750]. Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Nino which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. Due to the lack of trade winds, the seasonal warm waters in the eastern Pacific have spread over to South America. Consequently, the water temperature in Indonesia has dropped significantly. This decrease in temperature has not produced enough warm water vapor to produce the normal seasonal showers that usually encompass the area. The fire has now been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839. To put a relative point to this number, a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. Currently, the fire's rage has been quelled by winds and rain which have lifted the smog and dampened the fires. However it is estimated that 100,000 fire fighters are needed to stop the fire. This KidSat image (MET 00215637) of the southern region of Sumatra was captured on September 27, 1997 during the Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 3.7 degrees S 103.4 degrees E and is 140 km wide and 205 km long. The smoke plumes appear in the rain forests east of the mountains where land is being cleared for palm plantations, the plumes indicate a prevailing wind to the northwest and rise above the continuous layer of smoke. Within a short distance, the region becomes completely blanketed in smoke with only the peaks of the volcanoes rising above the gray haze layer. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). #####

Sumatra, Indonesia

KidSat Images - Fires in Ind …

10/1/97

Date	10/1/97
Description	KidSat Images - Fires in Indonesia Middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke over southern Sumatra from a camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on September 27. A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E) [MET 00215343 - 00215750]. Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Nino which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. Due to the lack of trade winds, the seasonal warm waters in the eastern Pacific have spread over to South America. Consequently, the water temperature in Indonesia has dropped significantly. This decrease in temperature has not produced enough warm water vapor to produce the normal seasonal showers that usually encompass the area. The fire has now been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839. To put a relative point to this number, a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. Currently, the fire's rage has been quelled by winds and rain which have lifted the smog and dampened the fires. However it is estimated that 100,000 fire fighters are needed to stop the fire. This KidSat image (MET 00215701) of Sumatra was captured on September 27, 1997 during the Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 4.9 degrees S 104.3 degrees E and is 140 km wide and 205 km long. The smoke plumes appear in the rain forests east of the mountains where land is being cleared for palm plantations, the plumes indicate a prevailing wind to the northwest and rise above the continuous layer of smoke. For a geographic reference, see image #00215701_img_map. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). #####

Kidsat image of Sumatra, Indonesia & map

Kidsat image of Sumatra, Ind …

Middle school students acros …

10/1/97

Date	10/1/97
Description	Middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke over southern Sumatra from a camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis last Friday, September 26. A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra (7.44S, 106.1E) [MET 00215343 - 00215750]. Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Nino which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. Due to the lack of trade winds, the seasonal warm waters in the eastern Pacific have spread over to South America. Consequently, the water temperature in Indonesia has dropped significantly. This decrease in temperature has not produced enough warm water vapor to produce the normal seasonal showers that usually encompass the area. The fire has now been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839. To put a relative point to this number, a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. Currently, the fire's rage has been quelled by winds and rain which have lifted the smog and dampened the fires. However it is estimated that 100,000 fire fighters are needed to stop the fire. This KidSat image (MET 00215701) of Sumatra was captured on September 27, 1997 during the Shuttle flight STS-86. It is centered at 4.9 degrees S 104.3 degrees E and is 140 km wide and 205 km long. The smoke plumes appear in the rain forests east of the mountains where land is being cleared for palm plantations, the plumes indicate a prevailing wind to the northwest and rise above the continuous layer of smoke.The image is shown on a map of the region for geographic reference. Smoke from the fires completely covers the land. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). #####

Mars 2003 Rover

This artist's rendering show …

7/27/00

Date	7/27/00
Description	This artist's rendering shows a view of NASA's Mars 2003 Rover as it sets off roam the surface of the red planet. The rover is scheduled for launch in June 2003 and will arrive in January 2004, shielded in its landing by an airbag shell. The airbag/lander structure, which has no scientific instruments of its own, is shown to the right in this image, behind the rover. The rover will carry five scientific instruments and rock abrading device. The Panoramic Camera and the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer are located on the large mast shown on the front of the rover. The camera will be supplied by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the spectrometer will be supplied by Arizona State University in Tempe. The payload also includes magnetic targets, provided by the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, that will collect magnetic dust for further study by the science instruments. The Rock Abrasion Tool is located on a robotic arm that can be deployed to study rocks and soil.(In this view, the robotic arm is tucked under the front of the rover.) The tool, provided by Honeybee Robotics Ltd., New York, N.Y., will grind away the outer surfaces of rocks, which may be dusty and weathered, allowing the science instruments to determine the nature of rock interiors. The three instruments that will study the abraded rocks are a Mossbauer Spectrometer, provided by the Johannes Gutenberg- University Mainz, Germany, an Alpha-Proton X-ray Spectrometer provided by Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, also in Mainz, Germany, and a Microscopic Imager, supplied by JPL. The payload also includes magnetic targets, provided by the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, that will collect magnetic dust for further study by the science instruments. In a landing similar to that of the 1997 Mars Pathfinder spacecraft, a parachute will deploy to slow the spacecraft down and airbags will inflate to cushion the landing. Petals of the landing structure will unfold to release the rover, which will drive off to begin its exploration. JPL manages the Mars 2003 Rover for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY is the lead institution for the science payload. #####

Mars 2003 Rover

This artist's rendering show …

7/27/00

Date	7/27/00
Description	This artist's rendering shows a side view of NASA's Mars 2003 Rover as it sets off on its exploration of the red planet. The rover is scheduled for launch in June 2003 and will arrive at Mars in January 2004 with an airbag-shielded landing shell. The Mars 2003 Rover will carry five scientific instruments and a rock abrading tool. The instruments include a Panoramic Camera and a Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, both on the large mast shown on the front of the rover. A Mossbauer Spectrometer, an Alpha-Proton X-ray Spectrometer, and a Microscopic Imager are located on a robotic arm that is tucked under the front of the rover, as is a Rock Abrasion Tool that will grind away the outer surfaces of rocks to determine the nature of rock interiors. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars 2003 Rover for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY is the lead institution for the science payload. #####

Mars 2003 Rover

This is a close-up view of t …

7/27/00

Date	7/27/00
Description	This is a close-up view of the arm on NASA's Mars 2003 Rover that contains several of the scientific instruments. The Microscopic Imager is being extended toward the rock, the Alpha-Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is pointing back toward the rover body, the Mossbauer spectrometer is pointing away from the viewer (i.e., toward the rover's left front wheel), and the Rock Abrasion Tool is pointing toward the viewer. The rover is set for launch in June 2003 and will arrive at Mars in January 2004. JPL will manage the Mars 2003 Rover for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY is the lead institution for the science payload.

Radar images of newly discov …

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. #####

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

8/22/97

Date	8/22/97
Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), the Cassini spacecraft is being lifted for placement on a transporter which will move it to Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will study the planet, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology.

As it arrived at Jupiter on …

Description

As it arrived at Jupiter on December 7, 1995, NASA's Galileo orbiter received a stream of data transmissions -- represented by the blue dots in this artist's depiction -- from the atmospheric probe that was descending through Jupiter's clouds. The orbiter had released the probe five months earlier. The wok-shaped probe sent information to the orbiter for 57.6 minutes as it dropped about 200 kilometers (125 miles) through the atmosphere, before succumbing to atmospheric pressure about 23 times greater than the average at Earth's sea level. The probe returned data about sunlight, heat flux, pressure, temperature, winds, lightning and atmospheric composition. About one hour after the end of the probe's transmissions, the orbiter fired its main engine to brake into orbit around Jupiter. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

Mars '98 Camera

This photograph shows the Ma …

12/1/95

Date	12/1/95
Description	This photograph shows the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter Color Imager, a high resolution camera that will be flown aboard a NASA orbiter in 1998. The camera will be built by Dr. Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., San Diego, and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. This tiny instrument consists of two cameras with unique optics and identical focal plane assemblies, data acquisition system electronics and power supplies. The wide-angle camera will acquire daily weather maps of Mars with a surface resolution of 0.8 kilometers up to 7.2 kilometers (0.5 mile to 4.5 miles). The camera produces these maps in five spectral bands, including two ultraviolet bands that will characterize atmospheric ozone and provide global maps of other atmospheric phenomena such as clouds, hazes, dust storms and the polar hood. The medium-angle camera will be used to study selected areas of Mars with a resolution of 40 meters (131 feet) and observe alterations in the planet's surface over time due to changing atmospheric conditions and winds. Ten spectral channels will provide the ability to discriminate both atmospheric and surface features on the basis of composition. The Mars '98 Orbiter mission is tentatively scheduled for launch aboard a Med- Lite expendable launch vehicle in December 1998. The mission will be managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. #####

This artist's concept shows …

10/26/00

Date	10/26/00
Description	This artist's concept shows NASA's "smart lander" that is proposed for a launch in 2007. This capability will also demonstrate the technology for accurate landing and hazard avoidance in order to reach what may be very promising but difficult-to-reach scientific sites. The lander may carry a proposed concept of a future mobile science laboratory. JPL manages the Mars Exploration Program for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

JPL's MICROMESH BOLOMETER

Taking some lessons from nat …

Description

Taking some lessons from nature, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) designed a novel "micromesh bolometer" to measure minute temperature variations in the cosmic microwave background, which provides a snapshot of the universe about 300,000 years after the Big Bang. In a design reminiscent of a highly efficient spider's web, JPL's bolometer uses the least amount of material possible for optimal performance. Replacing solid crystalline materials used by conventional bolometers, JPL's web-shaped grid reduced the material needed by 99%. The silicon nitride supporting material for the balometer is only one micron thick, several microns wide, and up to ten thousand microns long. (A micron is roughly the thickness of a single strand in a spider's web, on 100 times finer than a human hair.) These features were etched onto the bolometer using advanced micromachining and photolithography techniques at JPL's Microdevices Laboratory. By absorbing millimeter-wave radiation from the cosmic microwave background, the bolometer measures the changing temperature of the micro web with a tiny thermometer made from specially developed Germanium. Changes in the thermometer indicate the amount of radiation detected. The bolometer measures minute temperature variations (a 100-millionths of a degree or 0.0001 C) in the cosmic microwave background. An Italian-designed cooling system also chills the sensor to three-tenths of a degree above absolute zero, giving the bolometer the high level of sensitivity needed to create the BOOMERANG maps. The Microdevices Laboratory is a state-of-the-art research and technology-development facility in the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology (CSMT) at JPL. Funding for the bolometer came from JPL's Technology and Applications Programs (TAP) Directorate. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology on behalf of NASA #####

BOOMERANG MAP OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND

BOOMERANG MAP OF THE COSMIC …

This image is the first high …

Description

This image is the first highly detailed "snapshot" or "map" of the cosmic microwave background, which provides a snapshot of the universe when the radiation formed about 300,000 years after the Big Bang. At this time, regions with a higher density of matter and energy left a record in the background radiation. The minute temperature fluctuations in this map trace the interaction of photons and matter. The characteristic structures serve as a "thumbprint" that tells us about the nature, composition, and relative abundance of all forms of matter and energy in the universe. The pattern shown is consistent with an inflationary theory of cosmic development, which proposes that the universe went through a period of extreme, exponential inflation in the first moments after the Big Bang. This theory further predicts a flat geometry for the universe, because the immense stretching of space during inflation would have removed any initially strong curvature in the smaller and denser early universe. This map was obtained by internationally sponsored BOOMERANG (Balloon Observations of Millimetric Extragalactic Radiation and Geophysics) balloon experiment, which flew 36 km. (23 mi.) above the atmosphere in Antarctica, December, 1998. Created at JPL's Microdevices Laboratory, a highly sensitive, micromesh bolometer was a critical component in creating the map. The spiderweb- shaped bolometer measured minute temperature variations of only 100-millionths of a degree (0.0001 C) in the cosmic microwave background. In this image, areas with slightly higher temperatures show up as red. In those areas, the density of matter and energy is higher. Bluer, colder areas are less dense. The BOOMERANG Project was led by Dr. Andrew Lange of the California Institute of Technology and by Dr. Paolo DeBernardis of the University of Rome La Sapienza. Primary funding for BOOMERANG was provided by the NSF and NASA in the United States, the Italian Space Agency, the Italian Antarctic Research Programme and the University of Rome La Sapienza in Italy, and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council in the United Kingdom. The Department of Energy's National Energy Research Supercomputing Center provided high-level computer analysis of the dataset. The Microdevices Laboratory is a state-of-the-art research and technology-development facility in the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology (CSMT) at JPL. Funding for the bolometer came from JPL's Technology and Applications Programs (TAP) Directorate. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology on behalf of NASA. #####

HURRICANE CARLOTTA SPINS IN …

With winds reaching 250 kilo …

7/7/00

Date	7/7/00
Description	With winds reaching 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph), this year's Hurricane Carlotta became the second strongest eastern Pacific June hurricane on record. New images from NASA's Multi- angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) show the hurricane on June 21, the day of its peak intensity. MISR, built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is one of several Earth-observing instruments aboard NASA's Terra satellite, which was launched in December 1999. This set of images has been oriented so that the spacecraft's flight path is from left to right, north is at the left. The top image is a color view from MISR's vertical (nadir) camera, showing Carlotta's location in the eastern Pacific Ocean, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The middle image is a stereoscopic anaglyph created using MISR's nadir camera plus one of its aftward-viewing cameras, and shows a closer view of the area around the hurricane. Viewing with red/blue glasses (red filter over the left eye) is required to obtain a 3-D stereo effect. Near the center of the storm, the eye is about 25 kilometers (16 miles) in diameter and partially obscured by a thin cloud. About 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the left of the eye, the sharp drop- off from high-level to low-level cloud gives a sense of the vertical extent of the hidden eye wall. The low-level cloud is spiraling counterclockwise into the center of the cyclone. It then rises in the vicinity of the eye wall and emerges with a clockwise rotation at high altitude. Maximum surface winds are found near the eye wall. The bottom stereo image is a zoomed-in view of convective clouds in the hurricane's spiral arms. The arms are breeding grounds for severe thunderstorms, with associated heavy rain and flooding, frequent lightning, and tornadoes. Thunderstorms rise in dramatic fashion to about the same altitude as the high cloud near the hurricane's center, and are made up of individual cells that are typically less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) in diameter. This image shows a number of these cells, some fairly isolated, and others connected together. Their three-dimensional structure is clearly apparent in this stereo view. More information about MISR is available at: http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov MISR scientific data products are available through the Atmospheric Sciences Data Center at NASA Langley Research Center: http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov The Terra mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. #####

The Saturn-bound Cassini spa …

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.]

Still from high-clouds Jupit …

This image is one of seven f …

12/11/00

Date	12/11/00
Description	This image is one of seven from the narrow-angle camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft assembled as a brief movie of high-altitude cloud movements on Jupiter. It was taken in early October 2000. The images were taken at a wavelength that is absorbed by methane, one chemical in Jupiter's lower clouds. So, dark areas are relatively free of high clouds, and the camera sees through to the methane in a lower level. Bright areas are places with high, thick clouds that shield the methane below. The area shown covers latitudes from 50 degrees north to 50 degrees south and a 100-degree sweep of longitude. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # #

Jupiter Eye to Io

This image taken by NASA's C …

12/11/00

Date	12/11/00
Description	This image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Dec. 1, 2000, shows details of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and other features that were not visible in images taken earlier, when Cassini was farther from Jupiter. The picture is a color composite, with enhanced contrast, taken from a distance of 28.6 million kilometers (17.8 million miles). It has a resolution of 170 kilometers (106 miles) per pixel. Jupiter's closest large moon, Io, is visible at left. The edges of the Red Spot are cloudier with ammonia haze than the spot's center is. The filamentary structure in the center appears to spiral outward toward the edge. NASA's Galileo spacecraft has previously observed the outer edges of the Red Spot to be rotating rapidly counterclockwise, while the inner portion was rotating weakly in the opposite direction. Whether the same is true now will be answered as Cassini gets closer to Jupiter and interior cloud features become sharper. Cassini will make its closest approach to Jupiter, at a distance of about 10 million kilometers (6 million miles), on Dec. 30, 2000. The Red Spot region has changed in one notable way over the years: In images from NASA's Voyager and Galileo spacecraft, the area surrounding the Red Spot is dark, indicating relatively cloud-free conditions. Now, some bright white ammonia clouds have filled in the clearings. This appears to be part of a general brightening of Jupiter's cloud features during the past two decades. Jupiter has four large moons and an array of tiny ones. In this picture, Io is visible. The white and reddish colors on Io's surface are due to the presence of different sulfurous materials while the black areas are due to silicate rocks. Like the other large moons, Io always keeps the same hemisphere facing Jupiter, called the sub-Jupiter hemisphere. The opposite side, much of which we see here, is the anti-Jupiter hemisphere. Io has more than 100 active volcanoes spewing very hot lava and giant plumes of gas and dust. Its biggest plume, Pele, is near the bottom left edge of Io's disk as seen here. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # #

High Latitude Mottling on Ju …

The familiar banded appearan …

12/18/00

Date	12/18/00
Description	The familiar banded appearance of Jupiter at low and middle latitudes gradually gives way to a more mottled appearance at high latitudes in this striking true color image taken Dec. 13, 2000, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. The intricate structures seen in the polar region are clouds of different chemical composition, height and thickness. Clouds are organized by winds, and the mottled appearance in the polar regions suggests more vortex-type motion and winds of less vigor at higher latitudes. The cause of this difference is not understood. One possible contributor is that the horizontal component of the Coriolis force, which arises from the planet's rotation and is responsible for curving the trajectories of ocean currents and winds on Earth, has its greatest effect at high latitudes and vanishes at the equator. This tends to create small, intense vortices at high latitudes on Jupiter. Another possibility may lie in that fact that Jupiter overall emits nearly as much of its own heat as it absorbs from the Sun, and this internal heat flux is very likely greater at the poles. This condition could lead to enhanced convection at the poles and more vortex-type structures. Further analysis of Cassini images, including analysis of sequences taken over a span of time, should help us understand the cause of equator-to-pole differences in cloud organization and evolution. By the time this picture was taken, Cassini had reached close enough to Jupiter to allow the spacecraft to return images with more detail than what's possible with the planetary camera on NASA's Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. The resolution here is 114 kilometers (71 miles) per pixel. This contrast- enhanced, edge-sharpened frame was composited from images take at different wavelengths with Cassini's narrow-angle camera, from a distance of 19 million kilometers (11.8 million miles). The spacecraft was in almost a direct line between the Sun and Jupiter, so the solar illumination on Jupiter is almost full phase. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # #

Io in Front of Jupiter

Jupiter's four largest satel …

12/20/00

Date	12/20/00
Description	Jupiter's four largest satellites, including Io, the golden ornament in front of Jupiter in this image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, have fascinated Earthlings ever since Galileo Galilei discovered them in 1610 in one of his first astronomical uses of the telescope. Images from Cassini that will be released over the next several days capture each of the four Galilean satellites in their orbits around the giant planet. This true-color composite frame, made from narrow angle images taken on Dec. 12, 2000, captures Io and its shadow in transit against the disk of Jupiter. The distance of the spacecraft from Jupiter was 19.5 million kilometers (12.1 million miles). The image scale is 117 kilometers (73 miles) per pixel. The entire body of Io, about the size of Earth's Moon, is periodically flexed as it speeds around Jupiter and feels, as a result of its non-circular orbit, the periodically changing gravitational pull of the planet. The heat arising in Io's interior from this continual flexure makes it the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with more than 100 active volcanoes. The white and reddish colors on its surface are due to the presence of different sulfurous materials. The black areas are silicate rocks. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # #

Europa, Callisto and Jupiter

One moment in an ancient, or …

12/21/00

Date	12/21/00
Description	One moment in an ancient, orbital dance is caught in this color picture taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Dec. 7, 2000, just as two of Jupiter's four major moons, Europa and Callisto, were nearly perfectly aligned with each other and the center of the planet. The distances are deceiving. Europa, seen against Jupiter, is 600,000 kilometers (370,000 miles) above the planet's cloud tops. Callisto, at lower left, is nearly three times that distance from the cloud tops. Europa is a bit smaller than Earth's Moon and has one of the brightest surfaces in the solar system. Callisto is 50 percent bigger -- roughly the size of Saturn's largest satellite, Titan -- and three times darker than Europa. Its brightness had to be enhanced in this picture, relative Europa's and Jupiter's, in order for Callisto to be seen in this image. Europa and Callisto have had very different geologic histories but share some surprising similarities, such as surfaces rich in ice. Callisto has apparently not undergone major internal compositional stratification, but Europa's interior has differentiated into a rocky core and an outer layer of nearly pure ice. Callisto's ancient surface is completely covered by large impact craters: The brightest features seen on Callisto in this image were discovered by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979 to be bright craters, like those on our Moon. In contrast, Europa's young surface is covered by a wild tapestry of ridges, chaotic terrain and only a handful of large craters. Recent data from the magnetometer carried by the Galileo spacecraft, which has been in orbit around Jupiter since 1995, indicate the presence of conducting fluid, most likely salty water, inside both Callisto and Europa. Scientists are eager to discover whether the surface of Saturn's Titan resembles that of Callisto or Europa, or whether it is entirely different, when Cassini finally reaches its destination in 2004. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona #####

Still from Planetwide Movie

This single frame from a col …

12/27/00

Date	12/27/00
Description	This single frame from a color movie of Jupiter from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows what it would look like to unpeel the entire globe of Jupiter, stretch it out on a wall into the form of a rectangular map. The image is a color cylindrical projection of the complete circumference of Jupiter, from 60 degrees south to 60 degrees north. It was produced from six images taken by Cassini's narrow- band camera on Oct. 31, 2000, in each of three filters: red, green and blue. The smallest visible features at the equator are about 600 kilometers (about 370 miles) across. In a map of this type, the most extreme northern and southern latitudes are unnaturally stretched out. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # #

Digital Person Face on Compu …

This image shows a computer …

6/13/00

Date	6/13/00
Description	This image shows a computer screen with a person's face that is being controlled by a digital, voice-driven, human-image animation computer system under development at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The software uses the smallest units of speech, called phonemes, to manipulate facial movements. While development is in the early stages at this point, the eventual result will be photo-realistic animation of a person speaking. The system, called Digital Personnel, will make it possible to use an image of any human face and make it appear to be speaking naturally. Digital Personnel could have numerous applications, including Web-based customer support, with user-friendly speaking interfaces, video telephones, broadcasting, distance learning, video games, and motion pictures. Graphco Technologies Inc. has acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to Digital Personnel, a patent pending technology that makes it possible to synthesize photo-realistic talking individuals for online commerce and support. The license was originally issued by the California Institute of Technology to Digital Personnel Inc., a subsidiary of Utek Corp., Plant City, Fla. Digital Personnel, Inc., was acquired by Graphco Technologies Inc., earlier this year from Utek Corp. and Caltech. Graphco Technologies, Inc. develops and markets secure database and secure communications systems. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech. #####

Digital Person Mouth Close-u …

This image of a human mouth …

6/13/00

Date	6/13/00
Description	This image of a human mouth shows the areas that correspond to the smallest units of speech, called phonemes, that are used in a digital human-image animation computer system under development at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The software uses speech patterns to manipulate facial movements. While development is in the early stages at this point, the eventual result will be photo-realistic animation of a person speaking. The system, called Digital Personnel, will make it possible to use an image of any human face and make it appear to be speaking naturally. Digital Personnel could have numerous applications, including web-based customer support, with user-friendly speaking interfaces, video telephones, broadcasting, distance learning, video games, and motion pictures. Graphco Technologies Inc. has acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to Digital Personnel, a patent pending technology that makes it possible to synthesize photo-realistic talking individuals for online commerce and support. The license was originally issued by the California Institute of Technology to Digital Personnel Inc., a subsidiary of Utek Corp., Plant City, Fla. Digital Personnel, Inc., was acquired by Graphco Technologies, Inc., earlier this year from Utek Corp. and Caltech. Graphco Technologies, Inc. develops and markets secure database and secure communications systems. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech. #####

Electronic Nose

This electronic nose, develo …

5/1/00

Date	5/1/00
Description	This electronic nose, developed and built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., was flown on the Space Shuttle during Mission STS-95 in October 1998. The E-Nose was able to determine changes in humidity accurately, but none of the 10 contaminants the E-Nose was trained to monitor was present. A cabin humidity monitor confirmed the humidity changes, while results of contaminant monitoring were confirmed using air samples brought back from the flight. Researchers are continuing to further develop E-Nose's capability to detect various odors and differentiate between those that signify danger and those that do not. This is especially important for the space station and any future space outpost that features a closed human habitat. Size and power requirements are important, too, since quarters will be constricted. The unit shown is only about the size of a large paperback and weighs 1.4 kilograms (about 3 pounds), including the small operating computer to the left. The computer attaches to the top of the box, which contains the electronics and sensors required for the experiment. The unit uses an average of 1.5 watts of power. Dimensions are 18.5 by 11.5 by 12 centimeters (7-3/4 by 4-1/2 by 4-3/4 inches). JPL scientists plan to make the unit even smaller and expand its odor detection sensitivity from 12 to 24 compounds. The JPL E-Nose flown on the Space Shuttle used sensor technology from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech. #####

Sulfuric Acid on Europa

Frozen sulfuric acid on Jupi …

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. #####

Eyeing Ganymede

Jupiter casts a baleful eye …

12/5/00

Date	12/5/00
Description	Jupiter casts a baleful eye toward the moon Ganymede in this enhanced-contrast image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Jupiter's `eye', the Great Red Spot, was captured just before disappearing around the eastern edge of the planet. The furrowed eyebrow above and to the left of the spot is a turbulent wake region caused by westward flow that has been deflected to the north and around the Red Spot. The smallest features visible are about 240 kilometers (150 miles) across. Within the band south of the Red Spot are a trio of white ovals, high pressure counterclockwise-rotating regions that are dynamically similar to the Red Spot. The dark filamentary features interspersed between white ovals are probably cyclonic circulations and, unlike the ovals, are rotating clockwise. Jupiter's equatorial zone stretching across the planet north of the Spot appears bright white, with gigantic plume clouds spreading out from the equator both to the northeast and to the southeast in a chevron pattern. This zone looks distinctly different than it did during the Voyager flyby 21 years ago. Then, its color was predominantly brown and the only white plumes conspicuous against the darker material beneath them were oriented southwest-to-northeast. Ganymede is Jupiter's largest moon, about 50 percent larger than our own Moon and larger than the planet Mercury. The visible details in this image are different geological terrains. Dark areas tend to be older and heavily cratered, brighter areas are younger and less cratered. Cassini images of Ganymede and Jupiter's other large moons taken near closest approach on Dec. 30 will have resolutions about four times better than that seen here. This image is a color composite of ones taken with different filters by Cassini's narrow-angle camera on Nov. 18, 2000, processed to enhance contrast. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # #

Airborne images of the Willo …

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. #####

Airborne images of the Willo …

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. #####

Gorgonum Crater Mars Global …

Numerous deep channels desce …

6/29/00

Date	6/29/00
Description	Numerous deep channels descending a Martian crater wall, and the debris they left behind, are seen in this mosaic of two images taken by the camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The area shown is the northwestern wall of an approximately 12 kilometer- (7.4 mile-) wide meteor crater east of the Gorgonum Chaos region in the Martian southern hemisphere. These are deep channels and the number of them and the debris they left behind indicate that as many as tens to hundreds of individual events involving the flow of water and debris have occurred here. The channels and the debris areas look sharp and there are no small meteor impact craters on them, suggesting that these features are extremely young relative to the 4.5 billion-year history of Mars. It is possible that these landforms are still being created by water seeping from the layered rock in the crater wall today. This is a mosaic of pictures taken by Mars Global Surveyor on April 26, 2000, and May 22, 2000. The scene covers an area approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide by 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) long. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. The image is located near 37.4 degrees South by 168.0 degrees West. The Mars Orbiter camera high-resolution images are taken in black-and- white (grayscale), the color seen here has been synthesized from the colors of Mars observed by the spacecraft's wide-angle cameras and by the Viking Orbiters in the late 1970s. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. ##### Images Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Himalia, a Small Moon of Jup …

NASA's Cassini spacecraft ca …

1/23/01

Date	1/23/01
Description	NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured images of Himalia, the brightest of Jupiter's outer moons, on Dec. 19, 2000, from a distance of 4.4 million kilometers (2.7 million miles). This near-infrared image, with a resolution of about 27 kilometers (17 miles) per pixel, indicates that the side of Himalia facing the spacecraft is roughly 160 kilometers (100 miles) in the up-down direction. Himalia probably has a non- spherical shape. Scientists believe it is a body captured into orbit around Jupiter, most likely an irregularly shaped asteroid. In the main frame, an arrow indicates Himalia. North is up. The inset shows the little moon magnified by a factor of 10, plus a graphic indicating Himalia's size and the direction of lighting (with sunlight coming from the left). Cassini's pictures of Himalia were taken during a brief period when Cassini's attitude was stabilized by thrusters instead of by a steadier reaction- wheel system. No spacecraft or telescope had previously shown any of Jupiter's outer moons as more than a star-like single dot. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona # # # # #

WFPC2--Horsehead Nebula

In honor of the 11th birthda …

4/24/01

Date	4/24/01
Description	In honor of the 11th birthday of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and by popular demand, the Hubble team has released this new image of the Horsehead nebula, taken by its Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Last year, 5,000 online voters, including students, teachers, and professional and amateur astronomers, chose the nebula as an astronomical target for Hubble to observe. Rising from a sea of dust and gas like a giant seahorse, the Horsehead nebula is one of the most photographed objects in the sky. Hubble's WFPC2 camera took a close-up look at this heavenly icon, revealing the cloud's intricate structure. The Horsehead, also known as Barnard 33, is a cold, dark cloud of gas and dust silhouetted against the bright red nebula IC 434. The bright area at the top left edge is a young star still embedded in its nursery of gas and dust. But radiation from this hot star is eroding the stellar nursery. The top of the nebula also is being sculpted by radiation from a massive star located out of Hubble's field-of-view. The nebula was first discovered on a photographic plate in the late 1800s. It is located in the constellation Orion just south of the bright star Zeta Orionis, which is easily visible to the unaided eye as the left-hand star in the line of three that form Orion's Belt. This image was composed by the Hubble Heritage Team at the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. The team superimposed Hubble data onto ground-based data taken by Nigel A. Sharp at the .9-meter (35-inch) telescope at the National Science Foundation's Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Ariz. Additional images and an animation of the Horsehead nebula are available at http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2001may/supplemental.html . NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was launched on April 24, 1990. The Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). JPL, which designed and built the WFPC2 camera, is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope and more images are available at http://www.stsci.edu . More information about WFPC2 is at http://wfpc2.jpl.nasa.gov . Image Credit: NASA, NOAO, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: K. Noll (Hubble Heritage PI/STScI), C. Luginbuhl (USNO), F. Hamilton (Hubble Heritage/STScI) #####

HR 4796 with Dust Disk

This color image of the star …

4/21/98

Date	4/21/98
Description	This color image of the star HR 4796 and its surrounding dust disk was taken on March 15, 1998 at the Keck II Observatory atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii, using MIRLIN, JPL's mid-infrared camera. Images were taken at two different infrared wavelengths (12 and 21 micrometers) and are represented by bluish green and red in this picture. The star, which is similar to our Sun, appears white in this image. A much cooler disk of dust, a few times larger than our own solar system, appears red. A slight decrease in the brightness between the star and the outer parts of the disk implies that material in this region has condensed to form planets. The bright outer disk may represent material left over from this planet-building phase and could still be actively forming comets. The W.M. Keck Observatory is owned and operated by the California Association for Research in Astronomy, a joint venture between the University of California, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA, and NASA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, a division of Caltech, manages the use of the W.M. Keck Observatory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image of HR 4796 is posted on the World Wide Web, at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/hr4796.html #####

Antarctic Ice Borehole Probe …

Ice and debris layers are se …

3/16/01

Date	3/16/01
Description	Ice and debris layers are seen within the West Antarctic ice sheet in this image taken by the downward-looking camera of an ice probe designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The image, the first of its kind from deep within an Antarctic ice stream, was taken at almost 1,063 meters (nearly 3,488 feet), as the probe made its way back up a borehole to the surface. Though the process that led to the layering is not yet fully understood, scientists think that upstream, ice and gravel have frozen onto the base of the ice sheet. With the ice streams in constant motion, water may slide under debris-laden layers, lifting them up, allowing the process to repeat. Further research on these ice layers could help researchers understand the processes going on upstream and learn how ice streams flow and stop flowing. The ball chain, seen in the lower right hand side of the image, was used for scale. The balls are approximately 1 millimeter in diameter. The image was obtained during work associated with the Antarctic Ice Borehole Probe Project, a collaborative effort of JPL and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va. The West Antarctic ice sheet, along with the rest of the Antarctic ice sheet, holds a potential treasure trove of information related to the geological history of this frozen continent and the mechanisms by which ice travels from the ice sheet to the sea. Studies show that significant changes in glacier melting and flow rates could have a considerable impact on global sea levels. The three-month glaciological investigation, from October 2000 to January 2001, took place at Stream C, an area in the West Antarctic ice sheet where 150 years ago the ice suddenly stopped flowing in one area in the middle of the stream. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL

Antarctic Ice Borehole Probe …

Thin sandwich-like layers of …

3/16/01

Date	3/16/01
Description	Thin sandwich-like layers of clear and debris-laden ice can be seen in this image, the first of its kind obtained from deep within an Antarctic ice stream on the West Antarctic ice sheet. The image, captured by the side-looking camera of an ice probe designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., was taken down a borehole 1,200 meters (over 3,900 feet) deep, during the Antarctic Ice Borehole Probe Project. Though the process is not fully understood, scientists think that, upstream, ice and gravel have frozen onto the base of the ice sheet. With the ice streams in constant motion, water may slide under debris- laden layers, lifting them up, allowing the process to repeat. Further research on these ice layers could provide significant information about the processes occurring upstream and help researchers understand how ice streams flow and stop flowing. The West Antarctic ice sheet, along with the rest of the Antarctic ice sheet, holds a potential treasure trove of information related to the geological history of this frozen continent and the mechanisms by which ice travels from the ice sheet to the sea. Studies show that significant changes in glacier melting and flow rates could have a considerable impact on global sea levels. The Antarctic Ice Borehole Project is a collaborative effort of JPL and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va. The three-month glaciological investigation, from October 2000 to January 2001, took place at Stream C, an area in the West Antarctic ice sheet where 150 years ago the ice suddenly stopped flowing in one area in the middle of the stream. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL

Antarctic Ice Borehole Probe …

A water-filled cavity, seen …

3/16/01

Date	3/16/01
Description	A water-filled cavity, seen in this image, resides at the base of an Antarctic ice stream. Discovered during the Antarctic Ice Borehole Project, this water pocket was captured by the side- looking camera of an ice probe designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The water cavity measures approximately 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) deep and is thought to aid in the flow of ice streams. Based on previous calculations, researchers expected the depth of a water basal cavity to be only in the millimeter range. The West Antarctic ice sheet, along with the rest of the Antarctic ice sheet, holds a potential treasure trove of information related to the geological history of this frozen continent and the mechanisms by which ice travels from the ice sheet to the sea. Studies show that significant changes in glacier melting and flow rates could have a considerable impact on global sea levels. The Antarctic Ice Borehole Project is a collaborative effort of JPL and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va. The three-month glaciological investigation, from October 2000 to January 2001, took place at Stream C, an area in the West Antarctic ice sheet where 150 years ago the ice suddenly stopped flowing in one area in the middle of the stream. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL

Mosaic image of fires in Indonesia Kidsat image #00215701_img_map

Mosaic image of fires in Ind …

Middle school students acros …

10/1/97

Date	10/1/97
Description	Middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke over southern Sumatra from a camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis September 27. A joint effort between 23 of the 52 schools participating in this mission, the KidSat camera was used to image a 140 km wide, 1950 km long strip that starts in the northwest (5.24 degrees N, 97.11 degrees E), and follows the Pegunungan Barisan range across the equator to the southern tip of Sumatra 7.44S, 106.1E [MET 00215343 - 00215750]. Smoldering underground fires have raged uncontrolled for the past few weeks in Southeast Asia. Originally set to clear land for agriculture, the fires are usually extinguished by the annual monsoon rains. However, this year, the rains had not come due to El Nino which produces dry conditions in the Indonesia region. Due to the lack of trade winds, the seasonal warm waters in the eastern Pacific have spread over to South America. Consequently, the water temperature in Indonesia has dropped significantly. This decrease in temperature has not produced enough warm water vapor to produce the normal seasonal showers that usually encompass the area. The fire has now been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839. To put a relative point to this number, a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. Currently, the fire's rage has been quelled by winds and rain which have lifted the smog and dampened the fires. However it is estimated that 100,000 fire fighters are needed to stop the fire. The KidSat image shown here is a mosaic of three images of the 16 image series (Mission Elapsed Time) 00215624, 00215637, 00215701, the center latitude and longitude of each image, respectively, is 3.0 degrees S 102.9 degrees E, 3.7 degrees S 103.4 degrees E, 4.9 degrees S 104.3 degrees E and is 140 km wide and 400 km long. The images were captured on September 27, 1997 during Shuttle flight STS-86. Starting in the south (right) and traveling northwest (left), a clear view is visible of the southern tip of Sumatra with the volcanoes that make up the backbone of the island appearing darker than the surrounding land. Further northwest, the first smoke plumes appear in the rain forests east of the mountains where land is being cleared for palm plantations, the plumes indicate a prevailing wind to the northwest. Within a short distance, the region becomes completely blanketed in smoke with only the peaks of the volcanoes rising above the gray haze layer. The KidSat camera that photographed these fires is mounted in the overhead starboard window of the Shuttle Atlantis and operates before and after docking with Mir when the Shuttle's windows face the Earth. Students on the ground are linked to the camera through the Internet and a series of satellites. High school and undergraduate students work in collaboration with scientists and engineers to develop and operate the KidSat systems. Curriculum developed by The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth is used in the middle school classrooms to encourage scientific inquiry based on the images. The photographs from the three missions of the KidSat pilot program can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/kidsat The KidSat program was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth, and The University of California, San Diego, with support from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The project is supported by NASA's Office of Human Resources and Education with support from NASA's Offices of Mission to Planet Earth, Space Flight, and Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Galilean Moon Interiors

This artist's concept shows …

6/4/98

Date	6/4/98
Description	This artist's concept shows cross-sections of the four largest moons of Jupiter, with the interior structures based on the latest information sent back by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The moons depicted are (clockwise from bottom right) Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. Scientists have modified their concept of Callisto's interior, based on the most recent Galileo findings. Whereas previously they believed that Callisto was completely undifferentiated, with a uniform mixture of rock and ice, scientists now say the interior has some separation of the ice and rock, but not nearly as much as the other three moons. Galileo data indicate that Ganymede is separated into a metallic core, rock mantle, and ice-rich outer shell, while Io has a metallic core and rock mantle, but no ice. Galileo data has also helped scientists refine their model of Europa's structure. They believe Europa has a metallic core surrounded by a rock mantle and a water ice-liquid outer shell. The core may be up to half the size of Europa's radius, with the water ice-liquid shell estimated to be between 80 to 170 kilometers thick (50 to 106 miles), with 100 kilometers (62 miles) considered the most likely thickness. Information on the interior structure of the four moons was obtained by studying radio Doppler data that is gathered when Galileo flies by the satellites. Each moon exerts a gravitational tug, but the tug's strength is determined by how much rock is contained within the moon (the higher the rock content, the stronger the tug). The tug changes the spacecraft's speed and the radio frequency of its signals. Scientists study those changes to determine the rock content and structure of the moon. This material was presented to the American Astronomical Society meeting in San Diego, CA on June 4, 1998. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image, along with other images and data received from Galileo, is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . #####

MRPS #80839 (Sol 2) Color mosaic of rover & terrain

MRPS #80839 (Sol 2) Color mo …

The Sojourner rover and unde …

7/5/97

Date	7/5/97
Description	The Sojourner rover and undeployed ramps onboard the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft can be seen in in this image, by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on July 4 (Sol 1). This image has been corrected for the curvature created by parallax. The microrover Sojourner is latched to the petal, and has not yet been deployed. The ramps are a pair of deployable metal reels which will provide a track for the rover as it slowly rolls off the lander, over the spacecraft's deflated airbags, and onto the surface of Mars. Pathfinder scientists will use this image to determine whether it is safe to deploy the ramps. One or both of the ramps will be unfurled, and then scientists will decide whether the rover will use either the forward or backward ramp for its descent. Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low- cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator. #####

MRPS #80823 (Sol 1) Airbag r …

This image shows that the Ma …

7/4/97

Date	7/4/97
Description	This image shows that the Mars Pathfinder airbags have been successfully retracted, allowing safe deployment of the rover ramps. The Sojourner rover, still in its deployed position, is at center image, and rocks are visible in the background. Mars Pathfinder landed successfully on the surface of Mars today at 10:07 a.m. PDT. Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low- cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) was developed by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory under contract to JPL. Peter Smith is the Principal Investigator.

Space Sail Concept

A lightweight sail (center) …

7/5/00

Date	7/5/00
Description	A lightweight sail (center) that could be used to propel a spacecraft for interstellar exploration is depicted in this frame from an animation. In this image, the sail receives beamed energy from a solar-powered satellite. The satellite converts its power to a microwave or laser beam to aim toward the sail. NASA scientists recently demonstrated both the microwave and laser beam concepts in successful laboratory experiments. Future spacecraft that explore the depths of space will need to be very lightweight and be propelled by a reliable source of energy. Solar sails and microwave- and laser-beamed sails meet these requirements, with minimal weight since in the first case the "engine" is the Sun, and in the latter two the engine is left at the point of origin. By use of a remote laser or microwave source from a satellite, beamed energy can be directed to the exploring spacecraft's sails. The result is the same as a sailboat receiving energy from the wind. Sails for both the microwave and laser experiments were made of carbon-carbon microtruss fabric. This very light but stiff fabric can withstand high temperatures that are typical of flight-level power densities. JPL manages Interstellar Technology Development for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. #####

LOS ALAMOS FIRE IMAGED BY NASA SATELLITE

LOS ALAMOS FIRE IMAGED BY NA …

The fire that has raged out …

5/19/00

Date	5/19/00
Description	The fire that has raged out of control this month near Los Alamos, New Mexico, was captured in a series of images by the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) on NASA's Terra satellite. The picture is available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pictures/misr These true-color images covering north-central New Mexico capture the bluish-white smoke plume of the Los Alamos fire, just west of the Rio Grande river. The middle image is a downward-looking or "nadir" view taken by MISR. As the satellite flew from north to south, the instrument viewed the scene from nine different angles. The top image was taken by the MISR camera looking 60 degrees forward along its orbit, whereas the bottom image looks 60 degrees aft. The fire plume stands out more dramatically in the steep-angle views. Its color and brightness also change with angle. By comparison, a thin, white water cloud appears in the upper right portion of the scene, and is most easily detected in the top image. MISR scientists use these angle-to-angle differences to monitor particulate pollution and to identify different types of haze. Such observations allow scientists to study how airborne particles interact with sunlight, a measure of their impact on Earth's climate system. The images are about 400 km (250 miles) wide. The spatial resolution of the nadir image is 275 meters (300 yards), resolution is 1.1 kilometers (1,200 yards) for the off-nadir images. North is toward the top. MISR is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, for NASA' s Office of Earth Science, Washington, D.C. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. ##### Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Science Team.

MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR CAPTURES MORE VIEWS OF GULLIES

MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR CAPTURE …

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor …

11/17/00

Date	11/17/00
Description	NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars, simultaneously snapped both a wide-angle and high-resolution view of Hale crater that show gullies -- possibly carved by water -- in the peaks of sand dunes inside the crater. The Global Surveyor images, which support findings release last spring, are available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov , http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs or http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/nov_00_hale/ . Mars Global Surveyor is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.

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