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NASA Armstrong and JPL team up to monitor Louisiana wetlands – Video

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NASA Armstrong and JPL team up to monitor Louisiana wetlands
NASA #39;s C-20A science research aircraft carries a specialized radar system developed by NASA #39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture...

By: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

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NASA Armstrong and JPL team up to monitor Louisiana wetlands - Video

NASA study: Vegetation decline seen in wake of drying Amazon

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GREENBELT, Md., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- As revealed by a newly concluded 13-year NASA study, vegetation in the Amazon is becoming smaller and less green as precipitation totals have tapered. The research, showcased in the latest issue of PNAS, features a new technique for analyzing vegetation health via satellite imagery.

The technique involves the observation of a forest from low Earth orbit -- measuring the change in "greenness" of plants and trees over time. While a separate study measured a 25 percent decline in rainfall across two-thirds of Amazon between 2000 and 2012, the new NASA analysis calculated a corresponding 0.8 percent decline in greenness.

The decline may seem small in comparison, but the nearly one-percent de-greening effect can be seen across a swath of rainforest stretching 2.1 million square miles.

That's not just bad news for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station who enjoy the Amazon's rich hues; it's also worrisome for those who are hoping South America's massive rainforest can be a strong ally in the fight against climate change. The massive canopy, most of which lies in Brazil, acts as an important heat sink -- capturing excess greenhouse gases, the active ingredient in global warming.

"In other words, if greenness declines, this is an indication that less carbon will be removed from the atmosphere," lead study author Thomas Hilker, a remote sensing specialist at Oregon State University, explained in a press release. "The carbon storage of the Amazon basin is huge, and losing the ability to take up as much carbon could have global implications for climate change."

The study's new greenness-measuring technique utilizes a new algorithm that enables NASA's satellites to better pick out the gaps in the clouds and pull data about vegetation health. The new strategy cancels out atmospheric noise caused by clouds and aerosols and allows the satellite to hone in on ground-level information.

"We're much more confident that this is a gap between clouds where we can measure greenness, but standard algorithms would call it a cloud," explained Alexei Lyapustin of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "We can get more data about the surface, and we can start seeing more subtle changes."

The research also helped tease out the relationship between greenness, precipitation and sunlight. Which is most important to vegetation health and greenness? The answer is both. On the one hand, more sunlight improves greenness; on the other, trees and plants without an adequate stockpile of water can't take full advantage of a longer dry (sun-filled) season.

"With our work," Hiker said, "we have shown that there is a dry season greening but that under extended drought we get a decline in vegetation greenness."

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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NASA study: Vegetation decline seen in wake of drying Amazon

NASA Education Express Message — Dec. 11, 2014

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Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles Available for Educational UseNASA invites eligible U.S. educational institutions and museums to request space shuttle thermal protective tiles and other special items offered on a first-come, first-served basis while quantities last. Organizations previously allocated thermal protective tiles may request an additional three tiles.There will be a nominal shipping fee that must be paid online with a credit card. To make a request for special items online, visithttp://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/Special_Item_Request_Procedure.pdf.Questions about this opportunity should be directed toGSAXcessHelp@gsa.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NASA Wavelength Resource Simplifies Teaching About the SolsticeSolstices and equinoxes are seasonal astronomical events that foster teachable moments. The next chance to bring these natural events into your classroom is the winter solstice, coming up on Dec. 21, 2014. Unfortunately, explanations of these events often seem obscure and technical to many learners.Prepare yourself to teach about the solstice by following these step-by-step instructions to create a suntrack model customized to your location. With a simple visual representation, your learners can more easily grasp the notion of solstices and equinoxes.The resource is available athttp://nasawavelength.org/resource/nw-000-000-003-836.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NASA's ESTEEM "Ask US" Online Professional Development SeriesNASA's Minority University Research and Education Program, or MUREP, is sponsoring a series of Google Plus Hangout professional development events for K-12 educators. The Earth Systems, Technology and Energy Education for MUREP, or ESTEEM, team will lead the monthly sessions that will cover a variety of climate topics. This month's webinar topic is:Change Over Time: Investigate Climate Change Impacts in the Midwest -- Dec. 11, 2014, at 4:30 p.m. ESTThe National Climate Assessment, released in May of 2014, summarizes the impacts of climate change on the United States, touching on many disciplines: earth science, biology, human health, engineering, technology, economics and policy. Explore the document with Dr. Fred Lipschultz from the United States Global Change Research Project, and then learn about educator resources with Kristen Poppleton from the Will Steger Foundation. Discover resources that will enable you to bring this topic into classroom lessons, engage students in data collection and analysis, and share visualizations and citizen science projects. The focus this month will be on the Midwest region. Watch for additional regions of the U.S. to be featured in upcoming Ask US sessions.Certificates of professional development hours are available upon request.For more information on this event and upcoming webinar sessions, visithttps://nice.larc.nasa.gov/asknice/. Questions about this series should be sent to Bonnie Murray atbonnie.murray@nasa.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional DevelopmentNASA Educator Professional Development is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources to bring NASA into your classroom.NASA Engineering Design Challenges Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 11, 2014, at 4:30 p.m. ESTParticipants will explore engineering design the NASA way. Learn about NASA Engineering Design Challenges that can be used to integrate the engineering design process into existing curricula.Scale of Discovery Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 12, 2014, at 4 p.m. ESTParticipants will explore the applications of scale with hands-on, standards-aligned science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities and interactive multimedia. Engage with examples from our universe as you apply scale to distance, time, size, models and more.Solar System Scale: Modeling and Kinesthetic Inquiry Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 16, 2014, at 6 p.m. ESTParticipants will explore the misconceptions about the scale of the solar system by physically creating a model of the Earth-moon system. Prediction, estimation, measuring, debate and research are featured in this lesson.Solar System and the Periodic Table Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Dec. 18, 2014, at 7 p.m. ESTParticipants will learn about our solar system and how it relates to the periodic table of elements. This standards-based workshop will teach you basic principles of what the table represents using our solar system as an exciting basis for understanding.For more information about these webinars and to register online, visithttps://paragon-tec.adobeconnect.com/admin/show-event-catalog.Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Clarence Jones atClarence.F.Jones@NASA.gov.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Pre-Proposal Teleconference for NASA Research Announcement (NRA) Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) 2014 MUREP Institutional Research Opportunity (MIRO)

A pre-proposal teleconference will be held to discuss NASA Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) 2014 MUREP Institutional Research Opportunity (MIRO) [Announcement Number: NNH14ZHA001N, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 43.008]. The teleconference will provide an in-depth overview of the MIRO opportunity and proposal requirements. Please visit theMIRO page in NSPIRESfor information regarding this NASA opportunity.After the presentations, there will be a brief Q&A session. In order to address as many participants as possible, you are asked to limit your questions togeneral topics only. If you have a question pertaining to your specific organization or institution, it should be submitted in writing toNASAMIRO@nasaprs.com. This will give NASA the time to respond, in detail, to your individual needs. We also ask that your questions be concise and clearly stated because the call is being recorded and will be transcribed.Please note:It is strongly suggested that you read through the FAQ document, foundhereby clicking on the Frequently Asked Questions-MIRO link, prior to the teleconference. It is possible that your question(s) may have already been answered.

Also, any changes regarding this workshop will be posted on theMIRO page in NSPIRES. This is the only way to be notified of any updates, so it is very important that you check the webpage prior to the session.

Instructions on how to connect to the teleconference are listed below. The call will start on time, so everyone is encouraged to connect 10-15 minutes prior to the session to address any technical difficulties you may encounter. Upon logging in, you might be prompted to install the WebEx software before joining the online session. It should take less than 5 minutes to install the software.TO JOIN THE MIRO PRE PROPOSAL TELECONFERENCE, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOTH THE WEBEX AND CONFERENCE NUMBERWebEx will be used for the slide presentationonly.For audio and to participate in the Q&A session, you must use the telecon number.CONNECT TO WEBEX (for slide presentation)

Meeting Number: 994 734 5471. Go tohttps://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?MTID=mf9fb45bd9f3645c10915aff49a53e6be.2. If requested, enter your name and email address.3. Enter the meeting password:EONSMIRO123$to join.4. Click "Join".For assistance go tohttps://nasa.webex.com/nasa/mcand on the left navigation bar, click "Support".

CONNECT TO TELECONFERENCE (for audio)

Call-in number: 1-844-467-4685Participant passcode: 5362715988This call will be recorded and transcribed. For the sake of accuracy, be sure to speak slowly and clearly, and please spell anything that might be recorded incorrectly.Cell phones are not recommended for use for this call due to the possibility of disconnection and static.If you are unable to attend, presentation slides and a written transcript of the teleconference will be posted to the NSPIRES website. Questions asked during the call will be part of the MIRO FAQ document.Any questions regarding this session should be sent toNASAMIRO@nasaprs.com.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Host a Real-Time Conversation With Crew Members Aboard the International Space StationARISS-US is now accepting proposals from U.S. schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, contact between May 1 - Dec. 31, 2015. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS-US is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Proposals are dueDec. 15, 2014.

Using amateur radio, students can ask astronauts questions about life in space and other space-related topics. Students fully engage in the ARISS contact by helping set up an amateur radio ground station at the school and then using that station to talk directly with a crew member on the International Space Station for approximately 10 minutes. ARISS provides experienced mentors and relies on local amateur radio volunteers to help organizations obtain the technology required to host this once in a lifetime opportunity for students.Interested parties should visithttp://www.arrl.org/hosting-an-ariss-contactto obtain complete information including how the technology works, what is expected of the host organization and how to submit the proposal form.Questions about this opportunity should be emailed toariss@arrl.org.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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NASA Education Express Message -- Dec. 11, 2014

NASAs RoboSimian And Surrogate Robots

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RoboSimian and Surrogate are robots that were designed and built at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Credit: JPL-Caltech

Since they were first announced in 2012, NASA has been a major contender in the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC). This competition which involves robots navigating obstacle courses using tools and vehicles was first conceived by DARPA to see just how capable robots could be at handling disaster response.

The Finals for this challenge will be taking place on June 5th and 6th, 2015, at Fairplex in Pomona, California. And after making it this far with their RoboSimian design, NASA was faced with a difficult question. Should their robotic primate continue to represent them, or should that honor go to their recently unveiled Surrogate robot?

As the saying goes you dance with the one who brung ya. In short, NASA has decided to stick with RoboSimian as they advance into the final round of obstacles and tests in their bid to win the DRC and the $2 million prize.

Surrogates unveiling took place this past October 24th at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The appearance of this robot on stage, to the them song of 2001: A Space Odyssey, was held on the same day that Thomas Rosenbaum was inaugurated as the new president of the California Institute of Technology.

Robotics researchers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory stand with robots RoboSimian and Surrogate, both built at JPL. Credit: JPL-Caltech

In honor of the occasion, Surrogate (aka Surge) strutted its way across the stage to present a digital tablet to Rosenbaum, which he used to push a button that initiated commands for NASAs Mars rover Curiosity. Despite the festive nature of the occasion, this scene was quite calm compared to what the robot was designed for.

Surge and its predecessor, RoboSimian, were designed to extend humanitys reach, going into dangerous places such as a nuclear power plant during a disaster scenario such as we saw at Fukushima. They could take simple actions such as turning valves or flipping switches to stabilize the situation or mitigate further damage, said Brett Kennedy, principal investigator for the robots at JPL.

RoboSimian was originally created for the DARPA Robotics Challenge, and during the trial round last December, the JPL teams robot won a spot to compete in the finals, which will be held in Pomona, California, in June 2015.

With the support of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance, the Surrogate robot began construction in 2014. Its designers began by incorporating some of RoboSimians extra limbs, and then added a wheeled base, twisty spine, an upper torso, and a head for holding sensors.

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NASAs RoboSimian And Surrogate Robots


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