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NASA Scientists Find Diamonds, Other Treasures In Gold Rush Meteorite

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Researchers digging deeper into the origins of the Sutter's Mill meteorite, which fell in California's Gold Country in 2012, found diamonds and other "treasures" that provide important new insight into the early days of our solar system. They report their results in thirteen papers in the November issue of Meteoritics & Planetary Science.

"Sutter's Mill gives us a glimpse of what future NASA spacecraft may find when they bring back samples from a primitive asteroid, said consortium lead Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, at NASAs Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. "From what falls naturally to the ground, much does not survive the violent collision with Earth's atmosphere."

Jenniskens found one of the first and one of the most unusual of the Sutter's Mill meteorites before rain hit the area. In his search, Jenniskens was guided by Marc Fries of NASA's Johnson Space Center, in Houston, who describes in detail how Doppler weather radar enabled the rapid and pristine collection of the meteorites.

"The two 10-micron diamond grains we found in this meteorite are too small to sparkle in a ring," said Mike Zolensky, space scientist of Johnson, working with associate professor Yoko Kebukawa late of Hokkaido University, Japan, "But their size is much larger than the nanometer-sized diamonds commonly found in such meteorites."

Nanodiamonds are thought to originate in the atmospheres of stars. The larger diamonds found in Sutter's Mill may have had another origin closer to home. "We suspect that these diamonds are so-called xenoliths, says Kebukawa. "Bits and pieces that originated in the interior of other much larger parent bodies."

University of California (UC), Davis researchers Akane Yamakawa and Qing-Zhu Yin studied the different forms of the element chromium, called isotopes. They found that at least five different stellar sources composed of mixtures of 54-chromium-rich and -poor materials must have contributed matter to the nascent solar system four and half billion years ago. Some of these materials remained in the Sutter's Mill meteorite. "The formation of the solar system did not fully erase and homogenize these signatures and Sutters Mill provides the clearest record yet," said Yin, also a co-lead of the Sutters Mill Meteorite Consortium.

Some fragments escaped alteration by liquid water, while others were heavily altered. Based on isotopes of the elements manganese and chromium, NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow Christine Jilly and colleagues now report when that happened. "We determined that minerals such as calcium and magnesium carbonate likely precipitated from liquid water 2.4 to 5.0 million years after the formation of the solar system," says Jilly. "It is possible that radioactive compounds in the meteorite's parent body heated the nascent planet to the point that water ice became liquid."

In primitive meteorites like Sutter's Mill, some grains survive from what existed in the cloud of gas, dust and ices that formed the solar system. In Sutter's Mill, the liquid water appears to have destroyed the silicate type of these, according to Xuchao Zhao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with NASA and UC Davis colleagues.

The meteorite also was heated, perhaps as recent as during entry in Earth's atmosphere. Using a technique called thermoluminescense, Derek Sears, senior research scientist at Ames, determined the rock was heated to 572 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 100,000 years. Other materials were heated on the parent body, differently at different locations. Zolensky found unusual materials not seen in any other meteorites, including a very unusual calcium sulfide called oldhamite, also suspected to be a xenolith. "I don't know of any similar meteorites that contain both heated and unheated materials," said Zolensky. "Some materials were heated to 932 degrees Fahrenheit, while others clearly were not."

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NASA Scientists Find Diamonds, Other Treasures In Gold Rush Meteorite

NASA Tests Revolutionary Shape Changing Aircraft Flap for the First Time

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --NASA's green aviation project is one step closer to developing technology that could make future airliners quieter and more fuel-efficient with the successful flight test of a wing surface that can change shape in flight.

This past summer researchers replaced an airplane's conventional aluminum flaps with advanced, shape-changing assemblies that form seamless bendable and twistable surfaces. Flight testing will determine whether flexible trailing-edge wing flaps are a viable approach to improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce noise generated during takeoffs and landings.

The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) project is a joint effort between NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), using flaps designed and built by FlexSys, Inc., of Ann Arbor, Michigan. With AFRL funding through the Air Force's Small Business Innovative Research program, FlexSys developed a variable geometry airfoil system called FlexFoil that can be retrofitted to existing airplane wings or integrated into brand new airframes.

FlexFoil's inventor, FlexSys founder and Chief Executive Officer Sridhar Kota hopes testing with the modified Gulfstream III will confirm the design's flight worthiness and open doors to future applications and commercialization. ACTE is being flown at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

"This flight test is one of the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project's eight large-scale integrated technology demonstrations to show design improvements in drag, weight, noise, emission and fuel reductions," said Fay Collier, ERA project manager at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

During the initial ACTE flight, the experimental control surfaces were locked at a specified setting. Different flap settings will be employed on subsequent flights to collect a variety of data demonstrating the capability of the flexible wings to withstand a real flight environment. The flaps have the potential to be retrofitted to existing airplane wings or integrated into new airframes.

"We have progressed from an innovative idea and matured the concept through multiple designs and wind tunnel tests, to a final demonstration that should prove to the aerospace industry that this technology is ready to dramatically improve aircraft efficiency," said AFRL Program Manager Pete Flick, from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

ACTE technology is expected to have far-reaching effects on future aviation. Advanced lightweight materials will reduce wing structural weight and give engineers the ability to aerodynamically tailor the wings to promote improved fuel economy and more efficient operations, while reducing environmental impacts.

"The first flight went as planned -- we validated many key elements of the experimental trailing edges," said Thomas Rigney, ACTE Project Manager at Armstrong. "We expect this technology to make future aircraft lighter, more efficient, and quieter. It also has the potential to save hundreds of millions of dollars annually in fuel costs."

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NASA Tests Revolutionary Shape Changing Aircraft Flap for the First Time

Is NASA launch a mission to nowhere?

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The Orion Spacecraft moves by the Vehicle Assembly Building on its approximately 22 mile journey from the Launch Abort System Facility at the Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The test flight for Orion is scheduled to launch on Dec. 4.

NASA's new Orion spacecraft will bolt off a launch pad in Florida early next month in what could be the first step toward the human exploration of Mars.

The gum-drop shaped capsule will briefly orbit Earth, then parachute into the Pacific, where it will be retrieved by a Navy ship from San Diego.

But will anyone care?

Three years after the U.S. space shuttle program ended, NASA is struggling to grab and hold the publics attention as it introduces its next-generation manned spacecraft, a vehicle that has cost at least $6.1 billion to develop so far.

For the moment, the space agency doesnt have a compelling human story to tell about the launch, which is set for Dec. 4. Space experts said it will be six to seven years before Orion actually carries astronauts. Tight budgets, design issues and policy questions have slowed the programs development. As a result, NASA doesnt have definitive plans and clear time tables for manned trips to the moon, an asteroid or Mars.

The Orion capsule will re-enter the atmosphere than parachute into the ocean west of Baja California. Artist's rendering by NASA.

Some analysts also said NASA has not made a strong case for sending humans to Mars, a planet already being explored by rovers and satellites.

The space agency realizes it has problems, and theyre not limited to Orion.

A lot of people think that NASA doesnt even exist anymore because the space shuttle was retired, astronaut Chris Cassidy told U-T San Diego in July. We have to beat the drum loud and clear and say, No, were doing good things, were doing science, were on the space station and weve got this plan to get ourselves out of low-Earth orbit.

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Is NASA launch a mission to nowhere?

NASA map shows 556 space rocks smashed into the Earth's atmosphere over a 20-year period

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NASA map reveals the number of asteroids that smashed into Earth Most were small and harmless and disintegrated But The Near Earth Object Program helps to track dangerous rocks Last year, an asteroid measuring 55 feet in diameter crashed in Russia

By Belinda Robinson For Mail Online

Published: 09:53 EST, 16 November 2014 | Updated: 16:39 EST, 16 November 2014

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A flash of light from a fiery asteroid is often treated with intrigue when it is spotted on Earth.

But scientists at NASA suggest that asteroids are smashing into the Earth's atmosphere at a higher rate than most people realize.

According to a new map by the space agency, it's a wonder we don't see fireballs raining down from the skies morefrequently.

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NASA map shows 556 space rocks smashed into the Earth's atmosphere over a 20-year period

Twin meteor showers: Whats Up in the sky for November 2014 #Nasa – Video

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Twin meteor showers: Whats Up in the sky for November 2014 #Nasa
Twin meteor showers feature the slow Taurids and the swift Leonids while Rosetta #39;s lander Philae is scheduled to land on Comet C-G and transmit data from the surface about the comet #39;s composition....

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Twin meteor showers: Whats Up in the sky for November 2014 #Nasa - Video

Dr. James L. Green NASA a few words about ESA Project Rosetta CONFIRMATION OF LANDING 12-Nov-14 – Video

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Dr. James L. Green NASA a few words about ESA Project Rosetta CONFIRMATION OF LANDING 12-Nov-14
A great journey for mankind! 12-Nov-2014 We kiss the comet! After a tense wait during the seven-hour descent to the surface of Comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko, the signal confirming the ...

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Dr. James L. Green NASA a few words about ESA Project Rosetta CONFIRMATION OF LANDING 12-Nov-14 - Video

NASA announces END Of the WORLD! Shocking news from Top Secret document! – Video

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NASA announces END Of the WORLD! Shocking news from Top Secret document!
NASA announces END Of the WORLD! Shocking news from Top Secret document! http://www.maggador.com/ebook.html for authors background http://www.facebook.com/maggador Under CC BY ...

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NASA announces END Of the WORLD! Shocking news from Top Secret document! - Video

MARS: NASA TRIES TO HIDE ALIEN ANIMAL SKULL: The Obfuscation Game. ArtAlienTV – MARS ZOO 1080p – Video

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MARS: NASA TRIES TO HIDE ALIEN ANIMAL SKULL: The Obfuscation Game. ArtAlienTV - MARS ZOO 1080p
A strange animal head / skull on Mars that NASA blatantly tried to blur out in the white balanced Rocknest image version. Looks a bit like a Dog or Jackal or some unknown alien mammal species,...

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MARS: NASA TRIES TO HIDE ALIEN ANIMAL SKULL: The Obfuscation Game. ArtAlienTV - MARS ZOO 1080p - Video

NASA Invents Self-Destructing ‘Bio-Drone’ Made of Fungus and Bacteria! – Video

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NASA Invents Self-Destructing #39;Bio-Drone #39; Made of Fungus and Bacteria!
http://www.undergroundworldnews.com A biodegradable drone made out of fungus, bacteria and wasp spit built by NASA-affiliated scientists may pave the way for future spyware, which would simply...

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NASA Invents Self-Destructing 'Bio-Drone' Made of Fungus and Bacteria! - Video


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