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Category Archives: NASA

NASA launches newest satellite

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AP NASA has launched a rocket with its latest, third-generation Tracking and Data Relay satellite.

NASA's super-high-flying fleet of communication satellites just got bigger.

An unmanned rocket blasted into a chilly, clear sky on Thursday night carrying the latest, third-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.

NASA uses the TDRS satellites to support the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope, among other craft.

The network is 35,800km high, at various locations above the equator, and allows continuous two-way contact with the space station and its six inhabitants.

The TDRS system is so vital it's considered a national asset.

A modern-day human space program would be difficult if not impossible without the constant coverage provided by the TDRS satellites, said Badri Younes, NASA's deputy associate administrator for space communications and navigation.

Ground stations - limited in number - would provide just a fraction of that capability.

Each satellite has a pair of dish antennas 4.5 metres in diameter.

"Not only are we getting global coverage 100 per cent of the time, we are getting it in real time," Younes said, snapping his fingers, at a news conference earlier this week.

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NASA launches newest satellite

NASA plans busy 2014 schedule of Earth science missions

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- NASA says five Earth science missions will be launched into space in 2014, the busiest science launch program in more than a decade.

The five launches, including two to the International Space Station, are part of an active year for NASA Earth science researchers, who will use satellites and aircraft to help scientists and policymakers find answers to critical challenges including climate change, sea level rise, decreasing availability of fresh water, and extreme weather events, the space agency said Thursday.

The first NASA Earth science mission of 2014 will be the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory, a joint satellite project with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency as part of an unprecedented international satellite constellation that will produce the first nearly global observations of rainfall and snowfall, NASA researchers said.

The precipitation measurement spacecraft, built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is set to launch Feb. 27 from JAXA's Tanegashima Space Center on a Japanese H-IIA rocket.

Other 2014 missions will include the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, to make precise, global measurements of carbon dioxide, and the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission to track Earth's water into one of its last hiding places, the soil.

"As NASA prepares for future missions to an asteroid and Mars, we're focused on Earth right now," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "With five new missions set to launch in 2014, this really is shaping up to be the year of the Earth, and this focus on our home planet will make a significant difference in people's lives around the world."

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NASA plans busy 2014 schedule of Earth science missions

NASA Discusses Lunar CATALYST Commercial Lunar Lander Initiative

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NASA will host a media teleconference at 12:30 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 27, to discuss the Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) initiative.

Through Lunar CATALYST, announced on Jan. 16, NASA seeks proposals to partner in the development of reliable and cost-effective commercial robotic lunar lander capabilities that will enable the delivery of payloads to the lunar surface. Such capabilities could support commercial activities on the moon while enabling new science and exploration missions of interest to NASA and the larger scientific and academic communities.

Media will have an opportunity to discuss the initiative with NASA officials following an 11 a.m. pre-proposal conference call with the U.S. private sector.

Participants for the media teleconference are:

-- Jason Crusan, director of Advanced Exploration Systems, NASA Headquarters

-- Nantel Suzuki, Robotic Lunar Lander program executive, NASA Headquarters

For dial-in information, media should e-mail their name, affiliation and telephone number to Trent Perrotto at trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov by noon Monday.

The Advanced Exploration Systems Division in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate manages Lunar CATALYST. Advanced Exploration Systems pioneers new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit.

For more information about Lunar CATALYST and the pre-proposal teleconference for the U.S. private sector, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lunarcatalyst

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NASA Discusses Lunar CATALYST Commercial Lunar Lander Initiative

Nasa says Mars mystery rock that ‘appeared’ from nowhere is ‘like nothing we’ve seen before – Video

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Nasa says Mars mystery rock that #39;appeared #39; from nowhere is #39;like nothing we #39;ve seen before
2 photographs of the same spot on Mars 12 days apart and a "rock" or something doughnut shaped appears! NASA themselves are confused by this. Check it out: h...

By: immortalmanuk

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Nasa says Mars mystery rock that 'appeared' from nowhere is 'like nothing we've seen before - Video

Mars Alien Skulls: NASA Curiosity "Rocknest" Discoveries 2014. 738p ArtAlienTV MARS ZOO – Video

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Mars Alien Skulls: NASA Curiosity "Rocknest" Discoveries 2014. 738p ArtAlienTV MARS ZOO
Another alien animal skull specimen in Gale Crater on Mars. This one looks a bit like a lemur or raccoon and is about 9 inches in length. Even though it #39;s in...

By: JoeWhite - ArtAlienTV

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Mars Alien Skulls: NASA Curiosity "Rocknest" Discoveries 2014. 738p ArtAlienTV MARS ZOO - Video

NASA Prepares To Launch Five Scientific Campaigns In 2014

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January 23, 2014

Image Caption: The first new NASA Earth science mission of 2014 is the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a joint international project with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Launch is scheduled for Feb. 27 from Japan. Credit: NASA

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

NASA is planning to launch five scientific missions in 2014 marking the first time the space agency has had this many launches over the course of a single year in over a decade.

The five launches will include two to the International Space Station (ISS), airborne missions to the poles and hurricanes, the expansion of advanced sensor technologies, and the use of both satellite data and analytical tools to advance natural hazard and climate change awareness.

As NASA prepares for future missions to an asteroid and Mars, were focused on Earth right now, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. With five new missions set to launch in 2014, this really is shaping up to be the year of the Earth, and this focus on our home planet will make a significant difference in peoples lives around the world.

Slated to launch on Feb. 27, NASAs first Earth science mission of 2014 is the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a cooperative satellite project with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The launch of the observatory marks the start of an extraordinary international satellite constellation that will generate the first virtually global observations of rainfall and snowfall. This new information will help answer questions regarding Earths water cycle informing water resource management and weather forecasting.

In July, the space agency will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2, a mission designed to inform the understanding of carbon dioxides role in climate change. The OCO-2 is expected to make accurate, worldwide measurements of carbon dioxide levels. These observations are expected to improve the knowledge of natural and human-induced carbon emissions sources and how these emissions move through Earths oceans, terrain and air.

In November, NASA will launch its Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, which is designed to track water on Earth as it interacts with and passes through the soil. SMAP will chart Earths soil moisture, and supply accurate measures of the soils freeze-thaw state. Detailed comprehensive maps of soil moisture generated from SMAP data are expected to support water resource management decisions on water accessibility around the Earth. SMAP data also will help forecast plant growth and farming productivity, weather and climate forecasts, and the tracking of natural disasters such as floods and droughts.

On our home planet Earth, water is an essential requirement for life and for most human activities. We must understand the details of how water moves within and between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the land if we are to predict changes to our climate and the availability of water resources, said Michael Freilich, director of NASAs Earth Science Division in Washington.

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NASA Prepares To Launch Five Scientific Campaigns In 2014

NASA Readies For TDRS-L For Launch January 23

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Image Caption: NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft is moved into position for mating atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41. Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

NASA

The next element in the communications network that links NASAs ground controllers to orbiting spacecraft is ready for launch Jan. 23 following several weeks of preparations.

TDRS-L will become the 11th member of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System orbiting Earth following its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Liftoff is scheduled for Jan. 23 during a launch window that opens at 9:05 p.m. EST.

The constellation of satellites orbiting Earth at 22,300 miles revolutionized communications for the nations space agency by allowing nearly continuous transmission of information during a mission. Before the TDRS network was established, NASA relied on a patchwork of ground stations based around the world to stitch together coverage zones. Astronauts and Earth-orbiting scientific spacecraft would relay messages only when they passed over or near one of the ground stations.

Working in conjunction with the other TDRS satellites, TDRS-L will convey signals, information and commands from ground controllers to the International Space Station and NASAs diverse assortment of scientific satellites including the Hubble Space Telescope.

The TDRS constellation brings back all of the data and video that we see every day from the International Space Station, said Tim Dunn, NASA launch director. TDRS also supports all of the data from the Hubble Space Telescope and all of our low Earth orbit NASA science missions.

The latest TDRS spacecraft is identical to one launched a year ago, TDRS-K. Both are the third generation of TDRS spacecraft and are part of a replenishment program for NASAs Space Network overseen at the agencys Goddard Spaceflight Center in Maryland.

The satellite arrived at Kennedys Shuttle Landing Facility inside an Air Force C-17 transport aircraft from its manufacturing plant in California. It was taken to the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville for numerous tests and was packed inside the two-piece payload fairing that will protect it during the climb into space.

[ Watch the Video: TDRS-L Prepares to Take Its Place in NASA Constellation ]

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NASA Readies For TDRS-L For Launch January 23

NASA Hosts News Conference About 10 Years of Roving on Mars

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NASA's Opportunity rover was built for a three-month mission on Mars, but continues to return valuable scientific data 10 years later. NASA will reflect on the rover's work in a news conference at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST) Thursday, Jan. 23.

The event will originate from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and be carried live on NASA Television and streamed online.

Participants will be:

-- Michael Meyer, lead scientist, Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington

-- Ray Arvidson, Mars Exploration Rovers deputy principal investigator, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.

-- John Callas, Mars Exploration Rovers project manager, JPL

-- Steve Squyres, Mars Exploration Rovers principal investigator, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

Opportunity, one of NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers, reached the Red Planet Jan. 24, 2004 (PST). It landed three weeks after its twin, named Spirit. Both rovers made important discoveries about wet environments that could have supported microbial life on ancient Mars. Spirit stopped communicating with Earth in 2010. Opportunity is continuing to provide scientific results, and currently is investigating the rim of a crater 14 miles (22 kilometers) wide.

Reporters wanting to attend the news conference in person at JPL must arrange access by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 by contacting Elena Mejia at elena.mejia@jpl.nasa.gov or 818-354-5467. She can also arrange telephone participation with advance notification. Reporters also may ask questions from other participating NASA centers.

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NASA Hosts News Conference About 10 Years of Roving on Mars

NASA Receives Mars 2020 Rover Instrument Proposals for Evaluation

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NASA has received 58 proposals for science and exploration technology instruments to fly aboard the agency's next Mars rover in 2020, twice the usual number submitted for instrument competitions in the recent past, and an indicator of the extraordinary interest in exploration of the Red Planet.

The agency is beginning a thorough review to determine the best combination of science and exploration technology investigations for the mission and anticipates making final selections in the next five months.

"Proposal writing for science missions is extremely difficult and time consuming. We truly appreciate this overwhelming response by the worldwide science and technical community and are humbled by the support and enthusiasm for this unique mission," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "We fully expect to be able to select an instrument suite that will return exciting science and advance space exploration at Mars."

NASA opened competition for Mars 2020 research proposals in September and closed it January 15. Several NASA facilities, academia, industry, research laboratories, and other government agencies submitted proposals. Seventeen proposals came from international partners.

The Mars 2020 mission is designed to accomplish several high-priority planetary science goals and will be an important step toward meeting President Obama's challenge to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. The mission will conduct geological assessments of the rover's landing site, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers.

The science instruments aboard the rover also will enable scientists to identify and select a collection of rock and soil samples that will be stored for potential return to Earth in the future. This will achieve one of the highest-priority objectives recommended by the National Research Council's 2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Analysis of such samples in laboratories here on Earth will help determine whether life existed on Mars and help inform planning for human exploration missions to the planet.

The rover also may help designers of a human expedition understand the hazards posed by Martian dust and demonstrate how to collect carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which could be a valuable resource for producing oxygen and rocket fuel.

"NASA robotic missions are pioneering a path for human exploration of Mars in the 2030s," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations in Washington. "The Mars 2020 rover mission presents new opportunities to learn how future human explorers could use natural resources available on the surface of the Red Planet. An ability to live off the land could reduce costs and engineering challenges posed by Mars exploration."

The instruments developed from the selected proposals will be placed on a rover similar to Curiosity that has been exploring Mars since 2012. Using a proven landing system and rover chassis design to deliver these new experiments to Mars will ensure mission costs and risks are minimized as much as possible while still delivering a highly capable rover.

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NASA Receives Mars 2020 Rover Instrument Proposals for Evaluation

NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover instrument proposals

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NASA has received 58 proposals for science and exploration technology instruments to fly aboard the agency's next Mars rover in 2020, twice the usual number submitted for instrument competitions in the recent past, and an indicator of the extraordinary interest in exploration of the Red Planet.

The agency is beginning a thorough review to determine the best combination of science and exploration technology investigations for the mission and anticipates making final selections in the next five months.

"Proposal writing for science missions is extremely difficult and time consuming. We truly appreciate this overwhelming response by the worldwide science and technical community and are humbled by the support and enthusiasm for this unique mission," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "We fully expect to be able to select an instrument suite that will return exciting science and advance space exploration at Mars."

NASA opened competition for Mars 2020 research proposals in September and closed it January 15. Several NASA facilities, academia, industry, research laboratories and other government agencies submitted proposals. Seventeen proposals came from international partners.

The Mars 2020 mission is designed to accomplish several high-priority planetary science goals and will be an important step toward meeting President Obama's challenge to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. The mission will conduct geological assessments of the rover's landing site, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers.

The science instruments aboard the rover also will enable scientists to identify and select a collection of rock and soil samples that will be stored for potential return to Earth in the future. This will achieve one of the highest-priority objectives recommended by the National Research Council's 2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Analysis of such samples in laboratories here on Earth will help determine whether life existed on Mars and help inform planning for human exploration missions to the planet.

The rover also may help designers of a human expedition understand the hazards posed by Martian dust and demonstrate how to collect carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which could be a valuable resource for producing oxygen and rocket fuel.

"NASA robotic missions are pioneering a path for human exploration of Mars in the 2030s," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations in Washington. "The Mars 2020 rover mission presents new opportunities to learn how future human explorers could use natural resources available on the surface of the Red Planet. An ability to live off the land could reduce costs and engineering challenges posed by Mars exploration."

The instruments developed from the selected proposals will be placed on a rover similar to Curiosity, which has been exploring Mars since 2012. Using a proven landing system and rover chassis design to deliver these new experiments to Mars will ensure mission costs and risks are minimized as much as possible while still delivering a highly capable rover.

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NASA's Mars 2020 Rover instrument proposals


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