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NASA Moon Probe Laser-Blasts Europe!

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NASAs LADEE probe entered lunar orbit last month ready to study the moons enigmatic exosphere a region that holds some dusty secrets. But LADEE (which stands for Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) isnt your average satellite; its sporting a powerful laser and Europe is in its cross hairs!

Of course, this laser isnt being used for nefarious (pew pew) purposes. Its a brand new means of transmitting data through space, potentially revolutionizing how interplanetary communications will be carried out in the future.

ANALYSIS: Pew! Pew! Curiosity Laser-Blasts Mars Rock

In contrast to traditional radio communications between spacecraft and Earth-based antennae, laser communications are like what todays Internet broadband is to dial-up of the 1990s. In fact, with a data transfer rate of 40 Mbit/s, LADEEs laser link to Earth is several times faster than a typical home broadband connection, said Zoran Sodnik, ESAs project manager for laser communications between the European Space Agency and LADEE.

Since Oct. 26, LADEE has been in laser communications with ESAs Optical Ground Station located on Tenerife, one of Spains Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. The system has been upgraded with an advanced laser terminal so the ground station can communicate with the NASA mission some 400,000 kilometers (250,000 miles) distant, according to a news release.

ANALYSIS: Pew! Pew! Space Lasers to Give Missions Broadband

The LADEE laser, which operates with extremely focused beams of near-infrared light, made history on Oct. 18 when it became the first mission to transmit data via laser through interplanetary space, communicating with a NASA receiving station at White Sands, New Mexico, from the moon. The laser is also communicating with a receiver at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and now with the ESAs Optical Ground Station.

The participation of the ESA ground terminal at Tenerife in NASAs project is an important milestone in this new capability, said Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator for space communications and navigation at NASAs Headquarters in Washington DC. Together, we have demonstrated at the very beginning of the optical communication era the value of interoperable communication between our space agencies.

ANALYSIS: Frank the Frog Sacrificed Himself for LADEE Launch

So, apart from sounding as if its been pulled directly from the pages of science fiction, this recent development in laser communications could transform the way in which we communicate with missions throughout the solar system (and beyond). Perhaps weve already solved the streaming video problem for future Mars colonists

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NASA Moon Probe Laser-Blasts Europe!

NASA Announces Third International Space Apps Challenge

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NASA and other space agencies around the world are preparing for next year's third annual International Space Apps Challenge, in which participants develop mobile applications, software, hardware, data visualization and platform solutions that could contribute to space exploration missions and help improve life on Earth.

The 2014 challenge will be held April 11-12. Organizers will begin accepting applications in November for challenges to be released in March, one month before the event.

The event is designed to demonstrate commitment to the principles of open innovation through the use of open data and technology to address global needs; encourage citizens in countries with little or no investments in space exploration to contribute to the cause; promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education; and encourage international partnership and mutual understanding.

The 2013 International Space Apps Challenge in April drew more than 9,000 participants in 83 cities around the world. They collaborated to create 770 solutions.

"This global collaboration provides a unique opportunity to design innovative solutions and advance technology while engaging citizens worldwide in software development, citizen science, hardware, and data visualization," said Deborah Diaz, NASA's deputy chief information officer. "By creating a culture of openness and collectively contributing skills and exciting new ideas, the technology solutions created could improve life on Earth and in space. This year's event sparked some incredible insight and innovation beyond what the challenge definers could have ever hoped for."

In 2014, half the challenges will come from NASA and represent its major mission directorates and other key investments, and half will come from other organizations, such as space agencies, industry and global partners.

To learn more about the International Space Apps Challenge, visit:

http://spaceappschallenge.org

For information about NASA's programs and missions, visit:

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NASA Announces Third International Space Apps Challenge

NASA looks at aircraft coatings meant to tell insects to 'bug off'

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LANGLEY, Va., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- NASA says its scientists are studying the effect insects have on aircraft performance, especially during takeoff and landing, in hopes of saying "bug off."

Bug splatter that coats aircraft surfaces can disrupt the laminar -- or smooth -- flow of air over an airplane's wings, creating more drag on the airplane and contributing to increased fuel consumption, they said.

Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia have run a number of flight tests of airplane coatings that may one day reduce the amount of bug contamination on the wings of commercial aircraft, the agency reported Monday.

A series of flights were made to put the coatings through takeoff and landing tests on a NASA aircraft.

"The reason we do these tests at low altitudes or do a lot of takeoffs and landings is because bug accumulation occurs at anywhere from the ground to less than 1,000 feet," materials researcher Mia Siochi said.

In the tests, the coated surfaces were found to have fewer and smaller bug splats, she said.

It will probably be some time before the coatings end up on commercial airliners, the researchers said, because the coatings have to be durable enough to withstand a lot of time in operation, and that will require further testing.

In addition, Siochi said, the savings in fuel have to be enough to make up for the cost of applying the coatings.

"So we have to get through that hurdle of practical application of these materials," she said.

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NASA looks at aircraft coatings meant to tell insects to 'bug off'

NASA Mobile Security Requirements: Why Now?

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On August 29, 2013, NASA Chief Information Officer Larry Sweet sent out an Agency message to all NASA employees entitled "Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Mobile Computing at NASA," which included a memorandum of minimum security requirements for personal mobile devices (available online). The memo alerted employees to the enforcement of several requirements regarding the NASA e-mail system that would begin on September 10.

Many have asked, "Where did these requirements come from, and why are they coming out now?" Well, as we all know, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) are playing an increasingly important role in our lives. As we start to use these new and exciting technologies at home, we often want to use them in all aspects of our life--including at work. However, the introduction of such devices into the marketplace and then into the workplace often precedes NASA's ability to test and secure them. As a result, they present unique technological, legal, and security challenges for you and for our IT staff.

Historically, NASA has not blocked or prevented the use of mobile devices to access NASA e-mail and resources. However, due to the exponential growth of these unmanaged systems in the NASA environment over the past few years, it has become imperative for NASA to acknowledge and address the risk they present to our resources and data.

So, instead of simply "turning access off" and forbidding the use of mobile devices (which would have certainly addressed the risk), the NASA CIO decided to implement a minimum set of basic security requirements and capabilities to support NASA employees while a broader BYOD effort is pursued. Many of these security requirements are general best practices that are already in use by employees on their personal devices.

That being said, we did want to address a few questions and concerns that have been raised, particularly those related to using a personal mobile device to connect to the NASA e-mail system:

Does NASA now have the ability to access any information on my personal device?

No, absolutely not. NASA cannot access any data on your personal device; it can only confirm that your device exists and has connected to our system.

Did NASA install any software on my device?

No. Any changes in the security configuration of your personal device to support NASA's minimum requirements take place within the device's own native capabilities. No software or additional "profiles" have been installed.

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NASA Mobile Security Requirements: Why Now?

NASA TO SEND NEW MAVEN SPACECRAFT TO STUDY MARS ATMOSPHERE ON NOVEMEBER 18, 2013 – Video

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NASA TO SEND NEW MAVEN SPACECRAFT TO STUDY MARS ATMOSPHERE ON NOVEMEBER 18, 2013
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NASA TO SEND NEW MAVEN SPACECRAFT TO STUDY MARS ATMOSPHERE ON NOVEMEBER 18, 2013 - Video

NASA Prepares To Launch First Mission To Explore Martian Atmosphere

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A NASA spacecraft that will examine the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail is undergoing final preparations for a scheduled 1328 EST Monday, Nov. 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (MAVEN) will examine specific processes on Mars that led to the loss of much of its atmosphere. Data and analysis could tell planetary scientists the history of climate change on the Red Planet and provide further information on the history of planetary habitability.

"The MAVEN mission is a significant step toward unraveling the planetary puzzle about Mars' past and present environments," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The knowledge we gain will build on past and current missions examining Mars and will help inform future missions to send humans to Mars."

The 5,410-pound spacecraft will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket on a 10-month journey to Mars. After arriving at Mars in September 2014, MAVEN will settle into its elliptical science orbit. Over the course of its one-Earth-year primary mission, MAVEN will observe all of Mars' latitudes. Altitudes will range from 93 miles to more than 3,800 miles. During the primary mission, MAVEN will execute five deep dip maneuvers, descending to an altitude of 78 miles. This marks the lower boundary of the planet's upper atmosphere. "Launch is an important event, but it's only a step along the way to getting the science measurements," said Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator at the University of Colorado, Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) in Boulder. "We're excited about the science we'll be doing, and are anxious now to get to Mars."

The MAVEN spacecraft will carry three instrument suites. The Particles and Fields Package, provided by the University of California at Berkeley with support from CU/LASP and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, contains six instruments to characterize the solar wind and the ionosphere of Mars. The Remote Sensing Package, built by CU/LASP, will determine global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, built by Goddard, will measure the composition of Mars upper atmosphere.

"When we proposed and were selected to develop MAVEN back in 2008, we set our sights on Nov. 18, 2013, as our first launch opportunity," said Dave Mitchell, MAVEN project manager at Goddard. "Now we are poised to launch on that very day. That's quite an accomplishment by the team." MAVEN's principal investigator is based at CU/LASP. The university provided science instruments and leads science operations, as well as education and public outreach, for the mission.

Goddard manages the project and provided two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory provided science instruments for the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, provides navigation support, Deep Space Network support, and Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.

(Pictured Top: Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians perform a spin test of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft. Lower image from file artist's concept of MAVEN spacecraft)

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NASA Prepares To Launch First Mission To Explore Martian Atmosphere

Milky Way’s Hungry Black Hole Has Been Eating Recently | NASA Space Science Video – Video

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Milky Way #39;s Hungry Black Hole Has Been Eating Recently | NASA Space Science Video
Visit my website at http://www.junglejoel.com - scientists have found evidence that the normally dim region close to the Milky Way #39;s central black hole, has ...

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Milky Way's Hungry Black Hole Has Been Eating Recently | NASA Space Science Video - Video


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