July 27, 2017 This infrared image of Tropical Storm Irwin was taken July 27 at 6:11 a.m. EDT (10:11 UTC) by the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The purple areas indicate the coldest cloud tops and strongest storms. Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen

Infrared imagery from NASA looked at cloud top temperatures in Tropical Storm Irwin and found the strongest storms in the system were west of its low-level center.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite looked at Tropical Storm Irwin in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in infrared light. Infrared light provides data on temperatures. The higher the cloud tops, the colder and the stronger they are. So, infrared light as that gathered by the AIRS instrument can identify the strongest sides of a tropical cyclone. Of course, infrared data can also tell if temperatures have warmed, meaning that the uplift has weakened in the system. Weaker uplift means less creation of the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone.

The AIRS data were taken on 6:11 a.m. EDT (10:11 UTC) on July 27 and showed strongest storms were west of the center. Cloud top temperatures west of center were as cold as minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). NASA research has shown the storms with cloud tops that cold have the potential to generate heavy rainfall. The infrared data was false-colored at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where AIRS data is managed.

National Hurricane Center forecaster Lixion Avila noted that the low-level center appears to be located on the eastern edge of the deep convection due to the shear caused by Hilary's outflow.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on July 27 the center of Tropical Storm Irwin was located near 15.0 degrees north latitude and 124.2 degrees west longitude. That's about 1,080 miles (1,740 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Irwin was moving toward the west near 2 mph (4 kph), and little motion is anticipated during the next day or two. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 millibars. Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 kph) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours.

NHC said that two of the models show that Irwin will likely be absorbed by nearby Hurricane Hilary within 5 days.

Explore further: NASA looks at Hurricane Irwin in infrared light

If climate change is not curbed, increased precipitation could substantially overload U.S. waterways with excess nitrogen, according to a new study from Carnegie's Eva Sinha and Anna Michalak and Princeton University's Venkatramani ...

Biochar from recycled waste may both enhance crop growth and save health costs by helping clear the air of pollutants, according to Rice University researchers.

Britain said Wednesday it will outlaw the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040 in a bid to cut air pollution but environmental groups said the proposals did not go far enough.

A new study projects that if climate change continues unabated, heat-related deaths will rise dramatically in 10 major U.S. metropolitan areas compared to if the predicted increase in global warming is substantially curbed ...

Hydrogen at elevated temperature creates high electrical conductivity in the Earth's mantle.

The idea of geoengineering, also known as climate engineering, is very controversial. But as greenhouse gases continue to accumulate in our atmosphere, scientists are beginning to look at possible emergency measures.

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NASA casts an infrared eye on Tropical Storm Irwin - Phys.Org

NASA engineers tested the RS-25 rocket engine, which will play a crucial role in eventual missions to Mars, on Tuesday.

The test at NASAs Stennis Space Center in Mississippi is the latest in a series of RS-25 firings.

The forthcoming Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will be powered by four R2-25 engines firing simultaneously. The RS-25s will provide 2 million pounds of thrust, according to NASA, and will work in conjunction with a pair of solid rocket boosters, which provide an additional 6.8 million pounds of thrust.

The first unmanned flight of the heavy-lift SLS a trip around the moon was scheduled for 2018, but was recently pushed back to 2019, Space.com reports. A crewed mission was expected to take place in 2021, but it has also been pushed back. NASA said there will be a minimum of 33 months between the unmanned and crewed missions.

NASA plans to harness SLS to achieve its long-term goal of sending a manned mission to Mars by 2035.

Former space shuttle main engines, the RS-25s are modified to meet the demands of SLS with a new controller. The controller is the key modification to the engines, explained NASAin a statement. The component is often cited as the RS-25 brain that allows communication between the engine and the rocket.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is the RS-25 primary contractor, with Honeywell serving as subcontractor.

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NASA tests engine that will eventually take us to Mars - New York Post

Flight engineer Kate Rubins checks out the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, which is attached to the International Space Station. NASA hide caption

Flight engineer Kate Rubins checks out the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, which is attached to the International Space Station.

A prototype of what could be the next generation of space stations is currently in orbit around the Earth.

The prototype is unusual. Instead of arriving in space fully assembled, it was folded up and then expanded to its full size once in orbit.

The module is called BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, and it has been attached to the International Space Station since April last year.

Expandable modules allow NASA to pack a large volume into a smaller space for launch. They're not made of metal, but instead use tough materials like the Kevlar found in bulletproof vests.

The station crew used air pressure to unfold and expand the BEAM, but it's wrong to think about BEAM as expanding like a balloon that could go "pop" if something punctured it.

NASA's Jason Crusan says there is a better analogy: "It's much like the tire of your car."

Even with no air in it, a tire retains its tirelike shape.

When BEAM unfolded in orbit, it adopted its more natural shape, something resembling a stumpy watermelon. Even if it was to lose all its internal air, "it still has structure to it," says Crusan.

Of course NASA would prefer BEAM not lose all its air, so there are many layers of shielding to prevent things like meteorites or other space debris from poking a hole in BEAM.

"We do believe we've taken at least one hit," says Crusan. "Very small in nature, and actually we can't even visually see where it's at."

Crusan says there was no loss of pressure from the hit.

NASA isn't actually using BEAM for anything. It's there just to see how it behaves in space. But Crusan says the space station crew does go inside every once in a while to check sensors inside the module. He says crew members seem to like visiting BEAM.

Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet are photographed inside BEAM, which has an interior roughly the size of a medium school bus. NASA hide caption

Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet are photographed inside BEAM, which has an interior roughly the size of a medium school bus.

"We've actually had up to six crew members at a time inside of it. It's about 15 to 16 cubic meters inside," says Crusan. That translates to something like the interior space of a modest-sized school bus.

The original plan was to detach BEAM after two years and let it burn up as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. But there has been a change.

"Because of its performance and it's doing extremely well, there's really no reason to throw it away," says Crusan.

Since storage is at a premium aboard the space station, NASA now plans to use BEAM as a kind of storage shed and to keep it in space as long as the station continues to operate.

The company that made BEAM, Bigelow Aerospace, has big plans for expandable modules, including a stand-alone space station called the B330. The B330 will be 20 times larger than BEAM. But company president Robert Bigelow remains cautious despite the good performance of BEAM.

"No, I worry too much," says Bigelow. The B330 is much, much more complex than BEAM.

"It has two propulsion systems," he says. "It has very large solar arrays, a full suite of environmental life-support systems."

These are all things that have to work flawlessly in order to keep a crew alive and happy in space.

"That's why I walk around perpetually with a frown. It's just because there's so much to think about and be concerned about," says Bigelow.

Despite his concerns, Bigelow says his new space stations may be in orbit before too long. His company plans to have two B330s ready for launch in 2020.

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After A Year In Space, The Air Hasn't Gone Out Of NASA's Inflated ... - NPR

Origami rocket (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Through its Tournament Lab, NASA is making crowdsourcing a part of the future of space travel. Following competitions on an array of space problems, includingrobot arm architecture, a 3D printed Mars habitat, anddelivering astronaut email, NASA is now looking for proposals on how to fold a radiation shield like origami.

As Nicola Davis reported for the Guardian, the idea challenge is launching todaythrough Freelancer, an online outsourcing marketplace. On Freelancer, NASA states that the challenge is to develop a 3D folding concept for radiation shielding used to cover human habitation sections of spacecraft. These shields would protect spacecraft, and the astronauts within, fromgalactic cosmic rays (GCRs), and are essential for deep space travel. With storage space at a premium onboard these proposed vessels, such shields would need to be as compact as possible.

And thats where the origami comes in. Perhaps most familiar to people as a foldable, and sometimes frustrating, art, its skill in reducing a sheet of paper to a dense maze of mountains and valleys has wider applications.NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory previously explored how to usethe craft of paper-folding to store solar panels for space travel, and physicist, origami expert, and former NASA scientistRobert J. Langhas experimented with its use in things like automotive airbags.

Outsourcing ideas to the gig economy isnt as great as NASA hiring those minds,yet it is a creative way for the organization to innovate, even as funding cuts put into question whether deep space travel is a possibility. Meanwhile, NASA has more upcoming initiatives you can join, such as making observations as a citizen scientist during the August 21 solar eclipse, and suggesting patch designs for a mission to test the limits of 3D recyclability.

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Help NASA Design a Radiation Shield That Folds Like Origami - Hyperallergic

For all its reputation as a miracle of motion at the forefront of all things travel, supersonic aviation is both mired in the past and weighed down by a future laden with question marks.

Not since Concorde was removed from service in October 2003 has a commercial airliner flown at beyond the speed of sound. And with the retirement of the great Anglo-French jet, the concept of soaring through the air at faster than 761mph has increasingly become a fragment of yesteryear - a ghost of some golden age that is deemed unlikely to return.

Part of the issue with supersonic flying is just how noisy it is. Famously, a plane breaking the sound barrier provokes a "sonic boom" - a cacophonous whip-crack which, if it erupts close enough to the ground, can cause windows to break and complaints to be issued.

Concorde was enough of a noise monster that its presence in America was largely unwelcome.

Contrary to perception - and in spite of the popular consensus that the plane was generally a success in its 27 years of active service - supersonic flight over the US is banned, and has been since 1973. British Airways and Air France had to receive special dispensation to fly their baby to Washington DC and New York - and could go no further.

But reports suggest that one of America's biggest pioneers in aviation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is taking tentative steps towards a second generation of supersonic airliners.

According to Bloomberg, NASA may begin work on a fresh supersonic prototype model as early as next month, and is likely to collaborate with manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Dynamics - as well as relevant industry innovators like Aerion and Boom Technology - to bring theory into reality.

Central to the blueprint will be a plane with a modified shape - subtler, sleeker, and therefore of less impact on the air around it. In theory, this would mean that it could break the sound barrier less brusquely, and at a lesser volume, than its celebrated predecessor.

NASA researchers are quietly confident that tests on their model, conducted in a wind tunnel in June, demonstrate that such an aircraft could cut current standard flight times in half - meaning that the average seven hour duration of a hop between London and New York could be slashed to less than four hours.

This radical time difference, along with the lower noise levels, could mean a loosening, or even an abandonment, of the US's strict rules on supersonic aviation in its airspace, and make the whole ultra-fast process more financially viable.

Although there were several causes of Concorde's gradual slump from being essential to being obsolete - not least its catastrophic crash at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on July 25 in 2000 - the restrictions on where it could fly undoubtedly hastened its demise.

But times are changing, and the planet's growing reliance on air travel will, during the next decade, "drive the demand for broadly available faster air travel, Peter Coen, project manager for NASAs commercial supersonic research team, told Bloomberg. Thats going to make it possible for companies to offer competitive products in the future.

How soon, and how softly, are the questions to which most interested parties want solutions - and the second is much easier to answer.

At its loudest, Concorde's sonic output was somewhere around 90 dBa (A-weighted decibels). NASA is aiming to cut this by about a third, to 60-65 dBA - hardly a sudden silence, and still the equivalent of a high-powered car on the motorway - but a significant reduction in the main concern, all the same. The agency is planning to spend some $390 million (299 million) on its prototype over the next five years, and has already been liaising with Lockheed Martin on design.

"Now youre getting down to that level where, as far as approval from the general public, it would probably be something thats acceptable, says Peter Iosifidis, a design program manager at Lockheed, of that 60-65 dBA figure.

A sonic boom occurs when a flying object achieves a speed of Mach 1 - which is approximately 761mph at sea level (though this varies at other altitudes).

This is the point at which the pressure waves created by a plane's motion can no longer get out of its, or each other's, way. They become compressed, and merge into a single shockwave, which causes the dramatic bang.

The NASA prototype will reportedly resolve this problem by employing a shape which will keep sound waves from merging. Instead, they will be dispersed across various points of the aircraft, resulting in a low hum rather than a single sound explosion.

The matter of when air passengers may be able to see the fruits of this research is a little harder to predict. NASA plans to run live tests on its brainchild as soon as 2022.

When, precisely, this will translate into everyday transportation is yet to be seen. But the future is coming - and it's quieter than you think.

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NASA plans to build a new plane that could halve flight times - Telegraph.co.uk

There are about seven times more large comets at the outer edge of our solar system than once thought, according to NASA. While these comets spend most of their time billions of miles away from the sun, when they do edge into our region of the solar system, they have the potential to collide with planetsincluding Earth.

Scientists used the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer(WISE) spacecraft to work out the size and numbers of short- and long-period comet populations. This refers to the orbital periodlong refers to comets that take more than 200 years to orbit the sun, while short-period comets take less than 200 years.

Their findings, published inThe Astronomical Journal, show there are vastly more long-period comets than previous estimates had indicated. The number of comets speaks to the amount of material left over from the solar systems formation, lead author James Bauer said in a statement. We now know that there are more relatively large chunks of ancient material coming from the Oort Cloud than we thought. The Oort Cloud is a shell of icy objects that surrounds the solar system, far beyond Neptune.

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In the study, scientists looked at long-period comets and Jupiter-family cometscomets that have an orbital period of less than 20 years and are controlled by Jupiter. Comets are formed from material that was left over from the formation of the planet, so studying them helps us understand the evolutionary history of the solar system.

In total, in the area of the sky surveyed, scientists found56 long-period comets and 108 short-period comets. Over the course of the eightmonths of the survey, our results indicate that the number of long-period comets passing within 1.5 au [about 140 million miles] are a factor of several higher than previous estimates, they wrote.

This illustration shows how scientists used data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft to determine the nucleus sizes of comets. NASA/JPL-Caltech

By getting a better understanding of how many long-period comets there are and how they differ from Jupiter-family comets, researchers are able to gain a key insight into how and why the solar system appears to us as it does.

Researchers found that there are far more long-period comets than Jupiter-family cometsand that long-period comets are on average twice as big, measuring at least 0.6 miles across. Our results mean theres an evolutionary difference between Jupiter-family and long-period comets, Bauer said.

They also discovered that long-period comets passed the sun far more often than had been thought. This finding is important, as it has implications for the risk of comets hitting Earth and indicates more of them have probably affected planets, such as delivering icy materials to them. Comets travel much faster than asteroids, and some of them are very big, study co-author Amy Mainzer said. Studies like this will help us define what kind of hazard long-period comets may pose.

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NASA: There Are Far More Massive Comets Hiding at the Edge of the Solar System Than We Thought - Newsweek

July 26, 2017 The NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible light image of Hurricane Hilary on July 25 at 5:54 p.m. EDT (2154 UTC) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, far south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Credit: NOAA/NASA Goddard Rapid Response Team

When the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite passed over the Eastern Pacific Ocean on July 25 it captured a visible close-up of Hurricane Hilary.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible light image of Hilaryon July 25 at 5:54 p.m. EDT (2154 UTC). The Suomi NPP image showed that Hilary appeared somewhat asymmetric.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted an eye feature in the northwestern portion of the central dense overcast, suggestive of some northwesterly shear.

On July 26, NHC forecaster Blake said "The central dense overcast has become more symmetric, although convection is still preferentially forming in the eastern eyewall. Any eye feature, however, is somewhat less distinct than a few hours ago, and the latest microwave passes are again showing an open eyewall on the west side."

Hilary remains a compact hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles (30 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km). Of the three Eastern Pacific Ocean tropical cyclones: Greg, Irwin and Hilary, Hilary is closest to land, but it's not close enough for coastal watches or warnings.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Hilary was located near 16.4 degrees north latitude and 112.3 degrees west longitude. That's about 475 miles (765 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Hilary was moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 km/h), and NHC noted that this general motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds remain near 105 mph (165 kph) with higher gusts. Some slow weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours.

Explore further: Suomi NPP Satellite sees Hilary on verge of major hurricane status

Britain said Wednesday it will outlaw the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040 in a bid to cut air pollution but environmental groups said the proposals did not go far enough.

A new study projects that if climate change continues unabated, heat-related deaths will rise dramatically in 10 major U.S. metropolitan areas compared to if the predicted increase in global warming is substantially curbed ...

Hydrogen at elevated temperature creates high electrical conductivity in the Earth's mantle.

The idea of geoengineering, also known as climate engineering, is very controversial. But as greenhouse gases continue to accumulate in our atmosphere, scientists are beginning to look at possible emergency measures.

A new study found that Caribbean staghorn corals (Acropora cervicornis) are benefiting from "coral gardening," the process of restoring coral populations by planting laboratory-raised coral fragments on reefs.

Humanity will have used up its allowance of planetary resources such as water, soil, and clean air for all of 2017 by next week, said a report Tuesday.

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NASA eyes compact Hurricane Hilary - Phys.Org

This series of satellite images shows the evolution of the iceberg.

It's pretty dark in Antarctica right now, but that didn't stop NASA's Landsat 8 satellite from using its thermal infrared imaging powers to get a good look at the spectacular iceberg that broke away earlier this month. The floating ice chunk isone of the largest on record.

The iceberg, saddled with the uneventful name A-68, separated from the Larsen C ice shelf and immediately got compared in size to the US state of Delaware and the amount of water in Lake Ontario.

The Landsat view is a composite created from images taken on July 14 and July 21 by the satellite's Thermal Infrared Sensor. The satellite has monitored the natural phenomenon over the course of its evolution from a thin crack to a full-blown iceberg.

A full set of Landsat images shows the calving process from February 2016 through July 21, 2017, when the iceberg is clearly separated from the ice shelf.

The large image below shows how small chunks of the iceberg are already separating from the main mass. NASA reports A-68 is currently heading northward on ocean currents.

This satellite image from July 21 shows the fresh iceberg broken away from the Larsen C ice shelf.

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NASA satellite image shows monster iceberg breaking up - CNET - CNET

NASA is postponing the launch of one of its communications satellites after an antenna on the vehicle was somehow damaged during mission preparations over a week ago. That satellite is the TDRS-M, for Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, and it was scheduled to launch on August 3rd from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on top of an Atlas V rocket made by the United Launch Alliance. But now, NASA, ULA, and Boeing the manufacturer of the satellite are trying to figure out a new time to launch the probe in August, so the satellites antenna can be replaced before then.

Some extra time is needed to replace the antenna

The TDRS-M satellite is meant to join a whole fleet of other TDRS satellites already in space that make up part of NASAs Space Network. These probes are crucial for helping the agency communicate with its various spacecraft in lower Earth orbit, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. NASA used to completely rely on ground-based radio stations to communicate with orbiting vehicles, but that didnt allow for 24/7 communication. The TDRS satellites help to provide near continuous communication instead: they sit in a super high orbit 22,000 miles up called geosynchronous orbit, and they help relay communications between spacecraft in lower orbits and the ground below.

Once TDRS-M is in orbit, it will be the 10th active TDRS satellite in the Space Network. But for now, its unclear when that will happen. NASA did not say how the antenna on TDRS-M was damaged nor how long it will take to replace the instrument. Meanwhile, NASA says its investigating a possible electrostatic discharge event that may have affected equipment needed to support the spacecraft from the ground. However, the agency did not elaborate on what that meant or when that situation would be resolved.

Link:

Broken antenna delays launch of NASA communications satellite ... - The Verge

A still from a new NASA video describing how a participant can use the free Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) smartphone app to record local temperatures, which drop during a total or partial solar eclipse.

A new NASA app will allow folks across the United States to become citizen scientists and collect data for an interactive map.

The NASA-sponsored Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program launched the app to allow enthusiastic spectators to document their solar eclipse observations wherever they may be along path ofthe Aug. 21 total eclipse.

This nationwide citizen-science experiment is easy to become a part of, and, as highlighted in the new GLOBE Observer (NASA GO) Eclipse App instructional video, requires you to have only a smartphone and a thermometer as you experience a partial or total eclipse. [The Best ISO-Certified Gear to See the 2017 Solar Eclipse]

"When the Earth goes dark for a few minutes during a total solar eclipse, animals, plants and environmental conditions react. In the path of the eclipse, temperatures and clouds can change quickly," said the NASA video's narrator.

A still from a new NASA video describing how a participant can use the free Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) smartphone app to record local temperatures, which drop during a total or partial solar eclipse.

Since all of North America will experience at least a partial eclipse on Aug. 21, NASA encourages everyone to get involved in scientific observations during this rare experience.

"No matter where you are in North America, whether it's cloudy, clear or rainy, NASA wants as many people to help with this citizen science project," Kristen Weaver, deputy coordinator for the project, said in a statement.

NASA will certainly benefit from the plethora of data it is hoping to receive from citizen scientists across the continent. However, this initiative is also a way for NASA to inspire concern and participation in an international scientific endeavor, according to GLOBE. The idea is to democratize scientific observation by helping observers to understand their surroundings and to excite folks about what they are capable of.

A still from a new video for the free NASA GLOBAL Observer app. The continental United States, as well as Canada and Mexico, will experience a partial or total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Observers within all ranges of the eclipse path are invited to measure temperatures in their vicinity and then upload the information to the new NASA GLOBE Observer (NASA GO) app.

By mobilizing people to empirically analyze the world around them on Aug. 21, Weaver said, "We want to inspire a million eclipse viewers to become eclipse scientists."

Once participants download the free GLOBE Observer app and register themselves, the app will guide them to record their observations. The information is then placed by the app onto an interactive map that people can view to see how individual contributions have added to the collective project.

Readers who want to get involved can download the GLOBE Observer app here. You can alsofollow the project on Twitter @NASAGo, and onFacebook here.

Editor's note:Space.com has teamed up with Simulation Curriculum to offerthis awesome Eclipse Safari appto help you enjoy your eclipse experience. The free app isavailable for AppleandAndroid, and you can view iton the web.

Follow Doris Elin Salazar on Twitter @salazar_elin.Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.

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NASA Wants YOU to Be a Citizen Scientist for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse - Space.com

In the early 1960s, 13 trailblazing American women participated in a secret program to become Americas first female astronaut. Although the skilled pilots passed the same physiological screening tests given to the Mercury Seven astronauts, NASA abruptly shuttered the little-known Woman in Space Program before its participants could ever leave the ground. The Mercury 13 may have had the right stuff, but for NASA they were the wrong gender.

When NASA introduced its first astronaut corps in 1959, it was strictly a mens-only club. Although women werent explicitly barred from the Mercury Seven, NASAs requirement that astronauts be experienced military jet test pilotsa job open only to meneffectively prevented their selection.

However, space medicine experts such as Air Force Brigadier General Donald Flickinger and Dr. Randy Lovelace, a NASA contractor who conducted the official physical examinations of the Project Mercury candidates, believed that women could be preferable to men as astronauts because on average they are lighter, shorter and consume less food and oxygenan advantage when every pound is critical to the cost and feasibility of space flight. In addition, tests have found women more resistant to radiation and less prone to cardiovascular issues.

After a chance encounter, Flickinger and Lovelace found their perfect candidate for testing an aspiring female astronaut. Like many young pilots at the dawn of the Space Age, Jerrie Cobb had stars in her eyes. A licensed commercial pilot at the age of 18, Cobb was flying routes from California to Paraguay by the time the Associated Press profiled the 24-year-old girl pilot in 1955. Five years later, Cobb had logged a total of 10,000 hours in the cockpit, twice that of Mercury astronaut John Glenn.

In February 1960, the 29-year-old Cobb traveled to Lovelaces private clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the first participant in his secret Woman in Space Program, which was not sanctioned by NASA. She underwent the same grueling tests given to the Mercury Seven. Researchers poured ice water into her ears to simulate vertigo and jammed a 3-foot rubber hose down her throat to test stomach acid. She was poked and prodded with needles and submerged in water and darkness to simulate sensory isolation.

Cobb not only passed all three phases of the screening program, she even surpassed the male astronauts on some tests. When Lovelace announced the test results in August 1960, Cobb became a media sensation. She appeared in Life magazine, and newspapers debated whether to call the would-be space traveler an astronautrix, astronette or lady astronaut.

To see if Cobbs results could be replicated, Lovelace recruited another two-dozen skilled female pilotsranging from 21-year-old flight instructor Wally Funk to 39-year-old Janey Hart, a mother of eight and wife of Senator Philip Hartto come to New Mexico. Famed aviatrix Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier, used some of the money from her successful cosmetics business to bankroll the privately run program. As with Cobb, the women outperformed the men on numerous medical and screening tests. Funk, who grew up playing with planes instead of dolls, spent more than 10 hours in the isolation tankbetter than any other astronaut trainee, male or female.

A dozen women, whom Cobb called Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs), passed the screening. Later dubbed the Mercury 13, the aspiring astronauts prepared to undergo space flight simulation at a Navy facility in Pensacola, Florida. Just days before leaving, however, Lovelace sent word that the testing had been abruptly cancelled once the Navy learned that his program was not sponsored by NASA.

After NASA shuttered the Woman in Space Program, Cobb and Hart met in person with Vice President Lyndon Johnson in March 1962 to lobby for its resumption. According to Stephanie Nolens book Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race, Johnson aide Liz Carpenter drafted a letter to NASA asking why women couldnt be astronauts. After meeting with Cobb and Hart, Johnson picked up his pen, but instead of signing the letter, he scrawled, Lets stop this now!

Cobb and Hart fared no better on Capitol Hill when they testified before a congressional subcommittee in July 1962. We seek, only, a place in our nations space future without discrimination, said Cobb, who was referred to in United Press International reports as an attractive 31-year-old astronaut aspirant. There were women on the Mayflower and on the first wagon trains west, working alongside the men to forge new trails to new vistas. We ask that opportunity in the pioneering of space.

I think that our society should cease to frown on the woman who seeks to combine family life with a career, Hart told lawmakers. Lets face it: For many women the PTA just is not enough.

Still being showered with adulation five months after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, Glenn backed NASAs position that a new training program for women would jeopardize the goal of landing an American on the moon before the end of the decade. Glenn told lawmakers that although he believed women had the capabilities to become astronauts, I think this gets back to the way our social order is organized, really. It is just a fact. The men go off and fight the wars and fly the airplanes and come back and help design and build and test them.

The Mercury 13 found no more support in Congress than they had in the White House for women becoming astronauts or military test pilots. NASA hired Cobb as a consultant on womens issues, but then gave her little to do. Im the most unconsulted consultant in any government agency, she groused after a year on the job. Her frustration only grew when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963. By the time Cobb resigned her position with NASA, the closest she had ever come to outer space was posing with a Mercury spaceship capsule for newspaper photographers.

When Neil Armstrong took one small step for a mannot a womanafter landing on the moon in July 1969, Cobb was deep in the jungles of the Amazon using her piloting skills to deliver food, medicine and humanitarian aid packages to villages, work for which she would later be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Not until 1983 did an American woman, Sally Ride, blast off into space. In 1995, eight of the 11 surviving FLATs, including Cobb, gathered together to watch as Eileen Collins roared into space as the first female space shuttle commander, a dream denied to the trailblazers but made possible for Collins by their efforts.

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Right Stuff, Wrong Gender: The Woman Astronauts Grounded by NASA - History

NASA uploaded a ton of awesome test flight footage

The past few months NASA has been hard at work uploading a ton of archive footage to the NASA Armstrong Research Center's YouTube Channel. Here are some of the highlights.

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NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center has a surprisingly prolificYouTubechannel -- it's added330 videos of experimental aircraft footageover the past few months.

The AFRC is a 70-year-old agency located at Edwards Air Force Base in California that conducts atmospheric flight research, including flying experimental aircraft and the Space Shuttle.

The videos, many decades old, show experimental aircraft in flight and in controlled impact demonstrations (aka fiery crashes). There are videos of the X-1 being dropped from a B-52 bomber and even a tire rim test that would Michael Bay smile.

Checkout the AFRC's YouTube channel for all the experimental fun.

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NASA added hundreds of experimental aircraft videos to its ... - CNET - CNET

An illustration of the proposed Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft, one of several Earth science missions that would be cancelled in the administration's 2018 NASA budget proposal. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON As Senate appropriators prepare to mark up a NASA spending bill, agency officials are both downplaying the effects of proposed cuts on its Earth science program while also hoping the Senate reverses them.

The commerce, justice and science subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up its fiscal year 2018 spending bill July 25. The full committee will then take up the bill July 27.

At a meeting July 24 of the science committee of the NASA Advisory Council, members complained about proposed cuts in the Earth science division at the agency. The administrations 2018 request seeks $1.754 billion for the division, $167 million less than what it received in 2017. The proposal called for the termination of five operating or proposed instruments and missions.

This is really, actually, pretty devastating, said Susan Avery, president and director emeritus of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and a member of the committee, during a discussion about the budget proposal at the meeting. This is a devastating budget for Earth sciences.

Michael Freilich, director of NASAs Earth science division, attempted to minimize the impact of the proposed cuts, arguing that most of the agencys Earth science programs would continue unaffected. It is significant, but I would say that it is not existential, he said of the cut.

He said that the agency would be judicious in how it applied the measurable, but not huge cut in research funding in Earth sciences, separate from the proposed cancellation of missions. We would not take it in a peanut butter spread, where the cuts are applied equally across all grant programs, he said. Any cuts would not affect existing research grants.

Freilich also said that NASA is not making any changes in spending in the current fiscal year to accommodate cuts in the 2018 proposal. We are not changing anything in our plans in anticipation of a future administration budget, he said. Basically, we are moving through [fiscal year] 17 at an appropriate high level of appropriation, and we are not in any way changing our plan in anticipation of the administrations [fiscal year] 18 budget.

An example of that is the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, which Freilich said completed a review called Key Decision Point B earlier this month, clearing it to continue design and development work. PACE is one of the missions slated for cancellation in the budget proposal.

NASA is still without an operations plan that specifies how it will spend funds appropriated for this fiscal year, including any requested deviations from the appropriations bill. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA, said at the meeting that the fiscal year 2017 plan has been submitted to Congress, but not yet formally approved. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

While minimizing the effects of the proposed cuts, some in the agency also expressed hope that the cuts will not be enacted in a final spending bill approved by Congress.

Were likely to see a replay of the last two or three years, where the Senate mark is similar in total but somewhat more favorable for Earth science in particular, said Craig Tupper, director of the resources management division in NASAs Science Mission Directorate (SMD), at the meeting, adding that assessment was his personal expectation. In particular, the Senate may attempt to fund some of the Earth science projects that were proposed for termination in fiscal year 2018.

In that case, he said, the House and Senate horse trade in the conference negotiations to reconcile their two bills. My guess is that the end result of that, similar to the last couple of years, is that SMD will end up with an appropriation that is even higher than the House mark that provides relief for Earth science, he said.

For fiscal year 2017, the Obama administration request $2.03 billion for Earth science. The House only offered $1.69 billion in its bill, but the Senate provided $1.984 billion. The final omnibus spending bill, approved in early May, provided $1.921 billion for Earth science at the agency.

The bottom line is, here is the budget that were dealing with, Zurbuchen said of the 2018 budget proposal at the meeting, after a committee member complained about the proposed Earth science cuts. What we will do is be the best stewards we can be to respect the recognition that Earth science is a system science.

Originally posted here:

NASA downplaying Earth science cuts while hoping for reversal - SpaceNews

Artists concept of a possible Low Boom Flight Demonstration Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) X-plane design.

For almost a half-century theres been a clear speed limit on most commercial air travel: 660 miles per hour, the rate at which a typical-size plane traveling at 30,000 feet breaks the sound barrier and creates a 30-mile-wide, continuous sonic boom. The ground-level disturbances that resultshattered windows, cracked plaster, maddened farm animalshave kept supersonic travel mostly off-limits since 1973, when the Federal Aviation Administration banned its use over U.S. soil.

That may be changing. In August, NASA says, it will begin taking bids for construction of a demo model of a plane able to reduce the sonic boom to something like the hum youd hear inside a Mercedes-Benz on the interstate. The agencys researchers say their design, a smaller-scale model of which was successfully tested in a wind tunnel at the end of June, should cut the six-hour flight time from New York to Los Angeles in half. NASA proposes spending $390 million over five years to build the demo plane and test it over populated areas. The first year of funding is included in President Trumps 2018 budget proposal.

Over the next decade, growth in air transportation and distances flown will drive the demand for broadly available faster air travel, says Peter Coen, project manager for NASAs commercial supersonic research team. Thats going to make it possible for companies to offer competitive products in the future. NASA plans to share the technology resulting from the tests with U.S. plane makers, meaning a head start for the likes of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Boeing, and startups such as Boom Technology and billionaire Robert Basss Aerion.

Lockheed helped create NASAs design, using fluid dynamics modeling made possible in the past decade or so by increasingly powerful computers. Together, Lockheed and NASA tested and mapped how subtle differences in aircraft shapes affect the supersonic shock waves they create. The design theyve settled on keeps sound waves from merging into the sharp N pattern of a sonic boom, according to Peter Iosifidis, Lockheeds design program manager on Junes small-scale model. Instead, the waves are kept dispersed across a wide range of points behind the plane, leaving the resulting supersonics a mere hum.

NASA is targeting a sound level of 60 to 65 A-weighted decibels (dBa), Coen says. Thats about as loud as that luxury car on the highway or the background conversation in a busy restaurant. Iosifidis says that Lockheeds research shows the design can maintain that sound level at commercial size and his teams planned demo will be 94 feet long, have room for one pilot, fly as high as 55,000 feet, and run on one of the twin General Electric Co. engines that power Boeing Co.s F/A-18 fighter jet. Now youre getting down to that level where, as far as approval from the general public, it would probably be something thats acceptable, he says.

By comparison, the Concorde, that bygone icon of the Champagne-sipping, caviar-scarfing supersonic jet set, was 50 percent louder at 90 dBa. The planes advent in the 1970s helped lead Congress to pass the overland ban in the first place; its takeoffs and landings generated hundreds of noise complaints and wouldnt come close to meeting todays regulations. Partly because of the ban, the Concorde wound up being a money pit for Air France and British Airways and was mothballed in 2003.

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Of the three major obstacles to supersonic travel, which also include high carbon emissions and airport engine noise, the boom has been the toughest to clear, Coen says. GE is working on designs that can quiet its engines, including by placing them above a planes wings, and NASA has funded a MIT study on ways to address the environmental impact. Manufacturers will not take the lead in developing an aircraft that they cant fly, Iosifidis says. Thats where NASA said weve got to go change the rule, and this is the path to making that happen.

Dont pack your bags for a supersonic trip just yet. The fourth major obstacle may be Washington, because the language of the 1973 ban will require the FAA or Congress to explicitly undo it even if technology renders it obsolete.

Whats more, while established aerospace companies, such as General Dynamics Corp., which owns Gulfstream Aerospace, have been researching supersonic jets for years and startups (Boom, Spike Aerospace) have reignited interest in solving the technical challenges, all their efforts remain in the planning stages. Theres a lot of work left to be done.

Still, if everything goes as planned, NASA will test the demo plane over as many as six communities beginning in 2022, Coen says. Thats the first step toward appealing to lawmakers and regulators to lift the ban. This time, he says, is different, because the toughest technical challenge has been solved. Weve got a lot of support in NASA and the administration and in Congress for making this happen. Im pretty excited about our prospects.

BOTTOM LINE - NASA and Lockheed say their design makes a supersonic plane as quiet as the inside of a Mercedes on the highway. Theres $390 million up for grabs to make and test a demo.

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NASA Has a Way to Cut Your Flight Time in Half - Bloomberg

NASA launched the NextSTEP program in 2016 in an effort to develop a suitable habitat for astronauts traveling farther than low-Earth orbit. The idea is to create a vehicle with living quarters that can also carry enough supplies to support spacefarers' journey that could last months, or even years. Since it could be used as a homebase for astronauts visiting cislunar orbit, as well, it must be able to fly on its own and be rugged enough to survive if there's nobody onboard. NASA's Orion spacecraft will transform it into livable environment when docked.

Bill Pratt, Lockheed Martin's NextSTEP program manager, explained:

"It is easy to take things for granted when you are living at home, but the recently selected astronauts will face unique challenges. Something as simple as calling your family is completely different when you are outside of low Earth orbit. While building this habitat, we have to operate in a different mindset that's more akin to long trips to Mars to ensure we keep them safe, healthy and productive."

Lockheed Martin isn't the only company that's building a NextSTEP prototype for NASA. In June, the agency also signed a Phase II contract with NanoRacks, which plans to turn the upper stages of a rocket into a deep space habitat.

Link:

NASA backs deep space habitat made with old ISS cargo module - Engadget

NASA may be the star of air and space exploration and innovation, but in recent years, theyve been making it easier for tech entrepreneurs here on earth to harness many of the agencyspatented technologies. To do this, theyve tackled one of the major problems entrepreneurs face paperwork.

Small business owners end up wasting a lot of time on tedious tasks (perfect example: they spend an average of 33hours searching for business financing).Obtaining licenses, particularly from government-run or affiliated agencies, can be a hassle, but when it comes to NASA tech, all of that just changed.The Automated Technology Licensing Application System, conveniently known as ATLAS, debuted this past June, and now those attempting to acquire a NASA patent technologies license can look forward to a much more streamlines and efficient process.

Utilizing NASA technologies can put your product at the forefront of your industry by showing consumers that youve taken the time and initiative to implement tested solutions. Additionally, by harnessing technologies already tested and approved by NASA, companies can eliminate some development burdens while boosting brand integrity. That can translate into better products and stronger margins.

NASAs patent portfolio is extensive and encompasses a wide variety of disciplines. With more than 1,4000 patented technologies available for licensing, its worth checking out their site. Heres a quick glance at the categories that are included in their portfolio:

If your product or necessary product components fit into any of those categories, your next question is likely how do I get started?

Assuming youre just becoming acquainted with the patents NASA has to offer, the first stage, as with many processes, is research; more specifically, youll want to dig into relevant portfolios to identify what patents are available.

For example, if you are producing a cyber communications or storage device, and its imperative that your product incorporate an enclosure or container that can withstand extreme temperatures , you would likely want to consider reviewing the Materials and Coatings category, which is broken down even further into different sub-divisions, including High-Temperature Materials and Smart Materials.

Once you figure out what technology solution would best fit your needs, its off to the next part of the ATLAS process: the application.

ATLAS is extremely user friendly, and as advertised, its streamlined and guides applicants quickly and efficiently through the entire process. Its likely, with a bit if preparation, you can complete the application in a single, short sitting.

To get you started, here are a few of the things youll need to consider to submit your NASA technologies license application through ATLAS.

Once your application is submitted, it is reviewed by a license manager who will contact you for more information as its needed.

NASAs ATLAS provides entrepreneurs with easy access to licensing that can have a big impact on their brand, and with so many innovative and NASA-tested technologies available, utilizing these patents can help create stronger products, mitigate development risks and increase overall profits.

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How to License NASA Tech for Your Business - Nav (blog)

Art historian James Merle Thomas (left) and Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen make up the duo Quindar. Shawn Brackbill/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Art historian James Merle Thomas (left) and Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen make up the duo Quindar.

You probably have a mental image of what NASA's space missions look like rockets blasting off into the sky, fiery clouds of exhaust after liftoff but what do they sound like?

That's what inspired Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and art historian James Merle Thomas to form the duo Quindar, named after the signal tones used in radio communication during NASA's Apollo space missions. The duo's new album, Hip Mobility, incorporates archival sound recordings from the Apollo and Skylab eras.

"One of the conversations we had early on was maybe we could use this material as it would sort of take the place of lyrics," Jorgensen says. "It would provide a story: some of the more humanizing, smaller moments of what life in space might be like, [such as] looking out the window as you catch a moment between some rigorous note-taking or scientific duties, and looking down at the earth hundreds of miles below."

Hear Jorgensen and Thomas' conversation with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro at the audio link.

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In Quindar, Wilco's Mikael Jorgensen Draws On NASA's Sonic ... - NPR

By NASA // July 24, 2017

ABOVE VIDEO: NASA is expecting to fly the F-18 two-to-three times per day over Brevard, starting Monday, Aug. 21 and will conclude the end of the month or early September, focusing on collecting data on a targeted minimum of 33 sonic booms.

BREVARD COUNTY KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA (NASA) NASAs research to advance supersonic flight will take wing over the launch site for the agencys storied space program in August.

Teams and aircraft from NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, and Langley Research Center in Virginia, two of the agencys centers that conduct extensive aeronautical research, will deploy to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a nearly two-week flight series campaign.

The historic spaceport will play host to the second series of Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence flights, or SonicBAT, continuing from 2016s successful supersonic research flights flown at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

SonicBAT helps NASA researchers better understand how low-altitude atmospheric turbulence affects sonic booms, which are produced when an aircraft flies at supersonic speeds, or faster than the speed of sound.

The upcoming flight series is a key initiative in validating tools and models that will be used for the development of future quiet supersonic aircraft, which will produce a soft thump in place of the louder sonic boom.

ABOVE VIDEO:Why is a sonic boom so loud?NASA is expecting to fly the F-18 two-to-three times per day over Brevard, starting Monday, Aug. 21 and will conclude the end of the month or early September, focusing on collecting data on a targeted minimum of 33 sonic booms.

In SonicBAT, were trying to figure out how much atmospheric turbulence changes sonic booms, said Ed Haering, SonicBATs principal investigator at Armstrong.

Theinitial series of SonicBAT flightsprovided NASA with data on the effect of atmospheric turbulence on sonic booms in a dry climate. The upcoming flights will continue that effort by collecting data in the same fashion to measure the effect of the humid climate of Florida.

Turbulence can make sonic booms quieter, or it can make them louder. Last summer we tested in the hot, dry climate of Edwards Air Force Base. We know that humidity can make sonic booms louder, so we need to test some place wetter, and Kennedy fits that bill, Haering said.

Sonic boom signature data will be collected from these tests using audio equipment to capture noise levels both above and below the turbulence layer, which will provide a comparison of the sonic boom both before and after it travels through atmospheric turbulence.

To do this, a NASA Armstrong F-18 will take off from Kennedys Shuttle Landing Facilty and fly off the coast of Cape Canaveral at an altitude of 32,000 feet. The F-18 will fly a designated flight path where it will exceed Mach 1, the speed of sound, and produce a sonic boom.

Meanwhile, NASA also will fly a TG-14 motorized glider, equipped with a wingtip microphone, at an altitude between 4,000 to 10,000 feet, which is above the low-altitude turbulence layer. At the test point, the TG-14 will temporarily shut down its motor and glide.

NASAs F-18 will fly at or above 32,000 feet when it goes supersonic off the eastern coast of Florida. The F-18s flightpath is positioned in efforts to keep the strongest-sounding sonic booms away from residential areas. (NASA image)

This will eliminate any unnecessary noise, ensuring that the wingtip microphone will pick up a clean, accurate sonic boom signature before it travels through any turbulence.

To collect signatures of sonic booms that travel through the turbulence layer, NASA, along with partners Wyle Laboratories and Gulfstream Aerospace, will arrange two microphone arrays on the ground at Kennedy, each with 16 microphones to collect data.

The project aims to collect data in three different conditions, including low turbulence, medium turbulence and significant turbulence, to obtain a stronger understanding of how the variations impact sonic booms.

To monitor these conditions, NASA meteorologists will be on-site using anemometers to measure wind speed, a sonic wind profiler to measure wind conditions at low altitude, and a flux sensor to measure changes due to humidity.

NASA is expecting to fly the F-18 two-to-three times per day, starting Monday, Aug. 21 and will conclude the end of the month or early September, focusing on collecting data on a targeted minimum of 33 sonic booms.

While communities nearby Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station may be able to hear traces of the sonic booms being produced over the NASA center, Haering said residents have no reason to worry.

At the altitudes we are flying, sonic booms from aircraft have never been dangerous to people, animals or buildings, but they can be startling, said Haering.

Due to the flight path of the F-18 being taken over the Atlantic Ocean east of the Space Coast, some publicly accessible beaches to the north of Kennedy that are part of the Canaveral National Seashore will be able to hear the sonic booms louder than other surrounding areas.

We have carefully planned our flights so that there is little chance that people in larger communities such as Titusville to the west, or Cocoa Beach to the south, will be disturbed.

Residents might hear a distant sound similar to a rumble of thunder. If the actual winds at the time of our tests are much different from predicted, they might hear a boom sound like those heard when the space shuttle landed. That may be startling, but there is no reason to be alarmed.

Due to the flight path of the F-18 being taken over the Atlantic Ocean east of the Space Coast, some publicly accessible beaches to the north of Kennedy that are part of the Canaveral National Seashore will be able to hear the sonic booms louder than other surrounding areas.

Because we are trying to minimize the impact to larger communities, beachgoers on beaches such as Playalinda will definitely hear booms like those of the shuttle, said Haering, but again, there is no reason for concern.

Sonic booms can be heard as the result of shockwaves created by aircraft flying through the atmosphere faster than the speed of sound.

In February 2016, NASA awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for a preliminary design of a quiet supersonic X-plane called the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration aircraft, or LBFD.

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, currently prohibits supersonic flight over land due to previously flown supersonic aircraft and their associated loud, disruptive sonic boom.

Decades of NASA research in supersonic flight, however, has now resulted in a unique aerodynamic design and technological advances for an aircraft that will mitigate the sonic boom, making it considerably quieter.

In February 2016, NASA awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for a preliminary design of a quiet supersonic X-plane called the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration aircraft, or LBFD.

This effort recently completed a successful preliminary design review, and NASA will soon initiate the next phase of the LBFD concept through a new contract competition.

This second phase will focus on the detailed design and fabrication of the aircraft. When completed, the goal will be to fly the X-plane over communities throughout the country to test and demonstrate a quiet sonic thump.

These flight tests will also provide data to the FAA for the development of potential noise standards for future supersonic flight over land.

If the FAA establishes that new sound standards based on the sonic boom research has become acceptable to the public, commercial flights that can carry passengers at supersonic speeds, reducing commercial flight times considerably, could be just years away.

Teams and aircraft from NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, and Langley Research Center in Virginia, two of the agencys centers that conduct extensive aeronautical research, will deploy to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a nearly two-week flight series campaign.

Supersonic flight offers the potential to improve the quality of life of those that fly, by greatly reducing travel time, said Peter Coen, NASAs Commercial Supersonic Technology project manager.

Building supersonic aircraft in the U.S. offers a potential for growth and high-quality jobs in the aerospace and air travel industries, all of which contribute significantly to the economic welfare of our country.

In the nearer term, NASAs development of quiet supersonic flight technology needs support, interest and engagement from the community to ensure that the potential sound is acceptable to those on the ground, Coen said.

The SonicBAT flights in Florida will mark a rare opportunity for NASAs aeronautics and space operations to comingle, and for Kennedy, showcases the centers transformation into a 21st century multi-user spaceport.

This shows that, as NASA, we are all striving for the same thing, said SonicBAT Project Manager Brett Pauer.

Were willing to work together and help each other in any NASA mission that may be happening, whether it be space-based, which we do a lot of at our aeronautics centers, or the space centers to help us out with aeronautics. I think theres a great amount of cooperation, even more than may be expected, between NASA centers.

Coen added. It seems to me that one NASA is the best way to describe the cooperative spirit that makes it possible for teams to reach out across the agency, and receive the kind of support SonicBAT has received from Kennedy Space Center.

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VIDEO: NASA F-18 Flights From Kennedy Space Center Will Produce Sonic Booms Across Brevard - SpaceCoastDaily.com

There's no denying that the ancient art of origami paper folding has given the world reams of brilliant miniature sculptures, and now NASA wants to take that intricate craftiness off-planet.

The space agency is teaming up with crowdsourcing site Freelancer to find origami experts that can help it come up with a design for radiation shielding to protect future spacecraft from dangerous galactic cosmic rays (GCRs).

As we know, cosmic rays remain one of the biggest, unsurpassed obstacles in the dream of long-haul space exploration, and finding a way to shield spacecraft and astronauts from the effects of this damaging radiation is a huge priority for NASA and other space scientists.

Researchers are currently working on a range of technological approaches that could potentially defend space travellers from radiation in the void, but as NASA has previously stated, erecting a working defence against cosmic rays is easier said than done.

"GCRs permeate interplanetary space and include particles with high ionising energy," the space agency's website explains.

"Shielding against GCRs is much more difficult than shielding against terrestrial radiation because a greater mass of shielding material is required and GCRs can penetrate shielding material."

Now, NASA thinks one way of amassing a sufficiently great volume of such shielding could be by leaning on origami techniques due to how effectively and intricately the paper-folding art manages to collapse and conceal its structures.

The crowdsourcing campaign kicks off on Freelancer on July 26, with NASA seeking origami-inspired ideas for how to develop a 3D folding concept for radiation shielding, which would be used to cover the human habitation sections of future spacecraft during deep space voyages and even in off-world habitation.

"The theory is that there will be a lot of people who have expertise in folding techniques or origami and [NASA] want to find a very efficient way to pack a radiation shield," Freelancer founder and CEO Matt Barrie explained to Nicola Davis at The Guardian.

"NASA want something that is sufficiently packed and compact so that when you actually land on a planet you can expand it and it will provide maximum efficiency and protection from radiation."

The winning design would help mitigate cancer risks from prolonged exposure to radiation in space, and while solving the issue will definitely be a tall order, NASA has enjoyed success crowdsourcing designs in the past.

Previous Freelancer campaigns run with NASA have resulted in almost 7,000 entries from participants in 123 countries, with volunteers contributing ideas for all sorts of space-based tools and technologies, like last year's callout for how to build an arm for NASA's free-flying Astrobee robot.

So basically, despite the challenge here, you've got nothing to lose by giving this a shot, and humanity has everything to gain.

Because until NASA can figure out how to launch giant magnetic fields that can shield entire planets, cosmic rays are a problem that isn't going away meaning our Mars dream could be on hold until somebody who's totally awesome at paper folding (and probably other crafty things) steps up to the plate.

Is that somebody you? Could be. We'll be closer to finding that out when Freelancer's origami challenge opens up later this week.

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NASA Wants Your Origami Skills to Help It Design a Spacecraft Radiation Shield - ScienceAlert

We live in a world where delivering supplies to a space station orbiting our planet is handled by a tech startup, but expertise in flight hasnt always been so easy. NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center has an incredible wealth of video footage showcasing the many trials, successes, and failures of the United States various military and scientific programs, and the group has decided to make it all available to the world via YouTube. The videos, which range in age from a few months to over fifty years, are a glorious look at the steady progress of flight engineering, and weve collected some of the best for you to enjoy.

Is that a UFO? Nope, its a very early prototype of the wingless M2-F1.

Testing a lunar lander on Earth is tricky business, but NASA test pilots make it look easy.

Drones arent a new concept to NASA. The agency has been flying remotely piloted aircraft for decades, like this Hyper III from 1969.

Ever wonder what kind of damage a world record-breaking flight can do to an aircraft? This X-15A-2 set a new high mark by achieving mach 6.7, and when it landed it looked like it had been through a war.

A plane that carries planes?! Thats what the Super Guppy does, and it looks very odd while doing it.

Flying saucers really do exist, as long as you count the unmanned X-45A.

The SR-71 is one of the US Air Forces most iconic aircraft of all time, and NASA borrowed a pair of them to conduct high-altitude research because of their amazing capabilities.

Still hungry for more? Head over to NASAs YouTube portal to check out the huge archive for yourself.

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NASA is uploading hundreds of rare films from its archives to YouTube, and here are the best ones - BGR