WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will attend the launch of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Monday, Feb. 11. The launch is scheduled for 10:02 a.m. PST.

LDCM is a collaboration between NASA and the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey. The mission will continue the Landsat program's 40-year continuous data record by Earth's landscapes by satellite from space. LDCM will expand and improve on that record with observations that advance a wide range of Earth sciences and contribute to the management of agriculture, water and forest resources.

Administrator Bolden and Interior's Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle will meet with news media Sunday, Feb. 10, at Vandenberg's Atlas V/LDCM launch pad for interviews and a photo opportunity. The Atlas V rocket carrying the satellite will be visible within the gantry. A media escort will depart Vandenberg's South Base gate on Highway 246 and Arguello Boulevard for Space Launch Complex-3 at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday.

After launch Monday, Bolden and Salazar will meet with reporters at 11:30 a.m. at the NASA complex on the southern area of Vandenberg. Journalists interested in participating in this post-launch event and the televised news conference to follow will be escorted to NASA Building 840. The news conference will begin at noon.

Following the post-launch news conference, Bolden will visit the SpaceX launch pad at 1:30 p.m. The launch pad, which is being built at Space Launch Complex-4, will support the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. In 2015, a Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Jason-3 sea surface monitoring mission from Vandenberg.

Media interested in attending these events must contact Lt. Kaylee Ausbun at 805-606-6159 or Kaylee.Ausbun@us.af.mil by noon Friday, Feb. 8.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the LDCM Project. Orbital Sciences Corp. built, integrated, and tested the spacecraft. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is managing the launch. United Launch Alliance supplied the Atlas V rocket. After launch and the initial checkout phase, the U.S. Geological Survey will take operational control of the satellite, and LDCM will be renamed Landsat 8.

Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the LDCM launch will be available at: http://www.nasa.gov/landsat

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NASA Administrator, Interior Secretary Attend Landsat Launch

NASA will host its first Google+ Hangout live with the International Space Station from 11 a.m. to noon EST, Friday, Feb. 22. This event will connect NASA's social media followers with astronauts on the ground and living and working aboard the laboratory orbiting 240 miles above Earth.

Google+ Hangouts allow as many as 10 people to chat face-to-face, while thousands more can tune in to watch the conversation live on Google+ or YouTube.

NASA's social media followers may submit video questions prior to the Hangout. During the event, several video questions will be selected and answered by the station crew and astronauts on the ground. Unique and original questions are more likely to be selected. Additionally, NASA also will take real-time questions submitted by fans on Google+, Twitter and Facebook.

The deadline to submit video questions is Feb. 12. To be considered, video clips must be no longer than 30 seconds and must be uploaded to YouTube and tagged with #askAstro. Submitters should introduce themselves and mention their location before asking their question.

Also use #askAstro to ask real-time questions on Google+, YouTube or Twitter during the event. On the morning of the event, NASA will open a thread on its Facebook page where questions may be posted.

The hangout can be viewed live on NASA's Google+ page or on the NASA Television YouTube channel. To join the hangout, and for updates and opportunities to participate in upcoming hangouts, visit the NASA's Google+ page at:http://www.google.com/+NASA

Astronauts Kevin Ford and Tom Marshburn of NASA and Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency will answer questions and provide insights about life aboard the station. Crews conduct a variety of science experiments and perform station maintenance during their six-month stay on the outpost. Their life aboard the station in near-weightlessness requires different approaches to everyday activities such as eating, sleeping and exercising.

For information about the space station, research in low-Earth orbit, NASA's commercial space programs and the future of American spaceflight, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

To follow Marshburn and Hadfield on Twitter, visit:http://www.twitter.com/AstroMarshburn and http://www.twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield

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NASA Hosts Its First Google+ Hangout Connecting with Space Station

Feb. 7, 2013 Two of NASA's great observatories, the Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, have teamed up to uncover a mysterious infant star that behaves like a strobe light.

Every 25.34 days, the object, designated LRLL 54361, unleashes a burst of light. Although a similar phenomenon has been observed in two other young stellar objects, this is the most powerful such beacon seen to date.

The heart of the fireworks is hidden behind a dense disk and an envelope of dust. Astronomers propose the light flashes are caused by periodic interactions between two newly formed stars that are binary, or gravitationally bound to each other. LRLL 54361 offers insights into the early stages of star formation when lots of gas and dust is being rapidly accreted, or pulled together, to form a new binary star.

Astronomers theorize the flashes are caused by material suddenly being dumped onto the growing stars, known as protostars. A blast of radiation is unleashed each time the stars get close to each other in their orbits. This phenomenon, called pulsed accretion, has been seen in later stages of star birth, but never in such a young system or with such intensity and regularity.

"This protostar has such large brightness variations with a precise period that it is very difficult to explain," said James Muzerolle of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. His paper recently was published in the science journal Nature.

Discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, LRLL 54361 is a variable object inside the star-forming region IC 348, located 950 light-years from Earth. Data from Spitzer revealed the presence of protostars. Based on statistical analysis, the two stars are estimated to be no more than a few hundred thousand years old.

The Spitzer infrared data, collected repeatedly during a period of seven years, showed unusual outbursts in the brightness of the suspected binary protostar. Surprisingly, the outbursts recurred every 25.34 days, which is a very rare phenomenon.

Astronomers used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to confirm the Spitzer observations and reveal the detailed stellar structure around LRLL 54361. Hubble observed two cavities above and below a dusty disk. The cavities are visible by tracing light scattered off their edges. They likely were blown out of the surrounding natal envelope of dust and gas by an outflow launched near the central stars. The disk and the envelope prevent the suspected binary star pair from being observed directly. By capturing multiple images over the course of one pulse event, the Hubble observations uncovered a spectacular movement of light away from the center of the system, an optical illusion known as a light echo.

Muzerolle and his team hypothesized the pair of stars in the center of the dust cloud move around one another in a very eccentric orbit. As the stars approach each other, dust and gas are dragged from the inner edge of a surrounding disk. The material ultimately crashes onto one or both stars, which triggers a flash of light that illuminates the circumstellar dust. The system is rare because close binaries account for only a few percent of our galaxy's stellar population. This is likely a brief, transitory phase in the birth of a star system.

Muzerolle's team next plans to continue monitoring LRLL 54361 using other facilities, including the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Telescope. The team hopes to eventually obtain more direct measurements of the binary star and its orbit.

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NASA telescopes discover strobe-like flashes in young stars

An asteroid half the size of a football field will make a close approach to Earth, but poses no threat of smacking into the planet, NASA officials said today (Feb. 7).

The asteroid 2012 DA14will approach within 17,200 miles (27,680 kilometers) of Earth when it zips by during its close encounter next Friday, Feb. 15. That is the closest shave ever for an asteroid the size of 2012 DA14, which is about 150 feet (45 meters) wide, that astronomers have known about in advance, NASA scientists said.

The asteroid will not only pass between Earth and the moon's orbit, but also fly lower than the ring of geosynchronous communications, weather and navigation satellites that fly high above the planet. Asteroid 2012 DA14 will be 5,000 miles (8,046 km) closer to Earth than those satellites during the flyby.

"This asteroid seems to be passing in the sweet spot between the GPS satellites and weather and communications satellites," Don Yeomans, the head of NASA's asteroid-tracking program, told reporters in a teleconference today (Feb. 7). "It's extremely unlikely that any of these will be impacted." [See Asteroid 2012 DA14's Close Flyby in Action (Video)]

Geosynchronous satellites typically orbit about 22,000 miles (35,800 km) above the Earth's equator.

Record-setting space rock flyby

Asteroid 2012 DA14's close encounter is also a record-breaking celestial event, Yeomans said. An object this large only passes this close to the Earth about once every 40 years, and likely only hits the planet once every 1,200 years, he added.

Amateur astronomers have already captured some photos of asteroid 2012 DA14, and NASA plans to make detailed radar observations of the space rock to learn about its composition, spin and surface features, the scientists said.

The asteroid is similar in size to the object that exploded over Siberia, Russia, in 1908 in the Tunguska event. That explosion leveled hundreds of square miles of land, scientists said. While asteroid 2012 DA14 could potential create such destruction if it struck the Earth, there is absolutely no chance of an impact for the foreseeable future, NASA officials said.

"This asteroid's orbit is so well known that we can say with confidence that even considering its orbital uncertainties, it can pass no closer than 17,100 miles from the Earth's surface," Yeomans said. "No Earth impact is possible."

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Asteroid Flyby Next Week One for the Record Books, NASA says

Comet ISON: "NASA #39;s Deep Impact Spacecraft Eyes Comet ISON" 2013 NASA JPL
more at scitech.quickfound.net Public domain film from NASA - Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Silent. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov PASADENA, Calif. - NASA #39;s Deep Impact spacecraft has acquired its first images of comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). The images were taken by the spacecraft #39;s Medium-Resolution Imager over a 36-hour period on Jan. 17 and 18, 2013, from a distance of 493 million miles (793 million kilometers). Many scientists anticipate a bright future for comet ISON; the spaceborne conglomeration of dust and ice may put on quite a show as it passes through the inner solar system this fall. "This is the fourth comet on which we have performed science observations and the farthest point from Earth from which we #39;ve tried to transmit data on a comet," said Tim Larson, project manager for the Deep Impact spacecraft at NASA #39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The distance limits our bandwidth, so it #39;s a little like communicating through a modem after being used to DSL. But we #39;re going to coordinate our science collection and playback so we maximize our return on this potentially spectacular comet." Deep Impact has executed close flybys of two comets - Tempel 1 and Hartley 2 - and performed scientific observations on two more - comet Garradd and now ISON. The ISON imaging campaign is expected to yield infrared data, and light curves (which are used in defining the comet #39;s rotation rate) in addition to visible-light images. A movie of comet ISON was generated from initial data ...

By: Jeff Quitney

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Comet ISON: "NASA's Deep Impact Spacecraft Eyes Comet ISON" 2013 NASA JPL - Video

NASA: Asteroid Will Not Hit Earth
The small near-Earth asteroid, 2012 DA14, will pass very close to Earth on February 15, 2013, so close that it will pass inside the ring of geosynchronous weather and communications satellites. NASA says its Near-Earth Object Program Office can accurately predict the asteroid #39;s path with the observations obtained, and it is therefore known that there is no chance that the asteroid might be on a collision course with Earth. Nevertheless, the flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close. Here are the facts about the safe flyby of Earth of asteroid 2012 DA14 -- a record close approach for a known object of this size.

By: Brevard Times

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NASA: Asteroid Will Not Hit Earth - Video

NASA Snaps Photos of Upcoming "Comet of the Century"
NASA #39;s Deep Impact Probe has just snapped the first images of the massive comet ISON from 493 million miles away. Comet of the Century or the Dud of the Decade?

By: slatester

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NASA Snaps Photos of Upcoming "Comet of the Century" - Video

NASA is getting ready to ride the winds of space on sails lighter than gossamer, yet large enough to cover a small field. The space agencys Solar Sail Demonstration, also known as the Sunjammer Project, may launch as early as 2014 when it will send the largest solar sail yet built into orbit, to demonstrate the technical viability of the device.

Sunjammer and the term solar sailing were coined by Sir Arthur C. Clarke in his 1964 short story, The Sunjammer. Its an idea that goes back to Johannes Kepler, though it was James Clerk Maxwell whose theory of electromagnetic fields and radiation showed that a sail could be pushed by sunlight.

Its an unbelievably tiny push, so the payload must be very small and the sails very large and light, but over time it can really add up. A typical spacecraft on the way to Mars can be pushed as much as 1,000 kilometers during the journey even without solar sails. NASAs Messenger probe, for example, used its solar panels as sails for making course corrections.

The basic design of a solar sailing spacecraft is an ultralight mirrored Mylar sail controlled by spider thread-like lanyards, that is propelled by the pressure of light from the sun. The term solar sailing is apt because the principle is exactly the same as with nautical sailing, with the same maneuvers of tacking, luffing and running before the "wind." The hard part is coming up with a design that is light enough to be pushed by sunlight, yet that can maintain its shape without collapsing, so solar sails tend to be either web-like affairs or spun to keep their shape through centrifugal force.

In Sir Arthurs short story, the solar sails were used to propel manned space yachts in a race around the Moon. NASA is much less ambitious. The Sunjammers "In-Space Demonstration of a Mission-Capable Solar Sail" is intended simply to test the feasibility of solar sails, and the design of the unmanned craft reflects this. Its seven times larger and weighs ten times less than previous solar sails. Measuring approximately 124 feet (38 m) on a side, it covers almost 13,000 square feet (1207 m) or a third of an acre. Despite this, it weighs only 70 pounds (32 kg) and collapses to the size of a dishwasher. It uses vanes for attitude control, and the total force that its designed to deal with is only about 0.01 newton or around the weight of a packet of artificial sweetener.

Sunjammer is being built by L'Garde Inc. of Tustin, California in association with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its design advances on 2005-2006 vacuum chamber ground tests by LGarde at NASAs Plum Brook Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, and the deployment of the 100-square foot (9.2 m) NanoSail-D sail in Earth orbit in early 2011.

The Sunjammer will go into Earth orbit as a secondary payload on a Falcon 9 rocket. Once in orbit, the Sunjammer will unfurl its sail and then it will go through its paces as the attitude controls, sail stability and trim are tested and a navigation sequence is executed.

According to NASA, the Sunjammer technology is suitable for a wide range of missions including deployment of space weather systems to warn satellites of solar storms, and as a means of cleaning up space debris, hovering at high altitudes, and propelling deep space missions.

Source: NASA via Dvice

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NASA to fly largest solar sail ever, in 2014

A veteran NASA comet probe turned its sights on a new target, comet C/2012 S1 (ISON), which is barreling toward a close encounter with the sun this fall.

Though Comet ISON is still more 470 million miles away (located just inside the orbit of Jupiter), it already has formed a tail of glowing dust and gas stretching some 40,000 miles from the comets body.

ANALYSIS: New Comet Discovered Will It Be Spectacular?

Scientists are hopeful the comet, which is believed to be making its first pass into the inner solar system, may put on a spectacular show for Earthlings between November and January 2014 after it comes as close as about 1.1 million miles to the sun.

Comet ISON, which was discovered in September by two amateur astronomers using the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) near Kislovodsk, Russia, was imaged by NASAs Deep Impact spacecraft in January. The 36-hour observation shows the dim but distinct point of light moving against a sea of bright background stars.

ANALYSIS: Incoming ISON to be Dazzling Daytime Comet?

Comet ISON is not Deep Impacts first experience with a comet. The spacecraft, which was launched in January 2005, released a small metal probe to impact the heart of Comet Tempel 1 in July 2005, then flew by for close-up studies.

Five years later and re-purposed for a new mission, it soared past Comet Hartley 2. Deep Impact is now on its way to a January 2020 visit to an asteroid.

Watch Deep Impacts video of the approaching Comet ISON

Image: Deep Impacts view of Comet ISON. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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NASA Probe Spies Incoming Comet ISON

Feb. 5, 2013 NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has acquired its first images of comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). The images were taken by the spacecraft's Medium-Resolution Imager over a 36-hour period on Jan. 17 and 18, 2013, from a distance of 493 million miles (793 million kilometers). Many scientists anticipate a bright future for comet ISON; the spaceborne conglomeration of dust and ice may put on quite a show as it passes through the inner solar system this fall.

"This is the fourth comet on which we have performed science observations and the farthest point from Earth from which we've tried to transmit data on a comet," said Tim Larson, project manager for the Deep Impact spacecraft at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The distance limits our bandwidth, so it's a little like communicating through a modem after being used to DSL. But we're going to coordinate our science collection and playback so we maximize our return on this potentially spectacular comet."

Deep Impact has executed close flybys of two comets -- Tempel 1 and Hartley 2 -- and performed scientific observations on two more -- comet Garradd and now ISON. The ISON imaging campaign is expected to yield infrared data, and light curves (which are used in defining the comet's rotation rate) in addition to visible-light images. A movie of comet ISON was generated from initial data acquired during this campaign. Preliminary results indicate that although the comet is still in the outer solar system, more than 474 million miles (763 million kilometers) from the sun, it is already active. As of Jan. 18, the tail extending from ISON's nucleus was already more than 40,000 miles (64,400 kilometers) long.

Long-period comets like ISON are thought to arrive from the solar system's Oort cloud, a giant spherical cloud of icy bodies surrounding our solar system so far away its outer edge is about a third of the way to the nearest star (other than our sun). Every once in a while, one of these loose conglomerations of ice, rock, dust and organic compounds is disturbed out of its established orbit in the Oort cloud by a passing star or the combined gravitational effects of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. With these gravitational nudges, so begins a comet's eons-long, arching plunge toward the inner solar system.

ISON was discovered on Sept. 21, 2012, by two Russian astronomers using the International Scientific Optical Network's 16-inch (40-centimeter) telescope near Kislovodsk. NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, based at JPL, has plotted its orbit and determined that the comet is more than likely making it first-ever sweep through the inner solar system. Having not come this way before means the comet's pristine surface has a higher probability of being laden with volatile material just spoiling for some of the sun's energy to heat it up and help it escape. With the exodus of these clean ices could come a boatload of dust, held in check since the beginnings of our solar system. This released gas and dust is what is seen on Earth as comprising a comet's atmosphere (coma) and tail.

ISON will not be a threat to Earth -- getting no closer to Earth than about 40 million miles on Dec. 26, 2013. But stargazers will have an opportunity to view the comet's head and tail before and after its closest approach to the sun -- if the comet doesn't fade early or break up before reaching the sun.

Launched in January 2005, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft traveled about 268 million miles (431 million kilometers) to the vicinity of comet Tempel 1. On July 3, 2005, the spacecraft deployed an impactor that was essentially "run over" by the nucleus of Tempel 1 on July 4. Sixteen days after comet encounter, the Deep Impact team placed the spacecraft on a trajectory to fly past Earth in late December 2007. This extended mission of the Deep Impact spacecraft culminated in the successful flyby of comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 4, 2010. In January of 2012, the spacecraft performed, from a distance, an imaging campaign on comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd).

To date, Deep Impact has traveled about 4.39 billion miles (7.06 billion kilometers) in space.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Deep Impact mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo.

For more information about Deep Impact, visit: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/deepimpact .

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NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft eyes comet ISON

Watch out, space educators, theres a new tool in town!

NASA Wavelength is a new digital library loaded with resources for science educators pre-K through college, including after-school programs. It was launched to provide a way for teachers and educators to have quick, easy access to NASAs multiple of education resources split across many websites and departments.

These resources, as explained on NASA Wavelength, have been developed by funding from NASA Science Mission Directorate and have been peer-reviewed by educators and scientists to ensure accuracy and usefulness. The resources are easy to navigate by audience age and topic.

A News & Events section contains links to all kinds of great events you can attend or even organize yourself, for example Host Your Own Landsat Party to celebrate the launch of the eight Landsat satellite on Feb 11th. There are news and events to interest educators, parents, and space fans alike.

A Data & Images section contains links to multiple NASA sources for space data and images. The sources are easy to browse by level (Introductory images to illustrate a concept or engage students, Intermediate access to science data, or Advanced full science datasets) and by topic (earth, moon, sun, planets, universe).

The website is in beta testing, so feedback is welcome. Educators are invited to use the site, provide feedback on what they love or hate, and submit ideas for anything else that would make NASA Wavelength even better.

What the team sees for the future of NASA Wavelength is a social community where visitors can submit tips and comments on individual resources and activities, providing a discussion place for fellow educators.

You can follow NASA Wavelength on Facebook and Twitter.

Notice: I found out about the NASA Wavelength by listening to the science education podcast Lab Out Loud. Thanks for another great episode, guys!

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NASA Wavelength: A New Digital Library For Space Educators

NASA's Deep Impact space probe has captured video of a comet which could outshine the moon when it passes through the inner solar system this autumn.

The three-kilometre-wide comet was discovered by two Russian astronomers last September.

NASA astronomers have plotted its orbit, and say its likely the object has never visited the inner solar system before.

That means it's more likely that the comet's surface will produce a bright 'tail' of gas and dust in the radiation from the sun.

"If it lives up to expectations, this comet may be one of the brightest in history," Raminder Singh Samra of the H R MacMillan Space Centre in Canada said when the comet was first seen.

Many scientists anticipate a bright future for comet ISON; the spaceborne conglomeration of dust and ice may put on quite a show as it passes through the inner solar system this fall.

"This is the fourth comet on which we have performed science observations and the farthest point from Earth from which we've tried to transmit data on a comet," said Tim Larson, project manager for the Deep Impact spacecraft at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"The distance limits our bandwidth, so it's a little like communicating through a modem after being used to DSL. But we're going to coordinate our science collection and playback so we maximize our return on this potentially spectacular comet."

Long-period comets like ISON are thought to arrive from the solar system's Oort cloud, a giant spherical cloud of icy bodies surrounding our solar system so far away its outer edge is about a third of the way to the nearest star (other than our sun).

Every once in a while, one of these loose conglomerations of ice, rock, dust and organic compounds is disturbed out of its established orbit in the Oort cloud by a passing star or the combined gravitational effects of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

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NASA space probe captures video of comet that could 'outshine the moon'

February 6, 2013

Image Caption: The Sector 33 air traffic management game app is now available for Android devices. Credit: NASA

NASA

Feel like exercising your math skills to virtually manage the nations crowded airways? Yup, theres an app for that and has been for about a year now.

But until now, the popular NASA-developed game app called Sector 33, which gives you a sense of what its like to be an air traffic controller, was only available for mobile device owners who use the Apple-based iOS operating system.

Now Sector 33 is available to a wider audience of students and adults alike with its recent release of a version for the Android operating system, which you can download for free at GooglePlay.

We didnt want to overlook the millions of students who have access to and use Android-based devices, so now they too can enjoy the educational and entertaining Sector 33 app, and perhaps be inspired to pursue a career in aviation, said Rebecca Green, lead for the Smart Skies project at NASAs Ames Research Center in California.

In the game, the player acts as an air traffic controller by guiding airplanes through a sector of airspace spanning Nevada and California.

The player can adjust the planes path and speed to quickly reach certain spots in the sky, while at the same time keeping the planes a safe distance from each other obviously a key objective of real-life Air Traffic Control (ATC).

To achieve a perfect score, players must apply a little math and use problem-solving skills as they balance time, aircraft positions and safety.

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NASA-developed Game App 'Sector 33' Goes Android

A NASA spacecraft has captured its first photos of comet ISON, an icy wanderer that some scientists say could dazzle as a "comet of the century" when it swings through the inner solar system later this year.

The photos were taken by NASA's Deep Impact probe and reveal comet ISON as a bright, dusty ball moving against a star-filled background. The spacecraft snapped the pictures on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 from a distance of about 493 million miles (793 million kilometers).

Comet ISON has been the focus of much anticipation among scientists and stargazers because of its potential to put on a spectacular display in late November, when it makes its closest approach to the sun. Some forecasts predict the comet could shine brighter than the full moon. As of mid-January, the comet's tail was more than 40,000 miles (64,400 km).

Will comet ISON sizzle or fizzle?

Some projections state that comet ISON, which is officially designated comet C/20012 S1 (ISON), could shine extremely bright in the nighttime sky, possibly even rivaling the full moon. Whether the comet will meet expectations or fizzle out remains to be seen, but it has already become a target for NASA and amateur astronomers. [Photos of Comet ISON in Night Sky]

"This is the fourth comet on which we have performed science observations and the farthest point from Earth from which we've tried to transmit data on a comet," Deep Impact project manager Tim Larson, of the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement Tuesday (Feb. 5) "The distance limits our bandwidth, so it's a little like communicating through a modem after being used to DSL. But we're going to coordinate our science collection and playback so we maximize our return on this potentially spectacular comet."

The Deep Impact spacecraft has flown close by two comets, Tempel 1 and Hartley 2, and taken detailed observations of another comet Garradd before turning its camera eyes on Comet ISON. The spacecraft used its Medium-Resolution Imager to snap pictures of ISON during a 36-hour period between Jan. 17 and 18, NASA officials said.

Comet ISON was discovered in September 2012 by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok using a 15.7-inch (0.4-meter) telescope of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON), near Kislovodsk. The comet is most likely making its first trip through the inner solar system from the Oort cloud, a vast shell of icy objects at the outer edge of the solar system that extends one-third of the way to the nearest star, NASA scientists said.

"Having not come this way before means the comet's pristine surface has a higher probability of being laden with volatile material just spoiling for some of the sun's energy to heat it up and help it escape," NASA officials wrote in a statement. "With the exodus of these clean ices could come a boatload of dust, held in check since the beginnings of our solar system. This released gas and dust is what is seen on Earth as comprising a comet's atmosphere (coma) and tail.

Comet ISON's solar system encounter

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NASA Probe Snaps Photos of Potential 'Comet of the Century'

NASA JPL - Asteroid 2012 DA14 -- Earth Flyby Reality Check
Small near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass very close to Earth on February 15, so close that it will pass inside the ring of geosynchronous weather and communications satellites. NASA #39;s Near-Earth Object Program Office can accurately predict the asteroid #39;s path with the observations obtained, and it is therefore known that there is no chance that the asteroid might be on a collision course with Earth. Nevertheless, the flyby will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study a near-Earth object up close. Here are the facts about the safe flyby of Earth of asteroid 2012 DA14 -- a record close approach for a known object of this size. Credit: NASA JPL

By: Camilla Corona SDO

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NASA JPL - Asteroid 2012 DA14 -- Earth Flyby Reality Check - Video

Asteroid 2012 DA14 : NASA says not to fear Asteroid heading toward Earth (Feb 04, 2013)
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com News Articles: Asteroid 2012 DA14 Flyby: How to Watch the Closest Near-Earth Encounter on February 15 au.ibtimes.com Earth safe from asteroid flyby next week http://www.cbsnews.com An asteroid is coming, and scientists are excited. Fear not, Earth is safe http://www.cnn.com Earth safe from asteroid #39;s close flyby next week http://www.nbcnews.com FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a #39;fair use #39; of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 USC section 106A-117 of the US Copyright Law.

By: SignsofThyComing

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Asteroid 2012 DA14 : NASA says not to fear Asteroid heading toward Earth (Feb 04, 2013) - Video

The Super-TIGER getting ready to be launched from a balloon site near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Pic: NASAWASHINGTON: After more than 55 days flying over Antarctica, NASA's huge Super-TIGER scientific balloon has broken the record for the longest flight of its kind, bringing back a wealth of data, the US space agency said Monday.

The Super-TIGER balloon spent 55 days, one hour and 34 minutes aloft at an altitude of 127,000 feet (38,710 metres), beating the old record set in 2009 by just over a day.

It was gathering data on the high energy cosmic rays that hit the Earth from elsewhere in the galaxy. That process included the use of a new tool to measure rare elements heavier than iron among the influx of rays.

Scientists are looking to better understand where these high energy atoms come from and how they get so super-charged.

"This has been a very successful flight because of the long duration, which allowed us to detect large numbers of cosmic rays," said principal investigator Bob Binns.

NASA said the data will take up to two years to fully analyse.

The balloon's long flight was aided by the South Pole's wind patterns, which circulate counter-clockwise, from east to west, in the stratosphere thousands of feet above the Earth's surface.

That -- plus the sparse population in the southernmost, frigid continent -- make these long-duration, high-altitude flights possible, NASA said.

"Scientific balloons give scientists the ability to gather critical science data for a long duration at a very low relative cost," said Vernon Jones, NASA's Balloon Programme Scientist.

-AFP

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NASA Science Balloon Breaks Longest Flight Record

(CNN) -

Look out for Asteroid 2012 DA14.

It is heading toward Earth at 17,450 miles per hour, according to NASA, and the tug of our planet's gravitational field will cause it to accelerate when it gets here.

But it's not going to strike us, when it passes by on Feb. 15. NASA is adamant about this.

"It's orbit is very well-known," said Dr. Don Yeomans, NASA specialist for near-Earth objects. "We know exactly where it's going to go, and it cannot hit the Earth."

But it will give the Blue Planet the closest shave by any object it's size in known history, Yeomans said. Gravity will cause it to fly a curved path, tugging it closer to Earth's surface than most GPS or television satellites.

While the asteroid is moving at a good clip, space rockets have to accelerate to an even higher speed to escape Earth's gravity and make it into space. Though 2012 DA14 will be flying more slowly, its trajectory will keep it from falling to Earth.

Getting a look at 2012 DA14

Star gazers in Eastern Europe, Asia or Australia might be able to see it with binoculars or consumer telescopes. It will not be visible to the naked eye, because it's small, "about half the size of a football field," Yeomans said.

There are millions of asteroids in our solar system, and they come in all dimensions -- from the size of a beach ball to a large mountain, NASA said.

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NASA: An asteroid is coming, and it will be fun

Feb. 4, 2013 A large NASA science balloon has broken two flight duration records while flying over Antarctica carrying an instrument that detected 50 million cosmic rays.

The Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (Super-TIGER) balloon launched at 3:45 p.m. EST, Dec. 8 from the Long Duration Balloon site near McMurdo Station. It spent 55 days, 1 hour, and 34 minutes aloft at 127,000 feet, more than four times the altitude of most commercial airliners, and was brought down to end the mission on Friday. Washington University of St. Louis managed the mission.

On Jan. 24, the Super-TIGER team broke the record for longest flight by a balloon of its size, flying for 46 days. The team broke another record Friday after landing by becoming the longest flight of any heavy-lift scientific balloon, including NASA's Long Duration Balloons. The previous record was set in 2009 by NASA's Super Pressure Balloon test flight at 54 days, 1 hour, and 29 minutes.

"Scientific balloons give scientists the ability to gather critical science data for a long duration at a very low relative cost," said Vernon Jones, NASA's Balloon Program Scientist.

Super-TIGER flew a new instrument for measuring rare elements heavier than iron among the flux of high-energy cosmic rays bombarding Earth from elsewhere in our Milky Way galaxy. The information retrieved from this mission will be used to understand where these energetic atomic nuclei are produced and how they achieve their very high energies.

The balloon gathered so much data it will take scientists about two years to analyze it fully.

"This has been a very successful flight because of the long duration, which allowed us to detect large numbers of cosmic rays," said Dr. Bob Binns, principal investigator of the Super-TIGER mission. "The instrument functioned very well."

The balloon was able to stay aloft as long as it did because of prevailing wind patterns at the South Pole. The launch site takes advantage of anticyclonic, or counter-clockwise, winds circulating from east to west in the stratosphere there. This circulation and the sparse population work together to enable long-duration balloon flights at altitudes above 100,000 feet.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs manages the U.S. Antarctic Program and provides logistic support for all U.S. scientific operations in Antarctica. NSF's Antarctic support contractor supports the launch and recovery operations for NASA's Balloon Program in Antarctica. Mission data were downloaded using NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.

For more information about NASA's Balloon Program, visit: http://www.wff.nasa.gov/balloons

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NASA's Super-TIGER balloon breaks records while collecting cosmic ray data

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 23 (Monday, February 4, 2013)] [Notices] [Page 7816] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2013-02331]

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice: (13-008)]

NASA Advisory Council; Aeronautics Committee; Unmanned Aircraft Systems Subcommittee Meeting

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a meeting of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Subcommittee of the Aeronautics Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. The meeting will be held for the purpose of soliciting, from the aeronautics community and other persons, research and technical information relevant to program planning.

DATES: Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Local Time.

ADDRESSES: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters, Room 6E40B, 300 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20546.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Brenda L. Mulac, Executive Secretary for the UAS Subcommittee of the Aeronautics Committee, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, (202) 358-1578, or brenda.l.mulac@nasa.gov.

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NASA Advisory Council Aeronautics Committee Unmanned Aircraft Systems Subcommittee Meeting 26 Fen 2013