NASA's TRMM satellite captured rainfall data on Tropical Depression Wukong as it struggles to stay together in the South China Sea. Wukong has been battered with wind shear for days and NASA satellite data still shows an area of moderate rainfall within the dying storm.
Here is the original post:
According to Gizmag, NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), the latest ion engine, has clocked a record 43,000 hours of continuous operation at NASA's Glenn Research Center's Electric Propulsion Laboratory.
Ion engines propelling space exploration
NASA, which has been developing ion engines for decades, has used a version called NSTAR for deep space missions. Deep Space 1, which was launched in 1998, used an ion engine to visit both an asteroid and then a comet in a mission that lasted until 2001. Dawn, which uses three of the NSTAR ion engines, recently finished a visit to the asteroid Vesta and is currently voyaging to Ceres, the largest asteroid in the main belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Ion engines compared to chemical rockets
Chemical rockets have a great deal more thrust than do ion engines, but burn only for a few minutes. Ion engines, which accelerate charged ions from an inert gas such as xenon, have an advantage for long space voyages, according to NASA, because they can operate much longer than a chemical rocket, for months or, as NEXT proved, even years. A spacecraft powered by an ion engine builds up a great deal of acceleration over time, achieving speeds that are impossible for a spacecraft with a chemical rocket. Typically, ion engines are powered by solar panels or radioisotope thermal generators (RTGs), which use the decay of plutonium to provide energy.
NEXT the latest version of the ion engine
According to the Gizmag piece, the NEXT is twice as powerful as the current NSTAR, but is lighter and of simpler design. The 43,000 hours of continuous thrust is the equivalent of five years of operation. However, only 770 kilograms of the xenon propellant has been consumed.
The sort of missions NEXT could be used for
Thus far, no missions have been manifested by NASA using the NEXT ion engine. However, a 2006 article in the New Scientist suggested that whereas the NSTAR ion thruster was suitable for missions as far as the asteroid belt, NEXT could power future spacecraft to some of the outer planets, Jupiter and Saturn. That suggests that the NEXT may be the engine of choice for future space probes to Europa, a moon of Jupiter covered by an ice pack that is thought to encase a world-girdling ocean. Titan, a moon of Saturn that has lakes and rivers of liquid hydrocarbon, is another possible target for a future space probe propelled by a NEXT ion engine.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.
Read the original:
NASA's NEXT Ion Engine Achieves 43,000 Hours of Continuous Operation
The team designing America's new flagship rocket has completed successfully a major technical review of the vehicle's core stage. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will take the agency's Orion spacecraft and other payloads beyond low-Earth orbit, providing a new capability for human exploration.
View original post here:
NASA'S Space Launch System core stage passes major milestone, ready to start construction
Internal NASA memo: "Jesco passed away today at ~11am. He died at home. He had flu like symptoms for the last week. He is survived by his wife Ursula. This was unexpected and a shock to everyone. Ursula is still making plans and will likely want a simple remembrance.
See the original post here:
NASA's Cassini probe has snapped stunning new views of Saturn and its moons.
More here:
Legislators and policymakers look for a financial fix for NASA's budget.
See the article here:
April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online NASA has been using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to reach and excite the public all year, and now they have added a new social media partner: Foursquare. Foursquare, a mobile application, and NASA have teamed up to help the public unlock their scientitific curiosity with a new rover-themed Curiosity Explorer badge ...
Read the rest here:
Visit to NASA Houston
From:S HaqViews:0 0ratingsTime:03:04More inPeople Blogs
See the article here:
Fun time in NASA
From:S HaqViews:0 0ratingsTime:00:44More inPeople Blogs
Read more:
Day 2: Pro Tree Decorator! (Feat. DeathBros91)
In which Mother and I decorate our tree and I discuss one of my festive props. Thanks for the intro, Josh! youtube.com SUBSCRIBE to my main channel for comedy sketches! youtube.com Listen to my 80 #39;s music podcast! mixcloud.com Stalk me! Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: facebook.com Tumblr: Mrsir2.co.uk Royalty-free music, #39;Jingle Bells, #39; by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0 incompetech.com #39;M82 Chandra HST Spitzer #39; image by NASA. Released into the public domain under the following license: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov Video thumbnail end-screen images are my own creation. Intro clip recorded specifically for this video and is used with permission.From:MisterSirTwoViews:4 1ratingsTime:02:08More inPeople Blogs
The rest is here:
Current LASCO C2 12-27-12 at 5PM CST
The Cave: earthpurification.blogspot.com http sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov LASCOLarge Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org The Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) is one of a number of instruments aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite (SOHO). LASCO consists of three solar coronagraphs with nested fields of view.From:CaveNewsViews:0 0ratingsTime:00:19More inScience Technology
Go here to read the rest:
Leaked NASA Footage of Real Humanoid Aliens
From:smellyfeetyouhaveViews:202 22ratingsTime:00:46More inNews Politics
See the article here:
The Latest from NASA #39;s Hubble Space Telescope
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. The Party Fouls in collaboration with the Hubble Space Telescope bring to you in HD and surround sound the latest images and sounds from outer space. Intergalactic space takes up most of the volume of the Universe, but even galaxies and star systems consist almost entirely of empty space. Take a few minutes to enjoy the journey. Special thanks to NASA, Neil Armstrong, Voyager 1, and Star Wars. Music: The Party Fouls - Twilight fb.com thepartyfouls.comFrom:clownbabytacoViews:0 0ratingsTime:03:32More inMusic
Originally posted here:
NASA's Curiosity rover worked through the holiday season on Mars by taking a close look at an intriguing bit of Martian terrain, a region scientists have lovingly nicknamed "Grandma's House."
The Curiosity rover is currently parked inside Yellowknife Bay, a shallow depression of odd terrain nestled inside the rover's vast Gale crater landing site. "Grandma's House" is an informal name for Curiosity's holiday spot inside the bay, rover team member Colette Lohr said in a NASA video.
"This is a really exciting time for the team because we've started to do what we call discovery-driven planning," said Lohr, Curiosity tactical uplink lead at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "And this is, in a sense, when we hand the rover keys to the science team."
Curiosity's handlers spent two days preloading the rover with instructions for science observations over 11 Martian days (or sols), which allowed rover team members to spend the year-end holidays with their families and friends.
The rover didn't get much of a vacation. It spent Christmas and Christmas Eve recording a 360-degree panoramic view of Yellowknife Bay that should give researchers an even clearer view of the area, Lohr said.
Yellowknife Bay, a 2-foot-deep (half-meter) basin, is an interesting spot for Mars scientists because the area contains terrain unlike any yet seen by the Curiosity rover. Mission scientists are studying rock targets in the region in order to pick one for Curiosity to drill inside.
Curiosity has been studying the region using its mast-mounted cameras and laser, but the ultimate goal is the first trial of the rover's percussive drill. The instrument is designed to drill inside a rock and collect the powdery rock sample from the interior so it can be analyzed by other onboard tools something never-before attempted on Mars, NASA officials said. The drilling test is set for early in 2013.
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity landed on Mars on Aug. 5 to begin exploring the Red Planet. The $2.5 billion rover's primary mission is to determine if its Gale crater landing site could have ever supported primitive microbial life.
Curiosity is currently driving toward a spot called Glenelg near the base of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile (5 kilometers) mountain that rises up from the center of its Gale crater landing site.
Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter@mirikrameror SPACE.com@Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook&Google+.
Read this article:
The new e-books chronicle NASA's iconic Hubble Space Telescope and preview its successor.
Original post:
With the hoopla around earth's "doomsday" behind us, there's another reassuring reminder NASA revealed to help alleviate any thoughts of the world coming to an end. NASA experts announced an asteroid feared to be on a collision course with our planet is no longer a threat. "An analysis of the new data conducted by NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in ...
More here:
GREENBELT, Md., Dec. 27 (UPI) -- NASA says Foursquare users can earn a Mars Curiosity Explorer "badge" by liking NASA on Foursquare and checking in at a NASA visitor center.
Excerpt from:
NASA and the mobile application Foursquare have teamed up to help the public unlock its scientific curiosity with a new rover-themed Curiosity Explorer badge.
See the original post:
NASA Encourages Public to Explore Its Curiosity With New Rover-Themed Badge on Foursquare
EXTREMI Pozorisni festival u Mladenovcu
Najbolje 3 predstave sa Pozorisnog festivala EXTREMI u Mladenovcu odrzanog 05.-10. Oktobra 2012. Ceo svet je pun extrema i mi se, ovakvi kakvi smo - extremno amoralni, extremno nemoralni i extremno utilitaristicki nastrojeni - kao deo tog sveta, extremno potrudili da ga popunimo extremnim sadrzajem. A, vele da je ceo svet nasa pozornica. Pozornica extrema nije nas izbor, vec nas usud. U vremenu extremno male produkcije, pravimo Festival koji je posvecen praizvedbama. Extremno, zar ne? I obecavajuce... Director/Editor/Production: http://www.facebook.com Music: Parov Stelar - Booty Swing (Original Mix) Sherlock Holmes Theme song A Tea Ballad [Chinese Music] Shot with the CANON PowerShot SD140IS in Serbia. ______________________________________ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FOR THIS VIDEO MUSIC COPYRIGHT NOTICE: We would really appreciate if You find Audio track used in this video upload inappropriate, so if You are having the Rights to this or more Tracks: Please leave us a Message with the YouTube Link through Private Messaging or find us on Facebook. Just instead of contacting YouTube about Copyright Infringements, Thank You!From:YugollacViews:1 0ratingsTime:07:04More inEducation
See the original post here:
Nowhere like Home
original Music by Easylam. Image source:eol.jsc.nasa.govFrom:easylamViews:0 0ratingsTime:03:51More inMusic
Originally posted here: