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NASA's Orion initial data yields few surprises, guides next mission

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Lockheed Martin Orion team members remove the spacecraft's back shell panels and to perform post-flight assessments at Kennedy Space Center, following EFT-1. Lockheed Martin will provide a complete data analysis report to NASA by March 5. (Lockheed Martin Space Systems)

The high-profile NASA Orion Experimental Flight Test-1 in December went optimally, and a "huge amount" was learned from the data gathered from the flight, Lockheed Martin's Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes said Wednesday.

Lockheed Martin is NASA's prime contractor on the Orion mission.

Many of the specifics of Orion's EFT-1 performance won't be available until NASA receives an official report on March 5, Hawes said. However, he did offer several highlights: the heat shield worked optimally, the mission used less fuel than expected, and flight cameras built by Broomfield-based Ball Aerospace did precisely what they were designed to do.

Hawes also said Wednesday that a whopping 600 gigabytes of data were collected during the 4 hour, 24 minute test flight.

"When we talk about data and the importance of a flight test, so many of our tools are analytical tools that have been rooted in models," Hawes said. "Now, those models get rooted in data."

The success of EFT-1 brings NASA one step closer to the goal of crewed deep-space flight: The agency will next launch an uncrewed Orion mission in 2018, and a crewed mission in 2021.

However, there is work to be done before humans are placed on the next generation spacecraft and all the data now in NASA's hands will be used to guide the development of future Orion iterations.

"That continued analysis will bring the understanding and the modifications that might be applicable to the next mission," Hawes said.

Among initial findings released Wednesday:

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NASA's Orion initial data yields few surprises, guides next mission

NASA probes catch solar shockwave in action for the first time

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File photo.(REUTERS/NASA/SDO/Handout)

For the first time ever, NASAs Van Allen Probes caught the before and after effects of a solar shockwave as it was happening. The event, which occurred on October 8, 2013, was triggered by an explosion that erupted on the suns surface, sending a shockwave of solar wind careening through space. After passing the moon, the shockwave hurtled toward Earth before running head-on into the magnetic field surrounding our planet. This impact then set off a magnetized sound pulse, which reverberated around Earth.

Though the shockwave occurred two years ago, the twin spacecrafts data was only recently analyzed by MITs Haystack Observatory and the University Of Colorado, among others.

Interplanetary shocks, traveling toward Earth from the Sun, have been observed and studied before, John Foster, associate director of the Haystack Observatory, told Fox News. What is of major interest in the event reported are the direct observations of the effects of the shock on Earths Van Allen radiation belts with sufficient detail to reveal the processes taking place. Although the main strength of the solar shock is deflected by the magnetic shield that surrounds our planet, a brief pulse of energy penetrates closer to Earth where it accelerates radiation belt electrons to ultra-relativistic energies in less than a minute.

These radiation belt electrons are no joke. Dubbed killer electrons, these ultra-relativistic lightweight particles are capable of going right through a satellite. According to NASA, killer electrons cause a lot of irreparable spacecraft damage, so understanding them is a top priority. They fly around at light speed and can easily break through thick shielding before burrowing into the insulation surrounding sensitive satellite equipment. The electricity from the accumulating electrons then builds up, causing a strong internal electrical discharge. One could equate it to a bolt of lighting striking your satellite dish, potentially causing a major hiccup right in the middle of Shark Week.

NASAs Van Allen Probes twin-satellite mission was conceived and launched to provide the comprehensive observations needed to identify and understand the processes responsible energizing these high-energy particles that circle Earth, Foster added. The processes observed during this shock event indicate that Earths magnetosphere can act as a highly efficient particle accelerator capable of creating the highest (ultra-relativistic) energies in regions close to Earth in a matter of seconds.

By better understanding these havoc-wreaking particles, NASA should be able to construct killer electron-resistant spacecrafts.

The probes maintain the same orbit within the Van Allen radiation belts, with one moving forth and the other following about an hour behind as they circle the Earth. On October 8, 2013, the lead probe was in the right place at the right time to record the events that occurred before the shockwave blast. The following probe was then able to document what happened afterwards.

The constant activity on the surface of the Sun is punctuated by violent outbursts powered the Suns strong magnetic field. Solar flares emit bursts of X-rays that travel outward at the speed of light, Foster said. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are giant eruptions of hot gasses from the Suns outer atmosphere. As this blast wave of solar material (plasma) streams towards the planets at 1000 km/sec, it sweeps up the magnetic field in its path, creating a magnetized shockwave of the type that struck Earths magnetic field on October 8, 2013.

After striking the magnetic field, the shockwave then bounced away, creating a magnetosonic pulse which flew in the opposite direction. In only a few minutes, this magnetized sound wave then propagated to the other side of the planet. As it traveled, the magnetosonic pulse collected lower-energy particles that grew in energy to 3 to 4 million electronvolts. The number of killer electrons also grew, multiplying to ten times the amount that had existed prior to the shockwaves journey.

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NASA probes catch solar shockwave in action for the first time

NASA covers Tropical Cyclone Lam's landfall in northern territory

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IMAGE:The GPM core observatory found rainfall at 55 mm/2.2 inches per hour in Tropical Cyclone Lam on February 17, 2015 at 1256 UTC northwest of the center. Some cloud tops... view more

As Tropical Cyclone Lam made landfall in Australia's Northern Territory on Feb. 19 (EST), NASA satellites and instruments gathered data on the storm's structure and behavior. Two instruments aboard NASA's Aqua satellite, NASA-JAXA's GPM core satellite, the RapidScat instrument aboard the International Space Station provided information to forecasters before and after Lam came ashore.

On Feb. 17 when Lam was strengthening in the Arafura Sea, NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core observatory satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Lam at 1256 UTC and captured data on the rainfall rates within the storm. At that time, sustained winds were estimated to be increasing above 55 knots (63 mph). GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) measured rain falling at a rate of almost 55 mm (2.2 inches) per hour in powerful storms to the northwest of Lam's center. A 3-D view of cyclone Lam's vertical structure was made possible by using GPM's radar (Ku band) data that showed some thunderstorm tops above 7.8 miles (12.6 km).

Another instrument took a look at the winds of the storm from its perch in space. The International Space Station's RapidScat instrument captured a look at Tropical Cyclone Lam's winds as it was moving toward landfall. From Feb. 18 at 1:40 UTC to 3:13 UTC RapidScat saw sustained winds to 56 mph/90 kph/25 mps.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a stunning picture of the storm as the center was making landfall on Feb. 19 at 04:40 UTC. The center was an eye-like feature obscured by clouds as it exited the Arafura Sea and came ashore near Elcho and Howard Islands in the northeastern part of the Northern Territory.

Another instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite provided infrared data on the thunderstorms that make up the tropical cyclone. A tropical cyclone is made up of hundreds of thunderstorms. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard Aqua gathers infrared data to provide temperature data. The higher the thunderstorm in the troposphere, the colder the cloud tops. AIRS saw cloud tops around the center of circulation as cold as -63F/-52C. NASA research has shown that thunderstorm cloud tops that cold have the potential to drop heavy rainfall, which mirrors and confirms the GPM core satellites observations even two days before.

On Feb. 19 (EST)/Feb. 20 1 a.m. local time, Brisbane, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM) noted "The very destructive core of Cyclone Lam is impacting the mainland coast between Milingimbi and Elcho Island." Warning zone: Goulburn Island to Port Roper, including Nhulunbuy, Groote Eylandt and adjacent inland areas to Bulman. For the updated ABM warnings and watches, visit: http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDD65011.shtml

At 0900 UTC (4 a.m. EST) on Feb. 19, Tropical Cyclone Lam was centered near 11.7 south latitude and 135.7 east longitude, about 286 nautical miles (329.1 miles/529.7 km) east-northeast of Darwin, Australia and moving to the southwest at 4 knots(4.6 mph/7.4 kph). Maximum sustained winds 90 knots (103.6 mph/166.7 kph). By 10:30 a.m. EST (Feb. 20 at 1:30 a.m. local Darwin time) the ABM noted that Lam's sustained winds were near 99.9 knots/115 mph/185 mph.

There are many warnings and watches in effect. A Cyclone Warning is in effect from Goulburn Island to Cape Shield, including Nhulunbuy and Groote Eylandt. A Cyclone Watch: Numbulwar to Port Roper.

According to the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Meterology, on Feb. 19 at 15:30 UTC (10:30 a.m. EST/Feb. 20 at 1:30 a.m. local Darwin time) Lam's center was near 12.2 degrees south and 135.0 degrees east. That puts the center of Lam about 37 miles (60 kilometers) west-southwest of Galiwinku and 9 miles (15 kilometers) east southeast of Milingimbi. Lam is moving to the southwest at 4.9 mph (8 kph).

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NASA covers Tropical Cyclone Lam's landfall in northern territory

NASAs Dawn spacecraft achieves Ceres orbit, makes history

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NASAs Dawn spacecraft successfully entered Ceres' orbit early on Friday, making history as the first mission to achieve orbit around a dwarf planet.

Dawn was approximately 38,000 miles from Ceres when it was captured by the dwarf planets gravity at approximately 7:39 a.m. ET.

Ceres, which lies between Mars and Jupiter, is 310 million miles from Earth.

Mission controllers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., which is managing the mission, received a signal from Dawn at 8:36 a.m ET, showing that the spacecraft was healthy and thrusting with its ion engine. The engine thrust was a key indicator that Dawn had entered Ceres orbit as planned.

"We feel exhilarated," said Chris Russell, principal investigator of the Dawn mission at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in a statement. "We have much to do over the next year and a half, but we are now on station with ample reserves, and a robust plan to obtain our science objectives."

Launched in September 2007, Dawn has travelled 3.1 billion miles to reach Ceres. The spacecraft explored the giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months in 2011 and 2012, and began its final approach to Ceres in December. The Dawn mission is scheduled to end in June 2016, at which time the spacecraft will remain in Ceres orbit.

Scientists hope that NASAs investigation of Ceres will boost our understanding of how the solar system formed.

Images of Ceres have already revealed craters and unusual bright spots that scientists believe tell how Ceres formed and whether its surface is changing. NASA says that as Dawn spirals into closer and closer orbits around the planet, researchers will be looking for signs that these features are changing, which would suggest current geological activity.

Since Jan. 25, Dawn has been delivering the highest-resolution images of Ceres ever captured, and they will continue to improve in quality as the spacecraft approaches, according to NASA.

The most recent images received from Dawn were taken on March 1 and show Ceres as a crescent, largely in shadow because the spacecraft's trajectory put it on a side of Ceres that faces away from the sun until mid-April, according to NASA. When Dawn emerges from Ceres' dark side, NASA expects the spacecraft to deliver ever-sharper images as it spirals to lower orbits around the planet

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NASAs Dawn spacecraft achieves Ceres orbit, makes history

How To Turn Heartbreak Into Nasa Iyo Ang Huling Halaklak | Antoinette Jadaone | TEDxUPM – Video

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How To Turn Heartbreak Into Nasa Iyo Ang Huling Halaklak | Antoinette Jadaone | TEDxUPM
How to deal with heartbreak? Film director and writer Antoinette Jadaone tells us how through her story of laughs, tears, and turning heartbreak to a positive results. This TEDx talk is mainly...

By: TEDx Talks

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How To Turn Heartbreak Into Nasa Iyo Ang Huling Halaklak | Antoinette Jadaone | TEDxUPM - Video

NACA NASA 1915-2015 "We Fly, We Explore, We Measure, We Reveal, We Discover" – Video

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NACA NASA 1915-2015 "We Fly, We Explore, We Measure, We Reveal, We Discover"
On March 3, 1915, Congress established the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to "direct and conduct research and experimentation in aeronautics, with a view to their practical...

By: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

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NACA NASA 1915-2015 "We Fly, We Explore, We Measure, We Reveal, We Discover" - Video

NASA African American History Month Profile Karen Gilliam (Glenn Research Center) – Video

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NASA African American History Month Profile Karen Gilliam (Glenn Research Center)
Dr. Karen Gilliam serves as chief, Human Capital Development Division at NASA #39;s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. She is responsible for developing effective training and development...

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NASA African American History Month Profile Karen Gilliam (Glenn Research Center) - Video

NASA's Dawn reaches Ceres, becomes first spacecraft to orbit dwarf planet (+video)

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NASA astronomers and engineers breathed a sigh of relief Friday morning, as the Dawn spacecraft became the first Earthly vessel to achieve orbit around a dwarf planet.

Mission controllers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., received confirmation from the craft at 5:36 Pacific time, NASA reported.

After a journey of 3.1 billion miles and 7.5 years, Dawn calls Ceres, home," Dawns chief engineer Marc Rayman said in a press release Friday morning.

The 3.1-billion-mile journey included a 14-month layover on the asteroid Vesta, the second largest object in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is the largest, not quite big enough to be considered a planet.

Astronomers are hoping that data gathered by Dawn from Ceres and Vesta will offer clues to understanding the conditions that existed in the region when the planets were forming some 4.56 billion years ago, the Monitors Pete Spotts reported Thursday.

These are two intact protoplanets from the very dawn of the solar system, JPL planetary scientist Carol Raymond said during a briefing Thursday as Dawn closed in on Ceress orbit. They are two fossils we can investigate to understand what was really going on at that time.

Ceres is believe to be 25 percent water ice. Researchers have speculated that the presence of that ice could suggest that the dwarf planet hosted liquid water early in its history, Mr. Spotts reported.

Dawn's measurements of surface features, especially the shapes and sized of the numerous craters that pock the surface, will provide an important test of this hypothesized blueprint for Ceres' structure.

The relatively high abundance of water ice researchers attribute to Ceres has raised the intriguing possibility that the dwarf planet briefly hosted liquid water in early its history, as radioactive decay from minerals in a rocky core heated the underside of the ice layer and melted it.

This could have provided a habitat for microbial life, notes Dr. Raymond.

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NASA's Dawn reaches Ceres, becomes first spacecraft to orbit dwarf planet (+video)


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