NACA NASA Langley Flight Experience with VTOL Aircraft 1944-1979 NASA Langley Research Center
more at http://scitech.quickfound.net/aviation_news_and_search.html Compilation of flight test footage of many vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL) o...
By: Jeff Quitney
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NASA - The Sun: 5 Year Time Lapse
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) celebrates its 5th anniversary since it launched on February 11, 2010. This time-lapse video captures one frame every 8 ...
By: Public Domain TV
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NASA Cameras Capture Space Rock Flying Over Beaver Falls
NASA cameras at Allegheny Observatory captured an image of a 45000-mile-an hour-meteor, which created a fireball in the sky, and startled residents early Tu...
By: CBS Pittsburgh
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NASA Cameras Capture Space Rock Flying Over Beaver Falls - Video
A pair of NASA astronauts breezed through a spacewalk to install cables and antennas at the International Space Station on Sunday, days after water pooled up in the helmet of one of the astronauts at the end of the previous spacewalk.
The helmet problem that NASA astronaut Terry Virts experienced last Wednesday sparked concern because a bigger buildup of water almost drowned a spacewalker in his helmet in 2013. The issue didn't affect Sunday's outing, but Virts said extra water seeped in again when the spacewalk was over. "It's not a big deal, just a small film on the visor," he said.
NASA said Virts was in no danger, either on Wednesday or on Sunday.
Virts and NASA crewmate Barry "Butch" Wilmore finished what was expected to be more than six and a half hours' worth of work more than an hour early. "You guys have done an outstanding job, even for two shuttle pilots," spacewalk choreographer Sunita Williams told the duo from Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas.
During the last of three spacewalks that were conducted over the course of eight days, Virts and Wilmore installed communication antennas and ran about 400 feet of cable along the station's exterior. The work is part of a months-long effort to install new docking mechanisms.
Those mechanisms would be used by the commercial "space taxis" now being developed by Boeing and SpaceX to carry crew for NASA, starting as early as 2017. In the meantime, NASA has to pay the Russians more than $70 million a seat to transport astronauts to and from the station.
NASA's mission managers gave the go-ahead for Sunday's spacewalk after determining that Virts' helmet issue was manageable. They said Virts' spacesuit was known to release a small amount of water condensation into the helmet when the suit is repressurized after a spacewalk. Since the 2013 scare, NASA has been monitoring the spacesuits and their water cooling systems more closely.
First published March 1 2015, 3:22 AM
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A pair of NASA astronauts breezed through a spacewalk to install cables and antennas at the International Space Station on Sunday, days after water pooled up in the helmet of one of the astronauts at the end of the previous spacewalk.
The helmet problem that NASA astronaut Terry Virts experienced last Wednesday sparked concern because a bigger buildup of water almost drowned a spacewalker in his helmet in 2013. The issue didn't affect Sunday's outing, but Virts said extra water seeped in again when the spacewalk was over. "It's not a big deal, just a small film on the visor," he said.
NASA said Virts was in no danger, either on Wednesday or on Sunday.
Virts and NASA crewmate Barry "Butch" Wilmore finished what was expected to be more than six and a half hours' worth of work more than an hour early. "You guys have done an outstanding job, even for two shuttle pilots," spacewalk choreographer Sunita Williams told the duo from Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas.
During the last of three spacewalks that were conducted over the course of eight days, Virts and Wilmore installed communication antennas and ran about 400 feet of cable along the station's exterior. The work is part of a months-long effort to install new docking mechanisms.
Those mechanisms would be used by the commercial "space taxis" now being developed by Boeing and SpaceX to carry crew for NASA, starting as early as 2017. In the meantime, NASA has to pay the Russians more than $70 million a seat to transport astronauts to and from the station.
NASA's mission managers gave the go-ahead for Sunday's spacewalk after determining that Virts' helmet issue was manageable. They said Virts' spacesuit was known to release a small amount of water condensation into the helmet when the suit is repressurized after a spacewalk. Since the 2013 scare, NASA has been monitoring the spacesuits and their water cooling systems more closely.
First published March 1 2015, 3:22 AM
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This project coincides with the 50thanniversary of NASA extravehicular activities (EVAs). March 18 is the anniversary of the first spacewalk by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who left his Voskhod-2 vehicle for a 12-minute tethered walk, and June 3 is the golden anniversary of NASA astronaut Ed Whites Gemini IV 23-minute tethered spacewalk, the first for a U.S. astronaut.
Micro-g NExT is managed by the Office of Education at NASAs Johnson Space Center. The program helps support the agency's education policy of using NASA's unique missions and programs to engage and encourage students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.
Participating students, by state, are from:
California -- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Connecticut -- Yale University, New Haven
Florida -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach; University of South Florida, Tampa
Idaho -- Boise State University, Boise
Illinois -- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Indiana -- Purdue University, West Lafayette
Iowa -- Iowa State University, Ames
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NASA Invites Student Teams to Go Underwater for Micro-g NExT
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) honored the late "Star Trek" actor Leonard Nimoy on Saturday, saying he helped inspire future scientists around the world.
Nimoy's calculated Mr. Spock character in the series and subsequent films "served as an inspiration to generations of scientists, engineers and sci-fi fans around the world," the agency said Saturday, posting to its website a photo of the Vulcan hand salute that is out of this world.
Nimoy, who died Friday at 83 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to multiple reports, was honored by the agency in an ethereal photo of the bright blue earth captured by NASA astronaut Terry Virts aboard the International Space Station:
NASA notes that Nimoy's hometown of Boston, Mass., is visible in the photo.
"With the passing of Leonard Nimoy, we have not only lost a talented actor, but a proud product of Bostons neighborhoods and English High School," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement Friday, adding "the spirit of his work lives on" in future generations of inspired children.
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory," Nimoy wrote in his final tweet.
President Obama joined other "Star Trek" fans and several lawmakers Friday mourning the actor's death, saying in a statement that "long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy."
"Cool, logical, big-eared and level-headed, the center of Star Treks optimistic, inclusive vision of humanitys future," Obama said. "I love Spock."
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[CRS-4] NASA Thermal Infrared Cameras Capture SpaceX Falcon 9 First Stage Re-entry
NASA Thermal Infrared Cameras Capture SpaceX Falcon 9 First Stage Re-entry During AsiaSat 6 Launch NASA infrared cameras captured valuable thermal imagery of...
By: Matthew Travis
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[CRS-4] NASA Thermal Infrared Cameras Capture SpaceX Falcon 9 First Stage Re-entry - Video
NASA #39;s Fake CGI Ball Planets
For thousands of years the "planets" were known as "wandering stars" as they differ from the fixed stars in their relative motions only. Through a telescope ...
By: Eric Dubay
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NASA's crawler-transporters, two of the largest vehicles ever built, have carried NASA rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for the last 50 years. They will continue their legacy as the "workhorses" of the nation's space program as part of the agency's journey to Mars.
The crawlers are being modified to carry NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) with the Orion spacecraft atop it and potential commercial vehicles to their pads to begin space exploration missions. Originally constructed in 1965 to support the agency's Apollo Program, they also supported the Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and Space Shuttle Program, helping NASA push the boundaries of human space exploration farther into the solar system.
To celebrate its 50th year of supporting NASA missions, the upgraded and modified crawler-transporter 2, known as CT-2, rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Feb. 18 and began the 4.2-mile trek to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA, members of the media and guests paid tribute during a viewing and tour of the crawler at the pad Feb. 23.
But there's no time for these giant machines to rest on their laurels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) at Kennedy has been busy beefing up crawler-transporter 2 to be ready to support SLS and Orion. CT-1 will be available to carry a variety of other launch vehicles.
Using these vehicles, NASA will send astronauts farther than ever before, first to an asteroid, and onward to Mars. The modifications will enable the crawlers to continue supporting human spaceflight for another 20 years.
The crawlers were initially manufactured by the Marion Shovel Company in Marion, Ohio. Weighing in at more than 6 million pounds each, the larger parts that could be assembled and fit on a truck were shipped to Kennedy in 1964 where final assembly took place.
Each crawler is 131 feet long and 114 feet wide, with four pickup points spaced 90 feet apart on the upper deck that fit into four interface locations on the mobile launcher.
"It's important to maintain an equal amount of weight distributed on each of the crawler's trucks," said John Giles, crawler project deputy manager. "Through tests and calculations, the center of gravity is determined for the mobile launcher. The interface locations can be different according to the weight and location of the space vehicle on top."
The unique features of the giant vehicles include 16 traction motors, two alternating current generators, two direct current generators powered by diesel engines, and two control cabs each to drive the vehicles forward and backward. The jacking, equalizing and leveling (JEL) system, among other systems, are monitored and controlled from inside the crawler's control room. The JEL system keeps the upper deck and pick up points level at all times, even when traveling up steep inclines to the top of the pads, to prevent its rocket payload from toppling.
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NASA Launches DSCOVR on SpaceX Falcon 9 FULL VIDEO
NOAA #39;s DSCOVR launched today aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft is f...
By: ShantiUniverse
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RAW: NASA tests EXPLOSIVE decompression in rockets
To test booster rocket integrity, NASA scientists fill them with over-pressurized water to find the maximum sustainable pressure and study the explosive resu...
By: RT America
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NASA #39;s Kennedy Space Center Transforms For The Future
NASA #39;s Kennedy Space Center is well on its way to becoming the multi-user spaceport of the future, supporting a variety of commercial customers as well as NA...
By: Matthew Travis
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NASA's Kennedy Space Center Transforms For The Future - Video
AP Photo/NASA, File FILE - In this file image made from video provided by NASA, astronaut Terry Virts points to his helmet as he sits inside the International Space Station on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, during an inspection for water in his suit. Virts reported the water while he waited in the air lock for Wednesday's spacewalk to formally conclude. On Friday, Feb. 27, 2015, NASA cleared Virts' spacesuit for the last of three spacewalks, set for Sunday. Mission managers believe they understand the quirks with this suit, and insist it is safe to use.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. American astronauts will venture back out for a spacewalk this weekend, despite a helmet water leak on their previous trip outside the International Space Station.
NASA on Friday cleared astronaut Terry Virts' spacesuit for the last of three spacewalks to install cable. Mission managers believe they understand the quirks with this older suit and insist it is safe to use for Sunday's spacewalk.
In 2013, another astronaut nearly drowned because of a flooded helmet. On Wednesday, the amount of water seepage in Virts' helmet was significantly smaller and occurred at the end of the spacewalk when Virts was already inside.
"They're very different occurrences," said Alex Kanelakos, a spacewalk officer in Mission Control.
Kanelakos said the latest leak was the result of condensation that occurred during the air lock repressurization. There have been seven other similar instances on this particular suit, he said.
"It's a known feature," Kanelakos said during a NASA broadcast Friday.
Virts estimated the amount of water in his helmet Wednesday at one-half of an ounce. That did not include the water that moistened the absorbent pad at the back of his head, or that might have escaped when his helmet was removed.
As much as 2 ounces of water could condense like this and get into the helmet without causing a problem, Kanelakos said.
Astronaut Butch Wilmore's suit which is new functioned perfectly.
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NASA released a global map of rain and snow moving across the planet over the past six months. (NASA Goddard)
NASA has releasedaglobal map of rain and snow traveling across the planetover the past six months the first from anewmission that unites data from a dozenweather-monitoring satellites.
Themission takes a snapshot of the weather across Earth every 30 minutes, but itmeasures morethan cloud tops and temperature, which is what we typically see on satellite imagery. Ithas the ability to look under theclouds and see what the precipitation is doing, says George Huffman, the deputy project scientist for the mission.This is a new effort, and is considerably more difficult than the cloud maps.
One year ago, NASA launched the Global Precipitation Measurement missions Core Observatory satellite, which acts tosynchronizeprecipitation measurements across 12satellites operated by international partners, including the U.S., Japan, France, India and Europe. With the GPM core observatory acting as an anchor to allow us to cross-calibrate data from a very diverse set of satellite measurements from our international and interagency partners, we can clearly see the big picture in terms of where its raining or snowing across the globe,said Ramesh Kakar, GPM program scientist.
Thanks to the Core Observatory, scientists can now collect and study continuousprecipitation patterns extending over nearly the entire globe, from 60 degrees North to 60 South a larger area than previously monitored. In particular, I really appreciated looking at the Southern Ocean, said Huffman. You see the numerous swirls with very little land to get in the way, and as a result these storms just swirl around Antarctica continually.
The mission offers more than just high-latitude storm monitoring. It has also captured 3-D images of snow storms across the Mid-Atlantic this month. The GPM Core Observatory carries two instruments that show the location and intensity of rain and snow, which constitutes a crucial part of the storm structure and helps to define how it will develop, writes NASA. The GPM Microwave Imager sees through the tops of clouds to observe how much and where precipitation occurs, while the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar observes precise details of precipitation in three dimensions.
NASA shared video of the3-D imagescaptured during thePresidents Day storm on Feb. 16-17, which gave the D.C.metro anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of snow, plus an extra day off on Tuesday for some. The video shows a swath of the storm over the Mid-Atlantic. Blue indicates snow, and colors from green to red indicate rain. Its interesting to see how the instrument captures the areas of all snow, and where precipitation is starting to fall as snow, but then melts to rain. The imagery shows great variation in precipitation types over the southeastern United States, writes NASA.
NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission's Core Observatory captured a 3-D image of a snow storm that covered large portions of Kentucky, southwestern West Virginia and northwestern North Carolina on Feb. 17. (NASA Goddard)
The mission also captured 3-D imagery of our Feb. 21 winter storm which, before transitioning over to sleet and rain, ended up giving our northern suburbs more snow than was expected.
NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission's Core Observatory flew over a snow storm that covered most of the Washington, D.C., metro area leaving as much as nine inches of snow in some of the surrounding suburbs on Feb. 21. (NASA Goddard)
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Weather Gang: NASA satellite captures global precipitation, 3-D views of D.C. winter storms (Video)
Actor Leonard Nimoy, who portrayed the iconic logical Vulcan Spock on the TV's "Star Trek" and in feature films, has died. He was 83.
Nimoy's career spanned TV, feature films, art and photography, but he was perhaps best known for playing Spock, the logical Vulcan on the starship the USS Enterprise, in "Star Trek." Nimoy died from complications due to "end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," according to theNew York Times, which first reported the actor's death Friday morning(Feb. 27).
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP [Live long and prosper]," Nimoy wrote in a recentpost on Twitteron Feb. 23. The actor would sign his tweets "LLAP," echoing Spock's famous words on "Star Trek."
Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 26, 1931 and started acting by the time he was 8 years old, according to the New York Times.
His idea for Spock's signature Vulcan salute was actually inspired by his Jewish heritage after seeing men at his synagogue use the hand gesture during prayer. He suggested it to the director as a Vulcan greeting and it stuck, Nimoy told theYiddish Book Center in a video.
Aside from being a beloved science fiction star, Nimoy also got involved with real space science. Henarrated a video for NASAdetailing the space agency's Dawn mission to the dwarf planet Ceres for the first time.
NASA paid tribute to the actor today with apost on Twitterfeaturing a photo of Nimoy and his "Star Trek" co-stars in front of the space shuttle Enterprise, named for the fictional starship in the television show. In April 2012, Nimoy greeted the space shuttle Enterprise with a Vulcan salute when the spacecraft prototype was delivered to New York City for installation at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
"RIP Leonard Nimoy. So many of us at NASA were inspired by Star Trek. Boldly go ..." NASA officials wrote on Twitter.
Nimoy's friends and colleagues have posted their feelings about the "Star Trek" legend on social media as well.
"I loved him like a brother," William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk alongside Nimoy's Spock on the TV show,said via Twitter. "We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love."
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Leonard Nimoy: NASA honors the iconic logical Vulcan 'Spock' with tweet
A new NASA study focusing on irregularities in Earths upper atmosphere may help scientists overcome disruptions in GPS communication. The findings provide an insight into the causes of the disruptive regions, and represent the first time that such observations have been made from space.
The ionosphere is a barrier of charged ions and electrons, collectively known as plasma, produced by a combination of impacting particles and solar radiation. When signals pass through the barrier, they sometimes come into contact with irregularities that distort the signal, leading to less accurate data.
The NASA observations, carried out by the Canadian Space Agencys Cascade Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE) satellite, focused on the Northern Hemisphere. They compared turbulence in the auroral regions narrow, oval-shaped areas outside the polar caps that are bombarded with particles from the magnetosphere with that observed at higher latitudes, above the Arctic polar cap.
It was found that irregularities tend to be larger in the auroral region where they were measured to be between 1 and 40 km (0.62 to 25 miles) than at higher latitudes, where they measured between 1 and 8 km (0.62 to 5 miles).
The study surmised that the variation between the two regions can be attributed to outside factors, with the auroral regions being exposed to energetic particles from the magnetosphere, while the polar cap region is affected by solar wind particles and electric fields in interplanetary space. This is important information in understanding and mitigating the effects of the irregularities.
Given the issues they cause from the distortion of radio telescope imagery to disruption in aircraft communications obtaining a greater understanding of the irregularities is an important endeavor, and will help researchers to predict when and where they will occur.
One example of the usefulness of such predictive abilities relates to NASAs Deep Space Network (DNS), which monitors the positions of spacecraft from Earth. The system is routinely affected by the ionosphere, but this could be mitigated by the findings, with the team able to measure the delay in GPS signals caused by the disruptions in ionosphere, relaying the information back to the DNS team.
"By understanding the magnitude of the interference, spacecraft navigators can subtract the distortion from the ionosphere to get more accurate spacecraft locations, said JPL supervisor Anthony Mannucci.
Source: NASA
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NASA study looks to the ionosphere to improve GPS communications
#SuitUp with NASA for the Journey to Mars
In 2015, NASA will be recognizing 50 years of spacewalking, or Extravehicular Activity (EVA). Throughout the year, NASA will be celebrating accomplishments s...
By: ReelNASA
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NASA | 5 Year Time-Lapse Of The Sun | June 2010 - February 2015 (SDO) | VIDEO HD
Credits: NASA #39;s Goddard Space Flight Center (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-41gAPmUG0) ------------------------------------------------------------- The S...
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NASA | 5 Year Time-Lapse Of The Sun | June 2010 - February 2015 (SDO) | VIDEO HD - Video
NASA-NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (Little SDO) Number 1
By: General Culture
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NASA-NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (Little SDO) Number 1 - Video