NASA GSFC Solicitation: Support for Atmospheric Sciences Modeling and Data Assimilation

Synopsis - Feb 12, 2015 Draft Document - Posted on Feb 12, 2015 General Information Solicitation Number: NNG150000001L Posted Date: Feb 12, 2015 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Feb 12, 2015 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Feb 27, 2015 Current Response Date: Mar 13, 2015 Classification Code: A -- Research and Development NAICS Code: 541712 Contracting Office Address NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 210.Y, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Description It is anticipated that the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) will issue a solicitation for continued Support of Atmospheric Sciences (SAS) and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). Currently, SAS and GMAO support is provided under two separate contracts (NNG12HP08C and NNG12HP06C respectively). NASA has reviewed these requirements and found technical symmetry, and therefore intends to combine these small business set-aside efforts and obtain the support by way of one contract. SAS support includes but is not limited to (1) Instrumentation, (2) Data Processing and Analysis, (3) Earth System modeling and Analysis, (4) Documentation and Presentation, (5) Education and Public Outreach, and (6) Mission Science. Specific work elements within the above areas are described as follows: design, develop, test, maintain, calibrate, and operation of sub-orbital instruments for atmospheric and solar observations; processing and analysis of data collected by instruments observing the Earth atmosphere or solar radiation from spacecraft, sub-orbital platforms, or the ground; development, testing, operation, improvement, and documentation of computer models that describe Earth system processes; support project scientists in the formulation, implementation, and operation of satellite missions; support the preparation of research proposals, refereed journal publications, manuscripts for symposia and provide communications of research objectives and results both to the general public and NASA Management in a formal and informal way. GMAO support, which is a key activity within the Earth-Sun Exploration Division, includes the development and use of models and assimilation systems with the goals of advancing satellite data in weather and climate prediction, and using satellite data to advance the U.S. environmental modeling capabilities. NASA/GSFC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources and seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including Small, Small Disadvantaged (SDB), 8(a), Woman-owned (WOSB), Veteran Owned (VOSB), Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SD-VOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) businesses, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI) for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for the procurement. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Woman-owned (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), or HUBZone business set-aside based on responses hereto. All small disadvantaged business owned firms will need to be certified at the time of proposal submission if the procurement is set-aside. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Vendors having the capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to submit appropriate documentation, literature, brochures, and references. Responses must include the following: name and address of firm, size of business; average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees; ownership; whether they are large, or any category of small business*, number of years in business; affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potential teaming partners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potential prime); list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant work performed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; and point of contact - address and phone number). This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement. All responses shall be submitted to Russellyn R. Hart no later than 3:00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on March 13, 2015. Responses may be e-mailed to russellyn.hart-1@nasa.gov or mailed to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Attn: Russellyn R. Hart, Mail Code 210.5, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771. Please reference NNG15000001L in any response. Any questions regarding this announcement should be directed to the identified point of contact. Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below. Point of Contact Name: Russellyn R Hart Title: Contract Specialist Phone: 301-286-5081 Fax: 301-286-5373 Email: Russellyn.Hart-1@nasa.gov

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NASA GSFC Solicitation: Support for Atmospheric Sciences Modeling and Data Assimilation

NASA Wants to Send a Submarine to Titan's Seas

In a sneak peek of a possible future mission to Saturns moon Titan, NASA has showcased their vision of a robotic submersible that could explore the moons vast lakes of liquid methane and ethane.

VIDEO: Can a Moon be Older Than its Planet?

Studying Titan is thought to be looking back in time at an embryonic Earth, only a lot colder. Titan is the only moon in the solar system to have a significant atmosphere and this atmosphere is known to possess its own methane cycle, like Earths water cycle. Methane exists in a liquid state, raining down on a landscape laced with hydrocarbons, forming rivers, valleys and seas.

Several seas have been extensively studied by NASAs Cassini spacecraft during multiple flybys, some of which average a few meters deep, whereas others have depths of over 200 meters (660 feet) the maximum depth at which Cassinis radar instrument can penetrate.

So, if scientists are to properly explore Titan, they must find a way to dive into these seas to reveal their secrets.

ANALYSIS: Cassini Watches Clouds Blow Over Titans Sea

At this years Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium, a Titan submarine concept was showcased by NASA Glenns COMPASS Team and researchers from Applied Research Lab.

Envisaged as a possible mission to Titans largest sea, Kracken Mare, the autonomous submersible would be designed to make a 90 day, 2,000 kilometer (1,250 mile) voyage exploring the depths of this vast and very alien marine environment. As it would spend long periods under the methane seas surface, it would have to be powered by a radioisotope generator; a source that converts the heat produced by radioactive pellets into electricity, much like missions that are currently exploring space, like Cassini and Mars rover Curiosity.

Communicating with Earth would not be possible when the vehicle is submerged, so it would need to make regular ascents to the surface to transmit science data.

ANALYSIS: Cassini Spies Wind-Rippled Sea on Titan

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NASA Wants to Send a Submarine to Titan's Seas

NASA GSFC Community Announcement for Earth Venture Instrument-3 Solicitation

Synopsis - Feb 12, 2015 General Information Solicitation Number: NNH15ZDA005J Posted Date: Feb 12, 2015 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Feb 12, 2015 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Mar 10, 2015 Current Response Date: Mar 10, 2015 Classification Code: A -- Research and Development NAICS Code: 541712 Contracting Office Address NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Description The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) releases this Community Announcement of its intention to solicit proposals for the Earth Venture Instrument-3 (EVI-3) program. This Community Announcement serves in place of NASA releasing a draft version of the solicitation. No draft solicitation will be released. EVI-3 will solicit Earth science-focused "mission-of-opportunity" proposals to develop spaceflight instruments to be installed on a NASA-provided platform or to develop CubeSat-based missions. Investigations may target any Earth science questions or issues that advance the goal of NASAs 2014 Strategic Plan (http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy/ ) to "advance knowledge of Earth as a system to meet the challenges of environmental change, and to improve life on our planet". EVI-3 is part of the Earth Venture (EV) portfolio under the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program (http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/smd-programs/earth-system-science-pathfinder/ ). The EV portfolio consists of regularly solicited, competitively selected, cost and schedule constrained Earth science investigations as recommended by the National Research Councils decadal survey in Earth science titled Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond (The National Academies Press, 2007) and available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11820 . The EVI-3 solicitation will be the third solicitation in the EVI series and is expected to have few updates from the EVI-2 solicitation (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId= %7B34880755-F100-9DC1-0C9F-C1F8EA697B65%7D&path=open). It will be released as a Program Element Appendix (PEA) of the Second Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON-2) (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId= {12429F12-CBF0-EA11-C7C1-4DF5F4B5BA0F}&path=open). Updates from the EVI-2 solicitation that are expected to be found in the EVI-3 solicitation are documented in the EVI-3 Table of Updates, posted under "Program Specific Documents" in the EVI-3 Library (http://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVI-3/evi-3_library.html ). Proposers are encouraged to review the existing EVI-2 solicitation along with the EVI-3 Table of Updates. The PI-Managed portion of the Mission Cost Cap for EVI-3 investigations is dependent on the instrument class, as described in the EVI-2 solicitation. For EVI-3 investigations based on Class D instruments or CubeSats, the cost cap will be $31M in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 dollars. For EVI-3 investigations based on Class C instruments, the cost cap will be $97M in FY 2018 dollars. NASA may select some combination of Class C and Class D investigations based on funding availability at the time of selection. The timelines for instrument and CubeSat developments are as follows: Class C instrument investigations: Phases A through C will span the years FY 2016-FY 2021, culminating in delivery of an instrument for integration onto a NASA-determined platform by March 31, 2021. Class D instrument investigations: Phases A through C will span the years FY 2016-FY 2020, culminating in delivery of an instrument for integration onto a NASA-determined platform by March 31, 2020. CubeSat(s): Phases A through D will span the years FY 2016-FY 2020, culminating in delivery of a CubeSat(s) that can be deployed by a NASA-determined launch vehicle by March 31, 2020. Proposals that include more rapid instrument development timelines may be selected, provided the required budget phasing can be accommodated by NASA. Proposals in response to the EVI-3 AO will be due 90 days after its formal release. Participation will be open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, NASA Centers, and other Government agencies. For EVI-3, NASA plans to complete the selection process in a single step, as described in EVI-2 solicitation. The schedule for the solicitation is expected to be: Bidders Workshop (WebEx): March 4, 2015 Community Comments Due: March 10, 2015 Release of Announcement of Opportunity (AO) (target): March 2015 Preproposal Workshop (WebEx): ~2 weeks after AO release Proposals due: 90 days after AO release Selection: Early 2016 Further information will be posted on the Earth Venture Acquisition website at EVI-3 Acquisition Website at http://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVI-3/ as that information becomes available. Questions or comments about this intention to release the EVI-3 AO may be addressed in writing or by E-mail to the Earth Venture Instrument-3 Program Scientist: Dr. Thomas Wagner, Earth Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001 Tel: 202-358-4682; E-mail: thomas.wagner@nasa.gov ; FAX 202-358-2770 Responses to all inquiries will be answered by E-mail and anonymized versions posted weekly at the EVI-3 PEA Questions and Answers (Q&A) section of the EVI-3 Acquisition Website. Point of Contact Name: Dr Thomas Wagner Title: Earth Science Div - Science Mission Directorate Phone: 202-358-4682 Fax: 202-358-2770 Email: thomas.wagner@nasa.gov

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NASA GSFC Community Announcement for Earth Venture Instrument-3 Solicitation

NASA unveils submarine concept to explore Titan's seas

Artist's concept of NASA's Titan submarine. (Credit: NASA)

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

One can only assume that NASA is tiring of building orbiters and rovers, because one of their newest projects is a new, unmanned submarine designed to explore the liquid hydrocarbon seas of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, in a future mission.

As reported earlier this week by Gizmag, a conceptual design of the proposed submersible was recently unveiled by the US space agency at the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The submarine, which would be nuclear-powered and have side-scanning sonar, would be sent into space for a mission starting around 2040.

Remember the Titan?

Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury and is the only moon in the solar system that has an actual atmosphere, is home to three polar seas made up of methane and ethane. The gases of those seas are similar in composition to liquefied natural gas, the website explained, and it is the largest of these seas, Kraken Mare, which is intended destination of the submarine.

Titan (Credit: Cassini Imaging Team/SSI/JPL/ESA/NASA)

Discovered by Cassini in 2007, Kraken Mare is located in the arctic region of Titan between 60 and 80 degrees northern latitude. It covers more than 150,000 square miles (over 400,000 square kilometers). Some estimates state that it could be up to 525 feet (160 meters) deep, while others claim that it could actually reach depths of well over 1,000 feet (300 meters).

Titan even has tides due to the gravitational pull of Saturn, as well as a complex shoreline and deposits of a water-soluble mineral sediment known as evaporate, which forms as the result of the crystallization by evaporation of an aqueous solution. In order to better understand the moon, NASA is looking to explore its polar seas using the unmanned submersible vehicle.

Back to that submarine

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NASA unveils submarine concept to explore Titan's seas

NASA Education Express Message Feb. 12, 2015

Space Shuttle Thermal Protective Tiles Available for Educational UseNASA invites eligible U.S. educational institutions and museums to request space shuttle thermal protective tiles and other special items offered on a first-come, first-served basis while quantities last. Organizations previously allocated thermal protective tiles may request an additional three tiles.There will be a nominal shipping fee that must be paid online with a credit card. To make a request for special items online, visithttp://gsaxcess.gov/htm/nasa/userguide/Special_Item_Request_Procedure.pdf.Questions about this opportunity should be directed toGSAXcessHelp@gsa.gov._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Free Education Webinars From NASA Educator Professional DevelopmentNASA Educator Professional Development is presenting a series of free webinars open to all educators. Join NASA education specialists to learn about activities, lesson plans, educator guides and resources that bring NASA into your classroom.Robotics on a Budget Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-8Event Date:Feb. 12, 2015, at 5 p.m. ESTWhat are robots and how are they used at NASA? Using NASA robotic missions, curricula and online resources, we'll explore how to use robotics, cheaply, in your classroom to enhance your understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/stennisnasaepdNASA Resources for Home School Audience:Home School Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Feb. 16, 2015, at 5:30 p.m. ESTParticipants in this webinar will get an overview of resources and join a discussion of modifications to accommodate small groups or individual students. Materials covered will focus on science, mathematics and engineering.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/marshallnasaepd/SMAP: Follow the Water (Satellite Mission to Observe Soil Moisture) Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-8Event Date:Feb. 17, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. ESTThe Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, is an orbiting observatory designed to measure soil moisture. Scientists will use this data to help improve our understanding of how water (in its various forms) circulates. The webinar will provide project-based learning activities exploring the importance of the water cycle and sustainability.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/glennnasaepd/NASA Is With You When You Fly: Principles of Flight Audience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades K-12Event Date:Feb. 18, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. ESTDid you know that NASA is with you when you fly? Come explore aeronautics, the parts of an airplane, the four forces of flight, standards-aligned mathematics, science and engineering activities, and interactive multimedia. Make real-world connections with NASA research and the airplanes that are flying today.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/armstrongnasaepd/NASA Rockets 2 Racecars Introduction Audience:In-service, Pre-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 4-9Event Date:Feb. 19, 2015, at 9:30 a.m. ESTScience, technology, engineering and mathematics are the foundation for a successful career in racing, as well as NASA! Like driving a racecar or launching a rocket, mastering these subjects takes some practice. Bring the excitement of racing and the thrill of aerospace into your classroom. Take a pit stop, and learn how to get students revved up about STEM!https://connect.its.txstate.edu/stennisnasaepd/Magnetospheric Multiscale MathematicsAudience:Pre-service, In-service, Home School and Informal Educators of Grades 5-8Event Date:Feb. 19, 2015, at 5:30 p.m. ESTParticipants will learn about the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission set to launch in March 2015 and the mathematics-based educator guide associated with the mission. Participants will learn about the mission, get an overview of the lesson and engage in discussion about classroom implementation.https://connect.its.txstate.edu/marshallnasaepd/Questions about this series of webinars should be directed to Steve Culivan atStephen.p.culivan@nasa.gov._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2015 NASA Academy

The NASA Academies offered at Armstrong Flight Research Center, Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, Glenn Research Center and Marshall Space Flight Center are soliciting applications from U.S. citizens majoring in STEM (including citizens of U.S. territories Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas). The applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time in accredited universities and colleges in the U.S. and its territories. Students may apply to any of the NASA Academies by following the following steps for students:1. Log into the NASA One Stop Shopping Initiative, or OSSI, site athttps://intern.nasa.gov.2. Register and set up your account.3. Select the Search Opportunities tab at the top bar.4. Select NASA Center(s) of Interest under NASA Center/Facility.5. Enter Academy in the Keywords block at the bottom of the screen.6. Click the Search button at the very bottom of screen; a list of Academy Opportunities will then be displayed.7. Click on the View icon in the first column under Action to read about the Opportunity you are interested in, followed by comments on additional instructions for completing your application, including two requested essays.Thedeadlinefor receipt of NASA Academy application(s) and associated documents isFeb. 15, 2015.Questions about NASA Academy should be directed toNASA-Academy-Application@mail.nasa.gov.

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Get Fired Up at NASA Social Event During Space Launch System Booster Test Fire in UtahNASA invites social media followers to a unique two-day NASA Social event on March 10-11, 2015, in Utah. The event will bring 45 social media users together to witness the test firing of the largest, most powerful booster ever built.NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks. This historic event is open to 45 individuals to come to the ATK Aerospace Group's test facilities in Promontory, Utah, to participate in two days of fun-filled activities that will culminate in the booster test firing on March 11. Please note that registration for the event is only for a single person and is nontransferable. Because of space limitations, the registration does not allow for guests; if you know of others who would like to participate, they will have to complete their own registration.NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to do the following:-- View the test firing for the booster being designed and built for the Space Launch System, or SLS, NASA's new heavy-lift rocket in development to enable missions to go farther into space than ever before.-- Get behind-the-scenes tours of the ATK Aerospace Group's facilities, including the work center where the motor cases are lined with insulation, the control room for mixing and casting where the operations for the booster are controlled, and the final assembly area where the booster segments are assembled prior to being static fired or launched.-- Attend a Q&A session with NASA and ATK representatives that will air live on NASA TV.-- Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media.-- Meet members of NASA's social media team.Registration is open until5 p.m. EST on Feb. 16, 2015. NASA will select 45 participants at random from Web registrants. Additional applicants will be placed on a waiting list. Each participant must be age 18 or older.For more NASA Social and sign-up information, visithttp://www.nasa.gov/sls-hot-fire-social/.To join and track the conversation online during the NASA Socials, follow the hashtags #NASASocial and #SLSfiredup.To learn more about the Space Launch System, visithttp://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/.Questions about this NASA Social event should be directed toHQ-Social@mail.nasa.gov.

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Release of Cooperative Agreement Notice for NASA Science Mission Directorate Science EducationNASA's Science Mission Directorate, or SMD, has released a Cooperative Agreement Notice, or CAN, soliciting team-based proposals for SMD science education for community review and comment. The final text is downloadable from the NSPIRES Web page athttps://nspires.nasaprs.com/by selectingSolicitationsand searching for NASA Science Education or NNH15ZDA004C.The goal of NASA SMD Science Education is to enable NASA scientists and engineers into the learning environment more efficiently and effectively for learners of all ages. This CAN is to meet the following NASA SMD Science Education Objectives: Enabling STEM education, improving U.S. science literacy; advancing National education goals; and leveraging science education through partnerships. NASA intends to select one or more focused, science discipline-based team(s). While it is envisioned that multiple agreements may be awarded, selection of a single award to support all of SMD science education requirements is not precluded. Awards are anticipated by Sept. 30, 2015.Issuance of this CAN is dependent on programmatic factors, including NASA receiving an appropriation and operating plan containing adequate funding within the NASA budget. Any costs incurred by prospective investigators in preparing submissions in response to this CAN are incurred completely at the submitter's own risk.A virtual preproposal conference will be held onFeb. 17, 2015, at 1 p.m. ESTto provide interested parties with the opportunity to better understand the intent, scope, and selection criteria of this CAN. Information about the preproposal conference will be posted athttp://nspires.nasaprs.com/.Programmatic questions regarding this solicitation should be submitted no later than 15 days prior to the proposal due date by email using the character string Science Education CAN (without quotes) included in the subject line of all transmissions. The identity of those submitting comments will be held in confidence. Answers to questions about this Announcement and Frequently Asked Questions from the draft CAN text are available on the website athttps://nspires.nasaprs.com/. Note that it is the responsibility of interested proposers to check for such information prior to the submission of their proposals.Programmatic questions should be submitted to:Kristen EricksonEmail:CANsci-ed@hq.nasa.govScience Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20546Anticipated NASA SMD Science Education CAN schedule:CAN Release Date -- Feb. 4, 2015Preproposal Conference -- Feb. 17, 2015 (1 p.m. EST)Notice of Intent to Propose Deadline -- March 4, 2015Electronic Proposal Submittal Deadline -- May 4, 2015, at 11:59 p.m. EDTSelections Announced (target) -- Summer 2015Projects Begin (target) -- Oct. 1, 2015

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National Space Biomedical Research Institute's Graduate Education Program in Space Life SciencesThe National Space Biomedical Research Institute, or NSBRI, seeks solutions to health concerns facing astronauts on long missions. The institutes research also benefits patients on Earth. This NSBRI-sponsored training program in space life sciences enables students to pursue doctorate degrees at Texas A&M University and to focus their research on space life sciences and fields related to the space initiative. Texas A&M currently is recruiting participants for fall 2015. Students will pursue degrees in biomedical engineering, genetics, kinesiology, health physics or nutrition, or an M.D./Ph.D. or a Ph.D. in medical sciences.Application packages are dueFeb. 17, 2015.For more information, visithttp://SLSGraduateProgram.tamu.edu.Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Stella Taddeo atstellat@tamu.edu. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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NASA Education Express Message Feb. 12, 2015

NASA TV to Air Interactive Women in STEM Event

NASA experts, including crew members aboard the International Space Station, will answer questions about science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) disciplines during a forum called "Women in STEM: STEM in the Global Science Community" from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

The event will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website, and take place in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The forum will discuss the role of STEM in the global science community and STEM's importance to future exploration. Event participants will highlight scientific endeavors taking place on the space station and in the global science community that are fulfilling the dual role of preparing humans for the journey to Mars and providing real benefits to life on Earth.

The event is open to the public, but seating is very limited. Anyone may participate in the conversation virtually by asking questions via Twitter using the hashtag #asknasa.

Media also can ask question during the panel discussion through a phone bridge by contacting NASAs Office of Communications no later than 11 a.m. at 202-358-1100.

The forum panelists are:

-- Ellen Stofan, NASA chief scientist

-- Cady Coleman, NASA astronaut

-- LaNetra Tate, principal Investigator for advanced manufacturing and nanotechnology, Space Technology Mission Directorate

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NASA TV to Air Interactive Women in STEM Event

NASA Prepares New Sounding Rocket Motor For First Test Firing

NASA engineers are preparing a new Peregrine sounding rocket motor for its first hot-fire test set for February 10 in the east test area at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Peregrine sounding rocket motor started as a NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) project and was designed in-house by NASA engineers, but was built in cooperation with commercial suppliers from across America. Peregrine aims to improve performance by 15 percent and reduce flight issues encountered by current sounding rockets used for everything from science observations to technology development. Peregrine is the first motor developed by NASA for the suborbital program under the agencys Science Mission Directorate.

We took everything weve learned from flying sounding rockets for more than 50 years and put it into this effort, said Philip Franklin, the Marshall propulsion engineer who manages the Peregrine project. To hold down costs and enhance reliability, Peregrine is made with established technologies and materials, but to infuse innovation, many young engineers helped design the Peregrine rocket.

NASA has flown sounding rockets since 1959 to provide up to 30 minutes at high altitudesto make valuable observations of the sun, stars, and atmosphere or to test out instrumentation or engineering equipment before use on more expensive space missions. Wallops Flight Facility is responsible for designing the vehicle systems and configurations around the Peregrine. It is designing and building payloads and implementing a three-flight test program following the successful static fire.

The motor is a NASA designed sustainer motor alternative that could be used to support NASA suborbital science missions at the completion of the test flight program, said Chuck Brodell, Peregrine development manager at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The rocket motor, which burns solid rocket propellant, is 20 inches in diameter and stands 18.6 feet tall. When the rocket motor is test fired in a horizontal position, it will reach up to 30,000 pounds of thrust.

Well use the test data from this static test firing to evaluate the Peregrine motors performance and prepare for its first test flight, said Lisa Tunstill, a systems engineer who helped design Peregrine.

This data will help prepare the rocket for a flight test from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility targeted for March 2015.

For more information on NASA sounding rockets, see:

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NASA Prepares New Sounding Rocket Motor For First Test Firing

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) – JPL | Home

U.S. Releases Enhanced Shuttle Land Elevation Data

On September 23, 2014, the White House announced that the highest-resolution topographic data generated from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in 2000 will be released globally over the next year. The announcement was made at the United Nations Heads of State Climate Summit in New York. Since then the schedule has been accelerated, and all global SRTM data, except for the Middle East region, has been released.

See the full JPL Release 2014-321.

Previously, SRTM data for regions outside the United States were sampled for public release at 3 arc-seconds, which is 1/1200th of a degree of latitude and longitude, or about 90 meters (295 feet). The new data are being released with a 1 arc-second, or about 30 meters (98 feet), sampling that reveals the full resolution of the original measurements. Data for most of Africa and its surrounding areas were released with the September 2014 announcement. The next release, in November 2014 included all of South America and North America, most of Europe, and islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The most recent release, in January 2015 includes most of continental Asia (now including India), the East Indies, Australia, New Zealand, and islands of the western Pacific.

See an index map of the newly available full-resolution data. (SRTM did not produce data for the northernmost latitudes or Antarctica.)

The new data are available for download from the USGS EROS Data Center - see Public Data Distribution for details.

See the Africa image above and its caption at the PIA04965. A fly around video of the Crater Highlands of Tanzania, using SRTM elevation data and Landsat images is available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1335. id=1335.

These additional fly around videos further illustrate SRTM elevation data:

India and the Himalaya Mountains, with Landsat satellite images draped over SRTM elevation data. View the full size movie here. A smaller version can be viewed here.

Indonesia, with many volcanoes, starting at Bali, flying westward over Java, and ending at Krakatoa (Pulau Krakatau). This fly around uses only SRTM data, shaded and with colored height. View the movie here.

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Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) - JPL | Home

Terra | The EOS Flagship

Featured Terra Image

Fifteen year ago on December 18th, Terra was launched and started to see Earth for the first time. As the Flagship Earth Observing Satellite, Terra was the first satellite to look at Earth system science, collecting multiple types of data dedicated to various areas of Earth science. It joined other satellites designed to monitor specific areas of Earth science and has since been joined by others that all work in concert to collect data that leads to a better understanding of how our planet functions as a whole.

Since Terras launch, scientists are able to document relationships between Earths systems and examine their connections. Through every pass that Terra makes and every piece of data it and the other Earth Observing Satellites collect, the picture of our earth gets richer, revealing trends and connections for the entire earth, impacting all of Earths inhabitants.

The images above are the first images captured by each of Terras five instruments in 2000, shortly after Terras launch.

These images were the first attempts to tell the story of Earths systems. With every pass of Terra the story becomes richer with data.

Terras original design life was 6 years, after 15 years in orbit, Terra has been collecting valuable data about our planet for two and a half times its planned lifetime. This is due in no small part to the dedicated scientists and engineers who built, launched, and continue to maintain this valuable spacecraft that has surpassed its original mission objectives and continues to make outstanding contributions to Earth science.

Congratulations Terra and all of those who continue to support this exceptional mission. Happy fifteenth anniversary!

To learn more about some of Terra and the other EOS missions contributions, read the new NASA feature story, Earth From Space: 15 Amazing Things in 15 Years

Terra explores the connections between Earth's atmosphere, land, snow and ice, ocean, and energy balance to understand Earth's climate and climate change and to map the impact of human activity and natural disasters on communities and ecosystems.

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Terra | The EOS Flagship

NASA releases details of Titan submarine concept

Now that NASA has got the hang of planetary rovers, the space agency is looking at sending submarines into space around the year 2040. At the recent 2015 NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium in Cocoa Beach, Florida, NASA scientists and engineers presented a study of the Titan Submarine Phase I Conceptual Design, which outlines a possible mission to Saturn's largest moon, Titan, where the unmanned submersible would explore the seas of liquid hydrocarbons at the Titanian poles.

If you had to choose the odd man out of all the moons of the Solar System, Titan would be it. Larger than the planet Mercury, it's the only moon with a proper atmosphere. In this case, one composed largely of nitrogen and methane at a pressure one and half times that of Earth's, which is remarkable when you consider that the gravity is only 0.14 g. It is, however, unpleasantly cold at a nippy minus 290 F (minus 179 C).

As a result of the Voyager and Cassini probe flybys and the Huygens probe landing, it's been established that there are three large polar seas on Titan consisting of methane and ethane in a composition similar to that of liquified natural gas. The largest of these is Kraken Mare, which was discovered by the Cassini probe n 2007. It lies in the Titanian arctic between 60 and 80 degrees north latitude, covers 400,000 sq km (154,000 sq miles), and may be 160 m (525 ft) deep, though some estimates place it beyond 300 m (1,000 ft). It even has tides due to the pull of Saturn, a complex shoreline, and evaporite deposits, so it's of particular interest to scientists.

Unfortunately, as anyone who has peered over the side of a boat can tell you, there's only so much that can be learned by looking at the surface, so NASA is considering what kind of a submarine would be able to explore the depths of Kraken Mare.

NASA's conceptual Titan submarine is based on experience gained from the building and operations of drone submersibles on Earth. Weighing in at about one tonne (2,200 lb), it uses conventional electric propulsion modified for use on Titan for a 90-day mission covering 2,000 km (1,240 miles) of Kraken Mare.

Because of its elongated shape, the sub would need to be delivered to the surface of Titan using a winged spacecraft similar to US Air Force X-37 lifting body, which could survive a hypersonic entry into Titan's atmosphere, ditch on the surface of Kraken Mare, and then sink away, leaving the submarine floating on the surface. After orientation and testing, the sub would then begin its mission. Because of the great distance from Earth, the submarine would operate with a very high level of autonomy.

At its heart, the submarine would use a 1 kW radiothermal Stirling generator. This would not only provide power to propel the craft, but it would also keep the electronics from freezing. Unfortunately, Titan is so cold that it's almost a cryogenic environment, so the waste heat from the generator would cause the liquids around it to boil and this would need be taken into account when designing the sub to minimize interference. However, NASA estimates that the boat could do about one meter per second (3.6 km/h, 2.2 mph).

For economy and simplicity, the conceptual submarine would not use an orbiter as a relay because an orbiter would need to be nuclear powered and include a propulsion system, which would greatly increase the cost and complexity of the mission. Due to the large amount of data that needs to sent to Earth, the submarine needs a large dorsal fin that includes a planar phased-array antenna. While operating, the submarine would surface for 16 hours per day for Earth communications during which it would study its surroundings using a mast camera. This is a bonus because the high latitudes mean any break in the Titanian clouds would be rewarded with spectacular views of Saturn on the horizon.

Like an earthbound submarine, the Titan sub would use ballast tanks, but their design is still open to question because methane and ethane are not water and Titan is very different from Earth. The liquid density of different ratios of methane to ethane, for example, is very variable compared to that of fresh versus salt water, so something as basic as the size of the tanks has yet to be sorted out.

Titan's gravity is low, but if Kraken Mare is as deep as some theories indicate, and taking into account the composition and temperature of the Titanian atmosphere, it could also cause trouble because at great depths the nitrogen in the ballast tanks could condense into a liquid, which could result in a sudden loss of buoyancy. For this reason, the tanks would need to use a piston to allow in and expel liquid rather than relying on air pressure as in a conventional submarine.

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NASA releases details of Titan submarine concept

NASA names crew members for 2016 space station missions (+video)

NASA and its International Space Station partners have announced the names of the 12 astronauts who will fly the three missions to the orbital habitat in 2016.

Most of the astronauts four from NASA, six from the Russian Federal Space Agency, one fromtheJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and one from theEuropean Space Agency will likely stay aboard the space station for six months. Every three months, a Soyuz capsule will deliver three more astronauts and return three back to Earth. The first mission of 2016, Expedition 48, launches in March.

On its website, NASA lists a total of 43 "active" astronauts eligible for flight assignment. Of those, the site lists seven who have yet to go into space.

Here is NASA's crew roster:

The crew comprising Expedition 48 will be:

The crew comprising Expedition 49 will be:

The crew comprising Expedition 50 will be:

Think you've got the right stuff? Check out NASA's guide to selection and training to get a sense of how the space agency chooses and molds its astronauts.

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NASA names crew members for 2016 space station missions (+video)