NASA hopes India's Mars mission can aid U.S. efforts

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India is preparing for a Tuesday launch of its first Mars-bound spacecraft, which NASA hopes will complement its efforts on the planet.

India's PSLV-C25 rocket, carrying a Mars-bound spacecraft, sits on its launch pad, ready for a Tuesday launch. (Image: Indian Space Research Organization)

The Indian Space Research Organization spacecraft will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre near Chennai. Once the craft reaches Mars, it will orbit the planet and gather information needed for future Indian interplanetary missions.

The organization said the journey to Mars should take about 10 months.

India is looking to test its ability to build and launch a spacecraft capable of reaching and orbiting Mars, using autonomous features and surviving 300 days in space. The craft will also study the Martian surface and atmosphere.

"It's probably going to complement our research," said Michael Braukas, a NASA spokesman.

Braukas told Computerworld that India's Mars mission is not a cooperative one with NASA, but added that the U.S. agency will provide the Indian agency some deep space communications help. The U.S. plans to provide data from its satellites and antennas that show the craft's position in space, for instance.

NASA already has robotic rovers Curiosity and Opportunity exploring the surface of Mars along with orbiters Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter taking images, studying the Martian atmosphere and relaying data compiled by the rovers back to Earth.

Braukas wouldn't say whether NASA is concerned that India's orbiter might interfere with the the U.S. agency's craft.

The Indian orbiter is slated to carry at least five scientific tools, including a tri-color camera to capture images of Mars surface features, and a methane sensor and a Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer to study surface composition and mineralogy.

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NASA hopes India's Mars mission can aid U.S. efforts

NASA Moon Probe Laser-Blasts Europe!

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NASAs LADEE probe entered lunar orbit last month ready to study the moons enigmatic exosphere a region that holds some dusty secrets. But LADEE (which stands for Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) isnt your average satellite; its sporting a powerful laser and Europe is in its cross hairs!

Of course, this laser isnt being used for nefarious (pew pew) purposes. Its a brand new means of transmitting data through space, potentially revolutionizing how interplanetary communications will be carried out in the future.

ANALYSIS: Pew! Pew! Curiosity Laser-Blasts Mars Rock

In contrast to traditional radio communications between spacecraft and Earth-based antennae, laser communications are like what todays Internet broadband is to dial-up of the 1990s. In fact, with a data transfer rate of 40 Mbit/s, LADEEs laser link to Earth is several times faster than a typical home broadband connection, said Zoran Sodnik, ESAs project manager for laser communications between the European Space Agency and LADEE.

Since Oct. 26, LADEE has been in laser communications with ESAs Optical Ground Station located on Tenerife, one of Spains Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. The system has been upgraded with an advanced laser terminal so the ground station can communicate with the NASA mission some 400,000 kilometers (250,000 miles) distant, according to a news release.

ANALYSIS: Pew! Pew! Space Lasers to Give Missions Broadband

The LADEE laser, which operates with extremely focused beams of near-infrared light, made history on Oct. 18 when it became the first mission to transmit data via laser through interplanetary space, communicating with a NASA receiving station at White Sands, New Mexico, from the moon. The laser is also communicating with a receiver at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and now with the ESAs Optical Ground Station.

The participation of the ESA ground terminal at Tenerife in NASAs project is an important milestone in this new capability, said Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator for space communications and navigation at NASAs Headquarters in Washington DC. Together, we have demonstrated at the very beginning of the optical communication era the value of interoperable communication between our space agencies.

ANALYSIS: Frank the Frog Sacrificed Himself for LADEE Launch

So, apart from sounding as if its been pulled directly from the pages of science fiction, this recent development in laser communications could transform the way in which we communicate with missions throughout the solar system (and beyond). Perhaps weve already solved the streaming video problem for future Mars colonists

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NASA Moon Probe Laser-Blasts Europe!

NASA Announces Third International Space Apps Challenge

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NASA and other space agencies around the world are preparing for next year's third annual International Space Apps Challenge, in which participants develop mobile applications, software, hardware, data visualization and platform solutions that could contribute to space exploration missions and help improve life on Earth.

The 2014 challenge will be held April 11-12. Organizers will begin accepting applications in November for challenges to be released in March, one month before the event.

The event is designed to demonstrate commitment to the principles of open innovation through the use of open data and technology to address global needs; encourage citizens in countries with little or no investments in space exploration to contribute to the cause; promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education; and encourage international partnership and mutual understanding.

The 2013 International Space Apps Challenge in April drew more than 9,000 participants in 83 cities around the world. They collaborated to create 770 solutions.

"This global collaboration provides a unique opportunity to design innovative solutions and advance technology while engaging citizens worldwide in software development, citizen science, hardware, and data visualization," said Deborah Diaz, NASA's deputy chief information officer. "By creating a culture of openness and collectively contributing skills and exciting new ideas, the technology solutions created could improve life on Earth and in space. This year's event sparked some incredible insight and innovation beyond what the challenge definers could have ever hoped for."

In 2014, half the challenges will come from NASA and represent its major mission directorates and other key investments, and half will come from other organizations, such as space agencies, industry and global partners.

To learn more about the International Space Apps Challenge, visit:

http://spaceappschallenge.org

For information about NASA's programs and missions, visit:

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NASA Announces Third International Space Apps Challenge

NASA looks at aircraft coatings meant to tell insects to 'bug off'

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LANGLEY, Va., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- NASA says its scientists are studying the effect insects have on aircraft performance, especially during takeoff and landing, in hopes of saying "bug off."

Bug splatter that coats aircraft surfaces can disrupt the laminar -- or smooth -- flow of air over an airplane's wings, creating more drag on the airplane and contributing to increased fuel consumption, they said.

Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia have run a number of flight tests of airplane coatings that may one day reduce the amount of bug contamination on the wings of commercial aircraft, the agency reported Monday.

A series of flights were made to put the coatings through takeoff and landing tests on a NASA aircraft.

"The reason we do these tests at low altitudes or do a lot of takeoffs and landings is because bug accumulation occurs at anywhere from the ground to less than 1,000 feet," materials researcher Mia Siochi said.

In the tests, the coated surfaces were found to have fewer and smaller bug splats, she said.

It will probably be some time before the coatings end up on commercial airliners, the researchers said, because the coatings have to be durable enough to withstand a lot of time in operation, and that will require further testing.

In addition, Siochi said, the savings in fuel have to be enough to make up for the cost of applying the coatings.

"So we have to get through that hurdle of practical application of these materials," she said.

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NASA looks at aircraft coatings meant to tell insects to 'bug off'

NASA Mobile Security Requirements: Why Now?

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On August 29, 2013, NASA Chief Information Officer Larry Sweet sent out an Agency message to all NASA employees entitled "Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Mobile Computing at NASA," which included a memorandum of minimum security requirements for personal mobile devices (available online). The memo alerted employees to the enforcement of several requirements regarding the NASA e-mail system that would begin on September 10.

Many have asked, "Where did these requirements come from, and why are they coming out now?" Well, as we all know, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc.) are playing an increasingly important role in our lives. As we start to use these new and exciting technologies at home, we often want to use them in all aspects of our life--including at work. However, the introduction of such devices into the marketplace and then into the workplace often precedes NASA's ability to test and secure them. As a result, they present unique technological, legal, and security challenges for you and for our IT staff.

Historically, NASA has not blocked or prevented the use of mobile devices to access NASA e-mail and resources. However, due to the exponential growth of these unmanaged systems in the NASA environment over the past few years, it has become imperative for NASA to acknowledge and address the risk they present to our resources and data.

So, instead of simply "turning access off" and forbidding the use of mobile devices (which would have certainly addressed the risk), the NASA CIO decided to implement a minimum set of basic security requirements and capabilities to support NASA employees while a broader BYOD effort is pursued. Many of these security requirements are general best practices that are already in use by employees on their personal devices.

That being said, we did want to address a few questions and concerns that have been raised, particularly those related to using a personal mobile device to connect to the NASA e-mail system:

Does NASA now have the ability to access any information on my personal device?

No, absolutely not. NASA cannot access any data on your personal device; it can only confirm that your device exists and has connected to our system.

Did NASA install any software on my device?

No. Any changes in the security configuration of your personal device to support NASA's minimum requirements take place within the device's own native capabilities. No software or additional "profiles" have been installed.

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NASA Mobile Security Requirements: Why Now?

Science Behind the Medicine and Medical Advances: Minimally Invasive Mitral and Aortic Valve Surger – Video

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Science Behind the Medicine and Medical Advances: Minimally Invasive Mitral and Aortic Valve Surger
We will explore the discoveries of Vanderbilt #39;s biomedical and engineering labs. Some of these discoveries we may see in our doctors #39; offices very soon. Expe...

By: VanderbiltUniversity

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Science Behind the Medicine and Medical Advances: Minimally Invasive Mitral and Aortic Valve Surger - Video

E. Grey Dimond, founder of UMKC medical school, dies at 94

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Cardiologist E. Grey Dimond, founder of the School of Medicine at University of Missouri-Kansas City, died Sunday evening at his home at age 94.

Dimond, who also founded the cardiology department at University of Kansas, is remembered for pioneering a new way of teaching medicine. He established a six-year, year-round program that put students in contact with real patients early on, rather than the traditional four-year university education followed by four years of medical school.

I dont believe that every young woman and young man should go to medical school right out of high school, Dimond once said. But there are a lot of young people maybe 30 percent that dont need to go to a university for four years and root for the basketball team on Friday night and go out drinking on Saturday night There are kids who are ready to get on with life. And thats what I shot for.

Felix Sabates, 83, who founded the Eye Department at the UMKC School of Medicine and is still a professor there, knew Dimond for more than 40 years and said Hospital Hill in its current form the complex of Truman Medical Center, Childrens Mercy Hospital, UMKCs schools of medicine and dentistry would not exist without Dimond.

Not only was he talented, he was caring and he had vision. He was not a back-slapping kind of guy. He was very quiet and focused, Sabates said. He was criticized and had people fighting against him, but he won. More than 3,000 students from all over the world have graduated from the school and are now doctors because of his efforts.

Dimonds career highlights extend beyond Kansas City. In 1971, he was one of the first Americans to visit Communist China, beating President Richard Nixon there by six months. Dimond became friends with native Kansas City journalist Edgar Snow, who chronicled the Chinese Revolution and was the first Western journalist to interview Mao Zedong.

Dimond led frequent educational trips to China and wrote about his firsthand experiences of Chinese medicine in medical journals.

The oldest of Dimonds three daughters, Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, a sculptor in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., said her father led a rich life with many interests.

My father gave me a love of gardening and roses and art and Siamese cats and the finer things in life, Dimond-Cates said. He was concerned that when I was an adult I might not know about the world and not see the important places in the world, and that I wouldn't have experiences and meet people from other countries. So he made sure I went to Japan and the South China Sea and all over the world with him.

In an email, UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton wrote: E. Grey Dimond was an innovator and a leader, as well as a healer. A man with immense gifts of intellect, imagination and insight, he put those gifts to work to benefit his community, his university, his profession and the world at large.

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E. Grey Dimond, founder of UMKC medical school, dies at 94

NH House Democrat Laura Pantelakos:"I Don’t Care About Protecting People’s Liberty" – Video

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NH House Democrat Laura Pantelakos:"I Don #39;t Care About Protecting People #39;s Liberty"
This is video of the discussion immediately after Criminal Justice Committee Chair Laura Pantelakos, discussing legislation to authorize license plate scanne...

By: Steve Mac Donald

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NH House Democrat Laura Pantelakos:"I Don't Care About Protecting People's Liberty" - Video