GeoMetWatch Enters into Agreement with NASA to Enable Unprecedented Weather Data

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NORTH LOGAN, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

GeoMetWatch Corp today announced it has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA to provide four years of Earth observation and weather data from GeoMetWatchs first Sounding and Tracking Observatory for Regional Meteorology (STORM)mission on board an Asia Satellite Telecommunications spacecraft. Planned for launch in 2016, the AsiaSat 9 satellite will host the first of six planned hyperspectral STORM sensors, which will benefit NASA climate research by providing the national space agency with sophisticated and critical weather data not currently available.

The weather and atmospheric data produced by STORM will enable meteorologists to provide higher quality daily forecasts, predict severe weather and atmospheric instability more accurately, and improve location and storm tracking and analysis of the intensity of hurricanes and typhoons. Similar to a CAT scan, the hyperspectral sounder will effectively analyze the Earths atmosphere by dividing it into 1,800 layers and scanning in 4D (length, width, depth, time), a vast improvement over current satellite technology.

The six STORM sensors will become part of a new global satellite constellation by GeoMetWatch and will be modeled after the Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) hyperspectral sounder, which is on loan for this purpose from NASA. To be situated approximately 22,000 miles above Earth in geostationary orbit, the STORM instruments will be manufactured by Utah State Universitys Advanced Weather Systems laboratory.

The core technology present in GIFTS provides the key manufacturing aid to enable us to build a production version for STORM, said Scott Jensen, director of USUs Advanced Weather Systems laboratory. As the only series of weather sensors operating in geostationary orbit, STORM will provide first-of-its-kind, advanced hyperspectral data that substantially improves climate modeling, weather forecasting and natural disaster monitoring.

STORM will resurrect GIFTS original mission to continuously observe Earths surface and atmosphere from geostationary orbit and obtain a more accurate and comprehensive picture of weather patterns in the atmosphere. The AsiaSat 9 hyperspectral sounder will be in a positioned orbit at 122 degrees East over the Asia-Pacific region. Most current observation instruments only occupy low Earth orbit, approximately 520 miles above Earth, and are incapable of solely providing continuous coverage over a large area.

We are thrilled to leverage the major investment made in GIFTS and help the STORM program become fully realized, said David Crain, CEO of GeoMetWatch. The weather data provided by this program has the potential to advance the preservation of lives and property by increasing warning time and enabling earlier evacuations as a result of extreme weather. In delivering this life-saving information at significantly reduced costs, we look forward to improving weather forecast data for government agencies and commercial industries around the globe.

The products and services from GeoMetWatch are available globally under an innovative fee-for-service data-buy model that enables its clients to meet their critical atmospheric data needs with optimum efficiency and affordability.

About GeoMetWatch

GeoMetWatch Corp is a commercial technology and innovation leader specializing in global hyperspectral weather services. GeoMetWatch provides state-of-the-art hyperspectral sensors as well as a range of meteorological data products. GeoMetWatch is headquartered in North Logan, Utah. For more about GeoMetWatch, visit us at http://www.geometwatch.com.

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GeoMetWatch Enters into Agreement with NASA to Enable Unprecedented Weather Data

NASA calls on amateur astronomers to track ‘dangerous’ asteroids

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Washington, June 24:

Heres your chance to save the planet!

NASA has called on amateur astronomers and other citizen-scientists to help identify the smaller and potentially destructive asteroids lurking in the cosmos, which could wipe out a city upon impact with Earth.

Scientists estimate that about 90 per cent of asteroids that are one kilometre or larger which pose potential planet-wide danger have been surveyed.

However, more than 99 per cent of asteroids that are 30 to 40 meters in size-which might not destroy the planet, but could very easily wipe out a city have yet to be found and tracked, the National Geographic reported.

NASA has asked for the publics help to find these dangerous asteroids and figure out what can be done to stop any threats they pose.

The announcement coincides with the agencys plans for a new mission to capture an asteroid, redirect it to lunar orbit, and then send humans to study it, said Brian Muirhead, NASAs chief engineer and the leader of the Asteroid Redirect Mission study team.

What we need to do is increase the frequency of identification of asteroids such that we can also track them and characterise them, said Muirhead.

That will give us a choice (to see) which (asteroid) we want to grab hold of and bring back to the Earth-moon system, said Muirhead.

NASAs announcement this week comes four months after an 18-meter-long asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February.

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NASA calls on amateur astronomers to track ‘dangerous’ asteroids

NASA Announces Asteroid Grand Challenge

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Mon, Jun 24, 2013

NASA appears to be pushing hard to sell its asteroid mission to the scientific community as well as the public. The space agency announced Tuesday a Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them. NASA also released a request for information (RFI) that invites industry and potential partners to offer ideas on accomplishing NASA's goal to locate, redirect, and explore an asteroid, as well as find and plan for asteroid threats. The RFI is open for 30 days, and responses will be used to help develop public engagement opportunities and a September industry workshop.

The challenge, which was announced at an asteroid initiative industry and partner day at NASA Headquarters in Washington, is a large-scale effort that will use multi-disciplinary collaborations and a variety of partnerships with other government agencies, international partners, industry, academia, and citizen scientists. It complements NASA's recently announced mission to redirect an asteroid and send humans to study it.

"NASA already is working to find asteroids that might be a threat to our planet, and while we have found 95 percent of the large asteroids near the Earth's orbit, we need to find all those that might be a threat to Earth," said NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. "This Grand Challenge is focused on detecting and characterizing asteroids and learning how to deal with potential threats. We will also harness public engagement, open innovation and citizen science to help solve this global problem."

Grand Challenges are ambitious goals on a national or global scale that capture the imagination and demand advances in innovation and breakthroughs in science and technology. They are an important element of President Obama's Strategy for American Innovation.

"I applaud NASA for issuing this Grand Challenge because finding asteroid threats, and having a plan for dealing with them, needs to be an all-hands-on-deck effort," said Tom Kalil, deputy director for technology and innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "The efforts of private-sector partners and our citizen scientists will augment the work NASA already is doing to improve near-Earth object detection capabilities."

(Images provided by NASA)

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NASA Announces Asteroid Grand Challenge

NASA Marks Fifth Anniversary Of TWINS Mission

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Image Caption: Since 2008, NASAs two TWINS spacecraft have been providing a stereoscopic view of the ring current -- a hula hoop of charged particles that encircles Earth. Credit: J. Goldstein/SWRI

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

This month marks the fifth anniversary of NASAs Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS) missions, which are stereoscopically imaging the mysterious and dynamic region surrounding Earth known as the magnetosphere, the US space agency announced on Saturday.

The TWINS A & B probes were launched on June 15, 2008, and according to NASA, since that time they have been orbiting in widely separated planes so that they can enable the three-dimensional visualization and the resolution of large scale structures and dynamics within the magnetosphere for the first time.

The magnetosphere itself is governed by magnetic and electric forces, incoming energy and material from the sun, and a vast zoo of waves and processes unlike what is normally experienced in Earth-bound physics, the agency explained in a statement. Nestled inside this constantly changing magnetic bubble lies a donut of charged particles generally aligned with Earths equator.

That region is known as the ring current, and NASA said its waxing and waning is a key part of the space weather that surrounds the Earth. The ring current can induce magnetic fluctuations on the ground as well as transmit disruptive surface charges onto spacecraft, and part of the TWINS mission has been to provide the first and currently only stereo view of this portion of the magnetosphere.

During its five years of operation, the TWINS satellites have successfully provided 3D images and global characterization of this region, NASA said. The probes have been tracking how the magnetosphere responds to space weather storms.

They have also been able to characterize global information such as the temperature and the shape of various structures within this outer layer of the ionosphere, and have helped enhance magnetosphere models which can be used to create simulations of a plethora of different events.

With two satellites, with two sets of simultaneous images we can see things that are entirely new, said Mei-Ching Fok, the project scientist for TWINS at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center. This is the first ever stereoscopic energetic neutral atom mission, and its changed the way we understand the ring current.

Weve done some fantastic new research in the last five years, added David McComas, the principal investigator for TWINS at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. As a mission of opportunity, it is a very inexpensive mission and it continues to return incredible science.

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NASA Marks Fifth Anniversary Of TWINS Mission

NASA Launch Services Enabling Exploration and Technology NEXT

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Synopsis - Jun 21, 2013

Draf">http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/sol.cgi?acqid=156837#Draft%20Document">Draft Document - Posted on Jun 21, 2013 New!

General Information

Solicitation Number: NNK13475600R Posted Date: Jun 21, 2013 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jun 21, 2013 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Jul 08, 2013 Current Response Date: Jul 08, 2013 Classification Code: V -- Transportation, travel, and relocation services NAICS Code: 336414 Set-Aside Code: Total Small Business

Contracting Office Address

NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Procurement, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

Description

NASA/KSC is releasing a Pre-Solicitation notice as well as a Draft Request for Proposal (DRFP) for NASA Launch Services Enabling eXploration & Technology (NEXT). A previous release regarding NEXT was a Sources Sought Notice NNK13ZLS003L posted on April 03, 2013. The final RFP, if issued, is anticipated to be released in August 2013.

NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) provides opportunities for CubeSat payloads, often called nanosatellites, to fly on a ride share basis on upcoming launches. Currently, LSP is seeking to develop alternatives to the rideshare approach and help foster other launch services dedicated to transporting CubeSat payloads into orbit. The NEXT contract will acquire a launch service for a CubeSat-Class payload on a firm fixed price basis.

The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12.

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NASA Launch Services Enabling Exploration and Technology NEXT

NASA moon probe celebrates 4th birthday on Supermoon Sunday

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Artist's rendering of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.

By Mike Wall, Space.com

A sharp-eyed NASA spacecraft celebrates four years of circling the moon this Sunday (June 23), just in time for the "supermoon."

Since arriving in orbit on June 23, 2009, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has given scientists a much deeper understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor, mission team members said.

"Not only has LRO delivered all the information that is needed for future human and robotic explorers, but it has also revealed that the moon is a more complex and dynamic world than we had ever expected," Rich Vondrak, LRO deputy project scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said in a statement. [ Celebrating LRO's Fourth Anniversary (Video) ]

Appropriately enough, LRO marks its fourth anniversary on the same day that the biggest and brightest full moon of 2013 the so-called " supermoon " lights up Earth's night sky.

The moon's path around Earth is slightly elliptical; distances between the two bodies vary from 225,622 miles (363,104 kilometers) at the closest lunar approach, known as perigee, to 252,088 miles (405,696 km) at apogee. Supermoons result when the full moon and perigee coincide.

The $504 million LRO spacecraft is about the size of a Mini Cooper car and sports seven different science instruments. It zips around the moon at an altitude of 31 miles (50 km).

LRO launched on June 18, 2009, along with a piggyback probe called the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. In October 2009, LRO watched from orbit as LCROSS and the duo's Centaur booster rocket slammed deliberately into a shadowed crater at the moon's south pole, blasting out surprisingly large amounts of water ice.

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NASA moon probe celebrates 4th birthday on Supermoon Sunday

Eye on Research: Nanotechnology holds big potential for NMSU faculty

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NMSU chemical engineering professor Julio Martinez displays a thermoelectric testing device he developed as part of his nanotechnology research.

Sending probes to Mars and harvesting energy are just two of the many applications of thermoelectric and nanotechnology research conducted by Professor Julio Martinez's group at New Mexico State University.

"One nanometer is about 10,000 times thinner than a hair," said Martinez, a chemical engineering assistant professor. "Those are the dimensions of the materials that my group works with to develop new research. Our research involves the use of advanced fabrication and characterization tools to understand the novel properties of nanostructured materials.

"We use nanomanipulation to essentially pick individual nanowires and place them in our devices. One example of nanotechnology application is converting heat into electricity by highly efficient thermoelectric materials."

Martinez explained that when heat is applied to thermoelectric materials, electric power is produced. The amount of electricity generated depends on how much heat is applied and the efficiency of the material to convert heat into electricity. That amount increases at the nano-level.

"Ten years ago, physicists developed a new theoretical framework for thermoelectrics," he said. "They found that nanostructured materials would drastically increase the thermoelectric efficiency."

Thermoelectrics can, for example, convert the heat waste from a car engine's tailpipe into electricity, thus improving gas mileage. The engine would work with the gas and the thermoelectric component would charge

"Nanowires are perhaps the best example of how to get high efficiency thermoelectric materials," Martinez said. In addition to energy harvesting, thermoelectric nanostructured materials can assist in cooling high power transistors.

Although he first began working with silicon nanowires at Livermore National Laboratory, Martinez has since moved on to experimenting with gallium nitride, which has better characteristics for computer chip applications, and silicon-germanium alloy nanowires. Silicon, he explained, works well for electronics but is "limited by its thermoelectric efficiency."

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Eye on Research: Nanotechnology holds big potential for NMSU faculty

Global Nano Packaging Market 2013-2023 – Opportunities for Nanotechnology

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NEW YORK, June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Nano Packaging Market 2013-2023-Opportunities for Nanotechnology http://www.reportlinker.com/p01363450/Global-Nano-Packaging-Market-2013-2023-Opportunities-for-Nanotechnology.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Manufacturing

Report Details

The economic crisis has hindered packaging demand. This has led to an increase in global competition which has meant that the selection of goods on offer is as high as it has ever been. In fact, the marketplace is almost too saturated, with consumers having to sift through a number of similar looking products in order to find what they are looking for. However, the availability of nano packaging can provide some differentiation as it constitutes a unique, new form of packaging that has captured consumer attention. Visiongain expects the global nano packaging market to attain $20bn in 2013.

The global increase in competition has meant that the contemporary consumer has become more prudent and careful in their purchasing decisions and this has been even more important given the saturated nature of the shelf life. As a consequence, consumers have become more sophisticated and are looking for a higher level of quality in packaging than they are generally used to. The economic crisis has meant that this higher level of packaging quality is being demanded at an affordable price and consumers seem to be benefiting from this. Again, some of the features that nano packaging has to offer have been able to address the needs of the increasingly demanding consumer. Consumers are looking for extended shelf life to allow for flexibility in consumption, and this is an area that nano packaging has been able to address and there is a continuing research currently being conducted on the topic. The strong barrier properties of nano packaging are one of its most redeeming features and will play a considerable role in driving growth over the duration of the forecast period.

Why you should buy Global Nano Packaging Market 2013-2023: Opportunities for Nanotechnology

Stay ahead with this in depth analysis of the nano packaging market prospects - The report comprises 110 pages Get ahead by studying highly quantitative content delivering solid conclusions benefiting your research and analysis - 103 tables, charts, and graphs quantifying and forecasting the nano packaging market Read exclusive expert opinion interviews from industry specialists informing the analysis - nGimat View global nano packaging market forecasts from 2013-2023 to keep your knowledge one step ahead of the competition - The report provides an analytical overview with detailed sales projections and analysis of the market, the competitors, and the commercial drivers and restraints. Keep informed about the potential for each of the nano packaging submarkets with forecasts from 2013-2023 - Food nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Beverage nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Health care nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Personal care nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Other consumer nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Industrial nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 Learn about the opportunities in 15 leading countries with nano packaging market forecasts between 2013-2023 - US nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Japan nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Germany nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Russian nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - France nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - China nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - South Korean nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - UK nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Dutch nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Canadian nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Taiwanese nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Swedish nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Australian nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Italian nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - Swiss nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 - RoW nano packaging forecast 2013-2023 Understand the competitive landscape with profiles of 11 leading nano packaging companies - Alcoa Inc - Amcor - Bemis - Beijing ChamGo Nano-tech Co. Ltd, - Color Matrix Corporation - Honeywell - InMat - Klockner Pentaplast Group - Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc - Nanocyl - Stora Enso Discover the qualitative analysis informing the nano packaging market forecasts - SWOT analysis of competitive factors: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats revealing what drives and restrains the industry and the prospects for established companies and new market entrants.

What makes this report unique?

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Global Nano Packaging Market 2013-2023 - Opportunities for Nanotechnology

Research and Markets: Global Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials Industry – 2013 Report

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/pn832v/the_global) has announced the addition of the "The Global Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials Industry: Stage of Development, Global Activity and Market Opportunities" report to their offering.

Nanotechnology applications and nanomaterials are being applied across a raft of industries due to their outstanding magnetic, optical, catalytic and electronic properties. There are already established market for nanomaterials including titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, silicon oxide nanopowders and carbon nanotubes, nanofibers, nanosilver, nanoclays, quantum dots and nanoporous materials driven by demand from applications in filtration, electronics, cosmetics, energy, medicine, chemicals, coatings and catalysts. Recent breakthroughs have heralded new market opportunities in graphene and nanocellulose. This report provides a comprehensive insight into all aspects of the market for these materials.

WHAT DOES THE REPORT INCLUDE?

- Comprehensive data and forecasts for the global nanotechnology and nanomaterials market to 2019. Nanomaterials covered include aluminium oxide nanopowders, antimony tin, bismuth oxide, carbon nanotubes, cerium oxide, cobalt oxide, fullerenes and POSS, graphene, graphyne, graphdiyne, graphane, indium, iron oxide, magnesium oxide, manganese oxide, molybdenum disulphide, nanocellulose, nanoclays, nanofibers, nanosilver, nickel oxide, nano-precipitated calcium carbonate, nanoporous materials, quantum dots, silicone, silicon oxide, titanium dioxide, yttrium oxide, zinc oxide and zirconium oxide

- Technology roadmaps/commercialization timelines to 2019, by nanomaterials and by market

- Financial estimates for the markets nanotechnology and nanomaterials will impact including aerospace and aviation, automotive, civil engineering and construction, exterior protection, communications, hygiene, cleaning and sanitary, electronics and semiconductors, energy, environment, food, agricultural, beverage, marine, medical and life sciences, military and defence, packaging, paper, personal care, plastics and rubber, printing, product security and anti-counterfeiting, sensors, sporting and consumer goods, textiles, tools and metals

- Latest global regulations for nanomaterials

- Patent analysis

- Global government funding and programmes

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Research and Markets: Global Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials Industry - 2013 Report

Introducing the Speakers – Preventive Medicine — Challenges for the 21st Century – Video

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Introducing the Speakers - Preventive Medicine -- Challenges for the 21st Century
Speaker: Prof. Harvey Fineberg "Preventive Medicine -- Challenges for the 21st Century" - Symposium with the 2013 Dan David Prize Laureates 2013 Dan David Pr...

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Introducing the Speakers - Preventive Medicine -- Challenges for the 21st Century - Video