Sun Erupts With Two Large X-Class Solar Flares | NASA Space Science HD Video – Video

Posted on by


Sun Erupts With Two Large X-Class Solar Flares | NASA Space Science HD Video
Visit my website at http://www.junglejoel.com - between May 12 -13, 2013, the sun released two large flares (X1.7 and X2.8 class), as well as two CME #39;s (coro...

By: CoconutScienceLab

See the rest here:

Sun Erupts With Two Large X-Class Solar Flares | NASA Space Science HD Video - Video

NASA May Launch Donated Spy Satellite Telescope to Mars

Posted on by

One of the two spy satellite telescopes that recently fell into NASA's lap may eventually make its way to the Red Planet.

The space agency is currently mulling potential uses for the two space telescopes, which were donated by the National Reconnaissance Office and are comparable in size and appearance to NASA's venerable Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

Some scientists have proposed sending one of the powerful telescopes to Mars orbit, where it could look both up and down, giving researchers great views of the Red Planet's surface as well as targets in the outer solar system and beyond. [Declassified U.S. Spy Satellites (Gallery)]

"We're probably not going to get a replacement for HST with UV/visible [light] and a big telescope for use at Mars," said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, leader of the proposed Mars Orbiting Space Telescope, or MOST. "So this is trying to do two things with one mission."

An unexpected gift

The two donated telescopes were apparently built for a National Reconnaissance Office program called Future Imagery Architecture, which was terminated in 2005.

NASA announced in June 2012 that it had acquired the instruments, which are designed to have a much wider field of view than Hubble, despite sporting Hubble-like 8-foot-wide (2.4 meters) main mirrors.

In November, the space agency asked scientists to suggest potential uses for the NRO scopes, which are basically just primary and secondary mirrors, with no instruments attached. More than 60 serious proposals came flooding in, 33 of which including MOST were presented in early February at the Study on Applications of Large Space Optics (SALSO) workshop in Huntsville, Ala.

Hubble Quiz: Do You Know the Famous Space Telescope?

Hubble has revolutionized astronomers' understanding of the universe since its April 1990 launch. Test your knowledge of the telescope in this quiz.

Originally posted here:

NASA May Launch Donated Spy Satellite Telescope to Mars

NASA Honors Sally Ride with a National Tribute at Kennedy Center

Posted on by

NASA and Sally Ride Science are inviting the general public and journalists to "Sally Ride: A Lifetime of Accomplishment, A Champion of Science Literacy," an educational tribute to America's first woman in space on Monday, May 20. The special event will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., at 7 p.m. EDT.

The celebration will highlight Ride's contributions and her legacies. These include her long-time focus on education, and her passion for inspiring girls and under-represented minority students to become scientifically literate and consider pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The tribute will include the talents of Patti Austin, Damian Kulash of the band OK Go, Maria Shriver, Emil de Cou and Billie Jean King, with music by Tena Clark and choreography by Twyla Tharp. Talented students who will perform include the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra, the Centreville High School Choral Union from Virginia and dancers from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, NASA Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin and former astronaut Pam Melroy will be among those speaking about Ride's lifetime accomplishments. The tribute is presented and sponsored by Sally Ride Science.

A limited number of tickets is available for the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. To attend the free event, complete this online RSVP Form by Wednesday, May 15. Please indicate if you need wheelchair access. Tickets for those who RSVP will be available at NASA's Will Call tables, which will be staffed in front of the Concert Hall (in the Grand Foyer) from 5 to 6:15 p.m. Monday, May 20.

Reporters, who would like to cover the event, must contact Cynthia Myers at Sally Ride Science at cindy.myers360@gmail.com or at 415-378-0294 or Allard Beutel at NASA by 3 p.m. on Friday, May 17.

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and Sally Ride Science are hosting a panel discussion as a salute to Women in Science. "Sally Ride: How Her Historic Mission Opened Doors for Women in Science" will be held in the museum's Moving Beyond Earth gallery at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 17. The panel will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website. The panel includes NASA Johnson Space Center Director and former astronaut Ellen Ochoa, Dan Vergano of USA Today, Rene McCormick of the National Math and Science Initiative, and National Air and Space Museum curator Margaret Weitekamp. The discussion is hosted by NBC News' Tom Costello.

Media interested in covering the panel discussion should contact Cynthia Myers or Isabel Lara with National Air and Space Museum media relations at 202-633-2374 or LaraI@si.edu.

For more information about Sally Ride, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/Ocn6h7

For more information about Sally Ride Science, visit: http://www.sallyridescience.com

For more information about the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, visit: http://www.airandspace.si.edu

Link:

NASA Honors Sally Ride with a National Tribute at Kennedy Center

NASA Beams Up 'Star Trek Into Darkness' to Astronauts In Space

Posted on by

The three astronauts on board the International Space Station are getting a sneak peak of the latest "Star Trek" film just before people around the world get a chance to see it in theaters themselves.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" the newest movie in the long-lasting science fiction franchise is set for release in the United States on Thursday (May 16), but NASA is beaming up the movie to the space station before its official release date, officials with the space agency confirmed.

This movie screening is particularly significant for one of the members of the crew. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy is set to participate in a Google+ Hangout with director J.J. Abrams and some of the cast members from the new movie on Thursday at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT). [See Photos from "Star Trek Into Darkness"]

"Cassidy will provide insights about life aboard the station," NASA officials wrote in a statement. "Crews conduct a variety of science experiments and perform station maintenance during their six-month stay on the outpost. Their life in weightlessness requires different approaches to everyday activities such as eating, sleeping and exercising."

Cast members taking part in the event include Chris Pine (Captain Kirk), Alice Eve (Dr. Carol Marcus) and John Cho (Sulu).

You can watch the Google+ Hangout live on SPACE.com and you can take part in the event by submitting questions on YouTube, Google, Twitter and Facebook using the #askNASA hashtag.

"The deadline to submit video questions is 3 a.m. Wednesday, May 15," NASA officials wrote. "To be considered, video clips must be no longer than 30 seconds and uploaded to YouTube and tagged with #askNASA. Submitters should introduce themselves and mention their location before asking their question."

This isn't the first time a new movie has been sent into space.

The first "Star Trek" film in the most recent iteration of the series was sent up to the orbiting laboratory when it was released in 2009. In 2005, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was sent up to entertain the space station crewmembers.

Astronauts have long been inspired by "Star Trek." The crew that launched aboard the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour recreated the poster from the 2009 "Star Trek" re-boot for their mission poster.

View original post here:

NASA Beams Up 'Star Trek Into Darkness' to Astronauts In Space

NASA Wants Farmers on Mars

Posted on by

Future astronauts may grow some of their meals inside greenhouses, such as this Martian growth chamber, where fruits and vegetables could be grown hydroponically, without soil.Pat Rawlings/NASA

Food container for use aboard the International Space Station. Food not only provides nutrition for astronauts, but also enhances the psychological well-being of the crew by establishing a familiar element in an unfamiliar and hostile environmeNASA

The first humans to live on Mars might not identify as astronauts, but farmers. To establish a sustainable settlement on Earth's solar system neighbor, space travelers will have to learn how to grow food on Mars a job that could turn out to be one of the most vital, challenging and labor-intensive tasks at hand, experts say.

"One of the things that every gardener on the planet will know is producing food is hard it is a non-trivial thing," Penelope Boston, director of the Cave and Karst Studies program at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, said May 7 at the Humans 2 Mars Summit at George Washington University. "Up until several hundred years ago it occupied most of us for most of the time."

Early Mars colonists may have to revert to this mode of life to ensure their own survival, she suggested. [Cooking Lessons for Mock Mars Mission (Photos)]

Space settlersNASA is actively engaged in researching how to farm on Mars and in space, as the agency is targeting its first manned Mars landing in the mid-2030s. And some NASA officials are wondering if that mission ought to be of long duration, rather than a short visit, given the difficulty of getting there and the possible benefits of an extended stay. "Sustained human presence should that be our goal? I think that's a good discussion," Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, said May 6.

- Taber MacCallum, Paragon Space Development Corp. CEO

Yet growing food on Mars presents several significant challenges. While research on the International Space Station suggests plants can grow in microgravity, scientists don't know how the reduced gravity on Mars might affect different Earth crops. Mars' surface receives about half the sunlight Earth does, and any pressurized greenhouse enclosure will further block the light reaching plants, so supplemental light will be needed. Supplying that light requires a significant amount of power.

"In terms of the systems engineering required, it's not an insignificant challenge," said D. Marshall Porterfield, Life and Physical Sciences division director at NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. NASA has been studying using LED lighting to give plants only the wavelengths of light they need to boost efficiency, he said.

Researchers are also studying whether plants can survive under lower pressures than on Earth, because the more pressure inside a greenhouse, the more massive that greenhouse must be to contain it.

Originally posted here:

NASA Wants Farmers on Mars

NASA Operating Plan for FY 2013 to Target Planetary Overall, Cuts Research and Completed Missions

Posted on by

PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Mark V. Sykes Co-Editors: Melissa Lane, Susan Benecchi Email: pen_editor at psi.edu

SPECIAL REPORT AND ANALYSIS: NASA OPERATING PLAN FOR FY2013 TO TARGET PLANETARY OVERALL, CUTS RESEARCH AND COMPETED MISSIONS

CALL TO ACTION: CONGRESSIONAL HELP IS NEEDED, AND CALL NASA TO TASK

Mark V. Sykes Planetary Science Institute

In his FY13 budget request, President Obama proposed the NASA Planetary budget be cut by more than 20% from its FY12 level (From $1.5B to less than $1.2B). Under the initial Continuing Resolutions covering the first half of the fiscal year, the Administration chose to operate NASA Planetary at this reduced level. Congress restored more than $222M of the President's cut in its FY13 appropriation passed on March 21 and signed into law by the President. Congress's action is now being reversed by NASA and others in the Administration through the preferential application of rescission and sequestration cuts of more than 15% to the NASA Planetary Science budget.

When Congress allocated additional funds, it also specified how they were to be spent in support of Planetary Science Research, Discovery, New Frontiers, Mars Exploration (including MAVEN, MSL, and other Mars activities including a future mission), and Outer Planets (including studies in support of a future Europa mission). Under section 505 of the law, no project can be eliminated or changed by more than 10%, unless House and Senate Committees on Appropriations are notified 15 days in advance. That means that if NASA decides the political consequences are minimal, it can pretty much do what it wants as long as notice is given - and that is what is happening.

After removing essentially all of funds added by Congress to Planetary Science, NASA and and others in the Administration have further chosen to reallocate significant funds from present planetary research and Discovery budgets to pay for new studies in support of a future Europa mission. The next Discovery call will certainly be delayed. The impact to research programs will be severe - further reduced selection rates can be anticipated. Might existing awards be retroactively reduced? Damage is made worse by the fact that these cuts are being implemented in the final months of the fiscal year.

Congress does not compel this action. This is a policy choice of NASA and others in the Obama Administration.

The Operating Plan has yet to be submitted to Congressional Committees on Appropriations. It was due on May 10th. I have obtained detailed information on its content from several source documents that collectively reveal a fairly stable state of development with very small tweaks in recent weeks.

A summary of the Operating Plan and its effects are given in the table below. Each row corresponds to a budget line given in the FY13 budget bill passed by Congress on March 21. Lunar Quest and Technology were not specifically called out (hence the brackets).

See the original post here:

NASA Operating Plan for FY 2013 to Target Planetary Overall, Cuts Research and Completed Missions

Nanotechnology Market Outlook 2017

Posted on by

NEW YORK, May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Nanotechnology Market Outlook 2017

http://www.reportlinker.com/p01182994/Nanotechnology-Market-Outlook-2017.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has been the greatest impetus to technological and industrial development in the 21st century and has been recognized as the resource for the next industrial revolution. The evolving technology has already influenced a large number of industrial segments, and the economic activity generated from it has been high in magnitude and wide in scope. The nanotechnology-based products, which have had a huge impact on almost each industrial sector, are now entering the consumer market in a big way.

In their latest research study, "Nanotechnology Market Outlook 2017", RNCOS' analysts have identified that the global nanotechnology industry has been growing at a rapid pace with rising applications in sectors like electronic, enegy, healthcare sector etc. In addition, market trends like nanotechnology-based thin film solar cells with high effieciency; nanomaterials with higher strength; robust growth in nanofibres and nanomedicine market; etc., are booming growth in this industry. Considering the above factors, the global nanotechnology market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 19% during 2013-2017.

In the report, the analysts have studied the nanotechnology market by application, by component and by region. On the application front, they have analyzed nanotechnology use in electronics, energy, cosmetics, medical and defence sector. In addition, they have covered the current nanotechnology market and forecast for each of the above mentioned segments till 2017. In terms of component, the nanotechnology market can be segregated into nanomaterials, nanotools and nanodevices. The report covers their present and future shares in the market.

Further, country level analysis discusses nanotechnology market in major countries like USA, Germany, France, the U.K., Russia, etc., the present key growth drivers, and future directions for each nation. In addition, it covers the nanotechnology patent analyses, including number of patent publications and global top assignees of nanotechnology patent literature.

Besides this, the report covers the global R&D funding for the nanotechnology industry, including break-ups for corporate, public and venture capital funding along with their forecasts. The report even covers country-level analysis of R&D funding to provide in-depth understanding about investment related to nanotechnology.

With a view to providing a balanced outlook of the global nanotechnology market to clients, the report also includes the profiles of key industry players like Altair, Nanophase Tech and Nanosys, among others. Overall, the objective of the study is to help clients understand the prospects of the industry, and make sound investment decisions in view of the same.1. Analyst View2. Research Methodology3. Nanotechnology - An Introduction4. Key Market Trends and Developments4.1 Nanofibers Market Witnessing Robust Growth4.2 Nanomedicine - Becoming the Hottest Growing Sector4.3 Nanotechnology - Thin-Film Solar Cells with Record Efficiency4.4 Rising Applications of Nanomaterials with Higher Strength5. Nanotechnology Market Overview6. Industry Performance: Current and Future Outlook6.1 By R&D Funding6.1.1 Government6.1.2 Corporate6.1.3 Venture Capital6.2 By Major Applications6.2.1 Electronics6.2.1.1 Nanocircuits6.2.1.2 Nanowires6.2.1.3 NanoSensors6.2.2 Energy6.2.2.1 Energy Source6.2.2.2 Energy Conversion6.2.2.3 Energy Storage6.2.2.4 Energy Distribution6.2.3 Cosmetics6.2.3.1 Skin Care6.2.3.2 Hair Care6.2.4 Biomedical6.2.4.1 Drug Delivery6.2.4.2 Therapeutics6.2.4.3 Medical Materials and Implants6.2.4.4 Analytical Tools and Instruments6.2.4.5 Diagnostics6.2.5 Defense6.2.5.1 Military Vehicles6.2.5.2 Military Clothes6.2.5.3 Aeronautics6.2.5.4 Satellites7. Country-Level Analysis7.1 US7.2 Brazil7.3 Germany7.4 France7.5 UK7.6 Ireland7.7 Russia7.8 Japan7.9 South Korea7.10 Taiwan7.11 China7.12 India7.13 Australia8. Patents Analysis9. Competitive Landscape9.1 Altair Nanotechnologies Inc.9.2 Nanophase Technologies Corporation9.3 Nanosys, Inc.9.4 Unidym, Inc.9.5 Ablynx9.6 NanoScale Corporation9.7 Zyvex Corporation9.8 Acusphere, Inc.9.9 SouthWest NanoTechnologies, Inc.9.10 Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc.

List of Figures:

Read the original:

Nanotechnology Market Outlook 2017