Progress 50 Supply Ship Launches to the Space Station (Photos)

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Progress 50 Supply Ship Launches Toward Space Station

The unmanned Progress 50 supply ship blasts off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome on Feb. 11, 2013.

The unmanned Progress 50 supply ship streaks into space on Feb. 11, 2013.

The unmanned Progress 50 supply ship blasts off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome on Feb. 11, 2013.

The unmanned Progress 50 supply ship sits on the pad at Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome a few minutes before liftoff on Feb. 11, 2013.

The unmanned Progress 50 supply ship sits on the pad at Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome a few minutes before liftoff on Feb. 11, 2013.

An infographic profile of the Progress cargo ship used to service the International Space Station.

The Russian Flight Control Room is seen a short time before the scheduled docking of the robotic Progress spacecraft, Feb. 11, 2013.

The International Space Station awaits the robotic Progress 50 supply ship on Feb. 11, 2013.

This view shows how the Progress 50 robotic supply ship "sees" the International Space Station during the fly-around prior to docking on Feb. 11, 2013.

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Progress 50 Supply Ship Launches to the Space Station (Photos)

Russia supply ship docks with space station

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NASA TV

The Progress 50 robotic supply ship approaches the International Space Station during the fly-around prior to docking on Monday.

By Tariq MalikSpace.com

An unmanned Russian spacecraft carrying nearly 3 tons of supplies arrived at the International Space Station Monday, less than six hours after blasting off.

The robotic Progress 50 resupply ship docked with the orbiting lab at 3:35 p.m. EST Monday after launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:41 a.m. EST. Such unmanned cargo trips have traditionally taken about two days.

The Progress 50 spacecraft is packed with about 2.9 tons of supplies for the space station's six-man Expedition 34 crew. On Saturday, the station astronauts discarded an older unmanned cargo ship, called Progress 48, in order to make room for Progress 50.

The outgoing Progress vehicle was filled with tons of trash and unneeded items and intentionally destroyed by burning up in Earth's atmosphere. [Space Station's Robot Cargo Ship Fleet (Photos)]

NASA TV

The unmanned Progress 50 supply ship blasts off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome on Monday.

Progress 50, meanwhile, is delivering about 764 pounds (346 kilograms) of propellant, 110 pounds (50 kg) of oxygen and air, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and about 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) of spare parts, science gear and other supplies, according to a NASA description.

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Russia supply ship docks with space station

Robotic Russian Supply Ship Docks With Space Station

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This story was updated at 3:40 p.m. EST.

An unmanned Russian spacecraft carrying nearly 3 tons of supplies arrived at the International Space Station Monday (Feb. 11) less than six hours after blasting off.

The robotic Progress 50 resupply ship docked with the orbiting lab at 3:35 p.m. EST (2035 GMT) Monday after launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:41 a.m. EST (1441 GMT). Such unmanned cargo trips have traditionally taken about two days.

The Progress 50 spacecraft is packed with about 2.9 tons of supplies for the space station's six-man Expedition 34 crew. On Saturday (Feb. 9), the station astronauts discarded an older unmanned cargo ship, called Progress 48, in order to make room for Progress 50.

The outgoing Progress vehicle was filled with tons of trash and unneeded items and intentionally destroyed by burning up in Earth's atmosphere. [Space Station's Robot Cargo Ship Fleet (Photos)]

Progress 50, meanwhile, is delivering about 764 pounds (346 kilograms) of propellant, 110 pounds (50 kg) of oxygen and air, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and about 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) of spare parts, science gear and other supplies, according to a NASA description.

The Russian Federal Space Agency's Progress spacecraft are disposable vehicles similar in design to its three-segment Soyuz crew capsules, but with a propellant module in place of the central crew return capsule on the Soyuz.

Progress vehicles are designed to be disposable and are intentionally ditched into Earth's atmosphere at the end of their mission. Robotic resupply ships for the station built by Europe and Japan are also disposed of in the same way.

The only robotic supply ship for the space station that can return supplies back to Earth is the Dragon space capsule built by the private spaceflight company SpaceX.

Dragon space capsules visited the space station twice in 2012, with the next one slated to launch from Florida atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in March. Dragon vehicles are equipped with a heat shield to protect them during re-entry and are built for ocean splashdown landings in order to return experiments and other gear to Earth.

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Robotic Russian Supply Ship Docks With Space Station

Russia Launches Robotic Supply Ship to Space Station

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A Russian Soyuz rocket launched an unmanned cargo freighter to the International Space Station Monday (Feb. 11) to deliver nearly 3 tons of fresh food, water and equipment to the six men living on the orbiting outpost.

The robotic Progress 50 resupply ship and its Soyuz rocket lifted off at 9:41 a.m. EST (1441 GMT) from the Central Asian spaceport of Baikonur Cosmodrome, where it was late evening local time at the time of launch.

The Progress 50 cargo ship is flying on an accelerated schedule that will deliver it to the International Space Station in three hours, instead of the two days the unmanned cargo trips have traditionally taken for much of the space station's 13 years of crewed operation. Progress 50 is expected to arrive at the space station at 3:40 p.m. EST (2040 GMT) and park itself at a Russian docking port.

You can watch the Progress 50 dock live on SPACE.com here, beginning at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT), courtesy of NASA's television feed. Prior to the space docking, you can watch NASA launch the new Landsat Earth-observation satellite live at 1:02 p.m. EST (1802 GMT). The webcast for that launch begins at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT).

The Progress 50 spacecraft is packed with about 2.9 tons of supplies for the space station's six-man Expedition 34 crew. On Saturday, the station astronauts discarded an older unmanned cargo ship called Progress 48 in order to make room for Progress 50. The outgoing Progress vehicle was filled with tons of trash and unneeded items and intentionally destroyed by burning up in Earth's atmosphere. [Space Station's Robot Cargo Ship Fleet (Photos)]

Progress 50, meanwhile, is delivering about 764 pounds (346 kilograms) of propellant, 110 pounds (50 kg) of oxygen and air, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and about 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) of spare parts, science gear and other supplies, according to a NASA description.

The Russian Federal Space Agency's Progress spacecraft are disposable vehicles similar in design to its three-segment Soyuz crew capsules, but with a propellant module in place of the central crew return capsule on the Soyuz.

Progress vehicles are designed to be disposable and are intentionally destroyed by burning up in Earth's atmosphere at the end of their mission. Robotic resupply ships for the station built by Europe and Japan are also disposed of in the same way.

The only robotic supply ship for the space station that can return supplies back to Earth is the Dragon space capsule built by the private spaceflight company SpaceX. Dragon space capsules visited the space station twice in 2012, with the next one slated to launch from Florida atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in March. Dragon vehicles are equipped with a heat shield to protect them during re-entry and are built for ocean splashdown landings in order to return experiments and other gear to Earth.

You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter@tariqjmalik.Follow SPACE.com on Twitter@Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook&Google+.

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Russia Launches Robotic Supply Ship to Space Station

Circle Heart Racing at Barber Motorsports Park with NASA-SE in Legends Race Car – Video

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Circle Heart Racing at Barber Motorsports Park with NASA-SE in Legends Race Car
This is a short clip of a very close call while racing our Legends Race Car with NASA-SE captured on our GoPro Camera. Visit http://www.CircleHeartRacing.com or http://www.SantasToyRun.org. Special thanks to everyone that helped.

By: circleheart

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Circle Heart Racing at Barber Motorsports Park with NASA-SE in Legends Race Car - Video

"One Small Step…" Neil Armstrong NASA Astronaut Quote – Video

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"One Small Step..." Neil Armstrong NASA Astronaut Quote
Armstrong: "That #39;s one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind." More Free HQ Sounds: http://www.youtube.com "One small step for man quote" uploaded by freemaster2 http://www.freesound.org Public Domain Image: "Boarding Gemini VIII" by NASA http://www.flickr.com Public Domain

By: Iwan Gabovitch

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"One Small Step..." Neil Armstrong NASA Astronaut Quote - Video

NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission: New Earth observation satellite launched

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Feb. 11, 2013 NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) roared into space at 1:02 p.m. EST (10:02 a.m. PST) Monday aboard an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The LDCM spacecraft separated from the rocket 79 minutes after launch and the first signal was received 3 minutes later at a ground station in Svalbard, Norway. The solar arrays deployed 86 minutes after launch, and the spacecraft is generating power from them. LDCM is on course to reach its operational, sun-synchronous, polar orbit 438 miles (705 kilometers) above Earth within two months.

"Landsat is a centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science program, and today's successful launch will extend the longest continuous data record of Earth's surface as seen from space," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "This data is a key tool for monitoring climate change and has led to the improvement of human and biodiversity health, energy and water management, urban planning, disaster recovery and agriculture monitoring -- all resulting in incalculable benefits to the U.S. and world economy."

LDCM will go through a check-out phase for the next three months. Afterward, operational control will be transferred to NASA's mission partner, the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the satellite will be renamed Landsat 8. Data will be archived and distributed free over the Internet from the Earth Resources and Science (EROS) center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Distribution of Landsat 8 data from the USGS archive is expected to begin within 100 days of launch.

LDCM is the eighth in the Landsat series of satellites that have been continuously observing Earth's land surfaces since 1972.

"Landsat has been delivering invaluable scientific information about our planet for more than forty years," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "It's an honor to be a part of today's launch to ensure this critical data will continue to help us better understand our natural resources and help people like water managers, farmers, and resource managers make informed decisions."

The use of Landsat data been transformed in recent years by advancements in computing power and the decision by USGS to allow free online access to the information. This revolution has allowed scientists to detect changes over time to our planet and has enabled a host of applications based on Landsat measurements to be developed by researchers, the private sector, and state, local, and tribal governments.

LDCM continues that legacy with more and better observations. The spacecraft carries two instruments, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The measurements will be compatible with data from past Landsat satellites, but the LDCM instruments use advanced technology to improve reliability, sensitivity, and data quality.

"LDCM is the best Landsat satellite ever built," said Jim Irons, a LDCM project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The technology will advance and improve the array of scientific investigations and resource management applications supported by Landsat images. I anticipate new knowledge and applications to emerge with an increasing demand for the data."

OLI will continue observations currently made by Landsat 7 in the visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It also will take measurements in two new bands, one to observe high-altitude cirrus clouds and another to observe atmospheric aerosols as well as water quality in lakes and shallow coastal waters. OLI's new design has fewer moving parts than instruments on previous Landsat satellites.

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NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission: New Earth observation satellite launched

NASA Unveils Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan

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NASA's Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan has been posted to the agency's website. The comprehensive strategic plan prioritizes space technologies essential to the pursuit of NASA's mission and achievement of national goals.

The NASA Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan was created following development of a series of agency draft Space Technology Roadmaps. After careful review of the roadmaps by the National Research Council, with input from the public and key stakeholders, NASA finalized this new investment plan. It provides guidance for NASA's space technology investments during the next four years, within the context of a 20-year horizon. The plan will be updated approximately every two years, as appropriate, to meet agency and national needs.

"Technology enables discovery and advancement," NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck said. "We look forward to working with our stakeholders to grow our technological base and take the journey to expand scientific understanding, explore the universe, and make a positive impact on the lives of all."

In 2010, the president and Congress unveiled an ambitious new direction for NASA, which includes renewed investment in space technology to align mission directorate activities, increase capabilities, lower mission costs and support long-term needs. The result has been an aggressive and prioritized technology investment by NASA that enables exploration and science missions while also supporting other government and commercial space activities. The plan is based on a four-pillar system of goals to ensure NASA investments optimize the benefits of key stakeholders, other U.S. government agencies, the private sector and the national economy.

NASA recognizes the importance of a balanced portfolio of technology development at all stages of technology maturity. Using the Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan, NASA will continue to invest in revolutionary concepts that help develop the nation's work force and provide transformative and crosscutting technology breakthroughs to enable our missions and benefit the commercial sector.

To review the Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan and learn more about NASA's investment in space technology, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/oct

- Download the Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan

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NASA Unveils Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan

NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' to Sit with First Lady at State of the Union

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Life is good for NASA's "Mohawk Guy." He became world famous after helping NASA's huge Curiosity rover make a dramatic landing on Mars, and now he'll sit with first lady Michelle Obama during Tuesday's State of the Union address.

The Iranian-American Mohawk Guy whose name is Bobak Ferdowsi will sit in the first lady's box to highlight President Barack Obama's call for more visas for skilled immigrants in the fields of math, science and engineering, Southern California Public Radio reportedMonday (Feb. 11).

A White House official confirmed the news to SPACE.com.

Ferdowsi will be joined in the box by a number of other people from various walks of life, whose presence may help the president drive home points about some of his policy proposals. The speech begins Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST (Feb. 12; 0200 GMT Wednesday).

Ferdowsi's American flag-inspired hairstyle a red- and blue-streaked mohawk set off by white stars on the side of his head rocketed the mission flight director to international fame during Curiosity's nail-biting landingon the night of Aug. 5.

In a complex maneuver that had never been tried before on another planet, the 1-ton rover was lowered to the Martian surface on cables by a rocket-powered sky crane, which then flew off and crash-landed intentionally a safe distance away.

The president even gave Ferdowsi apublic shout-out shortly after the landing.

"I understand there's a specialmohawk guythat's working on the mission," President Obama said in a congratulatory call to Curiosity's handlers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Aug. 13. "He's been one of the many stars of the show last Sunday night. I in the past thought about getting a mohawk myself."

Ferdowsi is not a mohawk loyalist, however. He said he has tried out various hairstyles over the years to mark major milestones in the development of Curiosity's $2.5 billion mission, which seeks to determine if the Red Planet can, or ever could, support microbial life.

Curiosity carries 10 science instruments, 17 cameras and several other tools to aid in this quest. Over the weekend, it completed a major milestone, drilling a 2.5-inch-deep (6.35 centimeters) hole in a Martian rock and collecting samples. No robot had ever done this on Mars or any other planet before.

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NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' to Sit with First Lady at State of the Union

NASA Launches New Earth Observation Satellite to Continue 40-Year Legacy

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NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) roared into space at 1:02 p.m. EST (10:02 a.m. PST) Monday aboard an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The LDCM spacecraft separated from the rocket 79 minutes after launch and the first signal was received 3 minutes later at a ground station in Svalbard, Norway. The solar arrays deployed 86 minutes after launch, and the spacecraft is generating power from them. LDCM is on course to reach its operational, sun-synchronous, polar orbit 438 miles (705 kilometers) above Earth within two months.

"Landsat is a centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science program, and today's successful launch will extend the longest continuous data record of Earth's surface as seen from space," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "This data is a key tool for monitoring climate change and has led to the improvement of human and biodiversity health, energy and water management, urban planning, disaster recovery and agriculture monitoring -- all resulting in incalculable benefits to the U.S. and world economy."

LDCM will go through a check-out phase for the next three months. Afterward, operational control will be transferred to NASA's mission partner, the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the satellite will be renamed Landsat 8. Data will be archived and distributed free over the Internet from the Earth Resources and Science (EROS) center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Distribution of Landsat 8 data from the USGS archive is expected to begin within 100 days of launch.

LDCM is the eighth in the Landsat series of satellites that have been continuously observing Earth's land surfaces since 1972.

"Landsat has been delivering invaluable scientific information about our planet for more than forty years," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "It's an honor to be a part of today's launch to ensure this critical data will continue to help us better understand our natural resources and help people like water managers, farmers, and resource managers make informed decisions."

The use of Landsat data been transformed in recent years by advancements in computing power and the decision by USGS to allow free online access to the information. This revolution has allowed scientists to detect changes over time to our planet and has enabled a host of applications based on Landsat measurements to be developed by researchers, the private sector, and state, local, and tribal governments.

LDCM continues that legacy with more and better observations. The spacecraft carries two instruments, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The measurements will be compatible with data from past Landsat satellites, but the LDCM instruments use advanced technology to improve reliability, sensitivity, and data quality.

"LDCM is the best Landsat satellite ever built," said Jim Irons, a LDCM project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The technology will advance and improve the array of scientific investigations and resource management applications supported by Landsat images. I anticipate new knowledge and applications to emerge with an increasing demand for the data."

OLI will continue observations currently made by Landsat 7 in the visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It also will take measurements in two new bands, one to observe high-altitude cirrus clouds and another to observe atmospheric aerosols as well as water quality in lakes and shallow coastal waters. OLI's new design has fewer moving parts than instruments on previous Landsat satellites.

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NASA Launches New Earth Observation Satellite to Continue 40-Year Legacy

NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' Will Sit with First Lady at State of the Union

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Life is good for NASA's "Mohawk Guy." He became world famous after helping NASA's huge Curiosity rover make a dramatic landing on Mars, and now he'll sit with first lady Michelle Obama during Tuesday's State of the Union address.

The Iranian-American Mohawk Guy whose name is Bobak Ferdowsi will sit in the first lady's box to highlight President Barack Obama's call for more visas for skilled immigrants in the fields of math, science and engineering, Southern California Public Radio reportedMonday (Feb. 11).

A White House official confirmed the news to SPACE.com.

Ferdowsi will be joined in the box by a number of other people from various walks of life, whose presence may help the president drive home points about some of his policy proposals. The speech begins Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST (Feb. 12; 0200 GMT Wednesday).[Gallery: President Obama and NASA]

Ferdowsi's American flag-inspired hairstyle a red- and blue-streaked mohawk set off by white stars on the side of his head rocketed the mission flight director to international fame during Curiosity's nail-biting landingon the night of Aug. 5.

In a complex maneuver that had never been tried before on another planet, the 1-ton rover was lowered to the Martian surface on cables by a rocket-powered sky crane, which then flew off and crash-landed intentionally a safe distance away.

The president even gave Ferdowsi apublic shout-out shortly after the landing.

"I understand there's a specialmohawk guythat's working on the mission," President Obama said in a congratulatory call to Curiosity's handlers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Aug. 13. "He's been one of the many stars of the show last Sunday night. I in the past thought about getting a mohawk myself."

Ferdowsi is not a mohawk loyalist, however. He said he has tried out various hairstyles over the years to mark major milestones in the development of Curiosity's $2.5 billion mission, which seeks to determine if the Red Planet can, or ever could, support microbial life.

Curiosity carries 10 science instruments, 17 cameras and several other tools to aid in this quest. Over the weekend, it completed a major milestone, drilling a 2.5-inch-deep (6.35 centimeters) hole in a Martian rock and collecting samples. No robot had ever done this on Mars or any other planet before.

Excerpt from:

NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' Will Sit with First Lady at State of the Union

NASA Launches Next-Gen Landsat Spacecraft

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NASA on Monday successfully launched its new Landsat satellite from California's Vandendberg Air Force Base, the space agency said.

The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft, part of NASA's ongoing mission to capture images and data from the Earth's surface, "roared into space" atop an Atlas V rocket at 1:02 p.m. Eastern, space agency officials said. Satellites operated by NASA have monitored Earth from space continuously for the past four decades.

"Landsat is a centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science program, and today's successful launch will extend the longest continuous data record of Earth's surface as seen from space," NASA administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement.

"This data is a key tool for monitoring climate change and has led to the improvement of human and biodiversity health, energy and water management, urban planning, disaster recovery and agriculture monitoringall resulting in incalculable benefits to the U.S. and world economy," he added.

The satellite separated from its booster rocket 79 minutes after launch, a signal was received at a Svalbard, Norway station from the spacecraft at about 82 minutes into its flight, and the LCDM deployed its solar arrays just a few minutes later, NASA said. In about two months, the Landsat spacecraft is expected to reach its "operational, sun-synchronous, polar orbit" about 440 miles above the Earth.

Control of the LDCM, the eighth in a series of NASA Landsat satellites first launched in 1972, will be transferred to the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in about three months when it goes fully operational, NASA said. At that point, the satellite will be renamed Landsat 8.

Data gathered by the satellite will be made available to the public through an online archive.

"Landsat has been delivering invaluable scientific information about our planet for more than forty years. It's an honor to be a part of today's launch to ensure this critical data will continue to help us better understand our natural resources and help people like water managers, farmers, and resource managers make informed decisions," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.

NASA scientists stressed advances made to the latest Landsat spacecraft, including the addition of improved instruments like the LDCM's Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS).

"LDCM is the best Landsat satellite ever built. The technology will advance and improve the array of scientific investigations and resource management applications supported by Landsat images," said LDCM project scientist Jim Irons of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

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NASA Launches Next-Gen Landsat Spacecraft

NASA cheers new Landsat launch

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By Matt Smith, CNN

updated 7:21 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013

An Atlas-V rocket carrying a Landsat satellite lifts off Monday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- NASA put its newest Landsat satellite into orbit on Monday, extending a long-running program that has been beaming back dramatic images of Earth for more than 40 years.

The Landsat Data Continuity Mission -- to be designated Landsat 8, once it's up and running -- lifted off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base atop an Atlas V booster.

The $855 million platform, about the size of a sport-utility vehicle, has been in the works for years amid concerns about maintaining the U.S. suite of geoscience satellites.

The first Landsat mission went into orbit in 1972; the last working mission, Landsat 7, was launched in 1999. It's still sending back images long after its five-year life expectancy, but suffers from a scanner problem that leaves black diagonal streaks across them.

Landsat 5 sent back its last images in January after nearly 29 years; it had been designed to last three.

The new mission's solar panels deployed successfully after Monday's launch, and the satellite should be fully operational after about three months of trials, NASA said.

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NASA cheers new Landsat launch

NASA Launches Advanced Landsat Earth-Watching Satellite Into Orbit

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NASA's latest Earth-observation satellite blasted off today (Feb. 11), continuing a storied four-decade effort to track environmental change and resource use across the planet.

The Landsat Data Continuity Missionlaunched today at 1:02 p.m. EST (1802 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, riding a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket into space without any apparent hitches.

The $855 million LDCM spacecraft is the eighth satellite in the history of the Landsat program, a joint NASA/United States Geological Survey (USGS) project that has been monitoring forest loss, glacial retreat, urban sprawl and other phenomena continuously since Landsat 1 lifted off in July 1972. [Photos: The Next Landsat Earth-Observing Spacecraft]

LDCM is the most capable and advanced Landsat spacecraftyet, and its successful launch could extend the program's legacy another decade or so into the future, researchers said.

"LDCM will continue to describe the human impact on Earth and the impact of Earth on humanity, which is vital for accommodating seven billion people on our planet," LDCM project manager Ken Schwer, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., told reporters Feb. 8 during a prelaunch press briefing.

Eagle eyes from orbit

The SUV-size LDCM satellite will eventually settle into a polar orbit with an altitude of 438 miles (705 kilometers). NASA will conduct key checkouts of the spacecraft over the next three months, after which it will be turned over to the USGS for operations and renamed Landsat 8.

Landsat 8 will peer down at Earth with two sensitive instruments. The Operational Land Imager (OLI) will collect data in visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared wavelengths, while the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) will measure surface temperatures around the planet.

Like its predecessors, Landsat 8 will acquire images with a spatial resolution of 98 feet (30 meters). It will send about 400 pictures per day to ground stations in South Dakota, Alaska and Norway.

By tracking urban expansion, natural resource use, global ice loss and other phenomena, Landsat 8 will help scientists and policymakers better understand how the growing human population is affecting the planet, researchers said.

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NASA Launches Advanced Landsat Earth-Watching Satellite Into Orbit

Intraocular Lens (IOL): Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, Nanotechnology, 2013 to 2018 …

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ALBANY, New York, February 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

NewMarket ResearchReport Added inMarketResearchReports.BizReports DatabaseIntraocular Lens (IOL): Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, Nanotechnology, 2013 to 2018

WinterGreen Research announces that it has published a new study Intraocular Lens (IOL) Market Shares, Strategy, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2013 to 2018. The 2013 study has 293 pages, 67 tables and figures. Worldwide markets are poised to achieve continuing growth as the aging population worldwide develops cataracts and need Intraocular Lenses (IOL). All older people develop cataracts.

To Browse Full TOC, Tables & Figures visit:http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis-details/intraocular-lens-iol-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-nanotechnology-2013-to-2018

Cataracts are a clouding of the eye's natural lens that impairs one's ability to see clearly. With two accommodating Intraocular Lens IOLs likely to be approved within the next 12 months, the premium market is again exciting.

Intraocular lens market driving forces include the aging of the population. With age, all people have cataracts which can be cured with IOL. There is an ever-increasing baby boom aging population. There is a growing precision of cataract surgery. Safety of cataract surgical medical devices and lenses are primary market concerns. More advanced procedures are driving an increase in cataract surgery. Lower costs per surgery are driving an increase in cataract surgery.

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Business Process Management (BPM) Market

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Intraocular Lens (IOL): Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, Nanotechnology, 2013 to 2018 ...

The Risky Future of Nanotechnology

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As companies use nanotechnology to develop products like self-cleaning windows and transparent sunscreens, how will the insurance industry underwrite these risks? Christoph Meili, senior lecturer at the University of St.Gallen explains.

By Christoph Meili

Nanomaterials are commonly used in many industrial and consumer products, and while they can help create innovative products, they also pose substantial risks to human health and the environment. Self-cleaning windows, scratch-resistant colors and lacquers, transparent sunscreens, antimicrobial plastering as well as packaging materials or textiles are examples of nano products available on the market. And that list of industrial and consumer products is growing.

In Germany for example, there are approximately 2,000 companies and research organizations related to nanotechnology. Most of them (44 percent) are small and medium-sized enterprises, 41 percent are research organizations and university labs and 15 percent are large companies. In 2011 there were 64,000 workers in the nanotechnology field.

Due to the cross-sectional character of nanotechnologies the sales volumes of nanomaterials and nanoproducts are increasing in all industries. In the color and lacquer industry for instance, it is expected that by 2020, 20 percent of the total business sales will be generated by nano-components (for example smart coatings), as the antimicrobial and scratch-resistant ingredients. The situation in other industries is similar. According to international forecasts, nanotechnologies will be a key factor in the value creation of goods, with a market value of up to $3 trillion by 2015. Their market potential in 2015 could correspond to approximately 15 percent of the industrial goods market. A large part of the global goods production, for example in the areas of health, information and communication technology, energy and environmental technology would be based on the application of nanotechnology knowledge.

Assessing the Nano Risk Profile

Nanomaterials have often been critically discussed in the past few years with regard to their potential adverse effects on human health and the environment. Even though scientific risk research on nanomaterials has been ongoing for more than 10 years, it is still premature to determine potential adverse effects on human health and the environment in the mid- and long-term perspective.

In addition to physical and chemical data, exposure data is needed to address human and eco-toxicological effects. Nanomaterials which are bound or embedded in a solid matrix pose low or even no risk, according to many experts. By contrast, unbound, powdered or airborne particles could be inhaled and enter the bloodstream through the lungs. In the bloodstream, particles can enter cells. Some nano particles have actually been found in the nucleus and interacting with cellular structures. Carbon nanotubes (CNT), which are long, fiber-shaped nano molecules have been found to cause inflammation and asbestos-cancer-like malignant tumors in mice.

Nanoparticles can also enter the body through digestion. However, there is few data on the behavior of nanomaterials in the intestinal tract that demonstrate that titaniumdioxide nanoparticles (which are commonly used in food) cause inflammatory reactions and have genotoxic effects in cells of in the intestine, according to a study by Heinrich Heine Universitt in Germany. In the environment there are persistent and bioactive nanomaterials which are critically examined. Today, no final judgment of the potential risks of specific nanomaterials in the middle or longterm perspective is possible. A "long-tail" risk potential for certain nanomaterials, however, cannot be excluded.

Potential Loss Exposure for Liability Insurances

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The Risky Future of Nanotechnology