Select Page ::

NASA Astronaut, Food Scientist Available for Interviews about Holiday Feasts in Space

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Danzig

Irradiated smoked turkey, thermostabilized yams and NASA's own special stuffing recipe can mean only one thing -- holiday season aboard the International Space Station.

NASA food scientist Vickie Kloeris and astronaut Sandy Magnus, who was aboard the orbiting laboratory during the 2008 holiday season, are available the week of Dec. 14-18 to discuss how the traditional holiday feast can be observed in space. To arrange an interview, media representatives should contact the newsroom at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston at 281-483-5111.

Station Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev are currently the sole residents aboard the complex. They will spend the holidays with three new crew members. NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi are set to arrive on the station Dec. 22 after launching on a Soyuz spacecraft on Dec. 20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Although they may not get the home cooking people on Earth enjoy this season, the station crew can celebrate with a well-stocked, and by all accounts tasty, pantry. The view from their table, speeding 220 miles above Earth at five miles per second, cannot be beat.

Space food has come a long way from the early days of "tubes and cubes." The current station's menu includes more than 250 different food and beverage items provided by the U.S. and Russia. Foods from other partner nations also are available on the station's menu.

Kloeris is the manager of the International Space Station Food System. Magnus served as a flight engineer for the 18th station crew. During the three months she spent in orbit, Magnus kept a journal about her experiences of cooking in space. Her efforts to spice up food aboard the station are detailed at:

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/magnus_cook

For more information about space food, visit:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/living/spacefood

For the latest information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

View this site car shipping

Challenges of Living and Working Aboard the Space Station: NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott Available for TV Interviews

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Danzig

After three months living aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Nicole Stott will be available for satellite interviews from Houston between 6 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 17.

To arrange an interview via NASA Television, journalists should contact Derek Sollosi at 281-792-7515 or by e-mail to derek.sollosi-1@nasa.gov by 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16. B-roll of Stott's flight will air from 5:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. Dec. 17.

Stott, of Clearwater, Fla., served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 20 and 21 aboard the station and joined five other crew members living on the orbiting complex. She was the chief robotics operator, responsible for capturing, berthing and later releasing the first Japanese cargo ship flown to the station. In addition to working on multiple scientific studies, she also conducted a 6-and-a-half-hour spacewalk in September to continue station assembly.

Stott was the final station resident to fly to and from the complex on the space shuttle. She launched on space shuttle Discovery in August and returned to Earth aboard shuttle Atlantis in November. Stott spent a total of 91 days in space, 87 of them aboard the station. Stott has been assigned to fly on the STS-133 mission in September 2010, currently the final scheduled flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

The NASA Live Interview Media Outlet channel will be used for the interviews. The channel is a digital satellite C-band downlink by uplink provider Americom. It is on satellite AMC 6, transponder 5C, located at 72 degrees west, downlink frequency 3785.5 Mhz based on a standard C-band 5150 Mhz L.O., vertical polarity, FEC is 3/4, data rate is 6.00 Mhz, symbol rate is 4.3404 Mbaud, transmission DVB, minimum Eb/N0 is 6.0 dB.

The interviews also will be broadcast live on NASA TV. For streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For complete biographical information about Stott, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/stott-np.html

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

For more information about the space shuttle, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

View this site auto transport

NASA Looks for Safer Icing Forecast For Pilots

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Danzig

Deep convective clouds create conditions conducive for a dangerous icing threat to commercial flights, one that can cause engine power loss

Of the many dangers that plague commercial airplanes, icing stands out as one of the most treacherous. The threat of ice build-up on aircraft surfaces has been known and studied for decades, but now NASA is putting new effort into understanding a different kind of ice danger.

A well-known icing problem involves ice forming on wings and other surfaces that can cause drag and power loss on an aircraft. A different threat emerges when airplanes fly into clouds with high ice content found near thunderstorms in very high altitudes. Ice particles, once thought benign because they would simply bounce of airplane surfaces, can accrete deep inside jet engines and shut down the power. This is called “ice particle icing,” to distinguish it from icing caused by super-cooled liquid droplets, which typically occurs at lower altitudes.

There have been more than 240 icing-related incidents in commercial aviation since the 1990s, of which 62 resulted in power-loss likely due to ice particle icing, according to a study authored by Jeanne G. Mason, J. Walter Strapp and Phillip Chow. This condition is difficult for pilots to identify because in many cases the ice is forming only inside the engine, without any visible icing on the wings.

Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center are taking a closer look at the phenomenon, which is considered a significant threat to commercial airlines. NASA scientists are developing ways to identify the conditions that cause ice particle icing to better warn pilots about where this might occur.

“It’s something that hasn’t been explored much,” said Chris Yost, a NASA contractor and research scientist with Science Systems and Applications Inc. in Hampton, Va. Yost said his research is at a preliminary stage now, focused on pinpointing the types of clouds connected with ice particle icing. He will present his latest results at the American Geophysical Union fall meeting in San Francisco on Dec. 14.

“These are deep convection, thunderstorm-like clouds,” Yost said. “Thin, wispy cirrus stuff is not so much a problem.”

NASA research is aiming to improve weather forecasts that could steer pilots away from trouble. Building on tools developed to detect surface icing conditions, NASA scientists are using cloud observations from two satellites, CALIPSO and CloudSat.

CALIPSO and CloudSat fly only seconds apart on the same orbit. Together they provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. In preliminary research, CloudSat and CALIPSO have been used to build on previous methods of identifying the type of moisture particles that lead to ice particle icing problems. CALIPSO’s lidar is used to create a vertical profile of clouds to accurately measure cloud height while CloudSat provides the estimates of ice concentration in those clouds. Together the two instruments provide very detailed information about the vertical structure of clouds, and the ice particles within them.

Yost and other SSAI researchers have been working with Patrick Minnis, at NASA’s Langley Research Center, on incorporating CALIPSO and CloudSat data into forecast models with the goal of identifying potential ice particle icing conditions.

NASA’s research on ice particle icing began in 2005 with the integration of cloud data from the NOAA satellite GOES. This was followed on by a field experiment on NASA’s DC-8 in 2007 to compare ice particle measurements from GOES with actual aircraft measurements. While this data significantly increased researchers understanding of the icing process, the integration of CALIPSO and CloudSat data has vastly enhanced the ability to see what is within the clouds.

Yost is currently comparing satellite records of weather conditions with the coordinates and time and date of specific airplane power-loss incidents in recent years. The research could illuminate more specifically what type of weather leads to ice particle icing and whether ice particle icing was a factor in these accidents. Future plans include flights with NASA’s DC-8 to take on-board measurements as a comparison point for CALIPSO and CloudSat observations.

Minnis described the group’s ongoing work as a first cut, but envisions it leading to better forecasting of potential ice particle icing conditions in the future.

“The ultimate goal of the project is to be integrated into existing forecast models and eventually into the NextGen (Next Generation Air Transportation System) cockpit system,” Minnis said.

Aviation safety organizations around the world are presently working with the ultimate goal of being able to accurately forecast inflight icing conditions in real-time for pilots. The integration of NASA satellite data into forecasting models is bringing them closer than to that goal, step by step.

View this site car transport

NASA Data Reveal Major Groundwater Loss in California’s Heartland

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Danzig

New space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers for California's primary agricultural region -- the Central Valley -- and its major mountain water source -- the Sierra Nevadas -- have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America's largest reservoir. The findings, based on data from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace), reflect California's extended drought and increased rates of groundwater being pumped for human uses, such as irrigation.

In research being presented this week at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, scientists from NASA and the University of California, Irvine, detailed California's groundwater changes and outlined Grace-based research on other global aquifers. The twin Grace satellites monitor tiny month-to-month changes in Earth's gravity field primarily caused by the movement of water in Earth's land, ocean, ice and atmosphere reservoirs. Grace's ability to directly 'weigh' changes in water content provides new insights into how Earth's water cycle may be changing.

Combined, California's Sacramento and San Joaquin drainage basins have shed more than 30 cubic kilometers of water since late 2003, said professor Jay Famiglietti of the University of California, Irvine. A cubic kilometer is about 264.2 billion gallons, enough to fill 400,000 Olympic-size pools. The bulk of the loss occurred in California's agricultural Central Valley. The Central Valley receives its irrigation from a combination of groundwater pumped from wells and surface water diverted from elsewhere.

"Grace data reveal groundwater in these basins is being pumped for irrigation at rates that are not sustainable if current trends continue," Famiglietti said. "This is leading to declining water tables, water shortages, decreasing crop sizes and continued land subsidence. The findings have major implications for the U.S. economy, as California's Central Valley is home to one sixth of all U.S. irrigated land, and the state leads the nation in agricultural production and exports."

"By providing data on large-scale groundwater depletion rates, Grace can help California water managers make informed decisions about allocating water resources," said Grace Project Scientist Michael Watkins of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

Preliminary studies show most of the water loss is coming from the more southerly located San Joaquin basin, which gets less precipitation than the Sacramento River basin farther north. Initial results suggest the Sacramento River basin is losing about 2 cubic kilometers of water a year. Surface water losses account for half of this, while groundwater losses in the northern Central Valley add another 0.6 cubic kilometers annually. The San Joaquin Basin is losing 3.5 cubic kilometers a year. Of this, more than 75 percent is the result of groundwater pumping in the southern Central Valley, primarily to irrigate crops.

Famiglietti said recent California legislation decreasing the allocation of surface waters to the San Joaquin Basin is likely to further increase the region's reliance on groundwater for irrigation. "This suggests the decreasing groundwater storage trends seen by Grace will continue for the foreseeable future," he said.

The California results come just months after a team of hydrologists led by Matt Rodell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., found groundwater levels in northwest India have declined by 17.7 cubic kilometers per year over the past decade, a loss due almost entirely to pumping and consumption of groundwater by humans.

"California and India are just two of many regions around the world where Grace data are being used to study droughts, which can have devastating impacts on societies and cost the U.S. economy $6 to $8 billion annually," said Rodell. Other regions under study include Australia, the Middle East – North Africa region and the southeastern United States, where Grace clearly captured the evolution of an extended drought that ended this spring. In the Middle East – North Africa region, Rodell is leading an effort to use Grace and other data to systematically map water- and weather-related variables to help assess regional water resources. Rodell added Grace may also help predict droughts, since it can identify pre-existing conditions favorable to the start of a drought, such as a deficit of water deep below the ground.

NASA is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to incorporate Grace data into NOAA's U.S. and North American Drought Monitors, premier tools used to minimize drought impacts. The tools rely heavily on precipitation observations, but are limited by inadequate large-scale observations of soil moisture and groundwater levels. "Grace is the only satellite system that provides information on these deeper stores of water that are key indicators of long-term drought," Rodell said.

Grace is a partnership of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The University of Texas Center for Space Research, Austin, has overall mission responsibility. JPL developed the satellites. DLR provided the launch, and GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Germany, operates the mission. For more on Grace, see http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/ and http://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/ . Other media contacts: Margaret Baguio, University of Texas Center for Space Research, 512-471-6922; Jennifer Fitzenberger, University of California, Irvine, 949-824-3969.

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Trends Due to Surface Mass Variations From GRACE 2003-2009

Trends in surface mass variations as observed by the GRACE mission over the period 2003 to 2009. The bluer tones indicate areas of mass loss, while warmer red tones indicate mass gains. Units are centimeters of equivalent surface water.
› Larger image

GRACE animation (Greenland)

The twin Grace satellites monitor tiny month-to-month changes in Earth's gravity field primarily caused by the movement of water in Earth's land, ocean, ice and atmosphere reservoirs. Grace's ability to directly 'weigh' changes in water content provides new insights into how Earth's water cycle may be changing.
› Play animation (MP4 1.3Mb) | › Play animation (MOV 3.3Mb) | › Play animation High Def.(MOV 12.5 Mb)

The combined Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins

Cover an area of approximately 154,000 km sq.

The combined Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins cover an area of approximately 154,000 square kilometers. They include California's major mountain water source, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range; and the Central Valley, the state's primary agricultural region.

Water storage changes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basins from GRACE and supplementary data, October, 2003 – March, 2009

Since GRACE sees all the water storage changes on land, in order to estimate the groundwater in storage change signal, the snow, surface water and soil moisture mass changes must be estimated and removed.
› Larger image

Groundwater storage changes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basins from GRACE and supplementary data, October, 2003 – March, 2009

Water stored in the combined Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basin decreased by over 31 km cu.

In the 66-month period analyzed, the water stored in the combined Sacramento and San Joaquin Basin decreased by more than 31 cubic kilometers, or nearly the volumne of Lake Mead. Nearly two-thirds of this came from changes in groundwater storage, primarily from the Central Valley.

Groundwater storage changes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basins from GRACE and supplementary data, October, 2003 – March, 2009

Preliminary analyses suggest that as much as 75% of the groundwater loss is occurring in the San Joaquin River Basin.

Observed ground water trends in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins, Oct. 2003 to March 2009.

› Larger image

GRACE Can Monitor Human-induced Groundwater Depletion

The water table in NW India is declining at an average rate of 17.7 km3/yr

GRACE measures groundwater level variations, including groundwater depletion in northwest India. Since 2002, groundwater has been lost from that region at a rate of 17.7 km3 per year, largely due to pumping for irrigation.
› Larger image

GRACE Satellites Provide a Unique Perspective on Drought
Observations reflect the cumulative effect of long-term precipitation anomalies

GRACE terrestrial water storage observations show the persistence of a long-term drought which has gripped southeastern Australia.
› Larger image

GRACE Satellites Provide a Unique Perspective on Drought
GRACE observes groundwater and deep soil moisture, key indicators of drought

GRACE captured the evolution of the 2007-08 drought in the southeastern U.S., and may soon contribute to drought monitoring and prediction.
› Larger image

GRACE will soon contribute to drought monitoring and prediction tools

GRACE is the only satellite system able to monitor deep soil moisture and groundwater, hence there is great potential for it to contribute to drought monitoring tools, which currently lack that information. NASA, NOAA, and the University of Nebraska are testing the incorporation of GRACE data into two premier drought products, the U.S. and North American Drought Monitors.
› Larger image

GRACE Applied to Water Resources Management
GRACE data are combined with other observations and hydrology models

NASA, USAID, and partners in the Middle East North Africa region are teaming up to improve water resources assessments in that region by combining observations from GRACE and a variety of other sources.
› Larger image

View this site car shipping

Tiger Woods Wife purchases Island Retreat

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Danzig

Seeking to get away from the glare of the media Tiger Wood’s wife Elin Nordegren has reportedly bought a hideaway on Faglaro island, a residential island not far from Stockholm.

The 6-bedroom house, which was reportedly purchased on December 1st, is estimated to be worth over $2M and is on an island only accessible by boat. Fagaro Island is one of many islands in the Stockholm archipelago, a popular summer retreat for Swedes living in the Stockholm area.

There is no word whether Tiger will be joining Elin on the island but it has been speculated that this might be Tiger’s new home for a while as his 155 foot yacht “Privacy” is reportedly being prepared for departure from its home at a Florida Pier.

Source: Before It’s News.

Zululand drakensberg Lesotho and the wild coast

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

For this section of our travels we are leaving the coast and heading into the centre of South Africa to the mountain kingdom of Lesotho and the roof of Africa.We start our trip in the heart of Zululand in a town called Eshowe. The weather is pretty bad and itrsquos raining hard to hard for the roof tent so we book into Zululand backpackers and treat ourselves to a KFC. Next day we are booked

The Beautiful Higlands

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Erbusaig and PlocktonSlept in a bit today yay We had breakfast at the Tingle Creek Hotel as it was included in the rate. I had Scotch pancakes they were yummy but a bit sweet and the lsquomaplersquo syrup was more like honey than traditional maple syrup. I met a cute and talkative black kitty in the hotel parking lot when we were leaving.We headed north up the coast from Erbusaig to vil

Loch Ness to Inverness and Culloden

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Invergarry StillI got up and straightened up the room so I could take a photo of how nice it was. Irsquom such a weirdo We went down to breakfast and while we were eating the manager brought down our luggage woo hoo He even helped me put it in the car while mom paid for our sandwiches from yesterday. I really liked this hotel and wouldnrsquot mind staying here several days to explore t

Aqaba The Little Merman

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Aqaba The Little MermanEsalam alequom everybody I just finished my PADI diving course in the Red Sea of Aqaba. I spent about 6 days to go from an absolute newbie to an advanced diver I decided to take two courses open water diving and advanced level diving. The first two days of the open water diving course was a lot of studying and prepping myself for the final exam. Eek Irsquove been out

Royal Deeside and the Castle Trail

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Crathes CastleI woke up just after 8am and mom was already in the shower. We had breakfast here at the hotel scrambled eggs and bacon again stuck in a breakfast rut We are staying close by Banchory today which makes a welcome change from all that driving every day. First stop today is Crathes Castle pronounced Krathis which is only about two and a half miles east of Banchory in the town

Southward in the Rain to Glamis Castle and Crail

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Southward in the rainWell the plan for today was to see the ruins of Dunottar Castle just south of Stonehaven and then Glamis Castle St. Andrews and finishing up at Crail in the East Neuk of Fife. But itrsquos absolutely miserable out today drizzle alternating with downpours and strong winds.So we drove out to Dunottar anyway in hopes that the rain would ease up by the time we got there

Iguassu Falls

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Hola Chicos y ChicasI am writing this nearly a week after spending 2 nights in Puerto Iguaz...apologies for the lateness of this update it has been a very busy weekSo last Monday I left Rosario which I was completely ready to do Although my last day was great I went to the beach with 2 Danish girls I met in my hostel but could not quite bring myself to swim in the river After Agustina rea

Stirling Castle and Edinburgh

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Stirling CastleI had the arm brace on for 4 hours and I woke up in the middle of the night with my hand totally numb it really hurts We had continental breakfast this morning and headed right out to Stirling Castle which is only about a half mile up the hill from the Golden Lion Hotel. The castle is built on a high rocky hill and kind of reminds me a bit of the hill of the Acropolis in Athen

Edinburgh Old Town

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

City Sightseeing Tour BusThere is only continental breakfast at the Ibis so we went across the street to the Bank Hotel to have a cooked breakfast. They even had hash browns From there we walked along North Bridge Street to Princes Street to Waverly Bridge where we got on the City Sightseeing Bus. This bus is hop on hop off style and is an open top doubledecker as well. We wanted to get off

Galapagos II

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

I had to transfer from the Amigo to another boat the Yolita 2 as there werent enough passengers on the Amigo after all the 5 day passengers leftThe good news was I had a room twice the size of the other one a double bed and just me in the room. This boat also had hot water luxuryWe went to Sombrero Chino chinese hat this was probably my favorite place the landscape was very dramatic with b

El Chalten and Fitz Roy Massif

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

El Chalten a tiny little town on the edge of the Glacial National Park set up for trekking. You can walk out of the town and into the mountains in little or no time. We did 2 treks to Fitz Roy and to Laguna Torre both about 25km. The landscape is awesome but the town itself is not much to write home about. Still the views more than make up for this. We stayed in Rancho Grande and then Patagonia

Semuc Champey

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

It feels almost like we are camping here out on a ridge in the valley. Today we are heading for Guatamala's paradise. Our guide showed up to pick us up in a pickup truck so the ten of us jumped in the back. It was a 10km gravel road crowding locals in for short rides when they could squeeze in. Our guide is a humorous local named Otto who likes joking with us. Our first stop in Semuc Shampey is

Mechanical Problems in Flight

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

Glasgow AirportMom had me set the alarm for 630am early We didnrsquot have to be at the terminal until 815am. We got up and got ready and finished packing. Yeah my laundry does not fit in my suitcase. So I started trying to reorganize it some more by shifting some stuff to my carry on and mom put some of the guide books in her carry on too.Still even with it the fully expanded the sui

"ACDC Tour Budapest without a satnav"

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

23rd March '09Yet again wersquore up before the milk. An unmentionable hour sees three trucks hovering on a roundabout in Budapestrsquos suburbs. Namibian Little Dick and I pore studiously over a map in the inky blackness. The perennial problem with this vast metropolis you see is that as you approach road signs indicating truck transit routes resemble hieroglyphics. We pause ever so s

Liat Airlines Stay Away

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Danzig

My wife and I had a reservation to fly from Beef Island Tortola to San Juan via Liat flight scheduled to depart at 950 am. Upon arriving at the airport at 830 we found no one at the LIAT desk to check us in. We sat nearby and waited for someone to come to the desk. After a while we noticed a LIAT plane had arrived but still no one was at the desk to check us in. I thought it may be early an

Select Page ::