New NASA Mission to Take First Look Deep Inside Mars

NASA has selected a new mission, set to launch in 2016, that will take the first look into the deep interior of Mars to see why the Red Planet evolved so differently from Earth as one of our solar system's rocky planets.

The new mission, named Insight, will place instruments on the Martian surface to investigate whether the core of Mars is solid or liquid like Earth's, and why Mars' crust is not divided into tectonic plates that drift like Earth's. Detailed knowledge of the interior of Mars in comparison to Earth will help scientists understand better how terrestrial planets form and evolve.

"The exploration of Mars is a top priority for NASA, and the selection of Insight ensures we will continue to unlock the mysteries of the Red Planet and lay the groundwork for a future human mission there," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "The recent successful landing of the Curiosity rover has galvanized public interest in space exploration and today's announcement makes clear there are more exciting Mars missions to come."

Keywords – NASA Mission to explore Mars set to launch in 2016, there are more exciting Mars missions yet to come.

Spacewalk outside the space station on Monday

Flight Engineers Joe Acaba, Suni Williams and Aki Hoshide reviewed procedures for a U.S. spacewalk that Williams and Hoshide will perform on Aug. 30 while Acaba choreographs activities from inside the station. The pair will replace a faulty Main Bus Switching Unit – a distribution hub for the complex’s power system – on the station’s truss. They also will replace a camera on a robotic arm extension boom and route cables for the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory replacing Pirs.

Acaba spent time working on two experiments focused on colloids – very small particles suspended in another substance. The first was the Binary Colloidal Alloy or BCAT-C1, in which crew members photograph samples of colloidal particles as they phase separate and self-assemble into crystals that interact strongly with light.

Keywords – Spacewalk outside the space station on Monday.

NASA Goddard Solar Scientists Receive 2012 NASA Honor Awards

The work NASA scientists and engineers conduct is often recognized around the world. However, it sometimes becomes even more of an achievement to be honored at home. That's exactly what happened to three individuals and one team in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Three heliophysicists—Spiro K. Antiochos, James A. Klimchuk, Douglas E. Rowland, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory Science Investigation Team recently received Agency Honor Awards to celebrate their unique contributions to NASA's mission. The awards acknowledged their great collaborations to advance heliophysics, contributing to the young research field of space weather that tracks how energy from the sun affects the space environment around Earth and potentially disrupts space technology.

The Agency Honor Awards are granted annually in a ceremony at NASA Headquarters and at each Center. Considered to be the Agency's most prestigious honor awards, each nominee goes through a careful selection process before the NASA administrator approves the final recipients.

The recipients were selected out of 73 individual and 11 group nominations submitted by Goddard's Science and Exploration Directorate. Spiro K. Antiochos, a member of the Space Weather Laboratory and an internationally recognized astrophysicist, received the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. This award is given to both Government and non-Government researchers who have produced key scientific discoveries or made key contributions to their field.

Keywords – NASA Goddard Solar Scientist Receive 2012 NASA Honor Awards, awards are granted in ceremony at NASA Headquarters.

NASA’s Mighty Eagle Robotic Prototype Lander Flies Again at Marshall

The “Mighty Eagle,” a NASA robotic prototype lander, is soaring high again for a series of tests being conducted at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Since its last round of tests in 2011, the Mighty Eagle team has made significant updates to the guidance controls on the lander’s camera furthering its autonomous capabilities.

The three-legged "green" lander is fueled by 90 percent pure hydrogen peroxide and receives its commands from an onboard computer that activates its onboard thrusters to carry it to a controlled landing using a pre-programmed flight profile. It is 4 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter and, when fueled, weighs 700 pounds.

In this series of tests, which will continue through September, the lander prototype will autonomously fly and hover at 30 feet for two tests, and up to 100 feet for another two tests, and then move sideways, to safely land 30 feet away from the launch pad. The test demonstrates what it will take to perform the final descent of an autonomous controlled landing on the moon, asteroids or other airless bodies.

Keywords – NASA’s Mighty Eagle Robotic prototype Lander flies again at Marshall.

Neil Armstrong makes progress in recovering from cardiac bypass surgery

Astronaut Neil Armstrong the first man to walk on the moon underwent cardiac bypass surgery on Tuesday just days after his 82nd birthday. His wife Carol has told friends that he is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery. Armstrong had a stress test on Monday that revealed four blockages in the arteries leading to his heart. Surgeons performed the bypasses the next day. In a bypass operation a blood vessel is removed from elsewhere in the body and attached to the circulatory system to route blood around a blockage.

Armstrong was the commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. In a statement posted on Face book, NASA administrator Charled Bolden wished Armstrong a quick recovery. “Neil’s pioneering spirit will surely serve him well in this challenging time, and the entire NASA Family is holding the Armstrong family in our thoughts and prayers,” he wrote.

Keywords – Neil Armstrong makes progress in recovering from cardiac bypass surgery, NASA administrator wished him a quick recovery.

NASA Curiosity Rover installing smarts for driving

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity will spend its first weekend on Mars transitioning to software better suited for tasks ahead, such as driving and using its strong robotic arm. 

The rover's "brain transplant," which will occur during a series of steps Aug. 10 through Aug. 13, will install a new version of software on both of the rover's redundant main computers. This software for Mars surface operations was uploaded to the rover's memory during the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft's flight from Earth. 

"We designed the mission from the start to be able to upgrade the software as needed for different phases of the mission," said Ben Cichy of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., chief software engineer for the Mars Science Laboratory mission. "The flight software version Curiosity currently is using was really focused on landing the vehicle. It includes many capabilities we just don't need any more. It gives us basic capabilities for operating the rover on the surface, but we have planned all along to switch over after landing to a version of flight software that is really optimized for surface operations." 

A key capability in the new version is image processing to check for obstacles. This allows for longer drives by giving the rover more autonomy to identify and avoid potential hazards and drive along a safe path the rover identifies for itself. Other new capabilities facilitate use of the tools at the end of the rover's robotic arm. 

While Curiosity is completing the software transition, the mission's science team is continuing to analyze images that the rover has taken of its surroundings inside Gale Crater. Researchers are discussing which features in the scene to investigate after a few weeks of initial checkouts and observations to assess equipment on the rover and characteristics of the landing site. 

Keywords – NASA Curiosity Rover installing smarts for driving, Mars Science Laboratory mission.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program Progressing for Future of U.S. Human Spaceflight

transportation system to low Earth orbit. 

Through innovative partnerships with commercial rocket and spacecraft developers, NASA is making great strides to advance America's next human space transportation systems.

In 2010, President Barack Obama set the agency on a course to provide new transportation into space for its astronauts, while expanding human presence beyond low Earth orbit and enabling new missions of exploration across the solar system.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) was formed to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low Earth orbit. 

With support from CCP, U.S. industry is building new commercially developed spaceflight capabilities and enabling new jobs, all of which could ultimately lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers. 

NASA expects to bridge the American spaceflight gap left by the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program and begin buying seats on U.S. commercial space systems near the middle of the decade. 

Before NASA would begin using a commercially developed system to transport its astronauts to and from the Space Station, the system must be certified as meeting NASA’s safety requirements throughout an entire mission cycle. Certification of commercial systems for NASA transportation missions will be pursued in a future, separate phase under the CCP.

Keywords – NASA’s Commercial Crew Program for future U.S Human Spaceflight, future phase under the CCP, enabling new missions of exploration across the solar system.

Statement by the President on Curiosity Landing on Mars

Tonight, on the planet Mars, the United States of America made history.

The successful landing of Curiosity – the most sophisticated roving laboratory ever to land on another planet – marks an unprecedented feat of technology that will stand as a point of national pride far into the future.



 It proves that even the longest of odds are no match for our unique blend of ingenuity and determination.

Tonight’s success, delivered by NASA, parallels our major steps forward towards a vision for a new partnership with American companies to send American astronauts into space on American spacecraft. That partnership will save taxpayer dollars while allowing NASA to do what it has always done best – push the very boundaries of human knowledge. And tonight’s success reminds us that our preeminence – not just in space, but here on Earth – depends on continuing to invest wisely in the innovation, technology, and basic research that has always made our economy the envy of the world.

I congratulate and thank all the men and women of NASA who made this remarkable accomplishment a reality – and I eagerly await what Curiosity has yet to discover.

Keywords - Statement by the president on Curiosity landing, United States of America made history.

Curiosity Rover landing on Mars and sending images to Earth

After its first day on Mars, NASA's rover Monday sent back to Earth stunning images of its crater landing site and the mountain it aims to climb in the hunt for signs of life. 

The landing of the $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory and nuclear-powered robot Curiosity late Sunday opened a new chapter in the history of interplanetary exploration by touching down on the Red Planet. 

 

The one-ton mobile lab is the largest rover ever sent to Mars, and its high-speed landing was the most daring to date, using a rocket-powered sky crane to lower the six-wheeled vehicle gently to the Martian surface. 

Numerous images of the car-sized rover and its alien surroundings have come back to NASA since the landing occurred at 10:32 pm Sunday on the US West Coast (0532 GMT Monday). 

 

 

 

 

New images of the rover's descent, taken from the vehicle itself, were shown on NASA television, strung together in a video that depicted the spacecraft's heat shield deploying and dust kicked up before the rover landed wheels down. 

Other black and white images show the rover's shadow and Mount Sharp in the distance, a mountain it aims to conquer as part of its two-year mission to explore Mars and analyze sediment layers that are up to a billion years old. 

The images so far tend to be small, but high-resolution images are expected in the next couple of weeks.

Keywords – NASA’s Mars Rover Curiosity sends back stunning images, high resolution images expected in couple of weeks, sky crane to lower the six-wheeled vehicle gently to the Martian surface.

What to Expect When Curiosity Starts Snapping Pictures

If a group of tourists piled out of a transport vehicle onto the surface of Mars, they'd no doubt start snapping pictures wildly. NASA's Curiosity rover, set to touch down on the Red Planet the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (early morning EDT), will take a more careful approach to capturing its first scenic views.

The car-size rover's very first images will come from the one-megapixel Hazard-Avoidance cameras (Hazcams) attached to the body of the rover. Once engineers have determined that it is safe to deploy the rover's Remote Sensing Mast and its high-tech cameras, a process that may take several days, Curiosity will begin to survey its exotic surroundings.

"A set of low-resolution gray scale Hazcam images will be acquired within minutes of landing on the surface," said Justin Maki of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Once all of the critical systems have been checked out by the engineering team and the mast is deployed, the rover will image the landing site with higher-resolution cameras."

Maki led the development of Curiosity's 12 engineering cameras -- eight Hazcams at the front and back of the rover, and four Navigation cameras (Navcams) at the top of the rover's "look-out" mast. All the engineering cameras acquire black-and-white pictures from left and right stereo "eyes," which are merged to provide three-dimensional information. Half of the cameras are backups, meaning there's one set for each of the rover’s A- and B-side redundant computers.

The very first images are likely to arrive more than two hours after landing, due to the timing of NASA's signal-relaying Odyssey orbiter.

They will be captured with the left and right Hazcams at the back and front of the rover, and they will not yet be full-resolution (the two images arriving on Earth first are "thumbnail" copies, which are 64 by 64 pixels in size). The Hazcams are equipped with very wide-angle, fisheye lenses, initially capped with clear dust covers. The covers are designed to protect the cameras from dust that may be kicked up during landing; they are clear just in case they don't pop off as expected.

Keywords – What to expect when curiosity starts snapping pictures, 12 engineering cameras acquire black and white pictures, Hazcams at the back and front of the rover.

Mars Orbiter Repositioned to phone Home Mars Landing

NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has successfully adjusted its orbital location to be in a better position to provide prompt confirmation of the August landing of the Curiosity rover.

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft carrying Curiosity can send limited information directly to Earth as it enters Mars' atmosphere. Before the landing, Earth will set below the Martian horizon from the descending spacecraft's perspective, ending that direct route of communication. Odyssey will help to speed up the indirect communication process.

NASA reported during a July 16 news conference that Odyssey, which originally was planned to provide a near-real-time communication link with Curiosity, had entered safe mode July 11. This situation would have affected communication operations, but not the rover's landing. Without a repositioning maneuver, Odyssey would have arrived over the landing area about two minutes after Curiosity landed.

A spacecraft thruster burn Tuesday, July 24, lasting about six seconds has nudged Odyssey about six minutes ahead in its orbit. Odyssey is now operating normally, and confirmation of Curiosity's landing is expected to reach Earth at about 10:31 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5 (early Aug. 6, EDT and Universal Time), as originally planned.

"Information we are receiving indicates the maneuver has completed as planned," said Mars Odyssey Project Manager Gaylon McSmith of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Odyssey has been working at Mars longer than any other spacecraft, so it is appropriate that it has a special role in supporting the newest arrival."

Two other Mars orbiters, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the European Space Agency's Mars Express, also will be in position to receive radio transmissions from the Mars Science Laboratory during its descent. However, they will be recording information for later playback, not relaying it immediately, as only Odyssey can.

Odyssey arrived at Mars in 2001. Besides conducting its own scientific observations, it has served as a communication relay for NASA's Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers and the Phoenix lander on the Martian surface. NASA plans to use Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as communication relays for Curiosity during that rover's two-year prime mission on Mars.

Keywords – Mars Orbiter Repositioned to phone Home Mars Landing, communication relay for NASA’s spirit, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Chief Technologist Praises Kennedy Advances

A heat shield partially made from Martian or lunar soil, lighting that lets plants grow in space and specialized containers that keep astronauts from getting infected by biological experiments were some of the ideas shown to NASA's chief technologist during his two-day visit to laboratories at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Although known for pioneering tools and techniques to prepare payloads and launch spacecraft successfully, the space center and its partner Space Florida also operate labs for scientists performing cutting edge research in other fields.

"It's very exciting to be here at Kennedy Space Center because one of the best parts of my job is thinking about the future," said Mason Peck, NASA's chief technologist. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this in the first place." 

Peck, who has been in his NASA post for six months, has been visiting NASA centers across the nation to see up-close what developments are under way. The trips are important for a variety of reasons, but Peck said there is a certain element of fun in seeing such things, too. 

"If you really want to geek out about technology, which is what I like doing, you have to come to a place like KSC," Peck said. 

The Morpheus lander that is to start flight tests soon at the Shuttle Landing Facility was also shown to Peck, along with an Atlas V rocket that United Launch Alliance is prepping for a future mission. 

Keywords – Chief technologist praises Kennedy Advances, Morpheus lander, Kennedy Space Center, Martian or lunar soil that lets plants grow in space.

NASA Funded Research Shows Existence of Reduced Carbon on Mars

NASA-funded research on Mars meteorites that landed on Earth shows strong evidence that very large molecules containing carbon, which is a key ingredient for the building blocks of life, can originate on the Red Planet. These macromolecules are not of biological origin, but they are indicators that complex carbon chemistry has taken place on Mars.

Researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington who found reduced carbon molecules now have better insight into the chemical processes taking place on Mars. Reduced carbon is carbon that is bonded to hydrogen or itself. Their findings also may assist in future quests for evidence of life on the Red Planet. The findings are published in Thursday's online edition of Science Express.

"These findings show that the storage of reduced carbon molecules on Mars occurred throughout the planet's history and might have been similar to processes that occurred on the ancient Earth," said Andrew Steele, lead author of the paper and researcher from Carnegie. "Understanding the genesis of these non-biological, carbon-containing macromolecules on Mars is crucial for developing future missions to detect evidence of life on our neighboring planet."

Keywords – NASA Funded Research Shows Existence of Reduced Carbon on Mars, life can originate on the Red Planet.

Few Words from Astronaut Joe Acaba

Our time of solitude is rapidly coming to an end.  Our new crew mates successfully launched very early this morning.  With the 2 days they spend in autonomous flight to reach us, they will arrive around 4 am on July 17.  All of the preparations have been made for their arrival.  Since it was not too long ago that I arrived, I clearly remember those first few days on the ISS.  While the traditional hatch opening and having the opportunity to talk with family and friends that made the trip to Russia are wonderful experiences, I remember being tired and wanting desperately to take a “bath” and put on some regular clean clothes.  While we do have facilities on the Soyuz and lots of opportunities to take cat naps, it sure was nice to be home on the relatively spacious Space Station.  While all of the new crew members have been here before, we will do all we can to make the transition as comfortable as possible.  For Gennady, Sergey and I, we will begin another sleep shift tomorrow.  We will wake up at our normal time of 6 am and are scheduled to go to sleep at 3:30 pm with a wake up at midnight.  The day of docking is a long day for all of the crews and we will be back to a normal schedule on Wednesday.  As I mentioned previously, HTV will be arriving 10 days later so we will all hit the road running.

Knowing what Gennady is ahead, Sergey and I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.  While some work had to be done, overall it was an opportunity for us to recharge our personal batteries and just enjoy the time.  We were rewarded with the results of the recent solar activity – the southern lights.  I remember seeing the auroras during my Shuttle flight and I thought it was the coolest thing.  Then I arrived this time and Don Pettit showed me the auroras and they were much, much better than what I seen previously.  I was happy as could be.  Then on Saturday, I was working out and in between sets I saw that we were heading south during a night pass.  So I decided my workout could be postponed for a few minutes and I turned out all of the lights in Node 3.  Within a couple of minutes, I could not believe what I was seeing.  It was absolutely incredible.  I enjoyed the show for a few minutes and then felt I had to inform my crew mates so they could also take in the view.  Even Gennady, with all of his time on orbit, was amazed.  I am no expert with a camera but I tried to capture at least a small reminder of the experience.  The pictures were not great, but they would do.  So today, at around the same time of day, I thought I would take one more look.  Just when you think it can’t get much better, it gets way better.  I of course took some obligatory pictures, but then I just sat in the dark, in the peace and quiet of this incredible man made, orbiting laboratory and just looked out the window in awe.  What a truly magnificent planet we live on and solar system we live in.  I could not have asked for a better way to mark the middle of my Expedition and to start what will be a challenging and rewarding time on the International Space Station.

Keywords – Few words from Astronaut Joe Acaba in Expedition 32, crew mates in International Space Station, Orbiting laboratory, rewarding time on the International Space Station.

New Instrument Sifts Starlight for New Worlds

An advanced telescope imaging system that started taking data in June 2012 is the first of its kind capable of spotting planets orbiting suns outside of our solar system. The collaborative set of high-tech instrumentation and software, called Project 1640, is now operating on the Hale telescope at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego, after more than six years of development.

Researchers and engineers behind the project come from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, N.Y., the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also in Pasadena.

The project's first images demonstrate a new technique that creates extremely precise "dark holes" around stars of interest. These dark holes allow researchers to spot planets.

"The more we learn about them, the more we realize how vastly different planetary systems can be from our own," said Gautam Vasisht of JPL. "All indications point to a tremendous diversity of planetary systems, far beyond what was imagined just 10 years ago. We are on the verge of an incredibly rich new field."

Keywords – New Instrument Sifts Starlight for New Worlds, Palomar Observatory near San Diego, American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Earth-Observing Camera to Launch to International Space Station

A remote-controlled Earth-observing camera system called ISERV will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's third H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-3) this week. Once installed, the system will be directed by researchers on the ground to acquire imagery of specific areas of the globe for disaster analysis and environmental studies. 

ISERV Pathfinder is a new imaging instrument designed and built at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The HTV-3 launch is scheduled for 10:06 p.m. EDT July 20 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. 

ISERV stands for the International Space Station SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System. The space station provides researchers a unique perspective through global observations from space. SERVIR is a Spanish acronym meaning "to serve." Also known as the Regional Visualization and Monitoring System, the program provides satellite data and tools to environmental decision makers in developing countries. SERVIR is a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

ISERV will be installed in the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) in the station's Destiny laboratory. The system is intended to help scientists gain operational experience and expertise and inform the design of a more capable system in the future. Ideally, a future operational system will be able to monitor disasters on Earth. 

Keywords – Earth Observing Camera to Launch to International Space Station, ISERV Pathfinder, HTV-3 launch, Tanegashima Space Center, SERVIR Environmental Research, WORF facility in station’s destiny laboratory.

A Fish Friendly Facility for the International Space Station

The Aquatic Habitat, or AQH, is a Japanese Space Agency, or JAXA, facility that will enable the study of fish aboard the International Space Station. (JAXA) 

The above image shows an Aquatic Habitat, or AQH, specimen chamber housing Medaka fish for study. (JAXA)  

The grid structure at the upper side of each Aquatic Habitat, or AQH, aquarium captures air in each grid, while preventing water from escaping. 

Air will be injected with special syringe by the crew prior to the start of an investigation. (JAXA) 

While aquariums provide a relaxing pastime for humans on Earth, recreation is not the goal behind the new Aquatic Habitat, or AQH, aboard the International Space Station. Instead, researchers will use this unique facility to look at how microgravity impacts marine life. 

Sponsored by the Japanese Space Agency, or JAXA, this habitat is a closed-water circulatory system, which provides a new  facility option for station research. Scientists will use the habitat to study small, freshwater fish on orbit. For the first investigations, they plan to examine the Medaka (Oryzias latipes) fish. 

Scientists have multiple studies planned to look at the impacts of radiation, bone degradation, muscle atrophy, and developmental biology. The investigations could last up to 90 days and provide data that may lead to a better understanding of related human health concerns here on Earth. 

Keywords – A fish friendly facility for the International Space Station, Examine the Medaka fish, Japanese Space Agency or JAXA, Aquatic habitat or AQH.

Progress Re-dock Postponed Crew Conducts Science

Flight Engineer of Expedition 32 Joe Acaba began his workday Tuesday collecting blood and urine samples and storing them in the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS, or MELFI, for later analysis back on Earth. Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide assisted Acaba with that blood draw. 

Acaba also collected environment samples to make sure that the air they breathe and the water they drink aboard station remain safe and clean.

Acaba later assisted Flight Engineer Suni Williams with the Integrated Cardiovascular which measures the atrophy of the heart muscle that appears to develop during long-duration spaceflight.

Investigators use the data from these tests to develop countermeasures to keep the crew healthy. The research also may have benefits for people on Earth with heart problems.

Williams spent part of her day setting up a computer for Friday’s grapple and berthing of HTV3, also known as Kounotori3, or “white stork.” The Japanese cargo craft will be commanded to fly within about 40 feet while Acaba and Hoshide use Canadarm2, the station's Canadian Space Agency-provided robotic arm, to grapple the vehicle and berth it to a docking port on the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node.

Williams also conducted an ultrasound scan on herself to provide data for the Vessel Imaging experiment, which studies changes in blood vessel wall properties during and after long-duration spaceflight.

Hoshide installed a cooling fan in the Japanese Kibo module and later participated in a session with the Integrated Cardiovascular experiment.

Commander Gennady Padalka conducted some tests through the space-to-ground communication system while Flight Engineer Sergei Revin performed routine maintenance on the SOZh life-support system in the Russian segment of the station. The third Russian crew member, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, familiarized himself with the onboard computer network and replaced a Russian laptop computer. 

Keywords – crew conducts science, Williams conduct ultrasound scan on herself, Flight engineer Joe Acaba.

Satellites See Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt

For several days this month, Greenland's surface ice cover melted over a larger area than at any time in more than 30 years of satellite observations. Nearly the entire ice cover of Greenland, from its thin, low-lying coastal edges to its two-mile-thick center, experienced some degree of melting at its surface, according to measurements from three independent satellites analyzed by NASA and university scientists.

On average in the summer, about half of the surface of Greenland's ice sheet naturally melts. At high elevations, most of that melt water quickly refreezes in place. Near the coast, some of the melt water is retained by the ice sheet and the rest is lost to the ocean. But this year the extent of ice melting at or near the surface jumped dramatically. According to satellite data, an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet surface thawed at some point in mid-July.

Researchers have not yet determined whether this extensive melt event will affect the overall volume of ice loss this summer and contribute to sea level rise.

Keywords – Satellites see unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface melt, sea level rice, Greenland, NASA and university scientists.

Sally Ride Passes Away NASA Offers Condolence

Sally ride was the first American women on space. She was landed in the year 1983. Ride died today in the La Jolla, calif. She was suffering from pancreatic cancer for 17 months. Her age was 61.

She had completed degrees in English and physics and she was on the way to the PhD in Physics at the Stanford University. Ride also went back to space in the year 1984 an after that she was assigned to another mission but this program has shuttle because of the disaster in the year 1986. 

 

The NASA Company has allowed ride to “pursue her long time goal of motivating the students, girls, and young women to study in detail about maths, science and technology. Crippen said that “She proved that young women would do anything they wanted to do”. 

The NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Graver said that “Sally was a personal and professional model role model to me and thousands of women allover the world. 

Keywords: Sally Ride passes away, first American women, pancreatic cancer, young women to study, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Graver, personal and professional model