Earth Observatory: What's New Week of 17 July 2012

 

The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (17 July 2012)
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New Features:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/

* Notes from the Field Blog: Siberia 2012 - Embenchime River Expedition
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/category/siberia-2012-embenchime-river-expedition/?src=eoa-features
    A dedicated team of scientists has returned to the remote boreal forests of northern Siberia to study how the boreal ecosystem moderates Earth's climate by storing carbon and the implications of a warming climate on those forests.

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Latest Images:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/

* More Ice Breaks off of Petermann Glacier
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78556&src=eoa-iotd

* Drought Grips the United States
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78553&src=eoa-iotd

* Toshka Lakes, Southern Egypt
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78531&src=eoa-iotd

* Icebergs off Western Greenland
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78479&src=eoa-iotd

* The Sun Erupts
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78540&src=eoa-iotd

* Canadian Land of Lakes
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78527&src=eoa-iotd

* Wildfires in Siberia
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78515&src=eoa-iotd

* When Wildfire Smoke and Thunderstorms Collide
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78497&src=eoa-iotd

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Recent Blog Posts:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/

Earth Matters
* Help Find an Alphabet in the Sky
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/?p=2282&src=eoa-blogs

Notes from the Field
* Siberia 2012: Progress along the Embenchime
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=4236&src=eoa-blogs

* Siberia 2012: Fighting the Embenchime
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=4227&src=eoa-blogs

* Siberia 2012: The Forest Holds Secrets
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=4216&src=eoa-blogs

* Siberia 2012: Long Day in the Larch
  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/?p=4197&src=eoa-blogs

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Study Finds Heat is Source of 'Pioneer Anomaly'

News feature: 2012-209                                                                    July 17, 2012 Study Finds Heat is Source of 'Pioneer Anomaly' The full version of this story with accompanying images is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-209&cid=release_2012-209 The unexpected slowing of NASA's Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft – the so-called "Pioneer Anomaly" – turns out to be due to the slight, but detectable effect of heat pushing back on the spacecraft, according to a recent paper. The heat emanates from electrical current flowing through instruments and the thermoelectric power supply. The results were published on June 12 in the journal Physical Review Letters. "The effect is something like when you're driving a car and the photons from your headlights are pushing you backward," said Slava Turyshev, the paper's lead author at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "It is very subtle." Launched in 1972 and 1973 respectively, Pioneer 10 and 11 are on an outward trajectory from our sun. In the early 1980s, navigators saw a deceleration on the two spacecraft, in the direction back toward the sun, as the spacecraft were approaching Saturn. They dismissed it as the effect of dribbles of leftover propellant still in the fuel lines after controllers had cut off the propellant. But by 1998, as the spacecraft kept traveling on their journey and were over 8 billion miles (13 billion kilometers) away from the sun, a group of scientists led by John Anderson of JPL realized there was an actual deceleration of about 300 inches per day squared (0.9 nanometers per second squared). They raised the possibility that this could be some new type of physics that contradicted Einstein's general theory of relativity. In 2004, Turyshev decided to start gathering records stored all over the country and analyze the data to see if he could definitively figure out the source of the deceleration. In part, he and colleagues were contemplating a deep space physics mission to investigate the anomaly, and he wanted to be sure there was one before asking NASA for a spacecraft. He and colleagues went searching for Doppler data, the pattern of data communicated back to Earth from the spacecraft, and telemetry data, the housekeeping data sent back from the spacecraft. At the time these two Pioneers were launched, data were still being stored on punch cards. But Turyshev and colleagues were able to copy digitized files from the computer of JPL navigators who have helped steer the Pioneer spacecraft since the 1970s. They also found over a dozen of boxes of magnetic tapes stored under a staircase at JPL and received files from the National Space Science Data Center at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and worked with NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., to save some of their boxes of magnetic optical tapes. He collected more than 43 gigabytes of data, which may not seem like a lot now, but is quite a lot of data for the 1970s. He also managed to save a vintage tape machine that was about to be discarded, so he could play the magnetic tapes. The effort was a labor of love for Turyshev and others. The Planetary Society sent out appeals to its members to help fund the data recovery effort. NASA later also provided funding. In the process, a programmer in Canada, Viktor Toth, heard about the effort and contacted Turyshev. He helped Turyshev create a program that could read the telemetry tapes and clean up the old data. They saw that what was happening to Pioneer wasn't happening to other spacecraft, mostly because of the way the spacecraft were built. For example, the Voyager spacecraft are less sensitive to the effect seen on Pioneer, because its thrusters align it along three axes, whereas the Pioneer spacecraft rely on spinning to stay stable. With all the data newly available, Turyshev and colleagues were able to calculate the heat put out by the electrical subsystems and the decay of plutonium in the Pioneer power sources, which matched the anomalous acceleration seen on both Pioneers. "The story is finding its conclusion because it turns out that standard physics prevail," Turyshev said. "While of course it would've been exciting to discover a new kind of physics, we did solve a mystery." Pioneer 10 and 11 were managed by NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Pioneer 10's last signal was received on Earth in January 2003. Pioneer 11's last signal was received in November 1995. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Jia-Rui C. Cook 818-354-0850 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. jia-rui.c.cook@jpl.nasa.gov - end -

Curiosity Nears Daring Landing on Mars

 

NASA Science News for July 16, 2012

As Curiosity nears Mars for a daring landing on August 5/6, NASA has released a suite of video games and virtual experiences for members of the general public who wish to follow the massive rover across the sands of the Red Planet.

FULL STORY: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/16jul_daring/

This is a free service

NASA Selects Launch Contractor for Three Missions

 

News release: 2012-206                                                                     July 16, 2012 NASA Selects Launch Contractor for Three Missions The full version of this story with accompanying images is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-206&cid=release_2012-206 PASADENA, Calif. - NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Englewood, Colo., to launch the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) spacecraft. The spacecraft will launch in October 2014, July 2014 and November 2016, respectively, aboard Delta II rockets from Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the SMAP and OCO-2 missions for NASA. The total value for the SMAP, OCO-2 and JPSS-1 launch services is approximately $412 million. This estimated cost includes the task-ordered launch service for the Delta II plus additional services under other contracts for payload processing, launch vehicle integration, mission-unique launch site ground support and tracking, data and telemetry services. SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze-thaw state. These measurements will enhance understanding of processes that link Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles. SMAP will extend current capabilities in weather and climate prediction. SMAP data will be used to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. OCO-2 will study and make time-dependent global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It will provide the first complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources and "sinks," the places where the gas is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored. The observatory's high-resolution measurements will help scientists better understand the processes that regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide. JPSS-1 is the successor to the Suomi-National Polar Partnership (NPP) spacecraft, which was launched in October 2011 as a joint mission between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the JPSS Program. The JPSS Program is the former National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Program. The JPSS system includes the satellite's sensors and ground system supporting civil weather, climate measurements and data sharing with other U.S. agencies and international partners. JPSS-1 will make afternoon observations as it orbits Earth, providing continuity of critical data and imagery observations for accurate weather forecasting, reliable severe storm outlooks and global measurements of atmospheric and oceanic conditions such as sea surface temperatures and ozone. JPSS-1 will increase the timeliness, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of public warnings and forecasts of weather, climate and other environmental events, reducing the potential loss of human life and property. NOAA is responsible for the JPSS Program and the JPSS-1 mission. NASA is the program's procurement agent. The agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is the lead for acquisition. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SMAP, OCO-2 and JPSS-1 launch services. For more information about SMAP, visit: http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/ . For more information on OCO-2, visit: http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/ and http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/oco/main/index.html . The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA. Alan Buis 818-354-0474 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. alan.d.buis@jpl.nasa.gov Joshua Buck 202-358-1100 NASA Headquarters, Washington jbuck@nasa.gov George H. Diller 321-867-2468 NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla. George.h.diller@nasa.gov - end -

NASA Selects Launch Contractor for Jason-3 Mission

 

News release: 2012-207                                                                     July 16, 2012 NASA Selects Launch Contractor for Jason-3 Mission The full version of this story with accompanying images is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-207&cid=release_2012-207 PASADENA, Calif. - NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., to launch the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Jason-3 spacecraft in December 2014 aboard a Falcon 9 v1.0 rocket from Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is contributing three instruments to the mission: a radiometer, the GPS system and a satellite laser ranging reflector. The total value of the Jason-3 launch service is approximately $82 million. This estimated cost includes the task-ordered launch service for the Falcon 9 v1.0, plus additional services under other contracts for payload processing, launch vehicle integration, mission-unique launch site ground support and tracking, data and telemetry services. NASA is the procurement agent for NOAA. Jason-3 is an operational ocean altimetry mission designed to measure precisely sea surface height to monitor ocean circulation and sea level. Jason-3 will follow in the tradition of previous NASA-JPL missions such as Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1 and the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2. The Jason-3 mission will be developed and operated as part of an international effort led by NOAA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites in collaboration with NASA and the French space agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales. Processed data from the satellite will be used in a broad range of applications, including operational ocean and weather forecasting, ocean wave modeling, hurricane intensification prediction, seasonal forecasting, El Nino and La Nina forecasting and climate research. The data will help address questions about global climate change. The Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the Jason-3 launch services. For more information on Jason-3 and all of JPL's satellite ocean altimetry missions, visit: http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/jason3/ . The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA. Alan Buis 818-354-0474 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. alan.d.buis@jpl.nasa.gov Joshua Buck 202-358-1100 NASA Headquarters, Washington jbuck@nasa.gov George H. Diller 321-867-2468 NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla. George.h.diller@nasa.gov - end -

CORRECTED TIMES: Follow Your Curiosity: Some New Ways to Explore Mars

 

News Release: 2012-205                                                                     July 16, 2012 CORRECTION: UPDATED TO REFLECT CORRECTED TIME OF 10:31 P.M. PDT ON AUG. 5 (1:31 A.M. EDT ON AUG. 6). Follow Your Curiosity: Some New Ways to Explore Mars The full version of this story with accompanying images is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-205&cid=release_2012-205 As NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity prepares to land on Mars, public audiences worldwide can take their own readiness steps to share in the adventure. Landing is scheduled for about 10:31 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5 (1:31 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6), at mission control inside NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Martian fans can help NASA test-drive a new 3-D interactive experience that will allow the public to follow along with Curiosity's discoveries on Mars. Using Unity, a game development tool, NASA is pushing new limits by rendering high-resolution terrain maps of Gale Crater, Curiosity's landing site, collected from Mars orbiters. A 3-D "virtual rover" version of Curiosity will follow the path of the real rover as it makes discoveries. By downloading Unity and trying out the experience early, the public can reduce potential download delays during landing and offer feedback on the pre-landing beta version of the experience. By crowd sourcing -- leveraging the wisdom and experience of citizens everywhere -- NASA can help ensure the best experience across individual users' varying computer systems. "Technology is making it possible for the public to participate in exploration as they never have before," said Michelle Viotti, Mars public engagement manager at JPL. "Because Mars exploration is fundamentally a shared human endeavor, we want everyone around the globe to have the most immersive experience possible." In collaboration with Microsoft, Corp., NASA has a number of forthcoming experiences geared for inspiration and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). With Xbox, NASA is unveiling "Mars Rover Landing," an immersive experience for the Xbox 360 home entertainment console. The experience allows users to take control of their own spacecraft using Kinect and face the extreme challenges of landing a rover on Mars. The game will be hosted in the Xbox Live Marketplace and in a special destination on the Xbox Live dashboard dedicated to the Curiosity rover. The dashboard will also include pictures, video and more information about the mission. Additionally, a new Mars experience in Kodu, which allows children to learn computational thinking by creating their own video games, is designed to help students learn about commanding a rover on a quest to make discoveries about whether Mars was ever a habitat, a place that supports life. Standards-aligned curricula for teachers will also bring these 21st-century computer skills directly into the classroom and into afterschool organizations supporting academic success and college readiness. For quick access to discoveries on Mars as they happen, NASA's "Be A Martian" mobile application, initially developed with Microsoft for Windows Phone, will be available on Android and iPhone as well. NASA is also planning a series of Mars exploration apps for the upcoming Windows 8 PCs. "We are very excited to be working with NASA to bring innovation and exploration into the home. We continue to believe that as industry leaders, we have vested interest in advancing science and technology education," said Walid Abu-Habda, corporate vice president, Developer & Platform Evangelism, at Microsoft. "We hope that through partnering on the Mars Rover experience, we spark interest and excitement among the next generation of scientists and technologists." For a cool, immersive view of Mars Rover Curiosity and other spacecraft, space enthusiasts can also use their Apple iPhones to access a new augmented-reality experience that "projects" 3-D images of robotic explorers for first-hand, up-close inspection. For those wanting a live, community experience, museums and civic groups worldwide are hosting Curiosity landing events, often with big-screen experiences and public talks. "Multiple partnerships united around science literacy can really make a difference in reaching and inspiring more people around the world," Viotti said. "NASA welcomes innovative collaborations that inspire lifelong learning and access to discovery and innovation." Information on all of these activities is available at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate . You can follow the Curiosity mission on Facebook and on Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity . The Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The mission's rover, Curiosity, was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. Guy Webster/DC Agle 818-354-6278 / 818-393-9011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov / agle@jpl.nasa.gov - end -

Follow Your Curiosity: Some New Ways to Explore Mars

 

News Release: 2012-205                                                                     July 16, 2012 Follow Your Curiosity: Some New Ways to Explore Mars The full version of this story with accompanying images is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-205&cid=release_2012-205 As NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity prepares to land on Mars, public audiences worldwide can take their own readiness steps to share in the adventure. Landing is scheduled for about 10:31 a.m. PDT on Aug. 5 (1:31 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6), at mission control inside NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Martian fans can help NASA test-drive a new 3-D interactive experience that will allow the public to follow along with Curiosity's discoveries on Mars. Using Unity, a game development tool, NASA is pushing new limits by rendering high-resolution terrain maps of Gale Crater, Curiosity's landing site, collected from Mars orbiters. A 3-D "virtual rover" version of Curiosity will follow the path of the real rover as it makes discoveries. By downloading Unity and trying out the experience early, the public can reduce potential download delays during landing and offer feedback on the pre-landing beta version of the experience. By crowd sourcing -- leveraging the wisdom and experience of citizens everywhere -- NASA can help ensure the best experience across individual users' varying computer systems. "Technology is making it possible for the public to participate in exploration as they never have before," said Michelle Viotti, Mars public engagement manager at JPL. "Because Mars exploration is fundamentally a shared human endeavor, we want everyone around the globe to have the most immersive experience possible." In collaboration with Microsoft, Corp., NASA has a number of forthcoming experiences geared for inspiration and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). With Xbox, NASA is unveiling "Mars Rover Landing," an immersive experience for the Xbox 360 home entertainment console. The experience allows users to take control of their own spacecraft using Kinect and face the extreme challenges of landing a rover on Mars. The game will be hosted in the Xbox Live Marketplace and in a special destination on the Xbox Live dashboard dedicated to the Curiosity rover. The dashboard will also include pictures, video and more information about the mission. Additionally, a new Mars experience in Kodu, which allows children to learn computational thinking by creating their own video games, is designed to help students learn about commanding a rover on a quest to make discoveries about whether Mars was ever a habitat, a place that supports life. Standards-aligned curricula for teachers will also bring these 21st-century computer skills directly into the classroom and into afterschool organizations supporting academic success and college readiness. For quick access to discoveries on Mars as they happen, NASA's "Be A Martian" mobile application, initially developed with Microsoft for Windows Phone, will be available on Android and iPhone as well. NASA is also planning a series of Mars exploration apps for the upcoming Windows 8 PCs. "We are very excited to be working with NASA to bring innovation and exploration into the home. We continue to believe that as industry leaders, we have vested interest in advancing science and technology education," said Walid Abu-Habda, corporate vice president, Developer & Platform Evangelism, at Microsoft. "We hope that through partnering on the Mars Rover experience, we spark interest and excitement among the next generation of scientists and technologists." For a cool, immersive view of Mars Rover Curiosity and other spacecraft, space enthusiasts can also use their Apple iPhones to access a new augmented-reality experience that "projects" 3-D images of robotic explorers for first-hand, up-close inspection. For those wanting a live, community experience, museums and civic groups worldwide are hosting Curiosity landing events, often with big-screen experiences and public talks. "Multiple partnerships united around science literacy can really make a difference in reaching and inspiring more people around the world," Viotti said. "NASA welcomes innovative collaborations that inspire lifelong learning and access to discovery and innovation." Information on all of these activities is available at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate . You can follow the Curiosity mission on Facebook and on Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity . The Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The mission's rover, Curiosity, was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. Guy Webster/DC Agle 818-354-6278 / 818-393-9011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov / agle@jpl.nasa.gov - end -

NASA's Car-Sized Rover Nears Daring Landing on Mars

 

News release: 2012-204                                                                     July 16, 2012 NASA's Car-Sized Rover Nears Daring Landing on Mars The full version of this story with accompanying images is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-204&cid=release_2012-204 PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's most advanced planetary rover is on a precise course for an early August landing beside a Martian mountain to begin two years of unprecedented scientific detective work. However, getting the Curiosity rover to the surface of Mars will not be easy. "The Curiosity landing is the hardest NASA mission ever attempted in the history of robotic planetary exploration," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "While the challenge is great, the team's skill and determination give me high confidence in a successful landing." The Mars Science Laboratory mission is a precursor for future human missions to Mars. President Obama has set a challenge to reach the Red Planet in the 2030s. To achieve the precision needed for landing safely inside Gale Crater, the spacecraft will fly like a wing in the upper atmosphere instead of dropping like a rock. To land the 1-ton rover, an airbag method used on previous Mars rovers will not work. Mission engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., designed a "sky crane" method for the final several seconds of the flight. A backpack with retro-rockets controlling descent speed will lower the rover on three nylon cords just before touchdown. During a critical period lasting only about seven minutes, the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft carrying Curiosity must decelerate from about 13,200 mph (about 5,900 meters per second) to allow the rover to land on the surface at about 1.7 mph (three-fourths of a meter per second). Curiosity is scheduled to land at approximately 10:31 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5 (1:31 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6). "Those seven minutes are the most challenging part of this entire mission," said Pete Theisinger, the mission's project manager at JPL. "For the landing to succeed, hundreds of events will need to go right, many with split-second timing and all controlled autonomously by the spacecraft. We've done all we can think of to succeed. We expect to get Curiosity safely onto the ground, but there is no guarantee. The risks are real." During the initial weeks after the actual landing, JPL mission controllers will put the rover through a series of checkouts and activities to characterize its performance on Mars, while gradually ramping up scientific investigations. Curiosity then will begin investigating whether an area with a wet history inside Mars' Gale Crater ever has offered an environment favorable for microbial life. "Earlier missions have found that ancient Mars had wet environments," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Program at NASA Headquarters. "Curiosity takes us the next logical step in understanding the potential for life on Mars." Curiosity will use tools on a robotic arm to deliver samples from Martian rocks and soils into laboratory instruments inside the rover that can reveal chemical and mineral composition. A laser instrument will use its beam to induce a spark on a target and read the spark's spectrum of light to identify chemical elements in the target. Other instruments on the car-sized rover will examine the surrounding environment from a distance or by direct touch with the arm. The rover will check for the basic chemical ingredients for life and for evidence about energy available for life. It also will assess factors that could be hazardous for life, such as the radiation environment. "For its ambitious goals, this mission needs a great landing site and a big payload," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters. "During the descent through the atmosphere, the mission will rely on bold techniques enabling use of a smaller target area and a heavier robot on the ground than were possible for any previous Mars mission. Those techniques also advance us toward human-crew Mars missions, which will need even more precise targeting and heavier landers." The chosen landing site is beside a mountain informally called Mount Sharp. The mission's prime destination lies on the slope of the mountain. Driving there from the landing site may take many months. "Be patient about the drive. It will be well worth the wait and we are apt to find some targets of interest on the way," said John Grotzinger, MSL project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "When we get to the lower layers in Mount Sharp, we'll read them like chapters in a book about changing environmental conditions when Mars was wetter than it is today." In collaboration with Microsoft Corp., a new outreach game was unveiled Monday to give the public a sense of the challenge and adventure of landing in a precise location on the surface. Called "Mars Rover Landing," the game is an immersive experience for the Xbox 360 home entertainment console that allows users to take control of their own spacecraft and face the extreme challenges of landing a rover on Mars. "Technology is making it possible for the public to participate in exploration as it never has before," said Michelle Viotti, JPL's Mars public engagement manager. "Because Mars exploration is fundamentally a shared human endeavor, we want everyone around the globe to have the most immersive experience possible." NASA has several other forthcoming experiences geared for inspiration and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Information about many ways to watch and participate in the Curiosity's landing and the mission on the surface of Mars is available at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate . Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by JPL. Curiosity was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Follow the mission on Facebook and on Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity . For information about the mission, and to use the new video game and other education-related tools, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mars and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ . Guy Webster/D.C. Agle 818-354-6278 / 818-393-9011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov / agle@jpl.nasa.gov Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726 NASA Headquarters, Washington dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov - end -

Upcoming Workshop at NASA/JPL's Educator Resource Center

 

Upcoming Educator Workshops                              July 16, 2012 This is a feature from the NASA/JPL Education Office. Deep Space Network, Physics of Sounds Date: Saturday, July 21, 2012, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Target audience:2nd through 8th grade educators, all educators are welcome Location:NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center, Pomona, Calif. Overview: Have you ever wondered how NASA "talks" to our various missions? In this workshop teachers will learn about NASA's Deep Space Network of dishes here on Earth. Come enjoy "center-based" lessons that illustrate how sound moves through solids, liquids and gases. This workshop is being offered at the NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center located in Pomona, please call 909-397-4420 to reserve your spot. Please call 909-397-4420 to reserve your spot. For more information and directions, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=115. For a full list of professional development workshops from NASA/JPL Education, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=110. -end-

Após ver Titã, sonda da Nasa capta imagem de outra lua de Saturno

Encélado é uma das dezenas de satélites que orbitam o planeta.
'Nova' lua aparece à esquerda da imagem parcialmente eclipsada.

Do G1, em São Paulo

A sonda Cassini, da agência espacial americana (Nasa), captou a imagem de outra lua de Saturno, Encélado, após fazer uma análise detalhada de Titã, o maior satélite do planeta, que tem pelo menos 60 já conhecidos e nomeados orbitando ao redor de si.

Na imagem abaixo, obtida em outubro do ano passado e divulgada agora de forma ampliada para melhorar a visibilidade da superfície, também é possível ver Titã à direita – que parece menor, mas é dez vezes maior que a outra. Encélado aparece parcialmente eclipsado por Saturno, que está embaixo.

Duas luas de Saturno são flagradas: Encélado (esq.) e Titã 

(Foto: Nasa/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

 

A sonda da Nasa flagrou Encélado, que tem cerca de 504 quilômetros de diâmetro, de uma distância de cerca de 26 mil quilômetros. O limite entre o lado claro e escuro pode ser visto na ponta esquerda do satélite, enquanto a parte eclipsada ocorre na parte inferior da imagem, sendo o Norte para cima.

Titã tem cerca de 5.150 quilômetros de diâmetro e é vista e 1,1 milhão de quilômetros de distância da Cassini.

A missão Cassini-Huygens é um projeto cooperativo entre a Nasa, a Agência Espacial Europeia (ESA) e a Agência Espacial Italiana (ASI).

Ritratto di famiglia di Saturno

 

Saturn's rings and shadows [ARCHIVE MATERIAL 20120716 ]

 

Ritratto di famiglia di Saturno, con i suoi spettacolari anelli e le più suggestive delle sue numerosissime lune. A catturare le immagini è ancora una volta la sonda Cassini, nata dalla missione congiunta di Nasa, Agenzia Spaziale Europea (Esa) e Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (Asi).

Grazie ad una manovra che l'ha portata al di sotto del piano equatoriale del pianeta, Cassini ha adesso un nuovo punto di vista, che le permette di osservare meglio i poli e l'atmosfera del pianeta degli anelli e delle sue lune.

E' così che la sonda ha potuto inviare a Terra le immagini dell'ombra che gli anelli gettano sul pianeta, riprese ad una distanza di circa un milione di chilometri. Altre immagini mostrano l'ombra proiettata su Saturno dalla luna Tethys e altre ancora Encelado, Pandora, Janus, Rhea, Dione e la più grande delle lune del pianeta, Titano.

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