| *** APRIL 2008 *** |
| NASA SETS SIGHTS ON LUNAR DUST EXPLORATION MISSION |
| ...NASA is preparing to send a small spacecraft to the moon in 2011 to assess the lunar atmosphere and the nature of dust lofted above the surface. Called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), the mission will launch before the agency's moon exploration activities accelerate during the next decade. LADEE will gather detailed information about conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these influences will help researchers understand how future exploration may shape the lunar environment and how the environment may affect future explorers. "LADEE represents a low-cost approach to science missions, enabling faster science return and more frequent missions," said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. "These measurements will provide scientific insight into the lunar environment, and give our explorers a clearer understanding of what they'll be up against as they set up the first outpost and begin the process of settling the solar system."... |
| NASA AMES CO-HOSTS YURI'S NIGHT BAY AREA 2008 CELEBRATION |
| ...Yuri's Night Bay Area 2008 (YNBA 2008) will bring together scientists, engineers, artists, musicians and an expected 8,000 guests at NASA's Ames Research Center on April 12 for a multimedia celebration of space exploration and NASA's 50th anniversary year. Co-hosted by Ames and the Space Generation Advisory Council, the 12-hour event will feature more than 25 musical acts and a host of speakers to commemorate the anniversary of the first human space launch (Yuri Gagarin, April 12, 1961) and the first space shuttle mission (John Young and Bob Crippen, April 12, 1981). YNBA 2008 coincides with other celebrations around the world. More than 30 cutting-edge interactive demonstrations will showcase Ames' innovative contributions to science, aeronautics and space exploration, and dozens of commercial and academic groups will explore the theme "Radical Technology for Sustainable Future."... |
| NASA LAUNCHES AIRBORNE STUDY OF ARCTIC ATMOSPHERE, AIR POLLUTION |
| ...This month, NASA begins the most extensive field campaign ever to investigate the chemistry of the Arctic's lower atmosphere. The mission is poised to help scientists identify how air pollution contributes to climate changes in the Arctic. Managed by NASA's Ames Research Center's Earth Science Project Office, the experiment -- the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) campaign -- will use aircraft and NASA satellites to probe the arctic atmosphere, sampling gaseous and particulate pollution to understand its origin and influences on climate across the region. "We haven't looked at pollution transport in a comprehensive fashion," said Hanwant Singh, an ARCTAS project scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. "We can see Arctic haze coming in but we don't know its composition or how it got there. One goal of ARCTAS is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the aerosol composition, chemistry and climate effects in the Arctic region."... |