| *** JUNE 2008 *** |
| NASA DEVELOPS WORLD'S HIGHEST RESOLUTION VISUALIZATION SYSTEM |
| ...The power to visualize highly complex information in a way that's easier for the human mind to grasp is taking a giant leap forward with the advent of NASA's new hyperwall-2 system unveiled today at Ames Research Center. Developed by scientists and engineers in the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at Ames, the 128-screen hyperwall-2, capable of rendering one quarter billion pixel graphics, is the world's highest resolution scientific visualization and data exploration environment. The new tool enables scientists to quickly explore datasets that otherwise would take many years to analyze. The 23-foot-wide by 10-foot tall liquid crystal display wall is being used to view, analyze, and communicate results from NASA's high-fidelity modeling and simulation projects supporting the safety of new space exploration vehicle designs, atmospheric re-entry analysis for the space shuttle, earthquakes, climate change, global weather and black hole collisions. "The hyperwall-2 offers a supercomputer-scale environment that is truly up to the task of visualization and exploration of the very large datasets routinely produced by NASA supercomputers and instruments," said Bryan Biegel, NAS deputy chief. "The system also will be used to get highly detailed information on how NAS supercomputers are operating, enabling staff to quickly and precisely diagnose problems or inefficiencies with the supercomputers or the software running on them."... |
| NASA, AIR RESOURCES BOARD TO EXAMINE CALIFORNIA AIR QUALITY |
| ...NASA and scientists from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are conducting a series of research flights this month that are examining the atmosphere over the state to better understand the chemical dynamics of smog and greenhouse gases. Three of NASA's aircraft (the DC-8, P-3 and ER-2) will fly the length of California along the coast from San Diego as far north as Trinidad Head, near the Oregon border. All of these planes are equipped for taking atmospheric composition measurements as part of a larger environmental science campaign, the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS), to study the impact of air pollution on the Arctic's atmospheric chemistry and climate. "We will provide highly advanced capability to develop critically needed information on pollutant emissions and atmospheric concentrations both offshore and onshore over California allowing us to better model air quality and future climate change," said Hanwant Singh, an Ames project scientist... |
| NASA ASTRONAUT, SCIENTISTS EXPLORE LAKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LIFE |
| ...News media are invited to share the excitement.., as scientists and astronauts dive more than 200 feet deep in single-person submarines into the clear, blue depths of Pavilion Lake, in British Columbia, Canada. The Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) science team will conduct rigorous scientific research of life in extreme environments from June 23 to July 3, 2008 using DeepWorker submersibles to study towering, freshwater reef-like structures built by bacteria, along the bottom of the lake. While gathering their underwater samples, scientists and astronauts hope to learn collection techniques of interest to future lunar and space exploration missions. "This is an exciting year for the Pavilion Lake Research Project," said Darlene Lim, who leads the project, works as a research associate at NASA's Ames Research Center, and is a principal investigator for the SETI Institute, Mountain View, Calif. "We will finally get a chance to address two of our main science goals: mapping the lake and retrieving deep water samples for geochemical analyses."... |
| NASA AND GOOGLE ANNOUNCE LEASE AT AMES RESEARCH CENTER |
| ...NASA and Google Inc. ... announced plans to develop a new high-technology campus at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. Under the terms of the 40-year agreement, Google will lease 42.2 acres of unimproved land in NASA Research Park at Ames to construct up to 1.2 million square feet of offices and research and development (R&D) facilities in a campus-style setting. "With this new campus, we will establish a new era of expanded collaboration with Google that will further enhance our Silicon Valley connections," said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. "This major expansion of NASA Research Park supports NASA's mission to lead the nation in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research."... |