| *** MARCH 2008 *** |
| NASA STUDIES MICROBES ON SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT |
| ...NASA launched four microbial experiments aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on March 11, 2008. NASA Ames Research Center's Fundamental Biology Research group is managing this flight project. The purpose of sending the microbes into space is to determine how they respond to spaceflight and whether their virulence or resistance to drugs is altered. The space-borne microbes are contained in special equipment developed by Bioserve Inc, of Boulder, Colo. The microorganisms are the focus of the work of four Ames-sponsored researchers: Cheryl Nickerson of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.; Barry Pyle at Montana State University in Billings, Mont.; and two University of Texas Medical Branch researchers David Niesel and Michael McGinnis in Galveston,Texas. "Three of the four experiments were flown previously on the space shuttle. This flight offers the scientists an opportunity to confirm and build upon their previous results," said Kenneth A. Souza, manager of Fundamental Biology Research Projects at Ames... |
| NASA'S AMES SCIENTISTS PARTICIPATE IN MEDIA DAY FOR ARCTIC MISSION |
| ...NASA Public Affairs will hold a media day in Fairbanks, Alaska, ...to give reporters a behind-the-scenes view of the largest airborne experiment ever conducted to study the impact of air pollution on the Arctic's atmospheric chemistry and changing climate. 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. Three NASA research aircraft and more than 100 scientists will be based in Fairbanks for three weeks in April to investigate the "arctic haze" of air pollution that forms from sources across the Northern Hemisphere... |
| NASA AMES SCIENTIST SELECTED FOR RETURN TO MOON TEAM |
| ...A scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center is one of 24 researchers selected to join the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission to explore and measure geological features on the moon's surface. Scheduled for launch later this year, the mission represents NASA's first step toward returning humans to the moon. Ross Beyer, a SETI Institute employee who works at Ames, will join the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) team to help develop high-resolution imaging and topography to explore the lunar terrain for future landing sites. Beyer will help plan stereo observations and build topographic models in order to study the geologic history of the moon. "I haven't seen the reviews of my proposal yet," Beyer said, "but I assume that I was selected because I can provide a variety of mission operations and science expertise to the team, helping out with both the exploration and science portions of the mission." |
| NASA COLLABORATES WITH ASTRONOMERS IN SEARCH FOR MOON WATER |
| ... In early 2009, astronomers on Earth will point telescopes at the moon looking for water -- and NASA will help them find their target. NASA experts and professional astronomers are gathering today at NASA's Ames Research Center for the Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, Astronomer Workshop. The workshop's goal is to facilitate collaboration among experts concerning the best techniques to observe the expected debris plume created by the satellite's impacts on the lunar South Pole. "The mission team, through the LCROSS Observation Campaign, will encourage astronomers using both ground-and space-based telescopes to observe the LCROSS lunar impacts," said Jennifer Heldmann, coordinator of the LCROSS Observation Campaign. "Participation by professional astronomers is a key component of the LCROSS mission. The campaign also will tap into the knowledge and expertise of the large amateur astronomer community," Heldmann added... |