[Spacetalk] http://www.nasa.gov/index.html

Fri Feb 27 07:17:01 CST 2015

Good morning all,
 The visit to Mila Elementary was great....I did two presentations 3rd & 4th and 5th & 6th....the kids were awesome, so enthusiastic and seemed to pay attention throughout....sometimes things happen at these presentation which amaze me so much...one of the things I do is talk about my buddy Randall, who is blind and how we did triathlons together...what he had to do to accomplish this and that they will face difficult times in their lives when they don't think they can do something...but not to get discouraged, to think of Randall, remind themselves nothing is impossible.... out of nowhere they started clapping, not even sure where it began but it progressed through the whole audience, 3rd & 4th graders as well as the teachers...for about two minutes....way cool...even now, thinking of it... it still amazes  me...also want to thank Amy for all her coordination... met Amy 12 years ago, which is scary because it seems about 5...she was a teacher working on KSC for the summer...we spoke for a little while and I added her to the group email which has been receiving all these years, she took some time off to have a couple of kids, came back to teaching, contacted me to visit her school...wishing you all a wonderful day...we have to always remember to do our best, enjoy everything we do, live in the present, keep thing in perspective, let those we care about most know, smile & have fun! Gabe

NASA Spacecraft Prepares for March 12 Launch to Study Earth's Dynamic Magnetic Space Environment

        [http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/673xvariable_height/public/thumbnails/image/15953144593_3e251cc522_o.jpg] <http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/15953144593_3e251cc522_o.jpg>
NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observatories are shown here in the clean room being processed for a March 12 launch from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
Image Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
Final preparations are underway for the launch of NASA's quartet of Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, which constitute the first space mission dedicated to the study of magnetic reconnection. This fundamental process occurs throughout the universe where magnetic fields connect and disconnect with an explosive release of energy.
"Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important drivers of space weather events," said Jeff Newmark, interim director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Eruptive solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms all involve the release, through reconnection, of energy stored in magnetic fields. Space weather events can affect modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation, and electrical power grids."
The launch of MMS, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, will be managed by the Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday March 12 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
The spacecraft will begin science operations in September. Unlike previous missions to observe the evidence of magnetic reconnection events, MMS will have sufficient resolution to measure the characteristics of ongoing reconnection events as they occur.
The mission consists of four identical space observatories that will provide the first three-dimensional view of magnetic reconnection. Because the observatories will fly through reconnection regions in a tight formation, in less than a second, key sensors on each spacecraft are designed to measure the space environment at rates faster than any previous mission.
"MMS engineers have completed final observatory closeout procedures and checks and are awaiting transport to the launch pad tomorrow for integration with the Atlas rocket," said Craig Tooley, MMS project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The team is in high spirits and ready to get these technological marvels in space."
The mission observes reconnection directly in Earth's protective magnetic space environment known as the magnetosphere. By studying reconnection in this local, natural laboratory, MMS helps us understand reconnection elsewhere, such as the atmosphere of the sun, the vicinity of black holes and neutron stars, and the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space.
"This is the perfect time for this mission," said Jim Burch, principal investigator of the MMS instrument suite science team at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas. "MMS is a crucial next step in advancing the science of magnetic reconnection. Studying magnetic reconnection near Earth will unlock the ability to understand how this process works throughout the entire universe."
MMS is led by Goddard, which also built, integrated and tested the four spacecraft. The MMS Instrument Suite Science Team is led by SwRI. The spacecraft are controlled and operated from the MMS Mission Operations Center at Goddard. Science operations planning and instrument command sequence development are performed at the MMS Science Operations Center at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder.
More information about the MMS mission is online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mms

NASA Briefing to Highlight Early Results from New Earth Science Missions
        [http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/673xvariable_height/public/thumbnails/image/m015-029.jpg] <http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/m015-029.jpg>
Five new Earth science missions have joined NASA's orbiting fleet since the launch of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission one year ago.
Image Credit: NASA
Over the past 12 months NASA has added five missions to its orbiting Earth-observing fleet - the biggest one-year increase in more than a decade. New views of global carbon dioxide, rain and snowfall, ocean winds, and aerosol particles in the atmosphere will be presented during the briefing.
The first of the five new missions - the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core observatory - was launched from Japan one year ago on Feb. 27, 2014. The most recent - the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission - was launched from California on Jan. 31 and is in its checkout phase before starting to collect data. Two missions are collecting NASA's first ongoing Earth observations from the International Space Station (ISS).
For more information about NASA's Earth science programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

Still anxiously waiting to see these... so always enjoy the thought of the possibility...<http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/study-of-atmospheric-froth-may-help-gps-communications/index.html>
Study of Upper Atmosphere May Help GPS
 <http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/study-of-atmospheric-froth-may-help-gps-communications/index.html>
Especially at high latitudes on our planet, signals traveling between Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and your mobile device can get distorted in Earth's upper atmosphere. Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of New Brunswick in Canada, are studying irregularities in the ionosphere. Their new study compares turbulence in the auroral region to that at higher latitudes, and gains insights that could have implications for the mitigation of disturbances in the ionosphere.

Fire acts differently in space than on Earth. Sandra Olson, an aerospace engineer at NASA's Glenn Research Center, demonstrates just how differently in her art. This artwork is comprised of multiple overlays of three separate microgravity flame images. Each image is of flame spread over cellulose paper in a spacecraft ventilation flow in microgravity. The different colors represent different chemical reactions within the flame. The blue areas are caused by chemiluminescence (light produced by a chemical reaction.) The white, yellow and orange regions are due to glowing soot within the flame zone. Microgravity combustion research at Glenn not only provides insights into spacecraft fire safety, but it has also been used to create award-winning art images. This image won first place in the 2011 Combustion Art Competition, held at the 7th U.S. National Combustion Meeting. Image Credit: NASA

Enroll your kids in the 9th annual Reach for the Stars ~ National Rocket Competition.
It is a fun, affordable and easy way to excite them about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Subjects.
Request a 'No Obligation' estimate before the end of March - and receive a FREE Launch Set when you place your order.
Orders can be placed any time prior to the Competition deadline (June 30th 2015).
Just answer the questions below and we'll send your free, 'no obligation' estimate.
 How many competitors?
1.      What age / grade?
2.      When do you want to launch?
3.      Do you have launch equipment? (launch pad and control)
4.      Are you experienced?

Three national winners get to celebrate under an October Sky at Space Camp / US Space & Rocket Center in 'Rocket City', Huntsville, Alabama.
Go to www.TheRocketman.net<http://www.therocketman.net/> for more info.
Wishing you light winds on launch day.
Jack & Kathy Colpas, co-directors
Helping Kids Reach for the Stars / Reach for the Stars ~ National Rocket Competition
STEM - Educational Outreach (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math)
www.TheRocketman.net<http://www.therocketman.net/>    Rocketman at SciConServices.com<blocked::Rocketman at SciConServices.com>
Phone (941) 955-3958  /  Fax (206) 350-7880
 <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reach-for-the-Stars-National-Rocket-Competition/184140284978779>      <https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=48614658&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic>

Helping Kids Reach for the Stars is recognized by: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Astronaut Hall of Fame, Space Camp - US Space & Rocket Center, Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST), Kennedy Space Center - Educator Resource Center, National Girls Collaborative Project, the Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC),  National Space Society (NSS), South Eastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering (SECME), Florida League of Middle Schools (FLMS), Florida Engineering Education Conference (FEEC), Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI), Southwest Florida Girl Scout Council, YMCA of Central Florida, Tampa Tripoli Rocket Association, the Private School Consultancy (PSC) and many public school systems.

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