One answer to roving across the surface of Mars may be blowing in the wind. Literally. Researchers exploring different methods to deliver scientific instruments to various Martian locales are studying the potential for a giant, lightweight, two-story tall beach ball. Equipped with scientific instruments, the so-called “tumbleweed ball” conceived by JPL researchers could potentially explore vast tracts of planetary terrain, blown by the wind.
August 8th, 2001
Eating Right For Long-Duration Space Missions
During long-duration space flights, astronauts often don’t eat as much as they should, which can cause weight loss and other nutritional concerns, such as low levels of vitamin D. A study released today of astronauts who lived aboard the Russian space station Mir, and counterparts living in seclusion on Earth, has validated a tool for measuring astronauts’ dietary intake during long space flights. “When you are going to spend a few months in space, it’s important to be sure you meet your body’s nutritional needs,” Dr. Scott M. Smith said. One nutrient of particular concern during long-duration space flights is vitamin D, which is important for bone health. The lack of ultraviolet light due to spacecraft shielding takes away the body’s ability to produce this vitamin naturally during space flight. “This is just one example of why food becomes even more important during long space flights.”
July 27th, 2001
Space-Buff Volunteers Wanted as Solar System Ambassadors
Want to guide others on an armchair adventure to the moons of Jupiter and the surface of Mars? NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is inviting applications from space enthusiasts nationwide for the Solar System Ambassador program. The program brings together motivated volunteers from across the nation with top space scientists and engineers to help tell the public about exciting solar system discoveries and future explorations. Applications for year 2002 ambassadors will be accepted during the month of September 2001. Final selections will be announced in December.
July 26th, 2001
Contracts Awarded for Mars Ascent Vehicle Concept Studies
NASA’s Mars Technology Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Califfornia, has awarded three industry contracts for the development of concepts for a small rocket that will lift science samples gathered by NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission from the Martian surface and support their return to Earth. A panel consisting of propulsion experts including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and JPL selected these companies from the five that responded to the request for proposals. The awardees are: – Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, California – Lockheed Martin Corporation, Denver, Colorado – TRW, Redondo Beach, California
July 24th, 2001
Stennis completes second hot-fire test of aerospike engine technology for Space Launch Initiative
Stennis Space Center has successfully completed the second test in a three-part series for a Space Launch Initiative (SLI) test program of the Electro-Mechanical Actuator (EMA) technology used on the former X-33 program
July 17th, 2001
NASA Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Mars Landing
Twenty-five years ago, on July 20, 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 lander soft-landed on the surface of Mars, becoming the first successful mission to land on the red planet, as well as the first successful American landing on another planet. With a second lander later joining the first on the surface and with two orbiters circling the planet, the Viking project changed our understanding of that alien world. Its treasure trove of images and data covering the entire Martian globe remains a valuable scientific resource for the study of Mars.
July 11th, 2001
Fire and Ice: Sizzling Comets Around a Dying Star
As an alien sun blazes through its death throes, it is apparently vaporizing a surrounding swarm of comets, releasing a huge cloud of water vapor, a team of astronomers reported today. The discovery, reported in an article to be published tomorrow in the journal Nature, is the result of observations with the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), a small radio observatory that NASA launched into space in December 1998. “Over the past two years, SWAS has detected water vapor from a wide variety of astronomical sources,” says Dr. Gary Melnick of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Principal Investigator on the SWAS mission. “What makes the results we are reporting today so unusual is that we have found a cloud of water vapor around a star where we would not ordinarily have expected to find water.”
June 25th, 2001
Detecting Dust Devils on Mars
NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft recently caught sight of a dust devil dancing across the Martian surface. While it isn’t the first of the tornado-like weather systems to be imaged, it is yet another reminder that Mars is an ever-changing planet. Dr. Ken Edgett, a staff scientist at Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, Calif., regularly tracks the dust devils and studies surface features. As the operator for the Surveyor’s orbiter camera, he is one of the first to see fascinating images of the red planet. Dr. Edgett recently discussed the importance of dust devils and how they are transforming the look of Mars.
June 21st, 2001
Artificial Intelligence: It’s More Than a Movie
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will talk about the real artificial intelligence work that takes place at NASA in a live webcast, scheduled for June 29, 2001, at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. Dr. Edward Tunstel, lead robotics engineer on the FIDO rover, a test model for the twin NASA rovers that will go to Mars in 2003, will speak about rover autonomy of the past and future. Dr. Larry Matthies, Supervisor, Machine Vision Group, will talk about his work on machines with human vision capability. Barbara Engelhardt and Russell Knight of JPL’s Artificial Intelligence Software Group, will answer questions on use of artificial intelligence software on future missions.