NASA Crash-Test Dummies Make A Splash Landing

Hubble Finds a Lenticular Galaxy Standing Out in the Crowd

A lone source shines out brightly from the dark expanse of deep space, glowing softly against a picturesque backdrop of distant stars and colorful galaxies.

Captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), this scene shows PGC 83677, a lenticular galaxy — a galaxy type that sits between the more familiar elliptical and spiral varieties.

It reveals both the relatively calm outskirts and intriguing core of PGC 83677. Here, studies have uncovered signs of a monstrous black hole that is spewing out high-energy X-rays and ultraviolet light.

Text Credit: ESA (European Space Agency)

This is where they 3D print cool pieces that are needed for the ISS! They use cool carbon fiber materials to make the final product look smooth and flawless. They are also 3D printing that payload attachment fitting for the SLS Block 1B rocket!! I took a video of it actually printing so be on the lookout for that!

Help NASA Track and Predict Mosquito-Borne Disease Outbreaks

Picnics, parades and fireworks are the attributes of a grand July Fourth celebration. So are the itch and scratch of mosquito bites. While the bites are annoying, they don't tend to stop the festivities. However, certain types of mosquitoes can cause serious harm. They are known to carry and spread diseases like Zika, West Nile Virus and malaria.

One of the tools researchers are using to track these mosquitos is citizen science data combining with NASA Earth satellite observations to create new forecast models that can predict the spread of mosquito-carrying diseases, but more data are needed to improve models that can predict and track mosquito-borne diseases.

“We do not have enough information on the geographic distribution of mosquito and time-variation in their populations. If a lot of people participated in this citizen science initiative worldwide, it will help fill in gaps and that would help our work,” said Assaf Anyamba, a scientist from Universities Space Research Association using satellite data to study mosquitoes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

From fall 2017 to spring 2018, two NASA DEVELOP teams at Goddard studied Western Europe, a place not typically known for mosquito disease outbreaks. DEVELOP, part of NASA’s Applied Sciences Program, addresses environmental and public policy issues through interdisciplinary research projects that apply the lens of NASA Earth observations to community concerns around the globe. The Global Mosquito Alert Consortium supplied the DEVELOP teams with citizen science data.

The teams blended the citizen science data with NASA satellite observations of land surface temperatures, humidity, soil moisture, elevation, vegetation and precipitation. The data were then used to create an interactive, open-source map on Google Earth Engine to improve prediction models for disease-carrying mosquitoes. The work is ongoing.

Early results showed that vegetation, humidity and soil moisture made it easier for mosquitoes to thrive during the summer months. During the winter, elevation played a stronger role in creating mosquito-friendly habitats. The lower the altitude, the higher the number of mosquitoes. One challenge with the study was that the citizen science data was concentrated in populated areas; and as a result, it was skewing some of the mosquito results,” said Sara Lubkin, DEVELOP project coordination fellow at Goddard.

More citizen science data from more areas of the world could help.

“Knowing the mosquito species and their approximate populations at a given time provides useful information on the potential of occurrence of a particular pathogen, or disease transmission,” said Anyamba.

Different environmental conditions are suitable for certain types of disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Every summer, hot, humid conditions drive up mosquito populations. Since there are plenty of wet areas to live and breed, mosquitoes tend to stay in one area. However, when conditions become hot and dry, mosquitoes migrate to more suitable habitats.

Satellites can detect how wet or how dry an area is, and that information helps determine what types of mosquitoes and disease can move through an environment.

The last significant West Nile outbreak in the United States occurred in 2011, which was a dry year. The hot, dry season led mosquitoes to move into highly urbanized and populated areas seeking food and water.

Warmer temperatures excite some mosquito species, causing them to bite more people. Also, certain high temperature thresholds can reduce the amount of time it takes for mosquitoes to mature from larvae to adults leading to doubling mosquito populations over an average year.

Mosquitoes cannot travel far on their own. Instead, they have to hitch a ride on people and animals to travel any significant distance. If a mosquito is a type that carries and spreads diseases, then the disease can move into new areas, as occurred in Western Europe.

The public can help track mosquitoes by downloading an app called GLOBE Observer, and then collect data over the summer using the Mosquito Habitat Mapper tool in the app. The app guides users through the process of identifying and eliminating mosquito breeding sites in order to reduce mosquito populations in their local area.

Related links:

An Interactive Model of Mosquito Presence and Distribution to Assist Vector-Borne Disease Management in Western Europe

A new report from the National Center for Atmospheric Research evaluates the risk to 50 U.S. cities from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries Zika.

Global Mosquito Alert Consortium

NASA Citizen Science App Tackles Mosquito-Borne Disease

By Rani Gran NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Voyager 2 Photograph of Jupiter

A photo of Jupiter. Took by Voyager with VGISS on July 02, 1979 at 06:01:35. Detail page on OPUS database.

Vibration test at 80% power of the European Structural Test Article conducted at NASA Glenn’s Space Power Facility at Plum Brook Station, Sandusky, Ohio.

The California Current System

This February 8, 2016 composite image reveals the complex distribution of phytoplankton in one of Earth’s eastern boundary upwelling systems — the California Current. Recent work suggests that our warming climate my be increasing the intensity of upwelling in such regions with possible repercussions for the species that comprise those ecosystems.

NASA’s OceanColor Web is supported by the Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Our responsibilities include the collection, processing, calibration, validation, archive and distribution of ocean-related products from a large number of operational, satellite-based remote-sensing missions providing ocean color, sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity data to the international research community since 1996.

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Suomin-NPP/VIIRS #California #nasagoddard #earth #ocean

Feb. 12 'State of NASA' Events Highlight Agency Goals for Space Exploration

NASA centers across the country, including the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, are opening their doors Monday, Feb. 12, to media and social media for 'State of NASA' events.

Activities include a speech from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, and unique opportunities for a behind-the-scenes look at the agency's work. These events follow President Trump's Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal delivery to the U.S. Congress.

Events at NASA centers will include media tours and presentations on the agency's exploration goals for the Moon, Mars and worlds beyond, the innovative technologies developed and under development, as well as the scientific discoveries made as NASA explores and studies Earth and our universe, and advancements toward next-generation air travel.

Lightfoot will provide a 'State of NASA' address to the agency's workforce at 1 p.m. EST from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. His remarks will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website, https://www.nasa.gov/live. Following the presentation, NASA centers will host tours of their facilities for media and social media guests.

At Langley, the news and social media event will run from 1 to 5 p.m. and include:

A look at the SAGE III flight control center. SAGE III is the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III studying Earth's atmosphere from the International Space Station.

A visit to the research aircraft hangar to see aircraft that are used in support of airborne research campaigns, as well as an inflatable heat shield that will enable landing on distant worlds.

A view of the labs where sonic-boom testing is being done to lower their impact so that commercial aircraft can be developed to fly supersonically over land.

A tour in a lab where inflatable space structures are being developed.

Follow the hashtag #StateOfNASA for more!

NASA Langley researchers are experts in modeling and simulations for entry, descent and landing, working on missions since the Viking lander in 1976. In this episode, we explore the challenges of guiding landers like Mars InSight through the Martian atmosphere for a safe landing. 

NASA InSight launched on March 5, 2018.

For more, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/

Life at the Lab: Dummies Crash Planes!

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how test dummies at NASA's Langley Research Center contribute to making the planes we fly on safer and developing space exploration vehicles. Work ranges from next-generation aircraft to water-impact tests that evaluate the splashdown of Orion astronaut crew capsules returning from space. 

Credit: NASA/Videographer: Gary Banziger; Writer and Co-Producer: Lily Daniels; Editor and Co-Producer: Kevin Anderson

See what goes on behind the gates of the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC)!