| November 26, 2002 |
| New theory may help
improve weather predictions: Less precipitation and more
lightning eventually may be forecast as a result of a NASA study that
shows that cloud droplets freeze from the outside inward instead of
the opposite. |
| NASA's ready to
study cool ice, hot plasma and ocean winds: The month
of December will see the launch of three NASA research missions to
help us better understand and protect our home planet while continuing
to search for life in our universe and inspire the next generation
of explorers. The ICESat, CHIPS and SeaWinds missions will help improve
life here while searching for life beyond Earth. |
November 25, 2002 |
| Scientists glimpse
cellular machines at work inside living cells: Using advanced
imaging technology and computational simulations, scientists have,
for the first time, glimpsed the action of a cellular machine at work
within living cells. |
| NASA breakthrough
method may lead to smaller electronics: NASA scientists
have invented a breakthrough biological method to make ultra-small
structures that may well be used to produce electronics 10 to 100 times
smaller. |
| Photosynthesis Analysis
Shows Work of Ancient Genetic Engineering: The development
of the biochemical process of photosynthesis is one of nature's most
important events, but how did it actually happen? This is a question
that molecular biology has first posed, and now perhaps answered. |
| Current Shuttle Mission
- Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-113 Status Report: Endeavour
docked with the International Space Station at 3:59 CST this afternoon,
bringing a new crew and another segment of the station's backbone,
the Port One (P1) segment of the Integrated Truss System. |
November 22, 2002 |
| Laboratory helps
forecast frequency of giant meteors: A system operated
by the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory and
used to listen for clandestine nuclear tests has played a key role
in helping scientists more accurately determine how often Earth is
hammered by giant meteors like the one that flattened 1,200 square
miles of forest in Russia in 1908. |
| Shuttle Mission
STS-113 Launch Time Announced: Following a review of processing
activities including the repair of an oxygen leak in the orbiter's
midbody and the evaluation of the condition of the orbiter's robotic
arm, mission managers today confirmed the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour
for today at the preferred launch time of 8:15:30 p.m. EST. |
| Driving force behind
Mars Express: The Ferrari Red Paint will not be the only
thing breaking all speed records when it hurtles towards the Red Planet
on-board the Mars Express spacecraft in 2003. The spacecraft itself
has already broken some speed records of its own. Mars Express is the
fastest-built satellite of its type in the history of space engineering. |
| Pesticides linked
to amphibian declines: California is a hotspot of amphibian
decline, half of the state's frogs and toads are in trouble, and new
research suggests that agricultural pesticides may be one of the biggest
reasons. |
November 21, 2002
|
| Unearthing the San
Andreas Fault Zone: An in-depth analysis of major long-term
research on the San Andreas fault indicates that parts of the fault
are likely to experience a major temblor sooner than previously believed,
including the section near Palm Springs and the San Bernardino-Riverside
areas, and the Hayward Fault in the Bay Area. |
| Two-billion-year-old
Surprise Found Beneath The Azores: Geologists may have
to revise their ideas about what goes on in the Earth interior, following
the publication today of new research in the journal Nature. |
| Endeavour Countdown
to Launch on Nov. 22: Shuttle managers today cleared Endeavour
for launch on mission STS-113, resolving two technical issues that
had been the focus of extensive analysis and evaluation. |
| Bioengineers Use
Computer Model to Predict Evolution of Bacteria: Bioengineers
used their computer model of E-coli to accurately predict how the bacteria
would evolve under specific conditions. The results may have applications
for designing tailor-made biological materials for commercial uses
or for predicting the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria. |
| NASA awards new
contracts for flight demonstrators: NASA today awarded
contracts to two companies for flight demonstrator technologies. The
awards are required to mature technologies needed to support full-scale
development design of a future competitively selected Orbital Space
Plane. |
November 20, 2002 |
| Endeavour Countdown
to Launch on Nov. 22: The countdown for launch of Space
Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-113 began overnight in preparation
for launch as early as Friday, Nov. 22. Mission managers continue to
discuss options regarding the Remote Manipulator System (robotic arm)
in the orbiter's payload bay. |
| Envisat¬s ASAR reveals
extent of massive oil spill off Spanish coast: Oil from
the wrecked tanker off the northwest coast of Spain had already reached
the Spanish coast when ESA’s Envisat satellite acquired radar
images of the oil slick, stretching more than 150 km, on Sunday, 17
November, at 10.45 UTC. |
| Scientists Reveal
a New Way Viruses Cause Cells to Self-Destruct: Scientists
at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and
their collaborators have discovered that some viruses can use the most
abundant protein in the cells they are infecting to destroy the cells
and allow new viruses to escape to infect others. |
| Nisqually earthquake
damaged 300,000 Puget Sound households: Even though it
wasn't the big one, the Nisqually earthquake last year caused damage
to nearly 300,000 residences or almost one out of every four households
in the Puget Sound area. |
| Ocean robots watching
our climate: A new array of ocean robots has begun working
deep in the Indian Ocean to help scientists understand Australia's
changing climate. |
November 19, 2002 |
| Never Before Seen:
Two Supermassive Black Holes in the Same Galaxy: For the
first time, scientists have proof two supermassive black holes exist
together in the same galaxy. These black holes are orbiting each other
and will merge several hundred million years from now, to create an
even larger black hole resulting in a catastrophic event that will
unleash intense radiation and gravitational waves. |
| Sulphur dioxide levels
fall sharply near Mount Etna: Levels of sulphur dioxide
around Mount Etna have dropped three to four times since the volcano's
initial eruption, according to an analysis of ESA satellite data. |
| Silicon transistors
will encounter pressure from nanoelectronics: The future
of nanoelectronics looks promising. Built with nanotubes and various
self-assembling molecular structures, this technology may revolutionize
the electronic world by replacing the silicon transistor in approximately
ten years. |
| Scientists identify
'master' molecule that controls action of many genes: Scientists
have identified the first 'master' molecule in the cell nucleus that
controls the action of hundreds of different genes at once through
its action on enzymes. |
| NASA celebrates
100 years of flight with Wright artifacts: The excitement
of 100 years of flight will come to life as NASA recreates tests conducted
by the Wright Brothers in preparation for their historic first flight
in North Carolina. |
| November 18, 2002 |
| An Unexpected Discovery
Could Yield Full Spectrum Solar Cell: Researchers in the
Materials Sciences Division (MSD) of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
working with crystal-growing teams at Cornell University and Japan's
Ritsumeikan University, have learned that the band gap of the semiconductor
indium nitride is not 2 electron volts (2 eV) as previously thought,
but instead is a much lower 0.7 eV. |
| Swedish solar telescope
bursts dream barrier: The first pictures from the new
Swedish solar telescope on La Palma, Canary Islands, are presented
in an article in the prestigious science journal Nature from November
14. The images of the sun are the most detailed ever seen. One of the
most sensational discoveries is a previously unknown detailed sunspot
structure. |
| Active Aeroelastic
Wing Research Flight Begin at NASA Dryden: The Active
Aeroelastic Wing program is researching the use of lighter-weight flexible
wings for improved maneuverability of future high-performance military
aircraft. |
| Endeavour Launch
to ISS No Earlier Than Nov. 22: NASA managers postponed
the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-113 due to higher
than allowable oxygen levels in the orbiter's mid body. |
| Johnson Space Center
International Space Station Status Report #52: The Expedition
5 crewmembers; Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy
Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev; spent their 23rd week
in space continuing preparations for the arrival of their replacements,
the Expedition 6 crew. |
November 15, 2002 |
| NASA prepares
for Last Chance Meteor Shower: The early morning hours
of Nov. 19 may be your last chance to see the spectacular Leonid meteor
shower in its full glory, according to astronomers. |
| Laboratories On A
Chip Get Super-Small, Super-Smart Plumbing: University
of Rochester researchers are working on a new way to move and distribute
microscopic amounts of fluid around a chip, essentially mimicking the
work of scientists testing dozens of samples in a laboratory. |
| NASA satellite flies
high to monitor sun's influence on ozone: In October,
the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) completed the first
measurement of the solar ultraviolet radiation spectrum over the duration
of an 11 year solar cycle, a period marked by cyclical shifts in the
Sun's activity. |
| ESA`s shortcut to
a comet: On the night of 18-19 November 2002, you may
see a spectacular sky show. As tiny particles in Comet 55/P Tempel-Tuttle`s
tail enter Earth`s atmosphere, they will pierce through it, heating
up, and finally explode. Welcome to one of the most spectacular natural
fireworks displays of the year: a meteor shower called the Leonids. |
November 14, 2002 |
| Astronauts Capture
High-Resolution Glacier Imagery: Russian researchers are
studying images taken by the crew of the International Space Station
to better understand the catastrophic glacier collapse and landslide
that occurred on the northern slope of Mount Kazbek in September. |
| Molecular Film on
Liquid Mercury Reveals New Properties: A team of scientists
have grown ultrathin films made of organic molecules on the surface
of liquid mercury. The results, reported in the November 15, 2002,
issue of Science, reveal a series of new molecular structures that
could lead to novel applications in nanotechnology, which involves
manipulating materials at the atomic scale. |
| Scientists discover
ancient protein and DNA sequences in same fossil: Researchers
have uncovered two genetically informative molecules from a single
fossil bone. In addition to the recovery of mitochondrial DNA, the
complete sequencing of a bone protein, osteocalcin, makes this a major
scientific breakthrough. |
| NASA's Integrated
Space Transportation Plan (ISTP) released: The new ISTP
dedicates more resources to the Space Station program; provides additional
funding to extend the life and enhance the safety and reliability of
the agency's orbiter fleet; boosts funding for science-based payloads
and research; and restructures NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI),
originally designed to identify next-generation reusable launch vehicle
technology. |
November 13, 2002 |
| New evidence that
El Niño influences global climate conditions on a 2,000-year cycle: El
Niño, the pattern that can wreak havoc on climate conditions
around the world, is like a beacon, pulsating through time on a 2,000
year cycle, according to a new study by scientists from Syracuse University,
Syracuse, N.Y.; Union College, Schenectady, N.Y., and from the NOAA
Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder, Colo., that is being published in
the Nov. 14 issue of Nature. |
| Detecting bacteria
in space: The good, the bad and the unknown: Dr. George
E. Fox and Dr. Richard Willson, researchers on the National Space Biomedical
Research Institute’s immunology and infection team, have developed
a new technology to characterize unknown bacteria. Its immediate application
will be for identifying bacteria in space, but it will eventually aid
in diagnosing medical conditions and detecting biological hazards on
Earth. |
| Canadian Space Agency
Launches a Small and Micro-satellite Program: The Canadian
Space Agency (CSA) announced today the awarding of six contracts, worth
a total of $930,000, to Canadian space companies for developing generic
small-satellite and micro-satellite buses to meet the future needs
of the Canadian space program. |
| European researchers
join NSF's massive international project to remap Tree of Life: Dozens
of institutions, universities and museums around the world will participate
in a new NSF effort to remap evolutionary Tree-of-Life. They will construct
a new framework for understanding the evolutionary relationships between
all species, extinct and living. |
| Pacific Ocean temperature
changes point to natural climate variability: Analysis
of long-term changes in Pacific Ocean temperatures may provide additional
data with which to evaluate global warming hypotheses. |
November 12, 2002 |
| Physicists Puzzle
Over Unexpected Findings in 'Little' Big Bang: Scientists
have recreated a temperature not seen since the first microsecond of
the birth of the universe and found that the event did not unfold quite
the way they expected, according to a recent paper in Physical Review
Letters. |
| Set your own course
for the stars: To get around, satellites sailing through
space use the same tools that ancient mariners used to navigate the
inhospitable oceans - the stars. However, soon, instead of sending
back details of their position to experts here on Earth, spacecraft
will be able to calculate and adjust their course all by themselves. |
| Polluted beach
closures influenced by full moons and sunlight: Nothing
will ruin a day at the beach like a sign in the sand that reads- Warning:
Contaminated Water. Unsafe for Swimming or Contact. |
| Leading Eclipse Scientist
puts finishing touches to his next expedition: Professor
John Parkinson, Britain’s leading eclipse expert sets off for
South Africa in a few days time to observe the total eclipse of the
sun on 4 December. He will be heading for a remote bush camp at Sirheni
in the northern part of the Kruger National Park. |
| Algae understand the
language of bacteria: It is known that higher organisms,
such as green algae, can communicate with bacteria. |
November 11, 2002 |
| New Ariane launcher
all set for November liftoff: The launch date of 28 November
has been announced for Europe’s new 10-tonne launcher. Preparations
are well underway at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana where
a series of simulated countdowns have been successfully carried out. |
| Greening Africa`s
Desert Margins: A pioneering new project to heal dying
and degraded lands fringing Africa`s mighty deserts was launched today
by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). |
| Endeavour launch
postponed: NASA managers postponed today's launch of Space
Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-113 due to higher than allowable oxygen
levels in the orbiter's mid body. |
| Belgian astronaut
returns from Odissea mission: ESA astronaut Frank De Winne
came back to Earth on Sunday, 10 November 2002 after a successful Soyuz
mission to the International Space Station involving nine days of ground-
breaking scientific research and the delivery of a brand new TMA-1
Soyuz spacecraft. |
| International Space
Station Science Operations Status Report: A trio of European
physical science experiments were conducted in the Microgravity Science
Glovebox aboard the International Space Station during the past week. |
| Johnson Space Center
International Space Station Status Report #51 |
November 8, 2002 |
| Alaska Interior
Reveals Scars and Ruptures from 7.9 Denali Fault Quake: Sunday's
magnitude 7.9 earthquake in central Alaska created a scar across the
landscape for more than 145 miles, according to surveys conducted the
past two days by geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the
Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Survey. |
| NASA captures three "Best
of What's New Awards" from Popular Science Magazine: NASA's
unprecedented work in Space Science and Earth Science captured three
of Popular Science's 'Best of What's New Awards' for 2002. |
| New method strikes
an improvement in lightning predictions: A new lightning
index that uses measurements of water vapor in the atmosphere from
Global Positioning Systems has improved lead-time for predicting the
first lightning strikes from thunderstorms. |
| GPS technology aids
earthquake research: Scientists’ understanding of
the movement of the Earth’s crust is being helped by new observing
facility which is taking measurements that may one day help predict
earthquakes. |
| Cellular pathway
includes a 'clock' that steers gene activity: Researchers
from The Johns Hopkins University and other institutions have discovered
a biochemical clock that appears to play a crucial role in the way
information is sent from the surface of a cell to its nucleus. |
| Johnson Space Center
International Space Station Status Report #50 |
November 7, 2002 |
| Engineering researchers
are designing the ultimate fabrics, for casual or military wear: Researchers
are designing e-textiles -- cloth interwoven with electronic components
-- for use as personal wearable computers and as large sensing and
communications fabrics. |
| Scientists use microscope
to view magnetism at atomic level: Scientists and engineers
build the transistors that run televisions, radios and similar electronic
devices based on the moving electric charges of electrons. But the
electron also has another key property: a magnetic "spin" that
scientists believe could be exploited to develop faster, smaller and
more efficient devices. |
| November Shuttle
mission kicks off 3rd year of Space Station science, to deliver 3rd
truss: Next week, Space Shuttle Endeavour will deliver
to the International Space Station (ISS) the third piece of the Station's
exterior truss backbone, and kick off the third year of science inside
the orbiting laboratory by bringing up a new load of scientific experiments. |
| Ocean temperatures
affect intensity of the South Asian monsoon and rainfall: Warmer
or colder sea surface temperatures (SST) may affect one of the world's
key large-scale atmospheric circulations that regulate the intensity
and breaking of rainfall associated with the South Asian and Australian
monsoons, according to new research from NASA. |
| Galileo Millennium
Mission Status: NASA's long-lived Galileo spacecraft achieved
partial success in a dash through Jupiter's inner radiation belts and
past the small moon Amalthea on Tuesday, its final flyby before a deliberate
impact into Jupiter next September. |
November 6, 2002 |
| Exotic innards of
a neutron star revealed in a series of explosions: Amid
the fury of 28 thermonuclear blasts on a neutron star's surface, scientists
using the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton X-ray satellite
have obtained a key measurement revealing the nature of matter inside
these enigmatic objects. |
| Science, location
and luck minimized Alaska's earthquake damage: The remote
location of the M7.9 event played a role in ensuring that the earthquake
was not more devastating. However, advanced seismic monitoring, long
term research, and a commitment to hazard preparedness and mitigation
also played a key role. This is perhaps best demonstrated by the successful
performance of the Alaska pipeline. |
| 'Nature' highlights
use of satellite imagery to study massive CO2 release in Indonesian
fires: Writing in tomorrow’s issue of Nature magazine,
a team of European and Indonesian scientists used satellite imagery
from ESA’s ERS and NASA’s Landsat satellites to help measure
the huge amounts of carbon dioxide gas released into the atmosphere
by 1997-98 fires in the tropical bush of Indonesia. |
| New Generation Deep
Ocean Vehicle Begins Science Operations for U.S. Researchers: A
new generation of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of routine
operation to depths of 6,500 meters (21,320 feet) and communicating
its data back to shore via the Internet has been developed by the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). |
| No more doubts about
ESA`s Venus Express: ESA`s Science Programme Committee
(SPC) gave the final go-ahead for the Venus Express mission. |
| Researchers propose
breakthrough devices to control the motion of magnetic fields: Researchers
say the biological motors that nature uses for intracellular transport
and other biological functions inspired them to create a whole new
class of micro-devices for controlling magnetic flux quanta in superconductors
that could lead to the development of a new generation of medical diagnostic
tools. |
November 5, 2002 |
| NASA develops new
tool to improve accident investigations: Scientists and
engineers investigating accidents are working much more effectively
and efficiently, thanks to a new software tool developed by NASA called
the InvestigationOrganizer. |
| Brain uses the same
neural networks to engage in conscious and unconscious learning: How
do we learn? At the same time, when learning is conscious, does the
brain engage in learning based on experience? Many scientists have
believed that the two processes are independent of each other. |
| Centennial of Russian
Dinosaurs: This year, Russian palaeontologists celebrate
the 100th anniversary of the first finding of dinosaur bones in the
Amur River valley. |
| NASA's Stardust comet-chaser
passes asteroid test: All systems on NASA's Stardust spacecraft
performed successfully when tested in a flyby of asteroid Annefrank
on Friday, heightening anticipation for Stardust's encounter with its
primary target, comet Wild 2, 14 months from now. |
| The power of two:
Envisat demonstrates combined imagery from dual sensors: The
simultaneous observation of the Italian coast by two instruments onboard
the European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite provides a striking
illustration of the unique potential of combining sensor data for a
better understanding of complex Earth processes. |
November 4, 2002 |
| Drought Solution
Could Be Blowing In The Wind: Generating rainfall for
deserts using wind power and seawater is the subject of a new research
project. |
| NASA selects LEGO
Company to run Mars Rover naming contest: NASA announced
a contest, which will give American school kids a chance to make history,
by naming two rovers being launched to explore Mars. |
| The Lovell Telescope
presents a new face to the universe: After many months
of unseen work, the University of Manchester`s giant Lovell Telescope
at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire is again scanning the skies
with a brand new, pristine white, surface. |
| Stardust Mission
Status: NASA's Stardust spacecraft successfully completed
a close flyby of asteroid Annefrank on November 2nd as an opportunity
for a full dress rehearsal of procedures the spacecraft will use during
its Jan. 2, 2004, encounter with it primary science target, comet Wild
2. |
| Cassini-Huygens Mission
Status: A successful test of the camera on NASA's Cassini
spacecraft has produced images of Saturn 20 months before the spacecraft
arrives at that planet. |
November 1, 2002 |
| NASA images show
calmer side of Italy's fiery Mount Etna: Newly released
space images of Italy's Mount Etna, which began its latest eruption
on October 27, depict the approximately 3,350-meter (11,000-foot) mountain
in a calmer moment. The last major eruption of Europe's highest active
volcano, located on the island of Sicily, was in 1992. |
| US and Scottish astronomers
explain hot star disks: Astronomers have been puzzled
for decades as to how the rings of hot gas surrounding certain types
of star are formed. Now a team of scientists from the Universities
of Glasgow and Wisconsin believe they have found the answer. |
| International Space
Station Science Operations Status Report: The crew of
Expedition Five successfully completed a 15-day research program with
the Zeolite Crystal Growth (ZCG) experiment in the past week and conducted
an additional experiment with the Pore Formation and Mobility Experiment
(PFMI). |
| Researchers propose
advanced energy technologies to help quell global warming: In
an effort to stabilize climate and slow down global warming, Livermore
scientists along with a team of international researchers have evaluated
a series of new primary energy sources that either do not emit or limit
the amount of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere. |
| Endeavour to launch
Nov. 11 with new crew and truss segment for International Space Station: The
Space Shuttle Endeavour is set to launch Nov. 11 on a mission that
will carry the International Space Station (ISS) into its third year
of permanent occupancy with a new crew and a new, 14-ton truss segment
to enhance future cooling and power systems. |
| Red freckles on Europa
suggest 'lava lamp' action: Reddish spots on the icy surface
of Jupiter's moon Europa may indicate pockets of warmer ice rising
from below. This upwelling could provide an elevator ride to the surface
for material in an ocean beneath the ice, say scientists studying data
from NASA's Galileo spacecraft. |
| First International
Space Station turns two: The world's first international
orbital outpost celebrates the second anniversary of continuous residency
and permanent human presence in space Saturday, Nov. 2. |
| Johnson Space Center
International Space Station Status Report #49 |
|
