Scientists from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center discuss approaches to building lunar and Martian bases using in situ materials. Processing materials will be a challenge due to low gravity, which affects metal behavior and microstructure formation.
Scientists predict that the new sunspot cycle will rise faster than normal, reaching its peak in late 1999 or early 2000. The cycle is expected to continue until 2006, when the next cycle begins. This may lead to increased solar activity, potentially affecting satellite communications and Earth's outer atmosphere.
A space-based network of sensors is showing value in spotting and tracking storms that are likely to spawn tornadoes. Storms that sent tornadoes through Georgia and Florida were observed from orbit by special sensors a few hours before and after they struck, providing critical data for improving tornado warnings.
NASA's Global Hydrology and Climate Center provides real-time geostationary satellite data, enabling users to view weather formations, temperature, winds, and precipitation in various regions. The center offers an interactive viewer with low-resolution animations and on-demand image sequences.
A NASA scientist has found a new puzzle in the sky, an X-ray pulsar that appears to burst twice every 'year' rather than once. Colleen Wilson discovered GRO J2058+42, which has no visible component and exhibits unusual behavior, suggesting it may be a binary star system with a type Be star and a neutron star in a lopsided orbit.
Researchers propose using an electrodynamic tether to propel and power a Europa orbiter, potentially reducing propellant needs and costs. The concept is still in its infancy, with challenges including Jupiter's dynamic environment and the need for sophisticated controls.
Scientists are searching deep ice from the Antarctic for signs of life that could survive in icy conditions, with a focus on Europa. The discovery of liquid water beneath the surface of another moon raises possibilities about potential life on Europa.
Scientists will observe how airglow changes during the eclipse to estimate oxygen densities at different altitudes in the upper atmosphere. The Polar spacecraft, equipped with a UVImager and other cameras, will take images of the Earth's shadow as the Moon's shadow moves across the globe.
Researchers found that accreting pulsars exhibit strange behavior, including gaining and losing time, due to mass transfer from stellar companions. This phenomenon is caused by the negative torque experienced by the pulsar, which affects its spin rate.
December 1997 was the coldest month on record in the Earth's lower stratosphere, indicating a cooling trend over the past 15 years. This is consistent with ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere.
The STS-89 mission will conduct experiments on granular materials, studying their behavior under conditions that cannot be simulated on Earth. The Mechanics of Granular Materials experiment will make twice as many test runs under an expanded range of conditions, potentially leading to great ramifications for down-to-Earth engineering. ...
Astrophysicists have solved a decades-old mystery with the identification of gamma-ray burst counterparts, leading to a deeper understanding of the universe's early stages. Dr. Jan van Paradijs' discovery of an optical counterpart for a gamma-ray burst in 1997 marked a significant breakthrough.
The Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment aims to expand investigations into soil mechanics started on STS-79 in 1996. The new flight will run twice as many tests under various experimental conditions, providing insights into the behavior of soils under low-confining pressures.
The 191st AAS meeting will feature a lecture on the latest research on gamma-ray bursts, revealing their origin from distant reaches of the universe. Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou and Sir Martin Rees will present new findings on GRB characteristics, including temporal, spectral, and spatial analysis.
NASA's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) has recorded its 2000th gamma-ray burst, a significant milestone in the study of these violent cosmic events. The 2000th burst was smaller than average, but adds to the growing body of knowledge about gamma rays and their origins.
A recent review of data suggests that comet impacts on Earth may be random events common to scientific instruments using image intensifiers. Dr. Louis Frank's claims of small comets striking the atmosphere have been challenged by NASA scientist Dr. James Spann, who attributes similar dark smears in images to instrument noise.
Researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center found that the Earth's polar fountains of energized gas are a significant source of material for the magnetosphere, contradicting previous assumptions. The discovery was made using a device called TIDE, which neutralizes spacecraft plasma sheaths to detect low-energy ions.
The USMP-4 mission successfully delivered a haul of science and samples to help scientists investigate the era of International Space Station. The mission made significant contributions to materials science, solidification processes, and ultrasmall electronics, with results expected to have practical applications in industries like eye...
The MEPHISTO experiment, part of NASA's USMP-4 mission, collected nearly three times as much data as planned, providing valuable insights into solidification phenomena. The data will help refine manufacturing processes on Earth, particularly in the electronics industry.
The USMP-4 space mission closed with ongoing astrophysics research using cosmic ray measurements to analyze Confided Helium Experiment data. The Confined Helium Experiment used liquid helium to measure the finite size effect, and scientists are analyzing radiation effects to understand background heating noise.
The new instrument will provide insight into cloud behavior and lightning's impact on rainfall and El Nino events. LIS data will be used for lightning research, improving understanding of the phenomenon.
Researchers use liquid helium as a 2D fluid to study the finite size effect and its impact on conductivity. The experiment aims to improve signal-to-noise ratios and push understanding even further.
The USMP-4 experiment has provided new data on metallic dendrite growth, revealing a closer correspondence between microgravity and theory. The findings are being used to improve computer casting models, reducing the design process from weeks to days.
Scientists use sensors to measure the intensity of vibrations at different frequencies, optimizing experiments for the US Microgravity Payload. By analyzing data from past missions, they can plan future ones more effectively and minimize disturbances.
Astronomers have detected the 'frame-dragging' effect, a prediction by Albert Einstein 80 years ago, in disks of gas swirling around black holes. The team used X-ray astronomy satellites to measure the precession of accretion disks, finding evidence of frame dragging in two black hole systems.
Recent satellite data show no definitive warming trend in Earth's lower atmosphere over past two decades, contradicting computer models' predictions. The accurate temperature measurements are verified by multiple methods, including balloon-borne observations and intercalibration among orbiting platforms.
Scientists are using NASA's Michelson interferometer to study protein crystal growth in space, a method that may lead to new treatments for diseases. The device, which was originally used to test the existence of the luminiferous ether, is being repurposed to analyze how molecules assemble into crystals.
Astronomers calculate that a gamma ray burst has expanded to 85 times the size of our solar system and is still growing. The detection uses the 'twinkling' effect in radio astronomy, where the point where twinkling stops allows for diameter measurement.
Despite intensive searches, only a few gamma ray burst counterparts have been found, leaving scientists with more questions than answers. The lack of consistent patterns hampers the search, but continued observations with powerful instruments may help clarify the issue.
Recent satellite and in-situ measurements reveal no definitive warming trend in the tropical free troposphere over the past two decades. The low humidity in this region allows more infrared radiation to escape from the Earth, cooling the atmosphere. Current computer models inaccurately handle humidity processes in this region.
The study enhances lightning detection capabilities with total lightning measurements, providing more accurate forecasts of severe storms and storm morphology. This technology has the potential to improve space launch weather support and reduce delays or scrubs due to adverse weather conditions.
Astronomers analyze over 1,700 gamma-ray bursts and find they are isotropic, meaning their distribution on the sky is almost perfectly random. This contradicts previous theories that placed these bursts within or just outside of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
The Compton Observatory detected the brightest gamma-ray burst in its five and a half year mission, releasing as much energy in tens of seconds as the Sun will produce in ten-billion-year lifetime. The burst is rare and may contain information about sources that cannot be extracted from weaker events.