Science data processing
Processing and storage of space science data from Mariner IV space probe
SPACE SCIENCE↗
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Thematic Design: My Story is Better When Your Story is Better
What does a well-designed thematic workshop look like? Walking into a presentation at a convention center or at a NASA center, one might see formal and informal educators receiving space science content from knowledgeable science experts, actively participating in topic-related activities, questioning, collaborating, and investigating, connecting topics and content to their education needs, and having fun. But what is really going on, and what did it take to get to this point-the point of delivery. This is an opportunity to share experience and knowledge pertaining to designing and conducting space science thematic workshops and trainings. It is an attempt to describe the thematic approach to space science education that has been demonstrated in Solar System Exploration Education Forum workshops over many years and to articulate the best practices pertain-ing to designing and presenting those workshops.
Tobola, Kay↗
A PROPOSED ELECTRIC SPACESHIP ENGINE
Space science - electric propulsion systems - electric engine for space vehicles
ELECTRIC PROPULSION↗
Current status and future direction of NASA's Space Life Sciences Program
The elements of the NASA Life Sciences Program that are related to manned space flight and biological scientific studies in space are reviewed. Projects included in the current program are outlined and the future direction of the program is discussed. Consideration is given to issues such as long-duration spaceflight, medical support in space, readaptation to the gravity field of earth, considerations for the Space Station, radiation hazards, environmental standards for space habitation, and human operator interaction with computers, robots, and telepresence systems.
White, Ronald J.↗
Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope Science Overview
After more than 2 years of science operations, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope continues to survey the high-energy sky on a daily basis. In addition to the more than 1400 sources found in the first Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog (I FGL), new results continue to emerge. Some of these are: (1) Large-scale diffuse emission suggests possible activity from the Galactic Center region in the past; (2) a gamma-ray nova was found, indicating particle acceleration in this binary system; and (3) the Crab Nebula, long thought to be a steady source, has varied in the energy ranges seen by both Fermi instruments.
Thompson, David J.↗
Space Studies Board Annual Report 2012
The Space Studies Board (SSB) was established in 1958 to serve as the focus of the interests and responsibilities in space research for the National Academies. The SSB provides an independent, authoritative forum for information and advice on all aspects of space science and applications, and it serves as the focal point within the National Academies for activities on space research. It oversees advisory studies and program assessments, facilitates international research coordination, and promotes communications on space science and science policy between the research community, the federal government, and the interested public. The SSB also serves as the U.S. National Committee for the International Council for Science Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). The present volume reviews the organization, activities, and reports of the SSB for the year 2012.
Source record↗
Advancing Innovation Through Collaboration: Implementation of the NASA Space Life Sciences Strategy
On October 18, 2010, the NASA Human Health and Performance center (NHHPC) was opened to enable collaboration among government, academic and industry members. Membership rapidly grew to 90 members (http://nhhpc.nasa.gov ) and members began identifying collaborative projects as detailed in this article. In addition, a first workshop in open collaboration and innovation was conducted on January 19, 2011 by the NHHPC resulting in additional challenges and projects for further development. This first workshop was a result of the SLSD successes in running open innovation challenges over the past two years. In 2008, the NASA Johnson Space Center, Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) began pilot projects in open innovation (crowd sourcing) to determine if these new internet-based platforms could indeed find solutions to difficult technical problems. From 2008 to 2010, the SLSD issued 34 challenges, 14 externally and 20 internally. The 14 external challenges were conducted through three different vendors: InnoCentive, Yet2.com and TopCoder. The 20 internal challenges were conducted using the InnoCentive platform, customized to NASA use, and promoted as NASA@Work. The results from the 34 challenges involved not only technical solutions that were reported previously at the 61st IAC, but also the formation of new collaborative relationships. For example, the TopCoder pilot was expanded by the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate to the NASA Tournament Lab in collaboration with Harvard Business School and TopCoder. Building on these initial successes, the NHHPC workshop in January of 2011, and ongoing NHHPC member discussions, several important collaborations have been developed: (1) Space Act Agreement between NASA and GE for collaborative projects (2) NASA and academia for a Visual Impairment / Intracranial Hypertension summit (February 2011) (3) NASA and the DoD through the Defense Venture Catalyst Initiative (DeVenCI) for a technical needs workshop (June 2011) (4) NASA and the San Diego Zoo for a joint challenge in biomimicry (5) NASA and the FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Flight for five collaborative projects (6) NASA and ESA for a Space Medicine Workshop (July 2011) (7) NASA and Tufts University for an education pilot (8) Establishment of long-term contracts (August 2011) to enable future challenges (9) Establishment of a new Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (July 2011) for all federal agencies in the US
Davis, Jeffrey R.↗
Life sciences recruitment objectives
The goals of the Life Sciences Division of the Office of Space Sciences and Application are to ensure the health, well being and productivity of humans in space and to acquire fundamental scientific knowledge in space life sciences. With these goals in mind Space Station Freedom represents substantial opportunities and significant challenges to the Life Sciences Division. For the first time it will be possible to replicate experimental data from a variety of simultaneously exposed species with appropriate controls and real-time analytical capabilities over extended periods of time. At the same time, a system for monitoring and ameliorating the physiological adaptations that occur in humans subjected to extended space flight must be evolved to provide the continuing operational support to the SSF crew. To meet its goals, and take advantage of the opportunities and overcome the challenges presented by Space Station Freedom, the Life Sciences Division is developing a suite of discipline-focused sequence. The research phase of the Life Sciences Space Station Freedom Program will commence with the utilization flights following the deployment of the U.S. laboratory module and achievement of Man Tended Capability. Investigators that want the Life Sciences Division to sponsor their experiment on SSF can do so in one of three ways: submitting a proposal in response to a NASA Research Announcement (NRA), submitting a proposal in response to an Announcement of Opportunity (AO), or submitting an unsolicited proposal. The scientific merit of all proposals will be evaluated by peer review panels. Proposals will also be evaluated based on relevance to NASA's missions and on the results of an Engineering and Cost Analyses. The Life Sciences Division expects that the majority of its funding opportunities will be announced through NRA's. It is anticipated that the first NRA will be released approximately three years before first element launch (currently scheduled for late 1995). Subsequent NRA's will be released on a rotating two year cycle.
Keefe, J. Richard↗
Selected OAST/OSSA space experiment activities in support of Space Station Freedom
The Space Experiments Division at NASA Lewis Research Center is developing technology and science space experiments for the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) and the Office of Space Sciences and Applications (OSSA). Selected precursor experiments and technology development activities supporting the Space Station Freedom (SSF) are presented. The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) is an OAST-funded cryogenic fluid dynamics experiment, the objective of which is to determine the effectiveness of jet mixing as a means of equilibrating fluid temperatures and controlling tank pressures, thereby permitting the design of lighter cryogenic tanks. The information from experiments such as this will be utilized in the design and operation of on board cryogenic storage for programs such as SSF. The Thermal Energy Storage Flight Project (TES) is an OAST-funded thermal management experiment involving phase change materials for thermal energy storage. The objective of this project is to develop and fly in-space experiments to characterize void shape and location in phase change materials used in a thermal energy storage configuration representative of an advanced solar dynamic system design. The information from experiments such as this will be utilized in the design of future solar dynamic power systems. The Solar Array Module Plasma Interaction Experiment (SAMPIE) is an OAST-funded experiment to determine the environmental effects of the low earth orbit (LEO) space plasma environment on state-of-the-art solar cell modules biased to high potentials relative to the plasma. Future spacecraft designs and structures will push the operating limits of solar cell arrays and other high voltage systems. SAMPIE will provide key information necessary for optimum module design and construction. The Vibration Isolation Technology (VIT) Advanced Technology Development effort is funded by OSSA to provide technology necessary to maintain a stable microgravity environment for sensitive payloads on board spacecraft. The proof of concept will be demonstrated by laboratory tests and in low-gravity aircraft flights. VIT is expected to be utilized by many SSF microgravity science payloads. The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) is an OSSA-funded instrument to measure the microgravity acceleration environment for OSSA payloads on the shuttle and SSF.
Delombard, Richard↗
Aeronautics and Space Report of the President, Fiscal Year 2002 Activities
Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 brought advances on many fronts in support of NASAs new vision, announced by Administrator Sean OKeefe on April 12, to improve life here, to extend life to there, to find life beyond. NASA successfully carried out four Space Shuttle missions, including three to the International Space Station (ISS) and one servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By the end of the fiscal year, humans had occupied the ISS continuously for 2 years. NASA also managed five expendable launch vehicle (ELV) missions and participated in eight international cooperative ELV launches. In the area of space science, two of the Great Observatories, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, continued to make spectacular observations. The Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey carried out their mapping missions of the red planet in unprecedented detail. Among other achievements, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker spacecraft made the first soft landing on an asteroid, and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) monitored a variety of solar activity, including the largest sunspot observed in 10 years. The education and public outreach program stemming from NASAs space science missions continues to grow. In the area of Earth science, attention focused on completing the first Earth Observing Satellite series. Four spacecraft were successfully launched. The goal is to understand our home planet as a system, as well as how the global environment responds to change.
Aeronautics↗
Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope: Science Drivers and Technology Developments
The Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) is a concept for an 8- to 16-m ultraviolet optical near Infrared space observatory for launch in the 2025 to 2030 era. ATLAST will allow astronomers to answer fundamental questions at the forefront of modern astrophysics, including: Is there life elsewhere in the Galaxy? We present a range of science drivers and the resulting performance requirements for ATLAST (8- to 16-marcsec angular resolution, diffraction limited imaging at 0.5 micron wavelength, minimum collecting area of 45 sq m, high sensitivity to light wavelengths from 0.1 to 2.4 micron, high stability in wavefront sensing and control). We also discuss the priorities for technology development needed to enable the construction of ATLAST for a cost that is comparable to that of current generation observatory-class space missions.
Postman, Marc↗
Social Sciences and Space Exploration
The relationship between technology and society is a subject of continuing interest, because technological change and its effects confront and challenge society. College students are especially interested in technological change, knowing that they must cope with the pervasive and escalating effect of wide-ranging technological change. The space shuttle represents a technological change. The book's role is to serve as a resource for college faculty and students who are or will be interested in the social science implications of space technology. The book is designed to provide introductory material on a variety of space social topics to help faculty and students pursue teaching, learning, and research. Space technologies, perspectives on individual disciplines (economics, history, international law, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology) and interdiscipline approaches are presented.
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NASA Earth Science Data Rescue Efforts
Historically, at the end of a NASA mission, earth and space science data were stored at NASA's National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC). The original data archive consisted of both magnetic tapes and film media. As data storage technology improved, data from later missions were stored on disks and platters and higher capacity magnetic media for online accessibility. To conserve physical space at NASA archive sites and to meet disaster recovery guidelines, historical data originally stored on magnetic tapes and film were moved to the Federal Archives and Record Center (FRC) as a temporary holding area until its long-term value was determined by NASA. All records at the FRC are controlled by the NASA Records Retention Schedule (NRRS) which determines the disposal date for each record. On that date, responsible NASA parties are notified that all scheduled records should be reviewed and assessed to determine if they continue to hold significant historical, scientific or administrative value. For Earth Science data records being held at FRC, the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project office is the party responsible for making the value assessment that determines which records warrant preservation and which are ready for proper disposal according to NASA guidelines. Once the data's long-term value is determined, ESDIS takes definitive steps to preserve this data for future discovery and access. Deteriorating media containing historic data of value are recalled from FRC and brought back to ESDIS. Through a tedious, laborious process, digital data are recovered and restored to modern formats with improved metadata and documentation to aid discovery. The restored digital products are then incorporated into our modern online archive, and made immediately accessible to the public. In this paper, we will discuss how we identify data-at-risk, ways to minimize data loss, how we plan for recovery, how we delegate recovery activities to our archive facilities, and how we make recovered data more accessible.
Data Systems; Social and Information sciences↗
Meaningful experiences in science education: Engaging the space researcher in a cultural transformation to greater science literacy
The visceral appeal of space science and exploration is a very powerful emotional connection to a very large and diverse collection of people, most of whom have little or no perspective about what it means to do science and engineering. Therein lies the potential of space for a substantially enhanced positive impact on culture through education. This essay suggests that through engaging more of the space research and development community in enabling unique and 'meaningful educational experiences' for educators and students at the pre-collegiate levels, space science and exploration can amplify its positive feedback on society and act as an important medium for cultural transformation to greater science literacy. I discuss the impact of space achievements on people and define what is meant by a 'meaningful educational experience,' all of which points to the need for educators and students to be closer to the practice of real science. I offer descriptions of two nascent science education programs associated with NASA which have the needed characteristics for providing meaningful experiences that can cultivate greater science literacy. Expansion of these efforts and others like it will be needed to have the desired impact on culture, but I suggest that the potential for the needed resources is there in the scientific research communities. A society in which more people appreciate and understand science and science methods would be especially conducive to human progress in space and on Earth.
Morrow, Cherilynn A.↗
Training for life science experiments in space at the NASA Ames Research Center
As this country prepares for exploration to other planets, the need to understand the affects of long duration exposure to microgravity is evident. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center's Space Life Sciences Payloads Office is responsible for a number of non-human life sciences payloads on NASA's Space Shuttle's Spacelab. Included in this responsibility is the training of those individuals who will be conducting the experiments during flight, the astronauts. Preparing a crew to conduct such experiments requires training protocols that build on simple tasks. Once a defined degree of performance proficiency is met for each task, these tasks are combined to increase the complexity of the activities. As tasks are combined into in-flight operations, they are subjected to time constraints and the crew enhances their skills through repetition. The science objectives must be completely understood by the crew and are critical to the overall training program. Completion of the in-flight activities is proof of success. Because the crew is exposed to the background of early research and plans for post-flight analyses, they have a vested interest in the flight activities. The salient features of this training approach is that it allows for flexibility in implementation, consideration of individual differences, and a greater ability to retain experiment information. This training approach offers another effective alternative training tool to existing methodologies.
Rodrigues, Annette T.↗
MIT-KSC space life sciences telescience testbed
A Telescience Life Sciences Testbed is being developed. The first phase of this effort consisted of defining the experiments to be performed, investigating the various possible means of communication between KSC and MIT, and developing software and hardware support. The experiments chosen were two vestibular sled experiments: a study of ocular torsion produced by Y axis linear acceleration, based on the Spacelab D-1 072 Vestibular Experiment performed pre- and post-flight at KSC; and an optokinetic nystagmus (OKN)/linear acceleration interaction experiment. These two experiments were meant to simulate actual experiments that might be performed on the Space Station and to be representative of space life sciences experiments in general in their use of crew time and communications resources.
Source record↗
Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope: Science Highlights for the First 8 Months
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope was launched on June 11, 2008 and since August 2008 has successfully been conducting routine science observations of high energy phenomena in the gamma-ray sky. A number of exciting discoveries have been made during its first year of operation, including blazar flares, high-energy gamma-ray bursts, and numerous new,gamma-ray sources of different types, among them pulsars and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). fermi-LAT also performed accurate mea.<;urement of the diffuse gamma-radiation which clarifies the Ge V excess reported by EGRET almost 10 years ago, high precision measurement of the high energy electron spectrum, and other observations. An overview of the observatory status and recent results as of April 30, 2009, are presented. Key words: gamma-ray astronomy, cosmic rays, gamma-ray burst, pulsar, blazar. diffuse gamma-radiation
Moiseev, Alexander↗
ISAIA: Interoperable Systems for Archival Information Access
The ISAIA project was originally proposed in 1999 as a successor to the informal AstroBrowse project. AstroBrowse, which provided a data location service for astronomical archives and catalogs, was a first step toward data system integration and interoperability. The goals of ISAIA were ambitious: '...To develop an interdisciplinary data location and integration service for space science. Building upon existing data services and communications protocols, this service will allow users to transparently query hundreds or thousands of WWW-based resources (catalogs, data, computational resources, bibliographic references, etc.) from a single interface. The service will collect responses from various resources and integrate them in a seamless fashion for display and manipulation by the user.' Funding was approved only for a one-year pilot study, a decision that in retrospect was wise given the rapid changes in information technology in the past few years and the emergence of the Virtual Observatory initiatives in the US and worldwide. Indeed, the ISAIA pilot study was influential in shaping the science goals, system design, metadata standards, and technology choices for the virtual observatory. The ISAIA pilot project also helped to cement working relationships among the NASA data centers, US ground-based observatories, and international data centers. The ISAIA project was formed as a collaborative effort between thirteen institutions that provided data to astronomers, space physicists, and planetary scientists. Among the fruits we ultimately hoped would come from this project would be a central site on the Web that any space scientist could use to efficiently locate existing data relevant to a particular scientific question. Furthermore, we hoped that the needed technology would be general enough to allow smaller, more-focused community within space science could use the same technologies and standards to provide more specialized services. A major challenge to searching for data across a broad community is that information that describe some data products are either not relevant to other data or not applicable in the same way. Some previous metadata standard development efforts (e.g., in the earth science and library communities) have produced standards that are very large and difficult to support. To address this problem, we studied how a standard may be divided into separable pieces. Data providers that wish to participate in interoperable searches can support only those parts of the standard that are relevant to them. We prototyped a top-level metadata standard that was small and applicable to all space science data.
Hanisch, Robert J.↗