July 31 , 2015 NASA Goddard Technology Helps Fight Forest PestsNortheastern forests in the United States cover more than 165 million acres , an area almost as big as Texas . Soon , millions of pine and ash trees in those forests could be wiped out , thanks in part to two types of voracious insects — each smaller than a penny . A joint operation using technology developed at NASA ’ s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland , will help the U . S . Forest Service understand the impacts of these pests on northeastern trees . The collaboration flies a unique airborne instrument known as G - LiHT , or Goddard ’ s LiDAR , Hyperspectral and Thermal imager , on a Forest Service airplane . Using G - LiHT to measure signs and symptoms of forest health , scientists from both agencies flew over forests in Massachusetts , New Hampshire , New York , and Rhode Island this summer . The southern pine beetle , a lethal predator of pine trees that cost the Southeast ’ s economy 1 . 5 billion in the early 2000 s , already accounts for about 1 , 000 acres of infestation in New York and has recently been trapped in Connecticut and Massachusetts . The emerald ash borer , considered the worst tree - killer in the United States , has already killed tens of millions of northeastern trees and has been detected in 24 states and two Canadian provinces . Goddard Earth scientist Bruce Cook said insects like the emerald ash borer will continue their feast for the foreseeable future . “ We ’ re probably looking at the eradication of most of the ash trees in the United States and Canada , ” he said . Ryan Hanavan , the Forest Service entomologist working with G - LiHT , said these pests pose astronomical damages for the forestry industry in costs for post - infestation control , cleanup and replanting . “ It ’ s 900 millions of potential damage for southern pine beetle and 10 . 5 billions projected for the emerald ash borer , ” Hanavan said . " G - LiHT sits inside the airplane ’ s cockpit , over an open camera port that allows it to look down from about 1000 feet high and at about 150 mph . Credits : NASA / Goddard Space Flight CenterTechnologies like G - LiHT help the Forest Service monitor insect damage and map areas at risk . G - LiHT uses LiDAR , an airborne device that sends millions of laser photons bouncing off the forest canopy and ground surface . With LiDAR data , Cook and colleagues create detailed 3 - D images of each tree in a forest — trunk , branches and leaves included . Equipped with a special gadget that can see reflected sunlight invisible to the naked eye , G - LiHT reveals information about the species and health of each tree . This gadget , known as an imaging spectrometer , helps scientists detect changes in leaf pigments plants use for photosynthesis . Cook said these pigments are important to measure , since declining photosynthesis indicates sick trees . G - LiHT also packs a thermal infrared camera . Functioning like night - vision goggles to detect heat , this camera allows scientists to spot infested trees , which appear warmer when insects girdle their trunks and interrupt the natural flow and transpiration of water . Cook said G - LiHT ’ s multi - sensor system works like a nervous system with different senses . “ One sense cannot totally inform you , ” he said . “ A more complete picture of forest composition and health can be obtained with multi - sensor instrument packages . ” Hanavan has been on the forefront of the effort to track emerald ash borer and southern pine beetle in New England states . He and Cook teamed up to conduct aerial surveys with G - LiHT and ground observations in Northeastern forests during the summer of 2014 and 2015 . But even with G - LiHT , scientists can ’ t see everything from the air . Cook , Hanavan and their team need firsthand observations from the ground to describe the health of individual trees . Then they use these notes to interpret how G - LiHT sees infected trees from above . While slow tree - killers like the emerald ash borer hurt economic stability over several years , southern pine beetle epidemics can abruptly end decades of productive forest growth . “ We ’ re literally talking about millions to even billions of dollars in impact to the forestry industry , ” Cook said . And preventing infestations could save millions of dollars to municipalities and landowners , who could be responsible for disposing of dead trees . Unhealthy forests can also contribute to biodiversity loss and undermine important water cycle processes . Healthy forests also help offset increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide , a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming . NASA and the U . S . Forest Service began using G - LiHT in 2011 . Flying more than 1 , 000 hours in forest health and inventory projects , Cook , Hanavan and colleagues have studied boreal , temperate and tropical forests from Alaska to the Yucatan Peninsula . G - LiHT also fueled collaborations to study croplands , as well as coastal and ocean ecosystems . For more information about G - LiHT , visit : gliht . gsfc . nasa . govRoberto Molar - CandanosaNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , MarylandLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Karl HilleTags : Benefits to You , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , Land , Science Instruments , Technology , Benefits to You July 17 , 2015 NASA Technology is Behind Air , Sea and Land RescuesYou are at what seems to be the edge of nowhere and disaster strikes . Your plane crash - landed in the wilderness . Or you encountered life - threatening injuries while hiking on a remote mountain . Or your boat is adrift after being battered during a severe storm . What then ? It is routine to tote a mobile phone for times of trouble and distress – but that doesn ’ t work in mountains or at sea . Even satellite phones can ’ t reliably get a connection swiftly or offer precise location information in an emergency . What then ? NASA ’ s role in search and rescue , based out of NASA ’ s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland , is largely behind the scenes to develop the next generation of rescue technology . Currently , the most reliable emergency beacon that is also available for public use in an emergency , is one that connects to an international satellite system that provides distress alert and location information to assist search and rescue operations even from the remotest regions of Earth . Lisa Mazzuca , NASA Search and Rescue mission manager , holding the NASA - built prototype Second Generation Beacon , which will revolutionize 406 MHz emergency beacon performance around the world . Credits : NASA Goddard / Bill HrybykClose - up of the NASA - built prototype Second Generation Beacon . Credits : NASA Goddard / Bill HrybykThis international , humanitarian satellite - based search and rescue system , in operation since 1982 , was started by the United States , Canada , France and Russia , and now includes members from 43 countries and organizations . Known by the acronym COSPAS - SARSAT , signals of beacons operating on 406 Megahertz ( MHz ) channels are detected and located with a high degree of accuracy . There are other emergency beacons on the market , but only the emergency beacons operating on the 406 MHz channel take advantage of the COSPAS - SARSAT international response system . The U . S . search and rescue program is a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) , the U . S . Coast Guard and the U . S . Air Force , with NASA providing the lead on technical support and development of technological improvements . The current COSPAS - SARSAT system uses instruments placed on weather satellites operating in low - Earth ( LEO ) and geosynchronous ( GEO ) orbit . LEO spacecraft orbit Earth multiple times a day and are used to calculate the position of a beacon . However , a satellite may not be in position to pick up a distress signal the moment a user activates the beacon . Delays of several hours are possible , especially near the equator . Meanwhile , geosynchronous weather satellites orbit above Earth in a fixed location over the equator . Although these satellites provide continuous visibility of much of Earth , they can only independently locate a beacon where the location is encoded in the beacon ’ s message from an internal navigation receiver . The next generation COSPAS - SARSAT system will utilize satellites in the medium - altitude Earth orbit ( 19 , 000 to 24 , 000 kilometers or 12 , 000 to 15 , 000 miles ) and improve beacon technology . When fully operational by the end of the decade , this new system will allow each distress message from a beacon to be relayed at the same time by several satellites to several ground antennas , allowing the system to provide timely beacon detection and location . " NASA developed and tested the proof - of - concept ground station for the medium - altitude satellite system . This new system will have full - Earth coverage and provide near - instantaneous detection and location of people in distress using the COSPAS - SARSAT beacons , " said Lisa Mazzuca , NASA Search and Rescue mission manager at Goddard . NASA is also working to develop more robust beacon technology . There are currently three types of emergency beacons : Personal use , Personal Locator Beacons ; Maritime Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons ; and Aviation Emergency Locator Transmitters . " NASA is innovating the beacon technology needed to improve the location accuracy by an order of magnitude . This new technology will increase lives saved by enabling rescuers to decrease their search radius , which decreases the amount of time to get to a victim . This ultimately raises the probability of a successful rescue , " Mazzuca said . Besides the improved location , NASA is aiming to improve beacon performance . For example , beacons for aviation use are designed to activate during an airplane crash . To study what happens to the beacons in an airplane crash , the NASA search and rescue office has researchers based out of NASA ' s Langley Research Center in Hampton , Virginia , to crash a series of airplanes . The goal is to assess current beacon vulnerabilities and provide improvement recommendations . The first crash test , conducted July 1 , simulated a controlled airplane emergency landing on a highway or runway . The plane , equipped with two crash test dummies , fell at 72 feet per second onto a concrete surface . Sensors inside the plane collected 64 channels of data , while a total of 40 cameras recorded the crash . A Cessna 172 dropped to the concrete from 82 feet ( 25 meters ) at the Landing and Impact Research Facility at NASA ' s Langley Research Center in Hampton , Virginia , to test the performance of four emergency locator transmitters ( ELTs ) installed on board . Researchers are working to improve ELT aircraft installations since studies show they don ' t always work correctly . Credits : NASAThe NASA research team is also working to miniaturize the beacon for use in future human space missions to Mars . Plans are for astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft to carry a personal - use beacon in their pocket . This innovation will provide the order of magnitude location accuracy improvement and increased detection probability to astronauts separated from their capsule after landing . Related Links · NASA ' s Search and Rescue Mission Office · NOAA : Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking · Cospas - Sarsat : International Satellite System for Search and Rescue · NASA ' s Orion spacecraft website · Feature Story : " Crash Test Assesses Plane Emergency Locator Transmitters " ( July 2 , 2015 ) · Feature Story : " Taking the ' Search ' out of Search and Rescue " ( Sept . 2 , 2010 ) · Feature Story : " Sailor Reflects on NASA Technology That Saved His Life " ( May 24 , 2010 ) · Audrey HaarNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , Md . Last Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Benefits to You , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , Technology , Read Full Article Technology July 7 , 2015 Goddard Heliophysicist Waits Nearly 10 Years for Pluto FlybyNASA scientist Nikolaos Paschalidis , who recreated five instrument - enabling microchips for one of the instruments flying on the New Horizons mission , has waited nearly 10 years for the mission to reach its destination . Credits : NASA Goddard / Bill HrybykArtist ’ s concept of the New Horizons spacecraft as it approaches Pluto and its largest moon , Charon , in July 2015 . The craft ' s miniature cameras , radio science experiment , ultraviolet and infrared spectrometers and space plasma experiments will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and Charon , map their surface compositions and temperatures , and examine Pluto ' s atmosphere in detail . The spacecraft ' s most prominent design feature is a nearly 7 - foot ( 2 . 1 - meter ) dish antenna , through which it will communicate with Earth from as far as 4 . 7 billion miles ( 7 . 5 billion kilometers ) away . Credits : Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute ( JHUAPL / SwRI ) When NASA ’ s New Horizons mission to Pluto flies past the distant , icy world on July 14 , NASA heliophysicist Nikolaos Paschalidis will be one happy man : he created a mission - enabling technology that will help uncover details about the atmosphere of the never - before - visited dwarf planet . “ We have been waiting for this for a long time , ” said the Greek native , who now works as a scientist at NASA ’ s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . “ That ’ s what happens when it takes more than nine years to get to your destination . ” When employed by the Maryland - based Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory ( APL ) , which is operating the New Horizons mission for NASA , Paschalidis designed five application - specific integrated circuits — some now patented — for the mission ’ s Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation ( PEPSSI ) , developed by APL Principal Investigator Ralph McNutt . The instrument , one of seven flying on New Horizons , is designed to measure the composition and density of material , such as nitrogen and carbon monoxide , which escapes from Pluto ’ s atmosphere and subsequently is ionized by solar ultraviolet light . The atmospheric chemicals pick up energy from the solar wind and stream away from Pluto . Until now , knowledge about the mysterious planet ’ s atmosphere has come mainly from stellar occultation , when the planet passes in front of bright stars during its highly elliptical - shape orbit around the sun . From these observations , scientists discovered that the planet ’ s atmosphere resembled that of Neptune ’ s moon , Triton . Although Triton is more massive than Pluto , Pluto ’ s atmosphere is thicker and , like Triton ’ s , likely consists of clouds and winds . During its flyby , the New Horizons mission will use its onboard suite of instruments — three optical , two plasma , a dust sensor , and a radio science receiver / radiometer — to take images and spectroscopic measurements to learn more about Pluto ’ s atmospheric structure , composition , and temperature , as well as its surface geology and composition . Microchips Enable Small SizeOf the payload , PEPPSI is the most compact at just 3 . 3 pounds ( 1 . 5 kilograms ) . In fact , it ’ s the most compact , lowest - power energetic particle spectrometer flown on a space mission , Paschalidis said . “ The challenge with this mission , and the PEPSSI instrument in particular , was making it as small as possible , capable of taking highly reliable measurements using low power , under extreme environmental conditions ” Paschalidis recalled . As with all “ time - of - flight ” particle instruments , particles will enter PEPSSI ’ s sensor and knock secondary electrons from a thin foil . They then will zip toward another foil placed about two inches away before hitting solid - state detectors . The instrument uses just 2 . 5 watts of power to measure the time between the foil collisions , with an accuracy exceeding one nanosecond . This information will reveal the particle ’ s speed and its total energy when it collides with the solid - state detector . From this , scientists will be able to determine the mass and energy of each particle . Paschalidis ’ s five microchips helped reduce the instrument ’ s overall size and power requirements , while advancing science performance . Two in particular advanced the capabilities needed to take time - of - flight , energy , and look - angle measurements of particles , while another not only monitored and digitized PEPSSI ’ s temperatures , voltages and currents , but also those of several spacecraft subsystems . “ This set of chips was an innovation . It combined science with engineering , ” resulting in significant spacecraft mass and power savings , ” Paschalidis said . “ A mission to Pluto was the ultimate use for the technology , ” he added . “ Without these chips , I don ’ t think we could have put this instrument on the spacecraft . ” Technology Infusion Although he has waited nearly 10 years to witness his technology in action as New Horizons investigates the last known unexplored planetary body in the solar system , he already knows his microchips will work . The first indication came one year after launch during New Horizon ’ s Jupiter encounter . “ PEPSSI collected excellent data , ” Paschalidis said . While New Horizons was racing across the solar system for its rendezvous with Pluto , Paschalidis was infusing the technology into many other instruments and missions . His microelectronic technology was used on NASA ’ s MESSENGER spacecraft , which studied the planet closest to the Sun — Mercury — and the Interstellar Boundary Explorer that probed the heliospheric boundary with the interstellar medium . He also used a second - generation version of the technology on NASA ’ s JUNO mission , which is expected to reach Jupiter next summer , the now - operating Van Allen Probes , and the recently launched Magnetospheric Multiscale mission . Now under development , NASA ’ s Solar Probe and the European Space Agency ’ s Solar Orbiter missions also will fly the technology . “ The New Horizons and MESSENGER / Solar Probe missions represent the two solar - system extremes of fire and ice , and the JUNO / Van Allen Probes represent the extremes of space radiation , with the others in between , ” Paschalidis said . “ But New Horizons drove innovation for ultra - miniaturized , low - power , and highly reliable instruments . I can ’ t wait to see this probe finally reach its destination after all these years . Gathering data at Pluto was something that really motivated me . ” Related Links · NASA technology news · Technology news from NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center · Lori Keesey , WriterNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , Md . Last Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Dwarf Planets , Goddard Space Flight Center , New Horizons , Pluto , Science Instruments , Solar System , Technology , Read Full Article OSIRIS - REx June 27 , 201515 - 26 First Instrument Delivered for NASA ’ s Upcoming Asteroid Sample Return MissionBolted to a cradle in a cleanroom at Arizona State University , the OSIRIS - REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer ( OTES ) is prepared for one of its final tests : to define precisely the instrument ' s field of view . A red lens cover nestles within the angular sunshade , keeping the optics clean . Its color is designed as a signal to engineers to remove it before launch . Credits : ASU / Charles LeightThe first of five instruments for a spacecraft that will collect a sample from an asteroid and bring it back to Earth has arrived at Lockheed Martin for installation onto NASA ’ s Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer ( OSIRIS - REx ) . “ The next few months will be very busy as we begin integrating the instruments and prepare for the system - level environmental testing program to begin , ” said Mike Donnelly , OSIRIS - REx project manager at NASA ’ s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . The OSIRIS - REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer ( OTES ) will conduct surveys to map mineral and chemical abundances and to take the asteroid Bennu ’ s temperature . OTES is the first such instrument built entirely on the Arizona State University ( ASU ) , Tempe campus . “ OTES , the size of a microwave oven , has spent the last several years being designed , built , tested , and calibrated , ” said Philip Christensen , OTES instrument scientist at ASU . " Now , OTES is shipping out for the solar system . ” The instrument will be powered on shortly after the OSIRIS - REx spacecraft begins its two - year trip to Bennu . on arrival at Bennu , OTES will provide spectral data for global maps used to assess potential sample sites . It will take thermal infrared spectral data every two seconds and will be able to detect temperatures with an accuracy of 0 . 2 ° F . It will also detect the presence of minerals on the asteroid ’ s surface . OSIRIS - REx is the first U . S . mission to fly to , study , and retrieve a pristine sample from an asteroid and return it to Earth for study . Scheduled to launch in September 2016 , the spacecraft will reach its asteroid target in 2018 and return a sample to Earth in 2023 . The mission will allow scientists to investigate the composition of material from the very earliest epochs of solar system history , providing information about the source of organic materials and water on Earth . “ It is a significant milestone to have OSIRIS - REx ’ s first instrument completed and delivered for integration onto the spacecraft , ” said Dante Lauretta , principal investigator for OSIRIS - REx at the University of Arizona , Tucson . “ The OTES team has done an excellent job on the instrument and I deeply appreciate their scientific contribution to the mission . OTES plays an essential role in characterizing the asteroid in support of sample - site selection . ” NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland provides overall mission management , systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS - REx . Dante Lauretta is the mission ' s principal investigator at the University of Arizona , Tucson . Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver is building the spacecraft . OSIRIS - REx is the third mission in NASA ' s New Frontiers Program . NASA ' s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville , Alabama manages New Frontiers for the agency ' s Science Mission Directorate in Washington . For more information on OSIRIS - REx visit : http : / / www . nasa . gov / osiris - rexandhttp : / / www . asteroidmission . orgNancy Neal JonesGoddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , Maryland 301 - 286 - 0039 nancy . n . jones @ nasa . govLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Ashley MorrowTags : Goddard Space Flight Center , OSIRIS - REx ( Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer ) , Science Instruments , Technology , Read Full Article Water June 26 , 2015 Using NASA Data to Show How Raindrops Could Save RupeesRainwater could save people in India a bucket of money , according to a new study by scientists looking at NASA satellite data . The study , partially funded by NASA ’ s Precipitation Measurement Missions , found that collecting rainwater for vegetable irrigation could reduce water bills , increase caloric intake and even provide a second source of income for people in India . The study , published in the June issue of Urban Water Journal , is based on precipitation data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ( TRMM ) , a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency , which provided observations of rainfall over the tropics and subtropics from 1997 to 2015 . " India has severe problems getting potable water to all of its residents , " said Dan Stout , research assistant in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Utah and one of three authors of the study . " We considered collecting water in a relatively small tank , and it ’ s amazing the effect that doing something that small and simple can have on the Indian people . " Rainwater harvesting is not a new concept , but the team said it is currently a largely untapped resource in India . Other researchers have studied rainwater harvesting as a potential solution for the country ’ s water problems , but they mostly focused on its use to replenish groundwater levels , which does not provide any direct benefit for immediate water supply . The water must run off into the ground before being pumped again for use aboveground . Here , the team examined the possibilities if Indians collected precipitation in cheap 200 - gallon tanks that they could easily engineer to fit in densely populated urban areas , such as many of India ’ s growing cities . The team analyzed satellite data of precipitation in different areas to evaluate the availability of rainwater for direct harvesting — information that would have been nearly impossible to obtain if not for TRMM . Precipitation in India varies significantly from season to season . The red in the image above indicates low rainfall , which is evident in the winter . Blue indicates high rainfall , which is abundant in the image of monsoon season . The left image shows December 2002 through March 2003 , and the right image shows July 2003 through September 2003 . Credits : NASA / Hal Pierce " I spent a decent amount of time trying to find precipitation data in India , " Stout said . " For the most part , it didn ’ t exist or was kept under lock and key , aside from annual accrued averages across large regions of the country . That was not at all sufficient . Before I found TRMM ’ s data , I was thinking we would have to drop the project . " TRMM precipitation estimates show the variation in rainfall at 3 . 1 - mile resolution , even in areas where ground measurements are non - existent . " In the U . S . , we benefit from a really good radar network along with a lot of rain gauges , but in many parts of the world , satellites are the best way to get this precipitation data , " TRMM project scientist Scott Braun said . The team used data sets provided every three hours from 1997 to 2011 to determine how much precipitation , on average , was available for collection and supplementation in each of the six test cities : Bangalore , Delhi , Hyderabad , Kolkata , Mumbai and Srinagar . The team input TRMM data into algorithms that Stout developed to determine the benefit to each of two scenarios : indoor use and outdoor vegetable irrigation . For indoor use , they estimated each person would require an average of about 35 gallons of water per day , or about the amount needed to fill a standard bathtub . For an average household of five people , demand would be about 178 gallons daily . Outdoor vegetable irrigation would require less water . The team calculated irrigation demands for a roughly 215 - square - foot garden planted half with tomatoes and half with lettuce . Irrigation demands varied seasonally , and the team calculated them for each season . The team found that rainwater harvesting provided for nearly 20 percent of the average indoor demand overall , though some seasons , such as southern monsoon season , provided more . A woman in India pumps groundwater for drinking . Credits : Image courtesy Joel Bassuk / OxfamRainwater harvesting provided a sufficient water source for vegetable irrigation , which demands less water than indoor use . The team ultimately judged that this use of rainwater provided the most benefit . While rainwater collection for irrigation resulted in fewer water bill savings , it did provide vitamin - rich food , profit from selling excess vegetables and a significantly shorter payback period for infrastructure , operation and maintenance required for the endeavor . This can help boost cost savings and increase quality of life in India . After a one - year payback period , rainwater harvesting for vegetable irrigation would provide a profit of between 1 , 548 and 3 , 261 rupees per year and a total cost savings of between 2 , 605 and 4 , 522 rupees per year . The savings could pay for up to about half a year ’ s rent in an average 1 - bedroom apartment in an Indian city , according to online cost - of - living database Numbeo . The team said their data shows a conservative estimate of rainwater harvesting benefits . Stout designed the algorithms to assume at least 10 percent of the precipitation that reached the ground would be lost in evaporation , leaks and spills . " When you ’ re in a highly seasonal environment where you ’ re getting rain constantly , the algorithm is going to underestimate the actual benefits , " said Thomas Walsh , an engineer who worked on and co - wrote the study . The team couldn ’ t include many systems they looked at in the study , such as hydroponics , or the system of growing plants in water without soil , which would use water more efficiently . Walsh said the area could be explored further through global partnerships and using global data . " Being able to pull out from the data the potential economic and social benefit you could get from something as simple as rainwater harvesting really brings to life the importance of water , " Walsh said . For more information about TRMM , visit : http : / / trmm . gsfc . nasa . gov Ashley MorrowNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , Md . Last Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Benefits to You , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , Water , Read Full Article Landsat June 17 , 2015 Satellites Enable Coral Reef Science Leap from Darwin to onlineWith Earth - observing satellite data , scientists can now monitor the health of coral reefs , even in the most remote regions scattered around the globe where it is otherwise difficult to see changes . Satellites fill a void by providing a more complete view of remote reefs . The information is monitored globally through Coral Reef Watch , an online tool that provides near real - time and long - term monitoring , forecasting and reporting of tropical coral reef conditions . Coral Reef Watch is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) . This information is being used to monitor the quality and temperature of the waters around reefs worldwide . Water temperatures that exceed certain thresholds for a period of time can lead to a loss of corals . Satellite data processed through Coral Reef Watch provides early warning of natural and human - caused pressures that result in reef decline and loss . Until relatively recently , global maps of coral reefs hadn ’ t changed significantly from the maps produced by Charles Darwin in 1842 . Darwin based his historic maps on observations from his expeditions around the world . Later , French scientist Louis Joubin updated those maps in 1912 using information he received through letters from people living near coral reefs around the world . The structure and distribution of coral reefs by Charles Darwin was developed during his voyage of the Beagle 1832 to 1836 . When Darwin returned , his theory of the origin of coral reefs , communicated to the Geological Society of London on May , 31 1837 , made his scientific reputation . This map was first published in " The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs " ( London , 1842 ) . It wasn ’ t until about 15 years ago that coral reef mapping leapfrogged to modern times . A new global map of coral reefs was created with over a thousand Landsat 7 satellite images collected between 2000 and 2003 . “ Until we made the map of coral reefs with Landsat 7 , global maps of reefs had not improved a lot since the amazing maps that Darwin drafted , ” said Frank Muller - Karger , professor of oceanography at the University of South Florida in St . Petersburg , Florida . Previous Landsat missions were designed to look at land and were typically “ turned off ” over large oceans to conserve power . Landsat is a collaborative NASA and U . S . Geological Survey mission . The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus sensor , the main instrument onboard Landsat 7 , led to the development of the Millennium Global Coral Reef Map , which is distributed openly and is used by researchers and coral reef managers around the world . The Landsat 8 satellite with the Operational Land Imager ( OLI ) sensor offers significantly improved capabilities . “ The Landsat 8 OLI is allowing us to outline the reefs around the world and measure area and estimate depth in ways never possible before , ” said Muller - Karger . Muller - Karger teamed with the NOAA Coral Reef Watch program under a 2013 NASA Applied Sciences grant to develop new products using U . S . and international satellites for a coral reef ecosystem stress alert program . Coral is a living organism that makes rocklike deposits of their skeletons . These marine animals leave these deposits to accumulate to form reefs over hundreds to thousands of years . These reefs provide a habitat for more than 1 million species of plants and animals while also protecting coastlines from storm damage and erosion and providing a tourism destination . Factors influencing the health of coral reefs include rising sea levels , powerful storms , pollution , coastal development , mining pressures for cement , overfishing and other human activities such as the construction of artificial islands and ports . A condition known as coral bleaching occurs when extremely warm waters force temperature - sensitive corals to evict the tiny algae that live inside the coral animal in symbiosis and help them thrive . These algae give the coral animals their color . Without these algae , the corals turn white and eventually die if the condition persists . In addition to Landsat , several other satellites provide data to measure the cumulative heat buildup around coral reefs of the world . If the heat builds up over several weeks , coral reef health is affected and bleaching or death occurs . Stress also occurs if corals experience extreme winter cold temperatures , and this can be observed by temperature - sensing satellites . Among these satellite sensors are the Moderate - resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ( MODIS ) instruments aboard the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites . Similar readings are being collected by NASA / NOAA ’ s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite ( VIIRS ) instrument on Suomi National Polar - orbiting Partnership satellite , as well as from NOAA ’ s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer ( AVHRR ) instruments , and some satellites operated by international partners . These instruments provide current information on sea surface temperatures , to identify areas vulnerable to bleaching . The extensive coral reefs on the northern shore of Vanua Levu , Fiji ’ s second largest island , can be seen on this natural color Landsat 8 image acquired on May 10 , 2015 . The sensors aboard Landsat 8 were designed to have higher sensitivity than the last - generation sensor aboard Landsat 7 . This higher sensor sensitivity has had a positive impact on coral reef delineations , area measurements , and depth estimations . Credits : NASA / LandsatScientists Look to the FutureNow science seeks more advanced solutions to the problem of measuring biodiversity over large areas and how this is changing . Hyperspectral satellite information promises to identify the types of habitats within the reef . These new satellite instruments could see variations of coral reef color and improve the understanding of at least some aspects of habitat and biological diversity from space . It may even be able to see when corals bleach . “ You need Earth - observing cameras with small pixel sizes that allow a closer look at the corals . The scale needed is much less than 100 meters . With VIIRS and MODIS , for example , the best achievable spatial resolution is 250 - 500 meters . We need instruments capable of resolving reefs at scales ranging from 1 to 40 meters , ” said Nima Pahlevan , chief research scientist , Terrestrial Information System Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . Towards that end of obtaining better quality images , NASA ’ s Hyperion onboard the proof - of - concept Earth - Observing - 1 ( EO - 1 ) mission offers 30 - meter spatial resolution as a test of an orbital space - borne hyperspectral camera sensing Earth ’ s surface . Another experimental instrument was the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean ( HICO ) , which flew on the International Space Station . HICO offered 90 meter spatial resolution , providing detailed images of coral reef regions . Hyperion and HICO are both experimental instruments , requiring images to be scheduled or offering the ability to capture only a few images per orbit . That is why scientists desire a hyperspectral instrument on a satellite to capture a regular stream of images , providing insight on changes to coral reefs . There are also other hyperspectral instruments in the pipeline . NASA is considering when to fly the Hyperspectral Infrared Imager ( HyspIRI ) . NASA already flies several hyperspectral sensors on aircraft , such as the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer , or AVIRIS , instruments and the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer , or PRISM , instrument . Future hyperspectral data from space will allow high - quality observations that could be used to map the diversity of changing global coastal zones . This will allow scientists to better quantify how organisms change , and ultimately how humans can better use nature to sustain a healthy society . NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet , improve lives , and safeguard our future . NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth ' s interconnected natural systems with long - term data records . The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing . For more on how NASA Earth science yields benefits to society , visit : http : / / go . nasa . gov / earthbenefitsFor more information about Landsat , visit : www . nasa . gov / landsat or landsat . usgs . govPhoto of Coral reef with fish courtesy of Jeremy Cohen , Penn State University . Audrey HaarNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , MarylandLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Holly ZellTags : Benefits to You , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , Landsat , Technology , Read Full Article Hazards June 4 , 2015 NASA - led Volunteers Map Landslides by Nepal QuakesAs millions of people regroup from the impact of the earthquakes in Nepal , a team of international volunteers is combing through satellite imagery of the region to identify additional hazards — earthquake - induced landslides . “ Landslides are a common secondary hazard that are often triggered by earthquakes or rainfall , ” said Dalia Kirschbaum , research scientist at NASA ’ s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . “ Because landslides can mobilize and move so quickly , they often cause more damage than people realize . ” As part of a disaster relief response to the 7 . 8 - magnitude Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks , Kirschbaum and Jeff Kargel , glaciologist at University of Arizona , are leading a group of volunteer scientists identifying where and when the landslides are occurring in earthquake - affected areas . Together , the team has mapped nearly one thousand landslides from April 25 , the date of the first earthquake , to May 20 . The group came together as part of NASA ’ s response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Nepal earthquakes . It was part of a NASA Headquarters - led comprehensive response that included government , industry , academia and volunteers , with teams focused on disaster mapping , measurement and assessment , hazard impact and communications . Under this effort , several smaller teams formed with various concentrations . Some subgroups provide “ damage proxy maps ” that tell the type and extent of the existing damage and “ vulnerability maps ” that show potential risks . Kargel helped form this landslide - mapping subgroup — the Induced Hazards team — to identify hazards triggered by the earthquakes and guide relief efforts to Nepalese experts and authorities . He found volunteers by reaching out to his NASA - supported network called Global Land Ice Measurements from Space . Around 40 volunteers , from universities and government agencies in eight countries , came together to form the Induced Hazards team . Volunteers from NASA and other institutions used satellite data to pinpoint the locations of landslides , after the April 25 Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks . Each dot is a landslide the group identified in early May 2015 . Credits : NASA ' s Earth Observatory / Jesse Allen “ It ’ s stunning to see the volunteers ’ level of commitment , passion and forensic skills they are bringing to these tasks , ” said Kargel . “ There are no words to describe this sense of mission that goes way above the scientific call of duty . ” Mapping landslides is especially important because of the impending monsoon season . The highest number of landslides normally happens during the rainy months between June and October , Kirschbaum said . In general , if a landslide occurs in a specific area , that region will have a higher likelihood of experiencing another landslide because the ground is unstable and more susceptible to environmental triggers , such as heavy rain . With earthquake disturbances now also affecting the mountains , there is a concern the induced hazard processes may be more frequent . “ The question is how can we better understand the landslide processes scientifically , and then how can we use models , weather forecasts and other tools to help government and science entities protect citizens , ” said Kirschbaum . Several of the landslides identified by volunteers combing through satellites ( black and white image ) are visible in the Landsat 8 natural color image from June 1 . Regions where landslides have occurred will often have an increased chance of additional landslides , especially during the rainy months between June and October . Credits : USGS / NASA / Jesse Allen , Earth ObservatoryThe team uses satellite images to identify landslide locations , characterize additional hazards such as dammed lakes and incorporate other helpful information such as locations of nearby affected villages . Data sources include the Landsat satellites , Earth Observing - 1 Mission ( EO - 1 ) satellite , Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer ( ASTER ) instrument aboard NASA ’ s Terra satellite , WorldView and GeoEye satellites operated by Digital Globe , as well as image mosaics and topographic information accessible in Google Earth . The NASA - led volunteer effort has team members located in Nepal , the United States , Canada , the United Kingdom , China , Japan , Australia and the Netherlands . As part of this effort , researchers in Nagoya University in Japan have identified over 600 potential earthquake - induced landslides . Volunteers also come from , among other places , the University of Victoria in British Columbia , University of Dayton in Ohio , the Chinese Academy of Sciences , the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development ( ICIMOD ) in Nepal and the British Columbia government ’ s Forests , Lands and Natural Resource Operations . A U . K . mapping team was established separately , consisting of scientists from the British Geological Survey and Durham University ; they have similarly identified landslides using satellite data from various sources . The NASA - led and U . K . - led teams are building their databases independently but are sharing their data to better aid the Nepalese and international earthquake response efforts . An independent Canadian - based group , MacDonald , Dettwiler and Associates Ltd . ( MDA ) , locates landslides and potential landslides by analyzing areas before and after the earthquakes using information from RADARSAT - 2 , an Earth - observing satellite from the Canadian Space Agency . NASA and the volunteers share their findings with ICIMOD , an international center focused on improving the livelihoods of people in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region , including Nepal . ICIMOD also serves as a regional hub for SERVIR , a joint initiative led by NASA and the U . S . Agency for International Development . This NASA and ICIMOD collaboration provides information that Nepal government officials , their army , and scientific entities use to make informed decisions , such as evacuating or providing relief support to an area . Both Kirschbaum and Kargel are members of NASA ’ s SERVIR Applied Sciences team . “ There ’ s been a lot of different people in the mix , which is both exciting and challenging , but I think it sets a new precedent for what ’ s possible when you ’ re dealing with such a huge humanitarian crisis , ” said Kirschbaum . List of Volunteer Contributors ( Bolded names are particularly active contributors ) · Alexandre Bevington : Forests , Lands & Natural Resource Operations Canada · David Breashears : GlacierWorks , Massahschusetts · Alton Byers : The Mountain Institute · Ela Czyzowska - Wisniewski : University of Arizona · Terri Evans : University of Victoria , BC · Koji Fujita : University of Nagoya · Marie Geai : University of Alberta · Marten Geertsema : Ministry of Forests , Lands and Natural Resource Operations , British Columbia · Tolga Görüm : Instanbul University · Deo Raj Gurung : ICIMOD , Kathmandu , Nepal · Umesh Haritashya : University of Dayton · Renee Heijenk : Forests , Lands & Natural Resource Operations Canada · Andrea Hilborn : University of Victoria , BC · Ulyana Horodyskyj : University of Colorado , Boulder · Walter Immerzeel : Utrecht University · Liming Jiang : Chinese Academy of Sciences · Andreas Kääb : University of Oslo , Norway · Jeffrey Kargel : University of Arizona · Pratima KC : University of Arizona · Narendra Khanal : ICIMOD , Kathmandu , Nepal · Phillip Kraaijenbrink : Utrecht University · Damodar Lamsal : University of Nagoya · Greg Leonard : University of Arizona · Shiyin Liu : Chinese Academy of Sciences · Daene McKinney : University of Texas - Austin · Evan Miles : University of Cambridge · Lv Mingyang : Nanjing University · Natasha Nahirnick : University of Victoria , BC · Sunal Ojha : University of Nagoya · Jeff Olsenholler : Texas A & M · Jennifer O ' Neill · Thomas Painter : JPL , Pasadena , California · Mark Pleasants : University of Dayton · Bruce Raup : National Snow and Ice Data Center · Dhananjay Regmi : Himalayan Research Centre , Kathmandu , Nepal · Dave Rounce : University of Texas - Austin · Akiko Sakai : University of Nagoya · Donghui Shangguan : Chinese Academy of Sciences · Joseph Shea : ICIMOD · Joseph Shea : ICIMOD , Kathmandu , Nepal · Arun Shrestha : ICIMOD , Kathmandu , Nepal · Dan Shugar : University of Victoria , BC · Aparna Shukla : University of Kashmir · Prasama Singh : Nepal / Canada · Marcelo Somos - Valenzuela : University of Texas - Austin · Jakob Steiner : ETH Zürich , HydroSolutions · Evan Stewart : Utrecht University · Dorothea Stumm : ICIMOD · Marco van der Kooij : MDA Corporation · Katlyn Voss · Brandon Weihs : University of Nebraska · David Wolfe : GLIMS Alaska Region · Lizong Wu : Chinese Academy of Sciences · Neal Young : University of Tasmania · Qi Yuan : Chinese Academy of SciencesKasha PatelNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , Md . Last Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Benefits to You , Earth , Hazards , Land , Landsat , LDCM ( Landsat Data Continuity Mission ) , Read Full Article Hazards May 4 , 2015 Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on google _ plusone _ share Share on pinterest _ share More Sharing Services NASA / USAID SERVIR Initiative Responds to Earthquake in NepalSERVIR , a joint development initiative of NASA and USAID , is working to help Nepal recover from the earthquake that struck on April 25 , 2015 . SERVIR partners with leading regional organizations around the globe to help developing countries use information provided by Earth observing satellites and geospatial technologies for managing climate risks and land use . SERVIR has hubs in East Africa , the Hindu Kush - Himalayas , and the lower Mekong . SERVIR - Himalaya is based in Kathmandu – near ground zero for earthquake devastation . With their country reeling in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake , the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development , ICIMOD , which hosts the SERVIR - Himalaya hub in Kathmandu , is working around the clock to coordinate geospatial and remote sensing information to support disaster response . An office has been set up in the Ministry of Home Affairs and at ICIMOD , and teams are operating 24 / 7 to map the disaster - struck region for the Government of Nepal and other organizations striving to save lives and help those in need . ICIMOD is coordinating with partners and space agencies worldwide to collect and analyze data and imagery , and to provide targeted information to the Government of Nepal , USAID - Nepal , and relief agencies . An earthquake information page has been set up at www . icimod . org / nepalearthquake 2015 as an efficient platform for finding and sharing information . “ Thankfully , the team at ICIMOD is physically okay and able to aid in disaster response efforts , ” says Dan Irwin , NASA SERVIR project director at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville , Alabama . “ Unfortunately , this is a tragedy that will forever change Nepal . It ’ s so sad to see the loss of lives and livelihoods , the loss of many buildings and infrastructure , and the damage to world - renowned cultural gems like Bhaktapur . It ’ s heartbreaking for our friends and colleagues , and we ’ re committed to do all we can to help them access NASA and other critical satellite images and products that can aid emergency response at this challenging time . ” ICIMOD is focused on getting information about many hard - hit remote mountain areas and villages , including the districts of Rasuwa , Nuwakot , Kavre , Gorkha , and Sindhupalchowk – areas where ICIMOD routinely works . This image is an example of the kind of tools ICIMOD is providing to guide disaster response . The SERVIR Coordination Office team in Huntsville , Alabama ; four SERVIR - Himalaya team members currently in Arusha , Tanzania ; members of the SERVIR Applied Sciences Team ; the NASA SPoRT team ; the University of Arizona ; University of Alabama - Huntsville Earth System Science students ; colleagues at NASA ’ s Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory ; managers of the NASA Headquarters Earth Science Division hazards and disasters program ; and others are generating and processing products to support ICIMOD . The group is identifying and tasking sites for NASA satellites to image , collecting these images as well as images and data from other US government agencies and from private / commercial organizations , then processing and compressing the data into files that can be received on location in Nepal , where bandwidth is currently limited . ICIMOD / SERVIR - Himalaya is printing the images and providing them to Nepal government agencies , including the Ministry of Home Affairs , to help target recovery efforts and speed assistance . These photos can help direct rapid response , pinpoint landslides and other hazards occurring within the disrupted landscape , assess the extent of damage , and more . For more information about SERVIR : http : / / www . nasa . gov / mission _ pages / servir / andwww . servirglobal . netJanet AndersonMarshall Space Flight Center , Huntsville , Ala . 256 - 544 - 0034 janet . l . anderson @ nasa . govLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Jennifer HarbaughTags : Benefits to You , Earth , Hazards , Land , Read Full Article Earth April 30 , 2015 NASA Contributes To First Global Review Of Arctic Marine MammalsKristin Laidre , lead author of the new review on the status and future of Arctic marine mammals , doing field work in Greenland in 2013 . Credits : Erik Born / Greenland Institute of Natural ResourceMany human communities want answers about the current status and future of Arctic marine mammals , including scientists who dedicate their lives to study them and indigenous people whose traditional ways of subsistence are intertwined with the fate of species such as ice seals , narwhals , walruses and polar bears . But there are many unknowns about the current status of 11 species of marine mammals who depend on Arctic sea ice to live , feed and breed , and about how their fragile habitat will evolve in a warming world . A recently published multinational study attempted to gauge the population trends of Arctic marine mammals and changes in their habitat , identify missing scientific information , and provide recommendations for the conservation of Arctic marine mammals over the next decades . The Arctic sea ice cover , made of frozen seawater floating on top of the Arctic Ocean and its neighboring seas , naturally grows in the fall and winter and melts during the spring and summer every year . But over the past decades , the melt season has grown longer and the average extent of Arctic sea ice has diminished , changing the game for many Arctic marine mammals – namely beluga , narwhal and bowhead whales ; ringed , bearded , spotted , ribbon , harp and hooded seals ; walruses ; and polar bears . " This research would not have been possible without support from NASA , " said Kristin Laidre , lead author of the new study and a polar scientist with University of Washington in Seattle . " NASA backed us on research related to the biodiversity and ecology of Arctic marine mammals , as well as the development of metrics for the loss of sea ice , their habitat . " Laidre ’ s team used the Arctic sea ice record derived from microwave measurements taken by NASA and Department of Defense satellites . This record began in late 1978 , is uninterrupted , and relies on NASA - developed methods for processing the microwave data . A bowhead whale in Disko Bay , West Greenland . Credits : Kristin Laidre / University of Washington " It ’ s really our best global view of the Arctic sea ice , " said Harry Stern , author of the paper with Laidre and a mathematician specializing in sea ice and climate at University of Washington . Stern divided the Arctic Ocean into 12 regions . Using daily sea ice concentration data from the satellite record , he calculated changes in the dates of the beginning of the melt season in spring and the start of the fall freeze - up from 1979 to 2013 . He found that , in all regions but one , the melt season had grown longer ( mostly by 5 to 10 weeks , and by 20 weeks in one region ) . " Sea ice is critical for Arctic marine mammals because events such as feeding , giving birth , molting , and resting are closely timed with the availability of their ice platform , " Laidre said . " It is especially critical for the ice - dependent species -- seals and polar bears . Ice seals use the sea ice platform to give birth and nurse pups during very specific weeks of the spring , and polar bears use sea ice for feeding , starting in late winter and continuing until the ice breaks up . " Pacific walrus use the floating pack ice both as a platform on which to rest between feeding bouts and as a passive transport around their habitat . " Loss of sea ice has resulted in walrus hauling out on land in Alaska and Russia in massive numbers – these land haul outs result in trampling of their young , " Laidre said . " Also , now walrus must travel a longer way to reach their feeding areas , which is energetically costly . " A pod of narwhals swimming in Admiralty Inlet , Canada in 2005 . Credits : Kristin Laidre / University of WashingtonIn the case of Arctic whales , the changes in sea ice might benefit their populations , at least in the short term : the loss and earlier retreat of sea ice opens up new habitats and , in some areas of the Arctic , has also led to an increase in food production and the length of their feeding season . In the future , Stern said higher - resolution satellite microwave data might come in handy when studying the interactions of Arctic marine mammals with their icy habitat . " For example , we know that narwhals congregate in specific areas of the Arctic in the wintertime , so maybe a higher spatial resolution in these areas might help us better understand their relationship with the ice , " Stern said . " But mainly , just continuing daily coverage is what ’ s important for the long - term monitoring of habitat changes . " This review study was funded by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources , the Danish Ministry of the Environment and NASA . Related Link : Link to the study - " Arctic marine mammal population status , sea ice habitat loss , and conservation recommendations for the 21 st century " Maria - José ViñasNASA ’ s Earth Science News TeamNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Lynn JennerTags : Benefits to You , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , Ice , Land , Water , Read Full Article Webb Telescope April 20 , 2015 Building Hubble ' s Successor : Crucial Pathfinder Test Set Up Inside Chamber AInside NASA ' s giant thermal vacuum chamber , called Chamber A , at NASA ' s Johnson Space Center in Houston , the James Webb Space Telescope ' s Pathfinder backplane test model , is being prepared for its cryogenic test . Previously used for manned spaceflight missions , this historic chamber is now filled with engineers and technicians preparing for a crucial test . Exelis developed and installed the optical test equipment in the chamber . " The optical test equipment was developed and installed in the chamber by Exelis , " said Thomas Scorse , Exelis JWST Program Manager . " The Pathfinder telescope gives us our first opportunity for an end - to - end checkout of our equipment . "" This will be the first time on the program that we will be aligning two primary mirror segments together , " said Lee Feinberg , NASA Optical Telescope Element Manager . " In the past , we have always tested one mirror at a time but this time we will use a single test system and align both mirrors to it as though they are a single monolithic mirror . " The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA ' s Hubble Space Telescope . It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built . Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners , the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency . Image credit : NASA / Chris GunnText credit : Laura Betz , NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , MarylandLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Goddard Space Flight Center , James Webb Space Telescope , Science Instruments , Technology , Read Full Article GOES Feb . 9 , 2015 Satellite Eyes New England Winter Storm Breaking RecordsAnother large snowstorm affecting New England was dropping more snow on the region and breaking records on February 9 , as NOAA ' s GOES - East satellite captured an image of the clouds associated with the storm system . On Feb . 9 , NOAA ' s National Weather Service in Boston , Massachusetts noted that " The 30 - day snowfall total at Boston ending 7 a . m . this morning is 61 . 6 inches . This exceeds the previous maximum 30 day snowfall total on record at Boston , which was 58 . 8 inches ending Feb 7 1978 . " The GOES - East image was created by NASA / NOAA ' s GOES Project at NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . It showed a blanket of clouds over the U . S . northeast that stretched down to the Mid - Atlantic where there was no snow on the ground in Washington , D . C . NOAA ' s National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center provided a look at the extent of the storm system and noted " Heavy snow will impact portions of New York State and New England as the new week begins . Freezing rain will spread from western Pennsylvania to Long Island , with rain for the mid - Atlantic states . " The low pressure area bringing the snow to the northeast was located in central Pennsylvania . A cold front extended southward from the low across the Tennessee Valley while a stationary boundary extended eastward from the low across the central mid - Atlantic . To create the image , NASA / NOAA ' s GOES Project takes the cloud data from NOAA ' s GOES - East satellite and overlays it on a true - color image of land and ocean created by data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer , or MODIS , instrument that flies aboard NASA ' s Aqua and Terra satellites . Together , those data created the entire picture of the storm . NOAA ' s GOES satellites provide the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis . Geostationary describes an orbit in which a satellite is always in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth . This allows GOES to hover continuously over one position on Earth ' s surface , appearing stationary . As a result , GOES provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric triggers for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes , flash floods , hail storms and hurricanes . For updated information about the storm system , visit NOAA ' s NWS website : www . weather . govFor more information about GOES satellites , visit : www . goes . noaa . gov / or goes . gsfc . nasa . gov / Rob GutroNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight CenterLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Lynn JennerTags : Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , GOES ( Geostationary Environmental Operational Satellites ) , Hazards , Land , Read Full Article GOES Feb . 4 , 2015 Satellite Animation Shows February Return of the Pineapple Express An animation of satellite imagery from NOAA ' s GOES - West satellite from Feb . 1 to Feb . 4 , 2015 captured the movement of a stream of clouds associated with moisture called " The Pineapple Express . " Credits : NASA / NOAA GOES Project , Dennis ChestersThe " Pineapple Express " has set up again and is bringing wet weather to the U . S . Pacific Northwest . An animation of satellite imagery from NOAA ' s GOES - West satellite from Feb . 1 to Feb . 4 , 2015 captured the movement of a stream of clouds associated with moisture that is expected to bring rain and snow to the region over the next several days . The ‘‘ Pineapple Express ’’ occurs when warm air and lots of moisture are transported from the Central Pacific , near Hawaii , to the Eastern Pacific Ocean . A wide - field movie by NOAA ' s GOES - West satellite shows the Pineapple Express ' stream of clouds and moisture moving into the Pacific Northwest . The video was created by NASA / NOAA ' s GOES Project at NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . “ Good news for Northern California and the Pacific Northwest , " said Bill Patzert , climatologist for NASA ' s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena , California . " Beginning Wednesday , a series of storms pumped up by a moisture - laden ‘ Pineapple Express ’ system surging out of the warm tropical Pacific will deliver some small relief to rain and snow starved California . Though not a drought buster , we Californians are hoping this might be a preview of coming attractions for February and March . We are in the fourth quarter of our winter rain season and need a ‘ hail mary ’ to beat this drought down , ” Patzert said . On Feb . 4 NOAA ' s National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center ( NPC ) in College Park , Maryland issued a short range forecast discussion about the Pineapple Express . NPC noted : A weather system that ' s tapping into abundant moisture in the Pacific will bring moderate to heavy rainfall to the Pacific Northwest beginning Wednesday . The rain will spread into northern California on Thursday and is expected to continue through the weekend . Some areas could see in excess of 10 inches of rain through early Saturday . The Pineapple Express is expected to affect areas from northwest California into coastal Oregon and Washington State . NPC noted that the " Express " is expected to produce mostly light to moderate rainfall totals for the coastal Pacific Northwest on Feb . 4 , with much heavier totals expected the following two days . GOES satellites provide the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis . Geostationary describes an orbit in which a satellite is always in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth . This allows GOES to hover continuously over one position on Earth ' s surface , appearing stationary . As a result , GOES provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric " triggers " for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes , flash floods , hail storms and hurricanes . For updated information about the storm system , visit NOAA ' s National Weather Service website : www . weather . govFor more information about GOES satellites , visit : http : / / www . goes . noaa . gov / or http : / / goes . gsfc . nasa . gov / Rob GutroNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight CenterLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Lynn JennerTags : Air , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , GOES ( Geostationary Environmental Operational Satellites ) , Land , Read Full Article GOES Feb . 3 , 2015 Chicago ' s Snowy Aftermath Seen by Satellite NOAA ' s GOES - East satellite captured an image of the snow left behind from the fifth - largest blizzard to hit Chicago on Monday . A visible picture captured at 1445 UTC ( 9 : 45 a . m . EST ) showed a large band of snow on the ground in the Great Lakes Region , from west to east , from Iowa through Illinois , passing right through Chicago and east into Indiana . To create the image , NASA / NOAA ' s GOES Project used cloud data from NOAA ' s GOES - East satellite and overlaid it on a true - color image of land and ocean created by data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer , or MODIS , instrument that flies aboard NASA ' s Aqua and Terra satellites . The National Weather Service ( NWS ) at O ' Hare International Airport reported that 16 . 2 inches of snow fell in 24 hours , ending February 2 . During the storm , the maximum wind speed reached 40 mph at O ' Hare . The NWS at Rockford , Illinois reported maximum winds to 43 mph , and a total snowfall of 10 . 5 inches . Other snow totals included 16 . 5 inches in Aurora , Illinois and 16 inches in DeKalb , Illinois . The snow that fell added to the previous snow on the ground , bringing totals to 19 . 3 inches in Chicago by 6 a . m . Monday , Feb . 2 , according to the NWS . NWS noted that it was the city ' s fifth largest snowstorm ever . GOES - East provides visible and infrared images over the eastern U . S . and the Atlantic Ocean from its fixed orbit in space . NOAA ' s GOES satellites provide the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis . Geostationary describes an orbit in which a satellite is always in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth . This allows GOES to hover continuously over one position on Earth ' s surface , appearing stationary . As a result , GOES provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric triggers for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes , flash floods , hail storms and hurricanes . For updated information about the storm system , visit NOAA ' s NWS website : www . weather . govFor more information about GOES satellites , visit : www . goes . noaa . gov / or goes . gsfc . nasa . gov / Rob GutroNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight CenterLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Lynn JennerTags : Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , GOES ( Geostationary Environmental Operational Satellites ) , Hazards , High - Tech Computing , Land , Read Full Article Hazards Jan . 27 , 2015 NASA and NOAA ' s Nighttime and Daytime Views of the Blizzard of 2015 On January 27 , 2015 at 17 : 35 UTC ( 12 : 35 p . m . EST ) NOAA ' s Geostationary Operational Environmental or GOES - East satellite captured an image of the nor ' easter over New England . Credits : NASA / NOAA GOES ProjectNASA and NOAA have provided night - time and daytime views of the Blizzard of 2015 from the Suomi NPP and the GOES - East satellites . A combination of the day - night band and high resolution infrared imagery from the NASA - NOAA ' s Suomi NPP satellite showed the historic blizzard near peak intensity as it moves over the New York through Boston Metropolitan areas at 06 : 45 Z ( 1 : 45 a . m . EST ) on January 27 , 2015 . The nighttime lights of the region were blurred by the high cloud tops associated with the most intense parts of the storm . The center of the low pressure center was about 85 miles southeast of Nantucket , Massachusetts at 9 : 00 a . m . EST and had an estimated pressure of 975 millibars . The center of the storm was moving in a north - northeasterly direction . At 10 a . m . EST , the National Weather Service noted " the powerful nor ' easter that brought moderate to heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions to the Northeast on Monday will continue to affect the region on Tuesday , with heavy snow and blizzard conditions expected from eastern Long Island to Maine as the system slowly moves to the northeast . Snow and strong winds will being tapering off from south to north Tuesday night into Wednesday morning . " A combination of the day - night band and high resolution infrared imagery from the NASA - NOAA ' s Suomi NPP satellite showed the historic blizzard near peak intensity as it moves over the New York through Boston Metropolitan areas at 06 : 45 Z ( 1 : 45 a . m . EST ) on January 27 , 2015 . Credits : NOAA / NASALater on January 27 , 2015 at 17 : 35 UTC ( 12 : 35 p . m . EST ) NOAA ' s Geostationary Operational Environmental or GOES - East satellite captured an image of the nor ' easter over New England . The image was created by the NASA / NOAA GOES Project and showed the clouds associated with the nor ' easter blanketing New England . An occluded front extended north and eastward out of the low pressure area ' s center out into the Atlantic Ocean . GOES satellites provide the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis . Geostationary describes an orbit in which a satellite is always in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth . This allows GOES to hover continuously over one position on Earth ' s surface , appearing stationary . As a result , GOES provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric " triggers " for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes , flash floods , hail storms and hurricanes . For updated information about the storm system , visit NOAA ' s NWS website : www . weather . govFor more information about GOES satellites , visit : www . goes . noaa . gov / or goes . gsfc . nasa . gov / For more information about Suomi NPP , visit : http : / / www . jpss . noaa . gov and http : / / npp . gsfc . nasa . gov / Rob GutroNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight CenterLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Lynn JennerTags : Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , GOES ( Geostationary Environmental Operational Satellites ) , Hazards , Land , Suomi NPP ( National Polar - orbiting Partnership ) , Read Full Article Earth Jan . 14 , 2015 NASA Mountaintop Sensor Finds High Methane over LAThe CLARS observatory on Mt . Wilson in southern California ' s San Gabriel Mountains . Credits : NASA / JPL - CaltechA NASA study using two years of observations from a novel mountaintop instrument finds that Los Angeles ' annual emissions of methane , an important greenhouse gas , are 18 to 61 percent higher than widely used estimates . The study is the first to demonstrate the feasibility of long - term mapping of greenhouse gases across an urban area from an elevated -- but still earthbound -- site . " For the first time , we ' ve been able to provide an accurate estimate of total methane emissions from the Los Angeles basin , whatever their sources , " said senior research scientist Stanley Sander of NASA ' s Jet Propulsion Laboratory , Pasadena , California , the new instrument ' s principal investigator . " Altogether , it ' s a very significant increase in the estimate . " Methane is extremely efficient at trapping heat and warming the planet . Its urban sources include gas pipeline leaks , landfills , wastewater treatment plants and transportation . The study used observations by an instrument called a spectrometer , which measures the effect of methane and other gases on the spectrum of sunlight , allowing it to " count " the number of molecules in the air above LA . The instrument is part of the California Laboratory for Atmospheric Remote Sensing ( CLARS ) , located about 5 , 700 feet ( 1 , 700 meters ) above Los Angeles atop Mt . Wilson . Because of regional air patterns , virtually none of LA ' s pollution drifts as high as the CLARS site , but all of it is within view . " The instrument is like a stationary satellite , " said Clare Wong , a NASA postdoctoral fellow at JPL and lead author of a paper on the new study in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics . Every 90 minutes during daylight hours , the CLARS spectrometer points at one after another of 28 flat , unobstructed sites throughout the Los Angeles basin , including Angels Stadium in Anaheim and the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia . The spectrometer measures how much methane , carbon dioxide and other pollutants are in the air between it and each site . It also takes a measurement in the clean air above the mountain . The difference between the clean - air and ground - site measurements gives the amount of methane in the LA basin . Over the sprawling 30 - by - 70 - mile LA basin ( 50 by 110 kilometers ) , methane emissions were estimated to be 430 , 000 U . S . tons ( 0 . 39 teragrams ) per year . This is significantly larger than the value obtained by the common method of adding up estimated emissions from all known methane sources . Although the study was not specifically designed to find out where the methane is coming from , " certain areas seem to be more significant emitters than others , " Sander said . " The ones we have been able to identify are -- perhaps coincidentally , but perhaps not -- located near large landfills . That is consistent with our understanding that landfills have the potential to be methane sources under certain conditions . " The highest concentrations were recorded at ground sites in eastern Los Angeles County and near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena . The mountaintop instrument is part of the pilot Megacities Carbon Project to monitor emissions from urban areas with populations of more than 10 million . Cities are the source of about 70 percent of the world ' s carbon emissions , and Earth ' s 22 megacities are responsible for about half of that 70 percent . Sander noted that a setup like CLARS would work equally well in other megacities that are overlooked by mountains , such as Rio de Janeiro , Seoul and Mexico City . The Megacities Carbon Project LA site is funded by NASA ; the National Institute of Standards and Technology ; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ; the Keck Institute for Space Studies , Pasadena , California ; and the California Air Resources Board , Sacramento , California . To learn more about the initiative , visit : http : / / megacities . jpl . nasa . govAlan Buis 818 - 354 - 0474 Jet Propulsion Laboratory , Pasadena , CaliforniaAlan . Buis @ jpl . nasa . govWritten by Carol RasmussenNASA Earth Science News Team 2014 - 014 Last Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Tony GreiciusTags : Air , Earth , Earth Research Findings , Science Instruments , Technology , Read Full Article Dec . 18 , 2014 NASA / USGS Satellite Sees Green - up Along Colorado River ' s Delta After Experimental FlowOn March 23 , 2014 , water was released from the Morelos Dam on the U . S . - Mexico border , as part of the " Minute 319 " agreement . Researchers studying the effects of the 105 , 000 - acre - foot flow , using Landsat 8 and other tools , saw a resulting ’ green - up ’ of the lower Colorado River Delta . Credits : Karl Flessa , University of ArizonaFive new NASA Earth science missions are launching in 2014 to expand our understanding of Earth ’ s changing climate and environment . NASA ' s " Earth Right Now " websiteA pulse of water released down the lower reaches of the Colorado River last spring resulted in more than a 40 percent increase in green vegetation where the water flowed , as seen by the Landsat 8 satellite . The March 2014 release of water – an experimental flow implemented under a U . S . - Mexico agreement called " Minute 319 " – reversed a 13 - year decline in the greenness along the delta . The year 2000 was the last time the Colorado River reached the Sea of Cortez , between Mexico ' s mainland and Baja California . Since then , said Pamela Nagler of the U . S . Geological Survey ' s Southwest Biological Science Center in Tucson , Arizona , information from ground measurements and satellites , including NASA / USGS ' s Landsat missions and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer , or MODIS , instrument on NASA ' s Terra satellite , have shown a decline in the amount of healthy vegetation along the lower reaches of the river . This spring ' s pulse flow brought back some of the green . Nagler and other members of the Minute 319 Science Team used Landsat 8 ' s sensors to track the response of plants to the pulse of water . Landsat 8 is a joint project of NASA and the U . S . Geological Survey ( USGS ) . " The vegetation that desperately needed water was finally able to support more green leaves , " Nagler said . " These are existing trees , like saltcedar , willow and cottonwood , and a lot of shrubs and grasses that hadn ' t seen much water in a long time . " When they compared satellite images of pre - flow August 2013 to post - flow August 2014 , the researchers calculated a 43 percent increase in green vegetation along the route wetted by the flow , called the inundation zone , and a 23 percent increase in greening of the riparian zone , or the river banks . Scientists presented these and other results this week at the American Geophysical Union ' s Fall Meeting in San Francisco . " Data from Landsat and the MODIS sensor are well - suited to help people make informed policy decisions about ecosystem health , water management , agriculture and much more , " said Jim Irons , Landsat 8 project scientist at NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . “ It ' s especially gratifying to see these sensors help scientists evaluate several of those components in one project , ” he said . Remote sensing data were used in studies showing the impact of other relatively small flows prior to the Minute 319 agreement , and researchers are currently using Landsat 8 and MODIS to continue studying the effects of the 2014 water release . Irons said that projects like this one demonstrate that researchers need an archive of good Earth observations of the past to refer to , as well as comparable measurements into the future to measure how a policy changes the landscape . " It ' s important to have continuity of the data , so that when a policy decision is made to release the water , we have a system in place to evaluate its effects , " he said . Water flows down the typically dry riverbed of the Lower Colorado River during the March 2014 pulse flow . While most of the water seeped into the ground in the first 37 miles below the Morelos Dam , the flow still reached the Sea of Cortez for the first time since 2000 . Credits : Andrew Quinn & Owen BissellThe Minute 319 pulse flow is part of an agreement adopted by the International Boundary and Water Commission , under the framework of a 1944 U . S . - Mexico treaty that governs water allocations on the Colorado River between the two countries . The 2012 agreement prescribed 130 million cubic meters ( 105 , 000 acre feet ) of water to flow through Morelos Dam , which straddles the border . Although most of the water soaked into the ground in the 37 miles below the dam , the river ' s surface flow reached areas farther downstream that had been targeted for restoration , and groundwater revived vegetation along the entire route to the sea . Credits : NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight CenterDownload this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard ' s Scientific Visualization Studio " Remote sensing with satellites such as Landsat and sensors such as MODIS allows scientists to conduct a range of studies they wouldn ' t otherwise be able to , " said Karl Flessa , the co - chief scientist of the Minute 319 Science Team studying the hydrologic and biologic effects , and a geosciences professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson . It ' s just one of the tools scientists are using , along with on - the - ground monitoring , to detect changes in the river channel , surface water , groundwater , plant growth , and habitat for resident marsh birds and migratory birds . " In addition to remote sensing , ground - based geophysical methods such as time - lapse gravity maps provide information about the change in groundwater storage , which ultimately supports riparian vegetation , ” said Jeff Kennedy , USGS hydrologist and participant in the study . The Minute 319 pulse flow was the result of significant cooperation between a large group of partner organizations and agencies in the U . S . and Mexico . After the pulse flow , the lower Colorado River saw an increase in vegetation , as measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ( NDVI ) using Landsat 8 data . The left panel shows the NDVI before and after the pulse ; the right panel shows the difference between the two measurements . Credits : NASA ’ s Earth Observatory / J . Allen ; NASA Goddard / M . RadcliffDownload related multimedia in HD formats from NASA Goddard ' s Scientific Visualization StudioWith so many interested parties , and water such a precious resource , scientists will continue to monitor the lower Colorado River Delta ' s vegetation and hydrological response to the pulse flow , Flessa said . Using greenness data collected both from the ground and from satellites , researchers will investigate the long - term impacts to groundwater , and they ' ll continue to study whether new trees and shrubs take root due to the flow . They will also study how the new vegetation affects birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway . " There ' s hope that we could release a pulse of water below Morelos Dam again , " Flessa said . Related Links · NASA ' s Landsat website · Landsat project ' s website at Goddard Space Flight Center · More on the " Minute 319 " pulse flow : " Restoring a Pulse to the Lower Colorado " ( 22 March 2014 ) Kate RamsayerNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , MarylandLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Climate , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , Land , Landsat , LDCM ( Landsat Data Continuity Mission ) , Water , Read Full Article Air Sep . 8 , 2014 New Remote - Sensing Instrument to Blaze a Trail on the International Space StationThis artist ’ s rendition of the Cloud - Aerosol - Transport System ( CATS ) shows its location on the International Space Station , where it will measure the character and worldwide distribution of the tiny particles that make up haze , dust , air pollutants and smoke in the atmosphere . Credits : NASAThe Cloud - Aerosol Transport System ( CATS ) , a new instrument that will measure the character and worldwide distribution of the tiny particles that make up haze , dust , air pollutants and smoke , will do more than gather data once it ’ s deployed on the International Space Station this year . “ CATS is a groundbreaking science and technology pathfinder , ” said Colleen Hartman , deputy center director for science at NASA ’ s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . “ Not only will it make critical measurements that will tell us more about the global impact of pollution , smoke and dust on Earth ’ s climate , it will demonstrate promising new technology and prove that inexpensive missions can make critical measurements needed by the modelers to predict future climate changes . ” A Technological FirstRoughly the size of a refrigerator , CATS will use the same two laser wavelengths on NASA ’ s CALIPSO mission , 1 , 064 and 532 nanometers , and it will incorporate a third laser wavelength , 355 nanometers . This may provide more detailed information about the particles in Earth ' s atmosphere . Credits : NASABy reflecting sunlight into space , clouds help regulate the Earth ’ s climate . This image was taken from aboard the International Space Station , which is where the Cloud - Aerosol Transport System ( CATS ) will measure cloud aerosols . Credits : NASATechnologically , NASA has never before flown an instrument like CATS . In 2010 , Iceland ’ s Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted , creating an expansive ash cloud that disrupted air traffic throughout Europe and across the Atlantic . CATS may improve the ability to measure volcanic particles and other aerosols from space . Credits : NASADeveloped by a Goddard team led by scientist Matt McGill , the refrigerator - size CATS will demonstrate for the first time three - wavelength laser technology for measuring volcanic particles and other aerosols from space . It is intended to operate for at least six months and up to three years aboard the Japanese Experiment Module - Exposed Facility , augmenting measurements gathered by NASA ’ s CALIPSO ( Cloud - Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations ) mission . However , the big difference between the two is that CALIPSO uses two wavelengths — the 1 , 064 - and 532 - nanometer wavelengths — to study the same phenomena . That ’ s not the only difference , McGill said . CATS , which was developed with NASA and Goddard research and development funding , also carries extremely sensitive detectors that can count individual photons , delivering better resolution and finer - scale details . It also will fire 5 , 000 laser pulses per second , using only one millijoule of energy per second . In sharp contrast , CALIPSO delivers 20 laser pulses per second , using a whopping 110 millijoules of energy in each of those pulses . “ As a pathfinder mission , what we ’ re trying to determine is whether the addition of the third wavelength — 355 nanometers , which is in the ultraviolet — will produce the results we expect it to generate , ” McGill said . “ We believe it will deliver more detailed information revealing whether the particles scientists see in the atmosphere are dust , smoke or pollution . ” Though it adds an advanced capability , particularly when coupled with the new detectors , engineers believe the ultraviolet wavelength may be particularly susceptible to damage caused by contamination , McGill said . “ If you get contamination on any of your outgoing optics , they can self - destruct , and then your system ’ s dead , ” he said . “ You end up with very limited lifetime . The way to find out is to fly a relatively inexpensive payload aboard an existing platform , like the International Space Station . ” As it turns out , the space station is a very useful berth for gathering aerosol measurements , McGill said . The station travels in a precessing orbit — it shifts around and around , traveling from 51 degrees north latitude to 51 degrees south latitude . As a result , CATS will provide good coverage of what ’ s happening over most population centers . “ In addition , the station passes over and along many of the primary aerosol - transport paths within Earth ’ s atmosphere , ” McGill added . one of Earth ’ s primary transport routes for airborne pollutants is from Southeast Asia . Circulation cells in Earth ’ s atmosphere transport particles over Japan , northward south of Alaska , and then south toward the West Coast of the United States , making a big , inverted “ U ” shape . Another atmospheric circulation cell moves aerosols from western Canada eastward and then southward , over the Great Lakes and the East Coast . “ Because smoke - darkened skies over cities and communities can pose health risks to populations , especially to the medically vulnerable , the ability to track those aerosols and deliver warnings is critical , ” McGill said . Long - term data also can reveal the shifts that are occurring in global climate — whether changes are occurring in cloud cover or whether the level of pollutants is increasing or decreasing — over geographic distances and time . The Future of Technology Demos “ What excites us so much about CATS is the fact that it will add to the observations of the aging CALIPSO , ” Hartman added . “ It also will show that inexpensive missions , like CATS , can be installed on the space station , pointing nadir , to make critical measurements over months at a time . Think of all the Earth - observing science that might be done in a cost - effective manner from the International Space Station . ” McGill agreed . “ In our current budget - constrained environment , we need to use what we already have , such as the space station , to do more with less , ” McGill said , adding that if the instrument works , it can be scaled up to be a free - flier mission . “ One of the most exciting things for me has been the opportunity to develop a small , low - cost , quick - turnaround payload for the International Space Station , a pathfinder project representing what ’ s possible for future technology investigations , ” he added . “ We did this using a small team , a streamlined process , and a build - to - cost mentality — and we proved it can be done . ” Related Link · Download related multimedia in HD formats from NASA Goddard ' s Scientific Visualization Studio · Lori KeeseyNASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , MarylandLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Air , CATS ( Cloud - Aerosol Transport System ) , Climate , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , Science Instruments , Technology , Read Full Article Webb Telescope Sep . 4 , 2014 NASA Engineers Conduct Low Light Test on New Technology for Webb TelescopeBack to Gallery NASA engineers inspect a new piece of technology developed for the James Webb Space Telescope , the micro shutter array , with a low light test at NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland . Developed at Goddard to allow Webb ' s Near Infrared Spectrograph to obtain spectra of more than 100 objects in the universe simultaneously , the micro shutter array uses thousands of tiny shutters to capture spectra from selected objects of interest in space and block out light from all other sources . The James Webb Space Telescope is a large space telescope , optimized for infrared wavelengths . It is scheduled for launch later in this decade . Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe , connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way galaxy . Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems , connecting the Milky Way to our own solar system . Caption Credit : Laura Betz , NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt , MarylandImage Credit : NASA Goddard / Chris GunnLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Rob GarnerTags : Goddard Space Flight Center , James Webb Space Telescope , Science Instruments , Technology , Read Full Article About NASA Dec . 21 , 2013 NASA Transforms Access to Low - Earth Orbit , Touches Interstellar Space , Makes Unprecedented Discoveries and Develops Cutting - Edge Technologies in 2013 In 2013 , NASA helped U . S . commercial companies transform access to low - Earth orbit and the International Space Station even as one of the agency ' s venerable spacecraft was confirmed to have reached interstellar space , and engineers moved ahead on technologies that will help carry out the first astronaut mission to an asteroid and eventually Mars . " Even in a time of great change and transition , NASA employees stayed focused on what it takes to get the job done -- returning space station resupply launches and the jobs they support back to the United States , developing cutting - edge technologies that will help us send American astronauts to an asteroid and Mars , uncovering new knowledge about our home planet and the universe and helping develop cleaner and quieter airplanes , " NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said . " It ' s all the hard work and dedication from the NASA folks on the frontlines that keep the United States the world ’ s leader in space exploration . " The following are some of NASA ' s top stories this year : Commercial Space ProgressPhoto taken by the Expedition 34 crew aboard the International Space Station during the March 3 , 2013 approach , capture and docking of the SpaceX Dragon . Credits : NASASpaceX Dragon Docked to International Space StationA little more than two years after the end of the Space Shuttle Program , NASA has returned the International Space Station resupply missions to the United States in a powerful partnership with U . S . companies SpaceX and Orbital Sciences , who are investing here and creating good - paying jobs for American workers . This medium close - up view , photographed by one of the Expedition 37 crew members , shows the first Cygnus commercial cargo spacecraft built by Orbital Sciences Corp . attached to the end of the robotic arm ( Canadarm 2 ) on the International Space Station . Credits : NASACygnus Captured by Station CrewNASA remains committed to launching American astronauts from U . S . soil within the next four years . Recent progress includes key milestones in commercial crew development met by three American companies : Boeing , SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corporation ; a Nov . 19 request for proposals on the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract ( CCtCap ) , designed to ensure commercial companies meet NASA ’ s safety requirements for transporting NASA and international partner crews to the International Space Station ; unfunded Space Act Agreements with other potential commercial providers ; and creation of a Space Technology Program focused on breakthrough innovations that will change future transportation options . These accomplishments have been bolstered by the extension of International Space Station operations to 2020 , enabling expanded commercial and research opportunities . Enabling Deep Space ExplorationThe International Space Station , backdropped by the blackness of space and the thin line of Earth ' s atmosphere . Credits : NASACelebrating 15 Years Since the SunriseThe primary destination of these commercial launches , the International Space Station , celebrated 15 years in orbit in November , and crew members have lived and worked aboard the station non - stop since October 2000 . Members of NASA ' s newest astronaut class pose with an Orion capsule at NASA ' s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday , Aug . 20 , 2013 . Credits : NASAIntroducing the 2013 Astronaut ClassInterest in human spaceflight remains extremely high , and this year NASA welcomed new astronaut candidates from a near - record applicant pool of more than 6 , 000 . Half of the class is women , which is the highest percentage in any class to date . These astronaut candidates are the explorers who will first fly on commercial rockets to low - Earth orbit and help us execute missions to an asteroid and Mars . At NASA ’ s Kennedy Space Center in Florida , the Orion ground test vehicle has been lifted high in the air by crane in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building . Credits : NASA / Dimitri GerondidakisNASA ' s Orion Spacecraft Comes to Life 2013 was a year of progress toward new capabilities as the agency ' s new Space Launch System ( SLS ) heavy lift rocket completed its preliminary design review and the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle reached many milestones on its path to undertake its first flight test in 2014 . The heat shield that will protect Orion on that mission ’ s re - entry next year was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center for installation ; NASA reached an agreement with the European Space Agency ( ESA ) to partner on the spacecraft ' s service module ; and Orion itself underwent loads testing , a water recovery test , and full power - up . Four RS - 25 engines , like the one pictured undergoing a hot - fire test , will power the core stage of NASA ' s Space Launch System ( SLS ) -- NASA ' s new heavy - lift launch vehicle . Credits : NASA / MSFCRS - 25 Engine Undergoes Hot - Fire TestNASA and 12 of its international partners released a Global Exploration Roadmap , sending a clear signal that the global community is committed to a unified strategy of deep space exploration , with robotic and human missions to destinations that include near - Earth asteroids , the moon and Mars . Asteroid MissionThis concept image shows an astronaut retrieving a sample from a captured asteroid . Credits : NASAAsteroid Sample RetrievalThe public imagination has been captured by the mission NASA announced in April to redirect an asteroid into a stable retrograde orbit in the vicinity of the moon using cutting - edge space technology , such as solar electric propulsion . This will allow astronauts to visit the asteroid , study its characteristics and bring samples home . In November , NASA held a workshop to discuss about 100 of the best ideas the agency has received from around the world about both identifying asteroids and figuring out what to do about those that are a threat , as well as how to best carry out the asteroid redirect mission . The mission formulation review has been completed , and NASA will move into mission baseline discussions in 2014 . The Wide - field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) spacecraft , having completed its original mission , was reactivated this year to hunt for asteroids . OSIRIS - REx , NASA ' s robotic mission to return samples from an asteroid , moved from formulation to the development phase in 2013 . NASA also announced an Asteroid Grand Challenge to find and characterize asteroid threats and gather ideas for capturing and redirecting an asteroid for human exploration . The public is incredibly interested in asteroids , and the agency expects strong participation in this initiative . Amazing ScienceThis artist ' s concept shows the Voyager 1 spacecraft entering the space between stars . Credits : NASANASA Spacecraft Embarks on Historic Journey Into Interstellar SpaceNASA science this year uncovered new knowledge about our home planet and the farthest reaches of the galaxy . Analysis showed the Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered interstellar space and , at 12 billion miles away , is the most distant man - made object ever created . A Minotaur V rocket carrying NASA ' s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer ( LADEE ) lifts off from at NASA ' s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Friday , Sept . 6 , 2013 . Credits : NASA / Chris PerryLADEE Launches From NASA WallopsThe Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer ( LADEE ) launched in September to study lunar dust and help us better understand other planetary bodies and their formation . It also carried the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration ( LLCD ) -- breakthrough new technology to improve communication with deep space missions that the agency will continue to refine and advance . The fine detail in images of prominences in the sun ' s atmosphere from NASA ' s Interface Region Imaging Spectrometer – such as the red swirls shown here – are challenging the way scientists understand such events . Credits : NASA / LMSAL / IRISIRIS Provides Unprecedented Images of SunIn June , NASA launched the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph ( IRIS ) spacecraft to study how solar material moves , gathers energy and heats up . Two giant swaths of radiation , known as the Van Allen Belts , surrounding Earth were discovered in 1958 . In 2012 , observations from the Van Allen Probes showed that a third belt can sometimes appear . The radiation is shown here in yellow , with green representing the spaces between the belts . Credits : NASA / Van Allen Probes / Goddard Space Flight CenterNASA ' s Van Allen Probes Discover a Surprise Circling EarthIn February , NASA ’ s Van Allen Probes discovered a third Van Allen Radiation Belt around the Earth . The United Launch Alliance ( ULA ) Atlas V rocket with the Landsat Data Continuity Mission ( LDCM ) spacecraft onboard is seen on Sunday , Feb . 10 , 2013 at Vandenberg Air Force Base , Calif . Credits : NASA / Bill IngallsLandsat Data Continuity Mission PrelaunchThe Landsat Data Continuity Mission ( LDCM ) was launched in February for the U . S . Geological Survey ( USGS ) to maintain one of the longest - term imagery data sets about our Earth ever -- more than 40 years . Earth Science continues to be a high priority , and our amazing fleet of Earth - observing satellites helped us see how an amplified greenhouse effect is shifting the northern latitudes ' growing season . A study this year of Landsat data yielded the best view to date of global forest losses and gains during this century . The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer ( AMS ) experiment aboard the International Space Station . Credits : NASAAlpha Magnetic Spectrometer Team Publishes First FindingsOne of the International Space Station ' s most prominent scientific experiments produced its first results in April . The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer ( AMS ) is a state - of - the - art cosmic ray particle physics detector located on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory . Scientists hope that by measuring cosmic rays , AMS will provide new data about the formation of the universe , antimatter , and evidence of the mysterious dark matter believed to make up most of the universe . The artist ' s concept depicts Kepler - 62 f , a super - Earth - size planet in the habitable zone of a star smaller and cooler than the sun , located about 1 , 200 light - years from Earth in the constellation Lyra . Credits : NASA Ames / JPL - CaltechNASA Kepler Results Usher in a New Era of AstronomyThe Kepler mission awed scientists and the public with new exoplanet findings , including discovery of numerous planets in the habitable zone . NASA will be evaluating Kepler data for years to come , as well as exploring the possibility of doing new science investigations with the spacecraft . The robotic arm lifts and lowers a golden James Webb Space Telescope flight spare primary mirror segment onto a test piece of backplane at NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Md . Credits : NASA / Chris GunnWebb Telescope Crew Flexes Robotic Arm at NASAThe James Webb Space Telescope , NASA ' s successor to the Hubble Space Telescope , continued to move toward its 2018 launch . In November , the telescope ' s primary mirror backplane support structure , essentially the spine of the massive telescope , completed a rigorous testing regime . The final three of Webb ' s 18 primary mirrors arrived at NASA ' s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Md . , this month for integration . once in orbit , the 18 hexagonal mirror segments will work together as one 21 . 3 - foot ( 6 . 5 - meter ) primary mirror , the largest ever flown and the first to deploy in space . Still from animation showing the most common type of gamma - ray burst , thought to occur when a massive star collapses , forms a black hole , and blasts particle jets outward at nearly the speed of light . Credits : NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization StudioNASA Sees ' Watershed ' Cosmic Blast in Unique DetailElsewhere in astrophysics , scientists saw one of the brightest gamma - ray bursts ever with the Fermi , Swift and NuSTAR telescopes and learned more about the black hole at the center of the Milky Way using the agency ' s Chandra X - ray Observatory . Fermi celebrated five years in orbit and NASA ' s Spitzer Space Telescope celebrated 10 years of incredible science . MarsThis self - portrait of NASA ' s Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover ' s Mars Hand Lens Imager ( MAHLI ) on Feb . 3 , 2013 , plus three exposures taken on May 10 , 2013 . NASA Rover Finds Conditions once Suited for Ancient Life on MarsMars is the centerpiece of NASA ' s planetary exploration . The Curiosity rover continues to explore the planet , and in its first year already has accomplished its primary goal of determining that Mars could indeed have supported life in the past , possibly much later than originally thought . Curiosity ' s Radiation Assessment Detector instrument is helping scientists assess round - trip radiation doses for a human mission to Mars . The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA ’ s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN ( MAVEN ) spacecraft launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 , Monday , Nov . 18 , 2013 , Cape Canaveral , Fla . Credits : NASA / Bill IngallsMAVEN Mission ' s Investigation of a Lost MarsNASA also launched in November its next mission to the Red Planet , the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution ( MAVEN ) spacecraft , which will study the Martian upper atmosphere from orbit . NASA ' s 2016 InSight mission narrowed its landing sites for Mars while the Mars 2020 team outlined its goals for our next rover to the planet . Aeronautics – the First ' A ' in NASAIn this photo , engineers led by researcher Greg Gatlin have sprayed fluorescent oil on a 5 . 8 percent scale model of a futuristic hybrid wing body during tests in the 14 by - 22 - Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel at NASA ' s Langley Research Center . Credits : NASA Langley / Preston MartinAeronautics : Looking Back at How NASA Looked Ahead During 2013 Here on Earth , NASA continued to mark progress in developing the next generation of air transportation systems ( NextGen ) . A new computer software tool developed by NASA ' s aeronautical innovators -- the Precision Departure Release Capability ( PDRC ) -- allows commercial aircraft to be sequenced for takeoff so that they are able to climb directly to their enroute travel altitudes instead of being required to make multiple intermediate level - offs as in the past . NASA officially presented this innovative software to the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) during a ceremony at the FAA ' s headquarters in Washington on Aug . 6 . With PDRC , controllers will be able to improve the overall efficiency of air traffic management by reducing missed or delayed departures and allowing more aircraft to depart within a given timeframe . Puffy white exhaust contrails stream from the engines of NASA ' s DC - 8 flying laboratory during tests of alternative jet engine fuel emissions . Credits : NASA / Eddie WinsteadACCESS Shows Alt - Fuels ' PromiseNASA announced a new aeronautics strategy with six areas of focus to help address upcoming challenges in global air transportation . The agency also tested alternate jet fuel in its DC - 8 flying laboratory ; selected eight large scale technology demonstrations to advance concepts for reducing aviation impact on the environment ; chose six companies to partner on advanced composite materials research to enable a significant reduction in development to certification time ; and flew the X - 48 C hybrid - wing body subscale aircraft to demonstrate concepts for cleaner and quieter air travel . Developing Technologies for the FutureThe 18 - foot - diameter ( 5 . 5 - meter ) cryogenic propellant tank , currently being manufactured at the Boeing Developmental Center in Tukwila , Wash . , will be one of the largest composite propellant tanks ever made and is scheduled to be pressure tested in 2014 at NASA ' s Marshall Space Flight Center . Credits : BoeingNASA Tests Game Changing Composite Cryogenic Fuel TankThis year , NASA created a Space Technology Mission Directorate to help advance the cutting - edge technologies it will need for future missions . The agency completed testing on a prototype composite cryogenic propellant tank with a 25 percent reduction in cost and 30 percent reduction in weight , resulting in increased payload capacity . NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne hot - fire tested a 3 - D printed rocket engine injector , marking a first step in using additive manufacturing to support space travel . The agency began the next chapter in NASA ' s improved entry , descent and landing capabilities through the completion of a test of a full - scale supersonic inflatable decelerator . The test successfully demonstrated the ability to deploy and pull a large parachute through the dynamic loads it would experience at Mars , using a helicopter to drop the ringsail parachute and a rocket sled to pull the parachute with 90 , 000 pounds of force . This technology will increase the current capability to land heavy payloads on Mars by as much as 25 percent . Three PhoneSats were delivered to Earth orbit on the maiden flight of the Antares launch vehicle on April 21 , 2013 from Wallops Island , Va . Credits : NASASuccessful PhoneSat Mission CompletedIn April and November , NASA sent three Cubesats -- two early designs and one more mature -- to space as part of the agency ' s Small Spacecraft Technology Program . The first three PhoneSats successfully orbited Earth for a week , sending back pictures and demonstrating that an off - the - shelf commercial smart phone can serve as a spacecraft operating computer . The fourth PhoneSat launched in November and is expected to be in space for a year , proving the longevity of a smart phone cubesat in space , powered by solar panels . NASA strengthened its early stage pipeline with the nation ’ s brightest and best by engaging in more than 400 activities with 75 accredited U . S . universities to enable future missions and our continued leadership in space . For the third consecutive year , NASA awarded competitive technology fellowships for graduate research on the agency ’ s most difficult space technology challenges . Sixty - five new fellowships were awarded this year , bringing to 193 the total number of graduate student space technology development efforts funded to - date . Several fellowship graduates already are making an impact in the nation ’ s aerospace and innovation workforce . Public Engagement , Economic and Societal BenefitsVirginia Task Force 1 team members demonstrate the prototype technology called Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response ( FINDER ) at the team ' s training facility , Wednesday , Sept . 25 , 2013 in Lorton , Va . Credits : NASA / Bill IngallsNew Technology Can Detect Heartbeats in RubbleNASA also continued to transfer the benefits of exploration to improving life on Earth . NASA and Homeland Security , for instance , collaborated on the Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response ( FINDER ) prototype to detect life signs in piles of rubble after a disaster . The portable device is based on radar technology NASA uses for planetary exploration . NASA continues to effectively engage the public , and this year , the International Space Apps Challenge drew more than 9 , 000 hackers , designers and explorers in 83 cities around the world to contribute their ideas to space exploration missions . The agency ' s Minority University Research and Education Program ( MUREP ) funded 148 interns and continued to help draw minority students into science , technology , engineering and mathematics ( STEM ) careers . NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the Exploration Design Challenge from NASA ' s Johnson Space Center on March 11 , 2013 . Credits : NASA / James BlairNASA Launches Exploration Design ChallengeNASA launched the Exploration Design Challenge ( EDC ) to teach students about radiation and the challenges it presents for human space exploration . A cooperative effort with Lockheed Martin , the EDC allows students to become virtual crew members on the maiden Exploration Test Flight of the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle , currently scheduled for September 2014 . More than 112 , 000 students are current participants in the EDC , which aligns with the agency ' s STEM education priorities . NASA ' s new Instagram profile has over 400 , 000 followers . NASA on InstagramNASA ' s Twitter account , with 5 . 5 million followers , is the most followed in government while millions also engage with the space program through Facebook , Google + and other platforms , and the agency ' s new Instagram profile drew more than 400 , 000 followers . NASA ' s website had its second - busiest year on record with 115 million visits . NASA will build on the achievements of 2013 as it looks ahead to a busy new year where the agency is already preparing for more milestones in commercial space , the first flight test of the Orion spacecraft , five Earth Science launches , and many more accomplishments . Last Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Sarah LoffTags : Aeronautics , Agency - About NASA , Benefits to You , Commercial Space , Earth , Journey to Mars , Solar System , Technology , Universe , Read Full Article Webb Telescope Dec . 5 , 2013 Webb ' s MIRI Shield Dropping in on Dropping TemperaturesGoddard Technicians Tony Kiem ( left ) and George Mooney ( right ) guide the craned structure holding the Webb telescope ' s Mid - Infrared Instrument or MIRI Shield Environmental Test Unit into place in a cryogenic ( cooling ) test chamber . This shield will be used to simulate the MIRI instrument during prelaunch testing to verify that the MIRI cooling system will function properly in space . Goddard Safety Engineer Richard Bowlan watches from above . Image Credit : NASA / Chris Gunn Caption : NASA / Rob GutroLast Updated : Aug . 3 , 2015 Editor : Karl HilleTags : Goddard Space Flight Center , James Webb Space Telescope , Science Instruments , Technology , Read Full Article