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Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Put on your eclipse glasses, or scout out a sun-watching website: The first annular solar eclipse to pass through the United States in 18 years is on its way.

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A failed rocket engine valve appears to be responsible for the unexpected abort of a private SpaceX rocket launch before dawn on Saturday, officials said.

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Archive for Nasa News

NASA Launches Interactive Map to View Eclipse; Mozilla Readies New App Store

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

Every week, Mountain View makes news with technology developments, discoveries and sometimes controversies.

In the weekly “Bits and Bytes” column we’ll relay the past week’s news highlights from our backyard giants, start-ups and small businesses alike.

Planning on watching the solar eclipse Sunday evening? NASA’s interactive Google map is helping West Coast viewers track the exact time the moon will pass in front of the sun, covering up to 94 percent of it.

Chinese authorities approved Google’s bid to buy Motorola Mobility, taking the company one step closer to closing a $12.5 billion deal next week. That’s at least if they meet one condition: make the Android operating system for mobile devices available to all at no cost for the next five years.

On Friday, when Facebook went public, LinkedIn shares dropped 5.7 percent by the end of the day. Still, it didn’t fare as badly as sites such as Zynga, which dropped by 13.4 percent, and Yelp, which closed down 12.3 percent. LinkedIn’s CEO Reid Hoffman benefitted from the move, as his initial $35.8 million investment is now valued around $144 million.

Intuit reported this week that its third quarter profits grew by 6.7 percent. The company, which makes the TurboTax software, also said its tax customer base grew by 11 percent during that period.

Mozilla is jumping on the app store bandwagon. In the next few weeks, the browser will be putting its marketplace into a beta mode. It will feature apps built using web development technologies, such as  HTML5 for structure and JavaScript for logical implementation

Article source: http://mountainview.patch.com/articles/nasa-launches-interactive-map-to-view-eclipse-mozilla-readies-new-app-store

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US could lose aging eyes in the sky

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

(CNN) — About every two weeks, Rick Allen gets a series of thermal snapshots from high above Earth that show how water gets used across the western United States, a perennial source of friction in the largely arid region.

“We see all of the cold spots, which are irrigated fields,” said Allen, the director of the Water Resources Research Program at the University of Idaho. “We take the relative temperatures and transform that into an equivalent of an amount of water used in cubic feet per acre per day, or cubic meters, or inches of depth. We can transform that information into types of units that are used by water managers and state agencies to manage water consumption.”

The stream of data that Allen dips into has been flowing since 1984, when NASA’s Landsat 5 satellite went into orbit. Landsat 5 finally shut down in November, and it successor, Landsat 7, beams back a set of images of Allen’s region to the U.S. Geological Survey every 16 days — but because of a faulty scanner, they come in with black streaks across them. A replacement is being readied for launch, but it’s unlikely to make it aloft before January.

“We’ll be hobbling through the year 2012 using only Landsat 7 with incomplete imagery,” Allen said. “That’s really hurting us badly.”

It’s a problem facing other scientists as well, as a combination of budget pressure, program delays and a pair of launch failures leaves the United States facing a “rapid decline” in its fleet of Earth-science satellites, the National Academy of Sciences warns. Of 23 such satellites now aloft — carrying dozens of instruments that help weather forecasters produce storm warnings and measure pollution, ocean winds and sea levels — only six are expected to remain in operation by 2020, and efforts to replace them have stalled, the National Research Council reports.

“These precipitous decreases warn of a coming crisis in Earth observations from space, in which our ability to observe and understand the Earth system will decline just as Earth observations are critically needed to underpin important decisions facing our nation and the world,” according to a May report from the Academy’s National Research Council. “Advances in weather forecast accuracy may slow or even reverse, and gaps in time series of climate and other critical Earth observations are almost certain to occur.”

NASA calls the report “overly pessimistic,” however. In a statement to CNN, the space agency says many of its satellites have lasted far beyond their expected lifetimes, and that scientists are getting regular data from other countries’ probes.

“NASA is developing a set of missions that will both continue critical long-term data records and demonstrate new instruments and measurement approaches for important variables that are not presently being measured from space,” it said. “Our research portfolio remains robust.”

The NRC report follows up on a 2007 study that recommended a list of 17 satellite missions for the next decade. But Dennis Hartmann, who led the committee that produced the new report, said none of those have launched “because of a variety of reasons.”

“They didn’t get as much money to use as the decadal survey assumed,” said Hartmann, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Washington. “Some things cost more, especially launch vehicles, so the overall cost has gone up.”

Meanwhile, science budgets for both NASA and NOAA aren’t keeping pace with inflation, he said, and NASA has lost two previously planned missions after liftoff.

The 2009 Orbital Carbon Observatory was to have measured the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, while 2011′s Glory would have measured solar radiation and atmospheric aerosols. Both crashed into the Pacific Ocean when the shell around the satellites failed to break away from the boosters.

The kind of observations those probes send back are critical for climate researchers like Josh Willis, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Willis relies on radar imaging from the Jason-2 satellite, which monitors the rise in sea levels scientists say is a sign of a rise in global temperatures. Jason-2′s expected lifetime is up in mid-2013, but its scheduled replacement, Jason-3, isn’t likely to be launched until late 2014. If the current satellite goes out before the new one goes up, it would break a string of uninterrupted observations that date back to the early 1990s.

“One of the reasons it’s so good and powerful is we’ve been able to link together the satellite records before the last one gets old — we’ve been able to fly a new one and get some overlap,” Willis said. “What’s important is not just what sea level is today, but how today’s sea level relates back to the past.”

The NASA-launched, NOAA-funded satellite, about the size of a refrigerator, scans nearly all of Earth’s ocean surfaces every 10 days from about 800 miles up. It has been orbiting since 2008 — and while its lifespan is officially five years, Willis said its predecessor Jason-1 is still functioning at 10.

“It’s not super-healthy, but it’s still collecting data and it’s still being used,” he said.

Of the 17 recommended missions in the 2007 survey, 15 are still in the study and review phases, NASA spokesman Steve Cole told CNN. The remaining two are expected to launch by 2016, along with a replacement for the OCO.

In the meantime, the space agency is using more aircraft flyovers to take the place of satellite observations of the Arctic and Antarctic. The program, known as IceBridge, is aimed at filling a gap between the shutdown of the ICESAT orbiter in 2010 and the espected launch of its successor, ICESAT II, in 2015. But the report by Hartmann’s committee noted that the flights “must leave unobserved large portions of the major ice sheets and sea ice” until regular space-based observations resume.

NASA is already running two other airborne missions and plans to announce more in the coming year, Cole said.

And NOAA, which manages many of the satellite programs once the hardware has reached orbit, has also made arrangements to share data from a Japanese satellite launched last week. The first of a new series of NOAA satellites aimed at boosting the accuracy of long-range forecasts went into orbit in 2011, and it also carries instruments that monitor ozone levels, energy from sunlight and moisture in the air.






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Article source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/20/us/us-satellite-crunch/index.html

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As NASA scales back, commercial adventurers look to new horizons – Pittsburgh Tribune

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

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By Tom Fontaine

Tribune-Review

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012, 8:58 p.m.


Updated 11 hours ago


The first launch of a privately owned rocket to the International Space Station as early as Tuesday would punctuate a shift in American space travel: The longtime government domain increasingly is becoming commercial.

Astronauts, space experts and other observers say the shift likely won’t kill NASA, the pioneering space agency that last summer canned its landmark space shuttle program and watched its share of federal money dwindle to the lowest point in more than a half-century.

The ramifications of public-private partnerships or wholly private investments in space exploration could be huge if Congress does not balk, experts say: Space projects could boost companies, including some in Pittsburgh, with millions of dollars and talented recruits. NASA would not have to rely on Russia to reach the space station. Through commercial involvement, prospecting in space could lead to greater discoveries.

“If done right, this will open up a whole new industry and allow NASA to focus on the fun places to go, like the moon and Mars,” said Mike Fincke, 45, an Emsworth native who has logged more space time than any American astronaut with almost 382 days.

If he’s right, NASA must learn to do more with less.

Less than one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget goes to NASA this year, according to the Office of Budget and Management. That is the lowest percentage since 1959, the agency’s second year of existence. NASA’s share of the budget peaked at 4.4 percent in 1966, midway through the Apollo program that would send two dozen Americans to the moon by 1972.

President Obama’s proposed $17.7 billion NASA budget for the coming fiscal year would be almost $60 million smaller than this year’s spending plan and would shift money to reflect NASA’s changing focus.

Closing out the space shuttle program at a cost of $70.6 million would save $485.6 million. The planetary science program would be cut by $309.1 million, or more than 20 percent, including a $130 million reduction in spending on Mars exploration.

Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye, best known for his TV role in “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” believes the latter cut would “result in a loss of the greatest thing that NASA does right now, these successful missions to other worlds.”

“Space exploration brings out the best in us. It’s what great governments do. I want us to continue to explore for the sake of the economy and our national image, but also because we’re trying to make the next big discovery in science,” Nye said from Los Angeles. “If we found life on another world, it would change this world and the way we think about everything.”

Focus on deep space

NASA’s biggest spending increase would support commercial flights. The $829.7 million the president requested would more than double the estimated $406 million that NASA will spend this year on such efforts.

SpaceX has a $1.6 billion deal with NASA to make 12 cargo-carrying missions to the station about 240 miles away from Earth. The California-based company’s first launch had been set for Saturday but was scrubbed at the last second because of an engine problem. The earliest a launch could be tried again is Tuesday, but Wednesday also is an option. The company will send about 1,000 pounds of food, clothing and other supplies to the station and plans to bring back 1,300 pounds of material in this mission.

Ultimately, SpaceX hopes to carry as many as seven astronauts at a time to the space station at a cost of $20 million a seat. With its space shuttles grounded, NASA pays Russia about $62 million a seat to get to the station.

“It’s time to allow America’s commercial space industry to take over transport to the International Space Station so that NASA can do what we do best: Make it possible for our astronauts to go deeper into space than anyone has ever gone before,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a speech this month to the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee.

“I have no problem with a shift to privatization (for low Earth orbit projects), but are we then really going to shift dollars to deep space? Right now, it’s just words,” said John Radzilowicz, director of science and education at the Carnegie Science Center on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology, a Carnegie Mellon University spinoff founded by roboticist William “Red” Whittaker, is another NASA partner. The recipient of $12 million from NASA for various lunar projects, the Oakland company will develop a $100 million lunar lander/rover called Polaris that it hopes to launch in October 2015 on board a SpaceX rocket. It would prospect for ice on the moon’s north pole.

“There’s a lot of things you can do to water once you have it,” said Astrobotic President John Thornton. “You can turn it into rocket fuel by separating the oxygen. You can also have water for astronauts if they are there.” It also advances the understanding of where water is in the solar system, he said.

The project is among 26 competing for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize. It also is competing for a contract to carry 158 pounds of prospecting gear to the moon on behalf of NASA at a cost of $820,000 to $910,000 a pound. That could translate to a payment of $129.6 million to $143.8 million.

“That is a fraction of what (NASA) would expect to spend” if it conducted the mission, former Astrobotic President David Gump said, estimating those costs at more than $700 million.

More risks, more projects

Aside from savings for taxpayers, Gump thinks increased commercial involvement and competition could lead to greater discoveries.

“More risks will be taken, and many more projects will be pursued,” Gump said, referring to a Bellevue, Wash.-based company’s plans to mine asteroids for resources ranging from water to platinum. “That’s not something NASA had any intention of doing.”

Former astronaut Jay Apt, a technology professor at Carnegie Mellon, supports increased commercial involvement. A potential barrier: “Some in Washington are doing everything they can to kill private enterprise. All politics is local,” Apt said, noting some lawmakers fear commercial expansion might harm NASA programs in their home districts.

Apt said NASA needs to pursue ambitious, deep space projects to attract the brightest minds. Some of those thinkers are attracted to private companies such as SpaceX and Astrobotic because “they have the ability to quickly execute exciting projects. Right now, the real revolutionary advances are not happening within NASA.”

Bolden said NASA had a near-record 6,300 applicants for its astronaut Class of 2013.

Yeonsoo Sara Lee, 16, of Charlotte could be bound for the stars. The Pittsburgh-born high school junior competed in last week’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown, with an astrophysics entry.

Asked whether she would prefer working for NASA or in the emerging commercial space industry, Lee said: “I would definitely say NASA. Private companies don’t have the backing of the government, nor do they have the history.”


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Article source: http://triblive.com/news/1827623-74/nasa-space-million-commercial-projects-station-private-science-shift-astrobotic

Categories : Nasa News

NASA MODIS Image of the Day: May 19, 2012 – Wildfires in Arizona

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

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Article source: http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=40881

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Nasa Shows Elephant Poaching On the Rise

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

The Kenya Wildlife Service has failed to contain elephant poaching in Kenya and it has now reached alarming levels, according to research by KWS scientists and their American counterparts using satellite images.

The peer-reviewed research in the reputable Australia-based Wildlife Research journal on April 12 employed sophisticated techniques to accurately identify hotspots of elephant poaching. It used KWS records, Japanese government data as well as satellite images from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “Recent reports from Kenya indicate continuous year-to-year increase in the proportion of illegally killed elephants since 2003,” the report says.

According to the report, elephant poaching escalated between 1999 and 2002 but drastically reduced in 2003 only to rise sharply thereafter. “At the beginning of 2004, poaching levels rose sharply and eased only slightly in 2007 before rising sharply (again) in 2008 and 2009 to levels not seen in the 1990 to 1998 period.” Only 32 elephants were reported poached in the Tsavo Conservation Area between 1990 and 1998 but that the number rose by more than 700 percent to 236 elephants between 1999 and 2009.

The article Spatio-temporal Patterns of Elephant Poaching in South-eastern Kenya reported research was carried out by scientists from KWS and Miami University about poaching activities between 1990 and 2009.

The researchers found out that though KWS rangers appear well armed and trained, their anti-poaching operations are ineffective and their presence is not an effective deterrent to poachers. They say that poachers operate even in areas near KWS ranger bases and outposts. “When distances to ranger bases and outposts were analysed, there was a strong negative correlation between poaching (incidents) and distance to patrol bases and outposts,” the report said. This means that poaching is often close to KWS posts.

The researchers said that poachers usually target remote areas that are infrequently patrolled by park rangers in other African countries such as Zambia. They conclude that this may suggest that “there is collusion between anti-poaching units and poachers.”

The report accuses local people living at the edges of the Tsavo Conservation Area of collaborating with foreign poachers. “Most of the poachers apprehended originated from a neighbouring country (i.e. Somalia). Among those arrested were local people serving as guides and porters to the foreign poachers.” They say Somalia is the source of the illegal weapons used in poaching particularly along the Galana river near the Tana River District.

The 23,000 sq km of Tsavo Conservation Area includes Chyulu Hills, Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks as well as South Kitui and Ngai Ndeithya national reserves. The semi-arid area has inadequate rainfall with the Galana river and its tributaries, the Athi and Tsavo rivers, being the main sources of water. Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks account for 53.7 percent and 44.8 percent respectively of all the elephants killed in Kenya by poachers. Poachers kill more elephants during the dry seasons and ambush them where there both good roads and water.

The report appears to vindicate claims made by Dr Richard Leakey and others that there has been a huge jump in killing of rhinos and elephants recently. Kahindi Lekalhaile, Chief Executive of Ecotourism Kenya, was arrested by police in April after the KWS protested over his allegation that 2,000 elephants a year are being killed in Kenya. He was later released without charge. The highly detailed report highlighted how and when the elephants were killed in national parks and reserves.

The report said elephant poaching has escalated because “the local people no longer collaborate with KWS,” partly because local people are switching from pastoralism to irrigated agriculture, and partly because of lack of compensation by KWS. Financial problems may also prevent KWS from properly supporting its ranger patrol units and outposts.

KWS has reportedly also reduced its support for clean water, health facilities and education bursaries around parks. “This support for community conservation programs has been scaled down in recent years because of budgetary constraints,” states the article. The researchers said that poachers operate in woodlands and avoid open grasslands. Such information could help KWS rangers to decide where to concentrate their anti-poaching activities especially if they used hand-held GPS gadgets “rather than approximation of poaching sites from topographic maps.”

Article source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201205190436.html

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NASA Study: Hazardous Asteroids Could Pose Threat to Earth

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

Published:May 19th, 2012 17:55 EST

NASA Study: Hazardous Asteroids Could Pose Threat to Earth


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NASA continues the Out of the Box Thinking ” studies and research that help make a huge impact on our planet. NASA`s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) recently took a survey of the number of potentially hazardous asteroids that may be lurking in and around Earth`s atmosphere.

The survey was mostly focused on the size, shape and amount of these asteroids that could eventually crash and burn head on into our planet. Asteroids come in all different shapes and sizes from the smallest peas size asteroid to Asteroids so big they make your house look like an ant hill these asteroids do pose a threat to the safety of us as we truck along in our daily lives.

Think of it this way, if you ever drop an object no matter how big it may be from say a second floor apartment balcony which may only be about twenty to thirty feet up from the ground. You notice that small object picks up a lot of speed and makes a big impact (pound for pound) when it hits the ground.

Imagine an object falling thousands of feet above earth`s atmosphere the size of a small truck falling faster than a speeding comet and on a direct path to nowhere as it weaves in and out of entering earth`s atmosphere, losing a little size as the hot gases burn and chip away at its outer lining.

Then the asteroid is in open air space as open as Walter Payton breaking though the Chicago Bears front foursome`s offensive lineas he takes the hand off, delays a step for a second as his left guard clears the way by taking out the defensive charging linebackerand opens a small hole the size of a human body as Walter sprints through it and in the open field for the touchdown as he did so many times in the 1970s era of the NFL.

We all know this is just a vivid example of the same scenario the asteroid falling to earth would take. As it makes it through the atmosphere it would pick up speed without anything getting in its way before it fell to earth and collided with the ground somewhere around the world or even in your own backyard.

This is the point NASA is trying to study with so many asteroids floating around our planet and more and more new asteroids being I guess you could say being born ” our there as lots and lotsof them collide with one another like a bumper car ride at Disneyland and shatter like ice crystal impacting the ground each time an asteroid collides with another asteroid more and more little asteroids multiply creating a sea of floating rocks in space.

When you have many floating rocks hovering around our planet NASA becomes concerned about the possibility of the potential hazards that could happen if these asteroid collide with earth. This to me is really a good study to try to almost account for every asteroid out there that may pose a potential threat to our planet.

These asteroids that are in orbit around Earth are known as PHA`s (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids) and are at a very close distance of around five-million miles to our atmosphere. To me five-million miles is an eternity away but to NASA it`s a distance of just down the block ” to the close proximity of our planet so it raises concern.

This study by NASA comes from the asteroid hunting portion of what is called the NEOWISE mission which is a submission of the NASA WISE mission. NASA studies about one-hundred and seven PHA`s to make predictions of the total population of the PHA`s out there.

So far as the study is still ongoing, NASA is estimating there are about 4,700 PHAs out there that pose a potential threat and out of those 4,700 PHA`s there are about 1,500 that are around 330 feet in diameter or larger. That`s about the size of a large sail boat or luxury liner.

Lindley Johnson who is the program Executive for the Near-Earth Object Observation Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington said, But we`ve many more to find (referring to the rogue PHA`s out there) and it will take a concerted effort during the next couple of decades to find all of them that could do serious damage or be a mission destination in the future. ” (Johnson, 2012)

So, NASA plans to keep investing time and effort to finding all these hazardous asteroids. As NASA continues finding out new information about the PHA`s; they have discovered that out of the total number of PHA`s out there over half of them are in what is known as the Lower Inclination ” orbit which means they are in more alignment with the plane of the Earth`s orbit.

These asteroids that are in the Lower Inclination of earth`s orbit are the ones that NASA is focusing more time and study on because they are the ones that are causing a potential hazardous threat to us. These are also the asteroids that are the easiest to reach for future missions by NASA either on a human or robotic nature.

NASA is not just liming the NEOWISE study of these asteroids to the nature of the distance to earth but also expanding the study to the composition of the low inclination asteroids. They have discovered so far that these asteroids are brighter or shiner which means they are more likely made of a stonier material like granite or a metallic substance.

This type of information is very important because depending on what these potential hazardous asteroids are made of will give NASA more insight on how fast these may burn up if they do enter our atmosphere. These may turn out to be the asteroids NASA sort of leaves alone because if they do enter our atmosphere they would more than likely burn up and not make it to the ground. The other asteroids out there that are not as shiny that may be made of other materials would tend to be the ones NASA will need to focus on.

So, the science side of NASA keeps developing new and innovative studies that will help make our planet safer from potentially hazardous asteroids and space junk. Maybe an idea for NASA to consider would be to use the potentially hazardous asteroids as target practice.

If any of you remember the era of arcade games back in the 1970s than you would probably remember the one called Asteroids ” where you had a missile silo taking out asteroids plummeting to earth. Since I was an arcade rat (hung out at arcades 24/7) back then when I wasn`t playing sports, I figured out many strategies to this popular game and even took the high score to new levels. It was simple; you have a long-range missile silo capable of hitting targets at long-range distances with pinpoint accuracy.

Today, this comes as second nature with our high-efficiency weapon systems that could pick off a flea sitting on the head of a dog at hundreds of miles and not even harm a hair on the dog as the flea becomes a ghost.

I think with this technology if any of these potentially hazardous asteroids even think about coming into our house (our house in this case being our atmosphere) they won`t even stand a chance making it to the ground as suddenly like in the old game Asteroids ” they try to enter our atmosphere, our missiles lock and load and then zero in on the target and with a burst of energy and force of power; BAM! The asteroid is hit by say a Tomahawk missile and shattered into many little pieces and reduced to nothing more than a pile of dust. BOOYAH!

Reference:

Clavin, W., (2012) JPL, Pasadena, California, NASA Survey Counts Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, (www.nasa.gov/wise) the quote used in my article by Lindley Johnson is quoted and cited from this article. Retrieved 2012.

 

   

 

 

 

 

Article source: http://thesop.org/story/20120519/nasa-study-hazardous-asteroids-could-pose-threat-to-earth.html

Categories : Nasa News

NASA Eye Safety Suggestions For Viewing Partial Solar Eclipse

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

If you plan to catch a glimpse of Sunday’s partial solar eclipse at about 5:25 p.m., in Southern California, you might want to heed these tips from NASA’s Eclipse website.

Here’s Sunday’s eclipse schedule for Southern California:

  • 5:24 p.m.: Eclipse begins
  • 6:38 p.m.: Maximum eclipse
  • 7:42 p.m.: Eclipse ends
  • 7:52 p.m.: Sunset

Here is information directly from the NASA site:

“Partial eclipses, annular eclipses, and the partial phases of total eclipses are never safe to watch without taking special precautions. Even when 99 percent of the sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining photospheric crescent is intensely bright and cannot be viewed safely without eye protection. Do not attempt to observe the partial or annular phases of any eclipse with the naked eye. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness.”

The site reports that the safest ways to see an eclipse is by projection, “in which a pinhole or small opening is used to cast the image of the sun on a screen placed a half-meter or more beyond the opening. Projected images of the sun may even be seen on the ground in the small openings created by interlacing fingers, or in the dappled sunlight beneath a leafy tree.”

NASA also says binoculars may be used to project a magnified image of the sun on a white card, but you “must avoid the temptation of using these instruments for direct viewing.”

The site also indicates that the sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose. Such filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces that attenuates ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy. “One of the most widely available filters for safe solar viewing is a number 14 welder’s glass, available through welding supply outlets.”

Another option it suggests is aluminized Mylar which can easily be cut with scissors and adapted to any kind of box or viewing device. “No filter is safe to use with any optical device (i.e. – telescope, binoculars, etc.) unless it has been specifically designed for that purpose.”

Filters that you want to stay clear of and that NASA considers unsafe include: color film, some non-silver black and white film, medical x-ray films with images on them, smoked glass, photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters, the site reports.

In addition, NASA warns not to experiment with other filters unless you are certain that they are safe. “Damage to the eyes comes predominantly from invisible infrared wavelengths.”

Bottom-line the site reports: “Even if the sun appears dark in a filter or if you don’t feel any discomfort, does not guarantee that your eyes are safe. Avoid all unnecessary risks.” 

“In spite of these precautions, the total phase of an eclipse can and should be viewed without any filters whatsoever. The naked eye view of totality is completely safe and is overwhelmingly awe-inspiring,” the site reports.

(Source: NASA Eclipse website)

Article source: http://fountainvalley.patch.com/articles/nasa-eye-safety-suggestions-for-viewing-partial-solar-eclipse-4eb0fb5d

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SpaceX to try another rocket launch Tuesday

By alkaon on May 20, 2012 No Comments

AP

This framegrab from NASA-TV shows the SpaceX rocket on the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Saturday, seconds after the launch was aborted.

Article source: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-05-19/spacex-try-launch-tuesday/55082684/1

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NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 18 May 2012

By alkaon on May 19, 2012 No Comments

ISS On-Orbit Status 05/18/12

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. First day of full crew complement of 6 for Expedition 31. Sleep Cycle is back to “normal” – wake: 2:00am, sleep 5:30pm EDT.

After wakeup, FE-1 Padalka performed the routine inspection of the SM PSS Caution Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection.

Upon wakeup, FE-5 André Kuipers, FE-6 Don Pettit FE-3 Joe Acaba each completed a post-sleep session of the Reaction Self-Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self-Test on the ISS) protocol, the 41st for André Don and the first for Joe. [For his first RST, Acaba completed pre-test questions, the reaction time test, and performance feedback. RST is done twice daily (after wakeup before bedtime) for 3 days prior to the sleep shift, the day(s) of the sleep shift and 5 days following a sleep shift. The experiment consists of a 5-minute reaction time task that allows crewmembers to monitor the daily effects of fatigue on performance while on ISS. The experiment provides objective feedback on neurobehavioral changes in attention, psychomotor speed, state stability, and impulsivity while on ISS missions, particularly as they relate to changes in circadian rhythms, sleep restrictions, and extended work shifts.]

Kuipers Pettit had their last day with the ESA ENERGY experiment, with Don contributing a urine sample as Control Subject. [Collection of a water sample from the PWD (Potable Water Dispenser) in the Lab and urine sampling (on 2nd void of the day) were performed the last time, as was consumption of the special ENERGY breakfast and the logging of all ISS food drinks consumed from lunch and dinner. André's Sensewear Armband monitor, worn on the right triceps for the entire 10-day ENERGY measurement period, was removed and its data were downloaded to the EPM (European Physiology Module) laptop internal hard drive for downlink, as were the ENERGY diet logs. Background: The observed loss of astronauts' body mass during space flight is partly due to the systematic ongoing negative energy balance in micro-G, in addition to disuse. Unfortunately, the reason for such unbalanced match between intake and output is not clear, but appealing data suggest a relation between the degree of energy deficit and the exercise level prescribed as a countermeasure. Purpose of the ENERGY experiment is (1) to measure changes in energy balance during long term space flight, (2) to measure adaptations in the components of the Total Energy Expenditure TEE (consumption), and (3) to derive an equation for the energy requirements of astronauts. TEE is the sum of resting metabolic rate (RMR, measured), diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT, measured oxygen-uptake minus RMR) and activity-related energy expenditure (AEE, calculated).]

CDR Kononenko supported the later ground-commanded activation of the Elektron oxygen generator by pressurizing the assembly’s BZh Liquid Unit with nitrogen to ensure safe operation, i.e. prevent hydrogen (H2) presence in the O2 line. [The gas analyzer used on the Elektron during nominal operations for detecting (which could cause overheating) is not included in the control algorithm until 10 minutes after Elektron startup.]

Later, Kononenko unstowed and set up the equipment required for the periodic Shumomer acoustics measurements, then used the SLM (Sound Level Meter) to take noise level measurements in the SM, first with the Elektron still off and later with the O2 generator activated.

Oleg also brought the RODF (Russian Operations Data Files) up to date by replacing books or inserting new pages delivered on Soyuz 30S, and prepacking old material for disposal in Progress 47P. [Updated were 6 books, on Handover Operations (ISS-30/ISS-31 and ISS-31/ISS-32), RK experiment deactivation/activation, MO (Medical Operations) 1 2, GF (GeoPhysics) FOTO plus 2 ODF disks.]

In the newly arrived Soyuz spacecraft, Gennady Padalka worked in the Orbital Module (BO), installing and connecting the electronic LKT local temperature sensor commutator (TA251M1B) of the BITS2-12 onboard telemetry measurement system and its TA765B/PZU-1M ROM (read-only memory) unit from SM stowage, recycled from an earlier vehicle.

Later, FE-1 activated the BIO-8 PLAZMIDA payload in its Recomb-K #7 container and set it up in the TBU thermostat-controlled container (+37 degC), while FE-2 Revin took documentary photography.

Gennady also transferred the BTKh-35 MEMBRANA experiment kit from the Soyuz to the MRM2 Poisk module and the BTKh-43 KONSTANTA kit to the SM (panel 406).

Revin took care of the BIOEKOLOGIYA (Bioecology) experiment BTKh-44/CALCIUM, transferring the cases from 30S to the SM for exposure setup.

Afterwards, Sergei installed the newly delivered ID-3MKS dosimeter assemblies of the RBO-3-4 Matryoshka-R radiation payload in the #2 Kayuta (crew quarters) on its RL protective screen/curtain.

In one of the first crew handover activities, Don Pettit Joe Acaba had ~1.5 hrs for jointly working in the WHC (Waste Hygiene Compartment) to remove replace the E-K Pre-Treat Tank. [E-K, a Russia-furnished component, contains five liters of pre-treat solution, i.e., a mix of H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), CrO3 (chromium oxide, for oxidation and purple color), and H2O (water). The pre-treat liquid is mixed with water in the DKiV dispenser and used for toilet flushing.]

With three additional persons on board, André Kuipers performed a one-hour inspection of the PEPs (Portable Emergency Provisions) and their locations, checking PFEs (Portable Fire Extinguishers, PBAs (Portable Breathing Apparatus), and EHTKs (Extension Hose Tee Kits). [PFEs: 2 in Node-1, 1 in A/L (Airlock), 2 in Lab,1 in Node-2, 1 in Node-3, 2 in JPM, 1 in JLP, 2 in COL, 1 in PMM. PBA O2 Bottles: 3 in FGB, 2 in Node-1, 2 in Lab, 2 in Node-2, 2 in Node-3, 2 in JPM, 1 in JLP, 2 in COL, 1 in PMM. QDMAs or Prebreathe Masks: 3 in FGB, 3 in Node-1, 2 in Lab, 2 in Node-2, 2 in Node-3, 2 in JPM, 1 in JLP, 2 in COL, 1 in PMM. EHTKs: 2 in Node-1, 1 in Lab, 2 in Node-2, 1 in Node-3.]

In the US Lab, André set up the video camcorder for capturing his cabin activities, then performed more troubleshooting on the CSAC (Chip-Scale Atomic Clock) equipment of the SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) experiment. [Two SPHERES CSACs are installed for their part in SPHERES test sessions. An atomic clock uses an electronic transition frequency in the microwave, optical or ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum of atoms. The most accurate time and frequency standards known, they are used for international time distribution services, to control the wave frequency of television broadcasts and in global navigation systems such as GPS. CSACs represent the latest development of these atomic timekeeping systems. For the troubleshooting, André was to measure and record resistance between power, return and ground pins on the Reference Clock power connector to look for a possible short. If none found, he was to individually re-power Ref Clock and the two Atomic Clocks to verify their functionality.]

In the JAXA Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), Don Pettit also was involved in troubleshooting – on the IPU (Image Processing Unit) which Dan Burbank had found to possibly have a short circuit in its power supply unit. [Since the replacement of the unit is estimated to take ~12 hrs including rack rotation, Don today first double-checked on the possible short by measuring resistance of the new power supply's power line in order to make sure that it has no defects, and of the IPU's upstream power line in order to eliminate other possibilities of the cause of the trip. Based the results of his measurements, IPU power supply RR will be scheduled in the near future.]

Later, FE-6 continued the ongoing investigation of the DECLIC (Device for the Study of Critical Liquids Crystallization) payload at the ER-7 (EXPRESS Rack 7) in the Lab by returning the ELC (EXPRESS Laptop Computer), relocated yesterday from ER-5 to ER-7, back to ER-5 in the JPM and reconnecting it for operations to ER-5. [DECLIC had been transferred with its power data cables from ER-4 to a locker in ER-7 on 4/16 by Dan Burbank. The French (CNES)/NASA-sponsored DECLIC is a multi-user facility to investigate low high temperature critical fluids behavior, chemical reactivity in supercritical water, directional solidification of transparent alloys, and more generally transparent media under micro-gravity environment.

Gennady Sergei had ~1 hr time set aside each for unloading transferring cargo from the Soyuz 30S spacecraft to the ISS, supported by IMS (Inventory Management System).

The CDR conducted the periodic checkout performance verification of IP-1 airflow sensors in the various RS (Russian Segment) hatchways. [Inspected IP-1s are in the passageways PrK (SM Transfer Tunnel)-RO (SM Working Compartment), PkhO (SM Transfer Compartment)-RO, PkhO-DC1, PkhO-FGB PGO, PkhO-MRM2, FGB GA-MRM1, FGB PGO-FGB GA, and FGB GA-Node-1.]

Next, Kononenko performed the regular (weekly) inspection of the replaceable half-coupling of the 4GB4 hydraulic unit of cooling loop KOB-2, checking for coolant fluid hermeticity (leak-tightness).

Later, Oleg completed the daily IMS maintenance, updating/editing its standard “delta file” including stowage locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).

The CDR also took care of the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO KBO solid waste containers, replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers and filling EDV-SV, KOV (for Elektron), EDV-ZV EDV on RP flow regulator.]

Joe Acaba powered on the ISS amateur/ham equipment in the SM and COL.

In the Lab, André Kuipers worked on the NanoRacks in ER-1, reconfiguring the module(s) inside the Platform 1002 “Tmpry” by removing Module-16 Module-18 from P-1 P-9 and preparing them for eventual return on 30S.

Later, André completed the weekly 10-min. CWC (Contingency Water Container) inventory as part of the on-going WRM (Water Recovery Management) assessment of onboard water supplies. Updated “cue cards” based on the crew’s water calldowns are sent up every other week for recording changes. [The current card (31-0005B lists 10 CWCs (44.4 L total) for the five types of water identified on board: 1. Silver technical water (no CWCs); 2. Condensate water (3 CWCs with 14.0 L, plus 3 empty bags); 3. Iodinated water (2 CWCs with 30.4 L; and 4. Waste water (1 empty bag EMU waste water). Also one leaky CWC (#1024) with 8.5 L). No bags with Wautersia bacteria. Other CWCs are stowed behind racks and are currently not being tracked due to unchanging contents. Wautersia bacteria are typical water-borne microorganisms that have been seen previously in ISS water sources. These isolates pose no threat to human health.]

In COL, Kuipers also supported a ground-conducted health check on ESA’s BLB BGB (Biolab Glovebox).

At ~9:40am EDT, all six crewmembers teamed up for the standard one-hour Crew Emergency Roles Responsibilities Review (peredacha smeniy po bezopasnosti), to familiarize themselves with emergency roles responsibilities as a 6-person crew, including escape routes. Later, the crew had a ~20 min tagup with ground specialists to discuss particulars. [Baseline emergency response actions are covered in the EMER-1 book. Emergencies may arise due to ammonia (NH3) leak, non-ammonia toxic spills, fire or rapid depressurization. Each Soyuz CDR is responsible for his crew; the ISS CDR is responsible for the safety of the entire crew and the ISS, and he/she exercises overall direction of crew actions.]

At ~2:35am, Kononenko, Padalka Revin powered up the SM’s amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, power supply) and at 2:40am conducted a ham radio session with participants of a competition at the S.P. Korolev Museum in Zhitomir, Korolev’s birthplace, sponsored by the Junior Academy of Science.

At ~4:00am EDT, the six crewmembers held the regular (nominally weekly) tagup with the Russian Main Flight Control Team (GOGU/Glavnaya operativnaya gruppa upravleniya), including Shift Flight Director (SRP), at TsUP-Moscow via S-band/audio, phone-patched from Houston and Moscow.

At ~4:50am, Oleg, Gennady Sergei linked up with TsUP-Moscow stowage specialists via S-band to conduct the weekly IMS tagup, discussing inventory stowage issues, equipment locations and cargo transfers.

At ~8:20am, Pettit Acaba supported a PAO TV event, downlinking deferred release messages of greetings for a tribute to the end of Fleet Week activities at the USS Intrepid Sea, Air Space Museum (home of the Shuttle Enterprise) in New York, and to Memorial Day for a variety of NASA applications.

At ~3:10pm, the crew is scheduled for their regular weekly tagup with the Lead Flight Director at JSC/MCC-Houston.

FE-1, FE-2 FE-3 had their (currently) daily post-arrival PMCs (Private Medical Conferences), via S- Ku-band audio/video, Gennady at ~6:15am, Sergei at ~12:05pm, Joe at ~1:45pm EDT.

Don Joe each had a time slot/placeholder reserved for making entries in their electronic Journals on the personal SSC. [It was the first time for Acaba. Required are three journaling sessions per week.]

Before Presleep, Pettit will turn on the MPC (Multi-Protocol Converter) and start the Ku-band data flow of video recorded during the day to the ground, with POIC (Payload Operations Integration Center) routing the onboard HRDL (High-Rate Data Link). After about an hour, Don turns MPC routing off again. [This is a routine operation which regularly transmits HD onboard video (live or tape playback) to the ground on a daily basis before sleeptime.]

Padalka, Revin Acaba spent some time familiarizing themselves with the onboard exercise equipment (CEVIS, TVIS, ARED, T2). Gennady Sergei then observed André’s workout on the ARED advanced resistive exerciser. Joe installed his CEVIS PCMCIA memory card into the SSC (Station Support Computer) for his upcoming CEVIS cycle ergometer exercise. [These introductory sessions are a standard requirement for newcomers before start of onboard workouts.]

The “old” crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation stabilization (CDR), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (FE-5), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (FE-5), and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (CDR). [FE-6 is on the special experimental SPRINT protocol which diverts from the regular 2.5 hrs per day exercise regime and introduces special daily sessions, followed by a USND (Ultrasound) leg muscle self scan in COL. No exercise is being timelined for Fridays. If any day is not completed, Don picks up where he left off, i.e., he would be finishing out the week with his last day of exercise on his off day.]

CEO (Crew Earth Observation): The International Charter for Space and Major Disasters has been activated for severe floods in Paraguay. This organization includes participation by fourteen international partners and certain US Federal agencies (e.g. NOAA, and USGS). The ISS has now been included on the Disaster Charter activation list. Many rivers have overspilled their banks and numerous basins flooded. With the high interest now being given to this flood, ISS CEO targets today were requested to include the vast plains of western Paraguay: Paraguay Floods (shooting nadir and left from nadir, overlapping frames for 2 mins, with 180 mm lens to cover the parts of this very large region nearer track), Podgorica, Montenegro (CAPITAL CITY COLLECTION. Near nadir pass. Podgorica lies inland of the Adriatic Sea coast, north of prominent Lake Scutari. Being a small city, requested were also 400 mm images), Tirane, Albania (CAPITAL CITY COLLECTION. Looking right of track, inland from the coast. This capital city [metro area pop. 740,000] lies opposite a major headland, the visual cue), Jerusalem, Israel (CAPITAL CITIES COLLECTION. Looking near nadir after crossing the coast, just uptrack of the Dead Sea. The city is small enough to warrant the 400 mm lens), and Amman, Jordan (CAPITAL CITIES COLLECTION. Aiming right as ISS crossed the River Jordan for the large gray mass of this city).

Conjunction Advisory: Flight Controllers are tracking a conjunction with Object 00831 (Unknown) with TCA (Time of Closest Approach) tomorrow night at ~11:50pm EDT. [It should be noted that if required the DAM (Debris Avoidance Maneuver) for this object would occur after the planned SpaceX launch. There are no constraints against performing an ISS DAM during SpaceX rendezvous. If required, the Go/NoGo decision for a DAM would be tomorrow morning (5/19) at 12:20am, for a DAM tomorrow evening at 9:32pm EDT.]

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 5:46am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 398.7 km
Apogee height – 406.0 km
Perigee height – 391.3 km
Period — 92.53 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.001109
Solar Beta Angle — -16.9 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.56
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 186 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 77,337
Time in orbit (station) — 4928 days
Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4215 days

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/19/12 — SpaceX Falcon/Dragon launch (4:55am EDT)
05/22/12 — SpaceX Dragon capture (~8:07am EDT)
————–Six-crew operations—————-
07/01/12 — Soyuz TMA-03M/29S undock/landing (End of Increment 31)
————–Three-crew operations————-
07/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S launch – S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide
07/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S docking
07/20/12 — HTV3 launch (~10:18pm EDT)
07/22/12 — Progress M-15M/47P undock
07/24/12 — Progress M-15M/47P re-docking
07/30/12 — Progress M-15M/47P undocking/deorbit
07/31/12 — Progress M16M/48P launch
08/02/12 — Progress M16M/48P docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
09/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
10/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitsky/E.Tarelkin
10/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/01/12 — Progress M-17M/49P launch
11/03/12 — Progress M-17M/49P docking
11/12/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–Three-crew operations————-
12/05/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
12/07/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/26/12 — Progress M-18M/50P launch
12/28/12 — Progress M-18M/50P docking
03/19/13 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————–Three-crew operations————-
04/02/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin
04/04/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
05/16/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/29/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano
05/31/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/TBD (CDR-38)/TBD
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-11M/37S launch – K.Wakata (CDR-39)/R.Mastracchio/TBD
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-11M/37S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/14 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————–Three-crew operations————-

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Article source: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=40876

Categories : Nasa News

A green future: NASA’s $10 million project explores algae of as fuel source

By alkaon on May 19, 2012 No Comments

Click photo to enlarge

SANTA CRUZ – Near the end of a line of windswept buildings, on Santa Cruz’s Westside, sits a lab that may hold the key to everything from galactic space travel to peace in the Middle East.

For two years, a team of NASA researchers have been using a borrowed state Department of Fish and Game lab to test a potential new energy source by using treated wastewater to grow algae, which can produce a fuel that has already been tested on jets and may one day be used for spaceships.

Called the OMEGA Project, the $10 million study is being headed by Santa Cruz resident Jonathan Trent, a NASA scientist who has assembled a team of 20 researchers to explore the one of the most talked-about potential sources of biofuels.

Trent said

his research shows promise, and because it uses treated human wastewater to feed the algae and grow fuel – a process which also leaves the water even cleaner – and could provide a sustainable solution to the problem of scarce resources as humans push deeper into space.

“That’s a fundamental problem that NASA’s been working on for decades. And that fundamental concept is at the heart of the OMEGA Project,” Trent said.

But the research also could have earthbound benefits as well. What Trent is trying to develop is a system of large-scale offshore algae cultivation. He envisions it becoming a primary alternative to fossil fuels, saying the technology has already drawn international interest.

“We’ve got to move quickly because we don’t have much time to figure out how this is going to work,” Trent said, citing problems with the country’s reliance of foreign energy sources.

Keeping a low profile

If you haven’t heard much about the project, there’s a reason for that. The researchers have kept a low profile since NASA head Charles Bolden questioned the project’s viability – questions Bolden admitted he raised after discussions with Marathon Oil Corp., a company with which he had ties.

Algae’s potential as a fuel source is not a new idea, nor are plant-based alternatives to fossil fuels. Corn-based ethanol, after all, already supports a thriving (though controversial) industry.

But algae has been met with some controversy. Even though a 2011 Department of Energy study found that algae could replace about one in every six barrels of oil imported into the U.S., skeptics remain.

Even when President Obama praised its potential during an energy speech earlier this year, he pledged to spend only $14 million on new algae research – not much more than the OMEGA Project’s funding.

At the time, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said alternative sources of biofuels should be pursued.

“In order to build a strong economy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must invest in developing American energy sources like natural gas and biofuels,” Chu said.

But several problems persist, including algae’s reliance on land and fertilizers, factors that minimize its benefits. What Trent and his band of researchers are trying to perfect is the production of algae, taking aim at those problems.

Fighting the farm

The first problem is space. Corn production for ethanol has been criticized for replacing valuable farmlands and driving up the cost of food, and Trent wants to avoid competing with agriculture.

To solve that problem, he envisions long tubes of algae floating offshore, the cold water keeping the wastewater inside from overheating and killing the algae, but most importantly avoiding having to snap up land.

“Can we do it so it’s scalable, affordable, sustainable? Can we do it without spending 20 years? Can we not compete with agriculture for water, fertilizer and land? Those are the features we wanted to try to figure out,” Trent said.

The reason researchers targeted algae is its unusually high yield as a source of biodiesel.

“Algae’s a no-brainer. If you can figure out how to do algae, you’ve got by far the best source of oil,” Trent said.

The use of wastewater, which is usually released into the ocean, prevents using valuable water resources, while the production facilities could be powered by wind, solar or even wave energy.

There are still problems with the system, Trent admits. One significant issue is “biofouling,” which sounds scientific but is as old as fishermen putting boats in the sea: Stuff tends to accumulate on things that stay in the water. They are exploring efficient ways to keep the tubes clean.

A home in Santa Cruz

The Santa Cruz Fish and Game lab gave researchers access to salt water tanks designed for cleaning off oil-slicked marine animals, but are rarely used. Instead, they are now filled with green tubes, pumps, wave machines, vents and sophisticated monitoring equipment.

“My feeling about it is, it’s very much like when Orville and Wilbur Wright took their first flight in the Kitty Hawk,” Trent said. “It was 12 seconds. … But from the time the Kitty Hawk flew to the time we stood on the moon was less than 60 years.”

Trent envisions the technology being open and available to anyone, just as open-source software is. He points out that a patent on a system for growing algae in the sea dates to the 1970s, so the idea is now in the public domain.

And he is trying to draw interest, recently inviting a selected and international group of interested parties to the team’s large demonstration project in San Francisco, which uses wastewater from a plant there.

Trent said he sees future algae plants taking up several hundred sea acres near the shore, which is likely to raise questions about shipping and fishing traffic, not to mention views. He does not believe they could withstand being deep in the open ocean.

Looking other places

He also doesn’t expect to see the large-scale domestic production of algae during his lifetime, saying it would probably be tried elsewhere first, possibly Southeast Asia.

The nature of algae-based biofuels makes it appropriate for some uses, but not for others. And researchers say breaking the nation’s dependence of foreign oil still will take a mix a renewable sources and conservation.

“There is no magic bullet to solving our energy needs,” said Sigrid Reinsch, a NASA cellular biologist originally hired in response to critiques of how the agency staffed its space programs, but who had been searching for meaningful research before connecting with the OMEGA Project.

“It totally changed my whole attitude about working for NASA, because I was working on a project that I found very interesting and satisfying, and with a great team of people,” Reinsch said.

Follow Sentinel reporter Jason Hoppin on Twitter @scnewsdude

ON THE NET

To find out more about the OMEGA Project, click here.

Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20658615/green-future-nasas-10-million-project-explores-algae

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Categories : Nasa News
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NASA Image of the day

Composite of a Series of Images Taken From Space Aboard the Station

 
This is a composite of a series of images photographed from a mounted camera on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, from approximately 240 miles above Earth. Space station hardware in the foreground includes the Mini-Research Module (MRM1, center) and a Russian Progress vehicle docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment (right). Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Don Pettit said of the photographic techniques used to achieve the images: "My star trail images are made by taking a time exposure of about 10 to 15 minutes. However, with modern digital cameras, 30 seconds is about the longest exposure possible, due to electronic detector noise effectively snowing out the image. To achieve the longer exposures I do what many amateur astronomers do. I take multiple 30-second exposures, then 'stack' them using imaging software, thus producing the longer exposure." A total of 47 images photographed by the astronaut-monitored stationary camera were combined to create this composite. Image Credit: NASA
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