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By NASA
NASA On Sept. 16, 1994, astronaut Mark C. Lee tested out the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system, a system designed for use in the event a crew member becomes untethered while conducting a spacewalk. Occurring during the STS-64 mission, this was the first untethered U.S. spacewalk in 10 years.
This SAFER test was the first phase of a larger SAFER program whose objectives were to establish a common set of requirements for both space shuttle and space station program needs, develop a flight demonstration of SAFER, validate system performance and, finally, develop a production version of SAFER for the shuttle and station programs.
Image Credit: NASA
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By European Space Agency
ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite has been launched, paving the way for a potential constellation of satellites that would provide more frequent data not only to enhance short-term weather forecasts for Arctic nations, but for the world as a whole.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s C-20A aircraft completed more than 150 hours of international science flights from May 20 to July 24 in support of an Earth science deployment series. The aircraft, owned and operated by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, overcame several challenges throughout the missions.NASA/Carla Thomas Operating internationally over several countries this summer, NASA’S C-20A aircraft completed more than 150 hours of science flights across two months in support of Earth science research and overcame several challenges throughout its missions.
Based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research in Edwards, California, the C-20A research aircraft has been modified to support the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar and SAR-fusion camera. The instruments, built and operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, collect data and images of Earth’s surface for use in understanding global ecosystems, natural hazards, and land surface changes.
From May 20 to July 24, the team crossed the Atlantic and deployed to several locations in Africa, as well as Germany, for two campaigns. They included the Africa Synthetic Aperture Radar (AfriSAR) mission, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, and the Germany Bistatic Experiment, in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center.
For the AfriSAR mission, researchers collected airborne data over African forests, savannas, and wetlands for use in studies of Earth’s ecosystems. Datasets collected over Germany will be used to develop land surface height maps.
NASA team members pose in front of the C-20A aircraft while in Sao Tome, Africa, May 24, 2024. From left, Kirt Stallings, Joe Piotrowski Jr., Adam Vaccaro, Carrie Worth, Tim Miller, Otis Allen, Roger “Todd” Renfro, Edgar Aragon-Torres, Ryan Applegate, and Isac Mata.NASA The flight team successfully achieved its missions despite several challenges, including mechanical and technical issues with the aircraft. Despite the challenges, the team resolved issues quickly and worked to minimize impacts to the science schedule and objectives.
“We prepared for the unexpected and we expected to be unprepared,” said Shawn Kern, NASA Armstrong’s director of safety and mission assurance and a C-20A pilot. “With that mindset, we were ready to adapt and change the plans as needed, and met challenges with a lot of resilience, a lot of innovation, and a lot of improvised solutions to get things done despite some significant roadblocks.”
The team included aircraft mechanics, avionics technicians, quality assurance representatives, science leads and instrument operators, operation engineers, mission managers, and pilots. They were also supported by project management, safety, logistics, weather, and maintenance personnel at NASA Armstrong.
NASA pilots Kirt “Skirt” Stallings and Carrie Worth fly the C-20A aircraft over Africa on July 9, 2024.NASA “It was really the teamwork, improvisation, and creativity that resolved these unexpected challenges that made the mission a success.” Kern added.
Gathering scientific data in unique regions and conditions is necessary to understanding climate on the global scale. Data generated from these two airborne campaigns can be used to support the calibration and validation of data from future satellite-based missions like NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar).
“Airborne campaigns like these are essential for enabling space-based technology. There are often measurements and science that simply cannot be achieved from satellites alone, and so they require airborne data collection.” said Gerald Bawden, program scientist for studies of Earth’s surface and interior at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This deployment advanced both of these areas and was enabled by this team.”
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Last Updated Aug 08, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactElena Aguirreelena.aguirre@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms
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By NASA
2 Min Read Students Become FjordPhyto Volunteers and Discover that Antarctica Is Much Colder Than Texas
Texas A&M sent 31 students to the Antarctic this year—and they did some vital NASA science while they were there.
Meteorology students, oceanography students and education psychology students worked with Dr. Chrissy Wiederwohl to collect data for NASA’s FjordPhyto project. The data reveal how meltwater from glaciers affects phytoplankton, the base of the Antarctic food chain.
“We were actually collecting samples for them to look at these phytoplankton communities and how they are changing over time,” said Dr. Wiederwohl, an oceanographer at Texas A&M University. “Phytoplankton are these tiny microscopic plants in the ocean that photosynthesize and produce about half of our oxygen worldwide. So every other breath we take is actually oxygen coming from the ocean.”
Korina Zhang and Adam Neuville collecting data for NASA’s FjordPhyto project. They are students with Texas A&M’s American Universities International Program in Antarctica. Credit: Dr Chrissy Wiederwhol, Texas A&M FjordPhyto has also recently involved students from Penn State University and Virginia Tech.
The students spent sixty days in a research vessel through the American Universities International Program (AUIP) limited study abroad program. The effort was coordinated with the FjordPhyto team at Scripps Institution of Oceaongraphy and Isidro Bosch of State University of New York in Geneseo, New York.
Going to Antarctica? You can join the FjordPhyto project, too.
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Last Updated Mar 07, 2024 Related Terms
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