Mar 1 2012
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 12-064 NASA FINDS SEA ICE DECLINE DRIVING RISE IN ARCTIC AIR POLLUTANTS
WASHINGTON -- Drastic reductions in Arctic sea ice in the last decade may be intensifying the chemical release of bromine into the atmosphere, resulting in ground-level ozone depletion and the deposit of toxic mercury in the Arctic, according to a new NASA-led study. The connection between changes in the Arctic Ocean's ice cover and bromine chemical processes is determined by the interaction between the salt in sea ice, frigid temperatures and sunlight. When these mix, the salty ice releases bromine into the air and starts a cascade of chemical reactions called a "bromine explosion." These reactions rapidly create more molecules of bromine monoxide in the atmosphere. Bromine then reacts with a gaseous form of mercury, turning it into a pollutant that falls to Earth's surface. Bromine also can remove ozone from the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere. Despite ozone's beneficial role blocking harmful radiation in the stratosphere, ozone is a pollutant in the ground-level troposphere. A team from the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, led by Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., produced the study, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research- Atmospheres. The team combined data from six NASA, European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency satellites, field observations and a model of how air moves in the atmosphere to link Arctic sea ice changes to bromine explosions over the Beaufort Sea, extending to the Amundsen Gulf in the Canadian Arctic. "Shrinking summer sea ice has drawn much attention to exploiting Arctic resources and improving maritime trading routes," Nghiem said. "But the change in sea ice composition also has impacts on the environment. Changing conditions in the Arctic might increase bromine explosions in the future." The study was undertaken to better understand the fundamental nature of bromine explosions, which first were observed in the Canadian Arctic more than two decades ago. The team of scientists wanted to find if the explosions occur in the troposphere or higher in the stratosphere. Nghiem's team used the topography of mountain ranges in Alaska and Canada as a "ruler" to measure the altitude at which the explosions took place. In the spring of 2008, satellites detected increased concentrations of bromine, which were associated with a decrease of gaseous mercury and ozone. After the researchers verified the satellite observations with field measurements, they used an atmospheric model to study how the wind transported the bromine plumes across the Arctic. The model, together with satellite observations, showed the Alaskan Brooks Range and the Canadian Richardson and Mackenzie mountains stopped bromine from moving into Alaska's interior. Since most of these mountains are lower than 6,560 feet (2,000 meters), the researchers determined the bromine explosion was confined to the lower troposphere. "If the bromine explosion had been in the stratosphere, 5 miles [8 kilometers] or higher above the ground, the mountains would not have been able to stop it and the bromine would have been transported inland," Nghiem said. After the researchers found that bromine explosions occur in the lowest level of the atmosphere, they could relate their origin to sources on the surface. Their model, tracing air rising from the salty ice, tied the bromine releases to recent changes in Arctic sea ice that have led to a much saltier sea ice surface. In March 2008, the extent of year-round perennial sea ice eclipsed the 50-year record low set in March 2007, shrinking by 386,100 square miles (one million square kilometers) -- an area the size of Texas and Arizona combined. Seasonal ice, which forms over the winter when seawater freezes, now occupies the space of the lost perennial ice. This younger ice is much saltier than its older counterpart because it has not had time to undergo processes that drain its sea salts. It also contains more frost flowers -- clumps of ice crystals up to four times saltier than ocean waters -- providing more salt sources to fuel bromine releases. Nghiem said if sea ice continues to be dominated by younger saltier ice, and Arctic extreme cold spells occur more often, bromine explosions are likely to increase in the future. Nghiem is leading an Arctic field campaign this month that will provide new insights into bromine explosions and their impacts. NASA's Bromine, Ozone, and Mercury Experiment (BROMEX) involves international contributions by more than 20 organizations.
RELEASE: 12-065 NASA CONTINUES ORION PARACHUTE TESTING FOR ORBITAL TEST FLIGHT
HOUSTON -- On Feb. 29, NASA successfully conducted another drop test of the Orion crew vehicle's entry, descent and landing parachutes high above the Arizona desert in preparation for the vehicle's orbital flight test in 2014. Orion will carry astronauts deeper into space than ever before, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and ensure a safe re-entry and landing. An Air Force C-17 plane dropped a test version of Orion from an altitude of 25,000 feet above the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona. Orion's drogue chutes were deployed between 15,000 and 20,000 feet, followed by the pilot parachutes, which deployed the main landing parachutes. Orion landed on the desert floor at a speed of almost 17 mph, well below the maximum designed touchdown speed of the spacecraft. The test examined how Orion's wake, the disturbance of the air flow behind the vehicle, would affect the performance of the parachute system. Parachutes perform optimally in smooth air that allows proper lift. A wake of choppy air can reduce parachute inflation. The test was the first to create a wake mimicking the full-size Orion vehicle and complete system. Since 2007, the Orion program has conducted a vigorous parachute air and ground test program and provided the chutes for NASA's successful pad abort test in 2010. All of the tests build an understanding of the chutes' technical performance for eventual human-rated certification.
RELEASE: 12-066 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION HEADS OF AGENCIES JOINT STATEMENT
WASHINGTON -- The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met in Quebec City, Canada, on March 1, 2012, to review the scientific, technological, and social benefits being produced through their collaboration, and to discuss plans for further broadening these benefits by continuing to advance the human exploration of space. In reviewing the history of ISS development and the recent transition to a productive research and applications phase, three major areas of success were discussed: the historic engineering achievements, the unprecedented international partnership, and the ongoing progress being made through science. The heads noted that human exploration of space continues to yield valuable benefits to society and is strengthening partnerships among space-faring nations. The heads also recognized the new opportunities for discovery made possible by maximizing the research capabilities of the ISS, as well as the growth in commercial endeavors and positive educational impact brought about by this permanent human presence in space. Biology, biotechnology, and human physiology research are producing new insights into human health on Earth with the development of promising applications supporting future medical therapies. Also a wide range of fluids and materials research yields a promising way for better and smarter materials and production processes on Earth. Observations captured from the ISS in the fields of x-ray astronomy, high-energy particle physics, and Earth remote sensing hint at discoveries to come as the ISS is increasingly used as a platform for the installation and operation of a wide variety of instruments supporting Earth and Space Sciences. Technology demonstrations in environmental control, robotic servicing, and advanced telecommunications and teleoperations are making it possible to eventually further extend human presence in space and continue to broaden improvements to the quality of life on Earth. Recognizing the inspirational nature of the ISS as a human-tended outpost in space, the agency leaders applauded its strong role in motivating young people around the world to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. More than 40 million students have participated in human spaceflight to date through communications downlinks and interactive experiments with station crew members. Highlighting the continued growth in the international user community, the first biannual ?International Space Station Utilization Statistics was released. The partnership also published ?International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, illustrating specific successful humanitarian accomplishments in education, human health, Earth observation and disaster response that will improve the lives of many throughout the world. The ISS partnership began considering long-range opportunities to further advance human space exploration, so benefits from the ISS program will continue to grow through future exploration missions. In the near term, the heads of agencies committed to increase use of the ISS as a test bed in space for the demonstration of critical technologies and the mitigation of human health risks for exploration as a joint effort. For the long-term, they discussed opportunities to use the ISS as a foundation for the development of future exploration capabilities. The ISS partnership has created a global research facility in space that is unprecedented in capability and unique in human history. The heads of agency re-confirmed the importance of using the facility to benefit society today and provide a technological basis for continued human exploration of space in the future.
RELEASE: 12-067 STUDENT TEAMS TO CONDUCT MICROGRAVITY EXPERIMENTS AT GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
CLEVELAND -- NASA-selected student teams will test their science experiments in the 2.2-second drop tower at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland from March 15-20. While in free fall, the students' experiments will experience microgravity conditions similar to those on the International Space Station. The selections are part of two national science competitions: Dropping In a Microgravity Environment (DIME) for high school student teams and What If No Gravity? (WING) for student teams in fifth through eighth grades. The four winning DIME teams will receive a stipend to support a visit to Glenn to conduct their experiments, review the results with NASA personnel and tour Glenn's facilities. The teams selected for DIME are: -- Ransom Everglades High School, Miami, Fla. -- Neighborhood After School Science Association, Ava, N.Y. -- Licking Heights High School, Pataskala, Ohio -- St. Ursula Academy, Toledo, Ohio On March 15 and 16, the Neighborhood After School Science Association and Licking Heights High School will operate their experiments. St. Ursula Academy and Ransom Everglades High School will conduct theirs on March 19 and 20. Twenty-four WING teams were selected to build their experiments and ship them to Glenn for testing by NASA. The experiments and resulting data will be returned to the teams so they can analyze their performance and prepare reports about their findings. The teams selected for WING are: -- Tuba City Boarding School, Tuba City, Ariz. (3 teams) -- Ellen Ochoa Learning Center, Cudahy, Calif. (2 teams) -- Warren G. Harding Middle School, Des Moines, Iowa -- Holy Rosary School, Duluth, Minn. -- Sleeping Giant Middle School, Livingston, Mont. -- Neighborhood After School Science Association, Ava, N.Y. -- Longfellow Middle School, Lorain, Ohio -- Menlo Park Academy, Cleveland, Ohio -- Independence Middle School, Bethel Park, Pa. (2 teams) -- Drums Elementary Middle School, Drums, Pa. -- Hazleton Area School District - Freeland Elementary Middle School, Freeland, Pa. -- Valley Elementary Middle School, Sugarloaf, Pa. (2 teams) -- St. Nicholas - St. Mary's School, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. -- Webb School of Knoxville, Knoxville, Tenn. (4 teams) -- Kenmore Middle School, Arlington, Va. -- Washington Irving Middle School, Springfield, Va. DIME, WING and other educational programs help NASA attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. Having a skilled workforce in these disciplines is critical to future science, engineering and space exploration programs. The Teaching From Space Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston sponsors the DIME and WING competitions. The office manages educational opportunities that use the human spaceflight program and the unique environment of microgravity to inspire students.
CONTRACT RELEASE: C12-008 NASA AWARDS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA has awarded a cooperative agreement to the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute of Sonoma, Calif., to support Earth science research at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. The Ames Cooperative for Research in Earth Science and Technology (ARC-CREST) agreement has a total value of approximately $137 million, which will be funded annually up to $14 million. The 10-year agreement covers the period from March 1, 2012 through Feb. 28, 2022. The agreement is based on the original solicitation titled "The Silicon Valley Earth Science Cooperative Agreement." Partners in the cooperative agreement include California State University, Monterey Bay; the University of California, Davis; and the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. Through this new agreement, NASA scientists will collaborate with scientists from other organizations to conduct Earth science research, and airborne and space-based Earth observations for NASA's missions. NASA hopes to expand its cooperative relationships among Ames Earth scientists and other partners in academia, federal, state and local agencies, non-profits and private industry.
