Oct 27 2011
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 11-362 NASA SIGNS EARTH SCIENCE AGREEMENTS WITH BRAZIL
WASHINGTON -- During a visit to South America, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Thursday signed two cooperative Earth science agreements with Agencia Espacial Brasileira (AEB), NASA's counterpart space agency in Brazil. One agreement formalizes NASA-AEB scientific collaboration on the Global Precipitation Measurement, or GPM, mission, while the other extends an agreement for the Ozone Cooperation Mission. "Earth observation from space is vital to understanding our planet," Bolden said. "The technically skilled and dedicated researchers in Brazil are excellent partners for NASA, and we look forward to many more years of successful international cooperation in space-based Earth science." GPM is an Earth science mission led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It will provide advanced information on rain and snow characteristics, as well as detailed 3-D views of precipitation structure. NASA and AEB will study data distribution and the use of GPM's products in Brazil, coordinate cooperative research projects, and support the exchange of scientific and engineering personnel. The Ozone Cooperation Mission uses balloon-borne instruments launched from Maxaranguape, Brazil, to study concentrations of various atmospheric constituents. Results from the mission will contribute to the understanding of the Earth's ozone layer, its generation and depletion. They also will help calibrate and verify satellite remote sensors. NASA and AEB will share equipment, data, training and technical expertise. During his week-long visit to South America, Bolden is meeting with senior government officials in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica, discussing potential cooperation between NASA and regional space agencies. This is the first visit of a NASA administrator to the region in nearly eight years. It is a testament to the increasingly strong capabilities of NASA's partners in these countries.
RELEASE: 11-365 NASA SEEKING STUDENT EXPERIMENTS FOR BALLOON FLIGHT
WASHINGTON -- NASA is accepting applications from graduate and undergraduate university students to fly experiments to the edge of space on a scientific balloon. This balloon flight competition is a joint project between NASA and the Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE) in Baton Rouge. NASA is targeting fall 2012 for the next flight opportunity for the LaSPACE maintained High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) facility. HASP is a balloon-borne instrument stack that provides an annual near-space flight opportunity for 12 undergraduate and graduate student-built instruments. A panel of experts from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., and LaSPACE will review the applications and select the finalists for the next flight opportunity. Launched from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility's remote site in Fort Sumner, N.M., flights typically achieve 15 to 20 hours duration at an altitude of approximately 23 miles. HASP houses and provides power, mechanical support, interfacing and communications for the instruments. It can be used to flight-test compact satellites, prototypes and other small payloads designed and built by students. HASP can support approximately 200 pounds of payloads and test articles. Since 2006, the HASP program selected more than 50 payloads for flights involving more than 200 students from across the United States. The deadline for applications for the 2012 flight is Dec. 16. A question-and-answer teleconference for interested parties is scheduled on Nov. 11.
'
'
