Sep 23 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-271
NASA MISSIONS UNCOVER THE MOON'S BURIED TREASURES
WASHINGTON -- Nearly a year after announcing the discovery of water molecules on the moon, scientists Thursday revealed new data uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. The missions found evidence that the lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, and the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. Scientists also confirmed the water was in the form of mostly pure ice crystals in some places. The results are featured in six papers published in the Oct. 22 issue of Science. "NASA has convincingly confirmed the presence of water ice and characterized its patchy distribution in permanently shadowed regions of the moon, said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. This major undertaking is the one of many steps NASA has taken to better understand our solar system, its resources, and its origin, evolution, and future. The twin impacts of LCROSS and a companion rocket stage in the moon's Cabeus crater on Oct. 9, 2009, lifted a plume of material that might not have seen direct sunlight for billions of years. As the plume traveled nearly 10 miles above the rim of Cabeus, instruments aboard LCROSS and LRO made observations of the crater and debris and vapor clouds. After the impacts, grains of mostly pure water ice were lofted into the sunlight in the vacuum of space. "Seeing mostly pure water ice grains in the plume means water ice was somehow delivered to the moon in the past, or chemical processes have been causing ice to accumulate in large quantities, said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Also, the diversity and abundance of certain materials called volatiles in the plume, suggest a variety of sources, like comets and asteroids, and an active water cycle within the lunar shadows. Volatiles are compounds that freeze and are trapped in the cold lunar craters and vaporize when warmed by the sun. The suite of LCROSS and LRO instruments determined as much as 20 percent of the material kicked up by the LCROSS impact was volatiles, including methane, ammonia, hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The instruments also discovered relatively large amounts of light metals such as sodium, mercury and possibly even silver. Scientists believe the water and mix of volatiles that LCROSS and LRO detected could be the remnants of a comet impact. According to scientists, these volatile chemical by-products are also evidence of a cycle through which water ice reacts with lunar soil grains. LRO's Diviner instrument gathered data on water concentration and temperature measurements, and LRO's Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector mapped the distribution of hydrogen. This combined data led the science team to conclude the water is not uniformly distributed within the shadowed cold traps, but rather is in pockets, which may also lie outside the shadowed regions. The proportion of volatiles to water in the lunar soil indicates a process called cold grain chemistry is taking place. Scientists also theorize this process could take as long as hundreds of thousands of years and may occur on other frigid, airless bodies, such as asteroids; the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, including Europa and Enceladus; Mars' moons; interstellar dust grains floating around other stars and the polar regions of Mercury. "The observations by the suite of LRO and LCROSS instruments demonstrate the moon has a complex environment that experiences intriguing chemical processes, said Richard Vondrak, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "This knowledge can open doors to new areas of research and exploration. By understanding the processes and environments that determine where water ice will be, how water was delivered to the moon and its active water cycle, future mission planners might be better able to determine which locations will have easily-accessible water. The existence of mostly pure water ice could mean future human explorers won't have to retrieve the water out of the soil in order to use it for valuable life support resources. In addition, an abundant presence of hydrogen gas, ammonia and methane could be exploited to produce fuel. LCROSS launched with LRO aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on June 18, 2009, and used the Centaur upper stage rocket to create the debris plume. The research was funded by NASA's Exploration Systems Missions Directorate at the agency's headquarters. LCROSS was managed by Ames and built by Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, Calif. LRO was built and is managed by Goddard.
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RELEASE: 10-327
NASA ADMINISTRATOR BOLDEN'S STATEMENT ON FALCON 9 LAUNCH
WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement about SpaceX's launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule: "While rocket launches from the Cape are considered a common occurrence, the historic significance of today's achievement by SpaceX should not be lost. "This is the first in a new generation of commercial launch systems that will help provide vital support to the International Space Station and may one day carry astronauts into orbit. This successful demonstration flight is an important milestone in meeting the objectives outlined by President Obama and Congress, and shows how government and industry can leverage expertise and resources to foster a new and vibrant space economy. "These new explorers are to spaceflight what Lindbergh was to commercial aviation. The Falcon 9 launch is part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.
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RELEASE: 10-333
NASA CELEBRATES STATION ANNIVERSARY, FOSTERS COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT AND MAKES AMAZING DISCOVERIES DURING AMBITIOUS YEAR OF EXPLORATION
WASHINGTON -- NASA in 2010 set a new course for human spaceflight, helped rewrite science textbooks, redefined our understanding of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor, put the finishing touches on one of the world's greatest engineering marvels, made major contributions to life on Earth, and turned its sights toward the next era of exploration. "This year, NASA's work made headlines around the world, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. More importantly, it enlarged our understanding of the universe and our home planet, inspired people, and opened new frontiers for our dreams and aspirations. "NASA achievements this year across the spectrum -- from science, to aeronautics, education and human spaceflight - provided incredible value to our nation, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. We continue to build upon our rich history, taking on new challenges and doing the things that no one else can do -- all for the benefit of humanity. The following are some of NASA's top stories for the past calendar year: PRESIDENT OBAMA LAYS OUT NEW PLANS FOR SPACE EXPLORATION After announcing a new direction for NASA in February, President Obama visited the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 15 to discuss details of his plans for space exploration. The president committed NASA to a series of developmental goals leading to new spacecraft for reaching low Earth orbit and new technology for potential missions beyond the moon. Discussing his ambitious goals for human spaceflight, the president said of his strategy, We will not only extend humanity's reach in space -- we will strengthen America's leadership here on Earth. http://www.nasa.gov/about/obamaspeechfeature.html SPACE STATION CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF HABITATION AND GETS ANOTHER DECADE FOR RESEARCH NASA and its international partners celebrated 10 years of permanent human habitation on the International Space Station on Nov. 2. More than 600 different research and technology development experiments have been conducted aboard the orbiting lab, many of which are producing advances in medicine, environmental systems and our understanding of the universe. As the station transitions from its assembly phase to use as a unique scientific outpost, NASA is investing in the laboratory's future by ensuring a wide pool of organizations outside the agency have access. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010, in addition to extending station operations until at least 2020, also directed NASA to select an independent, nonprofit research management organization to develop and manage a portion of the U.S. share of the station as a national laboratory. With NASA's space shuttle fleet nearing retirement, three missions helped put finishing touches on the station this year. The STS-130 mission in February delivered a cupola with seven windows and a robotic control station. The cupola provides a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. The STS-131 mission in April delivered science racks and new crew sleeping quarters. In May, the STS-132 crew delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 known as Rassvet to the orbiting laboratory. The module provides additional storage space and serves as a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/living/10years.html http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle COMPANIES MAKE HUGE STRIDES AS FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED AND RECOVERED Commercial companies made major progress in 2010, highlighted by SpaceX's successful Dec. 8 launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. The flight was the first for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which is developing commercial supply services to the International Space Station. SpaceX became the first commercial company to launch and return a spacecraft from low Earth orbit. After NASA's space shuttle retires, SpaceX is expected to launch at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the station. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft also are being designed to eventually carry astronauts into low Earth orbit. Orbital Sciences Corp., the other participant in the COTS program, had a successful year also. In November, Orbital test-fired the first-stage rocket engine for its Taurus II rocket and opened the mission control center that will support the company's COTS program missions. The company shipped the Taurus II stage-one core in December to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for assembly. Orbital is under contract with NASA to fly eight cargo missions to the International Space Station. http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/spacexfeature.html http://www.nasa.gov/exploration NASA AIDS TRAPPED CHILEAN MINERS NASA responded in late August to a request from the government of Chile for technical advice to assist with the rescue of 33 trapped miners in a copper and gold mine near Copiapo. As part of its support, NASA sent two medical doctors, a psychologist and an engineer to Chile. The team offered expert advice about medical, nutritional and behavioral health issues based on the agency's long experience in protecting humans in the hostile environment of space. NASA also provided suggestions regarding the rescue cages designed to transport the miners out of the mine. Dr. Michael Duncan, deputy chief medical officer in the Space Life Sciences Directorate at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, led the team. The other members were physician James Polk and psychologist Albert Holland from Johnson; and Clint Cragg, principal engineer with the NASA Engineering and Safety Center at the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. http://www.nasa.gov/news/chile_assistance.html NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH DISCOVERS LIFE BUILT WITH TOXIC CHEMICAL NASA-funded researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of California's Mono Lake discovered the first known microorganism on Earth that is able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substituted arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur are the basic building blocks of all known forms of life on Earth. Researchers successfully grew microbes from the lake on a diet that was lean on phosphorus, but included generous helpings of arsenic. The research team included scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona State University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in Menlo Park. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/astrobiology_toxic_chemical.html NASA AIDS U.S. DISASTER RESPONSE TO GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL NASA aided the U.S. response to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill. Advanced remote-sensing instruments on NASA Earth-observing satellites and aircraft provided data on the spill's location, oil concentrations, and impact on ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA data were distributed to federal and state agencies and organizations that worked to contain the spill and lead recovery efforts. NASA also sent several research aircraft to make targeted observations that continue to help federal and state agencies document changes in the marshes, swamps, bayous, and beaches along the Gulf Coast. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/index.html NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH FINDS POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EXOPLANET A team of planet hunters sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation announced the discovery of a planet with three times the mass of Earth orbiting a nearby star in a zone that might allow the planet to support life. The research placed the planet in an orbit where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, the find would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and a strong candidate for the first that is potentially habitable. To astronomers, a potentially habitable planet is one that could support life, not necessarily one that humans would find hospitable. This discovery was the result of more than a decade of observations using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, one of the world's largest optical telescopes.
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