Jan 19 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-340
NASA DISCOVERS ASTEROID DELIVERED ASSORTMENT OF METEORITES
WASHINGTON -- An international team of scientists studying remnants of an asteroid that crashed into the Nubian Desert in October 2008 discovered it contained at least 10 different types of meteorites. Some of them contained chemicals that form the building blocks of life on Earth, and those chemicals were spread through all parts of the asteroid by collisions. Chemists at Stanford University found that different meteorite types share the same distinct fingerprint of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These complex organic molecules are distributed throughout the galaxy and form on Earth from incomplete combustion. A research team from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., found amino acids in strongly heated fragments of the asteroid, where all such molecules should have been destroyed. Both PAHs and amino acids are considered building blocks of life. Before landing on Earth, the 13-foot asteroid was detected by a telescope from the NASA-sponsored Catalina Sky Survey based at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Hours prior to its demise, astronomers and scientists around the world tracked and scanned the asteroid. It was the first time a celestial object was observed prior to entering Earth's atmosphere. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., created a search grid and impact target area. The data helped Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., and the SETI Institute of Mountain View, Calif., guide a recovery team from the University of Khartoum in Sudan to search the desert landscape. During four expeditions, approximately 150 students recovered nearly 600 meteorite fragments weighing a total of more than 23 pounds. "Right from the start, the students were surprised to find so much diversity in meteorite texture and hue, said Muawia Shaddad, an astronomer at the University of Khartoum, who led the search effort. "We estimate the asteroid initially weighed about 59 tons, of which about 86 pounds survived the explosion high in the atmosphere. Subsequently, scientists determined most of the fragments are a rare type of meteorite called ureilites. Less than 10 of the nearly 1,000 known meteorites are ureilites. The recovery team made history when they found the first-ever freshly fallen mixed-composition, or polymict ureilite. The majority of the remaining fragments are similar to the more common types of meteorites called chondrites. Other Ames researchers showed the ureilite fragments contained widely varying amounts of the minerals called olivine and pyroxene. Carnegie Institute of Washington researchers found these minerals have the full range of oxygen atom signatures detected in previous ureilites. Scientists believe this is evidence all ureilites originated from the same source, called the ureilite parent body. Astronomers theorize the parent body experienced a giant collision approximately 4.5 billion years ago and caused iron-rich minerals to smelt into metallic iron. However, the olivine and pyroxene didn't melt, which allowed the oxygen atoms in them to stay in the same arrangement as when they first formed. Researchers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston were able to deduce that much of the ureilite parent body was reduced to fragments measuring 30 to 300 feet during this giant collision. After the catastrophic collision, scientists believe the material that ended up making 2008 TC3 had a long history of violent collisions and impacts. These later collisions ground the fragments down into the smaller sand grain-sized pieces that gathered loosely together with many voids. Researchers believe the amino acids were delivered to 2008 TC3 during the later impacts, or formed directly from trapped gases as the asteroid cooled following the giant collision. Other non-ureilite types of meteorites also became part of the asteroid. To date, ten different meteorite types have been identified, accounting for 20-30 percent of the asteroid's recovered remains. "Asteroids have just become a lot more interesting, Jenniskens said. "We were surprised to find that not all of the meteorites we recovered were the same, even though we are certain they came from the same asteroid. Astronomers have known asteroids orbiting the sun frequently are broken and reassembled during collisions, but until now they thought little mixing occurred because asteroids, or impactors that broke them apart, are usually very small. The research is featured in 20 papers published this week in an issue of the Meteoritical Society's journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science.
-end-
MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-098
NASA'S EXTERNAL TANK FOR FINAL SHUTTLE FLIGHT GETS NEW ORLEANS SEND-OFF
NEW ORLEANS -- NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company will hold a ceremony at 9 a.m. CDT on Thursday, July 8, at the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The event will commemorate 37 years of successful tank deliveries and the final external tank's rollout for the last space shuttle flight. NASA Television and the agency's website will broadcast the ceremony live. Coverage begins at 8:45 a.m. NASA and Lockheed Martin senior managers will participate in the ceremony. Reporters interested in covering the event or interviewing workers and managers must contact Harry Wadsworth at 504-257-0094 by Tuesday, July 6. Journalists should report to the Michoud Main Gate, 13800 Old Gentilly Road, by 8:30 a.m. Vehicles are subject to a security search at the gate. Photo identification and proof of car insurance is required. The last external tank scheduled to fly on a shuttle mission was completed on June 25 by Lockheed Martin workers at Michoud. The tank, designated ET-138, will travel on a wheeled transporter one mile to the Michoud barge dock. It will be accompanied by the Storyville Stompers, a traditional area brass band, and hundreds of handkerchief-waving employees in typical New Orleans fashion and spirit. The tank will travel on a 900-mile sea journey to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will support shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 launch. NASA TV will broadcast the events on its media and high definition channels. For streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
-end-
RELEASE: 10-015
FROM SPACE TO THE CLASSROOM: NASA SCIENCE IMPROVES CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION
WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded approximately $1.4 million in cooperative agreements to enhance learning through the use of the agency's unique Earth science resources. The grants will support elementary, secondary and undergraduate education, along with lifelong teaching and learning. Recipients are the University of Washington, the National Wildlife Federation in Reston, Va., and Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia. NASA also provided approximately $210,000 in additional funding for an earlier award made to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The awards will fund innovative uses of data from NASA's Earth observations and Earth system models. The goal is to engage students in the critical disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and inspire the next generation of explorers. NASA provided $6.1 million to 15 colleges and universities, nonprofit groups, museums, science centers and a school district in October 2009. At the same time, NASA identified these four proposals for selection if funds became available in 2010. To continue the program in 2010, NASA expects to issue a new solicitation for proposals this spring. The cooperative agreements are part of a program Congress began in fiscal year 2008. For a complete list of selected organizations and projects descriptions, click on Selected Proposals and look for "Global Climate Change Education (GCCE): Research Experiences, Teaching & Learning or solicitation NNL09ZB1005C at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com
-end-
RELEASE: 10-061
NASA HOSTS FIRST-EVER WATER SUSTAINABILITY FORUM MARCH 16 -18
WASHINGTON -- NASA today announced its founding partnership of Launch, an initiative to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges through a series of forums. The first forum, Launch: Water, will take place at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from March 16-18. "NASA is perfectly positioned to host a conversation with experts about potential solutions to the world's most perplexing sustainability problems, said NASA's Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, the host of the forum. NASA offers a culture of problem-solving, deep technical expertise on sustainable systems such as the International Space Station, and a unique capacity to capture and analyze data about our home planet. Other founding partners are the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department and Nike. The event will bring together 10 entrepreneurs from around the world who have proposed solutions to water shortages and 40 council members who represent business, policy, engineering, science, communications and sustainability sectors. During the two-and-a-half day forum, the invited innovators and the Launch Council will participate in sessions designed to identify challenges and discuss future opportunities for their innovations. Media are invited to attend this first Launch forum. U.S. journalists must contact Katherine Trinidad at 202-358-1100 by March 15 to arrange credentials. Credentialed journalists may request interviews with the participants. For those unable to attend the event, it will be broadcast live at: http://kscwmserv1.ksc.nasa.gov/LAUNCH Launch is a global initiative to identify and support innovative work that will contribute to a sustainable future. Organizers have begun a global search for visionaries, whose innovative world-class ideas, technologies or programs show great promise in making tangible impacts on society. Through a series of forums focused on key challenge areas including water, air, food, energy, mobility and sustainable cities, Launch will give thought leaders a forum to present innovative ideas among peers and join in collaborative, solution-driven discussions. To learn about the 10 innovators and their proposed solutions, and for a list of the 40 council members, visit: http://www.launchorg.com
-end-
CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-075
NASA AWARDS SPACE SHUTTLE REUSABLE SOLID ROCKET MOTOR CONTRACT MODIFICATION
WASHINGTON -- NASA has signed a $42.1 million contract modification to space shuttle reusable solid rocket motor manufacturer ATK Launch Systems Inc. of Brigham City, Utah, to provide continued prelaunch through postlaunch support from Oct. 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2011. The modification is based on an extension to the current Space Shuttle Program launch schedule, which shifted the last two scheduled missions into fiscal year 2011. The extension also covers the completion of contract activities associated with the processing of flight hardware after the last scheduled shuttle flight, STS-134, and postflight activities for cleaning and preserving the reusable solid rocket motors. This modification brings the total potential value of the cost-plus-award fee/incentive fee contract to $4.13 billion. The principal location of the work to be performed is ATK Launch Systems Inc. in Brigham City. The space shuttle's solid-propellant motors are the first designed for reuse and the only solid rocket motors approved for human flight. They operate in parallel with the shuttle's main engines during the first two minutes of flight and provide the additional thrust needed for the orbiter to escape Earth's gravitational pull.
-end-
'
'
