ATom-1, the first of four ATom deployments over the next few years, is about to wind down. We’ve covered over 60,000 km and flown all the way around the world, but unlike the Jules Verne classic, it took us only 24 days (and not 80) to make it back to Palmdale, California. I managed not […]
August Puzzler
Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The August 2016 puzzler is above. Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us what part of the world we are looking at, when the image was acquired, what the image shows, and why the scene is interesting. How to answer. Your answer can be […]
6 Ways Earth Observations Tackle Real-World Problems
This summer, recent college graduates and early career professionals launched 30 small research projects as part of NASA’s DEVELOP program. The aim is to use NASA satellite observations of Earth to address an environmental or public policy issue. The young researchers have just 10 weeks to do it! On Aug. 10, 2016, the “DEVELOPers” gathered at NASA Headquarters […]
Mathematicians from the 18th Century
By Eric Lindstrom What do Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) and Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813) have to do with SPURS-2? How do we have two experiments going on simultaneously honoring the work of these famous mathematicians? Two frames of reference have taken their names from these 18th century mathematicians. In science, including oceanography, when we make measurements of […]
ISS Daily Summary Report – 08/26/2016
SpaceX (SpX)-9 Release: Following the unberth of Dragon yesterday afternoon, the crew used the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to release Dragon at 5:11 AM Central Time for its return to Earth. The Dragon capsule executed a de-orbit burn shortly after 10 AM Central Time, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 45 …
SpaceX Dragon Splashes Down in Pacific Ocean
SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:47 a.m. EDT, approximately 326 miles west of Baja California, marking the end of the company’s ninth contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. Following splashdown, Dragon will be recovered from the ocean and put on a ship for transportation …
Is There Any Such Thing as Remote Clean Air?
As the first phase of the ATom project draws to a close, I am still surprised at just how far the influence of land, and fires in particular, can travel through the atmosphere. Most of the time, the influence of land (and pollution that people generate) can only be seen a few miles from shore. […]
Robotic Arm Releases SpaceX Dragon for Splashdown
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm at 6:11 a.m. EDT. The capsule will begin a series of departure burns and maneuvers to move beyond the 656-foot (200-meter) “keep out sphere” around the station for its return trip to Earth. The capsule is currently scheduled to splashdown in …
Watch Robotic Arm Release SpaceX Dragon Friday Morning
NASA Television will provide live coverage of the departure of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station beginning at 5:45 a.m. EDT. Dragon was detached from the Earth-facing side of the station’s Harmony module last night by robotics controllers who maneuvered Dragon into place for its release under the control of and Expedition …