Strategies and Rubrics for Teaching Chaos and Complex Systems Theories as Elaborating, Self-Organizing, and Fractionating Evolutionary Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fichter, Lynn S.; Pyle, E. J.; Whitmeyer, S. J.

2010-01-01

To say Earth systems are complex, is not the same as saying they are a complex system. A complex system, in the technical sense, is a group of -agents (individual interacting units, like birds in a flock, sand grains in a ripple, or individual units of friction along a fault zone), existing far from equilibrium, interacting through positive and…

How rare is complex life in the Milky Way?

PubMed

Bounama, Christine; von Bloh, Werner; Franck, Siegfried

2007-10-01

An integrated Earth system model was applied to calculate the number of habitable Earth-analog planets that are likely to have developed primitive (unicellular) and complex (multicellular) life in extrasolar planetary systems. The model is based on the global carbon cycle mediated by life and driven by increasing stellar luminosity and plate tectonics. We assumed that the hypothetical primitive and complex life forms differed in their temperature limits and CO(2) tolerances. Though complex life would be more vulnerable to environmental stress, its presence would amplify weathering processes on a terrestrial planet. The model allowed us to calculate the average number of Earth-analog planets that may harbor such life by using the formation rate of Earth-like planets in the Milky Way as well as the size of a habitable zone that could support primitive and complex life forms. The number of planets predicted to bear complex life was found to be approximately 2 orders of magnitude lower than the number predicted for primitive life forms. Our model predicted a maximum abundance of such planets around 1.8 Ga ago and allowed us to calculate the average distance between potentially habitable planets in the Milky Way. If the model predictions are accurate, the future missions DARWIN (up to a probability of 65%) and TPF (up to 20%) are likely to detect at least one planet with a biosphere composed of complex life.

Syllabus for Weizmann Course: Earth System Science 101

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiscombe, Warren J.

2011-01-01

This course aims for an understanding of Earth System Science and the interconnection of its various "spheres" (atmosphere, hydrosphere, etc.) by adopting the view that "the microcosm mirrors the macrocosm". We shall study a small set of microcosims, each residing primarily in one sphere, but substantially involving at least one other sphere, in order to illustrate the kinds of coupling that can occur and gain a greater appreciation of the complexity of even the smallest Earth System Science phenomenon.

Global change modeling for Northern Eurasia: a review and strategies to move forward

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monier, E.; Kicklighter, D. W.; Sokolov, A. P.; Zhuang, Q.; Sokolik, I. N.; Lawford, R. G.; Kappas, M.; Paltsev, S.; Groisman, P. Y.

2017-12-01

Northern Eurasia is made up of a complex and diverse set of physical, ecological, climatic and human systems, which provide important ecosystem services including the storage of substantial stocks of carbon in its terrestrial ecosystems. At the same time, the region has experienced dramatic climate change, natural disturbances and changes in land management practices over the past century. For these reasons, Northern Eurasia is both a critical region to understand and a complex system with substantial challenges for the modeling community. This review is designed to highlight the state of past and ongoing efforts of the research community to understand and model these environmental, socioeconomic, and climatic changes. We further aim to provide perspectives on the future direction of global change modeling to improve our understanding of the role of Northern Eurasia in the coupled human-Earth system. Modeling efforts have shown that environmental and socioeconomic changes in Northern Eurasia can have major impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems services, environmental sustainability, and the carbon cycle of the region, and beyond. These impacts have the potential to feedback onto and alter the global Earth system. We find that past and ongoing studies have largely focused on specific components of Earth system dynamics and have not systematically examined their feedbacks to the global Earth system and to society. We identify the crucial role of Earth system models in advancing our understanding of feedbacks within the region and with the global system. We further argue for the need for integrated assessment models (IAMs), a suite of models that couple human activity models to Earth system models, which are key to address many emerging issues that require a representation of the coupled human-Earth system.

A review of and perspectives on global change modeling for Northern Eurasia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monier, Erwan; Kicklighter, David W.; Sokolov, Andrei P.; Zhuang, Qianlai; Sokolik, Irina N.; Lawford, Richard; Kappas, Martin; Paltsev, Sergey V.; Groisman, Pavel Ya

2017-08-01

Northern Eurasia is made up of a complex and diverse set of physical, ecological, climatic and human systems, which provide important ecosystem services including the storage of substantial stocks of carbon in its terrestrial ecosystems. At the same time, the region has experienced dramatic climate change, natural disturbances and changes in land management practices over the past century. For these reasons, Northern Eurasia is both a critical region to understand and a complex system with substantial challenges for the modeling community. This review is designed to highlight the state of past and ongoing efforts of the research community to understand and model these environmental, socioeconomic, and climatic changes. We further aim to provide perspectives on the future direction of global change modeling to improve our understanding of the role of Northern Eurasia in the coupled human-Earth system. Modeling efforts have shown that environmental and socioeconomic changes in Northern Eurasia can have major impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems services, environmental sustainability, and the carbon cycle of the region, and beyond. These impacts have the potential to feedback onto and alter the global Earth system. We find that past and ongoing studies have largely focused on specific components of Earth system dynamics and have not systematically examined their feedbacks to the global Earth system and to society. We identify the crucial role of Earth system models in advancing our understanding of feedbacks within the region and with the global system. We further argue for the need for integrated assessment models (IAMs), a suite of models that couple human activity models to Earth system models, which are key to address many emerging issues that require a representation of the coupled human-Earth system.

A safe operating space for humanity

Treesearch

Johan Rockström; Will Steffen; Kevin Noone; Asa Persson; F. Stuart Chapin; Eric F. Lambin; Timothy M. Lenton; Marten Scheffer; Carl Folke; Hans Joachim Schellnhuber; Björn Nykvist; Cynthia A. de Wit; Terry Hughes; Sander van der Leeuw; Henning Rodhe; Sverker Sörlin; Peter K. Snyder; Robert Costanza; Uno Svedin; Malin Falkenmark; Louise Karlberg; Robert W. Corell; Victoria J. Fabry; James Hansen; Brian Walker; Diana Liverman; Katherine Richardson; Paul Crutzen; Jonathan A. Foley

2009-01-01

To meet the challenge of maintaining the Holocene state, we propose a framework based on 'planetary boundaries'. These boundaries define the safe operating space for humanity with respect to the Earth system and are associated with the planet's biophysical subsystems or processes. Although Earth's complex systems sometimes respond smoothly to...

Expanding the Reach of Physics-Engaging Students in Interdisciplinary Research Involving complex, real-world situation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bililign, Solomon

2014-03-01

Physics plays a very important role in most interdisciplinary efforts and can provide a solid foundation for students. Retention of students in STEM areas can be facilitated by enhanced interdisciplinary education and research since students are strongly attracted to research with societal relevance and show increasing enthusiasm about problems that have practical consequences. One such area of research is a collaborative Earth System Science. The Earth System is dynamic and complex. It is comprised of diverse components that interact. By providing students the opportunities to work in interdisciplinary groups on a problem that reflects a complex, real-world situation they can see the linkages between components of the Earth system that encompass climate and all its components (weather precipitation, temperature, etc.) and technology development and deployment of sensors and sensor networks and social impacts. By involving students in the creation of their own personalized professional development plan, students are more focused and engaged and are more likely to remain in the program.

Interfacing remote sensing and geographic information systems for global environmental change research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Jae K.; Randolph, J. C.; Lulla, Kamlesh P.; Helfert, Michael R.

1993-01-01

Because changes in the Earth's environment have become major global issues, continuous, longterm scientific information is required to assess global problems such as deforestation, desertification, greenhouse effects and climate variations. Global change studies require understanding of interactions of complex processes regulating the Earth system. Space-based Earth observation is an essential element in global change research for documenting changes in Earth environment. It provides synoptic data for conceptual predictive modeling of future environmental change. This paper provides a brief overview of remote sensing technology from the perspective of global change research.

47 CFR 25.258 - Sharing between NGSO MSS Feeder links Stations and GSO FSS services in the 29.25-29.5 GHz Bands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

.... (a) Operators of NGSO MSS feeder link earth stations and GSO FSS earth stations in the band 29.25 to... MSS feeder link earth station complexes, that will minimize instances of unacceptable interference to the GSO FSS space stations. Earth station licensees operating with GSO FSS systems shall be capable of...

47 CFR 25.258 - Sharing between NGSO MSS Feeder links Stations and GSO FSS services in the 29.25-29.5 GHz Bands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

.... (a) Operators of NGSO MSS feeder link earth stations and GSO FSS earth stations in the band 29.25 to... MSS feeder link earth station complexes, that will minimize instances of unacceptable interference to the GSO FSS space stations. Earth station licensees operating with GSO FSS systems shall be capable of...

47 CFR 25.258 - Sharing between NGSO MSS Feeder links Stations and GSO FSS services in the 29.25-29.5 GHz Bands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

.... (a) Operators of NGSO MSS feeder link earth stations and GSO FSS earth stations in the band 29.25 to... MSS feeder link earth station complexes, that will minimize instances of unacceptable interference to the GSO FSS space stations. Earth station licensees operating with GSO FSS systems shall be capable of...

47 CFR 25.258 - Sharing between NGSO MSS Feeder links Stations and GSO FSS services in the 29.25-29.5 GHz Bands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... (a) Operators of NGSO MSS feeder link earth stations and GSO FSS earth stations in the band 29.25 to... MSS feeder link earth station complexes, that will minimize instances of unacceptable interference to the GSO FSS space stations. Earth station licensees operating with GSO FSS systems shall be capable of...

47 CFR 25.258 - Sharing between NGSO MSS Feeder links Stations and GSO FSS services in the 29.25-29.5 GHz Bands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

.... (a) Operators of NGSO MSS feeder link earth stations and GSO FSS earth stations in the band 29.25 to... MSS feeder link earth station complexes, that will minimize instances of unacceptable interference to the GSO FSS space stations. Earth station licensees operating with GSO FSS systems shall be capable of...

Student-Teachers' Use of "Google Earth" in Problem-Based Geology Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratinen, Ilkka; Keinonen, Tuula

2011-01-01

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are adequate for analyzing complex scientific and spatial phenomena in geography education. "Google Earth" is a geographic information tool for GIS-based learning. It allows students to engage in the lesson, explore the Earth, explain what they identify and evaluate the implications of what they are…

Evaluation of Grounding Impedance of a Complex Lightning Protective System Using Earth Ground Clamp Measurements and ATP Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mata, Carlos T.; Rakov, V. A.; Mata, Angel G.

2010-01-01

A new Lightning Protection System (LPS) was designed and built at Launch Complex 39B (LC39B), at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, which consists of a catenary wire system (at a height of about 181 meters above ground level) supported by three insulators installed atop three towers in a triangular configuration. A total of nine downconductors (each about 250 meters long, on average) are connected to the catenary wire system. Each of the nine downconductors is connected to a 7.62-meter radius circular counterpoise conductor with six equally spaced 6-meter long vertical grounding rods. Grounding requirements at LC39B call for all underground and above ground metallic piping, enclosures, raceways, and cable trays, within 7.62 meters of the counterpoise, to be bounded to the counterpoise, which results in a complex interconnected grounding system, given the many metallic piping, raceways, and cable trays that run in multiple direction around LC39B. The complexity of this grounding system makes the fall of potential method, which uses multiple metallic rods or stakes, unsuitable for measuring the grounding impedances of the downconductors. To calculate the downconductors grounding impedance, an Earth Ground Clamp (a stakeless grounding resistance measuring device) and a LPS Alternative Transient Program (ATP) model are used. The Earth Ground Clamp is used to measure the loop impedance plus the grounding impedance of each downconductor and the ATP model is used to calculate the loop impedance of each downconductor circuit. The grounding impedance of the downconductors is then calculated by subtracting the ATP calculated loop impedances from the Earth Ground Clamp measurements.

Guest Commentary: Global Environmental Education: A Complex Web of Reactions and Repercussions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stapp, William B.; Mann, Lori

1985-01-01

Argues that interdependence among all living systems on earth is a necessary element in solving environmental problems, stressing similarities among international political systems and cultures. The ultimate challenge of environmental education is to bring individuals of all ages to critical understanding of the oneness of the earth. (DH)

Nickel(0)-Catalyzed Inert C-O Bond Functionalization: Organo Rare-Earth Metal Complex as the Coupling Partner.

PubMed

Yan, Xiangqian; Yang, Fanzhi; Cai, Guilong; Meng, Qingwei; Li, Xiaofang

2018-02-02

An organo rare-earth metal complex has been employed as a highly efficient nucleophile in Ni(0)-catalyzed C-O bond functionalization. The optimized catalytic system which consists of Ni(cod) 2 , PCy 3 , and t-BuONa could smoothly convert 1 equiv of naphthyl ethers to alkylated naphthalene analogues with 0.4 equiv of Ln(CH 2 SiMe 3 ) 3 (THF) 2 , delivering good to excellent yields. The reaction system could also activate the ArCH 2 -O bond with mild base.

University participation via UNIDATA, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dutton, J.

1986-01-01

The UNIDATA Project is a cooperative university project, operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) with National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, aimed at providing interactive communication and computations to the university community in the atmospheric and oceanic sciences. The initial focus has been on providing access to data for weather analysis and prediction. However, UNIDATA is in the process of expanding and possibly providing access to the Pilot Climate Data System (PCDS) through the UNIDATA system in an effort to develop prototypes for an Earth science information system. The notion of an Earth science information system evolved from discussions within NASA and several advisory committees in anticipation of receiving data from the many Earth observing instruments on the space station complex (Earth Observing System).

Examples of the nonlinear dynamics of ballistic capture and escape in the earth-moon system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belbruno, Edward A.

1990-01-01

An example of a trajectory is given which is initially captured in an elliptic resonant orbit about the earth and then ballistically escapes the earth-moon system. This is demonstrated by a numerical example in three-dimensions using a planetary ephemeris. Another example shows a mechanism of how an elliptic orbit about the earth can increase its energy by performing a complex nonlinear transition to an elliptic orbit of a larger semi-major axis. Capture is also considered. An application of ballistic capture at the moon via an unstable periodic orbit using the four-body sun-earth-moon-S/C interaction is described.

Launching an EarthCube Interoperability Workbench for Constructing Workflows and Employing Service Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulker, D. W.; Pearlman, F.; Pearlman, J.; Arctur, D. K.; Signell, R. P.

2016-12-01

A major challenge for geoscientists—and a key motivation for the National Science Foundation's EarchCube initiative—is to integrate data across disciplines, as is necessary for complex Earth-system studies such as climate change. The attendant technical and social complexities have led EarthCube participants to devise a system-of-systems architectural concept. Its centerpiece is a (virtual) interoperability workbench, around which a learning community can coalesce, supported in their evolving quests to join data from diverse sources, to synthesize new forms of data depicting Earth phenomena, and to overcome immense obstacles that arise, for example, from mismatched nomenclatures, projections, mesh geometries and spatial-temporal scales. The full architectural concept will require significant time and resources to implement, but this presentation describes a (minimal) starter kit. With a keep-it-simple mantra this workbench starter kit can fulfill the following four objectives: 1) demonstrate the feasibility of an interoperability workbench by mid-2017; 2) showcase scientifically useful examples of cross-domain interoperability, drawn, e.g., from funded EarthCube projects; 3) highlight selected aspects of EarthCube's architectural concept, such as a system of systems (SoS) linked via service interfaces; 4) demonstrate how workflows can be designed and used in a manner that enables sharing, promotes collaboration and fosters learning. The outcome, despite its simplicity, will embody service interfaces sufficient to construct—from extant components—data-integration and data-synthesis workflows involving multiple geoscience domains. Tentatively, the starter kit will build on the Jupyter Notebook web application, augmented with libraries for interfacing current services (at data centers involved in EarthCube's Council of Data Facilities, e.g.) and services developed specifically for EarthCube and spanning most geoscience domains.

Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) Enables Comparative Climatology with Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reh, Kim; Lunine, J.; Coustenis, A.; Matson, D.; Beauchamp, P.; Erd, C.; Lebreton, J.

2009-09-01

Titan is a complex world more like the Earth than any other: it has a dense mostly nitrogen atmosphere and active climate and meteorological cycles where the working fluid, methane, behaves under Titan conditions the way that water does on Earth. Its geology, from lakes and seas to broad river valleys and mountains, while carved in ice is, in its balance of processes, again most like Earth. Beneath this panoply of Earth-like processes an ice crust floats atop what appears to be a liquid water ocean. The Titan Saturn System Mission would seek to understand Titan as a system, in the same way that one would ask this question about Venus, Mars, and the Earth. How are distinctions between Titan and other worlds in the solar systems understandable in the context of the complex interplay of geology, hydrology, meteorology, and aeronomy? Is Titan an analogue for some aspect of Earth's history, past or future? Why is Titan endowed with an atmosphere when Ganymede is not? Titan is also rich in organic molecules_more so in its surface and atmosphere than anyplace in the solar system, including Earth (excluding our vast carbonate sediments). These molecules were formed in the atmosphere, deposited on the surface and, in coming into contact with liquid water may undergo an aqueous chemistry that could replicate aspects of life's origins. The second goal of the proposed TSSM mission is to understand the chemical cycles that generate and destroy organics and assess the likelihood that they can tell us something of life's origins. This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory-California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA.

Connected Worlds: Connecting the public with complex environmental systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzzo, S. M.; Chen, R. S.; Downs, R. R.

2016-12-01

Among the most important concepts in environmental science learning is the structure and dynamics of coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). But the fundamental epistemology for understanding CHANS requires systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, and complexity. Although the Next Generation Science Standards mandate connecting ideas across disciplines and systems, traditional approaches to education do not provide more than superficial understanding of this concept. Informal science learning institutions have a key role in bridging gaps between the reductive nature of classroom learning and contemporary data-driven science. The New York Hall of Science, in partnership with Design I/O and Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network, has developed an approach to immerse visitors in complex human nature interactions and provide opportunities for those of all ages to elicit and notice environmental consequences of their actions. Connected Worlds is a nearly 1,000 m2 immersive, playful environment in which students learn about complexity and interconnectedness in ecosystems and how ecosystems might respond to human intervention. It engages students through direct interactions with fanciful flora and fauna within and among six biomes: desert, rainforest, grassland, mountain valley, reservoir, and wetlands, which are interconnected through stocks and flows of water. Through gestures and the manipulation of a dynamic water system, Connected Worlds enables students, teachers, and parents to experience how the ecosystems of planet Earth are connected and to observe relationships between the behavior of Earth's inhabitants and our shared world. It is also a cyberlearning platform to study how visitors notice and scaffold their understanding of complex environmental processes and the responses of these processes to human intervention, to help inform the improvement of education practices in complex environmental science.

Spaceship Earth: Teaching through Metaphor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snively, Gloria

1992-01-01

Identifies metaphor as a powerful tool when utilized to facilitate concept formation pertaining to global ecological systems and universal concerns. Provides an illustration of how an instructional metaphor, spaceship earth, can be used in the classroom to help students create new meanings for abstract and complex ideas. (MCO)

Virtual Observation System for Earth System Model: An Application to ACME Land Model Simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Dali; Yuan, Fengming; Hernandez, Benjamin

Investigating and evaluating physical-chemical-biological processes within an Earth system model (EMS) can be very challenging due to the complexity of both model design and software implementation. A virtual observation system (VOS) is presented to enable interactive observation of these processes during system simulation. Based on advance computing technologies, such as compiler-based software analysis, automatic code instrumentation, and high-performance data transport, the VOS provides run-time observation capability, in-situ data analytics for Earth system model simulation, model behavior adjustment opportunities through simulation steering. A VOS for a terrestrial land model simulation within the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy model is also presentedmore » to demonstrate the implementation details and system innovations.« less

Virtual Observation System for Earth System Model: An Application to ACME Land Model Simulations

DOE PAGES

Wang, Dali; Yuan, Fengming; Hernandez, Benjamin; ...

2017-01-01

Investigating and evaluating physical-chemical-biological processes within an Earth system model (EMS) can be very challenging due to the complexity of both model design and software implementation. A virtual observation system (VOS) is presented to enable interactive observation of these processes during system simulation. Based on advance computing technologies, such as compiler-based software analysis, automatic code instrumentation, and high-performance data transport, the VOS provides run-time observation capability, in-situ data analytics for Earth system model simulation, model behavior adjustment opportunities through simulation steering. A VOS for a terrestrial land model simulation within the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy model is also presentedmore » to demonstrate the implementation details and system innovations.« less

Confidence range estimate of extended source imagery acquisition algorithms via computer simulations. [in optical communication systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, CHIEN-C.; Hui, Elliot; Okamoto, Garret

1992-01-01

Spatial acquisition using the sun-lit Earth as a beacon source provides several advantages over active beacon-based systems for deep-space optical communication systems. However, since the angular extend of the Earth image is large compared to the laser beam divergence, the acquisition subsystem must be capable of resolving the image to derive the proper pointing orientation. The algorithms used must be capable of deducing the receiver location given the blurring introduced by the imaging optics and the large Earth albedo fluctuation. Furthermore, because of the complexity of modelling the Earth and the tracking algorithms, an accurate estimate of the algorithm accuracy can only be made via simulation using realistic Earth images. An image simulator was constructed for this purpose, and the results of the simulation runs are reported.

EarthCube's Assessment Framework: Ensuring Return on Investment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehnert, K.

2016-12-01

EarthCube is a community-governed, NSF-funded initiative to transform geoscience research by developing cyberinfrastructure that improves access, sharing, visualization, and analysis of all forms of geosciences data and related resources. EarthCube's goal is to enable geoscientists to tackle the challenges of understanding and predicting a complex and evolving solid Earth, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and space environment systems. EarthCube's infrastructure needs capabilities around data, software, and systems. It is essential for EarthCube to determine the value of new capabilities for the community and the progress of the overall effort to demonstrate its value to the science community and Return on Investment for the NSF. EarthCube is therefore developing an assessment framework for research proposals, projects funded by EarthCube, and the overall EarthCube program. As a first step, a software assessment framework has been developed that addresses the EarthCube Strategic Vision by promoting best practices in software development, complete and useful documentation, interoperability, standards adherence, open science, and education and training opportunities for research developers.

Multi-Spacecraft Autonomous Positioning System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anzalone, Evan

2015-01-01

As the number of spacecraft in simultaneous operation continues to grow, there is an increased dependency on ground-based navigation support. The current baseline system for deep space navigation utilizes Earth-based radiometric tracking, requiring long-duration observations to perform orbit determination and generate a state update. The age, complexity, and high utilization of the ground assets pose a risk to spacecraft navigation performance. In order to perform complex operations at large distances from Earth, such as extraterrestrial landing and proximity operations, autonomous systems are required. With increasingly complex mission operations, the need for frequent and Earth-independent navigation capabilities is further reinforced. The Multi-spacecraft Autonomous Positioning System (MAPS) takes advantage of the growing interspacecraft communication network and infrastructure to allow for Earth-autonomous state measurements to enable network-based space navigation. A notional concept of operations is given in figure 1. This network is already being implemented and routinely used in Martian communications through the use of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey spacecraft as relays for surface assets. The growth of this communications architecture is continued through MAVEN, and future potential commercial Mars telecom orbiters. This growing network provides an initial Marslocal capability for inter-spacecraft communication and navigation. These navigation updates are enabled by cross-communication between assets in the network, coupled with onboard navigation estimation routines to integrate packet travel time to generate ranging measurements. Inter-spacecraft communication allows for frequent state broadcasts and time updates from trusted references. The architecture is a software-based solution, enabling its implementation on a wide variety of current assets, with the operational constraints and measurement accuracy determined by onboard systems.

Rare Earth or Cosmic Zoo: Testing the Frequency of Complex Life in the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bains, W.; Schulze-Makuch, D.

2017-02-01

We propose how to test between two major hypotheses about the frequency of life in the universe (Rare Earth and Cosmic Zoo) using future remote sensing capabilities targeted at exoplanets and site visits of planetary bodies in our solar system.

Pedotransfer functions in Earth system science: challenges and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Looy, K.; Minasny, B.; Nemes, A.; Verhoef, A.; Weihermueller, L.; Vereecken, H.

2017-12-01

We make a stronghold for a new generation of Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) that is currently developed in the different disciplines of Earth system science, offering strong perspectives for improvement of integrated process-based models, from local to global scale applications. PTFs are simple to complex knowledge rules that relate available soil information to soil properties and variables that are needed to parameterize soil processes. To meet the methodological challenges for a successful application in Earth system modeling, we highlight how PTF development needs to go hand in hand with suitable extrapolation and upscaling techniques such that the PTFs correctly capture the spatial heterogeneity of soils. Most actively pursued recent developments are related to parameterizations of solute transport, heat exchange, soil respiration and organic carbon content, root density and vegetation water uptake. We present an outlook and stepwise approach to the development of a comprehensive set of PTFs that can be applied throughout a wide range of disciplines of Earth system science, with emphasis on land surface models. Novel sensing techniques and soil information availability provide a true breakthrough for this, yet further improvements are necessary in three domains: 1) the determining of unknown relationships and dealing with uncertainty in Earth system modeling; 2) the step of spatially deploying this knowledge with PTF validation at regional to global scales; and 3) the integration and linking of the complex model parameterizations (coupled parameterization). Integration is an achievable goal we will show.

Global Change and the Earth System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollack, Henry N.

2004-08-01

The Earth system in recent years has come to mean the complex interactions of the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere, through an intricate network of feedback loops. This system has operated over geologic time, driven principally by processes with long time scales. Over the lifetime of the solar system, the Sun has slowly become more radiant, and the geography of continents and oceans basins has evolved via plate tectonics. This geography has placed a first-order constraint on the circulation of ocean waters, and thus has strongly influenced regional and global climate. At shorter time scales, the Earth system has been influenced by Milankovitch orbital factors and occasional exogenous events such as bolide impacts. Under these influences the system chugged along for eons, until some few hundred thousand years ago, when one remarkable species evolved: Homo sapiens. As individuals, humans are of course insignificant in shaping the Earth system, but collectively the six billion human occupants of the planet now rival ``natural'' processes in modifying the Earth system. This profound human influence underlies the dubbing of the present epoch of geologic history as the ``Anthropocene.''

From Dr. Steven Ashby, Director of PNNL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ashby, Steven

Powered by the creativity and imagination of more than 4,000 exceptional scientists, engineers and support professionals, at PNNL we advance the frontiers of science and address some of the most challenging problems in energy, the environment and national security. As DOE’s premier chemistry, environmental sciences and data analytics laboratory, we provide national leadership in four areas: deepening our understanding of climate science; inventing the future power grid; preventing nuclear proliferation; and speeding environmental remediation. Other areas where we make important contributions include energy storage, microbial biology and cyber security. PNNL also is home to EMSL (the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory),more » one of DOE’s scientific user facilities. We apply these science strengths to address both national and international problems in complex adaptive systems that are too difficult for one institution to tackle alone. Take earth systems, for instance. The earth is a complex adaptive system because it involves everything from climate and microbial communities in the soil to emissions from cars and coal-powered industrial plants. All of these factors and others ultimately influence not only our environment and overall quality of life, but cause the earth to adapt in ways that must be further addressed. PNNL researchers are playing a vital role in finding solutions across every area of this complex adaptive system.« less

The U.S. National Plan for Civil Earth Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stryker, T.; Clavin, C.; Gallo, J.

2014-12-01

Globally, the United Sates Government is one of the largest providers of environmental and Earth-system data. As the nation's Earth observation capacity has grown, so have the complexity and challenges associated with managing Earth observation systems and related data holdings. In July 2014, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released the first-ever National Plan for Civil Earth Observations to address these challenges. The Plan provides a portfolio management-based framework for maximizing the value of Federal Earth observations. The Plan identifies Federal priorities for Earth observations and improved management of their data. Through routine assessments, expanding data management efforts, interagency planning, and international collaboration, OSTP and its partner agencies will seek ensure the continued provision of and access to key Earth observation data, which support a broad range of public services and research programs. The presenters will provide a detailed review of the components of the National Plan, its impacts across the Federal agencies involved in Earth observations, and associated efforts to enable interagency coordination.

Nano Goes Magnetic to Attract Big Business

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

Glenn Research Center has combined state-of-the-art electrical designs with complex, computer-aided analyses to develop some of today s most advanced power systems, in space and on Earth. The center s Power and On-Board Propulsion Technology Division is the brain behind many of these power systems. For space, this division builds technologies that help power the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and Earth-orbiting satellites. For Earth, it has woven advanced aerospace power concepts into commercial energy applications that include solar and nuclear power generation, battery and fuel cell energy storage, communications and telecommunications satellites, cryocoolers, hybrid and electric vehicles, and heating and air-conditioning systems.

COMPLEX ADAPTIVE HIERARCHICAL SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

One of the most powerful images of our time, an image that has changed the way we think of ourselves and the way we think about our relationship to our environment, is the image of Earth viewed from the surface of the moon. As we view "spaceship Earth" we sense that the complexit...

Problems in merging Earth sensing satellite data sets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Paul H.; Goldberg, Michael J.

1987-01-01

Satellite remote sensing systems provide a tremendous source of data flow to the Earth science community. These systems provide scientists with data of types and on a scale previously unattainable. Looking forward to the capabilities of Space Station and the Earth Observing System (EOS), the full realization of the potential of satellite remote sensing will be handicapped by inadequate information systems. There is a growing emphasis in Earth science research to ask questions which are multidisciplinary in nature and global in scale. Many of these research projects emphasize the interactions of the land surface, the atmosphere, and the oceans through various physical mechanisms. Conducting this research requires large and complex data sets and teams of multidisciplinary scientists, often working at remote locations. A review of the problems of merging these large volumes of data into spatially referenced and manageable data sets is presented.

NASA's Earth Science Flight Program Meets the Challenges of Today and Tomorrow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ianson, Eric E.

2016-01-01

NASA's Earth science flight program is a dynamic undertaking that consists of a large fleet of operating satellites, an array of satellite and instrument projects in various stages of development, a robust airborne science program, and a massive data archiving and distribution system. Each element of the flight program is complex and present unique challenges. NASA builds upon its successes and learns from its setbacks to manage this evolving portfolio to meet NASA's Earth science objectives. NASA fleet of 16 operating missions provide a wide range of scientific measurements made from dedicated Earth science satellites and from instruments mounted to the International Space Station. For operational missions, the program must address issues such as an aging satellites operating well beyond their prime mission, constellation flying, and collision avoidance with other spacecraft and orbital debris. Projects in development are divided into two broad categories: systematic missions and pathfinders. The Earth Systematic Missions (ESM) include a broad range of multi-disciplinary Earth-observing research satellite missions aimed at understanding the Earth system and its response to natural and human-induced forces and changes. Understanding these forces will help determine how to predict future changes, and how to mitigate or adapt to these changes. The Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program provides frequent, regular, competitively selected Earth science research opportunities that accommodate new and emerging scientific priorities and measurement capabilities. This results in a series of relatively low-cost, small-sized investigations and missions. Principal investigators whose scientific objectives support a variety of studies lead these missions, including studies of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, polar ice regions, or solid Earth. This portfolio of missions and investigations provides opportunity for investment in innovative Earth science that enhances NASA's capability for better understanding the current state of the Earth system. ESM and ESSP projects often involve partnerships with other US agencies and/or international organizations. This adds to the complexity of mission development, but allows for a greater scientific return on NASA's investments. The Earth Science Airborne Science Program provides manned and unmanned aircraft systems that further science and advance the use of satellite data. NASA uses these assets worldwide in campaigns to investigate extreme weather events, observe Earth system processes, obtain data for Earth science modeling activities, and calibrate instruments flying aboard Earth science spacecraft. The Airborne Science Program has six dedicated aircraft and access to many other platforms. The Earth Science Multi-Mission Operations program acquires, preserves, and distributes observational data from operating spacecraft to support Earth Science research focus areas. The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), which has been in operations since 1994, primarily accomplishes this. EOSDIS acquires, processes, archives, and distributes Earth Science data and information products. The archiving of NASA Earth Science information happens at eight Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) and four disciplinary data centers located across the United States. The DAACs specialize by topic area, and make their data available to researchers around the world. The DAACs currently house over 9 petabytes of data, growing at a rate of 6.4 terabytes per day. NASA's current Earth Science portfolio is responsive to the National Research Council (NRC) 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey and well as the 2010 NASA Response to President Obama's Climate Plan. As the program evolves into the future it will leverage the lessons learned from the current missions in operations and development, and plan for adjustments to future objectives in response to the anticipated 2017 NRC Decadal Survey.

Asymmetric Catalysis with bis(hydroxyphenyl)diamides/rare-earth metal complexes.

PubMed

Kumagai, Naoya; Shibasaki, Masakatsu

2013-01-02

A series of asymmetric catalysts composed of conformationally flexible amide-based chiral ligands and rare-earth metals was developed for proton-transfer catalysis. These ligands derived from amino acids provide an intriguing chiral platform for the formation of asymmetric catalysts upon complexation with rare-earth metals. The scope of this arsenal of catalysts was further broadened by the development of heterobimetallic catalytic systems. The cooperative function of hydrogen bonding and metal coordination resulted in intriguing substrate specificity and stereocontrol, and the dynamic nature of the catalysts led to a switch of their function. Herein, we summarize our recent exploration of this class of catalysts. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Architectures Toward Reusable Science Data Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moses, John Firor

2014-01-01

Science Data Systems (SDS) comprise an important class of data processing systems that support product generation from remote sensors and in-situ observations. These systems enable research into new science data products, replication of experiments and verification of results. NASA has been building systems for satellite data processing since the first Earth observing satellites launched and is continuing development of systems to support NASA science research and NOAA's Earth observing satellite operations. The basic data processing workflows and scenarios continue to be valid for remote sensor observations research as well as for the complex multi-instrument operational satellite data systems being built today.

Numerical analysis of seismic events distributions on the planetary scale and celestial bodies astrometrical parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulatova, Dr.

2012-04-01

Modern research in the domains of Earth sciences is developing from the descriptions of each individual natural phenomena to the systematic complex research in interdisciplinary areas. For studies of its kind in the form numerical analysis of three-dimensional (3D) systems, the author proposes space-time Technology (STT), based on a Ptolemaic geocentric system, consist of two modules, each with its own coordinate system: (1) - 3D model of a Earth, the coordinates of which provides databases of the Earth's events (here seismic), and (2) - a compact model of the relative motion of celestial bodies in space - time on Earth known as the "Method of a moving source" (MDS), which was developed in MDS (Bulatova, 1998-2000) for the 3D space. Module (2) was developed as a continuation of the geocentric Ptolemaic system of the world, built on the astronomical parameters heavenly bodies. Based on the aggregation data of Space and Earth Sciences, systematization, and cooperative analysis, this is an attempt to establish a cause-effect relationship between the position of celestial bodies (Moon, Sun) and Earth's seismic events.

GRACE, time-varying gravity, Earth system dynamics and climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wouters, B.; Bonin, J. A.; Chambers, D. P.; Riva, R. E. M.; Sasgen, I.; Wahr, J.

2014-11-01

Continuous observations of temporal variations in the Earth's gravity field have recently become available at an unprecedented resolution of a few hundreds of kilometers. The gravity field is a product of the Earth's mass distribution, and these data—provided by the satellites of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE)—can be used to study the exchange of mass both within the Earth and at its surface. Since the launch of the mission in 2002, GRACE data has evolved from being an experimental measurement needing validation from ground truth, to a respected tool for Earth scientists representing a fixed bound on the total change and is now an important tool to help unravel the complex dynamics of the Earth system and climate change. In this review, we present the mission concept and its theoretical background, discuss the data and give an overview of the major advances GRACE has provided in Earth science, with a focus on hydrology, solid Earth sciences, glaciology and oceanography.

GRACE, time-varying gravity, Earth system dynamics and climate change.

PubMed

Wouters, B; Bonin, J A; Chambers, D P; Riva, R E M; Sasgen, I; Wahr, J

2014-11-01

Continuous observations of temporal variations in the Earth's gravity field have recently become available at an unprecedented resolution of a few hundreds of kilometers. The gravity field is a product of the Earth's mass distribution, and these data-provided by the satellites of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE)-can be used to study the exchange of mass both within the Earth and at its surface. Since the launch of the mission in 2002, GRACE data has evolved from being an experimental measurement needing validation from ground truth, to a respected tool for Earth scientists representing a fixed bound on the total change and is now an important tool to help unravel the complex dynamics of the Earth system and climate change. In this review, we present the mission concept and its theoretical background, discuss the data and give an overview of the major advances GRACE has provided in Earth science, with a focus on hydrology, solid Earth sciences, glaciology and oceanography.

Stability of hydrocarbon systems at thermobaric conditions corresponding to depth down to 50 km

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kutcherov, V.; Kolesnikov, A.; Mukhina, E.; Serovaiskii, A.

2017-12-01

Most of the theoretical models show that crude oil stability is limited by the depth of 6-8 km (`oil window'). Commercial discovery of crude oil deposits on the depth more than 10 km in the different petroleum basins worldwide casts doubt on the validity of the above-mentioned theoretical calculations. Therefore, the question at which depth complex hydrocarbon systems could be stable is important not only from fundamental research point of view but has a great practical application. To answer this question a hydrocarbon mixture was investigated under thermobaric conditions corresponding to the conditions of the Earth's lower crust. Experiments were conducted by means of Raman Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results obtained show that the complex hydrocarbon systems could be stable and remain their qualitative and quantitative composition at temperature 320-450 °C and pressure 0.7-1.4 GPa. The oxidizing resistance of hydrocarbon system was tested in the modelled the Earth's crust surrounding. The hydrocarbon system stability at the presence of Fe2O3 strongly confirms that the Earth's crust oxygen fugacity does not influence on petroleum composition. The data obtained broaden our knowledge about the possible range of depths for crude oil and natural gas deposits in the Earth's crust and give us the possibility to revise the depth of petroleum deposits occurrence.

Teaching climate change: A 16-year record of introducing undergraduates to the fundamentals of the climate system and its complexities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winckler, G.; Pfirman, S. L.; Hays, J. D.; Schlosser, P.; Ting, M.

2011-12-01

Responding to climate change challenges in the near and far future, will require a wide range of knowledge, skills and a sense of the complexities involved. Since 1995, Columbia University and Barnard College have offered an undergraduate class that strives to provide students with some of these skills. The 'Climate System' course is a component of the three-part 'Earth Environmental Systems' series and provides the fundamentals needed for understanding the Earth's climate system and its variability. Being designed both for science majors and non-science majors, the emphasis of the course is on basic physical explanations, rather than mathematical derivations of the laws that govern the climate system. The course includes lectures, labs and discussion. Laboratory exercises primarily explore the climate system using global datasets, augmented by hands-on activities. Course materials are available for public use at http://eesc.columbia.edu/courses/ees/climate/camel_modules/ and http://ncseonline.org/climate/cms.cfm?id=3783. In this presentation we discuss the experiences, challenges and future demands of conveying the science of the Earth's Climate System and the risks facing the planet to a wide spectrum of undergraduate students, many of them without a background in the sciences. Using evaluation data we reflect how the course, the students, and the faculty have evolved over the past 16 years as the earth warmed, pressures for adaptation planning and mitigation measures increased, and public discourse became increasingly polarized.

How life shaped Earth.

PubMed

Gross, Michael

2015-10-05

Earth is much more complex than all the other solar system objects that we know. Thanks to its rich and diverse geology, our planet can offer habitats to a wide range of living species. Emerging insights suggest that this is not just a happy coincidence, but that life itself has in many ways helped to shape the planet.

The QuakeSim Project: Numerical Simulations for Active Tectonic Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donnellan, Andrea; Parker, Jay; Lyzenga, Greg; Granat, Robert; Fox, Geoffrey; Pierce, Marlon; Rundle, John; McLeod, Dennis; Grant, Lisa; Tullis, Terry

2004-01-01

In order to develop a solid earth science framework for understanding and studying of active tectonic and earthquake processes, this task develops simulation and analysis tools to study the physics of earthquakes using state-of-the art modeling, data manipulation, and pattern recognition technologies. We develop clearly defined accessible data formats and code protocols as inputs to the simulations. these are adapted to high-performance computers because the solid earth system is extremely complex and nonlinear resulting in computationally intensive problems with millions of unknowns. With these tools it will be possible to construct the more complex models and simulations necessary to develop hazard assessment systems critical for reducing future losses from major earthquakes.

JPL Counterfeit Parts Avoidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Risse, Lori

2012-01-01

SPACE ARCHITECTURE / ENGINEERING: It brings an extreme test bed for both technologies/concepts as well as procedures/processes. Design and construction (engineering) always go together, especially with complex systems. Requirements (objectives) are crucial. More important than the answers are the questions/Requirements/Tools-Techniques/Processes. Different environments force architects and engineering to think out of the box. For instance there might not be gravity forces. Architectural complex problems have common roots: in Space and on Earth. Let us bring Space down on Earth so we can keep sending Mankind to the stars from a better world. Have fun being architects and engineers...!!! This time is amazing and historical. We are changing the way we inhabit the solar systems!

An integrated strategy for the planetary sciences: 1995 - 2010

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

In 1992, the National Research Council's Space Studies Board charged its Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration (COMPLEX) to: (1) summarize current understanding of the planets and the solar system; (2) pose the most significant scientific questions that remain; and (3) establish the priorities for scientific exploration of the planets for the period from 1995 to 2010. The broad scientific goals of solar system exploration include: (1) understanding how physical and chemical processes determine the major characteristics of the planets, and thereby help us to understand the operation of Earth; (2) learning about how planetary systems originate and evolve; (3) determining how life developed in the solar system, particularly on Earth, and in what ways life modifies planetary environments; and (4) discovering how relatively simple, basic laws of physics and chemistry can lead to the diverse phenomena observed in complex systems. COMPLEX maintains that the most useful new programs to emphasize in the period from 1995 to 2010 are detailed investigations of comets, Mars, and Jupiter and an intensive search for, and characterization of, extrasolar planets.

Light rare earth element systematics as a tool for investigating the petrogenesis of phoscorite-carbonatite associations, as exemplified by the Phalaborwa Complex, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milani, Lorenzo; Bolhar, Robert; Frei, Dirk; Harlov, Daniel E.; Samuel, Vinod O.

2017-12-01

In-situ trace element analyses of fluorapatite, calcite, dolomite, olivine, and phlogopite have been undertaken on representative phoscorite and carbonatite rocks of the Palaeoproterozoic Phalaborwa Complex. Textural and compositional characterization reveals uniformity of fluorapatite and calcite among most of the intrusions, and seems to favor a common genetic origin for the phoscorite-carbonatite association. Representing major repositories for rare earth elements (REE), fluorapatite and calcite exhibit tightly correlated light REE (LREE) abundances, suggesting that partitioning of LREE into these rock forming minerals was principally controlled by simple igneous differentiation. However, light rare earth element distribution in apatite and calcite cannot be adequately explained by equilibrium and fractional crystallization and instead favors a complex crystallization history involving mixing of compositionally distinct magma batches, in agreement with previously reported mineral isotope variability that requires open-system behaviour.

Analytically tractable climate-carbon cycle feedbacks under 21st century anthropogenic forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lade, Steven J.; Donges, Jonathan F.; Fetzer, Ingo; Anderies, John M.; Beer, Christian; Cornell, Sarah E.; Gasser, Thomas; Norberg, Jon; Richardson, Katherine; Rockström, Johan; Steffen, Will

2018-05-01

Changes to climate-carbon cycle feedbacks may significantly affect the Earth system's response to greenhouse gas emissions. These feedbacks are usually analysed from numerical output of complex and arguably opaque Earth system models. Here, we construct a stylised global climate-carbon cycle model, test its output against comprehensive Earth system models, and investigate the strengths of its climate-carbon cycle feedbacks analytically. The analytical expressions we obtain aid understanding of carbon cycle feedbacks and the operation of the carbon cycle. Specific results include that different feedback formalisms measure fundamentally the same climate-carbon cycle processes; temperature dependence of the solubility pump, biological pump, and CO2 solubility all contribute approximately equally to the ocean climate-carbon feedback; and concentration-carbon feedbacks may be more sensitive to future climate change than climate-carbon feedbacks. Simple models such as that developed here also provide workbenches for simple but mechanistically based explorations of Earth system processes, such as interactions and feedbacks between the planetary boundaries, that are currently too uncertain to be included in comprehensive Earth system models.

An introduction to orbit dynamics and its application to satellite-based earth monitoring systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, D. R.

1977-01-01

The long term behavior of satellites is studied at a level of complexity suitable for the initial planning phases of earth monitoring missions. First-order perturbation theory is used to describe in detail the basic orbit dynamics of satellite motion around the earth and relative to the sun. Surface coverage capabilities of satellite orbits are examined. Several examples of simulated observation and monitoring missions are given to illustrate representative applications of the theory. The examples stress the need for devising ways of maximizing total mission output in order to make the best possible use of the resultant data base as input to those large-scale, long-term earth monitoring activities which can best justify the use of satellite systems.

Autonomous aerial observations to extend and complement the Earth Observing System: a science-driven systems-oriented approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandford, Stephen P.; Harrison, F. W.; Langford, John; Johnson, James W.; Qualls, Garry; Emmitt, David; Jones, W. Linwood; Shugart, Herman H., Jr.

2004-12-01

The current Earth observing capability depends primarily on spacecraft missions and ground-based networks to provide the critical on-going observations necessary for improved understanding of the Earth system. Aircraft missions play an important role in process studies but are limited to relatively short-duration flights. Suborbital observations have contributed to global environmental knowledge by providing in-depth, high-resolution observations that space-based and in-situ systems are challenged to provide; however, the limitations of aerial platforms - e.g., limited observing envelope, restrictions associated with crew safety and high cost of operations have restricted the suborbital program to a supporting role. For over a decade, it has been recognized that autonomous aerial observations could potentially be important. Advances in several technologies now enable autonomous aerial observation systems (AAOS) that can provide fundamentally new observational capability for Earth science and applications and thus lead scientists and engineers to rethink how suborbital assets can best contribute to Earth system science. Properly developed and integrated, these technologies will enable new Earth science and operational mission scenarios with long term persistence, higher-spatial and higher-temporal resolution at lower cost than space or ground based approaches. This paper presents the results of a science driven, systems oriented study of broad Earth science measurement needs. These needs identify aerial mission scenarios that complement and extend the current Earth Observing System. These aerial missions are analogous to space missions in their complexity and potential for providing significant data sets for Earth scientists. Mission classes are identified and presented based on science driven measurement needs in atmospheric, ocean and land studies. Also presented is a nominal concept of operations for an AAOS: an innovative set of suborbital assets that complements and augments current and planned space-based observing systems.

Understanding earth system models: how Global Sensitivity Analysis can help

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pianosi, Francesca; Wagener, Thorsten

2017-04-01

Computer models are an essential element of earth system sciences, underpinning our understanding of systems functioning and influencing the planning and management of socio-economic-environmental systems. Even when these models represent a relatively low number of physical processes and variables, earth system models can exhibit a complicated behaviour because of the high level of interactions between their simulated variables. As the level of these interactions increases, we quickly lose the ability to anticipate and interpret the model's behaviour and hence the opportunity to check whether the model gives the right response for the right reasons. Moreover, even if internally consistent, an earth system model will always produce uncertain predictions because it is often forced by uncertain inputs (due to measurement errors, pre-processing uncertainties, scarcity of measurements, etc.). Lack of transparency about the scope of validity, limitations and the main sources of uncertainty of earth system models can be a strong limitation to their effective use for both scientific and decision-making purposes. Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) is a set of statistical analysis techniques to investigate the complex behaviour of earth system models in a structured, transparent and comprehensive way. In this presentation, we will use a range of examples across earth system sciences (with a focus on hydrology) to demonstrate how GSA is a fundamental element in advancing the construction and use of earth system models, including: verifying the consistency of the model's behaviour with our conceptual understanding of the system functioning; identifying the main sources of output uncertainty so to focus efforts for uncertainty reduction; finding tipping points in forcing inputs that, if crossed, would bring the system to specific conditions we want to avoid.

Collaboratively Architecting a Scalable and Adaptable Petascale Infrastructure to Support Transdisciplinary Scientific Research for the Australian Earth and Environmental Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyborn, L. A.; Evans, B. J. K.; Pugh, T.; Lescinsky, D. T.; Foster, C.; Uhlherr, A.

2014-12-01

The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) at the Australian National University (ANU) is a partnership between CSIRO, ANU, Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and Geoscience Australia. Recent investments in a 1.2 PFlop Supercomputer (Raijin), ~ 20 PB data storage using Lustre filesystems and a 3000 core high performance cloud have created a hybrid platform for higher performance computing and data-intensive science to enable large scale earth and climate systems modelling and analysis. There are > 3000 users actively logging in and > 600 projects on the NCI system. Efficiently scaling and adapting data and software systems to petascale infrastructures requires the collaborative development of an architecture that is designed, programmed and operated to enable users to interactively invoke different forms of in-situ computation over complex and large scale data collections. NCI makes available major and long tail data collections from both the government and research sectors based on six themes: 1) weather, climate and earth system science model simulations, 2) marine and earth observations, 3) geosciences, 4) terrestrial ecosystems, 5) water and hydrology and 6) astronomy, bio and social. Collectively they span the lithosphere, crust, biosphere, hydrosphere, troposphere, and stratosphere. Collections are the operational form for data management and access. Similar data types from individual custodians are managed cohesively. Use of international standards for discovery and interoperability allow complex interactions within and between the collections. This design facilitates a transdisciplinary approach to research and enables a shift from small scale, 'stove-piped' science efforts to large scale, collaborative systems science. This new and complex infrastructure requires a move to shared, globally trusted software frameworks that can be maintained and updated. Workflow engines become essential and need to integrate provenance, versioning, traceability, repeatability and publication. There are also human resource challenges as highly skilled HPC/HPD specialists, specialist programmers, and data scientists are required whose skills can support scaling to the new paradigm of effective and efficient data-intensive earth science analytics on petascale, and soon to be exascale systems.

An Overview of the Future Development of Climate and Earth System Models for Scientific and Policy Use (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washington, W. M.

2010-12-01

The development of climate and earth system models has been regarded primarily as the making of scientific tools to study the complex nature of the Earth’s climate. These models have a long history starting with very simple physical models based on fundamental physics in the 1960s and over time they have become much more complex with atmospheric, ocean, sea ice, land/vegetation, biogeochemical, glacial and ecological components. The policy use aspects of these models did not start in the 1960s and 1970s as decision making tools but were used to answer fundamental scientific questions such as what happens when the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration increases or is doubled. They gave insights into the various interactions and were extensively compared with observations. It was realized that models of the earlier time periods could only give first order answers to many of the fundamental policy questions. As societal concerns about climate change rose, the policy questions of anthropogenic climate change became better defined; they were mostly concerned with the climate impacts of increasing greenhouse gases, aerosols, and land cover change. In the late 1980s, the United Nations set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to perform assessments of the published literature. Thus, the development of climate and Earth system models became intimately linked to the need to not only improve our scientific understanding but also answering fundamental policy questions. In order to meet this challenge, the models became more complex and realistic so that they could address these policy oriented science questions such as rising sea level. The presentation will discuss the past and future development of global climate and earth system models for science and policy purposes. Also to be discussed is their interactions with economic integrated assessment models, regional and specialized models such as river transport or ecological components. As an example of one development pathway, the NSF/Department of Energy supported Community Climate System and Earth System Models will be featured in the presentation. Computational challenges will also part of the discussion.

High rate information systems - Architectural trends in support of the interdisciplinary investigator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Handley, Thomas H., Jr.; Preheim, Larry E.

1990-01-01

Data systems requirements in the Earth Observing System (EOS) Space Station Freedom (SSF) eras indicate increasing data volume, increased discipline interplay, higher complexity and broader data integration and interpretation. A response to the needs of the interdisciplinary investigator is proposed, considering the increasing complexity and rising costs of scientific investigation. The EOS Data Information System, conceived to be a widely distributed system with reliable communication links between central processing and the science user community, is described. Details are provided on information architecture, system models, intelligent data management of large complex databases, and standards for archiving ancillary data, using a research library, a laboratory and collaboration services.

Thermal control surfaces experiment flight system performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkes, Donald R.; Hummer, Leigh L.; Zwiener, James M.

1991-01-01

The Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment (TCSE) is the most complex system, other than the LDEF, retrieved after long term space exposure. The TCSE is a microcosm of complex electro-optical payloads being developed and flow by NASA and the DoD including SDI. The objective of TCSE was to determine the effects of the near-Earth orbital environment and the LDEF induced environment on spacecraft thermal control surfaces. The TCSE was a comprehensive experiment that combined in-space measurements with extensive post flight analyses of thermal control surfaces to determine the effects of exposure to the low earth orbit space environment. The TCSE was the first space experiment to measure the optical properties of thermal control surfaces the way they are routinely measured in a lab. The performance of the TCSE confirms that low cost, complex experiment packages can be developed that perform well in space.

Highly efficient hydrophosphonylation of aldehydes and unactivated ketones catalyzed by methylene-linked pyrrolyl rare earth metal amido complexes.

PubMed

Zhou, Shuangliu; Wu, Zhangshuan; Rong, Jiewei; Wang, Shaowu; Yang, Gaosheng; Zhu, Xiancui; Zhang, Lijun

2012-02-27

A series of rare earth metal amido complexes bearing methylene-linked pyrrolyl-amido ligands were prepared through silylamine elimination reactions and displayed high catalytic activities in hydrophosphonylations of aldehydes and unactivated ketones under solvent-free conditions for liquid substrates. Treatment of [(Me(3)Si)(2)N](3)Ln(μ-Cl)Li(THF)(3) with 2-(2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)NHCH(2))C(4)H(3)NH (1, 1 equiv) in toluene afforded the corresponding trivalent rare earth metal amides of formula {(μ-η(5):η(1)):η(1)-2-[(2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3))NCH(2)](C(4)H(3)N)LnN(SiMe(3))(2)}(2) [Ln=Y (2), Nd (3), Sm (4), Dy (5), Yb (6)] in moderate to good yields. All compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and elemental analyses. The yttrium complex was also characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopic analyses. The structures of complexes 2, 3, 4, and 6 were determined by single-crystal X-ray analyses. Study of the catalytic activities of the complexes showed that these rare earth metal amido complexes were excellent catalysts for hydrophosphonylations of aldehydes and unactivated ketones. The catalyzed reactions between diethyl phosphite and aldehydes in the presence of the rare earth metal amido complexes (0.1 mol%) afforded the products in high yields (up to 99%) at room temperature in short times of 5 to 10 min. Furthermore, the catalytic addition of diethyl phosphite to unactivated ketones also afforded the products in high yields of up to 99% with employment of low loadings (0.1 to 0.5 mol%) of the rare earth metal amido complexes at room temperature in short times of 20 min. The system works well for a wide range of unactivated aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ketones, especially for substituted benzophenones, giving the corresponding α-hydroxy diaryl phosphonates in moderate to high yields. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Earth benefits of interdisciplinary CELSS-related research by the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, C.; Sherman, L.; Nielsen, S.; Nelson, P.; Trumbo, P.; Hodges, T.; Hasegawa, P.; Bressan, R.; Ladisch, M.; Auslander, D.

1996-01-01

Earth benefits of research from the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support will include the following: development of active control mechanisms for light, CO2, and temperature to maximize photosynthesis of crop plants during important phases of crop development; automation of crop culture systems; creation of novel culture systems for optimum productivity; creation of value-added crops with superior nutritional, yield, and waste-process characteristics; environmental control of food and toxicant composition of crops; new process technologies and novel food products for safe, nutritious, palatable vegetarian diets; creation of menus for healthful vegetarian diets with psychological acceptability; enzymatic procedures to degrade recalcitrant crop residues occurring in municipal waste; control-system strategies to ensure sustainabilty of a CELSS that will enable management of diverse complex systems on Earth.

Earth benefits of interdisciplinary celss-related research by the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, C.; Sherman, L.; Nielsen, S.; Nelson, P.; Trumbo, P.; Hodges, T.; Hasegawa, P.; Bressan, R.; Ladisch, M.; Auslander, D.

Earth benefits of research from the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support will include the following: development of active control mechanisms for light, CO_2, and temperature to maximize photosynthesis of crop plants during important phases of crop development; automation of crop culture systems; creation of novel culture systems for optimum productivity; creation of value-added crops with superior nutritional, yield, and waste-process characteristics; environmental control of food and toxicant composition of crops; new process technologies and novel food products for safe, nutritious, palatable vegetarian diets; creation of menus for healthful vegetarian diets with psychological acceptability; enzymatic procedures to degrade recalcitrant crop residues occurring in municipal waste; control-system strategies to ensure sustainability of a CELSS that will enable management of diverse complex systems on Earth.

Earth benefits of interdisciplinary CELSS-related research by the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support.

PubMed

Mitchell, C; Sherman, L; Nielsen, S; Nelson, P; Trumbo, P; Hodges, T; Hasegawa, P; Bressan, R; Ladisch, M; Auslander, D

1996-01-01

Earth benefits of research from the NSCORT in Bioregenerative Life Support will include the following: development of active control mechanisms for light, CO2, and temperature to maximize photosynthesis of crop plants during important phases of crop development; automation of crop culture systems; creation of novel culture systems for optimum productivity; creation of value-added crops with superior nutritional, yield, and waste-process characteristics; environmental control of food and toxicant composition of crops; new process technologies and novel food products for safe, nutritious, palatable vegetarian diets; creation of menus for healthful vegetarian diets with psychological acceptability; enzymatic procedures to degrade recalcitrant crop residues occurring in municipal waste; control-system strategies to ensure sustainabilty of a CELSS that will enable management of diverse complex systems on Earth.

Looking Down on the Earth: How Satellites Have Revolutionized Our Understanding of Our Home Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freilich, Michael

2017-04-01

Earth is a complex, dynamic system we do not yet fully understand. The Earth system, like the human body, comprises diverse components that interact in complex ways. We need to understand the Earth's atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere as a single connected system. Our planet is changing on all spatial and temporal scales. This presentation will highlight how satellite observations are revolutionizing our understanding of and its response to natural or human-induced changes, and to improve prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards. Bio: MICHAEL H. FREILICH, Director of the Earth Science Division, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Prior to NASA, he was a Professor and Associate Dean in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. He received Ph.D. in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Univ. of CA., San Diego) in 1982. Dr. Freilich's research focuses on the determination, validation, and geophysical analysis of ocean surface wind velocity measured by satellite-borne microwave radar and radiometer instruments. He has developed scatterometer and altimeter wind model functions, as well as innovative validation techniques for accurately quantifying the accuracy of spaceborne environmental measurements. Dr. Freilich has served on many NASA, National Research Council (NRC), and research community advisory and steering groups, including the WOCE Science Steering Committee, the NASA EOS Science Executive Committee, the NRC Ocean Studies Board, and several NASA data system review committees. Freilich's non-scientific passions include nature photography and soccer refereeing at the youth, high school, and adult levels.

Looking Down on the Earth: How Satellites Have Revolutionized Our Understanding of Our Home Planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freilich, Michael

2016-04-01

Earth is a complex, dynamic system we do not yet fully understand. The Earth system, like the human body, comprises diverse components that interact in complex ways. We need to understand the Earth's atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere as a single connected system. Our planet is changing on all spatial and temporal scales. This presentation will highlight how satellite observations are revolutionizing our understanding of and its response to natural or human-induced changes, and to improve prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards. Bio: MICHAEL H. FREILICH, Director of the Earth Science Division, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Prior to NASA, he was a Professor and Associate Dean in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. He received Ph.D. in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Univ. of CA., San Diego) in 1982. Dr. Freilich's research focuses on the determination, validation, and geophysical analysis of ocean surface wind velocity measured by satellite-borne microwave radar and radiometer instruments. He has developed scatterometer and altimeter wind model functions, as well as innovative validation techniques for accurately quantifying the accuracy of spaceborne environmental measurements. Dr. Freilich has served on many NASA, National Research Council (NRC), and research community advisory and steering groups, including the WOCE Science Steering Committee, the NASA EOS Science Executive Committee, the NRC Ocean Studies Board, and several NASA data system review committees. Freilich's non-scientific passions include nature photography and soccer refereeing at the youth, high school, and adult levels.

Exploratory Climate Data Visualization and Analysis Using DV3D and UVCDAT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, Thomas

2012-01-01

Earth system scientists are being inundated by an explosion of data generated by ever-increasing resolution in both global models and remote sensors. Advanced tools for accessing, analyzing, and visualizing very large and complex climate data are required to maintain rapid progress in Earth system research. To meet this need, NASA, in collaboration with the Ultra-scale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UVCOAT) consortium, is developing exploratory climate data analysis and visualization tools which provide data analysis capabilities for the Earth System Grid (ESG). This paper describes DV3D, a UV-COAT package that enables exploratory analysis of climate simulation and observation datasets. OV3D provides user-friendly interfaces for visualization and analysis of climate data at a level appropriate for scientists. It features workflow inte rfaces, interactive 40 data exploration, hyperwall and stereo visualization, automated provenance generation, and parallel task execution. DV30's integration with CDAT's climate data management system (COMS) and other climate data analysis tools provides a wide range of high performance climate data analysis operations. DV3D expands the scientists' toolbox by incorporating a suite of rich new exploratory visualization and analysis methods for addressing the complexity of climate datasets.

40 CFR 721.10423 - Complex strontium aluminate, rare earth doped (generic).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... earth doped (generic). 721.10423 Section 721.10423 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... New Uses for Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10423 Complex strontium aluminate, rare earth doped... substances identified generically as complex strontium aluminate, rare earth doped (PMNs P-12-22, P-12-23, P...

Application of superconducting technology to earth-to-orbit electromagnetic launch systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hull, J. R.; Carney, L. M.

1988-01-01

Benefits may occur by incorporating superconductors, both existing and those currently under development, in one or more parts of a large-scale electromagnetic launch (EML) system that is capable of delivering payloads from the surface of the Earth to space. The use of superconductors for many of the EML components results in lower system losses; consequently, reductions in the size and number of energy storage devices are possible. Applied high-temperature superconductivity may eventually enable novel design concepts for energy distribution and switching. All of these technical improvements have the potential to reduce system complexity and lower payload launch costs.

The concept of self-organizing systems. Why bother?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elverfeldt, Kirsten v.; Embleton-Hamann, Christine; Slaymaker, Olav

2016-04-01

Complexity theory and the concept of self-organizing systems provide a rather challenging conceptual framework for explaining earth systems change. Self-organization - understood as the aggregate processes internal to an environmental system that lead to a distinctive spatial or temporal organization - reduces the possibility of implicating a specific process as being causal, and it poses some restrictions on the idea that external drivers cause a system to change. The concept of self-organizing systems suggests that many phenomena result from an orchestration of different mechanisms, so that no causal role can be assigned to an individual factor or process. The idea that system change can be due to system-internal processes of self-organization thus proves a huge challenge to earth system research, especially in the context of global environmental change. In order to understand the concept's implications for the Earth Sciences, we need to know the characteristics of self-organizing systems and how to discern self-organizing systems. Within the talk, we aim firstly at characterizing self-organizing systems, and secondly at highlighting the advantages and difficulties of the concept within earth system sciences. The presentation concludes that: - The concept of self-organizing systems proves especially fruitful for small-scale earth surface systems. Beach cusps and patterned ground are only two of several other prime examples of self-organizing earth surface systems. They display characteristics of self-organization like (i) system-wide order from local interactions, (ii) symmetry breaking, (iii) distributed control, (iv) robustness and resilience, (v) nonlinearity and feedbacks, (vi) organizational closure, (vii) adaptation, and (viii) variation and selection. - It is comparatively easy to discern self-organization in small-scale systems, but to adapt the concept to larger scale systems relevant to global environmental change research is more difficult: Self-organizing systems seem to form nested hierarchies, and on different hierarchical levels self-organizing and externally driven subsystems might occur simultaneously. - Traditional geomorphological concepts such as sensitivity to change, and intrinsic or extrinsic thresholds are compatible with the concept of self-organizing system, and these concepts are even enriched in their explanatory power when viewed in the larger framework of self-organization. The conceptual step to acknowledge self-organizing system change within earth system sciences thus can be regarded as relatively small. The concept of self-organization suggests a change of focus for earth system change research: a shift from input-output relations toward the inner organization of systems, since external controls rather limit the degrees of freedom of a system instead of triggering changes. Many systems might in fact be rather autonomous, and the specific and observable external trigger might be less important than the intrinsic system state. Hence, neither gradual nor catastrophic system changes necessarily need an external driver. The concept of self-organization provides important caveats to generally attributing environmental change to external drivers, and it encourages a frank admission of ignorance in the face of complexity.

A Perspective on the Use of Storable Propellants for Future Space Vehicle Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, William C.; Brasher, Warren L.

1989-01-01

Propulsion system configurations for future NASA and DOD space initiatives are driven by the continually emerging new mission requirements. These initiatives cover an extremely wide range of mission scenarios, from unmanned planetary programs, to manned lunar and planetary programs, to earth-oriented (Mission to Planet Earth) programs, and they are in addition to existing and future requirements for near-earth missions such as to geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO). Increasing space transportation costs, and anticipated high costs associated with space-basing of future vehicles, necessitate consideration of cost-effective and easily maintainable configurations which maximize the use of existing technologies and assets, and use budgetary resources effectively. System design considerations associated with the use of storable propellants to fill these needs are presented. Comparisons in areas such as complexity, performance, flexibility, maintainability, and technology status are made for earth and space storable propellants, including nitrogen tetroxide/monomethylhydrazine and LOX/monomethylhydrazine.

The Search for Life in the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehrenfreund, Pascale

2016-07-01

To unravel the origins of life on Earth and possibly elsewhere remains one of mankind's most important discoveries. Basic building blocks of life are widespread in planetary systems in our Milky Way and other galaxies. Extraterrestrial material delivered to young terrestrial planetary surfaces in the early history of our solar system through asteroids, comets and meteorites may have provided significant raw material for the emergence of life on Earth. Since August 2014 the comet rendezvous mission Rosetta has monitored the evolution of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during its approach to the Sun and observed numerous volatiles and complex organic compounds on the comet surface. Several asteroid sample return missions as well as the improved analyses of key meteorites increase our knowledge about the organic inventory that seeded the young planets. Prokaryotic, anaerobic bacteria, which are approximately 3.5 billion years old, represent the first evidence for life on Earth. Since then, life has evolved to high complexity and adapted to nearly every explored environment on our planet. Extreme life on Earth has expanded the list of potentially habitable solar system environments. However, our neighbor planet Mars is the most promising target to search for life within our solar system. Data from the Curiosity rover show regions that were habitable in the past, traces of organic carbon and active CH_4 in the Martian atmosphere at present. Recent discoveries such as the plumes from the southern polar region of Enceladus and plume activity on Europa strengthen the long-standing hypothesis that moons in our solar system contain substantial bodies of water and are probably habitable. Since decades, a fleet of robotic space missions target planets, moons and small bodies to reveal clues on the origin of our solar system and life beyond Earth. This lecture will review and discuss past, current and future space missions investigating habitability and biosignatures in our solar system and the science and technology preparation for robotic and human exploration efforts.

Climate in Earth history

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, W. H.; Crowell, J. C.

1982-01-01

Complex atmosphere-ocean-land interactions govern the climate system and its variations. During the course of Earth history, nature has performed a large number of experiments involving climatic change; the geologic record contains much information regarding these experiments. This information should result in an increased understanding of the climate system, including climatic stability and factors that perturb climate. In addition, the paleoclimatic record has been demonstrated to be useful in interpreting the origin of important resources-petroleum, natural gas, coal, phosphate deposits, and many others.

Nuclear systems for space power and propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, M.

1971-01-01

As exploration and utilization of space proceeds through the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond, spacecraft in earth orbit will become increasingly larger, spacecraft will travel deeper into space, and space activities will involve more complex operations. These trends require increasing amounts of energy for power and propulsion. The role to be played by nuclear energy is presented, including plans for deep space missions using radioisotope generators, the reactor power systems for earth orbiting stations and satellites, and the role of nuclear propulsion in space transportation.

Assimilating Thor: How Airmen Integrate Weather Prediction

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

atmosphere and the earth from the air and from space widened the aperture of data so as to overexpose humans to the panoply of information coming...endurance record flights circled the earth without stopping; aircraft climbed through the atmosphere into space. Weather surveillance radar...advances found congruence in the meteorological advance of ensemble weather modeling. Complex, adaptive systems like the atmosphere lend themselves to

Architecting the Human Space Flight Program with Systems Modeling Language (SysML)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Maddalena M.; Fernandez, Michela Munoz; McVittie, Thomas I.; Sindiy, Oleg V.

2012-01-01

The next generation of missions in NASA's Human Space Flight program focuses on the development and deployment of highly complex systems (e.g., Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Space Launch System, 21st Century Ground System) that will enable astronauts to venture beyond low Earth orbit and explore the moon, near-Earth asteroids, and beyond. Architecting these highly complex system-of-systems requires formal systems engineering techniques for managing the evolution of the technical features in the information exchange domain (e.g., data exchanges, communication networks, ground software) and also, formal correlation of the technical architecture to stakeholders' programmatic concerns (e.g., budget, schedule, risk) and design development (e.g., assumptions, constraints, trades, tracking of unknowns). This paper will describe how the authors have applied System Modeling Language (SysML) to implement model-based systems engineering for managing the description of the End-to-End Information System (EEIS) architecture and associated development activities and ultimately enables stakeholders to understand, reason, and answer questions about the EEIS under design for proposed lunar Exploration Missions 1 and 2 (EM-1 and EM-2).

The Difference between Uncertainty and Information, and Why This Matters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nearing, G. S.

2016-12-01

Earth science investigation and arbitration (for decision making) is very often organized around a concept of uncertainty. It seems relatively straightforward that the purpose of our science is to reduce uncertainty about how environmental systems will react and evolve under different conditions. I propose here that approaching a science of complex systems as a process of quantifying and reducing uncertainty is a mistake, and specifically a mistake that is rooted in certain rather hisoric logical errors. Instead I propose that we should be asking questions about information. I argue here that an information-based perspective facilitates almost trivial answers to environmental science questions that are either difficult or theoretically impossible to answer when posed as questions about uncertainty. In particular, I propose that an information-centric perspective leads to: Coherent and non-subjective hypothesis tests for complex system models. Process-level diagnostics for complex systems models. Methods for building complex systems models that allow for inductive inference without the need for a priori specification of likelihood functions or ad hoc error metrics. Asymptotically correct quantification of epistemic uncertainty. To put this in slightly more basic terms, I propose that an information-theoretic philosophy of science has the potential to resolve certain important aspects of the Demarcation Problem and the Duhem-Quine Problem, and that Hydrology and other Earth Systems Sciences can immediately capitalize on this to address some of our most difficult and persistent problems.

Modeling pilot interaction with automated digital avionics systems: Guidance and control algorithms for contour and nap-of-the-Earth flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, Ronald A.

1990-01-01

A collection of technical papers are presented that cover modeling pilot interaction with automated digital avionics systems and guidance and control algorithms for contour and nap-of-the-earth flight. The titles of the papers presented are as follows: (1) Automation effects in a multiloop manual control system; (2) A qualitative model of human interaction with complex dynamic systems; (3) Generalized predictive control of dynamic systems; (4) An application of generalized predictive control to rotorcraft terrain-following flight; (5) Self-tuning generalized predictive control applied to terrain-following flight; and (6) Precise flight path control using a predictive algorithm.

Satellite Remote Sensing and the Hydroclimate: Two Specific Examples of Improved Knowledge and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shepherd, M.; Santanello, J. A., Jr.

2017-12-01

When Explorer 1 launched nearly 60 years ago, it helped usher in a golden age of scientific understanding of arguably the most important planet in our solar system. From its inception NASA and its partners were charged with leveraging the vantagepoint of space to advance knowledge outside and within Earth's atmosphere. Earth is a particularly complex natural system that is increasingly modified by human activities. The hydrological or water cycle is a critical circuit in the Earth system. Its complexity requires novel observations and simulation capability to fully understand it and predict changes. This talk will introduce some of the unique satellite-based observations used for hydroclimate studies. Two specific examples will be presented. The first example explores a relatively new thread of research examining the impact of soil moisture on landfalling and other types of tropical systems. Recent literature suggests that tropical cyclones or large rain-producing systems like the one that caused catastrophic flooding in Louisiana (2016) derive moisture from a "brown ocean" of wet soils or wetlands. The second example summarizes a decade of research on how urbanization has altered the precipitation and land surface hydrology components of the water cycle. With both cases, a multitude of satellite or model-based datesets will be summarized (e.g., TRMM, GPM, SMAP, NLDAS).

Comprehensive system models: Strategies for evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Field, Christopher; Kutzbach, John E.; Ramanathan, V.; Maccracken, Michael C.

1992-01-01

The task of evaluating comprehensive earth system models is vast involving validations of every model component at every scale of organization, as well as tests of all the individual linkages. Even the most detailed evaluation of each of the component processes and the individual links among them should not, however, engender confidence in the performance of the whole. The integrated earth system is so rich with complex feedback loops, often involving components of the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, and cryosphere, that it is certain to exhibit emergent properties very difficult to predict from the perspective of a narrow focus on any individual component of the system. Therefore, a substantial share of the task of evaluating comprehensive earth system models must reside at the level of whole system evaluations. Since complete, integrated atmosphere/ ocean/ biosphere/ hydrology models are not yet operational, questions of evaluation must be addressed at the level of the kinds of earth system processes that the models should be competent to simulate, rather than at the level of specific performance criteria. Here, we have tried to identify examples of earth system processes that are difficult to simulate with existing models and that involve a rich enough suite of feedbacks that they are unlikely to be satisfactorily described by highly simplified or toy models. Our purpose is not to specify a checklist of evaluation criteria but to introduce characteristics of the earth system that may present useful opportunities for model testing and, of course, improvement.

Challenges in integrating multidisciplinary data into a single e-infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atakan, Kuvvet; Jeffery, Keith G.; Bailo, Daniele; Harrison, Matthew

2015-04-01

The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) aims to create a pan-European infrastructure for solid Earth science to support a safe and sustainable society. The mission of EPOS is to monitor and understand the dynamic and complex Earth system by relying on new e-science opportunities and integrating diverse and advanced Research Infrastructures in Europe for solid Earth Science. EPOS will enable innovative multidisciplinary research for a better understanding of the Earth's physical and chemical processes that control earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, ground instability and tsunami as well as the processes driving tectonics and Earth's surface dynamics. EPOS will improve our ability to better manage the use of the subsurface of the Earth. Through integration of data, models and facilities EPOS will allow the Earth Science community to make a step change in developing new concepts and tools for key answers to scientific and socio-economic questions concerning geo-hazards and geo-resources as well as Earth sciences applications to the environment and to human welfare. EPOS is now getting into its Implementation Phase (EPOS-IP). One of the main challenges during the implementation phase is the integration of multidisciplinary data into a single e-infrastructure. Multidisciplinary data are organized and governed by the Thematic Core Services (TCS) and are driven by various scientific communities encompassing a wide spectrum of Earth science disciplines. TCS data, data products and services will be integrated into a platform "the ICS system" that will ensure their interoperability and access to these services by the scientific community as well as other users within the society. This requires dedicated tasks for interactions with the various TCS-WPs, as well as the various distributed ICS (ICS-Ds), such as High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities, large scale data storage facilities, complex processing and visualization tools etc. Computational Earth Science (CES) services are identified as a transversal activity and as such need to be harmonized and provided within the ICS. In order to develop a metadata catalogue and the ICS system, the content from the entire spectrum of services included in TCS, ICS-Ds as well as CES activities, need to be organized in a systematic manner taking into account global and European IT-standards, while complying with the user needs and data provider requirements.

The Earth System Documentation (ES-DOC) Software Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenslade, M. A.; Murphy, S.; Treshansky, A.; DeLuca, C.; Guilyardi, E.; Denvil, S.

2013-12-01

Earth System Documentation (ES-DOC) is an international project supplying high-quality tools & services in support of earth system documentation creation, analysis and dissemination. It is nurturing a sustainable standards based documentation eco-system that aims to become an integral part of the next generation of exa-scale dataset archives. ES-DOC leverages open source software, and applies a software development methodology that places end-user narratives at the heart of all it does. ES-DOC has initially focused upon nurturing the Earth System Model (ESM) documentation eco-system and currently supporting the following projects: * Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5); * Dynamical Core Model Inter-comparison Project (DCMIP); * National Climate Predictions and Projections Platforms Quantitative Evaluation of Downscaling Workshop. This talk will demonstrate that ES-DOC implements a relatively mature software development process. Taking a pragmatic Agile process as inspiration, ES-DOC: * Iteratively develops and releases working software; * Captures user requirements via a narrative based approach; * Uses online collaboration tools (e.g. Earth System CoG) to manage progress; * Prototypes applications to validate their feasibility; * Leverages meta-programming techniques where appropriate; * Automates testing whenever sensibly feasible; * Streamlines complex deployments to a single command; * Extensively leverages GitHub and Pivotal Tracker; * Enforces strict separation of the UI from underlying API's; * Conducts code reviews.

IUPAC-NIST Solubility Data Series. 100. Rare Earth Metal Fluorides in Water and Aqueous Systems. Part 1. Scandium Group (Sc, Y, La)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mioduski, Tomasz; Gumiński, Cezary, E-mail: cegie@chem.uw.edu.pl; Zeng, Dewen, E-mail: dewen-zeng@hotmail.com

2014-03-15

This work presents an assessment of solubility data for rare earth metal fluorides (generally of trivalent metals and of CeF{sub 4}) in water and in aqueous ternary systems. Compilations of all available experimental data are introduced for each rare earth metal fluoride with a corresponding critical evaluation. Every such evaluation contains a collection of all solubility results in water, a selection of suggested solubility data, and a brief discussion of the multicomponent systems. Because the ternary systems were seldom studied more than once, no critical evaluations of such data were possible. Only simple fluorides (no complexes or binary salts) aremore » treated as the input substances in this report. The literature has been covered through the end of 2013.« less

Using Space Weather for Enhanced, Extreme Terrestrial Weather Predictions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenna, M. H.; Lee, T. A., III

2017-12-01

Considering the complexities of the Sun-Earth system, the impacts of space weather to weather here on Earth are not fully understood. This study attempts to analyze this interrelationship by providing a theoretical framework for studying the varied modalities of solar inclination and explores the extent to which they contribute, both in formation and intensity, to extreme terrestrial weather. Using basic topologic and ontology engineering concepts (TOEC), the transdisciplinary syntaxes of space physics, geophysics, and meteorology are analyzed as a seamless interrelated system. This paper reports this investigation's initial findings and examines the validity of the question "Does space weather contribute to extreme weather on Earth, and if so, to what degree?"

Data, Meet Compute: NASA's Cumulus Ingest Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, Patrick

2018-01-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) houses nearly 30PBs of critical Earth Science data and with upcoming missions is expected to balloon to between 200PBs-300PBs over the next seven years. In addition to the massive increase in data collected, researchers and application developers want more and faster access - enabling complex visualizations, long time-series analysis, and cross dataset research without needing to copy and manage massive amounts of data locally. NASA has looked to the cloud to address these needs, building its Cumulus system to manage the ingest of diverse data in a wide variety of formats into the cloud. In this talk, we look at what Cumulus is from a high level and then take a deep dive into how it manages complexity and versioning associated with multiple AWS Lambda and ECS microservices communicating through AWS Step Functions across several disparate installations

Commons problems, common ground: Earth-surface dynamics and the social-physical interdisciplinary frontier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarus, E.

2015-12-01

In the archetypal "tragedy of the commons" narrative, local farmers pasture their cows on the town common. Soon the common becomes crowded with cows, who graze it bare, and the arrangement of open access to a shared resource ultimately fails. The "tragedy" involves social and physical processes, but the denouement depends on who is telling the story. An economist might argue that the system collapses because each farmer always has a rational incentive to graze one more cow. An ecologist might remark that the rate of grass growth is an inherent control on the common's carrying capacity. And a geomorphologist might point out that processes of soil degradation almost always outstrip processes of soil production. Interdisciplinary research into human-environmental systems still tends to favor disciplinary vantages. In the context of Anthropocene grand challenges - including fundamental insight into dynamics of landscape resilience, and what the dominance of human activities means for processes of change and evolution on the Earth's surface - two disciplines in particular have more to talk about than they might think. Here, I use three examples - (1) beach nourishment, (2) upstream/downstream fluvial asymmetry, and (3) current and historical "land grabbing" - to illustrate a range of interconnections between physical Earth-surface science and common-pool resource economics. In many systems, decision-making and social complexity exert stronger controls on landscape expression than do physical geomorphological processes. Conversely, human-environmental research keeps encountering multi-scale, emergent problems of resource use made 'common-pool' by water, nutrient and sediment transport dynamics. Just as Earth-surface research can benefit from decades of work on common-pool resource systems, quantitative Earth-surface science can make essential contributions to efforts addressing complex problems in environmental sustainability.

Nonlinear dynamics of global atmospheric and earth system processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Taiping; Verbitsky, Mikhail; Saltzman, Barry; Mann, Michael E.; Park, Jeffrey; Lall, Upmanu

1995-01-01

During the grant period, the authors continued ongoing studies aimed at enhancing their understanding of the operation of the atmosphere as a complex nonlinear system interacting with the hydrosphere, biosphere, and cryosphere in response to external radiative forcing. Five papers were completed with support from the grant, representing contributions in three main areas of study: (1) theoretical studies of the interactive atmospheric response to changed biospheric boundary conditions measurable from satellites; (2) statistical-observational studies of global-scale temperature variability on interannual to century time scales; and (3) dynamics of long-term earth system changes associated with ice sheet surges.

An integrated view of complex landscapes: a big data-model integration approach to trans-disciplinary science

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Earth is a complex system comprised of many interacting spatial and temporal scales. Understanding, predicting, and managing for these dynamics requires a trans-disciplinary integrated approach. Although there have been calls for this integration, a general approach is needed. We developed a Tra...

Global analysis of river systems: from Earth system controls to Anthropocene syndromes.

PubMed Central

Meybeck, Michel

2003-01-01

Continental aquatic systems from rivers to the coastal zone are considered within two perspectives: (i) as a major link between the atmosphere, pedosphere, biosphere and oceans within the Earth system with its Holocene dynamics, and (ii) as water and aquatic biota resources progressively used and transformed by humans. Human pressures have now reached a state where the continental aquatic systems can no longer be considered as being controlled by only Earth system processes, thus defining a new era, the Anthropocene. Riverine changes, now observed at the global scale, are described through a first set of syndromes (flood regulation, fragmentation, sediment imbalance, neo-arheism, salinization, chemical contamination, acidification, eutrophication and microbial contamination) with their related causes and symptoms. These syndromes have direct influences on water uses, either positive or negative. They also modify some Earth system key functions such as sediment, water, nutrient and carbon balances, greenhouse gas emissions and aquatic biodiversity. Evolution of river syndromes over the past 2000 years is complex: it depends upon the stages of regional human development and on natural conditions, as illustrated here for the chemical contamination syndrome. River damming, eutrophication and generalized decrease of river flow due to irrigation are some of the other global features of river changes. Future management of river systems should also consider these long-term impacts on the Earth system. PMID:14728790

The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abell, P. A.; Mazanek, D. D.; Reeves, D. M.; Chodas, P. W.; Gates, M. M.; Johnson, L. N.; Ticker, R. L.

2016-01-01

To achieve its long-term goal of sending humans to Mars, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to proceed in a series of incrementally more complex human spaceflight missions. Today, human flight experience extends only to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), and should problems arise during a mission, the crew can return to Earth in a matter of minutes to hours. The next logical step for human spaceflight is to gain flight experience in the vicinity of the Moon. These cis-lunar missions provide a "proving ground" for the testing of systems and operations while still accommodating an emergency return path to the Earth that would last only several days. Cis-lunar mission experience will be essential for more ambitious human missions beyond the Earth- Moon system, which will require weeks, months, or even years of transit time.

Computational Aspects of Data Assimilation and the ESMF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

daSilva, A.

2003-01-01

The scientific challenge of developing advanced data assimilation applications is a daunting task. Independently developed components may have incompatible interfaces or may be written in different computer languages. The high-performance computer (HPC) platforms required by numerically intensive Earth system applications are complex, varied, rapidly evolving and multi-part systems themselves. Since the market for high-end platforms is relatively small, there is little robust middleware available to buffer the modeler from the difficulties of HPC programming. To complicate matters further, the collaborations required to develop large Earth system applications often span initiatives, institutions and agencies, involve geoscience, software engineering, and computer science communities, and cross national borders.The Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) project is a concerted response to these challenges. Its goal is to increase software reuse, interoperability, ease of use and performance in Earth system models through the use of a common software framework, developed in an open manner by leaders in the modeling community. The ESMF addresses the technical and to some extent the cultural - aspects of Earth system modeling, laying the groundwork for addressing the more difficult scientific aspects, such as the physical compatibility of components, in the future. In this talk we will discuss the general philosophy and architecture of the ESMF, focussing on those capabilities useful for developing advanced data assimilation applications.

The Sun, Its Extended Corona, the Interplanetary Space, the Earth's Magnetosphere, Ionosphere, Middle and Low Atmosphere, are All Parts of a Complex System - the Heliosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, Natchimuthuk

2011-01-01

Various manifestations of solar activity cause disturbances known as space weather effects in the interplanetary space, near-Earth environment, and all the Earth's "spheres. Longterm variations in the frequency, intensity and relative importance of the manifestations of solar activity are due to the slow changes in the output of the solar dynamo, and they define space climate. Space climate governs long-term variations in geomagnetic activity and is the primary natural driver of terrestrial climate. To understand how the variable solar activity affects the Earth's environment, geomagnetic activity and climate on both short and long time scales, we need to understand the origins of solar activity itself and its different manifestations, as well as the sequence of coupling processes linking various parts of the system. This session provides a forum to discuss the chain of processes and relations from the Sun to the Earth's surface: the origin and long-term and short-term evolution of solar activity, initiation and temporal variations in solar flares, CMEs, coronal holes, the solar wind and its interaction with the terrestrial magnetosphere, the ionosphere and its connection to the neutral dominated regions below and the plasma dominated regions above, the stratosphere, its variations due to the changing solar activity and its interactions with the underlying troposphere, and the mechanisms of solar influences on the lower atmosphere on different time-scales. Particularly welcome are papers highlighting the coupling processes between the different domains in this complex system.

Integrated modeling of land-use change: the role of coupling, interactions and feedbacks between the human and Earth systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monier, E.; Kicklighter, D. W.; Ejaz, Q.; Winchester, N.; Paltsev, S.; Reilly, J. M.

2016-12-01

Land-use change integrates a large number of components of the human and Earth systems, including climate, energy, water, and land. These complex coupling elements, interactions and feedbacks take place on a variety of space and time scales, thus increasing the complexity of land-use change modeling frameworks. In this study, we aim to identify which coupling elements, interactions and feedbacks are important for modeling land-use change, both at the global and regional level. First, we review the existing land-use change modeling framework used to develop land-use change projections for the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios. In such framework, land-use change is simulated by Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) and mainly influenced by economic, energy, demographic and policy drivers. IAMs focus on representing the demand for agriculture and forestry goods (crops for food and bioenergy, forest products for construction and bioenergy), the interactions with other sectors of the economy and trade between various regions of the world. Then, we investigate how important various coupling elements and feedbacks with the Earth system are for projections of land-use change at the global and regional level. We focus on the following: i) the climate impacts on land productivity and greenhouse gas emissions, which requires climate change information and coupling to a terrestrial ecosystem model/crop model; ii) the climate and economic impacts on irrigation availability, which requires coupling the LUC modeling framework to a water resources management model and disaggregating rainfed and irrigated croplands; iii) the feedback of land-use change on the global and regional climate system through land-use change emissions and changes in the surface albedo and hydrology, which requires coupling to an Earth system model. Finally, we conclude our study by highlighting the current lack of clarity in how various components of the human and Earth systems are coupled in IAMs , and the need for a lexicon that is agreed upon by the IAM community.

Testing Anthropic Selection: A Climate Change Example

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Abstract Planetary anthropic selection, the idea that Earth has unusual properties since, otherwise, we would not be here to observe it, is a controversial idea. This paper proposes a methodology by which to test anthropic proposals by comparison of Earth to synthetic populations of Earth-like planets. The paper illustrates this approach by investigating possible anthropic selection for high (or low) rates of Milankovitch-driven climate change. Three separate tests are investigated: (1) Earth-Moon properties and their effect on obliquity; (2) Individual planet locations and their effect on eccentricity variation; (3) The overall structure of the Solar System and its effect on eccentricity variation. In all three cases, the actual Earth/Solar System has unusually low Milankovitch frequencies compared to similar alternative systems. All three results are statistically significant at the 5% or better level, and the probability of all three occurring by chance is less than 10−5. It therefore appears that there has been anthropic selection for slow Milankovitch cycles. This implies possible selection for a stable climate, which, if true, undermines the Gaia hypothesis and also suggests that planets with Earth-like levels of biodiversity are likely to be very rare. Key Words: Planetary habitability and biosignatures—Intelligence—Paleoenvironment and paleoclimate—Co-evolution of Earth and life—Complex life. Astrobiology 11, 105–114. PMID:21401338

Volatile accretion history of the Earth.

PubMed

Wood, B J; Halliday, A N; Rehkämper, M

2010-10-28

It has long been thought that the Earth had a protracted and complex history of volatile accretion and loss. Albarède paints a different picture, proposing that the Earth first formed as a dry planet which, like the Moon, was devoid of volatile constituents. He suggests that the Earth's complement of volatile elements was only established later, by the addition of a small veneer of volatile-rich material at ∼100 Myr (here and elsewhere, ages are relative to the origin of the Solar System). Here we argue that the Earth's mass balance of moderately volatile elements is inconsistent with Albarède's hypothesis but is well explained by the standard model of accretion from partially volatile-depleted material, accompanied by core formation.

Magnetic interactions and magnetic anisotropy in exchange coupled 4f-3d systems: a case study of a heterodinuclear Ce3+-Fe3+ cyanide-bridged complex.

PubMed

Sorace, Lorenzo; Sangregorio, Claudio; Figuerola, Albert; Benelli, Cristiano; Gatteschi, Dante

2009-01-01

We report here a detailed single-crystal EPR and magnetic study of a homologous series of complexes of the type Ln-M (Ln = La(III), Ce(III); M = Fe(III), Co(III)). We were able to obtain a detailed picture of the low-lying levels of Ce(III) and Fe(III) centres through the combined use of single-crystal EPR and magnetic susceptibility data. We show that classical ligand field theory can be of great help in rationalising the energies of the low-lying levels of both the transition-metal and rare-earth ions. The combined analysis of single-crystal EPR and magnetic data of the coupled system Ce-Fe confirmed the great complexity of the interactions involving rare-earth elements. With little uncertainty, it turned out clearly that the description of the interaction involving the lowest lying spin levels requires the introduction of the isotropic, anisotropic and antisymmetric terms.

Incorporating Geoethics in Introductory Earth System Science Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, J.

2014-12-01

The integrative nature of Earth System Science courses provides extensive opportunities to introduce students to geoethical inquiry focused on globally significant societal issues. Geoscience education has traditionally lagged in its efforts to increase student awareness of the significance of geologic knowledge to understanding and responsibly confronting causes and possible solutions for emergent, newly emerging, and future problems of anthropogenic cause and consequence. Developing an understanding of the human impact on the earth system requires early (lower division) and for geoscience majors, repeated (upper division) curricular emphasis on the interactions of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and pedosphere across space and through time. Capturing the interest of university students in globally relevant earth system issues and their ethical dimensions while first learning about the earth system is an important initial step in bringing geoethical deliberation and awareness to the next generation of geoscientists. Development of a new introductory Earth System Science course replacing a traditional introductory Physical Geology course at Montana State University has involved abandonment of concept-based content organization in favor of a place-based approach incorporating examination of the complex interactions of earth system components and emergent issues and dilemmas deriving from the unique component interactions that characterize each locale. Thirteen different place-based week-long modules (using web- and classroom-based instruction) were developed to ensure cumulative broad coverage across the earth geographically and earth system components conceptually. Each place-based instructional module contains content of societal relevance requiring synthesis, critical evaluation, and reflection by students. Examples include making linkages between deforestation driven by economics and increased seismicity in Haiti, agriculture and development of marine dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, glacier melting and alpine ecotone migration due to global warming in Glacier National Park, USA, and destruction of Caribbean mangrove forests and its negative effects on coral reef biodiversity.

Overview of international remote sensing through 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glackin, David L.

1997-12-01

The field of Earth remote sensing is evolving from one that contains purely governmental and military standalone systems of high complexity and expense to one that includes an increasing number of commercial systems, focused missions using small satellites, and systems of lower complexity and cost. The evolution of the field from 1980 - 2007 is summarized in this paper, with emphasis on the rapid changes of international scope that are taking place in 1997 which will shape the future of the field. As of three years ago, seven counties had built and flown free-flying earth observation satellite systems. Projections are for the number of countries operating such systems to approximately double by three years from now. Rapid changes are taking place in terms of spatial resolution, spectral resolution, proliferation of small satellites, ocean color, commercialization and privatization. Several fully commercial high-resolution systems will be launched over the next three years. Partly commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems became a reality with the launch of Radarsat in 1995. Only a handful of small satellite remote sensing missions have been launched to date, while a large number will be launched over the next few years, including minisats from Australia, Brazil, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the USA, as well as microsats from many countries including Malaysia, Pakistan and South Africa. Systems with far greater spectral resolution will also become a reality as hyperspectral instruments are launched. In 1997, we truly stand on the cusp of tremendous change in the burgeoning field of Earth remote sensing.

System Thinking Skills at the Elementary School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Orion, Nir

2010-01-01

This study deals with the development of system thinking skills at the elementary school level. It addresses the question of whether elementary school students can deal with complex systems. The sample included 40 4th grade students from one school in a small town in Israel. The students studied an inquiry-based earth systems curriculum that…

Towards a Conceptual Design of a Cross-Domain Integrative Information System for the Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaslavsky, I.; Richard, S. M.; Valentine, D. W.; Malik, T.; Gupta, A.

2013-12-01

As geoscientists increasingly focus on studying processes that span multiple research domains, there is an increased need for cross-domain interoperability solutions that can scale to the entire geosciences, bridging information and knowledge systems, models, software tools, as well as connecting researchers and organization. Creating a community-driven cyberinfrastructure (CI) to address the grand challenges of integrative Earth science research and education is the focus of EarthCube, a new research initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation. We are approaching EarthCube design as a complex socio-technical system of systems, in which communication between various domain subsystems, people and organizations enables more comprehensive, data-intensive research designs and knowledge sharing. In particular, we focus on integrating 'traditional' layered CI components - including information sources, catalogs, vocabularies, services, analysis and modeling tools - with CI components supporting scholarly communication, self-organization and social networking (e.g. research profiles, Q&A systems, annotations), in a manner that follows and enhances existing patterns of data, information and knowledge exchange within and across geoscience domains. We describe an initial architecture design focused on enabling the CI to (a) provide an environment for scientifically sound information and software discovery and reuse; (b) evolve by factoring in the impact of maturing movements like linked data, 'big data', and social collaborations, as well as experience from work on large information systems in other domains; (c) handle the ever increasing volume, complexity and diversity of geoscience information; (d) incorporate new information and analytical requirements, tools, and techniques, and emerging types of earth observations and models; (e) accommodate different ideas and approaches to research and data stewardship; (f) be responsive to the existing and anticipated needs of researchers and organizations representing both established and emerging CI users; and (g) make best use of NSF's current investment in the geoscience CI. The presentation will focus on the challenges and methodology of EarthCube CI design, in particular on supporting social engagement and interaction between geoscientists and computer scientists as a core function of EarthCube architecture. This capability must include mechanisms to not only locate and integrate available geoscience resources, but also engage individuals and projects, research products and publications, and enable efficient communication across many EarthCube stakeholders leading to long-term institutional alignment and trusted collaborations.

The Media as an Invaluable Tool for Informal Earth System Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, E.; Gautier, C.

2001-12-01

One of the most widely utilized avenues for educating the general public about the Earth's environment is the media, be it print, radio or broadcast. Accurate and effective communication of issues in Earth System Science (ESS), however, is significantly hindered by the public's relative scientific illiteracy. Discussion of ESS concepts requires the laying down of a foundation of complex scientific information, which must first be conveyed to an incognizant audience before any strata of sophisticated social context can be appropriately considered. Despite such a substantial obstacle to be negotiated, the environmental journalist is afforded the unique opportunity of providing a broad-reaching informal scientific education to a largely scientifically uninformed population base. This paper will review the tools used by various environmental journalists to address ESS issues and consider how successful each of these approaches has been at conveying complex scientific messages to a general audience lacking sufficient scientific sophistication. Different kinds of media materials used to this effect will be analyzed for their ideas and concepts conveyed, as well as their effectiveness in reaching the public at large.

The Race To Understand A Changing Planet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sellers, Piers J.

2012-01-01

The Earth's climate is changing rapidly. In some respects, the rate of change is outpacing the predictions of only a few years ago. The challenge to Earth Science is to put forward credible projections of possible future climates so that the public and policy makers can make science-based decisions about energy development strategies. Models, observations and experiments all play strong roles in improving knowledge and increasing confidence in our predictions. The models have progressed from simple, coarse-resolution descriptions of atmospheric dynamics and physics only twenty years ago, to full-up Earth System models (ESMs) that include complete descriptions of the oceans and cryosphere. It has been convincingly argued that such complexity - the construction of realistic "toy" Earth's - is necessary to address the complex processes involved in climate change, including not only the physical atmosphere, oceans and cryosphere, but also the carbon cycle - both its natural and anthropogenic components - and the biosphere. Observations, particularly satellite observations, have more or less kept pace with the demands of the modelers, being able to observe progressively more and different facets of the Earth system, but the global satellite fleet is in need of an overhaul very soon. Lastly, field experiments and process studies confront the models with facts and allow us to develop more sophisticated and accurate satellite data algorithms. The challenges facing our relatively small Earth and planetary science communities are considerable and the stakes are significant. The stakeholders, now numbering 7 billion but soon to be 10 billion, will be relying on our results and capabilitie's to guide them into the future.

The race to understand a changing planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sellers, P. J.

2012-12-01

The Earth's climate is changing rapidly. In some respects, the rate of change is outpacing the predictions of only a few years ago. The challenge to Earth Science is to put forward credible projections of possible future climates so that the public and policy makers can make science-based decisions about energy development strategies. Models, observations and experiments all play strong roles in improving knowledge and increasing confidence in our predictions. The models have progressed from simple, coarse-resolution descriptions of atmospheric dynamics and physics only twenty years ago, to full-up Earth System models (ESMs) that include complete descriptions of the oceans and cryosphere. It has been convincingly argued that such complexity - the construction of realistic "toy" Earths - is necessary to address the complex processes involved in climate change, including not only the physical atmosphere, oceans and cryosphere, but also the carbon cycle - both its natural and anthropogenic components - and the biosphere. Observations, particularly satellite observations, have more or less kept pace with the demands of the modelers, being able to observe progressively more and different facets of the Earth system, but the global satellite fleet is in need of an overhaul very soon. Lastly, field experiments and process studies confront the models with facts and allow us to develop more sophisticated and accurate satellite data algorithms. The challenges facing our relatively small Earth and planetary science communities are considerable and the stakes are significant. The stakeholders, now numbering 7 billion but soon to be 10 billion, will be relying on our results and capabilities to guide them into the future.

Coordinated Science Campaign Scheduling for Sensor Webs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edgington, Will; Morris, Robert; Dungan, Jennifer; Williams, Jenny; Carlson, Jean; Fleming, Damian; Wood, Terri; Yorke-Smith, Neil

2005-01-01

Future Earth observing missions will study different aspects and interacting pieces of the Earth's eco-system. Scientists are designing increasingly complex, interdisciplinary campaigns to exploit the diverse capabilities of multiple Earth sensing assets. In addition, spacecraft platforms are being configured into clusters, trains, or other distributed organizations in order to improve either the quality or the coverage of observations. These simultaneous advances in the design of science campaigns and in the missions that will provide the sensing resources to support them offer new challenges in the coordination of data and operations that are not addressed by current practice. For example, the scheduling of scientific observations for satellites in low Earth orbit is currently conducted independently by each mission operations center. An absence of an information infrastructure to enable the scheduling of coordinated observations involving multiple sensors makes it difficult to execute campaigns involving multiple assets. This paper proposes a software architecture and describes a prototype system called DESOPS (Distributed Earth Science Observation Planning and Scheduling) that will address this deficiency.

Energy Budget: Earth's Most Important and Least Appreciated Planetary Attribute

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambers, Lin; Bethea, Katie

2013-01-01

The energy budget involves more than one kind of energy. People can sense this energy in different ways, depending on what type of energy it is. We see visible light using our eyes. We feel infrared energy using our skin (such as around a campfire). We know some species of animals can see ultraviolet light and portions of the infrared spectrum. NASA satellites use instruments that can "see" different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to observe various processes in the Earth system, including the energy budget. The Sun is a very hot ball of plasma emitting large amounts of energy. By the time it reaches Earth, this energy amounts to about 340 Watts for every square meter of Earth on average. That's almost 6 60-Watt light bulbs for every square meter of Earth! With all of that energy shining down on the Earth, how does our planet maintain a comfortable balance that allows a complex ecosystem, including humans, to thrive? The key thing to remember is the Sun - hot though it is - is a tiny part of Earth's environment. Earth's energy budget is a critical but little understood aspect of our planetary home. NASA is actively studying this important Earth system feature, and sharing data and knowledge about it with the education community.

Student Cognitive Difficulties and Mental Model Development of Complex Earth and Environmental Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sell, K.; Herbert, B.; Schielack, J.

2004-05-01

Students organize scientific knowledge and reason about environmental issues through manipulation of mental models. The nature of the environmental sciences, which are focused on the study of complex, dynamic systems, may present cognitive difficulties to students in their development of authentic, accurate mental models of environmental systems. The inquiry project seeks to develop and assess the coupling of information technology (IT)-based learning with physical models in order to foster rich mental model development of environmental systems in geoscience undergraduate students. The manipulation of multiple representations, the development and testing of conceptual models based on available evidence, and exposure to authentic, complex and ill-constrained problems were the components of investigation utilized to reach the learning goals. Upper-level undergraduate students enrolled in an environmental geology course at Texas A&M University participated in this research which served as a pilot study. Data based on rubric evaluations interpreted by principal component analyses suggest students' understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry is limited and the ability to cross scales and link systems proved problematic. Results categorized into content knowledge and cognition processes where reasoning, critical thinking and cognitive load were driving factors behind difficulties in student learning. Student mental model development revealed multiple misconceptions and lacked complexity and completeness to represent the studied systems. Further, the positive learning impacts of the implemented modules favored the physical model over the IT-based learning projects, likely due to cognitive load issues. This study illustrates the need to better understand student difficulties in solving complex problems when using IT, where the appropriate scaffolding can then be implemented to enhance student learning of the earth system sciences.

Animated computer graphics models of space and earth sciences data generated via the massively parallel processor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Treinish, Lloyd A.; Gough, Michael L.; Wildenhain, W. David

1987-01-01

The capability was developed of rapidly producing visual representations of large, complex, multi-dimensional space and earth sciences data sets via the implementation of computer graphics modeling techniques on the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) by employing techniques recently developed for typically non-scientific applications. Such capabilities can provide a new and valuable tool for the understanding of complex scientific data, and a new application of parallel computing via the MPP. A prototype system with such capabilities was developed and integrated into the National Space Science Data Center's (NSSDC) Pilot Climate Data System (PCDS) data-independent environment for computer graphics data display to provide easy access to users. While developing these capabilities, several problems had to be solved independently of the actual use of the MPP, all of which are outlined.

The emergence of environmental homeostasis in complex ecosystems.

PubMed

Dyke, James G; Weaver, Iain S

2013-01-01

The Earth, with its core-driven magnetic field, convective mantle, mobile lid tectonics, oceans of liquid water, dynamic climate and abundant life is arguably the most complex system in the known universe. This system has exhibited stability in the sense of, bar a number of notable exceptions, surface temperature remaining within the bounds required for liquid water and so a significant biosphere. Explanations for this range from anthropic principles in which the Earth was essentially lucky, to homeostatic Gaia in which the abiotic and biotic components of the Earth system self-organise into homeostatic states that are robust to a wide range of external perturbations. Here we present results from a conceptual model that demonstrates the emergence of homeostasis as a consequence of the feedback loop operating between life and its environment. Formulating the model in terms of Gaussian processes allows the development of novel computational methods in order to provide solutions. We find that the stability of this system will typically increase then remain constant with an increase in biological diversity and that the number of attractors within the phase space exponentially increases with the number of environmental variables while the probability of the system being in an attractor that lies within prescribed boundaries decreases approximately linearly. We argue that the cybernetic concept of rein control provides insights into how this model system, and potentially any system that is comprised of biological to environmental feedback loops, self-organises into homeostatic states.

The Emergence of Environmental Homeostasis in Complex Ecosystems

PubMed Central

Dyke, James G.; Weaver, Iain S.

2013-01-01

The Earth, with its core-driven magnetic field, convective mantle, mobile lid tectonics, oceans of liquid water, dynamic climate and abundant life is arguably the most complex system in the known universe. This system has exhibited stability in the sense of, bar a number of notable exceptions, surface temperature remaining within the bounds required for liquid water and so a significant biosphere. Explanations for this range from anthropic principles in which the Earth was essentially lucky, to homeostatic Gaia in which the abiotic and biotic components of the Earth system self-organise into homeostatic states that are robust to a wide range of external perturbations. Here we present results from a conceptual model that demonstrates the emergence of homeostasis as a consequence of the feedback loop operating between life and its environment. Formulating the model in terms of Gaussian processes allows the development of novel computational methods in order to provide solutions. We find that the stability of this system will typically increase then remain constant with an increase in biological diversity and that the number of attractors within the phase space exponentially increases with the number of environmental variables while the probability of the system being in an attractor that lies within prescribed boundaries decreases approximately linearly. We argue that the cybernetic concept of rein control provides insights into how this model system, and potentially any system that is comprised of biological to environmental feedback loops, self-organises into homeostatic states. PMID:23696719

A user-friendly earth system model of low complexity: the ESCIMO system dynamics model of global warming towards 2100

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randers, Jorgen; Golüke, Ulrich; Wenstøp, Fred; Wenstøp, Søren

2016-11-01

We have made a simple system dynamics model, ESCIMO (Earth System Climate Interpretable Model), which runs on a desktop computer in seconds and is able to reproduce the main output from more complex climate models. ESCIMO represents the main causal mechanisms at work in the Earth system and is able to reproduce the broad outline of climate history from 1850 to 2015. We have run many simulations with ESCIMO to 2100 and beyond. In this paper we present the effects of introducing in 2015 six possible global policy interventions that cost around USD 1000 billion per year - around 1 % of world GDP. We tentatively conclude (a) that these policy interventions can at most reduce the global mean surface temperature - GMST - by up to 0.5 °C in 2050 and up to 1.0 °C in 2100 relative to no intervention. The exception is injection of aerosols into the stratosphere, which can reduce the GMST by more than 1.0 °C in a decade but creates other serious problems. We also conclude (b) that relatively cheap human intervention can keep global warming in this century below +2 °C relative to preindustrial times. Finally, we conclude (c) that run-away warming is unlikely to occur in this century but is likely to occur in the longer run. The ensuing warming is slow, however. In ESCIMO, it takes several hundred years to lift the GMST to +3 °C above preindustrial times through gradual self-reinforcing melting of the permafrost. We call for research to test whether more complex climate models support our tentative conclusions from ESCIMO.

Delivery of complex organic compounds from evolved stars to the solar system.

PubMed

Kwok, Sun

2011-12-01

Stars in the late stages of evolution are able to synthesize complex organic compounds with aromatic and aliphatic structures over very short time scales. These compounds are ejected into the interstellar medium and distributed throughout the Galaxy. The structures of these compounds are similar to the insoluble organic matter found in meteorites. In this paper, we discuss to what extent stellar organics has enriched the primordial Solar System and possibly the early Earth.

Hydrothermal transport and deposition of the rare earth elements by fluorine-bearing aqueous liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Migdisov, Art A.; Williams-Jones, A. E.

2014-12-01

New technologies, particularly those designed to address environmental concerns, have created a great demand for the rare earth elements (REE), and focused considerable attention on the processes by which they are concentrated to economically exploitable levels in the Earth's crust. There is widespread agreement that hydrothermal fluids played an important role in the formation of the world's largest economic REE deposit, i.e. Bayan Obo, China. Until recently, many researchers have assumed that hydrothermal transport of the REE in fluorine-bearing ore-forming systems occurs mainly due to the formation of REE-fluoride complexes. Consequently, hydrothermal models for REE concentration have commonly involved depositional mechanisms based on saturation of the fluid with REE minerals due to destabilization of REE-fluoride complexes. Here, we demonstrate that these complexes are insignificant in REE transport, and that the above models are therefore flawed. The strong association of H+ and F- as HF° and low solubility of REE-F solids greatly limit transport of the REE as fluoride complexes. However, this limitation does not apply to REE-chloride complexes. Because of this, the high concentration of Cl- in the ore fluids, and the relatively high stability of REE-chloride complexes, the latter can transport appreciable concentrations of REE at low pH. The limitation also does not apply to sulphate complexes and in some fluids, the concentration of sulphate may be sufficient to transport significant concentrations of REE as sulphate complexes, particularly at weakly acidic pH. This article proposes new models for hydrothermal REE deposition based on the transport of the REE as chloride and sulphate complexes.

Low-thrust trajectory optimization of asteroid sample return mission with multiple revolutions and moon gravity assists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Gao; Jiang, FanHuag; Li, JunFeng

2015-11-01

Near-Earth asteroids have gained a lot of interest and the development in low-thrust propulsion technology makes complex deep space exploration missions possible. A mission from low-Earth orbit using low-thrust electric propulsion system to rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid and bring sample back is investigated. By dividing the mission into five segments, the complex mission is solved separately. Then different methods are used to find optimal trajectories for every segment. Multiple revolutions around the Earth and multiple Moon gravity assists are used to decrease the fuel consumption to escape from the Earth. To avoid possible numerical difficulty of indirect methods, a direct method to parameterize the switching moment and direction of thrust vector is proposed. To maximize the mass of sample, optimal control theory and homotopic approach are applied to find the optimal trajectory. Direct methods of finding proper time to brake the spacecraft using Moon gravity assist are also proposed. Practical techniques including both direct and indirect methods are investigated to optimize trajectories for different segments and they can be easily extended to other missions and more precise dynamic model.

Complex Physical, Biophysical and Econophysical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewar, Robert L.; Detering, Frank

1. Introduction to complex and econophysics systems: a navigation map / T. Aste and T. Di Matteo -- 2. An introduction to fractional diffusion / B. I. Henry, T.A.M. Langlands and P. Straka -- 3. Space plasmas and fusion plasmas as complex systems / R. O. Dendy -- 4. Bayesian data analysis / M. S. Wheatland -- 5. Inverse problems and complexity in earth system science / I. G. Enting -- 6. Applied fluid chaos: designing advection with periodically reoriented flows for micro to geophysical mixing and transport enhancement / G. Metcalfe -- 7. Approaches to modelling the dynamical activity of brain function based on the electroencephalogram / D. T. J. Liley and F. Frascoli -- 8. Jaynes' maximum entropy principle, Riemannian metrics and generalised least action bound / R. K. Niven and B. Andresen -- 9. Complexity, post-genomic biology and gene expression programs / R. B. H. Williams and O. J.-H. Luo -- 10. Tutorials on agent-based modelling with NetLogo and network analysis with Pajek / M. J. Berryman and S. D. Angus.

ESSG-based global spatial reference frame for datasets interrelation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, J. Q.; Wu, L. X.; Jia, Y. J.

2013-10-01

To know well about the highly complex earth system, a large volume of, as well as a large variety of, datasets on the planet Earth are being obtained, distributed, and shared worldwide everyday. However, seldom of existing systems concentrates on the distribution and interrelation of different datasets in a common Global Spatial Reference Frame (GSRF), which holds an invisble obstacle to the data sharing and scientific collaboration. Group on Earth Obeservation (GEO) has recently established a new GSRF, named Earth System Spatial Grid (ESSG), for global datasets distribution, sharing and interrelation in its 2012-2015 WORKING PLAN.The ESSG may bridge the gap among different spatial datasets and hence overcome the obstacles. This paper is to present the implementation of the ESSG-based GSRF. A reference spheroid, a grid subdvision scheme, and a suitable encoding system are required to implement it. The radius of ESSG reference spheroid was set to the double of approximated Earth radius to make datasets from different areas of earth system science being covered. The same paramerters of positioning and orienting as Earth Centred Earth Fixed (ECEF) was adopted for the ESSG reference spheroid to make any other GSRFs being freely transformed into the ESSG-based GSRF. Spheroid degenerated octree grid with radius refiment (SDOG-R) and its encoding method were taken as the grid subdvision and encoding scheme for its good performance in many aspects. A triple (C, T, A) model is introduced to represent and link different datasets based on the ESSG-based GSRF. Finally, the methods of coordinate transformation between the ESSGbased GSRF and other GSRFs were presented to make ESSG-based GSRF operable and propagable.

BioEarth: Envisioning and developing a new regional earth system model to inform natural and agricultural resource management

DOE PAGES

Adam, Jennifer C.; Stephens, Jennie C.; Chung, Serena H.; ...

2014-04-24

Uncertainties in global change impacts, the complexities associated with the interconnected cycling of nitrogen, carbon, and water present daunting management challenges. Existing models provide detailed information on specific sub-systems (e.g., land, air, water, and economics). An increasing awareness of the unintended consequences of management decisions resulting from interconnectedness of these sub-systems, however, necessitates coupled regional earth system models (EaSMs). Decision makers’ needs and priorities can be integrated into the model design and development processes to enhance decision-making relevance and “usability” of EaSMs. BioEarth is a research initiative currently under development with a focus on the U.S. Pacific Northwest region thatmore » explores the coupling of multiple stand-alone EaSMs to generate usable information for resource decision-making. Direct engagement between model developers and non-academic stakeholders involved in resource and environmental management decisions throughout the model development process is a critical component of this effort. BioEarth utilizes a bottom-up approach for its land surface model that preserves fine spatial-scale sensitivities and lateral hydrologic connectivity, which makes it unique among many regional EaSMs. Here, we describe the BioEarth initiative and highlights opportunities and challenges associated with coupling multiple stand-alone models to generate usable information for agricultural and natural resource decision-making.« less

Space Studies of the Earth-Moon System, Planets, and Small Bodies of the Solar System (B) Past, Present and Future of Small Body Science and Exploration (B0.4)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abell, Paul; Mazanek, Dan; Reeves, Dan; Chodas, Paul; Gates, Michele; Johnson, Lindley; Ticker, Ronald

2016-01-01

To achieve its long-term goal of sending humans to Mars, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to proceed in a series of incrementally more complex human space flight missions. Today, human flight experience extends only to Low- Earth Orbit (LEO), and should problems arise during a mission, the crew can return to Earth in a matter of minutes to hours. The next logical step for human space flight is to gain flight experience in the vicinity of the Moon. These cis-lunar missions provide a "proving ground" for the testing of systems and operations while still accommodating an emergency return path to the Earth that would last only several days. Cis-lunar mission experience will be essential for more ambitious human missions beyond the Earth-Moon system, which will require weeks, months, or even years of transit time. In addition, NASA has been given a Grand Challenge to find all asteroid threats to human populations and know what to do about them. Obtaining knowledge of asteroid physical properties combined with performing technology demonstrations for planetary defense provide much needed information to address the issue of future asteroid impacts on Earth. Hence the combined objectives of human exploration and planetary defense give a rationale for the Asteroid Re-direct Mission (ARM).

Advanced Spectroscopic and Thermal Imaging Instrumentation for Shock Tube and Ballistic Range Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

the development process, increase its quality and reduce development time through automation of synthesis, analysis or verification. For this purpose...made of time-non-deterministic systems, improving efficiency and reducing complexity of formal analysis . We also show how our theory relates to, and...of the most recent investigations for Earth and Mars atmospheres will be discussed in the following sections. 2.4.1 Earth: lunar return NASA’s

Chapter 15: Potential Surprises: Compound Extremes and Tipping Elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kopp, R. E.; Hayhoe, K.; Easterling, D. R.; Hall, T.; Horton, R.; Kunkel, K. E.; LeGrande, A. N.

2017-01-01

The Earth system is made up of many components that interact in complex ways across a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. As a result of these interactions the behavior of the system cannot be predicted by looking at individual components in isolation. Negative feedbacks, or self-stabilizing cycles, within and between components of the Earth system can dampen changes (Ch. 2: Physical Drivers of Climate Change). However, their stabilizing effects render such feedbacks of less concern from a risk perspective than positive feedbacks, or self-reinforcing cycles. Positive feedbacks magnify both natural and anthropogenic changes. Some Earth system components, such as arctic sea ice and the polar ice sheets, may exhibit thresholds beyond which these self-reinforcing cycles can drive the component, or the entire system, into a radically different state. Although the probabilities of these state shifts may be difficult to assess, their consequences could be high, potentially exceeding anything anticipated by climate model projections for the coming century.

Solar Power System Options for the Radiation and Technology Demonstration Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerslake, Thomas W.; Haraburda, Francis M.; Riehl, John P.

2000-01-01

The Radiation and Technology Demonstration (RTD) Mission has the primary objective of demonstrating high-power (10 kilowatts) electric thruster technologies in Earth orbit. This paper discusses the conceptual design of the RTD spacecraft photovoltaic (PV) power system and mission performance analyses. These power system studies assessed multiple options for PV arrays, battery technologies and bus voltage levels. To quantify performance attributes of these power system options, a dedicated Fortran code was developed to predict power system performance and estimate system mass. The low-thrust mission trajectory was analyzed and important Earth orbital environments were modeled. Baseline power system design options are recommended on the basis of performance, mass and risk/complexity. Important findings from parametric studies are discussed and the resulting impacts to the spacecraft design and cost.

Petrogenesis and tectonics of the Acasta Gneiss Complex derived from integrated petrology and 142Nd and 182W extinct nuclide-geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reimink, Jesse R.; Chacko, Thomas; Carlson, Richard W.; Shirey, Steven B.; Liu, Jingao; Stern, Richard A.; Bauer, Ann M.; Pearson, D. Graham; Heaman, Larry M.

2018-07-01

The timing and mechanisms of continental crust formation represent major outstanding questions in the Earth sciences. Extinct-nuclide radioactive systems offer the potential to evaluate the temporal relations of a variety of differentiation processes on the early Earth, including crust formation. Here, we investigate the whole-rock 182W/184W and 142Nd/144Nd ratios and zircon Δ17O values of a suite of well-studied and lithologically-homogeneous meta-igneous rocks from the Acasta Gneiss Complex, Northwest Territories, Canada, including the oldest-known zircon-bearing rocks on Earth. In the context of previously published geochemical data and petrogenetic models, the new 142Nd/144Nd data indicate that formation of the Hadean-Eoarchean Acasta crust was ultimately derived from variable sources, both in age and composition. Although 4.02 Ga crust was extracted from a nearly bulk-Earth source, heterogeneous μ142Nd signatures indicate that Eoarchean rocks of the Acasta Gneiss Complex were formed by partial melting of hydrated, Hadean-age mafic crust at depths shallower than the garnet stability field. By ∼3.6 Ga, granodioritic-granitic rocks were formed by partial melting of Archean hydrated mafic crust that was melted at greater depth, well into the garnet stability field. Our 182W results indicate that the sources to the Acasta Gneiss Complex had homogeneous, high-μ182W on the order of +10 ppm-a signature ubiquitous in other Eoarchean terranes. No significant deviation from the terrestrial mass fractionation line was found in the triple oxygen isotope (16O-17O-18O) compositions of Acasta zircons, confirming homogeneous oxygen isotope compositions in Earth's mantle by 4.02 Ga.

Evolution of Satellite Imagers and Sounders for Low Earth Orbit and Technology Directions at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pagano, Thomas S.; McClain, Charles R.

2010-01-01

Imagers and Sounders for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) provide fundamental global daily observations of the Earth System for scientists, researchers, and operational weather agencies. The imager provides the nominal 1-2 km spatial resolution images with global coverage in multiple spectral bands for a wide range of uses including ocean color, vegetation indices, aerosol, snow and cloud properties, and sea surface temperature. The sounder provides vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature, water vapor cloud properties, and trace gases including ozone, carbon monoxide, methane and carbon dioxide. Performance capabilities of these systems has evolved with the optical and sensing technologies of the decade. Individual detectors were incorporated on some of the first imagers and sounders that evolved to linear array technology in the '80's. Signal-to-noise constraints limited these systems to either broad spectral resolution as in the case of the imager, or low spatial resolution as in the case of the sounder. Today's area 2-dimensional large format array technology enables high spatial and high spectral resolution to be incorporated into a single instrument. This places new constraints on the design of these systems and enables new capabilities for scientists to examine the complex processes governing the Earth System.

The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) Services for Solid Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cocco, Massimo; Atakan, Kuvvet; Pedersen, Helle; Consortium, Epos

2016-04-01

The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) aims to create a pan-European infrastructure for solid Earth science to support a safe and sustainable society. The main vision of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) is to address the three basic challenges in Earth Sciences: (i) unravelling the Earth's deformational processes which are part of the Earth system evolution in time, (ii) understanding the geo-hazards and their implications to society, and (iii) contributing to the safe and sustainable use of geo-resources. The mission of EPOS is to monitor and understand the dynamic and complex Earth system by relying on new e-science opportunities and integrating diverse and advanced Research Infrastructures in Europe for solid Earth Science. EPOS will enable innovative multidisciplinary research for a better understanding of the Earth's physical and chemical processes that control earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, ground instability and tsunami as well as the processes driving tectonics and Earth's surface dynamics. EPOS will improve our ability to better manage the use of the subsurface of the Earth. Through integration of data, models and facilities EPOS will allow the Earth Science community to make a step change in developing new concepts and tools for key answers to scientific and socio-economic questions concerning geo-hazards and geo-resources as well as Earth sciences applications to the environment and to human welfare. EPOS has now started its Implementation Phase (EPOS-IP). One of the main challenges during the implementation phase is the integration of multidisciplinary data into a single e-infrastructure. Multidisciplinary data are organized and governed by the Thematic Core Services (TCS) and are driven by various scientific communities encompassing a wide spectrum of Earth science disciplines. These include Data, Data-products, Services and Software (DDSS), from seismology, near fault observatories, geodetic observations, volcano observations, satellite observations, geomagnetic observations, as well as data from various anthropogenic hazard episodes, geological information and modelling. In addition, transnational access to multi-scale laboratories and geo-energy test-beds for low-carbon energy will be provided. TCS DDSS will be integrated into Integrated Core Services (ICS), a platform that will ensure their interoperability and access to these services by the scientific community as well as other users within the society. This requires dedicated tasks for interactions with the various TCS-WPs, as well as the various distributed ICS (ICS-Ds), such as High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities, large scale data storage facilities, complex processing and visualization tools etc. Computational Earth Science (CES) services are identified as a transversal activity and is planned to be harmonized and provided within the ICS. The EPOS Thematic Services will rely in part on strong and sustainable participation by national organisations and international consortia. While this distributed architecture will contribute to ensure pan European involvement in EPOS, it also raises specific challenges: ensuring similar granularity of services, compatibility of technical solutions, homogeneous legal agreements and sustainable financial engagement from the partner institutions and organisations. EPOS is engaging actions to address all of these issues during 2016-2017, after which the services will enter a final validation phase by the EPOS Board of Governmental Representatives.

Adsorption Equilibrium and Kinetics at Goethite-Water and Related Interfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katz, Lynn Ellen

This research study is an important component of a broader comprehensive project, “Geochemistry of Interfaces: From Surfaces to Interlayers to Clusters,” which sought to identify and evaluate the critical molecular phenomena at metal-oxide interfaces that control many geochemical and environmental processes. The primary goal of this research study was to better understand and predict adsorption of metal ions at mineral/water surfaces. Macroscopic data in traditional batch experiments was used to develop predictive models that characterize sorption in complex systems containing a wide range of background solution compositions. Our studies focused on systems involving alkaline earth metal (Mg 2+, Ca 2+,more » Sr 2+, Ba 2+) and heavy metal (Hg 2+, Co 2+, Cd 2+, Cu 2+, Zn 2+, Pb 2+) cations. The anions we selected for study included Cl -, NO 3 -, ClO 4 -, SO 4 2-, CO 3 2- and SeO 3 2- and the background electrolyte cations we examined included (Na +, K +, Rb + and Cs +) because these represent a range of ion sizes and have varying potentials for forming ion-pairs or ternary complexes with the metal ions studied. The research led to the development of a modified titration congruency approach for estimating site densities for mineral oxides such as goethite. The CD-MUSIC version of the surface complexation modeling approach was applied to potentiometric titration data and macroscopic adsorption data for single-solute heavy metals, oxyanions, alkaline earth metals and background electrolytes over a range of pH and ionic strength. The model was capable of predicting sorption in bi-solute systems containing multiple cations, cations and oxyanions, and transition metal cations and alkaline earth metal ions. Incorporation of ternary complexes was required for modeling Pb(II)-Se(IV) and Cd(II)-Se(IV) systems. -Both crystal face contributions and capacitance values were shown to be sensitive to varying specific surface area but were successfully accounted for in the modeling strategy. The insights gained from the macroscopic, spectroscopic and CD-MUSIC modeling developed in this study can be used to guide the implementation of less complex models which may be more applicable to field conditions. The findings of this research suggest that surface complexation models can be used as a predictive tool for fate and transport modeling of metal ions and oxyanions in fresh and saline systems typical of energy production waters and wastewaters.« less

Earth System Science Education Interdisciplinary Partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzek, M.; Johnson, D. R.

2002-05-01

Earth system science in the classroom is the fertile crucible linking science with societal needs for local, national and global sustainability. The interdisciplinary dimension requires fruitful cooperation among departments, schools and colleges within universities and among the universities and the nation's laboratories and agencies. Teaching and learning requires content which brings together the basic and applied sciences with mathematics and technology in addressing societal challenges of the coming decades. Over the past decade remarkable advances have emerged in information technology, from high bandwidth Internet connectivity to raw computing and visualization power. These advances which have wrought revolutionary capabilities and resources are transforming teaching and learning in the classroom. With the launching of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) the amount and type of geophysical data to monitor the Earth and its climate are increasing dramatically. The challenge remains, however, for skilled scientists and educators to interpret this information based upon sound scientific perspectives and utilize it in the classroom. With an increasing emphasis on the application of data gathered, and the use of the new technologies for practical benefit in the lives of ordinary citizens, there comes the even more basic need for understanding the fundamental state, dynamics, and complex interdependencies of the Earth system in mapping valid and relevant paths to sustainability. Technology and data in combination with the need to understand Earth system processes and phenomena offer opportunities for new and productive partnerships between researchers and educators to advance the fundamental science of the Earth system and in turn through discovery excite students at all levels in the classroom. This presentation will discuss interdisciplinary partnership opportunities for educators and researchers at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Model Meets Data: Challenges and Opportunities to Implement Land Management in Earth System Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongratz, J.; Dolman, A. J.; Don, A.; Erb, K. H.; Fuchs, R.; Herold, M.; Jones, C.; Luyssaert, S.; Kuemmerle, T.; Meyfroidt, P.

2016-12-01

Land-based demand for food and fibre is projected to increase in the future. In light of global sustainability challenges only part of this increase will be met by expansion of land use into relatively untouched regions. Additional demand will have to be fulfilled by intensification and other adjustments in management of land that already is under agricultural and forestry use. Such land management today occurs on about half of the ice-free land surface, as compared to only about one quarter that has undergone a change in land cover. As the number of studies revealing substantial biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of land management is increasing, moving beyond land cover change towards including land management has become a key focus for Earth system modeling. However, a basis for prioritizing land management activities for implementation in models is lacking. We lay this basis for prioritization in a collaborative project across the disciplines of Earth system modeling, land system science, and Earth observation. We first assess the status and plans of implementing land management in Earth system and dynamic global vegetation models. A clear trend towards higher complexity of land use representation is visible. We then assess five criteria for prioritizing the implementation of land management activities: (1) spatial extent, (2) evidence for substantial effects on the Earth system, (3) process understanding, (4) possibility to link the management activity to existing concepts and structures of models, (5) availability of data required as model input. While the first three criteria have been assessed by an earlier study for ten common management activities, we review strategies for implementation in models and the availability of required datasets. We can thus evaluate the management activities for their performance in terms of importance for the Earth system, possibility of technical implementation in models, and data availability. This synthesis reveals some "low-hanging" fruits for model implementation, but also challenges for the assessment of land management effects by modeling. The identified gaps can guide prioritization within the data community from the Earth system and Earth system modeling perspective.

Model meets data: Challenges and opportunities to implement land management in Earth System Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongratz, Julia; Dolman, Han; Don, Axel; Erb, Karl-Heinz; Fuchs, Richard; Herold, Martin; Jones, Chris; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan; Kuemmerle, Tobias; Meyfroidt, Patrick; Naudts, Kim

2017-04-01

Land-based demand for food and fibre is projected to increase in the future. In light of global sustainability challenges only part of this increase will be met by expansion of land use into relatively untouched regions. Additional demand will have to be fulfilled by intensification and other adjustments in management of land that already is under agricultural and forestry use. Such land management today occurs on about half of the ice-free land surface, as compared to only about one quarter that has undergone a change in land cover. As the number of studies revealing substantial biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of land management is increasing, moving beyond land cover change towards including land management has become a key focus for Earth system modeling. However, a basis for prioritizing land management activities for implementation in models is lacking. We lay this basis for prioritization in a collaborative project across the disciplines of Earth system modeling, land system science, and Earth observation. We first assess the status and plans of implementing land management in Earth system and dynamic global vegetation models. A clear trend towards higher complexity of land use representation is visible. We then assess five criteria for prioritizing the implementation of land management activities: (1) spatial extent, (2) evidence for substantial effects on the Earth system, (3) process understanding, (4) possibility to link the management activity to existing concepts and structures of models, (5) availability of data required as model input. While the first three criteria have been assessed by an earlier study for ten common management activities, we review strategies for implementation in models and the availability of required datasets. We can thus evaluate the management activities for their performance in terms of importance for the Earth system, possibility of technical implementation in models, and data availability. This synthesis reveals some "low-hanging" fruits for model implementation, but also challenges for the assessment of land management effects by modeling. The identified gaps can guide prioritization within the data community from the Earth system and Earth system modeling perspective.

Overview of past, ongoing and future efforts of the integrated modeling of global change for Northern Eurasia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monier, Erwan; Kicklighter, David; Sokolov, Andrei; Zhuang, Qianlai; Melillo, Jerry; Reilly, John

2016-04-01

Northern Eurasia is both a major player in the global carbon budget (it includes roughly 70% of the Earth's boreal forest and more than two-thirds of the Earth's permafrost) and a region that has experienced dramatic climate change (increase in temperature, growing season length, floods and droughts) over the past century. Northern Eurasia has also undergone significant land-use change, both driven by human activity (including deforestation, expansion of agricultural lands and urbanization) and natural disturbances (such as wildfires and insect outbreaks). These large environmental and socioeconomic impacts have major implications for the carbon cycle in the region. Northern Eurasia is made up of a diverse set of ecosystems that range from tundra to forests, with significant areas of croplands and pastures as well as deserts, with major urban areas. As such, it represents a complex system with substantial challenges for the modeling community. In this presentation, we provide an overview of past, ongoing and possible future efforts of the integrated modeling of global change for Northern Eurasia. We review the variety of existing modeling approaches to investigate specific components of Earth system dynamics in the region. While there are a limited number of studies that try to integrate various aspects of the Earth system (through scale, teleconnections or processes), we point out that there are few systematic analyses of the various feedbacks within the Earth system (between components, regions or scale). As a result, there is a lack of knowledge of the relative importance of such feedbacks, and it is unclear how policy relevant current studies are that fail to account for these feedbacks. We review the role of Earth system models, and their advantages/limitations compared to detailed single component models. We further introduce the human activity system (global trade, economic models, demographic model and so on), the need for coupled human/earth system models and Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), a suite of models that couple human activity models to Earth System Models. Finally, we conclude the presentation with examples of emerging issues that require a representation of the coupled human/earth system models.

Creating an isotopically similar Earth-Moon system with correct angular momentum from a giant impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyatt, Bryant M.; Petz, Jonathan M.; Sumpter, William J.; Turner, Ty R.; Smith, Edward L.; Fain, Baylor G.; Hutyra, Taylor J.; Cook, Scott A.; Gresham, John H.; Hibbs, Michael F.; Goderya, Shaukat N.

2018-04-01

The giant impact hypothesis is the dominant theory explaining the formation of our Moon. However, the inability to produce an isotopically similar Earth-Moon system with correct angular momentum has cast a shadow on its validity. Computer-generated impacts have been successful in producing virtual systems that possess many of the observed physical properties. However, addressing the isotopic similarities between the Earth and Moon coupled with correct angular momentum has proven to be challenging. Equilibration and evection resonance have been proposed as means of reconciling the models. In the summer of 2013, the Royal Society called a meeting solely to discuss the formation of the Moon. In this meeting, evection resonance and equilibration were both questioned as viable means of removing the deficiencies from giant impact models. The main concerns were that models were multi-staged and too complex. We present here initial impact conditions that produce an isotopically similar Earth-Moon system with correct angular momentum. This is done in a single-staged simulation. The initial parameters are straightforward and the results evolve solely from the impact. This was accomplished by colliding two roughly half-Earth-sized impactors, rotating in approximately the same plane in a high-energy, off-centered impact, where both impactors spin into the collision.

Syntheses of new rare earth complexes with carboxymethylated polysaccharides and evaluation of their in vitro antifungal activities.

PubMed

Sun, Xiaobo; Jin, Xiaozhe; Pan, Wei; Wang, Jinping

2014-11-26

In the present paper, La, Eu and Yb were selected to represent light, middle and heavy rare earths to form complexes with polysaccharides through chelating coordination of carboxyl groups, which were added into polysaccharide chains by means of carboxymethylation. Their antifungal activities against plant pathogenic fungi were evaluated using growth rate method. These rare earth complexes exhibited various antifungal activities against the tested fungi, depending on rare earth elements, polysaccharide types and fungal species. Among these three metal elements (i.e. La, Eu and Yb), Yb formed the complexes with the most effective antifungal properties. Furthermore, the results showed that ligands of carboxymethylated polysaccharides played a key role in promoting cytotoxicity of the rare earth complexes. Carboxymethylated Ganoderma applanatum polysaccharide (CGAP) was found to be the most effective ligand to form complexes with antifungal activities, followed by carboxymethylated lentinan (CLNT) and carboxymethylated Momordica charantia polysaccharide (CMCP). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flexible Description and Adaptive Processing of Earth Observation Data through the BigEarth Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorgan, Dorian; Bacu, Victor; Stefanut, Teodor; Nandra, Cosmin; Mihon, Danut

2016-04-01

The Earth Observation data repositories extending periodically by several terabytes become a critical issue for organizations. The management of the storage capacity of such big datasets, accessing policy, data protection, searching, and complex processing require high costs that impose efficient solutions to balance the cost and value of data. Data can create value only when it is used, and the data protection has to be oriented toward allowing innovation that sometimes depends on creative people, which achieve unexpected valuable results through a flexible and adaptive manner. The users need to describe and experiment themselves different complex algorithms through analytics in order to valorize data. The analytics uses descriptive and predictive models to gain valuable knowledge and information from data analysis. Possible solutions for advanced processing of big Earth Observation data are given by the HPC platforms such as cloud. With platforms becoming more complex and heterogeneous, the developing of applications is even harder and the efficient mapping of these applications to a suitable and optimum platform, working on huge distributed data repositories, is challenging and complex as well, even by using specialized software services. From the user point of view, an optimum environment gives acceptable execution times, offers a high level of usability by hiding the complexity of computing infrastructure, and supports an open accessibility and control to application entities and functionality. The BigEarth platform [1] supports the entire flow of flexible description of processing by basic operators and adaptive execution over cloud infrastructure [2]. The basic modules of the pipeline such as the KEOPS [3] set of basic operators, the WorDeL language [4], the Planner for sequential and parallel processing, and the Executor through virtual machines, are detailed as the main components of the BigEarth platform [5]. The presentation exemplifies the development of some Earth Observation oriented applications based on flexible description of processing, and adaptive and portable execution over Cloud infrastructure. Main references for further information: [1] BigEarth project, http://cgis.utcluj.ro/projects/bigearth [2] Gorgan, D., "Flexible and Adaptive Processing of Earth Observation Data over High Performance Computation Architectures", International Conference and Exhibition Satellite 2015, August 17-19, Houston, Texas, USA. [3] Mihon, D., Bacu, V., Colceriu, V., Gorgan, D., "Modeling of Earth Observation Use Cases through the KEOPS System", Proceedings of the Intelligent Computer Communication and Processing (ICCP), IEEE-Press, pp. 455-460, (2015). [4] Nandra, C., Gorgan, D., "Workflow Description Language for Defining Big Earth Data Processing Tasks", Proceedings of the Intelligent Computer Communication and Processing (ICCP), IEEE-Press, pp. 461-468, (2015). [5] Bacu, V., Stefan, T., Gorgan, D., "Adaptive Processing of Earth Observation Data on Cloud Infrastructures Based on Workflow Description", Proceedings of the Intelligent Computer Communication and Processing (ICCP), IEEE-Press, pp.444-454, (2015).

Extraterrestrial organic chemistry: from the interstellar medium to the origins of life. Part 2: complex organic chemistry in the environment of planets and satellites.

PubMed

Raulin, F; Kobayashi, K

2001-01-01

During COSPAR'00 in Warsaw, Poland, in the frame of Sub-Commission F.3 events (Planetary Biology and Origins of Life), part of COSPAR Commission F (Life Sciences as Related to Space), and Commission B events (Space Studies of the Earth-Moon System, Planets, and Small Bodies of the Solar System) a large joint symposium (F.3.4/B0.8) was held on extraterrestrial organic chemistry. Part 2 of this symposium was devoted to complex organic chemistry in the environment of planets and satellites. The aim of this event was to cover and review new data which have been recently obtained and to give new insights on data which are expected in the near future to increase our knowledge of the complex organic chemistry occurring in several planets and satellites of the Solar System, outside the earth, and their implications for exobiology and life in the universe. The event was composed of two main parts. The first part was mainly devoted to the inner planets and Europa and the search for signatures of life or organics in those environments. The second part was related to the study of the outer solar system.

NASA Earth Observation Systems and Applications for Health and Air Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Omar, Ali H.

2015-01-01

There is a growing body of evidence that the environment can affect human health in ways that are both complex and global in scope. To address some of these complexities, NASA maintains a diverse constellation of Earth observing research satellites, and sponsors research in developing satellite data applications across a wide spectrum of areas. These include environmental health; infectious disease; air quality standards, policies, and regulations; and the impact of climate change on health and air quality in a number of interrelated efforts. The Health and Air Quality Applications fosters the use of observations, modeling systems, forecast development, application integration, and the research to operations transition process to address environmental health effects. NASA has been a primary partner with Federal operational agencies over the past nine years in these areas. This talk presents the background of the Health and Air Quality Applications program, recent accomplishments, and a plan for the future.

Scale-free networks of the earth’s surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Gang; He, Jing; Luo, Kaitian; Gao, Peichao; Ma, Lei

2016-06-01

Studying the structure of real complex systems is of paramount importance in science and engineering. Despite our understanding of lots of real systems, we hardly cognize our unique living environment — the earth. The structural complexity of the earth’s surface is, however, still unknown in detail. Here, we define the modeling of graph topology for the earth’s surface, using the satellite images of the earth’s surface under different spatial resolutions derived from Google Earth. We find that the graph topologies of the earth’s surface are scale-free networks regardless of the spatial resolutions. For different spatial resolutions, the exponents of power-law distributions and the modularity are both quite different; however, the average clustering coefficient is approximately equal to a constant. We explore the morphology study of the earth’s surface, which enables a comprehensive understanding of the morphological feature of the earth’s surface.

Modeling global change impacts on Northern Eurasia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kicklighter, D. W.; Monier, E.; Sokolov, A. P.; Zhuang, Q.; Melillo, J. M.; Reilly, J. M.

2016-12-01

Northern Eurasia is a major player in the global carbon budget and includes roughly 70% of the Earth's boreal forest and more than two-thirds of the Earth's permafrost. The region has experienced dramatic climate change (increase in temperature, growing season length, floods and droughts), natural disturbances (wildfires and insect outbreaks), and land-use change (timber harvest, urbanization, expansion and abandonment of agricultural lands) over the past century. These large environmental and socioeconomic impacts have major implications for the carbon cycle in the region. Northern Eurasia is made up of a diverse set of ecosystems that range from deserts to forests, with significant areas of croplands, pastures, and urban areas. As such, it represents a complex system with substantial challenges for the modeling community. We provide an overview of past, ongoing and possible future efforts of the integrated modeling of global change for Northern Eurasia. First, we review the variety of existing modeling approaches to investigate specific components of Earth system dynamics in the region. While there are a limited number of studies that try to integrate various aspects of the Earth system through scale, teleconnections or processes, there are few systematic analyses of the various feedbacks among components within the Earth system. As a result, there is a lack of knowledge of the relative importance of such feedbacks, and it is unclear how relevant current studies, which do not account for these feedbacks, may be for policymaking. Next, we review the role of Earth system models, and their advantages/limitations compared to detailed single component models. We further introduce human activity models (e.g., global trade, economic models, demographic models), and the need for Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), a suite of models that couple human activity models to Earth System Models. Finally, we examine emerging issues that require a representation of the coupled human/earth system models to address.

New tools for linking human and earth system models: The Toolbox for Human-Earth System Interaction & Scaling (THESIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, B. C.; Kauffman, B.; Lawrence, P.

2016-12-01

Integrated analysis of questions regarding land, water, and energy resources often requires integration of models of different types. One type of integration is between human and earth system models, since both societal and physical processes influence these resources. For example, human processes such as changes in population, economic conditions, and policies govern the demand for land, water and energy, while the interactions of these resources with physical systems determine their availability and environmental consequences. We have begun to develop and use a toolkit for linking human and earth system models called the Toolbox for Human-Earth System Integration and Scaling (THESIS). THESIS consists of models and software tools to translate, scale, and synthesize information from and between human system models and earth system models (ESMs), with initial application to linking the NCAR integrated assessment model, iPETS, with the NCAR earth system model, CESM. Initial development is focused on urban areas and agriculture, sectors that are both explicitly represented in both CESM and iPETS. Tools are being made available to the community as they are completed (see https://www2.cgd.ucar.edu/sections/tss/iam/THESIS_tools). We discuss four general types of functions that THESIS tools serve (Spatial Distribution, Spatial Properties, Consistency, and Outcome Evaluation). Tools are designed to be modular and can be combined in order to carry out more complex analyses. We illustrate their application to both the exposure of population to climate extremes and to the evaluation of climate impacts on the agriculture sector. For example, projecting exposure to climate extremes involves use of THESIS tools for spatial population, spatial urban land cover, the characteristics of both, and a tool to bring urban climate information together with spatial population information. Development of THESIS tools is continuing and open to the research community.

Earth Science

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-07-24

A Delta II rocket carrying the Geomagnetic Tail Lab (GEOTAIL) spacecraft lifts off at Launch Complex 17, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) into a cloud-dappled sky. This liftoff marks the first Delta launch under the medium expendable launch vehicle services contract between NASA and McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co. The GEOTAIL mission, a joint US/Japanese project, is the first in a series of five satellites to study the interactions between the Sun, the Earth's magnetic field, and the Van Allen radiation belts.

Workshop on Cometary Dust in Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The paper include contribution of each Lunar and Planetary Institute. Contents include the following: Mass flux in the ancient Earth-Moon system and benign implications for the origin of life on Earth. In-situ analysis of complex organic matter in cometary dust by ion microprobe. Pristine presolar silicon carbide. Infrared spectra of melilite solid solution. Comet observations with SIRTF. Ice and carbon chemistry in comets. The nature in interstellar dust. Modeling the infrared emission from protoplanetary dust disks.

Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gidea, Marian; Sieber, Jan; Silber, Mary; Wieczorek, Sebastian

2015-05-01

This special issue on "Tipping Points: Fundamentals and Applications" is an offspring of the workshop with the same title held at the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS), Edinburgh, between September 09-13, 2013. The theme of the meeting was the study of threshold behavior in complex environmental systems, such as Earth's climate, or ecological, sociological or economic systems.

Addressing the Complexities of Evaluating Interdisciplinary Multimedia Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGee, Steven; Howard, Bruce C.; Dimitrov, Dimiter M.; Hong, Namsoo S.; Shia, Regina

This study was a summative evaluation of Astronomy Village[R]: Investigating the Solar System[TM]. Funded by the National Science Foundation, Astronomy Village is designed to teach students fundamental concepts in life, earth, and physical science by having them investigate cutting-edge questions related to the solar system. In Astronomy Village…

The B-dot Earth Average Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Capo-Lugo, Pedro A.; Rakoczy, John; Sanders, Devon

2013-01-01

The average Earth's magnetic field is solved with complex mathematical models based on mean square integral. Depending on the selection of the Earth magnetic model, the average Earth's magnetic field can have different solutions. This paper presents a simple technique that takes advantage of the damping effects of the b-dot controller and is not dependent of the Earth magnetic model; but it is dependent on the magnetic torquers of the satellite which is not taken into consideration in the known mathematical models. Also the solution of this new technique can be implemented so easily that the flight software can be updated during flight, and the control system can have current gains for the magnetic torquers. Finally, this technique is verified and validated using flight data from a satellite that it has been in orbit for three years.

Surface radiation budget in the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) effort and in the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charlock, Thomas P.; Smith, G. L.; Rose, Fred G.

1990-01-01

The surface radiation budget (SRB) and the atmospheric radiative flux divergence (ARD) are vital components of the weather and climate system. The importance of radiation in a complex international scientific endeavor, the GEWEX of the World Climate Research Programme is explained. The radiative transfer techniques and satellite instrumentation that will be used to retrieve the SRB and ARD later in this decade with the CERES are discussed; CERES is a component of the Earth Observing System satellite program. Examples of consistent SRB and ARD retrievals made with Nimbus-7 and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project data from July 1983 are presented.

Comet/Asteroid Protection System (CAPS): A Space-Based System Concept for Revolutionizing Earth Protection and Utilization of Near-Earth Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazanek, Daniel D.; Roithmayr, Carlos M.; Antol, Jeffrey; Kay-Bunnell, Linda; Werner, Martin R.; Park, Sang-Young; Kumar, Renjith R.

2002-01-01

There exists an infrequent, but significant hazard to life and property due to impacting asteroids and comets. There is currently no specific search for long-period comets, smaller near-Earth asteroids, or smaller short-period comets. These objects represent a threat with potentially little or no warning time using conventional ground-based telescopes. These planetary bodies also represent a significant resource for commercial exploitation, long-term sustained space exploration, and scientific research. The Comet/Asteroid Protection System (CAPS) would expand the current detection effort to include long-period comets, as well as small asteroids and short-period comets capable of regional destruction. A space-based detection system, despite being more costly and complex than Earth-based initiatives, is the most promising way of expanding the range of detectable objects, and surveying the entire celestial sky on a regular basis. CAPS is a future spacebased system concept that provides permanent, continuous asteroid and comet monitoring, and rapid, controlled modification of the orbital trajectories of selected bodies. CAPS would provide an orbit modification system capable of diverting kilometer class objects, and modifying the orbits of smaller asteroids for impact defense and resource utilization. This paper provides a summary of CAPS and discusses several key areas and technologies that are being investigated.

How Earth Educators Can Help Students Develop a Holistic Understanding of Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curren, R. R.; Metzger, E. P.

2017-12-01

With their expert understanding of planetary systems, Earth educators play a pivotal role in helping students understand the scientific dimensions of solution-resistant ("wicked") challenges to sustainability that arise from complex interactions between intertwined and co-evolving natural and human systems. However, teaching the science of sustainability in isolation from consideration of human values and social dynamics leaves students with a fragmented understanding and obscures the underlying drivers of unsustainability. Geoscience instructors who wish to address sustainability in their courses may feel ill-equipped to engage students in investigation of the fundamental nature of sustainability and its social and ethical facets. This presentation will blend disciplinary perspectives from Earth system science, philosophy, psychology, and anthropology to: 1) outline a way to conceptualize sustainability that synthesizes scientific, social, and ethical perspectives and 2) provide an overview of resources and teaching strategies designed to help students connect science content to the socio-political dimensions of sustainability through activities and assignments that promote active learning, systems thinking, reflection, and collaborative problem-solving.

Benchmark Comparison of Cloud Analytics Methods Applied to Earth Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynnes, Chris; Little, Mike; Huang, Thomas; Jacob, Joseph; Yang, Phil; Kuo, Kwo-Sen

2016-01-01

Cloud computing has the potential to bring high performance computing capabilities to the average science researcher. However, in order to take full advantage of cloud capabilities, the science data used in the analysis must often be reorganized. This typically involves sharding the data across multiple nodes to enable relatively fine-grained parallelism. This can be either via cloud-based file systems or cloud-enabled databases such as Cassandra, Rasdaman or SciDB. Since storing an extra copy of data leads to increased cost and data management complexity, NASA is interested in determining the benefits and costs of various cloud analytics methods for real Earth Observation cases. Accordingly, NASA's Earth Science Technology Office and Earth Science Data and Information Systems project have teamed with cloud analytics practitioners to run a benchmark comparison on cloud analytics methods using the same input data and analysis algorithms. We have particularly looked at analysis algorithms that work over long time series, because these are particularly intractable for many Earth Observation datasets which typically store data with one or just a few time steps per file. This post will present side-by-side cost and performance results for several common Earth observation analysis operations.

Molecules from Space and the Origin of Life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein Max P.; Sandford, Scott A.; Allamandola, Louis J.; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

There is a growing concensus among space scientists that frozen molecules from space helped to make the Earth the pleasant place that it is today, and helped Life start on Earth, and perhaps elsewhere. The chain of logic that led scientists to posit a connection between extraterrestrial molecules and the origin of life is as follows. 1) The rapidity with which life arose demands that conditions on Earth were conducive to the formation of life very early on. 2) There is reason to believe that comets and meteorites fell oil the Earth from its inception. 3) We now know that comets and meteorites are replete with complex organic compounds, some of which resemble those in living systems. 4) Perhaps the input of molecules from comets and meteorites provided crucial constituents to the primordial soup and Jump started life on Earth. 5) These molecules formed out in deep space long before the Earth ever existed, by processes that we can reproduce in the laboratory. 6) The fact that organic molecules are seen by astronomers throughout our galaxy and in others makes it seem likely that they were (and are) available to help start life in other planetary systems.

TU Berlin Rover Family for Terrestrial Testing of Complex Planetary Mission Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryza, L.; Brieß, K.

2018-04-01

The TU Berlin has developed a family of planetary rovers for educational use and research activities. The paper will introduce these cost-effective systems, which can be used for analogue mission demonstration on Earth.

Science information systems: Visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wall, Ray J.

1991-01-01

Future programs in earth science, planetary science, and astrophysics will involve complex instruments that produce data at unprecedented rates and volumes. Current methods for data display, exploration, and discovery are inadequate. Visualization technology offers a means for the user to comprehend, explore, and examine complex data sets. The goal of this program is to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of scientists in extracting scientific information from large volumes of instrument data.

Climate Literacy: Progress in Climate and Global Change Undergraduate Courses in Meteorology and Earth System Science Programs at Jackson State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, S. R.; Tuluri, F.; Fadavi, M.

2017-12-01

JSU Meteorology Program will be offering AMS Climate Studies undergraduate course under MET 210: Climatology in spring 2013. AMS Climate Studies is offered as a 3 credit hour laboratory course with 2 lectures and 1 lab sessions per week. Although this course places strong intellectual demands upon each student, the instructors' objective is to help each student to pass the course with an adequate understanding of the fundamentals and advanced and advanced courses. AMS Climate Studies is an introductory college-level course developed by the American Meteorological Society for implementation at undergraduate institutions nationwide. The course places students in a dynamic and highly motivational educational environment where they investigate Earth's climate system using real-world environmental data. The AMS Climate Studies course package consists of a textbook, investigations manual, course website, and course management system-compatible files. Instructors can use these resources in combinations that make for an exciting learning experience for their students. This is a content course in Earth Science. It introduces a new concept that views Earth as a synergistic physical system applied concepts of climatology, for him/her to understand basic atmospheric/climate processes, physical and dynamical climatology, regional climatology, past and future climates and statistical analysis using climate data and to be prepared to profit from studying more of interrelated phenomenon governed by complex processes involving the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, and the solid Earth. The course emphasizes that the events that shape the physical, chemical, and biological processes of the Earth do not occur in isolation. Rather, there is a delicate relationship between the events that occur in the ocean, atmosphere, and the solid Earth. The course provides a multidimensional approach in solving scientific issues related to Earth-related sciences,

Preparation and luminescent properties of the novel polymer-rare earth complexes composed of Poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) and Europium ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yuewen; Hao, Haixia; Wu, Qingyao; Gao, Zihan; Xie, Hongde

2018-06-01

A series of novel polymer-rare earth complexes with Eu3+ ions have been synthesized and investigated successfully, including the binary complexes containing the single ligand poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (EAA) and the ternary complexes using 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), dibenzoylmethane (DBM) or thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) as the second ligand. Their structures have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD), which confirm that both EAA and small molecules participate in the coordination reaction with rare earth ions, and they can disperse homogeneously in the polymer matrixes. Both ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption and photoluminescence tests for the complexes have been recorded. The relationship between fluorescence intensity of polymer-rare earth complexes and the quantity of ligand EAA has been studied and discussed. The films casted from the complexes solution can emit strong characteristic red light under UV light excitation. All these results suggest that the complexes possess potential application as luminescent materials.

Complexity aided design. The FuturICT technological innovation paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbone, A.; Ajmone-Marsan, M.; Axhausen, K. W.; Batty, M.; Masera, M.; Rome, E.

2012-11-01

"In the next century, planet earth will don an electronic skin. It will use the Internet as a scaffold to support and transmit its sensations. This skin is already being stitched together. It consists of millions of embedded electronic measuring devices: thermostats, pressure gauges, pollution detectors, cameras, microphones, glucose sensors, EKGs, electroencephalographs. These will probe and monitor cities and endangered species, the atmosphere, our ships, highways and fleets of trucks, our conversations, our bodies-even our dreams ....What will the earth's new skin permit us to feel? How will we use its surges of sensation? For several years-maybe for a decade-there will be no central nervous system to manage this vast signaling network. Certainly there will be no central intelligence...some qualities of self-awareness will emerge once the Net is sensually enhanced. Sensuality is only one force pushing the Net toward intelligence". These statements are quoted by an interview by Cherry Murray, Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Physics. It is interesting to outline the timeliness and highly predicting power of these statements. In particular, we would like to point to the relevance of the question "What will the earth's new skin permit us to feel?" to the work we are going to discuss in this paper. There are many additional compelling questions, as for example: "How can the electronic earth's skin be made more resilient?"; "How can the earth's electronic skin be improved to better satisfy the need of our society?";"What can the science of complex systems contribute to this endeavour?"

KSC-2009-1656

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-03

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Stages 1, 2 and 3 of Orbital Sciences’ Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, are parked under a tent at Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for 1:51:30 a.m. PST Feb. 24. Photo credit: VAFB

KSC-2009-1654

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-03

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Stages 1, 2 and 3 of Orbital Sciences’ Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, are transported from Building 1555 to Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for 1:51:30 a.m. PST Feb. 24. Photo credit: VAFB

KSC-2009-1658

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-03

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Stages 1, 2 and 3 of Orbital Sciences’ Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, have arrived and are prepared for erection at Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for 1:51:30 a.m. PST Feb. 24. Photo credit: VAFB

KSC-2009-1655

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-03

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Stages 1, 2 and 3 of Orbital Sciences’ Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, arrive at Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for 1:51:30 a.m. PST Feb. 24. Photo credit: VAFB

KSC-2009-1659

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-03

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Stages 1, 2 and 3 of Orbital Sciences’ Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, have arrived and are prepared for lifting onto Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for 1:51:30 a.m. PST Feb. 24. Photo credit: VAFB

KSC-2009-1657

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-03

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Workers prepare to erect Stages 1, 2 and 3 of Orbital Sciences’ Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, at Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for 1:51:30 a.m. PST Feb. 24. Photo credit: VAFB

Building a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and Its Interoperability Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, B. J.

2015-12-01

Launched in 2005 by industrialized nations, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) began building the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). Consisting of both a policy framework, and an information infrastructure, GEOSS, was intended to link and/or integrate the multitude of Earth observation systems, primarily operated by its Member Countries and Participating Organizations, so that users could more readily benefit from global information assets for a number of society's key environmental issues. It was recognized that having ready access to observations from multiple systems was a prerequisite for both environmental decision-making, as well as economic development. From the very start, it was also recognized that the shear complexity of the Earth's system cannot be captured by any single observation system, and that a federated, interoperable approach was necessary. While this international effort has met with much success, primarily in advancing broad, open data policies and practices, challenges remain. In 2014 (Geneva, Switzerland) and 2015 (Mexico City, Mexico), Ministers from GEO's Member Countries, including the European Commission, came together to assess progress made during the first decade (2005 to 2015), and approve implementation strategies and mechanisms for the second decade (2016 to 2025), respectively. The approved implementation strategies and mechanisms are intended to advance GEOSS development thereby facilitating the increased uptake of Earth observations for informed decision-making. Clearly there are interoperability challenges that are technological in nature, and several will be discussed in this presentation. There are, however, interoperability challenges that can be better characterized as economic, governmental and/or political in nature, and these will be discussed as well. With the emergence of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) having occurred this year, it will be essential that the interoperability challenges described herein, regardless of their nature, be expeditiously addressed so that Earth observations can indeed inform societal decision-making.

Dagik Earth: An affordable three-dimensional presentation of global geoscience data in classrooms and science museums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, A.; Takahashi, M.; Tsugawa, T.; Nishi, N.; Odagi, Y.; Yoshida, D.

2009-12-01

Three-dimensional display of the Earth is a most effective way to impress audiences how the Earth looks and make them understand the Earth is one system. There are several projects to display global data on 3D globes, such as Science on a Sphere by NOAA and Geo Cosmos by Miraikan, Japan. They have made great successes to provide audiences opportunities to learn the geoscience outputs through feeling that they are standing in front of the "real" Earth. However, those systems are too large, complicated, and expensive to be used in classrooms and local science museums. We developed an easy method to display global geoscience data in three dimensions without any complex and expensive systems. The method uses a normal PC projector, a PC and a hemispheric screen. To display the geoscience data, virtual globe software, such as Google Earth and NASA World Wind, are used. The virtual globe software makes geometry conversion. That is, the fringe areas are shrunken as it is looked from the space. Thus, when the image made by the virtual globe is projected on the hemispheric screen, it is reversely converted to its original shape on the Earth. This method does not require any specific software, projectors and polarizing glasses to make 3D presentation of the Earth. Only a hemispheric screen that can be purchased with $50 for 60cm diameter is necessary. Dagik Earth is the project that develops and demonstrates the educational programs of geoscience in classrooms and science museums using this 3D Earth presentation method. We have developed a few programs on aurora and weather system, and demonstrated them in under-graduate level classes and science museums, such as National Museum of Nature and Science,Tokyo, Shizuoka Science Center and Kyoto University Museum, since 2007. Package of hardware, geoscience data plot, and textbook have been developed to be used as short-term rental to schools and science museums. Portability, low cost and easiness of development new contents are advantages of Dagik Earth comparing to the other similar 3D systems.

Algorithms and programs complex for solving inverse problems of artificial Earth satellite dynamics with using parallel computation. (Russian Title: Программно-математическое обеспечение для решения обратных задач динамики ИСЗ с использованием параллельных вычислений )

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuvashov, I. N.

2011-07-01

In this paper complex of algorithms and programs for solving inverse problems of artificial earth satellite dynamics is described. Complex has been intended for satellite orbit improvement, calculation of motion model parameters and etc. Programs complex has been worked up for cluster "Skiff Cyberia". Results of numerical experiments obtained by using new complex in common the program "Numerical model of the system artificial satellites motion" is presented in this paper.

Mission Analysis Program for Solar Electric Propulsion (MAPSEP). Volume 1: Analytical manual for earth orbital MAPSEP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

An introduction to the MAPSEP organization and a detailed analytical description of all models and algorithms are given. These include trajectory and error covariance propagation methods, orbit determination processes, thrust modeling, and trajectory correction (guidance) schemes. Earth orbital MAPSEP contains the capability of analyzing almost any currently projected low thrust mission from low earth orbit to super synchronous altitudes. Furthermore, MAPSEP is sufficiently flexible to incorporate extended dynamic models, alternate mission strategies, and almost any other system requirement imposed by the user. As in the interplanetary version, earth orbital MAPSEP represents a trade-off between precision modeling and computational speed consistent with defining necessary system requirements. It can be used in feasibility studies as well as in flight operational support. Pertinent operational constraints are available both implicitly and explicitly. However, the reader should be warned that because of program complexity, MAPSEP is only as good as the user and will quickly succumb to faulty user inputs.

Pedotransfer Functions in Earth System Science: Challenges and Perspectives: PTFs in Earth system science perspective

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Looy, Kris; Bouma, Johan; Herbst, Michael

Soil, through its various functions, plays a vital role in the Earth's ecosystems and provides multiple ecosystem services to humanity. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are simple to complex knowledge rules that relate available soil information to soil properties and variables that are needed to parameterize soil processes. Here in this article, we review the existing PTFs and document the new generation of PTFs developed in the different disciplines of Earth system science. To meet the methodological challenges for a successful application in Earth system modeling, we emphasize that PTF development has to go hand in hand with suitable extrapolation and upscalingmore » techniques such that the PTFs correctly represent the spatial heterogeneity of soils. PTFs should encompass the variability of the estimated soil property or process, in such a way that the estimation of parameters allows for validation and can also confidently provide for extrapolation and upscaling purposes capturing the spatial variation in soils. Most actively pursued recent developments are related to parameterizations of solute transport, heat exchange, soil respiration, and organic carbon content, root density, and vegetation water uptake. Further challenges are to be addressed in parameterization of soil erosivity and land use change impacts at multiple scales. We argue that a comprehensive set of PTFs can be applied throughout a wide range of disciplines of Earth system science, with emphasis on land surface models. Novel sensing techniques provide a true breakthrough for this, yet further improvements are necessary for methods to deal with uncertainty and to validate applications at global scale.« less

Pedotransfer Functions in Earth System Science: Challenges and Perspectives: PTFs in Earth system science perspective

DOE PAGES

Van Looy, Kris; Bouma, Johan; Herbst, Michael; ...

2017-12-28

Soil, through its various functions, plays a vital role in the Earth's ecosystems and provides multiple ecosystem services to humanity. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are simple to complex knowledge rules that relate available soil information to soil properties and variables that are needed to parameterize soil processes. Here in this article, we review the existing PTFs and document the new generation of PTFs developed in the different disciplines of Earth system science. To meet the methodological challenges for a successful application in Earth system modeling, we emphasize that PTF development has to go hand in hand with suitable extrapolation and upscalingmore » techniques such that the PTFs correctly represent the spatial heterogeneity of soils. PTFs should encompass the variability of the estimated soil property or process, in such a way that the estimation of parameters allows for validation and can also confidently provide for extrapolation and upscaling purposes capturing the spatial variation in soils. Most actively pursued recent developments are related to parameterizations of solute transport, heat exchange, soil respiration, and organic carbon content, root density, and vegetation water uptake. Further challenges are to be addressed in parameterization of soil erosivity and land use change impacts at multiple scales. We argue that a comprehensive set of PTFs can be applied throughout a wide range of disciplines of Earth system science, with emphasis on land surface models. Novel sensing techniques provide a true breakthrough for this, yet further improvements are necessary for methods to deal with uncertainty and to validate applications at global scale.« less

Study of on-board compression of earth resources data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habibi, A.

1975-01-01

The current literature on image bandwidth compression was surveyed and those methods relevant to compression of multispectral imagery were selected. Typical satellite multispectral data was then analyzed statistically and the results used to select a smaller set of candidate bandwidth compression techniques particularly relevant to earth resources data. These were compared using both theoretical analysis and simulation, under various criteria of optimality such as mean square error (MSE), signal-to-noise ratio, classification accuracy, and computational complexity. By concatenating some of the most promising techniques, three multispectral data compression systems were synthesized which appear well suited to current and future NASA earth resources applications. The performance of these three recommended systems was then examined in detail by all of the above criteria. Finally, merits and deficiencies were summarized and a number of recommendations for future NASA activities in data compression proposed.

A probabilistic framework for identifying biosignatures using Pathway Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Stuart M.; Murray, Alastair R. G.; Cronin, Leroy

2017-11-01

One thing that discriminates living things from inanimate matter is their ability to generate similarly complex or non-random structures in a large abundance. From DNA sequences to folded protein structures, living cells, microbial communities and multicellular structures, the material configurations in biology can easily be distinguished from non-living material assemblies. Many complex artefacts, from ordinary bioproducts to human tools, though they are not living things, are ultimately produced by biological processes-whether those processes occur at the scale of cells or societies, they are the consequences of living systems. While these objects are not living, they cannot randomly form, as they are the product of a biological organism and hence are either technological or cultural biosignatures. A generalized approach that aims to evaluate complex objects as possible biosignatures could be useful to explore the cosmos for new life forms. However, it is not obvious how it might be possible to create such a self-contained approach. This would require us to prove rigorously that a given artefact is too complex to have formed by chance. In this paper, we present a new type of complexity measure, which we call `Pathway Complexity', that allows us not only to threshold the abiotic-biotic divide, but also to demonstrate a probabilistic approach based on object abundance and complexity which can be used to unambiguously assign complex objects as biosignatures. We hope that this approach will not only open up the search for biosignatures beyond the Earth, but also allow us to explore the Earth for new types of biology, and to determine when a complex chemical system discovered in the laboratory could be considered alive. This article is part of the themed issue 'Reconceptualizing the origins of life'.

Complex demodulation in VLBI estimation of high frequency Earth rotation components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böhm, S.; Brzeziński, A.; Schuh, H.

2012-12-01

The spectrum of high frequency Earth rotation variations contains strong harmonic signal components mainly excited by ocean tides along with much weaker non-harmonic fluctuations driven by irregular processes like the diurnal thermal tides in the atmosphere and oceans. In order to properly investigate non-harmonic phenomena a representation in time domain is inevitable. We present a method, operating in time domain, which is easily applicable within Earth rotation estimation from Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). It enables the determination of diurnal and subdiurnal variations, and is still effective with merely diurnal parameter sampling. The features of complex demodulation are used in an extended parameterization of polar motion and universal time which was implemented into a dedicated version of the Vienna VLBI Software VieVS. The functionality of the approach was evaluated by comparing amplitudes and phases of harmonic variations at tidal periods (diurnal/semidiurnal), derived from demodulated Earth rotation parameters (ERP), estimated from hourly resolved VLBI ERP time series and taken from a recently published VLBI ERP model to the terms of the conventional model for ocean tidal effects in Earth rotation recommended by the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service (IERS). The three sets of tidal terms derived from VLBI observations extensively agree among each other within the three-sigma level of the demodulation approach, which is below 6 μas for polar motion and universal time. They also coincide in terms of differences to the IERS model, where significant deviations primarily for several major tidal terms are apparent. An additional spectral analysis of the as well estimated demodulated ERP series of the ter- and quarterdiurnal frequency bands did not reveal any significant signal structure. The complex demodulation applied in VLBI parameter estimation could be demonstrated a suitable procedure for the reliable reproduction of high frequency Earth rotation components and thus represents a qualified tool for future studies of irregular geophysical signals in ERP measured by space geodetic techniques.

Advanced Electric Propulsion for Space Solar Power Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oleson, Steve

1999-01-01

The sun tower concept of collecting solar energy in space and beaming it down for commercial use will require very affordable in-space as well as earth-to-orbit transportation. Advanced electric propulsion using a 200 kW power and propulsion system added to the sun tower nodes can provide a factor of two reduction in the required number of launch vehicles when compared to in-space cryogenic chemical systems. In addition, the total time required to launch and deliver the complete sun tower system is of the same order of magnitude using high power electric propulsion or cryogenic chemical propulsion: around one year. Advanced electric propulsion can also be used to minimize the stationkeeping propulsion system mass for this unique space platform. 50 to 100 kW class Hall, ion, magnetoplasmadynamic, and pulsed inductive thrusters are compared. High power Hall thruster technology provides the best mix of launches saved and shortest ground to Geosynchronous Earth Orbital Environment (GEO) delivery time of all the systems, including chemical. More detailed studies comparing launch vehicle costs, transfer operations costs, and propulsion system costs and complexities must be made to down-select a technology. The concept of adding electric propulsion to the sun tower nodes was compared to a concept using re-useable electric propulsion tugs for Low Earth Orbital Environment (LEO) to GEO transfer. While the tug concept would reduce the total number of required propulsion systems, more launchers and notably longer LEO to GEO and complete sun tower ground to GEO times would be required. The tugs would also need more complex, longer life propulsion systems and the ability to dock with sun tower nodes.

The Importance of Technology Readiness in NASA Earth Venture Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wells, James E.; Komar, George J.

2009-01-01

The first set of Venture-class investigations share the characteristic that the technology should be mature and all investigations must use mature technology that has been modeled or demonstrated in a relevant environment (Technology Readiness Level (TRL) >5). Technology Readiness Levels are a systematic metric/measurement system that supports assessments of the maturity of a particular technology and the consistent comparison of maturity between different types of technology. The TRL is used in NASA technology planning. A major step in the level of fidelity of the technology demonstration follows the completion of TRL 5. At TRL 6, a system or subsystem model or prototype must be demonstrated in a relevant environment (ground or space) representative model or prototype system or system, which would go well beyond ad hoc, "patch-cord," or discrete component level breadboarding. These TRL levels are chosen as target objectives for the Program. The challenge for offerors is that they must identify key aspects (uncertainty, multi subsystem complexity, etc) of the TRL estimate that should be properly explained in a submitted proposal. Risk minimization is a key component of the Earth Venture missions. Experiences of prior airborne missions will be shared. The discussion will address aspects of uncertainty and issues surrounding three areas of airborne earth science missions: (1) Aircraft or proposed flight platform -- Expressing the capability of the aircraft in terms of the supporting mission requirements. These issues include airplane performance characteristics (duration, range, altitude, among others) and multiship complexities. (2) Instruments -- Establishing that the instruments have been demonstrated in a relevant environment. Instruments with heritage in prior space missions meet this requirement, as do instruments tested on the ground. Evidence that the instruments have demonstrated the ability to collect data as advertised will be described. The complexity of the integration of multiple subsystems will also be addressed. Issues associated with tailoring the instrument to meet the specific Venture mission objectives must be thoroughly explained and justified. (3) Aircraft/Instrument Integration -- Explicitly defining what development may be required to harden the instrument and integrate the instrument. The challenges associated with this key aspect of major airborne earth science investigations will be presented.

Orion Launch from UCS-3

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

Orion Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

A large-scale perspective on ecosystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mizutani, Hiroshi

1987-01-01

Interactions between ecological elements must be better understood in order to construct an ecological life support system in space. An index was devised to describe the complexity of material cyclings within a given ecosystem. It was then applied to the cyclings of bioelements in various systems of material cyclings including the whole Earth and national economies. The results show interesting characteristics of natural and man-made systems.

Concept of a space optoelectronic system for environmental monitoring of the near-earth space, atmosphere, and earth surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eltsov, Anatoli V.; Karasev, Vladimir I.; Kolotkov, Vjacheslav V.; Kondranin, Timothy V.

1997-06-01

The sharp increase of the man-induced pressure on the environment and hence the need to predict and monitor natural anomalies makes global monitoring of the ecosphere of planet Earth an issue of vital importance. The notion of the ecosphere covers three basic shells closely interacting with each other: the near-Earth space, the atmosphere and the Earth surface. In the near-Earth space (covering 100 to 2000 km altitudes) the primary objects of monitoring are: functioning artificial space objects, the fragments of their constructions or space rubbish (which by estimation amounts to 3.5 million pieces including 30,000 to 70,000 objects having dimensions sufficient for heavy damaging or even destroying functioning space objects) and objects of space origin (asteroids, meteorites and comets) whose trajectories come closely enough to the Earth. Maximum concentrations of space rubbish observed on orbits with altitudes of 800, 1000 and 1500 km and inclinations of 60 to 100 deg. are related in the first place to spacecraft launch requirements. Taking into account the number of launches implemented by different countries in the framework of their own space programs the probability of collision of functioning spacecraft with space rubbish may be estimation increase from (1.5 - 3.5)% at present to (15 - 40)% by 2020. Besides, registration of space radiation flow intensity and the solar activity is no less important in this space area. Subject to control in the atmosphere are time and space variations in temperature fields, humidity, tracing gas concentrations, first of all ozone and greenhouse gases, the state of the cloud cover, wind velocity, etc. The range of objects to be under environmental management of Earth surface is just as diverse and essentially should include the state of the surface and the near-surface layer of seas and oceans, internal reservoirs, the cryosphere and the land surface along with vegetation cover, natural resources and human activities. No matter how large the space (from several meters to hundreds of kilometers) and time (from an hour to several months) scales of the above monitoring might be there is a common dominating factor which could favor creation of a general- purpose observation and control system based on passive optoelectronic instrumentation of different levels of sophistication. This dominating factor refers to the possibility of obtaining information about the state of objects by way to recording parameters of radiation emitted by them in wavelengths of 250 nm to tens of microns. The fact that phenomena and processes occurring in the atmosphere are closely interrelated gives implications as to the structure of such a system which is supposed to be a common information network basically consisting of an orbiting constellation of a number of small-size spacecraft equipped with optoelectronic instrumentation of different complexity, and a ground segment to provide acquisition and processing of information about the status of every ecosphere shell including comprehensive thematic analysis. The existing domestic (based on the `Meteor', `Resurs-O', `Okean', etc. spacecraft) and foreign (NOAA, SPOT, LANDSAT, ERS, etc.) space systems are designed for solution of only a limited number of atmosphere monitoring issues, namely those related to meteorology and studies of natural resources. As for the near-Earth space there are at present only ground facilities whose monitoring capabilities are also limited. It should be noted that in recent years in the USA similar activities have been in full swing targeted at creation of a system like the one mentioned above (the Earth Observation System). A system comprising four spacecraft of the NOAA series and a distributed ground network for receiving analog (with 4 km spatial resolution) and digital (with 1 km spatial resolution) multispectral data pertaining to the status of the atmosphere and the underlying surface is currently operational. This system presents some unique features which make it in several applications superior to existing counterparts. The issue of creation and use of similar systems is complex and costly and it can be solved under today's Russian circumstances only at government level by joint efforts of multiple scientific and production organizations. One advantageous approach consists in building the above-mentioned systems using space complexes which have been already developed or are under development.

Spaceborne observations of a changing Earth - Contribution from ESÁ s operating and approved satellite missions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johannessen, J. A.

2009-04-01

The overall vision for ESÁs Earth Observation activities is to play a central role in developing the global capability to understand planet Earth, predict changes, and mitigate negative effects of global change on its populations. Since Earth observation from space first became possible more than forty years ago, it has become central to monitoring and understanding how the dynamics of the Earth System work. The greatest progress has been in meteorology, where space-based observations have become indispensable, but it is now also progressively penetrating many of the fields making up Earth sciences. Exploiting Earth observation from space presents major multidisciplinary challenges to the researches working in the Earth sciences, to the technologists who build the state-of-the-art sensors, and to the scientists interpreting measurements made of processes occurring on or within the Earth's surface and in its atmosphere. The scientific community has shown considerable imagination in rising to these challenges, and in exploiting the latest technological developments to measure from space the complex processes and interactions that occur in the Earth System. In parallel, there has been significant progress in developing computer models that represent the many processes that make up the Earth System, and the interactions and feedback between them. Success in developing this holistic view is inextricably linked to the data provided by Earth Observation systems. Satellites provide the fundamental, consistent, regular and global measurements needed to drive, parameterise, test and improve those Earth System models. These developments, together with changes in society's awareness of the need for information on a changing world, have repetitively supported the decisions on how ESA can best focus its resources, and those of the European community that it serves, in order to address critical issues in Earth System science. Moreover, it is a fact that many operational, managerial and regulatory activities (i.e. weather forecasting, deforestation, flooding, etc.) essential to the safe exploitation of global resources, conservation of sustainable ecosystems, and the compliance with numerous international treaties and conventions, depend absolutely on continuity of satellite missions to maximise socio-economic and environmental benefits. This presentation will highlight some of the multidisciplinary Earth science achievements and operational applications using ESA satellite missions. It will also address some of the key scientific challenges and need for operational monitoring services in the years to come. It capitalizes on the knowledge and awareness outlined in "The Changing Earth - New scientific challenges for ESÁs Living Planet Programme" issued in 2006 together with updated views and approved plans expressed during ESÁs Earth Sciences Advisory Committee (ESAC) meetings and agreed at the recent User Consultation meeting in January 2009.

Charge-separated and molecular heterobimetallic rare earth-rare earth and alkaline earth-rare earth aryloxo complexes featuring intramolecular metal-pi-arene interactions.

PubMed

Deacon, Glen B; Junk, Peter C; Moxey, Graeme J; Ruhlandt-Senge, Karin; St Prix, Courtney; Zuniga, Maria F

2009-01-01

Treatment of a rare earth metal (Ln) and a potential divalent rare earth metal (Ln') or an alkaline earth metal (Ae) with 2,6-diphenylphenol (HOdpp) at elevated temperatures (200-250 degrees C) afforded heterobimetallic aryloxo complexes, which were structurally characterised. A charge-separated species [(Ln'/Ae)(2)(Odpp)(3)][Ln(Odpp)(4)] was obtained for a range of metals, demonstrating the similarities between the chemistry of the divalent rare earth metals and the alkaline earth metals. The [(Ln'/Ae)(2)(Odpp)(3)](+) cation in the heterobimetallic structures is unusual in that it consists solely of bridging aryloxide ligands. A molecular heterobimetallic species [AeEu(Odpp)(4)] (Ae = Ca, Sr, Ba) was obtained by treating an alkaline earth metal and Eu metal with HOdpp at elevated temperatures. Similarly, [BaSr(Odpp)(4)] was prepared by treating Ba metal and Sr metal with HOdpp. Treatment of [Ba(2)(Odpp)(4)] with [Mg(Odpp)(2)(thf)(2)] in toluene afforded [Ba(2)(Odpp)(3)][Mg(Odpp)(3)(thf)]. Analogous solution-based syntheses were not possible for [(Ln'/Ae)(2)(Odpp)(3)][Ln(Odpp)(4)] complexes, for which the free-metal route was essential. As a result of the absence of additional donor ligands, the crystal structures of the heterobimetallic complexes feature extensive pi-Ph-metal interactions involving the pendant phenyl groups of the Odpp ligands, thus enabling the large electropositive metal atoms to attain coordination saturation. The charge-separated heterobimetallic species were purified by extraction with toluene/thf mixtures at ambient temperature (Ba-containing compounds) or by extraction with toluene under pressure above the boiling point of the solvent (other products). In donor solvents, heterobimetallic complexes other than those containing barium were found to fragment into homometallic species.

Mic Flocks in the Cloud: Harnessing Mobile Ubiquitous Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garces, M. A.; Christe, A.

2015-12-01

Smartphones provide a commercial, off-the-shelf solution to capture, store, analyze, and distribute infrasound using on-board or external microphones (mics) as well as on-board barometers. Free iOS infrasound apps can be readily downloaded from the Apple App Store, and Android versions are in progress. Infrasound propagates for great distances, has low sample rates, and provides a tractable pilot study scenario for open distributed sensor networks at regional and global scales using one of the most ubiquitous sensors on Earth - microphones. Data collection is no longer limited to selected vendors at exclusive prices: anybody on Earth can record and stream infrasound, and the diversity of recording systems and environments is rapidly expanding. Global deployment may be fast and easy (www.redvox.io), but comes with the cost of increasing data volume, velocity, variety, and complexity. Flocking - the collective motion of mobile agents - is a natural human response to threats or events of interest. Anticipating, modeling and harnessing flocking sensor topologies will be necessary for adaptive array and network processing. The increasing data quantity and complexity will exceed the processing capacity of human analysts and most research servers. We anticipate practical real-time applications will require the on-demand adaptive scalability and resources of the Cloud. Cloud architectures for such heterogeneous sensor networks will consider eventual integration into the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

Towards representing human behavior and decision making in Earth system models - an overview of techniques and approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller-Hansen, Finn; Schlüter, Maja; Mäs, Michael; Donges, Jonathan F.; Kolb, Jakob J.; Thonicke, Kirsten; Heitzig, Jobst

2017-11-01

Today, humans have a critical impact on the Earth system and vice versa, which can generate complex feedback processes between social and ecological dynamics. Integrating human behavior into formal Earth system models (ESMs), however, requires crucial modeling assumptions about actors and their goals, behavioral options, and decision rules, as well as modeling decisions regarding human social interactions and the aggregation of individuals' behavior. Here, we review existing modeling approaches and techniques from various disciplines and schools of thought dealing with human behavior at different levels of decision making. We demonstrate modelers' often vast degrees of freedom but also seek to make modelers aware of the often crucial consequences of seemingly innocent modeling assumptions. After discussing which socioeconomic units are potentially important for ESMs, we compare models of individual decision making that correspond to alternative behavioral theories and that make diverse modeling assumptions about individuals' preferences, beliefs, decision rules, and foresight. We review approaches to model social interaction, covering game theoretic frameworks, models of social influence, and network models. Finally, we discuss approaches to studying how the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations can aggregate to complex collective phenomena, discussing agent-based, statistical, and representative-agent modeling and economic macro-dynamics. We illustrate the main ingredients of modeling techniques with examples from land-use dynamics as one of the main drivers of environmental change bridging local to global scales.

Earth Observing System (EOS) Communication (Ecom) Modeling, Analysis, and Testbed (EMAT) activiy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desai, Vishal

1994-01-01

This paper describes the Earth Observing System (EOS) Communication (Ecom) Modeling, Analysis, and Testbed (EMAT) activity performed by Code 540 in support of the Ecom project. Ecom is the ground-to-ground data transport system for operational EOS traffic. The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) Communications (Nascom) Division, Code 540, is responsible for implementing Ecom. Ecom interfaces with various systems to transport EOS forward link commands, return link telemetry, and science payload data. To understand the complexities surrounding the design and implementation of Ecom, it is necessary that sufficient testbedding, modeling, and analysis be conducted prior to the design phase. These activities, when grouped, are referred to as the EMAT activity. This paper describes work accomplished to date in each of the three major EMAT activities: modeling, analysis, and testbedding.

The Computational Complexity, Parallel Scalability, and Performance of Atmospheric Data Assimilation Algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyster, Peter M.; Guo, J.; Clune, T.; Larson, J. W.; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The computational complexity of algorithms for Four Dimensional Data Assimilation (4DDA) at NASA's Data Assimilation Office (DAO) is discussed. In 4DDA, observations are assimilated with the output of a dynamical model to generate best-estimates of the states of the system. It is thus a mapping problem, whereby scattered observations are converted into regular accurate maps of wind, temperature, moisture and other variables. The DAO is developing and using 4DDA algorithms that provide these datasets, or analyses, in support of Earth System Science research. Two large-scale algorithms are discussed. The first approach, the Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System (GEOS DAS), uses an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) and an observation-space based analysis system, the Physical-space Statistical Analysis System (PSAS). GEOS DAS is very similar to global meteorological weather forecasting data assimilation systems, but is used at NASA for climate research. Systems of this size typically run at between 1 and 20 gigaflop/s. The second approach, the Kalman filter, uses a more consistent algorithm to determine the forecast error covariance matrix than does GEOS DAS. For atmospheric assimilation, the gridded dynamical fields typically have More than 10(exp 6) variables, therefore the full error covariance matrix may be in excess of a teraword. For the Kalman filter this problem can easily scale to petaflop/s proportions. We discuss the computational complexity of GEOS DAS and our implementation of the Kalman filter. We also discuss and quantify some of the technical issues and limitations in developing efficient, in terms of wall clock time, and scalable parallel implementations of the algorithms.

A Governance Roadmap and Framework for EarthCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Governance Steering Committee, EarthCube

2013-04-01

EarthCube is a process and an outcome, established to transform the conduct of research through the development of community-guided cyberinfrastructure for the Geosciences as the prototype for potential deployment across all domain sciences. EarthCube aims to create a knowledge management system and infrastructure that integrates all Earth system and human dimensions data in an open transparent, and inclusive manner. EarthCube requires broad community participation in concept, framework, and implementation and must not be hindered by rigid preconceptions. We discovered widely varying interpretations, expectations, and assumptions about governance among EarthCube participants. Our definition of governance refers to the processes, structure and organizational elements that determine, within an organization or system of organizations, how power is exercised, how stakeholders have their say, how decisions are made, and how decision makers are held accountable. We have learned, from historic infrastructure case studies, background research on governance and from community feedback during this roadmap process, that other types of large-scale, complex infrastructures, including the Internet, have no central control, administration, or management. No national infrastructure that we examined is governed by a single entity, let alone a single governance archetype. Thus we feel the roadmap process must accommodate a governance system or system of systems that may have a single governing entity, particularly at the start, but can evolve into a collective of governing bodies as warranted, in order to be successful. A fast-track process during Spring, 2012 culminated in a Governance Roadmap delivered to an NSF-sponsored charrette in June with an aggressive timetable to define and implement a governance structure to enable the elements of EarthCube to become operational expeditiously. Our goal is to help ensure the realization of this infrastructure sooner, more efficiently, and more effectively, by providing a community endorsed Governance Framework, released in September of 2012. The Framework, and corresponding community outreach, maximizes engagement of the broader EarthCube community, which in turn minimizes the risks that the community will not adopt EarthCube in its development and final states. The target stakeholder community includes academia, government, and the private-sector, both nationally and internationally. http://earthcube.ning.com/group/governance

ENERGY-NET (Energy, Environment and Society Learning Network): Enhancing opportunities for learning using an Earth systems science framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, E. M.; Bain, D. J.; Divers, M. T.; Crowley, K. J.; Povis, K.; Scardina, A.; Steiner, M.

2012-12-01

We describe a newly funded collaborative NSF initiative, ENERGY-NET (Energy, Environment and Society Learning Network), that brings together the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) with the Learning Science and Geoscience research strengths at the University of Pittsburgh. ENERGY-NET aims to create rich opportunities for participatory learning and public education in the arena of energy, the environment, and society using an Earth systems science framework. We build upon a long-established teen docent program at CMNH and to form Geoscience Squads comprised of underserved teens. Together, the ENERGY-NET team, including museum staff, experts in informal learning sciences, and geoscientists spanning career stage (undergraduates, graduate students, faculty) provides inquiry-based learning experiences guided by Earth systems science principles. Together, the team works with Geoscience Squads to design "Exploration Stations" for use with CMNH visitors that employ an Earth systems science framework to explore the intersecting lenses of energy, the environment, and society. The goals of ENERGY-NET are to: 1) Develop a rich set of experiential learning activities to enhance public knowledge about the complex dynamics between Energy, Environment, and Society for demonstration at CMNH; 2) Expand diversity in the geosciences workforce by mentoring underrepresented teens, providing authentic learning experiences in earth systems science and life skills, and providing networking opportunities with geoscientists; and 3) Institutionalize ENERGY-NET collaborations among geosciences expert, learning researchers, and museum staff to yield long-term improvements in public geoscience education and geoscience workforce recruiting.

Development of an intelligent interface for adding spatial objects to a knowledge-based geographic information system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, William J.; Goettsche, Craig

1989-01-01

Earth Scientists lack adequate tools for quantifying complex relationships between existing data layers and studying and modeling the dynamic interactions of these data layers. There is a need for an earth systems tool to manipulate multi-layered, heterogeneous data sets that are spatially indexed, such as sensor imagery and maps, easily and intelligently in a single system. The system can access and manipulate data from multiple sensor sources, maps, and from a learned object hierarchy using an advanced knowledge-based geographical information system. A prototype Knowledge-Based Geographic Information System (KBGIS) was recently constructed. Many of the system internals are well developed, but the system lacks an adequate user interface. A methodology is described for developing an intelligent user interface and extending KBGIS to interconnect with existing NASA systems, such as imagery from the Land Analysis System (LAS), atmospheric data in Common Data Format (CDF), and visualization of complex data with the National Space Science Data Center Graphics System. This would allow NASA to quickly explore the utility of such a system, given the ability to transfer data in and out of KBGIS easily. The use and maintenance of the object hierarchies as polymorphic data types brings, to data management, a while new set of problems and issues, few of which have been explored above the prototype level.

Large/Complex Antenna Performance Validation for Spaceborne Radar/Radiometeric Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Focardi, Paolo; Harrell, Jefferson; Vacchione, Joseph

2013-01-01

Over the past decade, Earth observing missions which employ spaceborne combined radar & radiometric instruments have been developed and implemented. These instruments include the use of large and complex deployable antennas whose radiation characteristics need to be accurately determined over 4 pisteradians. Given the size and complexity of these antennas, the performance of the flight units cannot be readily measured. In addition, the radiation performance is impacted by the presence of the instrument's service platform which cannot easily be included in any measurement campaign. In order to meet the system performance knowledge requirements, a two pronged approach has been employed. The first is to use modeling tools to characterize the system and the second is to build a scale model of the system and use RF measurements to validate the results of the modeling tools. This paper demonstrates the resulting level of agreement between scale model and numerical modeling for two recent missions: (1) the earlier Aquarius instrument currently in Earth orbit and (2) the upcoming Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission. The results from two modeling approaches, Ansoft's High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) and TICRA's General RF Applications Software Package (GRASP), were compared with measurements of approximately 1/10th scale models of the Aquarius and SMAP systems. Generally good agreement was found between the three methods but each approach had its shortcomings as will be detailed in this paper.

The evolution of organic matter in space.

PubMed

Ehrenfreund, Pascale; Spaans, Marco; Holm, Nils G

2011-02-13

Carbon, and molecules made from it, have already been observed in the early Universe. During cosmic time, many galaxies undergo intense periods of star formation, during which heavy elements like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, silicon and iron are produced. Also, many complex molecules, from carbon monoxide to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are detected in these systems, like they are for our own Galaxy. Interstellar molecular clouds and circumstellar envelopes are factories of complex molecular synthesis. A surprisingly high number of molecules that are used in contemporary biochemistry on the Earth are found in the interstellar medium, planetary atmospheres and surfaces, comets, asteroids and meteorites and interplanetary dust particles. Large quantities of extra-terrestrial material were delivered via comets and asteroids to young planetary surfaces during the heavy bombardment phase. Monitoring the formation and evolution of organic matter in space is crucial in order to determine the prebiotic reservoirs available to the early Earth. It is equally important to reveal abiotic routes to prebiotic molecules in the Earth environments. Materials from both carbon sources (extra-terrestrial and endogenous) may have contributed to biochemical pathways on the Earth leading to life's origin. The research avenues discussed also guide us to extend our knowledge to other habitable worlds.

A Governance Roadmap and Framework for EarthCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allison, M. L.

2012-12-01

EarthCube is a process and an outcome, established to transform the conduct of research through the development of community-guided cyberinfrastructure for the Geosciences as the prototype for potential deployment across all domain sciences. EarthCube aims to create a knowledge management system and infrastructure that integrates all Earth system and human dimensions data in an open transparent, and inclusive manner. EarthCube requires broad community participation in concept, framework, and implementation and must not be hindered by rigid preconceptions. We discovered widely varying interpretations, expectations, and assumptions about governance among EarthCube participants. Our definition of governance refers to the processes, structure and organizational elements that determine, within an organization or system of organizations, how power is exercised, how stakeholders have their say, how decisions are made, and how decision makers are held accountable. We have learned, from historic infrastructure case studies, background research on governance and from community feedback during this roadmap process, that other types of large-scale, complex infrastructures, including the Internet, have no central control, administration, or management. No national infrastructure that we examined is governed by a single entity, let alone a single governance archetype. Thus we feel the roadmap process must accommodate a governance system or system of systems that may have a single governing entity, particularly at the start, but can evolve into a collective of governing bodies as warranted, in order to be successful. A fast-track process during Spring, 2012 culminated in a Governance Roadmap delivered to an NSF-sponsored charrette in June with an aggressive timetable to define and implement a governance structure to enable the elements of EarthCube to become operational expeditiously. Our goal is to help ensure the realization of this infrastructure sooner, more efficiently, and more effectively, by providing a community endorsed Governance Framework. The Framework, and corresponding community outreach, will maximize engagement of the broader EarthCube community, which in turn will minimize the risks that the community will not adopt EarthCube in its development and final states. The target community includes academia, government, and the private-sector, both nationally and internationally. Based on community feedback to-date, we compiled and synthesized system-wide governance requirements to draft an initial set of EarthCube Governance functions. These functions will permit us to produce a Governance Framework based on an aggressive community outreach and engagement plan.

Practical Applications of Cosmic Ray Science: Spacecraft, Aircraft, Ground Based Computation and Control Systems and Human Health and Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwell, William; Koontz, Steve; Normand, Eugene

2012-01-01

In this paper we review the discovery of cosmic ray effects on the performance and reliability of microelectronic systems as well as on human health and safety, as well as the development of the engineering and health science tools used to evaluate and mitigate cosmic ray effects in earth surface, atmospheric flight, and space flight environments. Three twentieth century technological developments, 1) high altitude commercial and military aircraft; 2) manned and unmanned spacecraft; and 3) increasingly complex and sensitive solid state micro-electronics systems, have driven an ongoing evolution of basic cosmic ray science into a set of practical engineering tools (e.g. ground based test methods as well as high energy particle transport and reaction codes) needed to design, test, and verify the safety and reliability of modern complex electronic systems as well as effects on human health and safety. The effects of primary cosmic ray particles, and secondary particle showers produced by nuclear reactions with spacecraft materials, can determine the design and verification processes (as well as the total dollar cost) for manned and unmanned spacecraft avionics systems. Similar considerations apply to commercial and military aircraft operating at high latitudes and altitudes near the atmospheric Pfotzer maximum. Even ground based computational and controls systems can be negatively affected by secondary particle showers at the Earth's surface, especially if the net target area of the sensitive electronic system components is large. Accumulation of both primary cosmic ray and secondary cosmic ray induced particle shower radiation dose is an important health and safety consideration for commercial or military air crews operating at high altitude/latitude and is also one of the most important factors presently limiting manned space flight operations beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Digital Archive Issues from the Perspective of an Earth Science Data Producer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barkstrom, Bruce R.

2004-01-01

Contents include the following: Introduction. A Producer Perspective on Earth Science Data. Data Producers as Members of a Scientific Community. Some Unique Characteristics of Scientific Data. Spatial and Temporal Sampling for Earth (or Space) Science Data. The Influence of the Data Production System Architecture. The Spatial and Temporal Structures Underlying Earth Science Data. Earth Science Data File (or Relation) Schemas. Data Producer Configuration Management Complexities. The Topology of Earth Science Data Inventories. Some Thoughts on the User Perspective. Science Data User Communities. Spatial and Temporal Structure Needs of Different Users. User Spatial Objects. Data Search Services. Inventory Search. Parameter (Keyword) Search. Metadata Searches. Documentation Search. Secondary Index Search. Print Technology and Hypertext. Inter-Data Collection Configuration Management Issues. An Archive View. Producer Data Ingest and Production. User Data Searching and Distribution. Subsetting and Supersetting. Semantic Requirements for Data Interchange. Tentative Conclusions. An Object Oriented View of Archive Information Evolution. Scientific Data Archival Issues. A Perspective on the Future of Digital Archives for Scientific Data. References Index for this paper.

Life, hierarchy, and the thermodynamic machinery of planet Earth.

PubMed

Kleidon, Axel

2010-12-01

Throughout Earth's history, life has increased greatly in abundance, complexity, and diversity. At the same time, it has substantially altered the Earth's environment, evolving some of its variables to states further and further away from thermodynamic equilibrium. For instance, concentrations in atmospheric oxygen have increased throughout Earth's history, resulting in an increased chemical disequilibrium in the atmosphere as well as an increased redox gradient between the atmosphere and the Earth's reducing crust. These trends seem to contradict the second law of thermodynamics, which states for isolated systems that gradients and free energy are dissipated over time, resulting in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium. This seeming contradiction is resolved by considering planet Earth as a coupled, hierarchical and evolving non-equilibrium thermodynamic system that has been substantially altered by the input of free energy generated by photosynthetic life. Here, I present this hierarchical thermodynamic theory of the Earth system. I first present simple considerations to show that thermodynamic variables are driven away from a state of thermodynamic equilibrium by the transfer of power from some other process and that the resulting state of disequilibrium reflects the past net work done on the variable. This is applied to the processes of planet Earth to characterize the generation and transfer of free energy and its dissipation, from radiative gradients to temperature and chemical potential gradients that result in chemical, kinetic, and potential free energy and associated dynamics of the climate system and geochemical cycles. The maximization of power transfer among the processes within this hierarchy yields thermodynamic efficiencies much lower than the Carnot efficiency of equilibrium thermodynamics and is closely related to the proposed principle of Maximum Entropy Production (MEP). The role of life is then discussed as a photochemical process that generates substantial amounts of chemical free energy which essentially skips the limitations and inefficiencies associated with the transfer of power within the thermodynamic hierarchy of the planet. This perspective allows us to view life as being the means to transform many aspects of planet Earth to states even further away from thermodynamic equilibrium than is possible by purely abiotic means. In this perspective pockets of low-entropy life emerge from the overall trend of the Earth system to increase the entropy of the universe at the fastest possible rate. The implications of the theory are discussed regarding fundamental deficiencies in Earth system modeling, applications of the theory to reconstructions of Earth system history, and regarding the role of human activity for the future of the planet. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DECADE web portal: toward the integration of MaGa, EarthChem and VOTW data systems to further the knowledge on Earth degassing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardellini, Carlo; Frigeri, Alessandro; Lehnert, Kerstin; Ash, Jason; McCormick, Brendan; Chiodini, Giovanni; Fischer, Tobias; Cottrell, Elizabeth

2015-04-01

The release of volatiles from the Earth's interior takes place in both volcanic and non-volcanic areas of the planet. The comprehension of such complex process and the improvement of the current estimates of global carbon emissions, will greatly benefit from the integration of geochemical, petrological and volcanological data. At present, major online data repositories relevant to studies of degassing are not linked and interoperable. In the framework of the Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative of the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO), we are developing interoperability between three data systems that will make their data accessible via the DECADE portal: (1) the Smithsonian Institutionian's Global Volcanism Program database (VOTW) of volcanic activity data, (2) EarthChem databases for geochemical and geochronological data of rocks and melt inclusions, and (3) the MaGa database (Mapping Gas emissions) which contains compositional and flux data of gases released at volcanic and non-volcanic degassing sites. The DECADE web portal will create a powerful search engine of these databases from a single entry point and will return comprehensive multi-component datasets. A user will be able, for example, to obtain data relating to compositions of emitted gases, compositions and age of the erupted products and coincident activity, of a specific volcano. This level of capability requires a complete synergy between the databases, including availability of standard-based web services (WMS, WFS) at all data systems. Data and metadata can thus be extracted from each system without interfering with each database's local schema or being replicated to achieve integration at the DECADE web portal. The DECADE portal will enable new synoptic perspectives on the Earth degassing process allowing to explore Earth degassing related datasets over previously unexplored spatial or temporal ranges.

Martian canyons and African rifts: Structural comparisons and implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, H. V.

1978-01-01

The resistant parts of the canyon walls of the Martian rift complex Valled Marineris were used to infer an earlier, less eroded reconstruction of the major roughs. The individual canyons were then compared with individual rifts of East Africa. When measured in units of planetary radius, Martian canyons show a distribution of lengths nearly identical to those in Africa, both for individual rifts and for compound rift systems. A common mechanism which scales with planetary radius is suggested. Martian canyons are significantly wider than African rifts. The overall pattern of the rift systems of Africa and Mars are quite different in that the African systems are composed of numerous small faults with highly variable trend. On Mars the trends are less variable; individual scarps are straighter for longer than on earth. This is probably due to the difference in tectonic histories of the two planets: the complex history of the earth and the resulting complicated basement structures influence the development of new rifts. The basement and lithosphere of Mars are inferred to be simple, reflecting a relatively inactive tectonic history prior to the formation of the canyonlands.

The Results of Complex Research of GSS "SBIRS-Geo 2" Behavior in the Orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukhov, P. P.; Epishev, V. P.; Sukhov, K. P.; Karpenko, G. F.; Motrunich, I. I.

2017-04-01

The new generation of geosynchronous satellites SBIRS of US Air Force early warning system series (Satellite Early Warning System) replaced the previous DSP-satellite series (Defense Support Program). Currently from the territory of Ukraine, several GSS of DSP series and one "SBIRS-Geo 2" are available to observation. During two years of observations, we have received and analyzed for two satellites more than 30 light curves in B, V, R photometric system. As a result of complex research, we propose a model of "SBIRS-Geo" 2 orbital behavior compared with the same one of the DSP-satellite. To control the entire surface of the Earth with 15-16 sec interval, including the polar regions, 4 SBIRS satellites located every 90 deg. along the equator are enough in GEO orbit. Since DSP-satellites provide the coverage of the Earth's surface to 83 deg. latitudes with a period of 50 sec, DSP-satellites should be 8. All the conclusions were made based on an analysis of photometric and coordinate observations using the simulation of the dynamics of their orbital behavior.

Developments in Earth observation for the assessment and monitoring of inland, transitional, coastal and shelf-sea waters.

PubMed

Tyler, Andrew N; Hunter, Peter D; Spyrakos, Evangelos; Groom, Steve; Constantinescu, Adriana Maria; Kitchen, Jonathan

2016-12-01

The Earth's surface waters are a fundamental resource and encompass a broad range of ecosystems that are core to global biogeochemical cycling and food and energy production. Despite this, the Earth's surface waters are impacted by multiple natural and anthropogenic pressures and drivers of environmental change. The complex interaction between physical, chemical and biological processes in surface waters poses significant challenges for in situ monitoring and assessment and often limits our ability to adequately capture the dynamics of aquatic systems and our understanding of their status, functioning and response to pressures. Here we explore the opportunities that Earth observation (EO) has to offer to basin-scale monitoring of water quality over the surface water continuum comprising inland, transition and coastal water bodies, with a particular focus on the Danube and Black Sea region. This review summarises the technological advances in EO and the opportunities that the next generation satellites offer for water quality monitoring. We provide an overview of algorithms for the retrieval of water quality parameters and demonstrate how such models have been used for the assessment and monitoring of inland, transitional, coastal and shelf-sea systems. Further, we argue that very few studies have investigated the connectivity between these systems especially in large river-sea systems such as the Danube-Black Sea. Subsequently, we describe current capability in operational processing of archive and near real-time satellite data. We conclude that while the operational use of satellites for the assessment and monitoring of surface waters is still developing for inland and coastal waters and more work is required on the development and validation of remote sensing algorithms for these optically complex waters, the potential that these data streams offer for developing an improved, potentially paradigm-shifting understanding of physical and biogeochemical processes across large scale river-sea systems including the Danube-Black Sea is considerable. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Climate Literacy: Supporting Teacher Professional Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; Dunlap, C.; Bardar, E.; Youngman, B.; Ellins, K. K.; McNeal, K. S.; Libarkin, J.

2012-12-01

Confronting the Challenges of Climate Literacy (CCCL) is an NSF-funded (DRK-12) project that includes curriculum development, teacher professional development, teacher leadership development, and research on student learning, all directed at high school teachers and students. The project's evaluation efforts inform and guide all major components of the project. The research effort addresses the question of what interventions are most effective in helping high school students grasp the complexities of the Earth system and climate processes, which occur over a range of spatial and temporal scales. The curriculum unit includes three distinct but related modules: Climate and the Cryosphere; Climate, Weather, and the Biosphere; and Climate and the Carbon Cycle. Climate-related themes that cut across all three modules include the Earth system, with the complexities of its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, "How do we know what we know about Earth's past and present climate?" which addresses proxy data and scientific instrumentation. The professional development component of the project includes online science resources to support the teaching of the curriculum modules, summer workshops for high school teachers, and a support system for developing the teacher leaders who plan and implement those summer workshops. When completed, the project will provide a model high school curriculum with online support for implementing teachers and a cadre of leaders who can continue to introduce new teachers to the resource. This presentation will introduce the curriculum and the university partnerships that are key to the project's success, and describe how the project addresses the challenge of helping teachers develop their understanding of climate science and their ability to convey climate-related concepts articulated in the Next Generation Science Standards to their students. We will also describe the professional development and support system to develop teacher leaders and explain some of the challenges that accompany this approach of developing teacher leaders in the area of climate literacy.

Heating up the science classroom through global warming: An investigation of argument in earth system science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schweizer, Diane Mary

This research investigated how the use of argument within an earth system science perspective offers potential opportunities for students to develop skills of scientific reasoning. Earth system science views Earth as a synergistic system governed by complex interdependencies between physical and biological spheres. Earth system science presents familiar and compelling societal problems about Earth's environment thereby providing a highly motivational vehicle for engaging students in science. Using global warming as an application of earth system science, my research investigated how middle school and undergraduate students use scientific evidence when constructing and assessing arguments. This dissertation includes three related research studies. The first study took in place in three seventh grade science classrooms and investigated student engagement in a global warming debate. This study illustrated students used evidence to support their central argument; to negate the central argument of the opposing side; to present challenges to the opposing side; and to raise new questions. The second research study is a comparative study and investigated how other students under different instructional settings constructed their arguments on the cause of global warming from the same evidence. This study took place in two seventh grade science classrooms. This study demonstrated that when constructing personal arguments on global warming, students developed an earth system perspective as they considered and integrated different pieces of evidence. Students participating in debate where given a particular view to defend and focused on evidence matching this view, thereby displaying singular views of the cause of global warming. The third research study investigated students abilities to scientifically assess arguments. By analyzing students' written evaluations of arguments on the global climate presented during oral debates, this study demonstrated that undergraduates focus on the overall argument presentation with little attention given to the validity of specific argument components. The primary outcome of these studies is the recommendation that students be provided with opportunities to engage in a variety of argumentation practices, including, but not limited to, debate, constructing arguments reflective of personal views and assessing arguments. Closely coupled with this is the recommendation is that explicit instruction in scientific argumentation accompany classroom activities.

Space Weather Effects on Spacecraft Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, Janet L.

2003-01-01

Space-based systems are developing into critical infrastructure required to support the quality of life on Earth. Hence, spacecraft reliability is a serious issue that is complicated by exposure to the space environment. Complex mission designs along with rapidly evolving technologies have outpaced efforts to accommodate detrimental space environment impacts on systems. Hazardous space environments, the effects on systems, and the accommodation of the effects are described with a focus on the need to predict space environments.

Relevance and Significance of Extraterrestrial Abiological Hydrocarbon Chemistry.

PubMed

Olah, George A; Mathew, Thomas; Prakash, G K Surya

2016-06-08

Astrophysical observations show similarity of observed abiological "organics"-i.e., hydrocarbons, their derivatives, and ions (carbocations and carbanions)-with studied terrestrial chemistry. Their formation pathways, their related extraterrestrial hydrocarbon chemistry originating from carbon and other elements after the Big Bang, their parent hydrocarbon and derivative (methane and methanol, respectively), and transportation of derived building blocks of life by meteorites or comets to planet Earth are discussed in this Perspective. Their subsequent evolution on Earth under favorable "Goldilocks" conditions led to more complex molecules and biological systems, and eventually to humans. The relevance and significance of extraterrestrial hydrocarbon chemistry to the limits of science in relation to the physical aspects of evolution on our planet Earth are also discussed.

Earth Day 2018 Activities

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-17

During the annual Earth Day celebration at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Shari Blissett-Clark of the Florida Bat Conservancy displays one of the mammals. The event took place during the annual Earth Day celebration at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, guests have an opportunity to learn more about energy awareness, the environment and sustainability.

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of novel Schiff base type polymer-rare earth complexes containing furfural-based bidentate Schiff base ligands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Baojiao; Zhang, Dandan; Li, Yanbin

2018-03-01

Luminescent polymer-rare earth complexes are an important class of photoluminescence and electroluminescence materials. Via molecular design, two furfural-based bidentate Schiff base ligands, furfural-aniline (FA) type ligand and furfural-cyclohexylamine (FC) type ligand, were bonded on the side chains of polysulfone (PSF), respectively, forming two functionalized macromolecules, PSF-FA and PSF-FC. And then through respective coordination reactions of the two functionalized macromolecules with Eu(Ⅲ) ion and Tb(Ⅲ) ion, novel luminescent binary and ternary (with 1,10-phenanthroline as the second ligand) polymer-rare earth complexes were synthesized. For these complexes, on basis of the characterization of their chemical structures, they photoluminescence properties were main researched, and the relationship between their luminescent properties and structures was explored. The experimental results show that the complexes coming from PSF-FA and Eu(Ⅲ) ion including binary and ternary complexes emit strong red luminescence, indicating that the bonded bidentate Schiff base ligand FA can sensitize the fluorescence emission of Eu(III) ion. While the complexes coming from PSF-FC and Tb(Ⅲ) ion produce green luminescence, displaying that the bonded bidentate Schiff base ligand FC can sensitize the fluorescence emission of Tb(Ⅲ) ion. The fluorescence emission intensities of the ternary complexes were stronger than that of binary complexes, reflecting the important effect of the second ligand. The fluorescence emission of the solid film of complexes is much stronger than that of the solutions of complexes. Besides, by comparison, it is found that the furfural (as a heteroaromatic compound)-based Schiff base type polymer-rare earth complexes have stronger fluorescence emission and higher energy transfer efficiency than salicylaldehyde (as a common aromatic compound)-based Schiff base type polymer-rare earth complexes.

NASA's Earth science flight program status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neeck, Steven P.; Volz, Stephen M.

2010-10-01

NASA's strategic goal to "advance scientific understanding of the changing Earth system to meet societal needs" continues the agency's legacy of expanding human knowledge of the Earth through space activities, as mandated by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. Over the past 50 years, NASA has been the world leader in developing space-based Earth observing systems and capabilities that have fundamentally changed our view of our planet and have defined Earth system science. The U.S. National Research Council report "Earth Observations from Space: The First 50 Years of Scientific Achievements" published in 2008 by the National Academy of Sciences articulates those key achievements and the evolution of the space observing capabilities, looking forward to growing potential to address Earth science questions and enable an abundance of practical applications. NASA's Earth science program is an end-to-end one that encompasses the development of observational techniques and the instrument technology needed to implement them. This includes laboratory testing and demonstration from surface, airborne, or space-based platforms; research to increase basic process knowledge; incorporation of results into complex computational models to more fully characterize the present state and future evolution of the Earth system; and development of partnerships with national and international organizations that can use the generated information in environmental forecasting and in policy, business, and management decisions. Currently, NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) has 14 operating Earth science space missions with 6 in development and 18 under study or in technology risk reduction. Two Tier 2 Decadal Survey climate-focused missions, Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days and Seasons (ASCENDS) and Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), have been identified in conjunction with the U.S. Global Change Research Program and initiated for launch in the 2019-2020 timeframe. NASA will begin refurbishment of the SAGE III atmospheric chemistry instrument to be hosted by the International Space Station (ISS) as early as 2013 and will initiate a Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-on mission for launch in 2016.

Managing for resilience: early detection of regime shifts in complex systems

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of sustainability is to maintain a condition or regime of the Earth, which supports human existence from generation to generation. Hence, the ability to detect, characterize, and manage regime shifts, particularly catastrophic ones, is critical to maintaining human sust...

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1986-01-01

This photograph shows the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) flight article assembly with multilayer insulation, high gain anterna, and solar arrays in a clean room of the Lockheed Missile and Space Company. The HST is the first of NASA's great observatories and the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made. The purpose of the HST is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit by placing the telescope in space, enabling astronomers to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had overall responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Sunnyvale, California, produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

State-Dependence of the Climate Sensitivity in Earth System Models of Intermediate Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfister, Patrik L.; Stocker, Thomas F.

2017-10-01

Growing evidence from general circulation models (GCMs) indicates that the equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) depends on the magnitude of forcing, which is commonly referred to as state-dependence. We present a comprehensive assessment of ECS state-dependence in Earth system models of intermediate complexity (EMICs) by analyzing millennial simulations with sustained 2×CO2 and 4×CO2 forcings. We compare different extrapolation methods and show that ECS is smaller in the higher-forcing scenario in 12 out of 15 EMICs, in contrast to the opposite behavior reported from GCMs. In one such EMIC, the Bern3D-LPX model, this state-dependence is mainly due to the weakening sea ice-albedo feedback in the Southern Ocean, which depends on model configuration. Due to ocean-mixing adjustments, state-dependence is only detected hundreds of years after the abrupt forcing, highlighting the need for long model integrations. Adjustments to feedback parametrizations of EMICs may be necessary if GCM intercomparisons confirm an opposite state-dependence.

Alteration of rocks by endolithic organisms is one of the pathways for the beginning of soils on Earth.

PubMed

Mergelov, Nikita; Mueller, Carsten W; Prater, Isabel; Shorkunov, Ilya; Dolgikh, Andrey; Zazovskaya, Elya; Shishkov, Vasily; Krupskaya, Victoria; Abrosimov, Konstantin; Cherkinsky, Alexander; Goryachkin, Sergey

2018-02-20

Subaerial endolithic systems of the current extreme environments on Earth provide exclusive insight into emergence and development of soils in the Precambrian when due to various stresses on the surfaces of hard rocks the cryptic niches inside them were much more plausible habitats for organisms than epilithic ones. Using an actualistic approach we demonstrate that transformation of silicate rocks by endolithic organisms is one of the possible pathways for the beginning of soils on Earth. This process led to the formation of soil-like bodies on rocks in situ and contributed to the raise of complexity in subaerial geosystems. Endolithic systems of East Antarctica lack the noise from vascular plants and are among the best available natural models to explore organo-mineral interactions of a very old "phylogenetic age" (cyanobacteria-to-mineral, fungi-to-mineral, lichen-to-mineral). On the basis of our case study from East Antarctica we demonstrate that relatively simple endolithic systems of microbial and/or cryptogamic origin that exist and replicate on Earth over geological time scales employ the principles of organic matter stabilization strikingly similar to those known for modern full-scale soils of various climates.

Physical bases of the generation of short-term earthquake precursors: A complex model of ionization-induced geophysical processes in the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulinets, S. A.; Ouzounov, D. P.; Karelin, A. V.; Davidenko, D. V.

2015-07-01

This paper describes the current understanding of the interaction between geospheres from a complex set of physical and chemical processes under the influence of ionization. The sources of ionization involve the Earth's natural radioactivity and its intensification before earthquakes in seismically active regions, anthropogenic radioactivity caused by nuclear weapon testing and accidents in nuclear power plants and radioactive waste storage, the impact of galactic and solar cosmic rays, and active geophysical experiments using artificial ionization equipment. This approach treats the environment as an open complex system with dissipation, where inherent processes can be considered in the framework of the synergistic approach. We demonstrate the synergy between the evolution of thermal and electromagnetic anomalies in the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere. This makes it possible to determine the direction of the interaction process, which is especially important in applications related to short-term earthquake prediction. That is why the emphasis in this study is on the processes proceeding the final stage of earthquake preparation; the effects of other ionization sources are used to demonstrate that the model is versatile and broadly applicable in geophysics.

Photosystems and global effects of oxygenic photosynthesis.

PubMed

Nelson, Nathan

2011-08-01

Because life on earth is governed by the second law of thermodynamics, it is subject to increasing entropy. Oxygenic photosynthesis, the earth's major producer of both oxygen and organic matter, is a principal player in the development and maintenance of life, and thus results in increased order. The primary steps of oxygenic photosynthesis are driven by four multi-subunit membrane protein complexes: photosystem I, photosystem II, cytochrome b(6)f complex, and F-ATPase. Photosystem II generates the most positive redox potential found in nature and thus capable of extracting electrons from water. Photosystem I generates the most negative redox potential found in nature; thus, it largely determines the global amount of enthalpy in living systems. The recent structural determination of PSII and PSI complexes from cyanobacteria and plants sheds light on the evolutionary forces that shaped oxygenic photosynthesis. This newly available structural information complements knowledge gained from genomic and proteomic data, allowing for a more precise description of the scenario in which the evolution of life systems took place. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Regulation of Electron Transport in Chloroplasts. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An improved land biosphere module for use in the DCESS Earth system model (version 1.1) with application to the last glacial termination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichinger, Roland; Shaffer, Gary; Albarrán, Nelson; Rojas, Maisa; Lambert, Fabrice

2017-09-01

Interactions between the land biosphere and the atmosphere play an important role for the Earth's carbon cycle and thus should be considered in studies of global carbon cycling and climate. Simple approaches are a useful first step in this direction but may not be applicable for certain climatic conditions. To improve the ability of the reduced-complexity Danish Center for Earth System Science (DCESS) Earth system model DCESS to address cold climate conditions, we reformulated the model's land biosphere module by extending it to include three dynamically varying vegetation zones as well as a permafrost component. The vegetation zones are formulated by emulating the behaviour of a complex land biosphere model. We show that with the new module, the size and timing of carbon exchanges between atmosphere and land are represented more realistically in cooling and warming experiments. In particular, we use the new module to address carbon cycling and climate change across the last glacial transition. Within the constraints provided by various proxy data records, we tune the DCESS model to a Last Glacial Maximum state and then conduct transient sensitivity experiments across the transition under the application of explicit transition functions for high-latitude ocean exchange, atmospheric dust, and the land ice sheet extent. We compare simulated time evolutions of global mean temperature, pCO2, atmospheric and oceanic carbon isotopes as well as ocean dissolved oxygen concentrations with proxy data records. In this way we estimate the importance of different processes across the transition with emphasis on the role of land biosphere variations and show that carbon outgassing from permafrost and uptake of carbon by the land biosphere broadly compensate for each other during the temperature rise of the early last deglaciation.

Orion EFT-1 Launch from NASA Causeway

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

Orion Launch from UCS-3

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

A Delta IV Heavy rocket soars after liftoff from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

Complex Morphological Variability in Complex Evaporitic Systems: Thermal Spring Snails from the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Carol M.; Roopnarine, Peter D.

2003-11-01

Thermal springs in evaporitic environments provide a unique biological laboratory in which to study natural selection and evolutionary diversification. These isolated systems may be an analogue for conditions in early Earth or Mars history. One modern example of such a system can be found in the Chihuahuan Desert of north-central Mexico. The Cuatro Cienegas basin hosts a series of thermal springs that form a complex of aquatic ecosystems under a range of environmental conditions. Using landmark-based morphometric techniques, we have quantified an unusually high level of morphological variability in the endemic gastropod Mexipyrgus from Cuatro Cienegas. The differentiation is seen both within and between hydrological systems. Our results suggest that this type of environmental system is capable of producing and maintaining a high level of morphological diversity on small spatial scales, and thus should be a target for future astrobiological research.

Lunar Pole Illumination and Communications Maps Computed from GSSR Elevation Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, Scott

2009-01-01

A Digital Elevation Model of the lunar south pole was produced using Goldstone Solar System RADAR (GSSR) data obtained in 2006.12 This model has 40-meter horizontal resolution and about 5-meter relative vertical accuracy. This Digital Elevation Model was used to compute average solar illumination and Earth visibility with 100 kilometers of the lunar south pole. The elevation data were converted into local terrain horizon masks, then converted into lunar-centric latitude and longitude coordinates. The horizon masks were compared to latitude, longitude regions bounding the maximum Sun and Earth motions relative to the moon. Estimates of Earth visibility were computed by integrating the area of the region bounding the Earth's motion that was below the horizon mask. Solar illumination and other metrics were computed similarly. Proposed lunar south pole base sites were examined in detail, with the best site showing yearly solar power availability of 92 percent and Direct-To-Earth (DTE) communication availability of about 50 percent. Similar analysis of the lunar south pole used an older GSSR Digital Elevation Model with 600-meter horizontal resolution. The paper also explores using a heliostat to reduce the photovoltaic power system mass and complexity.

Radiation Belts Throughout the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mauk, B. H.

2008-12-01

The several preceding decades of deep space missions have demonstrated that the generation of planetary radiation belts is a universal phenomenon. All strongly magnetized planets show well developed radiation regions, specifically Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The similarities occur despite the tremendous differences between the planets in size, levels of magnetization, external environments, and most importantly, in the fundamental processes that power them. Some planets like Jupiter are powered overwhelmingly by planetary rotation, much like astrophysical pulsars, whereas others, like Earth and probably Uranus, are powered externally by the interplanetary environment. Uranus is a particularly interesting case in that despite the peculiarities engendered by its ecliptic equatorial spin axis orientation, its magnetosphere shows dynamical behavior similar to that of Earth as well as radiation belt populations and associated wave emissions that are perhaps more intense than expected based on Earth-derived theories. Here I review the similarities and differences between the radiation regions of radiation belts throughout the solar system. I discuss the value of the comparative approach to radiation belt physics as one that allows critical factors to be evaluated in environments that are divorced from the special complex conditions that prevail in any one environment, such as those at Earth.

Lunar Pole Illumination and Communications Statistics Computed from GSSR Elevation Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, Scott

2010-01-01

The Goldstone Solar System RADAR (GSSR) group at JPL produced a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the lunar south pole using data obtained in 2006. This model has 40-meter horizontal resolution and about 5-meter relative vertical accuracy. This paper uses that Digital Elevation Model to compute average solar illumination and Earth visibility near the lunar south pole. This data quantifies solar power and Earth communications resources at proposed lunar base locations. The elevation data were converted into local terrain horizon masks, then converted into selenographic latitude and longitude coordinates. The horizon masks were compared to latitude, longitude regions bounding the maximum Sun and Earth motions relative to the moon. Proposed lunar south pole base sites were examined in detail, with the best site showing multi-year averages of solar power availability of 92% and Direct-To-Earth (DTE) communication availability of about 50%. Results are compared with a theoretical model, and with actual sun and Earth visibility averaged over the years 2009 to 2028. Results for the lunar North pole were computed using the GSSR DEM of the lunar North pole produced in 1997. The paper also explores using a heliostat to reduce the photovoltaic power system mass and complexity.

Strategy for exploration of the outer planets: 1986-1996

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

Over the past decade COMPLEX has published three strategy reports which, taken together, encompass the entire planetary system and recommend a coherent program of planetary exploration. The highest priority for outer planet exploration during the next decade is intensive study of Saturn (the planet, satellites, rings, and magnetosphere) as a system. The Committee additionally recommends that NASA engage in the following supporting activities: increased support of laboratory and theoretical studies; pursuit of earth-based and earth-orbital observations; commitment to continued operation of productive spacecraft; implementation of the instrument development plan as appropriate for the outer solar system; studies of deep atmospheric probes; development of penetrators or other hard landers; development of radiation-hardened spacecraft; and development of low-thrust propulsion systems. Longer-term objectives include exploration and intensive study of: the Uranus and Neptune systems; planetology of the Galilean satellites and Titan; and the inner Jovian system.

Small space station electrical power system design concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, G. M.; Mercer, L. N.

1976-01-01

A small manned facility, i.e., a small space station, placed in earth orbit by the Shuttle transportation system would be a viable, cost effective addition to the basic Shuttle system to provide many opportunities for R&D programs, particularly in the area of earth applications. The small space station would have many similarities with Skylab. This paper presents design concepts for an electrical power system (EPS) for the small space station based on Skylab experience, in-house work at Marshall Space Flight Center, SEPS (Solar Electric Propulsion Stage) solar array development studies, and other studies sponsored by MSFC. The proposed EPS would be a solar array/secondary battery system. Design concepts expressed are based on maximizing system efficiency and five year operational reliability. Cost, weight, volume, and complexity considerations are inherent in the concepts presented. A small space station EPS based on these concepts would be highly efficient, reliable, and relatively inexpensive.

Propellant management for low thrust chemical propulsion systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamlyn, K. M.; Dergance, R. H.; Aydelott, J. C.

1981-01-01

Low-thrust chemical propulsion systems (LTPS) will be required for orbital transfer of large space systems (LSS). The work reported in this paper was conducted to determine the propellant requirements, preferred propellant management technique, and propulsion system sizes for the LTPS. Propellants were liquid oxygen (LO2) combined with liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid methane or kerosene. Thrust levels of 100, 500, and 1000 lbf were combined with 1, 4, and 8 perigee burns for transfer from low earth orbit to geosynchronous earth orbit. This matrix of systems was evaluated with a multilayer insulation (MLI) or a spray-on-foam insulation. Vehicle sizing results indicate that a toroidal tank configuration is needed for the LO2/LH2 system. Multiple perigee burns and MLI allow far superior LSS payload capability. Propellant settling, combined with a single screen device, was found to be the lightest and least complex propellant management technique.

Interesting Scientific Questions Regarding Interactions in the Gas-aerosol-cloud System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tabazadeh, Azadeh

2002-01-01

The growth of human population and their use of land, food and energy resources affect the Earth's atmosphere, biosphere and oceans in a complex manner. Many important questions in earth sciences today deal with issues regarding the impact of human activities on our immediate and future environment, ranging in scope from local (i.e. air pollution) to global (i.e. global warming) scale problems. Because the mass of the Earth's atmosphere is negligible compare to that found in the oceans and the biosphere, the atmosphere can respond quickly to natural and/or manmade perturbations. For example, seasonal 'ozone hole' formation in the Antarctic is a result of manmade CFC emissions in just the last 40 years. Also, the observed rise in global temperatures (known as global warming) is linked to a rapid increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas concentrations (emitted primarily by combustion processes) over the last century. The Earth's atmosphere is composed of a mixture of gases, aerosol and cloud particles. Natural and anthropogenic emissions of gases and aerosols affect the composition of the Earth's atmosphere. Changes in the chemical and physical makeup of the atmosphere can influence how the Earth will interact with the incoming solar radiation and the outgoing infrared radiation and vise versa. While, some perturbations are short-lived, others are long-lived and can affect the Earth's global climate and chemistry in many decades to come, In order to be able to separate the natural effects from anthropogenic ones, it is essential that we understand the basic physics and chemistry of interactions in the gas-aerosol-cloud system in the Earth's atmosphere. The important physics and chemistry that takes place in the coupled gas-aerosol-cloud system as it relates to aircraft observations are discussed.

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document. Volume 3; Cloud Analyses and Determination of Improved Top of Atmosphere Fluxes (Subsystem 4)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The theoretical bases for the Release 1 algorithms that will be used to process satellite data for investigation of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) are described. The architecture for software implementation of the methodologies is outlined. Volume 3 details the advanced CERES methods for performing scene identification and inverting each CERES scanner radiance to a top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) flux. CERES determines cloud fraction, height, phase, effective particle size, layering, and thickness from high-resolution, multispectral imager data. CERES derives cloud properties for each pixel of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) visible and infrared scanner and the Earth Observing System (EOS) moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer. Cloud properties for each imager pixel are convolved with the CERES footprint point spread function to produce average cloud properties for each CERES scanner radiance. The mean cloud properties are used to determine an angular distribution model (ADM) to convert each CERES radiance to a TOA flux. The TOA fluxes are used in simple parameterization to derive surface radiative fluxes. This state-of-the-art cloud-radiation product will be used to substantially improve our understanding of the complex relationship between clouds and the radiation budget of the Earth-atmosphere system.

Jupyter meets Earth: Creating Comprehensible and Reproducible Scientific Workflows with Jupyter Notebooks and Google Earth Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, T.

2016-12-01

Deriving actionable information from Earth observation data obtained from sensors or models can be quite complicated, and sharing those insights with others in a form that they can understand, reproduce, and improve upon is equally difficult. Journal articles, even if digital, commonly present just a summary of an analysis that cannot be understood in depth or reproduced without major effort on the part of the reader. Here we show a method of improving scientific literacy by pairing a recently developed scientific presentation technology (Jupyter Notebooks) with a petabyte-scale platform for accessing and analyzing Earth observation and model data (Google Earth Engine). Jupyter Notebooks are interactive web documents that mix live code with annotations such as rich-text markup, equations, images, videos, hyperlinks and dynamic output. Notebooks were first introduced as part of the IPython project in 2011, and have since gained wide acceptance in the scientific programming community, initially among Python programmers but later by a wide range of scientific programming languages. While Jupyter Notebooks have been widely adopted for general data analysis, data visualization, and machine learning, to date there have been relatively few examples of using Jupyter Notebooks to analyze geospatial datasets. Google Earth Engine is cloud-based platform for analyzing geospatial data, such as satellite remote sensing imagery and/or Earth system model output. Through its Python API, Earth Engine makes petabytes of Earth observation data accessible, and provides hundreds of algorithmic building blocks that can be chained together to produce high-level algorithms and outputs in real-time. We anticipate that this technology pairing will facilitate a better way of creating, documenting, and sharing complex analyses that derive information on our Earth that can be used to promote broader understanding of the complex issues that it faces. http://jupyter.orghttps://earthengine.google.com

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-01-01

In this photograph, engineers and technicians prepare the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's) Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WF/PC) for installation at the Lockheed Missile and Space Company. The WF/PC is designed to investigate the age of the universe and to search for new planetary systems around young stars. It takes pictures of large numbers of galaxies and close-ups of planets in our solar system. The HST is the first of NASA's great observatories and the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made. The purpose of the HST is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit by placing the telescope in space, enabling astronomers to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had overall responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Sunnyvale, California, produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

AEOSS runtime manual for system analysis on Advanced Earth-Orbital Spacecraft Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Hwa-Ping

1990-01-01

Advanced earth orbital spacecraft system (AEOSS) enables users to project the required power, weight, and cost for a generic earth-orbital spacecraft system. These variables are calculated on the component and subsystem levels, and then the system level. The included six subsystems are electric power, thermal control, structure, auxiliary propulsion, attitude control, and communication, command, and data handling. The costs are computed using statistically determined models that were derived from the flown spacecraft in the past and were categorized into classes according to their functions and structural complexity. Selected design and performance analyses for essential components and subsystems are also provided. AEOSS has the feature permitting a user to enter known values of these parameters, totally and partially, at all levels. All information is of vital importance to project managers of subsystems or a spacecraft system. AEOSS is a specially tailored software coded from the relational database program of the Acius' 4th Dimension with a Macintosh version. Because of the licensing agreements, two versions of the AEOSS documents were prepared. This version, AEOSS Runtime Manual, is permitted to be distributed with a finite number of the restrictive 4D Runtime version. It can perform all contained applications without any programming alterations.

Teaching Mathematical Modelling for Earth Sciences via Case Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xin-She

2010-05-01

Mathematical modelling is becoming crucially important for earth sciences because the modelling of complex systems such as geological, geophysical and environmental processes requires mathematical analysis, numerical methods and computer programming. However, a substantial fraction of earth science undergraduates and graduates may not have sufficient skills in mathematical modelling, which is due to either limited mathematical training or lack of appropriate mathematical textbooks for self-study. In this paper, we described a detailed case-study-based approach for teaching mathematical modelling. We illustrate how essential mathematical skills can be developed for students with limited training in secondary mathematics so that they are confident in dealing with real-world mathematical modelling at university level. We have chosen various topics such as Airy isostasy, greenhouse effect, sedimentation and Stokes' flow,free-air and Bouguer gravity, Brownian motion, rain-drop dynamics, impact cratering, heat conduction and cooling of the lithosphere as case studies; and we use these step-by-step case studies to teach exponentials, logarithms, spherical geometry, basic calculus, complex numbers, Fourier transforms, ordinary differential equations, vectors and matrix algebra, partial differential equations, geostatistics and basic numeric methods. Implications for teaching university mathematics for earth scientists for tomorrow's classroom will also be discussed. Refereces 1) D. L. Turcotte and G. Schubert, Geodynamics, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, (2002). 2) X. S. Yang, Introductory Mathematics for Earth Scientists, Dunedin Academic Press, (2009).

LUVOIR and HabEx mission concepts enabled by NASA's Space Launch System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip; MSFC Advanced Concept Office

2016-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has developed candidate concepts for the 'decadal' LUVOIR and HabEx missions. ATLAST-12 is a 12.7 meter diameter on-axis telescope designed to meet the science objectives of the AURA Cosmic Earth to Living Earth report. HabEx-4 is a 4.0 meter diameter off-axis telescope designed to both search for habitable planets and perform general astrophysics observations. These mission concepts take advantage of the payload mass and volume capacity enabled by NASA Space Launch System to make the design architectures as simple as possible. Simplicity is important because complexity is a significant contributor to mission risk and cost. This poster summarizes the two mission concepts.

The NASA Earth Science Flight Program: an update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neeck, Steven P.

2015-10-01

Earth's changing environment impacts every aspect of life on our planet and climate change has profound implications on society. Studying Earth as a single complex system is essential to understanding the causes and consequences of climate change and other global environmental concerns. NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) shapes an interdisciplinary view of Earth, exploring interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, land surface interior, and life itself. This enables scientists to measure global and climate changes and to inform decisions by government, other organizations, and people in the United States and around the world. The data collected and results generated are accessible to other agencies and organizations to improve the products and services they provide, including air quality indices, disaster prediction and response, agricultural yield projections, and aviation safety. ESD's Flight Program provides the space based observing systems and infrastructure for mission operations and scientific data processing and distribution that support NASA's Earth science research and modeling activities. The Flight Program currently has 21 operating Earth observing space missions, including the recently launched Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, and the International Space Station (ISS) RapidSCAT and Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instruments. The ESD has 22 more missions and instruments planned for launch over the next decade. These include first and second tier missions from the 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey, Climate Continuity missions and selected instruments to assure availability of key climate data sets, operational missions to ensure sustained land imaging provided by the Landsat system, and small-sized competitively selected orbital missions and instrument missions of opportunity belonging to the Earth Venture (EV) Program. Some examples are the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT), ICESat-2, SAGE III on ISS, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow On (GRACE FO), Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO), Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS), and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Lidar missions. An overview of plans and current status will be presented.

The NASA Earth Science Program and Small Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neeck, Steven P.

2015-01-01

Earth's changing environment impacts every aspect of life on our planet and climate change has profound implications on society. Studying Earth as a single complex system is essential to understanding the causes and consequences of climate change and other global environmental concerns. NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) shapes an interdisciplinary view of Earth, exploring interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, ice sheets, land surface interior, and life itself. This enables scientists to measure global and climate changes and to inform decisions by Government, other organizations, and people in the United States and around the world. The data collected and results generated are accessible to other agencies and organizations to improve the products and services they provide, including air quality indices, disaster prediction and response, agricultural yield projections, and aviation safety. ESD's Flight Program provides the spacebased observing systems and supporting infrastructure for mission operations and scientific data processing and distribution that support NASA's Earth science research and modeling activities. The Flight Program currently has 21 operating Earth observing space missions, including the recently launched Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, and the International Space Station (ISS) RapidSCAT and Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instruments. The ESD has 22 more missions and instruments planned for launch over the next decade. These include first and second tier missions from the 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey, Climate Continuity missions to assure availability of key climate data sets, and small-sized competitively selected orbital missions and instrument missions of opportunity belonging to the Earth Venture (EV) Program. Small satellites (500 kg or less) are critical contributors to these current and future satellite missions. Some examples are the aforementioned Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow On (GRACE FO), and the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) microsatellite constellation. Small satellites also support ESD in space validation and risk reduction of enabling technologies (components and systems). The status of the ESD Flight Program and the role of small satellites will be discussed.

Use of low orbital satellite communications systems for humanitarian programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vlasov, Vladimir N.; Gorkovoy, Vladimir

1991-01-01

Communication and information exchange play a decisive role in progress and social development. However, in many parts of the world the communication infrastructure is inadequate and the capacity for on-line exchange of information may not exist. This is true of underdeveloped countries, remote and relatively inaccessible regions, sites of natural disasters, and of all cases where the resources needed to create complex communication systems are limited. The creation of an inexpensive space communications system to service such areas is therefore a high priority task. In addition to a relatively low-cost space segment, an inexpensive space communications systems requires a large number of ground terminals, which must be relatively inexpensive, energy efficient (using power generated by storage batteries, or solar arrays, etc.), small in size, and must not require highly expert maintenance. The ground terminals must be portable, and readily deployable. Communications satellites in geostationary orbit at altitudes of about 36,000 km are very expensive and require complex and expensive ground stations and launch vehicles. Given current technology, it is categorically impossible to develop inexpensive satellite systems with portable ground terminals using such satellites. To solve the problem of developing an inexpensive satellite communications system that can operate with relatively small ground stations, including portable terminals, we propose to use a system with satellites in low Earth orbit, at an altitude of 900-1500 km. Because low orbital satellites are much closer to the Earth than geostationary ones and require vastly less energy expenditure by the satellite and ground terminals for transmission of messages, a system using them is relatively inexpensive. Such a system could use portable ground terminals no more complex than ordinary mobile police radios.

Reversing Conventional Reactivity of Mixed Oxo/Alkyl Rare-Earth Complexes: Non-Redox Oxygen Atom Transfer.

PubMed

Hong, Jianquan; Tian, Haiwen; Zhang, Lixin; Zhou, Xigeng; Del Rosal, Iker; Weng, Linhong; Maron, Laurent

2018-01-22

The preferential substitution of oxo ligands over alkyl ones of rare-earth complexes is commonly considered as "impossible" due to the high oxophilicity of metal centers. Now, it has been shown that simply assembling mixed methyl/oxo rare-earth complexes to a rigid trinuclear cluster framework cannot only enhance the activity of the Ln-oxo bond, but also protect the highly reactive Ln-alkyl bond, thus providing a previously unrecognized opportunity to selectively manipulate the oxo ligand in the presence of numerous reactive functionalities. Such trimetallic cluster has proved to be a suitable platform for developing the unprecedented non-redox rare-earth-mediated oxygen atom transfer from ketones to CS 2 and PhNCS. Controlled experiments and computational studies shed light on the driving force for these reactions, emphasizing the importance of the sterical accessibility and multimetallic effect of the cluster framework in promoting reversal of reactivity of rare-earth oxo complexes. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

After leaving the Vertical Integration Facility, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

SpaceX CRS-11 "What's on Board?" Science Briefing

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-31

Paul Galloway, program manager for an Earth imaging platform called the Multiple User System for Earth Sensing, or MUSES, speaks to members of social media in the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on experiments and instruments to be delivered to the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-11. A Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A on June 1 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the company's 11th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

Multispectral scanner data applications evaluation. Volume 2: Sensor system study. [thematic mapper for earth resources application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

The optimization of a thematic mapper for earth resources application is discussed in terms of cost versus performance. Performance tradeoffs and the cost impact are analyzed. The instrument design and radiometric performance are also described. The feasibility of a radiative cooler design for a scanning spectral radiometer is evaluated along with the charge coupled multiplex operation. Criteria for balancing the cost and complexity of data acquisition instruments against the requirements of the user, and a pushbroom scanner version of the thematic mapper are presented.

Pedotransfer Functions in Earth System Science: Challenges and Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Looy, Kris; Bouma, Johan; Herbst, Michael; Koestel, John; Minasny, Budiman; Mishra, Umakant; Montzka, Carsten; Nemes, Attila; Pachepsky, Yakov A.; Padarian, José; Schaap, Marcel G.; Tóth, Brigitta; Verhoef, Anne; Vanderborght, Jan; van der Ploeg, Martine J.; Weihermüller, Lutz; Zacharias, Steffen; Zhang, Yonggen; Vereecken, Harry

2017-12-01

Soil, through its various functions, plays a vital role in the Earth's ecosystems and provides multiple ecosystem services to humanity. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are simple to complex knowledge rules that relate available soil information to soil properties and variables that are needed to parameterize soil processes. In this paper, we review the existing PTFs and document the new generation of PTFs developed in the different disciplines of Earth system science. To meet the methodological challenges for a successful application in Earth system modeling, we emphasize that PTF development has to go hand in hand with suitable extrapolation and upscaling techniques such that the PTFs correctly represent the spatial heterogeneity of soils. PTFs should encompass the variability of the estimated soil property or process, in such a way that the estimation of parameters allows for validation and can also confidently provide for extrapolation and upscaling purposes capturing the spatial variation in soils. Most actively pursued recent developments are related to parameterizations of solute transport, heat exchange, soil respiration, and organic carbon content, root density, and vegetation water uptake. Further challenges are to be addressed in parameterization of soil erosivity and land use change impacts at multiple scales. We argue that a comprehensive set of PTFs can be applied throughout a wide range of disciplines of Earth system science, with emphasis on land surface models. Novel sensing techniques provide a true breakthrough for this, yet further improvements are necessary for methods to deal with uncertainty and to validate applications at global scale.

Rare earth element scavenging in seawater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, Robert H.; Kim, Ki-Hyun

1990-10-01

Examinations of rare earth element (REE) adsorption in seawater, using a variety of surface-types, indicated that, for most surfaces, light rare earth elements (LREEs) are preferentially adsorbed compared to the heavy rare earths (HREEs). Exceptions to this behavior were observed only for silica phases (glass surfaces, acid-cleaned diatomaceous earth, and synthetic SiO 2). The affinity of the rare earths for surfaces can be strongly affected by thin organic coatings. Glass surfaces which acquired an organic coating through immersion in Tampa Bay exhibited adsorptive behavior typical of organic-rich, rather than glass, surfaces. Models of rare earth distributions between seawater and carboxylate-rich surfaces indicate that scavenging processes which involve such surfaces should exhibit a strong dependence on pH and carbonate complexation. Scavenging models involving carboxylate surfaces produce relative REE abundance patterns in good general agreement with observed shale-normalized REE abundances in seawater. Scavenging by carboxylate-rich surfaces should produce HREE enrichments in seawater relative to the LREEs and may produce enrichments of lanthanum relative to its immediate trivalent neighbors. Due to the origin of distribution coefficients as a difference between REE solution complexation (which increases strongly with atomic number) and surface complexation (which apparently also increases with atomic number) the relative solution abundance patterns of the REEs produced by scavenging reactions can be quite complex.

An Earth system view on boundaries for human perturbation of the N and P cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornell, Sarah; de Vries, Wim

2015-04-01

The appropriation and transformation of land, water, and living resources can alter Earth system functioning, and potentially undermine the basis for the sustainability of our societies. Human activities have greatly increased the flows of reactive forms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the Earth system. These non-substitutable nutrient elements play a fundamental role in the human food system. Furthermore, the current mode of social and economic globalization, and its effect on the present-day energy system, also has large effects including large NOx-N emissions through combustion. Until now, this perturbation of N and P cycles has been treated largely as a local/regional issue, and managed in terms of direct impacts (water, land or air pollution). However, anthropogenic N and P cycle changes affect physical Earth system feedbacks (through greenhouse gas and aerosol changes) and biogeochemical feedbacks (via ecosystem changes, links to the carbon cycle, and altered nutrient limitation) with impacts that can be far removed from the direct sources. While some form of N and P management at the global level seems likely to be needed for continued societal development, the current local-level and sectorial management is often problematically simplistic, as seen in the tensions between divergent N management needs for climate change mitigation, air pollution control, food production, and ecosystem conservation. We require a step change in understanding complex biogeochemical, physical and socio-economic interactions in order to analyse these effects together, and inform policy trade-offs to minimize emergent systemic risks. Planetary boundaries for N and P cycle perturbation have recently been proposed. We discuss the current status of these precautionary boundaries and how we may improve on these preliminary assessments. We present an overview of the human perturbation of the global biogeochemical cycles of N and P and its interaction with the functioning of the Earth system. There are various N and P impacts, which vary in space and time and are associated with multiple human drivers. There are multiple possible constraints that need to be considered; for P there is an issue with absolute availability, but not for N. The societal benefits (e.g. food production) and environmental impacts (e.g. eutrophication) are linked through stoichiometry, which differs in terrestrial and aquatic systems, presenting challenges for any global optimization approach. By setting out these features, we can better assess how to apply and improve our current analytic frameworks, models, and data for safer navigation of the biogeochemical complexities of global sustainability.

Safety Practices Followed in ISRO Launch Complex- An Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnamurty, V.; Srivastava, V. K.; Ramesh, M.

2005-12-01

The spaceport of India, Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is located at Sriharikota, a spindle shaped island on the east coast of southern India.SDSC SHAR has a unique combination of facilities, such as a solid propellant production plant, a rocket motor static test facility, launch complexes for different types of rockets, telemetry, telecommand, tracking, data acquisition and processing facilities and other support services.The Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant (SPROB) located at SDSC SHAR produces composite solid propellant for rocket motors of ISRO. The main ingredients of the propellant produced here are ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer), fine aluminium powder (fuel) and hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (binder).SDSC SHAR has facilities for testing solid rocket motors, both at ambient conditions and at simulated high altitude conditions. Other test facilities for the environmental testing of rocket motors and their subsystems include Vibration, Shock, Constant Acceleration and Thermal / Humidity.SDSC SHAR has the necessary infrastructure for launching satellites into low earth orbit, polar orbit and geo-stationary transfer orbit. The launch complexes provide complete support for vehicle assembly, fuelling with both earth storable and cryogenic propellants, checkout and launch operations. Apart from these, it has facilities for launching sounding rockets for studying the Earth's upper atmosphere and for controlled reentry and recovery of ISRO's space capsule reentry missions.Safety plays a major role at SDSC SHAR right from the mission / facility design phase to post launch operations. This paper presents briefly the infrastructure available at SDSC SHAR of ISRO for launching sounding rockets, satellite launch vehicles, controlled reentry missions and the built in safety systems. The range safety methodology followed as a part of the real time mission monitoring is presented. The built in safety systems provided onboard the launch vehicle are automatic shut off the propulsion system based on real time mission performance and a passivation system incorporated in the orbit insertion stage are highlighted.

Geoinformatics 2007: data to knowledge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brady, Shailaja R.; Sinha, A. Krishna; Gundersen, Linda C.

2007-01-01

Geoinformatics is the term used to describe a variety of efforts to promote collaboration between the computer sciences and the geosciences to solve complex scientific questions. It refers to the distributed, integrated digital information system and working environment that provides innovative means for the study of the Earth systems, as well as other planets, through use of advanced information technologies. Geoinformatics activities range from major research and development efforts creating new technologies to provide high-quality, sustained production-level services for data discovery, integration and analysis, to small, discipline-specific efforts that develop earth science data collections and data analysis tools serving the needs of individual communities. The ultimate vision of Geoinformatics is a highly interconnected data system populated with high quality, freely available data, as well as, a robust set of software for analysis, visualization, and modeling.

The Power of the Crowd: An Up Close and Personal Perspective on Planet Earth.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdalati, W.

2015-12-01

The space-based view of Earth has changed the way we look at our home planet, providing a perspective on the Earth as a system that can only be realized when viewed from a distance. Throughout my career as a researcher, including 2 years as NASA Chief Scientist, this "power of perspective" has been a tool through which I have engaged both colleagues and the public. These capabilities have transformed our understanding of climate and weather phenomena, ecosystem dynamics, changes in the cryosphere, and much more, through their macro-scale look at the various, highly complex components of the Earth system. But within these domains, there is a tremendous amount of small-scale variability that, if appropriately observed, can reveal new information about how elements within the Earth system work in ways that can directly impact people's lives. Consequently, there is a different power in this additional local perspective: it is one fueled by up-close and personal data collection. Through their engagement and commitment, citizen scientists are providing valuable data as well as personalized experience in the collection of those data. This presentation will include video clips that show a diverse set of citizen science projects in North America and worldwide, illustrating this scientifically useful combination of local and global. Such projects engage citizens and scientists alike in efforts to understand the world in which we live.

Understanding climate: A strategy for climate modeling and predictability research, 1985-1995

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thiele, O. (Editor); Schiffer, R. A. (Editor)

1985-01-01

The emphasis of the NASA strategy for climate modeling and predictability research is on the utilization of space technology to understand the processes which control the Earth's climate system and it's sensitivity to natural and man-induced changes and to assess the possibilities for climate prediction on time scales of from about two weeks to several decades. Because the climate is a complex multi-phenomena system, which interacts on a wide range of space and time scales, the diversity of scientific problems addressed requires a hierarchy of models along with the application of modern empirical and statistical techniques which exploit the extensive current and potential future global data sets afforded by space observations. Observing system simulation experiments, exploiting these models and data, will also provide the foundation for the future climate space observing system, e.g., Earth observing system (EOS), 1985; Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) North, et al. NASA, 1984.

Mineralogy and crystallization history of a highly differentiated REE-enriched hypabyssal rhyolite: Round Top laccolith, Trans-Pecos, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, L. Christine; Elliott, Brent A.; Kyle, J. Richard

2017-09-01

The Round Top hypabyssal rhyolite laccolith is a highly evolved magmatic system, enriched in incompatible elements including REE [Rare Earth Element(s)], U, Be, and F. The Round Top intrusion is part of a series of Paleogene intrusions emplaced as the Sierra Blanca Complex. These intrusions are situated within long-lived, complex tectonic regimes that have been subjected to regional compression and subduction, punctuated by extensional bimodal volcanism. The enrichment in the rhyolite that comprises Round Top is the result of the prolonged removal of compatible elements from the source magma chamber through the emplacement of earlier magmatic events. With the emplacement of each sequential laccolith, the F-rich source magma became more enriched in incompatible elements, with increasing HREE [Heavy Rare Earth Elements(s)] concentrations. The emplacement of Round Top as a laccolith (versus that of an extrusive rhyolitic flow) facilitated the retention of the volatile-rich vapor phase within the magma, forming ubiquitous REE-bearing minerals, mainly yttrofluorite and yttrocerite. The high temperature mineral-vapor phase alteration of the feldspar groundmass was essential to the formation of REE minerals, where the pervasive open pore space was occupied by the late-crystallizing minerals. These late-forming REE-bearing minerals also occur as crystals associated with other accessory and trace phases, as inclusions within other phases, along grain boundaries, and along fractures and within voids. The rhyolite at Round Top and other laccolith intrusions in the Sierra Blanca Complex represent a new sub-type of magmatic rare earth element hosting system.

KSC-2014-4729

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket soars after liftoff from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. Photo credit: NASA/George Roberts

Enabling the Usability of Earth Science Data Products and Services by Evaluating, Describing, and Improving Data Quality throughout the Data Lifecycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downs, R. R.; Peng, G.; Wei, Y.; Ramapriyan, H.; Moroni, D. F.

2015-12-01

Earth science data products and services are being used by representatives of various science and social science disciplines, by planning and decision-making professionals, by educators and learners ranging from primary through graduate and informal education, and by the general public. The diversity of users and uses of Earth science data is gratifying and offers new challenges for enabling the usability of these data by audiences with various purposes and levels of expertise. Users and other stakeholders need capabilities to efficiently find, explore, select, and determine the applicability and suitability of data products and services to meet their objectives and information needs. Similarly, they need to be able to understand the limitations of Earth science data, which can be complex, especially when considering combined or simultaneous use of multiple data products and services. Quality control efforts of stakeholders, throughout the data lifecycle, can contribute to the usability of Earth science data to meet the needs of diverse users. Such stakeholders include study design teams, data producers, data managers and curators, archives, systems professionals, data distributors, end-users, intermediaries, sponsoring organizations, hosting institutions, and others. Opportunities for engaging stakeholders to review, describe, and improve the quality of Earth science data products and services throughout the data lifecycle are identified and discussed. Insight is shared from the development of guidelines for implementing the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Data Management Principles, the recommendations from the Earth Science Data System Working Group (ESDSWG) on Data Quality, and the efforts of the Information Quality Cluster of the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP). Examples and outcomes from quality control efforts of data facilities, such as scientific data centers, that contribute to the usability of Earth science data also are offered.

Critical issues in NASA information systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has developed a globally-distributed complex of earth resources data bases since LANDSAT 1 was launched in 1972. NASA envisages considerable growth in the number, extent, and complexity of such data bases, due to the improvements expected in its remote sensing data rates, and the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of its scientific investigations. Work already has begun on information systems to support multidisciplinary research activities based on data acquired by the space station complex and other space-based and terrestrial sources. In response to a request from NASA's former Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, the National Research Council convened a committee in June 1985 to identify the critical issues involving information systems support to space science and applications. The committee has suggested that OSSA address four major information systems issues; centralization of management functions, interoperability of user involvement in the planning and implementation of its programs, and technology.

Using trading zones and life cycle analysis to understand nanotechnology regulation.

PubMed

Wardak, Ahson; Gorman, Michael E

2006-01-01

This article reviews the public health and environmental regulations applicable to nanotechnology using a life cycle model from basic research through end-of-life for products. Given nanotechnology's immense promise and public investment, regulations are important, balancing risk with the public good. Trading zones and earth systems engineering management assist in explaining potential solutions to gaps in an otherwise complex, overlapping regulatory system.

Exposing the Strategies that can Reduce the Obstacles: Improving the Science User Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsay, F. E.; Brennan, J.; Behnke, J.; Lynnes, C.

2017-12-01

It is now well established that pursuing generic solutions to what seem are common problems in Earth science data access and use can often lead to disappointing results for both system developers and the intended users. This presentation focuses on real-world experience of managing a large and complex data system, NASA's Earth Science Data and Information Science System (EOSDIS), whose mission is to serve both broad user communities and those in smaller niche applications of Earth science data and services. In the talk, we focus on our experiences with known data user obstacles characterizing EOSDIS approaches, including various technological techniques, for engaging and bolstering, where possible, user experiences with EOSDIS. For improving how existing and prospective users discover and access NASA data from EOSDIS we introduce our cross-archive tool: Earthdata Search. This new search and order tool further empowers users to quickly access data sets using clever and intuitive features. The Worldview data visualization tool is also discussed highlighting how many users are now performing extensive data exploration without necessarily downloading data. Also, we explore our EOSDIS data discovery and access webinars, data recipes and short tutorials, targeted technical and data publications, user profiles and and social media as additional tools and methods used for improving our outreach and communications to a diverse user community. These efforts have paid substantial dividends for our user communities by allowing us to target discipline specific community needs. The desired take-away from this presentation will be an improved understanding of how EOSDIS has approached, and in several instances achieved, removing or lowering the barriers to data access and use. As we look ahead to more complex Earth science missions, EOSDIS will continue to focus on our user communities, both broad and specialized, so that our overall data system can continue to serve the needs of science and applications users.

Exposing the Strategies that Can Reduce the Obstacles: Improving the Science User Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsay, Francis E.; Brennan, Jennifer; Behnke, Jeanne; Lynnes, Chris

2017-01-01

It is now well established that pursuing generic solutions to what seem are common problems in Earth science data access and use can often lead to disappointing results for both system developers and the intended users. This presentation focuses on real-world experience of managing a large and complex data system, NASAs Earth Science Data and Information Science System (EOSDIS), whose mission is to serve both broad user communities and those in smaller niche applications of Earth science data and services. In the talk, we focus on our experiences with known data user obstacles characterizing EOSDIS approaches, including various technological techniques, for engaging and bolstering, where possible, user experiences with EOSDIS. For improving how existing and prospective users discover and access NASA data from EOSDIS we introduce our cross-archive tool: Earthdata Search. This new search and order tool further empowers users to quickly access data sets using clever and intuitive features. The Worldview data visualization tool is also discussed highlighting how many users are now performing extensive data exploration without necessarily downloading data. Also, we explore our EOSDIS data discovery and access webinars, data recipes and short tutorials, targeted technical and data publications, user profiles and social media as additional tools and methods used for improving our outreach and communications to a diverse user community. These efforts have paid substantial dividends for our user communities by allowing us to target discipline specific community needs. The desired take-away from this presentation will be an improved understanding of how EOSDIS has approached, and in several instances achieved, removing or lowering the barriers to data access and use. As we look ahead to more complex Earth science missions, EOSDIS will continue to focus on our user communities, both broad and specialized, so that our overall data system can continue to serve the needs of science and applications users.

Challenges of the NGSS for Future Geoscience Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wysession, M. E.; Colson, M.; Duschl, R. A.; Lopez, R. E.; Messina, P.; Speranza, P.

2013-12-01

The new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which spell out a set of K-12 performance expectations for life science, physical science, and Earth and space science (ESS), pose a variety of opportunities and challenges for geoscience education. Among the changes recommended by the NGSS include establishing ESS on an equal footing with both life science and physical sciences, at the full K-12 level. This represents a departure from the traditional high school curriculum in most states. In addition, ESS is presented as a complex, integrated, interdisciplinary, quantitative Earth Systems-oriented set of sciences that includes complex and politically controversial topics such as climate change and human impacts. The geoscience communities will need to mobilize in order to assist and aid in the full implementation of ESS aspects of the NGSS in as many states as possible. In this context, the NGSS highlight Earth and space science to an unprecedented degree. If the NGSS are implemented in an optimal manner, a year of ESS will be taught in both middle and high school. In addition, because of the complexity and interconnectedness of the ESS content (with material such as climate change and human sustainability), it is recommended (Appendix K of the NGSS release) that much of it be taught following physics, chemistry, and biology. However, there are considerable challenges to a full adoption of the NGSS. A sufficient work force of high school geoscientists qualified in modern Earth Systems Science does not exist and will need to be trained. Many colleges do not credit high school geoscience as a lab science with respect to college admission. The NGSS demand curricular practices that include analyzing and interpreting real geoscience data, and these curricular modules do not yet exist. However, a concerted effort on the part of geoscience research and education organizations can help resolve these challenges.

Digital Maps, Matrices and Computer Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, D. G.

2005-01-01

The way in which computer algebra systems, such as Maple, have made the study of complex problems accessible to undergraduate mathematicians with modest computational skills is illustrated by some large matrix calculations, which arise from representing the Earth's surface by digital elevation models. Such problems are often considered to lie in…

Integrating Research of the Sun-Earth System

DOE PAGES

Jordanova, Vania K.; Borovsky, Joseph E.; Jordanov, Valentin T.

2017-05-02

Understanding the complex interactions between the magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth remains an important challenge to space physics research. Processes that occur near the Sun at tens of thousands of kilometers from the Earth can generate geomagnetic storms that affect the entire magnetosphere, down to the upper atmosphere. These storms also threaten the ever more sophisticated technologies that we place into the space environment to sustain us, for example, GPS, the satellites we rely on to monitor our weather, and relays that guide our radio transmissions. Increasingly, we need to develop space weather models that can provide timelymore » and accurate predictions so that we can safeguard our society and the infrastructure we depend on.« less

Integrating Research of the Sun-Earth System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jordanova, Vania K.; Borovsky, Joseph E.; Jordanov, Valentin T.

Understanding the complex interactions between the magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth remains an important challenge to space physics research. Processes that occur near the Sun at tens of thousands of kilometers from the Earth can generate geomagnetic storms that affect the entire magnetosphere, down to the upper atmosphere. These storms also threaten the ever more sophisticated technologies that we place into the space environment to sustain us, for example, GPS, the satellites we rely on to monitor our weather, and relays that guide our radio transmissions. Increasingly, we need to develop space weather models that can provide timelymore » and accurate predictions so that we can safeguard our society and the infrastructure we depend on.« less

Analytical and numerical algorthms for revelation and investigation of secular resonances in the motion of near earth space objects. (Russian Title: Численно-аналитическая методика выявления и исследования вековых резонансов в движении околоземных объектов)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordovitsyna, T. V.; Tomilova, I. V.; Chuvashov, I. N.

2011-07-01

In this paper complex of analytical and numerical algorithms for revelation and investigation of secular resonances in the motion of near Earth space objects are presented. Analytical numerical algorithm for revelation secular resonances and numerical ones for study of object's long-time orbital evolution are applied. Small denominators are used as indicators of the secular resonances presence. The program complex "The numerical model of the motion of the Earth artificial satellite systems" are used for investigation of the orbital evolution.

Simulation research: A vital step for human missions to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perino, Maria Antonietta; Apel, Uwe; Bichi, Alessandro

The complex nature of the challenge as humans embark on exploration missions beyond Earth orbit will require that, in the early stages, simulation facilities be established at least on Earth. Suitable facilities in Low Earth Orbit and on the Moon surface would provide complementary information of critical importance for the overall design of a human mission to Mars. A full range of simulation campaigns is required, in fact, to reach a better understanding of the complexities involved in exploration missions that will bring humans back to the Moon and then outward to Mars. The corresponding simulation means may range from small scale environmental simulation chambers and/or computer models that will aid in the development of new materials, to full scale mock-ups of spacecraft and planetary habitats and/or orbiting infrastructues. This paper describes how a suitable simulation campaign will contribute to the definition of the required countermeasures with respect to the expected duration of the flight. This will allow to be traded contermeasure payload and astronaut time against effort in technological development of propulsion systems.

The Worldviews Network: Transformative Global Change Education in Immersive Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, H.; Yu, K. C.; Gardiner, N.; McConville, D.; Connolly, R.; "Irving, Lindsay", L. S.

2011-12-01

Our modern age is defined by an astounding capacity to generate scientific information. From DNA to dark matter, human ingenuity and technologies create an endless stream of data about ourselves and the world of which we are a part. Yet we largely founder in transforming information into understanding, and understanding into rational action for our society as a whole. Earth and biodiversity scientists are especially frustrated by this impasse because the data they gather often point to a clash between Earth's capacity to sustain life and the decisions that humans make to garner the planet's resources. Immersive virtual environments offer an underexplored link in the translation of scientific data into public understanding, dialogue, and action. The Worldviews Network is a collaboration of scientists, artists, and educators focused on developing best practices for the use of immersive environments for science-based ecological literacy education. A central tenet of the Worldviews Network is that there are multiple ways to know and experience the world, so we are developing scientifically accurate, geographically relevant, and culturally appropriate programming to promote ecological literacy within informal science education programs across the United States. The goal of Worldviews Network is to offer transformative learning experiences, in which participants are guided on a process integrating immersive visual explorations, critical reflection and dialogue, and design-oriented approaches to action - or more simply, seeing, knowing, and doing. Our methods center on live presentations, interactive scientific visualizations, and sustainability dialogues hosted at informal science institutions. Our approach uses datasets from the life, Earth, and space sciences to illuminate the complex conditions that support life on earth and the ways in which ecological systems interact. We are leveraging scientific data from federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and our own research to develop a library of immersive visualization stories and templates that explore ecological relationships across time at cosmic, global, and bioregional scales, with learning goals aligned to climate and earth science literacy principles. These experiential narratives are used to increase participants' awareness of global change issues as well as to engage them in dialogues and design processes focused on steps they can take within their own communities to systemically address these interconnected challenges. More than 600 digital planetariums in the U.S. collectively represent a pioneering opportunity for distributing Earth systems messages over large geographic areas. By placing the viewer-and Earth itself-within the context of the rest of the universe, digital planetariums can uniquely provide essential transcalar perspectives on the complex interdependencies of Earth's interacting physical and biological systems. The Worldviews Network is creating innovative, data-driven approaches for engaging the American public in dialogues about human-induced global changes.

Collaborative Supercomputing for Global Change Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemani, R.; Votava, P.; Michaelis, A.; Melton, F.; Milesi, C.

2011-03-01

There is increasing pressure on the science community not only to understand how recent and projected changes in climate will affect Earth's global environment and the natural resources on which society depends but also to design solutions to mitigate or cope with the likely impacts. Responding to this multidimensional challenge requires new tools and research frameworks that assist scientists in collaborating to rapidly investigate complex interdisciplinary science questions of critical societal importance. One such collaborative research framework, within the NASA Earth sciences program, is the NASA Earth Exchange (NEX). NEX combines state-of-the-art supercomputing, Earth system modeling, remote sensing data from NASA and other agencies, and a scientific social networking platform to deliver a complete work environment. In this platform, users can explore and analyze large Earth science data sets, run modeling codes, collaborate on new or existing projects, and share results within or among communities (see Figure S1 in the online supplement to this Eos issue (http://www.agu.org/eos_elec)).

NASA Earth Science Partnerships - A Multi-Level Approach to Effectively Collaborating with Communities and Organizations to Utilize Earth Science Data for Societal Benefit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favors, J.

2016-12-01

NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) seeks to develop a scientific understanding of the Earth as a dynamic, integrated system of diverse components that interact in complex ways - analogous to the human body. The Division approaches this goal through a coordinated series of satellite and airborne missions, sponsored basic and applied research, technology development, and science education. Integral to this approach are strong collaborations and partnerships with a spectrum of organizations that produce substantive benefit to communities - both locally and globally. This presentation will showcase various ways ESD approaches partnering and will highlight best practices, challenges, and provide case studies related to rapid partnerships, co-location of scientists and end-user communities, capacity building, and ESD's new Partnerships Program which is built around taking an innovative approach to partnering that fosters interdisplinary teaming & co-production of knowledge to broaden the applicability of Earth observations and answer new, big questions for partners and NASA, alike.

Managing Sustainable Data Infrastructures: The Gestalt of EOSDIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnke, J.; Lindsay, F. E.; Lowe, D. R.; Mitchell, A. E.; Lynnes, C.

2016-12-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been a central component of the NASA Earth observation program since the 1990's. The data collected by NASA's remote sensing instruments represent a significant public investment in research. EOSDIS provides free and open access to this data to a worldwide public research community. From the very beginning, EOSDIS was conceived as a system built on partnerships between NASA Centers, US agencies and academia. EOSDIS manages a wide range of Earth science discipline data that include cryosphere, land cover change, polar processes, field campaigns, ocean surface, digital elevation, atmosphere dynamics and composition, and inter-disciplinary research, among many others. Over the years, EOSDIS has evolved to support increasingly complex and diverse NASA Earth Science data collections. EOSDIS epitomizes a System of Systems, whose many varied and distributed parts are integrated into a single, highly functional organized science data system. A distributed architecture was adopted to ensure discipline-specific support for the science data, while also leveraging standards and establishing policies and tools to enable interdisciplinary research, and analysis across multiple scientific instruments. The EOSDIS is composed of system elements such as geographically distributed archive centers used to manage the stewardship of data. The infrastructure consists of underlying capabilities/connections that enable the primary system elements to function together. For example, one key infrastructure component is the common metadata repository, which enables discovery of all data within the EOSDIS system. . EOSDIS employs processes and standards to ensure partners can work together effectively, and provide coherent services to users. While the separation into domain-specific science archives helps to manage the wide variety of missions and datasets, the common services and practices serve to knit the overall system together into a coherent whole, with sharing of data, metadata, information and software making EOSDIS more than the simple sum of its parts. This paper will describe those parts and how the whole system works together to deliver Earth science data to millions of users.

The Stress-Strain State of Recent Structures in the Northeastern Sector of the Russian Arctic Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imaeva, L. P.; Imaev, V. S.; Mel'nikova, V. I.

2018-03-01

Complex research to determine the stress-strain state of the Earth's crust and the types of seismotectonic destruction for the northeastern sector of the Russian Arctic was conducted. The principles of regional ranking of neotectonic structures were developed according to the activity of geodynamic processes, and argumentation for their class differentiation is presented. The structural-tectonic position, the parameters of the deep structure, the system of active faults, and the tectonic stress fields, calculated on the basis of both tectonophysical analysis of discontinuous and folded late Cenozoic deformations and seismological data, were analyzed. This complex of investigations made it possible to determine the directions of the main axes of deformations of the stress-strain state of the Earth's crust and to reveal the regularity in the change of tectonic regimes.

Immunologically induced peliosis hepatis in rats.

PubMed Central

Husztik, E.; Lázár, G.; Szabó, E.

1984-01-01

Peliosis hepatis has been induced immunologically with anti-rat glomerular basal membrane rabbit serum in rats pre-sensitized with a rare earth metal complex, neodymium pyrocatechin disulphonate (NPD). This is the first experimental evidence that peliosis hepatis may develop as a result of an immunological process. It is noteworthy that in this experimental form of peliosis hepatis and in that observed earlier in rats treated with basic polyglutamic acid derivatives, severe defibrination was detected and, as in most human cases, not only the liver but other organs were also involved in the peliotic lesions. Since the rare earth metal compounds, among them the pyrocatechin disulphonate complex of neodymium, depress the reticulo-endothelial activity, a role of the reticulo-endothelial system in the pathogenesis of this experimental form of peliosis hepatis is suggested. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 PMID:6547617

Improvements to the Ontology-based Metadata Portal for Unified Semantics (OlyMPUS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linsinbigler, M. A.; Gleason, J. L.; Huffer, E.

2016-12-01

The Ontology-based Metadata Portal for Unified Semantics (OlyMPUS), funded by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Advanced Information Systems Technology program, is an end-to-end system designed to support Earth Science data consumers and data providers, enabling the latter to register data sets and provision them with the semantically rich metadata that drives the Ontology-Driven Interactive Search Environment for Earth Sciences (ODISEES). OlyMPUS complements the ODISEES' data discovery system with an intelligent tool to enable data producers to auto-generate semantically enhanced metadata and upload it to the metadata repository that drives ODISEES. Like ODISEES, the OlyMPUS metadata provisioning tool leverages robust semantics, a NoSQL database and query engine, an automated reasoning engine that performs first- and second-order deductive inferencing, and uses a controlled vocabulary to support data interoperability and automated analytics. The ODISEES data discovery portal leverages this metadata to provide a seamless data discovery and access experience for data consumers who are interested in comparing and contrasting the multiple Earth science data products available across NASA data centers. Olympus will support scientists' services and tools for performing complex analyses and identifying correlations and non-obvious relationships across all types of Earth System phenomena using the full spectrum of NASA Earth Science data available. By providing an intelligent discovery portal that supplies users - both human users and machines - with detailed information about data products, their contents and their structure, ODISEES will reduce the level of effort required to identify and prepare large volumes of data for analysis. This poster will explain how OlyMPUS leverages deductive reasoning and other technologies to create an integrated environment for generating and exploiting semantically rich metadata.

Evidence of the non-extensive character of Earth's ambient noise.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutalonis, Ioannis; Vallianatos, Filippos

2017-04-01

Investigation of dynamical features of ambient seismic noise is one of the important scientific and practical research challenges. In the same time there isgrowing interest concerning an approach to study Earth Physics based on thescience of complex systems and non extensive statistical mechanics which is a generalization of Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical physics (Vallianatos et al., 2016).This seems to be a promising framework for studying complex systems exhibitingphenomena such as, long-range interactions, and memory effects. Inthis work we use non-extensive statistical mechanics and signal analysis methodsto explore the nature of ambient noise as measured in the stations of the HSNC in South Aegean (Chatzopoulos et al., 2016). In the present work we analyzed the de-trended increments time series of ambient seismic noise X(t), in time windows of 20 minutes to 10 seconds within "calm time zones" where the human-induced noise presents a minimum. Following the non extensive statistical physics approach, the probability distribution function of the increments of ambient noise is investigated. Analyzing the probability density function (PDF)p(X), normalized to zero mean and unit varianceresults that the fluctuations of Earth's ambient noise follows a q-Gaussian distribution asdefined in the frame of non-extensive statisticalmechanics indicated the possible existence of memory effects in Earth's ambient noise. References: F. Vallianatos, G. Papadakis, G. Michas, Generalized statistical mechanics approaches to earthquakes and tectonics. Proc. R. Soc. A, 472, 20160497, 2016. G. Chatzopoulos, I.Papadopoulos, F.Vallianatos, The Hellenic Seismological Network of Crete (HSNC): Validation and results of the 2013 aftershock,Advances in Geosciences, 41, 65-72, 2016.

Leaching behavior of rare earth elements in Fort Union lignite coals of North America

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Laudal, Daniel A.; Benson, Steven A.; Addleman, Raymond Shane

Rare earth elements are crucial materials in an incredible array of consumer goods, energy system components and military defense applications. However, the global production and entire value chain for rare earth elements is dominated by China, with the U.S. currently 100% import reliant for these critical materials. Traditional mineral ores including those previously mined in the U.S., however, have several challenges. Chief among these is that the content of the most critical and valuable of the rare earths are deficient, making mining uneconomical. Further, the supply of these most critical rare earths is nearly 100% produced in China from amore » single resource that is only projected to last another 10 to 20 years. The U.S. currently considers the rare earths market an issue of national security. It is imperative that alternative domestic sources of rare earths be identified and methods developed to produce them. Recently, coal and coal byproducts have been identified as one of these promising alternative resources. This paper details the results of a study on characterization of North Dakota lignite and lignite-related feedstocks as an assessment of their feasibility for rare earth element recovery. The abundance, distribution and modes of occurrence of the rare earth elements in the samples collected were determined in this initial study to inform the selection of appropriate extraction and concentration methods to recover the rare earth elements. Materials investigated include the lignite coals, clay-rich sediments associated with the coal seams, and materials associated with a lignite beneficiation system and power plant. The results show that high rare earth element levels exist both in lignite coals and associated sediments. The form of the rare earth elements in the clay materials is primarily as ultra-fine mineral grains. In the lignite coals, approximately 80-95% of the rare earths content is organically associated, primarily as coordination complexes.« less

KSC-2009-1559

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-02

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Stage 1, 2 and 3 motors of the Taurus XL rocket are being prepared for transfer to Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Taurus is the launch vehicle for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, which is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory is scheduled to launch Feb. 23 from Vandenberg. The spacecraft will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. This improved understanding will enable more reliable forecasts of future changes in the abundance and distribution of CO2 in the atmosphere and the effect that these changes may have on the Earth's climate. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

KSC-2009-1560

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-02

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Stage 1, 2 and 3 motors of the Taurus XL rocket are being prepared for transfer to Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Taurus is the launch vehicle for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, which is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory is scheduled to launch Feb. 23 from Vandenberg. The spacecraft will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. This improved understanding will enable more reliable forecasts of future changes in the abundance and distribution of CO2 in the atmosphere and the effect that these changes may have on the Earth's climate. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

KSC-2009-1558

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-02

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Stage 1, 2 and 3 motors of the Taurus XL rocket are being prepared for transfer to Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Taurus is the launch vehicle for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, which is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory is scheduled to launch Feb. 23 from Vandenberg. The spacecraft will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. This improved understanding will enable more reliable forecasts of future changes in the abundance and distribution of CO2 in the atmosphere and the effect that these changes may have on the Earth's climate. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

Building Thematic and Integrated Services for European Solid Earth Sciences: the EPOS Integrated Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, M.; Cocco, M.

2017-12-01

EPOS (European Plate Observing System) has been designed with the vision of creating a pan-European infrastructure for solid Earth science to support a safe and sustainable society. In accordance with this scientific vision, the EPOS mission is to integrate the diverse and advanced European Research Infrastructures for solid Earth science relying on new e-science opportunities to monitor and unravel the dynamic and complex Earth System. EPOS will enable innovative multidisciplinary research for a better understanding of the Earth's physical and chemical processes that control earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, ground instability and tsunami as well as the processes driving tectonics and Earth's surface dynamics. To accomplish its mission, EPOS is engaging different stakeholders, to allow the Earth sciences to open new horizons in our understanding of the planet. EPOS also aims at contributing to prepare society for geo-hazards and to responsibly manage the exploitation of geo-resources. Through integration of data, models and facilities, EPOS will allow the Earth science community to make a step change in developing new concepts and tools for key answers to scientific and socio-economic questions concerning geo-hazards and geo-resources as well as Earth sciences applications to the environment and human welfare. The research infrastructures (RIs) that EPOS is coordinating include: i) distributed geophysical observing systems (seismological and geodetic networks); ii) local observatories (including geomagnetic, near-fault and volcano observatories); iii) analytical and experimental laboratories; iv) integrated satellite data and geological information services; v) new services for natural and anthropogenic hazards; vi) access to geo-energy test beds. Here we present the activities planned for the implementation phase focusing on the TCS, the ICS and on their interoperability. We will discuss the data, data-products, software and services (DDSS) presently under implementation, which will be validated and tested during 2018. Particular attention in this talk will be given to connecting EPOS with similar global initiatives and identifying common best practice and approaches.

Time and Energy, Exploring Trajectory Options Between Nodes in Earth-Moon Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martinez, Roland; Condon, Gerald; Williams, Jacob

2012-01-01

The Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) was released by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) in September of 2011. It describes mission scenarios that begin with the International Space Station and utilize it to demonstrate necessary technologies and capabilities prior to deployment of systems into Earth-Moon space. Deployment of these systems is an intermediate step in preparation for more complex deep space missions to near-Earth asteroids and eventually Mars. In one of the scenarios described in the GER, "Asteroid Next", there are activities that occur in Earth-Moon space at one of the Earth-Moon Lagrange (libration) points. In this regard, the authors examine the possible role of an intermediate staging point in an effort to illuminate potential trajectory options for conducting missions in Earth-Moon space of increasing duration, ultimately leading to deep space missions. This paper will describe several options for transits between Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the libration points, transits between libration points, and transits between the libration points and interplanetary trajectories. The solution space provided will be constrained by selected orbital mechanics design techniques and physical characteristics of hardware to be used in both crewed missions and uncrewed missions. The relationships between time and energy required to transfer hardware between these locations will provide a better understanding of the potential trade-offs mission planners could consider in the development of capabilities, individual missions, and mission series in the context of the ISECG GER.

A Contrast in Use of Metrics in Earth Science Data Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramapriyan, Hampapuram; Behnke, Jeanne; Hines-Watts, Tonjua

2007-01-01

In recent years there has been a surge in the number of systems for processing, archiving and distributing remotely sensed data. Such systems, working independently as well as in collaboration, have been contributing greatly to the advances in the scientific understanding of the Earth system, as well as utilization of the data for nationally and internationally important applications. Among such systems, we consider those that are developed by or under the sponsorship of NASA to fulfill one of its strategic objectives: "Study Earth from space to advance scientific understanding and meet societal needs." NASA's Earth science data systems are of varying size and complexity depending on the requirements they are intended to meet. Some data systems are regarded as NASA's "Core Capabilities" that provide the basic infrastructure for processing, archiving and distributing a set of data products to a large and diverse user community in a robust and reliable manner. Other data systems constitute "Community Capabilities". These provide specialized and innovative services to data users and/or research products offering new scientific insight. Such data systems are generally supported by NASA through peer reviewed competition. Examples of Core Capabilities are 1. Earth Observing Data and Information System (EOSDIS) with its Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPSs), and the EOS Clearing House (ECHO); 2. Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Science Data and Information System (TSDIS); 3. Ocean Data Processing System (ODPS); and 4. CloudSat Data Processing Center. Examples of Community Capabilities are projects under the Research, Education and Applications Solutions Network (REASON), and Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth System Science (ACCESS) Programs. In managing these data system capabilities, it is necessary to have well-established goals and to measure progress relative to them. Progress is measured through "metrics", which can be a combination of quantitative as well as qualitative assessments. The specific metrics of interest depend on the user of the metrics as well as the type of data system. The users of metrics can be data system managers, program managers, funding agency or the public. Data system managers need metrics for assessing and improving the performance of the system and for future planning. Program managers need metrics to assess progress and the value of the data systems sponsored by them. Also, there is a difference in the metrics needed for core capabilities that tend to be more complex, larger and longer-term compared to community capabilities and the community capabilities that tend to be simpler, smaller and shorter-term. Even among community capabilities there are differences; hence the same set of metrics does not apply to all. Some provide data products to users, some provide services that enable better utilization of data or interoperability among other systems, and some are a part of a larger project where provision of data or services is only a minor activity. There is also a contrast between metrics used for internal and external purposes. Examples of internal purposes are: ensuring that the system meets its requirements, and planning for evolution and growth. Examples of external purposes are: providing to sponsors indicators of success of the systems, demonstrating the contributions of the system to overall program success, etc. This paper will consider EOSDIS, REASON and ACCESS programs to show the various types of metrics needed and how they need to be tailored to the types of data systems while maintaining the overall management goals of measuring progress and contributions made by the data systems.

A Contrast in Use of Metrics in Earth Science Data Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramapriyan, H. K.; Behnke, J.; Hines-Watts, T. M.

2007-12-01

In recent years there has been a surge in the number of systems for processing, archiving and distributing remotely sensed data. Such systems, working independently as well as in collaboration, have been contributing greatly to the advances in the scientific understanding of the Earth system, as well as utilization of the data for nationally and internationally important applications. Among such systems, we consider those that are developed by or under the sponsorship of NASA to fulfill one of its strategic objectives: "Study Earth from space to advance scientific understanding and meet societal needs." NASA's Earth science data systems are of varying size and complexity depending on the requirements they are intended to meet. Some data systems are regarded as NASA's Core Capabilities that provide the basic infrastructure for processing, archiving and distributing a set of data products to a large and diverse user community in a robust and reliable manner. Other data systems constitute Community Capabilities. These provide specialized and innovative services to data users and/or research products offering new scientific insight. Such data systems are generally supported by NASA through peer reviewed competition. Examples of Core Capabilities are 1. Earth Observing Data and Information System (EOSDIS) with its Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPSs), and the EOS Clearing House (ECHO); 2. Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Science Data and Information System (TSDIS); 3. Ocean Data Processing System (ODPS); and 4. CloudSat Data Processing Center. Examples of Community Capabilities are projects under the Research, Education and Applications Solutions Network (REASoN), and Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth System Science (ACCESS) Programs. In managing these data system capabilities, it is necessary to have well-established goals and to measure progress relative to them. Progress is measured through metrics, which can be a combination of quantitative as well as qualitative assessments. The specific metrics of interest depend on the user of the metrics as well as the type of data system. The users of metrics can be data system managers, program managers, funding agency or the public. Data system managers need metrics for assessing and improving the performance of the system and for future planning. Program managers need metrics to assess progress and the value of the data systems sponsored by them. Also, there is a difference in the metrics needed for core capabilities that tend to be more complex, larger and longer-term compared to community capabilities and the community capabilities that tend to be simpler, smaller and shorter-term. Even among community capabilities there are differences; hence the same set of metrics does not apply to all. Some provide data products to users, some provide services that enable better utilization of data or interoperability among other systems, and some are a part of a larger project where provision of data or services is only a minor activity. There is also a contrast between metrics used for internal and external purposes. Examples of internal purposes are: ensuring that the system meets its requirements, and planning for evolution and growth. Examples of external purposes are: providing to sponsors indicators of success of the systems, demonstrating the contributions of the system to overall program success, etc. This paper will consider EOSDIS, REASoN and ACCESS programs to show the various types of metrics needed and how they need to be tailored to the types of data systems while maintaining the overall management goals of measuring progress and contributions made by the data systems.

EOSDIS: The Ultimate Earth Science Data Source for Research and Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agbu, P. A.; Chang, C.; Corprew, F. E.

2002-12-01

Today, there is compelling scientific evidence that human activities have attained the magnitude of a geological force and are speeding up the rates of global changes. For example, carbon dioxide levels have risen 30 percent since the industrial revolution and about 40 percent of the world's land surface has been transformed by humans. To assemble long-term information needed to construct accurate computer models that will enable forecasting of the causes and effects of climate change, the use of space-based Earth observing platforms is the only feasible way. Consequently, NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) has begun an international study of planet Earth that is comprised of three main components: 1) a series of satellites specially designed to study the complexities of global change; 2) an advanced computer network for processing, storing, and distributing data (EOS Data and Information System); and 3) teams of scientists all over the world who will study the data. Recent launches of Landsat 7 in April 15, 1999 to continue the flow of global change information to users worldwide, and Terra the EOS flagship in December 18, 1999 to monitor climate and environmental change on Earth over the next 15 years, has tremendously expanded the sources of valuable Earth science data for research and education. These data and others from focused campaigns, e.g., FIFE and BOREAS designed to study surface-atmospheric interactions will be presented.

Development and analysis of SCR requirements tables for system scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John R.; Morrison, Jeffery L.

1995-01-01

We describe the use of scenarios to develop and refine requirement tables for parts of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing EOSDIS as part of its Mission-To-Planet-Earth (MTPE) project to accept instrument/platform observation requests from end-user scientists, schedule and perform requested observations of the Earth from space, collect and process the observed data, and distribute data to scientists and archives. Current requirements for the system are managed with tools that allow developers to trace the relationships between requirements and other development artifacts, including other requirements. In addition, the user community (e.g., earth and atmospheric scientists), in conjunction with NASA, has generated scenarios describing the actions of EOSDIS subsystems in response to user requests and other system activities. As part of a research effort in verification and validation techniques, this paper describes our efforts to develop requirements tables from these scenarios for the EOSDIS Core System (ECS). The tables specify event-driven mode transitions based on techniques developed by the Naval Research Lab's (NRL) Software Cost Reduction (SCR) project. The SCR approach has proven effective in specifying requirements for large systems in an unambiguous, terse format that enhance identification of incomplete and inconsistent requirements. We describe development of SCR tables from user scenarios and identify the strengths and weaknesses of our approach in contrast to the requirements tracing approach. We also evaluate the capabilities of both approach to respond to the volatility of requirements in large, complex systems.

Heterobimetallic transition metal/rare earth metal bifunctional catalysis: a Cu/Sm/Schiff base complex for syn-selective catalytic asymmetric nitro-Mannich reaction.

PubMed

Handa, Shinya; Gnanadesikan, Vijay; Matsunaga, Shigeki; Shibasaki, Masakatsu

2010-04-07

The full details of a catalytic asymmetric syn-selective nitro-Mannich reaction promoted by heterobimetallic Cu/Sm/dinucleating Schiff base complexes are described, demonstrating the effectiveness of the heterobimetallic transition metal/rare earth metal bifunctional catalysis. The first-generation system prepared from Cu(OAc)(2)/Sm(O-iPr)(3)/Schiff base 1a = 1:1:1 with an achiral phenol additive was partially successful for achieving the syn-selective catalytic asymmetric nitro-Mannich reaction. The substrate scope and limitations of the first-generation system remained problematic. After mechanistic studies on the catalyst prepared from Sm(O-iPr)(3), we reoptimized the catalyst preparation method, and a catalyst derived from Sm(5)O(O-iPr)(13) showed broader substrate generality as well as higher reactivity and stereoselectivity compared to Sm(O-iPr)(3). The optimal system with Sm(5)O(O-iPr)(13) was applicable to various aromatic, heteroaromatic, and isomerizable aliphatic N-Boc imines, giving products in 66-99% ee and syn/anti = >20:1-13:1. Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of nemonapride is also demonstrated using the catalyst derived from Sm(5)O(O-iPr)(13).

Skylab materials processing facility experiment developer's report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parks, P. G.

1975-01-01

The development of the Skylab M512 Materials Processing Facility is traced from the design of a portable, self-contained electron beam welding system for terrestrial applications to the highly complex experiment system ultimately developed for three Skylab missions. The M512 experiment facility was designed to support six in-space experiments intended to explore the advantages of manufacturing materials in the near-zero-gravity environment of Earth orbit. Detailed descriptions of the M512 facility and related experiment hardware are provided, with discussions of hardware verification and man-machine interfaces included. An analysis of the operation of the facility and experiments during the three Skylab missions is presented, including discussions of the hardware performance, anomalies, and data returned to earth.

The EOSDIS software challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaworski, Allan

1993-08-01

The Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS) will serve as a major resource for the earth science community, supporting both command and control of complex instruments onboard the EOS spacecraft and the archiving, distribution, and analysis of data. The scale of EOSDIS and the volume of multidisciplinary research to be conducted using EOSDIS resources will produce unparalleled needs for technology transparency, data integration, and system interoperability. The scale of this effort far outscopes any previous scientific data system in its breadth or operational and performance needs. Modern hardware technology can meet the EOSDIS technical challenge. Multiprocessing speeds of many giga-flops are being realized by modern computers. Online storage disk, optical disk, and videocassette libraries with storage capacities of many terabytes are now commercially available. Radio frequency and fiber optics communications networks with gigabit rates are demonstrable today. It remains, of course, to perform the system engineering to establish the requirements, architectures, and designs that will implement the EOSDIS systems. Software technology, however, has not enjoyed the price/performance advances of hardware. Although we have learned to engineer hardware systems which have several orders of magnitude greater complexity and performance than those built in the 1960's, we have not made comparable progress in dramatically reducing the cost of software development. This lack of progress may significantly reduce our capabilities to achieve economically the types of highly interoperable, responsive, integraded, and productive environments which are needed by the earth science community. This paper describes some of the EOSDIS software requirements and current activities in the software community which are applicable to meeting the EOSDIS challenge. Some of these areas include intelligent user interfaces, software reuse libraries, and domain engineering. Also included are discussions of applicable standards in the areas of operating systems interfaces, user interfaces, communications interfaces, data transport, and science algorithm support, and their role in supporting the software development process.

Pull vs. Push: How OmniEarth Delivers Better Earth Observation Information to Subscribers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fish, C.; Slagowski, S.; Dyrud, L.; Fentzke, J.; Hargis, B.; Steerman, M.

2015-04-01

Until very recently, the commercialization of Earth observation systems has largely occurred in two ways: either through the detuning of government satellites or the repurposing of NASA (or other science) data for commercial use. However, the convergence of cloud computing and low-cost satellites is enabling Earth observation companies to tailor observation data to specific markets. Now, underserved constituencies, such as agriculture and energy, can tap into Earth observation data that is provided at a cadence, resolution and cost that can have a real impact to their bottom line. To connect with these markets, OmniEarth fuses data from a variety of sources, synthesizes it into useful and valuable business information, and delivers it to customers via web or mobile interfaces. The "secret sauce" is no longer about having the highest resolution imagery, but rather it is about using that imagery - in conjunction with a number of other sources - to solve complex problems that require timely and contextual information about our dynamic and changing planet. OmniEarth improves subscribers' ability to visualize the world around them by enhancing their ability to see, analyze, and react to change in real time through a solutions-as-a-service platform.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adam, J. C.; Stephens, J. C.; Chung, Serena

As managers of agricultural and natural resources are confronted with uncertainties in global change impacts, the complexities associated with the interconnected cycling of nitrogen, carbon, and water present daunting management challenges. Existing models provide detailed information on specific sub-systems (land, air, water, economics, etc). An increasing awareness of the unintended consequences of management decisions resulting from interconnectedness of these sub-systems, however, necessitates coupled regional earth system models (EaSMs). Decision makers’ needs and priorities can be integrated into the model design and development processes to enhance decision-making relevance and "usability" of EaSMs. BioEarth is a current research initiative with a focusmore » on the U.S. Pacific Northwest region that explores the coupling of multiple stand-alone EaSMs to generate usable information for resource decision-making. Direct engagement between model developers and non-academic stakeholders involved in resource and environmental management decisions throughout the model development process is a critical component of this effort. BioEarth utilizes a "bottom-up" approach, upscaling a catchment-scale model to basin and regional scales, as opposed to the "top-down" approach of downscaling global models utilized by most other EaSM efforts. This paper describes the BioEarth initiative and highlights opportunities and challenges associated with coupling multiple stand-alone models to generate usable information for agricultural and natural resource decision-making.« less

Soil bioturbation. A commentary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerdà, Artemi; Wilkinson, Marshall

2010-05-01

Organisms such as trees, ants, earthworms, termites are important components of the earth systems that have dominantly been thought of as abiotic. Despite an early focus on soil bioturbation by heavy-weights such as Charles Darwin and Nathanial Shaler in the late 19th century, sporadic attention to this theme has subsequently followed. Recent compilations demonstrate that soil bioturbation by fauna and flora is widespread across Earths terrestrial surface, and operates at geologically rapid rates that warrant further attention. Such biotic activity contributes to soil creep, soil carbon dynamics, and is critical in engineering the medium through which ecosystems draw their abiotic requirements. Soil and its biota are fundamental components of the Earth System. However, soil scientist focussed on the dominant paradigm of landscape evolution, and bioturbation was relegated. In fact, bioturbation is still not widely appreciated within the soil and earth system research community. Nevertheless, within the last decade a review of the impact of bioturbation was launched by authors such as Geoff S. Humphreys. Bioturbation is a complex process as new soil is formed, mounds are developed, soil is buried and a downslope transport of material is done. Bioturbation modify the soil texture and porosity, increase the nutrients and encourage the soil creep flux. A review of the State-of-the-Art of Bioturbation will be presented.

77 FR 37609 - Significant New Use Rule on Certain Chemical Substances; Withdrawal of Significant New Use Rule

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-22

... substances identified generically as complex strontium aluminum, rare earth doped, which were the subject of... chemical substances identified generically as complex strontium aluminum, rare earth doped, which were the...

Are Earth System model software engineering practices fit for purpose? A case study.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Easterbrook, S. M.; Johns, T. C.

2009-04-01

We present some analysis and conclusions from a case study of the culture and practices of scientists at the Met Office and Hadley Centre working on the development of software for climate and Earth System models using the MetUM infrastructure. The study examined how scientists think about software correctness, prioritize their requirements in making changes, and develop a shared understanding of the resulting models. We conclude that highly customized techniques driven strongly by scientific research goals have evolved for verification and validation of such models. In a formal software engineering context these represents costly, but invaluable, software integration tests with considerable benefits. The software engineering practices seen also exhibit recognisable features of both agile and open source software development projects - self-organisation of teams consistent with a meritocracy rather than top-down organisation, extensive use of informal communication channels, and software developers who are generally also users and science domain experts. We draw some general conclusions on whether these practices work well, and what new software engineering challenges may lie ahead as Earth System models become ever more complex and petascale computing becomes the norm.

Re-Organizing Earth Observation Data Storage to Support Temporal Analysis of Big Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynnes, Christopher

2017-01-01

The Earth Observing System Data and Information System archives many datasets that are critical to understanding long-term variations in Earth science properties. Thus, some of these are large, multi-decadal datasets. Yet the challenge in long time series analysis comes less from the sheer volume than the data organization, which is typically one (or a small number of) time steps per file. The overhead of opening and inventorying complex, API-driven data formats such as Hierarchical Data Format introduces a small latency at each time step, which nonetheless adds up for datasets with O(10^6) single-timestep files. Several approaches to reorganizing the data can mitigate this overhead by an order of magnitude: pre-aggregating data along the time axis (time-chunking); storing the data in a highly distributed file system; or storing data in distributed columnar databases. Storing a second copy of the data incurs extra costs, so some selection criteria must be employed, which would be driven by expected or actual usage by the end user community, balanced against the extra cost.

Re-organizing Earth Observation Data Storage to Support Temporal Analysis of Big Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynnes, C.

2017-12-01

The Earth Observing System Data and Information System archives many datasets that are critical to understanding long-term variations in Earth science properties. Thus, some of these are large, multi-decadal datasets. Yet the challenge in long time series analysis comes less from the sheer volume than the data organization, which is typically one (or a small number of) time steps per file. The overhead of opening and inventorying complex, API-driven data formats such as Hierarchical Data Format introduces a small latency at each time step, which nonetheless adds up for datasets with O(10^6) single-timestep files. Several approaches to reorganizing the data can mitigate this overhead by an order of magnitude: pre-aggregating data along the time axis (time-chunking); storing the data in a highly distributed file system; or storing data in distributed columnar databases. Storing a second copy of the data incurs extra costs, so some selection criteria must be employed, which would be driven by expected or actual usage by the end user community, balanced against the extra cost.

Structure and Abundance of Nitrous Oxide Complexes in Earth's Atmosphere.

PubMed

Salmon, Steven R; de Lange, Katrina M; Lane, Joseph R

2016-04-07

We have investigated the lowest energy structures and binding energies of a series of atmospherically relevant nitrous oxide (N2O) complexes using explicitly correlated coupled cluster theory. Specifically, we have considered complexes with nitrogen (N2-N2O), oxygen (O2-N2O), argon (Ar-N2O), and water (H2O-N2O). We have calculated rotational constants and harmonic vibrational frequencies for the complexes and the constituent monomers. Statistical mechanics was used to determine the thermodynamic parameters for complex formation as a function of temperature and pressure. These results, in combination with relevant atmospheric data, were used to estimate the abundance of N2O complexes in Earth's atmosphere as a function of altitude. We find that the abundance of N2O complexes in Earth's atmosphere is small but non-negligible, and we suggest that N2O complexes may contribute to absorption of terrestrial radiation and be relevant for understanding the atmospheric fate of N2O.

Preparing Teachers to Support the Development of Climate Literate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; Ellins, K. K.; Bardar, E. W.; Youngman, E.; Dunlap, C.; Lockwood, J.; Mote, A. S.; McNeal, K.; Libarkin, J. C.; Lynds, S. E.; Gold, A. U.

2014-12-01

The EarthLabs climate project includes curriculum development, teacher professional development, teacher leadership development, and research on student learning, all directed at increasing high school teachers' and students' understanding of the factors that shape our planet's climate. The project has developed four new modules which focus on climate literacy and which are part of the larger Web based EarthLabs collection of Earth science modules. Climate related themes highlighted in the new modules include the Earth system with its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, "How do we know what we know about Earth's past and present climate?" which addresses proxy data and scientific instrumentation. EarthLabs climate modules use two central strategies to help students navigate the multiple challenges inherent in understanding climate science. The first is to actively engage students with the content by using a variety of learning modes, and by allowing students to pace themselves through interactive visualizations that address particularly challenging content. The second strategy, which is the focus of this presentation, is to support teachers in a subject area where few have substantive content knowledge or technical skills. Teachers who grasp the processes and interactions that give Earth its climate and the technical skills to engage with relevant data and visualizations are more likely to be successful in supporting students' understanding of climate's complexities. This presentation will briefly introduce the EarthLabs project and will describe the steps the project takes to prepare climate literate teachers, including Web based resources, teacher workshops, and the development of a cadre of teacher leaders who are prepared to continue leading the workshops after project funding ends.

An evolutionary communications scenario for Mars exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevenson, Steven M.

1987-01-01

As Mars exploration grows in complexity with time, the corresponding communication needs will grow in variety and complexity also. From initial Earth/Mars links, further needs will arise for complete surface connectivity for the provision of navigation, position location, and voice, data, and video communications services among multiple Mars bases and remote exploration sites. This paper addresses the likely required communication functions over the first few decades of Martian exploration and postulates systems for providing these services. Required technologies are identified and development requirements indicated.

Ensuring Credibility of NASA's Earth Science Data (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maiden, M. E.; Ramapriyan, H. K.; Mitchell, A. E.; Berrick, S. W.; Walter, J.; Murphy, K. J.

2013-12-01

The summary description of the Fall 2013 AGU session on 'Data Curation, Credibility, Preservation Implementation, and Data Rescue to Enable Multi-Source Science' identifies four attributes needed to ensure credibility in Earth science data records. NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Program has been working on all four of these attributes: transparency, completeness, permanence, and ease of access and use, by focusing on them and upon improving our practices of them, over many years. As far as transparency or openness, NASA was in the forefront of free and open sharing of data and associated information for Earth observations. The US data policy requires such openness, but allows for the recoup of the marginal cost of distribution of government data and information - but making the data available with no such charge greatly increases their usage in scientific studies and the resultant analyses hasten our collective understanding of the Earth system. NASA's currently available Earth observations comprise primarily those obtained from satellite-borne instruments, suborbital campaigns, and field investigations. These data are complex and must be accompanied by rich metadata and documentation to be understandable. To enable completeness, NASA utilizes standards for data format, metadata content, and required documentation for any data that are ingested into our distributed Earth Observing System Data and Information System, or EOSDIS. NASA is moving to a new metadata paradigm, primarily to enable a fuller description of data quality and fit-for-purpose attributes. This paradigm offers structured approaches for storing quality measures in metadata that include elements such as Positional Accuracy, Lineage and Cloud Cover. NASA exercises validation processes for the Earth Science Data Systems Program to ensure users of EOSDIS have a predictable level of confidence in data as well as assessing the data viability for usage and application. The Earth Science Data Systems Program has been improving its data management practices for over twenty years to assure permanence of data utility through reliable preservation of bits, readability, understandability, usability and reproducibility of results. While NASA has focused on the Earth System Science research community as the primary data user community, broad interest in the data due to climate change and how it is affecting people everywhere (e.g. sea level rise) by environmental managers, public policymakers and citizen scientists has led the Program to respond with new tools and ways to improve ease of access and use of the data. NASA's standard Earth observation data will soon be buttressed with the long tail of federally-funded research data created or analyzed by grantees, in response to John Holdren's OSTP Memorandum to federal departments and agencies entitled 'Increasing Access to the Results of Federally-Funded Scientific Research'. We fully expect that NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Program will be able to work with our grantees to comply early, and flexibly improve the openness of this source of scientific data to a best practice for NASA and the grantees

KSC-2011-6567

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite is hoisted up at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti

KSC-2011-6570

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians check the position of a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti

KSC-2011-6574

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians use a crane to lift a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti

KSC-2011-6576

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians use a crane to lift a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti

KSC-2011-6575

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians use a crane to lift a solid rocket motor for the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti

KSC-2011-7545

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-26

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Tim Dunn, NASA launch director, Kennedy Space Center, Fla., participates in the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

KSC-2011-7546

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-26

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Andrew Carson, NPP program executive, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, participates in the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

KSC-2011-7547

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-26

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Ken Schwer, NPP project manager, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., participates in the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

KSC-2011-7542

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-26

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A model of the NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft is displayed during the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

EarthCube as an information resource marketplace; the GEAR Project conceptual design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richard, S. M.; Zaslavsky, I.; Gupta, A.; Valentine, D.

2015-12-01

Geoscience Architecture for Research (GEAR) is approaching EarthCube design as a complex and evolving socio-technical federation of systems. EarthCube is intended to support the science research enterprise, for which there is no centralized command and control, requirements are a moving target, the function and behavior of the system must evolve and adapt as new scientific paradigms emerge, and system participants are conducting research that inherently implies seeking new ways of doing things. EarthCube must address evolving user requirements and enable domain and project systems developed under different management and for different purposes to work together. The EC architecture must focus on creating a technical environment that enables new capabilities by combining existing and newly developed resources in various ways, and encourages development of new resource designs intended for re-use and interoperability. In a sense, instead of a single architecture design, GEAR provides a way to accommodate multiple designs tuned to different tasks. This agile, adaptive, evolutionary software development style is based on a continuously updated portfolio of compatible components that enable new sub-system architecture. System users make decisions about which components to use in this marketplace based on performance, satisfaction, and impact metrics collected continuously to evaluate components, determine priorities, and guide resource allocation decisions by the system governance agency. EC is designed as a federation of independent systems, and although the coordinator of the EC system may be named an enterprise architect, the focus of the role needs to be organizing resources, assessing their readiness for interoperability with the existing EC component inventory, managing dependencies between transient subsystems, mechanisms of stakeholder engagement and inclusion, and negotiation of standard interfaces, rather than actual specification of components. Composition of components will be developed by projects that involve both domain scientists and CI experts for specific research problems. We believe an agile, marketplace type approach is an essential architectural strategy for EarthCube.

Space Solar Power: Satellite Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Little, Frank E.

1999-01-01

Space Solar Power (SSP) applies broadly to the use of solar power for space related applications. The thrust of the NASA SSP initiative is to develop concepts and demonstrate technology for applying space solar power to NASA missions. Providing power from satellites in space via wireless transmission to a receiving station either on earth, another celestial body or a second satellite is one goal of the SSP initiative. The sandwich design is a satellite design in which the microwave transmitting array is the front face of a thin disk and the back of the disk is populated with solar cells, with the microwave electronics in between. The transmitter remains aimed at the earth in geostationary orbit while a system of mirrors directs sunlight to the photovoltaic cells, regardless of the satellite's orientation to the sun. The primary advantage of the sandwich design is it eliminates the need for a massive and complex electric power management and distribution system for the satellite. However, it requires a complex system for focusing sunlight onto the photovoltaic cells. In addition, positioning the photovoltaic array directly behind the transmitting array power conversion electronics will create a thermal management challenge. This project focused on developing designs and finding emerging technology to meet the challenges of solar tracking, a concentrating mirror system including materials and coatings, improved photovoltaic materials and thermal management.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket begins to roll out of the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

After leaving the Vertical Integration Facility, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

In a view from above, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket begins to roll out of the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rolls out of the Vertical Integration Facility on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has left the Vertical Integration Facility and is on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has made the trek from the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility and is on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

KSC-20160908-RV-ANG01_0001-OSIRIS_REx_Launch_Broadcast_UCS_3_ISO-3126827

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-08

Liftoff of OSIRIS-A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

KSC-20160908-RV-GEB01_0001-OSIRIS_REx_Launch_Broadcast_Van_1_People_Cutaways_ISO-3126827

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-08

Liftoff of OSIRIS-A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

KSC-20160908-RV-CSH01_0001-OSIRIS_REx_Launch_Broadcast_Van_2_NASA_Causeway_ISO-3126827

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-08

Liftoff of OSIRIS-A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

KSC-20160908-RV-GMM01_0003-OSIRIS_REx_Launch_Broadcast_Ground_ISO-3126827

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-08

Liftoff of OSIRIS-A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

KSC-20160908-RV-GMM01_0002-OSIRIS_REx_Launch_Broadcast_VIF_ISO-3126827

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-08

Liftoff of OSIRIS-A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

KSC-20160908-RV-GMM01_0001-OSIRIS_REx_Launch_Broadcast_VAB_Roof_ISO-3126827

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-08

Liftoff of OSIRIS-A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

Microbial metabolism of Tholin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoker, C. R.; Mancinelli, R. L.; Boston, P. J.; Segal, W.; Khare, B. N.

1990-01-01

Tholin, a class of complex organic heteropolymers hypothesized to possess wide solar system distribution, is shown to furnish the carbon and energy requirements of a wide variety of common soil bacteria which encompasses aerobic, anaerobic, and facultatively anaerobic bacteria. Some of these bacteria are able to derive not merely their carbon but also their nitrogen requirements from tholin. The palatability of tholins to modern microbes is speculated to have implications for the early evolution of microbial life on earth; tholins may have formed the base of the food chain for an early heterotrophic biosphere, prior to the evolution of autotrophy on the early earth.

KSC-20160908-RV-ULA01_0001-OSIRIS_REx_Launch_Broadcast_Rocket_Cam_Ascent_ISO-3126827

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-08

Liftoff of OSIRIS-A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

Landscape of the EU-US Research Infrastructures and actors: Moving towards international interoperability of earth system data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asmi, Ari; Powers, Lindsay

2015-04-01

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are major long-term investments supporting innovative, bottom-up research activities. In the environmental research, they range from high atmosphere radars, to field observation networks and coordinated laboratory facilities. The Earth system is highly interactive and each part of the system interconnected across the spatial and disciplinary borders. However, due practical and historical reasons, the RIs are built from disciplinary points-of-view and separately in different parts of the world, with differing standards, policies, methods and research cultures. This heterogeneity provides necessary diversity to study the complex Earth system, but makes cross-disciplinary and/or global interoperability a challenge. Global actions towards better interoperability are surfacing, especially with EU and US. For example, recent mandates within the US government prioritize open data for federal agencies and federally funded science, and encourage collaboration among agencies to reduce duplication of efforts and increase efficient use of resources. There are several existing initiatives working toward these goals (e.g., COOPEUS, EarthCube, RDA, ICSU-WDS, DataOne, ESIP, USGEO, GEO). However, there is no cohesive framework to coordinate efforts among these, and other, entities. COOPEUS and EarthCube have now begun to map the landscape of interoperability efforts across earth science domains. The COOPEUS mapping effort describes the EU and US landscape of environmental research infrastructures to accomplish the following: identify gaps in services (data provision) necessary to address societal priorities; provide guidance for development of future research infrastructures; and identify opportunities for Research Infrastructures (RIs) to collaborate on issues of common interest. EarthCube mapping effort identifies opportunities to engage a broader community by identifying scientific domain organizations and entities. We present the current situation of the landscape analysis to create a sustainable effort towards removing barriers to interoperability on a global scale.

Moving sociohydrology forward: a synthesis across studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troy, T. J.; Konar, M.; Srinivasan, V.; Thompson, S.

2015-03-01

Sociohydrology is the study of coupled human-water systems with the premise that water and human systems co-evolve, often with two-way coupling. A recent special issue in HESS/ESD, "Predictions under change: water, earth, and biota in the Anthropocene", includes a number of sociohydrologic publications that allow for a survey of the current state of understanding of sociohydrology and the coupled system dynamics and feedbacks, the research methodologies available, and the norms and ethics involved in studying sociohydrologic systems. Although sociohydrology is concerned with coupled human-water systems, it is critical to consider the sociohydrologic system as embedded in a larger, complex social-ecological system through which human-water feedbacks can occur and from which the sociohydrologic system cannot be isolated. As such, sociohydrology can draw on tools developed in the social-ecological and complex systems literature to further our sociohydrologic knowledge, and this is identified as a ripe area of future research.

Nonsingular expansions of the gravity potential and its derivatives at satellite altitudes in the ellipsoidal coordinate system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vershkov, A. N.; Petrovskaya, M. S.

2016-11-01

The series in ellipsoidal harmonics for derivatives of the Earth's gravity potential are used only on the reference ellipsoid enveloping the Earth due to their very complex mathematical structure. In the current study, the series in ellipsoidal harmonics are constructed for first- and second-order derivatives of the potential at satellite altitudes; their structure is similar to the series on the reference ellipsoid. The point P is chosen at a random satellite altitude; then, the ellipsoid of revolution is described, which passes through this point and is confocal to the reference ellipsoid. An object-centered coordinate system with the origin at the point P is considered. Using a sequence of transformations, the nonsingular series in ellipsoidal harmonics is constructed for first and second derivatives of the potential in the object-centered coordinate system. These series can be applied to develop a model of the Earth's potential, based on combined use of surface gravitational force measurements, data on the satellite orbital position, its acceleration, or measurements of the gravitational force gradients of the first and second order. The technique is applicable to any other planet of the Solar System.

Evaluation of soil quality in areas of cocoa cabruca, forest and multicropping in southern Bahia, Brazil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Atlantic Rain Forest is one of the most complex natural environments of the earth and, linked with this ecosystem, the cacao-cabruca system is agroforestry cultivation with an arrangement including a range of environmental, social and economical benefits and can protect many features of the biod...

Analysis of “Favorable Growth Element” Based on Rare Earth-aluminum Composite Mechanism of Compound Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Baohong; Zeng, Qihui; Zhao, Jin

2018-01-01

Under the background that failure resulted in by high temperature once only aluminum oxide is used as the gasoline additive. This paper, with the purpose to solve this problem, is to synthesize AcAl oxide for gasoline additive. In order to get the rare-earth-aluminum oxide, first, a complex model of rare earth oxide based on theories about ion coordination is established. Then, by the complex model, the type of “compound growth unit” when rare earth elements join the hydrothermal conditions and the inclination that “diversification” might probably happen are deduced. Depending on the results got by complex model, this paper introduces the type of compound and its existence conditions of “Compound growth unit” owned by stable rare-earth-aluminum oxide. By adjusting the compositions of modifier, compound materials of rare earth-aluminum oxide used for gasoline additive is made. By XRD test, aperture test, adsorption test and desorption test, the theoretical deduction is proved to be right. From the experiment, it is concluded that: a dense environment is the pre-condition to form rare-earth-aluminum polymer, which is also an essential condition for the polymer to update to a favorable growth unit and produce mesoporous rare-earth-aluminum oxide with high activity.

Voyager telecommunications - The broadcast from Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edelson, R. E.; Madsen, B. D.; Davis, E. K.; Garrison, G. W.

1979-01-01

The means by which the data collected by the Voyager 1 mission to Jupiter were returned to earth are presented. Radio links between the earth and the spacecraft are used for the transmission of both imaging and nonimaging telemetry from the spacecraft and commands from the earth and for radiometric observations of the spacecraft and its environment. Features which have lead to vast improvements in the capability of the Voyager telecommunications system over that of previous space probes include the use of X-band rather than S-band telemetry, a dual power X-band traveling wave tube amplifier, a 3.7 m spacecraft antenna and a single channel telemetry system with concatenated coding. Communications equipment at the three ground complexes of the Deep Space Network for telemetry reception includes 64 m steerable antennas, cryogenic maser preamplifiers and a phase-lock loop receiver. Voyager 1 has met or exceeded all of its telecommunications requirements, providing a 98% data return and a total of 2 x 10 to the 11th data bits during the Jupiter encounter.

Algorthms and prigrams complex for chaotic dynamics investigation of the Earth artificial sat-ellites. (Russian Title: Комплекс алгоритмов и программ для исследования хаотичности в динамике искусственных спутников Земли )

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordovitsyna, T. V.; Aleksandrova, A. G.; Chuvashov, I. N.

2010-12-01

In this paper complex of algorithms and programs for revelation and investigation of dynamical chaotic state in the motion of the Earth artificial satellites by parallel computing is presented. Complex has been based on the program "Numerical model of the system artificial satellites motion" for cluster "Skiff Cyberia". Factor MEGNO as main indicator of chaotic state has been used. The factor is computed by combined numerical integration of equations of the motion, equations in variation and equations of MEGNO parameters. The results of program complex testing in the problem of MEGNO parameters calculation for different types of geostationary orbits are presented.

Sagan Lecture : Exploring Titan, An Earth-like Organic Paradise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, R. D.

2007-12-01

Saturn's giant moon Titan has been called many things - 'The Mars of the Outer Solar System', 'A Fiercely-Frozen Echo of the Early Earth', 'A Place Like Home'- indeed, 'The Whole ball of Wax'. These various appelations reflect the richness and bewildering complexity of this most fascinating world which bears comparisons with both the terrestrial planets as well as other icy satellites. Titan's thick but dynamic atmosphere sculpts its surface with tidal winds and methane monsoons, and its climate has competing greenhouse and antigreenhouse effects as well as a seasonal polar haze structure analogous to the Earth's ozone hole. Titan is striking also in its massive organic inventory - its dunes and lakes make up an exposed carbon reservoir hundreds of times more massive than all of Earth's fossil fuels. At least part of this organic inventory has been processed by transient exposures to liquid water, in impact melt sheets and cryovolcanic flows (a scenario first pointed out by Thompson and Sagan in 1991). This aqueous chemical interaction is known from terrestrial laboratory experiments to yield amino acids, pyrimidines and other building blocks of living molecular systems. How far these chemical systems might evolve on geological, as opposed to laboratory, scales of space and time on Titan is completely unknown, but must surely be interesting to find out. The talk will review some of the surprising findings from Cassini-Huygens, their lessons for us here on Earth, and what future Titan exploration may tell us about the origins of worlds and the origins of life.

Variational data assimilation for the initial-value dynamo problem.

PubMed

Li, Kuan; Jackson, Andrew; Livermore, Philip W

2011-11-01

The secular variation of the geomagnetic field as observed at the Earth's surface results from the complex magnetohydrodynamics taking place in the fluid core of the Earth. One way to analyze this system is to use the data in concert with an underlying dynamical model of the system through the technique of variational data assimilation, in much the same way as is employed in meteorology and oceanography. The aim is to discover an optimal initial condition that leads to a trajectory of the system in agreement with observations. Taking the Earth's core to be an electrically conducting fluid sphere in which convection takes place, we develop the continuous adjoint forms of the magnetohydrodynamic equations that govern the dynamical system together with the corresponding numerical algorithms appropriate for a fully spectral method. These adjoint equations enable a computationally fast iterative improvement of the initial condition that determines the system evolution. The initial condition depends on the three dimensional form of quantities such as the magnetic field in the entire sphere. For the magnetic field, conservation of the divergence-free condition for the adjoint magnetic field requires the introduction of an adjoint pressure term satisfying a zero boundary condition. We thus find that solving the forward and adjoint dynamo system requires different numerical algorithms. In this paper, an efficient algorithm for numerically solving this problem is developed and tested for two illustrative problems in a whole sphere: one is a kinematic problem with prescribed velocity field, and the second is associated with the Hall-effect dynamo, exhibiting considerable nonlinearity. The algorithm exhibits reliable numerical accuracy and stability. Using both the analytical and the numerical techniques of this paper, the adjoint dynamo system can be solved directly with the same order of computational complexity as that required to solve the forward problem. These numerical techniques form a foundation for ultimate application to observations of the geomagnetic field over the time scale of centuries.

Hydrogeologic processes of large-scale tectonomagmatic complexes in Mongolia-southern Siberia and on Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Komatsu, G.; Dohm, J.M.; Hare, T.M.

2004-01-01

Large-scale tectonomagmatic complexes are common on Earth and Mars. Many of these complexes are created or at least influenced by mantle processes, including a wide array of plume types ranging from superplumes to mantle plumes. Among the most prominent complexes, the Mongolian plateau on Earth and the Tharsis bulge on Mars share remarkable similarities in terms of large domal uplifted areas, great rift canyon systems, and widespread volcanism on their surfaces. Water has also played an important role in the development of the two complexes. In general, atmospheric and surface water play a bigger role in the development of the present-day Mongolian plateau than for the Tharsis bulge, as evidenced by highly developed drainages and thick accumulation of sediments in the basins of the Baikal rift system. On the Tharsis bulge, however, water appears to have remained as ground ice except during periods of elevated magmatic activity. Glacial and periglacial processes are well documented for the Mongolian plateau and are also reported for parts of the Tharsis bulge. Ice-magma interactions, which are represented by the formation of subice volcanoes in parts of the Mongolian plateau region, have been reported for the Valles Marineris region of Mars. The complexes are also characterized by cataclysmic floods, but their triggering mechanism may differ: mainly ice-dam failures for the Mongolian plateau and outburst of groundwater for the Tharsis bulge, probably by magma-ice interactions, although ice-dam failures within the Valles Marineris region cannot be ruled out as a possible contributor. Comparative studies of the Mongolian plateau and Tharsis bulge provide excellent opportunities for understanding surface manifestations of plume-driven processes on terrestrial planets and how they interact with hydro-cryospheres. ?? 2004 Geological Society of America.

ISO 19115 Experiences in NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) ClearingHOuse (ECHO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cechini, M. F.; Mitchell, A.

2011-12-01

Metadata is an important entity in the process of cataloging, discovering, and describing earth science data. As science research and the gathered data increases in complexity, so does the complexity and importance of descriptive metadata. To meet these growing needs, the metadata models required utilize richer and more mature metadata attributes. Categorizing, standardizing, and promulgating these metadata models to a politically, geographically, and scientifically diverse community is a difficult process. An integral component of metadata management within NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is the Earth Observing System (EOS) ClearingHOuse (ECHO). ECHO is the core metadata repository for the EOSDIS data centers providing a centralized mechanism for metadata and data discovery and retrieval. ECHO has undertaken an internal restructuring to meet the changing needs of scientists, the consistent advancement in technology, and the advent of new standards such as ISO 19115. These improvements were based on the following tenets for data discovery and retrieval: + There exists a set of 'core' metadata fields recommended for data discovery. + There exists a set of users who will require the entire metadata record for advanced analysis. + There exists a set of users who will require a 'core' set metadata fields for discovery only. + There will never be a cessation of new formats or a total retirement of all old formats. + Users should be presented metadata in a consistent format of their choosing. In order to address the previously listed items, ECHO's new metadata processing paradigm utilizes the following approach: + Identify a cross-format set of 'core' metadata fields necessary for discovery. + Implement format-specific indexers to extract the 'core' metadata fields into an optimized query capability. + Archive the original metadata in its entirety for presentation to users requiring the full record. + Provide on-demand translation of 'core' metadata to any supported result format. Lessons learned by the ECHO team while implementing its new metadata approach to support usage of the ISO 19115 standard will be presented. These lessons learned highlight some discovered strengths and weaknesses in the ISO 19115 standard as it is introduced to an existing metadata processing system.

KSC-2009-1624

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-04

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital Sciences technicians conduct an ultraviolet light cleanliness inspection on the payload load isolators of the Taurus XL launch vehicle for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, before installation on the ballast ring. From left are Dana Frederic, Bill Nelson and Randy Bone. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for Feb. 24 from Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg. Photo credit: NASA/Richard Nielsen, KSC

Handling Uncertainty in Palaeo-Climate Models and Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, J.; Haywood, A. M.; Dolan, A. M.; Domingo, D.

2017-12-01

The study of palaeoclimates can provide data on the behaviour of the Earth system with boundary conditions different from the ones we observe in the present. One of the main challenges in this approach is that data on past climates comes with large uncertainties, since quantities of interest cannot be observed directly, but must be derived from proxies instead. We consider proxy-derived data from the Pliocene (around 3 millions years ago; the last interval in Earth history when CO2 was at modern or near future levels) and contrast this data to the output of complex climate models. In order to perform a meaningful data-model comparison, uncertainties must be taken into account. In this context, we discuss two examples of complex data-model comparison problems. Both examples have in common that they involve fitting a statistical model to describe how the output of the climate simulations depends on various model parameters, including atmospheric CO2 concentration and orbital parameters (obliquity, excentricity, and precession). This introduces additional uncertainties, but allows to explore a much larger range of model parameters than would be feasible by only relying on simulation runs. The first example shows how Gaussian process emulators can be used to perform data-model comparison when simulation runs only differ in the choice of orbital parameters, but temperature data is given in the (somewhat inconvenient) form of "warm peak averages". The second example shows how a simpler approach, based on linear regression, can be used to analyse a more complex problem where we use a larger and more varied ensemble of climate simulations with the aim to estimate Earth System Sensitivity.

Transitions between multiple equilibria of paleo climate: a glimpse in to the dynamics of abrupt climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, David; Marshall, John; Ito, Takamitsu; McGee, David; Moreno-Chamarro, Eduardo

2017-04-01

The dynamics regulating large climatic transitions such as glacial-interglacial cycles or DO events remains a puzzle. Forcings behind these transitions are not robustly identified and potential candidates (e.g. Milankovitch cycles, freshwater perturbations) often appear too weak to explain such dramatic transitions. A potential solution to this long-standing puzzle is that Earth's climate is endowed with multiple equilibrium states of global extent. Such states are commonly found in low-order or conceptual climate models, but it is unclear whether a system as complex as Earth's climate can sustain multiple equilibrium states. Here we report that multiple equilibrium states of the climate system are also possible in a complex, fully dynamical coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice GCM with idealized Earth-like geometry, resolved weather systems and a hydrological cycle. In our model, two equilibrium states coexist for the same parameters and external forcings: a Warm climate with a small Northern hemisphere sea ice cap and a large southern one and a Cold climate with large ice caps at both poles. The dynamical states of the Warm and Cold solutions exhibit striking similarities with our present-day climate and the climate of the Last Glacial Maximum, respectively. A carbon cycle model driven by the two dynamical states produces an atmospheric pCO2 draw-down of about 110 pm between the Warm and Cold states, close to Glacial-Interglacial differences found in ice cores. Mechanism controlling the existence of the multiple states and changes in the atmospheric CO2 will be briefly presented. Finally we willdescribe transition experiments from the Cold to the Warm state, focusing on the lead-lags in the system, notably between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres climates.

Information Fusion Issues in the UK Environmental Science Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giles, J. R.

2010-12-01

The Earth is a complex, interacting system which cannot be neatly divided by discipline boundaries. To gain an holistic understanding of even a component of an Earth System requires researchers to draw information from multiple disciplines and integrate these to develop a broader understanding. But the barriers to achieving this are formidable. Research funders attempting to encourage the integration of information across disciplines need to take into account culture issues, the impact of intrusion of projects on existing information systems, ontologies and semantics, scale issues, heterogeneity and the uncertainties associated with combining information from diverse sources. Culture - There is a cultural dualism in the environmental sciences were information sharing is both rewarded and discouraged. Researchers who share information both gain new opportunities and risk reducing their chances of being first author in an high-impact journal. The culture of the environmental science community has to be managed to ensure that information fusion activities are encouraged. Intrusion - Existing information systems have an inertia of there own because of the intellectual and financial capital invested within them. Information fusion activities must recognise and seek to minimise the potential impact of their projects on existing systems. Low intrusion information fusions systems such as OGC web-service and the OpenMI Standard are to be preferred to whole-sale replacement of existing systems. Ontology and Semantics - Linking information across disciplines requires a clear understanding of the concepts deployed in the vocabulary used to describe them. Such work is a critical first step to creating routine information fusion. It is essential that national bodies, such as geological surveys organisations, document and publish their ontologies, semantics, etc. Scale - Environmental processes operate at scales ranging from microns to the scale of the Solar System and potentially beyond. The many different scales involved provide serious challenges to information fusion which need to be researched. Heterogeneity - Natural systems are heterogeneous, that is a system consisting of multiple components each of which may have considerable internal variation. Modelling Earth Systems requires recognition of the inherent complexity. Uncertainty - Understanding the uncertainties within a single information source can be difficult. Understanding the uncertainties across a system of linked models, each drawn from multiple information resources, represents a considerable challenge that must be addressed. The challenges to overcome appear insurmountable to individual research groups; but the potential rewards, in terms of a fuller scientific understanding of Earth Systems, are significant. A major international effort must be mounted to tackle these barriers and enable routine information fusion.

Harnessing Systems Engineering Methodology in Using Earth Science Research Data for Real Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habib, Shahid; Policelli, Fritz S.; Zanoni, Vicki M.

2004-01-01

For the last three decades, Earth science remote sensing technologies have been providing an enormous amount of useful data and information serving to broaden our understanding of the home planet as a system. NASA's Earth science program has deployed about 18 complex satellites and is in the process of defining and launching multiple observing systems in this decade. At the same time, the European Community and many other countries such as Russia, France, India, Japan, and China have also significantly contributed to Earth science research. To date, the majority of such efforts have concentrated on expanding our scientific understanding of the multiple nonlinear and chaotic processes of Earth's behavior. In recent years, legislators and stakeholders have put serious pressure on the science community to devote more attention to making use of scientific results for societal benefit. For instance, there are a number of areas such as energy forecasting, aviation safety, agricultural efficiency, disaster management, air quality and public health that can directly take advantage of Earth science results to analyze and predict large scale problems and conditions. This is becoming even more important now that we live in a global economy interconnected via the internet and transportation systems; regional environmental conditions can have far reaching impact across continental boundaries. These factors dictate requirements for global data that can help us assess and control the devastating problems of famine, water resources, wildfires, human health and more. To do this requires a serious, organized, and systematic approach that transfers fundamental research products to the applied sciences domain. This paper presents a systems engineering and management process that can effectively make such transfer of data to the user community. Examples are presented on how the above decision making framework can help in solving critical problems such as the spread of vector borne diseases, forecasts of harmful algal blooms as well as forest fires and wildfires, and the intercontinental transport of dust storms and pollution.

Development of EarthCube Governance: An Agile Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearthree, G.; Allison, M. L.; Patten, K.

2013-12-01

Governance of geosciences cyberinfrastructure is a complex and essential undertaking, critical in enabling distributed knowledge communities to collaborate and communicate across disciplines, distances, and cultures. Advancing science with respect to 'grand challenges," such as global climate change, weather prediction, and core fundamental science, depends not just on technical cyber systems, but also on social systems for strategic planning, decision-making, project management, learning, teaching, and building a community of practice. Simply put, a robust, agile technical system depends on an equally robust and agile social system. Cyberinfrastructure development is wrapped in social, organizational and governance challenges, which may significantly impede progress. An agile development process is underway for governance of transformative investments in geosciences cyberinfrastructure through the NSF EarthCube initiative. Agile development is iterative and incremental, and promotes adaptive planning and rapid and flexible response. Such iterative deployment across a variety of EarthCube stakeholders encourages transparency, consensus, accountability, and inclusiveness. A project Secretariat acts as the coordinating body, carrying out duties for planning, organizing, communicating, and reporting. A broad coalition of stakeholder groups comprises an Assembly (Mainstream Scientists, Cyberinfrastructure Institutions, Information Technology/Computer Sciences, NSF EarthCube Investigators, Science Communities, EarthCube End-User Workshop Organizers, Professional Societies) to serve as a preliminary venue for identifying, evaluating, and testing potential governance models. To offer opportunity for broader end-user input, a crowd-source approach will engage stakeholders not involved otherwise. An Advisory Committee from the Earth, ocean, atmosphere, social, computer and library sciences is guiding the process from a high-level policy point of view. Developmental evaluators from the social sciences embedded in the project provide real-time review and adjustments. While a large number of agencies and organizations have agreed to participate, in order to ensure an open and inclusive process, community selected leaders yet to be identified will play key roles through an Assembly Advisory Council. Once consensus is reached on a governing framework, a community-selected demonstration governance pilot will help facilitate community convergence on system design.

Harpoon-based sample Acquisition System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernal, Javier; Nuth, Joseph; Wegel, Donald

2012-02-01

Acquiring information about the composition of comets, asteroids, and other near Earth objects is very important because they may contain the primordial ooze of the solar system and the origins of life on Earth. Sending a spacecraft is the obvious answer, but once it gets there it needs to collect and analyze samples. Conceptually, a drill or a shovel would work, but both require something extra to anchor it to the comet, adding to the cost and complexity of the spacecraft. Since comets and asteroids are very low gravity objects, drilling becomes a problem. If you do not provide a grappling mechanism, the drill would push the spacecraft off the surface. Harpoons have been proposed as grappling mechanisms in the past and are currently flying on missions such as ROSETTA. We propose to use a hollow, core sampling harpoon, to act as the anchoring mechanism as well as the sample collecting device. By combining these two functions, mass is reduced, more samples can be collected and the spacecraft can carry more propellant. Although challenging, returning the collected samples to Earth allows them to be analyzed in laboratories with much greater detail than possible on a spacecraft. Also, bringing the samples back to Earth allows future generations to study them.

Snow in Earth System Models: Recent Progress and Future Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, M. P.; Slater, A. G.

2016-12-01

Snow is the most variable of terrestrial boundary conditions. Some 50 million km^2 of the Northern Hemisphere typically sees periods of accumulation and ablation in the annual cycle. The wonderous properties of snow, such as high albedo, thermal insulation and its ability to act as a water store make it an integral part of the global climate system. Earliest inclusions of snow within climate models were simple adjustments to albedo and a moisture store. Modern Earth Syetem Models now represent snow through a myriad of model architectures and parameterizations that span a broad range of complexity. Understanding the impacts of modeling decisions upon simulation of snow and other Earth System components (either directly or via feedbacks) is an ongoing area of research. Snow models are progressing with multi-layer representations and capabilities such as complex albedo schemes that include contaminants. While considerable advances have been made, numerous challenges also remain. Simply getting a grasp on the mass of snow (seasonal or permanent) has proved more difficult than expected over the past 30 years. Snow interactions with vegetation has improved but the details of vegetation masking and emergence are still limited. Inclusion of blowing snow processes, in terms of transport and sublimation, is typically rare and sublimation remains a difficult quantity to measure. Contemplation of snow crystal form within models and integration with radiative transfer schemes for better understanding of full spectrum interations (from UV to long microwave) may simultaneously advance simulation and remote sensing. A series of international modeling experiments and directed field campaigns are planned in the near future with the aim of pushing our knowledge forward.

Developing Data System Engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnke, J.; Byrnes, J. B.; Kobler, B.

2011-12-01

In the early days of general computer systems for science data processing, staff members working on NASA's data systems would most often be hired as mathematicians. Computer engineering was very often filled by those with electrical engineering degrees. Today, the Goddard Space Flight Center has special position descriptions for data scientists or as they are more commonly called: data systems engineers. These staff members are required to have very diverse skills, hence the need for a generalized position description. There is always a need for data systems engineers to develop, maintain and operate the complex data systems for Earth and space science missions. Today's data systems engineers however are not just mathematicians, they are computer programmers, GIS experts, software engineers, visualization experts, etc... They represent many different degree fields. To put together distributed systems like the NASA Earth Observing Data and Information System (EOSDIS), staff are required from many different fields. Sometimes, the skilled professional is not available and must be developed in-house. This paper will address the various skills and jobs for data systems engineers at NASA. Further it explores how to develop staff to become data scientists.

KSC-2014-4711

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4742

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph

KSC-2014-4710

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4733

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Tim Terry

KSC-2014-4738

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph

KSC-2014-4730

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Tim Terry

KSC-2014-4708

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-05

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossman

High-performance technology for indexing of high volumes of Earth remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strotov, Valery V.; Taganov, Alexander I.; Kolesenkov, Aleksandr N.; Kostrov, Boris V.

2017-10-01

The present paper has suggested a technology for search, indexing, cataloging and distribution of aerospace images on the basis of geo-information approach, cluster and spectral analysis. It has considered information and algorithmic support of the system. Functional circuit of the system and structure of the geographical data base have been developed on the basis of the geographical online portal technology. Taking into account heterogeneity of information obtained from various sources it is reasonable to apply a geoinformation platform that allows analyzing space location of objects and territories and executing complex processing of information. Geoinformation platform is based on cartographic fundamentals with the uniform coordinate system, the geographical data base, a set of algorithms and program modules for execution of various tasks. The technology for adding by particular users and companies of images taken by means of professional and amateur devices and also processed by various software tools to the array system has been suggested. Complex usage of visual and instrumental approaches allows significantly expanding an application area of Earth remote sensing data. Development and implementation of new algorithms based on the complex usage of new methods for processing of structured and unstructured data of high volumes will increase periodicity and rate of data updating. The paper has shown that application of original algorithms for search, indexing and cataloging of aerospace images will provide an easy access to information spread by hundreds of suppliers and allow increasing an access rate to aerospace images up to 5 times in comparison with current analogues.

GEOS Atmospheric Model: Challenges at Exascale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William M.; Suarez, Max J.

2017-01-01

The Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) is used to simulate the multi-scale variability of the Earth's weather and climate, and is used primarily to assimilate conventional and satellite-based observations for weather forecasting and reanalysis. In addition, assimilations coupled to an ocean model are used for longer-term forecasting (e.g., El Nino) on seasonal to interannual times-scales. The GMAO's research activities, including system development, focus on numerous time and space scales, as detailed on the GMAO website, where they are tabbed under five major themes: Weather Analysis and Prediction; Seasonal-Decadal Analysis and Prediction; Reanalysis; Global Mesoscale Modeling, and Observing System Science. A brief description of the GEOS systems can also be found at the GMAO website. GEOS executes as a collection of earth system components connected through the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF). The ESMF layer is supplemented with the MAPL (Modeling, Analysis, and Prediction Layer) software toolkit developed at the GMAO, which facilitates the organization of the computational components into a hierarchical architecture. GEOS systems run in parallel using a horizontal decomposition of the Earth's sphere into processing elements (PEs). Communication between PEs is primarily through a message passing framework, using the message passing interface (MPI), and through explicit use of node-level shared memory access via the SHMEM (Symmetric Hierarchical Memory access) protocol. Production GEOS weather prediction systems currently run at 12.5-kilometer horizontal resolution with 72 vertical levels decomposed into PEs associated with 5,400 MPI processes. Research GEOS systems run at resolutions as fine as 1.5 kilometers globally using as many as 30,000 MPI processes. Looking forward, these systems can be expected to see a 2 times increase in horizontal resolution every two to three years, as well as less frequent increases in vertical resolution. Coupling these resolution changes with increases in complexity, the computational demands on the GEOS production and research systems should easily increase 100-fold over the next five years. Currently, our 12.5 kilometer weather prediction system narrowly meets the time-to-solution demands of a near-real-time production system. Work is now in progress to take advantage of a hybrid MPI-OpenMP parallelism strategy, in an attempt to achieve a modest two-fold speed-up to accommodate an immediate demand due to increased scientific complexity and an increase in vertical resolution. Pursuing demands that require a 10- to 100-fold increases or more, however, would require a detailed exploration of the computational profile of GEOS, as well as targeted solutions using more advanced high-performance computing technologies. Increased computing demands of 100-fold will be required within five years based on anticipated changes in the GEOS production systems, increases of 1000-fold can be anticipated over the next ten years.

The Sun: Source of the Earth's Energy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Barbara J.; Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Sun is the primary source of the Earth's energy. However, due to the complexity in the way the energy affects Earth, the various solar sources of the energy, and the variation exhibited by the Sun it is difficult to understand and predict the Earth's response to solar drivers. In addition to visible light the radiant energy of the Sun can exhibit variation in nearly all wavelengths, which can vary over nearly all timescales. Depending on the wavelength of the incident radiation the light can deposit energy in a wide variety or locations and drive processes from below Earth's surface to interplanetary space. Other sources of energy impacting Earth include energetic particles, magnetic fields, and mass and flow variations in the solar wind. Many of these variable energetic processes cannot be coupled and recent results continue to demonstrate that the complex dynamics of the Sun can have a great range of measurable impacts on Earth.

From Molecules to Life: Quantifying the Complexity of Chemical and Biological Systems in the Universe.

PubMed

Böttcher, Thomas

2018-01-01

Life is a complex phenomenon and much research has been devoted to both understanding its origins from prebiotic chemistry and discovering life beyond Earth. Yet, it has remained elusive how to quantify this complexity and how to compare chemical and biological units on one common scale. Here, a mathematical description of molecular complexity was applied allowing to quantitatively assess complexity of chemical structures. This in combination with the orthogonal measure of information complexity resulted in a two-dimensional complexity space ranging over the entire spectrum from molecules to organisms. Entities with a certain level of information complexity directly require a functionally complex mechanism for their production or replication and are hence indicative for life-like systems. In order to describe entities combining molecular and information complexity, the term biogenic unit was introduced. Exemplified biogenic unit complexities were calculated for ribozymes, protein enzymes, multimeric protein complexes, and even an entire virus particle. Complexities of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, as well as multicellular organisms, were estimated. Thereby distinct evolutionary stages in complexity space were identified. The here developed approach to compare the complexity of biogenic units allows for the first time to address the gradual characteristics of prebiotic and life-like systems without the need for a definition of life. This operational concept may guide our search for life in the Universe, and it may direct the investigations of prebiotic trajectories that lead towards the evolution of complexity at the origins of life.

Bastrop County Complex Fire Burn Scar

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image acquired September 12, 2011 To view more images from this event go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/event.php?id=52029 The Bastrop County Complex Fire in southern Texas started on September 4, 2011. By September 13, 2011, the fire was 70 percent contained, but had scorched 34,068 acres (13,787 hectares). The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this image of the affected region on September 12, 2011. This false-color image shows a wide-area view of the fire. Vegetation is bright green, and sparsely vegetated or bare land is green-yellow. The burn scar appears in shades of red and orange. The burn scar is far from uniform; burned areas are separated by unburned expanses. As of September 13, a re-entry plan had been established for residents of the region, the Incident Information System reported. Residents were warned, however, that they might see vegetation still smoldering or burning. Ongoing drought set the stage for severe fires in Texas in the slate summer of 2011. In early September, Tropical Storm Lee, which drenched other parts of the United States, brought strong winds to Texas, worsening the fires. NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Michon Scott. Instrument: EO-1 - ALI Credit: NASA Earth Observatory NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Fostering Environmental Literacy For A Changing Earth: Interactive and Participatory Outreach Programs at Biosphere 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavao-Zuckerman, M.; Huxman, T.; Morehouse, B.

2008-12-01

Earth system and ecological sustainability problems are complex outcomes of biological, physical, social, and economic interactions. A common goal of outreach and education programs is to foster a scientifically literate community that possesses the knowledge to contribute to environmental policies and decision making. Uncertainty and variability that is both inherent in Earth system and ecological sciences can confound such goals of improved ecological literacy. Public programs provide an opportunity to engage lay-persons in the scientific method, allowing them to experience science in action and confront these uncertainties face-on. We begin with a definition of scientific literacy that expands its conceptualization of science beyond just a collection of facts and concepts to one that views science as a process to aid understanding of natural phenomena. A process-based scientific literacy allows the public, teachers, and students to assimilate new information, evaluate climate research, and to ultimately make decisions that are informed by science. The Biosphere 2 facility (B2) is uniquely suited for such outreach programs because it allows linking Earth system and ecological science research activities in a large scale controlled environment setting with outreach and education opportunities. A primary outreach goal is to demonstrate science in action to an audience that ranges from K-12 groups to retired citizens. Here we discuss approaches to outreach programs that focus on soil-water-atmosphere-plant interactions and their roles in the impacts and causes of global environmental change. We describe a suite of programs designed to vary the amount of participation a visitor has with the science process (from passive learning to data collection to helping design experiments) to test the hypothesis that active learning fosters increased scientific literacy and the creation of science advocates. We argue that a revised framing of the scientific method with a more open role for citizens in science will have greater success in fostering science literacy and produce a citizenry that is equipped to tackle complex environmental decision making.

Where and how should be placed humanity to protect against asteroidal and cometary hazards?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steklov, A. F.; Vidmachenko, A. P.; Dashkiev, G. N.; Zhilyaev, B. E.

2018-05-01

For the planetary protection of the planet Earth, we propose to create, deploy and constantly upgrade the "Single Churyumov Network" as a multi-level system of continuous monitoring of near and distant volumes around the Earth. This is necessary to identify and explore potentially dangerous objects that intruding in our atmosphere. To solve the problem of global planetary protection, it is necessary to involve enormous forces and means. According to the definition, terraformation is a change in the cosmic body that will bring the atmosphere, temperature and environmental conditions into a state that is necessary for the life of terrestrial animals, plants and people. Therefore, before sending people, for example, to Mars for a permanent settlement, it is necessary first of all there to create a huge complex of preparatory work with the aim, if not completely transform this planet, at least, to organize there the simplest housing for future settlers. At Venus, you can create settlements in "flying" cities with flotilla peculiar "airships" in the upper atmosphere. Terraformation of Mercury can be carried out at latitudes from 70 deg. to the poles, making it suitable localities for human habitation. They should be located below the surface of the planet at a depth of 3-30 m in a zone of comfortable and constant temperatures of about +20° С. And start terraforming - preferably from the Moon. Such residential complexes should be designed taking into account the need to deploy systems of early detection and counteract the global danger to the Earth by asteroid and comet invasions. That is, the areas of Venus, Mars, Mercury and the Earth - should be equipped with special orbital stations. At these stations, nuclear missile systems for early warning and combating global threats from invasion of asteroids and comets - should be deployed.

Dual Functionalization of White Phosphorus: Formation, Characterization, and Reactivity of Rare-Earth-Metal Cyclo-P3 Complexes.

PubMed

Du, Shanshan; Yin, Jianhao; Chi, Yue; Xu, Ling; Zhang, Wen-Xiong

2017-12-11

The [3+1] fragmentation reaction of rare-earth metallacyclopentadienes 1 a-c with 0.5 equivalents of P 4 affords a series of rare-earth metal cyclo-P 3 complexes 2 a-c and a phospholyl anion 3. 2 a-c demonstrate an unusual η 3 coordination mode with one P-P bond featuring partial π-bonding character. 2 a-c are the first cyclo-P 3 complexes of rare-earth metals, and also the first organo-substituted polyphosphides in the category of Group 3 and f-block elements. Rare-earth metallacyclopentadienes play a dual role in the combination of aromatization and Diels-Alder reaction. Compounds 2 a-c can coordinate to one or two [W(CO) 5 ] units, yielding 4 a-c or 5 c, respectively. Furthermore, oxidation of 2 a with p-benzoquinone produces its corresponding phospholyllithium and regenerated P 4 . © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Collaborative Project: Building improved optimized parameter estimation algorithms to improve methane and nitrogen fluxes in a climate model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mahowald, Natalie

Soils in natural and managed ecosystems and wetlands are well known sources of methane, nitrous oxides, and reactive nitrogen gases, but the magnitudes of gas flux to the atmosphere are still poorly constrained. Thus, the reasons for the large increases in atmospheric concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide since the preindustrial time period are not well understood. The low atmospheric concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide, despite being more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide, complicate empirical studies to provide explanations. In addition to climate concerns, the emissions of reactive nitrogen gases from soils are important to the changing nitrogenmore » balance in the earth system, subject to human management, and may change substantially in the future. Thus improved modeling of the emission fluxes of these species from the land surface is important. Currently, there are emission modules for methane and some nitrogen species in the Community Earth System Model’s Community Land Model (CLM-ME/N); however, there are large uncertainties and problems in the simulations, resulting in coarse estimates. In this proposal, we seek to improve these emission modules by combining state-of-the-art process modules for emissions, available data, and new optimization methods. In earth science problems, we often have substantial data and knowledge of processes in disparate systems, and thus we need to combine data and a general process level understanding into a model for projections of future climate that are as accurate as possible. The best methodologies for optimization of parameters in earth system models are still being developed. In this proposal we will develop and apply surrogate algorithms that a) were especially developed for computationally expensive simulations like CLM-ME/N models; b) were (in the earlier surrogate optimization Stochastic RBF) demonstrated to perform very well on computationally expensive complex partial differential equations in earth science with limited numbers of simulations; and, c) will be (as part of the proposed research) significantly improved both by adding asynchronous parallelism, early truncation of unsuccessful simulations, and the improvement of both serial and parallel performance by the use of derivative and sensitivity information from global and local surrogate approximations S(x). The algorithm development and testing will be focused on the CLM-ME/N model application, but the methods are general and are expected to also perform well on optimization for parameter estimation of other climate models and other classes of continuous multimodal optimization problems arising from complex simulation models. In addition, this proposal will compile available datasets of emissions of methane, nitrous oxides and reactive nitrogen species and develop protocols for site level comparisons with the CLM-ME/N. Once the model parameters are optimized against site level data, the model will be simulated at the global level and compared to atmospheric concentration measurements for the current climate, and future emissions will be estimated using climate change as simulated by the CESM. This proposal combines experts in earth system modeling, optimization, computer science, and process level understanding of soil gas emissions in an interdisciplinary team in order to improve the modeling of methane and nitrogen gas emissions. This proposal thus meets the requirements of the SciDAC RFP, by integrating state-of-the-art computer science and earth system to build an improved earth system model.« less

NASA Applied Sciences Program Rapid Prototyping Results and Conclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, E. L.

2007-12-01

NASA's Applied Sciences Program seeks to expand the use of Earth science research results to benefit current and future operational systems tasked with making policy and management decisions. The Earth Science Division within the Science Mission Directorate sponsors over 1000 research projects annually to answer the fundamental research question: How is the Earth changing and what are the consequences for life on Earth? As research results become available, largely from satellite observations and Earth system model outputs, the Applied Sciences Program works diligently with scientists and researchers (internal and external to NASA) , and other government agency officials (USDA, EPA, CDC, DOE, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, DHS, USAID) to determine useful applications for these results in decision-making, ultimately benefiting society. The complexity of Earth science research results and the breadth of the Applied Sciences Program national priority areas dictate a broad scope and multiple approaches available to implement their use in decision-making. Over the past five years, the Applied Sciences Program has examined scientific and engineering practices and solicited the community for methods and steps that can lead to the enhancement of operational systems (Decision Support Systems - DSS) required for decision-making. In November 2006, the Applied Sciences Program launched an initiative aimed at demonstrating the applicability of NASA data (satellite observations, models, geophysical parameters from data archive centers) being incorporated into decision support systems and their related environments at a low cost and quick turnaround of results., i.e. designed rapid prototyping. Conceptually, an understanding of Earth science research (and results) coupled with decision-making requirements and needs leads to a demonstration (experiment) depicting enhancements or improvements to an operational decisions process through the use of NASA data. Five NASA centers (GSFC, LaRC, SSC, MSFC, ARC) participated and are currently conducting fifteen prototyping experiments covering eight of the twelve national priority applications - Energy, Coastal, Carbon, and Disaster Management; Agricultural Efficiency, Aviation, Air Quality, and Ecological Forecasting. Results from six experiments will be discussed highlighting purpose, expected results, enhancement to the decision-making process achieved, and the potential plans for future collaboration and sustainable projects.

Incorporating Parallel Computing into the Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System (GEOS DAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larson, Jay W.

1998-01-01

Atmospheric data assimilation is a method of combining actual observations with model forecasts to produce a more accurate description of the earth system than the observations or forecast alone can provide. The output of data assimilation, sometimes called the analysis, are regular, gridded datasets of observed and unobserved variables. Analysis plays a key role in numerical weather prediction and is becoming increasingly important for climate research. These applications, and the need for timely validation of scientific enhancements to the data assimilation system pose computational demands that are best met by distributed parallel software. The mission of the NASA Data Assimilation Office (DAO) is to provide datasets for climate research and to support NASA satellite and aircraft missions. The system used to create these datasets is the Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System (GEOS DAS). The core components of the the GEOS DAS are: the GEOS General Circulation Model (GCM), the Physical-space Statistical Analysis System (PSAS), the Observer, the on-line Quality Control (QC) system, the Coupler (which feeds analysis increments back to the GCM), and an I/O package for processing the large amounts of data the system produces (which will be described in another presentation in this session). The discussion will center on the following issues: the computational complexity for the whole GEOS DAS, assessment of the performance of the individual elements of GEOS DAS, and parallelization strategy for some of the components of the system.

Stardust: The Cosmic Seeds of Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwok, Sun

How did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of chemistry involving simple molecules such as methane and ammonia cooking in a primordial soup. Recent space observations have revealed that old stars are capable of making very complex organic compounds. The stars then ejected the organics and spread them all over the Milky Way Galaxy. There is evidence that these organic dust particles actually reached the early Solar System. Through bombardments by comets and asteroids, the early Earth inherited significant amounts of star dust. Was the development of life assisted by the arrival of these extraterrestrial materials? In this book, we describe stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science over the last 10 years that resulted in a new perspective on the origin of life.

Transforming Undergraduate Education Through the use of Analytical Reasoning (TUETAR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, M. P.; Houser, C.; Lemmons, K.

2015-12-01

Traditional learning limits the potential for self-discovery, and the use of data and knowledge to understand Earth system relationships, processes, feedback mechanisms and system coupling. It is extremely difficult for undergraduate students to analyze, synthesize, and integrate quantitative information related to complex systems, as many concepts may not be mathematically tractable or yet to be formalized. Conceptual models have long served as a means for Earth scientists to organize their understanding of Earth's dynamics, and have served as a basis for human analytical reasoning and landscape interpretation. Consequently, we evaluated the use of conceptual modeling, knowledge representation and analytical reasoning to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to develop and test geocomputational conceptual models based upon their understanding of Earth science concepts. This study describes the use of geospatial technologies and fuzzy cognitive maps to predict desertification across the South-Texas Sandsheet in an upper-level geomorphology course. Students developed conceptual models based on their understanding of aeolian processes from lectures, and then compared and evaluated their modeling results against an expert conceptual model and spatial predictions, and the observed distribution of dune activity in 2010. Students perceived that the analytical reasoning approach was significantly better for understanding desertification compared to traditional lecture, and promoted reflective learning, working with data, teamwork, student interaction, innovation, and creative thinking. Student evaluations support the notion that the adoption of knowledge representation and analytical reasoning in the classroom has the potential to transform undergraduate education by enabling students to formalize and test their conceptual understanding of Earth science. A model for developing and utilizing this geospatial technology approach in Earth science is presented.

EFT-1 Crew Module on Display at KSC Visitor Complex

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-12

The Orion crew module from Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) is on display at nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The crew module is part of the NASA Now exhibit in the IMAX Theater. Also in view is a scale model of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on the mobile launcher. The Orion EFT-1 spacecraft launched atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket Dec. 5, 2014, from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft built for humans traveled 3,604 miles above Earth and splashed down about 4.5 hours later in the Pacific Ocean.

Networks consolidation program: Maintenance and Operations (M&O) staffing estimates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodwin, J. P.

1981-01-01

The Mark IV-A consolidate deep space and high elliptical Earth orbiter (HEEO) missions tracking and implements centralized control and monitoring at the deep space communications complexes (DSCC). One of the objectives of the network design is to reduce maintenance and operations (M&O) costs. To determine if the system design meets this objective an M&O staffing model for Goldstone was developed which was used to estimate the staffing levels required to support the Mark IV-A configuration. The study was performed for the Goldstone complex and the program office translated these estimates for the overseas complexes to derive the network estimates.

Earth orbital teleoperator systems evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shields, N. L., Jr.; Slaughter, P. H.; Brye, R. G.; Henderson, D. E.

1979-01-01

The mechanical extension of the human operator to remote and specialized environments poses a series of complex operational questions. A technical and scientific team was organized to investigate these questions through conducting specific laboratory and analytical studies. The intent of the studies was to determine the human operator requirements for remotely manned systems and to determine the particular effects that various system parameters have on human operator performance. In so doing, certain design criteria based on empirically derived data concerning the ultimate control system, the human operator, were added to the Teleoperator Development Program.

Earth Observation

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-19

ISS040-E-070424 (19 July 2014) --- One of the Expedition 40 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station recorded this July 19 image of wildfires which are plaguing the Northwest and causing widespread destruction. The orbital outpost was flying 223 nautical miles above Earth at the time of the photo. Lightning has been given as the cause of the Ochoco Complex fires in the Ochoco National Forest in central Oregon. The complex has gotten larger since this photo was taken.

Benchmark Comparison of Cloud Analytics Methods Applied to Earth Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynnes, C.; Little, M. M.; Huang, T.; Jacob, J. C.; Yang, C. P.; Kuo, K. S.

2016-12-01

Cloud computing has the potential to bring high performance computing capabilities to the average science researcher. However, in order to take full advantage of cloud capabilities, the science data used in the analysis must often be reorganized. This typically involves sharding the data across multiple nodes to enable relatively fine-grained parallelism. This can be either via cloud-based filesystems or cloud-enabled databases such as Cassandra, Rasdaman or SciDB. Since storing an extra copy of data leads to increased cost and data management complexity, NASA is interested in determining the benefits and costs of various cloud analytics methods for real Earth Observation cases. Accordingly, NASA's Earth Science Technology Office and Earth Science Data and Information Systems project have teamed with cloud analytics practitioners to run a benchmark comparison on cloud analytics methods using the same input data and analysis algorithms. We have particularly looked at analysis algorithms that work over long time series, because these are particularly intractable for many Earth Observation datasets which typically store data with one or just a few time steps per file. This post will present side-by-side cost and performance results for several common Earth observation analysis operations.

Rare earth elements geochemistry in springs from Taftan geothermal area SE Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakeri, Ata; Ghoreyshinia, Sayedkazem; Mehrabi, Behzad; Delavari, Morteza

2015-10-01

Concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) were determined in springs and andesitic-dacitic rocks of Taftan geothermal field. Hydrochemical results of major ions indicate that thermal springs are Na-SO4-Cl and Ca-SO4-Cl types. Concentrations of REEs are in ranges of 10- 4 to 1.2 and 49 to 62 times of chondrite for springwater and rock samples, respectively. The thermal (STS and TTS) and the cold (APS) springs with low pH values exhibit a very high REE contents (0.64 to 3.15 mg/l). Saturation index indicates that Fe and Al phases can control dissolved REE concentration in FTS and PF cold springs. The speciation of REE complexes indicates dominant presence of LnSO4+ and free ion in the Taftan thermal springs. In APS cold spring with pH 4, fluoride complexes are dominate over the free ion and sulfate species, while in PF and FTS cold springs with pH 6.4 and 7, respectively, carbonate complexes (LnCO3+) are predominant species. Chondrite-normalized pattern for the low-pH waters show very distinctive gull-wing patterns, characteristic feature of acid-sulfate geothermal systems, and are similar to those of the host rocks. Chemical characteristics of rare earth elements in spring and volcanic rock samples indicate that REEs are originated from the andesitic-dacitic host rocks. Whole-rock-normalized REE patterns and petrographic evidences show that rare earth elements leached mainly from marginal alteration of minerals and matrix decomposition in volcanic rocks. In chondrite-normalized REE patterns, significant negative Eu anomaly in the cold springs compare to the thermal and acidic springs indicates that alteration of plagioclase is more intense in the later, corresponding to increasing in temperature and acidic state of reactant water.

The carbon cycle on early Earth--and on Mars?

PubMed

Grady, Monica M; Wright, Ian

2006-10-29

One of the goals of the present Martian exploration is to search for evidence of extinct (or even extant) life. This could be redefined as a search for carbon. The carbon cycle (or, more properly, cycles) on Earth is a complex interaction among three reservoirs: the atmosphere; the hydrosphere; and the lithosphere. Superimposed on this is the biosphere, and its presence influences the fixing and release of carbon in these reservoirs over different time-scales. The overall carbon balance is kept at equilibrium on the surface by a combination of tectonic processes (which bury carbon), volcanism (which releases it) and biology (which mediates it). In contrast to Earth, Mars presently has no active tectonic system; neither does it possess a significant biosphere. However, these observations might not necessarily have held in the past. By looking at how Earth's carbon cycles have changed with time, as both the Earth's tectonic structure and a more sophisticated biology have evolved, and also by constructing a carbon cycle for Mars based on the carbon chemistry of Martian meteorites, we investigate whether or not there is evidence for a Martian biosphere.

Digital Earth reloaded - Beyond the next generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehlers, M.; Woodgate, P.; Annoni, A.; Schade, S.

2014-02-01

Digital replicas (or 'mirror worlds') of complex entities and systems are now routine in many fields such as aerospace engineering; archaeology; medicine; or even fashion design. The Digital Earth (DE) concept as a digital replica of the entire planet occurs in Al Gore's 1992 book Earth in the Balance and was popularized in his speech at the California Science Center in January 1998. It played a pivotal role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth that achieved many elements of this vision. Almost 15 years after Al Gore's speech, the concept of DE needs to be re-evaluated in the light of the many scientific and technical developments in the fields of information technology, data infrastructures, citizen?s participation, and earth observation that have taken place since. This paper intends to look beyond the next generation predominantly based on the developments of fields outside the spatial sciences, where concepts, software, and hardware with strong relationships to DE are being developed without referring to this term. It also presents a number of guiding criteria for future DE developments.

KSC-2011-6564

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-21

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the interstage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space is lifted up the side of NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. The interstage provides an interface between the launch vehicle's first and second stages. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Rudy Bledsoe

KSC-2011-6571

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-28

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a solid rocket motor is attached to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket at NASA’s Space Launch Complex-2. The Delta II will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Dan Liberotti

KSC-2011-6563

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-21

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the interstage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space is lifted up the side of NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. The interstage provides an interface between the launch vehicle's first and second stages. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Rudy Bledsoe

KSC-2011-6560

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-21

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, spacecraft technicians prepare to attach the interstage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space to a lifting device. The interstage provides an interface between the launch vehicle's first and second stages. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Rudy Bledsoe

KSC-2011-6558

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-07-21

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, preparations are under way to lift the interstage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. The interstage provides an interface between the launch vehicle's first and second stages. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Rudy Bledsoe

The topology of non-linear global carbon dynamics: from tipping points to planetary boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderies, J. M.; Carpenter, S. R.; Steffen, Will; Rockström, Johan

2013-12-01

We present a minimal model of land use and carbon cycle dynamics and use it to explore the relationship between non-linear dynamics and planetary boundaries. Only the most basic interactions between land cover and terrestrial, atmospheric, and marine carbon stocks are considered in the model. Our goal is not to predict global carbon dynamics as it occurs in the actual Earth System. Rather, we construct a conceptually reasonable heuristic model of a feedback system between different carbon stocks that captures the qualitative features of the actual Earth System and use it to explore the topology of the boundaries of what can be called a ‘safe operating space’ for humans. The model analysis illustrates the existence of dynamic, non-linear tipping points in carbon cycle dynamics and the potential complexity of planetary boundaries. Finally, we use the model to illustrate some challenges associated with navigating planetary boundaries.

KSC-2011-7015

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians remove the lifting crane and harnesses from the container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7025

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-08

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace technicians rotate NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) into the vertical position during a solar array frangible bolt pre-load verification test. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7014

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a crane begins to lift the container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors dev eloped for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7017

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-01

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) is positioned on a test platform in a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7011

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians attach a crane to the container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7027

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-08

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace technicians rotate NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) into the vertical position during a solar array frangible bolt pre-load verification test. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7022

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-08

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace technicians position NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) for a solar array frangible bolt pre-load verification test. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7023

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-08

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) is positioned on a test platform in a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, awaiting a solar array frangible bolt pre-load verification test. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7026

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-08

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace technicians rotate NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) into the vertical position during a solar array frangible bolt pre-load verification test. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7018

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-01

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians position NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) for test and checkout. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7016

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-01

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians position NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) for test and checkout. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-6630

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite arrives outside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: USAF 30th Space Communications Squadron/Doug Gruben, VAFB

KSC-2011-7010

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians prepare to attach a crane to the container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7013

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a crane begins to lift the container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7024

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-08

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace technicians position NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) for a solar array frangible bolt pre-load verification test. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7504

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-04

The Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment DICE is prepared for launch aboard the Delta II rocket that will carry NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project NPP spacecraft. DICE is a National Science Foundation Project conducted by Utah State University in conjunction with the Atmospheric and Space Technology Research Associates ASTRA. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System JPSS, to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

KSC-2011-6633

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite comes to rest on the floor of the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/Jerry Nagy, VAFB

KSC-2011-7008

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Transported by truck, the environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) arrives at the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7007

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Transported by truck, the environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) arrives at the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-6631

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite is delivered into the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: USAF 30th Space Communications Squadron/Doug Gruben, VAFB

KSC-2011-6632

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite is lifted from its delivery truck at the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/Jerry Nagy, VAFB

KSC-2011-7005

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California awaits delivery of the environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7006

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Transported by truck, the environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) arrives at the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7550

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-26

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Participants in the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft prepare to address members of the news media gathered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

KSC-2011-7009

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Transported by truck, the environmentally controlled transportation container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) arrives at the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7549

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-26

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA missions, United Launch Alliance, Cape Canaveral, Fla., participates in the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

KSC-2011-7012

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-30

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians monitor the progress as a crane begins to lift the container holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7543

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-26

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A model of the NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft and the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket are displayed during the prelaunch news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 28 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB

Selection considerations between ZERODUR® and silicon carbide for dimensionally-stable spaceborne optical telescopes in two-earth-orbits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hull, Tony; Westerhoff, Thomas; Weidmann, Gunter

2015-09-01

A key consideration in defining a space telescope mission is definition of the optical materials. This selection defines both the performance of the system and system complexity and cost. Optimal material selection for system stability must consider the thermal environment and its variation. Via numerical simulations, we compare the thermal and structural-mechanical behavior of ZERODUR® and SiC as mirror substrates for telescope assemblies in space. SiC has significantly larger CTE values then ZERODUR®, but also its thermal diffusivity k/(ρcp) is larger, and that helps to homogenize thermal gradients in the mirror. Therefore it is not obvious at first glance which material performs with better dimensional stability under realistic unsteady, inhomogeneous thermal loads. We specifically examine the telescope response to transient, gradient driving, thermal environments representative of low- and high-earth- orbits.

A Toolkit of Systems Gaming Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finnigan, David; McCaughey, Jamie W.

2017-04-01

Decision-makers facing natural hazard crises need a broad set of cognitive tools to help them grapply with complexity. Systems gaming can act as a kind of 'flight simulator for decision making' enabling us to step through real life complex scenarios of the kind that beset us in natural disaster situations. Australian science-theatre ensemble Boho Interactive is collaborating with the Earth Observatory Singapore to develop an in-person systems game modelling an unfolding natural hazard crisis (volcanic unrest or an approaching typhoon) impacting an Asian city. Through a combination of interactive mechanisms drawn from boardgaming and participatory theatre, players will make decisions and assign resources in response to the unfolding crisis. In this performance, David Finnigan from Boho will illustrate some of the participatory techniques that Boho use to illustrate key concepts from complex systems science. These activities are part of a toolkit which can be adapted to fit a range of different contexts and scenarios. In this session, David will present short activities that demonstrate a range of systems principles including common-pool resource challenges (the Tragedy of the Commons), interconnectivity, unintended consequences, tipping points and phase transitions, and resilience. The interactive mechanisms for these games are all deliberately lo-fi rather than digital, for three reasons. First, the experience of a tactile, hands-on game is more immediate and engaging. It brings the focus of the participants into the room and facilitates engagement with the concepts and with each other, rather than with individual devices. Second, the mechanics of the game are laid bare. This is a valuable way to illustrate that complex systems are all around us, and are not merely the domain of hi-tech systems. Finally, these games can be used in a wide variety of contexts by removing computer hardware requirements and instead using materials and resources that are easily found in classrooms, meeting rooms and community spaces globally. We discuss further our application of these techniques to natural hazard crises in our presentation 'Using systems gaming to explore decision-making under uncertainty in natural hazard crises' in the companion EGU session EOS10: 'Scientists, artists, and the Earth: co-operating for better planet sustainability'.

Understanding Global Change (UGC) as a Unifying Conceptual Framework for Teaching Ecology: Using UGC in a High School Biology Program to Integrate Earth Science and Biology, and to Demonstrate the Value of Modeling Global Systems in Promoting Conceptual Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levine, J.; Bean, J. R.

2017-12-01

Global change science is ideal for NGSS-informed teaching, but presents a serious challenge to K-12 educators because it is complex and interdisciplinary- combining earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics. Global systems are themselves complex. Adding anthropogenic influences on those systems creates a formidable list of topics - greenhouse effect, climate change, nitrogen enrichment, introduced species, land-use change among them - which are often presented as a disconnected "laundry list" of "facts." This complexity, combined with public and mass-media scientific illiteracy, leaves global change science vulnerable to misrepresentation and politicization, creating additional challenges to teachers in public schools. Ample stand-alone, one-off, online resources, many of them excellent, are (to date) underutilized by teachers in the high school science course taken by most students: biology. The Understanding Global Change project (UGC) from the UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology has created a conceptual framework that organizes, connects, and explains global systems, human and non-human drivers of change in those systems, and measurable changes in those systems. This organization and framework employ core ideas, crosscutting concepts, structure/function relationships, and system models in a unique format that facilitates authentic understanding, rather than memorization. This system serves as an organizing framework for the entire ecology unit of a forthcoming mainstream high school biology program. The UGC system model is introduced up front with its core informational graphic. The model is elaborated, step by step, by adding concepts and processes as they are introduced and explained in each chapter. The informational graphic is thus used in several ways: to organize material as it is presented, to summarize topics in each chapter and put them in perspective, and for review and critical thinking exercises that supplement the usual end-of-chapter lists of key terms.

47 CFR 25.257 - Special requirements for operations in the band 29.1-29.25 GHz between NGSO MSS and LMDS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Earth-to-space transmissions from feeder link earth station complexes. A “feeder link earth station complex” may include up to three (3) earth station groups, with each earth station group having up to four... NGSO MSS licensees or applicants pursuant to § 101.147. (b) A maximum of seven (7) feeder link earth...

47 CFR 25.257 - Special requirements for operations in the band 29.1-29.25 GHz between NGSO MSS and LMDS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Earth-to-space transmissions from feeder link earth station complexes. A “feeder link earth station complex” may include up to three (3) earth station groups, with each earth station group having up to four... NGSO MSS licensees or applicants pursuant to § 101.147. (b) A maximum of seven (7) feeder link earth...

47 CFR 25.257 - Special requirements for operations in the band 29.1-29.25 GHz between NGSO MSS and LMDS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Earth-to-space transmissions from feeder link earth station complexes. A “feeder link earth station complex” may include up to three (3) earth station groups, with each earth station group having up to four... NGSO MSS licensees or applicants pursuant to § 101.147. (b) A maximum of seven (7) feeder link earth...

47 CFR 25.257 - Special requirements for operations in the band 29.1-29.25 GHz between NGSO MSS and LMDS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Earth-to-space transmissions from feeder link earth station complexes. A “feeder link earth station complex” may include up to three (3) earth station groups, with each earth station group having up to four... NGSO MSS licensees or applicants pursuant to § 101.147. (b) A maximum of seven (7) feeder link earth...

47 CFR 25.257 - Special requirements for operations in the band 29.1-29.25 GHz between NGSO MSS and LMDS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Earth-to-space transmissions from feeder link earth station complexes. A “feeder link earth station complex” may include up to three (3) earth station groups, with each earth station group having up to four... NGSO MSS licensees or applicants pursuant to § 101.147. (b) A maximum of seven (7) feeder link earth...

The cosmological model of eternal inflation and the transition from chance to biological evolution in the history of life

PubMed Central

Koonin, Eugene V

2007-01-01

Background Recent developments in cosmology radically change the conception of the universe as well as the very notions of "probable" and "possible". The model of eternal inflation implies that all macroscopic histories permitted by laws of physics are repeated an infinite number of times in the infinite multiverse. In contrast to the traditional cosmological models of a single, finite universe, this worldview provides for the origin of an infinite number of complex systems by chance, even as the probability of complexity emerging in any given region of the multiverse is extremely low. This change in perspective has profound implications for the history of any phenomenon, and life on earth cannot be an exception. Hypothesis Origin of life is a chicken and egg problem: for biological evolution that is governed, primarily, by natural selection, to take off, efficient systems for replication and translation are required, but even barebones cores of these systems appear to be products of extensive selection. The currently favored (partial) solution is an RNA world without proteins in which replication is catalyzed by ribozymes and which serves as the cradle for the translation system. However, the RNA world faces its own hard problems as ribozyme-catalyzed RNA replication remains a hypothesis and the selective pressures behind the origin of translation remain mysterious. Eternal inflation offers a viable alternative that is untenable in a finite universe, i.e., that a coupled system of translation and replication emerged by chance, and became the breakthrough stage from which biological evolution, centered around Darwinian selection, took off. A corollary of this hypothesis is that an RNA world, as a diverse population of replicating RNA molecules, might have never existed. In this model, the stage for Darwinian selection is set by anthropic selection of complex systems that rarely but inevitably emerge by chance in the infinite universe (multiverse). Conclusion The plausibility of different models for the origin of life on earth directly depends on the adopted cosmological scenario. In an infinite universe (multiverse), emergence of highly complex systems by chance is inevitable. Therefore, under this cosmology, an entity as complex as a coupled translation-replication system should be considered a viable breakthrough stage for the onset of biological evolution. Reviewers This article was reviewed by Eric Bapteste, David Krakauer, Sergei Maslov, and Itai Yanai. PMID:17540027

The cosmological model of eternal inflation and the transition from chance to biological evolution in the history of life.

PubMed

Koonin, Eugene V

2007-05-31

Recent developments in cosmology radically change the conception of the universe as well as the very notions of "probable" and "possible". The model of eternal inflation implies that all macroscopic histories permitted by laws of physics are repeated an infinite number of times in the infinite multiverse. In contrast to the traditional cosmological models of a single, finite universe, this worldview provides for the origin of an infinite number of complex systems by chance, even as the probability of complexity emerging in any given region of the multiverse is extremely low. This change in perspective has profound implications for the history of any phenomenon, and life on earth cannot be an exception. Origin of life is a chicken and egg problem: for biological evolution that is governed, primarily, by natural selection, to take off, efficient systems for replication and translation are required, but even barebones cores of these systems appear to be products of extensive selection. The currently favored (partial) solution is an RNA world without proteins in which replication is catalyzed by ribozymes and which serves as the cradle for the translation system. However, the RNA world faces its own hard problems as ribozyme-catalyzed RNA replication remains a hypothesis and the selective pressures behind the origin of translation remain mysterious. Eternal inflation offers a viable alternative that is untenable in a finite universe, i.e., that a coupled system of translation and replication emerged by chance, and became the breakthrough stage from which biological evolution, centered around Darwinian selection, took off. A corollary of this hypothesis is that an RNA world, as a diverse population of replicating RNA molecules, might have never existed. In this model, the stage for Darwinian selection is set by anthropic selection of complex systems that rarely but inevitably emerge by chance in the infinite universe (multiverse). The plausibility of different models for the origin of life on earth directly depends on the adopted cosmological scenario. In an infinite universe (multiverse), emergence of highly complex systems by chance is inevitable. Therefore, under this cosmology, an entity as complex as a coupled translation-replication system should be considered a viable breakthrough stage for the onset of biological evolution. This article was reviewed by Eric Bapteste, David Krakauer, Sergei Maslov, and Itai Yanai.

Controlling the physics and chemistry of binary and ternary praseodymium and cerium oxide systems.

PubMed

Niu, Gang; Zoellner, Marvin Hartwig; Schroeder, Thomas; Schaefer, Andreas; Jhang, Jin-Hao; Zielasek, Volkmar; Bäumer, Marcus; Wilkens, Henrik; Wollschläger, Joachim; Olbrich, Reinhard; Lammers, Christian; Reichling, Michael

2015-10-14

Rare earth praseodymium and cerium oxides have attracted intense research interest in the last few decades, due to their intriguing chemical and physical characteristics. An understanding of the correlation between structure and properties, in particular the surface chemistry, is urgently required for their application in microelectronics, catalysis, optics and other fields. Such an understanding is, however, hampered by the complexity of rare earth oxide materials and experimental methods for their characterisation. Here, we report recent progress in studying high-quality, single crystalline, praseodymium and cerium oxide films as well as ternary alloys grown on Si(111) substrates. Using these well-defined systems and based on a systematic multi-technique surface science approach, the corresponding physical and chemical properties, such as the surface structure, the surface morphology, the bulk-surface interaction and the oxygen storage/release capability, are explored in detail. We show that specifically the crystalline structure and the oxygen stoichiometry of the oxide thin films can be well controlled by the film preparation method. This work leads to a comprehensive understanding of the properties of rare earth oxides and highlights the applications of these versatile materials. Furthermore, methanol adsorption studies are performed on binary and ternary rare earth oxide thin films, demonstrating the feasibility of employing such systems for model catalytic studies. Specifically for ceria systems, we find considerable stability against normal environmental conditions so that they can be considered as a "materials bridge" between surface science models and real catalysts.

What if we are alone?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waltham, D.

2013-09-01

The huge number of planets in the observable Universe, and beyond, means that worlds with Earth-like levels of biodiversity are inevitable even if the probability of any give n planet being inhabited is tiny. The corollary of this is that the existence of one such world (the Earth)tells us almost nothing about how common such places are in the Universe. Hence, given the present state of astrobiological know ledge, it is possible that there are no other inhabited planets within the detection-range of any conceivable technology. This is not a popular view currently but the little evidence we have (e.g. the coincidence of stellar-evolution and intelligence-evolution time-scales on Earth [1,2]; indications that many of the Earth's properties may be fine-tuned for complex life [3,4]; the fact that life on Earth was, for most of its history, single-celled [5]) points towards complex life, at least, being rare in the Universe. The plausibility of this "gloomy" view will be tested further incoming decades as we explore Mars, Europa, Titan and other astrobiologically interesting worlds in the Solar System and as we, hopefully, develop ever more sophisticated remote-sensing methods for assessing the biological state of exoplanets. Much thought has been given to the political, social and psychological effects of a positive detection of alien life or even the receiving of a confirmed SETI signal. However, in my view, it is equally important and interesting to consider the impact of negative results. What if we are alone? What if the only other life we find is "primitive"?

Electromagnetic forward modelling for realistic Earth models using unstructured tetrahedral meshes and a meshfree approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farquharson, C.; Long, J.; Lu, X.; Lelievre, P. G.

2017-12-01

Real-life geology is complex, and so, even when allowing for the diffusive, low resolution nature of geophysical electromagnetic methods, we need Earth models that can accurately represent this complexity when modelling and inverting electromagnetic data. This is particularly the case for the scales, detail and conductivity contrasts involved in mineral and hydrocarbon exploration and development, but also for the larger scale of lithospheric studies. Unstructured tetrahedral meshes provide a flexible means of discretizing a general, arbitrary Earth model. This is important when wanting to integrate a geophysical Earth model with a geological Earth model parameterized in terms of surfaces. Finite-element and finite-volume methods can be derived for computing the electric and magnetic fields in a model parameterized using an unstructured tetrahedral mesh. A number of such variants have been proposed and have proven successful. However, the efficiency and accuracy of these methods can be affected by the "quality" of the tetrahedral discretization, that is, how many of the tetrahedral cells in the mesh are long, narrow and pointy. This is particularly the case if one wants to use an iterative technique to solve the resulting linear system of equations. One approach to deal with this issue is to develop sophisticated model and mesh building and manipulation capabilities in order to ensure that any mesh built from geological information is of sufficient quality for the electromagnetic modelling. Another approach is to investigate other methods of synthesizing the electromagnetic fields. One such example is a "meshfree" approach in which the electromagnetic fields are synthesized using a mesh that is distinct from the mesh used to parameterized the Earth model. There are then two meshes, one describing the Earth model and one used for the numerical mathematics of computing the fields. This means that there are no longer any quality requirements on the model mesh, which makes the process of building a geophysical Earth model from a geological model much simpler. In this presentation we will explore the issues that arise when working with realistic Earth models and when synthesizing geophysical electromagnetic data for them. We briefly consider meshfree methods as a possible means of alleviating some of these issues.

Mustang Complex Fires in Idaho

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

On August 29, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of wildfires burning in Idaho and Montana. The image was captured by the VIIRS “day-night band,” which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe signals such as gas flares, auroras, wildfires, city lights, and reflected moonlight. When the image was acquired, the moon was in its waxing gibbous phase, meaning it was more than half-lit, but less than full. Numerous hot spots from the Mustang Complex Fire are visible in northern Idaho. A plume of thick, billowing smoke streams west from the brightest fires near the Idaho-Montana border. The Halstead and Trinity Ridge fires are visible to the south. In addition to the fires, city lights from Boise and other smaller cities appear throughout the image. A bank of clouds is located west of the Mustang Complex, over southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. The Operational Line System (OLS)—an earlier generation of night-viewing sensors on the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites—was also capable of detecting fires at night. But the VIIRS “day-night band” is far better than OLS at resolving them. Each pixel of an VIIRS image shows roughly 740 meters (0.46 miles), compared to the 3-kilometer footprint (1.86 miles) on the OLS system. NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day-Night Band data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Defense. Caption by Adam Voiland. Instrument: Suomi NPP - VIIRS Credit: NASA Earth Observatory Click here to view all of the Earth at Night 2012 images Click here to read more about this image NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Using Earth System Science as Basis for Sustainability Education in an Undergraduate Environmental Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinton, C. W.

2012-12-01

Undergraduate programs in Environmental Science (ES) have progressively grown over the past decades. One of the many challenges of providing an effective curriculum is deciding what content and which skills are included in such a wide ranging field. Certainly geoscience needs to be included as part of the content but how is this best executed? More precisely, what should ES majors know about how the earth, oceans, and atmosphere work? One possible approach is to include existing undergraduate geology or atmospheric science courses as part of the required core, but this has potential pitfalls. For example, courses may be geared toward general education requirements or may be designed more for geology majors. A better solution is to offer a course or set of courses that are specifically tailored for ES majors. I propose that Earth System Science (ESS) is an excellent approach as it incorporates the earth as a whole system and can be taught within the context of environmental sustainability. My approach to ESS is to focus on the movement/cycles of matter (e.g., carbon, calcium, nitrogen) and energy. By referring back to this focus throughout the semester, students are provided with a structure to begin to make sense of a complex problem. In support of this, lab exercises provide practice in collecting and analyzing data using a variety resources.

Half-sandwich rare-earth-catalyzed olefin polymerization, carbometalation, and hydroarylation.

PubMed

Nishiura, Masayoshi; Guo, Fang; Hou, Zhaomin

2015-08-18

The search for new catalysts for more efficient, selective chemical transformations and for the synthesis of new functional materials has been a long-standing research subject in both academia and industry. To develop new generations of catalysts that are superior or complementary to the existing ones, exploring the potential of untapped elements is an important strategy. Rare-earth elements, including scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides (La-Lu), constitute one important frontier in the periodic table. Rare-earth elements possess unique chemical and physical properties that are different from those of main-group and late-transition metals. The development of rare-earth-based catalysts by taking the advantage of these unique properties is of great interest and importance. The most stable oxidation state of rare-earth metals is 3+, which is difficult to change under many reaction conditions. The oxidative addition and reductive elimination processes often observed in catalytic cycles involving late transition metals are generally difficult in the case of rare-earth complexes. The 18-electron rule that is applicable to late-transition-metal complexes does not fit rare-earth complexes, whose structures are mainly governed by the sterics (rather than the electron numbers) of the ligands. In the lanthanide series (La-Lu), the ionic radius gradually decreases with increasing atomic number because of the influence of the 4f electrons, which show poor shielding of nuclear charge. Rare-earth metal ions generally show strong Lewis acidity and oxophilicity. Rare-earth metal alkyl and hydride species are highly reactive, showing both nucleophilicity and basicity. The combination of these features, such as the strong nucleophilicity and moderate basicity of the alkyl and hydride species and the high stability, strong Lewis acidity, and unsaturated C-C bond affinity of the 3+ metal ions, can make rare-earth metals unique candidates for the formation of excellent single-site catalysts. This Account is intended to give an overview of our recent studies on organo rare-earth catalysis, in particular the synthesis and application of half-sandwich rare-earth alkyl complexes bearing monocyclopentadienyl ligands for olefin polymerization, carbometalation, and hydroarylation. Treatment of half-sandwich rare-earth dialkyl complexes having the general formula CpMR2 with an equimolar amount of an appropriate borate compound such as [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] can generate the corresponding cationic monoalkyl species, which serve as excellent single-site catalysts for the polymerization and copolymerization of a wide range of olefin monomers such as ethylene, 1-hexene, styrene, conjugated and nonconjugated dienes, and cyclic olefins. The cationic half-sandwich rare-earth alkyl complexes can also catalyze the regio- and stereoselective alkylative alumination of alkenes and alkynes through insertion of the unsaturated C-C bond into the metal-alkyl bond followed by transmetalation between the resulting new alkyl or alkenyl species and an alkylaluminum compound. Moreover, a combination of deprotonative C-H bond activation of appropriate organic compounds such as anisoles and pyridines by the rare-earth alkyl species and insertion of alkenes into the resulting new metal-carbon bond can lead to catalytic C-H bond alkylation of the organic substrates. Most of these transformations are unique to the rare-earth catalysts with selectivity and functional group tolerance different from those of late-transition-metal catalysts.

Titan's atmosphere and climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hörst, S. M.

2017-03-01

Titan is the only moon with a substantial atmosphere, the only other thick N2 atmosphere besides Earth's, the site of extraordinarily complex atmospheric chemistry that far surpasses any other solar system atmosphere, and the only other solar system body with stable liquid currently on its surface. The connection between Titan's surface and atmosphere is also unique in our solar system; atmospheric chemistry produces materials that are deposited on the surface and subsequently altered by surface-atmosphere interactions such as aeolian and fluvial processes resulting in the formation of extensive dune fields and expansive lakes and seas. Titan's atmosphere is favorable for organic haze formation, which combined with the presence of some oxygen-bearing molecules indicates that Titan's atmosphere may produce molecules of prebiotic interest. The combination of organics and liquid, in the form of water in a subsurface ocean and methane/ethane in the surface lakes and seas, means that Titan may be the ideal place in the solar system to test ideas about habitability, prebiotic chemistry, and the ubiquity and diversity of life in the universe. The Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system has provided a wealth of new information allowing for study of Titan as a complex system. Here I review our current understanding of Titan's atmosphere and climate forged from the powerful combination of Earth-based observations, remote sensing and in situ spacecraft measurements, laboratory experiments, and models. I conclude with some of our remaining unanswered questions as the incredible era of exploration with Cassini-Huygens comes to an end.

Titan's organic chemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sagan, C.; Thompson, W. R.; Khare, B. N.

1985-01-01

Voyager discovered nine simple organic molecules in the atmosphere of Titan. Complex organic solids, called tholins, produced by irradiation of the simulated Titanian atmosphere, are consistent with measured properties of Titan from ultraviolet to microwave frequencies and are the likely main constituents of the observed red aerosols. The tholins contain many of the organic building blocks central to life on earth. At least 100-m, and possibly kms thicknesses of complex organics have been produced on Titan during the age of the solar system, and may exist today as submarine deposits beneath an extensive ocean of simple hydrocarbons.

Rainbows, graticules, and logos…oh my!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisut, D.; MacIntosh, E.; McDougall, C.

2016-12-01

Data visualizations are meant to simplify the complex. However, visualizations in geosciences are often made more complex than need be. Color palettes that hide Earth system dynamics or even cannot be seen; annotations that clutter the display more than provide context; logos that only add meaningless acronyms and other visual distraction. We will share lessons learned on how tweaking these and other components of visualizations improve the usability and comprehension for multiple audiences - especially since the best practices for one audience (e.g., television) do not necessarily translate to other audiences (e.g., print, education, web, etc).

Global change and carrying capacity: Implications for life on Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ehrlich, Paul R.; Daily, Gretchen C.; Ehrlich, Anne H.; Matson, Pamela; Vitousek, Peter

1989-01-01

Determining the long-term number of people that the planet can support without irreversibly reducing its ability to support people in the future, i.e., the carrying capacity of the Earth, is an exceedingly complex problem. About all that is known for certain is that, with present and foreseeable technologies, the human population has already exceeded the capacity. The reduction in carrying capacity that can be expected to result from direct human impacts on resources and the environment and from our indirect impacts of the climate system is discussed. Global warming and modeling global change and food security are also discussed with respect to carrying capacity.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

In a view from ground level looking up, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket begins to roll out of the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Atlas V Wet Dress Rehearsal

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-25

The booster and Centaur upper stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V vent gaseous propellant during a “wet dress rehearsal” test at Space Launch Complex 41 on Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Targeted for liftoff Sept. 8, 2016, OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-07

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is reflected in the water as it rolls out of the Vertical Integration Facility on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

Earth Science System of the Future: Observing, Processing, and Delivering Data Products Directly to Users

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crisp, David; Komar, George (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Advancement of our predictive capabilities will require new scientific knowledge, improvement of our modeling capabilities, and new observation strategies to generate the complex data sets needed by coupled modeling networks. New observation strategies must support remote sensing from a variety of vantage points and will include "sensorwebs" of small satellites in low Earth orbit, large aperture sensors in Geostationary orbits, and sentinel satellites at L1 and L2 to provide day/night views of the entire globe. Onboard data processing and high speed computing and communications will enable near real-time tailoring and delivery of information products (i.e., predictions) directly to users.

KSC-04pd1474

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-07-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - With rockets and main engine firing, the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle leaps off the pad at NASA’s Space Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., carrying the Aura spacecraft. Aura, a mission dedicated to the health of Earth's atmosphere, successfully launched today at 3:01:59 a.m. Pacific Time. Spacecraft separation occurred at 4:06 a.m. Pacific Time, inserting Aura into a 438-mile orbit. NASA’s latest Earth-observing satellite, Aura will help us understand and protect the air we breathe. Aura will also help scientists understand how the composition of the atmosphere affects and responds to Earth's changing climate. The results from this mission will help scientists better understand the processes that connect local and global air quality. With the launch of Aura, the first series of NASA’s Earth Observing System satellites is complete. The other satellites are Terra, which monitors land, and Aqua, which observes Earth’s water cycle. [Photo: Boeing/Thom Baur

KSC-04pd1475

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-07-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - - With rockets and main engine firing, the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle leaps off the pad at NASA’s Space Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., carrying the Aura spacecraft. Aura, a mission dedicated to the health of Earth's atmosphere, successfully launched today at 3:01:59 a.m. Pacific Time. Spacecraft separation occurred at 4:06 a.m. Pacific Time, inserting Aura into a 438-mile orbit. NASA’s latest Earth-observing satellite, Aura will help us understand and protect the air we breathe. Aura will also help scientists understand how the composition of the atmosphere affects and responds to Earth's changing climate. The results from this mission will help scientists better understand the processes that connect local and global air quality. With the launch of Aura, the first series of NASA’s Earth Observing System satellites is complete. The other satellites are Terra, which monitors land, and Aqua, which observes Earth’s water cycle. [Photo: Boeing/Thom Baur

Past orientation of the lunar spin axis.

PubMed

Ward, W R

1975-08-01

The orientation of the lunar spin axis is traced from the early history of the earth-moon system to the present day. Tides raised on the earth by the moon have caused an expansion of the lunar orbit. Tides raised on the moon by the earth have de-spun the moon to synchronous rotation and driven its spin axis to a Cassini state-that is, in a coprecessing configuration, coplanar with the lunar orbit normal and the normal to the Laplacian plane (which is at present coincident with the normal to the ecliptic). This combination of events has resulted in a complex history for the lunar spin axis. For much of the period during which its orbital semimajor axis expanded between 30 and 40 earth radii, the obliquity of the moon was of order 25 degrees to 50 degrees . In fact, for a brief period the obliquity periodically attained a value as high as 77 degrees ; that is, the spin axis of the moon was only 13 degrees from lying in its orbit plane.

Past orientation of the lunar spin axis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ward, W. R.

1975-01-01

The orientation of the lunar spin axis is traced from the early history of the earth-moon system to the present day. Tides raised on the earth by the moon have caused an expansion of the lunar orbit. Tides raised on the moon by the earth have de-spun the moon to synchronous rotation and driven its spin axis to a Cassini state - that is, in a coprecessing configuration, coplanar with the lunar orbit normal and the normal to the Laplacian plane (which is at present coincident with the normal to the ecliptic). This combination of events has resulted in a complex history for the lunar spin axis. For much of the period during which its orbital semimajor axis expanded between 30 and 40 earth radii, the obliquity of the moon was of order 25 to 50 deg. In fact, for a brief period the obliquity periodically attained a value as high as 77 deg; that is, the spin axis of the moon was only 13 deg from lying in its orbit plane.

Exploring Spaceship Earth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McInnis, Noel F.

1973-01-01

Describes various activities to understand the nature of the earth as a spaceship and its impact on human life. A figure depicting a holocoenotic environmental complex is given which can be used to illustrate various interacting forces on earth. (PS)

Sensor equipment of the German earth scientific airplane program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seige, P.

1975-01-01

The German airplane program for earth scientific research supports the work of a vast staff of earth scientists from universities and federal agencies. Due to their fields of interest, which are in oceanography, hydrology, geology, ecology, and forestry, five test areas were selected which are spread all over Germany. The sensor package, which was designed in accordance with the requirements of this group of scientists, will be installed in a DO 28 D2 type airplane. The sensor equipment consists of a series of 70-mm cameras having different film/filter combinations, a photogrammetric camera, an infrared radiometer, an 11-channel multispectral line scanner, a LANDSAT-compatible radiometer, and a complex avionic system. Along with the airplane, a truck will be equipped with a set of radiometers and other sensor devices for extensive ground-truth measurement; this also includes a cherry picker.

Delta II ICESat-2 Booster Arrival

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-09

A United Launch Alliance Delta II booster arrives at NASA's Building 836, the Spacecraft Labs Telemetry Station at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will be offloaded and begin preliminary checkouts and preflight processing for launch of the agency's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2018, and will be the last for the venerable Delta II rocket. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth's frozen and icy areas are changing. These area make up Earth's the cryosphere.

Delta II ICESat-2 Booster Offload onto Transporter

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-16

At NASA's Building 836, the Spacecraft Labs Telemetry Station at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a United Launch Alliance Delta II booster has been removed from its shipping container. Preliminary checkouts and preflight processing will begin leading to launch of the agency's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2018, and will be the last for the venerable Delta II rocket. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth's frozen and icy areas are changing. These area make up Earth's the cryosphere.

Delta II ICESat-2 Booster Offload onto Transporter

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-16

A United Launch Alliance Delta II booster arrives at NASA's Building 836, the Spacecraft Labs Telemetry Station at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will be offloaded and begin preliminary checkouts and preflight processing for launch of the agency's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2018, and will be the last for the venerable Delta II rocket. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth's frozen and icy areas are changing. These area make up Earth's the cryosphere.

Energetic Ionic Liquids Based on Anionic Rare Earth Nitrate Complexes (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-10

a glass transition temperature (Tg) at -46 oC. However, it is only stable in dry air, and thus must be protected from water. At 75 oC, clear weight...involved highly toxic and corrosive chemicals, N2O4 and NOCl. Ligands which coordinate via oxygen atoms to a rare earth metal ion give rise to stable...complexes. Thus higher air and thermal stabilities may be obtained by introducing rare earth metal nitrates as main components of ionic liquids. We

Hubble Space Telescope-The Support Systems Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

This illustration depicts the design features of the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's) Support Systems Module (SSM). The SSM is one of the three major elements of the HST and encloses the other two elements, the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) and the Scientific Instruments (SI's). The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. The spacecraft is 42.5-feet (13-meters) long and weighs 25,000 pounds (11,600 kilograms). Two communication anternas, two solar array panels that collect energy for the HST, and storage bays for electronic gear are on the outside. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company of Sunnyvale, California produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

Using natural archives to detect climate and environmental tipping points in the Earth System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Zoë A.

2016-11-01

'Tipping points' in the Earth system are characterised by a nonlinear response to gradual forcing, and may have severe and wide-ranging impacts. Many abrupt events result from simple underlying system dynamics termed 'critical transitions' or 'bifurcations'. One of the best ways to identify and potentially predict threshold behaviour in the climate system is through analysis of natural ('palaeo') archives. Specifically, on the approach to a tipping point, early warning signals can be detected as characteristic fluctuations in a time series as a system loses stability. Testing whether these early warning signals can be detected in highly complex real systems is a key challenge, since much work is either theoretical or only tested with simple models. This is particularly problematic in palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental records with low resolution, non-equidistant data, which can limit accurate analysis. Here, a range of different datasets are examined to explore generic rules that can be used to detect such dramatic events. A number of key criteria are identified to be necessary for the reliable identification of early warning signals in natural archives, most crucially, the need for a low-noise record of sufficient data length, resolution and accuracy. A deeper understanding of the underlying system dynamics is required to inform the development of more robust system-specific indicators, or to indicate the temporal resolution required, given a known forcing. This review demonstrates that time series precursors from natural archives provide a powerful means of forewarning tipping points within the Earth System.

AEOSS design guide for system analysis on Advanced Earth-Orbital Spacecraft Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Hwa-Ping

1990-01-01

Advanced Earth Orbital Spacecraft System (AEOSS) enables users to project the requried power, weight, and cost for a generic earth-orbital spacecraft system. These variables are calculated on the component and subsystem levels, and then the system level. The included six subsystems are electric power, thermal control, structure, auxillary propulsion, attitude control, and communication, command, and data handling. The costs are computed using statistically determined models that were derived from the flown spacecraft in the past and were categorized into classes according to their functions and structural complexity. Selected design and performance analyses for essential components and subsystems are also provided. AEOSS has the feature permitting a user to enter known values of these parameters, totally and partially, at all levels. All information is of vital importance to project managers of subsystems or a spacecraft system. AEOSS is a specially tailored software coded from the relational database program of the Acius; 4th Dimension with a Macintosh version. Because of the licensing agreement, two versions of the AEOSS documents were prepared. This version AEOSS Design Guide, is for users to exploit the full capacity of the 4th Dimension. It is for a user who wants to alter or expand the program structures, the program statements, and the program procedures. The user has to possess a 4th Dimension first.

A Space Data System Standard for Telerobotic Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittman, David S.; Martinez, Lindolfo

2014-01-01

The Telerobotics Working Group of the Mission Operations and Information Management Services Area of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems is drafting a document that will help bound the scope of an eventual international standard for telerobotic operations services. This paper will present the work in progress and provide background for how the international community is beginning to define standards in telerobotic operations that will help ensure the success of complex missions to explore beyond Earth orbit.

Practical Applications of Cosmic Ray Science: Spacecraft, Aircraft, Ground-Based Computation and Control Systems, and Human Health and Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwell, William; Koontz, Steve; Normand, Eugene

2012-01-01

Three twentieth century technological developments, 1) high altitude commercial and military aircraft; 2) manned and unmanned spacecraft; and 3) increasingly complex and sensitive solid state micro-electronics systems, have driven an ongoing evolution of basic cosmic ray science into a set of practical engineering tools needed to design, test, and verify the safety and reliability of modern complex technological systems. The effects of primary cosmic ray particles and secondary particle showers produced by nuclear reactions with the atmosphere, can determine the design and verification processes (as well as the total dollar cost) for manned and unmanned spacecraft avionics systems. Similar considerations apply to commercial and military aircraft operating at high latitudes and altitudes near the atmospheric Pfotzer maximum. Even ground based computational and controls systems can be negatively affected by secondary particle showers at the Earth s surface, especially if the net target area of the sensitive electronic system components is large. Finally, accumulation of both primary cosmic ray and secondary cosmic ray induced particle shower radiation dose is an important health and safety consideration for commercial or military air crews operating at high altitude/latitude and is also one of the most important factors presently limiting manned space flight operations beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). In this paper we review the discovery of cosmic ray effects on the performance and reliability of microelectronic systems as well as human health and the development of the engineering and health science tools used to evaluate and mitigate cosmic ray effects in ground-based atmospheric flight, and space flight environments. Ground test methods applied to microelectronic components and systems are used in combinations with radiation transport and reaction codes to predict the performance of microelectronic systems in their operating environments. Similar radiation transport codes are used to evaluate possible human health effects of cosmic ray exposure, however, the health effects are based on worst-case analysis and extrapolation of a very limited human exposure data base combined with some limited experimental animal data. Finally, the limitations on human space operations beyond low-Earth orbit imposed by long term exposure to galactic cosmic rays are discussed.

Permanent Habitats in Earth-Sol/Mars-Sol Orbit Positions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenspon, J.

Project Outpost is a manned Earth-Sol/Mars-Sol platform that enables permanent occupation in deep space. In order to develop the program elements for this complex mission, Project Outpost will rely primarily on existing/nearterm technology and hardware for the construction of its components. For the purposes of this study, four mission requirements are considered: 1. Outpost - Man's 1st purpose-produced effort of space engineering, in which astructure is developed/constructed in an environment completely alien to currentpractices for EVA guidelines. 2. Newton - a concept study developed at StarGate Research, for the development ofa modified Hohmann personnel orbital transport operating between Earth andMars. Newton would serve as the primary crew delivery apparatus throughrepeatable transfer scheduling for all Earth-Lpoint-Mars activities. Thispermanent "transit system" would establish the foundations for Solar systemcolonization. 3. Cruis - a concept study developed at StarGate Research, for the development of amodified Hohmann cargo orbital transport operating between Earth and Mars.Cruis would serve as the primary equipment delivery apparatus throughrepeatable transfer scheduling for all Earth-Lpoint-Mars activities. Thispermanent "transit system" would establish the foundations for Solar systemcolonization, and 4. Ares/Diana - a more conventional space platform configuration for Lunar andMars orbit is included as a construction baseline. The operations of these assetsare supported, and used for the support, of the outpost. Outpost would be constructed over a 27-year period of launch opportunities into Earth-Sol or Mars-Sol Lagrange orbit (E-S/M-S L1, 4 or 5). The outpost consists of an operations core with a self-contained power generation ability, a docking and maintenance structure, a Scientific Research complex and a Habitation Section. After achieving initial activation, the core will provide the support and energy required to operate the outpost in a 365 day orbit - with a resupply schedule of 120 days. The initial power grid, based on the ISS's solar array, provides energy during the initial start-up phases. The Operations Core serves as the backbone of the outpost, providing a centrally defined structural brace for other elements. After placement, the core is energized through the deployment of 2 ISS solar wings. Gravitation via rotation will occur approximately 450 days later, with the completion of the habitat elements, when the main reaction control engines are fired to provide an artificial gravity of 8.77 m/s. Station operations begin with deployment of the solar arrays and charging of the battery systems. Newton and Cruis assist in the transporting of supplies and personnel from Earth to Mars via the Outpost, and serve as a crucial component to a long term space exploration/colonization initiative. The cycling spacecraft means of travel has advantages in that it is readily repeatable, immediately demonstrating a long term commitment. The cycling spacecraft, however, represent a less than mature technology. The transportation system between Earth - Outpost - Mars will be perpetually on a duplicate development track with it's "stops". Ares/Diana is advantageous in that they are completely conventional mission profiles with modules and knowledge imported from the International Space Station. While Diana represents a logical next step from Earth, Ares will undoubtedly be developed alongside the Outpost itself.

Evaluation of AA5052 alloy anode in alkaline electrolyte with organic rare-earth complex additives for aluminium-air batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Dapeng; Li, Heshun; Liu, Jie; Zhang, Daquan; Gao, Lixin; Tong, Lin

2015-10-01

Behaviours of the AA5052 aluminium alloy anode of the alkaline aluminium-air battery are studied by the hydrogen evolution test, the electrochemical measurements and the surface analysis method. The combination of amino-acid and rare earth as electrolyte additives effectively retards the self-corrosion of AA5052 aluminium alloy in 4 M NaOH solution. It shows that the combination of L-cysteine and cerium nitrate has a synergistic effect owing to the formation of a complex film on AA5052 alloy surface. The organic rare-earth complex can decrease the anodic polarisation, suppress the hydrogen evolution and increase the anodic utilization rate.

Self-assemblies of luminescent rare earth compounds in capsules and multilayers.

PubMed

Zhang, Renjie; Shang, Juanjuan; Xin, Jing; Xie, Beibei; Li, Ya; Möhwald, Helmuth

2014-05-01

This review addresses luminescent rare earth compounds assembled in microcapsules as well as in planar films fabricated by the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique, the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method and in self-assembled monolayers. Chemical precipitation, electrostatic, van der Waals interactions and covalent bonds are involved in the assembly of these compounds. Self-organized ring patterns of rare earth complexes in Langmuir monolayers and on planar surfaces with stripe patterns, as well as fluorescence enhancement due to donor-acceptor pairs, microcavities, enrichment of rare earth compounds, and shell protection against water are described. Recent information on the tuning of luminescence intensity and multicolors by the excitation wavelength and the ratio of rare earth ions, respectively, are also reviewed. Potential applications of luminescent rare earth complex assemblies serving as biological probes, temperature and gas sensors are pointed out. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Natural Pyrrhotite as a Catalyst in Prebiotic Chemical Evolution

PubMed Central

López Ibáñez de Aldecoa, Alejandra; Velasco Roldán, Francisco; Menor-Salván, César

2013-01-01

The idea of an autotrophic organism as the first living being on Earth leads to the hypothesis of a protometabolic, complex chemical system. In one of the main hypotheses, the first metabolic systems emerged from the interaction between sulfide minerals and/or soluble iron-sulfide complexes and fluids rich in inorganic precursors, which are reduced and derived from crustal or mantle activity. Within this context, the possible catalytic role of pyrrhotite, one of the most abundant sulfide minerals, in biomimetic redox and carbon fixation reactions was studied. Our results showed that pyrrhotite, under simulated hydrothermal conditions, could catalyze the pyruvate synthesis from lactate and that a dynamic system formed by coupling iron metal and iron-sulfur species in an electrochemical cell could promote carbon fixation from thioacetate esters. PMID:25369819

Age and tectonomagmatic setting of the Eocene Çöpler-Kabataş magmatic complex and porphyry-epithermal Au deposit, East Central Anatolia, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

İmer, Ali; Richards, Jeremy P.; Creaser, Robert A.

2013-06-01

The Çöpler epithermal Au deposit and related subeconomic porphyry Cu-Au deposit is hosted by the middle Eocene Çöpler-Kabataş magmatic complex in central eastern Anatolia. The intrusive rocks of the complex were emplaced into Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic metamorphosed sedimentary basement rocks near the northeastern margin of the Tauride-Anatolide Block. Igneous biotite from two samples of the magmatic complex yielded 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of 43.75 ± 0.26 Ma and 44.19 ± 0.23, whereas igneous hornblende from a third sample yielded a plateau age of 44.13 ± 0.38. These ages closely overlap with 40Ar/39Ar ages of hydrothermal sericite (44.44 ± 0.28 Ma) and biotite (43.84 ± 0.26 Ma), and Re-Os ages from two molybdenite samples (44.6 ± 0.2 and 43.9 ± 0.2 Ma) suggesting a short-lived (<1 my) magmatic and hydrothermal history at Çöpler. No suitable minerals were found that could be used to date the epithermal system, but it is inferred to be close in age to the precursor porphyry system. The Çöpler-Kabataş intrusive rocks show I-type calc-alkaline affinities. Their normalized trace element patterns show enrichments in large ion lithophile and light rare earth elements and relative depletions in middle and heavy rare earth elements, resembling magmas generated in convergent margins. However, given its distance from the coeval Eocene Maden-Helete volcanic arc, the complex is interpreted to be formed in a back-arc setting, in response to Paleocene slab roll-back and upper-plate extension. The tectonomagmatic environment of porphyry-epithermal mineralization at Çöpler is comparable to some other isolated back-arc porphyry systems such as Bajo de la Alumbrera (Argentina) or Bingham Canyon (USA).

Observationally-based Metrics of Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemical Variables are Essential for Evaluating Earth System Model Projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, J. L.; Sarmiento, J. L.

2017-12-01

The Southern Ocean is central to the climate's response to increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases as it ventilates a large fraction of the global ocean volume. Global coupled climate models and earth system models, however, vary widely in their simulations of the Southern Ocean and its role in, and response to, the ongoing anthropogenic forcing. Due to its complex water-mass structure and dynamics, Southern Ocean carbon and heat uptake depend on a combination of winds, eddies, mixing, buoyancy fluxes and topography. Understanding how the ocean carries heat and carbon into its interior and how the observed wind changes are affecting this uptake is essential to accurately projecting transient climate sensitivity. Observationally-based metrics are critical for discerning processes and mechanisms, and for validating and comparing climate models. As the community shifts toward Earth system models with explicit carbon simulations, more direct observations of important biogeochemical parameters, like those obtained from the biogeochemically-sensored floats that are part of the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling project, are essential. One goal of future observing systems should be to create observationally-based benchmarks that will lead to reducing uncertainties in climate projections, and especially uncertainties related to oceanic heat and carbon uptake.

Earth System Science Education in a General Education Context: Two Case Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herring, J. A.

2004-12-01

The teaching of Earth System Science (ESS) to non-science majors is examined in a large lecture format class at a state university and in small classes with a significant research component at a liberal arts college. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations of both approaches reveal some of the challenges educators face as they work to advance students' integrated understanding of the Earth system. Student learning on selected concepts in the large lecture format class was poorly or negatively correlated with the amount of class time spent on the topic, even when the time was spent in teacher-student dialogue or in cooperative learning activities. The small class format emphasized student participation in research, which was found to be particularly effective when the class operated as a three-week intensive block and student use of computer models to simulate the dynamics of complex systems, which was found to be more effective when the class was held in a ten-week quarter. This study provides some clarification as to the utility of specific pedagogical frameworks (such as constructivism and experiential education) in the teaching of ESS to a general education audience and emphasizes the importance of carefully defining educational goals (both cognitive and affective) as a part of the curriculum design.

KSC-2011-7020

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-06

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a technician performs a torque bolt stress test on NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). Technicians will perform many tests and checkouts on the satellite system to prepare it for launch. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7019

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-01

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a large sign is placed on the test stand holding NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). The satellite system is awaiting test and checkout procedures to prepare it for launch. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

KSC-2011-7021

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-06

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – In a clean room inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians perform a torque bolt stress test on NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP). Technicians will perform many tests and checkouts on the satellite system to prepare it for launch. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex-2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/30th Communications Squadron, VAFB

Comparison of Spares Logistics Analysis Techniques for Long Duration Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, Andrew; de Weck, Olivier; Mattfeld, Bryan; Stromgren, Chel; Cirillo, William

2015-01-01

As the durations and distances involved in human exploration missions increase, the logistics associated with the repair and maintenance becomes more challenging. Whereas the operation of the International Space Station (ISS) depends upon regular resupply from the Earth, this paradigm may not be feasible for future missions. Longer mission durations result in higher probabilities of component failures as well as higher uncertainty regarding which components may fail, and longer distances from Earth increase the cost of resupply as well as the speed at which the crew can abort to Earth in the event of an emergency. As such, mission development efforts must take into account the logistics requirements associated with maintenance and spares. Accurate prediction of the spare parts demand for a given mission plan and how that demand changes as a result of changes to the system architecture enables full consideration of the lifecycle cost associated with different options. In this paper, we utilize a range of analysis techniques - Monte Carlo, semi-Markov, binomial, and heuristic - to examine the relationship between the mass of spares and probability of loss of function related to the Carbon Dioxide Removal System (CRS) for a notional, simplified mission profile. The Exploration Maintainability Analysis Tool (EMAT), developed at NASA Langley Research Center, is utilized for the Monte Carlo analysis. We discuss the implications of these results and the features and drawbacks of each method. In particular, we identify the limitations of heuristic methods for logistics analysis, and the additional insights provided by more in-depth techniques. We discuss the potential impact of system complexity on each technique, as well as their respective abilities to examine dynamic events. This work is the first step in an effort that will quantitatively examine how well these techniques handle increasingly more complex systems by gradually expanding the system boundary.

Synthesis, structure, and catalytic activity of novel trinuclear rare-earth metal amido complexes incorporating μ-η5:η1 bonding indolyl and μ3-oxo groups.

PubMed

Yang, Song; Zhu, Xiancui; Zhou, Shuangliu; Wang, Shaowu; Feng, Zhijun; Wei, Yun; Miao, Hui; Guo, Liping; Wang, Fenhua; Zhang, Guangchao; Gu, Xiaoxia; Mu, Xiaolong

2014-02-14

The reactions of different pyrrolyl-functionalized indoles with rare-earth metal(III) amides [(Me3Si)2N]3RE(III)(μ-Cl)Li(THF)3 (RE = Yb, Er, Dy, Eu, Y) produced different kinds of rare-earth metal amido complexes. Reactions of N-((1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methylene)-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethanamine with rare-earth metal amides [(Me3Si)2N]3RE(III)(μ-Cl)Li(THF)3 (RE = Yb, Er, Dy, Eu, Y) in toluene or THF at temperatures of 75-80 °C afforded the novel trinuclear rare-earth metal amido complexes incorporating the indolyl ligand in μ-η(5):η(1) bonding modes and a μ3-O group, which is believed to originate from cleavage of the THF ring based on experimental results. Reactions of 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-N-((1-methyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methylene)ethanamine with rare-earth metal(III) amides [(Me3Si)2N]3RE(III)(μ-Cl)Li(THF)3 (RE = Yb, Dy) produced mononuclear ytterbium and dysprosium amides having the indolyl ligand in an η(1) bonding fashion. The results indicate that substituents not only have an influence on reactivity, but also have an influence on the bonding of the indolyl ligands with metals. The catalytic activities of the novel lanthanide amido complexes for the hydrophosphonylation of both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes and ketones were explored. The results indicate that these complexes display a high catalytic activity for the C-P bond formation under mild conditions when using low catalyst loadings (0.1 mol% for aldehydes and ketones). Thus, it provides a potential way to prepare α-hydroxy phosphonates.

Satellite Attitude Control Utilizing the Earth's Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, John S.; Shigemoto, Fred H.; Bourquin, Kent

1961-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of a satellite attitude fine-control system using the interaction of the earth's magnetic field with current-carrying coils to produce torque. The approximate intensity of the earth's magnetic field was determined as a function of the satellite coordinates. Components of the magnetic field were found to vary essentially sinusoidally at approximately twice orbital frequency. Amplitude and distortion of the sinusoidal components were a function of satellite orbit. Two systems for two-axis attitude control evolved from this study, one using three coils and the other using two coils. The torques developed by the two systems differ only when the component of magnetic field along the tracking line is zero. For this case the two-coil system develops no torque whereas the three-coil system develops some effective torque which allows partial control. The equations which describe the three-coil system are complex in comparison to those of the two-coil system and require the measurement of all three components of the magnetic field as compared with only one for the two-coil case. Intermittent three-axis torquing can also be achieved. This torquing can be used for coarse attitude control, or for dumping the stored momentum of inertia reaction wheels. Such a system has the advantage of requiring no fuel aboard the satellite. For any of these magnetic torquing schemes the power required to produce the magnetic moment and the weight of the coil seem reasonable.

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-01-01

This illustration shows the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's) major configuration elements. The spacecraft has three interacting systems: The Support System Module (SSM), an outer structure that houses the other systems and provides services such as power, communication, and control; The Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA), which collects and concentrates the incoming light in the focal plane for use by the Scientific Instruments (SI); and five SIs. The SI Control and Data Handling (CDH) unit controls the five SI's, four that are housed in an aft section focal plane structure and one that is placed along the circumference of the spacecraft. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company of Sunnyvale, California produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

Chasing Perfection: Should We Reduce Model Uncertainty in Carbon Cycle-Climate Feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonan, G. B.; Lombardozzi, D.; Wieder, W. R.; Lindsay, K. T.; Thomas, R. Q.

2015-12-01

Earth system model simulations of the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle show large multi-model spread in the carbon-concentration and carbon-climate feedback parameters. Large differences among models are also seen in their simulation of global vegetation and soil C stocks and other aspects of the C cycle, prompting concern about model uncertainty and our ability to faithfully represent fundamental aspects of the terrestrial C cycle in Earth system models. Benchmarking analyses that compare model simulations with common datasets have been proposed as a means to assess model fidelity with observations, and various model-data fusion techniques have been used to reduce model biases. While such efforts will reduce multi-model spread, they may not help reduce uncertainty (and increase confidence) in projections of the C cycle over the twenty-first century. Many ecological and biogeochemical processes represented in Earth system models are poorly understood at both the site scale and across large regions, where biotic and edaphic heterogeneity are important. Our experience with the Community Land Model (CLM) suggests that large uncertainty in the terrestrial C cycle and its feedback with climate change is an inherent property of biological systems. The challenge of representing life in Earth system models, with the rich diversity of lifeforms and complexity of biological systems, may necessitate a multitude of modeling approaches to capture the range of possible outcomes. Such models should encompass a range of plausible model structures. We distinguish between model parameter uncertainty and model structural uncertainty. Focusing on improved parameter estimates may, in fact, limit progress in assessing model structural uncertainty associated with realistically representing biological processes. Moreover, higher confidence may be achieved through better process representation, but this does not necessarily reduce uncertainty.

Coupled Data Assimilation for Integrated Earth System Analysis and Prediction: Goals, Challenges, and Recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penny, Stephen G.; Akella, Santha; Buehner, Mark; Chevallier, Matthieu; Counillon, Francois; Draper, Clara; Frolov, Sergey; Fujii, Yosuke; Karspeck, Alicia; Kumar, Arun

2017-01-01

The purpose of this report is to identify fundamental issues for coupled data assimilation (CDA), such as gaps in science and limitations in forecasting systems, in order to provide guidance to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on how to facilitate more rapid progress internationally. Coupled Earth system modeling provides the opportunity to extend skillful atmospheric forecasts beyond the traditional two-week barrier by extracting skill from low-frequency state components such as the land, ocean, and sea ice. More generally, coupled models are needed to support seamless prediction systems that span timescales from weather, subseasonal to seasonal (S2S), multiyear, and decadal. Therefore, initialization methods are needed for coupled Earth system models, either applied to each individual component (called Weakly Coupled Data Assimilation - WCDA) or applied the coupled Earth system model as a whole (called Strongly Coupled Data Assimilation - SCDA). Using CDA, in which model forecasts and potentially the state estimation are performed jointly, each model domain benefits from observations in other domains either directly using error covariance information known at the time of the analysis (SCDA), or indirectly through flux interactions at the model boundaries (WCDA). Because the non-atmospheric domains are generally under-observed compared to the atmosphere, CDA provides a significant advantage over single-domain analyses. Next, we provide a synopsis of goals, challenges, and recommendations to advance CDA: Goals: (a) Extend predictive skill beyond the current capability of NWP (e.g. as demonstrated by improving forecast skill scores), (b) produce physically consistent initial conditions for coupled numerical prediction systems and reanalyses (including consistent fluxes at the domain interfaces), (c) make best use of existing observations by allowing observations from each domain to influence and improve the full earth system analysis, (d) develop a robust observation-based identification and understanding of mechanisms that determine the variability of weather and climate, (e) identify critical weaknesses in coupled models and the earth observing system, (f) generate full-field estimates of unobserved or sparsely observed variables, (g) improve the estimation of the external forcings causing changes to climate, (h) transition successes from idealized CDA experiments to real-world applications. Challenges: (a) Modeling at the interfaces between interacting components of coupled Earth system models may be inadequate for estimating uncertainty or error covariances between domains, (b) current data assimilation methods may be insufficient to simultaneously analyze domains containing multiple spatiotemporal scales of interest, (c) there is no standardization of observation data or their delivery systems across domains, (d) the size and complexity of many large-scale coupled Earth system models makes it is difficult to accurately represent uncertainty due to model parameters and coupling parameters, (e) model errors lead to local biases that can transfer between the different Earth system components and lead to coupled model biases and long-term model drift, (e) information propagation across model components with different spatiotemporal scales is extremely complicated, and must be improved in current coupled modeling frameworks, (h) there is insufficient knowledge on how to represent evolving errors in non-atmospheric model components (e.g. as sea ice, land and ocean) on the timescales of NWP.

Lessons Learned from Biosphere 2: When Viewed as a Ground Simulation/Analogue for Long Duration Human Space Exploration and Settlement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacCallum, T.; Poynter, J.; Bearden, D.

A human mission to Mars, or a base on the Moon or Mars, is a longer and more complex mission than any space endeavor undertaken to date. Ground simulations provide a relevant, analogous environment for testing technologies and learning how to manage complex, long duration missions, while addressing inherent mission risks. Multiphase human missions and settlements that may preclude a rapid return to Earth, require high fidelity, end-to-end, at least full mission duration tests in order to evaluate a system's ability to sustain the crew for the entire mission and return the crew safely to Earth. Moreover, abort scenarios are essentially precluded in many mission scenarios, though certain risks may only become evident late in the mission. Aging and compounding effects cannot be simulated through accelerated tests for all aspects of the mission. Until such high fidelity long duration simulations are available, and in order to help prepare those simulations and mission designs, it is important to extract as many lessons as possible from analogous environments. Possibly the best analogue for a long duration space mission is the two year mission of Biosphere 2. Biosphere 2 is a three-acre materially closed ecological system that supported eight crewmembers with food, air and water in a sunlight driven bioregenerative system for two years. It was designed for research applicable to environmental management on Earth and the development of human life support for space. A brief overview of the two-year Biosphere 2 mission is presented, followed by select data and lessons learned that are applicable to the design and operation of a long duration human space mission, settlement or test bed. These lessons include technical, programmatic, and psychological issues

Single Cell Multiplex Protein Measurements through Rare Earth Element Immunolabeling, Laser Capture Microdissection and Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Liba, Amir; Wanagat, Jonathan

2014-11-01

Complex diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and aging are the primary causes of death in the US. These diseases cause heterogeneous conditions among cells, conditions that cannot be measured in tissue homogenates and require single cell approaches. Understanding protein levels within tissues is currently assayed using various molecular biology techniques (e.g., Western blots) that rely on milligram to gram quantities of tissue homogenates or immunofluorescent (IF) techniques that are limited by spectral overlap. Tissue homogenate studies lack references to tissue structure and mask signals from individual or rare cellular events. Novel techniques are required to bring protein measurement sensitivity to the single cell level and offer spatiotemporal resolution and scalability. We are developing a novel approach to protein quantification by exploiting the inherently low concentration of rare earth elements (REE) in biological systems. By coupling REE-antibody immunolabeling of cells with laser capture microdissection (LCM) and ICP-QQQ, we are achieving multiplexed protein measurement in histological sections of single cells. This approach will add to evolving single cell techniques and our ability to understand cellular heterogeneity in complex biological systems and diseases.

Human impact on the planet: an earth system science perspective and ethical considerations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Richard S.

2002-01-01

The modern Earth Narrative, the scientific story of the 4.5 billion-year natural and human history of the Earth, has emerged from the solid foundation of two factual concepts: Deep (or Geologic) Time and Biological Evolution. spread acceptance of the Earth Narrative is critically important as we begin the third millennium, because it provides a clear understanding of the growing impact of human population growth and associated activities on the Earth System, especially the negative impact on Earth?s biosphere. It is important for humans to realize that we are but one of 4,500 species of mammals that exist on Earth and that we are but one species in the estimated 30 to 100 million species that form the complex biosphere. We also need to recognize that all species exist within the physical limits imposed by the geosphere. We are totally dependent on the biosphere for food, oxygen, and other necessities of life. mans are one of the latest results of biological evolution operating over a long period of Geologic Time. We find ourselves on Earth, after 4.5 billion years of Earth history by chance, not by design. Humans have become so successful at modifying their environment that many of the natural limitations on the expansion of populations of our fellow animals have been overcome by technological and cultural innovations. According to Peter Raven, ?Humans, at a current population of 6 billion [expected to nearly double by 2050], are consuming or wasting about 50 percent of the total net biological productivity on land and 50 percent of the available supply of freshwater. The overwhelming and expanding human presence leaves less and less room in the environment for other biota.? st century will be a pivotal time in the fate of Earth?s biosphere. Whereas human modification of the geosphere will slowly recover over time, human changes to the biosphere are a far more consequential matter? extinction of a species is forever! Will humans effectively use our new knowledge of natural and human history to stop further degradation of Earth?s ecosystems and extinction of its biota? The fate of the biosphere, including humanity, depends on a reaffirmation by all humans of all cultures and religions of the global importance of a planet-wide conservation of the Earth?s biotic heritage. For the world?s religions it means elevation of stewardship of the Earth to a moral imperative and a goal of complete preservation of the Earth?s biotic inheritance, one which is based on a Do No Harm ethic.

Simulation of Glacial Cycles Before and After the Mid-Pleistocene Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganopolski, A.; Willeit, M.; Calov, R.

2017-12-01

In spite of significant progress achieved in understanding of glacial cycles, the cause of Mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) is still not fully understood. To study possible mechanisms of the MPT we used the Earth system model of intermediate complexity CLIMBER-2 which incorporates all major components of the Earth system - atmosphere, ocean, land surface, northern hemisphere ice sheets, terrestrial biota and soil carbon, aeolian dust and marine biogeochemistry. We run the model through the entire Quaternary. The only prescribed forcing in these simulations is variations in Earth orbital parameters. In addition we prescribed gradually evolving in time terrestrial sediment cover and global volcanic outgassing. We found that gradual removal of terrestrial sediment from the Northern Hemisphere continent by glacial processes is sufficient to explain transition from 40-ka to 100-ka worlds around 1 million years ago. By starting the model at different times and using the same initial conditions we found that modeling results converge to the same solution which depends only on the orbital forcing and lower boundary conditions. Our results thus strongly suggest that Quaternary glacial cycles are externally forced and nearly deterministic.

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-04-01

This photograph shows the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) installed in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery for the STS-31 Mission at The Kennedy Space Center prior to launch on April 24, 1990. The HST is the first of NASA's great observatories and the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made. The purpose of the HST is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit by placing the telescope in space, enabling astronomers to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The Marshall Space Flight Center had overall responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Sunnyvale, California, produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

DECADE Web Portal: Integrating MaGa, EarthChem and GVP Will Further Our Knowledge on Earth Degassing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardellini, C.; Frigeri, A.; Lehnert, K. A.; Ash, J.; McCormick, B.; Chiodini, G.; Fischer, T. P.; Cottrell, E.

2014-12-01

The release of gases from the Earth's interior to the exosphere takes place in both volcanic and non-volcanic areas of the planet. Fully understanding this complex process requires the integration of geochemical, petrological and volcanological data. At present, major online data repositories relevant to studies of degassing are not linked and interoperable. We are developing interoperability between three of those, which will support more powerful synoptic studies of degassing. The three data systems that will make their data accessible via the DECADE portal are: (1) the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program database (GVP) of volcanic activity data, (2) EarthChem databases for geochemical and geochronological data of rocks and melt inclusions, and (3) the MaGa database (Mapping Gas emissions) which contains compositional and flux data of gases released at volcanic and non-volcanic degassing sites. These databases are developed and maintained by institutions or groups of experts in a specific field, and data are archived in formats specific to these databases. In the framework of the Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative of the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO), we are developing a web portal that will create a powerful search engine of these databases from a single entry point. The portal will return comprehensive multi-component datasets, based on the search criteria selected by the user. For example, a single geographic or temporal search will return data relating to compositions of emitted gases and erupted products, the age of the erupted products, and coincident activity at the volcano. The development of this level of capability for the DECADE Portal requires complete synergy between these databases, including availability of standard-based web services (WMS, WFS) at all data systems. Data and metadata can thus be extracted from each system without interfering with each database's local schema or being replicated to achieve integration at the DECADE web portal. The DECADE portal will enable new synoptic perspectives on the Earth degassing process. Other data systems can be easily plugged in using the existing framework. Our vision is to explore Earth degassing related datasets over previously unexplored spatial or temporal ranges.

Visualizing complex (hydrological) systems with correlation matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haas, J. C.

2016-12-01

When trying to understand or visualize the connections of different aspects of a complex system, this often requires deeper understanding to start with, or - in the case of geo data - complicated GIS software. To our knowledge, correlation matrices have rarely been used in hydrology (e.g. Stoll et al., 2011; van Loon and Laaha, 2015), yet they do provide an interesting option for data visualization and analysis. We present a simple, python based way - using a river catchment as an example - to visualize correlations and similarities in an easy and colorful way. We apply existing and easy to use python packages from various disciplines not necessarily linked to the Earth sciences and can thus quickly show how different aquifers work or react, and identify outliers, enabling this system to also be used for quality control of large datasets. Going beyond earlier work, we add a temporal and spatial element, enabling us to visualize how a system reacts to local phenomena such as for example a river, or changes over time, by visualizing the passing of time in an animated movie. References: van Loon, A.F., Laaha, G.: Hydrological drought severity explained by climate and catchment characteristics, Journal of Hydrology 526, 3-14, 2015, Drought processes, modeling, and mitigation Stoll, S., Hendricks Franssen, H. J., Barthel, R., Kinzelbach, W.: What can we learn from long-term groundwater data to improve climate change impact studies?, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 15(12), 3861-3875, 2011

Transition in the Human Exploration of Space at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, Carla A.; Cabana, Robert

2011-01-01

NASA is taking the next step in human exploration, beyond low Earth orbit. We have been going to low Earth orbit for the past 50 years and are using this experience to work with commercial companies to perform this function. This will free NASA resources to develop the systems necessary to travel to a Near Earth Asteroid, the Moon, Lagrange Points, and eventually Mars. At KSC, we are positioning ourselves to become a multi-user launch complex and everything we are working on is bringing us closer to achieving this goal. A vibrant multi-use spaceport is to the 21st Century what the airport was to the 20th Century - an invaluable transportation hub that supports government needs while promoting economic development and commercial markets beyond Earth's atmosphere. This past year saw the end of Shuttle, but the announcements of NASA's crew module, Orion, and heavy-lift rocket, the SLS, as well as the establishment of the Commercial Crew Program. We have a busy, but very bright future ahead of us and KSC is looking forward to playing an integral part in the next era of human space exploration. The future is SLS, 21st Century Ground Systems Program, and the Commercial Crew Program; and the future is here.

Applying Parallel Adaptive Methods with GeoFEST/PYRAMID to Simulate Earth Surface Crustal Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norton, Charles D.; Lyzenga, Greg; Parker, Jay; Glasscoe, Margaret; Donnellan, Andrea; Li, Peggy

2006-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the use Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) in simulating the Crustal Dynamics of Earth's Surface. AMR simultaneously improves solution quality, time to solution, and computer memory requirements when compared to generating/running on a globally fine mesh. The use of AMR in simulating the dynamics of the Earth's Surface is spurred by future proposed NASA missions, such as InSAR for Earth surface deformation and other measurements. These missions will require support for large-scale adaptive numerical methods using AMR to model observations. AMR was chosen because it has been successful in computation fluid dynamics for predictive simulation of complex flows around complex structures.

Cloud-Based Computational Tools for Earth Science Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arendt, A. A.; Fatland, R.; Howe, B.

2015-12-01

Earth scientists are increasingly required to think across disciplines and utilize a wide range of datasets in order to solve complex environmental challenges. Although significant progress has been made in distributing data, researchers must still invest heavily in developing computational tools to accommodate their specific domain. Here we document our development of lightweight computational data systems aimed at enabling rapid data distribution, analytics and problem solving tools for Earth science applications. Our goal is for these systems to be easily deployable, scalable and flexible to accommodate new research directions. As an example we describe "Ice2Ocean", a software system aimed at predicting runoff from snow and ice in the Gulf of Alaska region. Our backend components include relational database software to handle tabular and vector datasets, Python tools (NumPy, pandas and xray) for rapid querying of gridded climate data, and an energy and mass balance hydrological simulation model (SnowModel). These components are hosted in a cloud environment for direct access across research teams, and can also be accessed via API web services using a REST interface. This API is a vital component of our system architecture, as it enables quick integration of our analytical tools across disciplines, and can be accessed by any existing data distribution centers. We will showcase several data integration and visualization examples to illustrate how our system has expanded our ability to conduct cross-disciplinary research.

Next generation communications satellites: multiple access and network studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meadows, H. E.; Schwartz, M.; Stern, T. E.; Ganguly, S.; Kraimeche, B.; Matsuo, K.; Gopal, I.

1982-01-01

Efficient resource allocation and network design for satellite systems serving heterogeneous user populations with large numbers of small direct-to-user Earth stations are discussed. Focus is on TDMA systems involving a high degree of frequency reuse by means of satellite-switched multiple beams (SSMB) with varying degrees of onboard processing. Algorithms for the efficient utilization of the satellite resources were developed. The effect of skewed traffic, overlapping beams and batched arrivals in packet-switched SSMB systems, integration of stream and bursty traffic, and optimal circuit scheduling in SSMB systems: performance bounds and computational complexity are discussed.

BILLIARDS: Baseline Instrumented Lithology Lander, Inspector and Asteroid Redirection Demonstration System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcus, Matthew; Sloane, Joshua; Ortiz, Oliver; Barbee, Brent

2015-01-01

BILLIARDS Baseline Instrumented Lithology Lander, Inspector, and Asteroid Redirection Demonstration System Proposed demonstration mission for Billiard-Ball concept Select asteroid pair with natural close approach to minimize cost and complexity Primary Objectives Rendezvous with a small (10m), near Earth (alpha) asteroid Maneuver the alpha asteroid to a collision with a 100m (beta) asteroid Produce a detectable deflection or disruption of the beta asteroid Secondary objectives Contribute knowledge of asteroid composition and characteristics Contribute knowledge of small-body formation Opportunity for international collaboration

Crosstalk cancellation on linearly and circularly polarized communications satellite links

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Overstreet, W. P.; Bostian, C. W.

1979-01-01

The paper discusses the cancellation network approach for reducing crosstalk caused by depolarization on a dual-polarized communications satellite link. If the characteristics of rain depolarization are sufficiently well known, the cancellation network can be designed in a way that reduces system complexity, the most important parameter being the phase of the cross-polarized signal. Relevant theoretical calculations and experimental data are presented. The simplicity of the cancellation system proposed makes it ideal for use with small domestic or private earth terminals.

Technical Reference Suite Addressing Challenges of Providing Assurance for Fault Management Architectural Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitz, Rhonda; Whitman, Gerek

2016-01-01

Research into complexities of software systems Fault Management (FM) and how architectural design decisions affect safety, preservation of assets, and maintenance of desired system functionality has coalesced into a technical reference (TR) suite that advances the provision of safety and mission assurance. The NASA Independent Verification and Validation (IVV) Program, with Software Assurance Research Program support, extracted FM architectures across the IVV portfolio to evaluate robustness, assess visibility for validation and test, and define software assurance methods applied to the architectures and designs. This investigation spanned IVV projects with seven different primary developers, a wide range of sizes and complexities, and encompassed Deep Space Robotic, Human Spaceflight, and Earth Orbiter mission FM architectures. The initiative continues with an expansion of the TR suite to include Launch Vehicles, adding the benefit of investigating differences intrinsic to model-based FM architectures and insight into complexities of FM within an Agile software development environment, in order to improve awareness of how nontraditional processes affect FM architectural design and system health management.

From Astrochemistry to prebiotic chemistry? An hypothetical approach toward Astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt, L.; Danger, G.

2012-12-01

We present in this paper a general perspective about the evolution of molecular complexity, as observed from an astrophysicist point of view and its possible relation to the problem of the origin of life on Earth. Based on the cosmic abundances of the elements and the molecular composition of our life, we propose that life cannot really be based on other elements. We discuss where the necessary molecular complexity is built-up in astrophysical environments, actually within inter/circumstellar solid state materials known as ``grains''. Considerations based on non-directed laboratory experiments, that must be further extended in the prebiotic domain, lead to the hypothesis that if the chemistry at the origin of life may indeed be a rather universal and deterministic phenomenon, once molecular complexity is installed, the chemical evolution that generated the first prebiotic reactions that involve autoreplication must be treated in a systemic approach because of the strong contingency imposed by the complex local environment(s) and associated processes in which these chemical systems have evolved.

Application of NASA management approach to solve complex problems on earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potate, J. S.

1972-01-01

The application of NASA management approach to solving complex problems on earth is discussed. The management of the Apollo program is presented as an example of effective management techniques. Four key elements of effective management are analyzed. Photographs of the Cape Kennedy launch sites and supporting equipment are included to support the discussions.

OlyMPUS - The Ontology-based Metadata Portal for Unified Semantics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huffer, E.; Gleason, J. L.

2015-12-01

The Ontology-based Metadata Portal for Unified Semantics (OlyMPUS), funded by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Advanced Information Systems Technology program, is an end-to-end system designed to support data consumers and data providers, enabling the latter to register their data sets and provision them with the semantically rich metadata that drives the Ontology-Driven Interactive Search Environment for Earth Sciences (ODISEES). OlyMPUS leverages the semantics and reasoning capabilities of ODISEES to provide data producers with a semi-automated interface for producing the semantically rich metadata needed to support ODISEES' data discovery and access services. It integrates the ODISEES metadata search system with multiple NASA data delivery tools to enable data consumers to create customized data sets for download to their computers, or for NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility registered users, directly to NAS storage resources for access by applications running on NAS supercomputers. A core function of NASA's Earth Science Division is research and analysis that uses the full spectrum of data products available in NASA archives. Scientists need to perform complex analyses that identify correlations and non-obvious relationships across all types of Earth System phenomena. Comprehensive analytics are hindered, however, by the fact that many Earth science data products are disparate and hard to synthesize. Variations in how data are collected, processed, gridded, and stored, create challenges for data interoperability and synthesis, which are exacerbated by the sheer volume of available data. Robust, semantically rich metadata can support tools for data discovery and facilitate machine-to-machine transactions with services such as data subsetting, regridding, and reformatting. Such capabilities are critical to enabling the research activities integral to NASA's strategic plans. However, as metadata requirements increase and competing standards emerge, metadata provisioning becomes increasingly burdensome to data producers. The OlyMPUS system helps data providers produce semantically rich metadata, making their data more accessible to data consumers, and helps data consumers quickly discover and download the right data for their research.

Distinguishing Provenance Equivalence of Earth Science Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilmes, Curt; Yesha, Ye; Halem, M.

2010-01-01

Reproducibility of scientific research relies on accurate and precise citation of data and the provenance of that data. Earth science data are often the result of applying complex data transformation and analysis workflows to vast quantities of data. Provenance information of data processing is used for a variety of purposes, including understanding the process and auditing as well as reproducibility. Certain provenance information is essential for producing scientifically equivalent data. Capturing and representing that provenance information and assigning identifiers suitable for precisely distinguishing data granules and datasets is needed for accurate comparisons. This paper discusses scientific equivalence and essential provenance for scientific reproducibility. We use the example of an operational earth science data processing system to illustrate the application of the technique of cascading digital signatures or hash chains to precisely identify sets of granules and as provenance equivalence identifiers to distinguish data made in an an equivalent manner.

Delta II ICESat-2 Booster Offload onto Transporter

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-16

At NASA's Building 836, the Spacecraft Labs Telemetry Station at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a United Launch Alliance Delta II booster is removed from its shipping container. After it is offloaded, preliminary checkouts and preflight processing will begin leading to launch of the agency's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2018, and will be the last for the venerable Delta II rocket. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth's frozen and icy areas are changing. These area make up Earth's the cryosphere.

Rare earth element mineralogy, geochemistry, and preliminary resource assessment of the Khanneshin carbonatite complex, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tucker, Robert D.; Belkin, Harvey E.; Schulz, Klaus J.; Peters, Stephen G.; Buttleman, Kim P.

2011-01-01

There is increased concern about the future availability of rare earth elements (REE) because of China's dominance as the supplier of more than 95 percent of world REE output, their decision to restrict exports of rare earth products, and the rapid increase in world-wide consumption of rare earth product. As a result, countries such as the United States, Japan, and member nations of the European Union face a future of tight supplies and high prices for rare earth products unless other sources of REE are found and developed (Long and others, 2010; U.S. Geological Survey, 2011, p. 128-129, 184-185). We report and describe a significant new deposit of light rare earth elements (LREE), estimated at 1 Mt, within the Khanneshin carbonatite complex of south Afghanistan. The potential resource is located in a remote and rugged part of the igneous complex in a region previously identified by Soviet geologists in the 1970s. This report reviews the geologic setting of LREE deposit, presents new geochemical data documenting the grade of LREE mineralization, briefly describes the mineralogy and mineralogical associations of the deposit, and presents a preliminary estimate of LREE resources based on our current understanding of the geology.

The CLEAN Workshop Series: Promoting Effective Pedagogy for Teaching Undergraduate Climate Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirk, K. B.; Bruckner, M. Z.; Manduca, C. A.; Buhr, S. M.

2012-12-01

To prepare students to understand a changing climate, it is imperative that we equip educators with the best possible tools and methods for reaching their audience. As part of the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) professional development efforts, two workshops for undergraduate faculty were held in 2012. These workshops used a variety of activities to help faculty learn about recent climate research, take part in demonstrations of successful activities for teaching climate topics, and collaborate to create new teaching materials. The workshops also facilitated professional networking among participants. Both workshops were held online, eliminating the need for travel, encouraging participants without travel funds to attend, and allowing international collaborations and presentations. To create an authentic experience, the workshop used several technologies such as the Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing platform, SERC's web-based collaboration tools and online discussion threads, and conference calls. The workshop Communicating Climate Science in the Classroom, held in April 2012, explored practices for communicating climate science and policy in the classroom and provided strategies to improve student understanding of this complex and sensitive topic. Workshop presentations featured public opinion research on Americans' perceptions of climate change, tactics for identifying and resolving student misconceptions, and methods to address various "backfire effects" that can result from attempts to correct misinformation. Demonstrations of teaching approaches included a role-playing simulation of emissions negotiations, Princeton's climate stabilization wedges game, and an activity that allows students to use scientific principles to tackle misinformation. The workshop Teaching Climate Complexity was held in May 2012. Teaching the complexities of climate science requires an understanding of many facets of the Earth system and a robust pedagogic approach that fosters systems thinking. Workshop participants heard presentations from top climate scientists about topics such as the role of carbon dioxide in regulating Earth's climate, the silicate-weathering thermostat hypothesis, effects of water vapor in the climate system, and albedo effects from the loss of Artic sea ice. Demonstrations of classroom techniques allowed participants to use a jigsaw approach to understand poleward heat transport, plot atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and use a mass balance model to explore the role of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. A hallmark of the CLEAN workshops is that participants are actively engaged in team projects to create new teaching materials. In the Communicating Climate workshop, John Cook led a demonstration of techniques featured in his Debunking Handbook and workshop participants created examples of how to respond to common climate myths in the classroom. In the Climate Complexities workshop, participants used existing elements within the CLEAN reviewed collection to create a comprehensive sequence of activities that can be used to teach elements of Earth's climate system. Activities from the workshop are archived on the CLEAN website, including screen cast recordings of all the presentations and materials created at each workshop. For more information, visit the workshop website at the URL below.

Maintaining the momentum of Open Search in Earth Science Data discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, D. J.; Lynnes, C.

2013-12-01

Federated Search for Earth Observation data has been a hallmark of EOSDIS (Earth Observing System Data and Information System) for two decades. Originally, the EOSDIS Version 0 system provided both data-collection-level and granule/file-level search in the mid 1990s with EOSDIS-specific socket protocols and message formats. Since that time, the advent of several standards has helped to simplify EOSDIS federated search, beginning with HTTP as the transfer protocol. Most recently, OpenSearch (www.opensearch.org) was employed for the EOS Clearinghouse (ECHO), based on a set of conventions that had been developed within the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Federation. The ECHO OpenSearch API has evolved to encompass the ESIP RFC and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Open Search standard. Uptake of the ECHO Open Search API has been significant and has made ECHO accessible to client developers that found the previous ECHO SOAP API and current REST API too complex. Client adoption of the OpenSearch API appears to be largely driven by the simplicity of the OpenSearch convention. This simplicity is thus important to retain as the standard and convention evolve. For example, ECHO metrics indicate that the vast majority of ECHO users favor the following search criteria when using the REST API, - Spatial - bounding box, polygon, line and point - Temporal - start and end time - Keywords - free text Fewer than 10% of searches use additional constraints, particularly those requiring a controlled vocabulary, such as instrument, sensor, etc. This suggests that ongoing standardization efforts around OpenSearch usage for Earth Observation data may be more productive if oriented toward improving support for the Spatial, Temporal and Keyword search aspects. Areas still requiring improvement include support of - Concrete requirements for keyword constraints - Phrasal search for keyword constraints - Temporal constraint relations - Terminological symmetry between search URLs and response documents for both temporal and spatial terms - Best practices for both servers and clients. Over the past year we have seen several ongoing efforts to further standardize Open Search in the earth science domain such as, - Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) - Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) - Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)

U–Pb geochronology documents out-of-sequence emplacement of ultramafic layers in the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa

PubMed Central

Mungall, James E.; Kamo, Sandra L.; McQuade, Stewart

2016-01-01

Layered intrusions represent part of the plumbing systems that deliver vast quantities of magma through the Earth's crust during the formation of large igneous provinces, which disrupt global ecosystems and host most of the Earth's endowment of Pt, Ni and Cr deposits. The Rustenburg Layered Suite of the enormous Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa has been presumed to have formed by deposition of crystals at the floor of a subterranean sea of magma several km deep and hundreds of km wide called a magma chamber. Here we show, using U–Pb isotopic dating of zircon and baddeleyite, that individual chromitite layers of the Rustenburg Layered Suite formed within a stack of discrete sheet-like intrusions emplaced and solidified as separate bodies beneath older layers. Our U–Pb ages and modelling necessitate reassessment of the genesis of layered intrusions and their ore deposits, and challenge even the venerable concept of the magma chamber itself. PMID:27841347

U-Pb geochronology documents out-of-sequence emplacement of ultramafic layers in the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa.

PubMed

Mungall, James E; Kamo, Sandra L; McQuade, Stewart

2016-11-14

Layered intrusions represent part of the plumbing systems that deliver vast quantities of magma through the Earth's crust during the formation of large igneous provinces, which disrupt global ecosystems and host most of the Earth's endowment of Pt, Ni and Cr deposits. The Rustenburg Layered Suite of the enormous Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa has been presumed to have formed by deposition of crystals at the floor of a subterranean sea of magma several km deep and hundreds of km wide called a magma chamber. Here we show, using U-Pb isotopic dating of zircon and baddeleyite, that individual chromitite layers of the Rustenburg Layered Suite formed within a stack of discrete sheet-like intrusions emplaced and solidified as separate bodies beneath older layers. Our U-Pb ages and modelling necessitate reassessment of the genesis of layered intrusions and their ore deposits, and challenge even the venerable concept of the magma chamber itself.

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1980-10-01

This illustration depicts the design features of the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's) Support Systems Module (SSM). The SSM is one of the three major elements of the HST and encloses the other two elements, the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) and the Scientific Instruments (SI's). The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. The spacecraft is 42.5-feet (13-meters) long and weighs 25,000 pounds (11,600 kilograms). Two communication anternas, two solar array panels that collect energy for the HST, and storage bays for electronic gear are on the outside. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company of Sunnyvale, California produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

Recent climatic, cryospheric, and hydrological changes over the interior of western Canada: a synthesis and review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBeer, C. M.; Wheater, H. S.; Carey, S. K.; Chun, K. P.

2015-08-01

It is well-established that the Earth's climate system has warmed significantly over the past several decades, and in association there have been widespread changes in various other Earth system components. This has been especially prevalent in the cold regions of the northern mid to high-latitudes. Examples of these changes can be found within the western and northern interior of Canada, a region that exemplifies the scientific and societal issues faced in many other similar parts of the world, and where impacts have global-scale consequences. This region has been the geographic focus of a large amount of previous research on changing climatic, cryospheric, and hydrological Earth system components in recent decades, while current initiatives such as the Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN) seek to further develop the understanding and diagnosis of this change and hence improve predictive capacity. This paper provides an integrated review of the observed changes in these Earth system components and a concise and up-to-date regional picture of some of the temporal trends over the interior of western Canada since the mid or late-20th century. The focus is on air temperature, precipitation, seasonal snow cover, mountain glaciers, permafrost, freshwater ice cover, and river discharge. Important long-term observational networks and datasets are described, and qualitative linkages among the changing components are highlighted. Systematic warming and significant changes to precipitation, snow and ice regimes are unambiguous. However, integrated effects on streamflow are complex. It is argued that further diagnosis is required before predictions of future change can be made with confidence.

Managing complexity in simulations of land surface and near-surface processes

DOE PAGES

Coon, Ethan T.; Moulton, J. David; Painter, Scott L.

2016-01-12

Increasing computing power and the growing role of simulation in Earth systems science have led to an increase in the number and complexity of processes in modern simulators. We present a multiphysics framework that specifies interfaces for coupled processes and automates weak and strong coupling strategies to manage this complexity. Process management is enabled by viewing the system of equations as a tree, where individual equations are associated with leaf nodes and coupling strategies with internal nodes. A dynamically generated dependency graph connects a variable to its dependencies, streamlining and automating model evaluation, easing model development, and ensuring models aremore » modular and flexible. Additionally, the dependency graph is used to ensure that data requirements are consistent between all processes in a given simulation. Here we discuss the design and implementation of these concepts within the Arcos framework, and demonstrate their use for verification testing and hypothesis evaluation in numerical experiments.« less

Formation of Complex Amino Acid Precursors in Simulated Primitive Atmosphere and Their Alteration under Simulated Submarine Hydrothermal Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Kensei; Kurihara, Hironari; Hirako, Tomoaki; Obayashi, Yumiko; Kaneko, Takeo; Takano, Yoshinori; Yoshimura, Yoshitaka

Since late 1970's a great number of submarine hydrothermal systems (SHSs) has been dis-covered, and they are considered possible sites of chemical evolution and generation of life on the Earth since their discovery in late 1970s. A number of experiments simulating the con-ditions of SHSs were conducted, and abiotic production and polymerization of amino acids were reported. Free amino acids were frequently used as starting materials to examine possible organic reactions in the simulation experiments. In our early studies, not free amino acids but complex amino acids precursors with large molecular weights were formed abiotically from simulated primitive Earth atmosphere (a mixture of CO, N2 and H2 O) (Takano et al., 2004). Such complex organics (hereafter referred as to CNWs) should have been delivered to SHSs in Primitive Ocean, where they were subjected to further alteration. We examined possible alteration of the complex organics in high-temperature high-pressure environments by the su-percritical water flow reactor (SCWFR) (Islam et al.. 2003) and an autoclave. CNWs were quite hydrophilic compounds whose molecular weights were ca. 3000. After heating 573 K for 2 min in the SCWFR, aggregates of organics were formed, which were separated from aque-ous solution with a Nucleopore filter (pore size: 200 nm). We propose the following scenario of chemical evolution: (1) Complex organics including amino acid precursors were formed in primitive atmosphere and/or extraterrestrial environments, (ii) they were delivered to primor-dial SHSs, (iii) hydrothermal alteration occurred in SHSs to give organic aggregates, (iv) quite primitive molecular systems with subtle biological functions were generated in the competition among such aggregates. References: Islam, Md. N., Kaneko, T., and Kobayashi, K (2003). Reactions of Amino Acids with a Newly ConstructedSupercritical Water Flow Reactor Simulating Submarine Hydrothermal Systems. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 76, 1171. Takano, Y., Marumo, K., Yabashi, S., Kaneko, T., and Kobayashi, K., (2004). Curie-Point Pyrolysis of Complex Organics Simulated by Cosmic Rays Irradiation of Simple Inorganic Gas Mixture. Appl Phys. Lett., 85, 1633.

Novel systems and methods for quantum communication, quantum computation, and quantum simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorshkov, Alexey Vyacheslavovich

Precise control over quantum systems can enable the realization of fascinating applications such as powerful computers, secure communication devices, and simulators that can elucidate the physics of complex condensed matter systems. However, the fragility of quantum effects makes it very difficult to harness the power of quantum mechanics. In this thesis, we present novel systems and tools for gaining fundamental insights into the complex quantum world and for bringing practical applications of quantum mechanics closer to reality. We first optimize and show equivalence between a wide range of techniques for storage of photons in atomic ensembles. We describe experiments demonstrating the potential of our optimization algorithms for quantum communication and computation applications. Next, we combine the technique of photon storage with strong atom-atom interactions to propose a robust protocol for implementing the two-qubit photonic phase gate, which is an important ingredient in many quantum computation and communication tasks. In contrast to photon storage, many quantum computation and simulation applications require individual addressing of closely-spaced atoms, ions, quantum dots, or solid state defects. To meet this requirement, we propose a method for coherent optical far-field manipulation of quantum systems with a resolution that is not limited by the wavelength of radiation. While alkali atoms are currently the system of choice for photon storage and many other applications, we develop new methods for quantum information processing and quantum simulation with ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in optical lattices. We show how multiple qubits can be encoded in individual alkaline-earth atoms and harnessed for quantum computing and precision measurements applications. We also demonstrate that alkaline-earth atoms can be used to simulate highly symmetric systems exhibiting spin-orbital interactions and capable of providing valuable insights into strongly correlated physics of transition metal oxides, heavy fermion materials, and spin liquid phases. While ultracold atoms typically exhibit only short-range interactions, numerous exotic phenomena and practical applications require long-range interactions, which can be achieved with ultracold polar molecules. We demonstrate the possibility to engineer a repulsive interaction between polar molecules, which allows for the suppression of inelastic collisions, efficient evaporative cooling, and the creation of novel phases of polar molecules.

The Near-Earth Object Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mainzer, Amy K.; NEOCam Science Team

2017-10-01

The Near-Earth Object Camera (NEOCam) is a NASA mission in formulation designed to find, track, and provide basic physical characterization of asteroids and comets that make close approaches to Earth. Its goal is to reduce the risk of impacts from undetected near-Earth objects (NEOs) capable of causing global and regional disasters. NEOCam consists of a 50 cm telescope operating at two channels dominated by NEO thermal emission, 4.2-5.0um and 6-10um, in order to better constrain the objects' temperatures and diameters. Orbiting the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point, the mission would find hundreds of thousands of NEOs and would make significant progress toward the Congressional objective of discovering more than 90% of NEOs larger than 140 m during its five-year lifetime. The mission uses novel 2048x2048 HgCdTe detectors that extend the wavelength cutoff beyond 10um at an operating temperature of 40K (Dorn et al. 2016). Both the optical system and the detectors are cooled passively using radiators and thermal shields to enable long mission life and to avoid the complexity of cryocoolers or cryogens. NEOCam is currently in an extended Phase A.

NASA Earth Science Partnerships - The Role and Value of Commercial and Non-Profit Partnerships with Government in the Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favors, J.; Cauffman, S.; Ianson, E.; Kaye, J. A.; Friedl, L.; Green, D. S.; Lee, T. J.; Murphy, K. J.; Turner, W.

2017-12-01

NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD) seeks to develop a scientific understanding of the Earth as a dynamic, integrated system of diverse components that interact in complex ways - analogous to the human body. The Division approaches this goal through a coordinated series of satellite and airborne missions, sponsored basic and applied research, and technology development. Integral to this approach are strong collaborations and partnerships with a spectrum of organizations with technical and non-technical expertise. This presentation will focus on a new commercial and non-profit partnership effort being undertaken by ESD to integrate expertise unique to these sectors with expertise at NASA to jointly achieve what neither group could alone. Highlights will include case study examples of joint work with perspectives from both NASA and the partner, building interdisciplinary teams with diverse backgrounds but common goals (e.g., economics and Earth observations for valuing natural capital), partnership successes and challenges in the co-production of science and applications, utilizing partner networks to amplify project outcomes, and how involving partners in defining the project scope drives novel and unique scientific and decision-making questions to arise.

Prospects of the New Science and Outreach Network Baltic Earth with Results of the Second Climate Change Assessment for the Baltic Sea Region (BACC II)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reckermann, M.; Von Storch, H.; Omstedt, A. T.; Meier, M.; Rutgersson, A.

2014-12-01

The Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe spans different climate and population zones, from a temperate, highly populated, industrialized south with intensive agriculture to a boreal, rural north. It represents an old cultural landscape, and the Baltic Sea itself is among the most intensively studied sea areas of the world. Baltic Earth is the new Earth system research network for the Baltic Sea region. It is the successor to BALTEX, which was terminated in June 2013 after 20 years and two successful phases. Baltic Earth stands for the vision to achieve an improved Earth system understanding of the Baltic Sea region. This means that the research disciplines of BALTEX continue to be relevant, i.e. atmospheric and climate sciences, hydrology, oceanography and biogeochemistry, but a more holistic view of the Earth system encompassing processes in the atmosphere, on land and in the sea as well as in the anthroposphere shall gain in importance in Baltic Earth. Specific grand research challenges have been formulated, representing interdisciplinary research questions to be tackled in the coming years. A major means will be scientific assessments of particular research topics by expert groups, similar to the BACC approach, which shall help to identify knowledge gaps and develop research strategies. A major outcome of Baltic Earth will be the update of the BALTEX Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin (BACC II). This new study after 5 years finds the results of BACC I still valid. Climate change can be detected at the regional scale but attribution is still weak. The effect of changing atmospheric aerosol loads and land use change is largely unknown so far and needs further attention in the coming years. For the observed changes in biogeochemical and ecological systems, multiple drivers are at work of which climate change is one. Their relative importance still needs to be evaluated. When addressing climate change impacts on e.g. forestry, agriculture, urban complexes and the marine and terrestrial environment in the Baltic Sea basin, a broad perspective is needed which considers not only climate change but also other significant factors such as emission changes, demographic, economic as well as land-use changes.

Bioastrophysical aspects of low energy ion irradiation of frozen anthracene containing water.

PubMed

Tuleta, M; Gabła, L; Madej, J

2001-08-13

The origin of life on Earth remains a fascinating mystery in spite of many theories existing on this subject. However, it seems that simple prebiotic molecules could play an essential role in the formation of more complex organisms. In our experiment, we synthesized a class of these molecules (quinones) bombarding frozen anthracene containing water with low energy hydrogen ions. This experiment roughly simulated the astrophysical conditions which one can find in the solar system. Thus, we can hypothesize that prebiotic molecules could be created by interaction of the solar wind with interplanetary dust grains. The delivery of these molecules to early Earth may have contributed to the generation of life on our planet.

Search for water and life's building blocks in the Universe: An Introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwok, Sun

Water and organics are commonly believed to be the essential ingredients for life on Earth. The development of infrared and submillimeter observational techniques has resulted in the detection of water in circumstellar envelopes, interstellar clouds, comets, asteroids, planetary satellites and the Sun. Complex organics have also been found in stellar ejecta, diffuse and molecular clouds, meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, comets and planetary satellites. In this Focus Meeting, we will discuss the origin, distribution, and detection of water and other life's building blocks both inside and outside of the Solar System. The possibility of extraterrestrial organics and water on the origin of life on Earth will also be discussed.

Hubble Space Telescope, Faint Object Camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

This drawing illustrates Hubble Space Telescope's (HST's), Faint Object Camera (FOC). The FOC reflects light down one of two optical pathways. The light enters a detector after passing through filters or through devices that can block out light from bright objects. Light from bright objects is blocked out to enable the FOC to see background images. The detector intensifies the image, then records it much like a television camera. For faint objects, images can be built up over long exposure times. The total image is translated into digital data, transmitted to Earth, and then reconstructed. The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By placing the telescope in space, astronomers are able to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors.

Thermal Springs and the Search for Past Life on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DesMarais, D. J.; Farmer, J. D.; Walter, M. R.

1995-01-01

Ancient thermal spring sites have several features which make them significant targets in a search for past life. Chemical (including redox) reactions in hydrothermal systems possibly played a role in the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere. Spring waters frequently contain reduced species (sulfur compounds, Fe(sup +2), etc.) which can provide chemical energy for organic synthesis. Relatively cool hydrothermal systems can sustain abundant microbial life (on Earth, at temperatures greater than 110 C). A spring site on Mars perhaps might even have maintained liquid water for periods sufficiently long to sustain surface-dwelling biota had they existed. On Earth, a variety of microbial mat communities can be sampled along the wide range of temperatures surrounding the spring, thus offering an opportunity to sample a broad biological diversity. Thermal spring waters frequently deposit minerals (carbonates, silica, etc.) which can entomb and preserve both fluid inclusions and microbial communities. These deposits can be highly fossiliferous and preserve biological inclusions for geologically long periods of time. Such deposits can cover several square km on Earth, and their distinctive mineralogy (e.g., silica- and/or carbonate-rich) can contrast sharply with that of the surrounding region. As with Martian volcanoes, Martian thermal spring complexes and their deposits might typically be much larger than their counterparts on Earth. Thus Martian spring deposits are perhaps readily detectable and even accessible. Elysium Planitia is an example of a promising region where hydrothermal activity very likely remobilized ground ice and sustained springs.

Earth-Facing Antenna Characterization in Complex Ground Plane/Multipath Rich Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welch, Bryan W.; Piasecki, Marie T.

2015-01-01

The Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Testbed was a Software Defined Radio (SDR)-based payload launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in July of 2012. The purpose of the SCAN Testbed payload was to investigate the applicability of SDRs to NASA space missions in an operational environment, which means that a proper model for system performance in said operational space environment is a necessary condition. The SCAN Testbed has line-of-sight connections to various ground stations with its S-Band Earth-facing Near-Earth-Network Low Gain Antenna (NEN-LGA). Any previous efforts to characterize the NEN-LGA proved difficult, therefore, the NASA Glenn Research Center built its own S-Band ground station, which became operational in 2015, and has been used successfully to characterize the NEN-LGA's in-situ pattern measurements. This methodology allows for a more realistic characterization of the antenna performance, where the pattern oscillation induced by the complex ISS ground plane, as well as shadowing effects due to ISS structural blockage are included into the final performance model. This paper describes the challenges of characterizing an antenna pattern in this environment. It will also discuss the data processing, present the final antenna pattern measurements and derived model, as well as discuss various lessons learned

Earth-Facing Antenna Characterization in a Complex Ground Plane/Multipath Rich Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welch, Bryan W.; Piasecki, Marie T.

2015-01-01

The Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Testbed was a Software Defined Radio (SDR)-based payload launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in July of 2012. The purpose of the SCAN Testbed payload was to investigate the applicability of SDRs to NASA space missions in an operational space environment, which means that a proper model for system performance in said operational space environment is a necessary condition. The SCAN Testbed has line-of-sight connections to various ground stations with its S-Band Earth-facing Near-Earth Network Low Gain Antenna (NEN-LGA). Any previous efforts to characterize the NEN-LGA proved difficult, therefore, the NASA Glenn Research Center built its own S-Band ground station, which became operational in 2015, and has been successfully used to characterize the NEN-LGAs in-situ pattern measurements. This methodology allows for a more realistic characterization of the antenna performance, where the pattern oscillation induced by the complex ISS ground plane, as well as shadowing effects due to ISS structural blockage are included into the final performance model. This paper describes the challenges of characterizing an antenna pattern in this environment. It will also discuss the data processing, present the final antenna pattern measurements and derived model, as well as discuss various lessons learned.