ED07-0139-26

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-23

NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft over Southern California's high desert during the ferry flight to its new home at the Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at DFRC at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 23, 2007.

NASA's F-15B conducts a local Mach investigation flight over California's Mojave Desert.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-01

NASA's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft flew instrumentation in June 2004 called the Local Mach Investigation (LMI), designed to gather local airflow data for future research projects using the aircraft's Propulsion Flight Test Fixture (PFTF). The PFTF is the black rectangular fixture attached to the aircraft's belly. The LMI package was located in the orange device attached to the PFTF.

NASA's F-15B conducts a local Mach investigation flight over California's Mojave Desert.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-04

NASA's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft flew instrumentation in June 2004 called the Local Mach Investigation (LMI), designed to gather local airflow data for future research projects using the aircraft's Propulsion Flight Test Fixture (PFTF). The PFTF is the black rectangular fixture attached to the aircraft's belly. The LMI package was located in the orange device attached to the PFTF.

Navajo Code Talker Joe Morris, Sr. shared insights from his time as a secret World War Two messenger

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Navajo Code Talker Joe Morris, Sr. shared insights from his time as a secret World War Two messenger with his audience at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Nov. 26, 2002. NASA Dryden is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.

CV-990 LSRA

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-03-06

NASA 710, a Convair 990 transport aircraft formerly used for medium altitude atmospheric research, cruises over the Mojave Desert near NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The flight was a final speed calibration run prior to the start of extensive modifications that turned the aircraft into a landing systems research aircraft to test and evaluate brakes and landing gear systems on space shuttles and also conventional aircraft. Research flights with the aircraft began in April of 1993. Testing of shuttle components lasted into fiscal year 1995.

EC94-42513-3

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-03-15

The three thrust-vectoring aircraft at Edwards, California, each capable of flying at extreme angles of attack, cruise over the California desert in formation during flight in March 1994. They are, from left, NASA's F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV), flown by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; the X-31, flown by the X-31 International Test Organization (ITO) at Dryden; and the Air Force F-16 Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV) aircraft.

Overview of the Habitat Demonstration Unit Power System Integration and Operation at Desert RATS 2010

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colozza, Anthony J.; George, Pat; Gambrell, Ronnie; Chapman, Chris

2013-01-01

A habitat demonstration unit (HDU) was constructed at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and designed by a multicenter NASA team led out of NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The HDU was subsequently utilized at the 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) program held at the Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona. This report describes the power system design, installation and operation for the HDU. The requirements for the power system were to provide 120 VAC, 28 VDC, and 120 VDC power to the various loads within the HDU. It also needed to be capable of providing power control and real-time operational data on the load's power consumption. The power system had to be capable of operating off of a 3 phase 480 VAC generator as well as 2 solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems. The system operated well during the 2 week Desert RATS campaign and met all of the main goals of the system. The power system is being further developed to meet the future needs of the HDU and options for this further development are discussed.

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-010

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-05

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-003

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-28

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-001

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-05

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-005

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-05

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-009

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-05

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-002

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-28

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-007

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-05

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-011

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-05

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

Gigapan Voyage for Robotic Recon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Susan Y.; Moorse, Theodore Fitzgerald; Park, Eric J.

2010-01-01

Gigapan Voyage (GV) is a self-contained remotely-operable Gigapan capturing system that is currently being developed by the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) at NASA Ames Research Center. Gigapan Voyage was primarily designed to be integrated onto Johnson Space Center s Lunar Electric Rovers (LER). While on LER, Gigapan Voyage was used by scientists and astronauts during the 2009 and 2010 Desert RATS field tests. The concept behind Gigapan Voyage is to merge all the sub-components of the commercial GigaPan system into an all-in-one system that can capture, stitch, and display Gigapans in an automated way via a simple web interface. The GV system enables NASA to quickly and easily add remote-controlled Gigapan capturing capability onto rovers with minimal integration effort. Key Words: Geology, NASA, Black Point Lava Flow, Robot, K10, LER, Gigapan Voyage, Desert RATS, Intelligent Robotics Group

Comparing Apollo and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Operations Paradigms for Human Exploration During NASA Desert-Rats Science Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yingst, R. A.; Cohen, B. A.; Ming, D. W.; Eppler, D. B.

2011-01-01

NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) field test is one of several analog tests that NASA conducts each year to combine operations development, technology advances and science under planetary surface conditions. The D-RATS focus is testing preliminary operational concepts for extravehicular activity (EVA) systems in the field using simulated surface operations and EVA hardware and procedures. For 2010 hardware included the Space Exploration Vehicles, Habitat Demonstration Units, Tri-ATHLETE, and a suite of new geology sample collection tools, including a self-contained GeoLab glove box for conducting in-field analysis of various collected rock samples. The D-RATS activities develop technical skills and experience for the mission planners, engineers, scientists, technicians, and astronauts responsible for realizing the goals of exploring planetary surfaces.

Mission control team structure and operational lessons learned from the 2009 and 2010 NASA desert RATS simulated lunar exploration field tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Ernest R.; Badillo, Victor; Coan, David; Johnson, Kieth; Ney, Zane; Rosenbaum, Megan; Smart, Tifanie; Stone, Jeffry; Stueber, Ronald; Welsh, Daren; Guirgis, Peggy; Looper, Chris; McDaniel, Randall

2013-10-01

The NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is an annual field test of advanced concepts, prototype hardware, and potential modes of operation to be used on human planetary surface space exploration missions. For the 2009 and 2010 NASA Desert RATS field tests, various engineering concepts and operational exercises were incorporated into mission timelines with the focus of the majority of daily operations being on simulated lunar geological field operations and executed in a manner similar to current Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions. The field test for 2009 involved a two week lunar exploration simulation utilizing a two-man rover. The 2010 Desert RATS field test took this two week simulation further by incorporating a second two-man rover working in tandem with the 2009 rover, as well as including docked operations with a Pressurized Excursion Module (PEM). Personnel for the field test included the crew, a mission management team, engineering teams, a science team, and the mission operations team. The mission operations team served as the core of the Desert RATS mission control team and included certified NASA Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) flight controllers, former flight controllers, and astronaut personnel. The backgrounds of the flight controllers were in the areas of Extravehicular Activity (EVA), onboard mechanical systems and maintenance, robotics, timeline planning (OpsPlan), and spacecraft communicator (Capcom). With the simulated EVA operations, mechanized operations (the rover), and expectations of replanning, these flight control disciplines were especially well suited for the execution of the 2009 and 2010 Desert RATS field tests. The inclusion of an operations team has provided the added benefit of giving NASA mission operations flight control personnel the opportunity to begin examining operational mission control techniques, team compositions, and mission scenarios. This also gave the mission operations team the opportunity to gain insight into functional hardware requirements via lessons learned from executing the Desert RATS field test missions. This paper will detail the mission control team structure that was used during the 2009 and 2010 Desert RATS Lunar analog missions. It will also present a number of the lessons learned by the operations team during these field tests. Major lessons learned involved Mission Control Center (MCC) operations, pre-mission planning and training processes, procedure requirements, communication requirements, and logistic support for analogs. This knowledge will be applied to future Desert RATS field tests, and other Earth based analog testing for space exploration, to continue the evolution of manned space operations in preparation for human planetary exploration. It is important that operational knowledge for human space exploration missions be obtained during Earth-bound field tests to the greatest extent possible. This allows operations personnel the ability to examine various flight control and crew operations scenarios in preparation for actual space missions.

Habitat Demonstration Unit-Deep Space Habitat (HDU-DSH) Integration and Preparation for Desert RATS 2011

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbeau, Zack

2011-01-01

The Habitat Demonstration Unit, or HDU, is a multi-purpose test bed that allows NASA scientists and engineers to design, develop, and test new living quarters, laboratories, and workspaces for the next generation space mission. Previous testing and integration has occurred during 2010 at the annual Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) field testing campaign in the Arizona desert. There the HDU team tests the configuration developed for the fiscal year, or FY configuration. For FY2011, the NASA mission calls for simulating a deep space condition. The HDU-DSH, or Deep Space Habitat, will be configured with new systems and modules that will outfit the test bed with new deep space capabilities. One such addition is the new X-HAB (eXploration Habitat) Inflatable Loft. With any deep space mission there is the need for safe, suitable living quarters. The current HDU configuration does not allow for any living space at all. In fact, Desert RATS 2010 saw the crew sleeping in the Space Exploration Vehicles (SEV) instead of the HDU. The X-HAB Challenge pitted three universities against each other: Oklahoma State University, University of Maryland, and the University of Wisconsin. The winning team will have their design implemented by NASA for field testing at DRATS 2011. This paper will highlight the primary objective of getting the X-HAB field ready which involves the implementation of an elevator/handrail system along with smaller logistical and integration tasks associated with getting the HDU-DSH ready for shipment to DRATS.

Using NASA EOS in the Arabian and Saharan Deserts to Examine Dust Particle Size and Spectral Signature of Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenton, J. C.; Keeton, T.; Barrick, B.; Cowart, K.; Cooksey, K.; Florence, V.; Herdy, C.; Luvall, J. C.; Vasquez, S.

2012-12-01

Exposure to high concentrations of airborne particulate matter can have adverse effects on the human respiratory system. Ground-based studies conducted in Iraq have revealed the presence of potential human pathogens in airborne dust. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), airborne particulate matter below 2.5μm (PM2.5) can cause long-term damage to the human respiratory system. Given the relatively high incidence of new-onset respiratory disorders experienced by US service members deployed to Iraq, this research offers a new glimpse into how satellite remote sensing can be applied to questions related to human health. NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) can be used to determine spectral characteristics of dust particles, the depth of dust plumes, as well as dust particle sizes. Comparing dust particle size from the Sahara and Arabian Deserts gives insight into the composition and atmospheric transport characteristics of dust from each desert. With the use of NASA SeaWiFS DeepBlue Aerosol, dust particle sizes were estimated using Angström exponent. Brightness Temperature Difference (BTD) equation was used to determine the distribution of particle sizes, the area of the dust storm, and whether silicate minerals were present in the dust. The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra satellite was utilized in calculating BTD. Minimal research has been conducted on the spectral characteristics of airborne dust in the Arabian and Sahara Deserts. Mineral composition of a dust storm that occurred 17 April 2008 near Baghdad was determined using imaging spectrometer data from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Spectral Library and EO-1 Hyperion data. Mineralogy of this dust storm was subsequently compared to that of a dust storm that occurred over the Bodélé Depression in the Sahara Desert on 7 June 2003.

A lone desert Joshua tree greeted the arrival of Space Shuttle Endeavour at Edwards Air Force Base,

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

A lone desert Joshua tree greeted the arrival of Space Shuttle Endeavour at Edwards Air Force Base, California, May 1, 2001. A large drag chute helped slow Endeavour on the runway. After mounting the shuttle on a converted 747 airliner at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Endeavour will be carried back to the Kennedy Space Center for its next mission. Weather in Florida necessitated landing in California.

X-38 in Flight during Second Free Flight

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-02-06

NASA's X-38, a research vehicle developed as part of an effort to build an emergency Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) for the International Space Station, descends toward a desert lakebed under its steerable parafoil on its second free flight. The X-38 was launched from NASA Dryden's B-52 Mothership on Saturday, February 6, 1999, from an altitude of approximately 23,000 feet.

X-38 in Flight during Second Free Flight

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-02-06

NASA's X-38, a research vehicle developed as part of an effort to build an emergency Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) for the International Space Station, descends toward the desert floor under its steerable parafoil on its second free flight. The X-38 was launched from NASA Dryden's B-52 Mothership on Saturday, February 6, 1999, from an altitude of approximately 23,000 feet.

A restored NACA P-51D Mustang in flight

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-15

The huge compass rose on Rogers Dry Lake formed a backdrop for a genuine NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) P-51D Mustang owned and flown by William C. Allmon during a visit to the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California's Mojave Desert Sept. 15, 2000 for a reunion of former NACA employees. The NACA was the forerunner of NASA.

A lone desert Joshua tree greeted the arrival of Space Shuttle Endeavour at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on May 1, 2001

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

A lone desert Joshua tree greeted the arrival of Space Shuttle Endeavour at Edwards Air Force Base, California, May 1, 2001. A large drag chute helped slow Endeavour on the runway. After mounting the shuttle on a converted 747 airliner at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Endeavour will be carried back to the Kennedy Space Center for its next mission. Weather in Florida necessitated landing in California.

Desert Rats 2011 Mission Simulation: Effects of Microgravity Operational Modes on Fields Geology Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bleacher, Jacob E.; Hurtado, J. M., Jr.; Meyer, J. A.

2012-01-01

Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) is a multi-year series of NASA tests that deploy planetary surface hardware and exercise mission and science operations in difficult conditions to advance human and robotic exploration capabilities. DRATS 2011 (Aug. 30-Sept. 9, 2011) tested strategies for human exploration of microgravity targets such as near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). Here we report the crew perspective on the impact of simulated microgravity operations on our capability to conduct field geology.

Plant Atrium System for Food Production in NASA's Deep Space Habitat Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massa, Gioia D.; Simpson, Morgan; Wheeler, Raymond M.; Newsham, Gary; Stutte, Gary W.

2013-01-01

Future human space exploration missions will need functional habitat systems. Possible concepts are assessed for integration issues, power requirements, crew operations, technology, and system performance. A food production system concept was analyzed at NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) in 2011, and at NASA JSC in 2012. System utilizes fresh foods (vegetables and small fruits) which are harvested on a continuous basis. Designed to improve crew's diet and quality of life without interfering with other components or operations.

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-045

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. searching in the desert Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

EC95-42960-5

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-02-15

NASA's single-seat F-16XL makes a drag chute landing on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert. The aircraft was most recently used in the Cranked-Arrow Wing Aerodynamics Project (CAWAP) to test boundary layer pressures and distribution. Previously it had been used in a program to investigate the characteristics of sonic booms for NASA's High Speed Research Program. Data from the program will be used in the development of a high speed civilian transport. During the series of sonic boom research flights, the F-16XL was used to probe the shock waves being generated by a NASA SR-71 and record their shape and intensity.

X-38 flies free from NASA's B-52 mothership, July 10, 2001

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The second free-flight test of an evolving series of X-38 prototypes took place July 10, 2001 when the X-38 was released from NASA's B-52 mothership over the Edwards Air Force Base range in California's Mojave Desert. Shortly after the photo was taken, a sequenced deployment of a drogue parachute followed by a large parafoil fabric wing slowed the X-38 to enable it to land safely on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards. NASA engineers from the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, and the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, are developing a 'lifeboat' for the International Space Station based on X-38 research.

X-38 flies free from NASA's B-52 mothership, July 10, 2001

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-10

The second free-flight test of an evolving series of X-38 prototypes took place July 10, 2001 when the X-38 was released from NASA's B-52 mothership over the Edwards Air Force Base range in California's Mojave Desert. Shortly after the photo was taken, a sequenced deployment of a drogue parachute followed by a large parafoil fabric wing slowed the X-38 to enable it to land safely on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards. NASA engineers from the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, and the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, are developing a "lifeboat" for the International Space Station based on X-38 research.

ECN-3945

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-02-21

The General Dynamics TACT/F-111A Aardvark is seen In a banking-turn over the California Mojave desert. This photograph affords a good view of the supercritical wing airfoil shape. Starting in 1971 the NASA Flight Research Center and the Air Force undertook a major research and flight testing program, using F-111A (#63-9778), which would span almost 20 years before completion. Intense interest over the results coming from the NASA F-8 supercritical wing program spurred NASA and the Air Force to modify the General Dynamics F-111A to explore the application of supercritical wing technology to maneuverable military aircraft. This flight program was called Transonic Aircraft Technology (TACT).

ED07-0110-12

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-05-24

Two NASA Dryden F/A-18s flown by research pilots Frank Batteas and Nils Larson were captured by photographer Lori Losey from a third F/A-18 flown by Dick Ewers as they flew in tight formation over the desert at Edwards Air Force Base.

Science Support Room Operations During Desert RATS 2009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lofgren, G. E.; Horz, F.; Bell, M. S.; Cohen, B. A.; Eppler,D. B.; Evans, C. a.; Hodges, K. V.; Hynek, B. M.; Gruener, J. E.; Kring, D. A.;

Data Analysis Techniques for a Lunar Surface Navigation System Testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chelmins, David; Sands, O. Scott; Swank, Aaron

2011-01-01

NASA is interested in finding new methods of surface navigation to allow astronauts to navigate on the lunar surface. In support of the Vision for Space Exploration, the NASA Glenn Research Center developed the Lunar Extra-Vehicular Activity Crewmember Location Determination System and performed testing at the Desert Research and Technology Studies event in 2009. A significant amount of sensor data was recorded during nine tests performed with six test subjects. This paper provides the procedure, formulas, and techniques for data analysis, as well as commentary on applications.

Image shows Trona Pinnacles near California's NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center during Jan. 31 Super Blue Blood Moon. Trona Pinnacles is an unusual geological feature of the state's Desert National Conservation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-31

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center photographer Lauren Hughes takes photos of the Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse from California's Trona Pinnacles Desert National Conservation for the Jan. 31 of the total lunar eclipse that provided a rare opportunity to capture a supermoon, a blue moon and a lunar eclipse at the same time. A supermoon occurs when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit and appearing 14 percent brighter than usual. As the second full moon of the month, this moon is also commonly known as a blue moon, though it will not be blue in appearance. The super blue moon passed through Earth's shadow and took on a reddish tint, known as a blood moon. This total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and a full moon form a near-perfect lineup in space. The Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow).

GeoLab's First Field Trials, 2010 Desert RATS: Evaluating Tools for Early Sample Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Cindy A.; Bell, M. S.; Calaway, M. J.; Graff, Trevor; Young, Kelsey

2011-01-01

As part of an accelerated prototyping project to support science operations tests for future exploration missions, we designed and built a geological laboratory, GeoLab, that was integrated into NASA's first generation Habitat Demonstration Unit-1/Pressurized Excursion Module (HDU1-PEM). GeoLab includes a pressurized glovebox for transferring and handling samples collected on geological traverses, and a suite of instruments for collecting preliminary data to help characterize those samples. The GeoLab and the HDU1-PEM were tested for the first time as part of the 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), NASA's analog field exercise for testing mission technologies. The HDU1- PEM and GeoLab participated in two weeks of joint operations in northern Arizona with two crewed rovers and the DRATS science team.

Testing Planetary Rovers: Technologies, Perspectives, and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Hans; Lau, Sonie (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

Rovers are a vital component of NASA's strategy for manned and unmanned exploration of space. For the past five years, the Intelligent Mechanisms Group at the NASA Ames Research Center has conducted a vigorous program of field testing of rovers from both technology and science team productivity perspective. In this talk, I will give an overview of the the last two years of the test program, focusing on tests conducted in the Painted Desert of Arizona, the Atacama desert in Chile, and on IMG participation in the Mars Pathfinder mission. An overview of autonomy, manipulation, and user interface technologies developed in response to these missions will be presented, and lesson's learned in these missions and their impact on future flight missions will be presented. I will close with some perspectives on how the testing program has affected current rover systems.

ECN-5033

NASA Image and Video Library

1976-01-29

The General Dynamics TACT/F-111A (Serial #63-9778) banks over the Mojave Desert. Note the fully loaded racks of inert pratice bombs which were carried for weapon loads evaluations on the supercritical wing (SCW) that was the main feature of the Transonic Aircraft Technology F-111 research program. Intense interest in the results of the earlier F-8 SCW program spurred NASA and the U.S. Air Force to modify the number 13 F-111A for the TACT program. This aircraft participated in a major research and flight testing program that spanned nearly 20 years, beginning in 1971 at the NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California.

Thar Desert

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This ASTER sub-scene covers an area of 12 x 15 km in NW India in the Thar Desert. The sand dunes of the Thar Desert constantly shift and take on new shapes. Located in northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, the desert is bounded on the south by a salt marsh known as the Rann of Kutch, and on the west by the Indus River plain. About 800 kilometers long and about 490 kilometers wide, the desert's terrain is mainly rolling sandhills with scattered growths of shrub and rock outcroppings. Only about 12 to 25 centimeters of rain fall on the desert each year, and temperatures rise as high as 52 degrees Celsius. Much of the population is pastoral, raising sheep for their wool. The image is located at 24.4 degrees north latitude and 69.3 degrees east longitude.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

F-15 HiDEC in flight over Mojave desert

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

NASA's F-15 HIDEC (Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control) research aircraft cruises over California's Mojave Desert at sunset on a flight out of the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The aircraft was used to carry out research on engine and flight control systems and most recently demonstrated the use of computer-assisted engine controls as a means of landing an aircraft safely with only engine power if its normal control surfaces such as elevators, rudders or ailerons are disabled. The aircraft also tested and evaluated a computerized self-repair flight control system for the Air Force that detects damaged or failed flight control surfaces, and then reconfigures undamaged flight surfaces so the mission can continue or the aircraft is landed safely. Nearly all research being carried out in the HIDEC program is applicable to future civilian and military aircraft.

ARC-2006-ACD06-0113-006

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-05

Spaceward Bound Program in Atacama Desert; shown here is a realtime webcast from Yungay, Chile vis satellite involving NASA Scientists and seven NASA Explorer school teachers. On the Ames end we find the Girl Scouts Space cookines robotic team. The robot nicknamed Zoe is looking for life in extreme environments in preparation for what might be encounter on Mars. (back row l-r) Yvonne Clearwater, Ames Education Division, Donald James, Ames Education Division Chief, Pete Worden, Ames Center Director, Angela Diaz, Ames Director of Strategic Communications) see full text on the NASA-Ames News - Research # 04-91AR

These two NASA F/A-18 aircraft are flying a test point for the Autonomous Formation Flight project o

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Two NASA F/A-18 aircraft are flying a test point for the Autonomous Formation Flight project over California's Mojave Desert. This second flight phase is mapping the wingtip vortex of the lead aircraft, the Systems Research Aircraft (tail number 847), on the trailing F/A-18 tail number 847. Wingtip vortex is a spiraling wind flowing from the wing during flight. The project is studying the drag and fuel reduction of precision formation flying.

Image shows Trona Pinnacles near California’s NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center during Jan. 31 Super Blue Blood Moon. Trona Pinnacles is an unusual geological feature of the state’s Desert National Conservation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-31

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center photographer Lauren Hughes takes photos of the Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse from California’s Trona Pinnacles Desert National Conservation for the Jan. 31 of the total lunar eclipse that provided a rare opportunity to capture a supermoon, a blue moon and a lunar eclipse at the same time. A supermoon occurs when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit and appearing 14 percent brighter than usual. As the second full moon of the month, this moon is also commonly known as a blue moon, though it will not be blue in appearance. The super blue moon passed through Earth’s shadow and took on a reddish tint, known as a blood moon. This total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and a full moon form a near-perfect lineup in space. The Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow).

A New Infrared Desert Dust Index over French Guyana Rain forest: First results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molinie, J.; Barnacin, E.; Henry, J. L.; Gobinddass, M. L.; Panechou-Pulcherie, K.; Feuillard, T.; Nagau, J.

2017-12-01

Recently a NASA researcher showed the role of desert dust contribution for the Amazonian rain forest. In another hand, desert dust impact population health when PM 10 level reached values around and upper the PM 10 threshold of the 50 µg m-3, established by the World Health Organization (WHO). Infrared Desert Dust Index (IDDI) developed by Legrand with Meteosat infrared images, allow the following of desert dust plumes over semi-arid land. In French Guiana the WHO threshold is currently overpass in measurements done by ORA air quality network, in the two main towns located close to the coast. For inland population, it is very difficult to have continuous dust measures due to the low infrastructure supplies. We need to develop a tools in order to follow the crossing of desert dust over the French Guyana rain forest, from the coast to inland villages. Following the IDDI concept and comparing with VIIRS AOT EDR result over the same area, a modified IDDI for Amazonian region (IDDI_A) has been proposed to identify the dusty pixels over the forest. Despite of high cloud presence, a good correlation between AOT EDR and IDDI_A was obtained. The IDDI_A calculation has been applied over French Guiana area for different PM 10 level at Cayenne, a town along the coast.

California Solar Farms

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-04-02

On February 15, 2015 the Desert Sunlight solar project in California’s Mojave Desert became operational. This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the 550-megawatt plant generates enough electricity to power 160,000 average homes. Covering an area of 16 km2, the 8.8 million cadmium telluride photovoltaic modules take advantage of the more than 300 days of sunshine. Desert Sunlight joins the similar-sized Topaz Solar Farm in San Luis Obispo County, CA, that became operational in June, 2014. The Desert Sunlight image (left) was acquired March 12, 2015 and is located at 33.8 degrees north, 115.4 degrees west; the Topaz image (right) was acquired September 11, 2014 and is located at 35.4 degrees north, 120.1 degrees west. Each image covers an area of 10.5 x 12 km. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19268

KSC-2010-3967

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-06-18

Mike Miller demonstrates one of the backpacks his team designed and built for the Desert Research and Technology Studies project's upcoming field test in Arizona. Miller led the team that developed the backpacks. The backpacks are equipped with GPS antennas, communications components and cameras. They are meant to show researchers what an astronaut might need to explore an alien world and give designers a look at the hardships the equipment could encounter. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

Dryden/Edwards 1994 Thrust-Vectoring Aircraft Fleet - F-18 HARV, X-31, F-16 MATV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The three thrust-vectoring aircraft at Edwards, California, each capable of flying at extreme angles of attack, cruise over the California desert in formation during flight in March 1994. They are, from left, NASA's F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV), flown by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; the X-31, flown by the X-31 International Test Organization (ITO) at Dryden; and the Air Force F-16 Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV) aircraft. All three aircraft were flown in different programs and were developed independently. The NASA F-18 HARV was a testbed to produce aerodynamic data at high angles of attack to validate computer codes and wind tunnel research. The X-31 was used to study thrust vectoring to enhance close-in air combat maneuvering, while the F-16 MATV was a demonstration of how thrust vectoring could be applied to operational aircraft.

Comments about "Earth 3.0"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dator, Jim

2006-01-01

Dr. Christopher P. McKay, Planetary Scientist with the Space Science Division of NASA Ames. Chris received his Ph.D. in AstroGeophysics from the University of Colorado in 1982 and has been a research scientist with the NASA Ames Research Center since that time. His current research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. He is also actively involved in planning for future Mars missions including human exploration. Chris been involved in research in Mars-like environments on Earth, traveling to the Antarctic dry valleys, Siberia, the Canadian Arctic, and the Atacama desert to study life in these Mars-like environments. His was a co-I on the Titan Huygen s probe in 2005, the Mars Phoenix lander mission for 2007, and the Mars Science Lander mission for 2009.

Flights of Discovery: 50 Years at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Lance E.

1996-01-01

As part of the NASA History Series, this report (NASA SP-4309) describes fifty years of aeronautical research at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Starting with early efforts to exceed the speed of sound with the X-1 aircraft, and continuing through to the X-31 research aircraft, the report covers the flight activities of all of the major research aircraft and lifting bodies studied by NASA. Chapter One, 'A Place for Discovery', describes the facility itself and the surrounding Mojave Desert. Chapter Two, 'The Right Stuff', is about the people involved in the flight research programs. Chapter Three, 'Higher, Faster' summarizes the early years of transonic flight testing and the development of several lifting bodies. Chapter Four, 'Improving Efficiency, Maneuverability & Systems', outlines the development of aeronautical developments such as the supercritical wing, the mission adaptive wing, and various techniques for improving maneuverability fo winged aircraft. Chapter 5, 'Supporting National Efforts', shows how the research activities carried out at Dryden fit into NASA's programs across the country in supporting the space program, in safety and in problem solving related to aircraft design and aviation safety in general. Chapter Six, ' Future Directions' looks to future research building on the fifty year history of aeronautical research at the Dryden Flight Research Center. A glossary of acronyms and an appendix covering concepts and innovations are included. The report also contains many photographs providing a graphical perspective to the historical record.

Earth - Simpson Desert, Central Australia

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-28

This color image of the Simpson Desert in Australia was obtained by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft at about 2:30 p.m. PST, Dec. 8, 1990, at a range of more than 35,000 miles. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00115

Great Indian Desert photographed during MA-9 flight

NASA Image and Video Library

1963-05-16

S63-06447 (15-16 May 1963) --- The Great Indian Desert, located west of New Delhi, India, as photographed from the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) capsule by astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., during his 22-orbit MA-9 spaceflight. Photo credit: NASA

Science Operations During Planetary Surface Exploration: Desert-RATS Tests 2009-2011

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Barbara

2012-01-01

NASA s Research and Technology Studies (RATS) team evaluates technology, human-robotic systems and extravehicular equipment for use in future human space exploration missions. Tests are conducted in simulated space environments, or analog tests, using prototype instruments, vehicles, and systems. NASA engineers, scientists and technicians from across the country gather annually with representatives from industry and academia to perform the tests. Test scenarios include future missions to near-Earth asteroids (NEA), the moon and Mars.. Mission simulations help determine system requirements for exploring distant locations while developing the technical skills required of the next generation of explorers.

Desert Research and Technology Studies 2005 Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Amy J.; Kosmo, Joseph J.; Janoiko, Barbara A.; Bernard, Craig; Splawn, Keith; Eppler, Dean B.

2006-01-01

During the first two weeks of September 2005, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) Advanced Extravehicular Activity (AEVA) team led the field test portion of the 2005 Research and Technology Studies (RATS). The Desert RATS field test activity is the culmination of the various individual science and advanced engineering discipline areas year-long technology and operations development efforts into a coordinated field test demonstration under representative (analog) planetary surface terrain conditions. The purpose of the RATS is to drive out preliminary exploration concept of operations EVA system requirements by providing hands-on experience with simulated planetary surface exploration extravehicular activity (EVA) hardware and procedures. The RATS activities also are of significant importance in helping to develop the necessary levels of technical skills and experience for the next generation of engineers, scientists, technicians, and astronauts who will be responsible for realizing the goals of the Constellation Program. The 2005 Desert RATS was the eighth RATS field test and was the most systems-oriented, integrated field test to date with participants from NASA field centers, the United States Geologic Survey (USGS), industry partners, and research institutes. Each week of the test, the 2005 RATS addressed specific sets of objectives. The first week focused on the performance of surface science astro-biological sampling operations, including planetary protection considerations and procedures. The second week supported evaluation of the Science, Crew, Operations, and Utility Testbed (SCOUT) proto-type rover and its sub-systems. Throughout the duration of the field test, the Communications, Avionics, and Infomatics pack (CAI-pack) was tested. This year the CAI-pack served to provide information on surface navigation, science sample collection procedures, and EVA timeline awareness. Additionally, 2005 was the first year since the Apollo program that two pressurized suited test subjects have worked together simultaneously. Another first was the demonstration of recharge of cryogenic life support systems while in-use by the suited test subjects. The recharge capability allowed the simulated EVA test duration to be doubled, facilitating SCOUT proto-type rover testing. This paper summarizes Desert RATS 2005 test hardware, detailed test objectives, test operations and test results.

iss042e243192

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

ISS042E243192 (02/11/2015) --- This huge Desert in northern Africa is an image tweeted by NASA astronaut Terry Virts on Feb. 11, 2015 from the International Space Station. He wanted to share with his Twitter fans the enormous size of the " Murzuq Desert #Libya #Africa".

NASA Ames DEVELOP Interns: Helping the Western United States Manage Natural Resources One Project at a Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justice, Erin; Newcomer, Michelle

2010-01-01

The western half of the United States is made up of a number of diverse ecosystems ranging from arid desert to coastal wetlands and rugged forests. Every summer for the past 7 years students ranging from high school to graduate level gather at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) as part of the DEVELOP Internship Program. Under the guidance of Jay Skiles [Ames Research Center (ARC) - Ames DEVELOP Manager] and Cindy Schmidt [ARC/San Jose State University Ames DEVELOP Coordinator] they work as a team on projects exploring topics including: invasive species, carbon flux, wetland restoration, air quality monitoring, storm visualizations, and forest fires. The study areas for these projects have been in Washington, Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska and California. Interns combine data from NASA and partner satellites with models and in situ measurements to complete prototype projects demonstrating how NASA data and resources can help communities tackle their Earth Science related problems.

Middle East Health and Air Quality Utilizing NASA EOS in the Saharan and Arabian Deserts to Examine Dust Particle Size and Mineralogy of Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keeton, Tiffany; Barrick, Bradley; Cooksey, Kirstin; Cowart, Kevin; Florence, Victoria; Herdy, Claire; Padgett-Vasquez, Steve; Luvall, Jeffrey; Molthan, Andrew

2012-01-01

Ground-based studies conducted in Iraq have revealed the presence of potential human pathogens in airborne dust. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), airborne particulate matter below 2.5micron (PM2.5) can cause long-term damage to the human respiratory system. NASA fs Earth Observing System (EOS) can be used to determine spectral characteristics of dust particles and dust particle sizes. Comparing dust particle size from the Sahara and Arabian Deserts gives insight into the composition and atmospheric transport characteristics of dust from each desert. With the use of NASA SeaWiFS DeepBlue Aerosol, dust particle sizes were estimated using Angstrom Exponent. Brightness Temperature Difference (BTD) equation was used to determine the area of the dust storm. The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra satellite was utilized in calculating BTD. Mineral composition of a dust storm that occurred 17 April 2008 near Baghdad was determined using imaging spectrometer data from the JPL Spectral Library and EO-1 Hyperion data. Mineralogy of this dust storm was subsequently compared to that of a dust storm that occurred over the Bodele Depression in the Sahara Desert on 7 June 2003.

Sampling and Control Circuit Board for an Inertial Measurement Unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chelmins, David; Powis, Rick

2012-01-01

Spacesuit navigation is one component of NASA s efforts to return humans to the Moon. Studies performed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) considered various navigation technologies and filtering approaches to enable navigation on the lunar surface. As part of this effort, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial measurement units (IMUs) were studied to determine if they could supplement a radiometric infrastructure. MEMS IMUs were included in the Lunar Extra-Vehicular Activity Crewmember Location Determination System (LECLDS) testbed during NASA s annual Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) event in 2009 and 2010. The testbed included one IMU in 2009 and three IMUs in 2010, along with a custom circuit board interfacing between the navigation processor and each IMU. The board was revised for the 2010 test, and this paper documents the design details of this latest revision of the interface circuit board and firmware.

Lithium-Ion Battery Demonstrated for NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, William R.; Baldwin, Richard S.

2008-01-01

Lithium-ion batteries have attractive performance characteristics that are well suited to a number of NASA applications. These rechargeable batteries produce compact, lightweight energy-storage systems with excellent cycle life, high charge/discharge efficiency, and low self-discharge rate. NASA Glenn Research Center's Electrochemistry Branch designed and produced five lithium-ion battery packs configured to power the liquid-air backpack (LAB) on spacesuit simulators. The demonstration batteries incorporated advanced, NASA-developed electrolytes with enhanced low-temperature performance characteristics. The objectives of this effort were to (1) demonstrate practical battery performance under field-test conditions and (2) supply laboratory performance data under controlled laboratory conditions. Advanced electrolyte development is being conducted under the Exploration Technology Development Program by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Three field trials were successfully completed at Cinder Lake from September 10 to 12, 2007. Extravehicular activities of up to 1 hr and 50 min were supported, with residual battery capacity sufficient for 30 min of additional run time. Additional laboratory testing of batteries and cells is underway at Glenn s Electrochemical Branch.

EC93-42065-5

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-07-12

NASA's F/A-18 Hornet is seen here in a banked turn over Rogers Dry Lake in the Mojave desert on an early research flight. It was flown by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in a multi-year, joint NASA/DOD/industry program, the former Navy fighter was modified into a unique Systems Research Aircraft (SRA) to investigate a host of new technologies in the areas of flight controls, airdata sensing and advanced computing. One of the more than 20 experiments tested aboard the SRA F-18 was an advanced air data sensing system which used a group of pressure taps flush-mounted on the forward fuselage to measure both altitude and wind speed and direction--critical data for flight control and research investigations. The Real-Time Flush Air Data Sensing system concept was evaluated for possible use on the X-33 and X-34 resuable space-launch vehicles. The primary goal of the SRA program was to validate through flight research cutting-edge technologies which could benefit future aircraft and spacecraft by improving efficiency and performance, reducing weight and complexity, with a resultant reduction on development and operational costs.

Controlled Impact Demonstration

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-12-01

The Controlled Impact Demonstration (or colloquially the Crash In the Desert) was a joint project between NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that intentionally crashed a remotely controlled Boeing 720 aircraft to acquire data and test new technologies that might help passengers and crew survive. The crash required more than four years of preparation by NASA Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, the FAA, and General Electric. After numerous test runs, the plane was crashed on December 1, 1984. The test went generally according to plan, and produced a spectacular fireball that required more than an hour to extinguish. The FAA concluded that about one-quarter of the passengers would have survived, that the antimisting kerosene test fuel did not sufficiently reduce the risk of fire, and that several changes to equipment in the passenger compartment of aircraft were needed. NASA concluded that a head-up display and with microwave landing system would have helped the pilot more safely fly the aircraft.

The Evolution of Extravehicular Activity Operations to Lunar Exploration Based on Operational Lessons Learned During 2009 NASA Desert RATS Field Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, Ernest R., Jr.; Welsh, Daren; Coan, Dave; Johnson, Kieth; Ney, Zane; McDaniel, Randall; Looper, Chris; Guirgis, Peggy

2010-01-01

This paper will present options to evolutionary changes in several philosophical areas of extravehicular activity (EVA) operations. These areas will include single person verses team EVAs; various loss of communications scenarios (with Mission Control, between suited crew, suited crew to rover crew, and rover crew A to rover crew B); EVA termination and abort time requirements; incapacitated crew ingress time requirements; autonomous crew operations during loss of signal periods including crew decisions on EVA execution (including decision for single verses team EVA). Additionally, suggestions as to the evolution of the make-up of the EVA flight control team from the current standard will be presented. With respect to the flight control team, the major areas of EVA flight control, EVA Systems and EVA Tasks, will be reviewed, and suggested evolutions of each will be presented. Currently both areas receive real-time information, and provide immediate feedback during EVAs as well as spacesuit (extravehicular mobility unit - EMU) maintenance and servicing periods. With respect to the tasks being performed, either EMU servicing and maintenance, or the specific EVA tasks, daily revising of plans will need to be able to be smoothly implemented to account for unforeseen situations and findings. Many of the presented ideas are a result of lessons learned by the NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Operations Directorate operations team support during the 2009 NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS). It is important that the philosophy of both EVA crew operations and flight control be examined now, so that, where required, adjustments can be made to a next generation EMU and EVA equipment that will complement the anticipated needs of both the EVA flight control team and the crews.

Unveiling of sign for Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

In a brief ceremony following a memorial service for the late Walter C. Williams on November 17, 1995, the Integrated Test Facility (ITF) at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, was formally renamed the Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility. Shown is the family of Walt Williams: Helen, his widow, sons Charles and Howard, daughter Elizabeth Williams Powell, their spouses and children unveiling the new sign redesignating the Facility. The test facility provides state-of-the-art capabilities for thorough ground testing of advanced research aircraft. It allows researchers and technicians to integrate and test aircraft systems before each research flight, which greatly enhances the safety of each mission. In September 1946 Williams became engineer-in-charge of a team of five engineers who arrived at Muroc Army Air Base (now Edwards AFB) from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia (now NASA's Langley Research Center), to prepare for supersonic research flights in a joint NACA-Army Air Forces program involving the rocket-powered X-1. This established the first permanent NACA presence at the Mojave Desert site although initially the five engineers and others who followed them were on temporary assignment. Over time, Walt continued to be in charge during the many name changes for the NACA-NASA organization, with Williams ending his stay as Chief of the NASA Flight Research Center in September 1959 (today NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center).

Radar Imagery of Asteroid 2014 JO25

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-19

This composite of 30 images of asteroid 2014 JO25 was generated with radar data collected using NASA Goldstone Solar System Radar in California Mojave Desert. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21594

Collaborative Human Engineering Work in Space Exploration Extravehicular Activities (EVA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeSantis, Lena; Whitmore, Mihriban

2007-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on extravehicular activities in space exploration in collaboration with other NASA centers, industries, and universities is shown. The topics include: 1) Concept of Operations for Future EVA activities; 2) Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS); 3) Advanced EVA Walkback Test; 4) Walkback Subjective Results; 5) Integrated Suit Test 1; 6) Portable Life Support Subsystem (PLSS); 7) Flex PLSS Design Process; and 8) EVA Information System; 9)

Thar Desert

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-22

This ASTER sub-scene covers an area of 12 x 15 km in NW India in the Thar Desert. The sand dunes of the Thar Desert constantly shift and take on new shapes. Located in northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, the desert is bounded on the south by a salt marsh known as the Rann of Kutch, and on the west by the Indus River plain. About 800 kilometers long and about 490 kilometers wide, the desert's terrain is mainly rolling sandhills with scattered growths of shrub and rock outcroppings. Only about 12 to 25 centimeters of rain fall on the desert each year, and temperatures rise as high as 52 degrees Celsius. Much of the population is pastoral, raising sheep for their wool. The image is located at 24.4 degrees north latitude and 69.3 degrees east longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11094

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 43 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-08

ISS043E182401 (05/08/2015) --- A large portion of northern Africa is covered in desert sand as this image from the International Space Station by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly demonstrates. This nearly waterless area is located in the Great Sand Sea of the Libyan Desert and part of western Egypt.

NASA's Desert RATS Science Backroom: Remotely Supporting Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Barbara A.; Eppler, Dean; Gruener, John; Horz, Fred; Ming, Doug; Yingst, R. Aileen

2012-01-01

NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of tests designed to exercise planetary surface hardware and operations in conditions where long-distance, multi-day roving is achievable. In recent years, a D-RATS science backroom has conducted science operations and tested specific operational approaches. Approaches from the Apollo, Mars Exploration Rovers and Phoenix missions were merged to become the baseline for these tests. In 2010, six days of lunar-analog traverse operations were conducted during each week of the 2-week test, with three traverse days each week conducted with voice and data communications continuously available, and three traverse days conducted with only two 1-hour communications periods per day. In 2011, a variety of exploration science scenarios that tested operations for a near-earth asteroid using several small exploration vehicles and a single habitat. Communications between the ground and the crew in the field used a 50-second one-way delay, while communications between crewmembers in the exploration vehicles and the habitat were instantaneous. Within these frameworks, the team evaluated integrated science operations management using real-time science operations to oversee daily crew activities, and strategic level evaluations of science data and daily traverse results. Exploration scenarios for Mars may include architectural similarities such as crew in a habitat communicating with crew in a vehicle, but significantly more autonomy will have to be given to the crew rather than step-by-step interaction with a science backroom on Earth.

Desert Patterns

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Desert Patterns - April 13th, 2003 Description: Seen through the "eyes" of a satellite sensor, ribbons of Saharan sand dunes seem to glow in sunset colors. These patterned stripes are part of Erg Chech, a desolate sand sea in southwestern Algeria, Africa, where the prevailing winds create an endlessly shifting collage of large, linear sand dunes. The term "erg" is derived from an Arabic word for a field of sand dunes. Credit: USGS/NASA/Landsat 7 To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 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 Join us on Facebook

The Mobile Agents Integrated Field Test: Mars Desert Research Station April 2003

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancey, William J.; Sierhuis, Maarten; Alena, Rick; Crawford, Sekou; Dowding, John; Graham, Jeff; Kaskiris, Charis; Tyree, Kim S.; vanHoof, Ron

2003-01-01

The Mobile Agents model-based, distributed architecture, which integrates diverse components in a system for lunar and planetary surface operations, was extensively tested in a two-week field "technology retreat" at the Mars Society s Desert Research Station (MDRS) during April 2003. More than twenty scientists and engineers from three NASA centers and two universities refined and tested the system through a series of incremental scenarios. Agent software, implemented in runtime Brahms, processed GPS, health data, and voice commands-monitoring, controlling and logging science data throughout simulated EVAs with two geologists. Predefined EVA plans, modified on the fly by voice command, enabled the Mobile Agents system to provide navigation and timing advice. Communications were maintained over five wireless nodes distributed over hills and into canyons for 5 km; data, including photographs and status was transmitted automatically to the desktop at mission control in Houston. This paper describes the system configurations, communication protocols, scenarios, and test results.

Properties of Subsurface Soil Cores from Four Geologic Provinces Surrounding Mars Desert Research Station, Utah: Characterizing Analog Martian Soil in a Human Exploration Scenario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoker, C. R.; Clarke, J. D. A.; Direito, S.; Foing, B.

2011-01-01

The DOMEX program is a NASA-MMAMA funded project featuring simulations of human crews on Mars focused on science activities that involve collecting samples from the subsurface using both manual and robotic equipment methods and analyzing them in the field and post mission. A crew simulating a human mission to Mars performed activities focused on subsurface science for 2 weeks in November 2009 at Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah --an important chemical and morphological Mars analog site. Activities performed included 1) survey of the area to identify geologic provinces, 2) obtaining soil and rock samples from each province and characterizing their mineralogy, chemistry, and biology; 3) site selection and reconnaissance for a future drilling mission; 4) deployment and testing of Mars Underground Mole, a percussive robotic soil sampling device; and 5) recording and analyzing how crew time was used to accomplish these tasks. This paper summarizes results from analysis of soil cores

The Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" separates from the NASA 747 carrier aircraft

NASA Image and Video Library

1977-10-12

S77-28931 (12 Oct. 1977) --- The Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" separates from the NASA 747 carrier aircraft to begin its first "tailcone-off" unpowered flight over desert and mountains of Southern California. A T-38 chase plane follows in right background. This was the fourth in a series of five piloted free flights. Photo credit: NASA

Sahara Dust Cloud

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-07-15

In July of 2005, a continent-sized cloud of hot air and dust originating from the Sahara Desert crossed the Atlantic Ocean and headed towards Florida and the Caribbean, captured by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder onboard NASA Aqua satellite. A Saharan Air Layer, or SAL, forms when dry air and dust rise from Africa's west coast and ride the trade winds above the Atlantic Ocean. These dust clouds are not uncommon, especially during the months of July and August. They start when weather patterns called tropical waves pick up dust from the desert in North Africa, carry it a couple of miles into the atmosphere and drift westward. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00448

Desert Rats 2010 Operations Tests: Insights from the Geology Crew Members

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bleacher, J. E.; Hurtado, J. M., Jr.; Young, K. E.; Rice, J.; Garry, W. B.; Eppler, D.

2011-01-01

Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of tests of NASA hardware and operations deployed in the high desert of Arizona. Conducted annually since 1997, these activities exercise planetary surface hardware and operations in relatively harsh conditions where long-distance, multi-day roving is achievable. Such activities not only test vehicle subsystems, they also stress communications and operations systems and enable testing of science operations approaches that advance human and robotic surface exploration capabilities. Desert RATS 2010 tested two crewed rovers designed as first-generation prototypes of small pressurized vehicles, consistent with exploration architecture designs. Each rover provided the internal volume necessary for crewmembers to live and work for periods up to 14 days, as well as allowing for extravehicular activities (EVAs) through the use of rear-mounted suit ports. The 2010 test was designed to simulate geologic science traverses over a 14-day period through a volcanic field that is analogous to volcanic terrains observed throughout the Solar System. The test was conducted between 31 August and 13 September 2010. Two crewmembers lived in and operated each rover for a week with a "shift change" on day 7, resulting in a total of eight test subjects for the two-week period. Each crew consisted of an engineer/commander and an experienced field geologist. Three of the engineer/commanders were experienced astronauts with at least one Space Shuttle flight. The field geologists were drawn from the scientific community, based on funded and published field expertise.

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-048

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-046

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-049

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-047

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

A Notional Example of Understanding Human Exploration Traverses on the Lunar Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gruener, John

2012-01-01

Mr. Gruener received an M.S. in physical science, with an emphasis in planetary geology, from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1994. He then began working with NASA JSC.s Solar System Exploration Division on the development of prototype planetary science instruments, the development of a mineral-based substrate for nutrient delivery to plant growth systems in bio-regenerative life support systems, and in support of the Mars Exploration Rover missions in rock and mineral identification. In 2004, Mr. Gruener again participated in a renewed effort to plan and design missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. He participated in many exploration planning activities, including NASA.s Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS), Global Exploration Strategy Workshop, Lunar Architecture Team 1 and 2, Constellation Lunar Architecture Team, the Global Point of Departure Lunar Exploration Team, and the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) Workshop on Science Associated with the Lunar Exploration Architecture. Mr. Gruener has also been an active member of the science team supporting NASA.s Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS).

The Eclipse Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, Tom; Launius, Roger (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Eclipse Project by Tom Tucker provides a readable narrative and a number of documents that record an important flight research effort at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. Carried out by Kelly Space and Technology, Inc., in partnership with the Air Force and Dryden at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California, this project tested and gathered data about a potential newer and less expensive way to launch satellites into space. Whether the new technology comes into actual use will depend on funding, market forces, and other factors at least partly beyond the control of the participants in the project. This is a familiar situation in the history of flight research.

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-043

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Pyramids Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-005

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (find) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-002

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (search team) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-037

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Peter Jenniskens Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-012

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (group photo) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-033

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Nubian House) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-019

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite #4) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-018

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-008

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (first find) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-020

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Meteorite #14) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-015

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Marble Mountain) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-007

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (find # 1) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-034

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (perified wood) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

third "free flight" of Shuttle Orbiter 101 Spacecraft

NASA Image and Video Library

1977-09-23

S77-28542 (23 Sept 1977) --- The shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" separates from the NASA 747 carrier aircraft during the third free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted on September 23, 1977, at the Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) in Southern California. The vehicle, with astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, remained in unpowered flight for five-minutes and 34-seconds before landing on the desert land of Edwards Air Force Base.

The space shuttle Discovery atop NASA's modified 747 is captured over the Mojave Desert while being ferried from NASA Dryden to the Kennedy Space Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-08-19

The space shuttle Discovery atop NASA's modified 747 is captured over the Mojave Desert while being ferried from NASA Dryden to the Kennedy Space Center. NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Discovery on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cross-country journey will take two days, with stops at several intermediate points for refueling. Space shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT, August 9, 2005, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. In an unprecedented event, spacewalkers were called upon to remove protruding gap fillers from the heat shield on Discovery's underbelly. In other spacewalk activities, astronauts installed an external platform onto the Station's Quest Airlock and replaced one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes. Inside the Station, the STS-114 crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 11 crew. They unloaded fresh supplies from the Shuttle and the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Before Discovery undocked, the crews filled Raffeallo with unneeded items and returned to Shuttle payload bay. Discovery launched on July 26 and spent almost 14 days on orbit.

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-017

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite-brick-reenactment) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-016

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Mauwia checks on find) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-023

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite 3rd-bigone) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-004

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (El-Mahata-Sitah 1) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-040

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Peter Jenniskens meteorite. Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-006

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (find #11 & 12) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-010

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (first one recovered) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-013

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (line 3rd day) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-021

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite 3rd) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-014

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Lunch at Marble Mountain) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-003

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Dr Mauwia Shaddad) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-031

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Meteorite search 1) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-024

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite 3rd-geologist) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-022

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite 3rd-22) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-009

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (first one found) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-001

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (approch station 6) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

Goldstone Tracking the Echo Satelloon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-27

This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL’s past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This photograph shows the first pass of Echo 1, NASA's first communications satellite, over the Goldstone Tracking Station managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, in the early morning of Aug. 12, 1960. The movement of the antenna, star trails (shorter streaks), and Echo 1 (the long streak in the middle) are visible in this image. Project Echo bounced radio signals off a 10-story-high, aluminum-coated balloon orbiting the Earth. This form of "passive" satellite communication -- which mission managers dubbed a "satelloon" -- was an idea conceived by an engineer from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and was a project managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. JPL's role involved sending and receiving signals through two of its 85-foot-diameter (26-meter-diameter) antennas at the Goldstone Tracking Station in California's Mojave Desert. The Goldstone station later became part of NASA's Deep Space Network. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Deep Space Network for NASA. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21114

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-039

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Peter Jenniskens pointing - finds the brick) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-038

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Peter Jenniskens finds the brick. Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-011

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Girls dormatory at station 6) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-028

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. 9meteorite 3rd trip-strange) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-025

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (Meteorite 3rd-several at once) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-027

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite 3rd trip-Insitu.) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-036

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Peter Jenniskens finds meteorites 1) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-035

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. Peter Jenniskens examines 2nd trip finds) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-026

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (emteorite 3rd-three found) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-030

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite find 3rd trip 1) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-029

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (meteorite find - bus gets stuck) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

Preliminary Geological Findings on the BP-1 Simulant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rickman, D. L.

2010-01-01

The following is a summation of information and discussion between Doug Stoeser of the USGS and Doug Rickman of NASA in February and March, 2010 pertaining to the BP-1 simulant. The analytical results and the bulk of the text are from communications from Dr. Stoeser. The BP-1 simulant is made from Black Point Basalt Flow, San Francisco Volcanic Field, northern Arizona. There is an aggregate (road metal) quarry on the northern margin of the flow towards the west end that was used as a Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) analog test site. Silty material from this site was also used in laboratory tests and found to have geotechnical properties similar to the LHT-2M and Chenobi regolith simulants and is being proposed as a possible simulant for geotechnical use. It currently has the designation of BP-1 (Black Point 1). Figure

Satellite Reveals How Much Saharan Dust Feeds Amazon's Plants

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-24

What connects Earth's largest, hottest desert to its largest tropical rainforest? The Sahara Desert is a near-uninterrupted brown band of sand and scrub across the northern third of Africa. The Amazon rainforest is a dense green mass of humid jungle that covers northeast South America. But after strong winds sweep across the Sahara, a tan cloud rises in the air, stretches between the continents, and ties together the desert and the jungle. It’s dust. And lots of it. For the first time, a NASA satellite has quantified in three dimensions how much dust makes this trans-Atlantic journey. Scientists have not only measured the volume of dust, they have also calculated how much phosphorus – a natural plant fertilizer present in Saharan sands from part of the desert’s past as a lake bed – gets carried across the ocean from one of the planet’s most desolate places to one of its most fertile. 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

Fireballs in the Sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, B. H.; Bland, P.

2016-12-01

Fireballs in the Sky is an innovative Australian citizen science program that connects the public with the research of the Desert Fireball Network (DFN). This research aims to understand the early workings of the solar system, and Fireballs in the Sky invites people around the world to learn about this science, contributing fireball sightings via a user-friendly app. To date, more than 23,000 people have downloaded the app world-wide and participated in planetary science. The Fireballs in the Sky app allows users to get involved with the Desert Fireball Network research, supplementing DFN observations and providing enhanced coverage by reporting their own meteor sightings to DFN scientists. Fireballs in the Sky reports are used to track the trajectories of meteors - from their orbit in space to where they might have landed on Earth. Led by Phil Bland at Curtin University in Australia, the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) uses automated observatories across Australia to triangulate trajectories of meteorites entering the atmosphere, determine pre-entry orbits, and pinpoint their fall positions. Each observatory is an autonomous intelligent imaging system, taking 1000×36Megapixel all-sky images throughout the night, using neural network algorithms to recognize events. They are capable of operating for 12 months in a harsh environment, and store all imagery collected. We developed a completely automated software pipeline for data reduction, and built a supercomputer database for storage, allowing us to process our entire archive. The DFN currently stands at 50 stations distributed across the Australian continent, covering an area of 2.5 million km^2. Working with DFN's partners at NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, the team is expanding the network beyond Australia to locations around the world. Fireballs in the Sky allows a growing public base to learn about and participate in this exciting research.

Sensitivity of Sahelian Precipitation to Desert Dust under ENSO variability: a regional modeling study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, A.; Zaitchik, B. F.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2016-12-01

Mineral dust is estimated to comprise over half the total global aerosol burden, with a majority coming from the Sahara and Sahel region. Bounded by the Sahara Desert to the north and the Sahelian Savannah to the south, the Sahel experiences high interannual rainfall variability and a short rainy season during the boreal summer months. Observation-based data for the past three decades indicates a reduced dust emission trend, together with an increase in greening and surface roughness within the Sahel. Climate models used to study regional precipitation changes due to Saharan dust yield varied results, both in sign convention and magnitude. Inconsistency of model estimates drives future climate projections for the region that are highly varied and uncertain. We use the NASA-Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) model to quantify the interaction and feedback between desert dust aerosol and Sahelian precipitation. Using nested domains at fine spatial resolution we resolve changes to mesoscale atmospheric circulation patterns due to dust, for representative phases of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The NU-WRF regional earth system model offers both advanced land surface data and resolvable detail of the mechanisms of the impact of Saharan dust. Results are compared to our previous work assessed over the Western Sahel using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) CM2Mc global climate model, and to other previous regional climate model studies. This prompts further research to help explain the dust-precipitation relationship and recent North African dust emission trends. This presentation will offer a quantitative analysis of differences in radiation budget, energy and moisture fluxes, and atmospheric dynamics due to desert dust aerosol over the Sahel.

Altus II aircraft flying over southern California desert

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The San Gabriel range is visible as the the remotely piloted Altus II flies over Southern California's high desert. The Altus II was flown as a performance and propulsion testbed for future high-altitude science platform aircraft under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The rear-engined Altus II and its sister ship, the Altus I, were built by General Atomics/Aeronautical Systems, Inc., of San Diego, Calif. They are designed for high-altitude, long-duration scientific sampling missions, and are powered by turbocharged piston engines. The Altus I, built for the Naval Postgraduate School, reached over 43,500 feet with a single-stage turbocharger feeding its four-cylinder Rotax engine in 1997, while the Altus II, incorporating a two-stage turbocharger built by Thermo-Mechanical Systems, reached and sustained an altitudeof 55,000 feet for four hours in 1999. A pilot in a control station on the ground flies the craft by radio signals, using visual cues from a video camera in the nose of the Altus and information from the craft's air data system.

The total column of CO2 and CH4 measured with a compact Fourier transform spectrometer at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center and Railroad Valley, Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawakami, S.; Shiomi, K.; Suto, H.; Kuze, A.; Hillyard, P. W.; Tanaka, T.; Podolske, J. R.; Iraci, L. T.; Albertson, R. T.

2014-12-01

The total columns of carbon dioxide (XCO2) and methane (XCH4) were measured with a compact Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) and Railroad Valley, Nevada, USA (RRV) during a vicarious calibration campaign in June 2014. The campaign was performed to estimate changes in the radiometric response of the Thermal and Near Infrared Sensor for carbon Observations Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) and the Cloud and Aerosol Imager (TANSO-CAI) aboard Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). TANSO-FTS measures spectra of radiance scattered by the Earth surface with high- and medium-gain depending on the surface reflectance. At high reflectance areas, such as deserts over north Africa and Australia, TANSO-FTS collects spectra with medium-gain. There was differences on atmospheric pressure and XCO2 retrieved from spectra obtained between high-gain and medium-gain. Because the retrieved products are useful for evaluating the difference of spectral qualities between high- and medium-gain, this work is an attempt to collect validation data for spectra with medium-gain of TANSO-FTS at remote and desert area with a compact and medium-spectral resolution instrument. As a compact FTS, EM27/SUN was used. It was manufactured and newly released on April 1, 2014 by Bruker. It is robust and operable in a high temperature environment. It was housed in a steel box to protect from dust and rain and powered by Solar panels. It can be operated by such a remote and desert area, like a RRV. Over AFRC and RRV, vertical profiles of CO2 and CH4 were measured using the Alpha Jet research aircraft as part of the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX) of ARC, NASA. The values were calibrated to standard gases. To make the results comparable to WMO (World Meteorological Organization) standards, the retrieved XCO2 and XCH4 values are divided by a calibration factor. This values were determined by comparisons with in situ profiles measured by the aircraft. At AFRC it was operated by the side of a ground-based Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) FTS (Bruker IFS 125HR) and the diurnal variation agreed well . In this presentation, we will show results on XCO2 and XCH4 observations made by a compact FTS at AFRC and RRV and comparison of GOSAT and TCCON FTS.

Western United States beyond the Four Corners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The breathtaking beauty of the western United States is apparent in this image from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer on NASA's Terra spacecraft. Data from 16 different swaths acquired between April 2000 and September 2001by MISR's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera were used to create this cloud-free natural-color image mosaic. The image is draped over a 100-meter (328-foot)shaded relief Digital Terrain Elevation Model from the United States Geological Survey.

Among the prominent features are the snow-capped Rocky Mountains traversing Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. In the northern portion of the image, the Columbia Plateau stretches across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Many major rivers originate in this region, including the Missouri to the east of the Continental Divide, the Snake to the west, and the Colorado which wends across Utah and Arizona. The Colorado Plateau and vibrant red-colored rocks of the Painted Desert extend south from Utah into Arizona. In the southwestern portion of the image, California's San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert of California and Nevada give way to the Los Angeles basin and the Pacific Ocean.

The Terra spacecraft is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system.

ARC-2009-ACD09-0108-032

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-08

An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacts on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an expedition on a search for samples. (image used as cover for March 26, 2009 journal Nature) Photo Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens

KSC-2013-2704

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, John Garvey, far right, describes his company's Prospector-18 rocket. Long Beach, Calif.-based Garvey Spacecraft Corp. built the rocket and its engine. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

High Resolution Mapping of Soils and Landforms for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, Christopher S.; Li, Shuang

2014-01-01

The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), a major component of California's renewable energy planning efforts, is intended to provide effective protection and conservation of desert ecosystems, while allowing for the sensible development of renewable energy projects. This NASA mapping report was developed to support the DRECP and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We outline in this document remote sensing image processing methods to deliver new maps of biological soils crusts, sand dune movements, desert pavements, and sub-surface water sources across the DRECP area. We focused data processing first on the largely unmapped areas most likely to be used for energy developments, such as those within Renewable Energy Study Areas (RESA) and Solar Energy Zones (SEZs). We used imagery (multispectral and radar) mainly from the years 2009-2011.

Design of Hybrid Mobile Communication Networks for Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alena, Richard L.; Ossenfort, John; Lee, Charles; Walker, Edward; Stone, Thom

2004-01-01

The Mobile Exploration System Project (MEX) at NASA Ames Research Center has been conducting studies into hybrid communication networks for future planetary missions. These networks consist of space-based communication assets connected to ground-based Internets and planetary surface-based mobile wireless networks. These hybrid mobile networks have been deployed in rugged field locations in the American desert and the Canadian arctic for support of science and simulation activities on at least six occasions. This work has been conducted over the past five years resulting in evolving architectural complexity, improved component characteristics and better analysis and test methods. A rich set of data and techniques have resulted from the development and field testing of the communication network during field expeditions such as the Haughton Mars Project and NASA Mobile Agents Project.

ED15-0229-01

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-08-03

From left, former Desert Christian students Logan Francisco, Kyler Stephens and Jonathan Lokos and NASA Armstrong mentor Allen Parker show the elements of the experiment launched into space on Dec. 3.

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-058

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Desert , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-023

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Desert , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

Demonstration of a Particle Impact Monitoring System for Crewed Space Exploration Modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Opiela, J. N.; Liou, J.-C.; Corsaro, R.; Giovane, F.; Anz-Meador, P.

2011-01-01

When micrometeorite or debris impacts occur on a space habitat, crew members need to be quickly informed of the likely extent of damage, and be directed to the impact location for possible repairs. The goal of the Habitat Particle Impact Monitoring System (HIMS) is to develop a fully automated, end-to-end particle impact detection system for crewed space exploration modules, both in space and on the surfaces of Solar System bodies. The HIMS uses multiple thin film piezo-polymer vibration sensors to detect impacts on a surface, and computer processing of the acoustical signals to characterize the impacts. Development and demonstration of the HIMS is proceeding in concert with NASA's Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) Project. The HDU Project is designed to develop and test various technologies, configurations, and operational concepts for exploration habitats. This paper describes the HIMS development, initial testing, and HDU integration efforts. Initial tests of the system on the HDU were conducted at NASA?s 2010 Desert Research and Technologies Studies (Desert-RATS). Four sensor locations were assigned near the corners of a rectangular pattern. To study the influence of wall thickness, three sets of four sensors were installed at different layer depths: on the interior of the PEM wall, on the exterior of the same wall, and on the exterior of a layer of foam insulation applied to the exterior wall. Once the system was activated, particle impacts were periodically applied by firing a pneumatic pellet gun at the exterior wall section. Impact signals from the sensors were recognized by a data acquisition system when they occurred, and recorded on a computer for later analysis. Preliminary analysis of the results found that the HIMS system located the point of impact to within 8 cm, provided a measure of the impact energy / damage produced, and was insensitive to other acoustic events. Based on this success, a fully automated version of this system will be completed and demonstrated as part of a crew "Caution/Warning" system at the 2011 Desert-RATS, along with a crew response procedure.

Estimation of desert-dust-related ice nuclei profiles from polarization lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamouri, Rodanthi-Elisavet; Nisantzi, Argyro; Hadjimitsis, Diofantos; Ansmann, Albert

2015-04-01

This paper presents a methodology based on the use of active remote sensing techniques for the estimation of ice nuclei concentrations (INC) for desert dust plumes. Although this method can be applied to other aerosol components, in this study we focus on desert dust. The method makes use of the polarization lidar technique for the separation of dust and non-dust contributions to the particle backscatter and extinction coefficients. The profile of the dust extinction coefficient is converted to APC280 (dust particles with radius larger than 280 nm) and, in a second step, APC280 is converted to INC by means of an APC-INC relationship from the literature. The observed close relationship between dust extinction at 500 nm and APC280 is the key to a successful INC retrieval. The correlation between dust extinction coefficient and APC280 is studied by means of AERONET sun/sky photometer at Morocco, Cape Verde, Barbados, and Cyprus, during situations dominated by desert dust outbreaks. In the present study, polarization lidar observations of the EARLINET (European Aerosol Research Lidar Network) lidar at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), Limassol (34.7o N, 33o E), Cyprus were used together with spaceborne lidar observations during CALIPSO satellite overpasses to demonstrate the potential of the new INC retrieval method. A good agreement between the CALIOP (Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) and our CUT lidar observations regarding the retrieval of dust extinction coefficient, APC280, and INC profiles were found and corroborate the potential of CALIOP to provide 3-D global desert-dust-related INC data sets. In the next step, efforts should be undertaken towards the establishment of a global, height-resolved INC climatology for desert dust plumes. Realistic global INC distributions are required for an improved estimation of aerosol effects on cloud formation and the better quantification of the indirect aerosol effect on climate. Acknowledgements. The authors thank the CUT Remote Sensing Laboratory for their support. The research leading to these results has also received scientific support from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2011-2015) under grant agreement no. 262254 (ACTRIS project). We acknowledge funding from the EU FP7-ENV-2013 programme "impact of Biogenic vs. Anthropogenic emissions on Clouds and Climate: towards a Holistic UnderStanding" (BACCHUS), project no. 603445. We are grateful to AERONET for high-quality sun/sky photometer measurements in Cyprus, Morocco, Cape Verde, and Barbados. We thank the NASA Langley Research Center and the CALIPSO science team for the constant effort and improvement of then CALIPSO data.

KSC-2013-2799

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – As the sun rises in the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2800

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – As the sun rises in the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2795

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – As the sun rises in the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2797

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – As the sun rises in the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2749

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, a student checks out the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2748

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, a student checks out the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2747

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2796

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – As the sun rises in the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2798

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – As the sun rises in the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2794

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2801

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – Viewed from a nearby bunker in the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Updraft Model for Development of Autonomous Soaring Uninhabited Air Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Michael J.

2006-01-01

Large birds and glider pilots commonly use updrafts caused by convection in the lower atmosphere to extend flight duration, increase cross-country speed, improve range, or simply to conserve energy. Uninhabited air vehicles may also have the ability to exploit updrafts to improve performance. An updraft model was developed at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards, California) to investigate the use of convective lift for uninhabited air vehicles in desert regions. Balloon and surface measurements obtained at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Surface Radiation station (Desert Rock, Nevada) enabled the model development. The data were used to create a statistical representation of the convective velocity scale, w*, and the convective mixing-layer thickness, zi. These parameters were then used to determine updraft size, vertical velocity profile, spacing, and maximum height. This paper gives a complete description of the updraft model and its derivation. Computer code for running the model is also given in conjunction with a check case for model verification.

Mzab Valley, Algeria

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-24

Located 600 km south of Algiers, Algeria in the heart of the Sahara Desert, the five ksour fortified villages of the MZab Valley form an extraordinarily homogenous ensemble in this image captured by NASA Terra spacecraft.

KSC-2013-2784

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, a student StangSat Team of students from Merritt Island High School in Florida posed for a pre-launch photograph as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket, in the background, was being prepared for flight at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch site. Kneeling from left to right, are: Gurkirat Kainth, Megan Mackool, NASA mentor Shaun Daly and Maurisa Orona. Standing from left to right, are: teacher sponsor Tracey Beatovich, Brian Robusto, NASA Education program manager Grace Johnson, Nathan Stephens, Briana Luthman, Jackson Kinney, Steven Krygier, NASA mentor Jim Kinney, Joshua Zirkle and NASA mentor Kelvin Ruiz. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Pollution Beat Explorers to South Pole

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-28

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole in December 1911. More than 100 years later, an international team of scientists that includes a NASA researcher has proven that air pollution from industrial activities arrived to the planet’s southern pole long before any human. Using data from 16 ice cores collected from widely spaced locations around the Antarctic continent, including the South Pole, a group led by Joe McConnell of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nevada, created the most accurate and precise reconstruction to date of lead pollution over Earth’s southernmost continent. The new record, described in an article published today in the online edition of the Nature Publishing Group’s journal Scientific Reports, spans a 410-year period from 1600 to 2010. More here: 1.usa.gov/1oB4p9U 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

NASA Ground-Truthing Capabilities Demonstrated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lopez, Isaac; Seibert, Marc A.

2004-01-01

NASA Research and Education Network (NREN) ground truthing is a method of verifying the scientific validity of satellite images and clarifying irregularities in the imagery. Ground-truthed imagery can be used to locate geological compositions of interest for a given area. On Mars, astronaut scientists could ground truth satellite imagery from the planet surface and then pinpoint optimum areas to explore. These astronauts would be able to ground truth imagery, get results back, and use the results during extravehicular activity without returning to Earth to process the data from the mission. NASA's first ground-truthing experiment, performed on June 25 in the Utah desert, demonstrated the ability to extend powerful computing resources to remote locations. Designed by Dr. Richard Beck of the Department of Geography at the University of Cincinnati, who is serving as the lead field scientist, and assisted by Dr. Robert Vincent of Bowling Green State University, the demonstration also involved researchers from the NASA Glenn Research Center and the NASA Ames Research Center, who worked with the university field scientists to design, perform, and analyze results of the experiment. As shown real-time Hyperion satellite imagery (data) is sent to a mass storage facility, while scientists at a remote (Utah) site upload ground spectra (data) to a second mass storage facility. The grid pulls data from both mass storage facilities and performs up to 64 simultaneous band ratio conversions on the data. Moments later, the results from the grid are accessed by local scientists and sent directly to the remote science team. The results are used by the remote science team to locate and explore new critical compositions of interest. The process can be repeated as required to continue to validate the data set or to converge on alternate geophysical areas of interest.

Environmental Assessment: For the Testing and Evaluation of Directed Energy System Using Laser Technology, Edwards Air Force Base

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

restricted for use 14 by DoD, National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ), and other government agencies. This 15 airspace is over an area...counties in California and 21 extends into Nevada’s Esmeralda County ( NASA 1997a). 22 There are no warning, prohibited, or alert special use airspace...mountains or ridge 13 formations, spot the ground surface ( NASA 1997b). 14 The highest general elevation of the Mojave Desert approaches 4,000

Rub al Khali, Arabia

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-08-08

NASA Terra spacecraft shows the Rub al Khali, one of the largest sand deserts in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula; it includes parts of Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Altus II aircraft flying over southern California desert

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The snow-capped peak of Mt. San Antonio in the San Gabriel range is visible as the the remotely piloted Altus II flies over Southern California's high desert. The Altus II was flown as a performance and propulsion testbed for future high-altitude science platform aircraft under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The rear-engined Altus II and its sister ship, the Altus I, were built by General Atomics/Aeronautical Systems, Inc., of San Diego, Calif. They are designed for high-altitude, long-duration scientific sampling missions, and are powered by turbocharged piston engines. The Altus I, built for the Naval Postgraduate School, reached over 43,500 feet with a single-stage turbocharger feeding its four-cylinder Rotax engine in 1997, while the Altus II, incorporating a two-stage turbocharger built by Thermo-Mechanical Systems, reached and sustained an altitudeof 55,000 feet for four hours in 1999. A pilot in a control station on the ground flies the craft by radio signals, using visual cues from a video camera in the nose of the Altus and information from the craft's air data system.

Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) Traverse Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horz, Friedrich

2012-01-01

Slide 1] The Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) include large scale field tests of manned lunar surface exploration systems; these tests are sponsored by the Director s Office of Integration (DOI) [sic, Directorate Integration Office (DIO)] within the Constellation Program and they include geological exploration objectives along well designed traverses. These traverses are designed by the Traverse Team, an ad hoc group of some 10 geologists form NASA and academia, as well as experts in mission operation who define the operational constraints applicable to specific simulation scenarios. [Slide 2] These DRATS/DOI tests focus on 1) the performance of major surface systems, such as rovers, mobile habitats, communication architecture, navigation tools, earth-moving equipment, unmanned reconnaissance robots etc. under realistic field conditions and 2) the development of operational concepts that integrate all of these systems into a single, optimized operation. The participation of science is currently concentrating on geological sciences, with the objective of developing suitable tools and documentation protocols to sample representative rocks for Earth return, and to generate some conceptual understanding of the ground support structure that will be needed for the real time science-support of a lunar surface crew. [Slide 3] Major surface systems exercised in the June 2008 analog tests at the Moses Lake site, WA. [Upper left] The Chariot Rover (developed at Johnson Space Center) is an unpressurized vehicle driven by fully suited crews. [Upper right] Mobile Habitat provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Chariot is the more nimble and mobile vehicle and the idea is to drive the habitat remotely to some rendezvous place where Chariot would catch up - after a lengthy traverse - at the end of the day. [Lower left] The K-10 remotely operated robot (provided by NASA Ames Research Center) conducting scientific/geologic reconnaissance of the prospective traverse region, locating specific sites for more detailed exploration by Chariot and its crew. [Lower right] This earth-moving equipment (provided by NASA KSC) can be attached to Chariot and is envisioned to, for example, level an outpost site or to mine lunar soi

Relationships between topographic roughness and aeolian processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greeley, Ronald; Lancaster, N.; Gaddis, L.; Rasmussen, K. R.; White, B. R.; Saunders, R. S.; Wall, S.; Dobrovolskis, Anthony R.; Iversen, J. D.

1991-01-01

The interaction between winds and desert surfaces has important implications for sediment transport on Earth, Mars, and Venus, and for understanding the relationships between radar backscatter and aerodynamic roughness as part of the NASA Shuttle Imaging radar (SIR-C) Mission. Here, researchers report results from measurements of boundary layer wind profiles and surface roughness at sites in Death Valley and discuss their implications. The sites included a flat to undulating gravel and sand reg, alluvial fans, and a playa. Estimates of average particle size composition of Death Valley sites and arithmetic mean values of aerodynamic roughness are given in tabular form.

Overview of Mesopotamia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Running through the deserts of Iraq (image center) are the Tigris (right) and Euphrates (left) Rivers. The land between the confluence of the two rivers is the culturally, historically, and ecologically significant Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent, situated just southeast of center in this true-color image from NASA's Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), acquired on August 29, 2001. Recent reports estimate that within the past two decades, over 85 percent of the wetlands making up the Fertile Crescent have disappeared due to demand for irrigation in the region. In the 250-m (full resolution) image, several remarkable features can be seen. Desert sands and sediments are pouring into the Persian Gulf, bottom right, bringing nutrients that have supported a phytoplankton bloom that colors the waters of the Gulf bright blue and green. In the upper right, beyond the mountainous terrain of northern Iran, the Caspian Sea is banked in by clouds. In the lower left of the image, the reddish-orange sands of Saudi Arabia's An Nafud desert stretch eastward and become the Ad Dahna', a narrow band of sand mountains also called the River of Sand. Several manmade features are also apparent. At Iraq's southeastern border with Kuwait, burning oil smoke is visible. Crisscrossing the deserts of southern Iraq and Saudi Arabia are white lines that reveal the location of oil pipelines. The unusual polygonal shapes that appear to the east of the Ad Dahna' are areas that are protected from grazing. MODIS is one of five sensors flying aboard NASA's Terra satellite.

West Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

With its vast expanses of sand, framed by mountain ranges and exposed rock, northwestern Africa makes a pretty picture when viewed from above. This image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. The Canary Islands can be seen on the left side of the image just off Africa's Atlantic shore. The light brown expanse running through the northern two thirds of the image is the Sahara Desert. The desert runs up against the dark brown Haut Atlas mountain range of Morocco in the northwest, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the semi-arid (light brown pixels) Sahelian region in the South. The Sahara, however, isn't staying put. Since the 1960s, the desert has been expanding into the Sahelian region at a rate of up to 6 kilometers per year. In the 1980s this desert expansion, combined with over cultivation of the Sahel, caused a major famine across west Africa. Over the summer months, strong winds pick up sands from the Sahara and blow them across the Atlantic as far west as North America, causing air pollution in Miami and damaging coral reefs in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. The white outlines on the map represent country borders. Starting at the top-most portion of the map and working clockwise, the countries shown are Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Fasso, Nigeria, Mali (again), and Algeria. Image by Reto Stockli, Robert Simmon, and Brian Montgomery, NASA Earth Observatory, based on data from MODIS

Fireballs in the Sky: an Augmented Reality Citizen Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, B. H.; Bland, P.; Sayers, R.

2017-12-01

Fireballs in the Sky is an innovative Australian citizen science program that connects the public with the research of the Desert Fireball Network (DFN). This research aims to understand the early workings of the solar system, and Fireballs in the Sky invites people around the world to learn about this science, contributing fireball sightings via a user-friendly augmented reality mobile app. Tens of thousands of people have downloaded the app world-wide and participated in the science of meteoritics. The Fireballs in the Sky app allows users to get involved with the Desert Fireball Network research, supplementing DFN observations and providing enhanced coverage by reporting their own meteor sightings to DFN scientists. Fireballs in the Sky reports are used to track the trajectories of meteors - from their orbit in space to where they might have landed on Earth. Led by Phil Bland at Curtin University in Australia, the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) uses automated observatories across Australia to triangulate trajectories of meteorites entering the atmosphere, determine pre-entry orbits, and pinpoint their fall positions. Each observatory is an autonomous intelligent imaging system, taking 1000×36Megapixel all-sky images throughout the night, using neural network algorithms to recognize events. They are capable of operating for 12 months in a harsh environment, and store all imagery collected. We developed a completely automated software pipeline for data reduction, and built a supercomputer database for storage, allowing us to process our entire archive. The DFN currently stands at 50 stations distributed across the Australian continent, covering an area of 2.5 million km^2. Working with DFN's partners at NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, the team is expanding the network beyond Australia to locations around the world. Fireballs in the Sky allows a growing public base to learn about and participate in this exciting research.

Fireballs in the Sky: An Augmented Reality Citizen Science Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, Brian

2017-01-01

Fireballs in the Sky is an innovative Australian citizen science program that connects the public with the research of the Desert Fireball Network (DFN). This research aims to understand the early workings of the solar system, and Fireballs in the Sky invites people around the world to learn about this science, contributing fireball sightings via a user-friendly augmented reality mobile app. Tens of thousands of people have downloaded the app world-wide and participated in the science of meteoritics. The Fireballs in the Sky app allows users to get involved with the Desert Fireball Network research, supplementing DFN observations and providing enhanced coverage by reporting their own meteor sightings to DFN scientists. Fireballs in the Sky reports are used to track the trajectories of meteors - from their orbit in space to where they might have landed on Earth. Led by Phil Bland at Curtin University in Australia, the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) uses automated observatories across Australia to triangulate trajectories of meteorites entering the atmosphere, determine pre-entry orbits, and pinpoint their fall positions. Each observatory is an autonomous intelligent imaging system, taking 1000 by 36 megapixel all-sky images throughout the night, using neural network algorithms to recognize events. They are capable of operating for 12 months in a harsh environment, and store all imagery collected. We developed a completely automated software pipeline for data reduction, and built a supercomputer database for storage, allowing us to process our entire archive. The DFN currently stands at 50 stations distributed across the Australian continent, covering an area of 2.5 million square kilometers. Working with DFN's partners at NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, the team is expanding the network beyond Australia to locations around the world. Fireballs in the Sky allows a growing public base to learn about and participate in this exciting research.

View of Endeavour touching down at Edwards AFB during STS-100's landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

STS100-S-024 (1 May 2001) --- The main landing gear on the space shuttle Endeavour touches down on a desert runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California to complete the STS-100 mission. Touchdown occurred at 9:11 a.m. (PDT), May 1, 2001. Onboard the shuttle were six NASA astronauts and a cosmonaut representing Rosaviakosmos. Photo credit: NASA

Alluvial Fans in Mojave Crater

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-20

This image from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a landscape that is pervasively eroded, right up to the tops of the ridges, with channels extending down into depositional fans much like alluvial fans in the Mojave Desert.

A Heavy-Duty Jack for a Giant Task

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-11-03

A major refurbishment of the giant Mars antenna at NASA Deep Space Network Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California Mojave Desert required workers to jack up millions of pounds of delicate scientific equipment.

Summer Research Internships at Biosphere 2 Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Through the support of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, Biosphere 2 Center hosted 10 research interns for a 10 week period during the summer of 1998. In addition, we were able to offer scholarships to 10 students for Columbia University summer field courses. Students participating in these programs were involved in numerous earth systems activities, collecting data in the field and conducting analyses in the laboratory. Students enrolled in the field program were expected to design independent research projects as part of their coursework. In addition to laboratory and field research, students participated in weekly research seminars by resident and visiting scientists. Field school students were involved in field trips exposing them to the geology and ecology of the region including Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Mount Lemmon, Aravaipa Canyon and the Gulf of California. Interns participated in laboratory-based research. All students were expected to complete oral and written presentations of their work during the summer.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 43 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-08

ISS043E182407 (05/08/2015) --- Shades of beige dominate this image of the Libyan Desert and southwestern Egypt scene captured by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly aboard the international Space Station on May, 8th, 2015.

San Andreas Fault, Southern California, Shaded Relief, Wrapped Color as Height

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-02-17

This topographic map acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 vividly displays California famous San Andreas Fault along the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert, Calif.

Perspective View, Garlock Fault

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-20

California Garlock Fault, marking the northwestern boundary of the Mojave Desert, lies at the foot of the mountains, running from the lower right to the top center of this image, which was created with data from NASA shuttle Radar Topography Mission.

San Andreas Fault, Southern California , Radar Image, Wrapped Color as Height

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-02-17

This topographic map acquired by NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM from data collected on February 16, 2000 vividly displays California famous San Andreas Fault along the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert, Calif.

Watching Test Drives in California for Rover Mission to Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-11

Michael Malin, left, principal investigator for three science cameras on NASA Curiosity Mars rover, comments to a news reporter during tests with Curiosity mobility-test stand-in, Scarecrow, on Dumont Dunes in California Mojave Desert.

SMAP Global Map of Surface Soil Moisture Aug. 25-27, 2015

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-02

A three-day composite global map of surface soil moisture as retrieved from NASA SMAP radiometer instrument between Aug. 25-27, 2015. Dry areas appear yellow/orange, such as the Sahara Desert, western Australia and the western U.S. Wet areas appear blue, representing the impacts of localized storms. White areas indicate snow, ice or frozen ground. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19877

Front view of Endeavour prior to touching down at Edwards AFB during STS-100's landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

STS100-S-025 (1 May 2001) --- The space shuttle Endeavour is only seconds away from main gear touchdown on a desert runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California to complete the STS-100 mission. Touchdown occurred at 9:11 a.m. (PDT), May 1, 2001. Onboard the shuttle were six NASA astronauts and a cosmonaut representing Rosaviakosmos. Photo credit: NASA

Profile view of Endeavour prior to touching down at Edwards AFB during STS-100's landing

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

STS100-S-023 (1 May 2001) --- The space shuttle Endeavour is only seconds away from main gear touchdown on a desert runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California to complete the STS-100 mission. Touchdown occurred at 9:11 a.m. (PDT), May 1, 2001. Onboard the shuttle were six NASA astronauts and a cosmonaut representing Rosaviakosmos. Photo credit: NASA

KSC-2013-2781

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch site. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital mission. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2783

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, a student attaches a tail fin to the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch site. The rocket is scheduled for flight June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2769

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2756

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers pack the parachute in the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The work is in preparation for the June 15 launch of a on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2772

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2755

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers pack the parachute in the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The work is in preparation for the June 15 launch of a on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2753

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the RUBICS-1 payload which will be placed into the body of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket for launch June 15 on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The flight will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2787

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2791

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers watch as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2774

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students install the nose cone on the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The work is in preparation for the June 15 launch on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2702

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers prepare to load the RUBICS-1 payload into the body of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket for launch June 15 on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The flight will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2770

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2775

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students install the nose cone on the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The work is in preparation for the June 15 launch on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2782

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch site. The rocket is scheduled for flight June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2751

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the student-designed RUBICS-1 payload is in the foreground as students and engineers checkout the into the body of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket set for launch June 15 on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The flight will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2786

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers assist as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2754

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the RUBICS-1 payload which will be placed into the body of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket for launch June 15 on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The flight will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2779

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers unload the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket from a truck at the launch site. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2771

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2792

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2703

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the RUBICS-1 payload into the body of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket for launch June 15 on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The flight will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2773

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2776

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers load the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket onto a truck for transportation to the launch site. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2785

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers assist as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2705

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the RUBICS-1 payload into the body of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket for launch June 15 on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The flight will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2750

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the RUBICS-1 payload which will be placed into the body of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket for launch June 15 on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The flight will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2790

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers assist as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2746

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers participate in a pre-task briefing as preparations continue for the June 15 launch of a Garvey Spacecraft Corporation Prospector P-18D rocket on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2777

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers load the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket onto a truck for transportation to the launch site. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2780

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch site. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital mission. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2793

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2778

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers prepare the launch stand for the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

NASA Planetary Surface Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayati, Samad

1999-01-01

Managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the lead U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system. JPL spacecraft have visited all known planets except Pluto (a Pluto mission is currently under study). In addition to its work for NASA, JPL conducts tasks for a variety of other federal agencies. In addition, JPL manages the worldwide Deep Space Network, which communicates with spacecraft and conducts scientific investigations from its complexes in California's Mojave Desert near Goldstone; near Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. JPL employs about 6000 people.

Evolving from Planning and Scheduling to Real-Time Operations Support: Design Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marquez, Jessica J.; Ludowise, Melissa; McCurdy, Michael; Li, Jack

2010-01-01

Versions of Scheduling and Planning Interface for Exploration (SPIFe) have supported a variety of mission operations across NASA. This software tool has evolved and matured over several years, assisting planners who develop intricate schedules. While initially conceived for surface Mars missions, SPIFe has been deployed in other domains, where people rather than robotic explorers, execute plans. As a result, a diverse set of end-users has compelled growth in a new direction: supporting real-time operations. This paper describes the new needs and challenges that accompany this development. Among the key features that have been built for SPIFe are current time indicators integrated into the interface and timeline, as well as other plan attributes that enable execution of scheduled activities. Field tests include mission support for the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) and Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) campaigns.

Food Deserts and Overweight Schoolchildren: Evidence from Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schafft, Kai A.; Jensen, Eric B.; Hinrichs, C. Clare

2009-01-01

The concept of the "food desert", an area with limited access to retail food stores, has increasingly been used within social scientific and public health research to explore the dimensions of spatial inequality and community well-being. While research has demonstrated that food deserts are frequently characterized by higher levels of…

Does protection of desert tortoise habitat generate other ecological benefits in the Mojave Desert?

Treesearch

Matthew L. Brooks

2000-01-01

This paper summarizes the ecological effects of fenced habitat protection for the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area in the Mojave Desert. The following were higher inside than outside the natural area: (1) annual and perennial plant biomass, cover, diversity and dominance by natives, (2) soil seed...

Sun Glint from Solar Electric Generating Stations

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-26

These images, from 8 April 2003 show that depending upon the position of the Sun, the solar power stations in California Mohave Desert can reflect solar energy from their large, mirror-like surfaces directly toward one of NASA Terra cameras.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 43 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-08

ISS043182398 (05/08/2015) --- Another view of the northern African Great Sand Sea, Libyan Desert and western Egypt with orange parallel dunes taken on May 8th 2015 by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly on the International Space Station.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 43 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-08

ISS043E182380 (05/08/2015) --- NASA astronaut Scott Kelly aboard the International Space Station captured this desert scene in northern Africa on May 8th, 2015. The area shown is the Calanscio Sand Sea, in northeastern Libya.

When are food deserts? Integrating time into research on food accessibility.

PubMed

Widener, Michael J; Shannon, Jerry

2014-11-01

The food desert concept is used as a means for defining regions as having inadequate spatial and socioeconomic access to vendors selling nutritious foods. This primarily aggregate-level and static method for understanding the food environment is commonly used by researchers and policy makers seeking to improve health outcomes of those affected by reduced access. However, recent research findings have brought the association between living in a food desert and adverse health outcomes into question. In this viewpoint, we put forward the idea that the food desert concept, and food accessibility research more generally, should be expanded to include a temporal component, and note potential avenues for future research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Initial Stability Assessment of S-NPP VIIRS Reflective Solar Band Calibration Using Invariant Desert and Deep Convective Cloud Targets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, Rajendra; Doelling, David R.; Wu, Aisheng; Xiong, Xiaoxiong (Jack); Scarino, Benjamin R.; Haney, Conor O.; Gopalan, Arun

2014-01-01

The latest CERES FM-5 instrument launched onboard the S-NPP spacecraft will use the VIIRS visible radiances from the NASA Land Product Evaluation and Analysis Tool Elements (PEATE) product for retrieving the cloud properties associated with its TOA flux measurement. In order for CERES to provide climate quality TOA flux datasets, the retrieved cloud properties must be consistent throughout the record, which is dependent on the calibration stability of the VIIRS imager. This paper assesses the NASA calibration stability of the VIIRS reflective solar bands using the Libya-4 desert and deep convective clouds (DCC). The invariant targets are first evaluated for temporal natural variability. It is found for visible (VIS) bands that DCC targets have half of the variability of Libya-4. For the shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands, the desert has less variability. The brief VIIRS record and target variability inhibits high confidence in identifying any trends that are less than 0.6yr for most VIS bands, and 2.5yr for SWIR bands. None of the observed invariant target reflective solar band trends exceeded these trend thresholds. Initial assessment results show that the VIIRS data have been consistently calibrated and that the VIIRS instrument stability is similar to or better than the MODIS instrument.

Radar Images of Asteroid 2017 BQ6

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-10

This composite of 11 images of asteroid 2017 BQ6 was generated with radar data collected using NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar in California's Mojave Desert on Feb. 5, 2017, between 5:24 and 5:52 p.m. PST (8:24 to 8:52 p.m. EST / 1:24 to 1:52 UTC). The images have resolutions as fine as 12 feet (3.75 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21453

Combat Search and Rescue in Desert Storm

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

and the A-1s continued to swarm above. As Smith reached the door, Liles pulled him in and then shouted for him to “get [expletive deleted] out of the...with the Departments of Defense, Transportation, and Commerce; the National Aero- nautics and Space Administration ( NASA ); and state and local...production lines until 1986. In 1981, after a long hiatus, NASA resumed conducting manned space flights. In its mission statement, the ARRS was tasked to

The Behavior of the Atmosphere in the Desert Planetary Boundary Layer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-30

i5962 THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE DESERT PL NET RY 1/i. BOUNDARY LAVERMU BEN-GURION UNIV OF THE NEGEV SEDE BOGER (ISRAEL) JACOB BLAUST...DESERT PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER Louis Berkofsky The Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Sede Boqer Campus...TASK- nm insl1tute for esert Research AREA A WORK UNiT NUMBERS Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Sede Boqer Campus 84990, Israel F- 3 / St

Human-in-the-Loop Operations over Time Delay: NASA Analog Missions Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rader, Steven N.; Reagan, Marcum L.; Janoiko, Barbara; Johnson, James E.

2013-01-01

Teams at NASA have conducted studies of time-delayed communications as it effects human exploration. In October 2012, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Analog Missions project conducted a Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) with the primary stakeholders to share information and experiences of studying time delay, to build a coherent picture of how studies are covering the problem domain, and to determine possible forward plans (including how to best communicate study results and lessons learned, how to inform future studies and mission plans, and how to drive potential development efforts). This initial meeting s participants included personnel from multiple NASA centers (HQ, JSC, KSC, ARC, and JPL), academia, and ESA. It included all of the known studies, analog missions, and tests of time delayed communications dating back to the Apollo missions including NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO), Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS/RATS), International Space Station Test-bed for Analog Research (ISTAR), Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP), Mars 520, JPL Mars Orbiters/Rovers, Advanced Mission Operations (AMO), Devon Island analog missions, and Apollo experiences. Additionally, the meeting attempted to capture all of the various functional perspectives via presentations by disciplines including mission operations (flight director and mission planning), communications, crew, Capcom, Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA), Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP), Medical/Surgeon, Science, Education and Public Outreach (EPO), and data management. The paper summarizes the descriptions and results from each of the activities discussed at the TIM and includes several recommendations captured in the meeting for dealing with time delay in human exploration along with recommendations for future development and studies to address this issue.

Selected Examples of NACA/NASA Supersonic Flight Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saltzman, Edwin J.; Ayers, Theodore G.

1995-01-01

The present Dryden Flight Research Center, a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has a flight research history that extends back to the mid-1940's. The parent organization was a part of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and was formed in 1946 as the Muroc Flight Test Unit. This document describes 13 selected examples of important supersonic flight research conducted from the Mojave Desert location of the Dryden Flight Research Center over a 4 decade period beginning in 1946. The research described herein was either obtained at supersonic speeds or enabled subsequent aircraft to penetrate or traverse the supersonic region. In some instances there accrued from these research efforts benefits which are also applicable at lower or higher speed regions. A major consideration in the selection of the various research topics was the lasting impact they have had, or will have, on subsequent supersonic flight vehicle design, efficiency, safety, and performance or upon improved supersonic research techniques.

KSC-2009-5091

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-11

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- (ED09-0253-02) Space Shuttle Discovery rolls out on Runway 22L after landing at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California’s high desert to conclude mission STS-128 to the International Space Station. (NASA photo /Tom Tschida)

70m Antenna at Goldstone, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-07-06

Night shot of the 70m antenna at Goldstone, California. The parabolic dish is 70m 230 ft. in diameter. The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, located in the Mojave Desert in California, is one of three complexes which comprise NASA DSN.

Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) 2010 Education and Public Outreach (EPO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Heather L.

2013-10-01

The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Directorate Integration Office conducts analog field test activities, such as Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), to validate exploration system architecture concepts and conduct technology demonstrations. Education and Public Outreach (EPO) activities have been a part of DRATS missions in the past to engage students, educators, and the general public in analog activities. However, in 2010, for the first time, EPO was elevated as a principal task for the mission and metrics were collected for all EPO activities. EPO activities were planned well in advance of the mission, with emphasis on creating a multitude of activities to attract students of all ages. Web-based and social media interaction between August 31 and September 14, 2010 resulted in 62,260 DRATS Flickr views; 10,906 views of DRATS videos on YouTube; 1,483 new DRATS Twitter followers; and a 111% increase in DRATS Facebook fan interactions. Over 7,000 outreach participants were directly involved in the DRATS 2010 analog mission via student visitations at both the integrated dry-runs prior to the field mission and during the field mission; by participating in live, interactive webcasts and virtual events; and online voting to determine a traverse site as part of the NASA initiative for Participatory Exploration (PE).

Characterization of the Sonoran desert as a radiometric calibration target for Earth observing sensors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Angal, Amit; Chander, Gyanesh; Xiong, Xiaoxiong; Choi, Tae-young; Wu, Aisheng

2011-01-01

To provide highly accurate quantitative measurements of the Earth's surface, a comprehensive calibration and validation of the satellite sensors is required. The NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Characterization Support Team, in collaboration with United States Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, has previously demonstrated the use of African desert sites to monitor the long-term calibration stability of Terra MODIS and Landsat 7 (L7) Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+). The current study focuses on evaluating the suitability of the Sonoran Desert test site for post-launch long-term radiometric calibration as well as cross-calibration purposes. Due to the lack of historical and on-going in situ ground measurements, the Sonoran Desert is not usually used for absolute calibration. An in-depth evaluation (spatial, temporal, and spectral stability) of this site using well calibrated L7 ETM+ measurements and local climatology data has been performed. The Sonoran Desert site produced spatial variability of about 3 to 5% in the reflective solar regions, and the temporal variations of the site after correction for view-geometry impacts were generally around 3%. The results demonstrate that, barring the impacts due to occasional precipitation, the Sonoran Desert site can be effectively used for cross-calibration and long-term stability monitoring of satellite sensors, thus, providing a good test site in the western hemisphere.

An ecological study of food desert prevalence and 4th grade academic achievement in new york state school districts.

PubMed

Frndak, Seth E

2014-12-02

This ecological study examines the relationship between food desert prevalence and academic achievement at the school district level. Sample included 232 suburban and urban school districts in New York State. Multiple open-source databases were merged to obtain: 4(th) grade science, English and math scores, school district demographic composition (NYS Report Card), regional socioeconomic indicators (American Community Survey), school district quality (US Common Core of Data), and food desert data (USDA Food Desert Atlas). Multiple regression models assessed the percentage of variation in achievement scores explained by food desert variables, after controlling for additional predictors. The proportion of individuals living in food deserts significantly explained 4th grade achievement scores, after accounting for additional predictors. School districts with higher proportions of individuals living in food desert regions demonstrated lower 4th grade achievement across science, English and math. Food deserts appear to be related to academic achievement at the school district level among urban and suburban regions. Further research is needed to better understand how food access is associated with academic achievement at the individual level. Significance for public healthThe prevalence of food deserts in the United States is of national concern. As poor nutrition in United States children continues to spark debate, food deserts are being evaluated as potential sources of low fruit and vegetable intake and high obesity rates. Cognitive development and IQ have been linked to nutrition patterns, suggesting that children in food desert regions may have a disadvantage academically. This research evaluates if an ecological relationship between food desert prevalence and academic achievement at the school district level can be demonstrated. Results suggest that food desert prevalence may relate to poor academic performance at the school district level. Significant variation in academic achievement among urban and suburban school districts is explained by food desert prevalence, above additional predictors. This research lays the groundwork for future studies at the individual level, with possible implications for community interventions in school districts containing food desert regions.

Lake Mead, NV

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-22

SL2-03-192 (22 June 1973) --- Lake Mead, Nevada, (36.0N, 114.5E) where the water from the Colorado River empties after it's 273 mile journey through the Grand Canyon of Arizona is the subject of this photo. Other features of interest are Hoover Dam on the south shore of Lake Mead where cheap hydroelectric power is secondary to the water resources made available in this northern desert region and the resort city of Las Vegas, just to the west of Lake Mead. In this harsh desert environment, color infrared photography readily penetrates haze, detects and portrays vegetation as shades of red. Photo credit: NASA

Growing the Desert: Educational Pathways for Remote Indigenous People. Support Document

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collier, Pam; King, Sharijn; Lawrence, Kate; Nangala, Irene; Nangala, Marilyn; Schaber, Evelyn; Young, Metta; Guenther, John; Oster, John

2007-01-01

As part of a project funded by the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER) and the Desert Knowledge CRC (DKCRC), the "Growing the desert" research team have conducted a broad-ranging analysis of the role of formal and non-formal training opportunities that lead to employment and enterprise opportunities in the…

Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) Local and Remote Test Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Janoiko, Barbara; Kosmo, Joseph; Eppler, Dean

2007-01-01

Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies) is a combined group of inter-NASA center scientists and engineers, collaborating with representatives of industry and academia, for the purpose of conducting remote field exercises. These exercises provide the capability to validate experimental hardware and software, to evaluate and develop mission operational techniques, and to identify and establish technical requirements applicable for future planetary exploration. D-RATS completed its ninth year of field testing in September 2006. Dry run test activities prior to testing at designated remote field site locations are initially conducted at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Remote Field Demonstration Test Site. This is a multi-acre external test site located at JSC and has detailed representative terrain features simulating both Lunar and Mars surface characteristics. The majority of the remote field tests have been subsequently conducted in various high desert areas adjacent to Flagstaff, Arizona. Both the local JSC and remote field test sites have terrain conditions that are representative of both the Moon and Mars, such as strewn rock and volcanic ash fields, meteorite crater ejecta blankets, rolling plains, hills, gullies, slopes, and outcrops. Flagstaff is the preferred remote test site location for many reasons. First, there are nine potential test sites with representative terrain features within a 75-mile radius. Second, Flagstaff is the location of the United States Geologic Survey (USGS)/Astrogeology Branch, which historically supported Apollo astronaut geologic training and currently supports and provides host accommodations to the D-RATS team. Finally, in considering the importance of logistics in regard to providing the necessary level of support capabilities, the Flagstaff area provides substantial logistics support and lodging accommodations to take care of team members during long hours of field operations.

NASA USRP Internship Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, Jesse A.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this report is to describe the body of work I have produced as a NASA USRP intern in the spring 2010. My mentor during this time was Richard Birr and I assisted him with many tasks in the advanced systems group in the engineering design lab at NASA's Kennedy space center. The main priority was and scenario modeling for the FAA's next generation air traffic control system and also developing next generation range systems for implementation at Kennedy space center. Also of importance was the development of wiring diagrams for the portable communications terminal for the desert rats program.

View of Endeavour deploying its drag chute during STS-100's landing at Edwards AFB

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

STS100-S-020 (1 May 2001) --- The drag chute on the space shuttle Endeavour helps to slow the vehicle down as it eases to the completion of the STS-100 mission on a desert runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Touchdown occurred at 9:11 a.m. (PDT), May 1, 2001. Onboard the shuttle were six NASA astronauts and a cosmonaut representing Rosaviakosmos. Photo credit: NASA

KSC-2013-2788

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students from Merritt Island High School in Florida watch as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections, one developed by students from the school that is located near the Kennedy Space Center. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2789

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-14

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students from Merritt Island High School in Florida watch as the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is lifted into position for its scheduled launch on June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section, one developed by students from the school that is located near the Kennedy Space Center. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reed, R. Dale; Lister, Darlene (Editor); Huntley, J. D. (Editor)

1997-01-01

Wingless Flight tells the story of the most unusual flying machines ever flown, the lifting bodies. It is my story about my friends and colleagues who committed a significant part of their lives in the 1960s and 1970s to prove that the concept was a viable one for use in spacecraft of the future. This story, filled with drama and adventure, is about the twelve-year period from 1963 to 1975 in which eight different lifting-body configurations flew. It is appropriate for me to write the story, since I was the engineer who first presented the idea of flight-testing the concept to others at the NASA Flight Research Center. Over those twelve years, I experienced the story as it unfolded day by day at that remote NASA facility northeast of los Angeles in the bleak Mojave Desert. Benefits from this effort immediately influenced the design and operational concepts of the winged NASA Shuttle Orbiter. However, the full benefits would not be realized until the 1990s when new spacecraft such as the X-33 and X-38 would fully employ the lifting-body concept. A lifting body is basically a wingless vehicle that flies due to the lift generated by the shape of its fuselage. Although both a lifting reentry vehicle and a ballistic capsule had been considered as options during the early stages of NASA's space program, NASA initially opted to go with the capsule. A number of individuals were not content to close the book on the lifting-body concept. Researchers including Alfred Eggers at the NASA Ames Research Center conducted early wind-tunnel experiments, finding that half of a rounded nose-cone shape that was flat on top and rounded on the bottom could generate a lift-to-drag ratio of about 1.5 to 1. Eggers' preliminary design sketch later resembled the basic M2 lifting-body design. At the NASA Langley Research Center, other researchers toyed with their own lifting-body shapes. Meanwhile, some of us aircraft-oriented researchers at the, NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California were experiencing our own fascination with the lifting-body concept. A model-aircraft builder and private pilot on my own time, I found the lifting-body idea intriguing. I built a model based on Eggers' design, tested it repeatedly, made modifications in its control and balance characteristics along the way, then eventually presented the concept to others at the Center, using a film of its flights that my wife, Donna and I had made with our 8-mm home camera.

Desert Experimental Range: Annotated bibliography

Treesearch

E. Durant McArthur; Stanley G. Kitchen

2013-01-01

Entries qualify for inclusion if they were conducted in whole or part at the Desert Experimental Range (DER, also known as the Desert Range Experiment Station) or were based on DER research in whole or part. They do not qualify merely by the author having worked at the DER when the research was performed or prepared. Entries were drawn from the original abstracts or...

X-36 in Flight over Mojave Desert

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-10-30

The unusual lines of the X-36 technology demonstrator contrast sharply with the desert floor as the remotely piloted aircraft scoots across the California desert at low altitude during a research flight on October 30, 1997.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 43 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-10

ISS043E184521 (05/10/2015) --- NASA astronaut Terry Virts Expedition 43 Commander on the International Space Station tweeted this Earth observation image of South America with the following comment: "Salar de Uyuni in the #Bolivia desert #SouthAmerica. The world's largest salt flat".

Intelligent Rover Execution for Detecting Life in the Atacama Desert

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baskaran, Vijayakumar; Muscettola, Nicola; Rijsman, David; Plaunt, Chris; Fry, Chuck

2006-01-01

On-board supervisory execution is crucial for the deployment of more capable and autonomous remote explorers. Planetary science is considering robotic explorers operating for long periods of time without ground supervision while interacting with a changing and often hostile environment. Effective and robust operations require on-board supervisory control with a high level of awareness of the principles of functioning of the environment and of the numerous internal subsystems that need to be coordinated. We describe an on-board rover executive that was deployed on a rover as past of the "Limits of Life in the Atacama Desert (LITA)" field campaign sponsored by the NASA ASTEP program. The executive was built using the Intelligent Distributed Execution Architecture (IDEA), an execution framework that uses model-based and plan-based supervisory control of its fundamental computational paradigm. We present the results of the third field experiment conducted in the Atacama desert (Chile) in August - October 2005.

Radiative forcing of the desert aerosol at Ouarzazate (Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahiri, Abdelouahid; Diouri, Mohamed

2018-05-01

The atmospheric aerosol contributes to the definition of the climate with direct effect, the diffusion and absorption of solar and terrestrial radiations, and indirect, the cloud formation process where aerosols behave as condensation nuclei and alter the optical properties. Satellites and ground-based networks (solar photometers) allow the terrestrial aerosol observation and the determination of impact. Desert aerosol considered among the main types of tropospheric aerosols whose optical property uncertainties are still quite important. The analysis concerns the optical parameters recorded in 2015 at Ouarzazate solar photometric station (AERONET/PHOTONS network, http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/) close to Saharan zone. The daily average aerosol optical depthτaer at 0.5μm, are relatively high in summer and less degree in spring (from 0.01 to 1.82). Daily average of the Angstrom coefficients α vary between 0.01 and 1.55. The daily average of aerosol radiative forcing at the surface range between -150W/m2 and -10 W/m2 with peaks recorded in summer, characterized locally by large loads of desert aerosol in agreement with the advections of the Southeast of Morocco. Those recorded at the Top of the atmosphere show a variation from -74 W/m2 to +24 W/m2

Windblown Sand in Ganges Chasma

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-25

Dark, windblown sand covers intricate sedimentary rock layers in this image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) from Ganges Chasma, a canyon in the Valles Marineris system. These features are at once familiar and unusual to those familiar with Earth's beaches and deserts. Most sand dunes on Earth are made of silica-rich sand, giving them a light color; these Martian dunes owe their dark color to the iron and magnesium-rich sand found in the region. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21600

ARC-2007-ACD07-0170-005

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-19

Haughton-Mars Project: - Photo credit to Matt Deans (NASA) K-10 Rover 'Black' and K-10 'RED' conducting systematic site survey at Haughton Creater Devon Island, Nunavut, in the Canadian high arctic. Which lies in the 'frost rubble zone' of the Earth, i.e., in a polar desert environment and is the only crater known to lie in such an environment. Beginning in 1997, the crater and its surroundings are studied as a promising Mars analog by the NASA-led Haughton-Mars Project. (photo reference MCD_0888.JPG)

Richat Structure

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Image taken 1/11/2001: The so-called Richat Structure is a geological formation in the Maur Adrar Desert in the African country of Mauritania. Although it resembles an impact crater, the Richat Structure formed when a volcanic dome hardened and gradually eroded, exposing the onion-like layers of rock. The Richat Structure can be found on Landsat 7 WRS Path 203 Row 45, center: 21.68, -11.94. To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Credit: NASA/GSFC/Landsat 7/USGS

The Use of Water During the Crew 144, Mars Desert Research Station, Utah Desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Morais Mendonca Teles, Antonio

2016-07-01

Well. from November 29th to December 14th, 2014, the author conducted astrobiological and geological surveys, as analog astronaut member of the international Crew 144, at the site of the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station, located at a remote location in the Utah desert, United States. The use of water for drinking, bathing, cleaning, etc., in the crew was a major issue for consideration for a human expedition to the planet Mars in the future. The author would like to tell about the factors of the rationalized use of water.

The heat is on: Desert tortoises and survival

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wessells, Stephen M.; Schwarzbach, Steven E.

2010-01-01

Purpose: To highlight USGS scientists' research and build support for the work being done to help with desert tortoise recovery. To educate people about desert tortoises, their habitat needs, and what people might do to help. Length: 30 minutes

Sahara Desert, Niger

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-01-20

STS072-709-063 (11-20 Jan. 1996) --- The astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour exposed this 70mm frame of the Air Mountains, located in the country of Niger. These Sahara Desert structures are granitic intrusions. They are resistant to erosion and are very prominent in the lighter colored sands of the area. According to NASA geologists studying the photo collection, the ring-like structure on the lower left-hand edge of the photograph is probably a Quaternary volcanic feature. The highest peaks in the range approach 1,800 meters (6,000 feet). Deep valleys in the range are used by the Tuaregs for pasturage. Uranium and other minerals are being mined in the massif.

Astrobiology Results from ILEWG EuroMoonMars Analogue Field Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foing, Bernard H.

We give an update on the astrobiology results from a series of field research campaigns (ILEWG EuroMoonMars) in the extreme environment of the Utah desert. These are relevant to prepare future lunar landers and polar sample return missions, interpret Moon-Mars data (eg SMART1, LRO, Mars Express, MRO, MER, MSL), study habitability and astrobiology in Moon-Mars environments, or to test human-robotic surface EVA or base operations. In the frame of ILEWG EuroMoonMars campaigns (2009 to 2013) we deployed at Mars Desert Research station near Hanksville Utah, a suite of instruments and techniques [0, 1, 2, 9-11] including sample collection, context imaging from re-mote to local and microscale, drilling, spectrometers and life sensors. We analyzed how geological and geo-chemical evolution affected local parameters (mineralogy, organics content, environment variations) and the habitability and signature of organics and biota. Results: Among the important findings are the diversity in the composition of soil samples even when collected in close proximity, the low abundances of detectable PAHs and amino acids and the presence of biota of all three domains of life with significant heterogeneity. An extraordinary variety of putative extremophiles was observed [3,4,9]. A dominant factor seems to be soil porosity and lower clay-sized particle content [6-8]. A protocol was developed for sterile sampling, contamination issues, and the diagnostics of biodiversity via PCR and DGGE analysis in soils and rocks samples [10, 11]. We compare the 2009 campaign results [0-9] to new measurements from 2010-2013 campaigns relevant to: comparison between remote sensing and in-situ measurements; the study of minerals; the detection of organics and signs of life. We acknowledge team members and supporting institutes: B.H. Foing (1, 2, 6), C. Stoker (3), P. Ehrenfreund (4, 5), I. Rammos (2), L. Rodrigues (2), A. Svendsen (2), D. Oltheten (2), I. Schlacht (2), K. Nebergall (6), M. Battler (6, 7), H. v’t Houd (8), A. Bruneau (6,9), M. Cross (6,7), V. Maivald (10), C. Orgel (6), A. Elsaesser (4), S.O.L. Direito (2,4), W.F.M. Röling (2), G.R. Davies (2); EuroGeoMars2009 Team, DOMMEX-ILEWG EuroMoonMars 2010-2013 Teams (1) ESA/ ESTEC, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwik, NL; (2) Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Faculty of Earth & Life Sciences, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, NL; (3) NASA Ames Research Centre; US; (4) Leiden Institute of Chemistry, NL; (5) Space Policy Institute, GWU, Washington D.C., USA; (6) ILEWG; (7) CPSX; (8) Cerberus Blackshore, ESIC Noordwijk, NL; (9) ENSC Bordeaux; (10) DLR, Bremen References: Foing, Stoker & Ehrenfreund (Editors, 2011) “Astrobiology field Research in Moon/Mars Analogue Environments”, Special Issue of International Journal of Astrobiology , IJA 2011, 10, vol.3. 137-305; [1] Foing B. et al. (2011) Field astrobiology research at Moon-Mars analogue site: Instruments and methods, IJA 2011, 10 (3), 141; [2] Clarke, J., Stoker, C. Concretions in exhumed & inverte channels near Hanksville Utah: implications for Mars, (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 162; [3] Thiel et al., (2011) PCR-based analysis of microbial communities during the EuroGeoMars campaign at Mars Desert Research Station, Utah. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 177; [4] Direito et al. (2011). A wide variety of putative extremophiles and large beta-diversity at the Mars Desert Research Station (Utah). (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 191; [5] Orzechowska, G. et al (20110 analysis of Mars Analog soils using solid Phase Microextraction, Organics solvent extraction and GCMS, (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 209; [6] Kotler et al. (2011). Analysis of mineral matrices of planetary soils analogs from the Utah Desert. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 221; [7] Martins et al. (2011). Extraction of amino acids from soils close to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), Utah. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 231; [8] Ehrenfreund et al. (2011) Astrobiology and habitability studies in preparation for future Mars missions: trends from investigating minerals, organics and biota. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 239; [9] Stoker C. et al (2011) Mineralogical, Chemical, Organic & Microbial Properties of Subsurface Soil Cores from Mars Desert Research Station, a Phyllosilicate and Sulfate Rich Mars Analog Site, IJA 2011, 10 (3), 269; [10-11] Rodrigues L. et al (2014, in preparation)

Intensive Training Academy During Winter Breaks (Winternships) at a Two-Year Hispanic Serving Institution to Prepare STEM Students for Summer Internships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farmer, J. C.; Sim, A. M.; Usher, T. D.

2014-12-01

College of the Desert, in partnership with California State University San Bernardino, both Hispanic serving institutions, with the support of a 3-year grant through the NASA Curriculum Improvements Partnership Award for the Integration of Research (CIPAIR) has provided training for community college students, especially those from underrepresented groups, to better prepare them for summer internships opportunities at four-year schools and national laboratories. The Winternships provided an enhanced alternative learning environment for students pursuing degrees in the STEM fields through faculty and peer mentoring in guided undergraduate research activities. All activities associated with undergraduate research were covered including literature searches, hands-on laboratory and field research, collection and analysis of data, culminating in oral and written presentations at College of the Desert and regional student conferences. In addition, students received assistance in searching for summer internships in their area of interest, completing applications, and guidance on follow-up communication with the programs to which they applied. During the funding period, 44 students participated in the Winternship activity in which all submitted a minimum of 3 applications for summer internship opportunities. Results presented will include student success at receiving summer internships, examples of projects completed during the summer and winter activities, and impact on student success. Adaption of this program to other community colleges and into a sophomore level research experience course will be described. This activity has now been funded through the NSF Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Program for an additional five years in a partnership with California State University at San Bernardino.

Dust storm in the Gobi Desert, China

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

On March 8, 2013 dust plumes rose from the Gobi Desert and blew along the China-Mongolia border. Strong winds kept the dust aloft for several days, and dust appeared as far eastward as Henan Province and as far south as the Sichuan Basin by March 13. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on March 9. The dust had continued traveling toward the southeast, and the camel-colored plume extended several hundred kilometers into eastern China. In the southeast (lower right corner of this image), the dust approached China’s coastal plain. Gray haze hung over that region and although the dust likely worsened air quality there, the gray color of the haze suggested other sources, such as urban and industrial smog, and smoke from fires. At least one fire sent a discernible smoke plume eastward, ahead of the dust. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team 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

KSC-2013-2813

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket lifts off at 10:52 a.m. PDT carrying the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket carried four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2805

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket is positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2811

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket lifts off at 10:52 a.m. PDT carrying the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket carried four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2807

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the ignition sequence begins on the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The vehicle is carrying the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket carried four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2802

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, final checkouts are completed on the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket positioned for launch with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2808

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket lifts off at 10:52 a.m. PDT carrying the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket carried four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2812

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket lifts off at 10:52 a.m. PDT carrying the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket carried four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2809

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket lifts off at 10:52 a.m. PDT carrying the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket carried four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2810

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket lifts off at 10:52 a.m. PDT carrying the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket carried four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 43 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-08

ISS043E182395 (05/08/2015) --- NASA astronaut Scott Kelly took this picture of the water filled Siwa Oasis in the northwestern Egyptian desert. Water is also treasured within the International Space Station where recycling plays an important role in conserving and reusing the precious life giving liquid.

Goldstone radio spectrum protection. [deep space network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaudian, B. A.; Cushman, R. B.

1980-01-01

Potential electromagnetic interference to the Goldstone tracking receivers due to neighboring military installations is discussed. Coordination of the military and NASA Goldstone activities in the Mojave Desert area is seen to be an effective method to protect the Goldstone radio spectrum while maintaining compatible operations for the military and Goldstone.

Finding the team for Mars: a psychological and human factors analysis of a Mars Desert Research Station crew.

PubMed

Sawyer, Benjamin D; Hancock, P A; Deaton, John; Suedfeld, Peter

2012-01-01

A two-week mission in March and April of 2011 sent six team members to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). MDRS, a research facility in the high Utah desert, provides an analogue for the harsh and unusual working conditions that will be faced by men and women who one day explore Mars. During the mission a selection of quantitative and qualitative psychological tests were administered to the international, multidisciplinary team. A selection of the results are presented along with discussion.

Desert Research and Technology Studies Exposure of Lotus Coated Electrodynamic Shield Samples. Part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margiotta, Danielle V.; McKittrick, Kristin R.; Straka, Sharon A.; Jones, Craig B.

2012-01-01

The passive Lotus dust mitigation coating currently being developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), was selected by the Habitation Demonstration Unit Deep Space Habitat (HDU-DSH) for participation in the 2011 Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RaTS). Based on the unique surface architecture of the Lotus leaf, the nano-engineered Lotus coating seeks to replicate these structures on space flight and habitation surfaces. By decreasing both the surface energy and area for particle attachment, the Lotus coating greatly diminishes dust accumulation on surfaces. This is a problem that can be encountered on lunar, Martian, and asteroid missions. Two different application methods of this coating were tested in summer 2011 at the D-RaTS site: the wet chemistry applied version and combustion chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) applied version. These Lotus coatings, along with two common thermal control coatings, were combined with the active dust mitigation electrodynamic shield (EDS) technology developed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The EDS technology uses an electrified grid to remove dust particles from the surface of a Kapton (Trademark) substrate. The Lotus coating and thermal control coatings were applied to these Kapton (Trademark) substrates for testing. The combination of these two innovations was theorized to be an applicable countermeasure for addressing dust accumulation during long-duration human space exploration. This theory was tested and characterized prior to, during, and after D-RaTS exposure.

A Basic Robotic Excavator (the Glenn Digger): Description, Design, and Initial Operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauman, Steve; Newman, Paul; Izadnegahdar, Alain; Johnson, Kyle; Abel, Phillip

2016-01-01

This paper describes the design, commercial part selections, fabrication, assembly, installation, and initial operation of a two degree of freedom robotic excavator. Colloquially referred to as "the NASA Glenn Digger," it was designed specifically to be mounted onto, and to operate with, the then newly developed Centaur 2 robotic mobility base. The excavator, when mounted to Centaur 2, is designed to scoop loose regolith from the terrain, raise its loaded bucket up and dump the load into a hopper of at least a 1-m-height. The hopper represents the input to a machine that would process the raw material, such as to produce oxygen from lunar regolith as would be required for long-term lunar habitation. This equipment debuted at the annual Research and Technology Studies ("Desert RATS", Ref. 1) event held north of Flagstaff, Arizona, in September of 2010, when the Digger was successfully joined to Centaur 2 and the shoveling articulation was demonstrated. During 2011, the hardware was modified for added strength, strain gauges were added to measure loads, and the controls were improved in preparation for the 2011 Desert RATS event, where additional "field operations" experience was gained.

Nile Delta

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-19

Urbanized areas of northern Egypt are visible amidst the deserts of Egypt. The image captured July 9-15, 2012 also shows the Nile River which provides life-sustaining water to the region. The image was created from the Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership or Suomi NPP satellite, a partnership between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Credit: NASA/NOAA To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/vegetation.html 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

Space Radar Image of Namib Desert in Southern Namib

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-27

This is a C-band, VV polarization radar image of the Namib desert in southern Namibia, near the coast of South West Africa. The image is centered at about 25 degrees South latitude, 15.5 degrees East longitude. This image was one of the first acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) when it was taken on orbit 4 from the shuttle Endeavour on April 9, 1994. The area shown is approximately 78 kilometers by 20 kilometers. The dominant features in the image are complex sand dune patterns formed by the prevailing winds in this part of the Namib desert. The Namib desert is an extremely dry area formed largely because of the influence of the cold Benguela ocean current that flows northward along the coast of Namibia. The bright areas at the bottom of the image are exposed outcrops of Precambrian rocks. This extremely barren area is a region rich in diamonds that through the centuries have washed down from the mountains. The town of Luderitz is located just to the south of the area shown. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01720

Nest guarding by female Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Agha, Mickey; Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Ennen, Joshua R.; Wilcox, Ethan

2013-01-01

We observed behavior consistent with nest-guarding in Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at two nests in a large wind-energy-generation facility near Palm Springs, California, locally known as the Mesa Wind Farm. As researchers approached the nests, female desert tortoises moved to the entrance of their burrows and positioned themselves sideways, directly over their nests. One female stretched her limbs outward and wedged herself into the burrow (her plastron directly above the nest). Guarding of nests is rarely observed in Agassiz's desert tortoise but can occur as a result of attempted predation on eggs by Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) or in direct response to the perceived threat posed by researchers. This is the first report of nest-guarding for G. agassizii in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of California.

Science You Can Use Bulletin: Upwardly mobile in the western U.S. desert: Blackbrush shrublands respond to a changing climate

Treesearch

Sue Miller; Susan Meyer; Bryce Richardson; Rosemary Pendleton; Burton Pendleton; Stanley Kitchen

2013-01-01

Blackbrush (Colegyne ramosissima) is a desert shrubland species that is currently dominant on over three million acres of the transition zone between the cold desert of the Great Basin and the warm desert of the southwestern United States. Western landscapes are projected to experience unprecedented changes as the climate warms, and researchers at the Rocky Mountain...

Food deserts and nutritional risk in Paraguay.

PubMed

Gartin, Meredith

2012-01-01

The purpose of this case study in San Lorenzo, Paraguay is to identify a food desert in a developing context and to test if food deserts shape residential obesity risk. This article reviews some of the debate surrounding whether food deserts really exist; and, if so, what are the dietary implications of living in a food desert. The research is an exploratory/explanatory design. The author mapped the downtown food retail district and the neighborhood food environment to identify what stores/markets. The author assessed each type of food store using an adapted version of the Nutrition Environment Measure Survey for Stores (NEMS-S) for Paraguay. Body mass index and household characteristics were collected with 68 households in a small neighborhood; and, the author matched the NEMS-S scores to the store reported by households as their primary grocery store for regression tests. The results suggest that a tradeoff exists in the local food environment between food stores which negatively impact obesity risk for local residents. Exposure to this tradeoff appears to worsen as people live longer in the food desert. Thus, the results support the location of a food desert finding in Paraguay. The underlying factors of a food desert extend beyond food access to focus on the issues of justice. A way to improve upon future research to build scholarship on the relationship between deprivation and obesity requires that sample sizes are either large or representative of the population and that the research should be based on multiple neighborhood and city sites. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Angular Asteroid Composite

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-02-10

This composite of 25 images of asteroid 2017 BQ6 was generated with radar data collected using NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar in California's Mojave Desert. The images were gathered on Feb. 7, 2017, between 8:39 and 9:50 p.m. PST (11:39 p.m. EST and 12:50 a.m., Feb. 7), revealing an irregular, angular-appearing asteroid about 660 feet (200 meters) in size that rotates about once every three hours. The images have resolutions as fine as 12 feet (3.75 meters) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21452

ARC-2007-ACD07-0170-007

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-07-20

Haughton-Mars Project: - Photo credit to Matt Deans (NASA) K-10 Rover 'Red' base camp at Haughton Creater Devon Island, Nunavut, in the Canadian high arctic. Which lies in the 'frost rubble zone' of the Earth, i.e., in a polar desert environment and is the only crater known to lie in such an environment. Beginning in 1997, the crater and its surroundings are studied as a promising Mars analog by the NASA-led Haughton-Mars Project. (photo reference K10-R-haughton.jpg - crop of ACD07-0170-4 MCD_0859.JPG)

ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight over the Mojave Desert in California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The unusual design of the Proteus high-altitude aircraft, incorporating a gull-wing shape for its main wing and a long, slender forward canard, is clearly visible in this view of the aircraft in flight over the Mojave Desert in California. In the Proteus Project, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, is assisting Scaled Composites, Inc., Mojave, California, in developing a sophisticated station-keeping autopilot system and a Satellite Communications (SATCOM)-based uplink-downlink data system for aircraft and payload data under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project. The ERAST Project is sponsored by the Office of Aero-Space Technology at NASA Headquarters, and is managed by the Dryden Flight Research Center. The Proteus is a unique aircraft, designed as a high-altitude, long-duration telecommunications relay platform with potential for use on atmospheric sampling and Earth-monitoring science missions. The aircraft is designed to be flown by two pilots in a pressurized cabin, but also has the potential to perform its missions semiautonomously or be flown remotely from the ground. Flight testing of the Proteus, beginning in the summer of 1998 at Mojave Airport through the end of 1999, included the installation and checkout of the autopilot system, including the refinement of the altitude hold and altitude change software. The SATCOM equipment, including avionics and antenna systems, had been installed and checked out in several flight tests. The systems performed flawlessly during the Proteus's deployment to the Paris Airshow in 1999. NASA's ERAST project funded development of an Airborne Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS). Developed by HyperSpectral Sciences, Inc., the small ARTIS camera was demonstrated during the summer of 1999 when it took visual and near-infrared photos over the Experimental Aircraft Association's 'AirVenture 99' Airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The images were displayed on a computer monitor at the show only moments after they were taken. This was the second successful demonstration of the ARTIS camera. The aircraft is designed to cruise at altitudes from 59,000 to more than 65,000 feet for up to 18 hours. It was designed and built by Burt Rutan, president of Scaled Composites, Inc., to carry an 18-foot diameter telecommunications antenna system for relay of broadband data over major cities. The design allows for Proteus to be reconfigured at will for a variety of other missions such as atmospheric research, reconnaissance, commercial imaging, and launch of small space satellites. It is designed for extreme reliability and low operating costs, and to operate out of general aviation airports with minimal support. The aircraft consists of an all composite airframe with graphite-epoxy sandwich construction. It has a wingspan of 77 feet 7 inches, expandable to 92 feet with removable wingtips installed. It is 56.3 feet long and 17.6 feet high and weighs 5,900 pounds, empty. Proteus is powered by two Williams-Rolls FJ44-2 turbofan engines developing 2,300 pounds of thrust each.

ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight over the Mojave Desert in California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The uniquely shaped Proteus high-altitude aircraft soars over California's Mojave Desert during a July 1999 flight. In the Proteus Project, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, is assisting Scaled Composites, Inc., Mojave, California, in developing a sophisticated station-keeping autopilot system and a Satellite Communications (SATCOM)-based uplink-downlink data system for aircraft and payload data under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project. The ERAST Project is sponsored by the Office of Aero-Space Technology at NASA Headquarters, and is managed by the Dryden Flight Research Center. The Proteus is a unique aircraft, designed as a high-altitude, long-duration telecommunications relay platform with potential for use on atmospheric sampling and Earth-monitoring science missions. The aircraft is designed to be flown by two pilots in a pressurized cabin, but also has the potential to perform its missions semiautonomously or be flown remotely from the ground. Flight testing of the Proteus, beginning in the summer of 1998 at Mojave Airport through the end of 1999, included the installation and checkout of the autopilot system, including the refinement of the altitude hold and altitude change software. The SATCOM equipment, including avionics and antenna systems, had been installed and checked out in several flight tests. The systems performed flawlessly during the Proteus's deployment to the Paris Airshow in 1999. NASA's ERAST project funded development of an Airborne Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS). Developed by HyperSpectral Sciences, Inc., the small ARTIS camera was demonstrated during the summer of 1999 when it took visual and near-infrared photos over the Experimental Aircraft Association's 'AirVenture 99' Airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The images were displayed on a computer monitor at the show only moments after they were taken. This was the second successful demonstration of the ARTIS camera. The aircraft is designed to cruise at altitudes from 59,000 to more than 65,000 feet for up to 18 hours. It was designed and built by Burt Rutan, president of Scaled Composites, Inc., to carry an 18-foot diameter telecommunications antenna system for relay of broadband data over major cities. The design allows for Proteus to be reconfigured at will for a variety of other missions such as atmospheric research, reconnaissance, commercial imaging, and launch of small space satellites. It is designed for extreme reliability and low operating costs, and to operate out of general aviation airports with minimal support. The aircraft consists of an all composite airframe with graphite-epoxy sandwich construction. It has a wingspan of 77 feet 7 inches, expandable to 92 feet with removable wingtips installed. It is 56.3 feet long and 17.6 feet high and weighs 5,900 pounds, empty. Proteus is powered by two Williams-Rolls FJ44-2 turbofan engines developing 2,300 pounds of thrust each.

Exploring Solar System Origins With The Desert Fireball Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, B. H.; Bland, P.

2016-12-01

Fireball camera networks are designed to recover meteorites with orbits. A geological context is a prerequisite for understanding terrestrial rocks. An improved dynamical context would benefit our understanding of extraterrestrial geology. A dozen projects - professional and amateur - have pursued this goal over the years. The effort has yielded 10 meteorites with orbits. Why so few? All these projects were in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere: areas where meteorite recovery is marginal. Deserts are one of the few places on Earth where field searches for meteorites can be mounted with a realistic chance of success. This was the driver behind the Desert Fireball Network. The Desert Fireball Network (DFN) uses automated observatories across Australia to triangulate trajectories of meteorites entering the atmosphere, determine pre-entry orbits, and pinpoint their fall positions. Each observatory is an autonomous intelligent imaging system, taking 1000×36Megapixel all-sky images throughout the night, using neural network algorithms to recognise events. They are capable of operating for 12 months in a harsh environment, and store all imagery collected. We developed a completely automated software pipeline for data reduction, and built a supercomputer database for storage, allowing us to process our entire archive. We successfully recovered a meteorite from Lake Eyre on 31st December 2015, using this pipeline. By February 2016 we had reduced our complete fireball dataset, deriving precise orbits for >350 events: a dataset that provides a unique window on the dynamics of material in the inner solar system. The DFN currently stands at 50 stations distributed across the Australian continent, covering an area of 2.5 million km2. The fireball and meteorite orbital data that it can provide will deliver a new dynamical window on the inner solar system, and new insights into solar system origins. Working with DFN's partners at NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, the team is now working to expand the network beyond Australia to locations around the world.

Field Testing Near-IR and Neutron Spectrometer Prospecting: Applications to Resource Prospector on the Moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elphic, R. C.; Colaprete, A.; Heldmann, J. L.; Deans, M. C.

2015-01-01

While we know there are volatiles sequestered at the poles of the Moon, the detailed 3-D distribution, abundance, and physical and chemical form are largely unknown. The next giant leap, Resource Prospector (RP), will use landed assets to fully characterize the volatile composition and distribution at scales of tens to hundreds of meters. To achieve this range of scales, mobility is required. Near real-time operation of surface assets is desirable, with a concept of operations very different from that of rovers on Mars. For RP, new operational approaches are required to carry out real-time robotic exploration. The Mojave Volatiles Project (MVP) is a Moon- Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA) program effort aimed at (1) determining effective approaches to operating a real-time but short-duration lunar surface robotic mission, and (2) performing prospecting science in a natural setting, as a test of these approaches. Here we describe some results from the first such test, carried out in the Mojave Desert between 16 and 24 October, 2014. The test site was an alluvial fan just E of the Soda Mountains, SW of Baker, California. This site contains desert pavements, ranging from the late Pleistocene to early-Holocene in age. These pavements are dissected by the ongoing development of washes. A principal objective was to determine the hydration state of different types of desert pavement and bare ground features. The mobility element of the test was the KREX-2 rover, designed and operated by the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames Research Center.

Grumman OV-1C in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Grumman OV-1C in flight. This OV-1C Mohawk, serial #67-15932, was used in a joint NASA/US Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity (USAAEFA) program to study a stall-speed warning system in the early 1980s. NASA designed and built an automated stall-speed warning system which presented both airspeed and stall speed to the pilot. Visual indication of impending stall would be displayed to the pilot as a cursor or pointer located on a conventional airspeed indicator. In addition, an aural warning at predetermined stall margins was presented to the pilot through a voice synthesizer. The Mohawk was developed by Grumman Aircraft as a photo observation and reconnaissance aircraft for the US Marines and the US Army. The OV-1 entered production in October 1959 and served the US Army in Europe, Korea, the Viet Nam War, Central and South America, Alaska, and during Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the Middle East. The Mohawk was retired from service in September 1996. 133 OV-1Cs were built, the 'C' designating the model which used an IR (infrared) imaging system to provide reconnaissance.

Desert Test Site Uniformity Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerola, Dana X.; Bruegge, Carol J.

2009-01-01

Desert test sites such as Railroad Valley (RRV) Nevada, Egypt-1, and Libya-4 are commonly targeted to assess the on-orbit radiometric performance of sensors. Railroad Valley is used for vicarious calibration experiments, where a field-team makes ground measurements to produce accurate estimates of top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiances. The Sahara desert test sites are not instrumented, but provide a stable target that can be used for sensor cross-comparisons, or for stability monitoring of a single sensor. These sites are of interest to NASA's Atmospheric Carbon Observation from Space (ACOS) and JAXA's Greenhouse Gas Observation SATellite (GOSAT) programs. This study assesses the utility of these three test sites to the ACOS and GOSAT calibration teams. To simulate errors in sensor-measured radiance with pointing errors, simulated data have been created using MODIS Aqua data. MODIS data are further utilized to validate the campaign data acquired from June 22 through July 5, 2009. The first GOSAT vicarious calibration experiment was conducted during this timeframe.

Using the Sonoran Desert test site to monitor the long-term radiometric stability of the Landsat TM/ETM+ and Terra MODIS sensors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Angal, A.; Xiong, X.; Choi, T.; Chander, G.; Wu, A.

2009-01-01

Pseudo-invariant ground targets have been extensively used to monitor the long-term radiometric calibration stability of remote sensing instruments. The NASA MODIS Characterization Support Team (MCST), in collaboration with members from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, has previously demonstrated the use of pseudo-invariant ground sites for the long-term stability monitoring of Terra MODIS and Landsat 7 ETM+ sensors. This paper focuses on the results derived from observations made over the Sonoran Desert. Additionally, Landsat 5 TM data over the Sonoran Desert site were used to evaluate the temporal stability of this site. Top-ofatmosphere (TOA) reflectances were computed for the closely matched TM, ETM+, and MODIS spectral bands over selected regions of interest. The impacts due to different viewing geometries, or the effect of test site Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF), are also presented. ?? 2009 SPIE.

NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations: Science Operations Development for Human Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, Mary S.

2014-01-01

The purpose of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission 16 in 2012 was to evaluate and compare the performance of a defined series of representative near-Earth asteroid (NEA) extravehicular activity (EVA) tasks under different conditions and combinations of work systems, constraints, and assumptions considered for future human NEA exploration missions. NEEMO 16 followed NASA's 2011 Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS), the primary focus of which was understanding the implications of communication latency, crew size, and work system combinations with respect to scientific data quality, data management, crew workload, and crew/mission control interactions. The 1-g environment precluded meaningful evaluation of NEA EVA translation, worksite stabilization, sampling, or instrument deployment techniques. Thus, NEEMO missions were designed to provide an opportunity to perform a preliminary evaluation of these important factors for each of the conditions being considered. NEEMO 15 also took place in 2011 and provided a first look at many of the factors, but the mission was cut short due to a hurricane threat before all objectives were completed. ARES Directorate (KX) personnel consulted with JSC engineers to ensure that high-fidelity planetary science protocols were incorporated into NEEMO mission architectures. ARES has been collaborating with NEEMO mission planners since NEEMO 9 in 2006, successively building upon previous developments to refine science operations concepts within engineering constraints; it is expected to continue the collaboration as NASA's human exploration mission plans evolve.

Livestock grazing and the desert tortoise in the Mojave Desert

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oldemeyer, John L.

1994-01-01

A large part of the Mojave Desert is not in pristine condition, and some current conditions can be related to past grazing-management practices. No information could be found on densities of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) or on vegetative conditions of areas that had not been grazed to allow managers a comparison of range conditions with data on tortoises. Experimental information to assess the effect of livestock grazing on tortoises is lacking, and researchers have not yet examined whether the forage that remains after grazing is sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of desert tortoises.

KSC-2014-4326

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Prototype Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Evan Williams, left, an Education intern from the University of Central Florida, and Anthony Bharrat, NASA avionics lead, prepare the experiment container for NASA's Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere, or E-MIST, experiment. In the background is David J. Smith, Ph.D., NASA E-MIST principal investigator. The container was designed and built at Kennedy. The 80-pound structure features four doors that rotate to expose up to 10 microbial samples each for a predetermined period of time in the Earth's stratosphere. The E-MIST experiment will launch on the exterior of a giant scientific balloon gondola at about 8 a.m. MST on Aug. 24 from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. It will soar 125,000 feet above the Earth during a 5-hour journey over the desert to understand how spore-forming bacteria, commonly found in spacecraft assembly facilities can survive. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

ZZYZX--The Last Word in Desert Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Martin

1977-01-01

The mineral springs resort of Zzyzx in California is the site of a unique academic research center in high desert studies. It is being developed into a Desert Studies Center for seven southern campuses of the California State University and College System, and will provide field work opportunities for geology, geography, and anthropology students.…

EVA Radio DRATS 2011 Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swank, Aaron J.; Bakula, Casey J.

2012-01-01

In the Fall of 2011, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) participated in the Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) field experiments held near Flagstaff, Arizona. The objective of the DRATS outing is to provide analog mission testing of candidate technologies for space exploration, especially those technologies applicable to human exploration of extra- terrestrial rocky bodies. These activities are performed at locations with similarities to extra-terrestrial conditions. This report describes the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Dual-Band Radio Communication System which was demonstrated during the 2011 outing. The EVA radio system is designed to transport both voice and telemetry data through a mobile ad hoc wireless network and employs a dual-band radio configuration. Some key characteristics of this system include: 1. Dual-band radio configuration. 2. Intelligent switching between two different capability wireless networks. 3. Self-healing network. 4. Simultaneous data and voice communication.

The "Martian" flora: new collections of vascular plants, lichens, fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria from the Mars Desert Research Station, Utah

PubMed Central

Freebury, Colin E.; Hamilton, Paul B.; Saarela, Jeffery M.

2016-01-01

Abstract The Mars Desert Research Station is a Mars analog research site located in the desert outside of Hanksville, Utah, U.S.A. Here we present a preliminary checklist of the vascular plant and lichen flora for the station, based on collections made primarily during a two-week simulated Mars mission in November, 2014. Additionally, we present notes on the endolithic chlorophytes and cyanobacteria, and the identification of a fungal genus also based on these collections. Altogether, we recorded 38 vascular plant species from 14 families, 13 lichen species from seven families, six algae taxa including both chlorophytes and cyanobacteria, and one fungal genus from the station and surrounding area. We discuss this floristic diversity in the context of the ecology of the nearby San Rafael Swell and the desert areas of Wayne and Emery counties in southeastern Utah. PMID:27350765

KSC-2013-2806

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, Kevin Baxter, a range representative of the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch site, ensures all is ready for launch of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2804

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers participate in a pre-launch briefing before the lift off of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2803

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. – In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers participate in a pre-launch briefing before the lift off of the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube sections. The rocket reached a peak altitude of about 9,000 feet, however the parachute deployed prematurely and the vehicle continued on its trajectory, coasting and tumbling to a hard landing on its side. In spite of the rough ride, all four CubeSats were recovered. PhoneSat and RUBICS received data in flight, but sustained structural damage. CP-9 and StangSat fared better, and their teams are working to recover as much information as possible. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites were designed to record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. The results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

AmeriFlux US-ADR Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS)

DOE Data Explorer

Moreo, Michael [U.S. Geological Survey

2018-01-01

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-ADR Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS). Site Description - This tower is located at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of unsaturated zone hydrology at ADRS in 1976. Over the years, USGS investigations at ADRS have provided long-term "benchmark" information about the hydraulic characteristics and soil-water movement for both natural-site conditions and simulated waste-site conditions in an arid environment. The ADRS is located in a creosote-bush community adjacent to disposal trenches for low-level radioactive waste.

GSD Update: Year in Review: Spotlight on 2015 Research by the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program

Treesearch

Deborah Finch

2016-01-01

In this issue of the GSD Update, we take a look back at selected studies of the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program (GSD) that depict its strengths and focus areas. Significant results of recent research and science delivery by GSD scientists are highlighted. We feature program research that lines up with the strategic research...

Mars Rover Opportunity Panorama of Wharton Ridge

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-07

This scene from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Wharton Ridge," which forms part of the southern wall of "Marathon Valley" on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The full extent of Wharton Ridge is visible, with the floor of Endeavour Crater beyond it and the far wall of the crater in the distant background. Near the right edge of the scene is "Lewis and Clark Gap," through which Opportunity crossed from Marathon Valley to "Bitterroot Valley" in September 2016. Before the rover departed Marathon Valley, its panoramic camera (Pancam) acquired the component images for this scene on Aug. 30, 2016, during the 4,480th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars. Opportunity's science team chose the ridge's name to honor the memory of Robert A. Wharton (1951-2012), an astrobiologist who was a pioneer in the use of terrestrial analog environments, particularly in Antarctica, to study scientific problems connected to the habitability of Mars. Over the course of his career, he was a visiting senior scientist at NASA Headquarters, vice president for research at the Desert Research Institute, provost at Idaho State University, and president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The view spans from east-northeast at left to southeast at right. It merges exposures taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). It is presented in approximately true color. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20849

On the Habitability of Desert Varnish: A Combined Study by Micro-Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Methylated Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malherbe, C.; Hutchinson, I. B.; Ingley, R.; Boom, A.; Carr, A. S.; Edwards, H.; Vertruyen, B.; Gilbert, B.; Eppe, G.

2017-11-01

In 2020, the ESA ExoMars and NASA Mars 2020 missions will be launched to Mars to search for evidence of past and present life. In preparation for these missions, terrestrial analog samples of rock formations on Mars are studied in detail in order to optimize the scientific information that the analytical instrumentation will return. Desert varnishes are thin mineral coatings found on rocks in arid and semi-arid environments on Earth that are recognized as analog samples. During the formation of desert varnishes (which takes many hundreds of years), organic matter is incorporated, and microorganisms may also play an active role in the formation process. During this study, four complementary analytical techniques proposed for Mars missions (X-ray diffraction [XRD], Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [Py-GC-MS]) were used to interrogate samples of desert varnish and describe their capacity to sustain life under extreme scenarios. For the first time, both the geochemistry and the organic compounds associated with desert varnish are described with the use of identical sets of samples. XRD and Raman spectroscopy measurements were used to nondestructively interrogate the mineralogy of the samples. In addition, the use of Raman spectroscopy instruments enabled the detection of β-carotene, a highly Raman-active biomarker. The content and the nature of the organic material in the samples were further investigated with elemental analysis and methylated Py-GC-MS, and a bacterial origin was determined to be likely. In the context of planetary exploration, we describe the habitable nature of desert varnish based on the biogeochemical composition of the samples. Possible interference of the geological substrate on the detectability of pyrolysis products is also suggested.

Habitability & Astrobiology Research in Mars Terrestrial Analogues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foing, Bernard

2014-05-01

We performed a series of field research campaigns (ILEWG EuroMoonMars) in the extreme Utah desert relevant to Mars environments, and in order to help in the interpretation of Mars missions measurements from orbit (MEX, MRO) or from the surface (MER, MSL), or Moon geochemistry (SMART-1, LRO). We shall give an update on the sample analysis in the context of habitability and astrobiology. Methods & Results: In the frame of ILEWG EuroMoonMars campaigns (2009 to 2013) we deployed at Mars Desert Research station, near Hanksville Utah, a suite of instruments and techniques [A, 1, 2, 9-11] including sample collection, context imaging from remote to local and microscale, drilling, spectrometers and life sensors. We analyzed how geological and geochemical evolution affected local parameters (mineralogy, organics content, environment variations) and the habitability and signature of organics and biota. Among the important findings are the diversity in the composition of soil samples even when collected in close proximity, the low abundances of detectable PAHs and amino acids and the presence of biota of all three domains of life with significant heterogeneity. An extraordinary variety of putative extremophiles was observed [3,4,9]. A dominant factor seems to be soil porosity and lower clay-sized particle content [6-8]. A protocol was developed for sterile sampling, contamination issues, and the diagnostics of biodiversity via PCR and DGGE analysis in soils and rocks samples [10, 11]. We compare the 2009 campaign results [1-9] to new measurements from 2010-2013 campaigns [10-12] relevant to: comparison between remote sensing and in-situ measurements; the study of minerals; the detection of organics and signs of life. Keywords: field analogue research, astrobiology, habitability, life detection, Earth-Moon-Mars, organics References [A] Foing, Stoker & Ehrenfreund (Editors, 2011) "Astrobiology field Research in Moon/Mars Analogue Environments", Special Issue of International Journal of Astrobiology , IJA 2011, 10, vol. 3. 137-305 [1] Foing B. et al. (2011) Field astrobiology research at Moon-Mars analogue site: Instruments and methods, IJA 2011, 10 (3), 141;[2] Clarke, J., Stoker, C. Concretions in exhumed & inverted channels near Hanksville Utah: implications for Mars, (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 162;[3] Thiel et al., (2011) PCR-based analysis of microbial communities during the EuroGeoMars campaign at Mars Desert Research Station, Utah. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 177;[4] Direito et al. (2011). A wide variety of putative extremophiles and large beta-diversity at the Mars Desert Research Station (Utah). (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 191;[5] Orzechowska, G. et al (20110 analysis of Mars Analog soils using solid Phase Microextraction, Organics solvent extraction and GCMS, (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 209; [6] Kotler et al. (2011). Analysis of mineral matrices of planetary soils analogs from the Utah Desert. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 221; [7] Martins et al. (2011). Extraction of amino acids from soils close to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), Utah. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 231; [8] Ehrenfreund et al. (2011) Astrobiology and habitability studies in preparation for future Mars missions: trends from investigating minerals, organics and biota. (IJA 2011, 10 (3), 239; [9] Stoker C. et al (2011) Mineralogical, Chemical, Organic & Microbial Properties of Subsurface Soil Cores from Mars Desert Research Station, a Phyllosilicate and Sulfate Rich Mars Analog Site, IJA 2011, 10 (3), 269; [10] Rodrigues L. et al (2014, in preparation) Preventing biocontamination during sterile sampling; [11] Rodrigues L. et al (2014, in preparation) Microbial diversity in MDRS rocks and soils; [12] ILEWG EuroMoonMars Team, (2014, special issue in preparation) Results from ILEWG EuroMoonMars campaign 2013 **Acknowledgements: B.H.Foing (1, 2, 6), C. Stoker (3), P. Ehrenfreund (4, 5), I. Rammos (2), L. Rodrigues (2), A. Svendsen (2), D. Oltheten (2), K. Nebergall (6), M. Battler (6, 7), H. v't Houd (8), A. Bruneau (6,9), M. Cross (6,7), V. Maivald (10), C. Orgel (6), A. Elsaesser (4), S.O.L. Direito (2,4), W.F.M. Röling (2), G.R. Davies (2); EuroGeoMars2009 Team, DOMMEX-ILEWG EuroMoonMars 2010-2013 Teams (1) ESA/ ESTEC, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwik, NL; (2) Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, NL; (3) NASA Ames Research Centre; US; (4) Leiden U. , NL; (5) Space Policy Institute, GWU, Washington D.C., USA; (6) ILEWG; (7) CPSX; (8) Cerberus Blackshore, ESIC Noordwijk, NL; (9) ENSC Bordeaux; (10) DLR, Bremen

KSC-2014-4322

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Prototype Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Evan Williams, left, an Education intern from the University of Central Florida, and Anthony Bharrat, NASA avionics lead, prepare the experiment container for NASA's Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere, or E-MIST, experiment. The container was designed and built at Kennedy. The 80-pound structure features four doors that rotate to expose up to 10 microbial samples each for a predetermined period of time in the Earth's stratosphere. The E-MIST experiment will launch on the exterior of a giant scientific balloon gondola at about 8 a.m. MST on Aug. 24 from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. It will soar 125,000 feet above the Earth during a 5-hour journey over the desert to understand how spore-forming bacteria, commonly found in spacecraft assembly facilities can survive. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Masten Space Systems’ Completes Test of Surface Sampling Technology

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-06-13

Honeybee Robotics in Pasadena, California, flight tested its pneumatic sampler collection system, PlanetVac, on Masten Space Systems’ Xodiac rocket on May 24, launching from Mojave, California, and landing to collect a sample of more than 320 grams of top soil from the surface of the desert floor. NASA Flight Opportunities program funded the test flight.

The Sahara's Diverse Landscape

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Vast stretches of uninterrupted sand are only one kind of Saharan landscape. This true-color MODIS image from November 9, 2001, reveals a diversity of land surface features, including ancient lava flows and volcanoes. Beginning at upper left and moving clockwise are the countries of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, and Niger. Evidence of previous volcanic activity in the Sahara can be found in northeastern Chad, in particular, in a region known as Tibesti. Reaching up out of the surrounding desert, the dark rock of the Tibesti Plateau stands out in dark brown against the sand. Scattered throughout the region are the circular cones and calderas of several volcanoes. The dark remains of a lava flow mark the location of the Tousside volcano. North of Tibesti, in Libya, more dark-colored lava beds leave their mark on the landscape. Variety exists in Algeria, where the Grand Erg Oriental desert (far upper left) is hemmed in to the south by the Tinrhert Plateau. South of the Plateau, desert resumes briefly, only to give way to a mountainous region traced with impermanent rivers. In northern Niger, a sinuous gray-green line marks the edge of an escarpment that separates the Mangueni Plateau to the north from the rock deserts to the south. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

On the Habitability of Desert Varnish: A Combined Study by Micro-Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Methylated Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Malherbe, C; Hutchinson, I B; Ingley, R; Boom, A; Carr, A S; Edwards, H; Vertruyen, B; Gilbert, B; Eppe, G

2017-11-01

In 2020, the ESA ExoMars and NASA Mars 2020 missions will be launched to Mars to search for evidence of past and present life. In preparation for these missions, terrestrial analog samples of rock formations on Mars are studied in detail in order to optimize the scientific information that the analytical instrumentation will return. Desert varnishes are thin mineral coatings found on rocks in arid and semi-arid environments on Earth that are recognized as analog samples. During the formation of desert varnishes (which takes many hundreds of years), organic matter is incorporated, and microorganisms may also play an active role in the formation process. During this study, four complementary analytical techniques proposed for Mars missions (X-ray diffraction [XRD], Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [Py-GC-MS]) were used to interrogate samples of desert varnish and describe their capacity to sustain life under extreme scenarios. For the first time, both the geochemistry and the organic compounds associated with desert varnish are described with the use of identical sets of samples. XRD and Raman spectroscopy measurements were used to nondestructively interrogate the mineralogy of the samples. In addition, the use of Raman spectroscopy instruments enabled the detection of β-carotene, a highly Raman-active biomarker. The content and the nature of the organic material in the samples were further investigated with elemental analysis and methylated Py-GC-MS, and a bacterial origin was determined to be likely. In the context of planetary exploration, we describe the habitable nature of desert varnish based on the biogeochemical composition of the samples. Possible interference of the geological substrate on the detectability of pyrolysis products is also suggested. Key Words: Desert varnish-Habitability-Raman spectroscopy-Py-GC-MS-XRD-ExoMars-Planetary science. Astrobiology 17, 1123-1137.

Performance degradation and cleaning of photovoltaic arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheskin, T. J.; Chang, G. C.; Cull, R. C.; Knapp, W. D.

1982-01-01

NASA tests results from an 18 mo program of cleaning silicone-encapsulated and glass fronted solar cell panels in urban and desert environments to examine the effects of cleaning on module performance are reported. The panels were cleaned on weekly, monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual basis, while other panels of the same construction were not cleaned and served as controls. Commercially-available detergents and city water were employed for the tests, and the measurements were maintained of the modules' continuing short-circuit current output. The decay of the output was determined by least square regression analyses. Performance degradation was noticeably less in glass covered, rather than silicone-encapsulated modules which decayed faster in urban than in desert environments. Lower frequency cleanings are recommended where labor costs are high.

The FAO/NASA/NLR Artemis system - An integrated concept for environmental monitoring by satellite in support of food/feed security and desert locust surveillance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hielkema, J. U.; Howard, J. A.; Tucker, C. J.; Van Ingen Schenau, H. A.

1987-01-01

The African real time environmental monitoring using imaging satellites (Artemis) system, which should monitor precipitation and vegetation conditions on a continental scale, is presented. The hardware and software characteristics of the system are illustrated and the Artemis databases are outlined. Plans for the system include the use of hourly digital Meteosat data and daily NOAA/AVHRR data to study environmental conditions. Planned mapping activities include monthly rainfall anomaly maps, normalized difference vegetation index maps for ten day and monthly periods with a spatial resolution of 7.6 km, ten day crop/rangeland moisture availability maps, and desert locust potential breeding activity factor maps for a plague prevention program.

Summer Research Internships at Biosphere 2 Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broecker, Wallace S.; Colodner, Debra; Griffin, Kevin

1997-01-01

Through the support of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, Biosphere 2 Center hosted 11 research interns for 6 to 8 weeks each during the summer of 1997. In addition, we were able to offer scholarships to 14 students for Columbia University summer field courses. These two types of programs engaged students in much of the range of activity of practicing Earth Scientists, with an emphasis on the collection and analysis of data in both the field and the laboratory. Research interns and students in the field courses also played an important part in the design and evolution of their research projects. In addition to laboratory and field research, students participated in weekly research seminars by resident and visiting scientists. Research interns were exposed to the geology and ecology of the region via short field trips to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Mount Lemmon, Aravaipa Canyon and the Gulf of California, while field course students were exposed to laboratory-based research via intern-led hands-on demonstrations of their work. All students made oral and written presentations of their work during the summer, and two of the research interns have applied to present their results at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Maryland in April, 1998.

GSD Update: Year in Review: Spotlight on 2013 research by the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

2014-01-01

In this issue of the GSD Update, we take a look back at selected studies of the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program (GSD) that depict its strengths and focus areas. Significant results of recent research and science delivery by GSD scientists are highlighted. We feature program research that lines up with the strategic research priorities of the...

GSD Update: Year in Review: Spotlight on 2014 Research by the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program

Treesearch

Deborah Finch; David Hawksworth

2015-01-01

In this issue of the GSD Update, we take a look back at selected studies of the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program (GSD) that depict its strengths and focus areas. Significant results of recent research and science delivery by GSD scientists are highlighted. We feature program research that lines up with the strategic research priorities of the...

PLRP-3: Operational Perspectives of Conducting Science-Driven Extravehicular Activity with Communications Latency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Matthew J.; Lim, Darlene S. S.; Brady, Allyson; Cardman, Zena; Bell, Ernest; Garry, Brent; Reid, Donnie; Chappell, Steve; Abercromby, Andrew F. J.

2016-01-01

The Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) is a unique platform where the combination of scientific research and human space exploration concepts can be tested in an underwater spaceflight analog environment. The 2015 PLRP field season was performed at Pavilion Lake, Canada, where science-driven exploration techniques focusing on microbialite characterization and acquisition were evaluated within the context of crew and robotic extravehicular activity (EVA) operations. The primary objectives of this analog study were to detail the capabilities, decision-making process, and operational concepts required to meet non-simulated scientific objectives during 5-minute one-way communication latency utilizing crew and robotic assets. Furthermore, this field study served as an opportunity build upon previous tests at PLRP, NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), and NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) to characterize the functional roles and responsibilities of the personnel involved in the distributed flight control team and identify operational constraints imposed by science-driven EVA operations. The relationship and interaction between ground and flight crew was found to be dependent on the specific scientific activities being addressed. Furthermore, the addition of a second intravehicular operator was found to be highly enabling when conducting science-driven EVAs. Future human spaceflight activities will need to cope with the added complexity of dynamic and rapid execution of scientific priorities both during and between EVA execution to ensure scientific objectives are achieved.

Shark as viewed by Sojourner Rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This close-up image of Shark, in the Bookshelf at the back of the Rock Garden, was taken by Sojourner Rover on Sol 75. Also in the image are Half Dome (right) and Desert Princess (lower right). At the bottom left, a thin 'crusty' soil layer has been disturbed by the rover wheels.

Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Wadi Al Dawasir, Saudi Arabia

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-20

In the middle of the Arabian desert the city Green Oasis Wadi Al Dawasir is being developed as a new urban center for the Wadi Al Dawasir region of Saudi Arabia, as shown in this image from NASA Terra spacecraft. Huge solar fields supply the entire city and the surrounding region with energy. Hundreds of circular agricultural fields are fed by center pivot irrigation apparatus, drawing water from subterranean aquifers. The image was acquired March 30, 2013, covers an area of 30 x 45 km, and is located at 20.2 degrees north, 44.8 degrees east. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20077

Microwave radiometric studies and ground truth measurements of the NASA/USGS Southern California test site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edgerton, A. T.; Trexler, D. T.; Sakamoto, S.; Jenkins, J. E.

1969-01-01

The field measurement program conducted at the NASA/USGS Southern California Test Site is discussed. Ground truth data and multifrequency microwave brightness data were acquired by a mobile field laboratory operating in conjunction with airborne instruments. The ground based investigations were performed at a number of locales representing a variety of terrains including open desert, cultivated fields, barren fields, portions of the San Andreas Fault Zone, and the Salton Sea. The measurements acquired ground truth data and microwave brightness data at wavelengths of 0.8 cm, 2.2 cm, and 21 cm.

Variation in mating system among birds: ecological basis revealed by hierarchical comparative analysis of mate desertion

PubMed Central

Owens, I. P. F.; Bennett, P. M.

1997-01-01

Since most bird species are socially monogamous, variation among species in social mating systems is determined largely by variation in the frequency of mate desertion. Mate desertion is expected to occur when the benefits, in terms of additional reproductive opportunities, outweigh the costs, in terms of reduced reproductive success from the present brood. However, despite much research, the relative importance of costs and benefits in explaining mating system variation is not well understood. Here, we investigate this problem using a comparative method. We analyse changes in the frequency of mate desertion at different phylogenetic levels. Differences between orders and families in the frequency of desertion are negatively associated with changes in the potential costs of desertion, but are not associated with changes in the potential benefits of desertion. Conversely, differences among genera and species in the frequency of desertion are positively associated with increases in the potential benefits of desertion, but not with changes in the potential costs of desertion. Hence, we suggest that mate desertion in birds originates through a combination of evolutionary predisposition and ecological facilitation. In particular, ancient changes in life-history strategy determine the costs of desertion and predispose certain lineages to polygamy, while contemporary changes in the distribution of resources determine the benefits of desertion and thereby the likelihood that polygamy will be viable within these lineages. Thus, monogamy can arise via two very different evolutionary pathways. Groups such as albatrosses (Procellariidae) are constrained to social monogamy by the high cost to desertion, irrespective of the potential benefits. However, in groups such as the accentors (Prunellidae), which are predisposed to desertion, monogamy occurs only when the benefits of desertion are very limited. These conclusions emphasise the additional power which a hierarchical approach contributes to the modern comparative method.

The effect of research activities and winter precipitation on voiding behaviour of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Agha, Mickey; Murphy, Mason O.; Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Ennen, Joshua R.; Oldham, Christian R.; Meyer-Wilkins, Kathie; Bjurlin, Curtis; Austin, Meaghan; Madrak, Sheila V.; Loughran, Caleb L.; Tennant, Laura A.; Price, Steven J.

2015-01-01

Implications: This study has demonstrated that common handling practices on desert tortoise may cause voiding behaviour. These results suggest that in order to minimise undesirable behavioural responses in studied desert tortoise populations, defined procedures or protocols must be followed by the investigators to reduce contact period to the extent feasible.

ED01-0230-1

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-13

NASA's Helios Prototype aircraft taking off from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, for the record flight. As a follow-on to the Centurion (and earlier Pathfinder and Pathfinder-Plus) aircraft, the solar-powered Helios Prototype is the latest and largest example of a slow-flying ultralight flying wing designed for long-duration, high-altitude Earth science or telecommunications relay missions in the stratosphere. Developed by AeroVironment, Inc., of Monrovia, California, under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project, the unique craft is intended to demonstrate two key missions: the ability to reach and sustain horizontal flight at 100,000 feet altitude on a single-day flight in 2001, and to maintain flight above 50,000 feet altitude for at least four days in 2003, with the aid of a regenerative fuel cell-based energy storage system now in development. Both of these missions will be powered by electricity derived from non-polluting solar energy. The Helios Prototype is an enlarged version of the Centurion flying wing, which flew a series of test flights at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late 1998. The craft has a wingspan of 247 feet, 41 feet greater than the Centurion, 2 1/2 times that of its solar-powered Pathfinder flying wing, and longer than the wingspans of either the Boeing 747 jetliner or Lockheed C-5 transport aircraft. The remotely piloted, electrically powered Helios Prototype went aloft on its maiden low-altitude checkout flight Sept. 8, 1999, over Rogers Dry Lake adjacent to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in the Southern California desert. The initial flight series was flown on battery power as a risk-reduction measure. In all, six flights were flown in the Helios Protoype's initial development series. In upgrading the Centurion to the Helios Prototype configuration, AeroVironment added a sixth wing section and a fifth landing gear pod, among other improvements. The additional wingsp

Science Operations Development for Field Analogs: Lessons Learned from the 2010 Desert RATS Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eppler, D. B.; Ming, D. W.

2011-01-01

Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of hardware and operations tests carried out annually in the high desert of Arizona on the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Conducted since 1997, these activities are designed to exercise planetary surface hardware and operations in conditions where long-distance, multi-day roving is achievable. Such activities not only test vehicle subsystems through extended rough-terrain driving, they also stress communications and operations systems and allow testing of science operations approaches to advance human and robotic surface capabilities.

Initial Results from the Micro-pulse Lidar Network (MPL-Net)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welton, Ellsworth J.; Campbell, James R.; Berkoff, Timothy A.; Spinhirne, James D.; Ginoux, Paul; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The micro-pulse lidar system (MPL) was developed in the early 1990s and was the first small, eye-safe, and autonomous lidar built for full time monitoring of cloud and aerosol vertical distributions. In 2000, a new project using MPL systems was started at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This new project, the Micro-pulse Lidar Network or MPL-Net, was created to provide long-term observations of aerosol and cloud vertical profiles at key sites around the world. This is accomplished using both NASA operated sites and partnerships with other organizations owning MPL systems. The MPL-Net sites are co-located with NASA AERONET sunphotometers to provide aerosol optical depth data needed for calibration of the MPL. In addition to the long-term sites, MPL-Net provides lidar support for a limited number of field experiments and ocean cruises each year. We will present an overview of the MPL-Net project and show initial results from the first two MPL-Net sites at the South Pole and at Goddard Space Flight Center. Observations of dust layers transported from the Gobi desert, across the Pacific Ocean, to the east coast of the United States will also be shown. MPL-Net affiliated instruments were in place at the desert source region in China, on a research vessel in the Sea of Japan, at ARM sites in Alaska and Oklahoma, and finally at our home site in Maryland (GSFC) during the massive dust storms that occurred in April 2001. The MPL observations of dust layers at each location are shown in comparison to dust layers predicted using the Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). Finally, the MPL-Net project is the primary ground-validation program for the Geo-Science Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) satellite lidar project (launch date 2002). We will present an overview demonstrating how MPL-Net results are used to help prepare the GLAS data processing algorithms and assist in the calibration/validation of the GLAS data products.

Initial Results From The Micro-pulse Lidar Network (MPL-Net)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welton, E. J.; Campbell, J. R.; Berkoff, T. A.; Spinhirne, J. D.; Ginoux, P.

2001-12-01

The micro-pulse lidar system (MPL) was developed in the early 1990s and was the first small, eye-safe, and autonomous lidar built for fulltime monitoring of cloud and aerosol vertical distributions. In 2000, a new project using MPL systems was started at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This new project, the Micro-pulse Lidar Network or MPL-Net, was created to provide long-term observations of aerosol and cloud vertical profiles at key sites around the world. This is accomplished using both NASA operated sites and partnerships with other organizations owning MPL systems. The MPL-Net sites are co-located with NASA AERONET sunphotometers to provide aerosol optical depth data needed for calibration of the MPL. In addition to the long-term sites, MPL-Net provides lidar support for a limited number of field experiments and ocean cruises each year. We will present an overview of the MPL-Net project and show initial results from the first two MPL-Net sites at the South Pole and at Goddard Space Flight Center. Observations of dust layers transported from the desert regions of China, across the Pacific Ocean, to the east coast of the United States will also be shown. MPL-Net affiliated instruments were in place at the desert source region in China, on a research vessel in the Sea of Japan, at ARM sites in Alaska and Oklahoma, and finally at our home site in Maryland (GSFC) during the massive dust storms that occurred in April 2001. The MPL observations of dust layers at each location are shown in comparison to dust layers predicted using the Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). Finally, the MPL-Net project is the primary ground-validation program for the Geo-Science Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) satellite lidar project (launch date 2002). We will present an overview demonstrating how MPL-Net results are used to help prepare the GLAS data processing algorithms and assist in the calibration/validation of the GLAS data products.

Sacramento Valley, CA, USA

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-22

SL2-04-179 (22 June 1973) --- The Sacramento Valley (40.5N, 121.5W) of California is the northern extension of the Central Valley, main agriculture region of the state. Hundreds of truck farms, vineyards and orchards can be seen throughout the length and breadth of the valley which was reclaimed from the desert by means of intensive and extensive irrigation projects. Photo credit: NASA

Alluvial Fan, China

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-03

Image taken 5/2/2002 by ASTER: A vast alluvial fan blossoms across the desolate landscape between the Kunlun and Altun mountain ranges that form the southern border of the Taklimakan Desert in China's XinJiang Province. This image can be found on ASTER Path 143 Row 34, center: 37.43 N, 84.30 E. To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/

GEMINI-TITAN (GT)-12 - EARTH SKY - NORTHERN SONORA, MEXICO - OUTER SPACE

NASA Image and Video Library

1966-11-13

S66-62794 (13 Nov. 1966) --- Northern portion of Sonora, Mexico; southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, as seen from the Gemini-12 spacecraft during its 30th revolution of Earth. Includes the Tucson, Phoenix, Mogollon Rim, and Painted Desert areas. A 100-foot tether line connects the Agena Target Docking Vehicle with the Gemini-12 spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA.

Grumman OV-1C in hangar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Grumman OV-1C in the hangar used at the time by the Army at Edwards Air Force Base. This OV-1C Mohawk, serial #67-15932, was used in a joint NASA/US Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity (USAAEFA) program to study a stall-speed warning system in the early 1980s. NASA designed and built an automated stall-speed warning system which presented both airspeed and stall speed to the pilot. Visual indication of impending stall would be displayed to the pilot as a cursor or pointer located on a conventional airspeed indicator. In addition, an aural warning at predetermined stall margins was presented to the pilot through a voice synthesizer. The Mohawk was developed by Grumman Aircraft as a photo observation and electronic reconnaissance aircraft for the US Marines and the US Army. The OV-1 entered production in October 1959 and served the US Army in Europe, Korea, the Viet Nam War, Central and South America, Alaska, and during Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the Middle East. The Mohawk was retired from service in September 1996. 133 OV-1Cs were built, the 'C' designating the model which used an IR (infrared) imaging system to provide reconnaissance.

Atmospheric Movement of Microorganisms in Clouds of Desert Dust and Implications for Human Health

PubMed Central

Griffin, Dale W.

2007-01-01

Billions of tons of desert dust move through the atmosphere each year. The primary source regions, which include the Sahara and Sahel regions of North Africa and the Gobi and Takla Makan regions of Asia, are capable of dispersing significant quantities of desert dust across the traditionally viewed oceanic barriers. While a considerable amount of research by scientists has addressed atmospheric pathways and aerosol chemistry, very few studies to determine the numbers and types of microorganisms transported within these desert dust clouds and the roles that they may play in human health have been conducted. This review is a summary of the current state of knowledge of desert dust microbiology and the health impact that desert dust and its microbial constituents may have in downwind environments both close to and far from their sources. PMID:17630335

Atmospheric movement of microorganisms in clouds of desert dust and implications for human health

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffin, Dale W.

2007-01-01

Billions of tons of desert dust move through the atmosphere each year. The primary source regions, which include the Sahara and Sahel regions of North Africa and the Gobi and Takla Makan regions of Asia, are capable of dispersing significant quantities of desert dust across the traditionally viewed oceanic barriers. While a considerable amount of research by scientists has addressed atmospheric pathways and aerosol chemistry, very few studies to determine the numbers and types of microorganisms transported within these desert dust clouds and the roles that they may play in human health have been conducted. This review is a summary of the current state of knowledge of desert dust microbiology and the health impact that desert dust and its microbial constituents may have in downwind environments both close to and far from their sources.

Atmospheric movement of microorganisms in clouds of desert dust and implications for human health.

PubMed

Griffin, Dale W

2007-07-01

Billions of tons of desert dust move through the atmosphere each year. The primary source regions, which include the Sahara and Sahel regions of North Africa and the Gobi and Takla Makan regions of Asia, are capable of dispersing significant quantities of desert dust across the traditionally viewed oceanic barriers. While a considerable amount of research by scientists has addressed atmospheric pathways and aerosol chemistry, very few studies to determine the numbers and types of microorganisms transported within these desert dust clouds and the roles that they may play in human health have been conducted. This review is a summary of the current state of knowledge of desert dust microbiology and the health impact that desert dust and its microbial constituents may have in downwind environments both close to and far from their sources.

Magnetic Analysis Techniques Applied to Desert Varnish

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidgall, E. R.; Moskowitz, B. M.; Dahlberg, E. D.; Kuhlman, K. R.

2003-01-01

Desert varnish is a black or reddish coating commonly found on rock samples from arid regions. Typically, the coating is very thin, less than half a millimeter thick. Previous research has shown that the primary components of desert varnish are silicon oxide clay minerals (60%), manganese and iron oxides (20-30%), and trace amounts of other compounds [1]. Desert varnish is thought to originate when windborne particles containing iron and manganese oxides are deposited onto rock surfaces where manganese oxidizing bacteria concentrate the manganese and form the varnish [4,5]. If desert varnish is indeed biogenic, then the presence of desert varnish on rock surfaces could serve as a biomarker, indicating the presence of microorganisms. This idea has considerable appeal, especially for Martian exploration [6]. Magnetic analysis techniques have not been extensively applied to desert varnish. The only previous magnetic study reported that based on room temperature demagnetization experiments, there were noticeable differences in magnetic properties between a sample of desert varnish and the substrate sandstone [7]. Based upon the results of the demagnetization experiments, the authors concluded that the primary magnetic component of desert varnish was either magnetite (Fe3O4) or maghemite ( Fe2O3).

Designing a Web-Based Design Curriculum for Middle School Science: The WISE "Houses in the Desert" Project. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuthbert, Alex; Slotta, James

2004-01-01

Design activities allow students to create their own solutions, drawing upon a personal understanding of science principles and examples. We created the 'Houses in the Desert' project to engage middle school students in designing a passive solar house that will keep its owners comfortable in the desert climate. Students used their knowledge of…

KSC-2014-4324

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Prototype Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Prital Thakrar, left, design lead and student engineer trainee from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Anthony Bharrat, NASA avionics lead, and Evan Williams, an Education intern from the University of Central Florida, prepare the experiment container for NASA's Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere, or E-MIST, experiment. The container was designed and built at Kennedy. The 80-pound structure features four doors that rotate to expose up to 10 microbial samples each for a predetermined period of time in the Earth's stratosphere. The E-MIST experiment will launch on the exterior of a giant scientific balloon gondola at about 8 a.m. MST on Aug. 24 from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. It will soar 125,000 feet above the Earth during a 5-hour journey over the desert to understand how spore-forming bacteria, commonly found in spacecraft assembly facilities can survive. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-4325

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Prototype Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Prital Thakrar, left, design lead and student engineer trainee from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Anthony Bharrat, NASA avionics lead, and Evan Williams, an Education intern from the University of Central Florida, prepare the experiment container for NASA's Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere, or E-MIST, experiment. The container was designed and built at Kennedy. The 80-pound structure features four doors that rotate to expose up to 10 microbial samples each for a predetermined period of time in the Earth's stratosphere. The E-MIST experiment will launch on the exterior of a giant scientific balloon gondola at about 8 a.m. MST on Aug. 24 from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. It will soar 125,000 feet above the Earth during a 5-hour journey over the desert to understand how spore-forming bacteria, commonly found in spacecraft assembly facilities can survive. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

GSD Update: Year in Review: Spotlight on 2017 Research by the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

2018-01-01

In this issue of the GSD Update, we feature selected studies of the RMRS Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program (GSD) that focus on the theme of fire. Significant results of recent research and science delivery by GSD scientists are highlighted. We feature program research that lines up with the strategic priorities and goals of the USDA Forest...

GSD Update: Year in Review: Spotlight on 2016 Research by the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

2017-01-01

In this issue of the GSD Update, we take a look back at selected studies of the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program (GSD) that depict its strengths and focus areas. Significant results of recent research and science delivery by GSD scientists are highlighted. We feature program research that lines up with the strategic priorities of the USDA...

GSD Update: Year in Review: Spotlight on 2012 Research by the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science Program

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

2013-01-01

In this issue of the GSD Update, we take a look back at selected studies of the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystem Science Program (GSD) that depict its strengths and focus areas. Significant results of recent research and science applications by GSD scientists are highlighted. We identify where program research lines up with the strategic priorities of the USDA...

Nelson's big horn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) trample Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) burrow at a California wind energy facility

USGS Publications Warehouse

Agha, Mickey; Delaney, David F.; Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Briggs, Jessica; Austin, Meaghan; Price, Steven J.

2015-01-01

Research on interactions between Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) and ungulates has focused exclusively on the effects of livestock grazing on tortoises and their habitat (Oldemeyer, 1994). For example, during a 1980 study in San Bernardino County, California, 164 desert tortoise burrows were assessed for vulnerability to trampling by domestic sheep (Ovis aries). Herds of grazing sheep damaged 10% and destroyed 4% of the burrows (Nicholson and Humphreys 1981). In addition, a juvenile desert tortoise was trapped and an adult male was blocked from entering a burrow due to trampling by domestic sheep. Another study found that domestic cattle (Bos taurus) trampled active desert tortoise burrows and vegetation surrounding burrows (Avery and Neibergs 1997). Trampling also has negative impacts on diversity of vegetation and intershrub soil crusts in the desert southwest (Webb and Stielstra 1979). Trampling of important food plants and overgrazing has the potential to create competition between desert tortoises and domestic livestock (Berry 1978; Coombs 1979; Webb and Stielstra 1979).

Visibility monitoring in the southern California desert for the Department of Defense: Research on operations-limiting visual extinction, RESOLVE protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blumenthal, D.; Trijonis, J.

1984-09-01

A decrease in visibility in the R2508 airspace (in the western Mojave Desert in southern California) since the mid-1940s, when flight test and training facilities were established in this region, is adversely affecting flight and test operations. The Joint Policy and Planning Board (JPPB) of the Department of Defense has initiated studies and discussions of the visibility issue with the goal of developing a management strategy to maintain and optimize the operational capabilities of the test facilities. To identify trends in and sources of visibility degradation in the desert, JPPB initiated two programs: (1) a compilation and review of the historical visibility and air quality data in the California desert region, to be coordinated by the California Desert Air Working Group (CDAWG) and funded by CDAWG participants; and (2) RESearch on Operations-Limiting Visual Extinction (RESOLVE), which involves measuring the visibility at key receptor sites (monitoring stations) in the R2508 region. The report describes the current status of and future plans for the RESOLVE program.

Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) 2007 Field Campaign Objectives and Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosmo, Joseph; Romig, Barbara

2008-01-01

Desert "RATS" (Research and Technology Studies) is a combined, multi-discipline group of inter-NASA center scientists and engineers, net-working and collaborating with representatives of industry and academia, for the purpose of conducting planetary surface exploration-focused remote field exercises. These integrated testing exercises conducted under representative analog Lunar and Mars surface terrain conditions, provide NASA the capability to validate experimental prototype hardware and software systems as well as to evaluate and develop mission operational techniques in order to identify and establish technical requirements and identify potential technology "gaps" applicable for future planetary human exploration. The 2007 D-RATS field campaign test activities were initiated based on the major themes and objectives of a notional 5-year plan developed for conducting relative analog test activities in support of the engineering evaluation and assessment of various system architectural requirements, conceptual prototype support equipment and selected technologies necessary for the establishment of a lunar outpost. Specifically, the major objectives included measuring task efficiency during robot, human, and human-robot interactive tasks associated with lunar outpost site surveying and reconnaissance activities and deployment of a representative solar panel power and distribution system. In addition, technology demonstrations were conducted with a new Lithium-ion battery and autonomous software to coordinate multiple robot activities. Secondary objectives were evaluating airlock concept mockups and prototype removable space suit over-garment elements for dust mitigation, and upgrades to the prototype extravehicular activities (EVA) communication and information system. Dry run test activities, prior to testing at a designated remote field site location, were initially conducted at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Remote Field Demonstration Test Site. This is a multi-acre external test site located at JSC and has detailed representative terrain features simulating both Lunar and Mars surface characteristics. Both the local JSC and remote field test sites have terrain conditions that are representative and characteristic of both the Moon and Mars, such as strewn rock and volcanic ash fields, craters, rolling plains, hills, gullies, slopes, and outcrops. The D-RATS 2007 field campaign, representing the completion of its tenth year of analog testing, was conducted at the large Cinder Lake volcanic ash bed area adjacent to Flagstaff, Arizona.

Deserts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belnap, Jayne; Webb, Robert H.; Esque, Todd; Brooks, Matthew L.; DeFalco, Lesley; MacMahon, James A.

2016-01-01

The deserts of California (Lead photo, Fig. 1) occupy approximately 38% of California’s landscape (Table 1) and consist of three distinct deserts: the Great Basin Desert, Mojave Desert, and Colorado Desert, the latter of which is a subdivision of the Sonoran Desert (Brown and Lowe 1980). The wide range of climates and geology found within each of these deserts result in very different vegetative communities and ecosystem processes and therefore different ecosystem services. In deserts, extreme conditions such as very high and low temperatures and very low rainfall result in abiotic factors (climate, geology, geomorphology, and soils) controlling the composition and function of ecosystems, including plant and animal distributions. This is in contrast to wetter and milder temperatures found in other ecosystems, where biotic interactions are the dominant driving force. However, despite the harsh conditions in deserts, they are home to a surprisingly large number of plants and animals. Deserts are also places where organisms display a wide array of adaptations to the extremes they encounter, providing some of the best examples of Darwinian selection (MacMahon and Wagner 1985, Ward 2009). Humans have utilized these regions for thousands of years, despite the relatively low productivity and harsh climates of these landscapes. Unlike much of California, most of these desert lands have received little high-intensity use since European settlement, leaving large areas relatively undisturbed. Desert landscapes are being altered, however, by the introduction of fire following the recent invasion of Mediterranean annual grasses. As most native plants are not fire-adapted, they Many do not recover, whereas the non-native grasses flourish. Because desert lands are slow to recover from disturbances, energy exploration and development, recreational use, and urban development will alter these landscapes for many years to come. This chapter provides a brief description of where the different deserts of California are located and their dominant vegetative communities. The abiotic factors that define these deserts and how these factors control vegetation and thus animal distribution among and within the various deserts are examined next. Following this section, ecosystem processes and iconic species of these deserts are discussed, followed by a concluding section on the future of these landscapes. The latter section will be mostly focused on the Mojave Desert, as it is both the largest California desert and also where most of the research on California deserts has occurred.

A View of the Painted Desert Near Mawrth Vallis

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-07

The clay-rich terrain surrounding Mawrth Vallis is one of the most scenic regions of Mars, a future interplanetary park, as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Here, we cut a long, oblique view into strips to see the full color coverage in more compact form. The origin of these altered layers is the subject of continued debates, perhaps to be resolved by a future rover on the surface. We do know that these layers are very ancient, dating back to a time when the environment of Mars was wetter and more habitable, if there were any inhabitants. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21871

Reusable science tools for analog exploration missions: xGDS Web Tools, VERVE, and Gigapan Voyage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Susan Y.; Lees, David; Cohen, Tamar; Allan, Mark; Deans, Matthew; Morse, Theodore; Park, Eric; Smith, Trey

2013-10-01

The Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS) project led by the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) at NASA Ames Research Center creates software tools to support multiple NASA-led planetary analog field experiments. The two primary tools that fall under the xGDS umbrella are the xGDS Web Tools (xGDS-WT) and Visual Environment for Remote Virtual Exploration (VERVE). IRG has also developed a hardware and software system that is closely integrated with our xGDS tools and is used in multiple field experiments called Gigapan Voyage. xGDS-WT, VERVE, and Gigapan Voyage are examples of IRG projects that improve the ratio of science return versus development effort by creating generic and reusable tools that leverage existing technologies in both hardware and software. xGDS Web Tools provides software for gathering and organizing mission data for science and engineering operations, including tools for planning traverses, monitoring autonomous or piloted vehicles, visualization, documentation, analysis, and search. VERVE provides high performance three dimensional (3D) user interfaces used by scientists, robot operators, and mission planners to visualize robot data in real time. Gigapan Voyage is a gigapixel image capturing and processing tool that improves situational awareness and scientific exploration in human and robotic analog missions. All of these technologies emphasize software reuse and leverage open source and/or commercial-off-the-shelf tools to greatly improve the utility and reduce the development and operational cost of future similar technologies. Over the past several years these technologies have been used in many NASA-led robotic field campaigns including the Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), the Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP), the K10 Robotic Follow-Up tests, and most recently we have become involved in the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) field experiments. A major objective of these joint robot and crew experiments is to improve NASAs understanding of how to most effectively execute and increase science return from exploration missions. This paper focuses on an integrated suite of xGDS software and compatible hardware tools: xGDS Web Tools, VERVE, and Gigapan Voyage, how they are used, and the design decisions that were made to allow them to be easily developed, integrated, tested, and reused by multiple NASA field experiments and robotic platforms.

Changes in urine parameters after desert exposure: assessment of stone risk in United States Marines transiently exposed to a desert environment.

PubMed

Masterson, James H; Jourdain, Victor J; Collard, Daniel A; Choe, Chong H; Christman, Matthew S; L'Esperance, James O; Auge, Brian K

2013-01-01

Living in a desert environment has been associated with a higher incidence of kidney stone formation, likely because of concentrated urine output, higher production of vitamin D and genetic predisposition. We determined the changes in urinary parameters after a group of United States Marines temporarily transitioned from a temperate environment to a desert environment. A total of 50 Marines completed a questionnaire and performed 3, 24-hour urine collections before mobilization to the desert, after 30 days in the desert and 2 weeks after returning from the desert. Daily urine output decreased 68% to 0.52 L despite marked increased fluid intake (17 L per day). Total daily urinary excretion of calcium, uric acid, sodium, magnesium and potassium in the desert decreased by 70%, 41%, 53%, 22% and 36%, respectively. Urinary pH decreased from 6.1 to 5.6 while in the desert, and citrate and oxalate had minimal changes. After their return from the desert, apart from a decrease of 22% in oxalate, there were no statistically significant differences from baseline. While in the desert, relative supersaturation risks of uric acid and sodium urate were increased 153% and 56%, respectively. Brushite relative supersaturation decreased 24%. After their return there was no statistical difference from baseline. Our findings suggest that the kidneys preserved water and electrolytes while the Marines were subjected to the desert environment. Despite this conservation, relative saturations indicate increased risk of stones in healthy men exposed to a desert environment with rapid resolution upon return. Copyright © 2013 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phoenix, AZ, USA

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-22

SL2-03-200 (22 June 1973) --- The city of Phoenix, AZ (33.5N, 112.0W) can be seen in good detail in this color infrared scene. Situated among truck crop agriculture fields, the color infrared photo depicts the vegetated fields as shades of red making the agriculture stand out in this desert environment. To the east, Lake Theodore Roosevelt and dam can be easily seen. Photo credit: NASA

A Tour of the Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ardenski, Brooke; Stephan, George R.

1997-01-01

Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) is located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert, 40 miles north of Barstow, California. The antenna, identified as DSS-12, is a 34-meter diameter dish, 11 times the diameter of a ten foot microwave dish used for satellite television. DSS-12 has been used by NASA to communicate with robotic space probes for more than thirty years.

Mojave Desert, California

NASA Image and Video Library

1981-04-14

STS001-12-308 (12-14 April 1981) --- Space shuttle Columbia approached Edwards Air Force Base from the left to land at the dry lake at the center. The view is to the southwest. The edge of the light "vee" is the intersection of the San Andres and Garlock Faults at Fort Tejon. Los Angeles is at upper right. Owens Lake is at the lower center. Photo credit: NASA

Shrinking Aral Sea

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

(Aral Sea: left 2014 and right 2000, 1960 extent black line) In the 1960s, the Soviet Union undertook a major water diversion project on the arid plains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The region’s two major rivers, fed by snowmelt and precipitation in faraway mountains, were used to transform the desert into farms for cotton and other crops. Before the project, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers flowed down from the mountains, cut northwest through the Kyzylkum Desert, and finally pooled together in the lowest part of the basin. The lake they made, the Aral Sea, was once the fourth largest in the world. Although irrigation made the desert bloom, it devastated the Aral Sea. This series of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite documents the changes. At the start of the series in 2000, the lake was already a fraction of its 1960 extent (black line). The Northern Aral Sea (sometimes called the Small Aral Sea) had separated from the Southern (Large) Aral Sea. The Southern Aral Sea had split into eastern and western lobes that remained tenuously connected at both ends. By 2001, the southern connection had been severed, and the shallower eastern part retreated rapidly over the next several years. Especially large retreats in the eastern lobe of the Southern Sea appear to have occurred between 2005 and 2009, when drought limited and then cut off the flow of the Amu Darya. Water levels then fluctuated annually between 2009 and 2014 in alternately dry and wet years. Dry conditions in 2014 caused the Southern Sea’s eastern lobe to completely dry up for the first time in modern times. Continue reading: 1.usa.gov/1nLX9Ku Read more: 1.usa.gov/1pqEnDj 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

Application of Space Technology to Discovery of Ancient Desert Trade Routes in the Southern Arabian Peninsula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blom, Ronald; Crippen, Robert; Hedges, George; Zarins, Juris

1997-01-01

Over the last decade, an unusual combination of historical research, traditional archaeology, and application of space technolgy has demonstrated the existence of trans-desert trade routes in the sourthern Arabian peninsula.

Insights on How NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Monitors Our World Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.

2000-01-01

The Earth Observing System (EOS) is a space-based observing system comprised of a series of satellite sensors by which scientists can monitor the Earth, a Data and Information System (EOSDIS) enabling researchers worldwide to access the satellite data, and an interdisciplinary science research program to interpret the satellite data. During this year, four EOS science missions were launched, representing observations of (1) total solar irradiance, (2) Earth radiation budget, (3) land cover and land use change, (4) ocean processes (vector wind, sea surface temperature, and ocean color), (5) atmospheric processes (aerosol and cloud properties, water vapor, and temperature and moisture profiles), and (6) tropospheric chemistry. In succeeding years many more satellites will be launched that will contribute immeasurably to our understanding of the Earth's environment. In this presentation I will describe how scientists are using EOS data to examine land use and natural hazards, environmental air quality, including dust storms over the world's deserts, cloud and radiation properties, sea surface temperature, and winds over the ocean.

Flight Test Performance of a High Precision Navigation Doppler Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierrottet, Diego; Amzajerdian, Farzin; Petway, Larry; Barnes, Bruce; Lockard, George

2009-01-01

A navigation Doppler Lidar (DL) was developed at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) for high precision velocity measurements from a lunar or planetary landing vehicle in support of the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) project. A unique feature of this DL is that it has the capability to provide a precision velocity vector which can be easily separated into horizontal and vertical velocity components and high accuracy line of sight (LOS) range measurements. This dual mode of operation can provide useful information, such as vehicle orientation relative to the direction of travel, and vehicle attitude relative to the sensor footprint on the ground. System performance was evaluated in a series of helicopter flight tests over the California desert. This paper provides a description of the DL system and presents results obtained from these flight tests.

Fatigue and its Effect on Performance in Military Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

orne and orne , 1985). operational environments share common characteristics such as long work hours, working conditions that vary from boring to...operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (Interim No. NAMrL-1377). Pensacola, FL: Naval Aerospace Medical research Laboratory. Dinges, D.F., orne , K.T. and... orne , E.C. (1985) “Assessing Performance upon Abrupt Awakening from Naps during Quasi-Continuous operations”, Behavior Research Methods, Instruments

Dust in the wind: long range transport of dust in the atmosphere and its implications for global public and ecosystem health

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffin, Dale W.; Kellogg, Christina A.; Shinn, Eugene A.

2001-01-01

Movement of soil particles in atmospheres is a normal planetary process. Images of Martian dust devils (wind-spouts) and dust storms captured by NASA's Pathfinder have demonstrated the significant role that storm activity plays in creating the red atmospheric haze of Mars. On Earth, desert soils moving in the atmosphere are responsible for the orange hues in brilliant sunrises and sunsets. In severe dust storm events, millions of tons of soil may be moved across great expanses of land and ocean. An emerging scientific interest in the process of soil transport in the Earth's atmosphere is in the field of public and ecosystem health. This article will address the benefits and the potential hazards associated with exposure to particle fallout as clouds of desert dust traverse the globe.

The Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory For Desert Adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, John D.; Phillips, Gregory C.

1985-11-01

The Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory for Desert Adaptation (PGEL) is one of five Centers of Technical Excellence established as a part of the state of New Mexico's Rio Grande Research Corridor (RGRC). The scientific mission of PGEL is to bring innovative advances in plant biotechnology to bear on agricultural productivity in arid and semi-arid regions. Research activities focus on molecular and cellular genetics technology development in model systems, but also include stress physiology investigations and development of desert plant resources. PGEL interacts with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), a national laboratory participating in the RGRC. PGEL also has an economic development mission, which is being pursued through technology transfer activities to private companies and public agencies.

Gas-grain simulation facility: Aerosol and particle research in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huntington, Judith L. (Editor); Greenwald, Ken (Editor); Rogers, C. Fred (Editor); Stratton, David M. (Editor); Simmons, Brenda (Editor); Fonda, Mark L. (Editor)

1994-01-01

This document reports on the proceedings of the Gas-Grain Simulation Facility (GGSF) Science Workshop which was co-hosted by NASA Ames Research Center and Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada System, and held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 4-6, 1992. The intent of the workshop was to bring together the science community of potential GGSF experimenters, Science Working Group and staff members, and the Phase A contractor to review the Phase A design with the science participants and to facilitate communication between the science community and the hardware developers. The purpose of this report is to document the information disseminated at the workshop, to record the participants' review of the Phase A GGSF design concept and the current science and technical requirements for the Facility, and to respond to any questions or concerns that were raised at the Workshop. Recommendations for the future based on numerous discussions with the participants are documented, as well as science presentations and poster sessions that were given at the Workshop and a summary of 21 candidate experiments.

KSC-2014-4323

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-24

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Prototype Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Evan Williams, an Education intern from the University of Central Florida, prepares the experiment container for NASA's Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere, or E-MIST, experiment. The container was designed and built at Kennedy. The 80-pound structure features four doors that rotate to expose up to 10 microbial samples each for a predetermined period of time in the Earth's stratosphere. The E-MIST experiment will launch on the exterior of a giant scientific balloon gondola at about 8 a.m. MST on Aug. 24 from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. It will soar 125,000 feet above the Earth during a 5-hour journey over the desert to understand how spore-forming bacteria, commonly found in spacecraft assembly facilities can survive. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Lidar Measurements for Desert Dust Characterization: An Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mona, L.; Liu, Z.; Mueller, D.; Omar, A.; Papayannis, A.; Pappalardo, G.; Sugimoto, N.; Vaughan, M.

2012-01-01

We provide an overview of light detection and ranging (lidar) capability for describing and characterizing desert dust. This paper summarizes lidar techniques, observations, and fallouts of desert dust lidar measurements. The main objective is to provide the scientific community, including non-practitioners of lidar observations with a reference paper on dust lidar measurements. In particular, it will fill the current gap of communication between research-oriented lidar community and potential desert dust data users, such as air quality monitoring agencies and aviation advisory centers. The current capability of the different lidar techniques for the characterization of aerosol in general and desert dust in particular is presented. Technical aspects and required assumptions of these techniques are discussed, providing readers with the pros and cons of each technique. Information about desert dust collected up to date using lidar techniques is reviewed. Lidar techniques for aerosol characterization have a maturity level appropriate for addressing air quality and transportation issues, as demonstrated by some first results reported in this paper

The response of Hordeum spontaneum desert ecotype to drought and excessive light intensity is characterized by induction of O2 dependent photochemical activity and anthocyanin accumulation.

PubMed

Eppel, Amir; Keren, Nir; Salomon, Eitan; Volis, Sergei; Rachmilevitch, Shimon

2013-03-01

The goal of the current research was to study the role of anthocyanin accumulation, O(2)-related photochemical processes and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in the response of desert and Mediterranean plants to drought and excessive light. Plants of Hordeum spontaneum were collected from Mediterranean and desert environments and were subjected to terminal drought for 25 days and then measured for PSII yield at 2 and 21% O(2), NPQ, net carbon assimilation, stomatal conductance, leaf relative water content (LRWC), anthocyanin concentration and leaf absorbance. Under terminal drought, LRWC, carbon assimilation and stomatal conductance decreased similarly and significantly in both the Mediterranean and the desert ecotypes. Anthocyanin accumulated more in the desert ecotype than in the Mediterranean ecotype. NPQ increased more in the Mediterranean ecotype as compared with the desert ecotype. PSII yield decreased significantly in the Mediterranean ecotype under drought and was much lower than in the desert ecotype under drought. The relatively high PSII yield under drought in the desert ecotype was O(2) dependent. The response of the H. spontaneum ecotype from a desert environment to drought stress was characterized by anthocyanin accumulation and induction of O(2) dependent photochemical activity, while the response of the Mediterranean ecotype was based on a higher induction of NPQ. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

United States Air Force Summer Research Program 1991. High School Apprenticeship Program (HSAP) Reports. Volume 10. Armstrong Laboratory

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-09

opportunity to spend eight weeks during the summer doing scientific research at the laboratory. Each student is assigned a mentor from the laboratory. During ...AAMRL) 1 A Study on Human Response to Dynamic Impact During Flight Caroline Ch,ag 2 Implementation of the Clean Air Act Relative to Toxicological Research...Crew Rest Intervals for Accelerated MAC Missions: Lessons Lori Olenick from Desert Storm 24 Air Crew Diets During Desert Storm Carol Salinas 25

Burner Rig Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-12

The Fuel Burner Rig is a test laboratory at NASA Glenn, which subjects new jet engine materials, treated with protective coatings, to the hostile, high temperature, high velocity environment found inside aircraft turbine engines. These samples face 200-mile per hour flames to simulate the temperatures of aircraft engines in flight. The rig can also simulate aircraft carrier and dusty desert operations where salt and sand can greatly reduce engine life and performance.

Life as a cataglyphologist--and beyond.

PubMed

Wehner, Rüdiger

2013-01-01

Rüdiger Wehner's lifelong research activities centered on Cataglyphis have rendered these thermophilic desert ants model organisms in the study of animal navigation. The present account describes how the author encountered Cataglyphis and established a study site at Maharès, Tunisia; how he increasingly focused his research on the neuroethological analysis of the ant's navigational toolkit; and finally, how he extended these studies to thermophilic desert ants in other deserts of the world, to Ocymyrmex in southern Africa and Melophorus in central Australia. By including aspects of functional morphology, physiology, and ecology in his research projects, he has favored-and advocated-an organism-centered approach. Beyond "cataglyphology," he was engaged in substantial teaching both at his home university in Zürich and overseas, writing a textbook, running a department, and working as a Permanent Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin.

Microbial ecology of hot desert edaphic systems.

PubMed

Makhalanyane, Thulani P; Valverde, Angel; Gunnigle, Eoin; Frossard, Aline; Ramond, Jean-Baptiste; Cowan, Don A

2015-03-01

A significant proportion of the Earth's surface is desert or in the process of desertification. The extreme environmental conditions that characterize these areas result in a surface that is essentially barren, with a limited range of higher plants and animals. Microbial communities are probably the dominant drivers of these systems, mediating key ecosystem processes. In this review, we examine the microbial communities of hot desert terrestrial biotopes (including soils, cryptic and refuge niches and plant-root-associated microbes) and the processes that govern their assembly. We also assess the possible effects of global climate change on hot desert microbial communities and the resulting feedback mechanisms. We conclude by discussing current gaps in our understanding of the microbiology of hot deserts and suggest fruitful avenues for future research. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Airborne Sea of Dust over China

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

TDust covered northern China in the last week of March during some of the worst dust storms to hit the region in a decade. The dust obscuring China's Inner Mongolian and Shanxi Provinces on March 24, 2002, is compared with a relatively clear day (October 31, 2001) in these images from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera aboard NASA's Terra satellite. Each image represents an area of about 380 by 630 kilometers (236 by 391 miles). In the image from late March, shown on the right, wave patterns in the yellowish cloud liken the storm to an airborne ocean of dust. The veil of particulates obscures features on the surface north of the Yellow River (visible in the lower left). The area shown lies near the edge of the Gobi desert, a few hundred kilometers, or miles, west of Beijing. Dust originates from the desert and travels east across northern China toward the Pacific Ocean. For especially severe storms, fine particles can travel as far as North America. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer, built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is one of five Earth-observing instruments aboard the Terra satellite, launched in December 1999. The instrument acquires images of Earth at nine angles simultaneously, using nine separate cameras pointed forward, downward and backward along its flight path. The change in reflection at different view angles affords the means to distinguish different types of atmospheric particles, cloud forms and land surface covers. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team

Landsat View: Las Vegas, Nevada

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Over the years of the Landsat program, the desert city of Las Vegas has gone through a massive growth spurt. The outward expansion of the city over the last quarter of a century is shown here with two false-color Landsat 5 images (August 3, 1984, and November 2, 2011). The dark purple grid of city streets and the green of irrigated vegetation grow out in every direction into the surrounding desert. These images were created using reflected light from the shortwave infrared, near-infrared, and green portions of the electromagnetic spectrum (Landsat 5 TM bands 7,4,2). ---- NASA and the U.S. Department of the Interior through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) jointly manage Landsat, and the USGS preserves a 40-year archive of Landsat images that is freely available over the Internet. The next Landsat satellite, now known as the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) and later to be called Landsat 8, is scheduled for launch in 2013. In honor of Landsat’s 40th anniversary in July 2012, the USGS released the LandsatLook viewer – a quick, simple way to go forward and backward in time, pulling images of anywhere in the world out of the Landsat archive. 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

Evaluation of Dual Pressurized Rover Operations During Simulated Planetary Surface Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abercromby, Andrew F. J.; Gernhardt, Michael L.

2010-01-01

Introduction: A pair of small pressurized rovers (Space Exploration Vehicles, or SEVs) is at the center of the Global Point-of-Departure architecture for future human planetary exploration. Simultaneous operation of multiple crewed surface assets should maximize productive crew time, minimize overhead, and preserve contingency return paths. Methods: A 14-day mission simulation was conducted in the Arizona desert as part of NASA?s 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS). The simulation involved two SEV concept vehicles performing geological exploration under varied operational modes affecting both the extent to which the SEVs must maintain real-time communications with mission control ("Continuous" vs. "Twice-a-Day") and their proximity to each other ("Lead-and-Follow" vs. "Divide-and-Conquer"). As part of a minimalist lunar architecture, no communications relay satellites were assumed. Two-person crews consisting of an astronaut and a field geologist operated each SEV, day and night, throughout the entire 14-day mission, only leaving via the suit ports to perform simulated extravehicular activities. Standard metrics enabled quantification of the habitability and usability of all aspects of the SEV concept vehicles throughout the mission, as well as comparison of the extent to which the operating modes affected crew productivity and performance. Practically significant differences in the relevant metrics were prospectively defined for the testing of all hypotheses. Results and Discussion: Data showed a significant 14% increase in available science time (AST) during Lead-and-Follow mode compared with Divide-and-Conquer, primarily because of the minimal overhead required to maintain communications during Lead-and-Follow. In Lead-and-Follow mode, there was a non-significant 2% increase in AST during Twice-a-Day vs. Continuous communications. Situational awareness of the other vehicle?s location, activities, and contingency return constraints were enhanced during Lead-and-Follow and Twice-a-Day communications modes due to line-of-sight and direct SEV-to-SEV communication. Preliminary analysis of Scientific Data Quality and Observation Quality metrics showed no significant differences between modes.

Simulated climate effects of desert irrigation geoengineering.

PubMed

Cheng, Wei; Moore, John C; Cao, Long; Ji, Duoying; Zhao, Liyun

2017-04-18

Geoengineering, the deliberate large-scale manipulation of earth's energy balance to counteract global warming, is an attractive proposition for sparsely populated deserts. We use the BNU and UVic Earth system models to simulate the effects of irrigating deserts under the RCP8.5 scenario. Previous studies focused on increasing desert albedo to reduce global warming; in contrast we examine how extending afforestation and ecological projects, that successfully improve regional environments, fair for geoengineering purposes. As expected desert irrigation allows vegetation to grow, with bare soil or grass gradually becoming shrub or tree covered, with increases in terrestrial carbon storage of 90.3 Pg C (UVic-ESCM) - 143.9 Pg C (BNU-ESM). Irrigating global deserts makes the land surface temperature decrease by 0.48 °C and land precipitation increase by 100 mm yr -1 . In the irrigated areas, BNU-ESM simulates significant cooling of up to 4.2 °C owing to the increases in low cloud and latent heat which counteract the warming effect due to decreased surface albedo. Large volumes of water would be required to maintain global desert irrigation, equivalent 10 mm/year of global sea level (BNU-ESM) compensate for evapotranspiration losses. Differences in climate responses between the deserts prompt research into tailored albedo-irrigation schemes.

Simulated climate effects of desert irrigation geoengineering

PubMed Central

Cheng, Wei; Moore, John C.; Cao, Long; Ji, Duoying; Zhao, Liyun

2017-01-01

Geoengineering, the deliberate large-scale manipulation of earth’s energy balance to counteract global warming, is an attractive proposition for sparsely populated deserts. We use the BNU and UVic Earth system models to simulate the effects of irrigating deserts under the RCP8.5 scenario. Previous studies focused on increasing desert albedo to reduce global warming; in contrast we examine how extending afforestation and ecological projects, that successfully improve regional environments, fair for geoengineering purposes. As expected desert irrigation allows vegetation to grow, with bare soil or grass gradually becoming shrub or tree covered, with increases in terrestrial carbon storage of 90.3 Pg C (UVic-ESCM) – 143.9 Pg C (BNU-ESM). Irrigating global deserts makes the land surface temperature decrease by 0.48 °C and land precipitation increase by 100 mm yr−1. In the irrigated areas, BNU-ESM simulates significant cooling of up to 4.2 °C owing to the increases in low cloud and latent heat which counteract the warming effect due to decreased surface albedo. Large volumes of water would be required to maintain global desert irrigation, equivalent 10 mm/year of global sea level (BNU-ESM) compensate for evapotranspiration losses. Differences in climate responses between the deserts prompt research into tailored albedo-irrigation schemes. PMID:28418005

Desert winds: Monitoring wind-related surface processes in Arizona, New Mexico, and California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breed, Carol S.; Reheis, Marith C.

1999-01-01

The 18-year Desert Winds Project established instrumented field sites in the five major regions of the North American Desert to obtain meteorological, geological, and vegetation data for natural desert sites affected by wind erosion. The eight chapters in this volume describe the settings and operation of the stations and summarize eolian-related research to date around the stations. The report includes studies of the sand-moving effectiveness of storm winds, wind-erosion susceptibility of different ground-surface types, relations of dust storms to meteorological conditions, mediation of wind erosion by vegetation, remote sensing to detect vegetation changes related to climate change, and comparison of regional dust deposition to that near Owens (dry) Lake.

Effects of mobility and location on food access.

PubMed

Coveney, John; O'Dwyer, Lisel A

2009-03-01

Access to healthy food has become an important area of investigation for researchers interested in health disparities and inequalities. The debate about the existence and characteristics of 'food deserts' has increased the interest in food availability and equity in health research. This debate is crucial to an understanding of the factors leading to food security. Research reported here used in-depth interviews with respondents without private transport living within and outside food deserts in Adelaide, South Australia. The respondents came from a variety of households, including single and double parent families, and people living alone. The research found that living in a food desert did not, by itself, impose food access difficulties. Far more important was the access to independent transport to shops. A number of features were identified in this research including reliance on supermarkets, difficulties with public transport, and the provision of government schemes and systems that for some made food shopping much easier. The research suggests that food access problems in Adelaide are not so much the product of geographic distance between home and shop, as the social or welfare networks that allow people to access private transport.

Mars Rover Opportunity Panorama of Wharton Ridge Enhanced Color

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-07

This scene from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows "Wharton Ridge," which forms part of the southern wall of "Marathon Valley" on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. In this version of the scene the landscape is presented in enhanced color to make differences in surface materials more easily visible The full extent of Wharton Ridge is visible, with the floor of Endeavour Crater beyond it and the far wall of the crater in the distant background. Near the right edge of the scene is "Lewis and Clark Gap," through which Opportunity crossed from Marathon Valley to "Bitterroot Valley" in September 2016. Before the rover departed Marathon Valley, its panoramic camera (Pancam) acquired the component images for this scene on Aug. 30, 2016, during the 4,480th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars. Opportunity's science team chose the ridge's name to honor the memory of Robert A. Wharton (1951-2012), an astrobiologist who was a pioneer in the use of terrestrial analog environments, particularly in Antarctica, to study scientific problems connected to the habitability of Mars. Over the course of his career, he was a visiting senior scientist at NASA Headquarters, vice president for research at the Desert Research Institute, provost at Idaho State University, and president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The view spans from east-northeast at left to southeast at right. Color in the scene comes from component images taken through three of the Pancam's color filters, centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near-infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20850

Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States: A review of food deserts literature.

PubMed

Walker, Renee E; Keane, Christopher R; Burke, Jessica G

2010-09-01

Increasingly, studies are focusing on the role the local food environment plays in residents' ability to purchase affordable, healthy and nutritious foods. In a food desert, an area devoid of a supermarket, access to healthy food is limited. We conducted a systematic review of studies that focused on food access and food desert research in the United States. The 31 studies identified utilized 9 measures to assess food access. Results from these studies can be summarized primarily into four major statements. Findings from other countries offer insight into ways, in which future research, policy development and program implementation in the U.S. may continue to be explored. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Desert soil collection at the JPL soil science laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blank, G. B.; Cameron, R. E.

1969-01-01

Collection contains desert soils and other geologic materials collected from sites in the United States and foreign countries. Soils are useful for test purposes in research related to extraterrestrial life detection, sampling, harsh environmental studies, and determining suitable areas for training astronauts for lunar exploration.

Desert Survivors!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horton, Jessica; Friedenstab, Steve

2013-01-01

This article describes a special third-grade classroom unit based on the reality show "Survivor." The goal of this engaging and interactive unit was to teach students about physical and behavioral adaptations that help animals survive in various desert biomes. The activity combines research, argument, and puppet play over one week of…

Mojave Desert, California

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-22

SL2-03-126 (June 1973) --- A color infrared photograph of the Los Angeles County and Kern County area, taken from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit during its first manned Skylab mission. The Mojave Desert occupies the northeast one-fourth of the photograph. Lake Isabella in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is the v-shaped body of water. The San Gabriel Mountains extend across the southern part of the picture. At lower center is the intersection of the San Andreas and Garlock faults. The San Joaquin Valley is in the center at the left edge. (The picture should be held with the heavy cloud cover at lower right corner so that north will be at top.) This picture was exposed by one of the six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility experiment in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the Skylab space station. Type 2443 film was used. Photo credit: NASA

Earth Sky GT-7

NASA Image and Video Library

1965-12-07

S65-63784 (7 Dec. 1965) --- Algeria, south of Celemb Bechar, as seen from the orbiting Gemini-7 spacecraft during its 42nd revolution of Earth. Note rain runoff on the desert floor. Astronaut Frank Borman and James A. Lovell Jr. were aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration?s Gemini-7 spacecraft. The photograph was taken with a modified 70mm Hasselblad camera, using Eastman Kodak, Ektachrome MS (S.O. 217) color film. Photo credit: NASA

Ocean Sand, Bahamas

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-04-20

NASA image acquired January 17, 2001 Though the above image may resemble a new age painting straight out of an art gallery in Venice Beach, California, it is in fact a satellite image of the sands and seaweed in the Bahamas. The image was taken by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) instrument aboard the Landsat 7 satellite. Tides and ocean currents in the Bahamas sculpted the sand and seaweed beds into these multicolored, fluted patterns in much the same way that winds sculpted the vast sand dunes in the Sahara Desert. Image courtesy Serge Andrefouet, University of South Florida Instrument: Landsat 7 - ETM+ Credit: NASA/GSFC/Landsat 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 Join us on Facebook

Snow In the Sahara

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

In December 2016, snow fell in the Sahara for the first time since 1979. In 1984, the charitable supergroup Band Aid sang: “There won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time.” In fact, it does snow in Africa at high elevations. Kilimanjaro has long had a cap of snow and ice, though it has been shrinking. Skiiers travel for natural and manufactured snow in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria, as well as a few spots in South Africa and Lesotho. Nonetheless, snow on the edge of the Sahara Desert is rare. On December 19, 2016, snow fell on the Algerian town of Ain Sefra, which is sometimes referred to as the “gateway to the desert.” The town of roughly 35,000 people sits between the Atlas Mountains and the northern edge of the Sahara. The last recorded snowfall in Ain Sefra occurred in February 1979. The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) on the Landsat 7 satellite acquired this natural-color image of snow in North Africa on December 19, 2016. This scene shows an area near the border of Morocco and Algeria, south of the city of Bouarfa and southwest of Ain Sefra. Though the news has been dominated by snow in the Saharan city, a review of several years of satellite data suggests that snow is also pretty rare in this section of the Atlas range. Read more: go.nasa.gov/2hIH4Xe NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Caption by Mike Carlowicz. b>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

Approach & Landing Test (ALT) - Shuttle Free-Flight (FF)-2 - New Release

NASA Image and Video Library

1977-09-13

S77-28141 (13 Sept 1977) --- The shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" makes a slight turn and bank maneuver during the second free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted on September 13, 1977, at the Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California. The "Enterprise" separated from the NASA 747 carrier aircraft and landed following a five-minute, 28-second unpowered flight. The Orbiter 101 crew was astronauts Joe H. Engle, commander, and Richard H. Truly, pilot. The ALT free flights are designed to verify orbiter subsonic airworthiness, integrated systems operations and pilot-guided approach and landing capability and satisfy prerequisites to automatic flight control and navigation mode. The orbiter soars above the dry California desert in this post-separation view. Photographer Bill Blunck of JSC's Photographic Technology Laboratory took this picture while riding in T-38 chase plane number two. He used a 70mm Hasselblad camera with an 80mm lens.

Approach & Landing Test (ALT) - Shuttle Free-Flight (FF)-2, News Release

NASA Image and Video Library

1977-09-13

S77-28138 (13 Sept 1977) --- The shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" makes a slight turn and bank maneuver during the second free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted on September 13, 1977, at the Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California. The "Enterprise" separated from the NASA 747 carrier aircraft and landed following a five-minute, 28-second unpowered flight. The Orbiter 101 crew was astronauts Joe H. Engle, commander, and Richard H. Truly, pilot. The ALT free flights are designed to verify orbiter subsonic airworthiness, integrated systems operations and pilot-guided approach and landing capability and satisfy prerequisites to automatic flight control and navigation mode. The orbiter soars above the dry California desert in this post-separation view. Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton took this picture while riding in T-38 chase plane number one. He used a 35mm Nikon camera with a 50mm lens.

Detectors for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marriage, Tobias Andrew

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) will make measurements of the brightness temperature anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) on degree to arcminute angular scales. The ACT observing site is located 5200 m near the top of Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. This thesis presents research on the detectors which capture the image of the CMB formed at ACT's focal plane. In the first chapter, the primary brightness temperature fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background are reviewed. In Chapter 2, a calculation shows how the CMB brightness is translated by ACT to an input power to the detectors. Chapter 3 describes the ACT detectors in detail and presents the response and sensitivity of the detectors to the input power computed in Chapter 2. Chapter 4 describes the detector fabrication at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Chapter 5 summarizes experiments which characterize the ACT detector performance.

The Goldstone solar system radar: A science instrument for planetary research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dvorsky, J. D.; Renzetti, N. A.; Fulton, D. E.

1992-01-01

The Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) station at NASA's Deep Space Communications Complex in California's Mojave Desert is described. A short chronological account of the GSSR's technical development and scientific discoveries is given. This is followed by a basic discussion of how information is derived from the radar echo and how the raw information can be used to increase understanding of the solar system. A moderately detailed description of the radar system is given, and the engineering performance of the radar is discussed. The operating characteristics of the Arcibo Observatory in Puerto Rico are briefly described and compared with those of the GSSR. Planned and in-process improvements to the existing radar, as well as the performance of a hypothetical 128-m diameter antenna radar station, are described. A comprehensive bibliography of referred scientific and engineering articles presenting results that depended on data gathered by the instrument is provided.

US Army Institute of Surgical Research Annual Research Progress Report for Fiscal Year 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

has been suggested recently that sucralfate may also have intrinsic antibacterial activity (7). Previous trials investigating the use of sucralfate as...15-8, 1985. 7. Tryba M, Mantey-Stiers F: Antibacterial activity of sucralfate in human gastric juice. Am J Med 83:125-7, 1987. 164 LM , RESERCH ND...Shield/Storm, formulated in August and September 1990, was activated in January 1991. When Desert Shield became Desert Storm, ISR burn teams were in

Deciphering the Role of Desert Dust in the Climate Puzzle: The Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levin, Zev; Joseph, Joachim; Mekler, Yuri; Israelevich, Peter; Ganor, Eli; Hilsenrath, Ernest; Janz, Scott

2002-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that aerosol particles may be one of the primary agents that can offset the climate warming induced by the increase in the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Desert aerosols are probably the most abundant and massive type of aerosol particles that are present in the atmosphere worldwide. These aerosols are carried over large distances and have various global impacts. They interact with clouds, impact the efficiency of their rain production and change their optical properties. They constitute one of the primary sources of minerals for oceanic life and influence the health of coral reefs. They have direct effects on human health, especially by inducing breathing difficulties in children. It was lately discovered that desert particles carry pathogens from the Sahara desert over the Atlantic Ocean, a fact that may explain the migration of certain types of diseases. Aerosols not only absorb solar radiation but also scatter it, so that their climatic effect is influenced not only by their physical properties and height distribution but also by the reflectivity of the underlying surface. This latter property changes greatly over land and is low over ocean surfaces. Aerosol plumes are emitted from discrete, sporadic sources in the desert areas of the world and are transported worldwide by the atmosphere's wind systems. For example, Saharan dust reaches Mexico City, Florida, Ireland, Switzerland and the Mediterranean region, while Asian dust reaches Alaska, Hawaii and the continental United States. This means that in order to assess its global effects, one must observe dust from space. The Space Shuttle is a unique platform, because it flies over the major deserts of our planet, enabling measurements and remote sensing of the aerosols as they travel from source to sink regions. Such efforts must always be accompanied by in-situ data for validation and calibration, with direct sampling of the airborne particles. MEIDEX is a joint project of the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and NASA, under a cooperation agreement between the two agencies.

Are wildlife detector dogs or people better at finding Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nussear, K.E.; Esque, T.C.; Heaton, J.S.; Cablk, Mary E.; Drake, K.K.; Valentin, C.; Yee, J.L.; Medica, P.A.

2008-01-01

Our ability to study threatened and endangered species depends on locating them readily in the field. Recent studies highlight the effectiveness of trained detector dogs to locate wildlife during field surveys, including Desert Tortoises in a semi-natural setting. Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) are cryptic and difficult to detect during surveys, especially the smaller size classes. We conducted comparative surveys to determine whether human or detector dog teams were more effective at locating Desert Tortoises in the wild. We compared detectability of Desert Tortoises and the costs to deploy human and dog search teams. Detectability of tortoises was not statistically different for either team, and was estimated to be approximately 70% (SE = 5%). Dogs found a greater proportion of tortoises located in vegetation than did humans. The dog teams finished surveys 2.5 hours faster than the humans on average each day. The human team cost was approximately $3,000 less per square kilometer sampled. Dog teams provided a quick and effective method for surveying for adult Desert Tortoises; however, we were unable to determine-their effectiveness at locating smaller size classes. Detection of smaller size classes during surveys would improve management of the species and should be addressed by future research using Desert Tortoise detector dogs.

Geolab 2010: Desert Rats Field Demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Cindy A.; Calaway, M. J.; Bell, M. S.

2009-01-01

In 2010, Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS), NASA's annual field exercise designed to test spacesuit and rover technologies, will include a first generation lunar habitat facility, the Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU). The habitat will participate in joint operations in northern Arizona with the Lunar Electric Rover (LER) and will be used as a multi-use laboratory and working space. A Geology Laboratory or GeoLab is included in the HDU design. Historically, science participation in Desert RATS exercises has supported the technology demonstrations with geological traverse activities that are consistent with preliminary concepts for lunar surface science Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). Next year s HDU demonstration is a starting point to guide the development of requirements for the Lunar Surface Systems Program and test initial operational concepts for an early lunar excursion habitat that would follow geological traverses along with the LER. For the GeoLab, these objectives are specifically applied to support future geological surface science activities. The goal of our GeoLab is to enhance geological science returns with the infrastructure that supports preliminary examination, early analytical characterization of key samples, and high-grading lunar samples for return to Earth [1, 2] . Figure 1: Inside view schematic of the GeoLab a 1/8 section of the HDU, including a glovebox for handling and examining geological samples. Other outfitting facilities are not depicted in this figure. GeoLab Description: The centerpiece of the GeoLab is a glovebox, allowing for samples to be brought into the habitat in a protected environment for preliminary examination (see Fig. 1). The glovebox will be attached to the habitat bulkhead and contain three sample pass-through antechambers that would allow direct transfer of samples from outside the HDU to inside the glovebox. We will evaluate the need for redundant chambers, and other uses for the glovebox antechambers, such as a staging area for additional tools or samples. The sides of the glovebox are designed with instrument ports and additional smaller ports for cable pass-through, imagery feeds and environmental monitoring. This first glovebox version will be equipped with basic tools for manipulating, viewing, and early analysis of samples. The GeoLab was also designed for testing additional analytical instruments in a field setting.

Development of Lidar Sensor Systems for Autonomous Safe Landing on Planetary Bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amzajerdian, Farzin; Pierottet, Diego F.; Petway, Larry B.; Vanek, Michael D.

2010-01-01

Lidar has been identified by NASA as a key technology for enabling autonomous safe landing of future robotic and crewed lunar landing vehicles. NASA LaRC has been developing three laser/lidar sensor systems under the ALHAT project. The capabilities of these Lidar sensor systems were evaluated through a series of static tests using a calibrated target and through dynamic tests aboard helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft. The airborne tests were performed over Moon-like terrain in the California and Nevada deserts. These tests provided the necessary data for the development of signal processing software, and algorithms for hazard detection and navigation. The tests helped identify technology areas needing improvement and will also help guide future technology advancement activities.

Dust Storm Hits Canary Islands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

A thick pall of sand and dust blew out from the Sahara Desert over the Atlantic Ocean yesterday (January 6, 2002), engulfing the Canary Islands in what has become one of the worst sand storms ever recorded there. In this scene, notice how the dust appears particularly thick in the downwind wake of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. Perhaps the turbulence generated by the air currents flowing past the island's volcanic peaks is churning the dust back up into the atmosphere, rather than allowing it to settle toward the surface. This true-color image was captured by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra satellite, on January 7, 2002. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

Endocrinology of osmoregulation and thermoregulation of Australian desert tetrapods: A historical perspective.

PubMed

Cooper, Christine Elizabeth

2017-04-01

Many Australian tetrapods inhabit desert environments characterised by low productivity, unpredictable rainfall, high temperatures and high incident solar radiation. Maintaining a homeostatic milieu intérieur by osmoregulation and thermoregulation are two physiological challenges faced by tetrapods in deserts, and the endocrine system plays an important role in regulating these processes. There is a considerable body of work examining the osmoregulatory role of antidiuretic hormones for Australian amphibians, reptiles and mammals, with particular contributions concerning their role and function for wild, free-living animals in arid environments. The osmoregulatory role of the natriuretic peptide system has received some attention, while the role of adrenal corticosteroids has been more thoroughly investigated for reptiles and marsupials. The endocrinology of thermoregulation has not received similar attention. Reptiles are best-studied, with research examining the influence of arginine vasotocin and melatonin on body temperature, the role of prostaglandins in heart rate hysteresis and the effect of melanocyte-stimulating hormone on skin reflectivity. Australian mammals have been under-utilised in studies examining the regulation, development and evolution of endothermy, and there is little information concerning the endocrinology of thermoregulation for desert species. There is a paucity of data concerning the endocrinology of osmoregulation and thermoregulation for Australian desert birds. Studies of Australian desert fauna have made substantial contributions to endocrinology, but there is considerable scope for further research. A co-ordinated approach to examine arid-habitat adaptations of the endocrine system in an environmental and evolutionary context would be of particular value. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Utah

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

With its myriad of canyons, unusual rock formations and ancient lakebeds, Utah is a geologist's playground. This true-color image of Utah was acquired on June 20, 2000, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. The dark aquamarine feature in the northern part of the state is the Great Salt Lake. Fourteen thousand years ago, the Great Salt Lake was part of Lake Bonneville, which covered much of northern and western Utah. The extent of the lakebed can be seen in light tan covering much of northern and western Utah and extending into Idaho. (Click for more details on the history of Lake Bonneville.) Other remnants of Lake Bonneville include the Great Salt Lake Desert (the white expanse to the left of the Great Salt Lake) and Lake Utah (the lake to the south of Salt Lake City). The white color of the Great Salt Lake Desert is due to the mineral deposits left by Lake Bonneville as it drained out into the Snake River and then proceeded to dry up. The dark bands running through the center and northeastern part of the state are the western edge of the Rockies. The dark color is likely due to the coniferous vegetation that grows along the range. The tallest mountains in the Utah Rockies are the Uinta Mountains, which can be seen in the northeastern corner of the state bordering Colorado and Wyoming. The white fishbone pattern in the center of the Uinta Mountains is snow that hadn't yet melted. To the southeast, one can see the reddish-orange rocks of the northernmost section of the Colorado Plateau. Utah's well-known desert attractions, including Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Glen Canyon, are located in this region. The long, narrow lake is Lake Powell, created after the construction of Glen Canyon Dam in the 1950s. Image courtesy NASA MODIS Science Team

South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Pale green vegetation and red-brown deserts dominate this MODIS image of Namibia (left), Botswana (upper right), and the Republic of South Africa (bottom) acquired on June3, 2002. In central Namibia the mountainous terrain of Namaqualand is sandwiched between the Namib Desert on the Atlantic Coast and the Kalahari Desert to the interior, where white dots mark the location of small, impermanent lakes and ponds. Namaqualand is home to numerous rare succulent plants that can survive on the region.s scant rainfall as well as fog that blows in off the ocean. Namaqualand extends south of the Orange River, which runs along the border of Namibia and South Africa and into that country.s Northern Cape region. The Orange River extends almost all the way back through the country, and where it makes a sharp southward dip in this image (at lower right), it runs through the Asbestos Mountains, names for the naturally-occurring asbestos they contain. In southwestern South Africa, high plateaus, such as the Great Karoo become mountain ridges near the coast, and the city of Cape Town is visible as a grayish area of pixels on the north shores of the horseshoe-shaped False Bay at the Cape of Good Hope. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Case study of dust event sources from the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts: An investigation of the horizontal evolution and topographical effect using numerical modeling and remote sensing.

PubMed

Fan, Jin; Yue, Xiaoying; Sun, Qinghua; Wang, Shigong

2017-06-01

A severe dust event occurred from April 23 to April 27, 2014, in East Asia. A state-of-the-art online atmospheric chemistry model, WRF/Chem, was combined with a dust model, GOCART, to better understand the entire process of this event. The natural color images and aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the dust source region are derived from datasets of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) loaded on a NASA Aqua satellite to trace the dust variation and to verify the model results. Several meteorological conditions, such as pressure, temperature, wind vectors and relative humidity, are used to analyze meteorological dynamic. The results suggest that the dust emission occurred only on April 23 and 24, although this event lasted for 5days. The Gobi Desert was the main source for this event, and the Taklamakan Desert played no important role. This study also suggested that the landform of the source region could remarkably interfere with a dust event. The Tarim Basin has a topographical effect as a "dust reservoir" and can store unsettled dust, which can be released again as a second source, making a dust event longer and heavier. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Plant Atrium System for Food Production in NASA's Deep Space Habitat Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massa, Gioia D.; Simpson, Morgan; Wheeler, Raymond M.; Newsham, Gerald; Stutte, Gary W.

2013-01-01

In preparation for future human exploration missions to space, NASA evaluates habitat concepts to assess integration issues, power requirements, crew operations, technology, and system performance. The concept of a Food Production System utilizes fresh foods, such as vegetables and small fruits, harvested on a continuous basis, to improve the crew's diet and quality of life. The system would need to fit conveniently into the habitat and not interfere with other components or operations. To test this concept, a plant growing "atrium" was designed to surround the lift between the lower and upper modules of the Deep Space Habitat and deployed at NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) test site in 2011 and at NASA Johnson Space Center in 2012. With this approach, no-utilized volume provided an area for vegetable growth. For the 2011 test, mizuna, lettuce, basil, radish and sweetpotato plants were grown in trays using commercially available red I blue LED light fixtures. Seedlings were transplanted into the atrium and cared for by the. crew. Plants were then harvested two weeks later following completion of the test. In 2012, mizuna, lettuce, and radish plants were grown similarly but under flat panel banks of white LEDs. In 2012, the crew went through plant harvesting, including sanitizing tlie leafy greens and radishes, which were then consumed. Each test demonstrated successful production of vegetables within a functional hab module. The round red I blue LEDs for the 2011 test lighting cast a purple light in the hab, and were less uniformly distributed over the plant trays. The white LED panels provided broad spectrum light with more uniform distribution. Post-test questionnaires showed that the crew enjoyed tending and consuming the plants and that the white LED light in 2012 provided welcome extra light for the main HAB AREA.

STS098-s-017

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-20

STS098-S-017 (20 Feb. 2001) --- A drag chute slows down the space shuttle Atlantis following its touchdown to mark mission completion at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California. Onboard were astronauts Kenneth Cockrell, Mark Polansky, Robert Curbeam, Thomas Jones and Marsha Ivins. Atlantis touched down on Edward?s concrete runway at 2:33 p.m. (CST), Feb. 20, for a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes. Photo credit: NASA

The Future of Remote Sensing from Space: Civilian Satellite Systems and Applications.

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-01

image shows abundant (dark green) vegetation across the Amazon of South America, while lack of vegetation (black areas) is seen across the Sahara Desert...primarily through the space shuttle and space station Freedom programs.25 Hence, if NASA’s overall budget remains flat or includes only modest growth... remain the primary collector of satellite remote sensing data for both meteorolog- ical and climate monitoring efforts through the decade of the 1990s

Canyonlands National Park, UT, USA

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-22

SL2-81-014 (22 June 1973) --- Desert and mountain scenery along the Utah/Colorado border are displayed in this scene of the Canyonlands National Park, UT (39.0N, 110.0W). The park occupies the near center of the image, displaying spectacular incised meanders and the bulls-eye structure of Upheaval Dome (a salt dome). The Green River and the Colorado River flow southward to join (off scene) before flowing through the Grand Canyon National Park. Photo credit: NASA

Expedition 21 Prelaunch Press Conference

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-28

Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, left, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, center, and Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams reveal t-shirts showing their faces superimposed on characters from the Russian movie "White Sun of the Desert" at the end of the press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. It is tradition for all crews flying on the Soyuz to watch this movie several days before they launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

First Complete Day from MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This spectacular, full-color image of the Earth is a composite of the first full day of data gathered by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. MODIS collected the data for each wavelength of red, green, and blue light as Terra passed over the daylit side of the Earth on April 19, 2000. Terra is orbiting close enough to the Earth so that it cannot quite see the entire surface in a day, resulting in the narrow gaps around the equator. Although the sensor's visible channels were combined to form this true-color picture, MODIS collects data in a total of 36 wavelengths, ranging from visible to thermal infrared energy. Scientists use these data to measure regional and global-scale changes in marine and land-based plant life, sea and land surface temperatures, cloud properties, aerosols, fires, and land surface properties. Notice how cloudy the Earth is, and the large differences in brightness between clouds, deserts, oceans, and forests. The Antarctic, surrounded by clockwise swirls of cloud, is shrouded in darkness because the sun is north of the equator at this time of year. The tropical forests of Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America are shrouded by clouds. The bright Sahara and Arabian deserts stand out clearly. Green vegetation is apparent in the southeast United States, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Madagascar. Image by Mark Gray, MODIS Atmosphere Team, NASA GSFC

Geospatial techniques to Identify the Location of Farmers Markets and Community Gardens within Food Deserts in Virginia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sriharan, S.; Meekins, D.; Comar, M.; Bradshaw, S.; Jackson, L.

2017-12-01

Specifically, a food desert is defined as an area where populations live more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store if in an urban area or more than 10 miles from a supermarket or large grocery store if in a rural area (Ver Ploeg et al. 2012). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert is "an area in the United States with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominately lower-income neighborhoods and communities" (110th Congress 2008). Three fourths of these food deserts are urban. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Petersburg City is among the eight primary localities, where its population is living in a food desert. This project will compare those identified food deserts in Virginia (areas around Virginia State University) with focus to where farmers markets and community gardens are being established. The hypothesis of this study is that these minority groups do not get healthy food due to limited access to grocery stores and superstores. To address this problem, the community development activities should focus on partnering local Petersburg convenience stores with farmers and community gardeners to sell fresh produce. Existing data was collected on convenient stores and community gardens in Petersburg City and Chesterfield County. Rare data was generated for Emporia, Lynchburg and Hopewell. The data was compiled through field work and mapping with ArcGIS where markets and gardens are being established, and create a spatial analysis of their location We have localities that reflect both rural and urban areas. The project provides educational support for students who will find solution to community problems by developing activities to: (a) define and examine characteristics of food deserts, (b) identify causes and consequences of food deserts and determine if their community is a food desert, (c) research closest food desert to their school, and (d) design solutions to help residents who live in food deserts.

Moon-Mars Analogue Mission (EuroMoonMars 1 at the Mars Desert Research Station)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lia Schlacht, Irene; Voute, Sara; Irwin, Stacy; Foing, Bernard H.; Stoker, Carol R.; Westenberg, Artemis

The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is situated in an analogue habitat-based Martian environment, designed for missions to determine the knowledge and equipment necessary for successful future planetary exploration. For this purpose, a crew of six people worked and lived together in a closed-system environment. They performed habitability experiments within the dwelling and conducted Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs) for two weeks (20 Feb to 6 Mar 2010) and were guided externally by mission support, called "Earth" within the simulation. Crew 91, an international, mixed-gender, and multidisciplinary group, has completed several studies during the first mission of the EuroMoonMars campaign. The crew is composed of an Italian designer and human factors specialist, a Dutch geologist, an American physicist, and three French aerospace engineering students from Ecole de l'Air, all with ages between 21 and 31. Each crewmember worked on personal research and fulfilled a unique role within the group: commander, executive officer, engineer, health and safety officer, scientist, and journalist. The expedition focused on human factors, performance, communication, health and safety pro-tocols, and EVA procedures. The engineers' projects aimed to improve rover manoeuvrability, far-field communication, and data exchanges between the base and the rover or astronaut. The crew physicist evaluated dust control methods inside and outside the habitat. The geologist tested planetary geological sampling procedures. The crew designer investigated performance and overall habitability in the context of the Mars Habitability Experiment from the Extreme-Design group. During the mission the crew also participated in the Food Study and in the Ethospace study, managed by external groups. The poster will present crew dynamics, scientific results and daily schedule from a Human Factors perspective. Main co-sponsors and collaborators: ILEWG, ESA ESTEC, NASA Ames, Ecole de l'Air, SKOR, Extreme-Design, Universit` di Torino, MMS TU-Berlin, Space Florida, DAAD, Uni-a versity of Utrecht, The Mars Society.

Managing Science Operations During Planetary Surface: The 2010 Desert RATS Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eppler, Dean B.; Ming, D. W.

2011-01-01

Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of hardware and operations tests carried out annually in the high desert of Arizona on the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Conducted since 1997, these activities are designed to exercise planetary surface hardware and operations in conditions where long-distance, multi-day roving is achievable. Such activities not only test vehicle subsystems through extended rough-terrain driving, they also stress communications and operations systems and allow testing of science operations approaches to advance human and robotic surface capabilities. Desert RATS is a venue where new ideas can be tested, both individually and as part of an operation with multiple elements. By conducting operations over multiple yearly cycles, ideas that make the cut can be iterated and tested during follow-on years. This ultimately gives both the hardware and the personnel experience in the kind of multi-element integrated operations that will be necessary in future human planetary exploration.

Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) mission control Blue room

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-12-05

Mission control Blue Room, seen here, in building 4800 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, is part of the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR). All aspects of a research mission are monitored from one of two of these control rooms at Dryden. The WATR consists of a highly automated complex of computer controlled tracking, telemetry, and communications systems and control room complexes that are capable of supporting any type of mission ranging from system and component testing, to sub-scale and full-scale flight tests of new aircraft and reentry systems. Designated areas are assigned for spin/dive tests, corridors are provided for low, medium, and high-altitude supersonic flight, and special STOL/VSTOL facilities are available at Ames Moffett and Crows Landing. Special use airspace, available at Edwards, covers approximately twelve thousand square miles of mostly desert area. The southern boundary lies to the south of Rogers Dry Lake, the western boundary lies midway between Mojave and Bakersfield, the northern boundary passes just south of Bishop, and the eastern boundary follows about 25 miles west of the Nevada border except in the northern areas where it crosses into Nevada.

Mapping the evolution of 'food deserts' in a Canadian city: Supermarket accessibility in London, Ontario, 1961–2005

PubMed Central

Larsen, Kristian; Gilliland, Jason

2008-01-01

Background A growing body of research suggests that the suburbanization of food retailers in North America and the United Kingdom in recent decades has contributed to the emergence of urban 'food deserts', or disadvantaged areas of cities with relatively poor access to healthy and affordable food. This paper explores the evolution of food deserts in a mid-sized Canadian city (London, Ontario) by using a geographic information system (GIS) to map the precise locations of supermarkets in 1961 and 2005; multiple techniques of network analysis were used to assess changing levels of supermarket access in relation to neighbourhood location, socioeconomic characteristics, and access to public transit. Results The findings indicate that residents of inner-city neighbourhoods of low socioeconomic status have the poorest access to supermarkets. Furthermore, spatial inequalities in access to supermarkets have increased over time, particularly in the inner-city neighbourhoods of Central and East London, where distinct urban food deserts now exist. Conclusion Contrary to recent findings in larger Canadian cities, we conclude that urban food deserts exist in London, Ontario. Policies aimed at improving public health must also recognize the spatial, as well as socioeconomic, inequities with respect to access to healthy and affordable food. Additional research is necessary to better understand how supermarket access influences dietary behaviours and related health outcomes. PMID:18423005

Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) 2010 science operations: Operational approaches and lessons learned for managing science during human planetary surface missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppler, Dean; Adams, Byron; Archer, Doug; Baiden, Greg; Brown, Adrian; Carey, William; Cohen, Barbara; Condit, Chris; Evans, Cindy; Fortezzo, Corey; Garry, Brent; Graff, Trevor; Gruener, John; Heldmann, Jennifer; Hodges, Kip; Hörz, Friedrich; Hurtado, Jose; Hynek, Brian; Isaacson, Peter; Juranek, Catherine; Klaus, Kurt; Kring, David; Lanza, Nina; Lederer, Susan; Lofgren, Gary; Marinova, Margarita; May, Lisa; Meyer, Jonathan; Ming, Doug; Monteleone, Brian; Morisset, Caroline; Noble, Sarah; Rampe, Elizabeth; Rice, James; Schutt, John; Skinner, James; Tewksbury-Christle, Carolyn M.; Tewksbury, Barbara J.; Vaughan, Alicia; Yingst, Aileen; Young, Kelsey

2013-10-01

Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of hardware and operations tests carried out annually in the high desert of Arizona on the San Francisco Volcanic Field. These activities are designed to exercise planetary surface hardware and operations in conditions where long-distance, multi-day roving is achievable, and they allow NASA to evaluate different mission concepts and approaches in an environment less costly and more forgiving than space. The results from the RATS tests allow selection of potential operational approaches to planetary surface exploration prior to making commitments to specific flight and mission hardware development. In previous RATS operations, the Science Support Room has operated largely in an advisory role, an approach that was driven by the need to provide a loose science mission framework that would underpin the engineering tests. However, the extensive nature of the traverse operations for 2010 expanded the role of the science operations and tested specific operational approaches. Science mission operations approaches from the Apollo and Mars-Phoenix missions were merged to become the baseline for this test. Six days of traverse operations were conducted during each week of the 2-week test, with three traverse days each week conducted with voice and data communications continuously available, and three traverse days conducted with only two 1-hour communications periods per day. Within this framework, the team evaluated integrated science operations management using real-time, tactical science operations to oversee daily crew activities, and strategic level evaluations of science data and daily traverse results during a post-traverse planning shift. During continuous communications, both tactical and strategic teams were employed. On days when communications were reduced to only two communications periods per day, only a strategic team was employed. The Science Operations Team found that, if communications are good and down-linking of science data is ensured, high quality science returns is possible regardless of communications. What is absent from reduced communications is the scientific interaction between the crew on the planet and the scientists on the ground. These scientific interactions were a critical part of the science process and significantly improved mission science return over reduced communications conditions. The test also showed that the quality of science return is not measurable by simple numerical quantities but is, in fact, based on strongly non-quantifiable factors, such as the interactions between the crew and the Science Operations Teams. Although the metric evaluation data suggested some trends, there was not sufficient granularity in the data or specificity in the metrics to allow those trends to be understood on numerical data alone.

Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) 2010 Science Operations: Operational Approaches and Lessons Learned for Managing Science during Human Planetary Surface Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eppler, Dean; Adams, Byron; Archer, Doug; Baiden, Greg; Brown, Adrian; Carey, William; Cohen, Barbara; Condit, Chris; Evans, Cindy; Fortezzo, Corey;

Perspective with Landsat Overlay: Mojave to Ventura, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Southern California's dramatic topography plays acritical role in its climate, hydrology, ecology, agriculture, and habitability. This image of Southern California, from the desert at Mojave to the ocean at Ventura, shows a variety of landscapes and environments. Winds usually bring moisture to this area from the west, moving from the ocean, across the coastal plains, to the mountains, and then to the deserts. Most rainfall occurs as the air masses rise over the mountains and cool with altitude. Continuing east, and now drained of their moisture, the air masses drop in altitude and warm as they spread across the desert. The mountain rainfall supports forest and chaparral vegetation, seen here, and also becomes ground water and stream flow that supports citrus, avocado, strawberry, other crops, and a large and growing population on the coastal plains.

This perspective view was generated by draping a Landsat satellite image over a preliminary topographic map from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. It shows the Tehachapi Mountains in the right foreground, the city of Ventura on the coast at the distant left, and the eastern most Santa Ynez Mountains forming the skyline at the distant right.

Landsat has been providing visible and infrared views of the Earth since 1972. SRTM elevation data matches the 30 meter resolution of most Landsat images and will substantially help in analyses of the large and growing Landsat image archive.

The elevation data used in this image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington DC.

Size: 43 kilometers (27 miles) view width, 166 kilometers (103 miles) view distance Location: 34.8 deg. North lat., 118.8 deg. West lon. Orientation: View toward the southwest, 3X vertical exaggeration Image: Landsat bands 1, 2&4, 3 as blue, green, and red, respectively Date Acquired: February 16, 2000 (SRTM), November 11, 1986 (Landsat) Image: NASA/JPL/NIMA

Biodiversity, ecology, and microelement composition of Kyzylkum Desert shrubs (Uzbekistan)

Treesearch

Lyuba A. Kapustina

2001-01-01

Geobotanic research and large-scale mapping with the help of Geographical Information System (GIS) permit us to find out the present state of Kyzylkum Desert shrublands, regularities of plant communities distribution, and chemical composition of the main dominant shrubs. Zonal vegetation types were formed on the basis of Old Xerophilous and Old Mediterranean floras in...

Grassland restoration following mesquite invasion in the northern Chihuahuan Desert: Persistence, patience, and perspectives from the past and present

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The widespread invasion of grasslands by woody plants in the northern Chihuahuan Desert over the past 100-150 years is well-documented, and has stimulated a large body of research about the mechanisms driving this conversion, as well as approaches to grassland restoration. Progressive invasion and e...

Growing the Desert: Educational Pathways for Remote Indigenous People. A National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Metta; Guenther, John; Boyle, Alicia

2007-01-01

This report maps the picture of Indigenous people's participation in vocational education and training and other educational services across Australia's desert regions. The report identifies a range of innovations and barriers experienced in enabling pathways through learning into work and other meaningful livelihood opportunities. (Contains 6…

Estimates of Deep Percolation Beneath Native Vegetation, Irrigated Fields, and The Amargosa-River Channel, Amargosa Desert, Nye County, Nevada

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

based primarily on measurements of spring discharge (Walker and Eakin, 1963; Winograd and Thordarson , 1975; Dudley and Larson, 1976). The other...vadose-zone profiles from the northern Mojave Desert: Water Resources Research, v. 38, no. 12, p. 27-1 to 27-12. Winograd, I.J., and Thordarson , W

An Integrated Multi-Sensor Approach to Monitor Desert Environments by UAV and Satellite Sensors: Case Study Kubuqi Desert, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.; Lin, C. W.; vanGasselt, S.; Lin, S.; Lan, C. W.

2017-12-01

Expanding deserts have been causing significant socio-economical threats by, e.g., hampering anthropogenic activities or causing decline of agricultural productivity. Countries in the Asian-Pacific regions in particular have been suffering from dust storms originating in the arid deserts of China, Mongolia and central Asia. In order to mitigate such environmental interferences by means of, e.g. combat desertification activities and early warning systems, the establishment of reliable desert monitoring schemes is needed. In this study, we report on a remote sensing data fusion approach to constantly and precisely monitor desert environments. We have applied this approach over a test site located in the Kubuqi desert located in Northeast China and which is considered to be a major contributor of dust storms today. In order to understand spatial and temporal trends of desertification, the planimetric distribution and 3D shape and size of sand dunes were reconstructed using Digital Terrain Models (DTM) derived from stereo observations made by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Based on this, the volumetric change of sand dunes was directly estimated through co-registered DTMs. We furthermore derived and investigated topographic parameters, such as the aerodynamic roughness length, the protrusion coefficient, the Normalized Difference Angular Index, and the phase coherence derived from spaceborne optical/synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing assets with the calibration index from UAV observation. Throughout such a multi-data approach, temporal changes of a target's environmental parameters can be traced, analyzed and correlated with weather conditions. An improved understanding of aeolian processes in sand deserts will be a valuable contribution for desertification combat activities and early warning systems for dust storm generation. Future research needs to be conducted over more extensive spatial and temporal domains, also by combining investigations on the hydrology which is known to regulate desertification. Acknowledgements: This study has been conducted with the support of the Korea Forest Service. Our research activities in the target area were kindly supported and co-conducted by the Future Forest organization and the Youth League of China.

[Study on the change of dune CO2 concentration in the autumn at Minqin in Tengger desert].

PubMed

Shao, Tian-Jie; Zhao, Jing-Bo; Yu, Ke-Ke; Dong, Zhi-Bao

2010-12-01

In order to find out the CO2 concentration of the desert area, the influence of it on the CO2 in the atmosphere and the role that it played on the global carbon cycle, the research team utilized in September 2009 infrared CO2 monitor to observe the CO2 concentration of the 12 drill holes day and night in Minqin desert area in the Tengger desert. The difference of various observation spots' CO2 concentration of the desert area in the Tengger desert area is relatively big. The CO2 concentration at night is low but high in the daytime and the CO2 concentration at each observation spot changes from 310 x 10(-6) to 2 630 x 10(-6). The CO2 concentration is also obviously different in depth and the CO2 concentration at different depths in order of size is as follows: 4 m(3m) > 2 m > 1m. Compared with Xi' an area where is in the temperate and semi-humid region, the CO2 concentration of the desert area in Tengger desert is very low. The diurnal variation of CO2 concentration of the desert area in Tengger desert is obvious, and from the day 09:00 am to 09:00 am the next day, the CO2 concentrations at different depths which rang from 1 m to 4 m present the regularity that it changes from low to high, and then from high to low. The diurnal variation in temperature is the main reason that causes the change of the CO2 concentration in the sand layer, both of which have the positive correlation. The sand layer's CO2 concentration with higher water content is obviously higher than that with lower water content. The moisture content of sand layer is the main factor of the CO2 concentration. The CO2 concentration above 4m in the desert area is higher than that above the surface, which maybe indicates that the CO2 from the highest desert area is also the resource of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Identification of debris-flow hazards in warm deserts through analyzing past occurrences: Case study in South Mountain, Sonoran Desert, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorn, Ronald I.

2016-11-01

After recognition that debris flows co-occur with human activities, the next step in a hazards analysis involves estimating debris-flow probability. Prior research published in this journal in 2010 used varnish microlamination (VML) dating to determine a minimum occurrence of 5 flows per century over the last 8100 years in a small mountain range of South Mountain adjacent to neighborhoods of Phoenix, Arizona. This analysis led to the conclusion that debris flows originating in small mountain ranges in arid regions like the Sonoran Desert could pose a hazard. Two major precipitation events in the summer of 2014 generated 35 debris flows in the same study area of South Mountain-providing support for the importance of probability analysis as a key step in a hazards analysis in warm desert settings. Two distinct mechanisms generated the 2014 debris flows: intense precipitation on steep slopes in the first storm; and a firehose effect whereby runoff from the second storm was funneled rapidly by cleaned-out debris-flow chutes to remobilize Pleistocene debris-flow deposits. When compared to a global database on debris flows, the 2014 storms were among the most intense to generate desert debris flows - indicating that storms of lesser intensity are capable of generating debris flows in warm desert settings. The 87Sr/86Sr analyses of fines and clasts in South Mountain debris flows of different ages reveal that desert dust supplies the fines. Thus, wetter climatic periods of intense rock decay are not needed to resupply desert slopes with fines; instead, a combination of dust deposition supplying fines and dirt cracking generating coarse clasts can re-arm chutes in a warm desert setting with abundant dust.

Exploring the Longwave Radiative Effects of Dust Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansell, Richard A., Jr.

2012-01-01

Dust aerosols not only affect air quality and visibility where they pose a significant health and safety risk, but they can also play a role in modulating the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system by directly interacting with local radiative fields. Consequently, dust aerosols can impact regional climate patterns such as changes in precipitation and the evolution of the hydrological cycle. Assessing the direct effect of dust aerosols at the solar wavelengths is fairly straightforward due in part to the relatively large signal-to-noise ratio in broadband irradiance measurements. The longwave (LW) impacts, on the other hand, are rather difficult to ascertain since the measured dust signal level (10 Wm-2) is on the same order as the instrumental uncertainties. Moreover, compared to the shortwave (SW), limited experimental data on the LW optical properties of dust makes it a difficult challenge for constraining the LW impacts. Owing to the strong absorption features found in many terrestrial minerals (e.g., silicates and clays), the LW effects, although much smaller in magnitude compared to the SW, can still have a sizeable impact on the energetics of the Earth-atmosphere system, which can potentially trigger changes in the heat and moisture surface budgets, and dynamics of the atmosphere. The current endeavor is an integral part of an on-going research study to perform detailed assessments of dust direct aerosol radiative effects (DARE) using comprehensive global datasets from NASA Goddards mobile ground-based facility (cf. http://smartlabs.gsfc.nasa.gov/) during previous field experiments near key dust source regions. Here we examine and compare the results from two of these studies: the 2006 NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Activities and the 2008 Asian Monsoon Years. The former study focused on transported Saharan dust at Sal Island (16.73N, 22.93W), Cape Verde along the west coast of Africa while the latter focused on Asian dust at Zhangye China (39.082N, 100.276E), a semi-arid region between the Taklimakan and Gobi deserts. NASA Goddards Giovanni system is used to help map out the spatial distribution of retrieved aerosol optical depths across the latter desert regions. 1-D radiative transfer model constrained by local measurements, including spectral photometry/interferometry and lidar for characterizing the spatiotemporal variability in dust properties and atmospheric conditions, is employed to evaluate the local instantaneous LW DARE of dust both at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere along with heating rate profiles for cloud-free atmospheres. The efficiency in LW DARE and its significance relative to the diurnally averaged SW effects are explored and compared in both studies. Found to be non-negligible, LW DARE is an important component in the study of regional climate variation with important implications for more detailed global assessments.

Chiquicamata Mine, Chile

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-24

Chuquicamata, in Chile's Atacama Desert, is the largest open pit copper mine in the world, by excavated volume. The copper deposits were first exploited in pre-Hispanic times. Open pit mining began in the early 20th century when a method was developed to work low grade oxidized copper ores. The image was acquired September 2, 2007, covers an area of 19.5 by 29.3 km, and is located at 22.1 degrees south, 68.9 degrees west. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20973

Geologic evaluation of remote sensing data, site 157, Awza-Borrego Desert, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, E. W.

1969-01-01

Remote sensing data were obtained at site 157 in May 1968 under mission 73 of the NASA aircraft program. The site is located in an area of high temperatures and extreme aridity immediately west of the Imperial Valley, Southern California. Site 157 is partially surrounded by pre-Cenozoic crystalline rocks exposed in the Fish Creek, Vallecito, and Tierra Blanca Mountains. The study area itself is underlain by more than 20,000 feet of sedimentary strata of late Cenozoic age.

Lake Nasser and Toshka Lakes, Egypt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Lake Nasser (center) and the Toshka Lakes (center left) glow emerald green and black in this MODIS true-color image acquired March 8, 2002. Located on and near the border of Egypt and Norther Sudan, these lakes are an oasis of water in between the Nubian (lower right) and Libyan Deserts (upper left). Also visible are the Red Sea (in the upper right) and the Nile River (running north from Lake Nasser). Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Biological soil crusts as an integral component of desert environments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belnap, Jayne; Weber, Bettina

2013-01-01

The biology and ecology of biological soil crusts, a soil surface community of mosses, lichens, cyanobacteria, green algae, fungi, and bacteria, have only recently been a topic of research. Most efforts began in the western U.S. (Cameron, Harper, Rushforth, and St. Clair), Australia (Rogers), and Israel (Friedmann, Evenari, and Lange) in the late 1960s and 1970s (e.g., Friedmann et al. 1967; Evenari 1985reviewed in Harper and Marble 1988). However, these groups worked independently of each other and, in fact, were often not aware of each other’s work. In addition, biological soil crust communities were seen as more a novelty than a critical component of dryland ecosystems. Since then, researchers have investigated many different aspects of these communities and have shown that although small to microscopic, biological soil crusts are critical in many ecological processes of deserts. They often cover most of desert soil surfaces and substantially mediate inputs and outputs from desert soils (Belnap et al. 2003). They can be a large source of biodiversity for deserts, as they can contain more species than the surrounding vascular plant community (Rosentreter 1986). These communities are important in reducing soil erosion and increasing soil fertility through the capture of dust and the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen and carbon into forms available to other life forms (Elbert et al. 2012). Because of their many effects on soil characteristics, such as external and internal morphological characteristics, aggregate stability, soil moisture, and permeability, they also affect seed germination and establishment and local hydrological cycles. Covering up to 70% of the surface area in many arid and semi-arid regions around the world (Belnap and Lange 2003), biological soil crusts are a key component within desert environments.

Assessing Group Dynamics in a Mars Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, S. L.

2007-10-01

International interest in psychosocial functioning generally and issues of group and inter-group function for space crews has increased as focus has shifted towards longer duration spaceflight and, particularly, the issues involved in sending a human crew to Mars (Kanas, et al., 2001; Dawson, 2002). Planning documents for a human mission to Mars such as the NASA Design Reference Mission (DRM 1.0) emphasize the need for adaptability of crewmembers and autonomy in the crew as a whole (Hoffman and Kaplan, 1997). Similarly a major study by the International Space University (ISU, 1991) emphasized the need for autonomy and initiative for a Mars crew given that many of the scenarios that will be encountered on Mars cannot be rehearsed on earth and given the lack of any realistic possibility for rescue of the crew. This research project was only one subset of data collected during the larger AustroMars Expedition at the Mars Desert Research Facility (MDRS) in 2006. The participating crew comprises part of a multi-year investigation on teams utilizing the MDRS facility. The program of research has included numerous researchers since 2002 with a progressive evolution of key foci addressing stress, personality, coping, adaptation, cognitive functioning, and group identity assessed across the duration period of the individual missions.

Organic Chemistry and the Native Plants of the Sonoran Desert: Conversion of Jojoba Oil to Biodiesel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daconta, Lisa V.; Minger, Timothy; Nedelkova, Valentina; Zikopoulos, John N.

2015-01-01

A new, general approach to the organic chemistry laboratory is introduced that is based on learning about organic chemistry techniques and research methods by exploring the natural products found in local native plants. As an example of this approach for the Sonoran desert region, the extraction of jojoba oil and its transesterification to…

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-035

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-031

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-067

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-065

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-050

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-071

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-115

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-085

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-119

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-051

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-136

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-042

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-027

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-137

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-135

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-140

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-075

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-032

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-117

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-034

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-043

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-096

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-063

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-081

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-024

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-108

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-132

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-044

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-089

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-138

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-021

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-041

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-110

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-109

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-134

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-102

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-139

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-028

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-070

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-133

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-018

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-020

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-112

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-27

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-054

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-048

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-080

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-030

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/

[Mahalanobis distance based hyperspectral characteristic discrimination of leaves of different desert tree species].

PubMed

Lin, Hai-jun; Zhang, Hui-fang; Gao, Ya-qi; Li, Xia; Yang, Fan; Zhou, Yan-fei

2014-12-01

The hyperspectral reflectance of Populus euphratica, Tamarix hispida, Haloxylon ammodendron and Calligonum mongolicum in the lower reaches of Tarim River and Turpan Desert Botanical Garden was measured by using the HR-768 field-portable spectroradiometer. The method of continuum removal, first derivative reflectance and second derivative reflectance were used to deal with the original spectral data of four tree species. The method of Mahalanobis Distance was used to select the bands with significant differences in the original spectral data and transform spectral data to identify the different tree species. The progressive discrimination analyses were used to test the selective bands used to identify different tree species. The results showed that The Mahalanobis Distance method was an effective method in feature band extraction. The bands for identifying different tree species were most near-infrared bands. The recognition accuracy of four methods was 85%, 93.8%, 92.4% and 95.5% respectively. Spectrum transform could improve the recognition accuracy. The recognition accuracy of different research objects and different spectrum transform methods were different. The research provided evidence for desert tree species classification, monitoring biodiversity and the analysis of area in desert by using large scale remote sensing method.

Desert Research Institute cloud droplet videometer measurements in support of MASTEX

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

NONE

1995-02-13

In support of the Monterey Area Ship-Track Experiment (MASTEX) the Desert Research Institute completed modifications to an existing cloud droplet videometer and construction of a second unit for deployment on board the RV Glorita during the month of June 1994. Dr. Randolph Borys accompanied the instrumentation during the period the ship was at sea and assisted in the day-to-day experiments which were conducted on board. Unusually clear conditions and high winds contributed to the lack of opportunities to deploy the new instrument from the ship.

Southwestern desert resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Halvorson, William L.; van Riper, Charles; Schwalbe, Cecil R.

2010-01-01

The southwestern deserts stretch from southeastern California to west Texas and then south to central Mexico. The landscape of this region is known as basin and range topography featuring to "sky islands" of forest rising from the desert lowlands which creates a uniquely diverse ecology. The region is further complicated by an international border, where governments have caused difficulties for many animal populations. This book puts a spotlight on individual research projects which are specific examples of work being done in the area and when they are all brought together, to shed a general light of understanding the biological and cultural resources of this vast region so that those same resources can be managed as effectively and efficiently as possible. The intent is to show that collaborative efforts among federal, state agency, university, and private sector researchers working with land managers, provides better science and better management than when scientists and land managers work independently.

Hydrogeologic studies at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Andraski, Brian J.; Stonestrom, David A.; Taylor, Emily M.

1998-01-01

In 1976, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of unsaturated-zone hydrology in the Amargosa Desert in support of the USGS Low-Level Radioactive Waste Program. In 1983, agreements with the Bureau of Land Management and the State of Nevada established two field study areas: a 16-ha area adjacent to a waste-burial facility 17 km south of Beatty and a 0.1-ha area about 3 km farther south (fig. 1A). The study areas are collectively known as the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS). Investigations at the ADRS have provided long-term benchmark information about hydraulic characteristics and soil-water movement for undisturbed conditions and for simulated waste-site conditions in arid environments. In 1995, as a result of unexpectedly finding high concentrations of tritium and carbon-14 in the unsaturated zone beneath the ADRS, the scope of research was broadened to include the study of processes affecting radionuclide transport. The ADRS was incorporated into the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program in 1997. Research at the site is a multidisciplinary, collaborative effort that involves scientists from the USGS, universities, research institutes, and national laboratories. The overall objective for research at the site is to improve understanding of and methods for characterizing mechanisms that control subsurface migration and fate of contaminants in arid environments.

Dust Plume off the Coast of Egypt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Dwarfing the Nile, a river of dust flowed out of the deserts of northern Egypt on May 19, 2007. As the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead at 12:05 p.m. local time in Cairo, the sensor captured this image of the dust spreading northward over the Mediterranean Sea from the sandy deserts that span the country. At the margins of the plume, ribbons and ripples of dust are translucent, allowing a glimpse of the desert and water beneath, but in the center, the cloud is opaque, revealing nothing of the surface below. The part of north-central Egypt hidden by the dust plume is the Qattara Depression, the country's lowest point. Dipping down to 133 meters below sea level (436 feet), the depression is home to sandy deserts and dry lake beds that occasionally flood. The sand and fine, lake bed sediments are easily lofted into the air by strong winds that scour the area in late winter and early spring. In the eastern (right-hand) part of the image, the Nile River is lined by narrow ribbons of dull green vegetation. The fan-shaped delta is dotted with tan-colored spots, marking the location of cities and towns. The Nile Valley and Delta make up only a small fraction of the country's total land area, yet they support almost the entire population. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides this image in additional resolutions. The Earth Observatory also provides a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of this image for use with Google Earth.

Nasca Lines, Peru

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-22

The Nasca Lines are located in the Pampa region of Peru, the desolate plain of the Peruvian coast 400 km south of Lima. The Lines were first spotted when commercial airlines began flying across the Peruvian desert in the 1920's. Passengers reported seeing 'primitive landing strips' on the ground below. The Lines were made by removing the iron-oxide coated pebbles which cover the surface of the desert. When the gravel is removed, they contrast with the light color underneath. In this way the lines were drawn as furrows of a lighter color. On the pampa, south of the Nasca Lines, archaeologists have now uncovered the lost city of the line-builders, Cahuachi. It was built nearly two thousand years ago and was mysteriously abandoned 500 years later. This ASTER sub-image covers an area of 14 x 18 km, was acquired on December 22, 2000, and is located at 14.7 degrees south latitude and 75.1 degrees west longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11097

ASTER Dunes

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-06

This image of Saudi Arabia shows a great sea of linear dunes in part of the Rub' al Khali, or the Empty Quarter. Acquired on June 25, 2000, the image covers an area 37 kilometers (23 miles) wide and 28 kilometers (17 miles) long in three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region. The dunes are yellow due to the presence of iron oxide minerals. The inter-dune area is made up of clays and silt and appears blue due to its high reflectance in band 1. The Rub' al Khali is the world's largest continuous sand desert. It covers about 650,000 square kilometers (250,966 square miles) and lies mainly in southern Saudi Arabia, though it does extend into the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. One of the world's driest areas, it is uninhabited except for the Bedouin nomads who cross it. The first European to travel through the desert was Bertram Thomas in 1930. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02656

Managing Science Operations during Planetary Surface Operations at Long Light Delay-Time Targets: The 2011 Desert RATS Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eppler, D. B.

2012-01-01

Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of hardware and operations tests carried out annually in the high desert of Arizona in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Conducted since 1997, these activities are designed to exercise planetary surface hardware and operations in conditions where multi-day tests are achievable. Desert RATS 2011 Science Operations Test simulated the management of crewed science operations at targets that were beyond the light delay time experienced during Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and lunar surface missions, such as a mission to a Near-Earth Object (NEO) or the martian surface. Operations at targets at these distances are likely to be the norm as humans move out of the Earth-Moon system. Operating at these distances places significant challenges on mission operations, as the imposed light-delay time makes normal, two-way conversations extremely inefficient. Consequently, the operations approach for space missions that has been exercised during the first half-century of human space operations is no longer viable, and new approaches must be devised.

Debris Impact Detection Instrument for Crewed Modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Opiela, J.; Corsaro, R.; Giovanes, F.; Lio, J.-C.

2012-01-01

When micrometeoroid or debris impacts occur on a space habitat, crew members need to be quickly informed of the likely extent of damage, and be directed to the impact location for possible repairs. This is especially important because the outer walls of pressurized volumes are often not easily accessible, blocked by racks or cabinets. The goal of the Habitat Particle Impact Monitoring System (HIMS) is to develop a fully automated, end-to-end particle impact detection system for crewed space exploration modules. The HIMS uses multiple passive, thin film piezo-polymer vibration sensors to detect impacts on a surface, and computer processing of the acoustical signals to characterize the impacts. Development and demonstration of the HIMS is proceeding in concert with NASA's Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) Project. The HDU Project is designed to develop and test various technologies, configurations, and operational concepts for exploration habitats. This paper describes the HIMS development, initial testing, and HDU integration efforts. Initial tests of the system on the HDU were conducted at NASA s 2010 and 2011 Desert Research and Technologies Studies (Desert-RATS or D-RATS). The HDU lab module, as seen from above, has an open circular floorplan divided into eight wedge-shaped Segments. The side wall of the module -- the surface used for this technology demonstration -- is a hard fiberglass composite covered with a layer of sprayed-on foam insulation. Four sensor locations were assigned near the corners of a rectangular pattern on the wall of one segment of the HDU lab module. The flat, self-adhesive sensors were applied to the module during its initial outfitting. To study the influence of the wall s construction (thickness and materials), three sets of four sensors were installed at different layer depths: on the interior of the module s wall, on the exterior of the same wall, and on the exterior of the foam insulation. The signal produced when a vibration passes through a sensor is first sent through a pre-amplifier. The amplified signal then is sent to the data acquisition and data processing systems. The vibration data from the sensors are then processed and reduced to a form suitable for presentation to the crew.

A systematic review of food deserts, 1966-2007.

PubMed

Beaulac, Julie; Kristjansson, Elizabeth; Cummins, Steven

2009-07-01

"Food deserts," areas characterized by poor access to healthy and affordable food, may contribute to social and spatial disparities in diet and diet-related health outcomes. However, the extent to which food deserts exist is debated. We review the evidence for the existence of food deserts in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. We conducted a systematic review of primary, quantitative, observational studies, published in English or French, that used geographic or market-basket approaches in high-income countries. The literature search included electronic and hand searches and peer-reviewed and grey literature from 1966 through 2007. We also contacted key researchers to identify other studies. We analyzed the findings and quality of the studies qualitatively. Forty-nine studies in 5 countries met inclusion criteria; the amount and consistency of the evidence varied by country. These studies were a mix of geographic and market-basket approaches, but the methodologic quality of studies and completeness of reported findings were mixed. We found clear evidence for disparities in food access in the United States by income and race. Findings from other high-income countries were sparse and equivocal. This review suggests that food deserts exist in the United States, where area-level deprivation compounds individual disadvantage. Evidence for the existence of food deserts in other high-income nations is weak.

Thunderstorms over Brazil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This photograph, acquired in February 1984 by an astronaut aboard the space shuttle, shows a series of mature thunderstorms located near the Parana River in southern Brazil. With abundant warm temperatures and moisture-laden air in this part of Brazil, large thunderstorms are commonplace. A number of overshooting tops and anvil clouds are visible at the tops of the clouds. Storms of this magnitude can drop large amounts of rainfall in a short period of time, causing flash floods. However, a NASA-funded researcher has discovered that tiny airborne particles of pollution may modify developing thunderclouds by increasing the quantity and reducing the size of the ice crystals within them. These modifications may affect the clouds' impact on the Earth's 'radiation budget,' or the amount of radiation that enters and leaves our planet. Steven Sherwood, a professor at Yale University, found that airborne aerosols reduce the size of ice crystals in thunderclouds and may reduce precipitation as well. Using several satellites and instruments including NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, Sherwood observed how airborne pollution particles (aerosols) affect large thunderstorms, or cumulonimbus clouds in the tropics. Common aerosols include mineral dust, smoke, and sulfates. An increased number of these particles create a larger number of smaller ice crystals in cumulonimbus clouds. As a result of their smaller size, the ice crystals evaporate from a solid state directly into a gas, instead of falling as rain. Sherwood noted that this effect is more prevalent over land than open ocean areas. Previous research by Daniel Rosenfeld of Hebrew University revealed that aerosols and pollution reduced rainfall in shallow cumulus clouds of liquid water, which do not have the capability to produce as much rainfall. Sherwood expanded on that research by looking at cumulonimbus clouds with more ice particles. Studies have also proven that ice particles are smaller in the upper reaches of thunderclouds when there is more pollution and when the rising air in the clouds (convection) is stronger. Aerosols seem to have the most influence on seasonal and longer timescales such as during the warmer months when plants and undergrowth are burned to clear fields. Over areas where biomass burning occurs, such as South America, aerosols have been found to reduce the diameter of ice crystals in the clouds by as much as 20 percent. Areas over deserts, such as Africa's Sahel Region where dust is a primary aerosol, there was a 10 percent decrease in the diameter of ice crystals in cumulonimbus clouds. Aerosol particles are necessary for clouds to form, and it has been suspected that clouds might be altered by large concentrations of them. By looking at ten years of aerosol data and statistically analyzing many thunderclouds, Sherwood was able to confirm that they were affected. Sherwood found that ice crystals are smaller in clouds over continents than oceans, which could be attributed to the amount of pollution generated over land. The highest values occur widely over Northern Africa, where desert dust and smoke from agricultural burning occur. Intermediate values prevail over much of Asia, through the Indonesia region and into the south Pacific. The largest ice crystal sizes were found over the eastern Pacific and southern Indian Oceans. Sherwood's article, 'Aerosols and Ice Particle Size in Tropical Cumulonimbus,' appears in the May 1, 2002, issue of the American Meteorological Society Journal of Climate. This work was performed under the NASA Earth Observing System/Interdisciplinary Science (IDS) program under the Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). Image STS41B-41-2347 was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Biogeochemical Heterogeneity in Mars Analog Soils from the Atacama Desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claire, M.; Shirey, B.; Brown, M.; Anderson, D.; Van Mourik, M.

2014-12-01

Water is ubiquitous on Earth and plays a fundamental role in all aspects of biogeochemical cycling. Our existence on an aqua planet hampers our ability to interpret a planet like Mars where it may not have rained for a billion years. Soils from the hyperarid core of Chile's Atacama Desert may represent the closest geochemical analog to Martian soils, as this region has the lowest precipitation on Earth. The extreme lack of rainfall (a few mm per decade) limits both weathering and biological activity to the point where soils are effectively sterile. Oxidized end products of atmospheric chemistry such as nitrate and perchlorate build up to values approaching those measured on Mars by NASA's Phoenix Lander. In June 2012, we collected soil samples from 8 locations along an aridity gradient from the hyperarid core of the Atacama (rainfall < 1 mm/yr) towards the arid (5-100 mm/yr) surrounding areas where microbial community activity is sufficient to support the hardiest of desert plant species. Field observations indicate that microbial activity and geochemical heterogeneity are anti-correlated. We will present our quantitative results coupling geochemical heterogeneity (salt concentrations, org C/N, trace metals) and microbial community activity (TRFLP, nitrogen cycling) along this transect, and argue that geochemical heterogeneity (which could be measured by a rover or lander on Mars) may be a proxy for lifeless soils.

H-O isotopic and chemical characteristics of a precipitation-lake water-groundwater system in a desert area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Ke; Rao, Wenbo; Tan, Hongbing; Song, Yinxian; Yong, Bin; Zheng, Fangwen; Chen, Tangqing; Han, Liangfeng

2018-04-01

The recharge mechanism of groundwater in the Badain Jaran Desert, North China has been a focus of research and still disputable in the past two decades. In this study, the chemical and hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) isotopic characteristics of shallow groundwater, lake water and local precipitation in the Badain Jaran Desert and neighboring areas were investigated to reveal the relationships between various water bodies and the recharge source of shallow groundwater. Isotopic and hydrogeochemical results show that (1) shallow groundwater was associated with local precipitation in the Ayouqi and Yabulai regions, (2) lake water was mainly recharged by groundwater in the desert hinterland, (3) shallow groundwater of the desert hinterland, Yabulai Mountain and Gurinai Grassland had a common recharge source. Shallow groundwater of the desert hinterland had a mean recharge elevation of 1869 m a.s.l. on the basis of the isotope-altitude relationship and thus originated chiefly from lateral infiltration of precipitation in the Yabulai Mountain. It is further concluded that shallow groundwater flowed towards the Gurinai Grassland according to the groundwater table contour map. Along the flow pathway, the H-O isotopic variations were primarily caused by the evaporation effect but chemical variations of shallow groundwater were affected by multiple factors, e.g., evaporation effect, dilution effect of occasional heavy-precipitation and dissolution of aquifer evaporites. Our findings provide new insight into the groundwater cycle and benefit the management of the limited water resources in the arid desert area.

Assessment of Terra MODIS On-Orbit Polarization Sensitivity Using Pseudoinvariant Desert Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Aisheng; Geng, Xu; Wald, Andrew; Angal, Amit; Xiong, Xiaoxiong

2017-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is currently flying on NASA's Earth Observing System Terra and Aqua satellites, launched in 1999 and 2002, respectively. MODIS reflective solar bands in the visible wavelength range are known to be sensitive to polarized light based on prelaunch polarization sensitivity tests. After about five years of on-orbit operations, it was discovered that the polarization sensitivity at short wavelengths had shown a noticeable increase. In this paper, we examine the impact of polarization on measured top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance based on MODIS Collection-6 L1B over pseudo invariant desert sites. The standard polarization correction equation is used in combination with simulated at-sensor radiances using the second simulation of a satellite signal in the Solar Spectrum, Vector Radiative Transfer Code (6SV). We ignore the polarization contribution from the surface and a ratio approach is used for both 6SV-derived in put parameters and observed TOA reflectance. Results indicate that significant gain corrections up to 25% are required near the end of scan for the 412 and 443 nm bands. The polarization correction reduces the seasonal fluctuations in reflectance trends and mirror side ratios from 30% and 12% to 10% and 5%, respectively, for the two bands. Comparison of the effectiveness of the polarization correction with the results from the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group shows a good agreement in the corrected reflectance trending results and their seasonal fluctuations.

A Natural Experiment Opportunity in Two Low-Income Urban Food Desert Communities: Research Design, Community Engagement Methods, and Baseline Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubowitz, Tamara; Ncube, Collette; Leuschner, Kristin; Tharp-Gilliam, Shannah

2015-01-01

A growing body of evidence has highlighted an association between a lack of access to nutritious, affordable food (e.g., through full-service grocery stores [FSGs]), poor diet, and increased risk for obesity. In response, there has been growing interest among policy makers in encouraging the siting of supermarkets in "food deserts," that…

Technical Report Series on Global Modeling and Data Assimilation. Volume 32; Estimates of AOD Trends (2002 - 2012) Over the World's Major Cities Based on the MERRA Aerosol Reanalysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Provencal, Simon; Kishcha, Pavel; Elhacham, Emily; daSilva, Arlindo M.; Alpert, Pinhas; Suarez, Max J.

2014-01-01

NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office has extended the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application (MERRA) tool with five atmospheric aerosol species (sulfates, organic carbon, black carbon, mineral dust and sea salt). This inclusion of aerosol reanalysis data is now known as MERRAero. This study analyses a ten-year period (July 2002 - June 2012) MERRAero aerosol reanalysis applied to the study of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and its trends for the aforementioned aerosol species over the world's major cities (with a population of over 2 million inhabitants). We found that a proportion of various aerosol species in total AOD exhibited a geographical dependence. Cities in industrialized regions (North America, Europe, central and eastern Asia) are characterized by a strong proportion of sulfate aerosols. Organic carbon aerosols are dominant over cities which are located in regions where biomass burning frequently occurs (South America and southern Africa). Mineral dust dominates other aerosol species in cities located in proximity to the major deserts (northern Africa and western Asia). Sea salt aerosols are prominent in coastal cities but are dominant aerosol species in very few of them. AOD trends are declining over cities in North America, Europe and Japan, as a result of effective air quality regulation. By contrast, the economic boom in China and India has led to increasing AOD trends over most cities in these two highly-populated countries. Increasing AOD trends over cities in the Middle East are caused by increasing desert dust.

Atmospheric CO2 Column Measurements with an Airborne Intensity-Modulated Continuous-Wave 1.57-micron Fiber Laser Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dobler, Jeremy T.; Harrison, F. Wallace; Browell, Edward V.; Lin, Bing; McGregor, Doug; Kooi, Susan; Choi, Yonghoon; Ismail, Syed

2013-01-01

The 2007 National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey on Earth Science and Applications from Space recommended Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) as a mid-term, Tier II, NASA space mission. ITT Exelis, formerly ITT Corp., and NASA Langley Research Center have been working together since 2004 to develop and demonstrate a prototype Laser Absorption Spectrometer for making high-precision, column CO2 mixing ratio measurements needed for the ASCENDS mission. This instrument, called the Multifunctional Fiber Laser Lidar (MFLL), operates in an intensity-modulated, continuous-wave mode in the 1.57- micron CO2 absorption band. Flight experiments have been conducted with the MFLL on a Lear-25, UC-12, and DC-8 aircraft over a variety of different surfaces and under a wide range of atmospheric conditions. Very high-precision CO2 column measurements resulting from high signal-to-noise (great than 1300) column optical depth measurements for a 10-s (approximately 1 km) averaging interval have been achieved. In situ measurements of atmospheric CO2 profiles were used to derive the expected CO2 column values, and when compared to the MFLL measurements over desert and vegetated surfaces, the MFLL measurements were found to agree with the in situ-derived CO2 columns to within an average of 0.17% or approximately 0.65 ppmv with a standard deviation of 0.44% or approximately 1.7 ppmv. Initial results demonstrating ranging capability using a swept modulation technique are also presented.

AstroBioLab: A Mobile Biotic and Soil Analysis Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bada, J. L.; Zent, A. P.; Grunthaner, F. J.; Quinn, R. C.; Navarro-Gonzalex, R.; Gonez-Silva, B.; McKay, C. P.

2003-01-01

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and NASA Ames Research Center are currently developing a mobile Astrobiology Laboratory (AstroBioLab) for a series of field campaigns using the Chilean Atacama Desert as a Martian surface analog site. The Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) program funded AstroBioLab is designed around the Mars Organic Detector (MOD) instrument and the Mars Oxidant Instrument (MOI) which provide complementary data sets. Using this suite of Mars Instrument Development Program (MIDP) and Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program (PIDDP) derived in situ instruments, which provide state-of-the-art organic compound detection (attomolar sensitivity) and depth profiling of oxidation chemistry, we measure and correlate the interplay of organic compounds, inorganic oxidants, UV irradiation and water abundance. This mobile laboratory studies the proposition that intense UV irradiation coupled with low levels of liquid water generates metastable oxidizing species that can consume moderate amounts of seeded organic compounds. Results from the initial spring 2003 field campaign will be presented.

Energy Management of the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle Using a Goal-Oriented Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braman, Julia M. B.; Wagner, David A.

2010-01-01

Safe human exploration in space missions requires careful management of limited resources such as breathable air and stored electrical energy. Daily activities for astronauts must be carefully planned with respect to such resources, and usage must be monitored as activities proceed to ensure that they can be completed while maintaining safe resource margins. Such planning and monitoring can be complex because they depend on models of resource usage, the activities being planned, and uncertainties. This paper describes a system - and the technology behind it - for energy management of the NASA-Johnson Space Center's Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicles (SEV), that provides, in an onboard advisory mode, situational awareness to astronauts and real-time guidance to mission operators. This new capability was evaluated during this year's Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies) planetary exploration analog test in Arizona. This software aided ground operators and crew members in modifying the day s activities based on the real-time execution of the plan and on energy data received from the rovers.

KSC-2013-2757

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket engine. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2758

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket engine. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2013-2759

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-13

In the Mojave Desert in California, students and engineers checkout the Garvey Spacecraft Corporation's Prospector P-18D rocket engine. The rocket is scheduled for launch June 15 with the RUBICS-1 payload on a high-altitude, suborbital flight. The rocket will carry four satellites made from four-inch cube section. Collectively known as CubeSats, the satellites will record shock, vibrations and heat inside the rocket. They will not be released during the test flight, but the results will be used to prove or strengthen their designs before they are carried into orbit in 2014 on a much larger rocket. A new, lightweight carrier is also being tested for use on future missions to deploy the small spacecraft. The flight also is being watched closely as a model for trying out new or off-the-shelf technologies quickly before putting them in the pipeline for use on NASA's largest launchers. Built by several different organizations, including a university, a NASA field center and a high school, the spacecraft are four-inch cubes designed to fly on their own eventually, but will remain firmly attached to the rocket during the upcoming mission. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana/cubesatlaunchpreview.html Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Landscape-level impacts of livestock on the diversity of a desert grassland: preliminary results from long-term experimental studies

Treesearch

Charles G. Curtin

2005-01-01

This work is undertaken as a portion of long-term large-scale studies developed to determine how climate and disturbance (primarily fire and grazing) interact to structure desert grasslands. The results presented here are the initial grazing portions of the study. The analysis presented here indicates that following the reintroduction of cattle to the research area in...

Rodent middens, a new method for Quaternary research in arid zones of South America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Betancourt, J.L.; Saavedra, B.

2002-01-01

In arid and semi-arid regions of South America, historical evidence for climate and vegetation change is scarce despite its importance for determining reference conditions and rates of natural variability in areas susceptible to modern desertification. Normal lines of evidence, such as pollen stratigraphies from lakes, are either rare or unobtainable in deserts; studies of late Quaternary vegetation history are few and generally inconclusive. This gap in knowledge may be corrected with discovery and development of fossil rodent middens in rocky environments throughout arid South America. These middens, mostly the work of Lagidium, Phyllotis, Abrocoma and Octodontomys, are rich in readily identifiable plant macrofossils, cuticles and pollen, as well as vertebrate and insect remains. In the North American deserts, more than 2,500 woodrat (Neotoma) middens analyzed since 1960 have yielded a detailed history of environmental change during the past 40,000 years. Preliminary work in the pre-puna, Monte and Patagonian Deserts of western Argentina, the Atacama Desert of northern Chile/southern Peru, the Mediterranean matorral of central Chile, and the Puna of the Andean altiplano suggest a similar potential for rodent middens in South America. Here we borrow from the North American experience to synthesize methodologies and approaches, summarize preliminary work, and explore the potential of rodent midden research in South America.

Cumulative biological impacts framework for solar energy projects in the California Desert

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, Frank W.; Kreitler, Jason R.; Soong, Oliver; Stoms, David M.; Dashiell, Stephanie; Hannah, Lee; Wilkinson, Whitney; Dingman, John

2013-01-01

This project developed analytical approaches, tools and geospatial data to support conservation planning for renewable energy development in the California deserts. Research focused on geographical analysis to avoid, minimize and mitigate the cumulative biological effects of utility-scale solar energy development. A hierarchical logic model was created to map the compatibility of new solar energy projects with current biological conservation values. The research indicated that the extent of compatible areas is much greater than the estimated land area required to achieve 2040 greenhouse gas reduction goals. Species distribution models were produced for 65 animal and plant species that were of potential conservation significance to the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan process. These models mapped historical and projected future habitat suitability using 270 meter resolution climate grids. The results were integrated into analytical frameworks to locate potential sites for offsetting project impacts and evaluating the cumulative effects of multiple solar energy projects. Examples applying these frameworks in the Western Mojave Desert ecoregion show the potential of these publicly-available tools to assist regional planning efforts. Results also highlight the necessity to explicitly consider projected land use change and climate change when prioritizing areas for conservation and mitigation offsets. Project data, software and model results are all available online.

The effect of consumer pressure and abiotic stress on positive plant interactions are mediated by extreme climatic events.

PubMed

Filazzola, Alessandro; Liczner, Amanda Rae; Westphal, Michael; Lortie, Christopher J

2018-01-01

Environmental extremes resulting from a changing climate can have profound implications for plant interactions in desert communities. Positive interactions can buffer plant communities from abiotic stress and consumer pressure caused by climatic extremes, but limited research has explored this empirically. We tested the hypothesis that the mechanism of shrub facilitation on an annual plant community can change with precipitation extremes in deserts. During years of extreme drought and above-average rainfall in a desert, we measured plant interactions and biomass while manipulating a soil moisture gradient and reducing consumer pressure. Shrubs facilitated the annual plant community at all levels of soil moisture through reductions in microclimatic stress in both years and herbivore protection in the wet year only. Shrub facilitation and the high rainfall year contributed to the dominance of a competitive annual species in the plant community. Precipitation patterns in deserts determine the magnitude and type of facilitation mechanisms. Moreover, shrub facilitation mediates the interspecific competition within the associated annual community between years with different rainfall amounts. Examining multiple drivers during extreme climate events is a challenging area of research, but it is a necessary consideration given forecasts predicting that these events will increase in frequency and magnitude. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

ARC-2007-ACD07-0056-064

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-03-26

Spaceward Bound event in the Mojave Deser , CA (an outreach exercise) with Dr Chris McKay and Ames Education department personnel Brian Day, Barbara Bazar and a accompaning (learning for the the classroom) team of teachers will be studying side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments, closely approximating what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars. Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in lunar geology, Mars astrobiology, Mars geology, and issues of temperature and solar inundation and radiation. for additional information and Outreach projects see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ shown here: Monika Kress, Professor of Astronomy at San Jose State University