Brazil to launch satellite in December

Brazil to launch satellite in December
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (XNA) Mar 25, 2014 - Brazil will launch a new satellite in partnership with China in December, local media reported Friday. The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) confirmed that the launch of the Cbers-4 satellite is expected to take place in the first half of December, Brazilian news website G1 reported. Cbers-4 was originally scheduled to be launched in 2015, but the date was brought forward following the failed l ... more

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NJIT physicist helps to discover a new structure in Earth's radiation belt

NJIT physicist helps to discover a new structure in Earth's radiation belt
Newark, NJ (SPX) Mar 25, 2014 - An NJIT physicist is a collaborator in the discovery of a new structure in Earth's inner radiation belt - a zebra-striped structure of highly energized electrons that could endanger humans in space and also damage low-earth navigation and communication satellites. And surprisingly, the new structure is produced not by solar activity but by Earth's slow rotation. Scientists had previously ... more

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NASA Historic Earth Images Still Hold Research Value

NASA Historic Earth Images Still Hold Research Value
Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 25, 2014 - NASA's Seasat satellite became history long ago, but it left a legacy of images of Earth's ocean, volcanoes, forests and other features that were made by the first synthetic aperture radar ever mounted on a satellite. Potential research uses for the recently released 35-year-old images are outlined in a paper published in the journal Eos today, March 18. Seasat, which was managed by NASA's ... more

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Planet Labs Set To Launch Largest Satellite Fleet In History

Planet Labs Set To Launch Largest Satellite Fleet In History
San Francisco CA (SPX) Mar 25, 2014 - Planet Labs has announced that it has confirmed launches for more than 100 satellites over the next 12 months. The satellites will launch on rockets from the USA and Russia. This constitutes the largest constellation of satellites manifested in history. These new launches will build on Planet Labs first 28 satellites, Flock 1, which were launched in January. This constellation will a ... more

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Cell phones catapult 'Shangri-La' Bhutan into modern age

Cell phones catapult 'Shangri-La' Bhutan into modern age
Thimpu , Bhutan (AFP) March 24, 2014 - Sitting in his office in Bhutan's sleepy capital, newspaper editor Tenzing Lamsang muses on the dramatic impact of cell phone technology on a remote Himalayan kingdom known as the "last Shangri-La". "Bhutan is jumping from the feudal age to the modern age," said Lamsang, editor of The Bhutanese biweekly and online journal. "It's bypassing the industrial age." As the last country in the w ... more

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Social Media Accreditation Opens for Next SpaceX Launch to Resupply Space Station

NASA is inviting social media users to apply for credentials to attend the March 1 launch for the next cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is targeted to liftoff at 10:10 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

A maximum of 50 social media users will be selected to attend the event and will be given the same access as news media in an effort to align the experience of social media representatives with those of traditional media. NASA Social media accreditation for the SpaceX launch opens at noon EST Thursday, Feb. 14. International social media users without U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials by 5:00 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 15, to qualify. For U.S. social media, the deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 22. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

• View the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
• Meet and interact with representatives from NASA and SpaceX
• Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media
• Meet members of NASA's social media teams

Apply Now ›

What are NASA Social media credentials?
Social media credentials give users a chance to apply for the same access as journalists in an effort to align the access and experience of social media representatives with those of traditional media. People, who actively collect, report, analyze and disseminate news on social networking platforms are encouraged to apply for media credentials. Selection is not random. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Those chosen must prove through the registration process they meet specific engagement criteria.

How do I register?
Registration opens to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals at noon EST Thursday, Feb. 14. International social media users without U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials by 5:00 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 15, to qualify. For U.S. social media, the deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 22. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Do I need to have a social media account to register?
Yes. This event is designed for people who:

• Actively use multiple social networking platforms and tools to disseminate information to a unique audience.
• Regularly produce new content that features multimedia elements.
• Have the potential to reach a large number of people using digital platforms.
• Reach a unique audience, separate and distinctive from traditional news media and/or NASA audiences.
• Must have an established history of posting content on social media platforms.
• Have previous postings that are highly visible, respected and widely recognized.

Users on all social networks are encouraged to use the hashtag #NASASocial. Updates and information about the event will be shared on Twitter via @NASASocial and via posts to Facebook and Google+.

What are the registration requirements?
Registration indicates your intent to travel to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and attend the two-day event in person. You are responsible for your own expenses for travel, accommodation, food and other amenities.

Some events and participants scheduled to appear at the event are subject to change without notice. NASA and SpaceX are not responsible for loss or damage incurred as a result of attending. NASA and SpaceX, moreover, are not responsible for loss or damage incurred if the event is cancelled with limited or no notice. Please plan accordingly.

Kennedy is a government facility. Those who are selected will need to complete an additional registration step to receive clearance to enter the secure areas. To be admitted, you will need to show two government-issued identifications (one with a photo) that match the name provided on the registration. Those without proper identification cannot be admitted. All registrants must be at least 18 years old.

Can I register if I am not a U.S. citizen?
Yes. Foreign nationals 18 years of age or older may register for this event prior to 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 15.

Does my registration include a guest?
Because of space limitations, you may not bring a guest. Each registration provides a place for one person only (you) and is non-transferable. Each individual wishing to attend must register separately.

What if I cannot come to Florida?
If you cannot come to Florida to attend in person, you should not register for the NASA Social. You can follow the conversation using the #NASASocial hashtag on Twitter. NASA may broadcast a portion of the program on Feb. 28. You can watch the launch on March 1 on NASA TV or on SpaceX's website. NASA and SpaceX will provide regular launch and mission updates on @NASA, @NASAKennedy and @SpaceX.

If you cannot make this event, don't despair; NASA is planning others in the near future. Check for future events athttp://www.nasa.gov/social.

When will I know if I am selected?
After registrations have been received and processed, an notification email will be send out to inform you whether or not you have been selected for NASA social media accreditation. Those selected will be required to complete an additional step before being accredited. We will send notifications upon approval.

If you do not make the registration list for accreditation, you can still attend the launch and participate in the conversation online. Find out about ways to experience a launch at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/viewing.html.

What if the launch date changes?
Hundreds of different factors can cause a scheduled launch date to change multiple times. The targeted launch date will not be confirmed until after the Flight Readiness Review, which is scheduled for Feb. XX, 2013. If the launch date changes, NASA and SpaceX may adjust programming accordingly to coincide with the new target launch date. NASA will notify registrants of any changes by email.

Attendees are responsible for any additional costs they incur related to any launch delay. We strongly encourage participants to make travel arrangements that are refundable and/or flexible.

Does registration for and/or attendance at this NASA Social qualify me for media accreditation?
No, your registration and/or attendance, does not qualify you for news media credentials at NASA now or in the future.

Have a question not answered here? Need more information? Help is available by sending an email to NASA Social Media

The solar wind is swirly

Using ESA’s Cluster quartet of satellites as a space plasma microscope, scientists have zoomed in on the solar wind to reveal the finest detail yet, finding tiny turbulent swirls that could play a big role in heating it. Turbulence is highly complex and all around us, evident in water flowing from a tap, around an aircraft wing, in experimental fusion reactors on Earth, and also in space.

In the stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun – the solar wind – turbulence is thought to play a key part in maintaining its heat as it streams away and races across the Solar System. As the solar wind expands, it cools down, but to a much smaller extent than would be expected if the flow were smooth.

Turbulence arises from irregularities in the flow of particles and magnetic field lines, but understanding how this energy is transferred from the large scales where it originates, to the small scales where it is dissipated, is like trying to trace energy as it is transferred from the smooth, laminar flow of a river down to the small turbulent eddies formed at the bottom of a waterfall.

In a new study, two of the four Cluster satellites have made extremely detailed observations of plasma turbulence in the solar wind. They were separated by just 20 km along the direction of the plasma flow and operated in ‘burst mode’ to take 450 measurements per second. By comparing the results with computer simulations, scientists confirmed the existence of sheets of electric current just 20 km across, on the borders of turbulent swirls.

“This shows for the first time that the solar wind plasma is extremely structured at this high resolution,” says Silvia Perri of the Universita della Calabria, Italy, and lead author of the paper reporting the result. Cluster previously detected current sheets on much larger scales of 100 km in the magnetosheath, the region sandwiched between Earth’s magnetic bubble – the magnetosphere – and the bow shock that is created as it meets the solar wind.

At the borders of these turbulent eddies the process of ‘magnetic reconnection’ was detected, whereby oppositely directed field lines spontaneously break and reconnect with other nearby field lines, thus releasing their energy.“Although we haven’t yet detected reconnection occurring at these new smaller scales, it is clear that we are seeing a cascade of energy which may contribute to the overall heating of the solar wind,” said Dr Perri.  

Future missions such as ESA’s Solar Orbiter and NASA’s Solar Probe Plus will be able to determine whether similar processes are also in play closer to the Sun, while NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission will specifically probe the small-scale regions where reconnection can occur.“This Cluster result demonstrates the mission’s unique capability to probe universal physical phenomena, in this case pushing the mission’s instrument measurement capabilities to their limit to unlock features at small scales,” comments Matt Taylor, ESA’s Cluster Project Scientist.

“Future multi-spacecraft missions will make very detailed studies of these small-scale plasma phenomena and provide further context to our Cluster measurements.”

For further information visit: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/The_solar_wind_is_swirly/(print)