Engineering topics

Evans, Cynthia A.

Publications and source records attributed to Evans, Cynthia A..

25 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS2006

From Auroras to Sea Ice: Views From the International Space Station and Plans for International Polar Year

For more than 40 years astronauts have been observing Earth, taking photographs or digital images from their spacecraft. Today, a robust program of observation from the International Space Station (ISS) has yielded hundreds of thousands of images of the Earth s surface collected since 2001. Seeing Earth through the eyes of an astronaut is exciting to the general public, and the images are popular in classrooms. Because the ISS has an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees (the north-south limits of the orbit are at 51.6 degrees latitude), high latitude observations are common. Some of the most striking images collected include views of polar phenomena. Astronauts routinely pass above brilliant red and green aurora; view high, wispy clouds at the top of the atmosphere; or look down on glaciers and floating ice rafts. These images, framed and captured by humans, are easily interpreted by students and teachers. Astronaut observations provide a way to visualize complicated polar phenomena and communicate about them to students of all ages. Over the next two years, astronauts aboard the ISS will formally focus their observations on polar phenomena as participants in the International Polar Year (IPY). Imagery acquisition from the ISS will be coordinated with other IPY scientists staging studies and field campaigns on the ground. The imagery collected from the ISS will be cataloged and served on NASA s web-based database of images, http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov . The website allows investigators, students and teachers to search through the imagery, assemble image datasets, and download the imagery and the metadata. We display some of the most spectacular examples of polar imagery and demonstrate NASA s database of astronaut images of Earth.

Evans, Cynthia A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Earth observations during Space Shuttle mission STS-45 Mission to Planet Earth - March 24-April 2, 1992

A description is presented of the activities and results of the Space Shuttle mission STS-45, known as the Mission to Planet Earth. Observations of Mount St. Helens, Manila Bay and Mt. Pinatubo, the Great Salt Lake, the Aral Sea, and the Siberian cities of Troitsk and Kuybyshev are examined. The geological features and effects of human activity seen in photographs of these areas are pointed out.

Pitts, David E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Ice patterns and hydrothermal plumes, Lake Baikal, Russia - Insights from Space Shuttle hand-held photography

Earth photography from the Space Shuttle is used to examine the ice cover on Lake Baikal and correlate the patterns of weakened and melting ice with known hydrothermal areas in the Siberian lake. Particular zones of melted and broken ice may be surface expressions of elevated heat flow in Lake Baikal. The possibility is explored that hydrothermal vents can introduce local convective upwelling and disrupt a stable water column to the extent that the melt zones which are observed in the lake's ice cover are produced. A heat flow map and photographs of the lake are overlaid to compare specific areas of thinned or broken ice with the hot spots. The regions of known hydrothermal activity and high heat flow correlate extremely well with circular regions of thinned ice, and zones of broken and recrystallized ice. Local and regional climate data and other sources of warm water, such as river inlets, are considered.

Evans, Cynthia A.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Earth observations during Space Shuttle flight STS-35 - Columbia's Mission to Planet Earth, December 2-10, 1990

Some of the most significant earth-viewing imagery obtained during Space Shuttle Columbia's flight STS-35, December 2-10, 1990, is reviewed with emphasis on observations of the Southern Hemisphere. In particular, attention is given to environmental observations in areas of Madagascar, Brazil, and Persian Gulf; observation of land resources (Namibia, offshore Australia); and observations of ocean islands (Phillipines, Indonesia, and Reunion). Some of the photographs are included.

Lulla, Kamlesh P.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Earth observations during Space Shuttle flight STS-31: The earth from 600 km - April 24 through 29, 1990

Images taken aboard the Space Shuttle flight STS-31 are presented and discussed in terms of documenting key features and describing regional interrelationships. The images comprise regional views and continuous swath maps that are intended to serve as linkage and/or context for related photographs in the shuttle database. The Linhof hand-held mapping camera is employed at 20-s intervals resulting in contiguous swaths with 75-percent overlap, and Hasselblad images are taken simultaneously to complement the swaths. Specific examples of the products are given for regions including Lake Eyre, Australia, Madagascar, and Central America; specific landforms are also shown including the El Chichon volcano, and an example is shown of the differential heating of land and water. The photographs are considered useful for mapping large-scale features and for providing context for smaller image-data products.

Evans, Cynthia A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Earth observations during Space Shuttle Mission STS-33 - November 23-27, 1989

An overview is presented of photographs, astronaut impressions, and photographic equipment and techniques coincident with the Discovery STS-33 mission of November 23-27, 1989. Particularly significant geographical photographs of southern Africa, Madagascar, northern Africa, Southeast Asia islands, Pacific islands, and Australia are shown and reviewed. Meteorological and oceanographic observations are summarized along with film anomalies that occurred during this mission.

Amsbury, David L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Earth observations during Space Shuttle mission STS-30

The earth observations that were conducted during the STS-30 mission in May, 1989 are examined. An overview of the STS-30 mission is given, noting the launch of the Magellan spacecraft. The major positions of STS-30 photographs are illustrated and the sun elevation angles of the photographs and the types of films used during the mission are listed. Photographs of various regions are described, focusing on North Africa and the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Southern U.S. The use of the photographs for various research purposes is discussed, including oceanography, meteorology, and polarization experiments. Also, consideration is given to the use of video/camcorders for earth observations.

Helfert, Michael R.↗