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At least 55 records · Page 3

STS-105 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 1-3

An overview of the STS-105 mission is given through footage of each flight day. Scenes from flight days one through three show activities such as astronaut prelaunch procedures (breakfast, suit-up, and boarding Discovery), the launch from multiple vantage points, and various on-orbit activities. Expedition 3 (E3) Commander Frank Culbertson, Jr. and Flight Engineer Mikhail Turin perform the H-Reflex Experiment, an experiment to test the effects of microgravity on the human spinal cord. As Discovery approaches the International Space Station (ISS), the Expedition 2 (E2) crew, Commander Yuriy Usachev and Flight Engineers James Voss and Susan Helms, are seen working in the Destiny Laboratory Module aboard ISS. Discovery docks to the space station and the three crews (STS-105, E2, and E3) greet each other after the hatches between the orbiter and ISS are opened. As Discovery passes over the United States, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota are seen through patchy clouds. Footage from flight days 4-13 can be found on 'STS-105 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 4-6' (internal ID 2002046549), 'STS-105 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 7-9' (internal ID 2002046552), and 'STS-105 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 10-13' (internal ID 2002046551).

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STS-108 Mission Highlights Resource Tape

This is Part 1 of a three part video series which provides highlights of the STS-108 mission during which the Expedition Three crew (Commander Frank Culbertson) of the International Space Station (ISS) was relieved by the Expedition Four crew (Commander Yury Onfrienko). For the other parts of the series, refer to 'STS-108 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 2 of 3' (Internal ID 2002049330) and 'STS-108 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 3 of 3' (Internal ID 2002049329). During this video, the STS-108 crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (Commander Dom Gorie), as well as the Expedition Four crew, are shown preparing for liftoff at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Preparations include preflight suiting up, and the strapping in of the crew by support staff. The launch is shown from the Launch Control Center. Following the orbital entry of Endeavour, there is an inspection of the shuttle's payload bay. There is some flight deck activity as the crew prepares for the rendezvous and docking of Endeavour with the ISS. Following the docking, the Expedition Three crew welcomes the others aboard the station, and both crews are briefed. There is an unobstructed view of the South Atlantic Ocean and the coast line of Argentina which includes Peninsula Valdes and Golfo Nuevo. The Raffaello Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) is unberthed from the shuttle payload bay and attached to the ISS.

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STS 110 Mission Highlights Resource Tape

This video, Part 1 of 4, shows footage from flight days 1 and 2, and part of day 3, of STS-110. The spacecrew includes Michael J. Bloomfield, Commander; Stephen N. Frick, Pilot; Jerry L. Ross, Mission Specialist; Steven L. Smith, Mission Specialist; Ellen Ochoa, Mission Specialist; Lee M.E. Morin, Mission Specialist; Rex J. Walheim, Mission Specialist. They are shown at their pre-launch meal, introducing themselves and talking about their roles on the coming flight. The launch of Atlantis is shown, with replays. On flight day 2, the crew conducts a checkout of the CANADARM robotic arm. Flight day 3 includes Atlantis docking with the International Space Station (ISS), firing its thrusters to reach it. The approach and docking are shown. Other notable footage includes CANADARM with the Earth's limb in the background, Atlantis moving over a cloud cover background, sunlight from behind the Earth's limb, showing the "diamond ring" effect, sunrise upon Atlantis, and the docking hatches of the two spacecraft during approach. The activities from other flights days can be seen on "STS 110 Mission Highlights Resource Tape" Part 2 of 4 (internal ID 2002137573), "STS 110 Mission Highlights Resource Tape" Part 3 of 4 (internal ID 2002137574), and "STS 110 Mission Highlights Resource Tape" Part 4 of 4 (internal ID 2002137517).

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STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 8 - 12 - Part 4 of 4

This video, Part 4 of 4, shows footage of crew activities from flight days 8 through 12 of STS-109. The crew included: Scott Altman, Commander; Duane Carey, Pilot; John Grunsfeld, Payload Commander; Nancy Currie, Richard Linnehan, James Newman, Michael Massimino, Mission Speicalists. The activities from other flights days can be seen on 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 1 of 4 (internal ID 2002139471), 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 2 of 4 (internal ID 2002137664), and 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 3 of 4 (internal ID 2002139476). The primary activity on flight day 8 was an EVA (extravehicular activity) by Grunsfeld and Linnehan to install a cryocooler and radiator for the NICMOS (Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer) on the HST (Hubble Space Telescope). Before returning to Columbia's airlock, the astronauts, with a cloudy background, hold onto the orbiter and offer their thoughts on the significance of their mission, the HST, and spaceflight. Footage from flight day 9 includes the grappling, unbearthing, and deployment of the HST from Columbia, and the crew coordinating and videotaping Columbia's departure. Flight day 10 was a relatively inactive day, and flight day 11 includes a checkout of Columbia's aerodynamic surfaces. Columbia landed on flight day 12, which is covered by footage of the crew members speaking during reentry, and their night landing, primarily shown through the orbiter's head-up display. The video includes numerous views of the HST, as well as views of the the Galapagos Islands, Madagascar, and Southern Africa with parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and part of the coast of Chile. The pistol grip space tool is shown in use, and the crew answers two messages from the public, including a message to Massimino from the Fire Department of New York.

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STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 4 & 5 - Part 2 of 4

This video, Part 2 of 4, shows the activities of the STS-109 crew (Scott Altman, Commander; Duane Carey, Pilot; John Grunsfeld, Payload Commander; Nancy Currie, James Newman, Richard Linnehan, Michael Massimino, Mission Specialists) during flight days 4 and 5. The activities from other flights days can be seen on 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 1 of 4 (internal ID 2002139471), 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 3 of 4 (internal ID 2002139476), and 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 4 of 4 (internal ID 2002137577). The primary activities during these days were EVAs (extravehicular activities) to replace two solar arrays on the HST (Hubble Space Telescope). Footage from flight day 4 records an EVA by Grunsfeld and Linnehan, including their exit from Columbia's payload bay airlock, their stowing of the old HST starboard rigid array on the rigid array carrier in Columbia's payload bay, their attachment of the new array on HST, the installation of a new starboard diode box, and the unfolding of the new array. The pistol grip space tool used to fasten the old array in its new location is shown in use. The video also includes several shots of the HST with Earth in the background. On flight day 5 Newman and Massimino conduct an EVA to change the port side array and diode box on HST. This EVA is very similar to the one on flight day 4, and is covered similarly in the video. A hand operated ratchet is shown in use. In addition to a repeat of the previous tasks, the astronauts change HST's reaction wheel assembly, and because they are ahead of schedule, install installation and lubricate an instrument door on the telescope. The Earth views include a view of Egypt and Israel, with the Nile River, Red Sea, and Mediterranean Sea.

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STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 1 - 3 - Part 1 of 4

This video, Part 1 of 4, shows the activities of the STS-109 crew (Scott Altman, Commander; Duane Carey, Pilot; John Grunsfeld, Payload Commander; Nancy Currie, James Newman, Richard Linnehan, Michael Massimino, Mission Specialists) during flight days 1 through 3. The activities from other flight days can be seen on 'STS 109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 2 of 4 (internal ID 2002137664), 'STS 109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 3 of 4 (internal ID 2002139471), and 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 4 of 4 (internal ID 2002137577). The main activity recorded during flight day 1 is the liftoff of Columbia. Attention is given to suit-up, boarding, and pre-flight procedures. The pre-launch crew meal has no sound. The crew members often wave to the camera before liftoff. The jettisoning of the solid rocket boosters is shown, and the External Tank is seen as it falls to Earth, moving over African dunes in the background. There are liftoff replays, including one from inside the cockpit. The opening of the payload bay doors is seen from the rear of the shuttle's cockpit. The footage from flight day 2 shows the Flight Support System for bearthing the HST (Hubble Space Telescope). Crew preparations for the bearthing are shown. Flight day 3 shows the tracking of and approach to the HST by Columbia, including orbital maneuvers, the capture of the HST, and its lowering onto the Flight Support System. Many views of the HST are shown, including one which reveals an ocean and cloud background as the HST retracts a solar array.

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STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 6 & 7 - Part 3 of 4

This video, Part 3 of 4, shows the activities of the STS-109 crew (Scott Altman, Commander; Duane Carey, Pilot; John Grunsfeld, Payload Commander; Nancy Currie, James Newman, Richard Linnehan, Michael Massimino, Mission Specialists) during flight days 6 and 7. The activities from other flight days can be seen on 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 1 of 4 (internal ID 2002139471), 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 2 of 4 (internal ID 2002137664), and 'STS-109 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 4 of 4 (internal ID 2002137577). Flight day 6 features a very complicated EVA (extravehicular activity) to service the HST (Hubble Space Telescope). Astronauts Grunsfeld and Linnehan replace the HST's power control unit, disconnecting and reconnecting 36 tiny connectors. The procedure includes the HST's first ever power down. The cleanup of spilled water from the coollant system in Grunsfeld's suit is shown. The pistol grip tool, and two other space tools are also shown. On flight day 7, Newman and Massimino conduct an EVA. They replace the HST's FOC (Faint Object Camera) with the ACS (Advanced Camera for Surveys). The video ends with crew members playing in the shuttle's cabin with a model of the HST.

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STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 1 - 4 - Part 1 of 4

This video, Part 1 of 4, shows the activities of the STS-111 crew (Kenneth Cockrell, Commander; Paul Lockhart, Pilot; Franklin Chang-Diaz, Phillipe Perrin, Mission Specialists) during flight days 1 through 4. Also shown are the incoming Expedition 5 (Valeri Korzun, Commander; Peggy Whitson, NASA ISS Science Officer; Sergei Treschev, Flight Engineer) and outgoing Expedition 4 (Yuri Onufriyenko, Commander; Carl Walz, Daniel Bursch, Flight Engineers) crews of the ISS (International Space Station). The activities from other flight days can be seen on 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 2 of 4 (internal ID 2002139469), 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 3 of 4 (internal ID 2002139468), and 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 4 of 4 (internal ID 2002139474). The primary activity of flight day 1 is the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The crew is seen before the launch at a meal and suit-up, and some pre-flight procedures are shown. Perrin holds a sign with a personalized message. The astronauts communicate with Mission Control extensively after launch, and an inside view of the shuttle cabin is shown. The replays of the launch include close-ups of the nozzles at liftoff, and the fall of the solid rocket boosters and the external fuel tank. Flight day 2 shows footage of mainland Asia at night, and daytime views of the eastern United States and Lake Michigan. Flight day three shows the Endeavour orbiter approaching and docking with the ISS. After the night docking, the crews exchange greetings, and a view of the Nile river and Egypt at night is shown. On flight day 4, the MPLM (Multi-Purpose Logistics Module) Leonardo was temporarily transferred from Endeavour's payload bay to the ISS.

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STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 8 - 10 - Part 3 of 4

An overview of the STS-111 Endeavour mission is given through footage of each flight day. Scenes from flight days 8 through 10 show activities such as extravehicular activity (EVA) preparation, EVA activity to replace the wrist roll joint on the International Space Station's (ISS) robotic arm, logistics transfer operation, space suit check-out and loading of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module onto the Endeavour's cargo bay. Individual shots of Africa, Italy, Hispaniola, Mexico and the Strait of Gilbraltar are shown. For mission footage from flight days 1 to 7 and 11-14, see also, 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 1', 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 2' and 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 4'.

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STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 5 - 7 - Part 2 of 4

This video, Part 2 of 4, shows the activities of the STS-111 crew (Kenneth Cockrell, Commander; Paul Lockhart, Pilot; Franklin Chang-Diaz, Phillipe Perrin, Mission Specialists) during flight days 5 through 7. Also shown are the incoming Expedition 5 (Valeri Korzun, Commander; Peggy Whitson, NASA ISS Science Officer; Sergei Treschev, Flight Engineer) and outgoing Expedition 4 (Yuri Onufriyenko, Commander; Carl Walz, Daniel Bursch, Flight Engineers) crews of the ISS (International Space Station). The activities from other flight days can be seen on 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 1 of 4 (internal ID 2002139357), 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 3 of 4 (internal ID 2002139468), and 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape' Part 4 of 4 (internal ID 2002139474). On flight day 5, the transfer and installation of a Power and Data Grapple Fixture onto the P6 Truss during an EVA (extravehicular activity) is shown. The relocation of micrometeorite debris shields is also shown. Canadarm 2 is used to move the Mobile Base System near the Mobile Transporter on the ISS Destiny Module. The capture of the Mobile Base System takes place on flight day 6, along with a crew transfer ceremony on board the ISS. The video includes a view of the South Pacific just before dawn, and the Endeavour crew answers questions from the public.

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STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape: Flight Days 11-14 - Part 4 of 4

An overview of the STS-111 Endeavour mission is given through footage of each flight day. Scenes from flight days 11 through 14 show activities such as preparations for hatch closure and undocking of Endeavour from the International Space Station (ISS), the actual undocking operation, prelanding spacesuit and equipment checks and the landing at Edwards Air Force base. Numerous shots of the ISS and Endeavour are shown. For footage from flight days 1-10, see 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 1', 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 2', and 'STS-111 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 3'.

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Unbiased compound screening with a reporter gene assay highlights the role of p13 in the cardiac cellular stress response

Highlights: • Unbiased screening with 2320 known compounds identified 12 chemical probes for p13. • > 80% screened agents increased or decreased p13 mRNA and affected cardiac function. • Four cardiotonic agents decreased p13 levels and induced oxidative stress. • In vivo profile of p13 expression shows its importance in heart pathophysiology. • PGC1-alpha, a mitochondrial master regulator, markedly elevated p13 expression. We recently showed that a 13-kDa protein (p13), the homolog protein of formation of mitochondrial complex V assembly factor 1 in yeast, acts as a potential protective factor in pancreatic islets under diabetes. Here, we aimed to identify known compounds regulating p13 mRNA expression to obtain therapeutic insight into the cellular stress response. A luciferase reporter system was developed using the putative promoter region of the human p13 gene. Overexpression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, a master player regulating mitochondrial metabolism, increased both reporter activity and p13 expression. Following unbiased screening with 2320 known compounds in HeLa cells, 12 pharmacological agents (including 8 cardiotonics and 2 anthracyclines) that elicited >2-fold changes in p13 mRNA expression were identified. Among them, four cardiac glycosides decreased p13 expression and concomitantly elevated cellular oxidative stress. Additional database analyses showed highest p13 expression in heart, with typically decreased expression in cardiac disease. Accordingly, our results illustrate the usefulness of unbiased compound screening as a method for identifying novel functional roles of unfamiliar genes. Our findings also highlight the importance of p13 in the cellular stress response in heart.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Highlighting the complexities of a groundwater pilot study during an avian influenza outbreak: Methods, lessons learned, and select contaminant results

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N2) outbreak in the Midwestern United States (US) in 2015 was historic due to the number of birds and poultry operations impacted and the corresponding economic loss to the poultry industry and was the largest animal health emergency in US history. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with the assistance of several state and federal agencies, aided the response to the outbreak by developing a study to determine the extent of virus transport in the environment. The study goals were to: develop the appropriate sampling methods and protocols for measuring avian influenza virus (AIV) in groundwater, provide the first baseline data on AIV and outbreak- and poultry-related contaminant occurrence and movement into groundwater, and document climatological factors that may have affected both survival and transport of AIV to groundwater during the months of the 2015 outbreak. While site selection was expedient, there were often delays in sample response times due to both relationship building between agencies, groups, and producers and logistical time constraints. This study's design and sampling process highlights the unpredictable nature of disease outbreaks and the corresponding difficulty in environmental sampling of such events. The lessons learned, including field protocols and approaches, can be used to improve future research on AIV in the environment. - Highlights: • Historic 2015 avian influenza outbreak resulted in over 50 million birds destroyed. • Study to determine environmental extent of virus transport logistically challenging. • Challenges included communication, relationship building, and safety protocols. • Temperature, precipitation may have favored virus survival, transport to subsurface.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey I. Survey Overview and Highlights

MeerKAT’s large number (64) of 13.5 m diameter antennas, spanning 8 km with a densely packed 1 km core, create a powerful instrument for wide-area surveys, with high sensitivity over a wide range of angular scales. The MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey (MGCLS) is a programme of long-track MeerKAT L-band (900–1670 MHz) observations of 115 galaxy clusters, observed for ~6–10 h each in full polarisation. The first legacy product data release (DR1), made available with this paper, includes the MeerKAT visibilities, basic image cubes at ~8" resolution, and enhanced spectral and polarisation image cubes at ~8" and 15" resolutions. Typical sensitivities for the full-resolution MGCLS image products range from ~3–5 μJy beam –1 . The basic cubes are full-field and span 2° × 2°. The enhanced products consist of the inner 1.2° × 1.2° field of view, corrected for the primary beam. The survey is fully sensitive to structures up to ~10' scales, and the wide bandwidth allows spectral and Faraday rotation mapping. Relatively narrow frequency channels (209 kHz) are also used to provide H I mapping in windows of 0 < z < 0.09 and 0.19 < z < 0.48. Here, in this paper, we provide an overview of the survey and the DR1 products, including caveats for usage. We present some initial results from the survey, both for their intrinsic scientific value and to highlight the capabilities for further exploration with these data. These include a primary-beam-corrected compact source catalogue of ~626 000 sources for the full survey and an optical and infrared cross-matched catalogue for compact sources in the primary-beam-corrected areas of Abell 209 and Abell S295. We examine dust unbiased star-formation rates as a function of cluster-centric radius in Abell 209, extending out to 3.5 R 200 . We find no dependence of the star-formation rate on distance from the cluster centre, and we observe a small excess of the radio-to-100 μm flux ratio towards the centre of Abell 209 that may reflect a ram pressure enhancement in the denser environment. We detect diffuse cluster radio emission in 62 of the surveyed systems and present a catalogue of the 99 diffuse cluster emission structures, of which 56 are new. These include mini-halos, halos, relics, and other diffuse structures for which no suitable characterisation currently exists. We highlight some of the radio galaxies that challenge current paradigms, such as trident-shaped structures, jets that remain well collimated far beyond their bending radius, and filamentary features linked to radio galaxies that likely illuminate magnetic flux tubes in the intracluster medium. We also present early results from the H I analysis of four clusters, which show a wide variety of H I mass distributions that reflect both sensitivity and intrinsic cluster effects, and the serendipitous discovery of a group in the foreground of Abell 3365.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Exploring life’s hidden majority: microbial dark matter symposium highlights

The Microbial Dark Matter Symposium held on August 28–29, 2025, in Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA, convened a multidisciplinary group of scientists to address the vast unknowns in microbial life—from uncultured taxa and uncharacterized proteins to elusive viruses and spacefaring microbes. Set against a scenic coastal backdrop, the symposium highlighted advances in single-cell genomics, proximity ligation sequencing, and artificial intelligence-ready bioinformatics, while also probing the limits of microbial persistence, metabolism, and ecological distribution. Sessions explored microbial dark matter from multiple dimensions: cultivability, where new strategies are enabling recovery of elusive microbes; functional ambiguity, where metagenomic dark zones are illuminated by computational annotation; and genomic representation, where single-cell methods bridge gaps left by shotgun community sequencing. Researchers shared breakthroughs in identifying atmospheric microbiomes, “dark oxygen” production in groundwater ecosystems, and microbial survival on the International Space Station. The symposium emphasized integration of methods, disciplines, and ecosystems, advancing a collective push to illuminate the microbial dark matter on Earth and beyond. By highlighting emerging tools, pressing questions, and cross-domain insights, the symposium underscored the need for collaborative, open, and adaptive approaches to study the microbial unknown. The meeting marks a pivotal moment in microbiology, where cultivating knowledge of the uncultivated promises transformative understanding of life, everywhere.

Podar, Mircea [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000327760205)↗

VERITAS highlights of observations and results

Located in southern Arizona, VERITAS is amongst the most sensitive detectors for astrophysical very high energy (VHE; E>100 GeV) gamma rays and has been operational since April 2007. We highlight some recent results from VERITAS observations. These include the long-term observations of the gamma-ray binaries HESS J0632+057 and LS I +61° 303, the observations of the Galactic Center region, and of the supernova remnant Cas A. We discuss the results from a decade of multi-wavelength observations of the blazar 1ES 1215+303, the EHT 2017 campaign on the M87 galaxy, the discovery of 3C 264 in VHE, and the observation of three flaring quasars. Brief highlights of the indirect dark matter searches and targets-of-opportunity (ToO) observations are also discussed. The ToO observations allow for rapid follow-up of multi-messenger alerts and astrophysical transients.

Patel, Sonal Ramesh↗

Highlights of 1978 activities

General highlights of NASA's activities for 1978 are presented. The highlights are categorized into topics such as space science, space transportation systems, space and terrestrial applications, environment, technology utilization, aeronautics, space research and technology, energy programs, and international. A list of the 1978 launches including: (1) launch date; (2) payload designation; (3) launch vehicle; (4) launch site and (5) mission remarks is also presented.

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