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At least 811 records · Page 45

Operation of the Planetary Plasma Interactions Node of the Planetary Data System

Five years ago NASA selected the Planetary Plasma Interactions (PPI) Node at UCLA to help the scientific community locate, access and preserve particles and fields data from planetary missions. We propose to continue to serve for 5 more years. During the first five years we have served the scientific community by providing them with high quality data products. We worked with missions and individual scientists to secure the highest quality data possible and to thoroughly document it. We validated the data, placed it on long lasting media and made sure it was properly archived for future use. So far we have prepared and archived over 10(exp 11) bytes of data from 26 instruments on 4 spacecraft. We have produced 106 CD-ROMs with peer reviewed data. In so doing, we have developed an efficient system to prepare and archive the data and thereby have been able to steadily increase the rate at which the data are produced. Although we produced a substantial archive during the initial five years, we have an even larger amount of work in progress. This includes preparing CD-ROM data sets with all of the Voyager, Pioneer and Ulysses data at Jupiter and Saturn. We will have the Jupiter data ready for the Galileo encounter in December, 1995. We are also completing the Pioneer Venus data restoration. The Galileo Venus archive and radio science data from Magellan will be prepared early in the next period. We are assisting the Small Bodies Node of PDS in the preparation of comet data and will be archiving the asteroid data from Galileo. We will be moving in several new directions as well. We will archive the PPI Node's first Earth based data with data from the International Jupiter Watch and Hubble data taken in support of Ulysses particles and field observations. We will work with the Cassini mission in archive planning efforts. For the inner planets we will begin an archive of Mars data starting with Phobos data and will support the US and Russian Mars missions in the late 1990's. We will restore the Mercury data from Mariner 10 and prepare the lunar data from Clementine in time for the lunar data analysis program in 1995. We will work with the Discovery mission teams to plan their archive and have already started with one, NEAR. Finally we will begin archiving our first heliospheric data from Voyager, Galileo, and Mars observers. We will continue to serve the science community by providing access to the data products. During the past 19 months we have filled nearly 6000 requests for on-line and CD-ROM data. The data delivered directly by the PPI Node has been - 5 x 10(exp 11) bytes. In addition to providing the data, we have provided users with software tools to manage and read the data which are computer, operating system and format independent. We have developed scalable systems so that the same software we use to manage and access the data for the entire PPI Node can be used by individual investigators to manage the data on a single CD-ROM, thereby greatly reducing the software development effort for both the PPI Node and users. We deliver this software with the disks. Recent technical advances have made it possible for us to serve a broader community than before. In the next five year period we plan to extend our outreach to the general public and in particular to increase our support for education. Since planetary plasma data are varied and require expertise in many areas the PPI Node will continue to be distributed. In addition to the primary node at UCLA, the PPI Node has three subnodes with an Outer Planets Subnode at the University of Iowa, an Inner Planets Subnode at UCLA, and a Radio Science Subnode at Stanford University. During the first two years of the renewal period there will be a Radio Astronomy Data Node at GSFC. These organizations will provide scientific expertise on the data, participate in node data selection activities and help with data restoration and mission activities.

Walker, Raymond J.↗

Adventures in Technology = Options in Math and Science

All five school systems on the Virginia Peninsula participate with a total of 21 middle schools in the ATOMS program. More than 20,000 students have participated in the pipeline programs since 1989. The focus has been on creating a diverse pool of academically-prepared students. The number of minority students participating has steadily increased, reaching 49.1 % in 1997. Female participation has remained steady at 55.4%. Female and minority participation will continue to receive high priority. The programs were evaluated by means of student, teacher, and counselor surveys. Questionnaires are distributed immediately after each intervention. The respondents are asked questions concerning the appropriateness of the activity, their interest level and change in opinion after the intervention. More than 90% of all students rate each activity as "Interesting" to "Very Interesting." Almost 70 % of students indicate they intend to take additional higher level mathematics courses in high school after participating in the Site and Campus Visits. Between 70 and 80 % (79.3 % after the Career Awareness Activity, 72.0 % after the Industry Site Visit) of students indicated they have a better understanding of why math and science are important school subjects after participation in each ATOMS activity. Comparisons in scores from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills have been made between the ATOMS students and the remainder of the seventh and eighth grade populations. ATOMS students' math and science achievement scores from the fifth grade were near the district average. After participating in ATOMS, students scored significantly higher than their peers. ATOMS students enrolled at TNCC have been identified and are being tracked further for achievement.

Quanty, Michael↗

Journal of Air Transportation World Wide, Volume 3, No. 1

The Journal of Air Transportation World Wide's (JATWW) mission is to provide the global community immediate key resource information in all areas of air transportation. Our goal is to be recognized as the preeminent scholarly journal in the aeronautical aspects of transportation. As an international and interdisciplinary journal, the JATWW will provide a forum for peer-reviewed articles in all areas of aviation and space transportation research, policy, theory, case study, practice, and issues. While maintaining a broad scope, a focal point of the journal will be in the area of aviation administration and policy.

Bowen, Brent D.↗

The Chemistry of Early Self-Replicating Systems

The NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training (NSCORT) in Exobiology is a consortium of scientists at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), The Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Salk) and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). All three institutions are located in close geographical proximity in La Jolla, California. The NSCORT/Exobiology is administered through the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Since its inception in January 1992, the NSCORT in Exobiology has made major contributions with respect to the question of how life began on Earth. The Principal Investigators (PIs) and their associated Fellows have published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals on topics relevant to Exobiology. They have presented papers and sponsored symposia at several meetings of national and international scientific societies. A total of 30 undergraduate, 12 graduate and 15 postdoctoral Fellows have been supported by the NSCORT. The Fellows have met on their own at least once a month to discuss Exobiology topics and research progress. The NSCORT has arranged seminars and evening discussion meetings, and offered an undergraduate class on "Biochemical Evolution" as well as graduate courses dealing with topics in Exobiology. A visiting scientist program has allowed 11 scientists from the U.S. and 4 foreign countries to conduct cooperative research with the various PIs. An active outreach program has been initiated, which includes an Exobiology high school level teaching module and curriculum guide, and an elementary school level booklet about basic atomic structure and formation of the universe, Sun and Earth. A World Wide Web Homepage (http://www-chem.ucsd.edu/-nscort/ NSCORT.html) has been developed, which describes the NSCORT activities, research programs and Fellowship opportunities. The various activities of the NSCORT in Exobiology have received wide-spread coverage in both the scientific and public media. The major function of the NSCORT is the training of young scientists in the field of Exo- biology. Thus, the bulk of the $1,000,000 annual budget is used to support the research and training of undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral Fellows who are selected on a competitive basis. About five Fellows at each level are supported each year. Our goal is to train scientists whose major research interest is Exobiology, but whose mastery in the classical fields of chemistry, biology and earth science is so strong that they outstanding candidates for either graduate school or academic tenure-track positions in departments at leading national and international Universities. Applicants for these Fellowships are solicited by advertisements in journals such as Science and Nature and in organizational newsletters such as the one published by the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL), by contacting academic and NASA colleagues working in Exobiology or related fields and by recruiting students who have already been admitted into the various academic programs with which the PIs are affiliated.

Bada, Jeffrey L.↗

Life Sciences Program Tasks and Bibliography for FY 1997

This document includes information on all peer reviewed projects funded by the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, Life Sciences Division during fiscal year 1997. This document will be published annually and made available to scientists in the space life sciences field both as a hard copy and as an interactive internet web page.

Nelson, John C.↗

Book Review: Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change

The book being reviewed, Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change, addresses the effects of global climate change, particularly global warming induced by greenhouse gas emissions, on hydrological budgets at the regional scale. As noted in its preface, the book consists of peer-reviewed papers delivered at scientific meetings held by the International Geographical Union Working Group on Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change and Global Warming, supplemented with some additional chapters that round out coverage of the topic. The editors hope that this book will serve as "not only a record of current achievements, but also a stimulus to further hydrological research as the detail and spatial resolution of Global Climate Models improves". The reviewer found the background material on regional climatology to be valuable and the methodologies presented to be of interest. The value of the book is significantly diminished, however by the dated nature of some of the material and by large uncertainties in the predictions of regional precipitation change. The book would have been improved by a much more extensive documentation of the uncertainty associated with each step of the prediction process.

Koster, Randal↗

1998 NASA-HU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. The program objectives include: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topics. The lecture and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education, and industry.

Marable, William P.↗

Advanced Cosmic Ray Composition Experiment for Space Station (ACCESS)

In 1994 the first high-energy particle physics experiment for the Space Station, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), was selected by NASA's Administrator as a joint collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The AMS program was chartered to place a magnetic spectrometer in Earth orbit and search for cosmic antimatter. A natural consequence of this decision was that NASA would begin to explore cost-effective ways through which the design and implementation of AMS might benefit other promising payload experiments which were evolving from the Office of Space Science. The first such experiment to come forward was ACCESS in 1996. It was proposed as a new mission concept in space physics to place a cosmic-ray experiment of weight, volume, and geometry similar to the AMS on the ISS, and replace the latter as its successor when the AMS is returned to Earth. This was to be an extension of NASA's sub-orbital balloon program, with balloon payloads serving as the precursor flights and heritage for ACCESS. The balloon programs have always been a cost-effective NASA resource since the particle physics instrumentation for balloon and space applications are directly related. The next step was to expand the process, pooling together expertise from various NASA centers and universities while opening up definition of the ACCESS science goals to the international community through the standard practice of peer-review. This process is still on-going and the Accommodation Study presented here will discuss the baseline definition of ACCESS as we understand it today. Further detail on the history, scope, and background of the study is provided in Appendix A.

Wilson, Thomas L.↗

Optical Properties of Aerosols from Long Term Ground-Based Aeronet Measurements

AERONET is an optical ground-based aerosol monitoring network and data archive supported by NASA's Earth Observing System and expanded by federation with many non-NASA institutions including AEROCAN (AERONET CANada) and PHOTON (PHOtometrie pour le Traiteinent Operatonnel de Normalisation Satellitaire). The network hardware consists of identical automatic sun-sky scanning spectral radiometers owned by national agencies and universities purchased for their own monitoring and research objectives. Data are transmitted hourly through the data collection system (DCS) on board the geostationary meteorological satellites GMS, GOES and METEOSAT and received in a common archive for daily processing utilizing a peer reviewed series of algorithms thus imposing a standardization and quality control of the product data base. Data from this collaboration provides globally distributed near real time observations of aerosol spectral optical depths, aerosol size distributions, and precipitable water in diverse aerosol regimes. Access to the AERONET data base has shifted from the interactive program 'demonstrat' (reserved for PI's) to the AERONET homepage allowing faster access and greater development for GIS object oriented retrievals and analysis with companion geocoded data sets from satellites, LIDAR and solar flux measurements for example. We feel that a significant yet under utilized component of the AERONET data base are inversion products made from hourly principal plane and almucanter measurements. The current inversions have been shown to retrieve aerosol volume size distributions. A significant enhancement to the inversion code has been developed and is presented in these proceedings.

Holben, B. N.↗

Nucleation and Convection Effects in Protein Crystal Growth

Our work under this grant has significantly contributed to the goals of the NASA supported protein crystallization program. We have achieved the main objectives of the proposed work, as outlined in the original proposal: (1) We have provided important insight into protein nucleation and crystal growth mechanisms to facilitate a rational approach to protein crystallization; (2) We have delineated the factors that currently limit the x-ray diffraction resolution of protein crystals, and their correlation to crystallization conditions; (3) We have developed novel technologies to study and monitor protein crystal nucleation and growth processes, in order to increase the reproducibility and yield of protein crystallization. We have published 17 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and books and made more than 15 invited and 9 contributed presentations of our results at international and national scientific meetings.

Vekilow, Peter G.↗

Advanced Cosmic-Ray Composition Experiment for Space Station (ACCESS): ACCESS Accommodation Study Report

In 1994 NASA Administrator selected the first high-energy particle physics experiment for the Space Station, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), to place a magnetic spectrometer in Earth orbit and search for cosmic antimatter. A natural consequence of this decision was that NASA would begin to explore cost-effective ways through which the design and implementation of AMS might benefit other promising payload experiments. The first such experiment to come forward was Advanced Cosmic-Ray Composition Experiment for Space Station (ACCESS) in 1996. It was proposed as a new mission concept in space physics to attach a cosmic-ray experiment of weight, volume, and geometry similar to the AMS on the International Space Station (ISS), and replace the latter as its successor when the AMS is returned to Earth. This was to be an extension of NASA's suborbital balloon program, with balloon payloads serving as the precursor flights and heritage for ACCESS. The balloon programs have always been a cost-effective NASA resource since the particle physics instrumentation for balloon and space applications are directly related. The next step was to expand the process, pooling together expertise from various NASA centers and universities while opening up definition of the ACCESS science goals to the international community through the standard practice of peer review. This process is still ongoing, and the accommodation study presented here will discuss the baseline definition of ACCESS as we understand it today.

Wilson, Thomas L.↗

NASA's Microgravity Materials Science Program

Materials Science research programs are funded by NASA through the Microgravity Research Division. Such programs are normally designated as flight definition or ground based and can be awarded initially for up to four years. Selection is through a peer review process in response to a biennial NASA Research Announcement (NRA). The next announcement is due in November 1998 with proposals due in March 1999. Topics of special interest to NASA are described in the guidelines for proposal writing within the NRA. NASA's interest in materials is wide and covers a range which includes metals and alloys, ceramics, glasses, polymers, non-linear optics, aerogels and nanostructures. With increasing interest in the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) program, the materials research funded will not be exclusively devoted to processes dependent on microgravity, but will also support materials of strategic interest in meeting NASA's long range plans of interplanetary travel.

Gillies, Donald C.↗

Preliminary Concepts for the Materials Science Research Facility on the International Space Station

The Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) is designed to accommodate the current and evolving cadre of peer-reviewed materials science investigations selected to conduct research in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS). The MSRF consists of modular autonomous Materials Science Research Racks (MSRR's). The initial MSRF concept consists of three Materials Science Research Racks (MSRR-1, MSRR-2, and MSRR-3) which will be developed for a phased deployment beginning on Utilization Flight 3. Each MSRR is a stand-alone autonomous rack and will be comprised of either on-orbit replaceable Experiment Modules, Module Inserts, investigation unique apparatus, or multi-user generic processing apparatus Each MSRR will support a wide variety of scientific investigations.

Cobb, S.D.↗

Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases

The American Geophysical Union (AGU), as a scientific organization devoted to research on the Earth and space sciences, provides current scientific information to the public on issues pertinent to geophysics. The Council of the AGU approved a position statement on Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases in December 1998. The statement, together with a short summary of the procedures that were followed in its preparation, review, and adoption were published in the February 2, 1999 issue of Eos ([AGU, 1999]. The present article reviews scientific understanding of this issue as presented in peer-reviewed publications that serves as the underlying basis of the position statement.

Ledley, Tamara S.↗

Radiative Effect of Sub-Sonic Jet Contrails

The study of jet contrails is of major importance to a wide range of disciplines from military planners to climate researchers. Contrails, which form at the wake of jet aircraft, act as tracers, which serve as potential intelligence to military planners. In terms of atmospheric effects, climate researchers are interested in the potential radiative effects of jet aircraft emissions. Since jet contrails are sunset of thin cirrus clouds, they also have regional impacts on climate. The major goal of this proposed effort was to use Satellite Remote Sensing to detect jet contrails in an automated fashion. The tasks accomplished for this project are: 1. Using AVHRR data, a new technique was developed to detect jet contrails. The technique and results were published in a paper recently. 2. A global survey of jet contrails was also conducted using AVHRR data. This work will also be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. 3. Work is in progress to estimate the optical thickness of these jet contrails and the size of ice particles in these clouds. 4. Another key issue to be addressed is the differences between thin cirrus and jet contrails.

Welch, Ronald M.↗

Journal of Air Transportation World Wide, Volume 4, No. 2

The Journal of Air Transportation World Wide's (JATWW) mission is to provide the global community immediate key resource information in all areas of air transportation. The goal of the Journal is to be recognized as the preeminent scholarly journal in the aeronautical aspects of transportation. As an international and interdisciplinary journal, the JATWW will provide a forum for peer-reviewed articles in all areas of aviation and space transportation research, policy, theory, case study, practice, and issues. While maintaining a broad scope, a focal point of the journal will be in the area of aviation administration and policy.

Bowen, Brent D.↗

Training Under-Represented Students in Biological Research at Fisk University

The objectives of our training and research project in biology at Fisk are to motivate and train our African-American undergraduate and graduate students by (a) teaching the basic principles and applications of different biological, biochemical and biophysical research techniques; (b) providing a "hands on experience" with laboratory instrumentation (c) requiring the students to participate in the proposed research project entitled "Cyanobacterial Bioreactors for Oxygen and Ammonia Production under "CELSS" Conditions" to gain confidence in independently conducting experiments and (d) providing training in scientific data collection and presentation to peers in scientific conferences or meetings.

Gunasekaran, Muthukumaran↗

Fluid Physical and Transport Phenomena Studies aboard the International Space Station: Planned Experiments

This paper provides an overview of the microgravity fluid physics and transport phenomena experiments planned for the International Spare Station. NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Science and Applications has established a world-class research program in fluid physics and transport phenomena. This program combines the vast expertise of the world research community with NASA's unique microgravity facilities with the objectives of gaining new insight into fluid phenomena by removing the confounding effect of gravity. Due to its criticality to many terrestrial and space-based processes and phenomena, fluid physics and transport phenomena play a central role in the NASA's Microgravity Program. Through widely publicized research announcement and well established peer-reviews, the program has been able to attract a number of world-class researchers and acquired a critical mass of investigations that is now adding rapidly to this field. Currently there arc a total of 106 ground-based and 20 candidate flight principal investigators conducting research in four major thrust areas in the program: complex flows, multiphase flow and phase change, interfacial phenomena, and dynamics and instabilities. The International Space Station (ISS) to be launched in 1998, provides the microgravity research community with a unprecedented opportunity to conduct long-duration microgravity experiments which can be controlled and operated from the Principal Investigators' own laboratory. Frequent planned shuttle flights to the Station will provide opportunities to conduct many more experiments than were previously possible. NASA Lewis Research Center is in the process of designing a Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) to be located in the Laboratory Module of the ISS that will not only accommodate multiple users but, allow a broad range of fluid physics and transport phenomena experiments to be conducted in a cost effective manner.

Singh, Bhim S.↗