Spectacular images from Sun probe

Spectacular images from Sun probe
(ABC News) April 22, 2010
Dr Marsden says SDO will also help scientists understand the relationship between sunspot activity and climate change on Earth. "During a period called the Maunder Minimum (1645-1715), sunspot activity almost completely disappeared. It coincided with a mini-ice age when the Thames River froze and there were colder than usual conditions across Europe," he said. SDO carries a Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager which maps solar magnetic fields. It can also look beneath the Sun's opaque surface using ultrasound. Another key instrument is the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, a group of four telescopes which will study the Sun's surface and atmosphere in 10 different wavelength bands. "Because it operates at different wavelengths ... SDO will help us understand what's going on inside the Sun's dynamo," Dr Marsden said. The third major component is the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment which measures fluctuations in the Sun's radiant emissions. These emissions have a direct effect on Earth's upper atmosphere.

NOAA, Taiwan Developing Plan for Weather Satellite Program

NOAA, Taiwan Developing Plan for Weather Satellite Program
(Space News) April 9, 2010, By Turner Brinton
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Taiwan have developed initial requirements for a collaborative weather satellite program, and will spend the rest of the year putting together an acquisition strategy with an eye toward launching the satellites starting in 2014, U.S. government officials said. The satellites will use a relatively new method for obtaining atmospheric data called GPS radio occultation, which has been used in operational weather forecasting since a demonstration constellation was launched in 2006.

U.S, Japan begin sharing satellite data

U.S, Japan begin sharing satellite data
(UPI) April 12, 2010
The U.S. and Japanese space agencies say they have started combining elements of their satellite resources to improve a type of Earth observation data. NASA said the partnership, which started Monday, will more than double the quantity of data used to explore earthquake hazards, forest declines and changing water resources in the Americas. "This new partnership between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA, uses NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to download observations over North and South America taken by instruments on JAXA's Advanced Land Observing Satellite," NASA said in a statement.

NASA Prepares Remote-Controlled Global Hawk Airplane for Takeoff

NASA Prepares Remote-Controlled Global Hawk Airplane for Takeoff
(Tech News Daily) March 30, 2010
NASA is gearing up Global Hawk, a remote-controlled airplane, for its first scientific flights in coming weeks. With its capacity for long-distance, high-altitude flights that can last over a day, Global Hawk presents a new chapter in Earth science for NASA. "It's a very exciting time," said Chris Naftel, project manager for Global Hawk. "This is the very first time that Global Hawk will be used for science." Northrop Grumman originally manufactured the two Global Hawks now being retrofitted by NASA several years ago. These remote-controlled airplanes can fly for about 30 hours at altitudes up to 65,000 feet and were designed initially as surveillance aircraft.

NASA plans big boost to climate research budget

NASA plans big boost to climate research budget
(Washington Post) April 1, 2010, By Marc Kaufman
NASA officials laid out plans Wednesday to boost spending on climate research substantially over the next five years, to make up for cutbacks during the Bush administration. Edward Weiler, the agency's associate administrator for science, said that NASA's Earth Science budget will get a $2.4 billion, or 62 percent, increase through 2015. By that point, the program will have launched as many as 10 new missions, collecting information about ocean temperatures, ice coverage, ozone depletion and the central question of how much carbon dioxide is being released through human activities.

NASA Data Worse Than Climate-Gate Data, Space Agency Admits

NASA Data Worse Than Climate-Gate Data, Space Agency Admits

(Fox News) March 31, 2010, By Blake Snow

NASA was able to put a man on the moon, but the space agency can't tell you what the temperature was when it did. By its own admission, NASA's temperature records are in even worse shape than the besmirched Climate-gate data. E-mail messages obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request reveal that NASA concluded that its own climate findings were inferior to those maintained by both the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU) -- the scandalized source of the leaked Climate-gate e-mails -- and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center.

Esa's Cryosat ice mission given launch date

Esa's Cryosat ice mission given launch date
(BBC) March 24, 2010, By Jonathan Amos
Europe's Cryosat-2 spacecraft is set to launch on its mission to map the world's ice fields on Thursday 8 April. The satellite was due to fly in late February but was held on the ground while engineers investigated concerns about the operation of its rocket. Cryosat will ride into orbit atop a Dnepr vehicle, a converted Russian-Ukrainian nuclear missile. The satellite is designed to make detailed measurements of the shape and thickness of Arctic and Antarctic ice. Its data will help scientists to assess better how changing polar ice conditions affect ocean circulation patterns, sea level and global climate.