Subject Line 26 February 2014 NASA Helping California Deal

subject line 26 february 2014: nasa helping california deal with drought leading the news nasa helping california deal with drought. th

Subject Line
26 February 2014: NASA Helping California Deal With Drought
Leading the News
NASA Helping California Deal With Drought. The AP (2/26) reports that
NASA is helping the California Department of Water Resources monitor
and “better manage” California’s “record drought” with its satellites
“and other airborne technology,” according to a partnership announced
Tuesday. NASA geologist Geologist Tom Farr said, “We’re on the verge
of being able to put all these measurements together and start looking
at the concept of closing the water budget of California.” The article
notes that Lawrence Friedl, director of NASA’s Applied Sciences
Program, also detailed how there are 13 NASA satellites now “focused
on water,” with three more projects in the works.
The KNBC-TV Los Angeles (2/26, Lloyd) website focuses on the Airborne
Snow Observatory as one of NASA’s assets that will help in the
efforts, noting its ability to map the Sierra snowpack “in about 24
hours.” Tom Painter, principal investigator with the Airborne Snow
Observatory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the observatory
“gives us that whole power to know the mountain snowpack.”
KGO-TV San Francisco (2/26) website notes that there will be several
more days of meetings in California to discuss the partnership. NASA’s
Michael Gunson said, “Satellite observations are the bread and butter
of NASA’s mission and they provide us with a global perspective that
does include California.”
Also covering the story are Reuters (2/26, Kearney), NPR (2/26,
Chappell) “The Two-Way” blog, The Verge (2/26, Lowensohn), Huntsville
(AL) Times (2/26, Roop) “Breaking” blog, and other media sources.
Joint Venture With ISRO Among Upcoming Water-Related Missions. The
Press Trust of India (2/26) reports that among the satellites “related
to water and drought” NASA plans to launch in the coming years is the
Synthetic Aperture Radar, a joint venture with the ISRO. Others
missions include the ICESat-2, GRACE Follow-On, ISS-RapidScat, Soil
Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), as well as the Global Precipitation
Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory scheduled to launching tomorrow.
Aviation and Aeronautics
Airbus Will Raise A320 Production. The Wall Street Journal (2/26,
Pearson, Subscription Publication) reports that during its 2013
earnings reports, the Airbus Group said it will raise A320 production
from 42 to 46 a month in 2016. According to the article, the company
has been taking its time when deciding whether to raise A320
production because it did not want to negatively hurt suppliers who
also have to deal with producing the reengined version of the plane
that same year.
Airbus Has Choices To Make Over A330’s Future. Reuters (2/26,
Govindasamy, Hepher) reports that while the A330 is still very
profitable for Airbus, the declining backlog means that Airbus has to
decide on the future of the plane, which faces a sharp decline in
deliveries starting in 2016. The article notes that there could be
what it calls output gaps between the peak A330 production and when
the A350 hits its stride in 2018. However, Airbus is already looking
at the Chinese domestic market as a place where the A330 could expand
with a Regional regional version.
Airbus Helicopters CEO Discusses Status Of X4 Helicopter. Flightglobal
(2/26, Trimble) reports that Airbus Helicopters is now ground testing
its “4t-6t twin-engine X4 family of helicopters.” According to the
article, this is the company’s “most highly anticipated development
programme.” Guillaume Faury, president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters,
discussed the testing and the development of what the article called
the “unique, all-composite structure” and the “five-bladed rotor
system,” adding that the first flight should take place next year. The
article notes that the project will be rebranded since the project was
designated under the Eurocopter name, which no longer exists. Faury
said the company still has to decide what that designation is.
NTSB Issues Helicopter Maintenance, Simulation Safety Alerts. Aviation
International News (2/26, Huber) reports that, timed with the 2014
Heli-Expo in California, the NTSB issued two safety alerts covering
helicopter maintenance procedures and simulator training. The article
discusses the rules for maintenance, which center on getting mechanics
to be properly trained and be more diligent in documenting all
maintenance steps, getting obtaining independent inspections, and
verifying flightworthiness with pilots during flight checks. Regarding
simulators, the NTSB reportedly wants greater use and more emphasis on
“scenario-based training in simulators to improve pilot decision
making skills and better prepare them for various emergencies and
challenging flight conditions.”
AVweb (2/25, Grady) reported that the NTSB’s expo session entitled,
“Lessons Learned from Helicopter Accidents” attracted a “full house.”
The article also covers covered the NTSB safety alerts in concert with
the FAA’s recent rulemaking requiring helicopter operators to have
improved communications, stricter adherence to flight rules and
procedures, and “more on-board safety equipment.”
Lockheed Develops Datalink System For F-22, F-35 Fighters. Aviation
Week (2/25, Butler) reported that Lockheed Martin “secretly” developed
a datalink system for the F-22 and F-35 fighters, demonstrating the
system back in December, according to Ron Bessire, vice president of
technology and innovation at Lockheed’s Skunk Works. The article noted
that Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Marc Welsh at the annual Air Force
Association Air Warfare Symposium discussed the need for such a
datalink, which would increase the “effectiveness” of fighters.
Lockheed reportedly is now relating news of the system to Air Force
officials in the hope that they signal they want Lockheed to continue
work. According to the article, Bessire claimed the system could be
fielded this year “if funding weren’t an issue.”
The FAA To Allow Hawaii University Use Of UAVs In Ecology Study. The
AP (2/26) reports that the University of Hawaii at Hilo has received
FAA authorization to use UAVs “to assess wiliwili trees on the Big
Island.” The UAVs will be used to “help the state Department of Land
and Natural Resources collect and analyze data on the struggling
species.” Faculty at the university hope that the certificate, the
first to be issued to a Hawaii university from the FAA, will encourage
broader growth of unmanned aircraft research.
Florida Air Show Gets New Venue, Sponsor. Florida Today (2/26,
Barchenger) reports that an annual air show previously hosted at Cocoa
Beach, Florida, has been moved to nearby Melbourne International
Airport and has gained new sponsorship. Now Re-named the Northrop
Grumman Air and Space Show, the event settled on a new location as
local funding from the Cocoa Beach organizers dried up. Planners
assure that the airport is large enough to allow for aviation
acrobatics, despite being in a populated area, and hope to sequence
“airshow acts around the schedules of commercial flights coming into
Melbourne the days of the airshow,” providing a “dramatic
advertisement” to the airport. The air show is scheduled for October 4
and 5.
Space and Astronautics
Last July’s Leaky Spacesuit Had Previous Leak. The ABC News (2/26,
Sunseri) website reports that today, NASA is expected to “admit” that
the spacesuit that leaked during a July spacewalk at the ISS, almost
causing astronaut Luca Parmitano to drown, had leaked before,
information that did not make it “up the chain of command.” According
to the article, this raises a “familiar” problem about the appropriate
time to call a system failure an issue to deal with, similar in nature
to what led to the Columbia accident. NASA’s Mishap Board will release
the results of its investigation today with a press conference to
follow in the afternoon.
ASAP Criticizes NASA’s Indecision On Exploration Path. NASA Space
Flight (2/26, Bergin) reports that the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel
(ASAP) is criticizing NASA for its
“indecision-is-the-key-to-flexibility” exploration policy. The panel
is reportedly concerned that “system development,” such aslike with
the Space Launch System (SLS), is moving “ahead of requirements” for a
mission, which it claims is possibly not safe or efficient.not
efficient or possibly safe. According to the article, this is because
of political battles that prevent NASA from having the “long-term
funding cycle” it needs to settle on a destination. The article also
claims that sources say NASA officials are also waiting to see what
international partners will commit to.
MAVEN Mission May Come Under Budget. The Boulder (CO) Daily Camera
(2/26, Kuta) reports that NASA’s MAVEN mission, led by the University
of Colorado, may be the first Mars mission ever to come under its
budget, according to principal investigator Bruce Jakosky, principal
investigator and CU researcher, although he is not certain by exactly
how much. The article notes that Jakosky said this has allowed
managers to transfer funds to the science team. Jim Green, director of
NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said, “The MAVEN team’s work
resulted in excellent cost and schedule performance.”
NASA Satellites May Have Captured Largest Landslide Since 2010. The
Alaska Dispatch (2/26) reports that NASA satellites have imaged what
could be “the largest natural landslide on Earth since 2010.” The
image of the landslide “in a remote part of Southeast Alaska” was
taken on February 16. According to the article, “an estimated 68
million metric tons of debris” was released in the event.
New Launch Window Opens For Sounding Rocket Launch. The AP (2/26)
reports that after “strong wind and other conditions” prevented the
launch of a NASA sounding rocket from the Poker Flat Research Range
back in January, operators will try again during a new window that
opened Monday and runs through March 8. The goal of the launch is to
increase understanding of the “sun-Earth energy connection that powers
the aurora and affects satellites.”
Water Vapor Discovered In Exoplanet’s Atmosphere. SPACE (2/26, Gannon)
reports that a team led by Alexandra Lockwood of Caltech has used the
Near Infrared Echelle Spectrograph (NIRSPEC) at the Keck Observatory
to discover water vapor in the atmosphere of the exoplanet Tau Boötis
b, a “hot Jupiter” first discovered back in 1996. In a statement,
Caltech’s Geoffrey Blake said the Keck telescope also should be able
to determine if a “super-Earth” has water vapor under the right
conditions, while the James Webb Space Telescope and the Thirty Meter
Telescope will be able to see the vapor on “much cooler planets that
are more distant from their host stars.”
NASA Releases Report On State Of Small Spacecraft. Doug Messier at
Parabolic Arc (2/26) writes that NASA has released a new report
titled, “Small Spacecraft Technology State of the Art.” It has
“detailed information” on these spacecraft’s “propulsion, power,
attitude and control systems, thermal systems, materials and
structures,” according to Messier.
Astrosat Spacecraft To Launch Next Year. The Hindu (IND) (2/25)
reported that the ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said the agency plans
to launch the Astrosat satellite in 2015, which will help to “study
weather, environment and water security and to help in communication.”
next year. Radhakrishnan, speaking at Mangalore University, also
discusses discussed the ISRO’s decision to join social media in the
hopes of bringing “young people, particularly those aged 18-34, to
science.”
Legislation and Policy
Foxx Addresses Need For Aviation Funding. The Hill (2/26, Laing)
reports in its “Transportation” blog that Transportation Secretary
Anthony Foxx told the Aero Club of Washington on Tuesday that airport
congestion could cost airlines $63 billion by 2040 if additional
investments aren’t made in a new national flight navigation system.
Foxx said, “With the Highway Trust Fund on track to bounce checks as
soon as August, you’ve probably read in the papers that the DOT is
focused on passing a surface funding bill. And it’s true; we are
focused on surface reauthorization. But that doesn’t mean we’ve
forgotten about funding for aviation.” Foxx noted that the FAA is
operating at historically low funding levels due to budget cuts and
that the aviation industry faces an “infrastructure deficit.”
Meanwhile, the DOT is trying to work with Congress on a 2015 FAA
reauthorization so that time isn’t lost on things like NextGen system
development.
Airbus To Possibly To Seek Compensation Over Eurofighter. Reuters
(2/26, Siebold, Hack) reports that the Airbus Group is expected to ask
Germany for $1.24 billion in compensation if it cancels the purchase
of Eurofighter’s Tranche 3B.
AIAA in the News
Epps Visits High School As Part Of AIAA Distinguished Lecture Series.
The Albany (NY) Times Union (2/26, Gardinier) reports that as part of
the 2014 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
distinguished lecture series “to encourage students to study the
sciences,” astronaut Astronaut Jeanette Epps visited Shaker High
School on Tuesday. She spoke to students on the training needed to
reach the ISS, as well as what still needs to be done before sending
anyone to Mars. She said, “Even the task of getting a person there
safely one-way can’t be done right now.” The article notes that she
also “deftly” handled topics like how astronauts handle long
spacewalks without a break.
The Albany (NY) Time Warner Cable News (2/26) notes that Epps, who is
heading to the ISS later this year, said it is important to “inspire
students again to get back into science, math, technology, and
engineering. We want to regain the same excitement that we had in the
Apollo area[era].”
Also covering the story are the WNYT-TV Albany, NY (2/26, Riley)
website, WTEN-TV Albany, NY (2/26) website, and WRGB-TV Albany, NY
(2/26) website.
Carberry Mars Fly-By Could Give NASA Direction. Meanwhile, in an op-ed
for The Hill (2/2625) “Congress Blog,” blog, Chris Carberry, executive
director of Explore Mars, wrote that it is still “unclear” where
astronauts go next in space despite the “positive” 2014 budget. As a
first step in providing “focus and stability” to NASA, Carberry noted
that a Mars fly-by mission will be discussed at a House hearing
tomorrow. According to Carberry, there is “growing support” for the
concept, adding that the public also is “overwhelmingly supportive of
Mars exploration” when they understand how much NASA gets per year.
Meanwhile, Carberry adds added that the Space Exploration Alliance
(SEA), consisting of Explore Mars, the AIAA, The Planetary Society,
the National Society of Black Engineers, The Mars Society, Students
for the Exploration and Development of Space, and others will be
making their annual trip to Congress to explain to Congress lawmakers
that the U.S. has to make a decision on manned spaceflight going
forward.
Also in the News
São Paulo Research Foundation Considers Buying Stake In GMT. Nature
News (2/26, Gibney) reports that researchers with the São Paulo
Research Foundation (FAPESP) are considering buying a stake in the
Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), which could mean Brazil has access to
both this “megatelescope” and the European Extremely Large Telescope
(E-ELT) if the country joins the European Southern Observatory (ESO)
as planned. By not going through Brazil to join the GMT program, the
FAPESP avoids “complicated federal mechanisms” in a country already
“hunting for funds” to support the ESO. ESO Director-General Tim de
Zeeuw said that the decision to fund the GMT would not have an impact
on the E-ELT project since they are “very different.”
Ohio Air Force Museum Launching Space Shuttle Exhibit. WDTN-TV Dayton,
OH (2/25) reported online that the Space Shuttle Exhibit and STEM
Learning Node will be debuting at the National Museum of the U.S. Air
Force on Wednesday. Featuring “NASA’s first Crew Compartment Trainer,”
the Space Shuttle Exhibit will allow “visitors to experience the size
and shape of an actual space shuttle orbiter by entering the payload
bay and looking into the flight deck and mid-deck levels.” The museum
in Dayton, Ohio plans to obtain “artifacts such as space suits” as
well as provide educational events on space science, astronaut
lifestyles, and “the Air Force’s role in space” as the exhibit is
moved to “a new Space Gallery in the museum’s fourth building.”
4