For Release: Immediately
Release No. 97-024
NASA Langley Story Opportunities - April 1997
EARTH DAY-RELATED RESEARCH AT NASA LANGLEY. Researchers
at NASA Langley are studying the Earth’s atmosphere to better
understand how it works and the effects of human activities. These
studies include global atmospheric pollution caused by jet aircraft
and agricultural burning, the depletion of stratospheric ozone, and
how clouds affect the Earth’s climate. Earth Day has been
celebrated each spring since 1970. Interviews, photos, fact sheets
and video B-roll are available.
Public Affairs Contact: Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
STUDENTS KEEP THEIR HEADS IN THE CLOUDS. Elementary and
middle school students across the U.S. are learning to observe
clouds as part of a NASA global cloud measuring project. After the
students’ perfect their technique, they will make cloud
observations that NASA can compare to a new satellite instrument
that will be launched in November. NASA Langley researchers hope to
train students worldwide to observe clouds for comparison to the
Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System
(CERES) instrument. Schools in Arizona, Georgia,
Montana, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, New Mexico, New York and
Virginia are involved in the project. Interviews, photos, fact
sheet and video B-roll are available.
Public Affairs Contact: Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
80TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE AND TOURS: NASA Langley is
celebrating its 80th anniversary with an open house July 19 and
bi-monthly tours through December. NASA Langley’s 80th
anniversary coincides with the 50th anniversary of supersonic
flight, an achievement in which Langley played a key role. Tour
information, interviews, photos, fact sheets and video B-roll are
available.
Public Affairs Contact: Keith Henry (757) 864-6120
X-34
TECHNOLOGY TESTBED BEGINS WIND TUNNEL TESTS. A model of the
X-34, a technology testbed for NASA's Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)
program, is being tested in Langley's Low Turbulence Pressure
Tunnel. Other models at Langley will be tested at all speed ranges,
from low to hypersonic speeds. Wind tunnel testing will continue
through the summer. The X-34 will be a suborbital vehicle launched
from an L-1011 airplane, reaching altitudes up to 250,000 feet and
speeds up to Mach 8 or eight times the speed of sound. The X-34
will help demonstrate low-cost launch vehicle flight operations and
provide a testbed for RLV technology component tests. Interviews,
photos and video B-roll are available.
Public Affairs Contact: Ann Gaudreaux (757) 864-8150
X-33
WIND TUNNEL TESTING: The media is invited to view selected X-33
wind tunnel testing. A metal X-33 model will be tested in the
Unitary Wind Tunnel from mid-April thru early May. Other tunnel
testing for various X-33 models is scheduled through mid-July.
Interviews, photos and video B-roll are available.
NASA HQ Public Affairs Contact: Jim Cast (202) 358-1779
NASA Langley Public Affairs Contact: Ann Gaudreaux (757)
864-8150
Lockheed Martin Public Affairs Contact: Jerry Rising (805)
572-3190
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Coming News:
June: The Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites
(MAPS) instrument is scheduled to be attached to the
Russian space station Mir. MAPS will study global carbon monoxide
pollution for one year. Contact: Catherine Watson (757)
864-6122
July: When the Mars
Pathfinder probe enters the Martian atmosphere on July
4, it will do so using information provided by engineers at NASA
Langley. NASA Langley engineers also helped develop the flight
software and design Pathfinder’s heat shield. As a member of
the Pathfinder team, a NASA Langley engineer will be in the control
room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to oversee the entry phase of
the mission. Contact: Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
July: The Mesosphere-Thermosphere Emissions for Ozone
Remote Sensing
(METEORS) instrument will be launched into the
Earth’s upper atmosphere from the White Sands Missile Range.
The METEORS data will be used to better design a satellite
instrument that is scheduled to fly early in 2000. Contact:
Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
September: During a space walk, STS-86 astronauts will
retrieve the Mir Environmental Effects Payload
(MEEP) from the Mir space station. MEEP was attached to
Mir in March 1996 (during STS-76) to study the types and effects of
space debris in low Earth orbit. Contact: Catherine Watson
(757) 864-6122
November: The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy
System
(CERES) instrument is scheduled for launch aboard the
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite via a Japanese
rocket. CERES will provide global data on the Earth’s clouds
and energy budget as part of NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth
program. Contact: Catherine Watson (757) 864-6122
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