NASA LANGLEY FORECAST
SCIENTISTS MOUNT CAMPAIGN FOR ARCTIC OZONE STUDY. NASA
Langley Research Center scientists will join more than 350
researchers from around the globe this winter to measure ozone and
other atmospheric gases in the Arctic using aircraft, large and
small balloons, ground-based instruments and satellites. This study
follows the first such campaign two winters ago in which record
ozone losses of 70 percent were observed at higher altitudes in the
Arctic Circle. Ozone studies are important because the ozone layer
prevents the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the
Earth's surface. A primary goal of the international effort is to
verify the accuracy of observations by NASA Langley's Stratospheric
Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III) instrument, on board a
Russian Meteor-3M satellite launched since the last campaign. The
campaign, called SOLVE II – for SAGE III Ozone Loss and
Validation Experiment – will run from Jan. 8 through Feb. 6.
The SOLVE campaign will hold a media week beginning Monday, Jan.
27. Interested media may contact Chris Rink at 757-864-6786 or c.p.rink@larc.nasa.gov.
JAN. 9: REPORTERS INVITED TO PREVIEW OF 'KITTY HAWK'
DOCUMENTARY. Critically-acclaimed producer, writer and director
David Garrigus will present a preview segment of his upcoming
two-hour PBS documentary, "Kitty Hawk: The Wright Brothers, Journey
of Invention," to NASA Langley employees at 1 p.m., Jan. 9. The
never-before-seen preview explores the five-year journey of
invention that preceded the Wrights’ famous flight of 1903. In
addition to the film and lecture presentation, Garrigus will share
footage of a replica Wright Brothers glider during flight trials on
the dunes of North Carolina. For more information, call Kimberly W.
Land at 757/864-9885 or email k.w.land@larc.nasa.gov.
IS AN AFFORDABLE "PERSONAL AIR VEHICLE" IN YOUR FUTURE?
If general aviation is ever to expand substantially, it must be
made affordable to many more people than it is today, according to
NASA researchers studying what it will take to make small airplanes
attractive for personal transportation. What it will take, they
think, is the equivalent of a "Ford Model A of the air."
Sacrificing some performance for practicality, they see the
possibility of a $60,000 four-seat "personal air vehicle" powered
by a slightly modified automotive engine produced in great
quantities. It would also take a totally new aircraft designed
around the engine, the adoption of a new certification standard
based on modern manufacturing processes, and comfortable vehicles
that are also environmental good neighbors. In spite of the
challenges, the researchers believe it is possible to build a small
airplane for the same cost as a limited-edition luxury automobile.
Image available upon request. For information, call Keith Henry at
757-864-6120 or email h.k.henry@larc.nasa.gov.
AFTER LONG-TERM SPACE EXPOSURE, 1000+ SAMPLES TO RETURN.
The first experiment to be mounted on the outside of the
International Space Station (ISS) will be returned to Earth soon
and distributed for examination to scientists around the world. The
Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) is
designed to evaluate the performance of materials and components
planned for use on future space vehicles by NASA, commercial
companies and the Department of Defense. By mid-March, when Shuttle
mission STS-114 astronauts retrieve it, the space-exposure
experiment will have experienced nearly 18 months in the harse
extremes of space. The suitcase-sized experiment will be returned
to NASA Langley for opening and preliminary examination before
samples are distributed to researchers. Meanwhile, the second
experiment in the MISSE series will be delivered to ISS by the same
Shuttle mission, set to launch March 1. Image available. For
information, call Bill Uher at 757-864-3189 or email w.c.uher@larc.nasa.gov.
NEW INSTITUTE OPERATIONAL. The National Institute of
Aerospace (NIA) is now up and running near NASA's Langley Research
Center in Hampton, Va. Last fall, NASA Langley teamed with a
non-profit organization to "create a world-class institute for
cutting edge aerospace and atmospheric research, develop new
technologies for the nation and help inspire the next generation of
scientists and engineers." Locating the Institute near NASA Langley
facilitates its involvement in agency-sponsored research programs
and fosters collaboration with NASA, including access to its
world-class research facilities. The non-profit organization is
comprised of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Foundation, Reston, Va, and universities in Virginia, Maryland,
North Carolina and Georgia. The Institute is in its initial
headquarters at 144 Research Drive, Hampton. For information, call
Kathy Barnstorff at 757-864-9886, or email k.a.barnstorff@larc.nasa.gov.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT. Last month, a NASA Langley
proposal to fly an unpiloted airplane in the atmosphere of Mars was
selected as one of four candidates for the 2007 "Scout" mission in
NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. Langley’s "Aerial
Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES)" candidate is centered
on an aircraft that may one day soar over the red planet returning
unique science knowledge about the Mars atmosphere, surface,
interior and early climate. Image available upon request.
Interested media may contact Chris Rink at 757-864-6786 or c.p.rink@larc.nasa.gov.
SPEAKER SERIES:
Reporters are invited to preview talks at afternoon
presentations to employees at NASA Langley. The public is invited
to evening talks at the Virginia Air & Space Center, Hampton.
For more information, call Kimberly W. Land at 757/864-9885 or
email k.w.land@larc.nasa.gov.
January 14 – Space Exploration: Sputnik to the
International Space Station. Presented by Andrew Chaikin,
well-known writer and highly acclaimed author on space exploration
and astronomy. Chaikin authored "A Man on the Moon: The Triumphant
Story of the Apollo Space Program," the main basis for Tom
Hanks’ HBO miniseries, "From the Earth to the Moon," which won
the Emmy for best miniseries in 1998.
February 4 – The History of Hypersonics. Presented
by Richard Hallion.
March 4 – Panel Discussion on the History of 100 Years
of Flight. Panelists to include Tom Crouch, James R. Hansen and
James Schultz.
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