NASA Daily News Summary
For Release: March 17, 1999
Media Advisory m99-053

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Summary

-- News Release: Space-Age Technology Peeks at American 
   History 
-- Video file for March 17

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SPACE-AGE TECHNOLOGY PEEKS AT AMERICAN HISTORY

A team of NASA scientists working at the request of the 
National Archives has proved that the containers preserving 
several pages of the U.S. Constitution are still safely 
sealed. Scientists from NASA's Langley Research Center, 
Hampton, VA, adapted a laser system from an atmospheric 
research program to peer into the encasements protecting 
three of the five pages of the Constitution. In the early 
1950s, the Constitution was sealed in specially prepared 
containers, which were filled with humidified helium to 
protect the documents. By analyzing how the water vapor in 
the containers absorbed the laser beam, the scientists 
determined that the atmosphere had not changed.

Full text of the release:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-044.txt

If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will 
e-mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list.

Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:
http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html

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Contract Awards

Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition 
Information Service Web site:

http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html

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Video File for March 16, 1999 

ITEM 1.  MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR (replay)
ITEM 1a. GLOBAL SURVEYOR MAPPING MARS (animation)
ITEM 1b. IMAGE OF ISIDIS PLANITIA AREA
ITEM 1c. BOULDERS FROM GANGES CHASMA REGION
ITEM 1d. SAND DUNES IN THE NILI PATERA REGION
ITEM 1e. "HAPPY FACE CRATER"

Contact at Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Mary Hardin, 818/354-
0344. 

ITEM 2   LUNAR PROSPECTOR (replay)
ITEM 2a. CONCEPT OF COLLISION LEADING TO MOON'S CREATION BY   
         ARTIST WILLIAM K. HARTMANN 
ITEM 2b. LUNAR PROSPECTOR (animation)

Contact at Headquarters: Douglas Isbell, 202/358-1547;
Contact at Ames Research Center: David Morse, 650/604-4724.

ITEM 3. LA NINA (replay)

Contact at Headquarters: David E. Steitz, 202/358-1730;
Contact at Goddard Space Flight Center: Wade Sisler, 301/286-
6256.
 

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end of daily news summary