Office of the Registrar
PO Box 179
Lincoln University, PA 19352
Tel: (800) 739-4461 (484) 365- 8087
Fax: (484) 365-8116
Lincoln Hall, 2nd Floo
Saturday 29 October 2011
Solar Storm Warning
March 10, 2006: It's official: Solar minimum has arrived. Sunspots have all but vanished. Solar flares are nonexistent. The sun is utterly quiet.
Like the quiet before a storm.
This week researchers announced that a storm is coming--the most intense solar maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," she says. If correct, the years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.
That was a solar maximum. The Space Age was just beginning: Sputnik was launched in Oct. 1957 and Explorer 1 (the first US satellite) in Jan. 1958. In 1958 you couldn't tell that a solar storm was underway by looking at the bars on your cell phone; cell phones didn't exist. Even so, people knew something big was happening when Northern Lights were sighted three times in Mexico. A similar maximum now would be noticed by its effect on cell phones, GPS, weather satellites and many other modern technologies.
Right: Intense auroras over Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1958
Like the quiet before a storm.
This week researchers announced that a storm is coming--the most intense solar maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," she says. If correct, the years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.
That was a solar maximum. The Space Age was just beginning: Sputnik was launched in Oct. 1957 and Explorer 1 (the first US satellite) in Jan. 1958. In 1958 you couldn't tell that a solar storm was underway by looking at the bars on your cell phone; cell phones didn't exist. Even so, people knew something big was happening when Northern Lights were sighted three times in Mexico. A similar maximum now would be noticed by its effect on cell phones, GPS, weather satellites and many other modern technologies.
Right: Intense auroras over Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1958
Super Storm on Saturn
May 19, 2011: NASA's Cassini spacecraft and a European Southern Observatory ground-based telescope are tracking the growth of a giant early-spring storm in Saturn's northern hemisphere so powerful that it stretches around the entire planet. The rare storm has been wreaking havoc for months and shooting plumes of gas high into the planet's atmosphere.
This false-color infrared image shows clouds of large ammonia ice particles dredged up by the powerful storm. Credit: Cassini. [more]
"Nothing on Earth comes close to this powerful storm," says Leigh Fletcher, a Cassini team scientist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and lead author of a study that appeared in this week's edition of Science Magazine. "A storm like this is rare. This is only the sixth one to be recorded since 1876, and the last was way back in 1990."
Cassini's radio and plasma wave science instrument first detected the large disturbance in December 2010, and amateur astronomers have been watching it ever since through backyard telescopes. As it rapidly expanded, the storm's core developed into a giant, powerful thunderstorm, producing a 3,000-mile-wide (5,000-kilometer-wide) dark vortex possibly similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
This is the first major storm on Saturn observed by an orbiting spacecraft and studied at thermal infrared wavelengths. Infrared observations are key because heat tells researchers a great deal about conditions inside the storm, including temperatures, winds, and atmospheric composition. Temperature data were provided by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal in Chile and Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS), operated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
"Our new observations show that the storm had a major effect on the atmosphere, transporting energy and material over great distances -- creating meandering jet streams and forming giant vortices -- and disrupting Saturn's seasonal [weather patterns]," said Glenn Orton, a paper co-author, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
The violence of the storm -- the strongest disturbances ever detected in Saturn's stratosphere -- took researchers by surprise. What started as an ordinary disturbance deep in Saturn's atmosphere punched through the planet's serene cloud cover to roil the high layer known as the stratosphere.
Thermal infrared images of Saturn from the Very Large Telescope Imager and Spectrometer for the mid-Infrared (VISIR) instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, on Cerro Paranal, Chile, appear at center and on the right. An amateur visible-light image from Trevor Barry, of Broken Hill, Australia, appears on the left. The images were obtained on Jan. 19, 2011. [more]
"On Earth, the lower stratosphere is where commercial airplanes generally fly to avoid storms which can cause turbulence," says Brigette Hesman, a scientist at the University of Maryland in College Park who works on the CIRS team at Goddard and is the second author on the paper. "If you were flying in an airplane on Saturn, this storm would reach so high up, it would probably be impossible to avoid it."
A separate analysis using Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer, led by Kevin Baines of JPL, confirmed the storm is very violent, dredging up deep material in volumes several times larger than previous storms. Other Cassini scientists are studying the evolving storm and, they say, a more extensive picture will emerge soon.
This false-color infrared image shows clouds of large ammonia ice particles dredged up by the powerful storm. Credit: Cassini. [more]
"Nothing on Earth comes close to this powerful storm," says Leigh Fletcher, a Cassini team scientist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and lead author of a study that appeared in this week's edition of Science Magazine. "A storm like this is rare. This is only the sixth one to be recorded since 1876, and the last was way back in 1990."
Cassini's radio and plasma wave science instrument first detected the large disturbance in December 2010, and amateur astronomers have been watching it ever since through backyard telescopes. As it rapidly expanded, the storm's core developed into a giant, powerful thunderstorm, producing a 3,000-mile-wide (5,000-kilometer-wide) dark vortex possibly similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
This is the first major storm on Saturn observed by an orbiting spacecraft and studied at thermal infrared wavelengths. Infrared observations are key because heat tells researchers a great deal about conditions inside the storm, including temperatures, winds, and atmospheric composition. Temperature data were provided by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal in Chile and Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS), operated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
"Our new observations show that the storm had a major effect on the atmosphere, transporting energy and material over great distances -- creating meandering jet streams and forming giant vortices -- and disrupting Saturn's seasonal [weather patterns]," said Glenn Orton, a paper co-author, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
The violence of the storm -- the strongest disturbances ever detected in Saturn's stratosphere -- took researchers by surprise. What started as an ordinary disturbance deep in Saturn's atmosphere punched through the planet's serene cloud cover to roil the high layer known as the stratosphere.
Thermal infrared images of Saturn from the Very Large Telescope Imager and Spectrometer for the mid-Infrared (VISIR) instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, on Cerro Paranal, Chile, appear at center and on the right. An amateur visible-light image from Trevor Barry, of Broken Hill, Australia, appears on the left. The images were obtained on Jan. 19, 2011. [more]
"On Earth, the lower stratosphere is where commercial airplanes generally fly to avoid storms which can cause turbulence," says Brigette Hesman, a scientist at the University of Maryland in College Park who works on the CIRS team at Goddard and is the second author on the paper. "If you were flying in an airplane on Saturn, this storm would reach so high up, it would probably be impossible to avoid it."
A separate analysis using Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer, led by Kevin Baines of JPL, confirmed the storm is very violent, dredging up deep material in volumes several times larger than previous storms. Other Cassini scientists are studying the evolving storm and, they say, a more extensive picture will emerge soon.
Free-Floating Planets May Be More Common Than Stars
May 18, 2011: Astronomers have discovered a new class of Jupiter-sized planets floating alone in the dark of space, away from the light of a star. The team believes these lone worlds are probably outcasts from developing planetary systems and, moreover, they could be twice as numerous as the stars themselves.
"Although free-floating planets have been predicted, they finally have been detected," said Mario Perez, exoplanet program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "[This has] major implications for models of planetary formation and evolution."
The discovery is based on a joint Japan-New Zealand survey that scanned the center of the Milky Way galaxy during 2006 and 2007, revealing evidence for up to 10 free-floating planets roughly the mass of Jupiter. The isolated orbs, also known as orphan planets, are difficult to spot, and had gone undetected until now. The planets are located at an average approximate distance of 10,000 to 20,000 light years from Earth.
This artist's concept illustrates a Jupiter-like planet alone in the dark of space, floating freely without a parent star. [larger image] [video]
This could be just the tip of the iceberg. The team estimates there are about twice as many free-floating Jupiter-mass planets as stars. In addition, these worlds are thought to be at least as common as planets that orbit stars. This adds up to hundreds of billions of lone planets in our Milky Way galaxy alone.
"Our survey is like a population census," said David Bennett, a NASA and National Science Foundation-funded co-author of the study from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. "We sampled a portion of the galaxy, and based on these data, can estimate overall numbers in the galaxy."
The study, led by Takahiro Sumi from Osaka University in Japan, appears in the May 19 issue of the journal Nature. The survey is not sensitive to planets smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, but theories suggest lower-mass planets like Earth should be ejected from their stars more often. As a result, they are thought to be more common than free-floating Jupiters.
Previous observations spotted a handful of free-floating planet-like objects within star-forming clusters, with masses three times that of Jupiter. But scientists suspect the gaseous bodies form more like stars than planets. These small, dim orbs, called brown dwarfs, grow from collapsing balls of gas and dust, but lack the mass to ignite their nuclear fuel and shine with starlight. It is thought the smallest brown dwarfs are approximately the size of large planets.
A video from JPL describes the microlensing technique astronomers used to detect the orphan planets.
On the other hand, it is likely that some planets are ejected from their early, turbulent solar systems, due to close gravitational encounters with other planets or stars. Without a star to circle, these planets would move through the galaxy as our sun and others stars do, in stable orbits around the galaxy's center. The discovery of 10 free-floating Jupiters supports the ejection scenario, though it's possible both mechanisms are at play.
"If free-floating planets formed like stars, then we would have expected to see only one or two of them in our survey instead of 10," Bennett said. "Our results suggest that planetary systems often become unstable, with planets being kicked out from their places of birth."
The observations cannot rule out the possibility that some of these planets may be in orbit around distant stars, but other research indicates Jupiter-mass planets in such distant orbits are rare.
The survey, the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA), is named in part after a giant wingless, extinct bird family from New Zealand called the moa. A 5.9-foot (1.8-meter) telescope at Mount John University Observatory in New Zealand is used to regularly scan the copious stars at the center of our galaxy for gravitational microlensing events. These occur when something, such as a star or planet, passes in front of another more distant star. The passing body's gravity warps the light of the background star, causing it to magnify and brighten. Heftier passing bodies, like massive stars, will warp the light of the background star to a greater extent,resulting in brightening events that can last weeks. Small planet-size bodies will cause less of a distortion, and brighten a star for only a few days or less.
A second microlensing survey group, the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), contributed to this discovery using a 4.2-foot (1.3 meter) telescope in Chile. The OGLE group also observed many of the same events, and their observations independently confirmed the analysis of the MOA group.
"Although free-floating planets have been predicted, they finally have been detected," said Mario Perez, exoplanet program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "[This has] major implications for models of planetary formation and evolution."
The discovery is based on a joint Japan-New Zealand survey that scanned the center of the Milky Way galaxy during 2006 and 2007, revealing evidence for up to 10 free-floating planets roughly the mass of Jupiter. The isolated orbs, also known as orphan planets, are difficult to spot, and had gone undetected until now. The planets are located at an average approximate distance of 10,000 to 20,000 light years from Earth.
This artist's concept illustrates a Jupiter-like planet alone in the dark of space, floating freely without a parent star. [larger image] [video]
This could be just the tip of the iceberg. The team estimates there are about twice as many free-floating Jupiter-mass planets as stars. In addition, these worlds are thought to be at least as common as planets that orbit stars. This adds up to hundreds of billions of lone planets in our Milky Way galaxy alone.
"Our survey is like a population census," said David Bennett, a NASA and National Science Foundation-funded co-author of the study from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. "We sampled a portion of the galaxy, and based on these data, can estimate overall numbers in the galaxy."
The study, led by Takahiro Sumi from Osaka University in Japan, appears in the May 19 issue of the journal Nature. The survey is not sensitive to planets smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, but theories suggest lower-mass planets like Earth should be ejected from their stars more often. As a result, they are thought to be more common than free-floating Jupiters.
Previous observations spotted a handful of free-floating planet-like objects within star-forming clusters, with masses three times that of Jupiter. But scientists suspect the gaseous bodies form more like stars than planets. These small, dim orbs, called brown dwarfs, grow from collapsing balls of gas and dust, but lack the mass to ignite their nuclear fuel and shine with starlight. It is thought the smallest brown dwarfs are approximately the size of large planets.
A video from JPL describes the microlensing technique astronomers used to detect the orphan planets.
On the other hand, it is likely that some planets are ejected from their early, turbulent solar systems, due to close gravitational encounters with other planets or stars. Without a star to circle, these planets would move through the galaxy as our sun and others stars do, in stable orbits around the galaxy's center. The discovery of 10 free-floating Jupiters supports the ejection scenario, though it's possible both mechanisms are at play.
"If free-floating planets formed like stars, then we would have expected to see only one or two of them in our survey instead of 10," Bennett said. "Our results suggest that planetary systems often become unstable, with planets being kicked out from their places of birth."
The observations cannot rule out the possibility that some of these planets may be in orbit around distant stars, but other research indicates Jupiter-mass planets in such distant orbits are rare.
The survey, the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA), is named in part after a giant wingless, extinct bird family from New Zealand called the moa. A 5.9-foot (1.8-meter) telescope at Mount John University Observatory in New Zealand is used to regularly scan the copious stars at the center of our galaxy for gravitational microlensing events. These occur when something, such as a star or planet, passes in front of another more distant star. The passing body's gravity warps the light of the background star, causing it to magnify and brighten. Heftier passing bodies, like massive stars, will warp the light of the background star to a greater extent,resulting in brightening events that can last weeks. Small planet-size bodies will cause less of a distortion, and brighten a star for only a few days or less.
A second microlensing survey group, the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), contributed to this discovery using a 4.2-foot (1.3 meter) telescope in Chile. The OGLE group also observed many of the same events, and their observations independently confirmed the analysis of the MOA group.
MSFC Earth-Sun Studies Featured at AGU
AGU
December 13, 1996
Fountains of electrified gases spewing from the Earth into space and pictures of the aurora during the day will be highlighted by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual winter conference in San Francisco Dec. 15-19.
AGU is one of the largest scientific bodies in the world and takes in everything from earthquakes to solar flares - including work by scientists at Marshall Space Flight Center's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) to understand what drives the aurora borealis and causes space storms that can black out cities.
At at three sessions during the AGU meeting, Marshall scientists will present their results in several papers, written with colleagues from other institutions, from the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) and the Ultraviolet Imager (UVI), two of several instruments aboard the Polar spacecraft launched in 1996.
TIDE recently confirmed that plasmas in the tail of the magnetosphere come from Earth's outer atmosphere being warmed by a flow of materials from space. The magnetosphere is formed by the Earth's magnetic field and buffers the planet from the constant wind of gases streaming from the sun.
Press briefings scheduled for the AGU Fall Meeting include:
Imaging Space Plasmas - Polar UVI and the Inner Magnetosphere Imager on which MSFC will have an important camera. Tuesday, Dec. 17, 12:45 p.m.
Sun-Earth Connections - the new era of coordinated solar-terrestrial research by scientists using Polar and other craft. Time TBD.
"There's a raging controversy over whether the magnetosphere stores energy to any degree, or just dissipates what the solar wind throws at it," said Dr. Tom Moore, director of the space plasma physics branch at SSL and principal investigator for TIDE.
Pictures from the UVI will help scientists decide whether the magnetosphere is driven directly by the solar wind, or it stores then discharges energy like a thunder cloud building a lightning charge.
"Northern winter traditionally has been the busy season for plasma scientists," said Dr. James Spann, a UVI co-investigator at SSL, "because that's when the aurora borealis is almost all in the night sky and can be viewed in visible as well as ultraviolet light."
UVI, included in three sessions at AGU, extends the busy season by letting scientists see what happens during the day. Doing this has been a challenge because the atmosphere's ozone layer reflects solar ultraviolet light that blinds most sensors. Previous instruments let scientists see parts of the daytime aurora, or the entire nightside auora. UVI aboard Polar is the first to show all of both day and nightside auroras. It does this with narrow bandpass filters - filters that admit narrowly define colors - that match lights emitted by the auroras.
UVI lets scientists measure, with precision, the energies flowing into the auroral oval. In addition to striking pictures, UVI reveals the footprint of the Earth's magnetic field lines that may stretch into deep space to several times the distance from Earth to Moon.
December 13, 1996
Fountains of electrified gases spewing from the Earth into space and pictures of the aurora during the day will be highlighted by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual winter conference in San Francisco Dec. 15-19.
AGU is one of the largest scientific bodies in the world and takes in everything from earthquakes to solar flares - including work by scientists at Marshall Space Flight Center's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) to understand what drives the aurora borealis and causes space storms that can black out cities.
At at three sessions during the AGU meeting, Marshall scientists will present their results in several papers, written with colleagues from other institutions, from the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) and the Ultraviolet Imager (UVI), two of several instruments aboard the Polar spacecraft launched in 1996.
TIDE recently confirmed that plasmas in the tail of the magnetosphere come from Earth's outer atmosphere being warmed by a flow of materials from space. The magnetosphere is formed by the Earth's magnetic field and buffers the planet from the constant wind of gases streaming from the sun.
Press briefings scheduled for the AGU Fall Meeting include:
Imaging Space Plasmas - Polar UVI and the Inner Magnetosphere Imager on which MSFC will have an important camera. Tuesday, Dec. 17, 12:45 p.m.
Sun-Earth Connections - the new era of coordinated solar-terrestrial research by scientists using Polar and other craft. Time TBD.
"There's a raging controversy over whether the magnetosphere stores energy to any degree, or just dissipates what the solar wind throws at it," said Dr. Tom Moore, director of the space plasma physics branch at SSL and principal investigator for TIDE.
Pictures from the UVI will help scientists decide whether the magnetosphere is driven directly by the solar wind, or it stores then discharges energy like a thunder cloud building a lightning charge.
"Northern winter traditionally has been the busy season for plasma scientists," said Dr. James Spann, a UVI co-investigator at SSL, "because that's when the aurora borealis is almost all in the night sky and can be viewed in visible as well as ultraviolet light."
UVI, included in three sessions at AGU, extends the busy season by letting scientists see what happens during the day. Doing this has been a challenge because the atmosphere's ozone layer reflects solar ultraviolet light that blinds most sensors. Previous instruments let scientists see parts of the daytime aurora, or the entire nightside auora. UVI aboard Polar is the first to show all of both day and nightside auroras. It does this with narrow bandpass filters - filters that admit narrowly define colors - that match lights emitted by the auroras.
UVI lets scientists measure, with precision, the energies flowing into the auroral oval. In addition to striking pictures, UVI reveals the footprint of the Earth's magnetic field lines that may stretch into deep space to several times the distance from Earth to Moon.
Down-to-Earth Fiber Technology Yields Insight into Cosmic Rays
Cosmic Rays
September 3, 1996: Fiber optics have become a regular part of 20th century communication, as familiar to us today as the telegraph wire was a generation before. However the use of fiber optic material goes far beyond its implementation as part of our telephone network. This September, Space Sciences Laboratory scientists will fly a scientific experiment on a high-altitude balloon, like the one pictured below, using fiber optic material to study cosmic rays from space.
Cosmic rays are extremely energetic subatomic particles and atomic nuclei that travel nearly at the speed of light. They continually bombard the earth and permeate all of outer space. Because cosmic rays are so energetic, they can be difficult to detect and analyze, and are best studied from vantage points high above the earth's atmosphere or from space. Traditional cosmic ray detectors, like using a large catcher's mitt to catch a 100 mph fastball, have been large, bulky, and massive. However, the rockets and balloons required to take these detectors to high altitudes and to space have both severe weight and size restrictions.
The Scintillating Optical Fiber Calorimeter (SOFCAL) uses fiber optic technology to allow scientists to measure energies and compositions of cosmic rays. The detector consists of ten pairs of 1/2 millimeter-square optical fibers, arranged in an x-y grid formation. When a cosmic ray interacts with the fibers onboard the experiment, they scintillate, or give off pulses of light. This light can then be collected and analyzed to learn about the cosmic ray that produced the light.
On this flight, which will begin from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico, scientists will be interested in cosmic rays that come in the form of both protons and helium nuclei. By investigating these particular components of the cosmic ray spectrum, scientists hope to gain greater insight into both the origins of cosmic rays and the mechanism that accelerates these particles to speeds approaching the speed of light.
September 3, 1996: Fiber optics have become a regular part of 20th century communication, as familiar to us today as the telegraph wire was a generation before. However the use of fiber optic material goes far beyond its implementation as part of our telephone network. This September, Space Sciences Laboratory scientists will fly a scientific experiment on a high-altitude balloon, like the one pictured below, using fiber optic material to study cosmic rays from space.
Cosmic rays are extremely energetic subatomic particles and atomic nuclei that travel nearly at the speed of light. They continually bombard the earth and permeate all of outer space. Because cosmic rays are so energetic, they can be difficult to detect and analyze, and are best studied from vantage points high above the earth's atmosphere or from space. Traditional cosmic ray detectors, like using a large catcher's mitt to catch a 100 mph fastball, have been large, bulky, and massive. However, the rockets and balloons required to take these detectors to high altitudes and to space have both severe weight and size restrictions.
The Scintillating Optical Fiber Calorimeter (SOFCAL) uses fiber optic technology to allow scientists to measure energies and compositions of cosmic rays. The detector consists of ten pairs of 1/2 millimeter-square optical fibers, arranged in an x-y grid formation. When a cosmic ray interacts with the fibers onboard the experiment, they scintillate, or give off pulses of light. This light can then be collected and analyzed to learn about the cosmic ray that produced the light.
On this flight, which will begin from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico, scientists will be interested in cosmic rays that come in the form of both protons and helium nuclei. By investigating these particular components of the cosmic ray spectrum, scientists hope to gain greater insight into both the origins of cosmic rays and the mechanism that accelerates these particles to speeds approaching the speed of light.
Scientists use Powerful Magnets to Simulate Reduced Gravity During Crystal Growth
June 19, 1996
Scientists from the Space Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are using magnetic fields up to 100,000 times the strength of the Earth's magnetic field to study the effects of gravity on the growth of silicon and germanium crystals in the laboratory. Magnetic fields are a useful means of simulating reduced gravity during crystal growth.
Crystals are grown by melting a rod of silicon or germanium, both important materials in the manufacturing of computer components, and then cooling the rod under carefully controlled conditions. The diagram at right (click on it for a bigger view) illustrates the industrial method. Traditionally even the most strict controls on laboratory environments could not prevent imperfections and impurities from being generated in the final crystal. One option is to grow these crystals in the near-zero-g environment of space, for example aboard the space shuttle. This resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of crystals that could be grown. However, spaceflight is an expensive option, and growing time is limited.
Using magnetic fields in the laboratory, crystals have been grown under desirable conditions that could only otherwise be obtained in space. Magnetic fields, however, are limited in many ways as a simulator of reduced gravity one of which being the size of crystals that can be grown. The combination of a low-gravity environment in addition to the use of magnetic fields would help to overcome this size limitation. Scientists at MSFC are working on a furnace (at left) to be flown aboard the International Space Station that will combine the benefits of a low-gravity environment and a strong magnetic field.
Scientists from the Space Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are using magnetic fields up to 100,000 times the strength of the Earth's magnetic field to study the effects of gravity on the growth of silicon and germanium crystals in the laboratory. Magnetic fields are a useful means of simulating reduced gravity during crystal growth.
Crystals are grown by melting a rod of silicon or germanium, both important materials in the manufacturing of computer components, and then cooling the rod under carefully controlled conditions. The diagram at right (click on it for a bigger view) illustrates the industrial method. Traditionally even the most strict controls on laboratory environments could not prevent imperfections and impurities from being generated in the final crystal. One option is to grow these crystals in the near-zero-g environment of space, for example aboard the space shuttle. This resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of crystals that could be grown. However, spaceflight is an expensive option, and growing time is limited.
Using magnetic fields in the laboratory, crystals have been grown under desirable conditions that could only otherwise be obtained in space. Magnetic fields, however, are limited in many ways as a simulator of reduced gravity one of which being the size of crystals that can be grown. The combination of a low-gravity environment in addition to the use of magnetic fields would help to overcome this size limitation. Scientists at MSFC are working on a furnace (at left) to be flown aboard the International Space Station that will combine the benefits of a low-gravity environment and a strong magnetic field.
Unique telescope to open the X(-ray) Files
Artist's concept of AXAF in orbit., The nested mirrors are at center behind the dotted circles.
The finest set of mirrors ever built for X-ray astronomy has arrived at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for several weeks of calibration before being assembled into a telescope for launch in late 1998.
The High-Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA), as it is known, will be the heart of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) which is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center. HRMA was built by Eastman Kodak and Hughes Danbury Optical Systems. In 1997-98, they will be assembled by TRW Defense and Space Systems into the AXAF spacecraft. AXAF is designed to give astronomers as clear a view of the universe in X-rays as they now have in visible light through the Hubble Space Telescope.
Indeed, one of the Hubble's recent discoveries may move near the top of the list of things to do for AXAF. Hubble recently discovered that some quasars reside within quite ordinary galaxies. Quasars (quasi-stellar objects) are unusually energetic objects which emit up to 1,000 times as much energy as an entire galaxy, but from a volume about the size of our solar system.
More clues to what is happening inside quasars may lie in the X-rays emitted by the most violent forces in the universe.
Before AXAF can embark on that mission, though, its mirrors must be measured with great precision so astronomers will know the exact shape and quality of the mirrors. Then, once the telescope is in space, they will be able to tell when they discover unusual objects, and be able to measure exactly how unusual.
These measurements will be done in Marshall's X-ray Calibration Facility, the world's largest, over the next few weeks.
AXAF will use four sets of mirrors, each set nested inside the other, to focus X-rays by grazing incidence reflection, the same principle that makes sunlight glare off clear windshields. AXAF's smallest mirror - 63 cm (24.8 in.) in diameter - is larger than the biggest - 58 cm (22.8 in.) flown on the Einstein observatory (HEAO-2) in 1978-81.
Mapping the details of the mirror will start with an X-ray source pretty much like what a dentist uses to check your teeth. But that's next week's story.
The finest set of mirrors ever built for X-ray astronomy has arrived at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for several weeks of calibration before being assembled into a telescope for launch in late 1998.
The High-Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA), as it is known, will be the heart of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) which is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center. HRMA was built by Eastman Kodak and Hughes Danbury Optical Systems. In 1997-98, they will be assembled by TRW Defense and Space Systems into the AXAF spacecraft. AXAF is designed to give astronomers as clear a view of the universe in X-rays as they now have in visible light through the Hubble Space Telescope.
Indeed, one of the Hubble's recent discoveries may move near the top of the list of things to do for AXAF. Hubble recently discovered that some quasars reside within quite ordinary galaxies. Quasars (quasi-stellar objects) are unusually energetic objects which emit up to 1,000 times as much energy as an entire galaxy, but from a volume about the size of our solar system.
More clues to what is happening inside quasars may lie in the X-rays emitted by the most violent forces in the universe.
Before AXAF can embark on that mission, though, its mirrors must be measured with great precision so astronomers will know the exact shape and quality of the mirrors. Then, once the telescope is in space, they will be able to tell when they discover unusual objects, and be able to measure exactly how unusual.
These measurements will be done in Marshall's X-ray Calibration Facility, the world's largest, over the next few weeks.
AXAF will use four sets of mirrors, each set nested inside the other, to focus X-rays by grazing incidence reflection, the same principle that makes sunlight glare off clear windshields. AXAF's smallest mirror - 63 cm (24.8 in.) in diameter - is larger than the biggest - 58 cm (22.8 in.) flown on the Einstein observatory (HEAO-2) in 1978-81.
Mapping the details of the mirror will start with an X-ray source pretty much like what a dentist uses to check your teeth. But that's next week's story.
Fall Science Meeting Highlights Tethered Satellite Results
October 15, 1996
Scientists attending the Fall 1996 meeting of the American Geophysical Union will be treated to three special sessions covering scientific results obtained from the reflight of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1R). The conference will take place on December 18 and 19 in San Francisco, California.
The TSS-1R science mission was conducted on space shuttle flight STS-75 at the end of February 1996. During the flight, the Tethered Satellite was deployed to a distance of 12.3 miles (19.7 km) and science data was collected aboard the satellite, the space-shuttle orbiter, and from a network of ground stations monitoring the earth's ionosphere.
Five hours of tethered operation yielded a rich scientific data set. These data include tether current and voltage measurements, plasma particle and wave measurements, and visual observations for a variety of pre-planned science objectives. During the flight the conducting tether connecting the Orbiter to the satellite was severed, and large currents were observed to be flowing between the satellite and the Orbiter during the break event.
Further scientific data were obtained from the instruments on the satellite after the break, when the science and NASA support teams were able to capture telemetry from the satellite during the overflight of NASA tracking stations.
One important finding from TSS-1R has been the high level of current collected by the satellite at relatively low voltage throughout the deployed phase of the mission. Surprisingly large currents were also observed during the tether break and gas releases, indicating important new physics at play. The three Tethered Satellite sessions at the AGU meeting will cover the results of data analysis from the mission, important supporting physics insights from laboratory experiments, theoretical and numerical modeling of current collection during the mission, and the conclusions of recent studies on the future use of tethers for science in space.
Scientists attending the Fall 1996 meeting of the American Geophysical Union will be treated to three special sessions covering scientific results obtained from the reflight of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1R). The conference will take place on December 18 and 19 in San Francisco, California.
The TSS-1R science mission was conducted on space shuttle flight STS-75 at the end of February 1996. During the flight, the Tethered Satellite was deployed to a distance of 12.3 miles (19.7 km) and science data was collected aboard the satellite, the space-shuttle orbiter, and from a network of ground stations monitoring the earth's ionosphere.
Five hours of tethered operation yielded a rich scientific data set. These data include tether current and voltage measurements, plasma particle and wave measurements, and visual observations for a variety of pre-planned science objectives. During the flight the conducting tether connecting the Orbiter to the satellite was severed, and large currents were observed to be flowing between the satellite and the Orbiter during the break event.
Further scientific data were obtained from the instruments on the satellite after the break, when the science and NASA support teams were able to capture telemetry from the satellite during the overflight of NASA tracking stations.
One important finding from TSS-1R has been the high level of current collected by the satellite at relatively low voltage throughout the deployed phase of the mission. Surprisingly large currents were also observed during the tether break and gas releases, indicating important new physics at play. The three Tethered Satellite sessions at the AGU meeting will cover the results of data analysis from the mission, important supporting physics insights from laboratory experiments, theoretical and numerical modeling of current collection during the mission, and the conclusions of recent studies on the future use of tethers for science in space.
First Space-Produced Aerogel Made on Space Sciences Laboratory Rocket Flight
October 8, 1996: Results are now beginning to become available from the April 3, 1996 rocket flight to produce the first space-made Aerogel. As described in the June 19, 1996 Aerogel Headline , Aerogel is the lightest solid known to mankind, with only three times the density of air. Aerogel, because of its appearence is sometimes referred to as "frozen smoke". Aerogel produced on the ground typically displays a blue haze or has a slight cloudiness to its appearence. This feature is believed to be caused by impurities and variations in the size of small pores in the Aerogel material. Scientists are trying to eliminate this haze so that the insulator might be used in window panes and other applications where transparency is important.
The Aerogel made aboard the flight of the Starfire Rocket in April has indicated that gravity effects in samples of the material made on the ground may be responsible for the adverse pore sizes and thus account for the lack of transparency. Both the diameter and volume of the pores in the space-made Aerogel appear to be between 4 and 5 times better than otherwise identically formulated ground samples. Because Aerogels are the only known transparent insulator, with typical heat conduction properties that are five times better than the next best alternative, a number of novel applications are foreseen in high performance Aerogels.
The Aerogel made aboard the flight of the Starfire Rocket in April has indicated that gravity effects in samples of the material made on the ground may be responsible for the adverse pore sizes and thus account for the lack of transparency. Both the diameter and volume of the pores in the space-made Aerogel appear to be between 4 and 5 times better than otherwise identically formulated ground samples. Because Aerogels are the only known transparent insulator, with typical heat conduction properties that are five times better than the next best alternative, a number of novel applications are foreseen in high performance Aerogels.
Space Sciences Laboratory Hosts Bill Nye, the Science Guy
October 16, 1996
This week, the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Space Sciences Laboratory are hosting Bill Nye, The Science Guy, as their crew from Seattle films for an upcoming episode of the PBS television series. Taping in SSL will occur on Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17.
Areas of science from the laboratory that will be featured on an upcoming episode of Bill Nye include Aerogel, "cool telescopes" such as BATSE and the AXAF Calibration Facility, the SSL Solar Vector Magnetograph, and the 105-meter drop tube for microgravity experimentation.
The program will also feature a dive in the Marshall Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, the large tank in which the Hubble Space Telescope repair missions are rehearsed by astronauts, as well as a visit to the Space Station Assembly facility.
This week, the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Space Sciences Laboratory are hosting Bill Nye, The Science Guy, as their crew from Seattle films for an upcoming episode of the PBS television series. Taping in SSL will occur on Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17.
Areas of science from the laboratory that will be featured on an upcoming episode of Bill Nye include Aerogel, "cool telescopes" such as BATSE and the AXAF Calibration Facility, the SSL Solar Vector Magnetograph, and the 105-meter drop tube for microgravity experimentation.
The program will also feature a dive in the Marshall Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, the large tank in which the Hubble Space Telescope repair missions are rehearsed by astronauts, as well as a visit to the Space Station Assembly facility.
Local Scientists Produce First Aerogel in Space
First Space-Produced Aerogel Made on Space Sciences Laboratory Rocket Flight
June 19, 1996: Aerogel is the lightest solid known to mankind, with only three times the density of air. A block the size of a human weighs less than a pound. Because of its amazing insulating properties, an inch-thick slab can safely shield the human hand from the heat of a blowtorch. A sugar-cubed size portion of the material has the internal surface area of a basketball court. As the only known transparent insulator, Aerogel is a supercritically dried gel sometimes referred to as "frozen smoke".
On April 3, 1996, the first space-produced samples of aerogels were produced by NASA on a flight of a starfire rocket. The production of such materials in space is interesting because of the strong influence of gravity on how a gel is formed. Comparison of gels manufactured in space and on the ground have shown large differences, and the production of gels in space can provide a higher-quality product with a more uniform structure.
Chemical Engineering Progress (June 1995, p 14) described "the holy grail of aerogel applications has been developing invisible insulation for use between window panes." The production of insulating and transparent windows through aerogel manufacturing in space can develop into a substantial market for residential and commercial applications. The excellent thermal properties and transparent nature of silica aerogel make it an obvious choice for super-insulating windows, skylights, solar collector covers, and specialty windows.
June 19, 1996: Aerogel is the lightest solid known to mankind, with only three times the density of air. A block the size of a human weighs less than a pound. Because of its amazing insulating properties, an inch-thick slab can safely shield the human hand from the heat of a blowtorch. A sugar-cubed size portion of the material has the internal surface area of a basketball court. As the only known transparent insulator, Aerogel is a supercritically dried gel sometimes referred to as "frozen smoke".
On April 3, 1996, the first space-produced samples of aerogels were produced by NASA on a flight of a starfire rocket. The production of such materials in space is interesting because of the strong influence of gravity on how a gel is formed. Comparison of gels manufactured in space and on the ground have shown large differences, and the production of gels in space can provide a higher-quality product with a more uniform structure.
Chemical Engineering Progress (June 1995, p 14) described "the holy grail of aerogel applications has been developing invisible insulation for use between window panes." The production of insulating and transparent windows through aerogel manufacturing in space can develop into a substantial market for residential and commercial applications. The excellent thermal properties and transparent nature of silica aerogel make it an obvious choice for super-insulating windows, skylights, solar collector covers, and specialty windows.
Super Storm on Saturn
Super Storm on Saturn
May 19, 2011: NASA's Cassini spacecraft and a European Southern Observatory ground-based telescope are tracking the growth of a giant early-spring storm in Saturn's northern hemisphere so powerful that it stretches around the entire planet. The rare storm has been wreaking havoc for months and shooting plumes of gas high into the planet's atmosphere.
This false-color infrared image shows clouds of large ammonia ice particles dredged up by the powerful storm. Credit: Cassini. [more]
"Nothing on Earth comes close to this powerful storm," says Leigh Fletcher, a Cassini team scientist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and lead author of a study that appeared in this week's edition of Science Magazine. "A storm like this is rare. This is only the sixth one to be recorded since 1876, and the last was way back in 1990."
Cassini's radio and plasma wave science instrument first detected the large disturbance in December 2010, and amateur astronomers have been watching it ever since through backyard telescopes. As it rapidly expanded, the storm's core developed into a giant, powerful thunderstorm, producing a 3,000-mile-wide (5,000-kilometer-wide) dark vortex possibly similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
This is the first major storm on Saturn observed by an orbiting spacecraft and studied at thermal infrared wavelengths. Infrared observations are key because heat tells researchers a great deal about conditions inside the storm, including temperatures, winds, and atmospheric composition. Temperature data were provided by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal in Chile and Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS), operated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
"Our new observations show that the storm had a major effect on the atmosphere, transporting energy and material over great distances -- creating meandering jet streams and forming giant vortices -- and disrupting Saturn's seasonal [weather patterns]," said Glenn Orton, a paper co-author, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
The violence of the storm -- the strongest disturbances ever detected in Saturn's stratosphere -- took researchers by surprise. What started as an ordinary disturbance deep in Saturn's atmosphere punched through the planet's serene cloud cover to roil the high layer known as the stratosphere.
Thermal infrared images of Saturn from the Very Large Telescope Imager and Spectrometer for the mid-Infrared (VISIR) instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, on Cerro Paranal, Chile, appear at center and on the right. An amateur visible-light image from Trevor Barry, of Broken Hill, Australia, appears on the left. The images were obtained on Jan. 19, 2011. [more]
"On Earth, the lower stratosphere is where commercial airplanes generally fly to avoid storms which can cause turbulence," says Brigette Hesman, a scientist at the University of Maryland in College Park who works on the CIRS team at Goddard and is the second author on the paper. "If you were flying in an airplane on Saturn, this storm would reach so high up, it would probably be impossible to avoid it."
A separate analysis using Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer, led by Kevin Baines of JPL, confirmed the storm is very violent, dredging up deep material in volumes several times larger than previous storms. Other Cassini scientists are studying the evolving storm and, they say, a more extensive picture will emerge soon.
May 19, 2011: NASA's Cassini spacecraft and a European Southern Observatory ground-based telescope are tracking the growth of a giant early-spring storm in Saturn's northern hemisphere so powerful that it stretches around the entire planet. The rare storm has been wreaking havoc for months and shooting plumes of gas high into the planet's atmosphere.
This false-color infrared image shows clouds of large ammonia ice particles dredged up by the powerful storm. Credit: Cassini. [more]
"Nothing on Earth comes close to this powerful storm," says Leigh Fletcher, a Cassini team scientist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and lead author of a study that appeared in this week's edition of Science Magazine. "A storm like this is rare. This is only the sixth one to be recorded since 1876, and the last was way back in 1990."
Cassini's radio and plasma wave science instrument first detected the large disturbance in December 2010, and amateur astronomers have been watching it ever since through backyard telescopes. As it rapidly expanded, the storm's core developed into a giant, powerful thunderstorm, producing a 3,000-mile-wide (5,000-kilometer-wide) dark vortex possibly similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
This is the first major storm on Saturn observed by an orbiting spacecraft and studied at thermal infrared wavelengths. Infrared observations are key because heat tells researchers a great deal about conditions inside the storm, including temperatures, winds, and atmospheric composition. Temperature data were provided by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal in Chile and Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS), operated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
"Our new observations show that the storm had a major effect on the atmosphere, transporting energy and material over great distances -- creating meandering jet streams and forming giant vortices -- and disrupting Saturn's seasonal [weather patterns]," said Glenn Orton, a paper co-author, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
The violence of the storm -- the strongest disturbances ever detected in Saturn's stratosphere -- took researchers by surprise. What started as an ordinary disturbance deep in Saturn's atmosphere punched through the planet's serene cloud cover to roil the high layer known as the stratosphere.
Thermal infrared images of Saturn from the Very Large Telescope Imager and Spectrometer for the mid-Infrared (VISIR) instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, on Cerro Paranal, Chile, appear at center and on the right. An amateur visible-light image from Trevor Barry, of Broken Hill, Australia, appears on the left. The images were obtained on Jan. 19, 2011. [more]
"On Earth, the lower stratosphere is where commercial airplanes generally fly to avoid storms which can cause turbulence," says Brigette Hesman, a scientist at the University of Maryland in College Park who works on the CIRS team at Goddard and is the second author on the paper. "If you were flying in an airplane on Saturn, this storm would reach so high up, it would probably be impossible to avoid it."
A separate analysis using Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer, led by Kevin Baines of JPL, confirmed the storm is very violent, dredging up deep material in volumes several times larger than previous storms. Other Cassini scientists are studying the evolving storm and, they say, a more extensive picture will emerge soon.
Unique Space Image of Alabama Tornado Tracks
May 16, 2011: NASA has released a unique satellite image tracing the damage of a monster EF-4 tornado that tore through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on April 27th. It combines visible and infrared data to reveal damage unseen in conventional photographs.
"This is the first time we've used the ASTER instrument to track the wake of a super-outbreak of tornadoes," says NASA meteorologist Gary Jedlovec of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
An ASTER visible-IR image of tornado damage near Tuscaloosa, AL. [larger image]
In the picture, captured just days after the storm, pink represents vegetation and aqua is the absence of vegetation. The tornado ripped up everything in its path, scouring the Earth's surface with its terrible force. The "tearing up" of vegetation makes the tornado's track stand out as a wide swath of aqua.
"This image and others like it are helping us study the torn landscape to determine just how huge and powerful these twisters were and to assess the damage they inflicted," says Jedlovec.
ASTER, short for Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, orbits Earth onboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. Its data products include digital elevation maps from stereo images; surface temperatures; vegetation maps; cloud and sea ice data; and more. Last spring the instrument helped track the movement of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Ground survey teams have a lot to contend with. [Youtube video]
To detect the scars left by the twisters, ASTER senses the visible and infrared energy reflected from the planet's surface. Destruction like crushed houses, torn and snapped trees, and uprooted crops are evident in the multi-wavelength images.
"A demolished house, debris and soil scattered on vegetated surfaces, and damaged trees and crops all change the pattern of reflected radiation measured by the satellite," explains Jedlovec. "We can analyze these patterns to help storm survey teams evaluate the damage."
Ground teams conducting field surveys of tornado damage must try to pinpoint where the twisters touched down, how long they stayed on the ground, and the force of their winds. But doing this from ground level can be tricky. Some places are nearly impossible to reach by foot or car. Also, in remote areas, damage often goes unreported, so survey teams don't know to look there.
This is where satellites can help.
"To get an accurate picture survey teams need to look everywhere that sustained damage – even unreported areas. Satellite sensors detect damage in rural areas, wilderness areas, and other unpopulated areas. Only with that knowledge can surveyors determine the true track of a tornado."
Otherwise, says Jedlovec, a twister could have flattened a single dwelling in a remote location, killing everyone inside, and no one would know.
Another sample of ASTER tornado data showing three nearly-parallel tracks of destruction. [large image] [annotated composite image]
Less critical but still important are home owners' insurance issues. To evaluate claims submitted by storm victims, insurance companies rely on National Weather Service storm reports based on the field surveys.
"Let's say you live in a remote area," says Jedlovec. "If there's no record of a storm passing over your area, you could be out of luck."
Jedlovec and colleagues are working now to produce satellite images of other areas ravaged by the historic outbreak of tornadoes.
"We want to help the storm victims any way we can."
"This is the first time we've used the ASTER instrument to track the wake of a super-outbreak of tornadoes," says NASA meteorologist Gary Jedlovec of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
An ASTER visible-IR image of tornado damage near Tuscaloosa, AL. [larger image]
In the picture, captured just days after the storm, pink represents vegetation and aqua is the absence of vegetation. The tornado ripped up everything in its path, scouring the Earth's surface with its terrible force. The "tearing up" of vegetation makes the tornado's track stand out as a wide swath of aqua.
"This image and others like it are helping us study the torn landscape to determine just how huge and powerful these twisters were and to assess the damage they inflicted," says Jedlovec.
ASTER, short for Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, orbits Earth onboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. Its data products include digital elevation maps from stereo images; surface temperatures; vegetation maps; cloud and sea ice data; and more. Last spring the instrument helped track the movement of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Ground survey teams have a lot to contend with. [Youtube video]
To detect the scars left by the twisters, ASTER senses the visible and infrared energy reflected from the planet's surface. Destruction like crushed houses, torn and snapped trees, and uprooted crops are evident in the multi-wavelength images.
"A demolished house, debris and soil scattered on vegetated surfaces, and damaged trees and crops all change the pattern of reflected radiation measured by the satellite," explains Jedlovec. "We can analyze these patterns to help storm survey teams evaluate the damage."
Ground teams conducting field surveys of tornado damage must try to pinpoint where the twisters touched down, how long they stayed on the ground, and the force of their winds. But doing this from ground level can be tricky. Some places are nearly impossible to reach by foot or car. Also, in remote areas, damage often goes unreported, so survey teams don't know to look there.
This is where satellites can help.
"To get an accurate picture survey teams need to look everywhere that sustained damage – even unreported areas. Satellite sensors detect damage in rural areas, wilderness areas, and other unpopulated areas. Only with that knowledge can surveyors determine the true track of a tornado."
Otherwise, says Jedlovec, a twister could have flattened a single dwelling in a remote location, killing everyone inside, and no one would know.
Another sample of ASTER tornado data showing three nearly-parallel tracks of destruction. [large image] [annotated composite image]
Less critical but still important are home owners' insurance issues. To evaluate claims submitted by storm victims, insurance companies rely on National Weather Service storm reports based on the field surveys.
"Let's say you live in a remote area," says Jedlovec. "If there's no record of a storm passing over your area, you could be out of luck."
Jedlovec and colleagues are working now to produce satellite images of other areas ravaged by the historic outbreak of tornadoes.
"We want to help the storm victims any way we can."
Georgia Institute of Technology
he Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's top research universities, distinguished by its commitment to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology.
Georgia Tech's campus occupies 400 acres in the heart of the city of Atlanta, where more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive a focused, technologically based education.
Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the Institute offers many nationally recognized, top-ranked programs. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in the Colleges of Architecture, Engineering, Sciences, Computing, Management, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Georgia Tech consistently ranks among U.S. News & World Report's top ten public universities in the United States. In a world that increasingly turns to technology for solutions, Georgia Tech is using innovative teaching and advanced research to define the technological university of the 21st century.
Georgia Tech's campus occupies 400 acres in the heart of the city of Atlanta, where more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive a focused, technologically based education.
Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the Institute offers many nationally recognized, top-ranked programs. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in the Colleges of Architecture, Engineering, Sciences, Computing, Management, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Georgia Tech consistently ranks among U.S. News & World Report's top ten public universities in the United States. In a world that increasingly turns to technology for solutions, Georgia Tech is using innovative teaching and advanced research to define the technological university of the 21st century.
Emory University
Located just 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta in the tree-lined suburban neighborhood of Druid Hills, Emory University is positioned along the Clifton Corridor, which also includes the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society.
Emory University is home to nine major academic divisions, numerous centers for advanced study, and a host of prestigious affiliated institutions. In addition to Emory College, the University encompasses a graduate school of arts and sciences; professional schools of medicine, theology, law, nursing, public health, and business; and Oxford College, a two-year undergraduate division on the original campus of Emory in Oxford, Ga.
Emory was founded at Oxford by the Methodist Church in 1836. Led by President James W. Wagner, the University has 11,300 students and 2,500 faculty members who represent all regions of the United States and more than 100 foreign nations.
Emory University is home to nine major academic divisions, numerous centers for advanced study, and a host of prestigious affiliated institutions. In addition to Emory College, the University encompasses a graduate school of arts and sciences; professional schools of medicine, theology, law, nursing, public health, and business; and Oxford College, a two-year undergraduate division on the original campus of Emory in Oxford, Ga.
Emory was founded at Oxford by the Methodist Church in 1836. Led by President James W. Wagner, the University has 11,300 students and 2,500 faculty members who represent all regions of the United States and more than 100 foreign nations.
University of California, Davis
UC Davis, set in a small traditional college town, is justly famous for its outstanding programs in the biological and agricultural sciences. In addition, its programs in engineering, the social sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and the arts and humanities are also popular and highly prestigious.
Graduate Studies oversees more than 80 graduate degree programs, giving UC Davis the most diversified teaching faculty and curriculum in the nine-campus system. The quality of life on campus is enhanced by its proximity to the state capital and the San Francisco Bay Area, sites that offer a wealth of additional cultural, political, and social opportunities.
There are currently 30,229 students, of whom 6,720 are in graduate and professional programs. UC Davis faculty and graduate programs attract highly qualified students from diverse educational, social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is this global mix that contributes to the character of both the campus and the city of Davis. The campus has a tradition of close association between students and faculty, and the style is one of informality and congeniality.
Graduate Studies oversees more than 80 graduate degree programs, giving UC Davis the most diversified teaching faculty and curriculum in the nine-campus system. The quality of life on campus is enhanced by its proximity to the state capital and the San Francisco Bay Area, sites that offer a wealth of additional cultural, political, and social opportunities.
There are currently 30,229 students, of whom 6,720 are in graduate and professional programs. UC Davis faculty and graduate programs attract highly qualified students from diverse educational, social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is this global mix that contributes to the character of both the campus and the city of Davis. The campus has a tradition of close association between students and faculty, and the style is one of informality and congeniality.
University of Southern California
Los Angeles was little more than a frontier town in 1880 when USC first opened its doors to 53 students and 10 teachers. Today it is a world class research university, the oldest private research university in the West.
Location: Los Angeles, California
USC's University Park Campus, located in the heart of Los Angeles' Downtown Arts and Education Corridor, is home to the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and many professional schools. The Health Sciences Campus, to the northeast of downtown Los Angeles, is home to the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the School of Pharmacy, three major teaching hospitals and programs in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. USC also has programs and centers in Marina Del Rey, Orange County, Sacramento, Washington, D.C., Catalina Island, Alhambra and around Southern California. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is staffed by USC faculty from the Keck School of Medicine and is often referred to as USC's third campus.
Location: Los Angeles, California
USC's University Park Campus, located in the heart of Los Angeles' Downtown Arts and Education Corridor, is home to the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and many professional schools. The Health Sciences Campus, to the northeast of downtown Los Angeles, is home to the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the School of Pharmacy, three major teaching hospitals and programs in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. USC also has programs and centers in Marina Del Rey, Orange County, Sacramento, Washington, D.C., Catalina Island, Alhambra and around Southern California. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is staffed by USC faculty from the Keck School of Medicine and is often referred to as USC's third campus.
Rice University
Rice University, a privately endowed, nonsectarian, coeducational institution, was founded in 1891 as the William Marsh Rice Institute, dedicated to the advancement of letters, science, and art. The university occupies a 300-acre tree-lined campus located one block northwest of the Texas Medical Center and approximately three miles southwest of Houston's central business district. With an undergraduate enrollment of 2,700 and a graduate enrollment of 1,800, Rice's student body is relatively small. The overall student-teacher ratio is less than 10:1. Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation and the leading commercial, financial, and industrial city of the South and Southwest. In addition to Rice, there are seven other colleges and universities located in Houston. The Texas Medical Center contains the largest concentration of health care facilities in the world. It is the site of a number of major medical schools including the Baylor College of Medicine, the Texas Woman's University, Texas A&M Universities' College of Nursing, and the University of Texas's School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and Dental Branch, as well as numerous hospitals and medical libraries. The Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Houston Ballet give regular performances downtown. Several of Houston's five major museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts are located within easy walking distance of the Rice campus.
University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
Palm-framed vistas of the blue Pacific and the golden Santa Ynez Mountains. The scent of eucalyptus mixed with the saltwater breeze. Breathtaking natural beauty combined with enormous intellectual vitality. This is the University of California, Santa Barbara, and there is no other campus quite like it, anywhere.
Here on the edge of the Pacific, in a setting removed from urban pressures and distractions but vibrant with cultural and academic activity, many of the country's most promising students join a community of scholars whose accomplishments are internationally recognized and whose skills as teachers of undergraduates are evident each day in laboratories and classrooms.
In the humanities and the arts as well as in engineering and the sciences, UCSB introduces students to novel ways of thinking, learning, and conducting research.
Here on the edge of the Pacific, in a setting removed from urban pressures and distractions but vibrant with cultural and academic activity, many of the country's most promising students join a community of scholars whose accomplishments are internationally recognized and whose skills as teachers of undergraduates are evident each day in laboratories and classrooms.
In the humanities and the arts as well as in engineering and the sciences, UCSB introduces students to novel ways of thinking, learning, and conducting research.
University of Pittsburgh
Founded in 1787 as a small, private school, the Pittsburgh Academy was located in a log cabin near Pittsburgh?s three rivers. In the 219 years since, the University has evolved into an internationally recognized center of learning and research.
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
PA
United States
Switchboard:
1 412 6244141
Web: www.pitt.edu
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
PA
United States
Switchboard:
1 412 6244141
Web: www.pitt.edu
ATTRACTION OF LUXURY GUEST ROOM'S
Attraction of guest room's is very luxury and comfort and beautiful .
ATTRACTION OF LUXURY GUEST ROOM'S
wow what a classy guest room
have a nice guest room
guest room having classic look we enjoy your comfort
ATTRACTION OF LUXURY GUEST ROOM'S
ATTRACTION OF INDIA RICHEST PERSONALITIES 2011
Attraction of India's richest are 2opc poorer than 2010; forbes
Mukesh Ambani mumbia {AFP} - The combined wealth of India's richest people has fallen nearly 20 percent over the last year, due to factors including inflation,
ATTRACTION OF TOP 10 RICHEST PERSONALITIES IN INDIA 2011
10 richest Indians are
Mukesh Ambani mumbia {AFP} - The combined wealth of India's richest people has fallen nearly 20 percent over the last year, due to factors including inflation,
ATTRACTION OF TOP 10 RICHEST PERSONALITIES IN INDIA 2011
- Mukesh Ambani {Reliance Industries Ltd} $22.6 billion
- Lakshmi Mittal {ArcelorMittal}$19.2 billion
- Azim Premji {Wipor} $13.0 billion
- Shashi and Ravi Ruia {Essar Group} $10.2 billion
- Savitri Jindal {O.P.Jindal Group} $9.5 billion
- Sunil Mittal {Bharti Airtel} $8.8 billion
- Gutam Adani {Adani group}$8.2 billion
- Kumar Birla {Aditya Birla Group}$7.7 billion
- Pallonji Mistry {Shapoorji Pallongi/Tata Group}$7.6 billion
- Adi Godrej {Godrej Group} $6.8 billion.
Friday 28 October 2011
ATTRACTION OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST GLOD COIN
Attraction of the world's largest gold coin unveiled Australia
ATTRACTION OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST GOLD COIN
Perth {AFP} Australia's Perth Mint unveiled Thursday what it says is the world's largest gold bullion coin, weighing more then a tonne and worth Aus$53.5 million {US$55 million}.
Embossed on one side with a leaping kangaroo and on the other with the profile of Britain's queen Elizabeth II, the coin was revealed in time to mark this week's commonwealth summit to be opened by the monarch. With a denomination of Aus$1 million, the coin was ``the pinnacle of ingenuity and innovation'' Perth mint chief executive Ed Harbuz said.
To cast and handcraft a coin of this size and weight was an incredible challenge___one which few other mints would even consider, he added. The massive coin weighs some 1,012 kilograms and is 99.99 percent pure gold. it is close to 80 centimetres wide and is more then 12centimetres thick.
It took the historic mint some 18 months to produce the golden disc which will now go on public exhibition.The Perth mint opened in 1899 after the discovery of gold in western Australia and it become the nation's third branch of Britain's Royal mint .Ownership was transferred to Western Australian government in 1970.
ATTRACTION OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST GOLD COIN
Perth {AFP} Australia's Perth Mint unveiled Thursday what it says is the world's largest gold bullion coin, weighing more then a tonne and worth Aus$53.5 million {US$55 million}.
Embossed on one side with a leaping kangaroo and on the other with the profile of Britain's queen Elizabeth II, the coin was revealed in time to mark this week's commonwealth summit to be opened by the monarch. With a denomination of Aus$1 million, the coin was ``the pinnacle of ingenuity and innovation'' Perth mint chief executive Ed Harbuz said.
To cast and handcraft a coin of this size and weight was an incredible challenge___one which few other mints would even consider, he added. The massive coin weighs some 1,012 kilograms and is 99.99 percent pure gold. it is close to 80 centimetres wide and is more then 12centimetres thick.
It took the historic mint some 18 months to produce the golden disc which will now go on public exhibition.The Perth mint opened in 1899 after the discovery of gold in western Australia and it become the nation's third branch of Britain's Royal mint .Ownership was transferred to Western Australian government in 1970.
ATTRACTION OF NEW YORK BIRTHDAY
statue of liberty's 125th birthday new york {AFP} The statue of liberty, the iconic symbol of freedom,
ATTRACTION STATUE OF LIBERTY'S 125th BIRTHDAY
New york city and of us immigration, on Friday celebrates its 125th birthday, then closes for a year's repairs .
The event will be marked by a ceremony echoing the original October 28,1886 inauguration of the monument in front of then- president Grover Cleveland.
ATTRACTION STATUE OF LIBERTY'S 125th BIRTHDAY
New york city and of us immigration, on Friday celebrates its 125th birthday, then closes for a year's repairs .
The event will be marked by a ceremony echoing the original October 28,1886 inauguration of the monument in front of then- president Grover Cleveland.
ATTRACTION OF PAKISTAN NEWS.
- Islamabad; jemima khan attending a press conference of her former husband and pti chairman Imran khan at national press club on thursday.
- She donated cameras to pakistani tribal leaders to capture scenes of the continuous us drone attacks in the tribal regions in the country -staff photo.
ATTRACTION FULL OF COMFORT.
Make your views full of attraction where you can get comfort in a classy way.
some classy views which are full of comfort and attraction!
VIEWS FULL OF ATTRACTION AND COMFORT.
classy bed rooms having attraction and comfort you can design it for your self and enjoy a classy comfort level.
wow what a classy bed room.
have a nice sleep.
wooden floors and beds are amazing.
bed room having a classic view enjoy your comfort.
bed room for your guest well they can enjoy views as well.
some classy views which are full of comfort and attraction!
VIEWS FULL OF ATTRACTION AND COMFORT.
classy bed rooms having attraction and comfort you can design it for your self and enjoy a classy comfort level.
ATTRACTION OF KICHEN
Top classy things can make your kichen attractive like any thing .
JUST ATTRACTION
JUST ATTRACTION
Kurv med 2 hank - banaflet
saet med 3 stk
pack;1 seat
Bakke med 3 kurve- banaflet
Bakke
pack;5
Urtepotte med zink potte
med kuveflet skjuler
saet a3 stk.
Pack;1 saet
Stativ til daekkeservietter
Flet- lille
Til 144 stk.
Pack; 1
Slatskal- lav
0 ;25cm
H; 8,5 cam, 4,2 1
Pack; 2
Krus - 6 stk.
Mork bla/hvid
Stabel
I kromstander
30 ml.
Pack; 6
Tekrus - buttet - 4 ass. modeller
Med fervemotiv
0; 9,5 cm
H; 10 cm
600 ml.
Pack; 12
Kaffedase med motiv
Med stal lag og ske
Med gummiliste
Pack; 12
Serveringsfad -3 stk .
Firkantet med krave, i gaveaeske
750 ml.
Stor34
2200 mnl.
Pack;2
Serveringsskal -4 stk.
blad facon, i gaveaeske
500 ml.
Pack;6
Bakke- hvid
Firkantet. trae
Pack;4
ATTRACTION SHANGRI-LA HOTEL IN DUBAI.
Attraction shangri-la hotel in dubai is very luxury
ATTRACTION ARABIAN HOTEL
NIGHTS
SHANGRI-LA HOTEL,DUBI
ATTRACTION ARABIAN HOTEL
NIGHTS
SHANGRI-LA HOTEL,DUBI
- On a landscape straight from legend, in a city thaat's a dream.
- A shangri-la arises, on a slightly different theme.
- Now luxury and service, reach even greater heights, to cool the morning winds and the warm arabian nights.
Thursday 27 October 2011
PESHAWAR ATTRACTION BALA-HISAR FORT
peshawar is having alot of attraction there are alot of historical places having alot of attraction like alot of historical places having historical knowledge and beauty as well.
PESHAWAR ATTRACTION BALA-HISAR FORT
- bala hisar is a hevily-guaded fort that is located now centrally in old peshawar it world have been in the north-western corner.
- it was bulit by the mughal emperor babar in the early. and now a long history now this fort is FC.
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