[meteorite-list] JPL
I just want to thank Ron Baalke for all of the interesting information about the goings on at the JPL and with the Stardust Project, but there is just one thing that I want to know. So, who brought the box of donuts, "Krispy Kremes?" to work today that are sitting on the counter??? Seeing them sitting there, brought a slight smile to my face for some reason. Dave :) __ Do you Yahoo!? Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003 http://search.yahoo.com/top2003 __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] JPL
> > I just want to thank Ron Baalke for all of the > interesting information about the goings on at the JPL > and with the Stardust Project, but there is just one > thing that I want to know. So, who brought the box of > donuts, "Krispy Kremes?" to work today that are > sitting on the counter??? Seeing them sitting there, > brought a slight smile to my face for some reason. Tom Duxbury, the Stardust project manager, brings those in. There are usually there Friday mornings, but lately have been showing up daily. If you'll look in at the webcam in a few minutes, you'll see me at the donuts. :-) Ron Baalke __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL in Pasadena
Hello All, Will all who work at the JPL facility in Pasadena (California) please contact me? I may be going there on a school trip next Thursday... Thanks, Jason __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Open House Cancelled
Looks like Ron Baalke and I won't be doing the Mars Meteorite displays this year (or longer): Attached Message --- From: Office of the Director Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 6:00 PM To: All Personnel Subject: Open House Status OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR - April 2, 2002 To:JPL Employees and Contractor Personnel From: Eugene Tattini Subject:Open House Status After considerable review of our Open House security, logistics and cost requirements, we have decided it would be in JPL's and the public's best interest not to hold an Open House this year. As you know, additional security measures have been required at all NASA facilities. Currently, no NASA center will hold a general public Open House activity this year. We have looked at many options and approaches, but in the end we have decided against this year's Open House. Telling the JPL story to the public remains an important aspect of our work. In recent months we have made focused efforts to increase the number of tours the Lab offers during the normal work week. And over the coming months we will be exploring alternate methods to connect the public's enthusiasm for the extraordinary work we undertake at the Lab on behalf of the nation. For instance, the year-long celebration marking the 40th anniversary of Mariner 2 and the 25th anniversary of Voyager offer us such opportunities. Others activities are being explored as well, including prearranged weekend-tours. So many of you have given so generously of your time, imagination and hard work to make the JPL Open House an event that grows in popularity and value each year. We are determined to reinstate this major event to the Lab's calendar in the near future. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL To Assist On CONTOUR Mission
JPL To Assist On Comet Mission JPL Universe June 21, 2002 Contour prepares for July 1 launch Set to visit and study at least two comets, NASA's Comet Nucleus Tour (Contour) should provide the first detailed look at the differences between these primitive building blocks of the solar system, and answer questions about how comets act and evolve. The mission is being prepared for a July 1 launch from Kennedy Space Center. JPL will provide navigation and Deep Space Network support for the mission, and JPL astronomer Dr. Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Objects Program Office, is a Contour science team co-investigator. Contour is scheduled to lift off on a three-stage Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle during a 25-day launch window that opens July 1 at 2:56 a.m. Eastern time. The spacecraft will orbit Earth until Aug. 15, when it should fire its main engine and enter a comet-chasing orbit around the sun. Contour's flexible four-year mission plan includes encounters with comets Encke, Nov. 12, 2003, and Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, June 19, 2006. Contour will examine each comet's "heart," or nucleus, which scientists believe is a chunk of ice and rock, often just a few kilometers across and hidden from Earth-based telescopes beneath a dusty atmosphere and long tail. "The Contour mission will be NASA's second mission dedicated solely to exploring these largely unknown members of our solar system," said Dr. Colleen Hartman, director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Contour joins our other operating mission, Stardust, which is on its way to bring a sample of a comet back to Earth, and Deep Impact will launch next year. These missions all help us find answers to the fundamental questions of how our planet may have formed and evolved, and how life may have begun on Earth and perhaps elsewhere in the Universe." Comets are "the remnants of the outer solar system formation process," Yeomans said in a prelaunch briefing. The instruments on Contour, he added, will determine the chemical composition of the comet - helping in turn to determine whether a comet might have brought much of the Earth's oceans and its atmosphere, as well as carbon-based molecules, to the Earth's surface. Yeomans said the "genius" of the Contour mission design is that "we're not chasing comets around the solar system; we're using Earth swingbys to allow them to come to us." The encounters are taking place very close to Earth (less than 50 million kilometers or 31 million miles), which, he said, "makes communications easy, but it also allows professional, ground-based astronomers, as well as amateur astronomers and the public, to participate in a very meaningful way." The comets will be bright enough to be seen with binoculars about the same time as Contour is looking at the comet's nucleus, he said. Members of the JPL navigation team include Tony Taylor, Bobby Williams, George Lewis, Cliff Helfrich, Eric Carranza, Don Han, Ramachand Bhat and Jamin Greenbaum. The eight-sided, solar-powered craft will fly as close as 100 kilometers (62 miles) to each nucleus, at top speeds that could cover the 56 kilometers between Washington and Baltimore in two seconds. A five-layer dust shield of heavey Nextel and Kevlar fabric protects the compact probe from the comet dust and debris. "Comets are the solar system's smallest bodies, but among its biggest mysteries," said Dr. Joseph Veverka, Contour's principal investigator from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. "We believe they hold the most primitive materials in the solar system and that they played a role in shaping some of the planets, but we really have more ideas about comets than facts. Contour will change that by coming closer to a comet nucleus than any spacecraft ever has before and gathering detailed, comparative data on these dynamic objects." Contour's four scientific instruments will take pictures and measure the chemical makeup of the nuclei while analyzing the surrounding gases and dust. Its main camera, the Contour Remote Imager/Spectrograph, will snap high-resolution digital images showing car-sized rocks and other features on the nucleus as small as 4 meters (about 13 feet) across. The camera will also search for chemical "fingerprints" on the surface, which would provide the first hard evidence of comet nuclei composition. Encke has been seen from Earth more than any other comet; it's an "old" body that gives off relatively little gas and dust but remains more active than scientists expect for a comet that has passed close to the sun thousands of times. Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, on the other hand, was discovered just 70 years ago and recently split into several pieces, intriguing scientists with hopes that Contour might see fresh, unaltered surfaces and materials from inside the comet. Contour is the sixth mission in NASA's Discovery Program of lower cost, scientifically focused exploration projects. Johns Hopkins Universi
[meteorite-list] JPL Tests Robots in Arizona Desert
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_4328276 JPL tests robot explorer Rover designed to assist astronaut research By Elise Kleeman Pasadena Star News September 13, 2006 LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - Over the past week and a half, NASA researchers have unleashed a strange group of robots on the Arizona desert, testing equipment that could one day lead exploration on Mars or the moon. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's contribution to the tests was ATHLETE - the All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer. The massive, six-legged robot can roll over smooth terrain or, if the going gets rough, lock its brakes and walk across the surface. "This vehicle is conceived and designed to be able to work with astronauts," said JPL's Brian Wilcox, the project's principal investigator. For this field test - only the second ever tried with ATHLETE - the robot carried a cistern-like Pressurized Rover Compartment, designed to allow astronauts to recharge their space suits with air. the moon's craters and search for water, Wilcox said, and some of Tuesday's tests were one step toward that goal. The JPL team planned to use the robot to drill an anchor into the earth and lower itself down a 20-degree incline. In future years, they hope to be able to practice descending the much steeper cliffs of nearby Meteor Crater, he said. The experimentation also included the half-humanoid, half-vehicle robot dubbed Centaur. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL, Masten Testing New Precision Landing Software
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-247 JPL, Masten Testing New Precision Landing Software Jet Propulsion Laboratory August 12, 2013 A year after NASA's Mars rover Curiosity's landed on Mars, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., are testing a sophisticated flight-control algorithm that could allow for even more precise, pinpoint landings of future Martian spacecraft. Flight testing of the new Fuel Optimal Large Divert Guidance algorithm - G-FOLD for short - for planetary pinpoint landing is being conducted jointly by JPL engineers in cooperation with Masten Space Systems in Mojave, Calif., using Masten's XA-0.1B "Xombie" vertical-launch, vertical-landing experimental rocket. NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate is facilitating the tests via its Game-Changing Development and Flight Opportunities Programs; the latter managed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The two space technology programs work together to test game-changing technologies by taking advantage of Flight Opportunities' commercially provided suborbital platforms and flights. "The Flight Opportunities Program supports both the development of innovative space technology and the emerging suborbital industry by using commercial suborbital vehicles to test concepts that could further mankind's exploration and understanding of the universe," said Christopher Baker, a campaign manager for the program. "The collaboration between JPL and Masten to test G-FOLD is a great example of how we hope to further the exploration of the solar system while building up the industrial base needed to advance future space endeavors." Current powered-descent guidance algorithms used for spacecraft landings are inherited from the Apollo era. These algorithms do not optimize fuel usage and significantly limit how far the landing craft can be diverted during descent. The new G-FOLD algorithm invented by JPL autonomously generates fuel-optimal landing trajectories in real time and provides a key new technology required for planetary pinpoint landing. Pinpoint landing capability will allow robotic missions to access currently inaccessible science targets. For crewed missions, it will allow increased precision with minimal fuel requirements to enable landing larger payloads in close proximity to predetermined targets. Masten Space Systems launched the Xombie July 30 from the company's test pad at the Mojave Air and Space Port. JPL and Masten are planning to conduct a second flight test with a more complicated divert profile in August, pending data analysis. To simulate a course correction during a Martian entry in the July test, Masten's Xombie was given a vertical descent profile to an incorrect landing point. About 90 feet into the profile, the G-FOLD flight control software was automatically triggered to calculate a new flight profile in real-time, and the rocket was successfully diverted to the "correct" landing point some 2,460 feet away. "This flight was an unprecedented free-flying demonstration of the on-board calculation of a fuel-optimal trajectory in real time," said Martin Regehr, acting task lead for the Autonomous Descent Ascent Powered-Flight Testbed at JPL. Masten Space Systems is one of seven suborbital reusable launch companies contracted by NASA's Flight Opportunities Program to fly experiments in sub-orbital space to verify new technologies work as expected in this harsh environment. NASA Dryden also aided development of Curiosity's "sky crane" landing system by conducting two series of pre-launch flight tests of its landing radar, the first under a helicopter in 2010 and a follow-on series with the radar housed in a Quick Test Experimental Pod mounted under the wing of a Dryden F/A-18 in June 2011. The 2011 tests focused on the on-chute acquisition portion of the Mars Science Laboratory's entry into the Martian atmosphere, when the spacecraft was suspended from its parachute. Data collected from the flights were used to finesse the mission's landing radar software to ensure that it was calibrated as accurately as possible prior to Curiosity's landing. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Curiosity project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. For information about Curiosity's accomplishments over the past year, visit: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl . For more on flight tests of Curiosity's landing radar, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/F-18_flying_msl_radar.html . For more on NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/home/ . Leslie Williams / Alan Brown 661-276-3893 / 276-2665 Dryden Flight Research Center leslie.a.willi...@nasa.gov / alan.brow...@nasa.gov Guy Webster 818-354-6278 Jet Propulsion Laboratory guy.webs...@jpl.nasa.gov 2013-245 __ Visit the Archives at http:/
[meteorite-list] JPL to Test New Supersonic Decelerator Technology
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-369 JPL to Test New Supersonic Decelerator Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory December 17, 2013 A giant crane will tower above NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., shooting out of a hilly mesa like an oversized erector set, ready to help test components of NASA's Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project. The goal of the challenging technology, led by JPL, is to enable a future mission to Mars or other planetary bodies that uses heavier spacecraft and lands them at locations that were previously not achievable. The crane-test is scheduled for tomorrow, Dec. 18, weather permitting. The test will simulate the acceleration of a large parachute being pulled away from a spacecraft. The purpose of the test is to show that all of the parachute lines and bridles come out in an organized manner and do not catch on other vehicle hardware as they are deployed. Validation tests are crucial to working out the kinks before a system of this type is used for future space missions. During this test, the parachute, which has a diameter of roughly 100 feet (30.5 meters), will not open. Its size is a significant upgrade by comparison to parachutes that have come before it. For instance, last year's successful landing of NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover utilized a parachute that measured only 51 feet (15.5 meters) across, about half the size. The heavier planetary landers of the future require much larger drag devices than any now in use to slow them down -- and those next-generation drag devices will need to be deployed at higher supersonic speeds to safely land a vehicle, plus crew and cargo for potential human missions. Current Mars landing techniques date back to NASA's Viking mission, which put two landers on Mars in 1976. That mission's basic parachute design has been in use ever since, with additional landing technologies, and was used again in 2012 to deliver the Curiosity rover to Mars. To conduct more massive exploration missions in the future, however, NASA must advance the technology to a new level of sophistication. Testing for the LDSD project began in 2012 at the U.S. Navy's China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in California and will be conducted through 2015. In the next few years, the Low Density Supersonic Decelerator Technology Demonstration Mission will conduct full-scale, stratospheric tests of these breakthrough technologies high above Earth to prove their value for future space exploration missions. More information about LDSD is at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/ldsd/#.UqsZZGRDt9k . David Israel 818-354-4797 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. david.isr...@jpl.nasa.gov 2013-369 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Invites all Earthlings to Annual Open House
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-136 JPL Invites all Earthlings to Annual Open House Jet Propulsion Laboratory May 15, 2012 PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., invites the public to its annual Open House on Saturday, June 9, and Sunday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event, themed "Great Journeys," will take visitors on a "ride" through the wonders of space. Highlights include a life-size model of Mars Science Laboratory, the NASA/JPL spacecraft currently bound for Mars; demonstrations from numerous space missions; JPL's machine shop, where robotic spacecraft parts are built; and the Microdevices Lab, where engineers and scientists use tiny technology to revolutionize space exploration. The Earth Science Center, the most recent addition to JPL, will show 3-D videos of our home planet and JPL's Earth science missions. Upon entering, visitors will pass an Earth globe with data from NASA's Earth-orbiting satellites projected onto the sphere. JPL Open House appeals to kids and adults, with plenty of hands-on activities and opportunities to talk with scientists and engineers. For the first time ever, JPL invites cell phone users with text message capabilities to take part in a mobile scavenger hunt. Participants in "The Voyage" scavenger hunt can search for secret capsules hidden across JPL and unlock secret codes. (Please note that message and data rates may apply.) Scavenger hunt instructions will be available at Open House in the handout map. Guests are also invited to ask questions, invite friends, and post photos and videos on our Facebook Open House event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/325861567482245/ . Visitors using Twitter are encouraged to use the #JPLOpen hashtag. JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, Calif., 91109. Admission to Open House is free. Parking is also free, but is limited. To get to JPL, take the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit from the 210 Freeway in La Canada/Flintridge. All visitors should wear comfortable shoes -- no buses will be provided from JPL parking lots. JPL will provide vans for mobility-challenged guests. Vehicles entering NASA/JPL property are subject to inspection. Visitors cannot bring these items to NASA/JPL: weapons, explosives, incendiary devices, dangerous instruments, alcohol, illegal drugs, pets, all types of skates including skateboards, Segways and bicycles. No bags, backpacks or ice chests are allowed, except small purses and diaper bags. More information, and photos of Open House from previous years are online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm . Media wishing to cover the event should RSVP to: Priscilla Vega at priscilla.r.v...@jpl.nasa.gov or 1-818-354-1357, or Elena Mejia at elena.me...@jpl.nasa.gov or 1-818-393-5467 . Priscilla Vega 818-354-1357 / Elena Mejia 818-393-5467 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. priscilla.r.v...@jpl.nasa.gov / elena.me...@jpl.nasa.gov 2012-136 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Navigators Drive Two-For-One Comet Mission
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Contact: Martha J. Heil (818) 354-0850 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 1, 2002 JPL NAVIGATORS DRIVE TWO-FOR-ONE COMET MISSION NASA's Comet Nucleus Tour, slated to launch no earlier than July 3, will rely on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's navigation experts to guide the craft on its tricky journey toward two comets to find out how the icy, rocky bodies evolve as they approach the Sun. The spacecraft is slated for a 15-month journey to Comet Encke followed by a two-and-a-half-year trip to Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. The mission was conceived so that scientists could compare the older, less active Encke to the younger, dust-clouded Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. The different targets pose a challenge to the navigators, too. "We'll be flying by quickly and close to Comet Encke. There will be just ten minutes of time to take the science data, and our job is to protect that time," said Tony Taylor, chief of the navigation team at JPL, in Pasadena, Calif. "On the other hand, Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 has more dust and gas shooting from its inner body. We will fly past it a bit farther away to avoid being hit by a particularly large particle, and we'll have more time to observe the comet." The navigation team will guide the spacecraft through its complex orbit. The cleverly developed launch plan will first send the spacecraft into an Earth-circling orbit. After six weeks, the navigators will steer the spacecraft toward the first of the two comets. "It's like having two launches," said Dr. Bobby Williams, a member of the navigation team and the leader of the JPL navigation team that landed the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft on the asteroid Eros in February 2001. "We have to fire a rocket to go into orbit around Earth and then about six weeks later fire another rocket to push the spacecraft out of Earth orbit." The spacecraft will fly by each comet at the peak of its activity as it approaches the Sun. During each encounter, the target comet will be well situated in the night sky for astronomers worldwide to make concurrent observations from the ground. Protected by its dust shield, the spacecraft will fly by each comet nucleus to within a distance of 100 kilometers (62 miles). The most intensive data taking will occur within a day or so of each encounter. The mission's design is flexible so that the spacecraft can be retargeted to intercept an unexpected comet visitor. If a "new" comet passes close enough to Earth's orbit, mission managers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., will design a new flight path to take advantage of the opportunity to study the new comet. The JPL navigation team will then calculate the amount of fuel the spacecraft should burn, and for how long, to put it on the right path. JPL will also provide communications support through the Deep Space Network, the worldwide series of antennas that provide radio communications for all of NASA's interplanetary spacecraft. "JPL's participation is essential to making the mission happen," said Dr. Joseph Veverka, principal investigator and leader of the mission from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. "We have to get the spacecraft very close to the comets and we have to communicate with the spacecraft and we couldn't do those things without JPL. And one of the world's experts on comets, Dr. Don Yeomans of JPL, is part of our science team." Comets may have brought to the forming Earth some of the water in the oceans, some of the gases of our atmosphere and perhaps even the building blocks from which life arose. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory manages the mission, built the spacecraft and its two cameras and will operate the spacecraft during flight. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., provided the spacecraft's neutral gas/ion mass spectrometer. Von Hoerner & Sulger, GmbH, Schwetzingen, Germany, built the dust analyzer. Veverka leads a science team of 18 co-investigators from universities, industry and government agencies in the United States and Europe. More information on the mission is available at http://www.contour2002.org . __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Unveils New Testing Facility for Mars Rovers
http://whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_6180530 JPL unveils new testing facility for Mars rovers By Elise Kleeman Whittier Daily news June 20, 2007 LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - JPL scientists and engineers unveiled a little piece of Mars Tuesday right in their own back yard. With giant ceremonial scissors, they cut the ribbon for the laboratory's new Mars Yard, a playground of volcanic rocks and brown sand for testing future generations of rovers. On Mars, said Samad Hayati, JPL's Mars technology program manager, rovers "have to work on a surface that is not known ahead of time ... one little mistake can actually end the whole mission." But by practicing with prototypes in the Mars Yard, he said, engineers can understand the limitations of their robotic explorers, preventing any such dire errors. The 24,000-square-foot, $1million Mars Yard replaces a much smaller area that engineers used for testing the rovers now on the Red Planet. The expansion, Hayati said, was necessary to accommodate trials with the much larger Mars Science Laboratory, a mission now being prepared to search for signs of life on Mars. Compared to the Mars Exploration Rovers, MSL is a robotic behemoth, weighing four times as much and measuring about nine feet from end to end. It is expected to land on Mars in the fall of 2010. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, engineer Sean Haggart took an early prototype of MSL for a spin across the sandy terrain. Using a silver-color box covered in switches, he drove the bare-bones model of the craft forward at top speed - a tortoiselike pace. "So far, it's actually doing very well," said John Klein, MSL's deputy project manager. Testing will continue to find how well MSL tackles driving over big rocks and up steep hills, he said. Everything they learn will be compiled into the final design, which crews will begin to build in February, Klein said. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Documentary Series is Ready to Launch on KCET
JPL News release: 2011-339 Nov. 3, 2011 JPL Documentary Series is Ready to Launch on KCET A documentary series about NASA'?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, collectively called "Beginnings of the Space Age," will air on KCET TV over three weeks, with the first program airing tonight, Nov. 3. The schedule is as follows (all times PT): --"The American Rocketeer" on Nov. 3 at 9 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 10 p.m. --"Explorer 1" on Nov. 10 at 9 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. --"Destination Moon" on Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 10 p.m. The first film in the series, "The American Rocketeer," played to a near-full house at the California Institute of Technology's Beckman Auditorium on Oct. 25, and now the three-part series chronicling the early history of JPL will air for other Southern California residents to enjoy. "The American Rocketeer" tells the fascinating story of Frank Malina, who led a group of Caltech students and rocket enthusiasts in the first rocket tests 75 years ago, on the site that is now JPL. "Explorer 1" reveals the background behind the development and launch of the first successful U.S. satellite, designed and built by JPL. "Destination Moon" documents JPL's ambitious plan to beat the Soviet Union in robotic space exploration by reaching not only for the moon, but also the inner planets. All three episodes in the series were produced, written and directed by Blaine Baggett, JPL's director of communications and education. For information about the history of JPL and the 75-year anniversary, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/rocketeer/ . More information about JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA, is online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov . - end - __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Open House: An Invitation to Explore New Worlds
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Natalie Godwin (818) 354-0850 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. News Release: 2006-073 May 8, 2006 JPL Open House: An Invitation to Explore New Worlds NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., invites the public to "Explore New Worlds" without leaving Southern California. The laboratory will open its doors during its annual Open House on Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors are invited to go behind the scenes to learn about exciting missions to study the solar system, the universe and our home planet. JPL scientists and engineers will be on hand to answer questions about the mysteries revealed by JPL's space missions. Guests will have the opportunity to see new robots and learn how they will move and work in space. In JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility, visitors can view the clean room where spacecraft and instruments are built before leaving Earth. Visitors will see exhibits, presentations, spacecraft models and movies highlighting the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and JPL's recent comet missions, Stardust and Deep Impact. JPL Open House will offer a host of educational events to teach kids about science and engineering. Kids will also view the sun with high-powered telescopes and get rolled over by a Mars rover. Admission is free and reservations are not required. No backpacks or ice chests are allowed, with the exception of small purses and diaper bags. Visitors, vehicles and personal belongings are subject to inspection. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, along with space souvenirs and JPL and NASA merchandise. JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive. Exit the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit in La Canada-Flintridge. Parking is available near the Oak Grove Drive main gate and on the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway. Buses and tour guides will move people between different locations around the facility. Walking is required to some locations. Comfortable shoes are recommended. More information is available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm or by calling (818) 354-0112. Directions are available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/directions.cfm . - end - __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Open House Takes Visitors to the Planets and Beyond
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Natalie Godwin (818) 354-0850 NEWS RELEASE: 2004-110 April 26, 2004 JPL Open House Takes Visitors to the Planets and Beyond NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will hold an open house on Sat. and Sun., May 15 and 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., taking visitors on a virtual ride through the solar system with this year's theme, "The Spirit of Exploration." This fun-filled, family event has a little of everything for space enthusiasts and non-space buffs. You can explore the planets as you walk through a model of the solar system, build your own spacecraft, and have your picture taken in infrared light. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet with scientists and engineers, who will staff booths to answer questions about current and future missions. Structured around the themes of technology, Earth, Mars, our solar system and the universe, visitors will see and learn more about how missions come together. Watch student-built robots compete and see your friends fly in space. Learn about the devices scientists use to explore our planet, from the ground below to the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere. Or follow the water to Mars through a tour of the laboratory designed for test-driving robotic vehicles destined for Mars. Kids will get the chance to be rolled over by a rover. Learn how we communicate with the spacecraft currently exploring the solar system. See the world's lightest solid. Watch "Ring World," a multimedia presentation on the Cassini mission to Saturn, shown in planetariums around the globe. Admission is free. No backpacks or ice chests are allowed, with the exception of small purses and diaper bags. Visitors, vehicles and personal belongings are subject to inspection. JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, off the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit. Parking is available near the Oak Grove main gate and on the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway. Air-conditioned buses will run non-stop between all lots and JPL's main gate. Buses and tour guides will move people between different locations around the facility. Walking is required to some locations. More information is available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.html or call (818) 354-0112. Directions are available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/directions.cfm The California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena, manages JPL for NASA. - end - __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] JPL Open House: An Invitation to the Solar System
> > Wishi I could be there. > > Will the Genesis sample return capsule be on display? > No. There was some discussion on having the Genesis capsule at the JPL Open House, but it didn't work out. Ron Baalke __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] JPL Open House: An Invitation to the Solar System
Incidently, the JPL Open House is on the same weekend at the Costa Mesa Gem & Mineral Show. This is like the 3rd year in a row they're both on the same weekend. Ron Baalke __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Open House: An Invitation to the Solar System and Beyond
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Natalie Godwin (818) 354-0850 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. News Release: 2005-067 April 29, 2005 JPL Open House: An Invitation to the Solar System and Beyond NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., invites the public to share the "Spirit of Exploration" during its Open House on Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors will go behind the scenes to learn about exciting missions to study the solar system, the universe, and our home planet. Once inside the gates, guests will be able to talk with scientists and engineers working on JPL missions, and find out how spacecraft are sent to other planets. Visitors can explore the planets as they walk through a model of the solar system, build their own spacecraft and have their picture taken in infrared light. Visitors will see exhibits, displays and presentations about new technologies, solar system exploration and spacecraft communication. Spacecraft models will be on display and movies will highlight the excitement of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and the upcoming Deep Impact mission to a comet. The Open House is a fun and educational event for children too, with planetary puzzles and games, science projects and the chance to get rolled over by a rover. High school students will display robots they built for regional and national competitions. Admission is free. No backpacks or ice chests are allowed, with the exception of small purses and diaper bags. Visitors, vehicles and personal belongings are subject to inspection. Food and beverages will be available, along with space souvenirs, and JPL and NASA merchandise. JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive. Exit the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit in La Canada- Flintridge. Parking is available near the Oak Grove Drive main gate and on the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway. Buses and tour guides will move people between different locations around the facility. Walking is required to some locations. More information is available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm or call (818) 354-0112. Directions are available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/directions.cfm . The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA. - end - __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Uses Radar To Track Asteroids That Could One Day Threaten Earth
http://www.ocregister.com/news/huntasteroids00422cci.shtml Keeping asteroids' distance JPL uses radar to track the celestial objects that could one day threaten Earth. BY GARY ROBBINS The Orange County Register April 22, 2002 An odd little asteroid will reveal hints about the origins of the solar system today simply by reflecting radar signals back to an antenna in the Mojave Desert. It's no small trick. But scientists can use the return signals to create pictures of asteroids. In this case, they're looking at 1999 GU3, a piece of celestial detritus that dates to when the planets formed. The size, shape and condition of "GU3" will give scientists clues about how some primordial material coalesced into planets, why some didn't, and how such worlds as Mars and Earth have evolved in the ether of space. GU3's message is going to be read by scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. JPL has become the world leader in using radar antennas to create detailed images of asteroids, especially those worrisome ones known as "Earth-crossers," objects that intersect our orbit. There may be 300,000 of them the size of Anaheim's Edison Field. Scientists are able to determine the size, shape, speed, orbit and rotation of asteroids by how fast radar signals reflect off various parts of the object to antennas in California or Puerto Rico. The strength of the signal also plays a role. JPL's findings are showing asteroids to be stranger than many of the disaster movies made about them. "Ten years ago most scientists thought of asteroids as whirling rocks," said Don Yeomans, a senior scientist at JPL. "Now we know they're exotic. Some have water. Some don't. Some are almost all metal. Others are just rock. One is shaped like a dog bone. Another looks like a banana." JPL and its collaborators also recently announced that it's fairly common for asteroids to have moons. That was just a theory a few years ago. GU3 doesn't have a companion. But it takes nine days for the rock to rotate once, making it an oddball. Most asteroids rotate in a matter of hours. Fear and curiosity are responsible for many of the latest insights. In 1998, the U.S. House of Representatives instructed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to find, follow and characterize 90 percent of all near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) within 10 years. NEAs are generally defined as asteroids a half-mile or wider that periodically pass within 30 million miles of Earth. The reason for the census: to find out if any asteroids could hit Earth and produce a catastrophe. The idea is to give humans enough time to find a way to destroy or deflect potentially damaging objects. JPL is a major player in the project because it's a NASA center with a masterful record of interacting with objects in space. The project gained urgency in January when an asteroid almost as long as the Huntington Beach Pier came within 518,000 miles of Earth. It had been discovered only a month earlier by a team led by JPL's Eleanor Helin. No one knows exactly know many NEAs exist. NASA has officially catalogued 558 asteroids that are at least a half-mile wide. But scientists say that number probably represents only half the NEAs. Researchers use optical telescopes to find the NEAs. And they're getting better at locating them due to improved technology. But many of the most interesting research has involved radar antennas. JPL used radar to make an unprecedented long-term prediction: there's a 1 in 300 chance that asteroid 1950 DA - which is about 4,000 feet in diameter -- will hit Earth on March 16, 2880. To watch for somewhat shorter-term threats, JPL inaugurated Sentry on March 12. It's an automated computer program that evaluates whether any known NEA has a chance of hitting Earth within the next 100 years. "This is a magic age in the exploration of asteroids," says Steve Ostro, a JPL astronomer collaborating with colleague Lance Benner in studying GU3. "Radar lets us refine orbits and make detailed images of what are essentially individual worlds. There's no preferred shape or size. We just never know what we're going to see out there." That means that Ostro could be in for a surprise today. Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico used its radar antenna to bounce signals off GU3. More signals are being sent today by the Goldstone Solar System Radar near Barstow. The key to success is pinpoint accuracy. Today's signal from Goldstone must hit a roughly 1,300-foot-wide asteroid that's more than 7.5 million miles from Earth, traveling about 36,000 mph. GU3 is one of only 179 asteroids studied with radar. "Everything about an asteroid - its spin, how much it heats up, what it's made of - can affect its path and whether it hits Earth," said Jon Giorgini , another JPL researcher. "We need to know more about the physical properties of asteroids." JPL's Helin agrees. "I feel more worried now than I did when I started this work," said Helin, who began studying astero
Re: [meteorite-list] JPL Open House: An Invitation to the Solar System and Beyond
Hi Ron, Wishi I could be there. Will the Genesis sample return capsule be on display? Cheers, Martin - Original Message - From: Ron Baalke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Friday, April 29, 2005 4:32 pm Subject: [meteorite-list] JPL Open House: An Invitation to the Solar System and Beyond > > MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE > JET PROPULSION LABORATORY > CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY > NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION > PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 > http://www.jpl.nasa.gov > > Natalie Godwin (818) 354-0850 > Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. > > News Release: 2005-067 April 29, 2005 > > JPL Open House: An Invitation to the Solar System and Beyond > > NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., invites the > public to share the "Spirit of Exploration" during its Open House > on Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. > Visitors will go behind the scenes to learn about excit ing missions > to study the solar system, the universe, and our home planet. > > Once inside the gates, guests will be able to talk with scientists > and engineers working on JPL missions, and find out how spacecraft > are sent to other planets. Visitors can explore the planets as they > walk through a model of the solar system, build their own > spacecraft and have their picture taken in infrared light. > > Visitors will see exhibits, displays and presentations about new > technologies, solar system exploration and spacecraft > communication. Spacecraft models will be on display and movies will > highlight the excitement of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn > and the upcoming Deep Impact mission to a comet. > > The Open House is a fun and educational event for children too, > with planetary puzzles and games, science projects and the chance > to get rolled over by a rover. High school students will display > robots they built for regional and national competitions. > > Admission is free. No backpacks or ice chests are allowed, with the > exception of small purses and diaper bags. Visitors, vehicles and > personal belongings are subject to inspection. Food and beverages > will be available, along with space souvenirs, and JPL and NASA > merchandise. > > JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive. Exit the 210 (Foothill) > Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit in La Canada- > Flintridge. Parking is available near the Oak Grove Drive main > gate and on the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor > Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway. Buses and > tour guides will move people between different locations around the > facility. Walking is required to some locations. > > More information is available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm > or call > (818) 354-0112. Directions are available at > http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/directions.cfm . > > The California Institute of Technology in Pasad ena manages JPL for > NASA. > > - end - > > > __ > Meteorite-list mailing list > Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] JPL Open House Takes Visitors on a Journey to the Planets and Beyond
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-047 JPL Open House Takes Visitors on a Journey to the Planets and Beyond April 30, 2007 NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., invites the public on a "Journey To the Planets and Beyond." The laboratory will open its doors during its annual Open House on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors will learn about JPL's exciting space missions and see robots in action. Scientists and engineers will also answer questions about the solar system, the universe and our home planet. A giant balloon that may someday explore Venus will be on display in JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility, the clean room where spacecraft and instruments are built. Visitors can see unique 3-D images from space, including stereoscopic views of the sun, and view movies highlighting current and upcoming JPL missions. At the Robo-Dome, a pair of 700-pound robots will glide in a high-tech arena under artificial stars, while the Saturn Moonwalk will display the ringed planet's vast system of unique moons. JPL Open House will offer lots of fun activities for kids of all ages who want to learn more about science and technology. Kids can get rolled over by a mechanical Mars rover, fly in outer space and view the sun with high-powered telescopes. Admission is free and reservations are not required. No backpacks or ice chests are allowed; visitors may bring small purses and diaper bags. Visitors, vehicles and personal belongings are subject to inspection. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, along with space souvenirs and JPL and NASA merchandise. Vendors will only accept cash. ATMs will be available. JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive. Exit the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit in La Canada-Flintridge. Parking is available near the Oak Grove Drive main gate and on the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway. Buses and tour guides will move people between different locations around the facility. Walking is required to some locations. Comfortable shoes are recommended. More information is available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm or by calling 818-354-0112. Directions are available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/directions.cfm . Media contact: Natalie Godwin 818-354-0850 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
