NASA Deputy Administrator Holds First Bilateral Engagement with KASA
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and senior NASA leaders conduct the first bilateral meeting with KASA’s administrator, Dr. Young-bin Yoon on Monday, July 15, 2024 in Busan, Korea.
NASA/Amber Jacobson
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy conducted the first bilateral meeting on Monday with Dr. Young-bin Yoon, administrator of the newly established KASA (Korea AeroSpace Administration), which opened on May 27. The creation of KASA underscores the Republic of Korea’s commitment to advancing space exploration.
The bilateral meeting marks a pivotal moment for a NASA’s relationship with KASA, building upon decades of bilateral ties with several Korean ministries and institutions. Melroy emphasized enhancing cooperation under the Artemis program and expanding science collaboration during discussions with Yoon. Looking ahead, NASA and KASA are exploring a wide range of opportunities and fostering innovation in new areas.
Over the past year, the U.S.-Korea space relationship has seen significant progress, highlighted by increased engagements and collaborative initiatives across various space disciplines. These efforts include sharing data from the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter and leveraging NASA’s Deep Space Network, showcasing Korea’s commitment to open science, and enabling scientists globally to access valuable data for future lunar activities.
Historically, NASA has collaborated across a wide range of disciplines with KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) and KASI (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute). The establishment of KASA allows Korea to focus its space efforts under one agency, further enhancing space collaboration and cooperation.
NASA Celebrates 20 Years of Earth-Observing Aura Satellite
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NASA Celebrates 20 Years of Earth-Observing Aura Satellite
The Aura spacecraft, shown in this artist’s concept, is a NASA atmospheric chemistry mission that monitors Earth’s protective atmosphere.
Credits: NASA
From monitoring the hole in the ozone above the Antarctic to studying air quality around the entire planet, NASA’s Aura satellite has provided scientists with essential measurements during its two decades in orbit.
“The Aura mission has been nothing short of transformative for scientific research and applied sciences,” said Bryan Duncan, project scientist for NASA’s Aura satellite mission. “The mission’s data have given scientists and applied scientists an unparalleled view of air pollution around the world.”
Aura has revealed the effects of industrialization, environmental regulations, wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic, and many other aspects of the air we breathe. The satellite paved the way for recent missions to study the atmosphere and its inner workings, including PACE and TEMPO. As the Aura mission team celebrates its launch anniversary of July 15, 2004, here are a few of the many highlights from the last 20 years.
The first publicly released image from the Aura mission (autumn 2004) showed dramatically depleted levels of ozone in the stratosphere over Antarctica.
In a 2018 study, scientists showed for the first time through direct satellite observations that levels of chlorine in the atmosphere declined, resulting in less ozone depletion. Because of an international ban on chlorine-containing manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, there was about 20% less ozone depletion during the Antarctic winter in 2016 than there was in 2005.
This global map shows the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the troposphere as detected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard the Aura satellite, averaged over 2014.
NASA
Using high-resolution global maps of air quality indicators made with data from the Aura satellite, NASA scientists tracked air pollution trends between 2005 and 2015 in various regions and 195 cities around the globe. The study found that the United States, Europe, and Japan saw improved air quality due to emission control regulations, while China, India, and the Middle East, with their fast-growing economies and expanding industry, saw more air pollution.
Many of NASA’s Earth-observing satellites, including Aura, can see what the human eye can’t — including potentially harmful pollutants lingering in the air we breathe. These satellites help us measure and track air pollution as it moves around the globe and have contributed significantly to a decades-long quest for cleaner air. For example, data from Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument helped the EPA and NASA identify a drop in nitrogen dioxide that researchers cited as evidence of the success of the Clean Air Act.
Air quality in Beijing, Los Angeles, and Atlanta — like air quality across the globe — is dynamic. This video describes how scientists use instruments like Aura’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument to study questions including what causes ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide emissions. It also explores why reductions in volatile organic carbon pollution worked to reduce ground-level ozone in Los Angeles, but not in Atlanta.
Economic and social shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic led to noticeable changes in Earth’s environment, at least in the short term. NASA researchers used satellite and ground-based observations – including nitrogen dioxide levels from Ozone Monitoring Instrument – to track these impacts on our air, land, water, and climate.
With natural-color satellite imagery of the atmosphere over the ocean, scientists have observed “ship tracks” — bright, linear trails amidst the cloud layers that are created by particles and gases from ships. Scientists used Ozone Monitoring Instrument data to detect the almost invisible tracks of nitrogen dioxide along several shipping routes from 2005 to 2012.
Volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions from Indonesia’s many volcanoes are shown in shades of orange. The data was produced from observations from NASA’s Aura satellite.
With the Ozone Monitoring Instrument data, researchers compiled emissions data from 2005 to 2015 create the first global inventory for volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions. The data set helped refine climate and atmospheric chemistry models and provided more insight into human and environmental health risks.
Flaring of excess natural gas from industrial oil fields in the Northern Hemisphere was found to be a potentially significant source of nitrogen dioxide and black carbon emissions polluting the Arctic, according to a 2016 NASA study that included data from Aura.
Researchers continue to rely on Aura data to monitor the Antarctic ozone hole, two decades after the satellite launched. Each Southern Hemisphere spring, NASA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) use satellite and balloon-based measurements to measure the maximum size of the ozone hole. The story above notes the 2023 result; stay tuned for what Aura helps us discover in 2024 and beyond.
This map shows the size and shape of the ozone hole over the South Pole on Sept. 21, 2023, the day of its maximum extent that year, as calculated by the NASA Ozone Watch team. Moderate ozone losses (orange) are visible amid widespread areas of more potent ozone losses (red).
55 years ago on July 16, 1969, NASA’s Apollo 11 spacecraft launched from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as seen in this photo. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin were aboard.
Apollo 11’s primary mission objective was to fulfill a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return safely to Earth before the decade ended. Additional flight objectives included scientific exploration by the lunar module (LM) crew, deployment of a television camera to transmit signals to Earth, and deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, seismic experiment package, and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector. During the exploration, Armstrong and Aldrin were to gather samples of lunar-surface materials for return to Earth. They also were to extensively photograph the lunar terrain, the deployed scientific equipment, the LM spacecraft, and each other, both with still and motion picture cameras.
NASA to Provide Background on Space Station Deorbit Planning
The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021.
NASA is planning for the future in low Earth orbit for science, research, and commercial opportunities as the agency and its international partners maximize the use of the International Space Station.
As the agency fosters new commercial space stations, leadership from NASA and SpaceX will participate in a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 17, to discuss the company’s selection to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, which will safely move the International Space Station out of orbit and into a remote area of an ocean at the end of its operations.
Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website:
As the agency transitions to commercially owned space destinations, it is crucial to prepare for the safe and responsible deorbit of the space station in a controlled manner after the end of its operational life in 2030.
Read more about the agency’s International Space Station Deorbit Analysis Summary white paper.
This image was taken by Left Navigation Camera onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on sol 4244 – Martian day 4,244 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission – July 14, 2024, at 21:12:47 UTC. The grooved rock at upper left in the image, in line between the rover and the lighter-colored, rectangular rock, has been nicknamed “Jack Main Canyon” and deemed a compelling science target for Curiosity to study.
Earth planning date: Monday, July 15, 2024
Summer is in full swing in the northern hemisphere here on Earth. Warmer temperatures and fair weather make for prime opportunities for road trips and enjoying the best of the outdoors. Summer is in full swing too for the southern hemisphere of Mars and Gale crater, where Curiosity is continuing its mini (make-your-own) road trip to “Fairview Dome.”
Recent exciting stops saw Curiosity enjoy “ice cream” and take a moment to “vug out” (imagination required as to what vuggin’ out could mean in the sense of a road trip!). The workspace Curiosity presented to the science team today did not leave many options for APXS and MAHLI. The team did ultimately decide on a suitable and compelling target to deploy Curiosity’s arm in the form of “Jack Main Canyon,” located just below and left of the apparently brighter and angular rock in the upper-left of the image.
Today’s plan kicked off with a lengthy DAN passive activity and imaging of the REMS UV sensor with MAHLI. APXS followed with a short measurement on Jack Main Canyon alongside usual imaging support from MAHLI. Morning measurements with APXS, referred to as touch-and-gos (or a hover-and-go in this case, since we did not actually touch Jack Main Canyon with APXS) have become less frequent recently as the summer season’s relatively warmer temperatures hinder APXS’s data quality. Also in the first sol of the plan, ChemCam’s laser analyzed a rock named “Budd Lake,” which was also captured by Mastcam. Mastcam additionally imaged “McGee Creek,” “Granite Park,” “Lamrack Col,” and conducted a sizable 49-image mosaic on “Red Devil Lake” to round out the bulk of the science planned today. Curiosity then completed a drive of about 24 meters (about 79 feet), which is expected to mark its arrival to Fairview Dome.
Written by Scott VanBommel, Planetary Scientist at Washington University
