NASA Daily News Summary November 24, 1999

NASA Daily News Summary

For Release: Nov. 24, 1999

Media Advisory m99-243

SUMMARY:
No news releases today.
ITEM 1 – GAMMA RAY MYSTERY SOLVED – GSFC (replay)
ITEM 2 – TERRA MISSION – GSFC (replay)
ITEM 3 – MARS MISSIONS CLIP REEL (file footage)
Note: For complete schedule of NASA Television coverage of

upcoming launch of Space Shuttle Mission STS-103, Mars Polar

Lander mission and Terra mission, see:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/breaking.html
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If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will e-

mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list.
Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:

http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html
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Video File for Nov. 24, 1999
ITEM 1 – GAMMA RAY MYSTERY SOLVED – GSFC (replay)
Gamma ray bursts, the most powerful explosions known, can now be

used to explore the remotest reaches of space and time.

Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center used the data to

uncover a pattern in the burst’s behavior that determines the

bursts’ true brightness and distance.  The bursts’ extreme

brightness will let them be used as cosmic beacons to locate where

and when star-birth regions formed, even if the newly born stars

and galaxies can’t yet be seen with current    telescopes.
Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Donald Savage

(Phone 202/358-1547).

Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD:  Bill

Steigerwald (Phone 301/286-5017).
ITEM 1a – GAMMA RAY BURST EXPLOSION———————–TRT  :37
One of many explanations for gamma ray bursts is a hypernova, an

exploding star a hundred times more powerful that a typical

exploding star, called a supernova.  After a massive red-giant

star exhausts its fuel, its heart of iron is crushed under its own

until it becomes black hole.  The middle layers of the star spiral

into the black hole, heating up and causing a tremendous

explosion.  Jets of material are ejected at almost the speed of

light.  The explosion then rips through the outer layers of the

star, blasting them into space.
ITEM 1b – GAMMA RAY BURSTS IN THE SKY———————TRT  :20
Gamma ray bursts occur several times a day without warning, and

release more energy than any event in the Universe.  NASA

scientists recently discovered a way to determine the true

brightness and distance for any gamma-ray burst.  With the

distance information, the bursts’ extreme brightness will let them

be used as cosmic beacons to locate where and when star-birth

regions formed, even if the newly born stars and galaxies can’t

yet be seen with present    telescopes.
ITEM 1c – COMPTON GAMMA RAY OBSERVATORY——————-TRT  :50
The new analysis was performed using data from NASA’s Compton

Gamma Ray Observatory and several optical    telescopes.
ITEM 2 – TERRA MISSION – GSFC (replay)
Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD:  Allen

Kenitzer (Phone 301/286-2806).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
URL:  http://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/earth/terra/terra.htm
ITEM 2a – TERRA, THE EOS FLAGSHIP————————-TRT 2:00
NASA will launch and deploy the “flagship” to the Earth Observing

System (EOS) series of satellites, part of a precedent setting

program designed to provide daily information on the health of the

Planet.  Terra will be the most comprehensive tool ever launched

for scientific studies of our home planet.
ITEM 2b – TERRA INSTRUMENT SYNERGY————————TRT  :40
Terra is uniquely designed to be an Earth-observing laboratory

with onboard research instruments that can be used both

independently and cooperatively.  
ITEM 2c – TERRA LOOKS CLOSELY AT EARTH——————–TRT  :43
Montage of instrument swaths and key science objectives for each

of the five instruments on Terra.  The instruments (in order) are

ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection

Radiometer), CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System),

MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer), MODIS (MODerate-

resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), and MOPITT (Measurements of

Pollution in the Troposphere).
ITEM 2d – TERRA LAUNCH AND DEPLOY ANIMATION—————TRT 1:23
An Atlas II rocket will hoist the Terra satellite into orbit from

Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA.
ITEM 2e – TERRA SCIENCE OBJECTIVES————————TRT  :52
Terra begins a new generation of Earth science–one that studies

the Earth’s land, oceans, air, ice and life as a total global

system.  Terra will help us to understand how the complex coupled

Earth system of air, land water and life is linked.  
ITEM 2f – TERRA SCIENCE OBJECTIVES————————TRT  :28
Terra will simultaneously study clouds, water vapor aerosol

particles, trace gases terrestrial and ocean properties, the

interaction between them, and their effect on atmospheric

radiation and climate.  Data sets in visualization:  Earth as seen

by Galileo spacecraft, radiant energy, vegetation anomalies,

temperature, fires, aerosols, clouds, methane, water vapor, and

global biosphere.
ITEM 2g – TERRA SCIENCE OBJECTIVES————————TRT  :32
Terra will help scientists to examine the Earth as one integrated

system by looking closely and examining the major spheres of its

environment–the biosphere, aerosols, radiant energy, air

pollution, temperature, and water vapor.
ITEM 2h – TERRA SCIENCE OBJECTIVES–VEGETATION————TRT  :58
Terra will help monitor biospheric productivity and will detect

subtle changes in forest and ocean ecosystems.  
     1. Global Biosphere

     2. Changes in Vegetation Index
ITEM 2i – TERRA SCIENCE OBJECTIVES–AEROSOLS————–TRT 1:01
Terra carries sensors that will measure aerosol amounts over land

and ocean, as well as particle size and composition.  Aerosols

come from dust storms, forest and grassland fires, volcanoes,

living vegetation, and sea spray.  Human activities, such as the

burning of fuels and changing the land’s surface cover, also

generate aerosols.
     1. Aerosols Maps

     2. Global Fires
ITEM 2j – TERRA SCIENCE OBJECTIVES–HEAT FLOW & CLIMATE—TRT 2:26
The Earth’s climate is governed by a balance between sunlight that

reaches the Earth and heat that is radiated back into space.

Terra will help scientists monitor this delicate balance and

better understand the relationship between greenhouse gases, cloud

cover and long-term climate change.
     1. Radiation Budget

     2. Water Vapor

     3. Methane

     4. Global Temperatures

     5. 1997-98 El Nino
ITEM 2k – TERRA SATELLITE B-ROLL————————–TRT  :30
Engineers work on Terra in the clean room at Lockheed-Martin,

Valley Forge, PA.
ITEM 2l – EARTH SCIENTISTS AT WORK————————TRT  :35
B-Roll of Earth Scientists
ITEM 2m – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT  :54
Yoram Kaufman, Terra Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight

Center, Greenbelt, MD.
ITEM 2n – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT 1:35
Jon Ransom, Terra Deputy Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space

Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
ITEM 2o – TERRA INSTRUMENTS–ASTER———————–TRT  1:27
ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection

Radiometer) will measure snow and ice distribution, vegetation

types, rock and soil properties, surface temperatures, and cloud

properties.  
Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:  Diane

Ainsworth (Phone 818/354-5011).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2p – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT  :24
Simon Hook, ASTER Project Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

Pasadena, CA.
Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:  Diane

Ainsworth (Phone 818/354-5011).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2q – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT 1:49
Ann Kahle, ASTER U.S. Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:  Diane

Ainsworth (Phone 818/354-5011).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2r – TERRA INSTRUMENTS–CERES———————–TRT  1:08
CERES (Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System) will study the

radiation balance on Earth; how much heat is absorbed and

reflected from the Earth’s surface to the top of the atmosphere.

By collecting data on how different cloud formations absorb or

reflect various amounts of energy, scientists can develop new

predictive models about weather systems and how the Earth

maintains its delicate balance in temperature.  
Contact at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA:  H.

Keith Henry (Phone 757/864-6120/24).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2s – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT  :22
Bruce Wielicki, CERES Principal Scientist, NASA Langley Research

Center, Hampton, VA.
Contact at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA:  H.

Keith Henry (Phone 757/864-6120/24).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2t – TERRA INSTRUMENTS–MISR————————-TRT 1:45
MISR’s (Multi-Angled Spectroradiometer) cameras will allow

scientists to produce stereoscopic (3-D) images of clouds and

aerosol structures.  The detailed analysis will help determine how

sunlight behaves and how it interacts as it passes through Earth’s

environment.  MISR will also monitor long term trends in

pollution, aerosols, cloud heights, and distribution of land

surface cover.
Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:  Diane

Ainsworth (Phone 818/354-5011).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2u – MISER B-ROLL————————————TRT  :33
B-Roll of MISR (Multi-Angled Spectroradiometer).
Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:  Diane

Ainsworth (Phone 818/354-5011).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2v – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT  :33
David Diner, MISER Principal Investigator, Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:  Diane

Ainsworth (Phone 818/354-5011).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2w – TERRA INSTRUMENTS–MODIS————————TRT  :53
MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) will measure

cloud cover and aerosol concentrations on a global scale so that,

with CERES and MISR data, scientists can gauge the effects on the

Earth’s radiation budget.  MODIS will study surface temperatures

(including fire detection), ocean sediment, phytoplankton

concentrations, vegetation maps, land cover changes, pollution,

and snow cover.
Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD:  Allen

Kenitzer (Phone 301/286-2806).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2x – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT 1:09
Jim Collatz, Terra Associate Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space

Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD:  Allen

Kenitzer (Phone 301/286-2806).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2y – TERRA INSTRUMENTS–MOPITT———————–TRT 1:03
MOPITT (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere) will measure

carbon monoxide and methane levels in the lower atmosphere.  By

studying where these atmospheric gases are concentrated, how they

circulate through the atmosphere, and how they form, scientists

hope to gain a more complete picture about how atmosphere

pollution interacts and affects our environment.  
Contact in Canada: Marion Neiman (Phone 613/990-8622).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 2z – INTERVIEW EXCERPTS——————————TRT  :24
James Drummond, Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
Contact in Canada: Marion Neiman (Phone 613/990-8622).

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  David E. Steitz

(Phone 202/358-1730).
ITEM 3 – MARS MISSIONS CLIP REEL (file footage)–approx. TRT 35:00
Mars missions resource reel (file footage) features various

missions, images from Hubble Space Telescope, 3-D mapping, etc.
—————————–
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