Genesis Mission Outreach E-News, 28th Edition March 2002

LANL Genesis Data Now Open to the Science Community

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Genesis mission data Web site http://genesis.lanl.gov is now open to the science community. The site presently contains solar-wind browse plots based on on-board calculated ion moments and electron spin angle plots from August 24, 2001 to present. Browse plots are generally posted within 1-3 days, allowing views of very recent solar-wind activity. Within the next two months The LANL Science Data Collection Team will begin adding ground-processed data files.

Genesis was launched August 8, 2001 and has been in an L1 halo orbit since November 19. It is a solar-wind sample return mission. The solar-wind collector arrays were deployed on December 3. Collection is to continue until April 2004, at which time the spacecraft will leave L1 for its Earth return phase. The samples will be returned via a re-entry capsule, which separates from the main portion of the spacecraft and re-enters Earth in September 2004. The main portion of the spacecraft, including plasma instruments, will be available at that time for re-targeting for further solar-wind observations if funding permits.

You can view a photo of the LANL Genesis Instrument Team at:
http://www.genesismission.org/science/index.html

Where is the Genesis Spacecraft Now?

View the position of the Genesis spacecraft. Most images are updated every 10 minutes. http://www.genesismission.org/mission/live_shots.html

Genesis Public Science Modules

Many of our Genesis e-news subscribers describe themselves as the “interested public,” people who have a lifelong interest in, and love of, science. Are you one of them? The Science section of the mission Web site has a wealth of information in what we call “Public Modules.” Topics range from the “Origins of the Solar System” to “Atoms, Elements, and Isotopes.” Check them out at: http://www.genesismission.org/science/index.html

An Apple for the Teacher

Middle school science teachers, are you looking for online professional development opportunities? Check out the Earth System Science course, a sixteen-week professional development course developed through NASA support at the Center for Education Technologies http://www.cet.edu/ and facilitated by educators at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Successful participants will earn three semester hours of graduate credit from the Colorado School of Mines. The course cost of $200 includes tuition and materials. http://www.mcrel.org/epo/essea.asp

NSTA

The annual National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is now in progress in San Diego, and Genesis mission representatives are there to greet science educators, talk about the science of the mission, and distribute education materials that bring the science of the mission into the classroom. Check back next month for an NSTA update. http://www.genesismission.org/product/conferences&events.html