People Science Organization Education

Current Highlights

In the March 27th, 2007 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of scientists from the Space Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center, The University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Maryland report that the carrier of a mysterious red glow that is present throughout the Milky Way and other galaxies could be due to very unusual, nano-sized, carbon and hydrogen rich particles made of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Using pioneering computational methods to test their ideas, this interdisciplinary team of experimental and theoretical chemists and astronomers propose that a very unusual form of charged PAH cluster is responsible for the red glow. These nano-sized clusters do not exist on Earth because they are very reactive and short lived. They can only be prepared under very special conditions in the laboratory. However, they could thrive under the harsh conditions in space. Indeed their preparation requires the harsh environment of space. link to press release.

Spaceward Bound III, March 25 to 30 research expedition to the Mojave desert included 40 teachers, 30 scientists, and 10 other participants in this expedition to the Mojave. This expedition is comprised of three components: 1) Education, 2) Science, 3) Technology. The overarching theme that unites the three components is exploration. Our Exploration Themes included:

1) logistics & transportation,

2) energy & life support

3) human factors

4) exploration & EVA activities.

Our science research themes will included:

1. Desert soil: Soil microbiology, soil oxidants, and soil formation.

2. Geology: Volcanos, rocks, Amboy crater, Cima lava flows and geology.

3. Photosynthesis: desert hypolithic algae, cyanobacterial soil crusts, and stromatolites.

4. Caves and lava tubes, paleolakes, and remote sensing:

Also included was some technology testing including rover teleoperation.

Here are some images from that trip:

Professor Sabine Reich from San Jose State University in the foreground and various teachers in the back as part of a sampling party

The ballon was to take remote sense hermography pictures of entrances to lava tubes. Jim Thompson was the balloon pilot and thermography expert. They went to Pisgah crater to image some lava tubes.

For more information see: http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/mojave2007/index.html

 

Past Highlights from 2007

Archived Highlights from 2006


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