The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (17 July 2012) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New Features: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/ * Notes from the Field Blog: Siberia 2012 - Embenchime River Expedition http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/fromthefield/category/siberia-2012-embenchime-river-expedition/?src=eoa-features A dedicated team of scientists has returned to the remote boreal forests of northern Siberia to study how the boreal ecosystem moderates Eart ...Continue Reading

July 17, 2012 Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 jbuck@nasa.gov Amber Philman Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 amber.n.philman@nasa.gov RELEASE: 12-237 NASA CONDUCTS MISSION SIMULATIONS IN HAWAII HILO, Hawaii -- NASA is conducting a nine-day field test starting Tuesday outside Hilo, Hawaii, to evaluate new exploration techniques for the surface of the moon. These mission simulations, known as analog missions, are performed at extreme and often rem ...Continue Reading

July 17, 2012 Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 jbuck@nasa.gov Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-134 NASA TV COVERAGE SET FOR LAUNCH, CAPTURE OF JAPANESE CARGO SHIP HOUSTON -- NASA Television coverage of the launch and arrival of an unpiloted cargo spacecraft to supply the International Space Station will begin at 8:15 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 20. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) "Kounotori ...Continue Reading

July 17, 2012 Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 jbuck@nasa.gov Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-133 NASA HOLDS BRIEFINGS TO PREVIEW SPACE STATION EXPEDITIONS HOUSTON -- NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will hold two briefings Thursday, July 26, to preview the upcoming Expedition 33 and 34 missions aboard the International Space Station. NASA Television and the agency's website will broadcast the briefings ...Continue Reading

July 17, 2012 Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-131 BRIEFING TO CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS EARTH OBSERVATIONS WASHINGTON -- NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. EDT, Monday, July 23, to highlight the accomplishments of the world's longest-running Earth-observing satellite program -- Landsat. The briefing will be held at the Newseum at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, and feature extensive imag ...Continue Reading

July 17, 2012 David E. Steitz Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1730 david.steitz@nasa.gov Kathy Barnstorff Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. 757-864-9886/757-244-8511 kathy.barnstorff@nasa.gov Keith Koehler Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. 757-824-1579 keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov RELEASE: 12-236 NASA HYPERSONIC INFLATABLE TECH TEST SET FOR VIRGINIA LAUNCH JULY 21 WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- NASA Space Technology Program researchers will launch and deploy a large inflatable heat shield abo ...Continue Reading

Space Weather Message Code: ALTEF3 Serial Number: 1935 Issue Time: 2012 Jul 17 1022 UTC ALERT: Electron 2MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000pfu Threshold Reached: 2012 Jul 17 1005 UTC Station: GOES 13 NOAA Space Weather Scale descriptions can be found at www.swpc.noaa.gov/NOAAscales Potential Impacts: Satellite systems may experience significant charging resulting in increased risk to satellite systems.Thank you for using the Product Subscription Service. If you would like to remove a product subscription or upd ...Continue Reading

:Product: Solar Region Summary :Issued: 2012 Jul 17 0030 UTC # Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, # Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force. # Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Region Summary SRS Number 199 Issued at 0030Z on 17 Jul 2012 Report compiled from data received at SWO on 16 Jul I. Regions with Sunspots. Locations Valid at 16/2400Z Nmbr Location Lo Area Z LL NN Mag Type 1519 S17W81 105 0090 Dao 07 12 Beta 1520 S16W58 081 0430 Fkc 16 12 Beta-Gamma 1521 S22 ...Continue Reading

July 16, 2012 Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 jbuck@nasa.gov George H. Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 george.h.diller@nasa.gov CONTRACT RELEASE: C12-029 NASA SELECTS LAUNCH SERVICES CONTRACT FOR JASON-3 MISSION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., to launch the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Jason-3 spacecraft in December 2014 aboard a Falcon 9 v1.0 rocket from Complex 4 at Vand ...Continue Reading

July 16, 2012 Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 jbuck@nasa.gov George H. Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 george.h.diller@nasa.gov CONTRACT RELEASE: C12-028 NASA SELECTS LAUNCH SERVICES CONTRACT FOR THREE MISSIONS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Englewood, Colo., to launch the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) spacecraft. The spacecraft will launch in ...Continue Reading