The following sections have been updated in the past 1 days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- FIRES (1 updated events, 2 new images) -- FIRES IN UTAH Dry weather and high winds fueled large fires in Utah in September 2010. * http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=45937&src=nha *** MODIS(Aqua) image from Sep 21, 2010 (Posted on Sep 22, 2010 12:59 PM) * http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=45910&src=nha *** Digital Camera(ISS) ...Continue Reading

Jonathan's Space Report No. 632 2010 Sep 22 Somerville, MA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shuttle and Station ------------------- Soyuz TMA-18, Soyuz TMA-19, Progress M-05M, and Progress M-07M are docked to the ISS. On Aug 11 Wheelock and Caldwell-Dyson made a second spacewalk from the Quest airlock to change out the S1 pump module. The old pump was removed from the truss and carried to a storage point, the POA (Payload and ...Continue Reading

Sep. 21, 2010 Ann Marie Trotta Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1601 ann.marie.trotta@nasa.gov Veronica McGregor Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-9452 vcmcgreg@jpl.nasa.gov RELEASE: 10-225 NASA GRANTS INCREASE STEM LEARNING FOR MINORITY STUDENTS WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded grants to nine academic institutions and their partners that serve large numbers of minority and underrepresented students to strengthen offerings in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. The g ...Continue Reading

Sep. 21, 2010 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-3749 katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov Rachel Hoover Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-0643 rachel.hoover@nasa.gov CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-055 NASA AWARDS AMES FACILITIES MAINTENANCE SERVICES CONTRACT MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA has selected IAP World Services Inc. in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to provide facilities maintenance services at the agency's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. The contract has a maximum value, ...Continue Reading

Sep. 21, 2010 Michael Curie Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 michael.curie@nasa.gov Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-133 NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY AT LAUNCH PAD, LIFTOFF PRACTICE SET CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After safely reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery awaits the next major milestone for its upcoming and final mission to the International Space Station, STS-133. Reporters ...Continue Reading

The following sections have been updated in the past 1 days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- DUST, SMOKE, AND HAZE (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- DUST PLUMES OFF WESTERN AFRICA Multicolored dust plumes blew off the coast of western Africa in mid-September 2010. * http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=45883&src=nha *** MODIS(Terra) image from Sep 18, 2010 (Posted on Sep 20, 2010 3:35 PM) -- FLOODS (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- FLOODING IN ...Continue Reading

Sep. 20, 2010 Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-054 NASA AWARDS INFRARED SOUNDER CONTRACT FOR FIRST JPSS SPACECRAFT WASHINGTON -- NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded a sole source contract to ITT Corporation of Ft. Wayne, Ind. The award is for the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instrument planned for flight on the first Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) in 2014. JPSS is the rest ...Continue Reading

Sep. 20, 2010 Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov Alan Buis Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-0474 alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov RELEASE: 10-229 NASA FUNDED STUDY SHOWS DESERT DUST CUTS COLORADO RIVER FLOW WASHINGTON -- Snow melt in the Colorado River basin is occurring earlier, reducing runoff and the amount of crucial water available downstream. A new study shows this is due to increased dust caused by human activities i ...Continue Reading

Sep. 20, 2010 Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 jbuck@nasa.gov Steve Roy Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 steven.e.roy@nasa.gov Harry Wadsworth Lockheed Martin, New Orleans 504-257-0094 harry.wadsworth@lmco.com RELEASE: 10-227 NASA TO SHIP FUEL TANK FOR THE LAST PLANNED SHUTTLE FLIGHT NEW ORLEANS -- The external fuel tank that will power the last planned space shuttle into orbit will be shipped Tuesday to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tank ha ...Continue Reading

If you have trouble viewing this newsletter, click here. For education orders please call 1-877-290-8256. *Welcome again to our monthly newsletter with features on exciting celestial events, product reviews, tips & tricks, and a monthly sky calendar. We hope you enjoy it!* [*]Fun with Analemmas Tracing shapes in the sky with Brenda M. Shaw.     [*]Educator's Corner: Precession Combine the Earth’s axial tilt with gravitational forces ...Continue Reading