Oct. 23, 2008 Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov Nancy Neal Jones Goddard Space Flight Center, Md. 301-286-0039 nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov RELEASE: 08-270 NASA'S NEXT MOON MISSION BEGINS THERMAL VACUUM TEST GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has begun environmental testing in a thermal vacuum that simulates the harsh rigors of space. The spacecraft, built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., has been lifted into ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 22 October 2008. -- STORM (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- TROPICAL DEPRESSION THREE, GULF OF ADEN The third tropical cyclone of the season in the northern Indian Ocean brought rare rains to the desert regions of Yemen and Oman in the third week of October 2008. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=15112 *** MODIS(Terra) image from Oct 23 2008 (Posted on Oct 23 2008 1:38PM) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Natural Hazards ...Continue Reading

Oct. 23, 2008 Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov Robert Monroe/Mario Aguilera Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif. 858-534-3624 scrippsnews@ucsd.edu RELEASE: 08-268 POTENT GREENHOUSE GAS MORE COMMON IN ATMOSPHERE THAN ESTIMATED WASHINGTON -- New research indicates a powerful greenhouse gas is at least four times more prevalent in the atmosphere than previously estimated. The research, based on data from a NASA-funded measurement network, examined ni ...Continue Reading

Oct. 22, 2008 Don Savage/J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0183/5241 donald.l.savage@nasa.gov, j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Susan Hendrix/Ed Campion Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-7745/0697 susan.m.hendrix@nasa.gov, edward.s.campion@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-214 NEXT HUBBLE TELESCOPE MEDIA TELECONFERENCE THURSDAY, OCT. 23 WASHINGTON -- NASA will provide an update to reporters on the current efforts to restore Hubble Space Telescope science observations during a media te ...Continue Reading

Oct. 22, 2008 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-3749 katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-213 NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR MOVES TO LAUNCH PAD, PRACTICE LIFTOFF SET CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to move from Launch Pad 39B to Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., as early as 8 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 23, as preparations for the STS-126 mission move forward. Endeav ...Continue Reading

Oct. 22, 2008 Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov\ Kimberly W. Land Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. 757-746-4749 kimberly.w.land@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-212 NASA INVITES REPORTERS TO TESTS OF MOON TOOLS IN HAWAII NOV. 13 HILO, Hawaii -- Media are invited to observe tests of NASA equipment and rover concepts that will demonstrate how astronauts might prospect for lunar resources and make their own oxygen for survival on the moon. The tests will take ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 21 October 2008. -- DUST AND SMOKE (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- HAZE OVER EASTERN CHINA Thick haze hovered over eastern China in mid-October 2008. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=15111 *** MODIS(Aqua) image from Oct 16 2008 (Posted on Oct 21 2008 4:12PM) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Natural Hazards is a service of NASA's Earth Observatory. http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/ http://earthobservatory.nasa.go ...Continue Reading

Oct. 22, 2008 Sonja Alexander Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1761 sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov Rita Karl Challenger Center for Space Science Education, Alexandria, Va. 703-535-1345 rkarl@challenger.org RELEASE: 08-267 NASA AND THE CHALLENGER CENTER ANNOUNCE NAMING CONTEST WASHINGTON -- NASA and the Challenger Center for Space Education have partnered to engage students in ongoing activities for one of NASA's concepts for astronaut housing on the moon through a contest to ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 20 October 2008. -- FIRE (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- FIRES IN MADAGASCAR Dozens of smoky fires were burning in eastern Madagascar on October 19, 2008. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=15110 *** MODIS(Aqua) image from Oct 19 2008 (Posted on Oct 21 2008 12:32PM) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Natural Hazards is a service of NASA's Earth Observatory. http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/ http://earthobservatory.na ...Continue Reading

Oct. 20, 2008 Michael Braukus Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979 michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov RELEASE: 08-263 NASA RETURNS TO THE MOON WITH INSTRUMENTS ON INDIAN SPACECRAFT WASHINGTON -- Two NASA instruments to map the lunar surface will launch on India's maiden moon voyage. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper will assess mineral resources, and the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Mini-SAR, will map the polar regions and look for ice deposits. The Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, is scheduled to ...Continue Reading