May 20, 2008 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-3749 katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-103 NASA ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITIES TO VIEW INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WASHINGTON -- If you've never seen the International Space Station flying 220 miles overhead, this is the week to do so. The station will be in almost constant sunlight from Wednesday through Friday, offering an incredible view to sky gazers ...Continue Reading

May 20, 2008 J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-5241 j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Rob Gutro / Robert Naeye Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-4044/4453 Robert.J.Gutro@nasa.gov, Robert.P.Naeye@nasa.gov Lynn Cominsky Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, Calif. 707-664-2655 lynnc@universe.sonoma.edu MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-104 NASA TO HOLD GLAST PRE-LAUNCH NEWS BRIEFING GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center will hold a teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 27, for a science ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 19 May 2008. -- DUST AND SMOKE (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- DUST OVER THE HAMOUN WETLANDS In mid-May 2008, a dust storm arose from dry lakebeds left behind by the Hamoun Wetlands that straddle the borders of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=14843 *** MODIS(Aqua) image from May 18 2008 (Posted on May 19 2008 11:52AM) -- UNIQUE IMAGERY (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- EARTHQUAKE NEAR CHENGDU, CHINA On May 12, 2008, ...Continue Reading

May 20, 2008 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-3749 katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-102 FLIGHT DIRECTOR SET FOR INTERVIEWS AS SHUTTLE COUNTDOWN STARTS HOUSTON -- As the next space shuttle launch countdown begins, International Space Station Flight Director Annette Hasbrook will be available for satellite interviews from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. CDT, Wednesday, May 28. Hasbrook will lead NASA's Mis ...Continue Reading

May 20, 2008 Sonja Alexander Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1761 sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-3937 michael.s.mewhinney@nasa.gov RELEASE: 08-131 NASA NANOTECHNOLOGY-BASED BIOSENSOR HELPS DETECT BIOHAZARDS MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA has developed a revolutionary nanotechnology-based biosensor that can detect trace amounts of specific bacteria, viruses and parasites. This biosensor will be used to help prevent the spread of potentially dea ...Continue Reading

May 20, 2008 David E. Steitz Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1730 david.steitz@nasa.gov Shelly Fritzler Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, Denver, Colo. 303-360-5360, ext. 117 marketing@wingsmuseum.org MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-101 NASA HONORS APOLLO 13 ASTRONAUT JOHN SWIGERT WASHINGTON -- NASA will honor the late astronaut John "Jack" L. Swigert, Jr., with the presentation of an Ambassador of Exploration Award for his involvement in the U.S. space program. During a ceremony with Apollo 13 spac ...Continue Reading

May 20, 2008 Bert Ulrich Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1713 bert.ulrich@nasa.gov Jennifer Schommer Smithsonian Institution, Washington 202-633-3121 schommerj@si.edu RELEASE: 08-120 NASA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY INSPIRES SMITHSONIAN TRAVELING ART EXHIBIT WASHINGTON -- A traveling art exhibition featuring 73 works by some of America's leading artists has been organized by the Smithsonian Institution to honor NASA's 50th birthday. "NASA | ART 50 Years of Exploration" contains almost a half-century of art ...Continue Reading

May 20, 2008 Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov RELEASE: 08-132 JOINT NASA-FRENCH SATELLITE TO TRACK TRENDS IN SEA LEVEL, CLIMATE WASHINGTON -- A satellite that will help scientists better monitor and understand rises in global sea level, study the world's ocean circulation and its links to Earth's climate, and improve weather and climate forecasts, is undergoing final preparations for a June 15 launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Ocean Surface Topogra ...Continue Reading

May 19, 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 RELEASE: 08-130 NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH ON MAY 31 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA senior managers completed a review Monday of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and selected May 31 as the official launch date for the STS-124 mission. Commander Mark Kelly and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off to th ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 16 May 2008. -- FIRE (2 updated events, 2 new images) -- FIRES AROUND LAKE BAIKAL Strong winds fanned the flames of dozens of forest fires in southern Russia around Lake Baikal in the third week of May 2008. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=14842 *** MODIS(Aqua) image from May 16 2008 (Posted on May 16 2008 4:45PM) FIRES IN MEXICO AND NORTHERN CENTRAL AMERICA Fires are common in southern Mexico and northern Central America during the February-May dry seaso ...Continue Reading