Space Weather News for Sept. 18, 2006 http://Spaceweather.com SOLAR ECLIPSE: On Friday, Sept. 22nd, the Moon's shadow will cut across Earth, producing an annular ("ring of fire") solar eclipse. Unfortunately, most of the eclipse takes place over uninhabited ocean, but sky watchers in South America and Africa will be able to see at least a fraction of the display. Visit http://spaceweather.com for timetables and animated maps of the eclipse. SPACESHIP SILHOUETTES: The space shuttle Atlantis undocked from t ...Continue Reading

Sept. 18, 2006 Erica Hupp/Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1237/1726 Steve Roy Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-6535 RELEASE: 06-316 NASA TEAMS UP WITH JAPAN, UNITED KINGDOM AND EUROPE TO STUDY THE SUN To shed new light on the sun's magnetic field and how it impacts life on Earth, NASA is preparing major instrument components for launch this September on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Solar-B spacecraft. "Solar-B will record how energy stored in the s ...Continue Reading

SPACE.com Update for September 18, 2006 A {color: 333366; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold}  * DESTINATIONS:* *News* *|* *SpaceFlight* *|* *Science/Astronomy* *|* *SETI* *|*   *Space Business News* *September 18, 2006*   *TOP STORY* *posted: September 18, 2006 11:34 am EDT* *Mission Atlantis: Astronauts Scan Shuttle Heat Shield for Damage*CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. &Atil ...Continue Reading

SPACE.com Update for September 15, 2006 A {color: 333366; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: bold}  * DESTINATIONS:* *News* *|* *SpaceFlight* *|* *Science/Astronomy* *|* *SETI* *|*   *Space Business News* *September 15, 2006*   *TOP STORY* *posted: September 15, 2006 03:15 pm EDT* *Interview with Anousheh Ansari, the First Female Space Tourist*In an interview with SPACE. ...Continue Reading

Sept. 15, 2006 Sonja Alexander Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1761 Jim O'Leary Honeywell International, Morris Township, N.J. 973-455-6684 MEDIA ADVISORY: M06-147 NASA AND HONEYWELL KICK-0FF 'FMA LIVE!' INTERACTIVE SCIENCE PROGRAM The award-winning science education program FMA Live! begins its nationwide tour at Howard University in Washington, Sept. 20-21. Aimed at middle school students, FMA Live! is a collaboration between NASA and Honeywell International, Morris Township, N.J. Named for Sir Isaac Newto ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 14 September 2006. -- STORM (2 updated events, 2 new images) -- EXTRA-TROPICAL STORM FLORENCE The sixth storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Florence formed on September 3, 2006. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=13865 *** MODIS(Terra) image from Sep 14 2006 (Posted on Sep 15 2006 12:26PM) TYPHOON SHANSHAN Typhoon Shanshan formed on September 10, 2006, in the western Pacific well off the coast of the Philippine Islands. Over the course of ...Continue Reading

Sep. 15, 2006 Michael Braukus/Beth Dickey Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979/2087 Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-3937 CONTRACT RELEASE: C06-046 NASA AWARDS THERMAL PROTECTION CONTRACT FOR ORION SPACECRAFT NASA has selected The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., to support the design and development of a lunar direct return-capable heat shield for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The hybrid firm fixed-p ...Continue Reading

LiveScience.com Friday, September 15, 2006 Hearing Voices: Some People Like It Researchers look into why some people enjoy hearing voices in their heads. 2006 Hotter Than Ever So Far in U.S. The first eight months of 2006 was the warmest in the continental United States since record-keeping began in 1895, NOAA officials said today. Oldest New World Text Found This find lights the hope of future discoveries of written records detailing the Olmecs, ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 13 September 2006. -- CROPS AND DROUGHT (2 updated events, 2 new images) -- DROUGHT ON THE GREAT PLAINS Across the Great Plains of the United States and Canada, devastating drought spread across grasslands and croplands in summer 2006. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=13862 *** MODIS(Terra) image from Jul 28 2006 (Posted on Sep 14 2006 12:55PM) DROUGHT IN CENTRAL ASIA Spring rains failed to fall over northwestern Afghanistan, leaving as many as 2.5 millio ...Continue Reading

LiveScience.com Thursday, September 14, 2006 Artificial Humans Gills Inspired by Diving Beetles By studying how beetles can trap air to keep from drowning, researchers suggest a trick that could help people breathe underwater. El Nino Forms, Throttling Hurricane Formation El Nino conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific and are likely to continue into early 2007. Man's Bionic Arm Provides Hope for GIs Jesse Sullivan is first amputee with a ...Continue Reading