NASA’s Earth Observing fleet continues to age gracefully. While several new missions have joined the fleet in the past year, scientists and engineers work to extend the life of existing missions and maximize their science along the way. The crowning example is the first Earth Observing System (EOS) Flagship mission, Terra, which celebrated a quarter-century […]
Author: Brian Evans
The FireSense Project
Expanded coverage of topics from “The Editor’s Corner” in The Earth Observer Wind is a major factor in fire. It controls how fires evolve and pose threats to the safety of communities. While weather balloons have traditionally produced vertical soundings to define changes in atmospheric dynamics, their use is restricted during aircraft operations to combat active […]
Kaye Honored with Pecora Award
Expanded coverage of topics from “The Editor’s Corner” in The Earth Observer Jack Kaye, Associate Director for research with the Earth Science Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, has received the Pecora award for his vision and creative leadership in multidisciplinary Earth science research, as well as spurring advancements in the investigator community, supporting development of […]
Fallout from the Unauthorized Gemini III Space Sandwich
“I hid a sandwich in my spacesuit,” Astronaut John W. Young confessed in the April 2, 1965, issue of Life Magazine. The conversation about and the consumption of the sandwich, which lasted only about 30 seconds during the Gemini III flight, became a serious matter that drew the ire of Congress and NASA’s administrator after […]
Beyond the Algorithm Challenge
The NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) seeks solutions to complex Earth Science problems using transformative or unconventional computing technologies such as quantum computing, quantum machine learning, neuromorphic computing, or in-memory computing. Breakthrough computing methods show promise in overcoming processing power, efficiency, and performance limitations of conventional computing methods. Once fully harnessed, these methods could […]
Next-Generation Water Satellite Maps Seafloor From Space
More accurate maps based on data from the SWOT mission can improve underwater navigation and result in greater knowledge of how heat and life move around the world’s ocean. There are better maps of the Moon’s surface than of the bottom of Earth’s ocean. Researchers have been working for decades to change that. As part […]
New Bridge Ready to Serve NASA, America’s Space Interests
The high-rise bridge that serves as the primary access point for employees and visitors to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is fully operational. In the late hours of March 18, 2025, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) opened the westbound portion of the NASA Causeway Bridge, which spans the Indian River Lagoon and connects […]