Archives
Live coverage of the Phoenix landing
Posted on Sunday, May 25, 2008 @ 8:23 am by Peter Polito
NASA’s online television service will be streaming live coverage of the Phoenix landing. I do not know the extent of the coverage or how soon it will be beaming back live footage from Mars, but from 6–11 PM EST you can be on the cutting edge of Martian Science. This will be one of the riskiest landings in NASA history. A parachute will slow the lander’s descent initially. The parachute will be ejected and three legs will be deployed followed by a downward-pointing booster for the final deceleration. All of this will take place during the “seven minutes of darkness.” Should all go well, after seven minutes the Phoenix will go online and their will be much rejoicing, if not . . . well, let’s not think about that.
Phoenix Lander. Source: University of Arizona and JPL
Phoenix Lander undergoing ‘water hammer test’ used to measure structural integrity. Source: University of Arizona and JPL
Timeline of the Phoenix Lander’s descent. Source: University of Arizona and JPL
Real-Time Water Quality Information Available Across the Nation
Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2008 @ 1:17 am by USGS Newsroom
Real time water-quality data are now easily accessible online through the USGS WaterQualityWatch website (http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/wqwatch/).
Continuous real-time information on water quality is a vital asset that helps safeguard lives and property and ensures adequate water resources for a healthy economy.
Real-time water quality measurements are available at more than 1,300 sites across the United States in streams with watersheds as small as a few square miles to more than a million square miles in the Mississippi River. Measurements include streamflow, water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity.
“Real-time water information is breaking new ground in science and technology and is proving to be very useful, helping local water managers make important daily decisions, such as regarding drinking water, water treatment, recreation, and public safety on beaches throughout the U.S.” said Matthew Larsen, USGS Acting Associate Director for Water.
The public also uses the on-line data to decide whether conditions, such as water temperature or turbidity, are favorable for recreational activities such as fishing, boating or swimming.
As the science advances, real-time measurements for relatively simple parameters such as temperature, conductance, and turbidity can be used to help predict more health-related conditions, such as if E. coli levels will exceed safety standards at beaches. For example, predictions of E. coli are part of a system used by the City of Wichita to ensure public safety during the Annual Riverfest in May of each year. For more information visit the Kansas Real-Time Water Quality website.
Access additional USGS real-time water information sites by visiting WaterWatch for surface water information (http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/) and Ground-Water Watch (http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/).
[Via USGS]
Mineral Production Data Reflect Economic Slowdown
Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2008 @ 1:17 am by USGS Newsroom
The USGS releases mineral information essenÂtial to the U.S. economy and national security.
U.S. Geological Survey data on U.S. mineral production reflect the domestic housing market decline over the past year. The USGS study shows significant declines in domestic production for a number of construction materials, including cement, gypsum, construction sand and gravel, and crushed stone.
USGS mineral data are used by the Federal Reserve System’s Board of Governors in preparing its index of industrial production, a principal economic indicator.
This index measures the output of factories, mines, and electric and gas utilities. Output reflects changes in price and demand for mineral commodities used by industries such as construction, transportation equipment and agriculture. Output is an important early indicator of changes in economic activity in those industries.
“We find the data, analysis and assistance provided by the USGS to be invaluable in the preparation of the indexes of industrial production and of capacity,” said Norman J. Morin, senior economist with the Federal Reserve System. “The USGS data add appreciably to the product content of industrial production and, moreover, are in an area where no data are otherwise available.”
This is the first time the USGS has publicly released these data in the same form they are provided to the Federal Reserve System. This change is in response to a recent recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences in the report “Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy.”
The U.S. is the world’s largest user of mineral commodities. Domestic mineral data are collected by the USGS through voluntary cooperation of the mineral industry. The USGS is the sole federal provider of unbiased research on mineral potential, production, consumption and environmental effects.
To see the report read “U.S. Production of Selected Mineral Commodities”
For more information on the NAS report read “Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy”
Visit the USGS Mineral Resources Program for more information.
[Via USGS]
Coeur d’Alene River Flooding Worst Since 1996
Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2008 @ 1:17 am by USGS Newsroom
Northern Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene River has risen to its highest flood stage since 1996, according to information collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). As of 11:00 am, Mountain Daylight Time, today, the USGS streamflow gage on the Coeur d’Alene River near Cataldo, Idaho measured the height of the river at 45.87 feet. This is the highest stage measurement recorded at that gage since February 9, 1996, when the river stood at 51.62 feet. Flood stage for the Coeur d’Alene River at Cataldo is 43 feet.
Today’s latest streamflow measurement at the Cataldo gage shows that the river is flowing at a rate of 31,900 cubic feet per second, That figure is less than half of the 70,000 cubic feet per second recorded during the 1996 flood. The peak flow of record for the gage is 79,000 cubic feet per second, recorded on January 16, 1974.
Information on current conditions for the Coeur d’Alene and other Idaho rivers can be accessed on the Web at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/id/nwis/rt.
[Via USGS]
Geology Picture of the Day - Cape St. Mary, Mars
Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 @ 10:46 am by Dave Schumaker
The lander includes a miniature oven, a mass spectrometer, a small “chemistry lab-in-a-box,” a meteorological station and various imagine systems such as an atomic force microscope.
In honor of this mission, I give you this geology picture of the day from NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers mission.
Image Source: NASA’s Opportunity rover. Acquired June 23, 2007.
Another of the best examples of spectacular cross-bedding in Victoria crater are the outcrops at Cape St. Mary, which is an approximately 15 m (45 foot) high promontory located along the western rim of Victoria crater and near the beginning of the rover’s traverse around the rim. Like the Cape St. Vincent images, these Pancam super-resolution images have allowed scientists to discern that the rocks at Victoria Crater once represented a large dune field that migrated across this region.
This is a Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Panoramic Camera image mosaic acquired on sol 1213 (June 23, 2007), and was constructed from a mathematical combination of 32 different blue filter (480 nm) images.
You can even follow along with the Phoenix Mars Mission on its Twitter page.
More Information:
Phoenix Mars Mission - Univ. of Arizona
Phoenix Mars Mission - JPL
Phoenix Mars Mission Twitter Page
Mars Exploration Rover Mission