Green Options » NASA http://greenoptions.com/tag/nasa Posts tagged 'NASA' Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:27:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en CO2, Methane Ousted as Worst Global Climate Change Chemicals http://gas2.org/2009/11/19/co2-methane-ousted-as-worst-global-climate-change-chemicals/ http://gas2.org/2009/11/19/co2-methane-ousted-as-worst-global-climate-change-chemicals/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:27:16 +0000 Joanna Schroeder http://gas2.org/2009/11/19/co2-methane-ousted-as-worst-global-climate-change-chemicals/

Move over CO2—you’ve been ousted, along with methane, as the biggest offenders of global climate change. According to a new a study by Purdue University and NASA, the major chemicals most frequently cited as leading to climate change, namely carbon dioxide and methane, are actually outclassed in their warming potential by compounds receiving less attention. The majority of “greenhouse gases” are created by humans.

The results were discovered when researchers studied more than a dozen chemicals, or greenhouse gases as classified by their warming properties defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. From there, the team developed a blueprint for the underlying molecular machinery of global warming. The results appeared in the November 12, 2009 issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Physical Chemistry, just in time for the convergence of world leaders in Copenhagen.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/11/19/co2-methane-ousted-as-worst-global-climate-change-chemicals/feed/ NASA Confirms Water On Moon http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/13/nasa-confirms-water-on-moon/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/13/nasa-confirms-water-on-moon/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:39:16 +0000 Beth Graddon-Hodgson http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/13/nasa-confirms-water-on-moon/

Back in October, there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding NASA’s project of crashing a LCROSS satellite into the moon to determine if there is in fact water on the moon. While it was initially believed by spectators and researchers alike that the mission was a big failure, since there was no visible lunar dust or any other substances that resulted immediately from the cash; NASA says today that it actually was a success, indicating that the moon has a substantial water supply.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/13/nasa-confirms-water-on-moon/feed/ NASA to Irradiate Monkeys. Horrible Animal Experiments or a Sign of Progress? http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:32:29 +0000 Daniel Hohler http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/

When I first read the news that NASA was going to start experimenting on monkeys with radiation to study the effects of deep space travel, my heart sunk. As an anthropologist who has studied non-human primates I have seen up close the emotions, the feelings, and the physical qualities we share with our evolutionary cousins. My mind went back to shooting chimps into space, not caring if they lived or died. To cruel (and now illegal) experiments of all kinds performed on our closest living relative.

Now NASA is planing to irradiate squirrel monkeys. Scientists are particularly interested in studying how the radiation impacts the monkeys’ central nervous systems and behaviors over time. Messing with the monkeys brains. Oh great!

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]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/feed/ Google to Fight Deforestation from Space http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/22/google-to-fight-deforestation-from-space/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/22/google-to-fight-deforestation-from-space/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:10:35 +0000 Daniel Hohler http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/22/google-to-fight-deforestation-from-space/ Google

Google Inc. is joining forces with space agencies around the world and the conservation organization Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to monitor deforestation rates using satellite imagery. Among the space agencies working on the program are NASA, the ESA, and the national space agencies of Japan, Germany, Italy, India, and Brazil.

The GEO is a global partnership of 80 governments and more than 50 organizations. Internet company Google currently collects satellite images for use in its Google Earth application, and will be providing satellite images to the project.

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]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/22/google-to-fight-deforestation-from-space/feed/ NASA Scientists Look for Water in Desert http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/nasa-scientists-look-for-water-in-desert/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/nasa-scientists-look-for-water-in-desert/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:13:48 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/nasa-scientists-look-for-water-in-desert/ NASA scientists are using the Far-Infrared Spectrocopy of the Troposphere to detect the effect of water vapor on the Earth\'s climate.A desert is the perfect place to find water — if you have the right equipment, that is.  Scientists and engineers from NASA’s Langley Research Center have set up camp in the “driest place in the world,” the Chilean desert of Atacama, to deploy an instrument called the Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST).  One of only four instruments of its kind in the world, FIRST measures the effect of high altitude water vapor on the Earth’s atmosphere.

FIRST could help researchers more effectively predict changes in the Earth’s climate, since it measures a band of radiation linked to the absorption of water vapor through the greenhouse effect.  This radiation activity is a significant climate factor that may account for half of the Earth’s natural cooling mechanism.  However, while other major factors have been studied from satellites, the technology has not been developed to do so with water vapor.  The FIRST equipment may well live up to its name and deliver our first precisely measurable insights into the effect of water vapor on our climate.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/nasa-scientists-look-for-water-in-desert/feed/ New Dow Chemical Coating Speeds Up Solar Assembly-Line http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/29/new-dow-corning-coating-speeds-up-solar-assembly-line/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/29/new-dow-corning-coating-speeds-up-solar-assembly-line/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:40:38 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/29/new-dow-corning-coating-speeds-up-solar-assembly-line/

Not every breakthrough in the solar industry comes from efficiency gains from esoteric new Silicon Valley start-ups (though these are being catapulted by the recent funding bonanza) and university labs.

Some come from understanding that half the cost of a solar installation is just the cost of getting boots up on your roof, like for any other roofing job. One block off the grid reduces that cost by aggregating homeowners into groups to go solar together.

Some breakthroughs come when utility-scale solar companies forge innovative partnerships with housing developers rather than keep on battling NIMBY transmission costs, as BrightSource just did to meet its contract with PG&E for RPS solar power.

Others are starting to happen as titans of industry like Dow Chemical gear up to develop the little extras that smooth the assembly line process to speed up production-lines.

Because in manufacturing, assembly-line efficiency determines production costs:

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/29/new-dow-corning-coating-speeds-up-solar-assembly-line/feed/ Lasers from Space Show Ice Sheets Thinning — Greenland and Antarctica http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/25/lasers-from-space-show-ice-sheets-thinning-greenland-and-antarctica/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/25/lasers-from-space-show-ice-sheets-thinning-greenland-and-antarctica/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:16:49 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/25/lasers-from-space-show-ice-sheets-thinning-greenland-and-antarctica/

This week in the journal Nature scientists give the most comprehensive view of thinning ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica to date.

Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the University of Bristol analyzed 50 million satellite measurements (from NASA) to show the massive ice loss on these polar giants.

The result are surprising, even to the scientists.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/25/lasers-from-space-show-ice-sheets-thinning-greenland-and-antarctica/feed/ Sun Shoots Wind at Earth — New Discovery http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/20/sun-shoots-wind-at-earth-new-discovery/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/20/sun-shoots-wind-at-earth-new-discovery/#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:56:55 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/20/sun-shoots-wind-at-earth-new-discovery/

Scientists have discovered that sunspots are not the only thing from the Sun that have a significant and varied impact on the Earth.

There is a “solar cycle” of approximately 11 years. Variation of the Sun’s impact on the Earth during those 11 years is generally thought to be due to sunspots. The Sun also shoots high-speed winds at the Earth, however, and scientists have just discovered that these super winds significantly affect the Earth in several ways.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/20/sun-shoots-wind-at-earth-new-discovery/feed/ NASA’s Moon Blast a Public Relations Disaster http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/08/nasas-moon-blast-a-public-relations-disaster/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/08/nasas-moon-blast-a-public-relations-disaster/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:37:39 +0000 Ross Kendall http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/08/nasas-moon-blast-a-public-relations-disaster/

Centaur on the way to the moonIt maybe happening in space but people are still screaming. NASA’s mission to fire a high velocity “impactor” rocket into the moon to search for water is being widely criticized in the blogosphere.

The moon’s big bang

If NASA’s plans go ahead as forecast for an October 9 launch people have got just two more opportunities to watch a full moon before the planet is subject to what many consider mightily unneighbourly conduct.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/08/nasas-moon-blast-a-public-relations-disaster/feed/ India’s Water Problems Increasing http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/21/indias-water-problems/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/21/indias-water-problems/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:53:30 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/21/indias-water-problems/
A new study this month is showing a lot of concern for Indians, and all of us who rely on products from India.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/21/indias-water-problems/feed/ 4 Million Pounds of Space Junk Polluting Earth’s Orbit http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/14/4-million-pounds-of-space-junk-polluting-earths-orbit/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/14/4-million-pounds-of-space-junk-polluting-earths-orbit/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:05:15 +0000 Timothy B. Hurst http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/14/4-million-pounds-of-space-junk-polluting-earths-orbit/ space junk

Millions of nuts, bolts, pieces of metal and carbon, and whole spacecraft from thousands of missions and launches form an orbiting garbage dump spinning around the Earth at speeds up to 22,000 mph.

After the recent collision between a Russian and U.S. satellite, concern for the growing hazard of space junk is becoming even more acute within the international space community. In recent months, NASA and the European Space Agency have both diverted resources into monitoring space debris and researching ways of mitigating and—some day—removing it.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/14/4-million-pounds-of-space-junk-polluting-earths-orbit/feed/ NASA Plans Self-Sustaining Green Building http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/nasa-plans-self-sustaining-green-building/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/nasa-plans-self-sustaining-green-building/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:29:11 +0000 Mariella Moon http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/nasa-plans-self-sustaining-green-building/ NASA\'s Sustainability Base, A Green Building

NASA claims it’s currently planning what would be the greenest building in the federal government. To be called the Sustainability Base, this is slated to be one of NASA’s most ambitious eco-friendly projects.

The $20.6 million building will utilize current alternative energy technologies such as water recycling systems, fuel cells and solar panels to achieve a LEED-certified edifice. NASA will even use some of its technologies developed specifically for space exploration. The aim is to build a self-sustaining structure that consumes no net energy and 90 percent less potable water than other buildings its size. According to Steve Zornetzer, Associate Center Director at NASA Ames, the name Sustainable Base is an homage to Apollo 11’s Tranquility Base.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/nasa-plans-self-sustaining-green-building/feed/ NASA Releases First Image of Mysterious ‘Night Clouds’ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/26/nasa-releases-first-image-of-mysterious-night-clouds/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/26/nasa-releases-first-image-of-mysterious-night-clouds/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:44:28 +0000 Andrew Williams http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/26/nasa-releases-first-image-of-mysterious-night-clouds/

NASA has released the first ever images of mysterious polar night clouds that form 50 miles above Earth’s surface, and says that they might be linked to global warming.

The startling images were captured by NASA’s “AIM” satellite (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere), and show night clouds above 70 degrees north latitude on May 25. Since then, eyewitnesses on the ground have reported seeing the formations on June 6 over Northern Europe (see image after the jump).

When viewed from space, the mysterious clouds are known scientifically as Polar Mesospheric Clouds, or PMCs, when seen from the ground they are called Noctilucent or “night-shining” Clouds.

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]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/07/26/nasa-releases-first-image-of-mysterious-night-clouds/feed/ Yardney Teams Up With Coda Automotive to Manufacture Lithium-Ion EV Batteries http://gas2.org/2009/06/09/from-the-final-frontier-to-the-fuel-frontier-yardney-teams-up-with-coda-automotive-to-manufacture-automotive-grade-lithium-ion-ev-batteries/ http://gas2.org/2009/06/09/from-the-final-frontier-to-the-fuel-frontier-yardney-teams-up-with-coda-automotive-to-manufacture-automotive-grade-lithium-ion-ev-batteries/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:47:49 +0000 Ruedigar Matthes http://gas2.org/2009/06/09/from-the-final-frontier-to-the-fuel-frontier-yardney-teams-up-with-coda-automotive-to-manufacture-automotive-grade-lithium-ion-ev-batteries/

Pawcatuck, CT - Connecticut based Yardney Technical Products, Inc. - who supplied NASA with batteries for the Mars Exploration Rovers (an all-electric vehicle, operating under the most challenging conditions imaginable) - and California-based Coda Automotive announced on Monday, June 8 that the two companies have entered into a joint venture (Coda Battery Systems LLC). Coda Battery Systems LLC will design, manufacture and sell automotive grade lithium-ion battery power systems in the United States.

On May 19, Coda Battery Systems LLC submitted a proposal for funding to the Department of Energy under the stimulus grant program. The funding would be used to build a manufacturing facility in Enfield, CT, which expects to employ 600 U.S. workers in manufacturing positions.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/06/09/from-the-final-frontier-to-the-fuel-frontier-yardney-teams-up-with-coda-automotive-to-manufacture-automotive-grade-lithium-ion-ev-batteries/feed/ NASA’s BioFuel Proposal: Off-shore Algae Harvesting in Plastic Bags http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/07/nasas-biofuel-proposal-off-shore-algae-harvesting-in-plastic-bags/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/07/nasas-biofuel-proposal-off-shore-algae-harvesting-in-plastic-bags/#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 10:10:31 +0000 Dr Vandana Prakash http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/07/nasas-biofuel-proposal-off-shore-algae-harvesting-in-plastic-bags/ Semi Permeable Plastic Bags for Algae Harvesting in Ocean

Picture: Offshore Algae Harvesting in Semi-permeable bags

NASA’s design calls for using large plastic bags, made of forward-osmosis membranes, and filled with sewage for offshore harvesting of algae for bio-fuel.

My earlier post about leveraging nanotechnology for increasing the commercial viability of Algal bio-fuel opened me up a fantastic world of realizations. The wonderful technologies being developed by NASA have been time and again used to improve the quality of life for the people who inhabit this world and not just the journeys and stays of astronauts in the space. And particularly, because I felt that my hope for algae as commercially viable source of alternate energy had an even greater chance of being realized because NASA researchers too are pitching their effots in the same direction.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/07/nasas-biofuel-proposal-off-shore-algae-harvesting-in-plastic-bags/feed/ NASA and Cisco Collaborating on Climate Change Platform http://ecoworldly.com/2009/03/03/nasa-and-cisco-collaborating-on-climate-change-platform/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/03/03/nasa-and-cisco-collaborating-on-climate-change-platform/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:48:44 +0000 Jake Richardson http://ecoworldly.com/2009/03/03/nasa-and-cisco-collaborating-on-climate-change-platform/ earth

NASA and Cisco, Inc. have joined together to implement and manage an online global environmental monitoring platform, which is named Planetary Skin.

The platform will be used for data collection and analysis utilizing sensors in space, the air, the oceans, and on land.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/03/03/nasa-and-cisco-collaborating-on-climate-change-platform/feed/ Climate Researchers Mourn Failed Satellite Launch http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/27/climate-researchers-mourn-failed-satellite-launch/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/27/climate-researchers-mourn-failed-satellite-launch/#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:38:29 +0000 Timothy B. Hurst http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/27/climate-researchers-mourn-failed-satellite-launch/ NASA’s Carbon Observatory that failed to reach orbit on Tuesday would have provided the first complete picture of CO2 sources and sinks. Scientists are now reassessing their strategy.

satellite

After NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide plunged into the ocean on February 24, a wave of disappointment struck climate scientists worldwide.

The satellite would have measured carbon dioxide concentrations in unprecedented detail. Many also hoped that it would pioneer an approach for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions under a future Kyoto-style global warming treaty that could be reached at Copenahagen later this year.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/27/climate-researchers-mourn-failed-satellite-launch/feed/ Top NASA Climate Scientist Favors Capitol Climate Action http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/02/26/top-nasa-climate-scientist-favors-capitol-climate-action/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/02/26/top-nasa-climate-scientist-favors-capitol-climate-action/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:57:01 +0000 Alex Felsinger http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/02/26/top-nasa-climate-scientist-favors-capitol-climate-action/

Global warming deniers and conservative politicians have fallen into a frenzy after Dr. James Hansen recorded a video in support of the upcoming Capitol Climate Action, a well-coordinated act civil disobedience coming up this Monday.

“If he wants to have a demonstration concerning global warming, coming to the Capitol is not a right choice,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA. “The bottom line is if Hansen wants to protest global warming, he should go to the National Cathedral and take it up with God rather than going to Capitol Hill.”

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]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/02/26/top-nasa-climate-scientist-favors-capitol-climate-action/feed/ NASA Global Warming Satellite Crashes During Launch http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/24/nasa-global-warming-satellite-crashes-during-launch/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/24/nasa-global-warming-satellite-crashes-during-launch/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:42:08 +0000 Jake Richardson http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/24/nasa-global-warming-satellite-crashes-during-launch/ taurus xl

A Taurus XL rocket carrying a satellite intended to be using for monitoring carbon dioxide levels plunged back to Earth several minutes after taking off.

A covering for the satellite failed to release, and the rocket could not maintain its intended course with the extra weight. The satellite went down with the rocket in the ocean near Antarctica. It was designed as a remote orbiting carbon observatory that would revolve around the earth at a height of 400 miles.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/24/nasa-global-warming-satellite-crashes-during-launch/feed/ NASA Global Warming Probe Launch Fails, Crashes into Pacific http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/24/nasa-global-warming-probe-launch-fails-crashes-into-pacific/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/24/nasa-global-warming-probe-launch-fails-crashes-into-pacific/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:06:09 +0000 Alex Felsinger http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/24/nasa-global-warming-probe-launch-fails-crashes-into-pacific/

NASA’s $278-million Orbiting Carbon Observatory failed to reach orbit after its launch from Vandenburg Airforce Base this morning.

The satellite would have been the first American effort to track global warming emissions from space. Japan launched a similar spacecraft last month.

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