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June 5, 2017: The physical processes causing global sea-level rise are highlighted in this animation. The main causes are thermal expansion of oceans, as they accumulate the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions, the melting of ice from the ice sheets and glaciers, as well as changes in land water storage such as lakes. Regionally, sea level changes vary quite dramatically. The reasons for this are different to the global causes of sea-level changes and include changes to sea water density, influenced by salinity and temperature.
The mass of the Greenland ice sheet has rapidly declined in the last several years due to surface melting and iceberg calving. Research based on observations from the NASA/German Aerospace Center’s twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites indicates that between 2002 and 2016, Greenland shed approximately 280 gigatons of ice per year, causing global sea level to rise by 0.03 inches (0.8 millimeters) per year. These images, created from GRACE data, show changes in Greenland ice mass since 2002. Orange and red shades indicate areas that lost ice mass, while light blue shades indicate areas that gained ice mass. White indicates areas where there has been very little or no change in ice mass since 2002. In general, higher-elevation areas near the center of Greenland experienced little to no change, while lower-elevation and coastal areas experienced up to 13.1 feet (4 meters) of ice mass loss (expressed in equivalent-water-height; dark red) over a 14-year period. The largest mass decreases of up to 11.8 inches (30 centimeters (equivalent-water-height) per year occurred along the West Greenland coast. The average flow lines (grey; created from satellite radar interferometry) of Greenland’s ice converge into the locations of prominent outlet glaciers, and coincide with areas of high mass loss.
June 1, 2017: Greenland's glaciers are hiding a secret: They're melting faster than expected. Step into the disappearing icy landscape in this 360° video from FRONTLINE, NOVA l PBS, and Emblematic Group with support from the Knight Foundation. Credit: PBS Nova Duration: 5 minutes, 29 seconds Release Date: June 1, 2017
What bizarre alien planet is this? It's planet Earth of course, seen from the International Space Station through the shimmering glow of aurorae. About 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth, the orbiting station is itself within the upper realm of the auroral displays. Aurorae have the signature colors of excited molecules and atoms at the low densities found at extreme altitudes. Emission from atomic oxygen dominates this view. The eerie glow is green at lower altitudes, but a rarer reddish band extends above the space station's horizon. Also visible from the planet's surface, this auroral display began during a geomagnetic storm. The storm was triggered after a coronal mass ejection impacted Earth's magnetosphere in June of 2015.
Image Credit: Scott Kelly, Expedition 44, NASA/JSC Release Date: May 13, 2017
At the edge of the sun, a large prominence and a small prominence began to shift, turn and fall apart in less than one day (May 8-9, 2017). Prominences are notoriously unstable. Competing magnetic forces pulled the plasma back and forth until they dissipated. This image was taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.
Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA Image Date: May 9, 2017 Release Date: May 12, 2017
May 12, 2017: On May 12, Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer conducted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. This was the 200th spacewalk in support of station assembly and maintenance. Prior to the outing, during their pre-breathe activities in the airlock, the spacewalkers had to share Whitson’s service and cooling umbilical (SCU), due to an issue with the SCU connected to Fischer’s suit. That device provides electricity, cooling and communications during the pre-breathe phase of a spacewalk. Despite a late start, the pair completed the primary task of replacing an avionics box that supplies electricity and data connections to the science experiments on the orbital laboratory. It was Whitson’s ninth spacewalk and the first for Fischer.
Also, Exploration Mission-1 Announcement, Future Space Station Crew Previews Mission, Humans to Mars Summit 2017, James Webb Space Telescope at JSC, and Martian New Year in Mars, PA!
Credit: NASA Duration: 4 minutes, 28 seconds Release Date: May 12, 2017
May 12, 2017: By day, satellite images of Iceland highlight the nation’s diverse landscape. Sunlight illuminates the smooth, rounded ice caps and the seasonal snow of the interior areas. Snow-capped ridges mark the glacier-carved coastlines.
But the view at night offers an entirely different perspective of the Nordic island nation. This image shows Iceland’s nighttime lights as observed in 2016; it comes from a new global composite map that provides the clearest-yet views of the patterns of human settlements across Earth. The composite was built by selecting the best cloud-free images acquired with the day/night band of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite.
Images of night lights are useful for showing how and where humans populate the planet. In this image, you can see how the Icelandic landscape influences where people live. The island’s interior—the so-called central highlands—is rugged. Compared to coastal areas, the interior is high in elevation, sparsely vegetated, and cold. It is sprinkled with volcanoes, icecaps, and hot springs. People visit the area, but you won’t see many signs of permanent settlement.
In contrast, areas closer to the island’s perimeter are well lit. Reykjavík stands out as the large, bright area in the southwest. That makes sense, given that it is the country’s capital and largest city. In 2014, the city’s population was 184,000 people—almost half of Iceland’s population. The other half live in smaller urban areas located primarily near the coast.
The coast is not only more hospitable; it provides access to ocean resources, particularly fishing. Some of those fishing villages are found on Snæfellsnes, a peninsula in western Iceland that appears well lit. Lights along the peninsula might also be farms and summer homes, and they appear in relatively high density because of the narrow coastal area.
Lights elsewhere could have their roots in agriculture. Towns primarily in the south, such as Flúðir and Hveragerði, make use of geothermal energy to heat greenhouses for growing vegetables and flowers. Artificial lights in these greenhouses can stay on well into the night, particularly during the dark winter months.
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA GSFC Caption Credit: Kathryn Hansen with image interpretation provided by Throstur Thorsteinsson, University of Iceland Instrument(s): Suomi NPP - VIIRS Release Date: May 12, 2017
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge
Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge
Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge
Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge
Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge
Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Credit: NASA/MSFC Image Date: April 8, 2017
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge
Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Student Rockets Blast Off During Annual 2017 #StudentLaunch Challenge
Fifty middle and high school, college and university teams from 23 states launched their student-built rockets at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
