Sept 15 - Hispanic Heritage Month
NASA Looks at the Heat Engine Driving Hurricane Isabel

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of Hurricane Isabel on Sept 17, 2003.

NASA is kept a close watch on Hurricane Isabel as it churns in the Atlantic with winds that top 150 miles per hour. Instruments aboard NASA's suite of Earth-observing satellites monitored the storm as it made its way toward the East Coast of the United States. Scientists use these space-based tools to look inside Hurricane Isabel and access the storms impact on the United States East Coast.

Hurricanes act as heat engines, drawing energy up from warm tropical ocean waters to power the intense winds, powerful thunderstorms and immense ocean surges. These tools help weather experts determine if a tropical cyclone is likely to strengthen or weaken and how much rain will fall on land.

The eye of a hurricane may be the calm of the storm, but it also houses the engine that drives the storm. NASA and National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite looked under Isabel's hood and showed scientists the pistons that power the hurricane, giving them an idea of the intensity and distribution of rainfall. The world's first and only spaceborne rain radar allows scientists to create 3-D views of precipitation, height of the rain column and warmth of the core inside powerful hurricanes.

Do you have a accomplishment that is worth informing the Goddard Community? Submit your biggest accomplishment to Goddard News.

NASA 's Mission:
*To understand and protect our home planet
*To explore the Universe and search for life
*To inspire the next generation of explorers
…as only NASA can

For a further details of the NASA mission, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/bios/vision.html

Ocean Plant Life Slows Down and Absorbs Less Carbon

WebTADS Transition Kicks Off

Hispanic Heritage Month, Celebrating Past, Present and Future Achievement

Safety Alerts

In observance and in celebration marking a century of flight in 2003, Goddard News features a historical NASA flight tidbit. This Month in History: Sep 22, 1983- Galaxy 2 launched, 6:16 p.m., EDT, ESMC.

Visit the NASA Glenn Centennial Website at: http://centennial.grc.nasa.gov for information about the Inventing Flight celebration. For more information on the Centennial of Flight celebration events, go to: http://www.centennialofflight.gov/