2002 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| FREESTAR -- SHUTTLE'S FREQUENT FLYER
| G02-047A | 7/9/02 | 00:15:19 | The upcoming Space Shuttle mission, STS-107, will once again carry a Hitchhiker payload into space. On some shuttle flights, there is extra room in the cargo bay that is not being used and The Hitchhiker Program has lined up projects to "fill in the holes." Data will be collected on desert aerosols, lightning, ozone, and the Sun's energy in an effort to understand our climate and the Earth's atmosphere. New technologies will be tested. New data will be collected, calibrated, and also used to validate science already in the making. Many students from elementary school to high school also have a large number of experiments onboard.
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TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): FREESTAR / Shuttle Animation
- FREESTAR is a Hitchhiker payload, and it's much easier to say than the "Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science Technology Applications and Research." The FREESTAR and Hitchhiker carrier consist of separate scientific and educational experiments all on one carrier, plus it provides interface to electrical systems, the payload power control, and has command and telemetry capabilities. Some of the experiments are MEIDEX, SOLSE-2, CVX-2, SOLCON-3, LPT, and SEM. It is a GSFC payload.
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| ITEM (2): SOLCON-3 Studies The Sun's Total Energy Output - Like Earth, the Sun has seasons where powerful and intense activities increase and decrease. One cycle occurs during a 12 Earth-year timeframe. The Solar Constant Experiment 3 will accurately measure the Sun's total energy output during this mission in an effort to better understand global climate changes. The data collected will also be used to validate data received from other solar spacecraft. This is the third time this instrument has flown on the shuttle. These images, which look at the Sun in different wavelengths, are from the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite and the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) satellite.
Courtesy: NASA/ESA/Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Lab
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| ITEM (3): MEIDEX Studies Global Dust And Lightning Sprites - Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX) is a joint project of the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and NASA. They have joined in an effort to study dust, the most abundant particles present in our atmosphere. Why? On a global scale, these aerosols can offset climate warming and rain production. They are an important source of minerals for ocean life and coral reefs. They can aid in the spread of disease and directly effect human health. Data will be collected with the use of a radiometric camera. The following animation depicts a dust storm traveling from Africa and westward to the United States. The data is from the MODOS instrument onboard the TERRA satellite. SeaWIFS's captured this still off the NW coast of Africa on 2/26/00. MEIDEX will also make observations on the mysterious lightning sprites, which are elusive forms of lightning.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (4): SOLSE-2 Takes A New-Angled Look At Ozone - The second Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment (SOLSE) will look at ozone from another angle. In the following visualization, the blue colors depict the depleted region of ozone over the South Pole that occurred during the winter of 2001. The view is from directly above the ozone hole. SOLSE-2 carries new technology that will now look at ozone from a new perspective: from the side. Instead of just knowing how much ozone there is, SOLSE can tell at what altitude ozone loss is occurring, enabling scientists to gain a clearer understanding of what may be happening. The information gained on this flight will aid in the development of future generation weather satellites. This visualization was developed through the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) satellite.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (5): Space Experiment Module -- One Big Payload For Kids - The Space Experiment Module is an educational initiative with up to 10 small, enclosed modules, each containing separate, passive experiments designed and constructed by students. With the help of teacher and mentors, students designed, and built experiments that are their own. The payload is quite varied and is being flown in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History of New York. Along for the ride are tomato and wildflower seeds, brine shrimp eggs, and bacteria grown from feet, mouths, or dirty clothes. There are plenty of other items too such as leaves, chalk, marbles, gum, film, crayons, and even a pendulum watch.
Courtesy: NASA/American Museum of Natural History
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| ITEM (6): LPT - New Space Technology - The Low Power Transceiver (LPT) Communications and Navigation Demonstrations on Shuttle (CANDOS) is a new technology featuring a flexible and integrated communication and navigation system, which uses NASA communications networks, Internet Protocol (IP), and the Global Positioning System (GPS). It has a programmable, navigation and communication transceiver prototype and a computer with low-cost software. The LPT can receive GPS signals for spacecraft navigation support, while also providing both forward and return data communication links to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) satellites and ground stations. LPT will be challenged to do simultaneous communications, navigation, and reconfiguration during this test flight. The following includes the LPT and animation of the TDRSS satellite.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (7): FREESTAR/Hitchhiker B-Roll
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (8): Interview Excerpts: Steven Dewitte,
SOLCON Scientist, Belgium
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (9): Interview Excerpts: Yoav Yvir,
MEIDEX Project Coordinator for Israeli Space Agency
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (10): Interview Excerpts: Tammy Brown,
SOLCE-2 Payload Manager
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (10): Interview Excerpts: David Israel
LPT Principle Investigator
Courtesy: NASA
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Space Science Gallery