NASA research

Since its establishment in 1958, NASA has conducted lot of researches and have done lot of historic missions. They have done missions from landing on the Moon to sending robot to Mars for researching purposes. Below are the few list of researches and missions NASA has done ever since it was created. The researches and missions listed below are few really famous missions and researches NASA has done.

Apollo 17
Apollo 17

Apollo 17 was launched on December 7, 1972 and it was the final moon program that nasa has planned. The crew consisted of commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar pilot Harrison Schmitt and command pilot Ronald Evans. They were carrying biological experiments containing five mice. Just before their launch a year ago a vehicle called lunar roving vehicle was launched in 1971. This is a type of vehicle with four wheels and it’s used to drive around on moon. During the last mission of Apollo 17 and after their landing on moon one of the astronauts known as Eugene Cernan got in the rover vehicle and drove around on the moon.[1]

Curiosity Rover
Rock picture taken by Curiosity Rover

On November 26th of 2011 a robot called curiosity was launched and its mission was to land on Mars and do research and capture pictures of the landscapes on Mars. It landed on August 6th of 2012 it took approximately 8-9 months for it to travel to mars after the launch from earth. Picture above is the picture of a rock on mars taken by Curiosity robot in 2012. After that NASA launched another Mars rover but with advanced technologies on July 30th of 2020 and it has same mission of learning the landscapes of Mars after its landed and make it possible for humans to travel to mars.





Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is one of four mission directorates within NASA, the other three are known as Human Exploration and Operation Directorate, The science Directorate, and the Space Technology Directorate. Their responsibility is to conduct research for NASA aeronautical. Every US Commercial aircraft and U.S. Air traffic controls have technologies made by NASA and tries to improve efficiency and maintain safety from researches.[2] This researches help straight to today's air transportation system, aviation industry and the passengers and businesses who rely on aviation every single day.[3]

ARMD scientists, engineers, programmers, test pilots, facilities managers and strategic planners are doing everyday their best to help aviation in future. They are trying to design, create and testing advanced technologies that will make aviation much more friendly for environment and maintain safety and change the way we fly.[4]

Medicine in space
Main article: Space medicine

A variety of large-scale medical studies are being conducted in space by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). Prominent among these is the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity Study, in which astronauts (including former ISS Commanders Leroy Chiao and Gennady Padalka) perform ultrasound scans under the guidance of remote experts to diagnose and potentially treat hundreds of medical conditions in space. Usually there is no physician on board the International Space Station, and diagnosis of medical conditions is challenging. Astronauts are susceptible to a variety of health risks including decompression sickness, barotrauma, immunodeficiencies, loss of bone and muscle, orthostatic intolerance due to volume loss, sleep disturbances, and radiation injury. Ultrasound offers a unique opportunity to monitor these conditions in space. This study's techniques are now being applied to cover professional and Olympic sports injuries as well as ultrasound performed by non-expert operators in populations such as medical and high school students. It is anticipated that remote guided ultrasound will have application on Earth in emergency and rural care situations, where access to a trained physician is often rare.[5][6][7]

Salt evaporation and energy management

In one of the nation's largest restoration projects, NASA technology helps state and federal government reclaim 15,100 acres (61 km2) of salt evaporation ponds in South San Francisco Bay. Satellite sensors are used by scientists to study the effect of salt evaporation on local ecology.[8]

NASA has started Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation Program as an agency-wide program directed to prevent pollution and reduce energy and water utilization. It helps to ensure that NASA meets its federal stewardship responsibilities for the environment.[9]

Earth science
Earth from the International Space Station

Understanding of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment (such as global warming) is the main objective of NASA's Earth science. NASA currently has more than a dozen Earth science spacecraft/instruments in orbit studying all aspects of the Earth system (oceans, land, atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere), with several more planned for launch in the next few years.[10] The earth science research program was created and funded in the 1980s under the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.[11][12]

[13]

NASA is working in cooperation with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The goal is to produce worldwide solar resource maps with great local detail.[13] NASA was also one of the main participants in the evaluation innovative technologies for the cleanup of the sources for dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). On April 6, 1999, the agency signed The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) along with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, DOE, and USAF authorizing all the above organizations to conduct necessary tests at the John F. Kennedy Space center. The main purpose was to evaluate two innovative in-situ remediation technologies, thermal removal and oxidation destruction of DNAPLs.[14] National Space Agency made a partnership with Military Services and Defense Contract Management Agency named the "Joint Group on Pollution Prevention". The group is working on reduction or elimination of hazardous materials or processes.[15]

On May 8, 2003, Environmental Protection Agency recognized NASA as the first federal agency to directly use landfill gas to produce energy at one of its facilities—the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.[16]

Ozone depletion
Ozone Depletion on Earth

In 1975, NASA was directed by legislation to research and monitor the upper atmosphere. This led to Upper Atmosphere Research Program and later the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites in the 1990s to monitor ozone depletion.[17] The first comprehensive worldwide measurements were obtained in 1978 with the Nimbus 7 satellite and NASA scientists at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies.[18] Ozone is colorless gas. Its a very active chemically. Near the Earth’s surface, those reactions cause rubber to crack, hurt plant life, and damage people’s lung tissues. But ozone also absorbs harmful components of sunlight, known as “ultraviolet B”, or “UV-B”. High above the surface, above even the weather systems, a tenuous layer of ozone gas absorbs UV-B, protecting living things below.[19]

Climate study

Within the earth science program, NASA researches and publishes on climate issues.[20] Its statements concur with the interpretation that the global climate is heating.[21] Bob Walker, who has advised president-elect Donald Trump on space issues, has advocated that NASA shut down its climate study operations.[22] The Washington Post reported that NASA scientists are copying data on climate change that is held on U.S. government computers, out of a fear that a Trump administration would end access to data on climate change.[23]

Space Weather
Auroras in sky

Conditions on the Sun and in the solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems and can endanger human life or health.[24] Space weather can also create lot of the problems on the earth. Space weather also can create lot of auroras. But it can also disturb satellites that exchange signals from earth to space and from space to earth. It can cause you losing mobile networks on earth as well as internet. It can also affect lot of electrical grids on the earth or its even dangerous for the astronauts that are living in the International Space Station because of the radiation levels.[25]

TESS Satellite Research
TESS Satellite

On April 18, 2018 NASA launched a satellite called NASA Planet Hunting Satellite where it roams around in orbit and tries finding different planets and area that hasn't been found from earth scientists yet. This satellite is also known as TESS(Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). The two planets that they found are now known as Rocky planet and its slightly larger than earth and the other two planets are gaseous and roughly double Earth's size. Rocky planet is around 73 light years away which is also known as habitable zone which means it is far enough from a neighboring star to be able to host water. Stephen Kane who is professor of astronomy said "They have found very few planets like this in habitable zone, as many fewer around a quiet star so this is rare." Researchers have said in past that it will be unlikely for humans to stay on Rocky Planet because it has a thick atmosphere that traps all the heat and could make the planet super hot. Researchers will continue their researches after their upcoming launch of James Webb Space Telescope in 2021. TESS Satellite uses four large cameras to watch sections of the sky for 27 days at a time. It is focused on stars closer than 200 light years from Earth's Solar System. [26]

Kepler Mission
Kepler Telescope

NASA's Kepler mission in May 2016 verified 1,284 new planets – the single largest finding of exoplanets to date – more than doubling the number of confirmed planets from Kepler. Analysis was performed on the Kepler space telescope’s July planet candidate catalog, which identified 4,302 potential planets.[27] This telescope was also designed to check parts of the milky way galaxy to search exoplanets.

In 2013 Kepler was assigned a mission called "K2". Two of the reaction wheels of spacecraft failed, so the engineers made a better and smarter plan to redesign the mission. K2 mission was still searching for exoplanets and different planets in the space however it was doing it different way, it was scanning a larger swath of sky than before along with ecliptic plane.[28]

Asteroid sampling mission
Asteroid Sampling Aircraft

on September 8, 2016, NASA launched its first asteroid sampling mission from florida. Aircraft will circle around in orbit around sun for about a year and than they use earth gravitational for it to start its journey towards bennu. In august 2018, the aircraft will start its approach towards bennu. After the landing the aircraft will start doing its survey and after the survey the aircraft will softly land on bennu for five seconds with the help of its small rocket thrusts. It will softly grab the sample of the asteroid and retrieve it. In march 2021 the window is scheduled to be open for the aircraft to return and it will begin its journey back to earth.[29]

Exobiology

The goal of Exobiology program is to understand the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe.Research is centered on the origin and early evolution of life, the potential of life to adapt to different environments, and the implications for life elsewhere. This research is conducted in the context of NASA’s ongoing exploration of our stellar neighborhood and the identification of bio signatures for in situ and remote sensing applications.[30] Exobiology is concerned with four evolutionary periods:

  1. cosmic evolution of biogenic elements and compounds
  2. prebiotic evolution
  3. early evolution of life
  4. evolution of advanced life[31]
gollark: COOL™ compression algorithms use "finite state entropy" these days.
gollark: Wow, regex lookbehind/ahead is highly.
gollark: Well, obvious mathy ones are pi and e.
gollark: Oh, so you still write the code and whatever in UTF-8 but (for this specific palaiologistic thing) can ship your code in the new codepage and have it smaller?
gollark: How do you somehow get software to render your random byte sequences as the desired Unicode characters or whatever?

References
  1. Mansfield, Cheryl L. (March 16, 2015). "Apollo 17". NASA. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  2. Gipson, Lillian (October 15, 2015). "About Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD)". NASA. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  3. Gipson, Lillian (October 15, 2015). "About Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD)". NASA. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. Gipson, Lillian (October 15, 2015). "About Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD)". NASA. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  5. "NASA—Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM)". NASA. July 31, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  6. Rao, S; Van Holsbeeck, L; Musial, JL; Parker, A; Bouffard, JA; Bridge, P; Jackson, M; Dulchavsky, SA (2008). "A pilot study of comprehensive ultrasound education at the Wayne State University School of Medicine: a pioneer year review". Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine. 27 (5): 745–9. doi:10.7863/jum.2008.27.5.745. PMID 18424650.
  7. Fincke, E. M.; Padalka, G.; Lee, D.; Van Holsbeeck, M.; Sargsyan, A. E.; Hamilton, D. R.; Martin, D.; Melton, S. L.; McFarlin, K.; Dulchavsky, S. A. (2005). "Evaluation of Shoulder Integrity in Space: First Report of Musculoskeletal US on the International Space Station". Radiology. 234 (2): 319–22. doi:10.1148/radiol.2342041680. PMID 15533948.
  8. "NASA Helps Reclaim 15,100 Acres Of San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds". Space Daily. 2003. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  9. Tina Norwood (2007). "Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation". NASA. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  10. "Taking a global perspective on Earth's climate". Global Climate Change: NASA's Eyes on the Earth. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
  11. Berger, Eric (April 29, 2015). "A history primer: NASA's robust Earth Science program now under attack originated in the Reagan and Bush administrations". SciGuy. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  12. Berger, Eric (October 29, 2015). "Republicans outraged over NASA earth science programs... that Reagan began". Ars Technica. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  13. D. Renné; S. Wilcox; B. Marion; R. George; et al. (2003). "Progress on Updating the 1961–1990 National Solar Radiation Database" (PDF). NREL. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  14. EPA (1999). "EPA, DOE, NASA AND USAF Evaluate Innovative Technologies". EPA. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  15. Benjamin S. Griffin; Gregory S. Martin; Keith W. Lippert; J. D. MacCarthy; et al. (2007). "Joint Group on Pollution Prevention" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  16. Michael K. Ewert (2006). "Johnson Space Center's Role in a Sustainable Future" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  17. W. Henry Lambright (May 2005). "NASA and the Environment: The Case of Ozone Depletion" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  18. Dr. Richard McPeters (2008). "Ozone Hole Monitoring". NASA. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  19. "NASA Ozone Watch: Latest status of ozone". ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  20. "News and Features". NASA. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  21. "2016 Climate Trends Continue to Break Records". July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  22. Samenow, Jason (November 23, 2016). "Trump adviser proposes dismantling NASA climate research". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  23. Dennis, Brady (December 13, 2016). "Scientists are frantically copying U.S. climate data, fearing it might vanish under Trump". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  24. "SOHO Space Weather". soho.nascom.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  25. "Space weather affects your daily life. It's time to start paying attention". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  26. Smith-Schoenwalder, Cecelia (July 29, 2019). "TESS Satellite". Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  27. Northon, Karen (December 15, 2016). "NASA Reveals the Unknown in 2016". NASA. Retrieved July 29, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  28. "Kepler". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  29. "NASA osiris" (PDF).
  30. "NASA Astrobiology". astrobiology.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  31. Sciences, National Research Council (US) Task Group on Life (1988). Exobiology. National Academies Press (US).

See also
  • NASA spin-off technologies
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