Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission:
- Global Hawk AV6 weight and balance and communication testing at Dryden.
- Wallops Flight Facility will conduct a Google Hangout for the mission on 7/23.
First flight for SIERRA UAV from Oliktok Pt, Alaska in support of the MIZOPEX project expected later this week. The aircraft is ready; current delay due to weather.
Significant Announcements:
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program announced a Phase I award to Lynn Rothschild for the proposal, Biomaterials out of thin air: in situ, on–demand printing of advanced biocomposites. The award was one of twelve announced by the program for 2013 and the only award at Ames. Each Phase 1 study will receive $100K for one year of work. Phase II awards will be as much as $500k for two years.
The paper, "Variations in atmospheric CO2 growth rates coupled with tropical temperature" by Weile Wang, Philippe Ciais, Ramakrishna Nemani, Josep G. Canadell. Shilong Piao, Stephen Sitch, Michael A. White, Hirofumi Hashimoto, Cristina Milesi, and Ranga B. Myneni, will appear in a forthcoming edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Dr. Wang is employed through the ARC-CREST Co-op at Ames.
The Applied Sciences Program at NASA HQ announced the selection of Vince Ambrosia (ARC-CREST) as the program associate for wildfires. Vince will be working with Lawrence Friedl and Frank Lindsay on that program element. Wildfires is a cross cutting activity in the ASP.
HS3 announcements:
- Weight and balance and communication testing is complete for the Global Hawk AV1.
- Assembly and installation of AV-6 instruments (SHIS, CPL, AVAPS) is complete.
- DFRC Teacher workshop began 7/15
The water resources element in the Applied Sciences Program down-selected the TOPS Satellite Irrigation Management Support (SIMS) project (Forrest Melton (ARC-CREST) PI) for three more years of funding under Phase II of a ROSES 2011 solicitation. SIMS uses NASA satellite data to provide growers and the California Department of Water Resources better information on the amount and timing for irrigation of crops in the Central Valley. The SIMS proposal was one of nine (from 13) down selected to continue and the only such project at Ames.