South Asia’s highest ‘land art’ festival set in Ladakh reflects on climate change

South Asia’s highest ‘land art’ festival set in Ladakh reflects on climate change

A carpet of fabric in a gradation of red, brown, and maroon spreads across a dirt road leading up to a barren mountain range. Close by, a cross-section of land lights up in blue fluorescence at night. If the last edition of sā Ladakh, South Asia’s highest contemporary land art festival, is anything to go … Read more

5 Things to Know About NASA’s Tiny Twin Polar Satellites – NASA

5 Things to Know About NASA’s Tiny Twin Polar Satellites – NASA

Called PREFIRE, this CubeSat duo will boost our understanding of how much heat Earth’s polar regions radiate out to space and how that influences our climate. Twin shoebox-size climate satellites will soon be studying two of the most remote regions on Earth: the Arctic and Antarctic. The NASA mission will measure the amount of heat … Read more

How ‘Glowing’ Plants Could Help Scientists Predict Flash Drought – NASA

How ‘Glowing’ Plants Could Help Scientists Predict Flash Drought – NASA

An unusual boost in plant productivity can foreshadow severe soil water loss. NASA satellites are following the clues. Flaring up rapidly and with little warning, the drought that gripped much of the United States in the summer of 2012 was one of the most extensive the country had seen since the yearslong Dust Bowl of … Read more

NASA Teammates Recall Favorite Memories Aboard Flying Laboratory – NASA

NASA Teammates Recall Favorite Memories Aboard Flying Laboratory – NASA

After flying more than three decades and 158 science campaigns, just one flight remains. NASA’s DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory will make its final flight May 15 to Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, where it will be used to train future aircraft technicians by providing real-world experience in the college’s Aircraft Maintenance Technology Program. Before … Read more

Meet NASA Women Behind World’s Largest Flying Laboratory – NASA

Meet NASA Women Behind World’s Largest Flying Laboratory – NASA

NASA’s DC-8 aircraft – the world’s largest flying science laboratory – began its science missions in 1987 and since then, has flown in service of the science community over places like Antarctica, Greenland, and Thailand. Aircraft like the DC-8 have enabled scientists to ask questions about life on Earth and explore them in a way … Read more

NASA to Discuss New Polar Climate Mission During Media Teleconference – NASA

NASA to Discuss New Polar Climate Mission During Media Teleconference – NASA

NASA is hosting a media call at 3 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 15, to discuss the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission, which aims to improve life on Earth by studying heat loss from Earth’s polar regions and provide information on our changing climate. The first of two shoebox-sized satellites is … Read more

NASA’s CloudSat Ends Mission Peering Into the Heart of Clouds – NASA

NASA’s CloudSat Ends Mission Peering Into the Heart of Clouds – NASA

Over the course of nearly two decades, its powerful radar provided never-before-seen details of clouds and helped advance global weather and climate predictions. CloudSat, a NASA mission that peered into hurricanes, tallied global snowfall rates, and achieved other weather and climate firsts, has ended its operations. Originally proposed as a 22-month mission, the spacecraft was … Read more

‘Vast and Rich:’ Studying the Ocean With NASA Computer Simulations – NASA

‘Vast and Rich:’ Studying the Ocean With NASA Computer Simulations – NASA

“Every time I help with visualizing [ocean] simulation data, I learn about an entirely new area of ocean or climate research, and I’m reminded of how vast and rich this area of research is. And…the real magic happens at the intersection and interaction of simulated and observed data. It is a great honor – and … Read more

NASA Data Helps Beavers Build Back Streams – NASA

NASA Data Helps Beavers Build Back Streams – NASA

Humans aren’t the only mammals working to mitigate the effects of climate change in the Western United States. People there are also enlisting the aid of nature’s most prolific engineers – beavers. Using NASA-provided grants, two open-source programs from Boise State University in Idaho and Utah State University in Logan are making it possible for … Read more