作者：蒋迅 Source: NASA 这张照片猛地一看象是哪部电影里的探险家。其实他们不是电影演员，而是美国的宇航员。这七个人是参加美国 水星计划 的宇航员，他们正在美国空军的野外生存学校 ( U.S. Air Force survival school ) 里参加训练。他们身上披戴的是降落伞材料，由于在野外多日，没有刮胡子，所以显得很狼狈。美国航天局为了让宇航员在意外降落到遥远地方的情况下学会生存，所以专门进行这项训练。可见， 培训 一名宇航员是多么的不容易。 这里还有一个例子： 三名阿波罗宇航员接受野外生存训练 。
作者：蒋迅 本文已发表在《航天员》2018年第6期上。 从美国首次选拔非裔宇航员到第一位升入太空用了12年。以后又过了12年才有了第一位太空行走的非裔宇航员。这位幸运儿就是伯纳德·哈里斯(Bernard A. Harris Jr.)。 伯纳德·哈里斯(Bernard A. Harris Jr.) 来源：维基百科 哈里斯于1956年6月26日出生在德克萨斯州坦普尔市。在他的童年时，他的父母离异，母亲带领孩子们搬到回亚利桑那州外祖母的家里。有一天，外祖母在邮局看到一则广告，新墨西哥州的印第安保护区在招募小学教师。於是他的母亲又带着孩子奔到那里。他还记得，整个小镇上四五百人，只有他一家黑人，还有个别当老师的白人和西裔，其他都是印第安人。同学们都说着他们自己的语言。他们从来没有见过黑人。他们会好奇地过去摸他的头发。他就在这样的环境下过着自己的童年。与他母亲相反的是，他的父亲只上到10年级，所以他找工作的机会就很有限。这一点让他知道了读书的重要性。 来源： Youtube 他记得在11岁的暑假里，母亲带他回过一次休斯顿。他跟发小聊天时 谈到他们将来想干什么。发小说他将来想发财。小哈里斯感叹一声说，“真的？我从来没想过。”但既然说到发财，“我也想发财。”“那你觉得多少钱才叫多呢？”发小问他。他极力把这个数字想得很大，鼓起勇气回答说：“如果我有十万元，那就很多了。”要知道那是1960年代。这个数字确实是一个不小的数字。但他的小夥伴说出了心中的数字：“一千万，或一万万。”那天晚上，他独自回忆与小夥伴的那段对话。他意识到，他对自己的期待太低了。“我需要提高自己的期望。”这是他给年青人的一个忠告。 来源： Youtube 在他13岁那年，他目睹了美国宇航员成功登上月球，受到了全世界的举目。他从那时起就开始就给自己提出了一个常人不敢想的期望：他梦想着自己有一天也能成为一名宇航员。后来他的母亲又遇到一个心爱的人，他是德克萨斯的一名警察。於是，他们家又搬回到德克萨斯州。哈里斯就在圣安东尼奥市的萨姆休斯顿高中就读。在那里他积极参加科学实验、读书俱乐部和其他学校的活动。那时候电视上最重要的科学节目就是《星际旅行》（Star Trek）。他最喜欢的角色是伦纳德·麦科伊（Leonard H. McCoy）医生。那是他心中的英雄。哈里斯第一次看到麦科伊医生在太空中看病行医。他逐渐培养起对医学的兴趣。1978年高中毕业后，他进入休斯顿大学学习生物学。大学毕业后，他转入德州理工大学医学院学医并于1982年获得医学博士学位。在明尼苏达州罗切斯特市的著名医院 梅奥医院 （ Mayo Clinic ），他完成了住院医生的经历 (1985年)，从此以后他就可以成为一名内科医生了。与他轮班的医生库姆斯（Combs）曾经被NASA请去，协助宇航员从载人舱出来并为他们检查身体。他告诉库姆斯：“我想去NASA。”於是库姆斯把他介绍给梅奥的航空医学小组。小组长带着怀疑与他进行了一次交谈。最后，这位小组长拿起电话，接通了NASA一位负责人：“我这里有一个孩子，他想成为宇航员。请告诉我，他该做些什么。” 这个偶遇重新开启了他童年的航天梦想。於是他到NASA艾姆斯研究中心当上了一名研究员。他的工作主要是在肌肉骨骼生理学和废用骨质疏松症领域。这项研究显然对宇航员极为重要。他在1987年完成了这个资助的项目。接下来的一年，他接受了美国空军的航空学校的飞行外科医生的训练。他的职责包括空间适应的临床调查和制定长时间太空飞行的对策。当休斯顿那年公开招募宇航员的时候，他递交了自己的申请。1988年，NASA回答说，我们觉得你的申请很不错，但是我们还是选择了更合适的人选；同时我们愿意给你一个约翰逊宇航中心的职位。哈里斯很失望，但也心存一线希望。他决定转到约翰逊宇航中心任生物医学科学家和飞行外科医生，在那里他他对空间适应进行了临床调查并指定长时间太空飞行的对策。他在NASA艾姆斯研究中心和约翰逊宇航中心帮助他走进宇航员的梦想。 1988年，当NASA再次公开招募宇航员时，哈里斯毫不犹豫地再次递交了申请。终於在1990年1月，哈里斯被NASA 选中参加宇航员培训。跟他同时入选的还有华裔焦立中和现在的约翰逊宇航中心主任西裔女宇航员埃伦·奥乔亚。1991年7月哈里斯正式成为NASA宇航员。那年一共有六千多人申请，NASA只选出了23人。可见其竞争之激烈。他的故事告诉我们，有时候，失败是一个可以接受的结果，因为失败让你能重新评估自己，找到不足，从而让你进步。关键是，你不能让失败决定你的命运，而应该让失败重新塑造你。这就是他成功的秘诀。 来源： NASA 1991年8月，他作为任务专家执行了航天飞机的第STS-55次航班。这次飞行正好是航天飞机使用一周年。他在航天飞机上进行了一系列物理和生命科学实验。 来源：Youtube 他的第二次任务是作为STS-63航班的搭载指令长在1995年2月2日到11日执行的第一次俄国和美国的联合太空飞行。这次飞行的一个重要任务就是航天飞机与俄国的和平工作站会合（但不真地对接）。就是在这次任务中，他成为了首个太空行走的黑人宇航员。他回忆这个经历时，对亲眼看到的美丽地球印象极深。“这只有神才能有的视境。而我作为第一为非裔竟然得到了这个殊荣。”除了推送一颗人造卫星，他还有一个特殊的使命：为他的母校德州理工大学医学院拍摄一张地球的全景图。当时和另一位出舱的宇航员迈克尔·福勒（ Michael Foale ）已经完成了任务。福乐脚睬在机械臂上，哈里斯用两条绳子连在福勒的身上。哈里斯建议福勒给他拍一张举枪（gun up）的照片。哈里斯用手推福勒一把，使自己飘离福勒。当绳子用尽的那个瞬间他做出了举枪的姿势。遗憾的是，福勒没有拍到他摆出的姿势。他又尝试了两次后，终於得到了一张完美的照片。完成了所有任务之后，他们开始往回收拾工具。他突然感觉自己是如此之小，航天飞机在大气层的边缘上以17500英里/小时的时速围绕地球飞行，如果有一架外星人的飞船飞过，可怕他们也无法发现自己。但他又意识到自己正在做出一个壮举。他是世界上仅有的到达过太空的350人之一，他是世界上仅有的太空行走的70人之一，他是仅有的15位进入太空的非裔美国人之一，而在这次飞行中，他成为了第一位执行太空行走的非裔美国人。这样的成就都是因为他童年的那个梦想。 1996年，他获得了德州大学医学分校的生物医学的硕士学位，并在这段时间里考取了私人飞机和员和潜水员的执照。 1996年4月，他离开NASA，但仍然从事航天方面的事务。他做过SPACEHAB的副总裁和Space Media的副总裁。后者现在是联合国教育项目的一部分。现在他是一家投资公司的总裁和CEO。 哈里斯被授予过很多奖励，其中有莫尔豪斯学院、纽约州立大学石溪分校、新泽西理工学院和休斯顿大学的荣誉博士学位，以及NASA太空飞行奖章、NASA荣誉奖章、NASA平权奖章、NASA杰出领袖奖章等等。 来源： City of Arlington 现在，他有了自己的基金会，致力于教育下一代青少年。有一句话是他常对他们说的：“我是一位具有无限可能的无限存在者”（I am an infinite being with infinite possibilities）。他要告诉他们，每个人出生的时候都是带着多方面的天赋和做任何想要做的事情的能力来到这个世界的，再加上后天的努力和学习而发展了其他的技能。更重要的是，每个人来到这个世界上都必有他的用武之地。而每一位年青人需要做的就是去找到自己的用武之地。一旦这个地方被找到了，他将改变世界。
\0 Predicting Malaria Outbreaks With NASA Satellites In the Amazon Rainforest, few animals are as dangerous to humans as mosquitos that transmit malaria. The tropical disease can bring on high fever, headaches and chills and is particularly severe for children and the elderly and can cause complications for pregnant women. In rainforest-covered Peru, the number of malaria cases has spiked. In the past five years, the country has had on average the second highest rate in the South America. In each of the years 2014 and 2015 there were 65,000 reported cases. Containing malaria outbreaks is challenging because it is difficult to figure out where people are contracting the disease. As a result, resources such as insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor sprays are often deployed to areas where few people are getting infected, allowing the outbreak to grow. To tackle this problem, university researchers have turned to data from NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites, which are able to track the types of human and environmental events that typically precede an outbreak. With funding from NASA’s Applied Sciences Program, they are working in partnership with the Peruvian government to develop a system that uses satellite and other data to help forecast outbreaks at the household level months in advance and prevent them from happening. Tracking Mosquitos Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes are most responsible for spreading malaria in the Peruvian Amazon. Credits: copyrights Fábio Medeiros da Costa, via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) License terms In the Amazon, the Anopheles darlingi mosquito species is most responsible for spreading malaria, which is caused by single-celled parasites called Plasmodia . Females (and only females) ingest the parasite upon feeding on the blood of an infected human and can pass it on to the next human it feeds on. “Malaria is a vector-borne disease, which means you have to have a vector, or mosquito, in this case, transmit the disease,” said principal investigator William Pan, an assistant professor of global environmental health at Duke University. “The key to our malaria forecasting tool lies in pinpointing areas where prime breeding grounds for these mosquitos overlap simultaneously with human populations.” Predicting where these mosquitos will flourish relies on identifying areas with warm air temperatures and calm waters, such as ponds and puddles, which they need for laying eggs. Researchers are turning to the Land Data Assimilation System, or LDAS: a land-surface modeling effort supported by NASA and other organizations. NASA satellites, such as Landsat, Global Precipitation Measurement, and Terra and Aqua, serve as inputs for LDAS, which in turn provides ongoing information on precipitation, temperature, soil moisture and vegetation around the world. While not identifying puddles and ponds outright, LDAS shows where they are very likely to form. For example, flooding may overflow riverbanks or heavy rains can saturate the soil, allowing water to pool. “It’s an exercise in indirect reasoning,” said Ben Zaitchik, the project’s co-investigator responsible for the LDAS component and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “These models let us predict where the soil moisture is going to be in a condition that will allow for breeding sites to form.” A map showing the rivers the Peruvian Amazon and surrounding areas. Precipitation and other environmental conditions affect river height, which can impact the number of mosquito breeding sites along their banks. Credits: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio Through satellite-derived vegetation and land cover maps, LDAS also tracks another major indicator for future malaria outbreaks: deforestation, in particular when road development is involved. When roads are built, bulldozers dig ditches to dispose of trees and other vegetative waste; when filled with rainwater those ditches become mosquito breeding sites. When infected people traverse these roads and transmit the disease to Anopheles darlingi , an outbreak can occur. Tracking Humans While LDAS tracks weather and deforestation to identify emerging mosquito populations and future outbreak hotspots, reported malaria cases place the infected on the map. But for the purposes of predicting an outbreak, that map doesn’t tell a complete story. In Peru, malaria is diagnosed and treated at health posts scattered around the country, and resources are dispatched to those posts to contain outbreaks. The problem with this approach to containment, according to Pan, is that the health post where a person seeks treatment isn’t always near where he or she contracted the disease. That’s because those who are at greatest risk for malaria spend several months of the year logging or mining, which often sends them on journeys far from their homes. Finding where people are getting infected forms the crux of the malaria forecast system, and Pan is developing a regional-based statistical model and a more detailed agent-based model to target these hotspots. For the regional model, reported cases of malaria are incorporated along with population estimates for each county and assumptions about where people are traveling based on seasonal migration studies. Integrating environmental data through LDAS not only places mosquito populations on the map but also helps to inform human movement, for example, by detecting rising rivers during the rainy season. “It’s much easier to float logs down a river when its high, and at the same time mosquitos thrive because pockets of water emerge along the riverbank,” Pan explained, “so these types of conditions correspond with high malaria risk.” The regional model will provide a big-picture look at how humans, mosquitoes, and the disease are located and where they’re headed based on how those variables interact. At the same time, the agent-based model—named because it models the behavior of every agent, or every human, mosquito, and malaria parasite within an area—will zoom in on a tighter geographic space by utilizing high-resolution hydrology data and by homing in on neighborhoods and the movement of people. In combination with LDAS data, the model will run a simulation to assess the probability of when, where and how many people are expected to get bitten and infected with the disease. Preventing an Outbreak According to Pan, the two models will be used to project forward 12 weeks and pinpoint, down to the household level, where the disease is predicted to take hold. The models will also simulate what would result from any one of several actions, from handing out bed nets and sprays that can reduce human-mosquito contact to administering preventive anti-malaria treatment that can stop transmission. Based on the results, the ministry of health can carry out the optimum plan. Bed nets create a physical barrier against mosquitoes for people sleeping beneath them. Credits: U.S. Peace Corps The agent-based model’s ability to make projections down to the household level allows for resources to go where they’re needed. It would be a marked turn from the government’s current method, which is to distribute resources broadly, sometimes to areas that may not need them. “Instead of treating 100 percent of the community, we could focus vector control in certain households or specific areas of the community,” Pan explained. “It’s a targeted strategy that can achieve the same reduction in malaria, but at potentially lower cost and with a more rapid response.” As the project enters the third of its three-year grant, Pan and his colleagues continue to refine the models. He estimates the forecasting tool could be ready for use within a few years. The Peruvian government is already working with Pan to familiarize itself with the system, particularly as it begins its Malaria Cero program, which aims to eliminate the disease by 2021. Other countries, including Colombia and Ecuador, have expressed interest. While this project is focused on malaria, Pan noted that one of the advantages of the tool is its adaptability, as the LDAS and population models can be used for tracking not only malaria but also a number of other diseases, such as Zika and Dengue. “I think that government health agencies will find not just one but many uses for the system that can benefit a lot people,” he said. “That’s always been our goal.” By Samson Reiny NASA's Earth Science News Team Last Updated:Sept. 13, 2017 Editor:Sara Blumberg Tags: Aqua Satellite , Benefits to You , Earth , Goddard Space Flight Center , GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) , Hazards , Landsat , Terra Satellite \0 \0 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/using-nasa-satellite-data-to-predict-malaria-outbreaks \0
NASA: let's say something to Voyager 1 on 40th anniversary of launch August 15, 2017 NASA says Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to detect lightning on a planet other than Earth - Jupiter NASA is seeking suggestions from the public for a message to beam far, far out into space to the probe Voyager 1 in time for the 40th anniversary of its launch. The US space agency wants input via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other social media , and the public will vote on what short message we on earth should send to the intrepid, overachieving little space traveler. NASA said on its website that people have until August 15 to make submissions of a maximum of 60 characters. NASA, its Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Voyager team will cull them, and the public will vote to pick the winner to send toward Voyager 1 on September 5. That probe is now almost 13 billion miles from Earth. It is the most distant human-made object ever. And it is the first spacecraft to enter what is known as interstellar space. NASA defines this as beginning where the sun's flow of material and its magnetic field stop affecting its surroundings. Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977, and a sister ship, Voyager 2, actually went up about two weeks earlier. Both traveled on Titan-Centaur rockets. The mission of both was study the solar system's giant, gaseous outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Saturn and its main rings as seen in this NASA photo are among the wonders visited as part of the Voyager space probe missions Voyager 2 went up first because its trajectory was a longer, slower one. It is now almost 11 billion miles from home. The resumes of both on a project that was never designed to last so long or reap so much treasure are simply eye-popping. For instance, NASA says Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to detect lightning on a planet other than Earth. It was on Jupiter. And both Voyagers found suggestions of an ocean beyond Earth. This was on Jupiter's moon Europa. The list of other achievements is long. Explore further: Voyager spacecraft still reaching for the stars and setting records after 40 years
The Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) produces and distributes a standard suite of ocean color products for all compatible sensors at Level-2 and Level-3, plus sea surface temperature (SST) products from MODIS. The OBPG also produces a suite of Level-3 evaluation products. Descriptions and references for these standard and evaluation products are provided on http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cms/atbd .
2014年NASA新启动5项地球科学任务 美国国家航空航天局（ NASA ）将在 2014 年启动 5 项地球科学任务，通过发射 3 颗卫星携带 5 个观测仪器，利用新的技术来监测不断变化的地球。其中 2 项任务是发送监测仪器到国际空间站，观测海洋表面风力、云和气溶胶，标志着 NASA 第一次使用轨道实验室作为地球观测平台，一系列新的仪器也将第一次从空间站常规观测地球。 NASA 局长 Charles Bolden 称新的任务虽然是聚焦地球，但却在为未来的小行星与火星任务做准备。随着 2014 年 5 项新的任务启动，将是我们重新认识地球的一年，将会与之前的理解有显著的不同。这也是 10 多年来 NASA 首次在一年内实施 5 项地球科学观测任务。 （ 1 ）全球降水测量（ GPM ）核心天文台 2014 年第一项新的任务是 NASA 与日本宇宙航空研究开发机构（ JAXA ）开展的国际合作项目全球降水测量核心天文台，预计在 2 月 27 日发射。 GPM 平台组成的对地观测星座，将对地球上的降水进行相关的测绘任务，对全球范围内每 3 个小时的降雨、降雪进行实时的观测和记录，提高我们对气球变化、全球水循环、水资源管理与天气预报的认识。 The first new NASA Earth science mission of 2014 is the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a joint international project with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Launch is scheduled for Feb. 27 from Japan. Image Credit: NAS （ 2 ）测量海面风速和风向的快速散射仪（ RapidScat ） 水是一切生命活动的基本需求。我们必须了解水和大气、海洋和陆地之间水分的传输与转移细节，来预测变化的气候和可利用的水资源。 NASA 计划 6 月搭乘太空探索技术公司（ SpaceX ）“猎鹰” -9 火箭与“龙”飞船从佛罗里达州的卡纳维拉尔角空军基地发射，向国际空间站发送被称为“快速散射计”（ RapidScat ）的雷达散射计，用来测量海面风速和风向，主要用于气象预报、海洋和飓风监测等。 RapidScat 将获得重要的水循环数据，测量海水表面盐度变化与地下水含水层变化，数据将及时提供给美国国家海洋与大气管理局（ NOAA ）和其他机构来改善飓风强度预测。国际空间站作为一个独特的平台已经在科学研究与技术发现方面发挥了超过 13 年的作用，它的中倾斜轨道可以在当地时间持续对约 85% 的地球表面进行观测。 The first of two 2014 Earth science missions to the International Space Station, ISS-RapidScat will extend the data record of ocean winds around the globe, a key factor in climate research and weather forecasting. ISS-Rapidscat is set to launch in June. Image Credit: NASA （ 3 ）轨道碳观测（ OCO-2 ） NASA 将在 7 月从加利福尼亚州的范登堡空军基地发射轨道碳观测（ OCO-2 ）卫星，加强对气候变化中二氧化碳作用的认识。 OCO-2 将替代 2009 年发射失败的 OCO-1 ，对导致全球变暖的温室气体进行研究，试图在地面、空中、海上等平台对碳排放、碳循环进行精确地测量，提高对温室气体的自然来源与人为排放的理解。 The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2, set to launch in July, will make precise, global measurements of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that is the largest human-generated contributor to global warming. Image Credit: NASA （ 4 ）云 - 气溶胶传输系统（ CATS ） 2014 年 NASA 地球科学任务部的第 4 次计划任务是在国际空间站上安装云 - 气溶胶传输系统（ CATS ）激光雷达，将提供云层结构和高度的细节数据，实现低成本快速监测地球大气层、污染及云层。气溶胶对人类健康和全球环境均有较大影响，对其进行观测具有重要意义。 CATS 任务还将帮助 NASA 验证激光雷达技术，该技术已经在空基应用中使用但从未在轨使用。 CATS 计划在 9 月从卡纳维拉尔角搭乘“猎鹰” -9 火箭抵达国际空间站。 The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System instrument shown here is scheduled to launch in September on a SpaceX ISS commercial resupply flight. (Photo courtesy NASA) （ 5 ）土壤湿度主被动探测卫星（ SMAP ） NASA 计划在 11 月发射 SMAP 卫星对土壤湿度进行测量，从而获得高分辨率全球土壤湿度图，提供土壤冻融状态的指示迹象，加深对水循环、能源与碳循环的理解，支持地表水资源管理决策需求，此外还将用于农作物生产力、农业气象预报，以及洪水与干旱灾情监测。 SMAP 将是美国国家研究委员会（ NRC ） 2007 年地球科学十年调查中的最高优先级地球科学任务的首次发射。 SMAP 卫星携带了一台辐射计和一台 L 频段合成孔径雷达。 NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will track Earth's water into one of its last hiding places: the soil. SMAP soil moisture data will aid in predictions of agricultural productivity, weather and climate. SMAP is scheduled to launch in November. Image Credit: NASA 由于 RapidScat 和 CATS 这 2 个仪器发射到空间站，将使得国际空间站进入它自己作为研究地球系统与全球变化的重要平台，这是国际空间站成为全球地球观测网络一部分的开始， NASA 还将利用研究飞行器装备先进的传感器，以促进地球科学研究。 2014 年 NASA 主持的 12 次飞行计划将研究极地冰盖、城市空气污染、飓风、生态系统健康，其范围覆盖美国、中美洲和南美洲、南极洲与北极圈。在 2014 年，由 NASA 应用科学计划资助的项目将解决在墨西哥湾、美国西南部缺水区和湄公河三角洲洪水管理的生态系统问题。 NASA 的地球科学技术办公室将测试新的传感器，以提高湖泊与水库水位、二氧化碳、陆地生态系统，以及自然灾害的监测。 参考文献 ： http://ens-newswire.com/2014/01/23/nasa-to-launch-five-earth-science-missions-to-space-in-2014/ http://www.nasa.gov/content/overview-a-big-year-for-nasa-earth-science/#.UuHZ_rKS2Ma http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/23/3199111/nasa-missions-research-earth/ 资料提供： 中国科学院遥感与数字地球研究所；中国科学院国家科学图书馆兰州分馆/中国科学院资源环境科学信息中心 网址：http://www.radi.ac.cn/dtxw/qysm/201403/t20140303_4043733.html
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