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By Space Force
Suicide prevention is a top military priority every day, but takes on even greater focus each September, designated since 2008 as National Suicide Prevention month.
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By Space Force
The trip consisted of engagements with senior leaders in Belgium, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Estonia and Poland to reinforce the indispensable alliances that ensure security in the region.
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By European Space Agency
Image: Firefighters in Greece are battling a rapidly spreading wildfire that has swept across several neighbourhoods in Athens, Greece, on Monday. Thousands of residents have been evacuated as the massive fire reached the suburbs of Athens, with some flames reaching heights of 25 m.
This image shows the fires surrounding Athens on 12 August 2024, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. This image has been processed in a way that highlights vegetation in red, while the burned areas can be seen in black. The estimated affected area exceeds 100 sq km.
In response to the fires, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service was activated to cover the fire event affecting the Attica Region. Copernicus EMS Rapid Mapping was requested to provide an initial rough estimate, as well as emergency mapping of the fire’s extent and damage assessment.
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites, each carrying an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands for monitoring changes in Earth’s land and vegetation.
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By NASA
Timothy Lang (ST11) is a co-author on an article titled “Effective Visualization of Radar Data for Users Impacted by Color Vision Deficiency”, which was recently accepted for publication in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The article is led by Zachary Sherman of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and it is an outgrowth of a long-standing collaboration on open science between ANL, MSFC, and other institutions that predates NASA Science Policy Directive (SPD) 41a and the Transform to Open Science (TOPS) campaign. Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) affects up to 8% of genetic males and 0.5% of genetic females, and traditional color maps used in radar meteorology and other Earth sciences often lack perceptual accuracy and clarity when viewed by those affected by CVD. The article reviews new color maps that convey useful and clear scientific information whether viewed by those with normal color perception or those with CVD. These color maps are available in open-source repositories like cmweather (https://github.com/openradar/cmweather) and pyart (http://arm-doe.github.io/pyart/). The article and the open-source CVD-friendly color maps are excellent examples of the greater inclusivity fostered when open science is practiced.
Read the paper at: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/aop/BAMS-D-23-0056.1/BAMS-D-23-0056.1.xml.
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By NASA
ASIA-AQ DC-8 aircraft flies over Bangkok, Thailand to monitor seasonal haze from fire smoke and urban pollution. Photo credit: Rafael Luis Méndez Peña. Tracking the spread of harmful air pollutants across large regions requires aircraft, satellites, and diverse team of scientists. NASA’s global interest in the threat of air pollution extends into Asia, where it works with partners on the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ). This international mission integrates satellite data and aircraft measurements with local air quality ground monitoring and modeling efforts across Asia.
Orchestrating a mission of this scale requires complicated agreements between countries, the coordination of aircraft and scientific instrumentation, and the mobilization of scientists from across the globe. To make this possible, ARC’s Earth Science Project Office (ESPO) facilitated each phase of the campaign, from site preparation and aircraft deployment to sensitive data management and public outreach.
“Successfully meeting the ASIA-AQ mission logistics requirements was an incredible effort in an uncertainty-filled environment and a very constrained schedule to execute and meet those requirements,” explains ASIA-AQ Project Manager Jhony Zavaleta. “Such effort drew on the years long experience on international shipping expertise, heavy equipment operations, networking and close coordination with international service providers and all of the U.S. embassies at each of our basing locations.”
Map of planned ASIA-AQ operational regions. Yellow circles indicate the original areas of interest for flight sampling. The overlaid colormap shows annual average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations observed by the TROPOMI satellite with red colors indicating the most polluted locations. Understanding Air Quality Globally
ASIA-AQ benefits our understanding of air quality and the factors controlling its daily variability by investigating the ways that air quality can be observed and quantified. The airborne measurements collected during the campaign are directly integrated with existing satellite observations of air quality, local air quality monitoring networks, other available ground assets, and models to provide a level of detail otherwise unavailable to advance understanding of regional air quality and improve future integration of satellite and ground monitoring information.
ESPO’s Mission-Critical Contributions
Facilitating collaboration between governmental agencies and the academic community by executing project plans, navigating bureaucratic hurdles, and consensus building. Mission planning for two NASA aircraft. AFRC DC-8 completed 16 science flights, totaling 125 flight hours. The LaRC GIII completed 35 science flights, totaling 157.7 flight hours. Enabling international fieldwork and workforce mobilization by coordinating travel, securing authorizations and documentation, and maintaining relationships with local research partners. Managing outreach to local governments and schools. ASIA-AQ team members showcased tools used for air quality science to elementary/middle/high school students. Recent news feature here. View of ASIA-AQ aircraft in Bangkok, Thailand. ESPO staff from left to right: Dan Chirica, Marilyn Vasques, Sam Kim, Jhony Zavaleta, and Andrian Liem. Aircraft from left to right: Korean Meteorological Agency/National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, NASA LaRC GIII, NSASA DC-8, (2) Hanseo University, Sunny Air (private aircraft contracted by Korean Meteorological Agency). Photo: Rafael Mendez Peña. The flying laboratory of NASA’s DC-8
NASA flew its DC-8 aircraft, picture above, equipped with instrumentation to monitor the quality, source, and movement of harmful air pollutants. Scientists onboard used the space as a laboratory to analyze data in real-time and share it with a network of researchers who aim to tackle this global issue.
“Bringing the DC-8 flying laboratory and US researchers to Asian countries not only advances atmospheric research but also fosters international scientific collaboration and education,” said ESPO Project Specialist Vidal Salazar. “Running a campaign like ASIA AQ also opens doors for shared knowledge and exposes local communities to cutting-edge research.”
Fostering Partnerships Through Expertise and Goodwill
International collaboration fostered through this campaign contributes to an ongoing dialogue about air pollution between Asian countries.
“NASA’s continued scientific and educational activities around the world are fundamental to building relationships with partnering countries,” said ESPO Director Marilyn Vasques. “NASA’s willingness to share data and provide educational opportunities to locals creates goodwill worldwide.”
The role of ESPO in identifying, strategizing, and executing on project plans across the globe created a path for multi-sectoral community engagement on air quality. These global efforts to improve air quality science directly inform efforts to save lives from this hazard that affects all.
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