NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

June 15, 2024

Prominences and Filaments on the Active Sun

This colorized and sharpened image of the Sun is composed of frames recording emission from hydrogen atoms in the solar chromosphere on May 15. Approaching the maximum of solar cycle 25, a multitude of active regions and twisting, snake-like solar filaments are seen to sprawl across the surface of the active Sun. Suspend in the active regions' strong magnetic fields, the filaments of plasma lofted above the Sun's edge appear as bright solar prominences. The large prominences seen near 4 o'clock, and just before 9 o'clock around the solar limb are post flare loops from two powerful X-class solar flares that both occurred on that day. In fact, the 4 o'clock prominence is associated with the monster active region AR 3664 just rotating off the Sun's edge.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?

NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts

JUN 14, 2024

This summer between June 17 and July 2, NASA will fly aircraft over Baltimore, Philadelphia, parts of Virginia, and California to collect data on air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.

The campaign supports the NASA Student Airborne Research Program for undergraduate interns.

The East Coast flights will take place from June 17-26. Researchers and students will fly multiple times each week in Dynamic Aviation’s King Air B200 aircraft at an altitude of 1,000 feet over Baltimore and Philadelphia as well as Norfolk, Hampton, Hopewell, and Richmond in Virginia. Meanwhile, a NASA P-3 aircraft based out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia will fly over the same East Coast locations to collect different measurements.

The West Coast flights will occur from June 29 – July 2. During the period, those same aircraft will conduct similar operations over Los Angeles, Imperial Valley, and Tulare Basin in California.

The research aircraft will fly at lower altitudes than most commercial planes and will conduct maneuvers including vertical spirals from 1,000 to 10,000 feet, circling over power plants, landfills, and urban areas.

They will also occasionally conduct “missed approaches” at local airports, where the aircraft will perform a low-level flyby over a runway to collect samples close to the surface.

The aircraft carry instruments that will collect data on a range of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and methane, as well as air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and ozone.

One purpose of this campaign is to validate space-based measurements observed by the TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) mission.

Launched on a commercial satellite in April 2023, the TEMPO instrument provides hourly daytime measurements of air pollutants across the United States, northern Mexico, and southern Canada.

“The goal is that this data we collect will feed into policy decisions that affect air quality and climate in the region,” said Glenn Wolfe, a research scientist and the principal investigator for the campaign at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The B-200 aircraft is owned by Dynamics Aviation, an aircraft company contracted by NASA.

https://www.nasa.gov/earth/nasa-led-mission-to-map-air-pollution-over-both-u-s-coasts/

>>21026102

Roseanneon

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3807444/secaf-csaf-sign-afmedcom-pad-align-with-key-readiness-priorities/

SecAF, CSAF sign AFMEDCOM PAD, align with key readiness priorities

June 14, 2024

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin postured the Air Force Medical Service to better serve installation commanders and the medical readiness of Airmen and Guardians by signing Program Action Directive 24-01, June 12.

The PAD authorizes the formation of the Air Force Medical Command as a direct reporting unit aligned with the Secretary of the Air Force’s readiness priorities and support capabilities lines of effort.

Previously, the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, the AFMS’s former field operating agency, redesignated as Air Force Medical Agency and achieved initial operational capability in October 2023.

It served as an initial step toward the CSAF’s direction to transform elements of the office Air Force Surgeon General headquarters functions into AFMEDCOM.

“This alignment will improve the Air Force’s ability to generate medically ready forces, provide installation support, and improve our partnership with the Defense Health Agency to optimize health care delivery,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Miller, U.S. Air Force surgeon general.

“This is aligned with the Department of Air Force’s efforts to reemphasize its focus on readiness.” Miller said AFMEDCOM will provide an operational medical capability - organized, trained and equipped - to be an organic part of the DAF’s warfighting force elements.

The command will ensure DAF Airmen, Guardians and their families receive timely and quality medical care, whether assigned to installations supported by large or small military treatment facilities. It will also meet DHA commitments to serve the larger beneficiary population.

The Air Force is following through on the PAD by adopting a phased approach to effectively stand up AFMEDCOM. “We’ve done extensive planning and coordination, but there’s still more work to do,” Miller said.

“This is a significant moment in the Air Force’s history, and we want to ensure AFMEDCOM is implemented seamlessly and correctly.” No immediate changes will occur at the installation level.

As part of the implementation plan, over the next few months, AFMEDCOM leaders will refine the headquarters structure and ensure personnel fully transition to their role on the AFMEDCOM staff.

Meanwhile, planners will continue to develop command relationships and roles and responsibilities before any permanent changes are implemented at the installation level.

When finalized, AFMEDCOM will provide command and control of its personnel to execute DAF and AF/SG readiness requirements.

“We’re taking a conditions-based approach to ensure the effective transfer of personnel and responsibilities of AFMEDCOM,” said Maj. Gen. John DeGoes, U.S. Air Force deputy surgeon general.

“We’ve had extensive conversations with leadership at all levels. AFMS is a critical component of readiness and ensuring commanders have the medical support they need is essential.”

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According to the PAD, in addition to serving as the principal medical advisor to the SecAF, CSAF and Chief of Space Operations, the Air Force surgeon general will serve as the AFMEDCOM commander and will lead AFMEDCOM’s functions.

These include providing medical command authority needed to optimize, organize and train for readiness; maximizing focus on Air Force Force Generation support to the U.S. Air Force and Space Force;

providing an Air Force-led intermediate management structure to preside over military treatment facilities; and deconflicting operational requirements to ensure optimized health care delivery.

AFMEDCOM’s structure includes two regional commands, Medical Readiness Command Alpha and MRC Bravo, each overseeing subordinate medical units.

Among the conditions for AFMEDCOM as a direct reporting unit, it is to achieve initial operational capability for all layers of headquarters to have staffing.

“Eventually, medical groups currently aligned to major commands or field commands will be formally reclassified as AFMEDCOM capabilities aligned under medical wings, but not for some time,” DeGoes said.

He explained that when the Air Force begins transferring the groups under AFMEDCOM, that action will be done thoughtfully, incrementally and in full coordination with major commands, field commands and installations.

A programming plan will follow with required steps to implement and execute these functions. This plan will include a detailed approach to align installation-level medical units and assigned personnel.

In the years since Congress implemented the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 and transferred health care authorities from the services to the DHA, the services have worked closely with DHA to manage priorities.

AFMS planners analyzed Air Force concerns voiced by service leaders at the CORONA Commander’s Conference in the fall of 2022 and evaluated DHA’s market structure as well as its sister service medical structures.

The planners then worked with Air Force leaders to determine the best course of action moving forward; AFMEDCOM was the solution.

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