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NASA Research To Be Featured at American Astronomical Society Meeting
Jan 10, 2025
From new perspectives on the early universe to illuminating the extreme environment near a black hole, discoveries from NASA missions will be highlighted at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
The meeting will take place Jan. 12-16 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Press conferences highlighting results enabled by NASA missions will stream live on the AAS Press Office YouTube channel.
Additional agency highlights for registered attendees include:
NASA Town Hall: Monday, Jan. 13, 12:45 p.m. EST
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Town Hall: Tuesday, Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m. EST
James Webb Space Telescope Town Hall: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m. EST
Throughout the week, experts at the NASA Exhibit Booth will deliver science talks about missions including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (also called “Webb” or “JWST”), Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), and NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station that will be repaired in a spacewalk Jan. 16.
Talks will also highlight future missions such as Pandora, Roman, LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), the Habitable Worlds Observatory, and SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), which is targeted to launch in late February; as well as mission concepts for NASA’s new Probe Explorers mission class in astrophysics, open science, heliophysics, and NASA Science Activation.
cont.
https://science.nasa.gov/directorates/smd/astrophysics-division/nasa-research-to-be-featured-at-american-astronomical-society-meeting/
https://www.youtube.com/c/AASPressOffice
Spacewalk Preps, Biology Research Wrap Up Week Aboard Station
January 10, 2025
The Expedition 72 crew wrapped up the week aboard the International Space Station preparing for a spacewalk to service science and station hardware next week.
The orbital residents also continued their biotechnology and human research activities to advance health on Earth and in space.
Two spacewalks are scheduled for Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 to maintain astrophysics research gear, replace advanced communications gear, and search for potential microbes living on the outside the space orbital outpost.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams will go on the first spacewalk and spend about six-and-a-half hours patching a light leak on the NICER X-ray telescope, readying the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future upgrades, and replacing station orientation and navigation gear.
The pair was joined by NASA Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore on Friday reviewing next week’s spacewalk procedures and conferring with engineers on the ground.
The second spacewalk will see two yet-to-be-announced astronauts exiting the station’s Quest airlock to replace an antenna assembly, search for external microbes, and checkout the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Both spacewalks will begin around 7 a.m. with NASA+ coverage starting at 5:30 a.m.
Hague began his day processing samples of micro-algae that may be able to produce food to sustain crews and oxygen to support spacecraft life support systems.
Next, he downloaded his health data collected for analysis after he jogged on the COLBERT treadmill and worked out on the advanced resistive exercise device.
The other three NASA astronauts including Commander Williams and Flight Engineers Pettit and Wilmore spent the first half of their day on a variety of orbital maintenance.
Williams checked out components on a fluorescence biology microscope while Pettit and Hague serviced electronics, plumbing, and life support systems.
Working in the station’s Roscosmos segment, cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner took turns exploring how a crew member living in weightlessness uses vision to adapt their sense of balance and orientation.
Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov inspected piloting and navigation gear throughout his shift on Friday.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2025/01/10/spacewalk-preps-biology-research-wrap-up-week-aboard-station/
First NASA Neurodiversity Network Intern to Present at the American Geophysical Union Annual Conference
Jan 10, 2025
The NASA Science Activation Program's NASA's Neurodiversity Network (N3) project sponsors a summer internship program for high school students, in which learners on the autism spectrum are matched with NASA Subject Matter Experts.
N3 intern Lillian Hall and mentor Dr. Juan Carlos Martinez Oliveros presented Lilly’s summer research project on December 9 at the 2024 American Geophysical Union conference in Washington, D.C. Their poster, entitled “Eclipse Megamovie: Image Processing”, represents the first time an N3 intern has co-authored a presentation at the prestigious AGU conference.
The NASA Citizen Science project, Eclipse Megamovie, is leveraging the power of citizen science to construct a high-resolution time-lapse of the Sun's corona during the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse.
By coordinating the work of hundreds of participants along the path of totality, a substantial dataset of images was obtained.
The goal of the project is to unveil dynamic transformations in the Sun's atmosphere that are only visible during a total solar eclipse.
To process the vast quantity of imaging data collected, Lilly assisted Dr. Martinez Oliveros and other researchers in implementing a robust pipeline involving image calibration, registration, and co-location.
Image registration techniques aligned the solar features across different frames, compensating for Earth's rotation and camera movement.
Finally, they used imaging techniques to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, revealing subtle coronal structures and possible dynamics.
This comprehensive data processing methodology has enabled the extraction of meaningful scientific information from the Eclipse Megamovie dataset.
Here's what Lilly had to say: "Working with N3 has given me a chance to use my neurodiverse perspective to make an impact on NASA research.
Through the processes of my project and the opportunity to share it at the American Geophysical Union conference, I am so grateful to have found my spot in the planetary science field I dream to continue researching in the future."
https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/first-nasa-neurodiversity-network-intern-to-present-at-the-american-geophysical-union-annual-conference/
Temperatures Rising: NASA Confirms 2024 Warmest Year on Record
Jan 10, 2025
Earth’s average surface temperature in 2024 was the warmest on record, according to an analysis led by NASA scientists.
Global temperatures in 2024 were 2.30 degrees Fahrenheit (1.28 degrees Celsius) above the agency’s 20th-century baseline (1951-1980), which tops the record set in 2023.
The new record comes after 15 consecutive months (June 2023 through August 2024) of monthly temperature records — an unprecedented heat streak.
“Once again, the temperature record has been shattered — 2024 was the hottest year since record keeping began in 1880,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“Between record breaking temperatures and wildfires currently threatening our centers and workforce in California, it has never been more important to understand our changing planet.”
NASA scientists further estimate Earth in 2024 was about 2.65 degrees Fahrenheit (1.47 degrees Celsius) warmer than the mid-19th century average (1850-1900).
For more than half of 2024, average temperatures were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the baseline, and the annual average, with mathematical uncertainties, may have exceeded the level for the first time.
“The Paris Agreement on climate change sets forth efforts to remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius over the long term.
To put that in perspective, temperatures during the warm periods on Earth three million years ago — when sea levels were dozens of feet higher than today — were only around 3 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.
“We are halfway to Pliocene-level warmth in just 150 years.”
Scientists have concluded the warming trend of recent decades is driven by heat-trapping carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases.
In 2022 and 2023, Earth saw record increases in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, according to a recent international analysis.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from pre-industrial levels in the 18th century of approximately 278 parts per million to about 420 parts per million today.
NASA and other federal agencies regularly collect data on greenhouse gas concentrations and emissions.
These data are available at the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center, a multi-agency effort that consolidates information from observations and models, with a goal of providing decision-makers with one location for data and analysis.
Exceptional heat trends
The temperatures of individual years can be influenced by natural climate fluctuations such as El Niño and La Niña, which alternately warm and cool the tropical Pacific Ocean.
The strong El Niño that began in fall 2023 helped nudge global temperatures above previous records.
The heat surge that began in 2023 continued to exceed expectations in 2024, Schmidt said, even though El Niño abated.
Researchers are working to identify contributing factors, including possible climate impacts of the January 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption and reductions in pollution, which may change cloud cover and how solar energy is reflected back into space.
“Not every year is going to break records, but the long-term trend is clear,” Schmidt said.
“We’re already seeing the impact in extreme rainfall, heat waves, and increased flood risk, which are going to keep getting worse as long as emissions continue.”
Seeing changes locally
NASA assembles its temperature record using surface air temperature data collected from tens of thousands of meteorological stations, as well as sea surface temperature data acquired by ship- and buoy-based instruments.
This data is analyzed using methods that account for the varied spacing of temperature stations around the globe and for urban heating effects that could skew the calculations.
A new assessment published earlier this year by scientists at the Colorado School of Mines, National Science Foundation, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), and NASA further increases confidence in the agency’s global and regional temperature data.
“When changes happen in the climate, you see it first in the global mean, then you see it at the continental scale and then at the regional scale.
Now, we’re seeing it at the local level,” Schmidt said. “The changes occurring in people’s everyday weather experiences have become abundantly clear.”
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/temperatures-rising-nasa-confirms-2024-warmest-year-on-record/
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/measuring_global_temperature/
https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCfSkBvo22o
Researchers: Apply Now to Help Advance Tissue Chip Research for Space Exploration
January 11, 2025
The NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) is now accepting research proposals to advance remote biomarker analysis capabilities in microphysiological systems (MPS), also known as tissue chips, for space exploration.
What are we seeking?
This solicitation seeks innovative solutions to improve in-situ measurement technologies for use during future deep space missions, where traditional sample return to Earth may not be feasible.
This solicitation falls under TRISH’s SENTINEL (Science ENterprise to INform Exploration Limits) program.
By advancing the MPS platform, TRISH aims for a new way to gather personalized astronaut data without needing a researcher on Earth to tend the physical samples.
Proposals for this solicitation focus on technologies capable of analyzing a wide range of biomarkers, bioindicators, or biosignatures without requiring sample return.
TRISH is prioritizing methods that are non-invasive, that do not destroy the sample, and that allow for data collection over multiple timepoints separated by days or weeks.
Such systems should be adaptable and not restricted to specific laboratory setups.
In addition to biomarkers, proposers may address environmental factors, cell function, and tissue health in advanced biological constructs.
If you have a research idea that fits with this open solicitation, follow the steps below to submit a proposal for this Remote Biomarker Measurements in Microphysiological Systems opportunity:
Learn about TRISH’s SENTINEL initiative.
Read this solicitation, which requires a full proposal to be considered. Please refer to the solicitation for submission requirements.
Attend the live pre-proposal webinar on Jan. 13, 2025, or watch the recording after the webinar available on TRISH’s GRID (Grant Research Integrated Dashboard).
Submit a proposal through GRID. Proposers must submit a full proposal for TRISH to review.
Proposers considering applying must register in the system for award management (SAM) database (www.sam.gov) to ensure ability to receive funds if selected.
Who can submit a proposal? All categories of U.S. institutions and companies are eligible to submit proposals. Principal investigators may collaborate with universities, the private sector, and federal, state, and local government laboratories.
Please visit the Remote Biomarker Measurements in Microphysiological Systems solicitation for full details.
Research Duration: One year.
Award: Projects can reach a total amount of $400,000.
Resources: A pre-proposal webinar is scheduled at 2 p.m. ET on Jan. 13, 2025. Register here. A recording will be available with the solicitation after the webinar.
Deadline: Full proposals are due 11:59 p.m. ET on March 6, 2025.
Background on TRISH: TRISH is a virtual institute empowered by the NASA Human Research Program to help solve challenges of human deep space exploration.
TRISH pursues and funds research to deliver scientific and technological solutions that advance space health and help humans thrive wherever they explore, in space or on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/researchers-apply-now-to-help-advance-tissue-chip-research-for-space-exploration/
https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/the-translational-research-institute-for-space-health-trish/
https://trish.my.site.com/s/concierge
How Star Trek fans changed the name of NASA’s first space shuttle
January 11, 2025
In 1974, construction of the world’s first space shuttle, known then as Orbital Vehicle-101 (OV-101), began at Rockwell Corporation’s plant in Downey, California.
(The city, located in Los Angeles County, is known to fast food enthusiasts as the home to the oldest operating McDonald’s and the birthplace of Taco Bell.)
With the debut of the spacecraft set for 1976, it was rechristened the Constitution in honor of the U.S. bicentennial.
But, as Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, joked at a ceremony for the shuttle decades later, “Star Trek fans can be very persuasive.”
Richard Nixon’s Prime Directive: Don’t Blow the Budget
In 1972, the Apollo program was coming to an end. If John F. Kennedy inspired the nation with his call to “go to the moon” and “do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” Richard Nixon’s rhetoric was less soaring.
“The space shuttle will give us routine access to space by sharply reducing costs in dollars and preparation time,” he said, as reported at the time by Popular Science.
In the wake of the moon landings, NASA Administrator Thomas Paine had grand visions for America’s space program.
He proposed sending men to Mars in nuclear-powered spacecraft, building space stations and bases along the way, according to the The Space Shuttle Decision by T.A. Heppenheimer.
Alas, interplanetary travel was not in the stars. When Robert Mayo, Nixon’s budget director, cut $1 billion from NASA’s budget, Paine focused on a less ambitious part of his proposal: a reusable shuttle.
Even that project was nearly axed by Congress for budgetary reasons, Heppenheimer wrote. Once NASA found supporters in the Department of Defense, however, the space shuttle program was on solid ground.
The first shuttle, the Enterprise, would only be used for testing. It was the second, the Columbia, that had the honor of being the first space shuttle to launch into orbit.
It blasted off on April 12, 1981, exactly two decades after Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space.
The Enterprise never traveled among the stars. But it paved the way for future space shuttles, which would spend 30 years ferrying astronauts and supplies into space, deploying satellites, and eventually making the International Space Station a reality.
Star Trek Lives Long and Prospers
Nixon announced the space shuttle program in 1972, the same year that the first Star Trek convention was held in New York City.
Four years earlier, the show survived a brush with death after fan letters convinced NBC executives to renew the show for a third season.
But in 1969, the same year that Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the show was canceled. Its 79 episodes, however, would live on in syndication.
When President Gerald Ford took responsibility for the space shuttle program after Nixon left office, he discovered how passionate Star Trek fans could be.
In a now declassified memo, Ford’s advisors asked the president for approval to change the name of the Constitution to the Enterprise.
“NASA has received hundreds of thousands of letters from the space-oriented ‘Star Trek’ group asking that the name ‘Enterprise’ be given to the craft,” wrote William Gorog, noting that use “of the name would provide a substantial human interest appeal to the rollout ceremonies scheduled for this month in California.”
Jim Cannon, another presidential advisor and later Ford’s biographer, loved the idea. “It would be personally gratifying to several million followers of the television show ‘Star Trek’, one of the most dedicated constituencies in the country,” he wrote.
Not everyone was on board. Advisor Bob Hartmann noted that Enterprise was an “especially hallowed Naval name” and he thought the “Navy should keep it.”
Another advisor, Jack Marsh, said he approved of the name itself but didn’t appreciate it being chosen because of a “T.V. fad.”
Ford chose to embrace Star Trek fandom. When the Enterprise rolled out of its hangar in 1976, an Air Force band played the Star Trek theme.
Nimoy was there, along with several of his castmates, including Nichelle Nichols and George Takei.
The ship would take its maiden voyage in Earth’s atmosphere in 1977, two years before the franchise was revived on the big screen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Today, fans can visit the real-life Enterprise on the deck of the USS Intrepid, part of the Intrepid Museum in New York City and a testament to the power of Trekkies in America.
https://www.popsci.com/science/star-trek-space-shuttle-enterprise/
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve03/d133
Blue Origin New Glenn NG-1 Mission
Jan 9, 2025
We're shifting our NG-1 launch date to no earlier than January 12, due to a high sea state in the Atlantic where we hope to land our booster.
Our three-hour window remains the same, opening Sunday at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC).
New Glenn’s inaugural mission (NG-1) is targeting no earlier than Friday, January 10, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
The three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC). NG-1 is our first National Security Space Launch certification flight.
The payload is our Blue Ring Pathfinder. It will test Blue Ring’s core flight, ground systems, and operational capabilities as part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Orbital Logistics prototype effort.
Our key objective is to reach orbit safely. We know landing the booster on our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious—but we’re going for it.
“This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn.
“But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly.
No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/blue-origin-to-launch-its-1st-new-glenn-rocket-watch-it-live
https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-glenn-ng-1-mission
https://www.youtube.com/@blueorigin/featured
NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab still 'untouched' by raging LA fires
January 11, 2025
NASA's famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has weathered the firestorm so far.
The raging Eaton fire has devastated Altadena and other neighborhoods at the feet of the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Los Angeles.
However, firefighters have managed to keep the flames away from JPL, NASA's lead center for planetary exploration, which lies just to the west.
"UPDATE: @NASAJPL is untouched by fire due to the brave dedication of our first responders.
But our community has been very seriously impacted, with over 150 JPLers who have lost their homes and many more displaced," JPL Director Laurie Leshin said via X today (Jan. 10).
Leshin's X post included a link to a disaster-relief fundraising site devoted to helping those JPL folks, as well as people based at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, which manages the center for NASA.
"Significant devastation in our community. 1,000 still evacuated. More than 150 lost homes completely, many others will be displaced long term," she added in another post today.
JPL — which runs NASA's Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rover missions, among many other projects — has been closed since Wednesday (Jan. 8), the day after the Eaton fire began.
The center will remain shuttered for another week; all but essential personnel are mandated to work remotely through at least Jan. 17, according to an update today on the JPL emergency-information site.
As of this afternoon, the Eaton fire had burned about 14,000 acres (5,666 hectares) and was just 3% contained, according to The New York Times, which cited L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.
And it's just one of several blazes tearing through the L.A. area.
The Palisades Fire, on the western side of the city, is the biggest and most destructive of the bunch; it has torched more than 20,000 acres (8,094 hectares) and remains only about 8% contained, according to NBC News.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/nasas-jet-propulsion-lab-still-untouched-by-raging-la-fires
https://x.com/yuliamilton/status/1877768105411088858
Mars is bigger and brighter this weekend than it will be all year
January 10, 2025
Mars will make its closest approach to Earth this weekend while rising to its highest point in the night sky.
On Sunday (Jan. 12), the Red Planet will make its close approach of Earth at 8:32 a.m. EST (13:32 GMT).
This event, known as perigee, causes Mars to appear bigger and brighter in the sky than usual, offering skywatchers an excellent viewing opportunity, according to In-the-Sky.org.
Mars will be visible from New York City beginning around 5:43 p.m. EST (2243 GMT), when it reaches an altitude of 7 degrees above the horizon to the northeast.
The Red Planet will reach its highest point, 74 degrees above the southern horizon, at 12:29 a.m. EST (0529 GMT) on Monday (Jan. 13) and remain visible for most of the night before disappearing in the light of dawn at around 6:58 a.m. EST (1158 GMT), as it moves to 14 degrees above the northwest horizon.
During this close approach, Mars will pass within 0.64 astronautical units (AU) of Earth while in the constellation Cancer.
One AU equals the average distance between Earth and the sun, around 93 million miles (around 150 million kilometers).
Mars orbits the sun at an average distance of 1.5 AU, and at its apogee (its farthest distance from Earth) reaches a distance of 2.6 AU.
This weekend’s perigee will bring Mars the closest it has been to Earth since 2022, when it passed within 0.54 astronautical unit (AU) of our planet.
Mars' close approach of Earth also coincides with its opposition on Jan. 16, when the Red Planet is located almost exactly opposite the sun in the sky with Earth in the middle.
These two events — perigee and opposition — typically occur a few days apart based on the orbits of the two planets.
During opposition, the sun's full glare illuminates the planet's surface as seen from Earth, making it easier to observe by both amateur astronomers using backyard telescopes and professional astronomers using space-based telescopes.
During the perigee, Mars will have a maximum magnitude of -1.4, appearing bright in our night sky (lower and/or negative numbers indicate brighter objects in the sky).
Although Mars will appear bigger and brighter during its close approach, it will still only appear as a star-like point of light with the naked eye.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/mars-is-bigger-and-brighter-this-weekend-than-it-will-be-all-year-heres-how-to-see-it
From Earth to the edge of space: Entire atmosphere dataset could benefit climate models and space weather prediction
January 10, 2025
A team led by researchers at the University of Tokyo has created a dataset of the whole atmosphere, enabling new research to be conducted on previously difficult-to-study regions. The work has been published in Progress in Earth and Planetary Science.
Using a new data-assimilation system called JAGUAR-DAS, which combines numerical modeling with observational data, the team created a nearly 20-yearlong set of data spanning multiple levels of the atmosphere from ground level up to the lower edges of space.
Being able to study the interactions of these layers vertically and around the globe could improve climate modeling and seasonal weather forecasting.
There is also potential for interdisciplinary research between atmospheric scientists and space scientists, to investigate the interplay between space and our atmosphere and how it affects us on Earth.
Complaining about the weather, and about weather forecasters when they get things wrong, is a popular pastime for many. But a meteorologist's job is not easy.
The atmosphere is multilayered, interconnected and complex, and global climate change is making it even harder to forecast both long-term and sudden, extreme weather events.
To help overcome these increasing challenges, researchers have created a dataset of the entire atmosphere.
Ranging from September 2004 to December 2023, it spans multiple levels of the atmosphere from ground level up to the lower edge of space, about 110 kilometers above Earth's surface.
The region between about 50 km to 110 km (though exact ranges vary) is particularly of interest, as it is so notoriously difficult to study that it had previously been dubbed the "ignorosphere."
This region is too low for satellites and too high for weather balloons to observe, resulting in a shortage of data and consequently research.
However, it is a fascinating area, characterized by vast global atmospheric tides and small-scale gravity waves which affect wind and temperature.
It also plays an important role in the intensity of the impact of space weather events.
"The JAWARA (JAGUAR-DAS Whole neutral Atmosphere Reanalysis) dataset is a strong research tool which, for the first time, makes it possible to quantitatively understand atmospheric general circulation and the hierarchal structure of waves and vortices in the mesospheric layer (which is above the stratosphere and about 50–90 km above Earth's surface) and lower thermospheric layer (about 90–110 km above Earth's surface) of the atmosphere, including the ignorosphere," explained Professor Kaoru Sato from the University of Tokyo.
"If we can better understand these layers, it would improve our ability to respond to climate change, extend the lead time of seasonal forecasts and advance our understanding of space weather phenomena."
The team developed its new JAGUAR-DAS high-speed data assimilation system as part of an international project led by Sato.
The system integrates observational data into a numerical model which can then produce data on atmospheric conditions.
The resulting dataset, named JAWARA, makes it possible to perform detailed analysis of the general circulation of the atmosphere and its hierarchical structure.
"Atmospheric general circulation models which range up to the lower edge of space have only been developed by a limited number of research institutions around the world, including our own," said Sato.
"Recent studies indicate that extreme stratospheric phenomena can start at least in the upper mesosphere.
Therefore, quantitative elucidation of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere is extremely important for weather forecasting."
The dataset is now openly available, and the team intends to use it to study the large-scale circulation and the hierarchical structure in the atmosphere, as well as vertical and interhemispheric (i.e., between the Northern and Southern hemisphere) couplings.
They also hope to work in collaboration with space scientists to study the interactions between the atmosphere and space, particularly the mesosphere (where the highest clouds form) and ionosphere (located within the thermosphere and about 60–300 km above Earth's surface, where many satellites are based).
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-earth-edge-space-entire-atmosphere.html
https://progearthplanetsci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40645-024-00674-3
Former Central NY fire chief is charged with forging FAA drone license
Updated: Jan. 11, 2025, 9:17 a.m.
Central Square, N.Y. — A former Central New York fire chief was arrested this week on charges he forged an FAA license to operate his department’s drone, troopers said.
Michael J. Leonelli, 46, of Central Square, was arrested Wednesday following a complaint from the Caughdenoy Fire Department this summer, troopers said Friday.
While working at the fire department, Leonelli operated the fire department’s drone, troopers said.
Leonelli was asked by the department to provide them with his FAA Part 107 UAS Certificate, or drone license, troopers said.
Leonelli gave the fire department a forged document that represented himself as having a Part 107 certificate, troopers said.
He was charged with second-and-third-degree forgery and criminal possession of a forged Instrument.
The volunteer fire department operates two stations that serve the communities of Hastings, Central Square and Schroeppel in both Oswego and Onondaga counties, according to the department’s website.
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2025/01/former-central-ny-fire-chief-charged-with-forging-faa-drone-license-troopers-say.html
https://troopers.ny.gov/news/central-square-man-arrested-forgery
Drone threat prompts refinery evacuation and airport closures
January 11, 2025
The evacuation of workers from the Taneco refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Russia, is currently underway.
In the neighbouring town of Yelabuga, the sky has been illuminated by spotlights in an effort to detect drones.
Operations at four airports have also been suspended: in Nizhnekamsk, Izhevsk, Kirov, and Ufa.
Before 1 PM Greenwich Mean Time, the Federal Air Transport Agency announced that "temporary restrictions" had been implemented at the airport in Nizhnekamsk, allegedly due to Ukrainian drones flying over the region.
Restrictions on operations have also been implemented at the airports in Izhevsk, Kirov, and Ufa.
Taneco refinery evacuation
Shortly afterwards, alarm sirens sounded at the Taneco refinery, also in Nizhnekamsk, prompting an urgent evacuation of the facility.
Videos published by the Baza channel show dozens of workers leaving the site.
The alarm was also heard in nearby Yelabuga, where residents noticed spotlights in the sky that assist air defence systems in shooting down drones.
Residents told to stay indoors
Residents also received messages from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, advising them to stay indoors and avoid going near windows.
These towns are located approximately 746 miles from the Ukrainian border.
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/drone-threat-prompts-refinery-evacuation-and-airport-closures/ar-BB1rhU6x
New sanctions against Russia and Ukraine's strike on drone depot near Rostov - Friday brief
January 11, 2025
US imposes sanctions on largest oil companies in Russia
The US has imposed sanctions on over 30 Russian oil service companies. At the same time, restrictions have also affected a Serbian company linked to Gazprom Neft.
Today, the US Department of the Treasury took radical measures to fulfill G7 commitments to reduce Russian revenues from energy resources, including blocking two major Russian oil producers, namely Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz.
In addition to them, the United States announced sanctions targeting more than 30 other Russian oil service companies.
UK, together with US, imposes sanctions on Russian oil giants
The UK has imposed sanctions on Russian companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz for the first time. The restrictions will affect Russia's oil revenue.
The UK government noted that Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz produce over 1 million barrels of oil per day, amounting to approximately $23 billion annually. This exceeds Jamaica's GDP.
"The profits from these 2 companies are lining Putin’s war chest and facilitating the war," the government clarified.
They added that every strike the UK makes against Russia's oil revenue is another step toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Russian drone storage facility hit with Neptune missile - Details of Ukraine's Security Service and Navy operation
During a joint operation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Navy an ammunition storage depot in the Rostov region, Russia, was hit. The strike was carried out using the Neptune missile.
According to the sources, first, the Security Service's drones overloaded the Russian air defense systems, and then the Neptune missile struck the target.
The SBU noted that Russians complained on social media all night about the sounds of flying drones and the work of Russian air defense, and reported a powerful explosion, likely caused by the Neptune strike.
Later, locals reported multiple explosions near Chaltyr, indicating secondary detonations of ammunition.
Ukrainian Armed Forces strike Russian command post in Svitlodarsk, Donetsk region
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports the attack on the command center of the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces in Svitlodarsk, Donetsk region.
This week the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a series of strikes on the facilities captured by the Russian troops in the Donetsk region.
Germany preparing new arms packages for Ukraine
Germany is preparing new large military aid packages for Ukraine. They may be provided in the first half of 2025.
The new packages will include 22 Leopard 1 main battle tanks, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and another Iris-T SLM/SLS air defense system.
Also, according to N-TV, Ukraine will receive 16 howitzers, 2 additional Patriot launchers, and seven Gepard anti-aircraft guns with 120,000 rounds of ammunition.
“Ukraine will also receive 3,500 armed drones from Helsing, 6 armed Sea-King helicopters, and 250,000 artillery rounds of ammunition.
In addition, there are several other weapons and equipment for the Ukrainian army,” the agency reports.
EU provides Ukraine with first €3 billion secured by frozen Russian assets
Ukraine's state budget has received 3 billion euros from the European Union as part of the G7 initiative ERA. In total, the EU will provide 18 billion euros.
"This is the first tranche of funds from the European Union, secured through income from frozen Russian assets," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote.
Ukraine will direct these resources to priority budget expenditures.
The G7 ERA initiative provides $50 billion to Ukraine, with $20 billion coming from the European Union.
Trump announces preparations for meeting with Putin
US President-elect Donald Trump has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet with him. The meeting is already in the works.
Trump's statement came on Thursday (January 9 in the US) during his speech before a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
"President Putin wants to meet. He has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with," said the US president-elect, who will soon take office.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/new-sanctions-against-russia-and-ukraine-s-strike-on-drone-depot-near-rostov-friday-brief/ar-BB1rhpzB
IRGC unveils underground missile city
Jan 11, 2025, 1:05 AM
The new missile city of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was unveiled in the presence of Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC.
Part of the operations of the True Promise 1 and 2 against Israeli regime were carried out using this underground missile base.
In Iran's Operation True Promise 2, missiles from this base were able to target the Israeli base "Navatim" in the heart of the occupied territories.
The Israeli regime has not yet been able to restore the base of "Navatim", which is home to advanced "F-35" fighter jets, to normalcy.
Speaking on an inspection visit to the southwestern city of Abadan earlier on Friday, Major General Hossein Salami said that "Soon, underground missile and drone complexes will be unveiled, and you will see the unseen enormity and depth of Iran's power."
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/226746/Iran-unveils-underground-drone-missile-complexes