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Uploaded 06/26/2017

This Week @ NASA: Total Solar Eclipse Primer

At the Newseum in Washington, we teamed with representatives from other federal agencies and science organizations to delve into the science behind the upcoming August 21 total solar eclipse, and provide details on how to safely view the once-in-a-century phenomenon. During the eclipse, 14 states across the U.S. will experience more than two minutes of darkness – while those elsewhere will have a partial eclipse. Meanwhile a new eclipse Forever stamp, unveiled by the U.S. Postal service changes between images of an eclipse and the moon – with the touch of a finger. The eclipse and moon images were taken by a retired NASA astrophysicist. Also, Kepler Catalog Includes New Planet Candidates, Lightfoot Meets with International Partners, and Roll-Out Solar Array Test!

Total Solar Eclipse Primer

At the Newseum in Washington, we teamed with representatives from other federal agencies and science organizations to delve into the science behind the upcoming August 21 total solar eclipse, and provide details on how to safely view the once-in-a-century phenomenon. During the eclipse, 14 states across the U.S. will experience more than two minutes of darkness – while those elsewhere will have a partial eclipse. Meanwhile a new eclipse Forever stamp, unveiled by the U.S. Postal service changes between images of an eclipse and the moon – with the touch of a finger. The eclipse and moon images were taken by a retired NASA astrophysicist.

Kepler Catalog Includes New Planet Candidates

A mission catalog released June 19 by our Kepler space telescope team includes 219 new planet candidates found outside our solar system – also known as exoplanets. 10 of these are near-Earth size and orbit within the range of distance from their host star that makes it possible for liquid water to pool on the surface of a rocky planet. With the release of this catalog there are now 4,034 planet candidates identified by Kepler — 2,335 of those have been verified as exoplanets.

Lightfoot Meets with International Partners

Our Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot traveled to Europe to meet international partners and inspire the next generation of explorers. While at the 52nd International Paris Air Show – which showcases the best in aeronautics and space technology from around the world – Lightfoot signed a joint statement committing to future collaboration with the French Space Agency, CNES. An agreement was also signed with ASI – the Italian Space Agency – on development of a mission in 2020 to explore some of the most turbulent and extreme environments in our universe. The trip also included a stop in Bremen, Germany where he met with representatives of the German Space Agency, saw the hardware being built for our Orion spacecraft’s European Service Module, and visited with students and faculty at the University of Bremen.

Roll-Out Solar Array Test

On June 18, outside the International Space Station, NASA conducted an experiment to test the operation and performance of a new type of solar array. The Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) – which resembles one of those party favors you blow into to extend – is more compact and lightweight than current rigid solar array panels. The new design could be used on future communications, weather, and GPS satellites.

(c)2017 NASA | SCVTV
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