October 11, 2022

JPL’s Venus Aerial Robotic Balloon Prototype Aces Test Flights

Article Credit: JPL NASA A scaled-down version of the aerobot that could one day take to the Venusian skies successfully completed two Nevada test flights, marking a milestone for the project. The intense pressure, heat, and corrosive gases of Venus’ surface are enough to disable even the most robust spacecraft in a matter of […]
October 3, 2022

NOAA Completes FVR-55 Operations in Marine Stratocumulus Clouds to Measure Atmospheric Aerosol Properties needed to Improve Climate Model Simulations

ARTICLE AND FIGURES PROVIDED BY: KENNETH VIERRA (SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION/UXS RESEARCH TRANSITION OFFICE) AND PATRICIA QUINN (NOAA/PMEL) Scattering and absorption of solar radiation by atmospheric aerosol particles affect Earth’s radiation budget, including cooling at the Earth’s surface (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2014; NOAA Science Council Fact Sheet). Aerosols, Weather and Climate). Cooling can […]
March 23, 2021

NSC ExoMars High Altitude Drop Test

March 23, 2021 The Near Space team works with many customers who have challenging requirements and are doing extremely interesting projects.  Working with the European Space Agency, Thales Alenia Space, and Vorticity Systems Limited for testing the Entry/Descent/Landing (EDL) parachute systems for their ExoMars project has definitely been both challenging and interesting. This project […]