Future technologies that could enable quicker trips to Mars and robotic exploration of ocean worlds might have started out as NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC). The program, which invests in early-stage technology ideas from NASA, industry and academic researchers across the country, has selected 23 potentially revolutionary concepts with a total award value of $7 million.

Among the selections are 16 new concepts and seven studies that previously received at least one NIAC award. A full list of the 2020 Phase I, II and III selections can be found here.

"NIAC is an innovative program that encourages researchers – and the agency – to think outside of the box for solutions that could overcome challenges facing future science and exploration missions," said Walt Engelund, deputy associate administrator for programs within NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). "We're excited about the new concepts and to see how additional time and resources advances the research selected for follow-on Phase II and III studies."

A mission concept to image Earth-like planets outside of the solar system was selected for a Phase III study. Slava Turyshev, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, will receive a $2 million grant to further mature the concept and related technologies.

During his Phase I and Phase II NIAC research, Turyshev outlined the feasibility of a solar gravity lens to enable enhanced viewing of planets orbiting other stars, known as exoplanets. He also developed a mission architecture that uses multiple small spacecraft and solar sail technology to propel them to their target destination 50 billion miles from Earth.

"This is only the third study selected for Phase III funding in the history of the program," said NIAC Program Executive Jason Derleth. "We're excited by its potential to bring us closer to imaging an exoplanet in detail, at a resolution comparable to the well-known Apollo 8 Earthrise photo."

The selected Phase I and II studies will explore the overall viability of a technology and develop them into mission concepts. Areas researchers will study include mapping asteroids and other small bodies in the solar system with hopping probes, making on-demand pharmaceuticals in space, and extracting water on the Moon. Several of the concepts could inform capabilities relevant to NASA's Artemis program, which will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024 and establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon by 2028.

NASA selected the proposals through a peer-review process that evaluates innovation and technical viability. All projects are still in the early stages of development, with most requiring a decade or more of technology maturation, and are not official NASA missions.

NIAC supports visionary research ideas through multiple progressive phases of study. Phase I studies receive $125,000 and are nine-month efforts. Eligible recipients of Phase I awards can submit proposals for a follow-on Phase II study. Selected Phase II researchers receive $500,000 grants to further develop their concepts for up to two years. Phase III is designed to strategically transition NIAC concepts with the highest potential impact for NASA other government agencies or commercial partners. Phase III researchers receive $2 million grants to develop and mature their mission concept over two years.

NIAC is funded by STMD, which is responsible for developing the new cross-cutting technologies and capabilities needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions.

For more information about NASA's investments in space technology, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

SOURCE NASA
Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov

Today, Casio G-SHOCK announced the release of the GBDH1000, the brand's first-ever timepiece equipped with a built-in heart rate monitor.

The GBDH1000-1A7, comes in a sleek and stylish white, black, and neon exterior and combines the toughness the brand is known for with key functions to support workouts. The heart rate monitor displays the current heart rate, as well as a heart rate zone that shows exercise intensity at five stages, (Recovery, Base, Cardio, At Threshold, and Maximum), and is useful for pace management during activities and endurance training. G-SHOCK Move also estimates VO2max, which measures the maximum rate of oxygen consumption as a benchmark for cardiorespiratory ability when the user is trying to build endurance for running or other sports. This is achieved by using an algorithm from Firstbeat Technologies. The GBDH1000-1A7 is the first Casio device to integrate advanced performance analytics from Firstbeat.


The timepiece has five-sensors to help track your fitness activity in real time. In addition to an optical sensor that can measure heart rate by detecting the blood flow under the skin, a triple sensor measures altitude/barometric pressure, compass bearing, and temperature, and a 3-axis accelerometer detects body movement to measure step count and distance traveled. The new watch comes with GPS functionality that acquires location information and measures speed, pace, and other data; the GPS also includes GLONASS support to boost accuracy and connection speed.

In terms of style, the new timepiece boasts large non-slip buttons, curved back cover wings that ensure a smooth fit on the wrist, a soft urethane band, and MIP LCD that can display more data in high contrast for easy viewing. The timepiece also features Bluetooth® connectivity via a new G-SHOCK Move App, which will be unveiled on April 17, and allow users to manage measurement data and training history as well as calls, emails, and SNS message notifications even while exercising. In addition to USB charging, which after about 2.5 hours of charging allows training features to be used continuously for up to 14 hours, the watch also offers solar-assisted charging for daily use and a vibrating notification function for training and Smartphone alerts.

As part of the release, G-SHOCK has unveiled an exclusive landing page taking consumers through the user experience, which can be viewed HERE.


In addition to key training functions, G-SHOCK Move also includes G-SHOCK features and capabilities, such as:

Today, TCL Communication is officially debuting its first series of TCL-branded smartphones, the TCL 10 Series. This lineup of premium, yet affordable Android devices will leverage TCL-made high-resolution displays and the company's NXTVISION visual technology, and each device will come with a high-quality quad rear-camera setup, Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors, and more flagship-style features, all available for under $500 USD. The 10 Series includes TCL's first 5G smartphone and the company's first device that uses a TCL-made curved AMOLED display.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8710751-tcl-smartphone-10-series/

"As one of the world's leading consumer electronics brands, expanding the TCL brand into the mobile space ensures that we are one of the only global manufacturers that offers a fully integrated ecosystem of smart products in virtually every aspect of your life," said Kevin Wang, CEO of TCL Industrial Holdings. "This makes it possible for us to provide our customers with a wide range of products capable of working seamlessly together, and do so more affordably than everyone else."

Embodying the company's mission to "Display Greatness," each of the TCL 10-Series smartphones takes advantage of TCL's tightly integrated ecosystem by using TCL-built screens and TCL NXTVISION, a proprietary advanced display and camera visual technology to bring images to life with truer color, clarity and contrast enhancements in real-time. TCL's display technology generates cutting-edge color accuracy so users cannot see a perceivable difference between real life and the images on the screen. The 10 Series also has an SDR to HDR real-time conversion feature, providing HDR-like video enhancement with brighter highlights, darker shadows, increased contrast and amplified color.


TCL 10 5G: Bringing 5G Technology to More People

As NASA marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission – which has become known as "a successful failure" that saw the safe return of its crew in spite of a catastrophic explosion – the agency is sharing a variety of resources, recognizing the triumph of the mission control team and the astronauts, and looking at how those lessons learned can be applied to its lunar Artemis program.

"Our goal 50 years ago was to save our valiant crew after sending them around the Moon and return them safely to Earth," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Our goal now is to return to the Moon to stay, in a sustainable way. We are working hard to ensure that we don't need to respond to this kind of emergency in Artemis, but to be ready to respond to any problems we don't anticipate."

The crew of Apollo 13 consisted of Commander James (Jim) Lovell Jr., Command Module Pilot John Swigert Jr. and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise Jr. Their Saturn V rocket launched at 2:13 p.m. EST on April 11,1970, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The command module was named Odyssey, and the lunar module was named Aquarius.

While en route to the Moon on April 13, an oxygen tank in the Apollo service module ruptured. The lunar landing and moonwalks, which would have been executed by Lovell and Haise, were aborted as a dedicated team of flight controllers and engineering experts in the Apollo Mission Control Center devoted their efforts to developing a plan to shelter the crew in the lunar module as a "lifeboat" and retain sufficient resources to bring the spacecraft and its crew back home safely. Splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean at 1:07 p.m. April 17, after a flight that lasted five days, 22 hours and 54 minutes.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, no NASA in-person activities are planned or sponsored to mark the Apollo 13 anniversary. However, a wealth of new content and programming, historic documents, still and video imagery are available online, including previously unreleased conversations between the crew of Apollo 13 and the recently restored Apollo Mission Control Center in Houston. This dialogue includes the now-famous exchange between Lovell and mission control during which Lovell utters the phrase, "Hey Houston, we've had a problem here."

Among the resources NASA is making available are:

Apollo 13 on NASA TV

NASA TV is commemorating the anniversary with multiple videos and interviews, anchored by an original special program, "Apollo 13: Home Safe," premiering at 8 p.m. EDT Friday, April 10, on NASA Television and all of the agency's streaming and social media platforms. The 30-minute program features an interview with Lovell, a conversation with Haise and Flight Directors Gene Kranz and Glynn Lunney, and engineer Hank Rotter, in the restored Apollo mission control room mixed with archival footage from the mission. In addition, NASA TV will air replays of historic mission footage and "pop-up" mission factoids at the exact times the events happened 50 years ago.

Apollo 13 on Social Media

Social media followers are invited to ask questions about Apollo 13 using the hashtag #AskNASA. Experts will provide answers to as many questions as possible on social media and some will be answered in NASA TV's upcoming #AskNASA episode about the mission.

Starting Thursday, April 9, the NASA Headquarters Photo Team will share historical images from the photo archives using the @NASAHQPhoto Twitter account, leading up to the splashdown anniversary on Friday, April 17.

On Friday, April 10, the @NASA Instagram account will feature part one of an "Apollo 13 by the Numbers" story, a visual recap of the mission as told by the NASA History Office. Part two will follow on Saturday, April 11. On Monday, April 13, the NASA Tumblr page will tell the story about the mission using compelling images and multimedia.

The NASA History Facebook account and @NASAHistory Twitter account also have special content planned during the week of the anniversary.

Apollo 13 Views of the Moon in 4K
This video, from the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, uses data gathered from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft to recreate some of the stunning views of the Moon the Apollo 13 astronauts saw on their perilous journey around the farside of the Moon. These visualizations, in 4K resolution, depict many different views of the lunar surface, starting with earthset and sunrise and concluding with the time Apollo 13 reestablished radio contact with mission control.

Supermoon Live Shots
Leading up to the anniversary of Apollo 13, the biggest and brightest Moon of the year – known as a supermoon – will illuminate the night sky on Tuesday, April 7. NASA scientists will be available virtually for live or taped interviews – including via Skype or FaceTime – from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT to discuss this unique phenomenon and talk about the Moon's past, present and future.

To schedule an interview go to:

https://forms.gle/W8T6JEVqTj2TbADz7

Houston, We Have A Podcast
Listen as Lovell and Haise remember the fateful mission from their perspective 50 years later and reflect on the highlights of their expansive careers and share wisdom gained from their famous mission on its 50th anniversary. Houston, We Have A Podcast is the official podcast of NASA's Johnson Space Center, in Houston.

Apollo 13 In Real Time
This searchable Apollo 13 website is a NASA-funded project designed by NASA contractor Ben Feist that provides viewers with access to all of the photographs, film, transcripts and audio from the mission. Visitors can replay the mission in real time or scroll through to find highlights. The site includes more than 17,000 hours of audio recorded from the various positions at mission control. It also includes video from NASA press conferences as they occurred, as well as newly audio-synched, previously silent, mission control footage.

Most of the Apollo 13 flight control team audio tapes were digitized in cooperation with the University of Texas, Dallas. Five additional tapes were found with the help of the National Archives and were digitized earlier this year by NASA.

Apollo 13 In-Flight Video Recordings
These TV transmissions are film recordings of television transmissions, or kinescopes, transferred onto broadcast videotape, then converted to digital files and posted to Johnson's Internet Archive collection.

Apollo 13 Imagery Collections
NASA makes imagery available in many formats and resolutions, and NASA's Image and Video Library contains many items related to Apollo 13. Apollo 13 images also are available on the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, a volunteer-created site managed by NASA's History Office.

Apollo 13 Presentation
Download and adapt these presentation slides about Apollo 13 to your audience and setting. The notes section for each slide contains the image source and explanations.

Additional Apollo Resources
Additional Apollo audio and video resources are available for download in the highest resolutions available in this publicly curated collection on the Internet Archive. Additional resources related to all the Apollo missions are available at NASA's Apollo 50th Anniversary website.

As NASA marks the anniversary of Apollo 13, the agency is progressing with its Artemis program, which will send the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, and establish sustainable exploration with its commercial and international partners by 2028. What we learn on during sustained operations on the Moon will prepare us for the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

Learn more about Artemis and NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach at:

https://www.nasa.gov/moontomars

SOURCE NASA
Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov

As of April 2, and every night throughout the ongoing pandemic, the Empire State Building will shine in a dynamic heartbeat to show solidarity and support to the over 1 million people in 180 countries affected by COVID-19. At this time, over 208,000 people have fully recovered in the three months since the virus appeared.

Additionally, at the top of every hour, the Building will sparkle in the colors of First Responders to pay respect to the heroic emergency workers on the front line of the fight. The colors include yellow, blue, silver, red, white, green, and grey for the dispatchers, law enforcement, correctional officers, firefighters, paramedics, and military members of our communities who have put their lives on the line on behalf of us all.

The Empire State Building's world-famous tower lights, in partnership with iHeartMedia's Z100, will continue to sync to a broadcast of Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind every night at 9:00 pm. The public is invited to join the conversation by posting a video to their social media pages with the hashtag #EmpireStateBuilding and #iHeartNewYork and tagging both the Empire State Building and iHeartRadio to share how we are all still able to connect with each other.

At the close of the 9:00 p.m. light show, the Empire State Building will go dark for five minutes to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives in the global pandemic and those who grieve for them.

SOURCE Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
Related Links

http://www.esbnyc.com

Cyient, a global engineering and technology solutions company, today announced that it has been providing Cyberabad Police with drone-based surveillance technology to help implement the COVID-19 related lockdown in Hyderabad. The technology is enabling the Police make lockdown-related announcements and organize their ground forces to monitor the situation in congested areas of the city.

Equipped with surveillance cameras, thermal imaging payloads and sky speaker for public announcements, Cyient's drone-based aerial inspection capability is positively augmenting the police's ability to combat the spread of the pandemic. By providing situational awareness on a real-time basis, the technology gives Police the means to understand and deploy resources very quickly to manage evolving situations.

Recognizing the partnership with Cyient, Cyberabad Police tweeted: "Great collaboration with Cyient to stop the spread of COVID-19. Their drone-based surveillance is assisting our ground forces to monitor sensitive areas in the city. Visuals from the drones are enabling correct decisions on moving forces to sensitive areas."


SOURCE Cyient
Related Links

http://www.cyient.com

Source

Fintech is a term that is used to define the vast number of the ways technology is being used to transform, design, and define financial solutions and services that are used by small and big companies all around the globe. Although it has not replaced traditional financial firms, it is forcing these firms to check and replace their old financial models. Also, it enables them to come up with solutions and ideas that are customer-friendly, cost-effective, and easier to use.

Such solutions and ideas are based on different technologies like deep learning, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. These technologies ley financial firms to gather customer data, deduce patterns of use, and even completely replace the need for human intervention. Fintech allows businesses to improve the conduction of financial transactions involved in their business. Some of these services include financial asset trading, mobile wallets, and online transactions.

Small businesses have to go through many hurdles and challenges to survive in this cut-throat and competitive market. Through the right use of fintech, small businesses can easily protect their finances and grow effectively in the diverse business world. If you are a small business owner and having issues with your finances, then this article is for you. Today we are going to share with you some ways fintech is helping small businesses become more effective and grow at a fast rate. These ways are listed as follows;


Easier Business Loans

If you are a small business owner, you might find it hard to get a conventional bank loan as you will not have the required credit score to attain a small loan. Also, filling up the loan application and gathering the required documents is a tiresome process. Similarly, loan processing through banks is a lengthy and time-consuming process.

To avoid all such processes, the use of fintech is encouraged. Fintech bridges the gap between loan lenders and obtainers, making the business environment more convenient and effective. Fintech directly connects them on crowdfunding portals or through peer-to-peer loan platforms. In this way, it makes it easier for small business owners to avoid the hassle of time-consuming banking processing. If you do not know how much loan your business needs, you can go online and use a Short Term Business Loan Calculator to get a better idea. It can help you calculate the loan amount, interest rate, loan term, and other important factors that must be considered before applying for a loan.


Easier Payment Systems

For a small business to thrive in this competitive market, they need to have an effective and easy to use money management method. As the collection of payments on invoices and services is crucial for a small business to run its everyday operation, they need an effective system to do all such things. Failing to collect such payments will be detrimental for small businesses. Not only that, but it will also affect the long term operations of small businesses and negatively impacts the image in the market.

Fintech solves this issue by providing easier ways to collect such payment and also pay off creditors, suppliers, or vendors. It provides small businesses with ways to do cross border money transfers through online methods of payment even if they are in another currency. In this way, it has made things easier for small businesses so their operations can run smoothly without any hiccups.


Easier Account Management

Every business, small or huge, needs to have a way to manage their accounts effectively. If a business is unable to pay its employees promptly, collect payment on invoices, or invest in more inventory, it will not be able to operate in an optimum way. As account management is critical for every business, including small businesses.

With the introduction of fintech in such small businesses, they have different methods at their disposal to easily manage their accounts with real-time financial monitoring. It ensures everything related to the financial management system is in order. There are many applications and software available that allow small businesses to effectively manage their accounts to reduce upfront costs and increase revenue. Fintech takes out much of the guesswork that is sometimes required to manage and maintain accounts. It also allows business owners to focus on other things to grow their small business. So, with easy account management, small businesses can thrive with significant pace.


Security And Privacy

Data leaks and invasion of privacy are a threat that every business, small or large, has to deal with daily. Small businesses need to keep all their data safe and secure. This includes customer and financial data that has the highest level of importance to any business.

Through fintech small businesses can have a peace of mind that their data will be secure to a great extent. Fintech provides different types of security and privacy packages that let businesses to have a great line of defense against cyber attacks. These latest technologies also secure financial information and customer data.

Small business owners that do not have a good idea about technology can also use such solutions to easily monitor their important data in the comfort of their home. They need a computer or a mobile device to do so. They can also talk to other people that are using such software to get guidance on how to set-up such software. If you value your data and customer privacy, then it is a good idea you get such software as soon as possible.


Transparency

Transferring funds through a traditional bank can have some service charges that add up. Fintech allows users to reduce such services chargers considerably. It also allows small business owners to avoid using paper money for such transactions, as everything is done through a fintech based online funds transfer system.

Using electronic money reduces crimes such as tax evasion and keeps money matters transparent. It also prevents the need for you to carry hard cash which puts you at the risk of getting robbed. Keeping everything electronic gives you more comfort and lets everything run more effectively and properly.


Customer insight And Engagement

One big advantage of using fintech is that it provides insight into your customers. Fintech lets you keep track of your customers' habits, interests, needs, and wants. There are many services available online that let you keep track of such customer patterns. Also, it allows you to engage customers into private chats, or create a customer library where you can view all such customer-related activities.

So, by understanding the perceptions and needs of customers, small businesses can come up with better strategies. These improvised strategies can help them increase their revenues and generate more profits.


THE FINAL WORDS
For small businesses, fintech is a great solution to cut back unnecessary finance management costs, and it has great accessibility and is easier to use. It also cuts out or limit human intervention which reduces human error in handling money, especially in small businesses where such errors could lead to dire consequences in the long run. Today, we have made you aware of some ways fintech can help small businesses, so it is a good idea to consider them if you are a small business owner yourself.

NASA has selected a new mission to study how the Sun generates and releases giant space weather storms – known as solar particle storms – into planetary space. Not only will such information improve understanding of how our solar system works, but it ultimately can help protect astronauts traveling to the Moon and Mars by providing better information on how the Sun's radiation affects the space environment they must travel through.

The new mission, called the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE), is an array of six CubeSats operating as one very large radio telescope. NASA has awarded $62.6 million to design, build and launch SunRISE by no earlier than July 1, 2023.

NASA chose SunRISE in August 2017 as one of two Mission of Opportunity proposals to conduct an 11-month mission concept study. In February 2019, the agency approved a continued formulation study of the mission for an additional year. SunRISE is led by Justin Kasper at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

"We are so pleased to add a new mission to our fleet of spacecraft that help us better understand the Sun, as well as how our star influences the space environment between planets," said Nicky Fox, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division. "The more we know about how the Sun erupts with space weather events, the more we can mitigate their effects on spacecraft and astronauts."

The mission design relies on six solar-powered CubeSats – each about the size of a toaster oven – to simultaneously observe radio images of low-frequency emission from solar activity and share them via NASA's Deep Space Network. The constellation of CubeSats would fly within 6 miles of each other, above Earth's atmosphere, which otherwise blocks the radio signals SunRISE will observe. Together, the six CubeSats will create 3D maps to pinpoint where giant particle bursts originate on the Sun and how they evolve as they expand outward into space. This, in turn, will help determine what initiates and accelerates these giant jets of radiation. The six individual spacecraft will also work together to map, for the first time, the pattern of magnetic field lines reaching from the Sun out into interplanetary space.

NASA's Missions of Opportunity maximize science return by pairing new, relatively inexpensive missions with launches on spacecraft already approved and preparing to go into space. SunRISE proposed an approach for access to space as a hosted rideshare on a commercial satellite provided by Maxar of Westminster, Colorado, and built with a Payload Orbital Delivery System, or PODS. Once in orbit, the host spacecraft will deploy the six SunRISE spacecraft and then continue its prime mission.

Missions of Opportunity are part of the Explorers Program, which is the oldest continuous NASA program designed to provide frequent, low-cost access to space using principal investigator-led space science investigations relevant to the Science Mission Directorate's (SMD) astrophysics and heliophysics programs. The program is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for SMD, which conducts a wide variety of research and scientific exploration programs for Earth studies, space weather, the solar system and universe.

For more information about the Explorers Program, visit:

https://explorers.gsfc.nasa.gov

For information about NASA's heliophysics missions and activities, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/sunearth

SOURCE NASA
Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov

COVID-19 may not have just canceled trips, but changed how Americans choose their travel destinations and the experiences they seek–at least for awhile. In the latest wave of Destination Analysts' Coronavirus Travel Sentiment tracking study (collected March 27-29), 66.1% of the 1,200+ American leisure and business travelers surveyed said their travel had been upended by the virus—essentially flat from last week, and far less dramatic than the 20-percentage point gain from one week prior. 

CTL announced the launch of its new Chromebook VX11 today. The Chromebook VX11 has a rugged yet convertible design and runs the latest Intel Gemini Lake processor (N4020) providing Gigabit Wi-Fi speeds up to 1.7ghz.

The VX11 is equipped with a water-resistant keyboard, anti-peel keys and an anti-glare screen. With up to 12 hours of battery life and non-slip texture, this lightweight Chromebook has a 180-degree hinge allowing it to open completely flat.

NASA has selected a new mission to study how the Sun generates and releases giant space weather storms – known as solar particle storms – into planetary space. Not only will such information improve understanding of how our solar system works, but it ultimately can help protect astronauts traveling to the Moon and Mars by providing better information on how the Sun's radiation affects the space environment they must travel through.

The new mission, called the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE), is an array of six CubeSats operating as one very large radio telescope. NASA has awarded $62.6 million to design, build and launch SunRISE by no earlier than July 1, 2023.

NASA chose SunRISE in August 2017 as one of two Mission of Opportunity proposals to conduct an 11-month mission concept study. In February 2019, the agency approved a continued formulation study of the mission for an additional year. SunRISE is led by Justin Kasper at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

"We are so pleased to add a new mission to our fleet of spacecraft that help us better understand the Sun, as well as how our star influences the space environment between planets," said Nicky Fox, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division. "The more we know about how the Sun erupts with space weather events, the more we can mitigate their effects on spacecraft and astronauts."

The mission design relies on six solar-powered CubeSats – each about the size of a toaster oven – to simultaneously observe radio images of low-frequency emission from solar activity and share them via NASA's Deep Space Network. The constellation of CubeSats would fly within 6 miles of each other, above Earth's atmosphere, which otherwise blocks the radio signals SunRISE will observe. Together, the six CubeSats will create 3D maps to pinpoint where giant particle bursts originate on the Sun and how they evolve as they expand outward into space. This, in turn, will help determine what initiates and accelerates these giant jets of radiation. The six individual spacecraft will also work together to map, for the first time, the pattern of magnetic field lines reaching from the Sun out into interplanetary space.

NASA's Missions of Opportunity maximize science return by pairing new, relatively inexpensive missions with launches on spacecraft already approved and preparing to go into space. SunRISE proposed an approach for access to space as a hosted rideshare on a commercial satellite provided by Maxar of Westminster, Colorado, and built with a Payload Orbital Delivery System, or PODS. Once in orbit, the host spacecraft will deploy the six SunRISE spacecraft and then continue its prime mission.

Missions of Opportunity are part of the Explorers Program, which is the oldest continuous NASA program designed to provide frequent, low-cost access to space using principal investigator-led space science investigations relevant to the Science Mission Directorate's (SMD) astrophysics and heliophysics programs. The program is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for SMD, which conducts a wide variety of research and scientific exploration programs for Earth studies, space weather, the solar system and universe.

For more information about the Explorers Program, visit:

https://explorers.gsfc.nasa.gov

For information about NASA's heliophysics missions and activities, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/sunearth

SOURCE NASA
Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov

Jabra today announces its Evolve2 range, the next generation of Evolve, its best-selling and market leading UC headsets for improved productivity2. The new range consists of the Evolve2 85, Evolve2 65 and Evolve2 40 and is engineered to transform concentration, collaboration and flexibility in the workplace. By blocking out more noise and providing better voice clarity, the Evolve2 brings distributed teams together, giving people the power to work from anywhere while staying connected. The headsets work with all leading UC platforms and are pending certification for Microsoft Teams.

Since Jabra's Evolve range first hit the market in 2014, the state of work has changed significantly. With the growing proliferation of global teams and remote work, there is a higher need for collaboration across enterprise locations and around the world. Furthermore, in today's society where our work and private lives overlap regularly, it is important that technology solutions can support every scenario. Taking the best features of Jabra's consumer audio expertise combined with enterprise grade technology, the no-compromise Evolve2 headset range offers features that suit every element of life – whether in the office or on-the-go and remote.


Future-proofing with monitoring and analytics