Science in the field gets even more delightful. Two different missions are in the field right now, studying snow and how it affects communities around the country.
From our Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, the IMPACTS mission is flying up and down the East Coast, investigating how snow forms inside clouds. In Grand Mesa, Colorado, SnowEx’s teams on the ground and in the air are taking a close look at how much water is stored in snow.
Hate going out in the storm? The IMPACTS mission can help with that! IMPACTS uses two planes – a P-3 Orion and an ER-2 – flying through and high above the clouds to study where intense bands of snowfall form. Better understanding where intense snow will fall can improve forecast models down the road — helping prepare communities for snowstorms.
Cameras mounted on the wings of the P3 took microscopic images of snowflakes, like this one.
At the same time, the SnowEx team is in Colorado, studying the depth and density of snow. Researchers are making radar spirals with snowmobiles and working in giant snow pits to measure things like snow water equivalent, or how much water is stored in snow.
SnowEx is helping us better understand snow’s role in ecosystems and human systems, like irrigation for agriculture. If you want to bring some corn for popping, SnowEx’s science can help grow that crop.
Follow along with our teams as they brave the cold and snow: https://twitter.com/nasaexpeditions
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The day has finally arrived. After years of work, a team of scientists is at Kennedy Space Center in the hopes of seeing their research liftoff to the International Space Station.
Join #NASAExplorers for the countdown, the emotion and, hopefully, the launch!
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Picture by Lassi Rautinen
(cartoon Mike Peters)
Capa protetora feita com palha Takayama
The genius of local materials. To shield you in the rain while planting rice near Takayama, Japan, simply make a raincoat with straw. Photo from my book #VanishingAsia #Takayama #Japan #handcraft https://instagr.am/p/CAiN5t1jeg_/
Havana - Cuba (by vxla)
The genius of local materials. To shield you in the rain while planting rice near Takayama, Japan, simply make a raincoat with straw. Photo from my book #VanishingAsia #Takayama #Japan #handcraft https://instagr.am/p/CAiN5t1jeg_/
I’M SCREAMING!!!!