Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie, center, shows Ed and Betty Rosenthal, founders of Florikan Fertilizer Corp., the ground control experiments in the Veggie Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 16.
Ed and Betty Rosenthal, founders of Florikan Fertilizer Corp., left, and Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie, observe ground control experiments in the Veggie Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 16.
Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie, left, Betty and Ed Rosenthal, founders of Florikan Fertilizer Corp., observe ground control experiments in the Veggie Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 16.
Astronaut Donald Thomas conducts the Fertilization and Embryonic Development of Japanese Newt in Space (AstroNewt) experiment at the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) inside the International Microgravity Laboratory-2 (IML-2) science module. The AstroNewt experiment aims to know the effects of gravity on the early developmental process of fertilized eggs using a unique aquatic animal, the Japanese red-bellied newt. The newt egg is a large single cell at the begirning of development. The Japanese newt mates in spring and autumn. In late autumn, female newts enter hibernation with sperm in their body cavity and in spring lay eggs and fertilized them with the stored sperm. The experiment takes advantage of this feature of the newt. Groups of newts were sent to the Kennedy Space Center and kept in hibernation until the mission. The AAEU cassettes carried four newts aboard the Space Shuttle. Two newts in one cassette are treated by hormone injection on the ground to simulate egg laying. The other two newts are treated on orbit by the crew. The former group started maturization of eggs before launch. The effects of gravity on that early process were differentiated by comparison of the two groups. The IML-2 was the second in a series of Spacelab flights designed to conduct research by the international science community in a microgravity environment. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the IML-2 was launch on July 8, 1994 aboard the STS-65 Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia mission.
Astronaut Donald Thomas conducts the Fertilization and Embryonic Development of Japanese Newt in Space (AstroNewt) experiment at the Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) inside the International Microgravity Laboratory-2 (IML-2) science module. The AstroNewt experiment aims to know the effects of gravity on the early developmental process of fertilized eggs using a unique aquatic animal, the Japanese red-bellied newt. The newt egg is a large single cell at the begirning of development. The Japanese newt mates in spring and autumn. In late autumn, female newts enter hibernation with sperm in their body cavity and in spring lay eggs and fertilize them with the stored sperm. The experiment takes advantage of this feature of the newt. Groups of newts were sent to the Kennedy Space Center and kept in hibernation until the mission. The AAEU cassettes carried four newts aboard the Space Shuttle. Two newts in one cassette are treated by hormone injection on the ground to simulate egg laying. The other two newts are treated on orbit by the crew. The former group started maturization of eggs before launch. The effects of gravity on that early process were differentiated by comparison of the two groups. The IML-2 was the second in a series of Spacelab flights designed to conduct research by the international science community in a microgravity environment. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the IML-2 was launched on July 8, 1994 aboard the STS-65 Space Shuttle mission, Orbiter Columbia.
iss073e0134645 (May 22, 2025) --- Sohag, Egypt (top center), on the River Nile's fertile plain with a population of about 270,000, is pictured at approximately 12:17 a.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above. Just to the south of Sohag, is the city of Sohag Al Gadida City, or New Sohag, established in 2000.
Located in the fertile agricultural region of Argentina Pampas is a guitar-shaped forest made up of cypress and eucalyptus trees as seen by NASA Terra spacecraft.
These views of the Russian Arctic were acquired by NASA Terra spacecraft on July 11, 2004, when the brief arctic summer had transformed the frozen tundra and the thousands of lakes, channels, and rivers of the Lena Delta into a fertile wetland.
Jordan leading industry and export commodities are phosphate and potash, ranked in the top three in the world. These are used to make fertilizer. This image was acquired by NASA Terra satellite on September 17, 2005.
NASA Terra spacecraft captured this image north of the present town of Al Hillal, Iraq, in the fertile plain between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers, where the site of the legendary city of Babylon lies.
NASA Terra spacecraft captured this image of the province of Al Jazirah, a region of great fertility which lies in the central Sudan between the White and Blue Niles south of Khartoum.
Nitrogen mineralization (Nitrous Oxide Flux): Fertile Forest
A recently installed fertilizer-producing system sits near Launch Pad 39A. Using a "scrubber," the system captures nitrogen tetroxide vapor that develops as a by-product when it is transferred from ground storage tanks into the Shuttle storage tanks. Nitrogen tetroxide is used as the oxidizer for the hypergolic propellant in the Shuttle's on-orbit reaction control system. The scrubber then uses hydrogen peroxide to produce nitric acid, which, after adding potassium hydroxide, converts to potassium nitrate, a commercial fertilizer. Plans call for the resulting fertilizer to be used on the orange groves that KSC leases to outside companies
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Clyde Parrish, a NASA/KSC engineer, explains how the fertilizer scrubber control panel (center) works to turn nitrogen tetroxide vapor into fertilizer, potassium hydroxide. Parrish developed the system, which uses a "scrubber," to capture nitrogen tetroxide vapor that develops as a by-product when it is transferred from ground storage tanks into the Shuttle storage tanks. Nitrogen tetroxide is used as the oxidizer for the hypergolic propellant in the Shuttle's on-orbit reaction control system. The scrubber then uses hydrogen peroxide to produce nitric acid, which, after adding potassium hydroxide, converts to potassium nitrate. The resulting fertilizer will be used on the orange groves that KSC leases to outside companies
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Clyde Parrish, a NASA/KSC engineer, explains how the fertilizer scrubber control panel (center) works to turn nitrogen tetroxide vapor into fertilizer, potassium hydroxide. Parrish developed the system, which uses a "scrubber," to capture nitrogen tetroxide vapor that develops as a by-product when it is transferred from ground storage tanks into the Shuttle storage tanks. Nitrogen tetroxide is used as the oxidizer for the hypergolic propellant in the Shuttle's on-orbit reaction control system. The scrubber then uses hydrogen peroxide to produce nitric acid, which, after adding potassium hydroxide, converts to potassium nitrate. The resulting fertilizer will be used on the orange groves that KSC leases to outside companies
A recently installed fertilizer-producing system sits near Launch Pad 39A. Using a "scrubber," the system captures nitrogen tetroxide vapor that develops as a by-product when it is transferred from ground storage tanks into the Shuttle storage tanks. Nitrogen tetroxide is used as the oxidizer for the hypergolic propellant in the Shuttle's on-orbit reaction control system. The scrubber then uses hydrogen peroxide to produce nitric acid, which, after adding potassium hydroxide, converts to potassium nitrate, a commercial fertilizer. Plans call for the resulting fertilizer to be used on the orange groves that KSC leases to outside companies
This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows a portion of the northern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The image was taken on Sept. 22, 2015, and has a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel. Jarovit crater, named for the Slavic god of fertility and harvest, is seen at lower left. Its diameter is 41 miles (66 kilometers). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19989
iss061e004613 (Oct. 9, 2019) --- Looking like a leaf on a vine, the Faiyum Oasis extends west of the Nile River and south of Cairo, Egypt. The fertile area at the left of the photograph is the Nile Delta opening up into the Mediterranean Sea.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A recently installed fertilizer-producing system sits near Launch Pad 39A (upper left background). Using a "scrubber," the system captures nitrogen tetroxide vapor that develops as a by-product when it is transferred from ground storage tanks into the Shuttle storage tanks. Nitrogen tetroxide is used as the oxidizer for the hypergolic propellant in the Shuttle's on-orbit reaction control system. The scrubber then uses hydrogen peroxide to produce nitric acid, which, after adding potassium hydroxide, converts to potassium nitrate, a commercial fertilizer. The black tanker at left is collecting the potassium nitrate, which will be used on the orange groves that KSC leases to outside companies
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A recently installed fertilizer-producing system sits near Launch Pad 39A (upper left background). Using a "scrubber," the system captures nitrogen tetroxide vapor that develops as a by-product when it is transferred from ground storage tanks into the Shuttle storage tanks. Nitrogen tetroxide is used as the oxidizer for the hypergolic propellant in the Shuttle's on-orbit reaction control system. The scrubber then uses hydrogen peroxide to produce nitric acid, which, after adding potassium hydroxide, converts to potassium nitrate, a commercial fertilizer. The black tanker at left is collecting the potassium nitrate, which will be used on the orange groves that KSC leases to outside companies
Ed Rosenthal, founder and chairman of Florikan controlled release fertilizers, displays his plant growth material during the 2017 Innovation Expo showcase at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The controlled release fertilizer is used in NASA's Veggie plant growth system on the International Space Station and in the Veggie control unit in a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility. The purpose of the annual two-day event is to help foster innovation and creativity among the Kennedy workforce. The event included several keynote speakers, training opportunities, an innovation showcase and the KSC Kickstart competition.
jsc2023e064879 (12/9/2023) --- Dr. Lane Christenson discusses the finer points of follicular classification and counts with Payton Nies. Rodent Research-20 (RR-20) evaluates ovarian function in female mice in microgravity, fertility following return to Earth, and the effect of spaceflight on the next generation. Image courtesy of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
AS15-88-11974 (30 July 1971) --- A view of the Apollo 15 Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit as photographed from the Lunar Module (LM) just after rendezvous. The lunar nearside is in the background. This view is looking southeast into the Sea of Fertility. The crater Taruntius is at the right center edge of the picture.
iss067e034812 (May 5, 2022) --- The Paraná River, pictured from the International Space Station at an altitude of 269 miles, leads into the Paraná Delta and empties into the Rio de la Plata which separates Argentina from Uruguay on South America's Atlantic coast. The fertile lowlands region is also known as the Pampas.
iss070e025959 (Nov. 16, 2023) --- Four lakes in the Argentinian province of Buenos Aires are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 268 miles above the South American nation. From left, in Argentina's fertile Pampas region are Lagunas del Venado, del Monte, Cochico, and Alsina.
iss072e311451 (Dec. 3, 2024) --- The Sun's glint beams off one of the many rivers that snake throughout South America's fertile, low grasslands region, also known as the Pampas. The International Space Station was orbiting 261 miles above the border of Paraguay and Argentina at the time of this photograph. Credit: NASA/Don Pettit
iss067e031912 (April 27, 2022) --- The Rio de la Plata separates the nations of Argentina (bottom) and Uruguay (top) in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 269 miles above. Barely visible in the fertile lowlands of South America, are the populous cities of Buenos Aires, Argentina (center), and Montevideo, Uruguay (upper right).
iss071e488809 (Aug. 14, 2024) --- Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California in the fertile Imperial Valley with a population of just over 1,000,000 bordering the American state of California, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 258 miles above.
AS15-88-11969 (30 July 1971) --- A view of the Apollo 15 Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit as photographed from the Lunar Module (LM) just after rendezvous. The lunar nearside is in the background. This view is looking southeast into the Sea of Fertility. The crater Taruntius is at the right center edge of the picture.
jsc2023e064878 (10/4/2023) --- For the Rodent Research (RR-20) investigation, Avanelle Stoltz and Ashley Teate, part of Dr. Lane Christenson's lab, section and quantify ovarian follicular development to identify the effects of spaceflight and microgravity on female fertility. Ms. Stoltz sections fixed ovaries. Image courtesy of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
iss059e117393 (6/23/2019) --- Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques is photographed during VEG-04 Water Check and Mass Measurement Device Operations. Saint-Jacques is watering the plants if needed and looking for any leaves that have broken off. The research of Veg-04A focuses on the impact of light quality and fertilizer on leafy crop growth for a 28-day grow-out.
iss059e117376 (6/22/2019) --- Photo documentation taken during VEG-04 Water Check and Mass Measurement Device Operations aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The crew checks plants for water and waters if needed then if there are any leafs that have been broken off. The research of Veg-04A focuses on the impact of light quality and fertilizer on leafy crop growth for a 28-day grow-out.
iss067e169965 (July 1, 2022) --- The Khawr az-Zubayr Waterway (at bottom) separates the Middle Eastern nations of Kuwait and Iraq on the Persian Gulf coast. At top left, is the desert town of Abdali, Kuwait. At right, is the fertile, agricultural town of Abu Al-Khaseeb, Iraq. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles above Saudi Arabia near the island nation of Bahrain at the time this photograph was taken.
iss061e012956 (Oct. 23, 2019) --- This past week NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan watered the plant pillows in which Mizuna mustard greens are growing for the Veg-04B experiment. Veg-04B focuses on the effects of light quality and fertilizer on the leafy Mizuna crop, microbial food safety, nutritional value and the taste acceptability by the crew. The space botany research is also informing NASA how to provide fresh food for crews on long-term space missions.
AS08-17-2814 (21-27 Dec. 1968) --- This oblique view of the lunar surface taken from the Apollo 8 spacecraft looking westward across the Sea of Fertility into the Sea of Tranquility shows the terrain the astronauts will see as the approach Apollo Landing Site East 2. The landing site is at the horizon about one-third of the distance from the left to the right photograph margin. The prominent crater in the highlands near the center of the picture is Secchi, about 25 kilometers (15 statute miles) in diameter.
AS15-88-11961 (2 Aug. 1971) --- A view of the Apollo 15 Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit as photographed from the Lunar Module (LM) just after rendezvous. The lunar area below is the northeastern side of the Sea of Fertility. While astronauts David R. Scott, commander, and James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot, descended in the LM to explore the Hadley-Apennine area of the moon, astronaut Alfred M. Worden, command module pilot, remained with the CSM in lunar orbit.
iss061e014149 (Oct. 27, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Jessica Meir waters plant pillows where Mizuna mustard greens are raised as part of the Veg-04B experiment. This investigation is part of a phased research project to address the need for a continuous fresh food production system in space and focuses on the effects of light quality and fertilizer on a leafy crop. Taste is assessed by the crew.
Less interested in the scientific fundamentals of rocketry, many writers of popular literature and science fiction discovered one of the most vital elements in the formula for space travel, a fertile imagination. Under the impression that the sun "draws up" dewdrops, Cyrano de Bergerac suggested fancifully that one might fly by trapping dew in bottles, strapping the bottles to oneself, and standing in sunlight.
jsc2022e072967 (4/12/2021) --- Image of bovine ovary Granulosa cells. Coordinated by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), OVOSPACE investigates how microgravity influences the maturation and development ovarian cells in mammals, including Granulosa cells. This experiment could help scientists understand how long-term settlement on the Moon or Mars might affect the fertility of astronauts living in reduced gravity for long durations. Image courtesy of Professor Mariano Bizzarri, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome.
AS16-121-19449 (16-27 April 1972) --- This 70mm handheld camera's view of the moon, photographed during the Apollo 16 mission's trans-Earth coast, features Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility) in the foreground with the twin craters Messier at the lower right. Nearer the horizon is Mare Nectaris (Sea of Nectar) with craters Goclenius and Gutenberg in between. Goclenius is located at approximately 10 degrees south latitude and 45 degrees east longitude.
SL2-05-422 (22 June 1973) --- This section of the lower Mississippi River (34.0N, 90.0W) known as the Yazoo Basin, is characterized by a wide expanse of rich river bottomland with many oxbow lakes, the remains of the many changes in the riverbed over the course of many thousands of years. This soil is very fertile and productive but the region is prone to flooding. In this view, some of the back areas around the Delta National Forest show the effects of heavy spring rains. Photo credit: NASA
S69-34476 (21 May 1969) --- An oblique view of a group of craters just west of the Sea of Fertility (Mare Fecunditatis) on the lunar nearside is seen in this color reproduction taken from a telecast made by the color television aboard the Apollo 10 spacecraft as it orbited the moon. In this area are Gutenberg I, Capella A, Capella D, Capella E, and Capella M.
SL2-81-189 (22 June 1973) --- The well defined meanderings of the Mississippi River, just to the south of St. Louis, MO (38.5N, 90.5W) can easily be seen as curved lines and loops roughly paralleling the present river in this view showing the former water channels. The vegetated bluffs on either side of the river define the limits of the meanders where the rich river flood plain offers some of the most fertile land for agriculture although flooding remains a constant threat. Photo credit: NASA
AS16-121-19438 (April 1972) --- An oblique view of a portion of the lunar nearside as photographed from the Apollo 16 spacecraft in lunar orbit, looking across the Sea of Crises southwesterly into the Sea of Tranquility. The conspicuous, bright-rayed crater is Proclus. The crater Taruntius in the northeasterly portion of the Sea of Fertility is near the left center edge. A portion of the Sea of Serenity is visible on the horizon at upper right.
jsc2023e069280 (10/4/2023) --- Steffy Tabares Ruiz and Jade Nguyen analyze behavioral data that are informative for quantifying the effects of the space environment on neurobehavioral function. Rodent Research-20 (RR-20) evaluates ovarian function in female mice in microgravity, fertility following return to Earth, and the effect of spaceflight on the next generation. Image courtesy of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
jsc2023e064877 (10/19/2023) --- An ovarian tissue section shows a variety of follicular types. The (Female Reproductive Health: Space Flight Induced Ovarian and Estrogen Signaling Dysfunction, Adaptation, and Recovery) Rodent Research-20 (RR-20) investigation evaluates ovarian function in female mice in microgravity, fertility following return to Earth, and the effect of spaceflight on the next generation. Image courtesy of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
AS11-37-5445 (20 July 1969) --- The Apollo 11 Command and Service Modules (CSM) are photographed from the Lunar Module (LM) in lunar orbit during the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. The lunar surface below is in the north central Sea of Fertility. The coordinates of the center of the picture are 51 degrees east longitude and 1 degree north latitude. About half of the crater Taruntius G is visible in the lower left corner of the picture. Part of Taruntius H can be seen at lower right.
STS073-745-055 (2 November 1995) --- This photograph in color infrared highlights the different vegetation zones on the island of Maui, Hawaii. The dark red tropical forests live on the steep volcanic slopes on the north side of the island, and the fertile lowlands support large sugar cane plantations, which are the red and black checkered pattern. The Wailuku and Kahului area near the center on the north shore of the island was formerly a whaling center. Much of the eastern part of the island is Haleakala National Park, including the spectacular Haleakala Crater (under clouds).
iss059e113779 (June 18, 2019) --- Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques checks plants being grown for the Veg-04A space botany experiment taking place inside the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module from the European Space Agency. The study focuses on the impact of light quality and fertilizer on leafy crop growth for a 28-day grow-out, microbial food safety, nutritional value, taste acceptability by the crew, and the overall behavioral health benefits of having plants and fresh food in space.
In central Namibia are long straight dunes along the western edge of the Kalahari Desert. Farmers and ranchers wage a constant losing battle with the sand dunes that cover once fertile lands. The image was acquired January 4, 2012, covers an area of 43.2 by 50.1 km, and is located at 23.5 degrees south, 18.7 degrees east. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24551
The Spacelab-J (SL-J) mission was a joint venture between NASA and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) utilizing a marned Spacelab module. Materials science investigations covered such fields as biotechnology, electronic materials, fluid dynamics and transport phenomena, glasses and ceramics, metals and alloys, and acceleration measurements. Life sciences included experiments on human health, cell separation and biology, developmental biology, animal and human physiology and behavior, space radiation, and biological rhythms. Before long-term space ventures are attempted, numerous questions must be answered: how will gravity play in the early development of an organism, and how will new generations of a species be conceived and develop normally in microgravity. The Effects of Weightlessness on the Development of Amphibian Eggs Fertilized in Space experiment aboard SL-J examined aspects of these questions. To investigate the effect of microgravity on amphibian development, female frogs carried aboard SL-J were induced to ovulate and shed eggs. These eggs were then fertilized in the microgravity environment. Half were incubated in microgravity, while the other half were incubated in a centrifuge that spins to simulate normal gravity. This photograph shows astronaut Mark Lee working with one of the adult female frogs inside the incubator. The mission also examined the swimming behavior of tadpoles grown in the absence of gravity. The Spacelab-J was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour on September 12, 1992.
The Spacelab-J (SL-J) mission was a joint venture between NASA and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) utilizing a marned Spacelab module. Materials science investigations covered such fields as biotechnology, electronic materials, fluid dynamics and transport phenomena, glasses and ceramics, metals and alloys, and acceleration measurements. Life sciences included experiments on human health, cell separation and biology, developmental biology, animal and human physiology and behavior, space radiation, and biological rhythms. Before long-term space ventures are attempted, numerous questions must be answered: how will gravity play in the early development of an organism, and how will new generations of a species be conceived and develop normally in microgravity. The Effects of Weightlessness on the Development of Amphibian Eggs Fertilized in Space experiment aboard SL-J examined aspects of these questions. To investigate the effect of microgravity on amphibian development, female frogs carried aboard SL-J were induced to ovulate and shed eggs. These eggs were then fertilized in the microgravity environment. Half were incubated in microgravity, while the other half were incubated in a centrifuge that spins to simulate normal gravity. This photograph shows an astronaut working with one of the adult female frogs inside the incubator. The mission also examined the swimming behavior of tadpoles grown in the absence of gravity. The Spacelab-J was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour on September 12, 1992.
Science fiction writers, like Jules Verne in France and Edward Everett Hale in America, had discovered one of the most vital elements in the formula for space travel-a fertile imagination. The first known proposal for a marned-satellite appears in a story by Hale entitled "The Brick Moon" published in 1899. The story involved a group of young Bostonians who planned to put an artificial satellite into polar orbit for sailors to use to determine longitude accurately and easily. They planned to send a brick satellite into orbit because the satellite would have to withstand fire very well. The Satellite's 37 inhabitants signaled the Earth in morse code by jumping up and down on the outside of the satellite.
iss068e045298 (Feb. 5, 2023) --- A view of red dwarf tomato plants growing in the Veggie plant growth facility aboard the International Space Station as part of the Pick-and-Eat Salad-Crop Productivity, Nutritional Value, and Acceptability to Supplement the ISS Food System (Veg-05) investigation. Veg-05 is the next step in efforts to address the need for a continuous fresh-food production system in space. This experiment focuses on studying the impact of light quality and fertilizer on fruit production, microbial safety, nutritional value, taste acceptability by the astronauts, and the overall behavioral health benefits of having plants and fresh food in space.
ISS013-E-79496 (9 Sept. 2006) --- This picture, photographed from the International Space Station by an Expedition 13 crewmember, includes the Baikonur launch complex and thus has special significance for the Expedition 13 crew and all crews who have launched aboard Soyuz craft to join the orbital outpost. Baikonur, formerly known as Leninsk, is a city within Kazakhstan, but it is rented and administered by Russia. It was constructed to service the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was officially renamed Baikonur by Boris Yeltsin on December 20, 1995. The name Baikonur is Kazakh for "wealthy brown," i.e. "fertile land with many herbs."
AS13-60-8703 (11-17 April 1970) --- This outstanding view of a near full moon was photographed from the Apollo 13 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey homeward. Though the explosion of the oxygen tank in the Service Module (SM) forced the cancellation of the scheduled lunar landing, Apollo 13 made a pass around the moon prior to returning to Earth. Some of the conspicuous lunar features include the Sea of Crisis, the Sea of Fertility, the Sea of Tranquility, the Sea of Serenity, the Sea of Nectar, the Sea of Vapors, the Border Sea, Smyth's Sea, the crater Langrenus, and the crater Tsiolkovsky.
STS068-243-076 (30 September-11 October 1994) --- Parts of the Swiss Cantons of Vaud and Valois, the French province of Chablis and parts of northwestern Italy are seen in this widely stretching image photographed from the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Pennine Alps, said to have been created 50 million years ago, have been reshaped by glaciers during Pleistocene. The glaciers created the wide valley of the Rhone River by scourting a pre-existing seam. The fertile Swiss Plateau runs northwest from the shore of Lake Geneva and is visible in lower left. The Franco-Swiss border is located in the center of the lake and follows a mountain divide east of Rhone Valley. Italy lies south of the Rhone.
This image was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on July 24, 2018 from an altitude of about 89 miles (143 kilometers). NASA announced the conclusion of Dawn's mission operations was Oct. 31, 2018, when the spacecraft depleted its hydrazine. The center of this feature is located at about 18.5 degrees north latitude and 240.9 degrees east longitude, in the eastern part of Occator Crater. Occator Crater is named after the Roman agricultural deity of the harrowing, a helper of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22981
iss068e045013 (Feb. 2, 2023) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Josh Cassada uses a watering syringe to water tomato plants for the the Veg-05 experiment, the next step in efforts to address the need for a continuous fresh-food production system in space. The experiment uses the space station’s Veggie facility to grow dwarf tomatoes, seen in its early growing stages on station in the bottom photo. The experiment examines the effect of light quality and fertilizer on fruit production, microbial food safety, nutritional value, and taste acceptability. Growing plants can also enhance the overall living experience for crew members.
This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a group of craters, left of center, that resembles a rubber duck. Halki Crater, the "head," is 12 miles (20 kilometers) in diameter, while Telepinu Crater, the "body," is 19 miles (31 kilometers) across. They can be found in the global map of Ceres' names. The "beak" crater is unnamed. Halki and Telepinu have both been recently added to the list of official names for Ceres' geological features. They are both named after Hittite (Asia Minor) deities: the goddess of grain and the god of fertility and vegetation, respectively. Dawn acquired this picture on August 20, 2015, from its high-altitude mapping orbit at about 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) above the surface. The center coordinates of this image are 26 degrees north latitude, 339 degrees east longitude. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21909
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a researcher prepares red romaine lettuce seeds in seed film – a new seed handling material– on Jan. 15, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a research scientist glues red romaine lettuce seeds to a sheet of seed film – a new seed handling material – on Jan. 15, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
A research scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida cuts strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 16, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
A research scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida cuts and stores strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 16, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, red romaine lettuce seeds are affixed to seed film – a new seed handling material – on Jan. 15, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
A research scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida cuts strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 16, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
These "stars" found on the floor of Ceres' Occator Crater belong to the Vinalia Faculae. The faculae are deposits of salts, in particular sodium carbonate, possibly extruded through fractures connecting the surface to a deep reservoir of salty liquid. The images used in this montage were obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft in June 2018 from an altitude of about 21 miles (34 kilometers). NASA announced the conclusion of Dawn's mission operations was Oct. 31, 2018, when the spacecraft depleted its hydrazine. The center of this feature is located at about 20.2 degrees north latitude and 241.3 degrees east longitude, in the eastern part of Occator Crater. Occator Crater is named after the Roman agricultural deity of the harrowing, a helper of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22980
This image obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a field of small craters next to Kokopelli Crater, seen at bottom right in this image, on dwarf planet Ceres. The small craters overlay a smooth, wavy material that represents ejecta from nearby Dantu Crater. The small craters were formed by blocks ejected in the Dantu impact event, and likely from the Kokopelli impact as well. Kokopelli is named after the fertility deity who presides over agriculture in the tradition of the Pueblo people from the southwestern United States. The crater measures 21 miles (34 kilometers) in diameter. Dawn took this image during its first extended mission on August 11, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. The center coordinates of this image are 20 degrees north latitude, 123 degrees east longitude. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21915
STS087-707-092 (19 November – 5 December 1997) --- Featured in this view is the Ganges River delta. A glacier at about 22,100 feet in the Himalayas is the source of the Ganges River. Hundreds of miles later and joined by other tributaries the Ganges delta enters the Bay of Bengal. The delta, at 200 miles wide (320 kilometers) is one of the most fertile and densely populated regions of the world. The eastern side of the delta changes rapidly and forms new land because of rapid sedimentation. The southern part of the delta has a darker appearance because of tidal forests, swampland, and mangroves. The Sundarbans is the name of this forested area and it is the site of a tiger preservation project for the governments of India and Bangladesh. This picture is one of the 70mm Earth observations visuals used by the crew at its post flight presentation events.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, red romaine lettuce seeds are measured before being placed in seed film – a new seed handling material – on Jan. 15, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a research scientist is preparing to glue red romaine lettuce seeds to a sheet of seed film – a new seed handling material – on Jan. 15, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
STS060-90-007 (3-11 Feb 1994) --- Parts of the Swiss Cantons of Vaud and Valois and the French province of Chablais are shown. These mountains were created in the last great mountain-building episode in Europe around 50 million years ago. They have been reshaped by glaciers during the Pleistocene. The glaciers created the wide valley of the Rhone River by scouring a pre-existing stream. The fertile Swiss Plateau runs northwest from the shore of Lake Geneva and is visible in the upper right. The Franco-Swiss border is located in the center of the lake and follows a mountain divide east of the Rhone Valley. According to NASA geologists eutrofication is a problem in Lake Geneva. In 1971 a Swiss Commission was formed to try to slow the problem. Strong discharge laws were enacted, but they are hard to enforce due to the multi-national and multi-organizational parties contributing to the problem.
A research scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida cuts strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 16, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
STS080-745-004 (19 Nov.-7 Dec. 1996) --- A view to the west showing Asia in the foreground and Africa in the background, as photographed by the space shuttle Columbia crewmembers. The Mediterranean Sea is to the upper right and the Red Sea to the lower left (holding photograph with NASA numbers on left). Sinai Peninsula is between the two with the Gulf of Suez above and the Gulf of Aqaba below. The Suez Canal connects the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea. The triangular shaped dark area beyond is the Nile River Delta. The thin green fertile valley of the Nile crosses the photograph from a point at Cairo (near dark triangle area) past the great bend at Luxor with Thebes and the Valley of the Kings, and on the left into the Nubian Desert with the Aswan High Dam at the very left edge of the photograph. To the horizon is the Western Desert of Egypt and Libya. The foreground is the northwest portion of Saudi Arabia, an area known as the Hejaz with the southern portions of Israel and Jordan to the lower right.
A research scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida cuts strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 16, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
Participating in the Crew Equipment Integration Test (CEIT) at Kennedy Space Center is STS-87 Payload Specialist Leonid Kadenyuk of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU). Here, Cosmonaut Kadenyuk is inspecting flowers for pollination and fertilization, which will occur as part of the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment, or CUE, aboard Columbia during its 16-day mission, scheduled to take off from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-B on Nov. 19. The CUE experiment is a collection of 10 plant space biology experiments that will fly in Columbia’s middeck and feature an educational component that involves evaluating the effects of microgravity on the pollinating Brassica rapa seedlings. Students in Ukrainian and American schools will participate in the same experiment on the ground and have several live opportunities to discuss the experiment with Kadenyuk in Space. Kadenyuk of the Ukraine will be flying his first Shuttle mission on STS-87
Participating in the Crew Equipment Integration Test (CEIT) at Kennedy Space Center is STS-87 Payload Specialist Leonid Kadenyuk of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU). Here, Cosmonaut Kadenyuk is inspecting flowers for pollination and fertilization, which will occur as part of the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment, or CUE, aboard Columbia during its 16-day mission, scheduled to take off from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-B on Nov. 19. The CUE experiment is a collection of 10 plant space biology experiments that will fly in Columbia’s middeck and feature an educational component that involves evaluating the effects of microgravity on the pollinating Brassica rapa seedlings. Students in Ukrainian and American schools will participate in the same experiment on the ground and have several live opportunities to discuss the experiment with Kadenyuk in Space. Kadenyuk of the Ukraine will be flying his first Shuttle mission on STS-87
Strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – are photographed inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 16, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
Aaron Curry, a LASSO research scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, measures out strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 16, 2020, in preparation for the VEG-03 J experiment. The seed film experiment involves crew aboard the International Space Station planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. This water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. The experiment will be launched to the orbiting laboratory aboard a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft on the company’s 13th resupply services mission. Liftoff is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, red romaine lettuce seeds are affixed to seed film – a new seed handling material – on Jan. 15, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
STS079-785-103 (16-26 Sept. 1996) --- In this 70mm frame from the space shuttle Atlantis, the Brazilian state of Rondonia is featured. The photograph shows some of the major settlements and the habitat fragmentation caused by large agriculture programs in Brazil. The Rondonia state in southwestern Brazil is an area of about 240,000 square kilometers (92,000 square miles). Approximately 11.5% of the tropical forests in Rondonia have been cleared since 1970. There are indicators showing that roughly 20% of the cleared land is reverting back to scrub every year due to low fertility. Space Shuttle photography of this region has documented the forest clearing since the mid 1980's. This view adds to the large database of imagery, including other satellite-based imagery, and provides a natural color view of the region.
A research scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida cuts strips of seed film – a new seed handling material containing red romaine lettuce seeds – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 16, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
What connects Earth's largest, hottest desert to its largest tropical rainforest? The Sahara Desert is a near-uninterrupted brown band of sand and scrub across the northern third of Africa. The Amazon rainforest is a dense green mass of humid jungle that covers northeast South America. But after strong winds sweep across the Sahara, a tan cloud rises in the air, stretches between the continents, and ties together the desert and the jungle. It’s dust. And lots of it. For the first time, a NASA satellite has quantified in three dimensions how much dust makes this trans-Atlantic journey. Scientists have not only measured the volume of dust, they have also calculated how much phosphorus – a natural plant fertilizer present in Saharan sands from part of the desert’s past as a lake bed – gets carried across the ocean from one of the planet’s most desolate places to one of its most fertile. <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b> <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
It drains a watershed that spans eight countries and nearly 1.6 million square kilometers 600,000 square miles. The Zambezi also Zambeze is the fourth largest river in Africa, and the largest east-flowing waterway. The Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite acquired this natural-color image of the Zambezi Delta on August 29, 2013. Sandbars and barrier spits stretch across the mouths of the delta, and suspended sediment extends tens of kilometers out into the sea. The sandy outflow turns the coastal waters to a milky blue-green compared to the deep blue of open water in the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi Delta includes 230 kilometers of coastline fronting 18,000 square kilometers (7,00 square miles) of swamps, floodplains, and even savannahs (inland). The area has long been prized by subsistence fishermen and farmers, who find fertile ground for crops like sugar and fertile waters for prawns and fish. Two species of endangered cranes and one of the largest concentration of buffalo in Africa -- among many other species of wildlife -- have found a haven in this internationally recognized wetland. However, the past six decades have brought great changes to the Zambezi Delta, which used to pour more water and sediment off of the continent. Hydropower dams upstream-most prominently, the Kariba and the Cahora Bassa-greatly reduce river flows during the wet season; they also trap sediments that would otherwise flow downstream. The result has been less water reaching the delta and the floodplains, which rely on pulses of nutrients and sediments from annual (and mostly benign) natural flooding. The change in the flow of the river affects freshwater availability and quality in the delta. Strong flows push fresh water further out into the sea and naturally keep most of a delta full of fresh (or mostly fresh) water. When that fresh flow eases, the wetlands become drier and more prone to fire. Salt water from the Indian Ocean also can penetrate further into the marsh, upsetting the ecological balance for aquatic plant and animal species. Researchers have found that the freshwater table in the delta has dropped as much as five meters in the 50 years since dams were placed on the river. Less river flow also affects the shape and extent of the delta. Today there is less sediment replenishing the marshes and beaches as they are scoured by ocean waves and tides. "What strikes me in this image is the suspended sediment offshore," said Liviu Giosan, a delta geologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. "Sediment appears to be transferred from the delta offshore in plumes that not only originate in active river mouths but also from deactivated former mouths, now tidal channels. This shows the power of tidal scouring contributing to the slow but relentless erosion of the delta." http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18155
Often, the names of features on planetary bodies are connected through a specific theme -- for example, many features on the Moon have been named after famous scientists. NASA's Dawn mission, together with the International Astronomical Union, established that craters on Ceres would be named for agricultural deities from all over the world, and other features would be named for agricultural festivals. Ceres itself was named after the Roman goddess of corn and harvests by its discoverer, Giuseppe Piazzi, who spotted it with his telescope in 1801. Since March 2015, Dawn has been orbiting Ceres and sending back many intriguing images and other data about its features. Using suggestions from the Dawn team, the IAU recently approved 25 new Ceres feature names tied to theme of agricultural deities, marked in yellow on the map. Emesh Crater, for example, is named for the Sumerian god of vegetation and agriculture. Jumi is the Latvian god of fertility of the field. The newly named surface features vary in size. Thrud, for example, is a crater with a diameter of 4.8 miles (7.8 kilometers) within the larger crater Zadeni, while Mlezi has a diameter of 28 miles (42 kilometers). For more information, the characteristics of these and other features on Ceres can be found in the IAU's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21755
Key persornel in the Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment at the University of Colorado at Boulder include Tawnya Ferbiak (software engineer), Susan Batiste (research assistant), and Christina Winkler (graduate research assistant). Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. MGM experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that cannot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder).
Engineering bench system hardware for the Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment is tested on a lab bench at the University of Colorado in Boulder. This is done in a horizontal arrangement to reduce pressure differences so the tests more closely resemble behavior in the microgravity of space. Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. MGM experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that carnot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder).
Jess Bunchek, a pseudonaut and associate scientist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares the materials needed for a germination test of red romaine lettuce seeds inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 15, 2020. The test will verify that the seeds can successfully grow from seed film – a new seed handling material – here on Earth before it’s sent to the International Space Station for testing in a microgravity environment as part of the VEG-03 series of experiments. The seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. The experiment will launch aboard a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft on the company’s 13th resupply services mission to the space station. Liftoff is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
What appear to be boulders fresh from a tumble down a mountain are really grains of Ottawa sand, a standard material used in civil engineering tests and also used in the Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment. The craggy surface shows how sand grans have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even causing sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. MGM uses the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that carnot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. These images are from an Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) study conducted by Dr. Binayak Panda of IITRI for Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). (Credit: NASA/MSFC)
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 15, 2020, Jess Bunchek, a pseudonaut and associate scientist, prepares seeds for a germination test. The test will verify that the seeds can successfully grow here on Earth before they are sent to the International Space Station for testing in a microgravity environment as part of the VEG-03 series of experiments. The seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. The experiment will launch aboard a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft on the company’s 13th resupply services mission to the space station. Liftoff is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Xevioso Crater is the small (5.3 miles, 8.5 kilometers in diameter) crater associated with bright ejecta toward the top of this image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. It is one of the newly named craters on Ceres. Xevioso is located in the vicinity of Ahuna Mons, the tall, lonely mountain seen toward the bottom of the picture. Given that the small impact that formed Xevioso was able to excavate bright material, scientists suspect the material may be found at shallow depth. Its nature and relationship to other bright regions on Ceres is under analysis. The asymmetrical distribution of this bright ejecta indicates Xevioso formed via an oblique impact. Another view of Xevioso can be found here. Xevioso is named for the Fon god of thunder and fertility from the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was located in a region that is now the west African country of Benin. Dawn acquired this picture on October 15, 2015, from its high altitude mapping orbit at about 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) above the surface. The center coordinates of this image are 3.8 degrees south latitude, 314 degrees east longitude, and its resolution is 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21907
A test cell for Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment is tested for long-term storage with water in the system as plarned for STS-107. This view shows the compressed sand column with the protective water jacket removed. Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditons that cannot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder
Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) flight hardware takes two twin double locker assemblies in the Space Shuttle middeck or the Spacehab module. Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. MGM experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that carnot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Credit: NASA/MSFC).
STS102-303-017 (8-21 March 2001)--- The STS-102 crew members used a 35mm camera on the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Discovery to record this image of the Aswan High Dam. The structure was completed in 1970 and is one of the largest earthen embankment dams in the world. It is 364 feet (111 meters) tall, 12,565 feet (3,830 meters) long and nearly 3,281 feet (1,000 meters) wide. When it was built the new reservoir required relocation of nearly 100,000 residents and some archaeological sites. Although the reservoir has benefited Egypt by providing power and controlling floods, according to NASA scientists, it has also had detrimental effects on the Nile system. Before the dam, an estimated 110 million tons of silt was deposited by the annual flood of the Nile, enriching agricultural lands and maintaining the land of the Nile delta. Now this sediment is trapped behind the dam, requiring artificial fertilization of agricultural lands and leading to erosion and saltwater intrusion where the Nile river meets the Mediterranean Sea.
Sand boil or sand volcano measuring 2 m (6.6 ft.) in length erupted in median of Interstate Highway 80 west of the Bay Bridge toll plaza when ground shaking transformed loose water-saturated deposit of subsurface sand into a sand-water slurry (liquefaction) in the October 17, 1989, Loma Prieta earthquake. Vented sand contains marine-shell fragments. Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that carnot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Credit: J.C. Tinsley, U.S. Geological Survey)
A test cell for Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment is tested for long-term storage with water in the system as plarned for STS-107. This view shows the compressed sand column with the protective water jacket removed. Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditons that cannot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder
What appear to be boulders fresh from a tumble down a mountain are really grains of Ottawa sand, a standard material used in civil engineering tests and also used in the Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiment. The craggy surface shows how sand grans have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even causing sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. MGM uses the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that carnot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. These images are from an Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) study conducted by Dr. Binayak Panda of IITRI for Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). (Credit: NASA/MSFC)
Aaron Curry, a research scientist with the Laboratory Support Services and Operations (LASSO) contract at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida affixes red romaine lettuce seeds to a sheet of seed film – a new seed handling material – inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Jan. 15, 2020. The seed film is being prepared for the VEG-03 J experiment that will fly to the International Space Station on Northrop Grumman’s 13th resupply services (NG-13) mission. This seed film experiment involves crew aboard the orbiting laboratory planting the seeds into plant pillows – a common method used to grow plants in space – themselves for the first time ever. The water-soluble, dissolving film addresses the challenge of handling seeds in a microgravity environment and also can be used to deliver fertilizers and other beneficial substances that help plants grow. NG-13 is scheduled to launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, at 5:39 p.m. EST.
CT scans of the spcimens on STS-79 reveal internal cone-shaped features and radial patterns not seen in specimens processed on the ground. The lighter areas are the densest in these images. CT scans produced richly detailed images allowing scientists to build 3D models of the interior of the specimens that can be compared with microscopic examination of thin slices. This view is made from a series of horizontal slices. Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that carnot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
CT scans of the specimens on STS-79 reveal internal cone-shaped features and radial patterns not seen in specimens processed on the ground. The lighter areas are the densest in these images. CT scans produced richly detailed images allowing scientists to build 3D models of the interior of the specimens that can be compared with microscopic examination of thin slices. This view is made from three orthogonal slices. Sand and soil grains have faces that can cause friction as they roll and slide against each other, or even cause sticking and form small voids between grains. This complex behavior can cause soil to behave like a liquid under certain conditions such as earthquakes or when powders are handled in industrial processes. Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) experiments aboard the Space Shuttle use the microgravity of space to simulate this behavior under conditions that carnot be achieved in laboratory tests on Earth. MGM is shedding light on the behavior of fine-grain materials under low effective stresses. Applications include earthquake engineering, granular flow technologies (such as powder feed systems for pharmaceuticals and fertilizers), and terrestrial and planetary geology. Nine MGM specimens have flown on two Space Shuttle flights. Another three are scheduled to fly on STS-107. The principal investigator is Stein Sture of the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Colorado at Boulder).