Author: J. Pouquet Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media ISBN: 9401021880 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 177
Book Description
Renaissance man " ... discovered many a mechanical marvel .... The achievement of the astronauts '" opened up comparable prospects to the men of today, but of infinitely wider scope". C. LUCET, French Ambassador to the United States.· "Any future ... must inevitably pass through the channel of combined disciplines ... (from which) will arise a humanization of state-of-the-art technology, and updating of methods of Earth Science." Author unknown.·· "It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and reality tomorrow." ROBERT GODDARD, American physicist. This'phrase has become the symbol of NASA . • Is there a crisis of the spirit?, Bu/. Soc. Prof. Fr. en Amer. (1969) p. 9. *. La recherchespatiale [Space Research] (May 1969) p. 15. INTRODUCTION FROM GALILEO TO ALDRIN AND ARMSTRONG In 1610, Galileo observed the surface of the Moon through the lens which bears his name and announced that, contrary to official opinion, its surface was irregular and not smooth. We now know that this observation -and many others ofGalileo-was a correct one, but the opposition that always arises against research too far ahead of its time resulted in his condemnation.
Author: National Research Council Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309214459 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 400
Book Description
Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.
Author: National Research Council Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 9780309103879 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 460
Book Description
Natural and human-induced changes in Earth's interior, land surface, biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans affect all aspects of life. Understanding these changes requires a range of observations acquired from land-, sea-, air-, and space-based platforms. To assist NASA, NOAA, and USGS in developing these tools, the NRC was asked to carry out a "decadal strategy" survey of Earth science and applications from space that would develop the key scientific questions on which to focus Earth and environmental observations in the period 2005-2015 and beyond, and present a prioritized list of space programs, missions, and supporting activities to address these questions. This report presents a vision for the Earth science program; an analysis of the existing Earth Observing System and recommendations to help restore its capabilities; an assessment of and recommendations for new observations and missions for the next decade; an examination of and recommendations for effective application of those observations; and an analysis of how best to sustain that observation and applications system.
Author: Gemma Cirac Claveras Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 500
Book Description
This dissertation deals with the technological practices of gathering, production, storage, diffusion and utilization of satellite data in support of studies related to the Earth sciences since the 1980s in France. Within a process that we have called of reconciliation-normalization we illustrate the efforts committed by space technologies promoters (at CNES, CNRS and universities) to enlist more of the scientific community in the execution of space experiments and, particularly, to attract the Earth scientists to enter that domain. Space technologies must get adapted to the current practices and representations of Earth scientists and, at the same time, Earth scientists must learn how to integrate satellite data in their corpus of scientific tools and practices, for the kinds of data that come available are foreign to their previous experience. We illustrate some of the efforts for creating a scientific community convinced that satellite data are credible tools for scientific enquiry. In particular, we analyze the specific mode of handling the data acquired by the radiometer POLDER as a socio-technical figuration borrowed from NASA's practices, which relies on a representation that conducting research in the domain of Earth sciences means analyzing geophysical data and that the world is inherently of geophysical nature. This figuration rises up an epistemic community holding knowledge in a set of technological practices, preconizes a form of data production, storage and delivery and casts a form of mission architecture and planning. Complex and sensitive to priorities in terms of geophysical datasets, this configuration results poorly adapted to the demands of other scientists. We have specifically analyzed the case of climate scientists close to the practice of numerical modeling who interpret data with alternative approaches and require access in other forms, sometimes opposed to the "norm".
Author: National Research Council Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309257026 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 124
Book Description
Understanding the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment and their implications requires a foundation of integrated observations of land, sea, air and space, on which to build credible information products, forecast models, and other tools for making informed decisions. The 2007 National Research Council report on decadal survey called for a renewal of the national commitment to a program of Earth observations in which attention to securing practical benefits for humankind plays an equal role with the quest to acquire new knowledge about the Earth system. NASA responded favorably and aggressively to this survey, embracing its overall recommendations for Earth observations, missions, technology investments, and priorities for the underlying science. As a result, the science and applications communities have made significant progress over the past 5 years. However, the Committee on Assessment of NASA's Earth Science Program found that the survey vision is being realized at a far slower pace than was recommended, principally because the required budget was not achieved. Exacerbating the budget shortfalls, NASA Earth science programs experienced launch failures and delays and the cost of implementing missions increased substantially as a result of changes in mission scope, increases in launch vehicle costs and/or the lack of availability of a medium-class launch vehicle, under-estimation of costs by the decadal survey, and unfunded programmatic changes that were required by Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has made significant reductions in scope to its future Earth environmental observing satellites as it contends with budget shortfalls. Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASA's Implementation of the Decadal Survey recommends a number of steps to better manage existing programs and to implement future programs that will be recommended by the next decadal survey. The report also highlights the urgent need for the Executive Branch to develop and implement an overarching multiagency national strategy for Earth observations from space, a key recommendation of the 2007 decadal survey that remains unfulfilled.
Author: National Research Council Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309110955 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 142
Book Description
Over the past 50 years, thousands of satellites have been sent into space on missions to collect data about the Earth. Today, the ability to forecast weather, climate, and natural hazards depends critically on these satellite-based observations. At the request of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Research Council convened a committee to examine the scientific accomplishments that have resulted from space-based observations. This book describes how the ability to view the entire globe at once, uniquely available from satellite observations, has revolutionized Earth studies and ushered in a new era of multidisciplinary Earth sciences. In particular, the ability to gather satellite images frequently enough to create "movies" of the changing planet is improving the understanding of Earth's dynamic processes and helping society to manage limited resources and environmental challenges. The book concludes that continued Earth observations from space will be required to address scientific and societal challenges of the future.
Author: Sabine Höhler Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 131731753X Category : History Languages : en Pages : 245
Book Description
The idea of the earth as a vessel in space came of age in an era shaped by space travel and the Cold War. Höhler’s study brings together technology, science and ecology to explore the way this latter-day ark was invoked by politicians, environmentalists, cultural historians, writers of science fiction and many others across three decades.
Author: National Research Council Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309174767 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 126
Book Description
For the past three decades, it has been possible to measure the earth's static gravity from satellites. Such measurements have been used to address many important scientific problems, including the earth's internal structure, and geologically slow processes like mantle convection. In principle, it is possible to resolve the time-varying component of the gravity field by improving the accuracy of satellite gravity measurements. These temporal variations are caused by dynamic processes that change the mass distribution in the earth, oceans, and atmosphere. Acquisition of improved time-varying gravity data would open a new class of important scientific problems to analysis, including crustal motions associated with earthquakes and changes in groundwater levels, ice dynamics, sea-level changes, and atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns. This book evaluates the potential for using satellite technologies to measure the time-varying component of the gravity field and assess the utility of these data for addressing problems of interest to the earth sciences, natural hazards, and resource communities.
Author: Helen Gavaghan Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media ISBN: 1461216184 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 311
Book Description
In this, the first history of artificial satellites and their uses, Helen Gavaghan shows how the idea of putting an object in orbit around the earth changed from science fiction to indispensable technology in the twinkling of an eye. Focusing on three major areas of development - navigational satellites, communications, and weather observation and forecasting - Gavaghan tells the remarkable inside story of how obscure men and women, often laboring under strict secrecy, made satellite technology possible. "...a gripping read." -NEW SCIENTIST
Author: J. Pouquet
Author: National Research Council
Author: National Research Council
Author: Gemma Cirac Claveras
Author: Stephen Marshak
Author: National Research Council
Author: National Research Council
Author: Sabine Höhler
Author: National Research Council
Author: Helen Gavaghan