STI BULLETIN ONLINE

The STI Bulletin is a quarterly publication of the NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program 

produced by the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) for the users of our information products 

and services.

January 2004

Featured Articles Publication News

● New STI Website Launched

● West Wing Calling... Among Others

● Current Topics

● NASA History

Focus On...Earth Science Next Issue

Departments Focus On ... Space Radiation 

● From NASA Headquarters

● From the Centers

● Contribute

● Subscribe/Unsubscribe 

View Previous Issues

Featured Articles

New STI Website Launched

The new STI home page (below) with links to databases, tools, products, services, and other useful information is now available.

As part of NASA’s effort to provide a one-stop Internet portal 

(http://www.nasa.gov), the STI Program Office has been 

working to redesign its Website. Extensive comments from users 

have been received and implemented. According to George 

Roncaglia, STI Program Office Head, the redesign “makes the 

site more user-friendly, better accommodates NASA's use of a 

portal, and more successfully portrays the wealth of information 

that STI makes available to NASA and public users.” 

The most conspicuous attribute of the new design is a flat 

architecture that allows you to see at a glance what information 

is available at the site and access much of this information with 

a single mouse click. Access to databases—the feature current 

Website users indicated was the most important to them—is 

now readily available. You can gain access—no registration 

required—to the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), from 

anywhere in the site by clicking on the Search panel in the 

banner or the Search button in the vertical menu bar. You’ll also 

find a link to the NACA Digital Library.

Other enhancements include a new Tools/Products/Services

section, where you can link to descriptions of publishing tools, 

databases, periodicals and collections, indexes and 

bibliographies, and custom products and services. Once there, 

you can see just what the items look like by clicking on the 

Sample buttons. There are also buttons that take you directly to online products, Subscribe buttons that take you 

to the appropriate information or form, and Order buttons that let you make online purchases. The order form is 

simple. Just check off the products desired and specify the quantities and price for which you are eligible. Then, 

choose your preferred processing, shipping, and payment methods. For custom products and services, just describe 

your requirements and complete the customer information. An Outreach Specialist (see below) will contact you 

within one business day to discuss your requirements in detail. 

The launch of the Website is only the beginning. Explore the site and see how it meets your needs. If there is 

something we can do to help you accomplish a particular task or accomplish it more easily, click the Feedback

button on the main menu bar and describe your requirements.

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West Wing Calling ... Among Others 

Pictured below, President Bartlet, a.k.a. Martin Sheen, makes a telephone call while Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) 

and speechwriter and Special Assistant to the President Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) stand by.

No, it wasn’t Martin Sheen. But we did get a call from the production 

staff of NBC television series, The West Wing, for a NASA video. “It 

made me remember a couple years ago when we had a rush order for a 

production staff putting together a video for the real White House,” said 

Chris Stark, the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) 

Outreach Specialist lead for videos. In fact, we get quite a few 

interesting requests for footage from customers such as NBC Studios 

production staff, the National Geographic, Swedish Public Television, 

British Public Television, Oxford Television in Britain, and many American 

public television stations. And some of our best calls come from ordinary 

people who are fascinated by NASA’s extraordinary achievements.

To the public, we’re often their initial contact with NASA. So, we do our 

best to make it a good experience. Other than our friendly, helpful staff, 

we have some excellent tools at our—and your—disposal. First, the NASA videos held at CASI are unique in that they 

are organized by a systematic metadata (data about data) scheme. This makes searching for them easy and the 

search output precise and informative. Because we use the same metadata scheme for both videos and documents, 

video citations reside in our databases. Our staff uses the new NASA scientific and technical information knowledge 

base to respond to customer requests, which is also available to you if you are a NASA or other Federal agency 

employee, prime contractor, or grantee. You can also find video citations in the NASA Technical Reports Database 

(NTRS) or, if you prefer, browse the collection in the online NASA Video Catalog.

CASI is the primary, but not exclusive, repository of NASA videos. For those times when there is nothing among our 

2,000+ videos that meets a particular customer’s needs, we have a triage process in place to put the customer in 

touch with the appropriate Center video representative. We know, for example, that the Goddard Space Flight 

Center (GSFC) has a stellar collection of “Earth views greatest hits,” but that the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is 

the “go to” place for Mars exploration videos. “Taking the time to give a brief explanation of the types of videos 

available at NASA Centers goes a long way with our customers. They are very grateful that we provide them with an 

explanation of their options to acquire the best possible footage for their needs,” says Stark.
 

STI BULLETIN ONLINE

Focus On ... Earth Science 

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Pictured below, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe addressed the International Earth Summit, convened to raise awareness of the 

importance of cooperation and investment in Earth observations to provide key scientific data to support global economic, social and 

scientific decision-makers.

With NASA’s robots searching for signs of life on Mars 

(see Focus On...Robotics), we would like to remind you 

that there is plenty that NASA is doing about life right 

here on Earth. From the unique vantage point of space, 

NASA researchers can see — and more importantly — 

predict how dust storms in the Sahara will affect crops in 

the American Midwest, how mosquito-born diseases will 

spread, and which part of a field needs fertilizer and 

which part does not (see Earth Science Applications 

Directorate). Underlying such practical applications is a 

massive body of earth science scientific and technical 

information.

Listed below is a sample of the Earth science material found in the NTRS: NASA Technical Reports Server. The listing is 

limited to recently published, publicly available information. The documents are available for purchase by contacting 

the STI Help Desk (301- 621-0390 or help@sti.nasa.gov). Please use the Document IDs provided. NTRS has basic and 

advanced search capabilities for researching Earth science topics on your own. 

● Carbon Cycle

● Atmospheric Chemistry

● Aerosols

● Long-Term Climate Change

● Geodynamics

Carbon Cycle

Esper, J. Gervin, J., Kirchman, F., Middleton, E., Knox, R., Gregg, W., Mannino, A., McClain, C., Herman, 

J., Hall, F. Low/Medium Density Biomass, Coastal and Ocean Carbon: A Carbon Cycle Mission. Document 

ID (CASI): 20030022698.

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Atmospheric Chemistry

Abdelkhalik, O. O., Nairouz, B., Weaver, T., Newman, B. Engineering Feasibility and Trade Studies for the 

NASA/VSGC MicroMaps Space Mission. Document ID (CASI): 20030112228.

McMillian, W. W., Strow, L. L., Revercomb, H., Knuteson, R., and Thompson, A. A Climatology of 

Tropospheric CO over the Central and Southeastern United States and the Southwestern Pacific Ocean 

Derived from Space, Air, and Ground-based Infrared Interferometer Spectra. Document ID (CASI): 

20030020877

Rothman, L. High-Resolution Spectroscopic Database for the NASA Earth Observing System Program. 

Document ID (CASI): 20030020876.

Penner, J. and Mishchenko, M. I. The Study of Biomass Emissions for Defining Radiative Forcing of 

Climate. Document ID (CASI). 20030004258.

Gleason, J. F. Tropospheric Chemistry Studies using Observations from GOME and TOMS. Document ID 

(CASI): 20030014605.

Ahmad, S. P., Johnson, J. E., Jackman, Charles H. Atmospheric products from the Upper Atmosphere 

Research Satellite (UARS). Document ID (CASI): 20030032197.

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Aerosols

Rothman, L. High-Resolution Spectroscopic Database for the NASA Earth Observing System Program. 

Document ID (CASI): 20030020876.

Penner, J. and Zhang, S. Modeling the Absorbing Aerosol Index. Document ID (CASI): 20030005685.

Chance, K., Spurr, R. J. D., Kurosu, T. P., Jacob, D. J., and Gleason, J. F. Tropospheric Chemistry Studies 

using Observations from GOME and TOMS. Document ID (CASI): 20030014605.

Coy, L., Stajner, I., DaSilva, A. M., Joiner, J., Rood, R. B., Pawson, S., and Lin, S. J. High-Frequency 

Planetary Waves in the Polar Middle Atmosphere as Seen in a Data Assimilation System. Document ID 

(CASI): 20030025379.

Toon, O. B., Klein, K., Gamblin, B. Modeling Aerosol Nucleation. Document ID (CASI): 20030033941.

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Long-Term Climate Change

Chaudhury, S. R. and Rodriguez, W. J. Scientific Visualization & Modeling for Earth Systems Science 

Education. Document ID (CASI): 20030012606.

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Geodynamics

Salstein, D. A., Rosen, R. D., Ponte, R. M., and Frey, H. Impact of Climatic Variability on Atmospheric 

Mass Distribution and GRACE-Derived Gravity Fields. Document ID (CASI): 20030007793.

Liu, H., Kolenkiewicz, R., Li, J., and Chen, J. Satellite Detection of the Convection Generated Stresses in 

Earth. Document ID (CASI): 20030093548.

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STI BULLETIN ONLINE

Departments

● From NASA Headquarters 

● From the Centers

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From NASA Headquarters

Who We Are at the Earth Science Enterprise

Pictured below, Dr. Ghassem R. Asrar, Earth Science Associate Administrator, explains: "The Earth Science Enterprise focuses NASA's space 

exploration spirit on our home planet Earth. Then we channel the resulting information in a timely fashion for policy decision making, and 

managing the precious natural resources for future generations."

Improving life here on planet Earth is foremost in NASA's vision, and the larger 

purpose of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. Using the vantage point of space, we gain 

an understanding of our home planet that we could never achieve were we bound to 

the Earth's surface. From that vantage point the Earth appears both complex and 

fragile; a complex, ever changing island that is the only known harbor of life in the 

solar system. We want to know how the Earth system is changing, and what are the 

consequences of life on Earth. 

Planet Earth is a dynamic system of continents, oceans, atmosphere, ice, and life. 

Global-scale changes require global-scale observations and models, and many regional 

and local changes are only truly understood when seen in their global context. 

Programs of the Earth Science Enterprise use NASA's research and technology to 

advance the interdisciplinary field of Earth System Science to help fulfill NASA's 

mission to understand and protect our home planet. 

We continue to evolve the Earth Science Enterprise in light of new scientific 

understanding, advances in technology, and emerging national priorities. Our research 

and Earth observation programs are designed to answer questions at the frontiers of 

science and societal concern. We provide Earth science data and information products 

to millions of users each year in universities, industries, and Federal and other 

government agencies to help them explore our home planet and improve the essential services they perform for the 

Nation. Among these critical services are weather forecasting, seasonal climate prediction, aviation safety, natural 

resources management, agricultural assessment, and infrastructure planning. 

Among the key issues facing America and the world today are climate change, educating the next generation, and 

homeland security. The Earth Science Enterprise has a vital role to play in climate change research in support of the 

national policy-making process, and is a leading participant in the President's Climate Change Research Initiative and 

the interagency Climate Change Science Program. We are fueling a transformation of the way Earth science is taught in 

the United States with our view of the Earth as a planet and our ability to describe the Earth as an interconnected 

system. Through our data and information products and targeted collaborations with U.S. Federal agencies, state and 

local governments, and international partners and industry, we are helping to create a more secure world. 

Earth science is science in the national interest. NASA, through the Earth Science Enterprise, is pleased to bring the 

view from space and the Earth system science concept to the broad national and international network of partnerships 

in the conduct of Earth science. We believe they will prove an essential contribution to our society and economy in the 

decades ahead.

For more information, go to http://www.earth.nasa.gov/.

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From the Centers 

Preserving the Past, Navigating the Future at Goddard

Pictured below, Janet Ormes, Head of Library and Information Services and Kelly Carter, Chief of the Information Services and 

Advanced Technology Division, display a cake that was prepared for the occasion.

The staff of the Homer E. Newell NASA Goddard Space Flight 

Center Library, in Greenbelt, Maryland, hosts an annual open 

house to celebrate and promote the capabilities of the facility. The 

theme of this year’s event, held on October 15, 2003, was 

Preserving the Past, Navigating the Future.

Dr. Linda Rosenberg, Goddard's Chief Information Officer, started 

the morning session by introducing Dr. Ed Rogers, Goddard's 

Knowledge Management Architect of Knowledge, People and 

Value. "We are one of a few NASA centers to have a knowledge 

management architect expert on site,” she said. Rogers then 

described how knowledge management is being understood and 

used at Goddard. He explained the processes and expected 

outcomes of being knowledge management smart. For Goddard, 

he said, knowledge management should increase knowledge utilization, mission safety and assurance, and Goddard 

should realize an increase in core competencies. In an afternoon session, Dr. Howard McCurdy, Professor of Public 

Affairs and Chair of the Public Administration Department at American University, in Washington, D.C., spoke on the 

influence of low-cost initiatives on the NASA Space Flight Program.

Demonstrations were held throughout the day and included:

● The New MyLibrary Portal

● The New Web of Knowledge

● Library One Search

● Website Capture Project

● Digital video technologies

● Interactive technical handbooks

● Semantic Search Engine for Technical Information

● James Web Space Telescope Next Generation Integrated Network

● IMAGES (Image and Movie Archive of Goddard’s Earth and Space Sciences)

The demonstrations revealed the capabilities and coordinated efforts that have been established with other 

organizations throughout the Center.

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JSC Houses Coordination Effort for Return to Flight Response

Pictured below, onboard a KC-135 aircraft, astronaut Scott E. Parazynski injects the cure-in-place ablator into a damaged section of 

thermal tiles.

The Johnson Space Center (JSC) has been the hub of the Agency-wide Return to Flight 

Planning Team’s effort to create, publish, and disseminate NASA’s response to the 

Columbia Accident Investigation Board’s Report. The team, assembled from 

representatives across the Agency, is chaired by Col. James Halsell and housed at JSC. 

An iterative publication process has been employed to capture the changing scope of 

the Agency’s response as the return to flight effort matures and expands. The initial 

publication of the plan, NASA’s Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight 

and Beyond, was released to the public in September 2003 and included distribution to 

the NASA Administrator, Congress, and the press. Since its initial release, the 

document has been revised twice with a third revision scheduled for the beginning of 

2004. Until the Shuttle fleet returns to flight, the Planning Team will continue its 

tireless work to capture and publish the maturing response. 

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Focus On ... Space Radiation

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Publication News

 Current Topics

● Goddard Earth Science Publications

● Mapping a Better Vintage (and Other Earth Science Spinoffs)

 NASA History

● Great Earth Science Images

Back to Main

Current Topics

Goddard Earth Science Publications 

Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), located in the Morningside Heights-Columbia University neighborhood of New York City, 

is known worldwide as a major center for the study of global change. Fans of the television show Seinfeld may also recognize GISS’ 

Armstrong Hall (left) from the exterior shots of the diner where Jerry and crowd hung out.

The Goddard Space Flight Center (GFSC) is an excellent source of Earth 

science STI. Recent publications available at the Goddard Library include:

Chan, A. K. Wavelets for sensing technologies. (QA403.3 .C43 

2003 BOOK/CD-ROM 2003)

Girard, M. . Processing of remote sensing data. (TA1632 .G57 

2003 BOOK/CD-ROM 2003)

Goni, G. J. Interhemispheric water exchange in the Atlantic 

Ocean. (GC228.6 .A73 I55 2003)

Haining, R. P. Spatial data analysis: theory and practice. (QA278.2 .H345 2003)

Mix, D. F. Elements of wavelets for engineers and scientists. (QA403.3 .M59 2003)

In addition, the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), a division of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

Earth Sciences Directorate and a unit of the Columbia University Earth Institute, is a treasure trove of Earth sciences 

publications. GISS emphasizes a broad study of global change, an interdisciplinary research initiative addressing 

natural and man-made changes in our environment that occur on various time scales from decades to millennia and 

affect the habitability of our planet. The research combines analysis of comprehensive global datasets with global 

models of atmospheric, land surface, and oceanic processes and includes study of past events on Earth such as 

paleoclimate change and the study of other planets as an aid to prediction of future evolution of Earth on a planetary 

scale. Links to 2004 publications are presented below. You can also access their publications database directly or 

through the Advanced Search function of the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS).

Bleck, R., and S. Sun 2004. Diagnostics of the oceanic thermohaline circulation in a coupled climate 

model. Global Planet. Change 40, 233-248, doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2003.04.002. 

[Read Abstract] [Download PDF] 

Note: Document is 1.1 MB. 

Hansen, J., and L. Nazarenko 2004. Soot climate forcing via snow and ice albedos. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.

101, 423-428, doi:10.1073/pnas.2237157100. 

[Read Abstract] [Download PDF] [Read Science Brief] [Read News Release] 

Note: Document is 800 kB. Supplementary material is available. 

Jiang, Y., Y.L. Yung, S.P. Sander, and L.D. Travis 2004. Modeling of atmospheric radiative transfer with 

polarization and its application to the remote sensing of tropospheric ozone. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. 

Transfer 84, 169-179, doi:10.1016/S0022-4073(03)00140-7. 

[Read Abstract] [Download PDF] 

Note: Document is 1.4 MB. 

Liu, L. 2004. Optical Characterization of Complex Aerosol and Cloud Particles: Remote Sensing and 

Climatological Implications. Ph.D. thesis. Columbia University. New York, New York. 

[Read Abstract] 

Mishchenko, M.I., J.W. Hovenier, and D.W. Mackowski 2004. Single scattering by a small volume element. 

J. Opt. Soc. Amer. A 21, 71-87. 

[Read Abstract] 

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Mapping a Better Vintage (and Other Earth Science Spinoffs) 

VESTRA Resources, Inc., recently-released a commercial product known as the Vineyard Block Uniformity Map (pictured below) as 

one of many NASA spinoffs.

If you want to know which NASA’s Earth science discoveries have made their way 

into the mainstream, take a look at Spinoff, NASA's annual publication featuring 

successfully commercialized NASA technology. For more than 40 years, the NASA 

Commercial Technology Program has facilitated the transfer of NASA technology 

to the private sector. Since 1976, Spinoff has featured between 40 and 50 of 

these commercial products and processes. 

One technology featured in the latest issue of Spinoff is the use of image 

technology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for vineyard management 

support. NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise partnered with the U.S. wine and 

commercial remote sensing industries on a project known as the Viticultural 

Integration of NASA Technologies for Assessment of the Grapevine Environment 

(VINTAGE). Based on VINTAGE’s applied research, VESTRA Resources, Inc., 

recently released a commercial product known as the Vineyard Block Uniformity 

Map. Learn more in the “Mapping a Better Vintage” story. Other recent articles 

include:

• Pest Control on the "Fly" 

• Smooth Sailing for Weather Forecasting 

• Digital Images on the DIME 

• Supporting the Growing Needs of GIS 

• Easy and Accessible Imaging Software

To find recent or historical information quickly on another topic that interests 

you, try using the search function for the Spinoff Database, available at the same 

Website.

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NASA History

Great Earth Science Images

GReat Images in NASA (GRIN) is a collection of over a thousand images of significant historical interest scanned at 

high-resolution in several sizes. The following is a sample of great Earth science images in NASA history. 

TIROS, America's First Meteorological Satellite 

Goddard Space Flight Center 

April 1, 1960

It is hard to imagine the evening news without satellite imagery. But in 

1960, space-based meteorology was in its formative stages, still to be 

proven. One of the earliest groups to transfer to the newly organized 

Goddard Space Flight Center was a group from the Army Signal Corps, 

which developed the nation's first weather satellite called the Television 

Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS). With the launch of TIROS-1 from 

Cape Canaveral on April 1, 1960, scientists immediately saw the benefit of 

studying Earth's weather systems from the vantage point of space. The 

satellite, which weighed 270 lbs. (122 kg), was specifically designed to test 

experimental television techniques that would lead to a worldwide 

meteorological information system. The spacecraft carried two television 

cameras, a magnetic tape recorder, timer systems, transmitters, and a 

power supply. Early photographs provided new information on cloud 

systems, including spiral formations associated with large storms, 

immediately proving their value to meteorologists.

Explorer XVII Satellite 

Goddard Space Flight Center 

January 1, 1963 

Weighing 405 lbs. (184 kg), this 35-inch (89-cm) pressurized 

stainless steel sphere measured the density, composition, 

pressure, and temperature of Earth's atmosphere after its launch 

from Cape Canaveral on April 3, 1963. The mission was one of 

three that Goddard Space Flight Center specifically conducted to 

learn more about the atmosphere's physical properties—

knowledge that they ultimately used for scientific and 

meteorological purposes. Explorer XVII carried two 

spectrometers, four vacuum pressure gauges, and two 

electrostatic probes. Before it reached its intended orbit that 

ranged from 158 to 570 miles (254-917 km) above Earth, the 

satellite was spun up to about 90 rpm.

Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) 

Headquarters 

June 28, 1971 

The Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) mock-up in a space 

chamber test at General Electric's Space Division. The ERTS program 

represented a concentrated effort to observe and monitor the limited 

resources of the Earth, in order to best conserve and utilize the resources 

in support of a burgeoning world population. The first ERTS was launched 

in 1972 and was later named Land Remote-Sensing Satellite (LandSat), to 

better represent the civil satellite program's prime emphasis on remote 

sensing of land resources. Multiple sensors survey and relay back masses 

of data in various ways from the LandSat. NASA has built seven Land 

Remote Sensing Satellites, which have helped agricultural experts pick up 

underutilized land areas and new prospects for land use through irrigation. 

It has also assisted in pinpointing the spread of crop disease and in 

charting new uses of the sea for oceanographers.

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