vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
What Is a Barycenter? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
What Is a Barycenter? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids

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What Is a Barycenter?

We say that planets orbit stars, but that’s not the whole truth. Planets and stars actually orbit around their common center of mass. This common center of mass is called the barycenter. Barycenters also help astronomers search for planets beyond our solar system!

What is a center of mass?
Every object has a center of mass. It is the exact center of all the material an object is made of. An object's center of mass is the point at which it can be balanced.
Sometimes the center of mass is directly in the center of an object. For example, you can easily find the center of mass of a ruler. Try holding your finger under the middle of a ruler in a few different spots. You'll find a spot where you can balance the whole ruler on just one fingertip. That's the ruler's center of mass. The center of mass is also called the center of gravity.

But sometimes the center of mass is not in the center of the object. Some parts of an object may have more mass than other parts. A sledge hammer, for example, has most of its mass on one end, so its center of mass is much closer its heavy end.

 In space, two or more objects orbiting each other also have a center of mass. It is the point around which the objects orbit. This point is the barycenter of the objects. The barycenter is usually closest to the object with the most mass.

Barycenters in our solar system
Where is the barycenter between Earth and the sun? Well, the sun has lots of mass. In comparison, Earth's mass is very small. That means the sun is like the head of the sledgehammer.
From Stargazers to Starships
"Kepler's 3 Laws of Planetary Motion," a one-hour overview lecture to teachers presented 23 March 2005. 
     
Guide to the sections on Kepler's Laws which follow below.




10. Kepler and his Laws
 10a1.    
 Kepler's 3rd law (Optional)


 10a.   The Scale of the Solar System
11. Graphs and Ellipses
 11a.    Ellipses and Kepler's First Law
 11b.    Alien Planets

12. Kepler's Second Law
 12a.   More on Kepler's Second Law
 12b.   How Orbital Motion is Calculated
Optional: The 2004 Transit of Venus
 12c.     Halley's Method of Deriving the AU
 12d.     The displacement D of the track of Venus 
 12e.     Deriving the Astronomical Unit 
 Newtonian mechanics
13. The Way Things Fall
14. Vectors
15. Energy
  15a. Atmospheric Energy and Climate   (optional)

16. Newton and his Laws
17. Mass
 17a.    Mass Measurements aboard Space Station Skylab
 17b.    Comparing Masses without the Use of Gravity
18. Newton's Second Law
 18a.     Newton's Third Law
 18b.    Momentum
 18c.    Work
 18d.    Work against an Electric Force: The Van de Graaff Generator


19. Motion in a Circle
20. Newton's theory of "Universal Gravitation"
21. Kepler's Third Law
 21a.    Applying Kepler's Third Law
Optional: Spaceflight to Mars
 21b.     Flight to Mars: How Long? Along what Path?
 21c.     Flight to Mars: Calculations 
 21d.     Flight to Mars: the Return Trip 


22. Frames of Reference: The Basics
 22a     The Aberration of Starlight
 22b     The Theory of Relativity

 22c     Airplane Flight
Terra’s New Orbit | Terra
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      Dr. David J. Diner
      Dr. James R. Drummond
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      Dr. Norman G. Loeb
      Dr. Si-Chee Tsay
      Mr. Robert Wolfe
      Mr. Wynn J. Watson
      Dr. Nyssa Rayne

Terra Instruments:
 

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MOPITT

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Terra’s New Orbit

Terra Orbital Drift Information

A Message from the Project Scientist
Communications Toolkit
Impacts from Orbital Drift
Terra, Aqua, and Aura Drifting Orbits Workshop (2022)

Terra Orbital Maneuvers Information

Terra’s Lower Orbit Virtual Community Forum (2022)

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Home › About Terra › Terra’s New Orbit

Terra’s New Orbit

For nearly 20 years, the Terra satellite maintained a consistent orbital speed and altitude, resulting in a near-constant morning equator crossing time of around 10:30 AM. However, since February 2020, the Terra satellite has been allowed to drift in time to an increasingly-earlier equator crossing. In October 2020, Terra reached a 10:15 AM equator crossing time, and was then lowered about 5km to make room for other upcoming Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) missions, while continuing to drift to an earlier and earlier morning equator crossing time. Despite these orbital changes, Terra instruments will continue to collect high quality earth observations.
In order to inform data users, scientists, and the general public about these orbital changes, the Terra team and NASA Headquarters recently hosted two virtual information workshops. Brief descriptions of these forums, along with links to the webinar recordings, slide decks, and other information resources, are provided in the sections below. 

Crossing Time Change Information

Altitude Decrease Information

 

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Launch a rocket from a spinning planet | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
Usually, engineers will try for the beginning of the first launch window. However, several things can delay a launch. For example, the weather might be bad. Or something might suddenly look a little funny with the spacecraft or the rocket or the ground communications. Or a boat or airplane might appear, even though they've been warned to keep their distance. Any of these could cause a delay until the next launch window or later in the same launch window.

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Launch windows
 The best times to launch the rocket are called "launch windows."

As a glass window is an opening in a wall, a launch window is an opening in time.
 Usually, engineers will try for the beginning of the first launch window. However, several things can delay a launch. For example, the weather might be bad. Or something might suddenly look a little funny with the spacecraft or the rocket or the ground communications. Or a boat or airplane might appear, even though they've been warned to keep their distance. Any of these could cause a delay until the next launch window or later in the same launch window.
Universe | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
It all depends on what the spacecraft will do! Read on to learn more. 
explore

What Is a Transit?

 A transit is when one object in space crosses in front of another object in space. The Moon transits the Sun during an eclipse, but did you know that other objects can transit, too? Learn more in this article. 

How Old Are Galaxies?

 Most galaxies formed more than 10 billion years ago! Learn about how we find the age of galaxies using light. 

What Is a Light-Year?

 A light-year is the distance light travels in one Earth year. Learn about how we use light-years to measure the distance of objects in space. 
explore

What Is a Nebula?

 A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas in space. 

How Many Solar Systems Are in Our Galaxy?

 Astronomers have discovered 2,500 so far, but there are likely to be many more! 
explore

What Is a Supernova?

 Learn more about these exploding stars! 
explore

What Is a Gravitational Wave?

 How do gravitational waves give us a new way to learn about the universe? 
explore

What Is an Exoplanet?

 What is an exoplanet? And how do we know they're out there? 
explore

Searching for Other Planets Like Ours

 Exoplanets are far away and hard to see. How do we look for them? 
explore

Types of Galaxies

 Explore the different types of galaxies! 
explore

What Is a Barycenter?

 And how does it help us find new planets? 
explore

Make Stretchy Universe Slime!

 Make the universe stretch and expand! 
do

What Is Dark Matter?

 and dark energy, too! 
explore

Make a Pinwheel Galaxy Pinwheel

 A galaxy in the palm of your hand 
do

What Is a Galaxy?

 How many are there? 
explore

What Is the Big Bang?

 Why do we call it that? 
explore

Where Does Interstellar Space Begin?
June | 2022 | Terra
In efforts to get the news out about Terra’s lowering and drift – and to inform users of potential data impacts resulting from these orbit changes — we’ll be posting several new infographics and short animations on the Terra website, as part of a larger campaign to celebrate over two decades of Terra data. Any graphics posted are available for public use and redistribution. (Click on the image for larger resolution and please share with others!)
Here’s an example of the new graphics we’ll be posting on the site:
Timeline showing important dates and upcoming orbit changes for the Terra satellite.
This infographic gives a simplified overview of Terra’s orbital movements, from its current drift, through the constellation exit this Fall, and finally into a lower, drifting orbit – along with the estimated (minor) effects possible due to these orbital changes.  
Check the Terra website often for additional information on the Celebrating 25 Years of Terra Data campaign and events!

Highlighting Two Decades of Terra Talent

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Nyssa Rayne 
	Posted in News and Events 

With Terra’s 25th Anniversary only two years away (December 2024), we’re kicking off the celebration early in our News and Events section with a new series highlighting some of Terra’s researchers, data users, educators, and science communicators. We’re especially excited to promote current and proposed research that uses Terra data in unique or novel ways!  (Do you know someone who’s made important contributions to the Terra mission? Or a groundbreaking Terra study that you feel made a substantial impact in the fields of earth science or remote sensing? We’d love to feature them – email us your ideas!)
Our first post in this series highlights three trailblazing women at NASA who have contributed to Terra’s scientific legacy, while showcasing the collaborative efforts among scientists at Goddard, JPL, and NCAR/UCAR. Check out their stories below!

Dr. Nai-Yung Christina Hsu (GSFC)
Dr. Christina Hsu, a researcher from GSFC, has incorporated data from many of Terra’s instruments into her research. Most notably, in 2004, she developed a Deep Blue algorithm for MODIS data that better characterizes aerosol properties over deserts and urban areas.
Aqua Earth-Observing Satellite Mission | Aqua Project Science
May 3, 2024
What Happens When NASA Loses Eyes on Earth? We’re About to Find Out.
A New York Times article came out today that highlights the importance of climate data record continuity and just how fortunate we have been over the past 20 years having Terra, Aqua and Aura satelites to monitor the earth. 
"In a way, it’s a credit to NASA that Terra, Aqua and Aura have lasted as long as they have, scientists said. “Through a mix of excellent engineering and a tremendous amount of luck, we’ve had these for 20 years now,” said Waleed Abdalati, a former NASA chief scientist now at the University of Colorado Boulder."
 

 
 
"Since its launch more than two decades ago, the Aqua mission has delivered observations essential to improving our understanding of global dynamics and processes occurring on the land and cryosphere, the oceans, and the atmosphere. Furthermore, the Aqua mission has addressed topics of national priority such as weather forecasting, homeland security and defense, and natural resource management [...] Aqua is one of the most highly successful Earth observing satellites ever to have orbited our planet [...] As the Aqua satellite celebrates its 20th year in space, its contributions continue to advance our knowledge of Earth's systems for the benefit of humanity.”
From the citation of the USGS Pecora 2022 Group Award to Aqua.
 

Aqua, Latin for water, is a NASA Earth Science satellite mission named for the large amount of information that the mission is collecting about the Earth's water cycle, including evaporation from the oceans, water vapor in the atmosphere, clouds,precipitation, soil moisture, sea ice, land ice, and snow cover on the land and ice. Additional variables also being measured by Aqua include radiative energy fluxes, aerosols, vegetation cover on the land, phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter in the oceans, and air, land, and water temperatures.
The Aqua mission is a part of the NASA-centered international Earth Observing System (EOS). Aqua was formerly named EOS PM, signifying its afternoon equatorial crossing time. A timeline of Aqua on-orbit progress through the initial 120 day check-out period can be found here.
NASA - Sun-Earth Day 2010
NASA - Sun-Earth Day 2010

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Magnetic Sun-Earth Connection Lesson Plans, 6-8

Mapping Magnetic Influence- Middle
This is a complete teachers guide on magnetism. It is designed for students to explore magnets and to develop an operational definition of a magnetic "field" and an operational definition for magnetic "pole." 
	
Mapping Magnetic Influence Activity (873K)

Wired For Space- NASA Connect
This NASA Connect Video:
 
Explores how algebra and arrays are used in NASA's activities.
Explains voltage, current, amp, and resistance.
Explains how NASA is using electricity and magnetism to propell spacecraft into orbit.
Explains acceleration, mass, and force in an algebraic equation.
Involves students in an online activity that investigates a physics module on electricity and magnetism. The activity studies static charge, moving charge, voltage, resistance, and current.
Involves students in an activity called Make It Go which simulates NASA.

Goto this activity (offsite video)

Exploring Magnetism- Grades 7-9
Students will act as scientists discovering magnetic fields and electromagnetism through inquiry and measurement. Included at the beginning of each session is a summary of the session, a list of national education standards that the session covers, and a list of materials required for the session. Each session is broken into several activities, with each activity outlined for the teacher. In the Background Material section, you can find science background for the lessons. A glossary can be found after the background section. At the end we recommend different resources to help you teach and learn more about magnetism. 
	
Goto this lesson

6-8 SUN-EARTH CONNECTION LESSON PLANS

Making a Sun Clock
Let the Exploratorium show you how to build a working Sun Clock.
	
Visit this Website

Solar Flip Book
This flip book series has been brought to you in celebration of Sun-Earth Day.
Terra | The EOS Flagship
Click the linked month in each banner to jump down to a brief article summary and image thumbnail. Want … Top 2023 Terra & Earth Observatory Stories Read More »
Happy Valentine’s Day 2024February 14, 2024Another year, another cheesy Valentine’s Day card from the Terra mission!

Past News Features
Terra’s Lower Orbit Virtual Community Forum
NASA’s Terra, Aqua, and Aura Drifting Orbits Workshop Information
Animated Overview of the Request for Information
Terra Begins Drifting. What’s Next?
After more than 20 years orbiting at 705 km above Earth’s surface and routinely crossing the equator at approximately the same time every day, Terra is now drifting. With no maneuvers planned to sustain Terra’s altitude and crossing time, Terra will slowly get closer and closer to Earth – crossing the equator earlier and earlier as time passes. However, despite impacts to some of Terra’s nearly 100 data products, Terra’s five sensors continue to collect meaningful scientific data, producing one of the longest continuous climate data records collected by a satellite. Read more…
Terra: Providing Critical Data to Help Society
Terra’s five sensors help us understand out changing planet and provide critical data used in applications from food security, volcanic monitoring, wildfire safety, public health, and climate modeling. Terra’s twenty years of data continue to contribute to how we understand Earth and how we respond when disasters strike.
Twenty Years of Terra in Our Lives
Terra’s suite of instruments allows us to understand our world well beyond what we knew twenty years ago, when Terra launched. In those twenty years, new applications and contributions to science have been made possible.
There is no question that technology has changed. But, at the same time that our lives on Earth were being shaped by our access to technology, 705 kilometers above us, a satellite was changing how we understood our planet.
For 20 years, Terra, the flagship Earth observing satellite,has chronicled changes on Earth. Designed and built in the 1980s and 90s, NASA and Lockheed Martin engineers set out to build a satellite that could take simultaneous measurements of Earth’s atmosphere, land, and water. Its mission – to understand how Earth is changing and to identify the consequences for life on Earth.
Notes on the Fact Sheets
250-year least squares fit elements referenced to J2000 (Global Earth Physics, p. 14)Longitude The point in a body's orbit around the Sun, defined from  0 to 360 degrees. The 0 point of longitude is defined as  the first point of Aries. This is the position of the Sun  as seen from Earth at Earth's vernal equinox, so at the  vernal equinox the Earth is at a longitude of 180 degrees.Longitude of ascending node (deg) The longitude in a body's orbit at which it crosses  the ecliptic plane with increasing latitude (i.e.  crosses the ecliptic from south to north).Longitude of perihelion (deg) The longitude in a body's orbit at which it reaches  the point closest to the Sun.Mean longitude (deg) The longitude a body was at in its orbit at 12:00  Universal (Greenwich) Time on January 1, 2000,  also known as J2000 or Julian Day 2451545.0 Magnetospheres Dipole field strength: The strength of the dipole portion of the planetary magnetic field  outside the planet in Gauss-R^3, where R is in units of planet radius. (Dividing by the distance R^3 gives the field in Gauss) Dipole tilt to rotational axis: Tilt of the dipole axis to the axis of rotation in degrees. Dipole Offset: The offset distance of the dipole center to the planet center in units of  planet radius. Surface field strength: Range of total field strength at planet radius in Gauss.  Atmospheres Surface Pressure: Atmospheric pressure at the surface, in bars, millibars  (mb = 10^-3 bar), or picobars (10^-12 bar).Surface Density: Atmospheric density at the surface in kilograms/meters^3.Scale height: The height interval in which the atmospheric pressure changes by a  factor of e = 2.7183Average temperature: Mean temperature of the body over the entire surface in Kelvin.Diurnal temperature range: Temperature range over an average day in Kelvin.
Terra | The EOS Flagship
Move your cursor over the chart below to view both Terra’s Mean Local Equator Crossing Time in UTC and orbital altitude for each month through 2026.

Terra’s orbit has changed, but the data quality hasn’t! Visit this link to learn more about Terra’s new orbit.

Update on Terra’s New Orbit: Since 2020, Terra has been drifting to an earlier equator crossing time, and in October 2022 was lowered by ~5km in altitude. These changes in orbit did not reduce the data quality of Terra products, and only created minor changes to orbital repeat time and swath width (for some instruments). See Terra’s New Orbit for more information.

Equator Crossing Time9:59 AM (Mean Local Time)

Orbital Altitude692 KM

Happy 24th Birthday, Terra!
December 18, 2023
Happy 24th Birthday to the Terra mission, launched December 18, 1999!

Click the links below to catch up on all the latest Terra news and updates! 
Terra Views the Eclipse! (April 8)April 5, 2024You may have heard about the upcoming full solar eclipse, happening this upcoming April 8th, 2024 — but did you know Terra will have one of the “best seats in the house” for viewing this rare celestial experience?! In the United States, the center “totality” shadow of the eclipse will pass from south to north … Terra Views the Eclipse! (April 8) Read More »
Top 2023 Terra & Earth Observatory StoriesFebruary 20, 2024Before we kick off an exciting year — full of celebrating Terra’s upcoming 25th Anniversary! — let’s take a moment to look back at the top-viewed monthly Earth Observatory stories featuring the Terra mission from 2023! Click the linked month in each banner to jump down to a brief article summary and image thumbnail. Want … Top 2023 Terra & Earth Observatory Stories Read More »
Happy Valentine’s Day 2024February 14, 2024Another year, another cheesy Valentine’s Day card from the Terra mission!

Past News Features
Terra’s Lower Orbit Virtual Community Forum
NASA’s Terra, Aqua, and Aura Drifting Orbits Workshop Information
Animated Overview of the Request for Information
Terra Spacecraft Fact Sheet
Scientists need to make many measurements all over the world, over a long period of time, in
 order to assemble the information needed to construct accurate computer models that will enable them to
 forecast the causes and effects of climate change. The only feasible way to collect this information is
 through the use of space-based Earth "remote sensors" (instruments that can measure things
 like temperature from a distance). Consequently, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise has begun an
 international study of planet Earth that is comprised of three main components: 1) an Earth Observing
 System (EOS), consisting of a fleet of satellites specially designed to study the complexities of global
 change; 2) an advanced computer network for processing, storing, and distributing data (called EOSDIS);
 and 3) teams of scientists all over the world who will study the data.
On December 18, 1999, NASA launched the EOS "flagship"—EOS Terra—to begin collecting
 a new 18-year global data set on which to base future scientific investigations about our complex home
 planet.
The EOS Terra Spacecraft
Physically, the EOS Terra spacecraft is roughly the size of a small school bus. It carries a payload of
 five state-of-the-art sensors that will study the interactions among the Earth's atmosphere, lands,
 oceans, and radiant energy (heat and light). Each sensor has unique design features that will enable EOS
 scientists to meet a wide range of science objectives (see topics at right).
EOS Terra willorbit the Earth from pole to pole
(8.4MB Quicktime Movie), descending across the equator in the morning when cloud
 cover is minimal and its view of the surface is least obstructed. The satellite's orbit will be
 perpendicular to the direction of Earth's spin, so that the viewing swaths from each overpass can becompiled into whole global images (4.4MB). Over time, these global images will enable scientists to show and tell
 the stories of the causes and effects of global climate change.
The sensors on EOS Terra will not actively scan the surface (such as with laser beams or microwave
 pulses).