Latest Aura Stories

JPL -- Two NASA satellites, planned for launch no earlier than Oct. 26, will give us a unique view of Earth's atmosphere. CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (Calipso) are undergoing final preparations for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. CloudSat and Calipso will provide a new, 3-D perspective on Earth's clouds and airborne particles called aerosols. The satellites will answer questions about how clouds and aerosols form, evolve and...

NASA -- Despite near-record levels of chemical ozone destruction in the Arctic this winter, observations from NASA's Aura spacecraft showed that other atmospheric processes restored ozone amounts to near average and stopped high levels of harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth's surface. Analyses from Aura's Microwave Limb Sounder indicated Arctic chemical ozone destruction this past winter peaked at near 50 percent in some regions of the stratosphere, a region of Earth's...

NASA -- A NASA spacecraft designed to reveal the inner secrets of Earth's clouds has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to begin final launch preparations. The CloudSat spacecraft arrived at Vandenberg from Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo., on May 2. Following final tests, it will be integrated onto a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle, sharing its ride into orbit later this year with another NASA spacecraft, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder...

NASA -- Most of us only pay attention to clouds when trying to plan a picnic or an outside activity. But to scientists, they mean much more. Clouds affect temperatures and air quality across the globe and play a crucial role in the planet's climate.Clouds are the link between energy and water in the Earth's climate system; they dominate the energy budget of the Earth and carry the precipitation that redistributes fresh water on the Earth's surface.To aid our stewardship of Earth, we need to...

NASA -- Take a deep breath. On Earth the air is easy to take for granted. It's everywhere. But if you take a rocket into space the Earth's atmosphere falls away. Astronauts understand this at an instinctive level. Unlike just about every other career in the world, astronauts must bring their own atmosphere to work. It is this essential nature about the atmosphere that generated such high expectations for NASA's Aura satellite. Launched in July of 2004, this powerful research platform is...

The words "migraine headache" and "children" do not seem to fit together, however children can experience migraine headaches. In fact, the disorder is much more common in children than previously thought. While complaints of headache are common in almost 70% of children, studies have shown 5% to 15% of children between the ages of 7 and 14 suffer from migraine headaches and 28% of the adolescent population exhibit chronic headache symptoms.'"4 These are large numbers,...