Month: August 2010
Pulse of the Planet Daily Audio
Katydids and Crickets – Noise
There’s more to a cricket chirp than you might realize! We take a closer listen.
August 30, 2010Katydids and Crickets – Chorus
An entomologist gives us a tour of the insects singing along a creek one hot summer night.
August 27, 2010Katydids and Crickets – Discovery
Scientists learn something new about crickets and katydids when they stop looking and start listening.
August 26, 2010Kids’ Science Challenge: Sports on Mars – Spirit Stuck
At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, engineers are testing a rover in a simulated sand pit, in hopes of freeing Spirita rover that’s been stuck in a real sand pit on Mars.
August 25, 2010Mosses of Cape Horn – Research on the Edge
Researchers brave the wild conditions of Tierra del Fuego to learn more about mosses.
August 24, 2010Mosses of Cape Horn – World’s Most Versatile Plant?
Traditional uses of mosses reveal some of their remarkable qualities.
August 23, 2010Mosses of Cape Horn – Just add water
Meet one of the masters of suspended animation.
August 20, 2010Science Diary: Redwoods – Replacements
Big tree, tiny sensors – it’s all in a day’s work for redwood canopy researchers.
August 19, 2010Science Diary: Redwoods – Clearcut
Observe an ancient redwood, and you can read the signs of adversity in its wood.
August 18, 2010Kids’ Science Challenge: Sports on Mars – Prototype
NASA engineers collaborate with 5th-grader Tyrone Hutchinson, a Kids’ Science Challenge winner, to come up with a sport that astronauts could play on Mars.
August 17, 2010Science Diary: Redwoods – Too Tall
Is there a limit to how tall trees can grow?
August 16, 2010Science Diary: Redwoods – Tallest Tree
Amidst a clearcut forest and host to a pesky woodpecker, the world’s tallest tree is a remarkable specimen.
August 13, 2010Hurricane Observation – Emily
65,000 feet in the air, alone, staring down the eye of a hurricane ? It’s all in a day’s work for ER-2 research pilots.
August 12, 2010Hurricane Observation – High Altitude Lab
High-altitude planes use a variety of onboard research instruments to study both earth and space.
August 11, 2010Hurricane Observation – Pilot
Research pilots fly high above the tumult of a hurricane, capturing data from sea level on up.
August 10, 2010Kids’ Science Challenge: Sports on Mars – Playing the Game
In Martian Soil Ball, the player who gathers the most magnetic dust wins!
August 9, 2010Science Diary: Mims – Noisy Insects
A chorus of katydids can be as loud as a vacuum cleaner. Add cicadas to the mix, and you’re in for some serious noise!
August 6, 2010Natural Shapes – New Materials
The next generation of aircraft will not only look more like birds, but it might feel like them, too – thanks to new materials.
August 5, 2010Natural Shapes – Trial by Wind
What makes one wing shape more effective than others?
August 4, 2010Natural Shapes – Animal Inspiration
A shark in the wind tunnel? Stay tuned.
August 3, 2010Natural Shapes in the Wind Tunnel
Looking for inspiration, aeronautics researchers test shapes that have been in use for millions of years.
August 2, 2010Kids’ Science Challenge: Sports on Mars – Mars Ball
A 20-foot slam-dunk? Imagine basketball on Mars!