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Transcript for NASA Connect - The A-Train Express
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[Shaun O'Keefe:] Hi!
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I am Shaun O'Keefe.
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I am the administrator of
the National Aeronautics
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and Space Administration and
also the father of three kids.
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I am excited by the opportunities
that we can provide from NASA
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to inspire that next
generation of explorers.
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Matter of fact, I am here at
Belmont Ridge Middle School
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to lend a hand on a
NASA Connect activity.
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NASA Connect lets viewers
experience the exciting
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and important work that
engineers; scientists
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and technicians do every day.
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Work that's about the future and
for which you our next generation,
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will have the opportunity to
pick up and carry to new heights
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and possibly other planets.
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There are many hands on and web
based activities from NASA Connect
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that the family can
do together at home.
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I encourage you to learn more
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about those activities
in today's program.
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On this episode of NASA Connect
you learn how weather affects our
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daily lives.
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You will see national
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and international scientists
using satellite technology
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to help improve weather
forecasting and improve our ability
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to predict long-term
climate change.
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You'll also be introduced
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to two NASA satellite earth
science missions CloudSat
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and CALIPSO.
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In your home or classroom
you will apply math, science
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and technology concepts with
two really cool activities,
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all in this episode of NASA
Connect, the "A" Train Express.
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[ Music ]
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[Jennifer:] Bonjour!
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I am Jennifer Pulley and
welcome to NASA Connect,
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the show that connects you to
math, science, technology and NASA.
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On today's episode we are
filming on location in France.
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Voila! As you can see France
is a beautiful European country
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that is rich in culture
and history.
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Here is a quick tour at some
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of the places we have seen
during our trip to France.
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[ Music ]
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[Jennifer:] As you can see
France is a great place to visit,
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especially when you
have nice weather.
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Speaking of the weather, what is
one of the first things you want
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to know when you wake
up in the morning?
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Well, if you are like
me you'll think, hmm,
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wonder what the weather
is going to be like today?
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You depend on information about the
weather for a variety of reasons;
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you need to decide what to wear
to school and you need to plan
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for after school activities
if they are outdoors.
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Did you realize that the weather
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in the United States can
have a significant affect
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on what the weather will
be like here in France?
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Storms heading Eastward from the
Atlantic coast can bring wind
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and rain to Europe
a few days later.
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We truly live in a global society
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where we all are interconnected
in some way.
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Today's program will focus
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on predicting weather
and climate change.
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You will learn that we need to
work together internationally
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to answer some of the
questions that earth scientists
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from around the world ask everyday.
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But before we get to those
questions, let's first learn
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about the fundamentals
of weather and climate.
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>> During the course of the
program you will be asked
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to answer several
inquiry based questions.
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After the questions appear
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on the screen your teacher will
pause the program to allow you time
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to answer and discuss
the questions.
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This is your time to explore
and become critical thinkers.
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Students working in
groups take a few minutes
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to answer the following questions.
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How is weather different
from climate?
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List and discuss various kinds
of weather you have experienced?
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What are some factors
that determine weather?
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What climate do you live in?
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It's now time to pause the
program and answer the questions.
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[Jennifer:] Okay guys
lets talk about weather.
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Basically, weather is
the daily condition
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of the earth's atmosphere.
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Weather is produced by the
interaction of several factors
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which include heat, air
pressure, winds and moisture.
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Let's briefly look at
each one of those factors.
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Heat transferred from the sun is
absorbed by the earth and spread
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through the atmosphere.
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Air temperature varies
from place to place
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because of the suns rays strike
the earth at different angles.
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Air pressure is the measure of
the force of the air pressing
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down on the earth's surface.
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Air pressure depends on
the density of the air.
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Denser air exerts more
pressure than less dense air.
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Air pressure on the earth can
vary considerably from location
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to location due to unequal
heating of the atmosphere.
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These air pressure differences
cause the movement of air
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which we called 'wind'.
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Finally, the amount of moisture
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in the air called 'relative
humidity' also influences weather.
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Moisture in the atmosphere
condenses causing clouds to develop
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and precipitation to
fall to the earth.
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So have you come up
with the difference
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between weather and climate?
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I said earlier that weather
is the daily condition
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of the earth's atmosphere,
but what about climate?
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Well for most of us climate means a
location is hot, cold, wet, or dry.
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You see climate is the
average weather conditions
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for a specific region over
an extended period of time.
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The climate of any
place is determined
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by two main factors
temperature and precipitation.
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The earth is divided into
three major climate zones based
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on the average temperature
of these zones.
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They are the tropical,
temperate and polar zones.
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Can you determine what
climate zone you live in?
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To learn more about
weather and climate check
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out the following NASA website.
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Have you even been in a situation
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where the weather forecast
called for sunny skies?
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Yet, it ended up raining
all day long.
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You think, Oh!
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If I only had my umbrella.
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But you know guys the job
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of predicting weather
accurately is a difficult one,
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because our atmosphere
it's constantly changing.
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You see in order to predict the
weather accurately for the hours
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and days ahead, weather
forecasters must analyze
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information they receive
from a number
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of sources including local weather
observers, weather balloons,
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weather stations and satellites.
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Speaking of satellites,
NASA has a train
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of satellites called 'The
Afternoon Constellation' nick-named
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the A-train, which
are orbiting the earth
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and they are collecting all
sorts of data including data
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that will help predict
weather and climate change.
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Two additional satellites, CloudSat
and CALIPSO will soon be launched
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to be a part of that train.
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CloudSat will help
improve weather prediction
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by studying the different aspects
of clouds as its name implies.
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CALIPSO will help predict
climate change and how aerosols
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or particles affect
the earth's atmosphere.
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Later on in the program Dr.
Didier Tanre will tell us all
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about aerosols.
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But first let's visit
with Dr. Graham Stevens.
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He is the principle investigator
on the CloudSat mission.
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[ Music ]
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[Dr. Graham Stevens:]
Thank you Jennifer,
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we rely on accurate weather
predictions for many activities.
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Farmers need to know the best times
to plant and harvest their crops.
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Airplane take offs, landing,
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and flight powers are
scheduled recording
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to local weather conditions.
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Weather forecasts alert
people to severe storms
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that could endanger loss of
property and most people want
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to know what the weather would be
like as they go to and from work
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or school or plan
outdoor activities.
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But do you think weather
predictions
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or forecasts are always correct?
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What do you think causes
errors in weather forecast?
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You know Jennifer is
right when she stated
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that weather predication
is difficult.
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The atmosphere is
constantly changing
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and even though we receive weather
data from the variety of sources
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such as weather stations,
satellites, weather balloons
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and ground based observers,
it is still impossible
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to predict the weather correctly
a hundred percent of the time.
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One of the ways in improving our
prediction of weather and climate,
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is to develop new
technologies that helps us
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to understand how the
atmosphere works and new satellite
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that will help improve
weather prediction is NASA's
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CloudSat satellite.
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CloudSat will provide the
first vertical cloud profiling
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from space, improving
weather and climate forecast.
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Before, we continue with the
specifics of the CloudSat mission,
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here are a few questions I
would like you and your peers
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to discuss and answer.
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What is a cloud?
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What types of clouds exist?
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Which clouds make which weather?
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Why it is important
to study clouds?
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Is now time to pause the
program, so how did you do
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with your questions you know
clouds are all made of water?
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Sometimes they are made
of tiny drops, far apart
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and held up by the wind.
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Other times they have made
big drops held up for a while
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by very strong output
winds inside the cloud.
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In this kind of cloud, the
drops become too heavy to stay
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up so they fall to earth as rain
or if it is cold enough they fall
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to earth as snow, hail or sleet.
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Clouds are classified based
on three factors their shape,
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the altitude at which they occur,
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and whether they are
producing precipitation.
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Clouds come in three basic shapes,
cumulus clouds which are heeped
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and puffy, stratus
clouds which are light
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and cirrus clouds which are wispy.
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Clouds also occur in
three altitude ranges,
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specifically the altitude
of the cloud base.
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High clouds which occur about six
thousand meters and designated
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by cirrus or cirro are cirrus,
cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus.
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Middle clouds which occur
between two thousand
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and six thousands
meters and it designated
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by alto are altocumulus
and altostratus.
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Low clouds which occur below
two thousand meters are stratus,
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nimbostratus, cumulus,
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stratocumulus, cumulonimbus
and fog.
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I bet you didn't think
fog was a cloud;
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it's a cloud that
touches the ground.
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Clouds that incorporate the
word nimbus or the prefix nimbo-
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are clouds from which
precipitation is falling.
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Can you think of another
type of cloud?
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I leave the answer to
that question up to you.
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So, how many of you wondering how
to keep all those clouds in order.
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You know its tuff even for me
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that why uses this globe
cloud chart as a reference.
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You will learn more about
globe later in the program.
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So why is it important
to study clouds?
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Clouds exert an enormous influence
on our weather and climate.
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They are nature's way
of moving fresh water
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from place-to-place on earth.
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Clouds play a very important part
in maintaining earth's temperature.
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We need to understand how clouds
reflect the sun's energy back
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in to space or trap the earth's
energy in the atmosphere.
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We call this 'Earth's
Radiation Budget'.
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Using the clouds at satellite
for the very first time,
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we will be able to measure the
altitude and properties of clouds.
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CloudSat radar will slice through
the atmosphere providing vertical
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cross section view of clouds
and furnish new weather
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and climate data including
cloud layer thickness, cloud top
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and base altitude and
water and ice contents.
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Existing space based systems
only observe the upper most layer
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of clouds and cannot
reliably detect the presence
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of notable clouds layers,
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nor determine the cloud
water and ice contents.
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The penetration of
CloudSat's radar into
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and through clouds will
yield a new capability
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that fills a critical
gap in existing
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and planned space borne
observational systems.
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With these new technology clouds
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that will improve
weather predictions,
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increasing the accuracy
of severe weather,
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hurricanes and flood warnings.
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And now Jennifer I think the
students are ready to size
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up the clouds, back to you.
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[Jennifer:] Thanks Dr. Stevens.
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I really had no idea how much
the clouds impacted our weather.
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Well now it's time to see
how much you've learned.
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And it's time for you
to size up the clouds.
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Students from the school
of international studies
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at Meadowbrook in North of
Virginia will preview part one
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of this program's
hands on activity.
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[Student1:] NASA Connect asked us
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to show you this program's
hands on activity.
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[Student2:] In this
activity you will set
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up three simulated clouds
representing three different
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cloud affects.
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You will use different methods
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to estimate precipitation
content in each cloud type.
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The precipitation from each
cloud would be released
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and you will compare your estimates
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with what is actually
occurring on the ground.
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[Student1:] In addition to
learning about weather forecasting,
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we will also be using math
skills like estimation,
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percentages, averages and ratios.
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You can download a copy
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of the educator guide containing
directions and a list of materials
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from the NASA Connect website.
[00:13:30.212]
[Student3:] Teacher should cut a
three quarter inch diameter hole
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in the center of the bottom
of three different foam cups.
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Cover the hole with a postit note.
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Place about one ounce of
MNMs in a plastic bag.
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Twist the bag tightly and
tie the excess bag in a knot.
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Cut off the access to
make compact bundle.
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Make a second bag
following the same procedure.
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Select any cup poured about half
full of MNMs, then add a bundle
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of MNMs and fill more
loose MNMs into the cup
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until it is three quarters full.
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The loose MNMs will
represent the amount
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of precipitation in each cloud.
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Fill the second cup to about
one third full of MNMs.
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Fill the third cup to about
one fourth full of MNMs.
[00:14:19.332]
Add a bundle of MNMs and then
continue filling with loose MNMs
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until the cup is one half full.
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Secure the lids on the
cups by taping the joint
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with masking tape
or transparent tape.
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Invert the cups and label
each cup, cloud type X, Y,
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and Z below this write the actual
capacity of the cups chosen.
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Line up the cups on a table.
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Students will estimate
how many ounces
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of precipitation each
cloud type contains.
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Write the estimate
on to the data sheet.
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Next remove the postit note and
shine a flash light into the hole.
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Make a new estimate
of how many ounces
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of precipitation each
cloud type contains
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and record it on your data sheet.
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Do this for each cloud type.
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Choose a person to weigh each
cloud type cup on a scale.
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Record the weight ounces.
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Remember weight ounces do
not equal volume ounces.
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Once you have collected all
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of the data you will revise your
precipitation estimate based
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on your data answer
these questions.
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How does the data compare
with your estimates?
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What factors might
cause differences?
[00:15:31.022]
If you had another cloud type
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of a difference size would
the data collected make
[00:15:35.772]
for a more accurate
precipitation forecast?
[00:15:39.152]
Discuss these findings
with your class?
[00:15:44.192]
[Jennifer:] Great job you guys.
[00:15:45.542]
Okay now let's review.
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First we learned the difference
between weather and climate.
[00:15:51.422]
Then we learned how
weather is produced
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by several factors like
heat, energy and moisture.
[00:15:57.372]
Next Dr. Graham Stevens told us how
the CloudSat satellite will be able
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to help improve weather
predictions across the globe.
[00:16:05.912]
>> Ah! Merci beaucoup
[00:16:07.862]
[00:16:09.452]
>>Now let's focus our
attention on aerosols,
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climate changes and CALIPSO.
[00:16:14.342]
Now for that we are going to head
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to the Space Agency
of France or CNES.
[00:16:19.352]
What NASA is to America,
CNES is to France.
[00:16:23.862]
So let's go speak with Dr.
Didier Tanre he is a Principal
[00:16:27.482]
Investigator of PARASOL
and a Co-Investigator
[00:16:30.962]
for the CALIPSO mission.
[00:16:32.172]
CALIPSO is a satellite
that's been built
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by both France and United States.
[00:16:37.122]
[00:16:40.182]
[Dr. Didier Tanre:] Let's
see Jennifer the climate
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of the earth has not remain
constant over the course
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of time it has changed in general
it seems affecting the changes
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in climate and changes in climate
are affecting living things.
[00:16:56.562]
Working in groups, see if you can
observe the following question.
[00:17:00.332]
What are some reasons why our
climate has changed over the time?
[00:17:04.772]
Teacher you may now
pause the program
[00:17:07.032]
so students can answer
the question.
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Some people thought
increasing temperature it seems
[00:17:12.302]
that earth's climate
is may be changing
[00:17:15.042]
but the processes behind the
changes are not as clear.
[00:17:18.462]
Two of the biggest
uncertainties in understanding
[00:17:21.062]
and predicting climate change also
affect of clouds and aerosols.
[00:17:25.722]
The CALIPSO or Cloud Aerosols Lidar
and Infrared Pathfinder satellite,
[00:17:30.752]
observation satellite mission
will help us answer some questions
[00:17:35.532]
about climate processes by
providing new information
[00:17:38.602]
on clouds and aerosols.
[00:17:40.492]
Dr. Stephen's provided you
with some information on clouds
[00:17:43.952]
so now let's concentrate
on aerosols.
[00:17:46.882]
What are aerosols?
[00:17:48.372]
Aerosols are tiny
particles suspended
[00:17:50.422]
in space some occur naturally
originating from volcanoes,
[00:17:55.142]
dust storms, fires and grass
land fires, living vegetation
[00:18:00.722]
and sea spray, human
activities such as the burning
[00:18:03.972]
of fossil fuels, and alteration
[00:18:06.012]
of natural surface cover
also generates aerosols.
[00:18:10.162]
Averaged over the
globe, aerosols made
[00:18:12.652]
by human activities currently
account for ten percent
[00:18:16.112]
of the total amount of
aerosols in our atmosphere.
[00:18:19.632]
Lot of that ten percent
is concentrated
[00:18:21.852]
in the Northern Hemisphere.
[00:18:23.642]
Can you think of a reason why?
[00:18:24.942]
We have much to learn about
the way aerosol affect global
[00:18:28.132]
and regional climates.
[00:18:30.192]
We don't know in what regions
[00:18:31.682]
of the planet atmospheric
aerosol is increasing, decreasing
[00:18:36.532]
or remaining constant.
[00:18:38.192]
Over all we don't know
whether aerosols are warming
[00:18:41.662]
or cooling the planet.
[00:18:43.292]
So why do we care about aerosols.
[00:18:45.952]
Aerosols tend to cause cooling
[00:18:47.932]
of the earth surface
immediately below them,
[00:18:50.852]
because it reflects Sun
light back into space,
[00:18:53.112]
aerosols have a direct cooling
effect by reducing the amount
[00:18:56.762]
of solar additions that
reaches the surface.
[00:18:58.982]
If you saw it's a aerosol cooling
may partially offset expecting the
[00:19:03.392]
global warming that is
activity to increases the amount
[00:19:06.812]
of carbon dioxide and other
gases from human activity.
[00:19:11.082]
Did you realize that if there were
no aerosols in the atmosphere,
[00:19:13.802]
there would be no clouds?
[00:19:15.572]
What can we say about
the relationship
[00:19:17.412]
between the clouds and aerosols?
[00:19:19.562]
Aerosols are believed to have
a indirect effect on climate
[00:19:22.862]
by changing the properties
of clouds.
[00:19:25.662]
As aerosol concentration
increase in the cloud,
[00:19:29.072]
the water in the cloud would get
spread over many more particles?
[00:19:33.212]
Each of which is correspondingly
smaller.
[00:19:36.402]
In this way changing aerosols
[00:19:38.442]
in the atmosphere can change the
frequency of cloud occurrence,
[00:19:42.552]
cloud thickness and
rainfall amounts.
[00:19:45.312]
Also clouds with low
aerosol concentration
[00:19:48.372]
and too larger droplets do not
scatter light well and allow much
[00:19:53.222]
of the sunlight to pass
through reach the surface,
[00:19:57.172]
however the higher
aerosol concentration
[00:19:59.732]
in these clouds allow the formation
[00:20:01.912]
of many small liquid water
droplets up to 90% of visualization
[00:20:08.392]
of a light is reflected
back to space by such clouds
[00:20:13.042]
without reaching earth's surface.
[00:20:15.142]
The best known evidence
of the effect of aerosols
[00:20:18.152]
in the atmosphere occurred in 1991.
[00:20:21.182]
A severe volcanic eruption
[00:20:22.872]
on Mt. Pinatubo Philippines put
an estimated twenty million tons
[00:20:27.502]
ofsulphur dioxide
into the atmosphere.
[00:20:30.402]
Aerosols from the eruptions
stayed in the atmosphere so long
[00:20:33.972]
that the earth temperature that
in the following year cooled
[00:20:37.352]
by almost half a degree.
[00:20:39.552]
So earlier in the program Jennifer
was right, it is that place there
[00:20:43.092]
in United States affects
the whether here in France
[00:20:46.102]
and allover the globe.
[00:20:47.922]
And the reverse is true.
[00:20:49.432]
Scientists have been observing
clouds and aerosols globally
[00:20:53.152]
on space for many years using
sensors that measures the amount
[00:20:57.332]
of energy within clouds.
[00:20:59.332]
The sensor observe how clouds
and aerosols, by which latitude
[00:21:03.632]
and longitude but provide
detailed information
[00:21:06.172]
of what is inside the clouds or
on how is the value of altitude.
[00:21:11.292]
For the first time again through
satellite we provide vertical
[00:21:15.352]
[inaudible] like images
of the atmosphere
[00:21:17.682]
on the global scale using LIDAR .
[00:21:19.992]
So LIDAR technique is similar
to radar in in operation
[00:21:23.642]
but LIDAR uses short
frequencies of laser light instead
[00:21:27.852]
of audio waves to
form the atmosphere.
[00:21:30.322]
So the LIDAR data on
aerosols will allow us
[00:21:33.512]
to determine what is laser.
[00:21:35.352]
Altitudes of clouds and
aerosol layer and the extent of
[00:21:38.992]
[inaudible] to notify
the composition of clouds
[00:21:42.142]
and to estimate their
abundance and sizes of aerosols.
[00:21:45.352]
That is so because of high
[00:21:46.702]
[inaudible] with such tool to
study the earth's atmosphere
[00:21:50.262]
and will provide you the
international community
[00:21:52.612]
with the data sets
that are essential
[00:21:55.182]
for better understanding
af the Earth's climate.
[00:21:58.532]
With more confidence in
climate, more than predictions,
[00:22:01.152]
international leaders will be able
[00:22:03.342]
to make more informed
policy decisions
[00:22:06.162]
about global climate change.
[00:22:08.032]
So as the next time you wake
up on a hazy summer day,
[00:22:11.562]
you can tell your friend's that
the haziness, may be caused
[00:22:14.592]
by Sun storm or volcanic eruptions
[00:22:17.452]
that occur all the
way around the world.
[00:22:20.792]
Now back to you Jennifer.
[00:22:22.772]
Au revoir
[00:22:24.252]
[00:22:26.522]
[Jennifer:] Merci Dr. Didier Tanre.
[00:22:28.302]
Well, now that you are
experts on aerosols.
[00:22:31.222]
Let's head to College Contelanda,
located in Bordeaux France
[00:22:35.312]
for part deux of this
program's hands on activity,
[00:22:38.342]
the globe aerosol protocol.
[00:22:45.412]
[ French Language ]
[00:22:45.872]
[Jennifer:] In this activity
called 'Aerosol's protocol'.
[00:22:54.872]
[00:22:55.082]
You will use a Sun photometer
[00:22:59.982]
to measure the aerosol optical
thickness of the atmosphere
[00:23:04.672]
or how much of the Sun's
light is scattered or absorbed
[00:23:09.292]
by particles suspended in the air.
[00:23:11.502]
Remember you can download a copy
[00:23:13.492]
of the educator guide containing
directions and list of materials
[00:23:17.382]
from the NASA Connect website.
[00:23:19.352]
When you all ready to go
outside put your Sun photometer
[00:23:22.442]
in an insulated bag to keep
at it room temperature.
[00:23:25.192]
Putting your Sun photometer
[00:23:26.872]
in a bag will help minimize any
temperature sensitivity problems.
[00:23:31.462]
To begin taking measurements
[00:23:32.712]
with your sun photometer
lift the power switch on
[00:23:35.772]
and then select the green channel,
hold the instrument in front
[00:23:39.272]
of you about chest high.
[00:23:41.402]
Point the Sun photometer at the
Sun and then find the spot made
[00:23:45.892]
by the sun as it shines through
the front alignment bracket.
[00:23:49.632]
Remember guys never look
directly into the sun.
[00:23:52.962]
Use the mark on the rear
alignment bracket as a guide
[00:23:56.492]
to align a Sun's spot until
it rests on the color dot.
[00:24:00.672]
It is normal for the read out to
fluctuate within a few millivolts.
[00:24:05.002]
Record only the highest reading
that you see over a period
[00:24:09.142]
of about fifteen seconds.
[00:24:11.092]
Record the value on the data
sheet and the time of the reading
[00:24:14.292]
to within fifteen seconds.
[00:24:16.262]
Now take the dark voltage
reading, cover the two holes
[00:24:19.972]
on the Sun photometer.
[00:24:21.642]
Record the value of the dark
voltage reading on the data sheet.
[00:24:25.752]
Switch to the red channel;
record the maximum voltage
[00:24:29.672]
and the time just as you
did with the green channel.
[00:24:33.302]
Then take the dark voltage
reading again just like before.
[00:24:37.172]
You need to repeat the
process for the green
[00:24:39.952]
and red channels two more
times giving you a total
[00:24:43.302]
of three data points
for each channel.
[00:24:46.132]
Next using your cloud
chart as a guide, observe
[00:24:49.552]
and record cloud conditions,
determine what types
[00:24:52.772]
of clouds here in the sky.
[00:24:54.612]
Record you observation
on the data chart.
[00:24:57.442]
Next determine the
percentage of cloud cover
[00:24:59.992]
and record the value
on the data sheet.
[00:25:02.602]
Now you need to observe
the sky conditions.
[00:25:05.782]
What is the sky color?
[00:25:07.432]
Is the sky clear or hazy?
[00:25:10.042]
Is the sky obscured
by fog, smoke or haze.
[00:25:14.412]
Record these observations
on the data sheet.
[00:25:17.032]
Finally, record the current
temperature when you get back
[00:25:20.642]
into your classroom log on
to the following website.
[00:25:24.872]
You will record all your
data into the database.
[00:25:27.852]
The database will automatically
convert your voltage readings
[00:25:30.912]
to aerosol optical thickness.
[00:25:33.102]
To learn more about
assessing a Sun photometer,
[00:25:35.732]
check out the NASA Connect website.
[00:25:38.542]
[00:25:40.422]
Tres bien super job you guys.
[00:25:42.942]
You sure did collect a lot of
data in your aerosol protocol.
[00:25:46.152]
Now don't throw it away, because
it could be useful to scientists
[00:25:49.932]
from around the world.
[00:25:51.652]
Say, how would you
like to be a part
[00:25:54.372]
of a really cool international
science program?
[00:25:57.922]
Well Dr. Dianne Robinson
CALIPSO Outreach Director
[00:26:01.372]
from Hampton University
and Dr. Teresa Kennedy
[00:26:04.322]
with Globe International
can tell you more.
[00:26:06.582]
[Dr. Dianne Robinson:]
Thanks Jennifer,
[00:26:07.272]
those are great activities that
can be used with GLOBE and CALIPSO,
[00:26:11.012]
the satellite, being
built right here
[00:26:12.672]
at the Alcatel Building,
in Cannes, France.
[00:26:16.612]
[Dr. Teresa Kennedy:] If you
would like to participate
[00:26:17.882]
with this experiment or other
earth science activities related
[00:26:20.732]
to satellite observation.
[00:26:22.682]
The globe program is actively
looking for students to work
[00:26:24.922]
with scientist worldwide.
[00:26:26.492]
Globe is collective
worldwide effort
[00:26:28.232]
to collect environmental
observations into a large database
[00:26:30.892]
on the internet and
we welcome the French
[00:26:32.912]
to be the newest members to GLOBE.
[00:26:35.132]
Students around the
world collect real data
[00:26:36.822]
in all earth science areas.
[00:26:38.742]
The measurements collected
by students are sent
[00:26:40.562]
to the GLOBE database via the web
or e-mail and used by students
[00:26:44.122]
and scientist around the world.
[00:26:46.282]
The student information is used in
a real way with the data collected
[00:26:49.352]
by scientist and satellites
to give us a greater idea
[00:26:52.442]
about how the environment works?
[00:26:54.232]
Once submitted these data
are publicly available
[00:26:56.762]
on the GLOBE website and
are displayed graphically
[00:26:59.182]
with GLOBE visualization tools.
[00:27:01.262]
[Dr. Dianne Robinson:] An
important aspect of the program is
[00:27:02.912]
that students are encouraged
to communicate directly
[00:27:05.132]
with Globe scientist to better
understand the importance
[00:27:07.412]
and impact of their data.
[00:27:08.952]
Another important aspect is that
the information you collect can
[00:27:12.192]
and does make a difference to
understanding our world around us.
[00:27:15.822]
[Dr. Teresa Kennedy:] More
than a million students
[00:27:17.172]
in over fourteen thousand schools
have joined the GLOBE effort
[00:27:21.052]
and the numbers are growing.
[00:27:23.352]
Want to join the effort?
[00:27:24.622]
For more information
go to our website
[00:27:26.412]
at www.globe.gov,
back to you Jennifer.
[00:27:32.052]
[Jennifer:] Thanks
Dianne and Teresa.
[00:27:34.632]
Well guys that wraps up
another episode of NASA Connect.
[00:27:38.092]
Students don't forget
to check out the website
[00:27:40.852]
for this program's web activities
and the student challenge.
[00:27:44.622]
Hey that a question, comment
or suggestion then e-mail them
[00:27:48.672]
to connect@larc.nasa.gov.
[00:27:52.402]
So until next time
stay connected to math,
[00:27:55.102]
science, technology and NASA.
[00:27:57.882]
Au revoir.
[00:27:58.232]