DREAM2 | Dynamic Response of the Environments at Asteroids, the Moon, and moons of Mars

2010 DREAM NEWS

DREAM Scientists finds the LCROSS impact plume also contains sodium December 8, 2010

Dr. Rosemary Killen and her team monitored the plume from the LCROSS impact using the McMath-Pierce telescope located at Kitt Peak on Oct 9 2009. Her team identified a clear sodium enhancement upon impact corresponding to about 3 kg of released sodium gas. DREAM co-I Dana Hurley provided a model of the sodium plume for comparison to the ground-based observation. Read more at http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2010/12/lunar-water-looks-on-the-salty-side/1. The recently published scientific article can be found at http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/articles/observations-of-the-lunar-impact-plume-from-the-lcross-event

DREAM SummerIntern, Mindy Krzykowski, wins Outstanding Poster award at Undergraduate WoPYY10 and is the recipient of an Alaska Space Grant Fellowship November 23, 2010

Mindy Krzykowski, a senior majoring in Physics in College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, won the Best Overall prize for her poster presentation at the recent Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics in Lincoln Nebraska http://www.physics.unl.edu/~wophy/

DREAM welcomes Mike Zimmerman as our new NASA Post Doc November 8, 2010

The DREAM lunar science institute welcomes our new NASA Postdoc, Dr. Michael Zimmerman, a recent graduate from University of West Virginia. Mike is an expert in plasma and neutral gas simulations. He will work with the DREAM plasma team to model solar wind flow around obstacles at regional and small scales.

NASA MISSIONS UNCOVER THE MOON'S BURIED TREASURES October 21, 2010

Nearly a year after announcing the discovery of water molecules on the moon, scientists Thursday revealed new data uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO.

DREAM looking for high school teams to understand the extremes! September 28, 2010

The DREAM Education and Public Outreach Team is currently accepting applications for participation in the Lunar Extreme Program. Beginning in early 2011, DREAM will be educating high school students and teachers about its science goals in order to prepare them for participation and interaction with DREAM scientists at a culminating Lunar Extreme Workshop (LEW) to be held at Goddard Space Flight Center from June 20-24, 2011.

Different perspectives on the Moon for Observe the Moon Night September 17, 2010

DREAM team members are providing additional perspectives on the Moon to assist observers for the upcoming InOMN on September 18 2010. LRO Participating Scientists Tim Stubbs and DREAM Collaborator Yongli Wang combine optical images and LRO Laser Altimeter data to provide a 3-D like perspective.

DREAM Collaborators take part in DesertRATS testing September 13, 2010

DREAM collaborators Jake Bleacher and Jim Rice were actively involved in Exploration's Desert Research and Technology Study (D-RATS). Donning suits and guiding rovers are all part of simulating a mission to a planetary surface like the Moon or Mars. For more details, see

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/features/2010/desert-rats.html

International Observe the Moon Night on 9/18/2010 September 2, 2010

Members of the DREAM and LRO teams will be at NASA Goddard Visitor Center on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm for a fun-filled evening celebrating International Observe the Moon Night.

DREAM contributes to the Lunar Science Forum July 29, 2010

A large contingent of the DREAM lunar science institute team attended the Lunar Science Forum at NASA Ames Research Center this past week (7/20-22). DREAM's contributions included 18 co-investigator and 8 collaborator presentations. Team members were also actively involved in NLSI's Dust and Atmosphere Focus Group to further define future directions for environmental studies of the Moon and other near-airless rocky bodies. A list of talks including abstracts can be found at http://lunarscience2010.arc.nasa.gov/.

DREAM participation in 2010 Maryland Day April 24, 2010

Many thousands showed up to the annual Maryland Day event held on campus at the University of Maryland. GSFC had a number of display tents, including a booth for the DREAM lunar science institute team.

DREAM research suggest Lunar Polar Craters may be electrified April 16, 2010

As the solar wind flows over natural obstructions on the moon, it may charge polar lunar craters to hundreds of volts, according to new calculations by NASA.s Lunar Science Institute team.
Read More....

DREAM's first year of activity presented to the NLSI Executive Committee March 1, 2010

DREAM has completed its initial year of study of the neutral-plasma-dust environment of the Moon. Highlights include ground based telescopic studies of the LCROSS impact, modeling of this impact and neutral gas plume, demonstrating ion control of the lunar sodium exosphere, development of plasma simulations of the Moon's interaction with the solar wind, a description of the electrical environment expected within polar craters, and a prediction of the gas and dust horizon glow expected from orbital view.
Read More....

DREAM scientists are very active at the LDAP workshop Feb 4, 2010

DREAM provided 15 presentations and 5 invited talks to the Lunar Dust, Atmosphere, and Plasma workshop held in Boulder CO from 27-29 January 2010. The workshop was sponsored by Mihaly Horanyi and Alan Stern. Workshop abstracts are located at.
Read More....

DREAM Collaborator and Education Lead win funding to support the next generation of lunar scientists and engineers Jan 12, 2010

Dr. Noah Petro (DREAM Collaborator) and Lora Bleacher (DREAM Education and Public Outreach Lead) submitted a successful proposal for funding to run professional development workshops for the next generation of lunar scientists and engineers. The one-day workshops will be held annually before both the Lunar Science Institute Forum and the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, beginning with the Forum in July. Small travel stipends will be provided to undergraduate and graduate students undertaking lunar research so that they may participate. The workshops will provide an opportunity for students to:

Receive training and feedback on how to successfully communicate scientific information in professional, classroom, and public settings.

Present and receive feedback on their research from other next generation lunar scientists and engineers.

Familiarize themselves with lunar education and public outreach programs and materials so that they can inspire and engage their peers, members of their communities, and younger students in order to recruit new lunar science and engineering community members.

Interact, collaborate, and network with one another- now and in the future.

Meet, collaborate with, and receive training by representatives of outside lunar groups (such as the Science Mission Directorate, Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), etc.).

To learn more about the workshops, contact Lora Bleacher (Lora.V.Bleacher@nasa.gov).

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2009 DREAM News

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