NASA researchers are working on software for a satellite that will measure changes in the ice sheet in Greenland, according to the 21st Space Wing. Researchers spent about three weeks at Thule AB, Greenland, using lasers to measure distances to Earth and a spectrometer to measure the wavelength of light from the surface, to better understand the ice sheet and help in the development of software for the ICESat-2, or Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite. The first ICESat operated from 2003 to 2009 and measured changes in the ice sheet, specifically in Greenland. ICESat-2 will be launched into a polar orbit about 280 miles above Earth for similar research. The 821st Air Base Group hosted the team of 19 scientists, pilots, instrument operators, and maintainers, who flew for hours every day to collect the necessary measurements. “It’s been fantastic, we’ve had amazing support from the community. Everything has gone smoothly across the board,” said Kelly Brunt, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center. Brunt works with NASA on the ICESat-2 project.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
