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4 MIN READ
Lauren Leese
News

SPHEREx Mission Begins Delivering Data to Public Archive

Data from NASA’s newest astrophysics mission, SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer), first appeared in its public data archive on July 2. SPHEREx is an all-sky survey in 102 different infrared wavelengths, which scientists can use to identify the signatures of specific molecules.

During its two-year prime mission, SPHEREx will survey the entire sky twice a year, creating four all-sky maps. After the mission reaches the one-year mark, the team plans to release a map of the whole sky at all 102 wavelengths.

SPHEREx data are available through IRSA (NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive), part of the IPAC data center at Caltech in Pasadena, California. To learn more about the SPHEREx data pipeline and the kinds of discoveries the data will enable, read the recent feature article.

VIIRS Data Fully Switches to Version 2

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) flies aboard the joint NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) and NOAA-platforms, collecting visible and infrared imagery used in a wide variety of Earth science disciplines. VIIRS Version 1 data products only included data from the Suomi-NPP satellite, while Version 2 includes data from the NOAA platforms and features several improvements for accuracy. Version 2 also provides better continuity with NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).

On July 31, the final set of VIIRS Version 1 data products were officially decommissioned, though the technical documentation remains available for reference. Users are highly encouraged to switch over to Version 2 VIIRS data products. For more information, read the data alert on the Earthdata website.

Open Science Data Repository Releases 5 Biology Datasets to Advance Brain Health in Space

In the month of July, NASA’s BPS (Biological and Physical Sciences) Open Science Data Repository team curated and released five datasets, bringing the repository’s total available number of spaceflight and spaceflight relevant datasets to 560. These studies provide crucial insights for sustaining human life on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as improving human health on Earth. Click on the datasets below to learn more about each one:  

  • OSD-863—Scientists grew brain organoids on the International Space Station and found that microgravity may speed up brain cell maturation, offering insights into neurodegenerative diseases and astronaut brain health with a focus on lab-grown mini brain tissues that resemble the outer layer of the brain (the cortex).
  • OSD-871—Researchers grew 3D brain cell models on the International Space Station and found that microgravity may speed up brain cell development, offering clues for treating neurological diseases on Earth and protecting astronaut brain health with a focus on lab-grown brain cell clusters that produce dopamine.
  • OSD-832—This study looked at how simulated space radiation and weightlessness affect brain function and behavior in rats, finding that these space-like conditions can lead to memory and mood changes, with lasting effects on blood chemistry.
  • OSD-833—This study looked at how simulated space radiation and weightlessness affect brain function and behavior in rats, finding that these space-like conditions can lead to memory and mood changes, with lasting effects on brain chemistry (the hippocampus).
  • OSD-834—This study looked at how simulated space radiation and weightlessness affect brain function and behavior in rats, finding that these space-like conditions can lead to memory and mood changes, with lasting effects on brain and blood chemistry (the cortex).

MAST Archive Updates 5 High-Level Science Products for Exoplanet Discovery

The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) archives open data from NASA astrophysics missions, but it also includes publicly available High Level Science Products (HSLPs) that researchers have derived from these missions, including models, catalogs, and observations. In July, MAST updated five HSLPs that are based on data from NASA missions such as Kepler and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

These updated HSLPs are all related to the field of exoplanet discovery, including a set of synthetic light curves for training exoplanet-hunting machine learning algorithms and a dataset that provides stellar spectra for use in models of exoplanet atmospheres. To learn about all the recently-updated HSLPs, read the recent article on the MAST website.