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MEDIA ADVISORY
U.S. Senator John Sununu to Attend NASA Briefing at UNH’s Institute for
the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
Contact: David Sims
603-862-5369
Science Writer
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
May 2, 2005
WHAT: U.S. Senator John Sununu will attend a NASA briefing at the
University of New Hampshire’s Institute for the Study of
Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) to hear from scientists at the EOS
Space Science Center about UNH’s prominent historical and
continuing role in NASA space science missions. A tour of space
science facilities, including flight instrument assembly and space
environment testing facilities, will be held. Instrumentation,
such as the two ion mass spectrometers being built for the Solar-Terrestrial
Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission, will be highlighted.
WHEN: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., Thursday, May 5, 2005.
WHERE: Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS),
Morse Hall, Durham campus. Parking will be available behind Morse
Hall, 39 College Road.
BACKGROUND: Senator Sununu, in his role as a member of the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has oversight responsibility
for NASA. UNH scientists will provide details about past, present,
and future NASA-funded work at the university, UNH’s renowned
standing in the national and international space science community,
the educational value provided to students involved in research,
development, and data analysis on the many NASA-related projects
carried out at UNH, and the economic value that NASA projects
bring to New Hampshire. For over 40 years, UNH has been involved
in mission design, advanced instrument construction, and data
analysis for more than 30 NASA space and Earth science missions.
Over the years, UNH has consistently been ranked among the top
U.S. schools in NASA funding.
Among the missions on which UNH has had a key role are the Compton
Gamma Ray Observatory – one of NASA’s “great
observatories,” the solar orbiting probe Ulysses, the four
Cluster satellites that provide a three-dimensional picture of
the Earth’s magnetic shield, and the Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory (SOHO). Current missions include STEREO, scheduled
for launch next year, and the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX),
which has a 2008 launch date and will study the edges of our solar
system.
Editors: Media will have access to the briefing participants only
during the tour of the Space Science Center from roughly 3 -3:30.
UNH scientists involved in current and upcoming NASA missions will
be on hand after the tour to answer questions.
A photo is available for download at: http://www.unh.edu/news/img/popecki-sm.jpg
Caption: STEREO-PLASTIC Co-investigator Mark Popecki tests Flight
Model #2 in the vacuum chamber at UNH's Institute for the Study
of Earth, Oceans, and Space.
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