CAPCOM News: from the SGAC, ESA, the GEO Health CoP and Amity University

Careers at the European Space Agency

Life as an ESA YGT: astronaut health and space medicine (23-02-2021)

With the launch of the 2021 Young Graduate Trainee recruitment campaign, we’ve been talking to some of our current YGTs about the work they do, to give you a flavour of life at ESA and an idea of the range of opportunities currently on offer.

Amity University, India

Registrations for Earth and Space Exploration Program 2021, Ladakh are Open!

Amity University is collaborating with Cosmic Adventures to bring you a surreal experience of learning and inspiration in the Himalayas! Book your seat now! (June-Oct 2021)

Here is your chance to gain exclusive insights and in-person training from leading science mentors about our planet, the effects of Climate Change and how do we prepare to look for life on Mars! Check out the Explorer and Student options. The Themes for 2021 will cover:

• Learning from the Past: Origins of Earth and Life
• Observing the Present: Earth and Climate Change
• Preparing for the Future: Mars Exploration

For queries, contact: info@cosmicadventures.co.in.
Book Now!
Amity Astrobiology Website

From ESA: Research on the International Space Station

Space snapshot (23-02-2021)
 

Does this image give you anxiety or are you already tracking where all the wires go? If the latter, you might have what it takes to be an astronaut!

It is an exciting time for space. With NASA’s latest rover safely on Mars and ESA’s call for the next class of astronauts and, in a first, parastronauts, the space industry is teeming with possibilities. This image taken in ESA’s Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station is a snapshot of the many opportunities in space research and exploration.  

In the centre is the Biolab facility, a fridge-sized unit that hosts biological experiments on micro-organisms, cells, tissue cultures, small plants and small invertebrates. Performing life science experiments in space identifies the role that weightlessness plays at all levels of an organism, from the effects on a single cell up to a complex organism including humans.

The facility has enabled researchers to make some remarkable discoveries, most notable that mammalian immune cells required a mere 42 seconds to adapt to weightlessness, prompting more questions but also an overall positive outlook for long-duration human spaceflight.  The pink glow in the image is from the greenhouse that has enabled many studies on plant growth in space. 

With plans to visit the Moon and Mars, future astronauts will need a regular, fresh source of food as they take on these missions farther away from home. In addition to providing much-needed vitamins and minerals, growing plants in space contributes to sustainability and adds a homey touch to exploration.

Growing plants in the microgravity conditions of the International Space Station has allowed researchers to fine tune the approach: European research showed plants respond best to red and blue light, giving the Columbus module a disco feel.

If you look closely, you can spot Astro Pi Ed to the left of Biolab. As part of ESA astronaut Tim Peake’s Principia mission (2015–2016) to the ISS, two space-hardened Raspberry Pi computers, called Astro Pis and nicknamed Ed and Izzy, equipped with environmental sensors, were sent to the Space Station. They are regularly used to run students’ and young people’s programs as part of the Astro Pi Challenge. 

Of course, a whole host of researchers, ground control crew, and mission support specialists make space research and exploration possible. The excitement of space continues.  If you think you have what it takes, apply to be part of the team.

Updates from the GEO Health CoP

Upcoming Webinars & Workshops

• USAID Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program: PEER as a Catalyst for Fire Science and Policy in Colombia (by Dolors Armenteras, National University of Colombia) on Friday, March 5, 2021 from 11:00AM-12:00PM ET (GMT-5) (attached flyer). The speaker will present her research on integrated fire management and its journey to informing a new law in Colombia. This research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jennifer K. Balch at University of Colorado, Boulder, whose research was funded by NASA and NSF.
• American Mosquito Control Association Virtual 87th Annual Meeting: This conference will be held virtually from March 2-5, 2021. This meeting will provide an opportunity for members of the mosquito control community – researchers, educators, vector control professionals, industry representatives, students, among others – to share expertise through plenary and poster sessions and symposia. Notably, the NASA Health and Air Quality Applications focus area will support one session (“NASA Earth Observations for Improved Vector-borne Disease Surveillance and Risk Characterization” session with five panelists on Friday, March 5, 2021 from 11:00AM-12:30PM EST (GMT-5)and one presentation in the Disease & Vector Studies session (“Using Satellite Data to Enhance One Health Networks in Vector Control” on Friday, March 5, 2021 from 4:00-4:10PM EST (GMT-5). To learn more about AMCA2021, please review the agenda and registration information.
• National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences: The team is organizing a satellite session, Implementation Science to Support Public Health Interventions for Climate Change, at the upcoming Consortium of Universities for Global Health Annual Meeting 2021. This virtual session is free and will be held on March 9, 2021 at 11:00AM EST (GMT-5).
• US Environmental Protection Agency: EPA Tribal Partnership Groups, highlighting the National Tribal Air Association and interests in Environmental Justice on EPA Tribal Partnership Groups on Thursday, March 11, 2021 from 2:30-4:00PM ET (GMT-5). This webinar is part of the U.S. EPA Environmental Justice Webinar Series for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples – to build the capacity of tribal governments, indigenous peoples and other environmental justice practitioners, and discuss priority EJ issues of interest to tribes and indigenous peoples.
• American Geophysical Union: Storytelling 101: Identifying and Crafting Narrative Themes on March 11, 2021 at 2:00-3:00PM ET (GMT-5) and Storytelling 101: Making Stories (and your Science) on April 15, 2021 at 2:00-3:00PM ET (GMT-5). Archived Webinars are available on the AGU Webinar YouTube channel.
• US Environmental Protection Agency: Implications of Volatile Chemical Products (VCPs) for Ozone and Particulate Matter in Urban Atmospheres on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 from 3:00-4:00PM EDT (GMT-4).
• NASA ACCP Air Quality Workshop from Tuesday, March 16 to Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 1:00-5:00PM ET (GMT-4).
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: As part of the Climate Conversations: Pathways to Action monthly webinar, the Climate Conversations: Climate & COVID-19 webinar will be held on Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 3:00-4:00PM ET (GMT-4). In this webinar, Laura Helmuth (Scientific American) will moderate a conversation between Georges Benjamin (APHA) and Kris Ebi (University of Washington) that is both reflective about the intersections between climate change and COVID-19 over the last year, and forward-looking at the state of progress on addressing these issues in the U.S.
• US Environmental Protection Agency: Air Sensor Performance Targets on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 3PM ET (GMT-4). During this webinar, EPA scientists will discuss recommended guidelines that they have developed for testing protocols, metrics, and target values for fine particulate matter and ozone air sensors.
• American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Conference 2021: This conference will be held virtually from April 7-11, 2021. More than 4,500 presentations and posters will be presented on topics including climatology and meteorology, land use, medical and health geography, and environmental science.

Upcoming ARSET Training

• Use of Solar Induced Fluorescence and LIDAR to Assess Vegetation Change and Vulnerability: This four-part series will be held on March 16, 18, 23, and 25, 2021, from 11:00AM-1:00PM EDT (GMT-4). This introductory webinar series will cover the fundamentals of Solar Induced Fluorescence (SIF) and LIDAR, their applications, and an overview of different satellite data sources that are openly available. In addition, it will also include a step-by-step guide on how to access, open, and interpret SIF and LIDAR data.
• Introduction to Population Grids and their Integration with Remote Sensing Data for Sustainable Development and Disaster Management: This two-part series will be held on March 30 and April 6, 2021, from 10:00AM-12:00PM EDT (GMT-4) OR 3:00-5:00PM EDT (GMT-4). This training will focus on the range of different global population grids, how the grids incorporate remote sensing inputs, and their application to a range of topics from development planning to monitoring progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Upcoming Conference of Note

In a series of three half-day virtual meetings from March 16 – 18, 1:00- 5:00PM EST, the NASA A-CCP Air Quality Workshop will focus on current applications and future opportunities of Aerosol and Clouds, Convection, and Precipitation (A-CCP) observations to support air quality and disaster applications. The workshop will bring together representatives from federal and state operational agencies, private companies and boundary organizations to discuss how NASA A-CCP aerosol products could be better leveraged to inform decision-making activities. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for end users to engage with the A-CCP Designated Observable Applications Study Team to address current satellite uses and challenges as well as future satellite needs.

A tentative agenda will be posted to the workshop website soon, so please check back for details of speakers and panelists. Please register to receive telecon info. Registration is free and easy.

Updates from the GEO Health CoP

Past (Recorded) Workshop

• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: The Interplay Between Environmental Exposures and Mental Health Outcomes – A Workshop from February 2-3, 2021.

Upcoming Challenge

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Partners: The Cleaner Indoor Air During Wildfires Challenge has just opened and will end on May 17, 2021.

Solicitation

• NASA Science Mission Directorate: A.37 Earth Science Applications: Health and Air Quality Applications is open and will close on June 18, 2021.

From HAQAST Team Leader Tracey Holloway

It is my tremendous pleasure to announce the launch of the newest NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (HAQAST)! We are a team of 14, hailing from research institutions across the US, from Florida to Alaska. And we’re headquartered here, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We are at the outset of a four-year mission, which will conclude in late 2025. Our goal? To apply NASA satellite data and products to real-world, air quality and public health needs, wherever they may crop up. And this is where you come in.

While we have our core team, we are in the first stages of building the wider HAQAST community. And it is that wider community—you who are reading this!—who will help determine the course of our applied research. We will soon be looking for stakeholder partners for our Tiger Teams (short term, applied projects focused on specific end-user needs), and we are always looking for input from the stakeholder community on how best to connect NASA data and products with your needs.

So join our newsletter, check out our website, follow us on Twitter and learn about our PIs’ exciting work.

Scientific Articles

• One Health
  • One Health Newsletter: The March 2021 issue has been released! If you are interested in contributing an article for the next Spring/Summer issue (Theme: One Health in Action), please email your topic to the Editorial Team (onehealthnewsletter@gmail.com).
  • UN: Strengthen ‘One Health approach’ to prevent future pandemics – WHO chief
    While the concept of One Health – where multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes – may have once seemed simple, “it is no longer”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “We can only prevent future pandemics with an integrated One Health approach to public health, animal health and the environment we share. Now is the time to take our partnership to a new level”, he underscored.
  • There is also increasing recognition that a One Health approach to food systems is also important and chronic food insecurity and/or distrust of intensively produced food are key drivers of risky practices.  If you’ve not seen this, it might be of interest: https://www.globalhungerindex.org/issues-in-focus/2020.html.
• Air Quality
  • Science Alert: There’s a Link Between Air Pollution And Irreversible Vision Loss, Study Reveals.
  • US Environmental Protection Agency: Technical Approaches for the Sensor Data on the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map.
  • Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association: Methods, availability, and applications of PM2.5 exposure estimates derived from ground measurements, satellite, and atmospheric models.
  • Health Effects Institute/Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project: State of Global Air 2020 Report.
• Heat
  • EOS: Dangerous Heat, Unequal Consequences.
  • US Geological Survey: Mapping Urban Heat Islands Leads NYC Council Data Team to Landsat.
• NASA HARVEST: The HARVEST Newsletter for February 2021 has been released! Please learn about CropsHelmets field data collection campaign, NASA research proposal solicitations, Biomass estimation using vegetation indices, and Selecting the right EO data for crop classification. Please review archived HARVEST Newsletters and subscribe to the listserv.
• NASA Globe Mission Mosquito: Please review the monthly update (attached document)! Please learn more about the 2021 GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium.
• European Space Agency: Space in response to COVID-19.
• Australia: Ad astra vita project blog.