Bryan Blair (NASA GSFC, Code 61A)is the 2018 recipient of the Moe I Schneebaum Award in Engineering. The Moe I. Schneebaum Memorial Award for Engineering was created in memory of Moe I. Schneebaum’s far-reaching contributions to space technology and to the Goddard Space Flight Center. This award is the Center’s highest recognition for engineering contributions toward advancing and extending the technology of space flight.

There will be an award ceremony held in September/October 2018.

EOSDIS was awarded the 2015 Pecora award. This prestigious William T. Pecora award is given to groups that make outstanding contributions toward understanding the Earth by means of remote sensing. The citation highlights the EOSDIS accomplishments in providing an open archive system for a global user community.

The Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS) had another year of record growth with 1.7B file downloads (206TB) of data transferred to over 260K unique users in 2017. EOSDIS (Earth Observing System Data and Information System) reports that CDDIS led the twelve Distributed Active Archive (DAACs) in the number of files downloaded last year. Furthermore, CDDIS GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) data/products accounted for three of the top data sets distributed by EOSDIS.

- The CDDIS now provides GNSS real-time streams from over 330 global sites as well as nearly 40 real-time product streams to the public through the NTRIP (Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol) real-time caster. These data streams include 38 NASA GDGPS (Global Differential GPS) sites as well as 31 sites provided by the University of Chile for testing in support of the READI (Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster Mitigation) initiative.

- In December 2016, CDDIS installed an extensive system upgrade using virtual machine architecture for reliability and expandability, providing better infrastructure (power, network connectivity) and increased storage capability. A streamlined archive operations architecture and data upload process were also implemented.

Contact Jim Long (James.L.Long@nasa.gov) for more information.

Contact John Gipson (John.M.Gipson@nasa.gov) for more information.

Contact Richard Ray (Richard.D.Ray@nasa.gov) for more information.

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Contact Bryan Blair (James.b.blair@nasa.gov) for more information.

Contact David Rowlands David.D.Rowlands@nasa.gov) for more information.

Richard Ray (Code 61A) and Brian Beckley (SGT@ Code 61A) attended a celebration in Pasadena, California, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the launch of TOPEX/Poseidon, "the most successful ocean experiment of all time", according to Dr. Walter Munk (UC San Diego/Scripps Institute of Oceanography). The celbration included a series of speeches at presentations at the Van Karman Auditorium (JPL) and in Dabney Hall (Caltech). The presentations included talks by former mission managers, engineers, and scientists from NASA and the CNES. Richard Ray delivered an address on TOPEX and tide models that discussed the seven stages of Tides and TOPEX starting with "Tides are a Nuisance", "Fake Rossby waves are really Tidal signals", to "Everybody is doing it" ... to "Using Internal Tides as an Ocean Thermometer"

Contact Richard Ray (Richard.D.Ray@nasa.gov) for more information.

Contact Stephen Merkowitz (Stephen.M.Merkowitz@nasa.gov) for more information.

The special issue includes three papers involving NASA GSFC (Code 61A Authors)

(1) "International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry, A. Nothnagel, T. Artz, D. Behrend, Z. Malkin, J. Geodesy, 91(7), 711-721, doi: 10.1007/s00190-016-0950-5. URL Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00190-016-0950-5

(2) "Impact of the VLBI on reference frame and earth orientation studies", David Gordon, 91(7), 735-742, 2017. URL Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00190-016-0955-0

Contact Dirk Behrend (Dirk.Behrend@nasa.gov) for more information.

Contact Dirk Behrend (Dirk.Behrend@nasa.gov) for more information.

Contact Stephen Merkowitz (stephen.m.merkowitz@nasa.gov) for more information.

Contact Richard Ray (Richard.D.Ray@nasa.gov) for more information.

As part of the MEASURES project, NASA GSFC/Code 61A (F. Lemoine, N. Zelensky, B. Beckley, R. Ray) routinely provide updates for the "Integrated Multi-Mission Ocean Altimeter Data for Climate Research" product at NASA's Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PODAAC). NASA GSFC's contributions include the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and DORIS Doppler-determined orbits (computed with the std1504 standards) as well as refinements to the altimeter data and validation of the altimetric product. The development of the SSH Climate Data Record (CDR) is a collaborative effort under the auspices of the NASA MEaSURE’s program from NASA/GSFC, JPL, University of South Florida, University of Colorado, and the NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry.

The URL for the direct link to the altimetry data at PODAAC is:

NRK TV in Norway has published a video feature (in Norwegian) discussing the importance,and challenges of global cooperation in making precise measurements to support the maintenance of an international terrestrial reference frame necessary for natural hazard and global change studies. The video also discusses the future plans for cooperation with NASA in the construction of the geodetic station in Ny Alesund. The video features interviews (in English) with SGP Manager Stephen Merkowitz (Code 61A @ NASA GSFC; time index 5:26, 8:45, 10:20) and colleagues Hayo Hase ( AGGO, La Plata Argentina ; time index 11:14 20:07) Ludwig Combrinck ( HartRAO, South Africa ; time index 6:24, 17:24; Per Erik Opseth, Laila Lovhoiden, Gary Johnston (Geoscience Australia, time index 20:53, 23:05), and others, as well as a visit to NASA GSFC and GGAO . The full URL for the television program is:

https://tv.nrk.no/program/KOID75001017/jakten-paa-den-eksakte-posisjon

Weijia Kuang (61A), Terence Sabaka (61A) and Antti Pulkkinen (674, Space Weather Laboratory) have been awarded a Goddard Senior Fellows Innovation Challenges grant, entitled “Development of a prototype high-precision dynamic geomagnetic framework." This grant will be used to test the idea of combining geodynamo modeling (MoSST_DAS; Modular Scalable Self-consistent and Three dimensional Data Assimilation Scheme: [Reference, Kuang et al., IUGG, Melbourne, Australia, 2011]) and geomagnetic field modeling (CM) to develop a dynamic-based geomagnetic modeling system (currently called "dynamic field modeling"), and apply this new system to other science research and applications.

Evan Hoffman (61A), Xiaoli Sun (698, Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Laboratory),Tom Zagwodzki (61A) and Jan McGarry (61A) had great success with the two-way asynchronous laser ranging to the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) in orbit about the Moon, on Sunday and Tuesday nights this week (April 2, 2017 & April 4, 2017). The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft was temporarily pointed at the Earth such that the approximately 100 microradian spot size of the laser (about 35 km on the Earth's surface) would periodically pass over the Greenbelt (Maryland) site over a 30 minute period. Uplink laser pulses at 1064nm were recorded by LOLA, and downlink pulses were recorded at the 1.2 m (48 inch) telescope at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory (GGAO). As a test prior to the LOLA ranging, the Ajisai geodetic satellite (altitude 1485 km, inclination 50 deg), was tracked in the infrared (IR) using the 48" (1.2m) telescope. The 48” (1.2 m) telescope performed extremely well. The main purpose of the ranging to & from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was to verify the performance of LOLA laser #2, and re-calibrate the pointing of the instrument, nearly nine years after the launch of the LRO spacecraft into lunar orbit.

GEDI Science Team Meeting (Annapolis, MD), April 4-6, 2017. Code 61A attendees were Bryan Blair , Michelle Hofton and Scott Luthcke.

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ICESAT-2 Science Team Meeting (Austin, TX), April 10-12, 2017. The Code 61A attendees were Claudia Carabajal, Scott Luthcke and Taylor Thomas.

Bryant Loomis (SGT @ Code 61A) has won the RHG award for Exceptional Achievement for Science for his work developing the GSFC mascon products for GRACE , and science preparations for GRACE Follow-On .