NASA Selects University for Cloud Mission Associated Press Monday, May 10, 2004, 2:32 pm EST HAMPTON, Va. (AP) -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will give Hampton University $101 million to build a satellite to study how clouds form at the edge of space. After two years of proposals and interviews, Hampton University beat out more than 40 schools, including Stanford University, to lead the project. It is the first time a historically black college will manage a NASA mission. "This is the largest deal for us ever," Hampton University Professor James M. Russell III told the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk. He worked at NASA for 30 years before moving to Hampton University in 1996 and will be the project`s principal investigator. The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, experiment will determine whether clouds forming in the uppermost atmosphere are a sign the global climate is changing. They are becoming brighter and more numerous and are coming closer to Earth, Russell said, which suggests carbon dioxide is building up and cooling the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered a key ingredient in theories of global warming. But if the clouds grow large enough, they could help slow global warming by reducing the amount of sun reaching the Earth`s surface. "It was a shock to see them, and it points to the fact that we need to find out more about them," Russell said. Hampton University will act as the prime contractor, managing the development of the satellite and its instruments. It will subcontract work to companies and other universities. The 3-foot-by-3-foot satellite weighs about 430 pounds and has a 6-foot solar-panel wing span. It will be shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for launch aboard a Pegasus XL rocket. The launch is scheduled for Sept. 29, 2006. "We`re working very hard to hold to that date," Russell said. "A delay means money." One of NASA`s requirements is that Hampton keep the project within budget. Hampton University students will work on the project, making it a good recruiting tool for at least the next four years, Russell said. Two graduate students and six undergraduates will be analyzing the data and contributing to scientific papers. The satellite will orbit for at least two years. "We think we`ve set a good platform for the future," Bill Thomas, the university`s director of governmental relations, told the Daily Press of Newport News. Two years ago, the school`s Center for Atmospheric Sciences won a $97 million contract to launch SAGE III, a satellite instrument that studies the chemical changes in the atmosphere that deplete the ozone layer. Next year, the school and its partners, including the French space agency, will launch CALIPSO, or Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite. It will photograph Earth`s atmosphere. AIM`s next milestone will be in October, when Russell`s team meets with NASA for a design review. *************************************************************************************** Aprille Ericsson, Ph.D. , D.Sc. NASA GSFC, Code 556 Instrument Systems Branch Voice: (301)286-9154, Fax: (301)286-1763 Bdg. 23, Rm. S217 Aprille.J.Ericsson@nasa.gov "Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you will still be among the stars"