NASA Partners With Forest Service To Highlight Wildfires, Science

June 29, 2012

Joshua Buck
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
jbuck@nasa.gov

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
Nicole.Cloutier-1@nasa.gov


RELEASE: 12-224

NASA PARTNERS WITH FOREST SERVICE TO HIGHLIGHT WILDFIRES, SCIENCE

HOUSTON -- NASA and the U.S. Forest Service signed a Space Act
Agreement this week that unites the two agencies in raising awareness
about the importance of fire prevention and fire safety.

This partnership will highlight areas of common interest in wildfires,
forest and plant growth research and materials science. The joint
effort will be enhanced by the personal interest of astronaut Joe
Acaba, a flight engineer currently aboard the International Space
Station. Acaba is an avid outdoorsman who has focused much of his
career on the environment. He selected Smokey Bear, the forest
service's mascot, as the zero-gravity indicator and talisman for his
Soyuz flight to the orbiting laboratory last month.

"I've always enjoyed the outdoors and our natural environment," said
Acaba. "When you view our planet from space, it only makes you
appreciate it more. I hope that sharing my experiences aboard the
space station will help others understand the importance of
protecting our planet and protecting ourselves from Earth's natural
tendencies."

Throughout the human spaceflight program, imagery of Earth has been a
valuable asset to researchers on the ground. The dramatic views of
smoke plumes and fire damage to communities from 240 miles above
bring unparalleled perspectives of the effects of wildfire and the
value of careful forestry resource management to people around the
world. The images also help firefighters combat fires more
effectively and help researchers learn about wildfire behavior and
patterns.

Acaba and his station crewmates recorded high-resolution video and
photographs June 28 of the wildfires now active in Colorado and Utah.
These videos can be viewed on NASA's website at:

http://go.nasa.gov/NXyttH

Crew observations and imagery of the Earth from space are just some
areas that will be emphasized. Space station experiments that focus
on improved understanding of plant growth and physiology, as well as
combustion and materials science, also will have a prominent role in
related outreach opportunities and events.

NASA and the U.S. Forest Service have worked together for decades in
many areas of research and technology development, and the forest
service provided invaluable assistance to NASA during recovery
operations following the loss of space shuttle Columbia in the
heavily wooded areas of East Texas.

For more information regarding NASA's partnership with the U.S. Forest
Service, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/NHAlDd

For Acaba's complete biography, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.html

For more information about International Space Station research,
operations and crews, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/station


-end-



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