8/2/12 news

 
 
Hope you can join us today at Hibachi Grill at 11:30 in Clearlake of course---- for our monthly Retirees Luncheon.    We have the back party room reserved as usual.   Please introduce yourselves to other fellow retirees—don’t be shy!!
 
 
 
Thursday, August 2, 2012
 
JSC TODAY HEADLINES
1.            Joint Leadership Team Web Poll
2.            JSC Features and Roundup Readership Contest Winners
3.            ISS All Hands - Reminder
4.            ISS Update: Progress 48 Launch and Docking
5.            ISS Update: Food Technology on a Mission to Mars
6.            Smart Phones Working With Smart SPHERES
7.            Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System
8.            Blood Drive Aug. 15 and 16
9.            Hurricane Prep Panel
10.          Safety Information for Parents of High School and College Students
11.          Lean Six Sigma -- Champions Training
12.          Mental Health Education, Support and Local Mental Health Resources
13.          Caregivers Speaker
14.          Starport's Fall 2012 Sport Leagues - Registration Now Open
15.          Starport Summer Camp Extended One More Week
16.          Tech&Tell Next Week in Building 3 Cafeteria
17.          Healthy Choices Make a Difference -- Come Learn How
18.          Financial Education Seminars -- Auto Buying
19.          NASA Technical Standards Program Online Training
________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY
“ Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
 
-- Publilius Syrus
________________________________________
1.            Joint Leadership Team Web Poll
You nailed it on the Feds Feed Families question last week. You absolutely can buy food at the cafes to donate. It's a really easy way to participate; you should try it. The whole "Made in China" Olympic uniform flap should be corrected according to the poll results, but it's not a huge deal. Next week, we will invade Mars with the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. It should be really cool. How well do you know your MSL facts? Can you pick out the false statement in question one? The second question is about the reverse mission when the Martians invade us. What do you think will be the most surprising thing they learn about Earth when they get here? Still using fossil fuels? Texans haven't won a Super Bowl yet?
 
Fly your Saucer on over to get this week's poll.
 
Joel Walker x30541 http://jlt.jsc.nasa.gov/
 
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2.            JSC Features and Roundup Readership Contest Winners
The winner of the June 2012 JSC Features Readership Contest drawing is: Sharyl Butler
 
It is climate controlled and has a large inventory of hydraulic actuators, load cells, servo-valves, manifolds, flex hoses and test fixtures. What is it?
 
*The correct answer:
The Structures Test Lab at JSC.
 
The winner of the Roundup Readership Contest drawing is: Brian Kurtz
 
What occurred on May 31 at 10:42 a.m. CDT, and why is it important?
 
*The correct answer:
SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 10:42 a.m. CDT on May 31, a few hundred miles west of Baja California, Mexico, marking an end to the first history-making mission by a commercial company to resupply the International Space Station.
 
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all contest participants and readers. The next contest will post after publication of the August Roundup. Don't be a stranger, and don't be shy! Join the fun. You could be the next winner of the JSC Features and Roundup readership contest!
 
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/roundup/online/
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/jscfeatures/
 
Neesha Hosein x27516
 
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3.            ISS All Hands - Reminder
Reminder - The ISS program will be holding an all-hands for all ISS civil servants, contractors and International Partners. It will be held on August 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Alamo Ballroom at the Gilruth Center.
 
Jennifer McCarter x47885
 
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4.            ISS Update: Progress 48 Launch and Docking
Check out an interview with Dina Contella, Expedition 32 Lead Flight Director, at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=149622721 Contella talks about the details of the ISS Progress 48 cargo craft launch and docking.
 
The unpiloted Russian resupply craft launched Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 2:35 p.m. CDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a novel four-orbit, six-hour expedited transit to the station.
 
Contella discusses the details of the Progress launch and the modified rendezvous plan, which is a test designed to reduce the typical two-day flight to the station. If applied to the crewed Soyuz vehicles, this would increase crew comfort and provide for additional contingency time at the end of the spacecraft's mission.
 
JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
 
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5.            ISS Update: Food Technology on a Mission to Mars
Michele Perchonok, Advanced Food Technology Program Scientist, talks about developing food for a human crew on a mission to Mars. Watch the interview at this link: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=149632291
 
Perchonok says that she helps to develop two types of packaged food for space missions. The first type has a typical shelf life of about 18 months, which they currently use on the International Space Station. The second type of food needs to last about five years to be suitable to bring on a Mars mission.
 
Once on the surface of Mars, she mentions that the crew would need a bioregenative food system, which is the growing of a variety of fruits and vegetables in hydroponic environmental chambers.
 
She also discusses the logistics involved with planning and packing enough food for a human crew's mission to Mars, as well as the nutritional needs of the crew.
 
JSC External Relations, Office of Communictions and Public Affairs x35111
 
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6.            Smart Phones Working With Smart SPHERES
While the International Space Station orbits the Earth, three bowling ball-sized objects are not just free-floating onboard because of a lack of gravity, but free-flying using propulsion to test future navigation systems. In some cases, students are helping design research projects by writing math equations to control the trajectory, or flight path, of these mini-satellites. The Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) are self-contained and operate using mathematical algorithms that command their guidance, navigation and control systems.
 
To read more about it and see an interview with Mark Micire, SPHERES Engineering Manager at NASA's Ames Research Center, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/spheres_video.html#
 
JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
 
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7.            Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System
The Emergency Dispatch Center and Office of Emergency Management will conduct the monthly test of the JSC Emergency Warning System (EWS) on Thursday, Aug. 2 at noon. The EWS test will consist of a verbal "This is a Test Message" followed by a "short tone" and then followed by the second verbal "This is a Test Message." The warning tone will be the "Whoop Tone," which is associated with a "Seek Shelter Inside" message. Please visit the JSC Emergency Awareness website at http://jea.jsc.nasa.gov for EWS tones and definitions. During an actual emergency situation the particular tone and verbal message will provide you with protective information.
 
Dennis G. Perrin x34232 http://jea.jsc.nasa.gov
 
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8.            Blood Drive Aug. 15 and 16
Summertime typically brings a decrease in blood donations as donors become busy with activities and vacations. But the need for blood can increase because of these summer activities and the three major holidays--Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. Your blood donation can help up to three people. Please take an hour of your time to donate at our next blood drive.
 
You can donate at JSC on Aug. 15 to 16 at the Teague Auditorium Lobby or at the donor coach located next to the Building 11 Starport Café, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., or at the Gilruth Center at donor coach located in parking lot, Aug. 16, from 7:30 a.m. to noon. (Note time change).
 
The criteria for donating can be found at the St. Luke's link on our website at http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/blooddrv/blooddrv.htm
 
Teresa Gomez x39588 http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/blooddrv/blooddrv.htm
 
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9.            Hurricane Prep Panel
Hurricane season is here with the projected patterns of ramped up activity in August. Time to be prepared. The Employee Assistance Program is happy to present a panel discussion of the areas to consider. Linda Spuler will review the Emergency Notification System. Bill Kerneckel, Human Resources, will review JSC policies and check-in procedures. Carole Porcher, RN, will discuss medical preparedness. Gay Yarbrough, LCSW, will review tips for managing children and seniors. Come review the lessons learned, and get the tools so that you know you are ready. The Hurricane Preparation Panel will present on Thursday, Aug. 2, at 12:30 p.m. in the Building 30 Auditorium.
 
Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch x36130
 
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10.          Safety Information for Parents of High School and College Students
Come gain the knowledge to not only keep your high school and college students safe but also to teach them the safety measures that will reduce their risk of involvement in violence and sexual assault. The Employee Assistance Program is happy to present Heather Kerbow, Violence Prevention coordinator of the Bay Area Turning Point. She will present "Safety Information for Parents of High School and College Students" on Wednesday, Aug. 8, at noon in the Building 30 Auditorium.
 
Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch x36130
 
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11.          Lean Six Sigma -- Champions Training
Are you faced with changing requirements and limited resources?
Learn proven methods to boost productivity within allocated budgets using Lean Six Sigma.
 
Champion's training will provide a detailed understanding of how to successfully integrate Lean Six Sigma within and throughout existing operations to achieve greater process improvement effectiveness and efficiency for organizational and operational excellence.
 
This training will emphasize the roles and responsibilities of Champions and Sponsors who are those typically from the organizational positions of Branch level or higher.
 
The training consists of one day of instructor-led lecture and group activities. After the training, participants will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the Agency's Lean Six Sigma experts and their assigned JSC LIFT point of contact to discuss specific process improvement opportunities within their organization.
 
Session 1: August 8, 8:30 - 4:30 pm
Register:
https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=REGISTRATI...
 
Session 2: August 9, 8:30 - 4:30 pm
Register:
https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=REGISTRATI...
 
Cheryl Andrews x35979
 
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12.          Mental Health Education, Support and Local Mental Health Resources
Finding help for the individuals with friends or loved ones with mental health problems and limited resources is becoming increasingly challenging. The NASA JSC Employee Assistance Program is pleased to present Jeanette Taylor, executive director with National Alliance on Mental Illness Gulf Coast on Thursday, Aug. 9, at noon in Building 30 Auditorium, for a presentation on the available local mental health resources and support as well as mental health education for families affected by mental illness.
 
Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Brach x36130
 
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13.          Caregivers Speaker
The Employee Assistance Program is happy to present Diana Jones of The Terrace Senior Living Community. Jones will provide information about the different levels of care and the aging process. Join us to gain information about eldercare options. Still have questions? Time will be allotted for answering your caregiving questions.
 
Date: Tuesday, Aug. 7
Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
Location: Building 32, Conference Room 146.
 
Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Group, Clinical Services Branch x36130
 
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14.          Starport's Fall 2012 Sport Leagues - Registration Now Open
This fall Starport will be offering EIGHT Sport Leagues for the NASA workforce and surrounding community!
 
OPEN Fall 2012 League Registration:
Now Open - Aug. 22 | Dodgeball & Volleyball
Now Open - Aug. 30 | Softball (Coed & Men's)
 
Upcoming Fall Registration Dates:
- Aug. 6 - 24 | Basketball
- Aug. 13 - Sept. 6 | Flag Football, Kickball, & Ultimate Frisbee
- Sept. 6 - 27 | Soccer
 
Free agent registration now open for all leagues!
 
All league participants must register at www.IMLeagues.com/NASA-Starport
 
For more detailed information about each league please visit: http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Fitness/Sports/ or call the Gilruth Information Desk at 281-483-0304
 
Leagues will fill up fast, so sign your team up TODAY!
 
Steve Schade x30304 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Fitness/Sports/
 
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15.          Starport Summer Camp Extended One More Week
We have added one more week onto the summer season for NASA Starport Summer Camp. Session 10 will be held August 13 to 17, but space is limited to 30 campers. Register now at the Gilruth Center to ensure your spot! Visit http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Youth/ for more information.
 
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
 
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16.          Tech&Tell Next Week in Building 3 Cafeteria
The JSC Technology Working Group is sponsoring the first Tech&Tell -- Internal Research and Development Poster Sessions for two days next week in the Building 3 Collaboration Center.
 
On Tuesday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Center and Directorate-Level IR&D projects will be presented from JSC/WSTF.
 
On Thursday, Aug. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Fall and Spring Innovation Charge Account (ICA) projects will be presented from JSC/WSTF.
 
Come out and see what your colleagues have done with the funding they were awarded as part of the IR&D calls for proposals -- and maybe get a few ideas of your own. The intent of the poster sessions is to provide a forum for exchange between innovators and members of the JSC community. The informal, open-concept layout is designed to promote communication and encourage collaborative work on new technologies that could benefit space exploration and JSC or NASA missions.
 
Brandi Dean x41403 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/technologyatjsc/home/index.html
 
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17.          Healthy Choices Make a Difference -- Come Learn How
Accurate health education enables people to make smarter choices and take appropriate action. Next week's wellness classes offer several healthy options to choose from!
 
Dining Out: Can it Be Part of a Healthy Lifestyle?
 
Zipping through the take-out window a lot these days and making the best choices when dining out? With hectic schedules, dining out is a big part of our lives. Learn how to keep healthy habits intact when dining away from home.
 
Managing Stress and Resiliency
 
Another tool in a healthy tool box is resiliency. Being resilient won't eliminate problems, but it can help you to see past them and better handle stress. Learn about stress and the role resiliency plays on managing it.
 
Personal Finance
 
A solid financial foundation is essential in creating healthy life choices. Learn about your Financial Wellness Foundation, Budgets, Debt, Personal Protection (insurance) and Long Term Care.
 
See link for details!
 
Jessica Vos x41383 http://www.explorationwellness.com/rd/AE108.aspx?Aug_Signup.pdf
 
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18.          Financial Education Seminars -- Auto Buying
JSC Federal Credit Union's free Financial Education Seminars give you the opportunity to learn everything you should know about two very important topics: Homebuying and Credit. Each seminar is jam-packed with cohesive, up-to-date information that will help get you and your family on the right track.
 
Auto Buying Seminar - Learn tips and tricks to help you purchase your new car with confidence and ease, plus you'll drive away knowing you got the best deal! Learn how to shop hassle-free, how to negotiate your best price, how to compare new and used cars, how to determine vehicle value, inside tips and mistakes to avoid, how to compare your financing options and be pre-approved before you shop. This informative seminar is presented in partnership with Member Auto Center.
 
Tuesday, Aug. 7, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Discovery Room at the Gilruth Center
 
RSVP to bday@jscfcu.org to attend. More information: https://www.jscfcu.org/news/2012-08-07-auto-buying-seminar.php
 
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
 
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19.          NASA Technical Standards Program Online Training
On Wed., Aug. 8, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., the JSC Library is hosting a special webinar on the NASA Standards and Technical Assistance Resource Tool (START), which is provided by the NASA Technical Standards Program (NTSP). Tammy Gattis, a representative from NTSP, will instruct users on how to search the database, the registration process and assurance of copyright compliance by registered users. http://standards.nasa.gov
 
To register, click on the "Classroom/WebEx" schedule on the following website: http://library.jsc.nasa.gov/training/default.aspx
 
Provided by the Information Resources Directorate http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/default.aspx
 
Ebony Fondren x32490 http://library.jsc.nasa.gov
 
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________________________________________
JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. To see an archive of previous JSC Today announcements, go to http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/news/jsctoday/archives.
 
 
 
NASA TV:
·         Noon Central (1 pm EDT) –Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission Science Overview
·         Noon Central (1 pm EDT) – 2012 Agency Honor Awards Ceremony - HQ (Education Ch)
·         1 pm Central (2 EDT) – MSL Mission Engineering Overview
·         4 pm Central (5 EDT) – Replay of 2012 Agency Honor Awards Ceremony (Public Ch)
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
 
Food Technology on a Mission to Mars
Interview with Michele Perchonok, Advanced Food Technology Program Scientist, about developing food for a human crew on a mission to Mars.
 
Human Spaceflight News
Thursday – August 2, 2012
 

In honor of the ongoing 2012 Olympic Games here is a photo of London from the ISS taken in April 2005
 
HEADLINES AND LEADS
 
Russian supply ship docks with station after 4-orbit chase
 
William Harwood - CBS News
 
A Russian Progress cargo ship loaded with three tons of fuel, hardware and supplies, glided to an automated docking with the International Space Station Wednesday evening after an abbreviated four-orbit rendezvous. Progress supply ships normally take 50 hours or so -- 34 orbits -- to reach the space station, but Russian flight controllers are evaluating techniques to dramatically compress the rendezvous procedures used by manned Soyuz spacecraft to reduce the amount of time crews spend cooped up in the cramped ferry craft.
 
Russian cargo ship docks to space station just hours after launch
 
Denise Chow - Space.com
 
An unmanned Russian cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, less than six hours after it launched into orbit. The successful maneuver marked the first time a same-day docking has ever been accomplished at the massive orbiting outpost. The robotic Progress 48 cargo freighter automatically parked to the Pirs docking compartment on the Russian segment of the complex slightly ahead of schedule, at 9:19 p.m. EDT, as both spacecraft flew over the Pacific Ocean. In addition to delivering fresh supplies to the space station, the spacecraft also tested the novel same-day rendezvous and docking procedure.
 
Russian cargo ship completes express trip to ISS
 
James Dean - Florida Today
 
An unmanned Russian resupply ship tonight successfully completed a first-of-its-kind express flight to the International Space Station. The Progress 48 spacecraft docked at 9:18 p.m. EDT, less than six hours after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
 
NASA to announce commercial crew awards Friday
 
James Dean - Florida Today
 
NASA's highly anticipated announcement about the winners of its next awards for development of commercial crew spacecraft is planned for 9 a.m. Friday, the agency said Wednesday afternoon. Kennedy Space Center, home of the Commercial Crew Program, will host a press conference at 10 a.m. featuring NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana and Commercial Crew Program Manager Ed Mango.
 
NASA will announce commercial crew company contracts Friday
 
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
 
NASA says it will announce new agreements Friday with private companies to develop spacecraft and systems capable of sending humans into space. The agreements under what NASA is now calling its Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative will be announced at 8 a.m. CDT, and a press briefing will be held an hour later at Kennedy Space Center. Four companies -- Sierra Nevada Corp., SpaceX, Boeing and ATK -- have said they are competing for the contracts. NASA is expected to award two so-called "fully funded" contracts and one at a lesser funding level. The base period of the contracts is 21 months, but they could be extended. The amount to be awarded isn't known.
 
NASA Pays $505 Million To Close Shuttle Pension Shortfall
 
Dan Leone - Space News
 
NASA has paid off the $505 million that was needed to cover a pension shortfall at United Space Alliance (USA), which maintained and operated the space shuttle fleet until its retirement last year, the agency confirmed July 31. “NASA received the final voucher for payment on Wednesday, July 18, and paid it on Monday July 23,” agency spokesman Josh Buck wrote in a July 31 email to Space News. The payment closes the books on NASA’s biggest unsettled expense from the shuttle era. The agency had to cover the pension shortfall because its contract with Houston-based USA, a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., allows the company to charge NASA for all personnel expenses. Meanwhile, on July 24, Lockheed Martin publicly acknowledged USA’s impending dissolution for the first time. The Bethesda, Md.-based contractor made the disclosure in its latest quarterly earnings call. In December, Lockheed and Boeing barred USA from seeking new contracts, according to government and industry sources.
 
NASA chief: U.S. won't go it alone on manned Mars mission
 
Dan Vergano - USA Today
 
U.S. astronauts won't land on Mars by themselves but with international partners in the 2030s, NASA's chief said Wednesday. The NASA Curiosity rover's risky landing on the Red Planet is scheduled for 1:31 a.m. ET Monday morning. NASA chief Charles Bolden focused on Mars as the "ultimate destination for now" for human space exploration, in a meeting with the USA Today Editorial Board. "I have no desire to do a Mars landing on our own," Bolden said. "The U.S. cannot always be the leader, but we can be the inspirational leader through international cooperation" in space exploration.
 
Rocketry Seen Hitting Development Limits
 
Guy Norris - Aerospace Daily
 
Progress in new U.S. launch systems has slowed because rocket technology has virtually reached its limits and the time is ripe for the privately funded development of an all-new, liquid-fueled engine in the 500,000-lb.-thrust class, according to Antonio Elias, head of advanced programs at Orbital Sciences Corp. Speaking at the Joint Propulsion Conference here, Elias says the physics of chemical rocket propulsion makes a Moore’s Law-type improvement rate impossible for engine development.
 
Lampson’s opponent selected; Continuing Resolution plans in place
 
SpacePolitics.com
 
When Nick Lampson, a former congressman who once chaired the space subcommittee of the House Science Committee, won the Democratic primary for the 14th congressional district south of Houston in May, he didn’t know who his Republican opponent would be, since no candidate won a majority of the vote. Now he knows who he’ll be running against: Randy Weber defeated Felicia Harris in the Republican primary runoff Tuesday night. Every fiscal year there is one certainty: much, if not all, of the federal government will operate under stopgap funding bill, or continuing resolution (CR), for weeks or months. That will be true as fiscal year 2013 starts, as congressional leaders announced Tuesday plans for a six-month CR.
 
Space tourism might be a hit; demand rising
 
Malia Rulon Herman - Gannett News Service
 
Commercial spaceflight is not only possible, it could become a $1.6 billion industry in the next decade, a researcher told Congress on Wednesday. Carissa Bryce Christensen of the Tauri Group said 925 reservations for suborbital trips already have been purchased. Some customers have paid the full $200,000 cost in advance, while others have put down a $20,000 deposit. The Tauri Group and the Federal Aviation Administration released a joint study that found demand at these prices to be “genuine, sustained, and ... sufficient to support multiple providers.”
 
10 most amazing flying machines ever
 
Jeremy Hsu - Space.com
 
Humanity has reached out to the stars on the wings and rockets of incredible flying machines, culminating in a permanent space station orbiting above the Earth. But the journey from the skies to space includes many smaller steps that opened humans' eyes to knowing what is possible under the heavens.
 
Why don’t Clear Lake kids dream of becoming an astronaut?
 
Eric Berger - Houston Chronicle's SciGuy
 
My oldest daughter attends a fine elementary school in Clear Lake. The walls are adorned with space murals. A large model of the International Space Station hangs from the ceiling. Many parents of the kids there work at NASA. Astronauts regularly visit. Heck, the school’s mascot is the “rockets.” So I was surprised recently when I flipped through a booklet my kid and all her classmates were given as a memento upon completing the second grade school year. It included student names, pictures and a response to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Here are the 10 most popular answers:
 
1.     Teacher (15 votes)
2.     Doctor (14)
3.     Artist/illustrator (13)
4.     Pro athlete (10)
5.     Veterinarian (8)
6.     Police officer (6)
7.     Engineer (5)
8.     Game creator (4)
9.     Soldier/Air Force (3)
10.  Scientist (3)
__________
 
COMPLETE STORIES
 
Russian supply ship docks with station after 4-orbit chase
 
William Harwood - CBS News
 
A Russian Progress cargo ship loaded with three tons of fuel, hardware and supplies, glided to an automated docking with the International Space Station Wednesday evening after an abbreviated four-orbit rendezvous.
 
Progress supply ships normally take 50 hours or so -- 34 orbits -- to reach the space station, but Russian flight controllers are evaluating techniques to dramatically compress the rendezvous procedures used by manned Soyuz spacecraft to reduce the amount of time crews spend cooped up in the cramped ferry craft.
 
The Progress M-016M spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:35 p.m. EDT Wednesday, climbing smoothly into orbit just a few minutes after the space station passed overhead. The station's orbit, along with launch timing, must be carefully orchestrated to make an accelerated rendezvous possible and at the time of liftoff, the station was just 2,360 miles ahead of the cargo ship.
 
Four large rendezvous rocket firings were carried out in close succession as required and the Progress M-16M spacecraft's docking system engaged its counterpart at the base of the station's Pirs module at 9:18 p.m. The spacecraft was  loaded with 1,962 pounds of space station propellants, 110 pounds of oxygen, 925 pounds of water and 2,817 pounds of science gear, spare parts and crew supplies.
 
"Congratulations," chief flight director Vladimir Solovyev radioed the crew from the Russian mission control center near Moscow. "It's an achievement."
 
But he quickly added, "It's just a start, we have to move slowly, step by step."
 
"It's the dream of every cosmonaut and astronaut to be at the station as soon as possible, in a warm environment with hot meals," space station commander Gennady Padalka replied in translated remarks.
 
The abbreviated rendezvous technique may be tested again during a Progress flight in November, officials said, but it's not yet clear when a manned Soyuz might attempt a same-day docking.
 
Russian cargo ship docks to space station just hours after launch
 
Denise Chow - Space.com
 
An unmanned Russian cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, less than six hours after it launched into orbit. The successful maneuver marked the first time a same-day docking has ever been accomplished at the massive orbiting outpost.
 
The robotic Progress 48 cargo freighter automatically parked to the Pirs docking compartment on the Russian segment of the complex slightly ahead of schedule, at 9:19 p.m. EDT, as both spacecraft flew over the Pacific Ocean. In addition to delivering fresh supplies to the space station, the spacecraft also tested the novel same-day rendezvous and docking procedure.
 
According to NASA officials, the docking test proceeded smoothly and the Progress vehicle's systems responded flawlessly throughout the shortened flight to the space station.
 
The Progress 48 launched into orbit atop a Soyuz rocket earlier today, at 3:35 p.m. EDT (1935 GMT), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Asia. Roughly six hours later, the spacecraft arrived at the orbiting outpost.
 
Russia is aiming to eventually implement this same-day docking plan for future manned flights of Soyuz space capsules to the International Space Station.
 
"They're looking to eventually take this into the Soyuz phase," Dan Harman, NASA's space station manager of operations and integration, said in a news briefing last week. "If you can get the crew to orbit in six hours and onboard the International Space Station, that could be a tremendous benefit over the two-plus days it takes today."
 
Shortening the orbital chase
 
Progress and Soyuz vehicles typically spend two days chasing the space station in orbit after launch. A quicker arrival to the orbiting complex could cut down the overall amount of consumables — such as food, water and fuel — needed for the onboard crew.
 
Docking to the station within hours of launch also minimizes the amount of time the astronauts spend inside the small Soyuz capsule, which could improve the comfort of the spaceflyers, said space station flight director Chris Edelen.
 
"The quicker rendezvous that you have, the less consumables you would need for the first day, and the better crew comfort in a small capsule," he said.
 
The idea of arriving at a destination on the same day as launch is not a new one. NASA first tested the same-day rendezvous procedures between spacecraft in the mid-1960s during the agency's Gemini program.
 
"This is actually old technology," Edelen explained. "Our first ground-up rendezvous on the Gemini program was a Flight Day 1 rendezvous, and the Russians have done this before, so it's sort of a back to the future."
 
Orbital mechanics
 
Conducting same-day procedures, however, requires extremely precise calculations and also limits the flexibility of available launch times.
 
"It does impose more constraints on the geometry — the orbital mechanics — of the launch, because you have less time to catch up to the space station," Edelen said. "You've got to basically launch and be in the right spot, and the space station has to be in the right spot."
 
The Progress 48 spacecraft hauled 2 tons of food, clothing and supplies to the station for its Expedition 32 crew. There are currently six spaceflyers living and working aboard the orbiting outpost: Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka, Sergei Revin and Yuri Malenchenko, NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Sunita Williams, and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
 
The hatch of the Progress 48 vehicle is scheduled to be opened Thursday afternoon, according to NASA officials.
 
The disposable Progress cargo ship is expected to remain attached to the station until December, before it is filled with trash and intentionally sent to burn up during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
 
Russian cargo ship completes express trip to ISS
 
James Dean - Florida Today
 
An unmanned Russian resupply ship tonight successfully completed a first-of-its-kind express flight to the International Space Station.
 
The Progress 48 spacecraft docked at 9:18 p.m. EDT, less than six hours after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
 
Manned and unmanned vehicles have typically taken two days to reach the outpost.
 
The Progress flight tested procedures that could later be implemented by Soyuz spacecraft that currently offer crews' only access to the outpost now staffed by the six astronauts and cosmonauts, including Americans Joe Acaba and Sunita Williams.
 
The Progress carried about 2 tons of supplies to the outpost orbiting 253 miles above Earth.
 
NASA to announce commercial crew awards Friday
 
James Dean - Florida Today
 
NASA's highly anticipated announcement about the winners of its next awards for development of commercial crew spacecraft is planned for 9 a.m. Friday, the agency said Wednesday afternoon.
 
Kennedy Space Center, home of the Commercial Crew Program, will host a press conference at 10 a.m. featuring NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana and Commercial Crew Program Manager Ed Mango.
 
The agency is expected to name up to three companies it will provide up to $500 million in funding through the Spring of 2014.
 
ATK, The Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corp. and SpaceX are considered the finalists.
 
One or more of those firms could win NASA contracts to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017.
 
NASA will announce commercial crew company contracts Friday
 
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
 
NASA says it will announce new agreements Friday with private companies to develop spacecraft and systems capable of sending humans into space. The agreements under what NASA is now calling its Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative will be announced at 8 a.m. CDT, and a press briefing will be held an hour later at Kennedy Space Center.
 
Four companies -- Sierra Nevada Corp., SpaceX, Boeing and ATK -- have said they are competing for the contracts. NASA is expected to award two so-called "fully funded" contracts and one at a lesser funding level. The base period of the contracts is 21 months, but they could be extended. The amount to be awarded isn't known.
 
These contracts, which are the continuation under a new name of an ongoing NASA program to develop private space taxis, provide funding through what is called the "integrated capability" stage of rocket development. That means the companies will develop basically everything needed for a crewed mission. The next step would be to build and fly it.
 
Some in Congress have pressured NASA to choose one prime contractor and one backup. NASA still wants three. Two things appear certain: A lot of rocket men and women will be watching closely Friday morning and by noon one company will be the odd man out.
 
NASA Pays $505 Million To Close Shuttle Pension Shortfall
 
Dan Leone - Space News
 
NASA has paid off the $505 million that was needed to cover a pension shortfall at United Space Alliance (USA), which maintained and operated the space shuttle fleet until its retirement last year, the agency confirmed July 31.
 
“NASA received the final voucher for payment on Wednesday, July 18, and paid it on Monday July 23,” agency spokesman Josh Buck wrote in a July 31 email to Space News.
 
The payment closes the books on NASA’s biggest unsettled expense from the shuttle era. The agency had to cover the pension shortfall because its contract with Houston-based USA, a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., allows the company to charge NASA for all personnel expenses.
 
NASA has known since 2010 that covering the USA pension shortfall — created by stock market declines prior to that time, and by provisions in contract law that affected when USA could bill the government for retirement expenses — likely would cost $500 million or more. The agency asked Congress for $548 million to be paid out in 2012 so that it could write USA the check, but lawmakers appropriated only $470 million, instructing NASA to make up the difference by diverting money budgeted for USA-led shuttle retirement activity.
 
Buck said NASA followed that directive.
 
USA was established 17 years ago to operate the space shuttle fleet on NASA’s behalf. The shuttle program ended last July.
 
In November, NASA awarded USA $233 million to close out the shuttle program and prepare the orbiters for museum display. USA’s shuttle transition and retirement work is set to wrap up in April.
 
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service gave USA the all-clear to terminate its pension plan June 19, USA spokeswoman Kari Fluegel said. USA employees who are eligible for a pension could choose to be paid a lump sum or sign up for an annuity. Lump sums were paid out July 23, Fluegel said.
 
Around the time its pension termination plan was cleared, USA sent layoff notices to about 200 workers, Fluegel said. Of these, 130 are in Florida and 50 are in Houston, with the remainder in Alabama, she said.
 
As recently as 2005, USA’s work force numbered almost 11,000. As of July 31, about 2,500 people were still working for the company, Fluegel said.
 
Meanwhile, on July 24, Lockheed Martin publicly acknowledged USA’s impending dissolution for the first time. The Bethesda, Md.-based contractor made the disclosure in its latest quarterly earnings call. In December, Lockheed and Boeing barred USA from seeking new contracts, according to government and industry sources.
 
NASA chief: U.S. won't go it alone on manned Mars mission
 
Dan Vergano - USA Today
 
U.S. astronauts won't land on Mars by themselves but with international partners in the 2030s, NASA's chief said Wednesday.
 
The NASA Curiosity rover's risky landing on the Red Planet is scheduled for 1:31 a.m. ET Monday morning. NASA chief Charles Bolden focused on Mars as the "ultimate destination for now" for human space exploration, in a meeting with the USA Today Editorial Board.
 
"I have no desire to do a Mars landing on our own," Bolden said. "The U.S. cannot always be the leader, but we can be the inspirational leader through international cooperation" in space exploration.
 
Obama administration plans are for the $17.7 billion space agency to land an astronaut on an asteroid in 2025, then go to Mars by the middle of the 2030s.
 
The mission inevitably will be international, as will any future human landings on the moon, Bolden said. "We already have gone there first," he said.
 
The Obama administration's space plans have attracted criticism this year from some space-state senators such as Richard Shelby, R.-Ala., who disagreed with its emphasis on private space rockets to resupply the International Space Station, rather than a heavy rocket that would send a spacecraft to circle the moon in 2017.
 
NASA science chief John Grunsfeld put the odds as "very high" of the Curiosity mission's finding chemical signs of a habitable environment on the Red Planet perhaps 2.5 billion years ago.
 
A human mission to Mars would send six astronauts, who would take six months to get there and stay a month before returning on an eight- month trip back to Earth.
 
"I believe that most westerners presume that a human mission to Mars will quite likely be multinational. I certainly think so, and indeed would prefer this approach," says former NASA chief Michael Griffin, who has criticized the administration's manned spaceflight plans in the past.
 
"I do not believe that China makes such a presumption," Griffin adds, by email. "I suspect that when China believes it is ready as a nation to go to the Moon, it will do so, and later on exactly the same thing will be true of Mars." China announced plans on Tuesday to launch its third lunar probe next year, part of an effort aimed at a manned moon landing in the next decade.
 
NASA has safely landed three mobile spacecraft on Mars since 1997, including Opportunity, still roving after eight years. NASA announced Wednesday it will televise the landing of the $2.5 billion Curiosity rover in New York City's Times Square. "We're going to put this thing on Mars like Buck Rogers used to do in the science fiction books," Bolden said.
 
Rocketry Seen Hitting Development Limits
 
Guy Norris - Aerospace Daily
 
Progress in new U.S. launch systems has slowed because rocket technology has virtually reached its limits and the time is ripe for the privately funded development of an all-new, liquid-fueled engine in the 500,000-lb.-thrust class, according to Antonio Elias, head of advanced programs at Orbital Sciences Corp.
 
Speaking at the Joint Propulsion Conference here, Elias says the physics of chemical rocket propulsion makes a Moore’s Law-type improvement rate impossible for engine development.
 
“What makes Moore’s law possible is that there is tremendous headroom in the fundamental physics of micro-electronics. We have several flips to go before we start hitting the uncertainty principle.”
 
Elias adds that when it comes to launch vehicles there are two main measures of progress: specific impulse (ISP), which rates overall rocket efficiency, and mass fraction, which is the mass of the vehicle’s propellant divided by the total mass of the rocket. “We have reached 98% to 99% in both areas in rocketry.”
 
Compared to the rapid rate of apparent progress in other technologies, particularly consumer electronics, the pace of rocket technology improvement seems sluggish at best. “That’s what the public doesn’t understand. They don’t see us advancing at the same rate,” Elias says.
 
From a new engine perspective, he adds that growing signs of an uptick in demand for a medium-lift vehicle are creating “a number of healthy opportunities in the Delta 2 class or lower end of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV). However, we have lost a bit of hope that the U.S. government will put a priority on developing new liquid rockets, so private industry will have to develop one,” he suggests.
 
Proposing a target thrust of around 500,000 lb., Elias says the dwindling number of current-production engines in the thrust bracket makes such a new development potentially viable. On the solid motor side the ATK-made Castor, Orion and space shuttle heritage-derived solid rocket boosters provide limited options. “You can cluster Castor 120s, and nobody can beat solids for simplicity. The disadvantage is how many can you stack? You could use elements of the space shuttle solid booster and a three-segment SSRB has performance equal to a Delta 2. With five segments you have performance in the upper range of the EELV,” he says. However, Elias adds there are inherent difficulties associated with ground infrastructure to support SSRB assembly, and adds the economics for using solids could become challenging as applications become nonreusable.
 
Lampson’s opponent selected; Continuing Resolution plans in place
 
SpacePolitics.com
 
When Nick Lampson, a former congressman who once chaired the space subcommittee of the House Science Committee, won the Democratic primary for the 14th congressional district south of Houston in May, he didn’t know who his Republican opponent would be, since no candidate won a majority of the vote.
 
Now he knows who he’ll be running against: Randy Weber defeated Felicia Harris in the Republican primary runoff Tuesday night. Weber had the support of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), who currently holds the seat but is retiring. Weber’s campaign website is silent on space issues, at least so far.
 
Every fiscal year there is one certainty: much, if not all, of the federal government will operate under stopgap funding bill, or continuing resolution (CR), for weeks or months. That will be true as fiscal year 2013 starts, as congressional leaders announced Tuesday plans for a six-month CR.
 
The deal avoids the risk of a government shutdown during the final weeks of the 2012 campaign, but also takes off any pressure to complete specific FY13 appropriations bills until perhaps the new Congress takes office in January. (Of course, the threat of sequestration, which would go into effect in January, is the wild card in all of this.)
 
The House passed its version of a Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill, which includes NASA, in May; the full Senate has yet to act on its version, which cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee in April.
 
Space tourism might be a hit; demand rising
 
Malia Rulon Herman - Gannett News Service
 
Commercial spaceflight is not only possible, it could become a $1.6 billion industry in the next decade, a researcher told Congress on Wednesday.
 
Carissa Bryce Christensen of the Tauri Group said 925 reservations for suborbital trips already have been purchased. Some customers have paid the full $200,000 cost in advance, while others have put down a $20,000 deposit.
 
The Tauri Group and the Federal Aviation Administration released a joint study that found demand at these prices to be “genuine, sustained, and ... sufficient to support multiple providers.”
 
Six private companies work in the suborbital reusable launch vehicle market. None has launched commercially yet, but at least two — Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace — plan to start flights at the end of 2013.
 
The vehicles are designed to travel into space for scientific research or tourism, but can’t orbit the Earth.
 
“Space flights have been very rare since its inception. They are about to become routine,” Alan Stern, chairman of the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group, told members of the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
 
According to the study, there will be enough demand for such flights to fill 400 to 500 seats per year. That number could triple if demand increases, or be cut in half if it plummets.
 
“Additional potential demand is possible from unknowns such as research discoveries, commercial applications or a viral consumer response,” Christensen told lawmakers. “Price reductions would also increase demand.”
 
Space tourism by wealthy individuals will account for about 80 percent of flights, she said. Additional markets include basic and applied research, aerospace technology testing and demonstration, satellite deployment, education and media/public relations.
 
George Whitesides, CEO and president of Virgin Galactic, said his company has accepted $70 million in deposits and $107 million in commitments from a total of 535 people, including founder Richard Branson.
 
“Demand has been extremely encouraging,” he said. “We anticipate flying that many people within our first year or two of commercial service.”
 
Andrew Nelson, chief operating officer at XCOR Aerospace, said spaceflight reservations have picked up significantly in the past few months. The company has sold 200 seats, including 150 in the last year and 50 in the last six months, he said.
 
“We are also seeing multiple flight purchases on our vehicles and from customers who are buying flights on our competitor’s platforms,” he said. “This bodes well for the future of our industry.”
 
Executives at Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace said they expect to make a profit within the first year of operation.
 
10 most amazing flying machines ever
 
Jeremy Hsu - Space.com
 
Humanity has reached out to the stars on the wings and rockets of incredible flying machines, culminating in a permanent space station orbiting above the Earth. But the journey from the skies to space includes many smaller steps that opened humans' eyes to knowing what is possible under the heavens.
 
Each step represented a human flight of fancy transformed into a real flying machine — the Wright Brothers flyer, the supersonic Blackbird spy plane, and the huge Apollo rocket that carried men to the moon. Each machine, whether it resembled the fragile Wright flyer or the sleek SpaceShipOne, channeled human spirit and ingenuity through its mechanical shell to do amazing things.
 
The First Airplane: Wright Flyer: Kites, gliders and a toy helicopter inspired the Wright Flyer's boxy design that became the first manned, powered, heavier-than-air and controlled flying machine. The brothers achieved their first historic 12-second flight at Kitty Hawk on Dec. 17, 1903, after hundreds of previous gliding tests and experiments with a homemade wind tunnel.
 
The Red Baron & Aerial Weapons of World War I: Manfred von Richthofen, the World War I flying ace known as the Red Baron, viewed his German fighter aircraft as flying platforms for his guns rather than aerial stunt machines. But he and his fellow pilots on both sides pushed the limits of their biplanes and triplanes to shape their designs into graceful and speedy weapons of war.
 
The Zeppelin Hindenburg: When Airships Ruled: The luxurious Hindenburg represented the queen of the skies as the largest aircraft ever built, before it met the fiery ending that reduced it to a smoldering wreck within 32 seconds. The zeppelin airship loomed larger than three jumbo jets in order to carry a dining room, a lounge room with a grand piano, sleeping quarters and its own post office during transatlantic voyages.
 
The First Fighter Jet: Me 262 Schwalbe: Germany's secret flying weapon, the Messerschmidt Me 262, arrived too late to save Hitler's Third Reich from its downfall. But the world's first operational fighter jet racked up an impressive kill ratio against the much slower Allied bombers and fighters, and influenced later designs of U.S. military jet aircraft.
 
SR-71 Blackbird: Supersonic Spy Aircraft: The U.S. military's demand for a supersonic spy aircraft capable of flying fast and high beyond the reach of fighter jet interceptors or missiles led to the SR-71 Blackbird. The record-holder for fastest manned air-breathing jet aircraft could regularly fly beyond 2,000 mph (Mach 3) and at altitudes that required its crew to wear astronaut-style suits just in case.
 
Saturn V Rocket & Apollo Spacecraft: When American astronauts flew to the moon, they rode into space aboard the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. The Saturn V Rocket stood taller than a 36-story building and thundered into space with the power of five engines creating 7.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
 
Space Shuttle: The First Reusable Spacecraft: The U.S. space shuttle launched like a rocket and returned like a glider as it ferried satellites, science equipment and astronauts into Earth orbit. Five of them served as the workhorses for constructing the International Space Station as well as launching and repairing the Hubble Space Telescope, but not without tragedy striking twice.
 
International Space Station: The largest structure put into space by humans required 15 countries and $100 billion to assemble its living quarters, laboratories and solar panels. Astronauts who have lived aboard the International Space Station had stunning views of Earth as they circled the globe every 90 minutes at a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kph).
 
SpaceShipOne: First Private Spacecraft: A $10 million prize inspired the first privately funded reusable spacecraft — the cigar-shaped SpaceShipOne that launched in midair from beneath the belly of its airplane mother ship. Its early success led to SpaceShipTwo, a spacecraft designed to fly two pilots and six passengers on suborbital trips that give everyone a few minutes of weightlessness.
 
V-22 Osprey: Controversial Dream Machine: The V-22 Osprey has fulfilled the longstanding dream of making an aircraft that can hover like a helicopter and fly like an airplane — a feat requiring wing-mounted rotors that can tilt to act as helicopter blades or propellers. But the U.S. military aircraft only emerged after years of development troubles.
 
Why don’t Clear Lake kids dream of becoming an astronaut?
 
Eric Berger - Houston Chronicle's SciGuy
 
My oldest daughter attends a fine elementary school in Clear Lake. The walls are adorned with space murals. A large model of the International Space Station hangs from the ceiling. Many parents of the kids there work at NASA. Astronauts regularly visit.
 
Heck, the school’s mascot is the “rockets.”
 
So I was surprised recently when I flipped through a booklet my kid and all her classmates were given as a memento upon completing the second grade school year. It included student names, pictures and a response to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
 
Now before getting to the results of the survey, which I tallied, let me say that this is a great school that has done a fine job of instilling an interest in science in these kids. I have no complaints about that.
 
But the results were nonetheless surprising. Here are the 10 most popular answers:
 
11.  Teacher (15 votes)
12.  Doctor (14)
13.  Artist/illustrator (13)
14.  Pro athlete (10)
15.  Veterinarian (8)
16.  Police officer (6)
17.  Engineer (5)
18.  Game creator (4)
19.  Soldier/Air Force (3)
20.  Scientist (3)
 
There were a lot of other answers that garnered two or fewer votes. Among them were astronaut (2) and work at NASA (2).  Sadly, journalist ended up with a big, fat zero.
 
I have to admit I was pretty surprised by the lack of interest among the kids in a career as an astronaut. I did some digging to see if there were any analogous surveys conducted during the 1970s or 1980s. My inclination is that there would be a lot more kids picking astronaut as a career. I couldn’t find any.
 
In search of such a survey I had a brief conversation with Robert Pearlman (founder of collectSPACE and a certified space geek) about this, and he said he might expect fewer kids to want to be astronauts in Clear Lake, because being an astronaut is not as special here because kids are so inculcated with space.
 
I disagree with that point of view. I view the results above as a proxy of sorts for what kids are really excited about. It’s a window, if you will, into the hearts and minds of kids as they’re beginning to formulate their worldviews. And most of these kids have in some ways been exposed to space in one way or another.
 
And I feel that if children in the heart of Space City don’t envision being an astronaut as a highly desired profession, then that’s an issue. Is space not exciting? Or is what we’re presently doing in space not exciting? And what can be done to get kids more excited about, and interested in space?
 
END
 
 


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