Let’s all continue to pray for the safety of our friends and families in the neighboring states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama who are being pounded by the fiery of Hurricane Isaac!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
JSC TODAY HEADLINES
1. See First U.S.-Based Spacewalk Since July 2011 Tomorrow on NASA TV
2. JSC's first Telework/Energy Reduction pilot to Be Conducted in Buildings 1, 4S, 9E, 15 and 45
3. Open House Today For Newly Refurbished Building 12
4. Do You Know What's Going on Around the Space Industry?
5. Is Your National Guard or Reserve Unit Being Mobilized?
6. Recent JSC Announcement
7. Feds Feed Families -- More Than 50,000 Pounds
8. West Nile Virus (WNV) - Fight the Bite
9. JSC's Still Imagery Resources Training Tomorrow
10. Free Sugarland Skeeters Baseball Tickets for Tonight's Game
11. Latest International Space Station Research
12. Starport's Fall Basketball League -- There is Still Time
13. Parent's Night Out This Friday -- Register Now
14. Young Adult for Adults Book Club at JSC
15. Steel Erection ViTS - 8 a.m., Sept. 14
16. Excavation and Trenching Safety Seminar ViTS - Noon, Sept. 14
17. Confined Space Entry 8:30 a.m. and Lockout/Tagout 1 p.m., Sept. 7, Building 226N, Room 174
18. Last Chance to Register!
19. Control Team/Crew Resource Management: Sep 18 to 20, Building 226N, Room 174
________________________________________ QUOTE OF THE DAY
“ In putting off what one has to do, one runs the risk of never being able to do it. ”
-- Charles Baudelaire
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1. See First U.S.-Based Spacewalk Since July 2011 Tomorrow on NASA TV
See the first U.S.-based spacewalk from the International Space Station since July 2011 beginning early tomorrow morning live on NASA TV.
Coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 6 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. JSC team members with wired computer network connections can view the docking on NASA TV using onsite IPTV on channels 404 (standard definition) or 4541 (HD) at: http://iptv.jsc.nasa.gov/eztv/
It will also be on the normal JSC TV system, on NASA TV public channel 4 or HD NASA-TV on channel 54-1.
The spacewalk, scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m., will feature NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide. It will be a six-and-a-half-hour excursion designed to replace a faulty power relay unit on the station's truss, rig power cables for the arrival late next year of a Russian laboratory module, and install a thermal cover on a docking port.
This spacewalk will be the 164th in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Williams will wear a suit with red stripes for the fifth spacewalk in her career. Hoshide, wearing a suit with no stripes, will be conducting his first spacewalk. He is the third Japanese astronaut in history to conduct a spacewalk.
For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the International Space Station and its crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
JSC External Relations, Communications and Public Affairs x35111
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2. JSC's first Telework/Energy Reduction pilot to Be Conducted in Buildings 1, 4S, 9E, 15 and 45
On Aug. 31, JSC will conduct its first Telework/Energy Reduction pilot to test and enhance JSC's telework capabilities as well as offer a unique opportunity to meet federally-mandated energy-reduction goals. Telework is one way to support our workforce in that it allows our team to "work from anywhere" and still successfully accomplish our mission. Additionally, this pilot enhances JSC's emergency preparedness by conducting telework on a larger scale (five large buildings on-site). Building closures will affect Buildings 1, 4S, 9E, 15, and 45, which will be closed and reduced to weekend operational mode (no lights or air conditioning). Note: Building 11 Cafe will be open for full food and retail store services. Building 3 will only be open for the use of the Collaboration Center as an alternate work location, food and retail services will be closed. Frequently-asked-questions for this pilot are located at http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/FAQs_for_Telework_Pilot.pdf
Jeff Phillips
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3. Open House Today For Newly Refurbished Building 12
Center Operations Directorate (COD) would like to extend an invitation to all employees to come tour the newly refurbished Building 12. The building has been totally renovated and reconfigured to provide for on-site training functions, as well as office space for the previous occupants that included Education, Human Resources and Finance. The building will be open today for tours from noon to 2 p.m. COD employees will be in the building to answer questions and highlight the sustainable features of our newly refurbished building. Please take this opportunity to see JSC's newest green building.
Pat Kolkmeier x33131
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4. Do You Know What's Going on Around the Space Industry?
Each day, you can keep up with all the news affecting NASA by reading the NASA News Summary. It is available on the Web at: http://www.bulletinnews.com/nasa/
It contains full-text links so that clicking the hypertext links in the write-ups will take you to the newspapers' original full-text articles. It also contains an interactive table of contents, so clicking a page number on the table of contents page will take you directly to that story. In addition to reading today's NASA news, you can also find older stories through the searchable archive of past editions. The website will also let you subscribe to receive a daily email of all the day's space news.
Brought to you by External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
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5. Is Your National Guard or Reserve Unit Being Mobilized?
If your National Guard or Reserve unit is being mobilized there's a lot of "inside information" regarding benefits and processes, as well as tips for deployments. Having been mobilized within the past few years we've helped other deploying service members with their questions and getting them to the right sources for further assistance.
We're also interested in building up a contact list of other military members who've deployed that can answer questions for specific locations and missions, other military branches and also for NASA contractors regarding their specific mobilization processes and benefits. NASA prides itself on taking care of its own, and the agency provides our deployed military members with superior service. If you're deploying or have deployed, please contact us.
Lynn Lefebvre /JP, lynn.p.lefebvre@nasa.gov, x36020
Kevin McCue /JP, kevin.c.mccue@nasa.gov, x33649
Lynn Lefebvre x36020
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6. Recent JSC Announcement
Please visit the JSC Announcements Web page to view the newly posted announcement:
JSCA 12-026: Communications with Industry Procurement Solicitation for the Construction Management and Professional Engineering Services (CoMPES) Contract
Archived announcements are also available on the JSCA Web page.
Linda Turnbough x36246 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/DocumentManagement/announcements/default.aspx
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7. Feds Feed Families -- More Than 50,000 Pounds
We did it, JSC! We have now topped our 50,000-pound goal thanks to a big push this last week from the Engineering Directorate (EA) and from White Sands Test Facility (WSTF)! WSTF closed last week slightly less than 15,000 pounds and EA closed last week slightly less than 9,000 pounds, and they aren't finished yet!
We will be collecting the final donations over the next few days. Thanks to all of you who have donated this year. You have made the 2012 Feds Feed Families Food Drive one for the record book!
Karen Schmalz x47931 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Events/
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8. West Nile Virus (WNV) - Fight the Bite
West Nile Virus is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito and can cause encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. People over the age of 50 have the highest risk of developing a severe illness; however anyone can get the virus. Most people who are bitten by infected mosquitoes don't develop any symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they appear 5-15 days after being bitten. Mild symptoms include a slight fever, headache and swollen lymph glands. Severe symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, muscle weakness, disorientation, coma and rarely death. There is no cure, only supportive therapy. If you think you have been infected with West Nile Virus, contact you health care provider.
For information on reducing your risk of infection, visit the website below.
Bob Martel x38581 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factSheet.htm#prevent
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9. JSC's Still Imagery Resources Training Tomorrow
Don't forget to register for tomorrow's training webinar from 9 to 10 a.m. Learn how to use JSC's Imagery Online and the Digital Imagery Management System, which houses and manages all of JSC's institutional photos and mission images from all Human Space Flight programs.
You can attend via WebEx by clicking on the "Classroom/WebEx" schedule, then select the appropriate class to register: 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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10. Free Sugarland Skeeters Baseball Tickets for Tonight's Game
Stop by the Starport Gift Shops in Buildings 3 and 11 by 10 a.m. today, and sign up to receive free field box tickets to the Sugarland Skeeters Minor League Baseball game scheduled for tonight. Game time is 7:05 p.m., and gates open at 6 p.m. Visit http://www.sugarlandskeeters.com/index.cfm for more information on the Sugarland Skeeters.
Lorie Shewell x30308 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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11. Latest International Space Station Research
Did you know that a recent publication in the world's leading bone research journal describes new findings on protecting astronauts' bones through diet and exercise?
The study shows that proper nutrition and resistive exercise in space helps protect bone mineral density, a finding that may help solve one of the key problems facing future explorers heading beyond low Earth orbit.
Read more here:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/bone_study.html
Liz Warren x35548
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12. Starport's Fall Basketball League -- There is Still Time
We have extended the deadline for the Gilruth's Fall 2012 Thursday Basketball League. Sign your team up now!
Registration closing on Friday, Aug. 31
- Basketball (Thursday games start Sept. 6)
Additional open league registrations:
- Closes Aug. 30 -- softball (co-ed and men's)
- Closes Sept. 5 -- dodgeball (co-ed)
- Closes Sept. 6 -- flag football, kickball and ultimate frisbee
Upcoming Registrations:
- Sept. 6 to 27 -- soccer
Free-agent registration now open for all leagues. All league participants must register at: http://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.
All leagues will fill up fast, so sign your team up today so you and your friends don't miss out on an awesome basketball season!
Steve Schade x30304 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Fitness/Sports/
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13. Parent's Night Out This Friday -- Register Now
There are only two more Parent's Night Out scheduled this year, so don't miss out on this great opportunity to spend an evening on the town! Enjoy a night out while your kids enjoy a night with Starport! We will entertain your children at the Gilruth Center with a night of games, crafts, a bounce house, pizza, movie and dessert.
When: Aug. 31, 6 to 10 p.m.
Where: Gilruth Center
Ages: 5 to 12
Cost: $20/first child and $10/each additional sibling, if registered by the Wednesday prior to event. If registered after Wednesday, the fee is $25/ first child and $15/additional sibling.
Register at the Gilruth Center front desk. Visit http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Youth/PNO.cfm for more information.
Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/
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14. Young Adult for Adults Book Club at JSC
Tired of vampire romance? Looking for a book that will make you think? Join the YA for Adults book club where we will read and discuss some of the most groundbreaking and challenging YA books on the market today. Meetings will be once a month during lunch. Venue will bedetermined when interest is established. Please email or call the point of contact if interested. Young Adult books aren't just for teens anymore!
Kate Sowa 281-228-5376
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15. Steel Erection ViTS - 8 a.m., Sept. 14
SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0060: The primary purpose of the course is to provide employees with the standards, procedures and requirements necessary for safe operations involving erection of steel structures. The course will emphasize safety awareness for steel erectors, supervisors, and safety personnel and will further their understanding of standards and regulations related to such work including OSHA 1926.750 Subpart R, ANSI standards and NASA requirements. Students are provided with basic information concerning scope and application, definitions, site layout, erection plan, hoisting and rigging, and structural steel assembly. There will be a final exam associated with this course that must be passed with a 70 percent minimum score to receive course credit.
Registration in SATERN is required.
Shirley Robinson x41284
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16. Excavation and Trenching Safety Seminar ViTS - Noon, Sept. 14
SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0045: The purpose of this course is to provide employees with the standards, procedures and practices necessary to meet the standards in CFR 1926.650 Subpart P -- Excavations and Trenching Construction. Excavation, trenching and soil testing are the fundamental concepts covered in this course. There will be a final exam associated with this course that must be passed with a 70 percent minimum score to receive course credit.
Registration in SATERN is required.
Shirley Robinson x41284
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17. Confined Space Entry 8:30 a.m. and Lockout/Tagout 1 p.m., Sept. 7, Building 226N, Room 174
SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0806 - Confined Space Entry: The purpose of this course is to provide employees with the standards, procedures and requirements necessary for safe entry to and operations in confined spaces. OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.146, "Confined Space," is the basis for this course. The course covers the hazards of working in or around a confined space and the precautions you should take to control these hazards. A comprehensive test will be offered at the end of the class.
SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0814 - Lockout/Tagout: The purpose of this course is to provide employees with the standards, procedures and requirements necessary for the control of hazardous energy through lockout and tagout of energy-isolating devices. OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.147, "The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)," is the basis for this course. A comprehensive test will be offered at the end of the class.
Registration in SATERN is required.
Shirley Robinson x41284
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18. Last Chance to Register!
It's your last chance to register for the Social Media for Government Communicators Summit at Space Center Houston from Sept. 12 to 14! Learn how shrewd communicators adapted the most innovative social media ideas from the private sector to their organizations' unique needs. Receive a guide to maintaining your agency's social media in 30 minutes a week, and the two times every government organization MUST have a social media presence. You will also learn how to engage employees to become social media users to build your organization's following. Go to the registration Web page featured to receive the reduced registration rate.
Susan H. Anderson 38630 https://store.ragan.com/ProductDetails.asp?product=Y2CG0HN&listshow=Conf...
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19. Control Team/Crew Resource Management: Sep 18 to 20, Building 226N, Room 174
Two-and-a-half days. This training directly addresses human factors issues that most often cause problems in team and crew interaction. No one working on a team or a crew, especially in high stress activities, is immune to these effects. The Control Team/Crew Resource Management course deals with interpersonal relations but doesn't advocate democratic rule or hugging fellow team members to improve personal relations. Rather, this course provides awareness of human factors problems that too often result in mishaps and offers recommendations and procedures for eliminating these problems with an emphasis on safety risk assessment, crew/team coordination, and decision-making in crisis situations. This course is applicable both to those in aircrew-type operations, personnel operating consoles for hazardous testing or on-orbit mission operations or any operation involving teamwork and critical communication. It is preferable that "teams" experience the course as a group, if possible. SATERN registration required. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...
Polly Caison x41279
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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:
· 12:30 am Central THURSDAY (1:30 EDT) – Radiation Belt Storm Probes Launch Coverage
· 3:05 am Central THURSDAY (4:07 EDT) – RBSP Launch (20 minute window)
· 5:30 am Central THURSDAY (6:30 EDT) – RBSP Post-Launch News Conference
· 6 am Central THURSDAY (7 EDT) – Expedition 32 U.S. EVA Coverage (begins at 7:15 CDT)
Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday – August 29, 2012
Hurricane Isaac as it approached Louisiana from ISS on Tuesday (screen capture from NASA TV)
HEADLINES AND LEADS
NASA Clears SpaceX To Start Station Resupply Missions
Dan Leone - Space News
NASA has formally cleared Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to begin making cargo runs to the international space station following the company’s completion of its $400 million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contract agreement with the agency. In the second of two demonstrations under that contract, SpaceX delivered cargo to the orbital outpost in May using its Dragon capsule launched atop its Falcon 9 rocket.
Students talk with astronaut on space station
WCMH TV (Columbus, OH)
Students at Wickliffe Progressive Community School spoke with Expedition 32 flight engineer Suni Williams aboard the International Space Station Tuesday. (NO FURTHER TEXT)
"Real-life tricorder" to be tested on International Space Station
Darren Quick - GizMag.com
While still impressive, the capabilities of early "tricorders," such as the Scanadu and Dr Jansen's tricorder, fall well short of the Star Trek device that inspired them. But new technology to be tested on the International Space Station (ISS) brings the age of instant diagnosis of medical conditions using a portable device a step closer. The Microflow could also make its way into doctor’s offices here on Earth where it might help cut down on the number of follow up visits required after waiting to get results back from the lab.
Countdown Clock Touched Up for Future Missions
Julian Leek - AmericaSpace.org
Out in the Florida sunshine and surviving thunderstorms, rain, hail, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes and even a rare snow flurry sits the large illuminated digital countdown clock. Close to the edge of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center‘s (KSC) turn basin facing the press site this is one of the most-watched timepieces in the world. Recently this historic landmark received a touch up. Included in television coverage and launch photos this clock dates back to the Apollo days. Using standard incandescent 40 watt light bulbs the timepiece is controlled from a room in the Launch Control Center (LCC). From this location the ‘Timing & Imaging Support Group’ technicians monitor and distribute the official time to NASA facilities including firing rooms. Before a launch, the clock counts down, showing the remaining time until T-zero, after launch the clock counts forward in + mission elapsed time. About a week before launch activity the clock bulbs are checked and replaced as needed. Now that the sp ace shuttle era is over, the clock will not go dark, it will illuminate the countdown of NASA launches that liftoff from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (NO FURTHER TEXT)
Bigelow's inflatable space stations
Mark Thompson - Sen.com (Space Exploration Network)
Many people are familiar with the memory of a space shuttle blasting off the launchpad powered by gigantic solid rocket boosters and those fortunate to have been around in the 1960s will have been lucky enough to witness the mighty Saturn V moon rocket launch Neil Armstrong and his crew to the Moon. Memories aside, space travel is changing as commercial enterprise develops transport for both crew and cargo. Many companies are now developing spacecraft that will serve the needs of government agencies, companies wishing to put satellites into orbit and individuals prepared to pay for their space adventure. NASA is one of the space agencies that is hiring the services of private enterprise to deliver cargo and eventually crew to the space station. Recently NASA announced further funding support for some of the US companies developing crew ships - SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Boeing.
Russian Women Could Return to Space
RIA Novosti
Russian women can be included into the country’s cosmonauts team if they successfully complete all selection stages, Sergei Krikalev, head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, said on Tuesday. “A couple of women are close to being selected,” Krikalev said. “There are chances that they will be.”
Northwest High School students connect with NASA
Space center officials speak with NWHS students via internet
Greg Williamson - Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle (TN)
Northwest High School students connected via internet with NASA Johnson Space Center officials Tuesday morning. More than 75 freshman and sophomore students made up of biology, physical science and physical world concepts classes listened and asked questions of Deputy Mission Manager and Analog Mission Systems Engineer James Johnson. The connection was part of an educational event with NASA’s Research and Technology Studies team. The RATS team created a simulated near-Earth asteroid exploration mission in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson Space Center.
FAA Discusses Commercial Space Safety with Industry
Jen DiMascio - Aerospace Daily
The FAA might not be prepared to craft safety regulations with the burgeoning commercial space industry, but it is reaching out to industry leaders for their views. The regulatory agency’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee recently held the first of three teleconferences with industry representatives on the topic. Industry members were resistant to rules for safety that would be so high that they would block development of the marketplace at this early stage in its development.
Astronaut: Neil Armstrong did ‘the difficult thing’
David Beard - Washington Post
Astronaut Paul Weitz piloted the first manned Skylab mission in 1973 and commanded the first flight of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983, and later became deputy director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. But the former Navy pilot was a rookie in America’s most competitive program when NASA was overcoming technological hurdles in the Cold War race in space — and capturing the nation’s imagination in everything from Walter Cronkite-narrated missions to the prime-time comedy series “I Dream of Jeannie.” Weitz, 80, spoke by telephone from his home in Arizona about those days and the steely legacy of lunar pioneer Neil Armstrong, who died Aug. 25 at 82…
Armstrong autographs grow in value
Loren Steffy - Houston Chronicle
Neil Armstrong's death last week is driving up prices for his autograph, which was already among the most sought in the world. It's a morbid reality of the market that celebrities' memorabilia often rises in value when they die, but Armstrong was unique even before his death. The first man on the moon stopped signing autographs in 1994, which only intensified demand for his signature. "He's the Holy Grail of autographs," said Anthony Pizzitola, a Houston resident and board member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club who's edited a book on Armstrong autographs.
Space Exploration – A Presidential Priority
Wayne Hale - Huffington Post (Commentary)
(Hale is a member of the Coalition for Space Exploration. He is a former flight director and Space Shuttle Program manager)
Never let what is urgent crowd out what is most important. That's good advice for families, businesses and candidates for President of the United States. America's space exploration program is one of those truly important issues for our future, if not necessarily viewed as urgent in the current political election season. America cannot afford to squander the opportunity to take full advantage of exploring the next great frontier: space. So it is time for the presidential candidates -- Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney -- to let America know where they really stand on an important issue that will transform -- or stagnate -- America in this century and the next.
MEANWHILE ON MARS…
Mars Curiosity rover beams down Will.i.am song ‘Reach for the Stars’
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120828.html
Emi Kolawole - Washington Post
Will.i.am’s new song “Reach for the Stars” is the first tune to be sent down from Mars — a fitting accomplishment for the Grammy Award-winning artist who has been stumping for improving education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “There’s no words to explain how amazing this is,” Will.i.am said during an event for students at Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Tuesday afternoon. The recording artist thanked Nicola Tesla and others for their inventions. Former astronaut Leland Melvin served as emcee for the event.
Rap star will.i.am & NASA beam back interplanetary first
Todd Halvorson - Florida Today
Luminary rap star will.i.am is now an interplanetary phenom. In yet another space exploration first, an orchestral tune written and performed by the Black-Eyed Peas front man was beamed back to Earth Tuesday by NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover. Launch with Curiosity aboard an Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station last November, the song – entitled “Reach For The Stars” – is the first musical composition to be transmitted to Earth from another planet.
Curiosity beams new will.i.am song from Mars
Associated Press
The NASA rover Curiosity beamed to Earth his new song "Reach for the Stars" on Tuesday in the first music broadcast from another planet, to the delight of students who gathered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to listen. The song had been uploaded to the rover, which landed near the equator of Mars, and played back — a journey of some 700 million miles.
Planet pop: NASA beams first song from Mars
Agence France Presse
..NASA transmitted the first song to be broadcast from Mars on Tuesday, by Grammy-winning US musician will.i.am, as part of efforts to inspire young people to get interested in science. "Reach for the Stars" was then beamed back by the Curiosity rover, which landed on the surface of the Red Planet earlier this month, to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
Mars rover belts out Will.i.am song from red planet in cosmic first
Clara Moskowitz - Space.com
The first song ever played from Mars was broadcast Tuesday from NASA's Curiosity rover on the Red Planet. The concert represented the world premiere of the appropriately named song "Reach for the Stars," by rapper and songwriter will.i.am. It was beamed via radio signal about 150 million miles (241 million km) back to Earth from Curiosity's landing spot on Mars' Gale Crater at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT).
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COMPLETE STORIES
NASA clears SpaceX to start station resupply missions
Dan Leone - Space News
NASA has formally cleared Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to begin making cargo runs to the international space station following the company’s completion of its $400 million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contract agreement with the agency.
In the second of two demonstrations under that contract, SpaceX delivered cargo to the orbital outpost in May using its Dragon capsule launched atop its Falcon 9 rocket.
SpaceX will fly 12 logistics missions to the station under its $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract awarded in 2008. The first of those flights is scheduled for no earlier than Oct. 5.
NASA is still waiting for its second cargo services provider, Orbital Sciences Corp., to wrap up its own demonstration program. Orbital holds a $1.9 billion contract to make eight deliveries to the space station with its Cygnus space freighter and Antares launcher.
Orbital has two flight demonstrations scheduled: the Antares maiden flight, in which the rocket will carry a ballast payload; and a mission with the full Antares/Cygnus stack. These demonstrations are scheduled for October and December, the company says.
"Real-life tricorder" to be tested on International Space Station
Darren Quick - GizMag.com
While still impressive, the capabilities of early "tricorders," such as the Scanadu and Dr Jansen's tricorder, fall well short of the Star Trek device that inspired them. But new technology to be tested on the International Space Station (ISS) brings the age of instant diagnosis of medical conditions using a portable device a step closer. The Microflow could also make its way into doctor’s offices here on Earth where it might help cut down on the number of follow up visits required after waiting to get results back from the lab.
The Microflow is a miniaturized version of a flow cytometer, which analyzes cells suspended in a stream of fluid as they pass single-file in front of a laser. As the suspended particle passes through the beam, various detectors positioned where the stream meets the laser can analyze the physical and chemical properties of the molecules or cells in the stream. Because they work in real-time, flow cytometers offer diagnosis in just 10 minutes of everything from infections, to stress, blood cells and cancer markers. They can also identify bacterial pathogens in food or water.
Despite the technology first being proposed in the 1950s and their forerunners appearing in the 1960s, modern flow cytometers are generally still only found in labs because they are bulky and can weigh hundreds of pounds – until now.
With the Micoflow, researchers at Canada’s National Optics Institute (INO) have managed to shrink the flow cytometer down to device the size of a toaster that weighs less than 10 kg (22 lb). Tasked with developing a portable technology that worked in space, the INO team needed to find a way to keep the fluid stream from becoming unfocused in the weightlessness of space.
The answer was to suspend a tiny amount of liquid containing the particles to be analyzed inside a small fiber-optic structure that is permanently focused. After the device detects the particles, the collected data is transferred to a USB key for analysis.
A Microflow technology demonstrator will be carried to the ISS by Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Chris Hadfield in December, 2012. If it functions in space as expected, it will provide astronauts with the ability to diagnose and treat themselves on long-duration missions without having to send samples back to Earth for analysis.
The technology also has obvious applications back on Earth, with the rapid testing of remote communities and disaster sites for infectious and other diseases providing an increased level of care while reducing costs. The INO says the technology could also be used for on-site quality-control inspections and tests in food and agricultural processing plants.
Bigelow's inflatable space stations
Mark Thompson - Sen.com (Space Exploration Network)
Many people are familiar with the memory of a space shuttle blasting off the launchpad powered by gigantic solid rocket boosters and those fortunate to have been around in the 1960s will have been lucky enough to witness the mighty Saturn V moon rocket launch Neil Armstrong and his crew to the Moon. Memories aside, space travel is changing as commercial enterprise develops transport for both crew and cargo.
Many companies are now developing spacecraft that will serve the needs of government agencies, companies wishing to put satellites into orbit and individuals prepared to pay for their space adventure. NASA is one of the space agencies that is hiring the services of private enterprise to deliver cargo and eventually crew to the space station. Recently NASA announced further funding support for some of the US companies developing crew ships - SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Boeing.
Boeing is building its Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 space capsule to take humans into orbit. As reported by Sen, the recent drop tests of Boeing's CST-100 were carried out with help from another commercial space business, Bigelow Aerospace. Bigelow Aerospace plans to use the CST-100 to ferry customers to and from its planned Bigelow Orbiting Space Complex, an inflatable space station.
Bigelow Aerospace's mission is “to provide affordable options for spaceflight to national space agencies and corporate clients” - and they plan to do it, not with multi-billion pound rockets but with large inflatable space stations!
Formed in 1999, Bigelow Aerospace was the brainchild of Robert T Bigelow who wanted to revolutionise space commerce with the development of affordable, reliable, and robust expandable space habitats. His dream became reality in July 2006 with the launch of Genesis I, the company’s prototype expandable space habitat. Its second prototype, Genesis II, was launched June 2007. Both still orbit Earth.
The idea of using inflatable technology is nothing new and goes back to the 1950s when the U.S. launched Echo 1 and Echo 2, the first passive communications satellites. They were huge balloons measuring 30.5 metres across and made from mylar 0.013mm thick (the same material used by amateur astronomers for solar filters) and were capable of reflecting signals around the world. Sadly, with the lack of suitable material to advance the idea further, the development of inflatable space vehicles ground to a halt.
After nearly 40 years of advances in material science, momentum picked up again and it was Kevlar that was the focus for space engineers. NASA started research into the technology again and in 1990 announced plans for 'TransHab', their Transit Habitat for a mission to Mars which was to be an inflatable craft. Sadly again, further development was thwarted in 2000 due to cost challenges within the space agency not helped by the International Space Station running at $4.8 billion over budget.
Robert Bigelow recognised the benefits though and took up the challenge, setting up Bigelow Aerospace in 1999. The company has become the sole commercialiser of a number of NASA’s inflatable technologies. Genesis 1, the first of their craft to be launched into orbit, measured 4.4 metres by 2.54 metres and boasts 11.5 cubic metres of useable space compared to around 800 cubic metres inside the International Space Station. This doesn't sound too impressive granted, but the cost per cubic metre of volume makes it significantly cheaper to launch/operate than the space station. Its primary purpose was to prove the technology worked, and worked it did, impressively so. Launched just a year later in June 2007 was Genesis 2 which was similar in size and appearance to Genesis 1 but had many more systems on board that were not tested by its predecessor. You can track the orbit of Genesis II on the Bigelow Aerospace web site. Along with its various test systems it hosted a rather fun project called 'Fly Your Stuff'. This innovative project allowed anyone, at a cost of US$300, to send their own small items or pictures into space.
One of the greatest benefits of using inflatable habitats is the protection offered to its inhabitants from radiation. When spacecraft made from more conventional metal structures are exposed to radiation, from events such as a coronal mass ejection, a secondary radiation effect occurs. This can either be from scattering of the radiation, or the atoms in the structure itself can become excited and re-radiate. This doesn't happen with non-metallic materials used in inflatable craft outer skins thereby significantly reducing the risk to its inhabitants.
At the heart of the inflatable technology is a material called Vectran, twice as strong as Kevlar and present in several layers of the 15cm thick skin of the Genesis craft. The flexible nature of the material results in further added safety for potential station inhabitants, a benefit supported by laboratory tests. It was found that micrometeoroids that would puncture the rigid skin of the International Space Station only penetrated half way through the skin of the Genesis craft. Because of its success so far, NASA are in talks with Bigelow for a module to attach to the ISS, called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. If it gets the go ahead, it could mean the first step in a new wave of space modules and craft.
Not only is the company talking to NASA about modules for the ISS but they have their sights on their own space station comprised of inflatable modules including their new BA 330 module which will be larger than the Genesis prototypes. The BA 330 space station, with a volume of 330 cubic metres, will be capable of accommodating up to six humans. It has protection from space debris with its "Micrometeorite and Orbital Debris Shield". Hypervelocity tests conducted by Bigelow Aerospace have shown that this shield provides greater protection than a traditional aluminium can design. The BA 330 design includes four large UV coated windows to give the occupants amazing views as they orbit Earth. The inflatable space station would use solar power and batteries and have its own environmental controls and life support system.
The constant need for cost savings and the increasing pressure on governments for health, education and security sadly means the exploration of space takes a back seat on many occasions. The times are changing though and where it was once the government funded organisations like NASA and Russia's space agency who dominated space exploration, its now the commercial organisations like Bigelow Aerospace coming up on the rails who will lead us into a new and exciting era of space exploration.
Russian Women Could Return to Space
RIA Novosti
Yelena Serova is the only woman currently on the Russian cosmonaut team
Russian women can be included into the country’s cosmonauts team if they successfully complete all selection stages, Sergei Krikalev, head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, said on Tuesday.
“A couple of women are close to being selected,” Krikalev said. “There are chances that they will be.”
So far, only three Russian female cosmonauts - Valentina Tereshkova, Svetlana Savitskaya and Yelena Kondakova – traveled into space. No Russian women flew into space since Kondakova’s second space mission in May 1997.
The first open cosmonaut selection drive in the history of the Russian space industry was held between January 27 and March 15. About 300 people applied for the selection drive, about 30-40 of them were women.
So far, Yelena Serova is the only woman in the Russian cosmonaut team.
The center’s deputy chief Igor Sokhin said earlier on Tuesday the training center will change the terms of future open cosmonaut selection drives.
To become a Russian cosmonaut, applicants need to be no older than 33, have a college degree and have at least five years of work experience, as well as meet exacting physical requirements, such as height when seated (80 to 99 centimeters).
Participation is not limited to technology aficionados; people with a background in humanities are also allowed to take part.
Northwest High School students connect with NASA
Space center officials speak with NWHS students via internet
Greg Williamson - Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle (TN)
Northwest High School students connected via internet with NASA Johnson Space Center officials Tuesday morning.
More than 75 freshman and sophomore students made up of biology, physical science and physical world concepts classes listened and asked questions of Deputy Mission Manager and Analog Mission Systems Engineer James Johnson. The connection was part of an educational event with NASA’s Research and Technology Studies team. The RATS team created a simulated near-Earth asteroid exploration mission in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson Space Center.
Nathan Lang, assistant principal at NWHS, explained the importance of making a connection between Clarksville and the NASA Space Center. “It is very important for students to make the connection between the classroom and the real world,” said Lang, adding that students learn different types of jobs offered through NASA, such as lawyers, doctors, biologist, technicians and engineers.
Lang worked in the education office for NASA and explained it was their goal to develop STEM lessons for students across the nation.
Johnson and Allison Bolinger, a RATS crew member, talked about their various duties and what the mission was all about. They talked about building a prototype space exploration vehicle which will be powered by a self-generating, three kilowatt fuel cell system. A virtual reality lab created an environment for the extravehicular activity. Via video, they showed the process in which astronauts learn how to work in space. Bolinger explained the work astronauts put into walking and doing simple repairs with tools.
NASA fielded questions from three students at NWHS and a school in Alabama. Questions ranged from training, education, living at NASA and why land on an asteroid. Sophomore biology student Alana Arzt said she liked that they could ask questions and get feedback right there.
Freshman Garrett Johnson said, “This was all new to me.”
Lang hoped the video conference was a good way for students to learn and be in touch using 21st century technology. “I felt it was an honor to be able to have Clarksville connect with NASA, and I hope we can keep that connection in the future.”
FAA Discusses Commercial Space Safety with Industry
Jen DiMascio - Aerospace Daily
The FAA might not be prepared to craft safety regulations with the burgeoning commercial space industry, but it is reaching out to industry leaders for their views.
The regulatory agency’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee recently held the first of three teleconferences with industry representatives on the topic. Industry members were resistant to rules for safety that would be so high that they would block development of the marketplace at this early stage in its development.
“We cannot develop a successful commercial industry by maintaining our past practices in safety,” said Jeff Greason, president of XCOR Aerospace. “We have to do something better.”
He recommends that the FAA stick to identifying areas of risk and deciding whether and how industry could develop standards to mitigate those risks. Greason added that an “inform-consent regime” should be adopted to let customers decide whether certain missions could tolerate a certain type of risk.
The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 18 to tackle the question: “What should FAA oversight look like?”
Astronaut: Neil Armstrong did ‘the difficult thing’
David Beard - Washington Post
Astronaut Paul Weitz piloted the first manned Skylab mission in 1973 and commanded the first flight of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983, and later became deputy director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
But the former Navy pilot was a rookie in America’s most competitive program when NASA was overcoming technological hurdles in the Cold War race in space — and capturing the nation’s imagination in everything from Walter Cronkite-narrated missions to the prime-time comedy series “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Weitz, 80, spoke by telephone from his home in Arizona about those days and the steely legacy of lunar pioneer Neil Armstrong, who died Aug. 25 at 82. Weitz said he’s not attending Armstrong’s funeral in Cincinnati on Friday but expects NASA remembrances in Houston and Cape Canaveral.
Q. When did you meet Neil Armstrong?
A. When I showed up in Houston in May of 1966.
Did you have any sense that he would be the first on the moon, the fulfillment of a promise that John F. Kennedy made at the beginning of the decade?
No, no one had any sense of who would be the first. Pete Conrad, who commanded Apollo 12, thought he had as good a chance as Neil, and I agreed. But they mixed up assignments a lot in those days.
Where were you on July 20, 1969 (the afternoon Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin landed Apollo 11’s lunar module on the moon)?
I was in the Mission Control room. I did not have an active role; I was an observer.
Seems like it was a day in which no one needed coffee?
You can say that.
How did Armstrong change after the return of Apollo 11? What sort of different pressures did he bear than your other colleagues?
I did not know Neil very well. There’s a quote of his going around that he was the same nerdy, pocket-protector kind of guy before and after, and I suppose that was true. He was the same from the time I got there until he left in 1971.
What sort of advice did he give you and your colleagues on his return? Advice with dealing with the media?
No, no. The main thing on our briefings was getting on with the missions and making each mission better.
Apart from being the first man on the moon, what do you think Armstrong represented in our history?
I think he symbolized a different era, when our country was willing and able to do the difficult thing. As John F. Kennedy said, we chose to go to the moon and do other things, “not because they are easy, but because they are hard .?.?. because that challenge is one we are willing to accept.’’ I’m not sure we have that same spirit today.
Armstrong autographs grow in value
Loren Steffy - Houston Chronicle
Neil Armstrong's death last week is driving up prices for his autograph, which was already among the most sought in the world.
It's a morbid reality of the market that celebrities' memorabilia often rises in value when they die, but Armstrong was unique even before his death. The first man on the moon stopped signing autographs in 1994, which only intensified demand for his signature.
"He's the Holy Grail of autographs," said Anthony Pizzitola, a Houston resident and board member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club who's edited a book on Armstrong autographs.
Pizzitola estimates that prices for the astronaut's signature, in good condition, may rise by as much as 30 percent.
"There's an incredible marketplace and incredible demand for his autograph," said Bobby Livingston, a spokesman for RR Auction in Amherst, N.H., which specializes in selling autographed memorabilia. "He was already the most expensive living person that we were selling."
The familiar NASA photo of Armstrong in a white spacesuit, signed by the astronaut, typically fetched about $5,000. Now, with two weeks remaining in RR's monthly auction, bidding was already running well above normal, Livingston said.
"We expect it to far surpass the $5,000 mark," he said.
Unfortunately, Armstrong's popularity and his decision to stop signing 18 years ago have led to an abundance of forgeries and misunderstandings.
As a kid, I used to write almost monthly to NASA and request space photos, including signed pictures of astronauts. I wasn't alone. Requests flooded into the space agency by the thousands, and NASA honored them with copies signed by an autopen, an automatic device that duplicates an actual signature.
Autopen signatures like the one I received of the Apollo 11 crew are worthless, but to a trained collector they're easy to spot. Forgeries are much more difficult.
"When you have an autograph that sells for thousands of dollars, it's going to attract good forgers," said Steve Zarelli, a space authentication consultant who helps auctioneers like RR verify astronaut autographs.
One easy way to spot a forgery: After examining hundreds of Armstrong autographs, Zarelli determined that the famous astronaut never wrote over the American flag on the sleeve of his spacesuit. If the ink touches the flag in the picture, it's probably fake.
Zarelli fears that Armstrong's death will prompt a flood of interest from amateur autograph seekers who aren't familiar with the market. Sellers offering Armstrong signatures on eBay for a few hundred dollars, for example, should be viewed with suspicion.
"His autograph never goes on sale," Zarelli said.
But it does fade away. In the 1970s and 1980s, Armstrong signed in blue ink many of the autograph requests that were sent to his office. The ink is now beginning to fade, prompting fears that many authentic Armstrong autographs will literally disappear in the coming years, Pizzitola said.
No one knows why Armstrong stopped signing autographs, except that he never enjoyed signing them in the first place. He did it because of NASA policy and a sense of obligation. In James Hansen's biography, "First Man," Armstrong said aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh advised him never to sign autographs, and he said he regretted not taking the advice.
Armstrong, who was never comfortable with fame, also may have been annoyed at the prices his signatures were selling for among collectors.
Ironically, his decision to stop signing probably pushed those prices even higher.
Today, he occupies a rarefied stature in the autograph market, surpassing most sports stars including legends such as Babe Ruth. Now, with his death at age 82 on Saturday, the market for Armstrong's signature is only going to become more exclusive.
Space Exploration – A Presidential Priority
Wayne Hale - Huffington Post (Commentary)
(Hale is a member of the Coalition for Space Exploration. He is a former flight director and Space Shuttle Program manager)
Never let what is urgent crowd out what is most important. That's good advice for families, businesses and candidates for President of the United States. America's space exploration program is one of those truly important issues for our future, if not necessarily viewed as urgent in the current political election season.
America cannot afford to squander the opportunity to take full advantage of exploring the next great frontier: space. So it is time for the presidential candidates -- Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney -- to let America know where they really stand on an important issue that will transform -- or stagnate -- America in this century and the next. NASA needs presidential investment and advocacy -- and the budget to back it up. Nothing less than the future of our children and grandchildren is at stake here. Tell us about your vision which will nourish America's frontier spirit, her ambition and thirst for innovation which were the catalysts that opened the West, brought victory in World War II and reversed economic adversity in the last century
Thoughtful voters recognize that the current urgent issues facing NASA need to be resolved and they want to know how we will ensure America's future leadership, prosperity and security.
Jobs, health care and the balance between taxes and government spending are certainly important and urgent matters that dominate much of our national public policy discussion and debate. But history has shown that longer-term initiatives -- such as the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the transcontinental railroad, the Panama Canal and Interstate Highway system -- have had significant impact on our economy and our standing as a leader in world affairs. Each required presidential vision and leadership. Those earlier endeavors made America stronger, won global respect, and gave America's citizens greater reach. Doors opened, creating opportunity that brought new wealth and confidence in the future. Exactly the antidote to the malaise we're steeped in now.
The prospect of uncovering vast resources and astounding discoveries that can transform human life beckon us if we demonstrate our American heritage with the vision, hard work, and the will to explore. This next frontier has been touched only slightly by the explorers' footprints; and even more lightly by the entrepreneur's hand. Private businesses, which are the lifeblood of a sustainable enterprise, are inching forward to provide space operations support to the International Space Station and investigate commercial opportunities in space. But, as in the days of our western frontier, it will take government resources to explore the far reaches of the space frontier, even while commerce is growing at the near edge of the frontier.
America's space program in the 1960s depended on having the Moon as its signature destination for human exploration. After the 1960s, America's space program has been about building infrastructure without having a destination as its overriding goal. America needs a space program that combines infrastructure development which can sustain industry along with destination goals that will inspire the longer term investment. Armchair space policy causes divisive debates about which destination to pursue, which results in paralysis. The real destination goal for America's space program should encompass all of the potential destinations, with the priority and order set by the needs and capabilities of the developing infrastructure. This will not be a short-term, one administration, or one party goal, but neither was America's westward expansion over a century ago.
Exploration, discovery and the enthusiasm for the associated risks and demand for creative solutions are deeply rooted in the American character. When unleashed, these positive forces can assure a stronger, more vibrant future economy and provide opportunity for new personal prosperity when other urgent issues of this day are referenced only in dusty history books.
MEANWHILE ON MARS…
Mars Curiosity rover beams down Will.i.am song ‘Reach for the Stars’
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120828.html
Emi Kolawole - Washington Post
Will.i.am’s new song “Reach for the Stars” is the first tune to be sent down from Mars — a fitting accomplishment for the Grammy Award-winning artist who has been stumping for improving education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“There’s no words to explain how amazing this is,” Will.i.am said during an event for students at Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Tuesday afternoon. The recording artist thanked Nicola Tesla and others for their inventions. Former astronaut Leland Melvin served as emcee for the event.
“I’m a little nervous because my mom’s in the audience,” said Will.i.am just before the recording was received via the Mars Curiosity rover.
On Monday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden’s voice was the first to be broadcast back to Earth via the rover. The recording originated on Earth, was routed through the rover and then sent back.
“Do you know how famous that guy is,” said Will.i.am when told that Bobak Ferdowsi, aka “Mohawk Guy,” would not only be tuning in to watch but would be sending the transmission.
Video of the event cut away to the team members in the JPL control room, who were nodding their heads and clapping along to the song.
“I didn’t want to do a song on a computer,” said Will.i.am, saying that he wanted to create something “timeless.”
Transmission of the song wasn’t as simple as beaming the song to the rover and back. In fact, when the process first started, the NASA team could not guarantee that the song could be beamed back in its entirety. According to David Lavery, program executive for Solar System Exploration, the song was, ultimately, sent to the rover in 11 different packets over the course of two days. The rover reassembled the data and, once highly compressed, it was beamed back to Earth in a single file.
Rap star will.i.am & NASA beam back interplanetary first
Todd Halvorson - Florida Today
Luminary rap star will.i.am is now an interplanetary phenom.
In yet another space exploration first, an orchestral tune written and performed by the Black-Eyed Peas front man was beamed back to Earth Tuesday by NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover.
Launch with Curiosity aboard an Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station last November, the song – entitled “Reach For The Stars” – is the first musical composition to be transmitted to Earth from another planet.
The unprecedented radio communications came about after NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden called the entertainer – a space geek who went to a science magnet school – and asked if he wanted to join the agency’s effort to attract young students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics classes.
“So I asked the question: ‘Hey, what do you guys got coming up?’ He said, ‘We’ve got a rocket got a rocket going to Mars,’” will.i.am told students from the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights, where he was raised in the Estrada Courts housing projects.
The students had gathered at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for the big event.
“I said, ‘Hey, did you ever think about putting a song on the rocket, so when the rocket lands (the song) comes back to Earth?’” the entertainer recalled.
‘’And so, he said, ‘Who’s going to do the song?’ And I said, ‘Are you serious?’”
That was February 2011, and even after all those months, will.i.am said it was “surreal’ to actually hear the transmission come back from the red planet. The first verse:
Why they say the sky is the limit
When I’ve seen the footprints on the moon
Why do they say the sky is the limit
When I’ve seen the footprints on the moon
And I know the sky might be high
But baby it ain’t really that high
And I know that Mars might be far
But baby it ain’t really that far
Let’s reach for the stars
A fan of classical music, will.i.am did not want to send a computer-generated beat – a dance song – to Mars. So he put a 40-piece orchestra together to show musicians practicing their craft. He wanted to send a work of art to the red planet.
“I didn’t want to do a song that was done on computer. I wanted to show human cooperation and have an orchestra there, and (create) something that would be timeless, and translate to different cultures,” the entertainer said.
Aiming to inspire young students, he also enlisted a children’s choir to sing parts of the song.
The effort was not the first time will.i.am has teamed up with NASA. He was featured in a 2011 NASA promotional video that highlights the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics for young students.
That, too, is the aim of the song.
“It’s a reminder that anything is possible if you discipline yourself, and dedicate yourself and stand for something,” he said. “We don’t have to end up in the ‘hood.”
Curiosity beams new will.i.am song from Mars
Associated Press
The NASA rover Curiosity beamed to Earth his new song "Reach for the Stars" on Tuesday in the first music broadcast from another planet, to the delight of students who gathered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to listen.
The song had been uploaded to the rover, which landed near the equator of Mars, and played back — a journey of some 700 million miles.
The musician, who promotes science and mathematics education, was among more than a dozen celebrities who were invited to JPL to watch Curiosity's landing earlier this month. Others included Wil Wheaton, Seth Green and Morgan Freeman.
In 2008, NASA beamed the Beatles' "Across the Universe" into the cosmos to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the song.
Planet pop: NASA beams first song from Mars
Agence France Presse
..NASA transmitted the first song to be broadcast from Mars on Tuesday, by Grammy-winning US musician will.i.am, as part of efforts to inspire young people to get interested in science.
"Reach for the Stars" was then beamed back by the Curiosity rover, which landed on the surface of the Red Planet earlier this month, to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
NASA staff clapped their hands and held their arms in the air, smiling and swaying to the rhythm during the slightly less scientific use of the rover's hi-tech equipment and communications ability.
"It seems surreal," the US rapper and actor said explaining how NASA administrator Charles Bolden had called him to suggest beaming a song back from Mars as part of educational outreach efforts by the US space agency.
The song -- with lyrics including "I know that Mars might be far, but baby it ain't really that far" -- involved a 40-piece orchestra including French horns, rather than a more modern electronically-generated sound.
The singer said he didn't "want to do a song that was done on a computer," given that it was going to be the first piece of music broadcast back to the Earth from Mars.
"I wanted to show human collaboration and have an orchestra there and something that would be timeless, and translated in different cultures, not have like a hip hop beat or a dance beat," he said.
"A lot of times ... people in my field aren't supposed to try to execute something classical, or orchestral, so I wanted to break that stigma," the 37-year-old -- real name William James Adams -- told a student audience.
The aim was to inspire young people like those at the NASA event, including some from Boyle Heights in east Los Angeles where the musician grew up, to take a greater interest in science.
NASA experts this week released more pictures taken by the $2.5 billion rover, which landed at Gale Crater on the Red Planet on August 6.
One showed a panorama, in pin-sharp resolution showing individual rocks, of the landscape visible from the rover, including Mount Sharp, the slopes of which Curiosity plans to drive toward in the coming weeks and months.
Mars rover belts out Will.i.am song from red planet in cosmic first
Clara Moskowitz - Space.com
The first song ever played from Mars was broadcast Tuesday from NASA's Curiosity rover on the Red Planet.
The concert represented the world premiere of the appropriately named song "Reach for the Stars," by rapper and songwriter will.i.am. It was beamed via radio signal about 150 million miles (241 million km) back to Earth from Curiosity's landing spot on Mars' Gale Crater at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT).
"The point of the song is to remind people … that anything is possible if you discipline yourself and dedicate yourself and stand for something," the musician said today from Curiosity's mission control center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.
The music arrived there during an educational event held for students from the Los Angeles neighborhood where will.i.am grew up.
"There's no words to explain how amazing this is," will.i.am. said. "These kids here are from Boyle Heights, the same neighborhood I'm from. We don't have to just end up in the 'hood. But it's a hard thing. The hardest thing is discipline."
Students and rocket scientists alike bobbed their heads and clapped as the song's strains came back to Earth.
"Why do they say the sky is the limit
When I've seen footprints on the moon
And I know the sky may be high
But baby it ain't really that high
And I know that Mars might be far
But baby it ain't really that far
Let's reach for the stars"
Also on hand at the event was former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, now the agency's associate administrator for education.
"Never give up," Melvin said. "People told me that I couldn't be an astronaut. Whatever you want to be, whatever you dream, you can do, if you put your mind to it."
The $2.5 billion Curiosity landed on Mars Aug. 5 (PDT) after launching in November of last year. The song was loaded onto the rover before its departure from Earth, and will.i.am, part of the hip-hop group The Black-Eyed Peas, was at JPL in person to watch Curiosity land.
The car-size rover is embarking on a two-year mission to search for signs that the Red Planet may have ever been habitable to microbial life.
END
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