Happy Friday everyone. It was great to see so many of you again yesterday at our monthly luncheon. Have a safe and great weekend. Go Curiosity!
Friday, August 3, 2012
JSC TODAY HEADLINES
1. JSC: See the Space Station and Progress 47P
2. WSTF: See the Space Station and Progress 47P
3. NASA Social -- Friday, Aug. 3
4. Stay Sharp, Stay Safe -- Now and Always
5. OCFO Employee Time and Attendance Charging Course
6. NASA/JSC's Approach to Knowledge Management (KM)
7. Today: Foldit and Games for Scientific Discovery
8. Family Fun this weekend - Last Day To Purchase Advance Tickets
9. Let Go of Resentment, Embrace Forgiveness
10. General Industry Safety & Health: Aug.13 to 17 - Gilruth-Longhorn Room
11. Crane Operations & Rigging Safety Refresher ViTS: 7:30 a.m., Aug. 10
12. Scaffold Users Seminar ViTS: Noon, Aug. 10
13. JSC Printer Retrieval Resumes Aug. 9
14. Engineers Without Borders-JSC Chapter: 'What's it all about?'
15. Systems Engineering Reduced Gravity Project Call
________________________________________ QUOTE OF THE DAY
“ Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. ”
-- Mark Twain
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1. JSC: See the Space Station and Progress 47P
Viewers in the JSC area will be able to see the International Space Station and Progress 47P this week.
ISS
Saturday, Aug. 4, 6:01 a.m. (Duration: two minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above NNW to 26 degrees above NNE
Maximum elevation: 26 degrees
Sunday, Aug. 5, 9:42 p.m. (Duration: five minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above SW to 27 degrees above NNE
Maximum elevation: 71 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 5:51 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above NW to 12 degrees above SE
Maximum elevation: 80 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 8:49 p.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above SSW to 11 degrees above ENE
Maximum elevation: 42 degrees
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 4:58 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above NNW to 11 degrees above ESE
Maximum elevation: 32 degrees
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 5:42 a.m. (Duration: five minutes)
Path: 16 degrees above WNW to 11 degrees above S
Maximum elevation: 30 degrees
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 8:39 p.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above SW to 11 degrees above NE
Maximum elevation: 55 degrees
PROGRESS47P
Saturday, Aug. 4, 6:15 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above NNW to 11 degrees above ESE
Maximum elevation: 40 degrees
Sunday, Aug. 5, 10:03 p.m. (Duration: four minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above WSW to 34 degrees above NNW
Maximum elevation: 38 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 6:12 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above NW to 10 degrees above SSE
Maximum elevation: 51 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 9:13 p.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above SW to 12 degrees above NE
Maximum elevation: 86 degrees
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 5:23 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above NW to 10 degrees above SE
Maximum elevation: 68 degrees
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8:27 p.m. (Duration: three minutes)
Path: 37 degrees above ESE to 10 degrees above ENE
Maximum elevation: 37 degrees
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 4:36 a.m. (Duration: three minutes)
Path: 31 degrees above NE to 10 degrees above ESE
Maximum elevation: 31 degrees
The International Space Station Trajectory Operations Group provides updates via JSC Today for visible station passes at least two minutes in duration and 25 degrees in elevation. Other opportunities, including those with shorter durations and lower elevations or from other ground locations, are available at the website below.
Joe Pascucci x31695 http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=U...
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2. WSTF: See the Space Station and Progress 47P
Viewers in the WSTF area will be able to see the International Space Station and Progress 47P this week.
ISS
Friday, Aug. 3, 5:51 a.m. (Duration: three minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above NNW to 28 degrees above NNE
Maximum elevation: 28 degrees
Sunday, Aug. 5, 5:41 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above NW to 10 degrees above SE
Maximum elevation: 77 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 4:48 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above NNW to 11 degrees above ESE
Maximum elevation: 34 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 9:24 p.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above SW to 12 degrees above NE
Maximum elevation: 63 degrees
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 5:32 a.m. (Duration: five minutes)
Path: 12 degrees above WNW to 11 degrees above SSE
Maximum elevation: 33 degrees
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8:31 p.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above SSW to 10 degrees above NE
Maximum elevation: 52 degrees
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 4:42 a.m. (Duration: three minutes)
Path: 58 degrees above SE to 10 degrees above SE
Maximum elevation: 58 degrees
PROGRESS47P
Sunday, Aug. 5, 5:59 a.m. (Duration: two minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above NW to 34 degrees above WNW
Maximum elevation: 34 degrees
Sunday, Aug. 5, 9:02 p.m. (Duration: four minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above SSW to 18 degrees above E
Maximum elevation: 31 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 5:10 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 11 degrees above NW to 10 degrees above SE
Maximum elevation: 61 degrees
Monday, Aug. 6, 9:49 p.m. (Duration: five minutes)
Path: 12 degrees above WSW to 12 degrees above NNE
Maximum elevation: 33 degrees
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 4:20 a.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above NNW to 11 degrees above E
Maximum elevation: 30 degrees
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8:59 p.m. (Duration: six minutes)
Path: 10 degrees above SW to 10 degrees above NE
Maximum elevation: 68 degrees
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 5:09 a.m. (Duration: four minutes)
Path: 31 degrees above W to 10 degrees above SSE
Maximum elevation: 36 degrees
The International Space Station Trajectory Operations Group provides updates via JSC Today for visible station passes at least two minutes in duration and 25 degrees in elevation. Other opportunities, including those with shorter durations and lower elevations, or from other ground locations, are available at the website below.
Joe Pascucci x31695 http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=U...
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3. NASA Social -- Friday, Aug. 3
Johnson Space Center will host its first NASA Social, and participate in the first multi-center NASA Social to preview the landing of the Mars Science Laboaratory's Curiosity rover. NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks.
Events will be held simultaneously here at JSC as well as the Ames Research Center; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center; Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL); Kennedy Space Center; and Langley Research Center.
Follow along with the conversation on Twitter with the hashtags #NASASocial #MSL .
Amiko Kauderer x37674
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4. Stay Sharp, Stay Safe -- Now and Always
As the Stay Sharp, Stay Safe campaign winds down, here's hoping you will keep the theme in mind in everything you do, but most especially if you're tempted to drive a vehicle or operate watercraft after drinking. You're never as safe as you "think" you are.
You still have time to answer 10 questions and enter the contest for the spectacular prize drawing, but today is the last day! Just go to the link below to enter.
Keep in mind that when alcohol, drugs, texting or other distractions are involved in any activity, your safety and that of others will almost surely be compromised. Don't become a statistic or, worse, have to live with the painful memory of a choice ill considered.
Have fun, but have control. Stay sharp, stay safe -- now and always.
Stacey Menard x45660 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/safety/WhatsNew/AAC/
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5. OCFO Employee Time and Attendance Charging Course
As part of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) Subject-Matter Expert course series, Bridget Broussard-Guidry and Joan Johnson will lead an Employee Time and Attendance Charging course, focusing on all of the leave requirements and special hour types in WebTADS. The course will cover how to charge time under different circumstances and the rules pertaining to each type so that all learners will be in full compliance with agency and JSC policy. An example of a Leave and Earnings Statement, from Employee Express, will be reviewed and explained in detail as well. The course is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 9. There are two offerings: 9 to 10 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. -- both in Building 45, Room 251. WebEx for each offering is available also. Please register in SATERN via one of the links below or by searching the catalog for the course title.
Aug. 9: 9 to 10 a.m., Class SATERN DIRECT LINK: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...
Aug. 9: 9 to 10 a.m., WebEx SATERN DIRECT LINK: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...
Aug. 9: 1 to 2 p.m., Class SATERN DIRECT LINK: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...
Aug. 9: 1 to 2 p.m., WebEx SATERN DIRECT LINK: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...
Bridget Broussard-Guidry x34718
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6. NASA/JSC's Approach to Knowledge Management (KM)
Aug. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
JSC Building 1/Room 360
You are invited to JSC's SAIC and Safety & Mission Assurance Speaker Forum featuring Jeanie Engle, JSC Chief Knowledge Officer.
Engle is responsible for the development of an integrated knowledge management plan across JSC, as well as collaborating with other NASA centers and industry to identify and utilize best practices. This program began with the simple concept of identifying, capturing, maintaining, retrieving and sharing of critical knowledge. Existing projects include explicit knowledge capture through lessons learned, case studies, our quality management system and a robust taxonomy/semantic search capability. Under her leadership, JSC KM continues to develop and expand our organizational learning approach to include implicit knowledge capture through JSC Storytelling and JSC Voices. Through these varied diverse projects and approaches, JSC KM is inclusive of all technical and administrative disciplines at JSC. Learn more about JSC KM: https://knowledge.jsc.nasa.gov
Joyce Abbey 281-335-2041
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7. Today: Foldit and Games for Scientific Discovery
Jeff Flatten, researcher at the University of Washington, will present Foldit and Games for Scientific Discovery at Johnson Space Center, Aug. 3.
Foldit is an online multiplayer video game that enables anyone to contribute to real scientific discoveries in biochemistry. By combining the natural problem-solving skills of humans with the raw number crunching power of computers, Foldit aims to accomplish what neither could do alone. Foldit has already made significant contributions to scientific problems, and the lessons learned from Foldit have the potential to be applied to a wide variety of scientific fields.
Carissa Vidlak 281-212-1409 sa.jsc.nasa.gov
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8. Family Fun this weekend - Last Day To Purchase Advance Tickets
Space Center Houston hosts "Curiosity: 7 Minutes of Terror" -- a fun-filled family camp-in to celebrate the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars. There will be edible Mars creations, exciting presentations by Mars experts and even a delicious Mars celebration breakfast following countdown.
Date: Sunday, Aug. 5, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Save $5! Only $4.95 if purchased online at http://www.spacecenter.org/marslanding.html by Aug. 4. Tickets purchased at the gate will be $9.95.
Susan H. Anderson x38630 http://www.spacecenter.org/marslanding.html
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9. Let Go of Resentment, Embrace Forgiveness
Please join Takis Bogdanos, LPC-S, on Friday, Aug. 3, at noon in the Building 30 Auditorium for a presentation addressing the importance of forgiveness and the damaging effects grudges and resentment have in our daily lives.
Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch x36130
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10. General Industry Safety & Health: Aug.13 to 17 - Gilruth-Longhorn Room
SMA-SAFE-NSTC-501 - This course is intended to provide instruction on general industry safety and health topics at the introductory level. Examples of topics include an introduction to OSHA standards, lockout/tagout, confined space electrical safety and hazard communications. CFR 1910, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, is the primary source document for this course. NASA Headquarters-level safety documentation and NASA mishap examples and experience have been integrated into the OSHA-provided course material. A 30-hour General OSHA card will be issued. 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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11. Crane Operations & Rigging Safety Refresher ViTS: 7:30 a.m., Aug. 10
SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0028 - This course serves as a refresher in overhead crane safety and awareness for operators, riggers, signalmen, supervisors and safety personnel and to update their understanding of existing Federal and NASA standards and regulations related to such cranes. Areas of concentration include: general safety in crane operations, testing, inspections, pre-lift plans and safe rigging. This course is intended to provide the classroom training for re-certification of already qualified crane operators, or for those who have only a limited need for overhead crane safety knowledge. 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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12. Scaffold Users Seminar ViTS: Noon, Aug. 10
SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0316 - This four-hour course is based on OSHA CFR 1910.28 and 1926.451, requirements for scaffolding safety in the general and construction industries. During the course, the student will receive an overview of those topics needed to work safely on scaffolds including standards, terminology and inspection of scaffold components, uses of scaffolds, fall protection requirements, signs and barricades, etc. Those individuals desiring to become "competent persons" for scaffolds should take the three-day Scaffold Safety course, SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0312.
This course will be primarily presented via the NASA target audience:
- Safety, Reliability, Quality, and Maintainability Professionals.
- Anyone working on operations requiring the use of scaffolds. 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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13. JSC Printer Retrieval Resumes Aug. 9
Starting Aug. 9, HP will finish retrieving the remaining institutional printers that were originally owned and maintained by the ODIN contract. Retrieval began in March 2012 and will conclude mid-September. The remaining printers are throughout the center and have been replaced or consolidated with other new printers.
For more information, please contact the key operators in your area for information on which printers you should use and how to connect to them at: http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/PrintCopy/Copiers/Lists/JSC%20Printer%20Transition/Ke...
To see which printers will be picked up, go to: http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/PrintCopy/Copiers/Copier%20Document%20Library/ACES_Pr...
If you have questions about replacing your current printer, please visit: https://aces.ndc.nasa.gov/subnav/printservices.html
For technical support, please call x34800 for the Enterprise Service Desk.
JSC IRD Outreach x36285 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/default.aspx
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14. Engineers Without Borders-JSC Chapter: 'What's it all about?'
The JSC chapter of Engineers Without Borders will be providing an introduction session about the chapter and the recent activities and projects that they've been involved in within the developing world. The presentation will be in Building 7, Room 141, from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 8. No reservations necessary.
Angela M. Cason x40903 http://ewb-jsc.org/index.html
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15. Systems Engineering Reduced Gravity Project Call
The Systems Engineering Educational Discovery Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program is currently accepting internal project proposals for the 2013 flight season. This project call is for systems-engineering-based reduced gravity research in either microgravity and/or lunar gravity that can be tested in the microgravity aircraft at Johnson Space Center in summer 2013. Projects should be able to be run by a team of undergraduate students in colleges and universities around the nation. To submit a project for this program, please visit http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/security/seed/project/post/
Deadline for submission is Aug. 22.
This is an internal project call open to technical NASA civil servants and NASA contractors agencywide. For questions, please contact jsc-reducedgravity@nasa.gov. Thank you.
Sara Malloy x37847 http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/security/seed/project/post/
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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:
· 9 am Central (10 EDT) – Commercial Crew Program News Conference
Ø Charlie Bolden – Administrator
Ø Bob Cabana – KSC Director
Ø Ed Mango – Commercial Crew Program Manager
· 11:30 am Central (12:30 pm EDT) – NASA Social for Mars Sci Laboratory/Curiosity Landing
· 4:30 pm Central (5:30 EDT) – Live Satellite Interviews on MSL / Curiosity Landing
Human Spaceflight News
Friday – August 3, 2012
HEADLINES AND LEADS
Boeing, SpaceX to Split $1 Billion NASA Award
Andy Pasztor - Wall Street Journal
Boeing Co. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. on Friday are expected to win the bulk of as much as $1 billion in federal awards to spur development of next-generation manned spacecraft, according to industry officials. The decision, which is expected to be disclosed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, caps three years of efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to foster so-called space taxis, commercially-owned and operated vehicles intended to shuttle crews to and from the International Space Station.
Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada to win NASA backing for spaceships
Alan Boyle - NBCNews.com's Cosmic Log
Teams headed by the Boeing Co., SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. will be receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from NASA over the next 21 months for further development of spaceships capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station, knowledgeable sources told NBC News Thursday. NASA is to make the official announcement of the winning commercial teams on Friday morning — but NBC News' Cape Canaveral correspondent, Jay Barbree, received word from two sources who were informed of the decision in advance, on condition of anonymity. The sources did not discuss how much money any of the companies would be receiving.
Report: Boeing, SpaceX, Sierra Nevada get NASA crew contracts
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
MSNBC is reporting that NASA has selected Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. for contracts in the next phase of its push to develop commercial spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station. MSNBC space reporter Jay Barbee reports that two sources have confirmed the awards but have not said how much will be awarded. NASA has a press conference scheduled at Kennedy Space Center Friday morning to make the official announcements. The base contract period is 21 months, but that could be extended. Each contract could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
NASA to Unveil New Deals with Private Space Taxi Builders Today
Space.com
NASA will announce new agreements on Friday (Aug. 3) with some of the private spaceflight companies hoping to build new commercial space taxis to fly American astronauts into space and back. The announcement will come at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) in a press release, with a televised press conference to follow at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), NASA officials said in a statement. The space agency will also hold a separate teleconference with reporters to discuss details of the new private space taxi agreements.
Utah company hopes to land $500 million NASA contract for Liberty Rocket
John Hollenhorst - Deseret News
A high-stakes competition will climax Friday that has nothing to do with the Olympics. The gold medal in this competition is $500 million in federal funding to help a Utah company develop the next generation of manned space-launch vehicles. Workers at ATK (Alliant Techsystems Inc.) will hear an early morning announcement by NASA on contracts that could set in motion years of development of ATK's proposed Liberty rocket at the Utah site. "I wished I could say I was very confident," ATK's Kent Rominger said. "I'm not."
For the CCiCap losers, what’s next?
Jeff Foust - NewSpace Journal
On Friday morning NASA will announce the winners of the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, awards, the next phase of the agency’s commercial crew program. Already some news is leaking out about the awardees: both the Wall Street Journal and NBCNews.com report that Boeing, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX will receive funded awards, with apparently Boeing and SpaceX getting “full-sized” awards and Sierra Nevada a smaller one, complying with the agreement between NASA and key House appropriator Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) to make no more than “two and a half” awards. However, more than just those three companies submitted awards. ATK made a major push for its Liberty concept, and it’s possible Blue Origin (who, along with Boeing, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX, had funded second-round commercial crew development, or CCDev-2, awards) and Excalibur Almaz (which had an unfunded CCDev-2 agreement) may have submitted proposals as well. What will these companies do going forward without a funded CCiCap agreement from NASA?
Russia's 48 Progress Sprint to the ISS a Success
Mark Carreau - Aviation Week
Russia’s Progress 48 mission one day sprint to the six person International Space Station has concluded with success. The unpiloted resupply capsule and its nearly three ton payload carried out a successful automated docking with the ISS Wednesday at 9:18 p.m., EDT, or less than six hours after the Progress 48 lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan: an ISS first. The four orbit journey served as a test flight for a possible Soyuz crew transport mission to the ISS with three passengers. A crew follow on is likely at least a year away, Dina Contella, NASA’s current ISS lead flight director, said shortly before the lift off.
Third Rock Radio show broadcasts from space at 4 pm Eastern
Adrian McCoy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
NASA will make a different kind of history Friday, when an astronaut/DJ will host an Internet radio show from 240 miles above Earth. Talk about your remote broadcasts. Astronaut Joe Acaba will host "The Joe Show: New Rock From Space" from aboard the International Space Station. Mr. Acaba will play music and talk about his experiences aboard the Space Station. The two-hour special streams today at 4 p.m.
From Santa Maria to space
Helical Products Company produced parts for Curiosity, set to touch down Sunday
Janene Scully - Santa Maria Times (CA)
Several components designed and crafted in Santa Maria are set to land on Mars as part of NASA’s newest rover mission to uncover the mysteries of the Red Planet. The rover, including couplers and springs made by Helical Products Company, is set to touch down Sunday night on Mars after traveling millions of miles on an interplanetary voyage. Helical parts appear on many other space missions, such as the International Space Station, but the products also populate technology and equipment across the spectrum.
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COMPLETE STORIES
Boeing, SpaceX to Split $1 Billion NASA Award
Andy Pasztor - Wall Street Journal
Boeing Co. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. on Friday are expected to win the bulk of as much as $1 billion in federal awards to spur development of next-generation manned spacecraft, according to industry officials.
The decision, which is expected to be disclosed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, caps three years of efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to foster so-called space taxis, commercially-owned and operated vehicles intended to shuttle crews to and from the International Space Station.
Chicago-based Boeing and closely-held Space Exploration Technologies, based in Hawthorne, Calif., appear poised to split most of the money tentatively earmarked by NASA and lawmakers for such systems, the industry officials said. The total amount available is likely to be between $800 and $1 billion through the middle of 2014.
Closely-held Sierra Nevada Corp., a manufacturer of satellite components and other aerospace hardware that is based in Sparks, Nev., seems likely to emerge with a substantially smaller award, according to the officials. After lengthy battles with congressional leaders, NASA chief Charles Bolden agreed there would be two primary winners, plus a third choice that would receive less funding, they said.
A Boeing spokeswoman said on Thursday that "we are hoping for favorable news," adding that the company tentatively has scheduled its own briefing for media following NASA's announcement and news conference in Florida.
NASA, Sierra Nevada and SpaceX, as the Southern California company is called, declined to comment.
Promoting private spacecraft to take astronauts into orbit is the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's bid to keep down the costs of replacing NASA's space shuttle fleet, which was retired a year ago. Until U.S. manned spaceships start regular operations, expected around 2017, NASA would have to rely on Russian rockets and capsules to ferry astronauts into orbit.
NASA is further along in setting up private cargo ships to service the space station and those trips could be in full swing next year.
Friday's expected announcement will follow two previous rounds of smaller awards that included development money for all three of the companies. Recently, NASA has stressed that all of the companies have been making good progress and are meeting their milestones under the earlier agreements.
SpaceX's prospects got a huge boost during a demonstration flight three months ago, when its unmanned Dragon capsule became the first private spacecraft to link to the International Space Station. The mission ended with a nearly-flawless return and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The flight generated intense international interest in the NASA program and the company.
The announcement comes after months of tussle between the Obama campaign and presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney's team over the fate of aerospace workers in the state, whose tough economy presents a challenge for the president. On Thursday, Mr. Romney's campaign released a Florida TV ad saying under Mr. Obama the state has seen 8.6% unemployment, record foreclosures and more people living in poverty.
Releasing the awards in Florida would appear to highlight the economic benefits of outsourcing crew transportation. Both Boeing and SpaceX plan to launch from refurbished facilities at the Kennedy Space Center, which proponents say could create thousands of new jobs in the area.
Budget constraints and legislative tussles have hampered the Obama administration's efforts to kickstart the commercial market for privately-operated crew trips.
Both candidates have traveled frequently to the state. On Thursday, Mr. Obama appeared in Orlando, while the Romney campaign sent Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) to Orlando, Fla.
Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada to win NASA backing for spaceships
Alan Boyle - NBCNews.com's Cosmic Log
Teams headed by the Boeing Co., SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. will be receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from NASA over the next 21 months for further development of spaceships capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station, knowledgeable sources told NBC News Thursday.
NASA is to make the official announcement of the winning commercial teams on Friday morning — but NBC News' Cape Canaveral correspondent, Jay Barbree, received word from two sources who were informed of the decision in advance, on condition of anonymity. The sources did not discuss how much money any of the companies would be receiving.
The coming phase of the spaceship development effort — known as Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap — is aimed at producing the design for an entire launch system, including the "space taxi" capsule and launch vehicle as well as ground and recovery operations. The three companies tapped for future funding already have received hundreds of millions of dollars from NASA during earlier development phases. Boeing has gotten $131 million for work on its proposed CST-100 capsule, Sierra Nevada has been allotted more than $125 million for its Dream Chaser space plane, and SpaceX has won $75 million to upgrade its Dragon space capsule to carry crew.
SpaceX, known more formally as Space Exploration Technologies, has also received almost $400 million from a separate NASA program to support the development of the Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket for cargo deliveries to the space station. The successful flight of a Dragon to the station and back in May opened up the way for SpaceX to start regular cargo deliveries under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.
Representatives of SpaceX and Sierra Nevada had no comment on the news. NASA said it would not announce the agreements until Friday morning, as scheduled. Efforts to contact Boeing were unsuccessful so far tonight. The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, quoted industry sources as saying that Boeing and SpaceX were expected to share the bulk of NASA's CCiCap money, and that Sierra Nevada seemed likely to emerge with a smaller award.
NASA invited companies to submit proposals in the range of $300 million to $500 million for development of their spaceship designs through May 2014, with potential optional milestones as well. Under an agreement with congressional leaders, the space agency will provide the full negotiated amount for two companies, plus half of the requested funds for a third company. It's an arrangement I like to call "Two and a Half Spacemen," playing off the title of the popular CBS sitcom.
What about the also-rans?
Other companies sought unsuccessfully to win CCiCap funding — most prominently, a consortium that included ATK, Lockheed Martin and Astrium. The consortium's Liberty launch system would adapt the ATK-manufactured solid rocket booster that was used for the space shuttle and the now-canceled Ares 1 rocket. The second stage would be based on Astrium's Ariane rocket. The composite capsule would be provided by Lockheed Martin, which is the prime contractor for NASA's more capable Orion deep-space capsule.
Other contenders from previous rounds of development included Blue Origin, which was founded by Amazon.com billionaire Jeff Bezos; and Excalibur Almaz, which is adapting Russian technology for its launch system.
NASA officials have said they'd be willing to continue advising the also-rans on an unfunded basis. On the other side of the table, all of the companies involved in the CCiCap competition have said they intended to continue spaceship development efforts even if they didn't win NASA's financial support, but at a reduced pace.
What lies ahead?
Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada have said their spaceships could be ready for NASA's use in the 2015-2016 time frame if they received adequate funding from the space agency. Last month, Ed Mango, NASA's manager for the Commercial Crew Program, told me that the middle of the decade seemed doable, but suggested that 2015 might be too soon.
"By the end of the base period, you need to have an integrated design that you have talked with the government about," Mango said. Actually launching a demonstration spaceflight with a crew might serve as an optional milestone, he added.
Boeing and Sierra Nevada are partnering with other companies to develop their launch system — and the most notable partner in both cases is United Launch Alliance, which could launch Boeing's CST-100 as well as Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser on its Atlas 5 rockets. SpaceX, in contrast, is pursuing its effort on a solo basis.
With last year's retirement of the space shuttle fleet, NASA must depend on the Russians to transport U.S. astronauts to and from the space station, at a cost of around $60 million a seat. All of the companies involved in the Commercial Crew Program say they can do the job for less money than the Russians. In comparison, the cost of flying the space shuttle was estimated at $1 billion or more per mission.
Like the shuttle, the new space taxis are being designed to carry up to seven astronauts.
The commercial space taxis are an essential piece of the strategy worked out by the White House and NASA to free up money for the development of the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle as well as a heavy-lifting Space Launch System. The Orion and SLS would be used for exploration beyond Earth orbit, featuring trips to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025 and journeys to Mars and its moons in the 2030s.
Update for 11:15 p.m. ET Thursday: I want to emphasize that Jay's sources did not tell him which companies are getting more or less money than other companies. They only named the three companies. The Wall Street Journal's report suggests that Boeing and SpaceX will be getting more money than Sierra Nevada, but we don't have any information about that angle of the story. NASA promises that all will be revealed in the morning, and of course we'll pass that along.
Report: Boeing, SpaceX, Sierra Nevada get NASA crew contracts
Lee Roop - Huntsville Times
MSNBC is reporting that NASA has selected Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. for contracts in the next phase of its push to develop commercial spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station. MSNBC space reporter Jay Barbee reports that two sources have confirmed the awards but have not said how much will be awarded.
NASA has a press conference scheduled at Kennedy Space Center Friday morning to make the official announcements. The base contract period is 21 months, but that could be extended. Each contract could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
If the report is correct, the odd man out among four competitors for the contracts would be a team including ATK Inc. It is also possible that two companies could receive larger contracts and one company receive a smaller, backup development deal.
The contracts will allow the winning companies to develop all of the systems and plans necessary to get their spacecraft to the point where construction could begin. Contracts to build would come in the next phase. Sierra Nevada is developing a mini-space shuttle called the Dream Chaser, SpaceX is developing its Dragon capsule and Boeing is developing what it calls the CST-100 capsule.
NASA to Unveil New Deals with Private Space Taxi Builders Today
Space.com
NASA will announce new agreements on Friday (Aug. 3) with some of the private spaceflight companies hoping to build new commercial space taxis to fly American astronauts into space and back.
The announcement will come at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) in a press release, with a televised press conference to follow at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), NASA officials said in a statement. The space agency will also hold a separate teleconference with reporters to discuss details of the new private space taxi agreements.
The new deals are part of NASA's Commercial Crew integrated Capability program (CCiCap) aimed at spurring private companies to develop commercial spacecraft capable of meeting current U.S. human spaceflight needs. NASA retired its 30-year space shuttle program last year and is currently dependent on Russian spacecraft to ferry Americans to the International Space Station.
"Through CCiCap, NASA is stimulating the private sector to develop and demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities that could ultimately lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for both commercial and government customers," NASA officials said in a statement.
During the televised announcement, which will be broadcast and webcast live on NASA TV, several top NASA officials will unveil the winners of CCiCap funding.
The teleconference with reporters will include: William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations; Philip McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight development; and astronaut Brent Jett, deputy manager for the agency's Commercial Crew Program.
You can watch the televised briefing live here: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
The CCiCap initiative is the latest round of NASA agreements with commercial partners to encourage the development of new crew-carrying spacecraft. So far, four companies are developing manned spacecraft through funded Space Act agreements with NASA. They include: Boeing Space Exploration of Houston; Blue Origin of Kent, Wash.; Sierra Nevada Space Systems of Louisville, Colo.; and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif.
In May, SpaceX launched a successful unmanned flight of its Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station as part of a separate agreement with NASA to provide robotic cargo deliveries to the orbiting laboratory. The Virginia-based company Orbital Sciences Corp. is also building an unmanned supply ship to provide NASA delivery flights under a similar deal.
NASA is currently relying on the development of private U.S. spacecraft to replace the crew and cargo launch capabilities formerly provided by the space shuttle program. The shift, agency officials have said, will allow NASA to focus on its deep-space exploration goal of sending astronauts to explore a near-Earth asteroid by 2025 —a target set by the Obama administration.
The space agency is developing its own Orion deep space capsule and a giant rocket, called the Space Launch System, to pursue the deep-space exploration program.
Utah company hopes to land $500 million NASA contract for Liberty Rocket
John Hollenhorst - Deseret News
A high-stakes competition will climax Friday that has nothing to do with the Olympics. The gold medal in this competition is $500 million in federal funding to help a Utah company develop the next generation of manned space-launch vehicles.
Workers at ATK (Alliant Techsystems Inc.) will hear an early morning announcement by NASA on contracts that could set in motion years of development of ATK's proposed Liberty rocket at the Utah site.
"I wished I could say I was very confident," ATK's Kent Rominger said. "I'm not."
At least four companies are involved in the battle for NASA funding. It would pay for the next 21 months of design and development of a "commercial crew vehicle."
NASA hopes to use commercial vehicles developed and owned by private companies to lift astronauts into orbit and deliver them to the International Space Station. Currently, the United States has no vehicle to perform that function so NASA astronauts are hitching rides on Russian rockets.
The competing companies are vying to replace the now-defunct Space Shuttle. ATK hopes to put a test crew in space on its Liberty rocket by 2015 and to launch a NASA crew the following year.
If NASA gives ATK the contract, it will get up to $500 million to move the Liberty program to its final design stage. But it's no sure thing for ATK; the company lost out in two previous NASA competitions.
"In every realm, I emphasize that I think we have the leading candidate," Rominger, a veteran NASA astronaut and manager of ATK's Liberty program, said. But three other major players are vying for NASA dollars:• Boeing is developing a launch vehicle called the CST-100.• Space X has tested a spacecraft called the Dragon.• Sierra Nevada is developing a winged vehicle called the Dream Chaser.
NASA could choose two of the competing projects for full funding, with a third proposal receiving partial funding. But NASA has not revealed its plans.
"When I look at all the merits of my system," Rominger said, "I can't imagine us not being chosen. Having said that, to date, this is the third competition and we have never been chosen."
Rominger claims the Liberty rocket is safer than its competitors. The competing designs he said were originally developed as unmanned cargo vehicles and satellite delivery systems. By contrast, Rominger said, Liberty was designed from the beginning as a manned launch system. It borrows proven concepts from Space Shuttle and Apollo programs.
Rominger said NASA encouraged companies to take advantage of technologies developed by NASA over the past 50 years.
"I'm leveraging everything that we as taxpayers have developed," Rominger said. "If you total all the billions that have been spent into my system before I started, it's probably approaching $10 billion. So I've got a huge head start."
If ATK is not chosen for NASA funding, the company could proceed using its own money. But that's a steeper trajectory for the Liberty program.
For the CCiCap losers, what’s next?
Jeff Foust - NewSpace Journal
On Friday morning NASA will announce the winners of the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability, or CCiCap, awards, the next phase of the agency’s commercial crew program. Already some news is leaking out about the awardees: both the Wall Street Journal and NBCNews.com report that Boeing, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX will receive funded awards, with apparently Boeing and SpaceX getting “full-sized” awards and Sierra Nevada a smaller one, complying with the agreement between NASA and key House appropriator Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) to make no more than “two and a half” awards.
However, more than just those three companies submitted awards. ATK made a major push for its Liberty concept, and it’s possible Blue Origin (who, along with Boeing, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX, had funded second-round commercial crew development, or CCDev-2, awards) and Excalibur Almaz (which had an unfunded CCDev-2 agreement) may have submitted proposals as well. What will these companies do going forward without a funded CCiCap agreement from NASA?
For Blue Origin, the company is likely to continue progress at a slower, but self-funded pace, relying on the investment that founder Jeff Bezos has made in the company since its inception. Excalibur Almaz, meanwhile, has shown an interest in commercial activities beyond Earth orbit: the company has been pushing circumlunar and deep space missions, seeing better opportunities there than in Earth orbit. Company officials speaking at the NSS’s International Space Development Conference in Washington, DC, in May suggested the company primarily sought an unfunded CCDev-2 agreement to permit some technical interchange with NASA to support the company’s future plans beyond LEO.
ATK is another story, though: the company has invested significantly in its push for a CCiCap award, including a media blitz in the last month. Company officials have suggested they would continue to pursue the program, but at a slower pace, without NASA funding. At the NewSpace 2012 conference last week, ATK’s Kent Rominger outlined an aggressive schedule for Liberty that called for flight tests beginning in 2014 and crew flights starting in 2015, but that schedule depends on winning a full CCiCap award. Rominger said NASA asked them what would happen if they got only two-thirds of their requested funding. “My schedule went out about seven months,” he said. “Proportionally from there it just continues to go out further to the right with less funding.”
And what if the reports are wrong and it’s Sierra Nevada left out of the CCiCap awards? Mark Sirangelo, head of Sierra Nevada Space Systems, also spoke at NewSpace 2012 and, during a luncheon address, talked about the perseverance the company had in the past trying to win a different NASA contract, which they finally did after several setbacks. Does that mean the company has a Plan B if they don’t win a CCiCap award? “Yeah, we have a Plan B, Plan C, Plan D,” he said. He declined to go into details about what those backplan plans are, though, saying he would want to consult with his “space family”—those working on the Dream Chaser program—before making any decisions on those plans. “We will discuss those contingency plans if necessary. This is not the time or place to do that.”
Russia's 48 Progress Sprint to the ISS a Success
Mark Carreau - Aviation Week
Russia’s Progress 48 mission one day sprint to the six person International Space Station has concluded with success.
The unpiloted resupply capsule and its nearly three ton payload carried out a successful automated docking with the ISS Wednesday at 9:18 p.m., EDT, or less than six hours after the Progress 48 lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan: an ISS first.
The linkup, 250 miles over the Pacific Ocean west of South America, unfolded 7 minutes ahead of the forecast, or an elapsed time of 5 hours, 43 minutes.
The four orbit journey served as a test flight for a possible Soyuz crew transport mission to the ISS with three passengers. A crew follow on is likely at least a year away, Dina Contella, NASA’s current ISS lead flight director, said shortly before the lift off.
The Progress 48 spacecraft rose from Central Asia at 3:35 p.m., EDT, or on Aug. 2 at 1:35 a.m., local time.
The spacecraft successfully carried out a quartet of precise rendezvous maneuvers over the first two hours, 40 minutes of flight to set up the much abbreviated rendezvous. The normal Progress cargo and Soyuz crew mission timelines unfold over 34 orbits or just over two days.
The “sprint” is intended to improve crew comfort. The longer Soyuz journey requires a steady roll of the spacecraft to manage external thermal extremes from the cold and heat of space on the capsule exterior.
In the event of an emergency shortfall of supplies on the ISS, the Progress 48 flight also demonstrates a “stat” equipment response.
The Progress 48 cargo includes fuel, water, compressed breathing air, spare parts and research gear for the station’s six-person crew.
Then new Russian freighter is expected to remain at the station until late December.
At least one more express Progress test flight, perhaps later this year, is anticipated before a Soyuz mission test of the accelerated timeline is attempted, NASA spokesman Rob Navias said from NASA’s Mission Control late Wednesday.
Third Rock Radio show broadcasts from space at 4 pm Eastern
Adrian McCoy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
NASA will make a different kind of history Friday, when an astronaut/DJ will host an Internet radio show from 240 miles above Earth. Talk about your remote broadcasts.
Astronaut Joe Acaba will host "The Joe Show: New Rock From Space" from aboard the International Space Station. Mr. Acaba will play music and talk about his experiences aboard the Space Station.
The two-hour special streams today at 4 p.m.
"The Joe Show" is carried on online radio station Third Rock Radio ("America's Space Station"), a 24/7 new rock online station produced by NASA and RFC Media, a Houston-based company that creates customized radio stations for businesses and organizations.
Today's "Joe Show" is a one-time broadcast, but Third Rock is using it as a test model for possible future specials, using other NASA astronauts and scientists on the ground as guest hosts.
Third Rock Radio launched in December 2011. Its mission is to reach young listeners and spark an interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
But it's also worth listening to musically. The playlist explores the frontiers of new and indie rock and is a good way to discover new music and artists. The lineup includes bands such as The Black Keys, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Muse and Blind Pilot. Unlike some online radio channels that play music nonstop, Third Rock has announcers and sounds like a polished mainstream radio format.
Third Rock radio streams on the Third Rock Radio site www.thirdrockradio.net and on the NASA home page www.nasa.gov. Mobile users can listen using the TuneIn app, which is available in the Google Play and iTunes app stores.
From Santa Maria to space
Helical Products Company produced parts for Curiosity, set to touch down Sunday
Janene Scully - Santa Maria Times (CA)
Several components designed and crafted in Santa Maria are set to land on Mars as part of NASA’s newest rover mission to uncover the mysteries of the Red Planet.
The rover, including couplers and springs made by Helical Products Company, is set to touch down Sunday night on Mars after traveling millions of miles on an interplanetary voyage.
Dubbed Curiosity — its formal name is Mars Science Laboratory — rode aboard an Atlas 5 rocket that blasted off Nov. 26, 2011, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Landing is expected to occur at 10:31 p.m. PDT Sunday and will be shown on NASA TV, which is available on the Web and through satellite and cable providers.
It’s not the first Mars mission for the firm. Employee T-shirts boasting “Back to Mars” tout Helical’s out-of-this-world involvement in other trips to the Red Planet.
“We’re very proud to have three — well, will have three, because everybody’s crossing their fingers — successful missions on Mars that we have parts on,” said Tom Puerling, Helical marketing manager.
Helical Products Company, based at 900 W. McCoy Lane, uses its special “Heli-Cal Flexure” technology to craft unique flexible couplings and springs.
For instance, one flexible coupling sits on the end of a robotic arm’s vibration mechanism; the Helical product will help the system gather and agitate soil samples for further analysis by a spectrometer, according to Helical representatives.
Curiosity actually carries multiple components designed by Helical.
“I think what makes us special is the number of designs. If they use, for example, screws from Helical products, they could use fifty screws, but that’s just one screw (design),” said Randy Kingsbury, Helical vice president of sales and marketing.
Engineers from three groups in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory contacted Helical independently to request the firm’s products for Curiosity, the company representatives noted.
“It’s not that one guy really loves us. We’re just that well known and respected,” Kingsbury said.
Shortly after joining Helical, Cal Poly graduate and mechanical engineer Matthew Bush began his design work for the Mars rover in early 2008.
“We worked for something like seven or eight months in total. I mean, it was many months of work over the course. It was just for that one design,” Bush said of one coupling. “They spent their time on it. They wanted to get it right.”
Helical officials know their products have flown on two other successful Mars missions, including three springs on the back of Mars Sojourner’s X-ray spectrometer that allowed it to back up on a rock.
But often they find out only after the fact where their products are used. That’s because other Helical customers, who are subcontractors, spell out the specifications in extreme detail but avoid mentioning the end product.
Bush said he enjoyed knowing his design and Helical’s product would be on Mars.
“It makes the job interesting to be able to work on projects like that and to work with engineers from JPL. They’re very precise, and they’re really great to work with,” Bush said.
Helical has been in business since 1958. The privately owned firm relocated from Redondo Beach to Santa Maria in 1974.
The firm, with approximately 120 employees, uses its “Flexure” technology to machine solid material into usable, pliant parts.
“Our talent, as we say our ‘secret sauce,’ is we’ve got a way to make this part flexible with great precision,” Kingsbury said. “For doing the design analysis, manufacturing and everything, I would tend to guess we’re probably the only company in the world that does it.”
Helical parts appear on many other space missions, such as the International Space Station, but the products also populate technology and equipment across the spectrum.
Talking about the firm’s products moves Kingsbury to declare, “These things are sexy.”
The reason for the declaration becomes obvious as representatives point to an array of products sitting on a conference table, then one by one tick off were they are used.
Formula One car. Robotic surgery machine. Coinstar change machine. Mowers for golf course greens. Pitching machines.
“Tying it to Santa Maria, we have product on the Embraer 120 (aircraft), so every day when United Express flies in and out of here it has Helical products, springs, in there,” Puerling said.
Kingsbury added, “We do some amazing stuff.”
END
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