9/21/12 news

  STATION EXPLORATION ORION COMMERCIAL SPACE NASA NEWS MULTIMEDIA   Friday, September 21, 2012 JSC External Homepage Inside JSC Submit JSC Today JSC Roundup Daily News Summary Reader's Room JSC on Facebook   JSC TODAY HEADLINES 1.            Photos From Endeavour's Flyover Now Online 2.            There's an App for That -- and More Cool International Space Station News 3.            JSC Hispanic Heritage Month Event -- Save the Date 4.            Human Spaceflight Training Featured at This Month's HSI ERG Meeting 5.            The Journey Continues Trivia Challenge 6.            JSC Expected Behaviors 7.            Jim McBarron: Personal Background Interview by Rebecca Wright 8.            JSC Systems Engineering Forum: Robotic Technology 9.            JSC SharePoint and IRD SQL Database Intermittent Outage - Sept. 26 10.          JSC Technology Transfer and Commercialization 11.          Chronic Illness Group 12.          Attention Active Duty and Military Retirees 13.          Ohio State University Alumni Gathering ________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY “ When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way.”   -- Wayne Dyer ________________________________________ 1.            Photos From Endeavour's Flyover Now Online Did you spot Endeavour Wednesday, but forgot your camera? Have no fear, because JSC's photographers didn't, and they captured some amazing shots from the ground and the skies. To view the photos, go to JSC's Imagery Online at: https://io.jsc.nasa.gov/app/browse.cfm?cid=37262   Photos are continuously being posted, so check back often. The photos and the online database are provided by JSC's Information Resources Directorate. If you have any issues viewing the photos or accessing the database, please call x37777.   JSC-IRD-Outreach x37777   [top] 2.            There's an App for That -- and More Cool International Space Station News ISS Research and Technology is hopping these days!   In this "A Lab Aloft" blog post, guest blogger Scott M. Smith, Ph.D., reflects on the recent publication of results on human health space station research regarding the beneficial connections between bone density, diet and exercise. Read more at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/newui/blog/viewpostlist.jsp?blogname=ISS%20Science%2...   When planning a beach vacation, you have the usual checklist: sun block, check! Beach towel, check! Scan of the coastal waters for healthy conditions, check -- er, what? Thanks to International Space Station technology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has a new tool that may soon give beach goers the ability to know before they go, using their mobile devices to complete that check list. Read more about it at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/epa_coastal.html   Yes, now there's an app for THAT, too. Want to try your hand at landing an inflatable spacecraft? All you need is a smart phone, a computer or a tablet. Get the details at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/hiad_game.html   JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111   [top] 3.            JSC Hispanic Heritage Month Event -- Save the Date The JSC Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HERG) will be hosting a 2012 JSC Hispanic Heritage Month event on Thursday, Oct. 4, in the Teague Auditorium. The event will begin at 11 a.m. with a live band. At the conclusion of the band performance, a live Latin dance choreography/performance hosted by Rodolfo Gonzalez and Stephanie Tapia will be presented.   The invited speakers will begin at noon. We are proud to present Dr. Richard Tapia, Rice University professor, who will be speaking on the "Crisis in Texas Higher Education: The Need for New Leadership." A second keynote speaker, Dr. James Salazar, professor at Galveston College, will present, "A Piece of My American Dream." The program will conclude at 1 p.m. with door prizes and free "Helados" to all in attendance. For more information, please contact Libby Moreno at 281-483-8608 or: elizabeth.moreno-1@nasa.gov   Save the date!   To add this meeting to your calendar, open the following link and click "Open," then "Save and Close:" http://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/hisp/Shared%20Documents/Hispanic%20He...   Libby Moreno x38608   [top] 4.            Human Spaceflight Training Featured at This Month's HSI ERG Meeting The JSC Human System Integration (HSI) Employee Resource Group (ERG) meeting will feature Jason Hutt of the Spaceflight Training Management Office. He will present an overview of the process for developing human spaceflight training, including a review of the high-level milestones and approval path. We will meet Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Building 1, Room 220. Bring your lunch and join us!   Deb Neubek 281-222-3687 http://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/HSI/SitePages/Home.aspx   [top] 5.            The Journey Continues Trivia Challenge Calling all NASA fans, space enthusiasts and beyond! Show your support for the NASA Johnson Space Center and join us in celebrating the future of space exploration. Follow us on Twitter and take The Journey Continues Trivia Challenge. You could be the lucky winner of an exciting ride in the Space Exploration Vehicle alongside an astronaut! Don't miss this exciting opportunity.   The contest deadline is WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26. For more information, visit: http://www.ballunarfestival.com   Robin Hart Prouse x32843   [top] 6.            JSC Expected Behaviors The NASA values consist of Safety, Teamwork and Integrity in support of mission success. We commit without compromise to embodying our core values in all that we do. To realize these values, we have defined a set of supporting behaviors for the contractors and civil servants that comprise the JSC community. Everyone in the JSC community is expected to demonstrate these behaviors every day. Below is final of the four expected behaviors.   Be open-minded - be receptive. We seek knowledge that will strengthen our team and ourselves.   Ask yourself: Do I look for innovative ways to address challenges? Do I look inward for areas of improvement? Do I actively seek honest discussion and feedback, particularly if a situation is unfolding? Do I help others to learn and improve? Am I constantly striving towards my team's success? Do I seek opportunities to celebrate team success? Do I offer constructive alternatives, observations and dissention?   Effective communication is a crucial ingredient to practicing these behaviors daily. Communication is a two-way process that requires us to listen and understand at least as much as we speak. We openly share information and knowledge, focusing on quality, not quantity.   Brought to you by the JSC Joint Leadership Team: http://jlt.jsc.nasa.gov/   Erin Misegades x40003   [top] 7.            Jim McBarron: Personal Background Interview by Rebecca Wright Jim McBarron exhibits a wealth of knowledge gathered from more than 40 years of experience with NASA, Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and spacesuits. His biography, progression of work at NASA, impact on EVA and career accomplishments are of interest to many. Rebecca Wright from the JSC History Office will conduct a personal interview with McBarron. This interview will highlight the influences and decision-making methods that impacted his technical and management contributions to NASA. Attendees will gain insight on the external and internal NASA influences on career progression and the type of accomplishments and technical advances that committed individuals can make.   When: Friday, Sept. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Location: Building 5S, Room 3102 (corner of Gamma Link/5th Street/third floor)   Registration: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/catalog/createSearchResults.do Or search for "spacesuit" to bring up all Spacesuit Knowledge Capture offerings.   Contact a Spacesuit Knowledge Capture POC with questions: Cinda Chullen (x38384), Juniper Jairala (281-461-5794), Rose Bitterly (281-461-5795) or Vladenka Oliva (281-461-5681).   Juniper Jairala 281-461-5794   [top] 8.            JSC Systems Engineering Forum: Robotic Technology The next JSC Systems Engineering Forum will be Thursday, Sept. 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Building 1, Room 966. It's also available via telecom/WebEx (see link). Steve Altemus, director of Engineering at JSC, will hold an interactive discussion on how to bring human spaceflight and science together through the use of robotic technology. Demonstrations of some very cool technology will be included. Website: https://oasis.jsc.nasa.gov/infra/syseng/default.aspx   Linda Bromley x30129 https://oasis.jsc.nasa.gov/infra/syseng/default.aspx   [top] 9.            JSC SharePoint and IRD SQL Database Intermittent Outage - Sept. 26 The Information Resources Directorate (IRD) has scheduled an outage to conduct monthly maintenance patching on the JSC SharePoint Service and IRD SQL Database servers on Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 10 p.m. CDT. During this timeframe, the JSC SharePoint service and IRD SQL database service will be offline. Therefore, some internal JSC websites, like organization pages or the internal JSC home page, may lose some functionally during this maintenance period.   IRD will minimize the downtime as much as possible, but users may experience intermittent outages as the servers are rebooted throughout the evening. For assistance related to this outage, please contact the IRD Customer Support Center at x46367, option 5, or email: jsc-irdcspt@mail.nasa.gov   JSC IRD Outreach x45296 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/IRDHelp/sharepoint/default.aspx   [top] 10.          JSC Technology Transfer and Commercialization The September dinner meeting of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Galveston Bay Section Consultant Network will feature Dr. Kumar Krishen, ST Senior Scientist/Lead Technologist for the Technology Transfer and Commercialization Office at JSC. Krishen is responsible for developing strategies for joint research and technology projects and plans with industries, universities, other NASA centers and government agencies. The JSC Technology Transfer and Commercialization Office is implementing the new initiatives in an effort to bring greater value to internal and external customers and increase productivity of JSC efforts. Krishen will discuss these initiatives and identify avenues for participation in JSC technology transfer and commercialization enterprise.   The program will take place Sept. 26 from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. in the Gilruth Center Discovery Room. Dinner is complimentary for the first 15 requestors; there is no charge for the presentation. Please RSVP to Stew O'Dell at: stewart.c.odell@nasa.gov   Stew O'Dell x31855   [top] 11.          Chronic Illness Group Do you want to know how to best protect your relationships while dealing with medical issues? Join Gay Yarbrough, LCSW, for a discussion of "Relationship Tips When Dealing with Chronic Illness."   When: Tuesday, Sept. 25 Time: 4 p.m. Where: Building 32, Conference Room 142   Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch x36130   [top] 12.          Attention Active Duty and Military Retirees At ease! The Randolph Air Force Base Commissary will be hosting a four-day sale at the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base from Sept. 20 to 23. All military ID card holders with commissary privileges are invited to come take advantage of the tremendous savings.   Bob Martel x38581 http://www.commissaries.com/stores/html/store.cfm?dodaac=HQCMC8&page=news   [top] 13.          Ohio State University Alumni Gathering Join Ohio State alumni at Buffalo Wild Wings on Bay Area Blvd. at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29. Meet other alumni in the area while cheering on the team. O-H ...   Tamra George x32923   [top]   ________________________________________ 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.   LEADING THE NEWS Endeavour Lands In California After Pass Over Tucson........... 4 Takeoff Delayed One Hour Due To Fog......................... 4 Endeavour Mission Is Last Flight For Specialized Pilots. 5 Public, NASA Post Images Of Endeavour’s Flight.......... 5 NASA NEWS Legislators Unveil Space Leadership Preservation Act............. 5 Blog Coverage............................................................ 5 Abbey Donates Papers To Museum Of Flight.............................. 6 Carpenter Attends Park Rededication........................................... 6 HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS Date Set For SpaceX’s Next ISS Mission...................................... 6 Hoshide Participates In Live Radio Broadcast............................. 6 MathAlive! Exhibit Arriving At The US Space & Rocket Center. 7 Compact MRI Could Be Used At ISS............................................. 7 SCIENCE Vesta May Have Released Water Vapor In Its Past..................... 7 NASA Launching Two Suborbital Rockets In Coming Days..... 7 UAV Operations Bring “New Challenges” To Piloting................ 7 Curiosity Given Commands To Reach Out To First Rock.......... 8 Langley Researcher To Discuss How Modeling Helped With Landing        8 Blog Coverage............................................................ 8 New Study Mimics Molecular Reactions In Space...................... 8 Corona Cavities May Be “Launch Pads” For CMEs.................... 8 Steady Plant Production May Indicate Planetary Limit............... 8 AERONAUTICS RESEARCH NASA Testing UAV Avoidance System Developed At University              9 Glenn To Recognize National POW/MIA Recognition Day Today             9 Langley Open House Listed As “Fun” Activity For The Weekend              9 BLOGS Chart Shows Breakdown Of Sequestration By Account............. 9 B612 Foundation Announces It Has “Major Support” For Sentinel Mission            9 AEROSPACE NEWS USAF Approves Bidders For Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 Contract       9 FCC Claims It Did Not Know Of LightSquared’s GPS Interference          10 GOCE Spacecraft Increasing Risk By Going Lower Into Atmosphere      10 No Cause Found Yet For Intelsat Satellite Launch Damage Last May     10 ESA Testing Bistatic Radar For Space Situational Awareness Program 10 Gaia Spacecraft Passes Tests...................................................... 10 Whirlpool Galaxy Image Wins Astronomy Photographer Of The Year Award        11 Moorpark College Hosting Moon Night This Weekend............ 11 CONGRESS-ADMINISTRATION Obama Says “A Whole Bunch Of Millionaires...Aren’t Paying Taxes.”     11 Obama Takes Heat For Failing To Pass Immigration Reform        12 Crist Among Attendees At Obama Fundraiser In Tampa 14 Obama’s Visit To Miami Hamburger Joint Noted........... 14 Pew Finds Voter Enthusiasm On The Rise, But Still Below 2008 Level     14 Candidates Tied In Gallup Tracking Poll; Obama Has 3.1% Lead In RCP Average 14 Obama Tops Romney Narrowly In Florida.................... 14 Two Polls Show Obama With Edge In Nevada............. 14 Two Polls Have Obama Up In Wisconsin..................... 14 Romney Up Three In Iowa.......................................... 15 Obama Up Four In Online Colorado Survey.................. 15 Obama Up Six In Pennsylvania.................................. 15 Obama Retains 50%-44% Swing State Edge Over Romney On Handling Medicare            15 RCP Average Has Obama Job Approval At 49.6%....... 15 ACA Helps Medicare Beneficiaries Save $4.5 Billion On Prescriptions  15 CBO Expects Two Million More People To Pay ACA Penalty       15 ACA Benefits Unavailable To Undocumented Immigrants In Deferred Status         16 Strassel Criticizes AARP’s Support Of ACA................. 16 Weekly Unemployment Claims Fall To 382,000...................... 16 Illinois, Massachusetts See Uptick In Unemployment Rates        16 Data Show More People Moving Into New Homes........ 17 Study Blames Banks For Loan Modification Failure...... 17 Number Of Stock Buybacks Increases........................ 17 Global Growth Concerns Prompt Market Decline.......... 17 Fed “Hawk” Kocherlakota Proposes “Enhancement” To QE3 17 Boston Fed Reserve President Backs QE3.................. 18 Brazilian Finance Chief Criticizes QE3......................... 18 Some Lawmakers Lobby Fed To Change Volcker Rule. 18 Romney Vows To “Change Washington” In Florida Speech.. 18 Romney Has Short Amount Of Time To Get Campaign On Track 19 Romney Trailed Obama In Cash On Hand At End Of August        19 More Commentary On Romney Campaign................... 19 Ann Romney To Husband’s GOP Critics: “Stop It, This Is Hard.” 20 Ryan Visits Capitol Hill To Reassure His Colleagues.............. 20 Pawlenty Leaving Romney Campaign To Head Financial Services Roundtable  20 GOP Voter Outreach Efforts Described As Much Improved.... 21 Goode, Romney Campaign Both Downplay Candidacy’s Impact In Virginia         21 Johnson Raised $356,406 In August........................... 21 Biden Was Most-Watched Speaker Of Either Convention...... 21 Clinton’s “Unprecedented” Surrogate Role Includes Sunday Show, Battleground State Appearances            21 Priorities USA Outraised Restore Our Future In August........... 22 Obama Marks Anniversary Of DADT Repeal............................. 22 Issa Says Obama Has “An Enemies List.”.................................. 22 “Disliked, Unproductive Congress” Set To Leave Town.......... 22 Election Politics Impacts Pre-Recess Business In Senate 22 More Commentary..................................................... 23 House Passes “Resolution Of Disapproval” Of Welfare Waivers              23 Pelosi: Republicans “Without Knowledge, Integrity” On Waivers   23 Foxx Argues Against Attempts To “Undermine” Welfare 23 Congress Hopes To Address Farm Bill In Lame Duck Session 24 STEM Jobs Act Fails In House Despite Defection By Democrats             24 Effort To Recognize Manhattan Project Fails In House........... 24 Waters Expected To Be Cleared Of Ethics Charges................ 24 Justice IG’s House Testimony Sparks Partisan Clash Over Fast And Furious        25 Illegal Fast And Furious Guns Still On The Street......... 26 IG: White House Aide Declined To Cooperate In Probe. 26 Terry Family Not Happy With IG Report....................... 26 Obama: “Holder Has My Complete Confidence.”........... 26 More Commentary..................................................... 27 DOJ Defends Financial Fraud Prosecutions.............................. 27 Report: US Multinationals Exploit Tax Code.............................. 27 Tax Credit In Danger As Strength Of US Wind Industry Declines              28 Taxpayers, Ratepayers Will Bear Cost Of Solar Construction Boom         28 CBO Questions Value Of Electric Vehicle Tax Credits.. 28 New York State To Study Health Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing  28 Upton, Inhofe Say Administration’s Energy Policy Threatens Energy Independence           28 Acosta, Goodlatte Say Renewable Fuel Standard Flexibility Needed         29 Carney Says Obama Agrees That Nats Should Let Teddy Win 29 Democrats Optimistic About Keeping Senate Control............. 29 Democrats Currently Have Advantage In Race For Senate Control            29 First Massachusetts Senate Debate Turns Into Rancorous Clash             30 Kaine Comment On Minimum Income Tax Provides Fodder For GOP   30 DCCC Swamped NRCC In August Fundraising....................... 30 House Republicans Donated $3.2 Million To NRCC Thursday       30 Despite “Atypical” Rival, Bachmann Confident About MN6 Re-Election  31 WSJournal Lauds Reversals Of “Activist” Court Rulings.......... 31 WPost Blasts Arizona Immigration Law...................................... 31 NYTimes: VA Land In Los Angeles Should Be Used To House Chronically Homeless Vets              31 WPost: Cuccinelli Is Politicizing Virginia AG’s Office............... 31 Author Highlights Role Of Suburbs In Environmental Movement             31 Saban Nominated To UN Post..................................................... 32 Senate Panel Unanimously Backs Washburn To Head BIA... 32 WAR NEWS Obama, Clinton Appeal For Calm In Pakistan TV Ad As Protests Continue           32 Pakistan Vows Better Counterterror Cooperation With US, Refuses To Discuss Haqqanis  33 Pakistan Refuses To Cooperate With UN On Missing Persons Probe       33 All Of US Surge Troops Now Out Of Afghanistan..................... 33 Obama, Karzai Discuss Rules For Detaining Terror Suspects       33 Shifting Women To Front Lines Prompts New Body Armor Designs       33 Cordesman: Afghan Transition Requires Six Elements For Success      34 TERRORISM NEWS GOP Lawmakers Ask White House Not To Release Abdel-Rahman       34 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Clinton Orders Review As White House Deems Libya Attack An Act Of Terrorism               34 Republicans Question Administration’s Handling Of Attack          36 Burns Attends Memorial Service In Libya.................... 36 More Commentary..................................................... 36 Clinton: US To Sell Apache Helicopters To Indonesia............. 37 Panetta Removes Ban On US Naval Visits To New Zealand. 37 Panetta Visit To New Zealand Said To Demonstrate US Commitment To Pacific   37 Iranian Official Says Nuclear Data Was Faked......................... 37 Ignatius: Simulation Exhibited Consequence Of Mixed Signals With Iran   37 UN Security Council Members Criticized Iranian Arms Sales To Syria   38 At Least 30 Killed During Airstrike On Gas Station....... 38 WPost: US Inaction In Syria Allows Iran To Boost Assad 38 Campbell Says Disputed Islands Fall Under US Defense Pact With Japan           38 Economic Ties Serve As Safeguard For Further Escalation          38 Japan’s Foreign Policy Shifts Right Amid Regional Territorial Disputes      39 Asian Trade Plan Designed To Offset US Issues With China 39 Obama’s Warning To Hu In 2010 Said To Have Altered US-China Dynamic           39 Wen Offers EU Economy Support Despite Arms Embargo Frustrations     39 Shifting Focus, Palestinians To Seek “Nonmember State” Status At UN                40 Austerity Backlash In UK Has Parallels To US Dilemma........ 40 Slow Progress Made In Litvinenko Poisoning Probe............... 40 Questions Mount About Source For Greece Bailout Funds..... 40 Spain Talks With EU Focusing On Bond Buy Plan Conditions      41 New ECB Headquarters A Duel Tale Of Institution’s Strength, Region’s Woes       41 Catalonia Tensions Add To Rajoy’s Financial Problems........ 41 Suu Kyi Backs Russian Protest Band In Joint Washington Appearance  41 Pew Study Finds Increase In Restrictions On Religion............. 41 Former State Department Officials Encourage Resolve For India Relations          42 WASHINGTON’S SCHEDULE: Today's Events In Washington...................................................... 42 THE BIG PICTURE: Headlines From Today’s Front Pages......................................... 46       LEADING THE NEWS Endeavour Lands In California After Pass Over Tucson.  ABC World News (9/20, story 7, 0:30, Sawyer, 8.2M) reported on “a kind of valentine from astronaut Mark Kelly to his wife, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords” because Kelly asked NASA to detour the shuttle Endeavour as it flew from Houston to California to Tuscon, Arizona so she could see it again. Kelly “reportedly looked up himself, turned to her, said, ‘That’s my spaceship.’” The CBS Evening News (9/20, story 9, 0:25, Pelley, 6.1M) reported, “The shuttle headed west today from Houston, strapped on the back of a 747. ... It landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California and tomorrow it flies to Los Angeles and its retirement in a museum.” The AP (9/21, Chang) reports the shuttle will “take off again after sunrise Friday to make low, sweeping passes over Sacramento, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles.” The article notes “Endeavour’s maiden voyage into space two decades ago ended with a planned touchdown at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center based at Edwards. Unlike a return from orbit, no ear-splitting twin sonic booms accompanied the latest return.” Another AP (9/21, Davenport, Plushnick-Masti) article focuses on the flight as it passed over Tucson. “Hundreds” were at the University of Arizona to view it. It gave “NASA a chance to honor Giffords’ legacy as a longtime advocate for American human spaceflight, NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone told The Associated Press in an email. She said no additional costs would be incurred by honoring Kelly’s request.” Meanwhile, according to the Los Angeles Times (9/21, Simmons, Mather, 629K), there was a “battalion of media” at Edwards, “along with about 40 of NASA’s social media followers, including space enthusiasts.” The Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News (9/21, Ramirez, 22K) reports when the shuttle passed over the White Sands Missile Range it was a “dazzling” sight to witnesses. The sight “raised a common question among many of the thousands of people who saw it. ‘How cool is this?’” The Christian Science Monitor (9/21, Goodale, 47K) notes “Endeavour is being cheered as it soars cross-country into a Tinseltown retirement, but here in Los Angeles the ex-NASA behemoth is getting a cool reception from some of its future neighbors” because of the trees that have to be cut down. Despite the museum committing to replace multiple trees for each one cut down, “residents continue to voice their frustrations with the manner in which the shuttle arrival has been handled” because they believe the museum should have consulted with residents first. Meanwhile, “from a national perspective, Washington-based media strategist Brendan Kownacki suggests that environmental concerns are secondary to the symbols of goals Americans cherish, such as space exploration.” As the last segment on the MSNBC Rachel Maddow Show (9/20, 9:57 a.m. EDT, 267K), Maddow called the Tucson flyover the “best new thing in the world today” because of how Kelly arranged it for Giffords. She said, “if you saw it you know it was an awesome experience. But for this particular couple to get a last look at the Endeavour in the air, best new thing in the world today.” Also covering the story are the CBS (9/21, Harwood) “Space” website, Reuters (9/21, Gorman), CNN (9/21), SPACE.com (9/21, Malik), collectSPACE (9/21, Pearlman), Spaceflight Now (9/21, Ray), International Business Times (9/21, Krystian), Universe Today (9/21, Atkinson), another Universe Today (9/21, Kremer) article, KSAZ-TV Phoenix (9/21, 3:00 a.m. MST), and about 600 other local TV stations. Takeoff Delayed One Hour Due To Fog.  The Los Angeles Times (9/21, Simmons, Mather, 629K) “LA Now” blog reports, “NASA officials are postponing the takeoff of the space shuttle Endeavour by one hour Friday morning because of fog in San Francisco.” This decision “was jointly made by NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and the California Science Center museum.” Another Los Angeles Times (9/21, Mather, Lin, 629K) “LA Now” blog post lists where the best places in Los Angeles will be to see the shuttle. The AP (9/21, Chang) and SPACE.com (9/21, Malik) carry a similar report. Endeavour Mission Is Last Flight For Specialized Pilots.  The AP (9/21) profiles the pilots flying the plane carrying the shuttle as this will be the last flight for these “highly specialized aviators” that “over the years have included former astronauts, including famed pilot Gordon Fullerton.” The article details how different flying this flight is compared to more typical flights due to the noise, vibrations, and lack of amenities. Pilot Jeff Moultrie said this last flight is “bittersweet...We definitely feel privileged to be a small part of history. But on the flip side, we’re sad.” CNN Newsroom (9/20, 2:57 p.m. EDT, 769K) interviews Ace Beal about what it is like to fly a shuttle-carrying aircraft. The second part of the interview is located here (9/21). Public, NASA Post Images Of Endeavour’s Flight.  The Los Angeles Times (9/21, Mather, 629K) “LA Now” blog reports as the shuttle traveled to California from Houston, it generated “excitement” in social media circles with people “posting their photos of the retired orbiter as it passed near local landmarks.” Another Los Angeles Times (9/21, Simmons, 629K) “LA Now” blog post reports on those that took part in the NASA Social that witness the landing at Edwards. The article notes “the group collectively grabbed their smartphones and began tweeting.” The Orlando (FL) Sentinel (9/21, Burton, 189K) reports how it is “easy” to find NASA images of the flight as they “are posted to their nasahqphoto account on flickr.com and you can even download high-resolution versions for non-commercial use.” NASA NEWS Legislators Unveil Space Leadership Preservation Act.  The Houston Chronicle (9/21, Campbell, 443K) reports, “Disappointed with the direction of NASA’s human spaceflight program over the past two decades, two Texas congressmen introduced legislation Thursday aimed at de-politicizing the agency.” Rep. John Culberson said the Space Leadership Preservation Act of 2012, would “allow” NASA “do what they do best” without the interference of politics by giving the NASA Administrator a 10-year term and set up a 1-member board of directors. Culberson “said NASA abandoned missions and wasted taxpayer money because of a lack of continuity in its leadership and an overabundance of influence from presidential administrations.” According to the article, the bill “has virtually no chance of winning passage” in this Congress but could be debated in the next one. Florida Today (9/21, King, 63K) notes in the unveiling of the bill, Republican House members “spoke about the billions ‘wasted’ when the Constellation return-to-the-moon program advocated by former President George W. Bush was scrapped by President Barack Obama in 2009.” They also “said their bill should not be construed as a vote of no-confidence in NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr., who often has defended agency funding decisions to skeptical members of Congress.” Astronaut Gene Cernan backed the bill, saying, “This legislation is critical to providing the much-needed continuity for the future of NASA’s far-reaching goals in space.” The Fairfax (VA) News (9/21), KFOX-TV El Paso, TX (9/20, 9:41 p.m. MDT), and AOL Government (9/21, Kash) also cover the story. Blog Coverage.  Eric Berger at the Houston Chronicle (9/21, 443K) “SCiGuy” blog writes, “Although the bill faces an uphill challenge being of being passed this year, to say the least, it seems like an intriguing idea moving forward to change the vicious cycle NASA finds itself in when it begins working on one plan for four years, only to see it changed after a new election.” Doug Messier at Parabolic Arc (9/21) examines a chart of failed programs the legislators used in explaining the bill, noting that they cited COTS as a failed program in an “out-of-date chart, which hasn’t been updated in two years.” He also does not understand why Orion is on the chart either since the program has continued. Citing other examples of how program funding, even with cancellations, was not wasted, Messier believes “the new structure would make it nearly impossible for a presidential administration to cancel a program even if it was failing. This is why the reform effort is likely to fail as well; no president would be inclined to approve such a shift of power.” Meanwhile, Mark Whittington at the Examiner (9/21) blog writes “with the possibility of a new administration, under Republican candidate Mitt Romney, coming to power, such legislation might gain traction in the next Congress, especially if a President Romney were to endorse it.” Abbey Donates Papers To Museum Of Flight.  The GeekWire (9/21, Bishop) reports, “They arrived at Seattle’s Museum of Flight in more than 100 boxes — nearly four decades worth of personal papers from George Abbey, the Seattle native and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center who was a key figure behind the Apollo program, the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle program and many other landmark initiatives from the US space agency.” Abbey donated the papers to the museum and will be visiting it on Friday for an official handover that “kicks off a weekend full of space events at the museum — including a sneak peek Sunday of the Space Shuttle Trainer being assembled...plus panels and lectures featuring astronauts including Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan, Dick Gordon and T.K. Mattingly, plus other legendary figures from NASA.” Carpenter Attends Park Rededication.  The Boulder (CO) Daily Camera (9/21, Rubino, 25K) reports yesterday astronaut Scott Carpenter visited Scott Carpenter Park in Boulder, CO “for a 50th anniversary rededication ceremony.” Officials “and an estimated 400 spectators gathered at the park Thursday to commemorate its rededication and welcome Carpenter, who, at age 87, rarely makes it back to his hometown these days.” Carpenter “thanked Boulder leaders past and present for building and maintaining the park for the city’s children, and he summed up how honored he felt that he was so warmly welcomed Thursday with the phrase, ‘Aww, shucks.’” The AP (9/21) also covers the story. HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS Date Set For SpaceX’s Next ISS Mission.  The Los Angeles Times (9/21, Hennigan, 629K) reports, “On Thursday, NASA confirmed that the much-anticipated launch of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft aboard the 18-story Falcon 9 is scheduled for Oct. 7 at 8:34 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Fla.” This is its second cargo mission to the ISS, the first official mission following May’s demonstration mission. The article notes that despite some critics, “SpaceX is a leading contender to carry astronauts for NASA one day. Company officials say cargo missions will yield valuable flight experience toward accomplishing this goal by 2015.” Also covering the story are the Orlando (FL) Sentinel (9/21, Powers, 189K), WKMG-TV Orlando, FL (9/20, 11:06 p.m. EDT), CNN (9/21), SPACE.com (9/21), NASASpaceFlight (9/21, Bergin), and Universe Today (9/21, Atkinson). Hoshide Participates In Live Radio Broadcast.  The Japan Times (9/21) reports, “Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, in a live radio broadcast Thursday from the International Space Station, told listeners in Japan that ‘the days when you will travel to space are not far away.’” Hoshide was “relayed questions from listeners, including how Hoshide felt when he made two spacewalks to fix a malfunctioning power unit in late August and early September.” The Press Trust of India (9/21) also covers the story. MathAlive! Exhibit Arriving At The US Space & Rocket Center.  The Huntsville (AL) Times (9/21, Accardi, 47K) “Business News” blog reported, “Raytheon’s MathAlive! traveling exhibit opens to the public next weekend at the US Space & Rocket Center, its third stop on a multi-year tour to science centers and museums in 15 US and international cities.” The exhibit “lets visitors ride snowboards in 4-D, design and play their own video games, capture their images in 360 degrees, design a custom skateboard, operate simulations of NASA’s latest robotics and test their bridge-building skills.” After its time in Huntsville, it will travel to Space Center Houston. The article noted that all told, about 4 million people are expected to visit the exhibit. Compact MRI Could Be Used At ISS.  TechNewsDaily (9/21, Hsu) reports, “A new version of full-body scanning technology has the right size and power requirements to possibly fit aboard the International Space Station.” This “smaller, cheaper version of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)” was presented at the AIAA Space 2012 conference by Gordon Sarty, acting chairman of the biomedical engineering division at the University of Saskatchewan. Sarty “hopes to win funding from the Canadian Space Agency to launch the machine to the space station around 2020.” The article notes that the technology, along with having uses at the ISS, could have practical use on Earth it could be used in combat or in places with power and space issues. SCIENCE Vesta May Have Released Water Vapor In Its Past.  SPACE.com (9/20, Moskowitz) reports, “The protoplanet Vesta, a large space rock in the solar system’s asteroid belt, is covered with a surprising amount of hydrogen, and bits of Vesta may have rained down on Earth in the form of meteorites, NASA’s Dawn probe has revealed.” The presence of hydrogren was an unexpected find, according to the article. Meanwhile, another study found that there is “unusual pitted terrain” on Vesta that “ties in with the revelation of hydrogen on Vesta, because the likeliest explanation for the indentations on the surface is that hydrogen, which is likely bound up in minerals there, is released in the form of water vapor when the material is heated up by impacts.” According to the article, “the new studies offer some surprises, and some confirmations of the coalescing picture scientists have about this early stage of the solar system’s history.” Discovery News (9/21, Klotz), Los Angeles Times (9/21, Khan, 629K), Nature News (9/20, Hand), and Universe Today (9/20, Atkinson) also cover the story. NASA Launching Two Suborbital Rockets In Coming Days.  The AP (9/21) reports, “Two suborbital sounding rockets are scheduled to be launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore today and Saturday.” A Terrier-Improved Malemut rocket with four university-built experiments will launch today with backup days on Saturday on Monday if there are issues. Meanwhile, “the first flight of a Talos-Terrier-Oriole rocket is scheduled Saturday morning. The rocket is being developed to support high altitude space science research.“ UAV Operations Bring “New Challenges” To Piloting.  The Salisbury (MD) Daily Times (9/21, Vaughn, 18K) profiles Kent Fuller, “Northrup Grumman’