10/17/12 news

          Wednesday, October 17, 2012   JSC TODAY HEADLINES 1.            Gate 2 Permanently Closed Starting Thursday 2.            Astronaut Mike Massimino Stars in 'The Big Bang Theory' Tomorrow 3.            JSC SharePoint Intermittent Outage Tonight 4.            Latin Music Today in Building 3 Café 5.            Electronic Recycle at Space Center Houston -- Coming Soon 6.            Latest International Space Station News 7.            ISS Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) User Forum 8.            Share Your Thoughts -- Take the Post Safety and Health Day Survey 9.            Don't Miss the First-Ever Facility Managers Forum - Oct. 23 - 8 a.m. to Noon 10.          James Avery Asotronaut Charm -- Order Yours Now at Starport 11.          Free Exercise Prescriptions for Starport Members 12.          Spooky Spin at the Gilruth Center -- Register Now 13.          'Cause This is Thriller, Thriller Night ... 14.          Astronomy Day 2012 15.          Confined Space Entry - 8:30 a.m.; Lockout/Tagout - 1 p.m. -- Oct. 23 -- Building 226N, Room 174 16.          Overhead Cranes and Material Handling -- Nov. 7 to 8 -- Building 226N, Room 174 17.          Speeding Up MATLAB Applications, Including Parallel Computing ________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY “ You will not do incredible things without an incredible dream.”   -- John Eliot ________________________________________ 1.            Gate 2 Permanently Closed Starting Thursday As of Thursday, Gate 2 -- the entrance from NASA Parkway, in front of building 1 -- will be permanently closed. Employees should keep this in mind as they plan their morning commute, whether or not they normally use Gate 2. The entrance on Saturn Lane (Gate 1) and the two entrances on Space Center Boulevard (Gates 3 and 4) will continue to operate as normal. However, with an increase in traffic flow to these other gates, employees may need to plan additional time when arriving at JSC during the morning hours. To help keep traffic moving, please be sure to have your access badge on hand and ready to present the officers on duty. Although we recognize and regret that this will be an inconvenience for the employees accustomed to using Gate 2, it is part of a necessary effort to reduce costs at the center. Ginger Milligan x32877   [top] 2.            Astronaut Mike Massimino Stars in 'The Big Bang Theory' Tomorrow Be sure to tune in to CBS tomorrow, Oct. 18, and watch the acting chops of astronaut Mike Massimino. He will appear again on TV on "The Big Bang Theory," episode 4. "The Big Bang Theory" airs Thursdays nights at 7 p.m. CDT on CBS. JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111   [top] 3.            JSC SharePoint Intermittent Outage Tonight JSC's Information Resources Directorate (IRD) has scheduled an outage to conduct monthly maintenance and structural updates on the JSC SharePoint Service servers on Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 5 to 10 p.m. CDT. During this timeframe, the JSC SharePoint service will possibly experience short outages when sites may be in read-only mode. 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 employees may experience intermittent outages as the servers undergo maintenance 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 x46367 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/IRDHelp/sharepoint/default.aspx   [top] 4.            Latin Music Today in Building 3 Café In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Starport Cafés will be serving the final Hispanic-themed cuisine today, Oct. 17. To complement the cafes' efforts to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the JSC Hispanic Employee Resource Group play Latin music in the Building Café 3 today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stephanie Tapia x40162   [top] 5.            Electronic Recycle at Space Center Houston -- Coming Soon The JSC Contractor Environmental Partnership is hosting another free electronic recycling and document-shredding event at Space Center Houston on Nov. 10. Join us in the parking lot from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with all your personal computer and entertainment electronics and documents. (No NASA property, appliances or household hazardous waste will be accepted.) Just in time to get rid of the clutter before the holiday season, the event will be free and open to the public. It's a perfect way to get rid of all those unwanted electronics in an environmentally friendly manner. See you there! JSC Contractor Environmental Partnership x40878 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/apps/news/newsfiles/3198.pdf   [top] 6.            Latest International Space Station News This week on the International Space Station, Commander Suni Williams worked with the The Genotypic and Phenotypic Responses of Candida albicans to Spaceflight (Micro-6) experiment. When cells are exposed to spaceflight they may acquire potentially harmful properties, including increased potential for infection and increased resistance to antimicrobial compounds. The goal of the Micro-6 study is to understand the different responses and physical effects of reduced gravitational force on yeast cells grown in microgravity compared to cells grown in normal gravity. The team will examine differences in gene expression, biofilm formation and the susceptibility of the yeast to an antimicrobial agent. This investigation may provide new insights into better management and treatment of the health risk posed by the opportunistic yeast Candida albicans. Read more about it! Liz Warren x35548   [top] 7.            ISS Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) User Forum The International Space Station EDMS team will hold the monthly EDMS General Forum this Friday, Oct. 19, at 9:30 a.m. in Building 4S, Conference Room 5315. If you use EDMS to locate station documents, join us to learn about basic navigation and searching. This month we are again introducing the new Search Interface Pilot, which facilitates faster results to your search and the ability to refine and filter your search results on screen. Bring your questions, concerns and suggestions, and meet the station EDMS Application Support Center team. The agenda can be found here. LaNell Cobarruvias 713-933-6854 http://iss-www.jsc.nasa.gov/nwo/apps/edms/web/UserForums.shtml   [top] 8.            Share Your Thoughts -- Take the Post Safety and Health Day Survey Tell us what you thought about the activities on the Oct. 11 Safety and Health Day. Click here to take the post-event survey. What did you like the best? The least? Do you have a story to share about Safety and Health Day? We value your input to help make this important day mean even more to you. Stacey Menard x45660   [top] 9.            Don't Miss the First-Ever Facility Managers Forum - Oct. 23 - 8 a.m. to Noon Don't miss the first-ever Facility Managers Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 8 a.m. to noon. Join us in the Gilruth Center Alamo Ballroom. If you are JSC, Sonny Carter Training Facility or Ellington Field facility manager, building manager or operations staff member, you are invited. The goal of this forum is to provide facility managers with an opportunity to share resources and ideas, seek additional training and otherwise continue to improve their skill set and the performance of their facilities. We will discuss both existing efforts and future opportunities to increase collaboration. Q. Byron Winters x33182 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/fmod/facilitymanagers.cfm   [top] 10.          James Avery Asotronaut Charm -- Order Yours Now at Starport ShopNASA is now accepting PRE-SALE orders through Oct. 25 for the exclusive-to-NASA James Avery astronaut charm (just $90). Limited supply available. Expected delivery is mid-December. Order today to get yours in time for the holidays. Don't miss this opportunity for a unique and quality gift for your special someone. Visit Starport Gift Shops or ShopNASA for all of your holiday needs. Cyndi Kibby x35352 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/   [top] 11.          Free Exercise Prescriptions for Starport Members All members of the Starport exercise facility are eligible for a free exercise prescription. An ACSM-certified exercise scientist will administer a battery of fitness appraisals and develop two individualized training programs. The aerobic program will specify the intensity, frequency, duration and progression for all of the "cardio" modes available at the facility. The muscle-fitness program is based on the determination of the one-repetition maximum for 18 basic strength-training machines. For each machine, the resistance, repetitions, sets, frequencies and progression will be assigned. The session lasts about 90 minutes. To schedule a session, call Larry Wier or Greta Ayers(x30301/x30302) or email the exercise scientist. Larry Wier x30301   [top] 12.          Spooky Spin at the Gilruth Center -- Register Now Join in on the Halloween fun at the Gilruth Center on Oct. 26 with our Spooky Spin specialty spin ride! Come dressed in costume for this fun and frightful workout on Oct. 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. The fee is $10 if registered by Friday, or $15 if registered after. Register at the Gilruth Center front desk. Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/   [top] 13.          'Cause This is Thriller, Thriller Night ... The Thriller dance is baaaaaaack! Have a blast learning the Thriller dance routine, then performing it in your best zombie attire at the Gilruth Center as part of our Halloween Fright Fest. Learn the dance on Oct. 19 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The big performance is Oct. 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The fee is $25, or $15 just to attend one night. Register at the Gilruth Center front desk. Click here for more. Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/   [top] 14.          Astronomy Day 2012 Astronomy Day 2012 will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 3 to 10:30 p.m. at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's George Observatory, located in Brazos Bend State Park. Astronomy Day offers numerous activities for adults and kids of all ages, including: astronomy-related presentations; Challenger Center flight simulations; solar and night sky observing; constellation laser tours; face painting; meteorites and lunar rocks sample displays; a NASA booth; and free astronomy-related materials. Representatives from local astronomy clubs will be available to answer astronomy-related questions. For more information on Astronomy Day 2012, go here or contact Aldora Louw. Aldora Louw 281-336-5085   [top] 15.          Confined Space Entry - 8:30 a.m.; Lockout/Tagout - 1 p.m. -- Oct. 23 -- 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. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (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   [top] 16.          Overhead Cranes and Material Handling -- Nov. 7 to 8 -- Building 226N, Room 174 The primary purpose of the course is to promote overhead crane safety and awareness for operators, riggers, signalmen, supervisors and safety personnel, and to further their understanding of the federal and NASA standards and regulations related to such cranes. This course introduces students to various types of overhead and gantry cranes and hoists used in general industry and construction operations. It also includes a review of the pertinent OSHA, ANSI and NASA standards and requirements. Students are provided with basic information concerning crane safety, operations and inspections; maintenance; pre-lift plans; wire rope; and rigging components and safety. The course is intended to provide the basic knowledge (both in breadth and depth) for those operating in and around overhead cranes. It will provide classroom training which, when combined with the center's own hands-on training, will serve to certify overhead crane operators as required. Shirley Robinson x41284   [top] 17.          Speeding Up MATLAB Applications, Including Parallel Computing Please join MathWorks for a free MATLAB seminar on Thursday, Oct. 18, in the University of Houston-Clear Lake Delta Building, Room D241. Time: 10 a.m. to noon In this session, we will demonstrate simple ways you can improve and optimize your code to boost execution speed by orders of magnitude. We will also address common pitfalls in writing MATLAB code and explore the use of the MATLAB Profiler to find bottlenecks. Highlights include: •         Understanding memory usage and vectorization in MATLAB •         Addressing bottlenecks in your programs •         Optimizing file I/O to streamline your code •         Transitioning from serial to parallel MATLAB programs •         Executing applications on a single multi-core or multiprocessor desktop •         Performing parallel computing To register for this event, send an email. Free event parking right next to Delta building in lot G only. Professor Liwen Shih, Ph.D. x39158 http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/HOMEPAGE/MAPS_DIRECTIONS/CampusMap   [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.       Human Spaceflight News Wednesday – October 17, 2012   HEADLINES AND LEADS   Space station’s orbit to be adjusted for next spacecraft   RIA Novosti   Specialists of the Moscow Region-based Mission Control Center will on Wednesday carry out a maneuver to readjust the orbit of the International Space Station, a spokesman for the center said. The readjustment will be carried out with the use of thrusters of the Russian Zvezda service module.   NASA isn't saying much about sequestration budget cuts, but will 'deal with it'   Lee Roop - Huntsville Times   Unlike all the talk about looming defense spending cuts under budget sequestration, a top NASA official appearing at a major space conference in Huntsville today wouldn't discuss the space programs that might be lost to the budget ax. "I wouldn't say we're doing a lot of planning for it," NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot said at the 5th Wernher von Braun Memorial Space Symposium in Huntsville. "We've talked about it internally ... very honestly you just can't really plan for it. If it happens, we'll deal with it." Lightfoot, a former Marshall Space Flight Center Director, was asked about the threat looming for all of the federal government if the White House and Congress can't reach a long-term budget deal between the November elections and January presidential inauguration.   How singer Sarah Brightman could change the face of private space travel   Clara Moskowitz - Space.com   When singer Sarah Brightman launches to space in 2015 or so, she will likely be the most famous non-astronaut to reach orbit. Brightman has signed a deal to fly in space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in the coming years. The classical soprano is thought to be paying upwards of $35 million for a 10-day trip to the International Space Station. She won't be the first millionaire or billionaire to make such a journey, but she will likely be the most well-known. Brightman first gained fame starring in the original Broadway cast of "Phantom of the Opera" in 1986, and has since seen success as a global recording artist, selling 30 million classical albums and receiving more than 180 gold and platinum awards in over 40 countries. This fame could bring positive attention to the space realm and the burgeoning field of private spaceflight, said former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, current president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.   Launching a New, Private Space Age Private-sector innovation aims to revive space exploration   Chris Metinko - The Atlantic   With commercial spaceflight no longer just a plotline in science fiction novels, some say the burgeoning industry could help spur a new space age and renew excitement in exploration. While NASA shuttered its space shuttle program last year, the private sector has proved more than eager to fill the void of spaceflight -- with the backing of some financial heavy hitters.   Blue Origin completes full-power tests on thruster for orbital vehicle   Zach Rosenberg - FlightInternational.com   Launch vehicle builder Blue Origin has successfully tested the thrust chamber of its BE-3 rocket engine, another key milestone under NASA's commercial crew development (CCDev) programme. The test of the BE-3, a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-fuelled engine, took place "earlier this month" at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, according to NASA. The final tests ran at full power, 100,000 lb of thrust.   Space Station Astronauts To Receive 'Veggie' Fresh Food Packs   Michael Rundle - Huffington Post (UK)   Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will cultivate fresh food via pre-packaged 'farms'. The packages, which contain seeds and soil and are designed to be grown in space, will arrive at the space station next year. The Vegetable Production System ('Veggie' for short) will launch on SpaceX's third Dragon commercial resupply mission.   New Mexico laws could hamper spaceport, Hale states at symposium   Steve Ramirez - Las Cruces Sun-News   Wayne Hale, a former space shuttle program manager who now works as a consultant for a commercial space flight company, urged supporters of the fledgling industry Tuesday to continue to push for state legislation that will allow companies to conduct business in New Mexico. "Here we are 100 years later, and we're at the verge of the commercial flight industry," said Hale, referring to time that has passed since the invention of the airplane to the beginning of commercial space flight. "... I encourage New Mexico to pass informed consent legislation that will enable the commercial spaceflight industry to go forward. Otherwise, you may have a sizable investment already made that goes for naught."   Russia wants to fly reusable rocket boosters by 2020 Two designs are being studied; US has similar project to return equipment to launch pad   Rob Coppinger - Space.com   The first flight of a reusable Russian rocket booster that returns to the launch pad under its own power could occur by 2020, Russian space officials say. The flyback booster, called the Re-entry Rocket Module (RRM), is part of a larger Russian project that aims to develop a partially reusable rocket called the Reusable Integrated Launch Vehicle, or RILV. The RRM would be the RILV's first stage. The RRM is designed to operate for 100 launches, and its main engine, called the liquid-propellant rocket engine (LPRE), will be initially re-ignitable 10 times, with an ultimate goal of 25 uses. The LPRE will burn liquid oxygen along with methane or kerosene, officials say.   Gagarin, Glenn art works unveiled   Houston Chronicle     A 9-foot-tall bronze statue of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and an 8-and-half-foot-tall steel panel depicting American astronaut John Glenn were unveiled at the city’s Parks Department headquarters Monday. Why there? Because the office on South Wayside was the first NASA headquarters.   Did Endeavour-mania lead to drop in crime? LAPD chief says maybe   Los Angeles Times   With the space shuttle Endeavour now lodged safely in its new home at the California Science Center, Police Chief Charlie Beck on Tuesday raised the possibility that the massive spacecraft's much-ballyhooed cross-town journey led to a drop in crime. Nearly 1 million people came out over the weekend to catch a glimpse of Endeavour as it crept along a 12-mile course from LAX to the Science Center at Exposition Park, Beck said. But in recapping the LAPD's efforts to patrol the crowds, Beck told the Police Commission on Tuesday that the spectators were perhaps the best he's ever seen. "I maybe have never been involved in policing a crowd that was so positive and so proud," he said. __________   COMPLETE STORIES   Space station’s orbit to be adjusted for next spacecraft   RIA Novosti   Specialists of the Moscow Region-based Mission Control Center will on Wednesday carry out a maneuver to readjust the orbit of the International Space Station, a spokesman for the center said.   The readjustment will be carried out with the use of thrusters of the Russian Zvezda service module.   “The operation is expected to begin at 19:24 Moscow time [15:24 GMT]. The engines of the Zvezda module will operate for 19 seconds,” the spokesman said adding that the station’s average orbit altitude will be raised by one kilometer to 436 km (270.9 miles).   The reboost is intended to ensure the best conditions for the docking of the Soyuz TMA-06M manned spacecraft with the orbital outpost, slated for October 25.   The Soyuz TMA-06M will bring to the station a new crew, which comprises Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin, and NASA astronaut Kevin Ford.   Adjustments to the station's orbit are carried out regularly to compensate for the Earth's gravity and to facilitate the successful docking and undocking of spacecraft.   NASA isn't saying much about sequestration budget cuts, but will 'deal with it'   Lee Roop - Huntsville Times   Unlike all the talk about looming defense spending cuts under budget sequestration, a top NASA official appearing at a major space conference in Huntsville today wouldn't discuss the space programs that might be lost to the budget ax. "I wouldn't say we're doing a lot of planning for it," NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot said at the 5th Wernher von Braun Memorial Space Symposium in Huntsville. "We've talked about it internally ... very honestly you just can't really plan for it. If it happens, we'll deal with it."   Lightfoot, a former Marshall Space Flight Center Director, was asked about the threat looming for all of the federal government if the White House and Congress can't reach a long-term budget deal between the November elections and January presidential inauguration. Sequestration -- cuts mandated by the failure of Congress to reach a budget deal earlier this year-- is being called a major threat to the Department of Defense, which would bear the lion's share. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley told an audience in Huntsville Monday that Alabama will lose 24,000 jobs if sequestration happens, many of them in Huntsville.   Lightfoot noted that NASA responded to a recent White House request for information on what projected cuts would do to NASA's budget. The loss would be around $1.4 billion out of a budget of $17.8 billion, he said. News accounts have broken down the potential cuts into "$417 million from its science budget, $346 for space operations, $309 for exploration, $246 for cross agency support, among other cuts."   How that might play out for NASA divisions is something space watchers are trying to calculate. One national organization attending the symposium said it is preparing a report on the impact to all NASA centers, including Marshall, for release after the presidential election next month.   NASA may be holding its fire, but managers of programs already under way were stressing their financial prudence in the symposium's opening session Tuesday. "Flat is the new budget increase," Todd May said during a panel discussion. May is managing the development of NASA's big new deep space rocket at Marshall. "We have to stay in the cost box or we're just not going to fly," said Charlie Lundquist of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Lundquist is managing the Orion crew capsule's development.   One example of how tricky spending is in a tight budget era came when a questioner asked Scott Colloredo of Kennedy Space Center to discuss his two-line capital budget. One line is to prepare a pad and support systems for launching the big rocket May is developing, and Colloredo agreed Kennedy's future depends on that rocket. The second funding line, which is to modify Kennedy for other potential space launches, won't help the big rocket directly and was controversial among some in Congress for that reason. But keeping Kennedy viable as a launch center requires more launches than the once or twice a year the big rocket will probably take off, and the big rocket depends on a viable Kennedy center, too.   More than 200 aerospace company managers, government managers and academics are meeting for the conference at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The conference ends with a Wednesday night dinner featuring Microsoft co-founder and space investor Paul Allen and a Thursday morning tour of the United Launch Alliance factory in Decatur.   How singer Sarah Brightman could change the face of private space travel   Clara Moskowitz - Space.com   When singer Sarah Brightman launches to space in 2015 or so, she will likely be the most famous non-astronaut to reach orbit.   Brightman has signed a deal to fly in space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in the coming years. The classical soprano is thought to be paying upwards of $35 million for a 10-day trip to the International Space Station.   She won't be the first millionaire or billionaire to make such a journey, but she will likely be the most well-known. Brightman first gained fame starring in the original Broadway cast of "Phantom of the Opera" in 1986, and has since seen success as a global recording artist, selling 30 million classical albums and receiving more than 180 gold and platinum awards in over 40 countries.   This fame could bring positive attention to the space realm and the burgeoning field of private spaceflight, said former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, current president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.   "Somebody like Sarah Brightman, who already has a big following that doesn't intersect much with NASA's — I think that nexus could be very valuable," Lopez-Alegria told SPACE.com.   As an astronaut, Lopez-Alegria flew on the Russian Soyuz TMA-9 flight on Sept. 18, 2006, which also carried Iranian-American entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari, the fourth private citizen to fly to space. Like Brightman, Ansari booked her flight through Virginia-based space tourism firm Space Adventures.   "I flew with Anousheh up on her Soyuz flight," Lopez-Alegria said. "I was a little bit of a skeptic. I wasn't convinced it was good thing."   The former astronaut recalled being quickly won over to the idea of private spaceflight, though, by observing Ansari's dedication to training and her deep enthusiasm for space — an enthusiasm she was able to share with many people on the ground.   "She was able to reach out to so many people who don't care or don't follow what's going on at NASA," Lopez-Alegria said. "That was to me very telling and obviously very valuable, because at the end of the day, NASA relies on public support."   In addition to her celebrity, Brightman brings other valuable qualities to the table as an artist-turned-space tourist, such as her creativity and musical skills. Through these abilities, she can potentially communicate the experience of spaceflight in a different way than the scientists and engineers who usually fly to space are able to. As Jodie Foster's character Ellie Arroway remarks in the movie "Contact," "they should have sent a poet."   "I've often thought it would be good to send a poet or a writer or a journalist up there who would tell the story better," Lopez-Alegria said.   Brightman, who is also a UNESCO Artist For Peace Ambassador, plans to organize a series of concerts after she returns to Earth to share her space experience. And her new album, "Dreamchaser," set to be released in January 2013, was heavily influenced by her quest to pursue space, she said.   "I hope that I can encourage others to take inspiration from my journey," Brightman said in a press conference announcing her flight last week. "I am more excited about this than anything I have done in my life to date."   Launching a New, Private Space Age Private-sector innovation aims to revive space exploration   Chris Metinko - The Atlantic   With commercial spaceflight no longer just a plotline in science fiction novels, some say the burgeoning industry could help spur a new space age and renew excitement in exploration.   While NASA shuttered its space shuttle program last year, the private sector has proved more than eager to fill the void of spaceflight -- with the backing of some financial heavy hitters.   SpaceX, founded by former PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, became the first company to launch a privately built spacecraft into orbit and return it safely to Earth in 2010. The company has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to provide cargo missions to the International Space Station using its Dragon spacecraft. Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. has a similar $1.9 billion deal with NASA.   Then there is Virgin Galactic -- part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group -- which has started to sell $200,000 tickets to ride its SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane. The company has yet to launch any passengers but expects to do so in the next few years.   Some hope the new infusion of private sector innovation and money could bring a level of excitement back to space exploration not seen in decades.   The future of space exploration will be part of The Atlantic's Big Science Summit, which will be held in San Jose on Oct. 30. The panel, "Mapping New Frontiers in Space: From Exploration to Commercial Ventures," will feature speakers Fiona Harrison, Cal Tech astrophysicist and principal investigator for NASA's NuStar Mission; Naveen Jain, co-founder and chairman of Moon Express and founder of inome and InfoSpace; and Will Pomerantz, president for special projects at Virgin Galactic.   "The positive thing that I see about commercialization is that it's bringing back a level of excitement that the space program hasn't had in a very long time," said Paul Kostek, president of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Aerospace & Electronics Systems Society, in a recent interview with Space.com. "Take SpaceX for example, this is not really a garage operation -- there's a lot of money involved."   Kostek added that such excitement of a new space age could sway more students to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies. "Once SpaceX's Dragon missions start going, and once Richard Branson's group starts doing actual flights, these types of things will bring people into the STEM field," he said.   In the coming years, NASA is expected to look increasingly to the private sector to taxi astronauts and cargo into space -- with the agency becoming more of a regulatory body, handing out billions of dollars in contracts, as well as funding startups.   Blue Origin completes full-power tests on thruster for orbital vehicle   Zach Rosenberg - FlightInternational.com   Launch vehicle builder Blue Origin has successfully tested the thrust chamber of its BE-3 rocket engine, another key milestone under NASA's commercial crew development (CCDev) programme.   The test of the BE-3, a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-fuelled engine, took place "earlier this month" at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, according to NASA. The final tests ran at full power, 100,000 lb of thrust.   "We are very excited to have demonstrated a new class of high-performance hydrogen engines," says Rob Meyerson, president and programme manager of Blue Origin. "Access to the Stennis test facility and its talented operations team was instrumental in conducting full-power testing of this new thrust chamber."   Blue Origin will use the engine to power its unique launch vehicle, designed to launch its crew-ready spacecraft, dubbed simply the "Space Vehicle" into low Earth orbit. While some specifications and images have been released, Blue Origin has been secretive in terms of exact design parameters and technical progress.   The test will earn Blue Origin $3 million from NASA through CCDev, a programme through which NASA hopes to stimulate development of crew ferries to low Earth orbit. Three other companies were funded under CCDev 2 - Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada - that have since completed their milestones. Blue Origin did not bid for the more lucrative third round, the commercial crew integrated capabilities (CCiCap) award.   Blue Origin is also developing a vertical take-off, vertical landing booster and suborbital space vehicle called New Shepard. Commonalities between the suborbital and orbital craft are undisclosed.   Neither Blue Origin nor NASA responded to immediate questions.   Space Station Astronauts To Receive 'Veggie' Fresh Food Packs   Michael Rundle - Huffington Post (UK)   Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will cultivate fresh food via pre-packaged 'farms'.   The packages, which contain seeds and soil and are designed to be grown in space, will arrive at the space station next year.   The Vegetable Production System ('Veggie' for short) will launch on SpaceX's third Dragon commercial resupply mission.   Normally fresh food only reaches the space station two or three times a year - and is usually eaten immediately.   The new system should enable astronauts to grow their own lettuce, bok choy or Chinese cabbage.   The system is about the same size as a microwave oven, and was built by Orbital Technologies Corporation. It uses half the energy needed to power a computer.   The plants are either planted in space or preloaded in small pillows made of Teflon-coated Kevlar. A reservoir beneath the pillows is used to water the plants and a roof mat also adds moisture through an automatic process.   Nasa said that the new plants also has psychological benefits.   "Crews report that having plants around was very comforting and helped them feel less out of touch with Earth," said Gioia Massa, a postdoctoral fellow in the Surface Systems Group of Kennedy's Engineering Directorate. "You could also think of plants as pets. The crew just likes to nurture them."   There are other plants aboard the ISS, but are mainly used for experiments and are not intended to grow food to eat.   "Our hope is that even though Veggie is not a highly complex plant growth apparatus, it will allow the crew to rapidly grow vegetables using a fairly simple nutrient and water delivery approach," said Howard Levine, Ph.D. and chief scientist at the Kennedy Space Center International Space Station Research Office.   New Mexico laws could hamper spaceport, Hale states at symposium   Steve Ramirez - Las Cruces Sun-News   Wayne Hale, a former space shuttle program manager who now works as a consultant for a commercial space flight company, urged supporters of the fledgling industry Tuesday to continue to push for state legislation that will allow companies to conduct business in New Mexico.   "Here we are 100 years later, and we're at the verge of the commercial flight industry," said Hale, referring to time that has passed since the invention of the airplane to the beginning of commercial space flight. "... I encourage New Mexico to pass informed consent legislation that will enable the commercial spaceflight industry to go forward. Otherwise, you may have a sizable investment already made that goes for naught."   Hale is a consultant for Special Aerospace Services in Boulder, Colo., who was the keynote speaker at a community partnership luncheon, the preliminary event to the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight, which begins today at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Museum. Hale retired from NASA in 2010 as the deputy associate administrator of strategic partnerships in NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate.   Before that, Hale served as the space shuttle program manager and the shuttle launch integration manager. He was a space shuttle flight director for 40 shuttle flights.   Hale, speaking to gathering of about 60 people at the luncheon, said although New Mexico's legacy in the aerospace industry is long and heralded, other states and countries are more than willing to lure the commercial space flight industry away from the state if legislation isn't approved.   "There is no doubt there is a market, there is an industry," Hale said. "There has been a pent-up demand, there is a clearly a market among the very rich for commercial space travel, and clearly there is a market for research and science.   "...Texas would love to have a spaceport, Virginia would love to have a space tourism industry there. Even California has laws for informed consent."   The New Mexico Legislature has enacted law that provides informed consent to operators, such as Virgin Galactic, at Spaceport America in Sierra County. However, similar legislation that would have also applied to suppliers of commercial spaceflight companies never got out of legislative committees.   The New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association lobbied against the proposed legislation, and was able to persuade some lawmakers not to take it beyond the committee level.   "The most important thing we can do is remind them the state has made this huge investment," Hale said. "If you're not careful, you can lost that business to states that have friendlier laws."   Pat Hynes, symposium chair, and director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, said there must be continued efforts to lobby for added legislation when the New Mexico Legislature meets for a 60-day session in January.   "All that talent and heritage we have here in the state is a lot," Hynes said. "We need to be informed, and to do as much as we can to advocate for this legislation."   State Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, said the proposed legislation will again come to the Legislature.   "The bill is already prepared, the bill will be out there again," Papen said. "My hope is that whoever is opposing it, we can work out some sort of compromise, so New Mexico can profit from it and to protect the investment the state has already made."   Papen added White Sands Missile Range has supported the legislation. When the version of the bill to protect operators was considered by the Legislature several years ago, a federal official went to Santa Fe to endorse the bill.   "That was the first time a federal official came (to New Mexico) to speak in support of legislation," Papen said.   Russia wants to fly reusable rocket boosters by 2020 Two designs are being studied; US has similar project to return equipment to launch pad   Rob Coppinger - Space.com   The first flight of a reusable Russian rocket booster that returns to the launch pad under its own power could occur by 2020, Russian space officials say.   The flyback booster, called the Re-entry Rocket Module (RRM), is part of a larger Russian project that aims to develop a partially reusable rocket called the Reusable Integrated Launch Vehicle, or RILV. The RRM would be the RILV's first stage.   The RRM is designed to operate for 100 launches, and its main engine, called the liquid-propellant rocket engine (LPRE), will be initially re-ignitable 10 times, with an ultimate goal of 25 uses. The LPRE will burn liquid oxygen along with methane or kerosene, officials say.   The RRM is being developed for the Russian Federal Space Agency by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, based in Moscow.   "We will finish the (RRM booster’s) preliminary design by September 2013, and our next step will be the development of the demonstrator system, which will include an engine like this one (LPRE)," Anatoly Kuzin, Khrunichev’s deputy general director, said Oct. 3 at the International Astronautical Federation’s 63rd congress in Naples, Italy.   The RRM will have four LPREs as engines, Kuzin added. If one fails during ascent, the others will increase their thrust to 130 percent of their normal levels. In addition to conventional rocket technology, the RRM will use aviation components, design philosophies and technologies. After its flight, the RRM will cruise back to its launch site autonomously, using a wing, along with air-breathing jet engines located in its nose.   Two RRM designs are being studied, one with a conventional "pivoting wing" and the other with an aerodynamic "tapered wing." The RRM nose shape is optimized for the aerodynamic needs of re-entry flight and to accommodate the booster’s jet engines, fuel tank, pneumatic and hydraulic mechanisms and avionics, Kuzin said. The booster’s three-wheeled landing gear is stored in the nose and fuselage. Like an aircraft, the RRM has a vertical fin with a rudder installed in the tail section.   The larger RILV rocket that the RRM will power is being developed under the Russian space agency’s Phase 1 Reusable Launch System project. The RILV is envisioned to be a family of four launch vehicles that can put between 55,000 and 132,000 pounds (25,000 to 60,000 kilograms) of payload into low-Earth orbit (LEO).   The 55,000-pound version uses a single, two-stage core and one RRM. The 77,000- and 99,000-pound RILV models use a similar core, but incorporate two RRM boosters instead of one. The 132,000-pound variant uses a longer two-stage core and two RRMs, Kuzin said. The RILV core stage will likely also use the LPRE, which has been in development since 2006.   The RRM will separate from the RILV core stage at an altitude of up to 34 miles (55 kilometers) above the launch site, while travelling at about seven times the speed of sound, officials say.   The RRM will then carry on in a suborbital coast. When it descends to an altitude of about 12 miles (19 km), it will tilt its wing and engage in a turning maneuver using its jet engines. The booster will then cruise home to the launch site’s runway, probably from a distance of about 93 miles (150 km).   The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory announced a similar project in 2011 called the Reusable Booster System. The American version would also employ a reusable first stage that could fly back to a runway at the launch site. Instead of using air-breathing jet engines, however, the U.S. craft would rely on its rocket engine to decelerate after staging, then use that engine again to cruise back to the runway. No date has been given for launching a demonstrator system for the U.S. version.   Gagarin, Glenn art works unveiled   Houston Chronicle     A 9-foot-tall bronze statue of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and an 8-and-half-foot-tall steel panel depicting American astronaut John Glenn were unveiled at the city’s Parks Department headquarters Monday.   Why there? Because the office on South Wayside was the first NASA headquarters.   Mayor Annise Parker told a group that included NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Russian diplomats and relatives of Gagarin:   Too many Houstonians have lost the history of what has happened over the years in Houston. We are a city that always looks forward, that looks to the new. But we are also a city with deep and rich history in many areas, and most especially in human spaceflight. The city of Houston knows this building as the headquarters of the Houston parks department, and historians may know it as the Gragg Building. But real historians and those who are passionate about the history of the space program in Houston know this building as the first headquarters for human spaceflight (in the U.S.A.).   Chronicle intern David Haydon, who was there to witness the unveiling, also reports that Parker spoke about how it was inconceivable a half century ago, with the space race and Cold War raging, that one day American astronauts would travel to an international space station on a Russian rocket.   Russian donors had at first offered just the Gagarin sculpture. Parker said she asked the Russians to also donate the Glenn monument to signify the current spirit of cooperation between the countries. The $87,000 cost of the works and their installation comes at no cost to taxpayers.   Galina Gagarin, the cosmonaut’s daughter, said through a translator:   We hope that this composition will contribute to the further successful cooperation between the Russian and American peoples. And the characters of two brave young men, Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn, will inspire further generations.   Sophia Tabarovsky, who helped arrange the donated works through her International Charity Public Fund Dialogue of Cultures — United World, added that she hopes that children who visit the site “will dream about space and space exploration again.”   Did Endeavour-mania lead to drop in crime? LAPD chief says maybe   Los Angeles Times   With the space shuttle Endeavour now lodged safely in its new home at the California Science Center, Police Chief Charlie Beck on Tuesday raised the possibility that the massive spacecraft's much-ballyhooed cross-town journey led to a drop in crime.   Nearly 1 million people came out over the weekend to catch a glimpse of Endeavour as it crept along a 12-mile course from LAX to the Science Center at Exposition Park, Beck said.   Planners had fretted about the prospect of having throngs of people getting in the way of the huge craft that had to be moved gingerly through streets barely wide enough to accommodate the shuttle's 78-foot wingspan.   But in recapping the LAPD's efforts to patrol the crowds, Beck told the Police Commission on Tuesday that the spectators were perhaps the best he's ever seen. "I maybe have never been involved in policing a crowd that was so positive and so proud," he said.   Crime rates for the city during the shuttle's weekend journey, he said, were the lowest in months. Beck stopped short of saying the excitement and interest surrounding the shuttle's arrival had led to the crime drop, but said he believes it may have contributed to the relative calm that fell over the city.   Don't underestimate the effect, Beck said, of "having a community that is involved, energized, and has mutual goals."   END