Happy flex Friday eve. Enjoy this great weather while we have it.
| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- Joint Leadership Team Web Poll
- Windows XP - THE END is ... NOW
- Change from JSC Listserver to Agency Mailing List
- JSC SWAT Training on Friday
- Story Time from the International Space Station - Organizations/Social
- Learn Spanish and Have Fun with the Hispanic ERG
- AIAA Reminder: Luncheon with Sandra Magnus, Ph.D.
- Alcohol Awareness
- Mental Health Disorders - Autism
- Flex Your Time and Your Muscles
- Employee Discount Program
- Starport Book Fair - Building 3 Café
- Starport Youth Karate Classes - Starts April 12
- Parent's Night Out at Starport - April 25 - Jobs and Training
- JSC Imagery Online Training - April 16
- Project Management Forum - Community
- Celebrate Space Pioneers and Unsung Heroes
- Volunteer Opportunity in Our Own Backyard |  |
| Headlines - Joint Leadership Team Web Poll
Your favorite JSC wildlife critters are deer by far. Skunks are my least favorite. UConn was the last choice for basketball champions, so I hope you didn't bet the farm. I just attended a length-of-service ceremony where we recognized someone for 55 years of service. How long do you expect to work for NASA? Twenty-five years? Fifty years? Five years? The new season of Game of Thrones appeared last Sunday, and it reminded me how much I hate that twerp King Joffrey. I'd like to see your vote on who you think the best king of all time is. Pick a king on question two. Lannister your Stark on over to get this week's poll. - Windows XP – THE END is ... NOW
Microsoft ended support of Windows XP on April 8. Your Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) computer with Windows XP will no longer receive security updates to help protect your system and NASA data. Check your computer for Windows XP: 1. Click Start (Windows icon bottom left) 2. Select Control Panel 3. Click System 4. Look under section titled "Windows Edition" 5. If this section shows Windows XP - then you have XP -- Or -- 1. Click Start (Windows icon bottom left) 2. Click Run 3. Type winver and then press Enter No XP, no problem. - Change from JSC Listserver to Agency Mailing List
The JSC Listserver (@JSC-LISTSERV-01.JSC.NASA.GOV) is scheduled to be decommissioned May 30. JSC Listserver list owners should begin using the NASA Agency Mailing List Service (AMLS). There is no charge to use the agency service. Any NASA employee may request a mailing list. List owners manage their lists directly through a Web interface. JSC list owners and others who need to request a mailing list for NASA activities, staff or interests can request an agency mailing list. To create an agency mailing list, see "How to request a mailing list" under NASA AMLS. Create agency mailing lists before May 30, as the JSC Listserver will no longer be available. For more information on the JSC Listserver, please contact Damon Saber. - JSC SWAT Training on Friday
JSC SWAT will be conducting training from 9 a.m. to noon in Building 225/226 this Flex Friday, April 11. - Story Time from the International Space Station
The first of a series of Story Time in Space videos is ready to share! This project combines science literacy outreach with simple science, technology, engineering and math demonstrations recorded aboard the International Space Station. The people behind CASIS' Story Time in Space include our friends Alvin Drew, Bjarni Tryggvason and Patricia Tribe. Organizations/Social - Learn Spanish and Have Fun with the Hispanic ERG
The Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HERG) is hosting a lunch social called "Learn Spanish with Loteria!" Loteria is similar to bingo, except instead of calling letters and numbers, Spanish vocabulary words are called. "La escalera," "el pajaro," "el mundo," "la araña" ... if you don't know what these words mean in English, then you should make plans to attend the upcoming HERG "Learn Spanish with Loteria!" lunch social. Come and network with other employees, take part in a popular Hispanic game and brush up on some basic Spanish. Prizes will be given to the employees with the most Loteria wins! Event Date: Thursday, April 17, 2014 Event Start Time:11:30 AM Event End Time:12:30 PM
Event Location: B3 Collaboration Center
Add to Calendar
Libby Moreno x38608
[top] - AIAA Reminder: Luncheon with Sandra Magnus, Ph.D.
Join American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Houston Section in welcoming former astronaut and AIAA Executive Director Sandra Magnus, Ph.D., back to Houston! Magnus will be in Houston to discuss her recent visit to the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, as well as the future of aerospace and the AIAA. Selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in April 1996, Magnus flew in space on the STS-112 shuttle mission in 2002 and on the final shuttle flight, STS-135, in 2011. In addition, she flew to the International Space Station (ISS) on STS-126 in November 2008, served as flight engineer and science officer on Expedition 18 and returned home on STS-119 after four-and-a-half months aboard the ISS. Please RSVP at the website, as there are limited lunches, and we will see you there! - Alcohol Awareness
Did you know April is Alcohol Awareness Month? Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive drug. One in 12 adults either abuse or are dependent on alcohol. Several millions more engage in risky and binge-drinking patterns that can lead to alcohol problems. We will be learning about the difference between abuse and dependence and what binge drinking is. You will also learn how to recognize signs that you should be concerned about, as well as be given resources to offer support for yourself or a loved one. Please join Anika Isaac LPC, LMFT, with JSC Employee Assistance Program, for her presentation on "Alcohol Awareness." - Mental Health Disorders - Autism
April is National Autism Awareness Month. Please join Takis Bogdanos, LPC-S, CEAP, CGP, with the JSC Employee Assistance Program, for a presentation about Autistic Spectrum Disorders as part of the psycho-educational series "Mental Health Disorders, Causes and Treatments." He will be discussing causes, prevalence, symptoms and impact in everyday life, as well as the latest treatments being implemented. - Flex Your Time and Your Muscles
Need something healthy to do on Flex Fridays? The Gilruth Center is open as usual. In addition to the strength and cardio center and basketball gymnasium, exciting group exercise classes are also available, including: - BOSU-Core
- Spinning
- Tae-Kwon-Do
- Interval Training
Start flexing your muscles on Flex Friday this week! - Employee Discount Program
Did you know that Starport maintains an employee discount program for JSC employees, contractors, family and friends? You can save with: - Discount tickets to local and nationwide attractions
- Leisure and travel discounts on hotels, resorts, cruises, car rentals and more
- Shopping discounts on computers, flowers, clothing, gifts, jewelry, sporting goods and more
- Service discounts on cell phone carriers, energy services, eye care and more
- Starport Book Fair – Building 3 Café
Come and enjoy the Books Are Fun book fair held in the Building 3 Starport Café on Tuesday, April 15, and Wednesday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Search through more than 250 great titles in children's books, cookbooks, general-interest books, New York Times bestsellers, stationery and scrapbooking, music collections and more, all at unbelievable prices. These make great Easter gifts! Click here for more information. - Starport Youth Karate Classes - Starts April 12
Let Starport introduce your child to the exciting art of Youth Karate. Youth Karate will teach your child the skills of self-defense, self-discipline and self-confidence. The class will also focus on leadership, healthy competition and sportsmanship. Five-week session: April 12 to May 17 (no class April 19) Saturdays: 10 to 10:45 a.m. Ages: 6 to 12 Cost: $75 | $20 drop-in rate Register online or at the Gilruth Center. - Parent's Night Out at Starport – April 25
Enjoy a night out on the town while your kids enjoy a night with Starport. We will entertain your children with a night of games, crafts, a bounce house, pizza, a movie, dessert and loads of fun! When: Friday, April 25, from 6 to 10 p.m. Where: Gilruth Center Ages: 5 to 12 Cost: $20/first child and $10/each additional sibling if registered by the Wednesday prior to event. If registered after Wednesday, the fee is $25/first child and $15/additional sibling. Jobs and Training - JSC Imagery Online Training - April 16
Need to find NASA mission pictures or videos? Learn how during a webinar on Wednesday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to noon. Mary Wilkerson, Still Imagery lead, will show users how to find NASA mission images in Imagery Online (IO) and the Digital Imagery Management System (DIMS). Leslie Richards, Video Imagery lead, will show employees the video functionality in IO. This training is open to any JSC/White Sands Test Facility employee. To register, go to this link. For more information, go to IO or DIMS. - Project Management Forum
The Project Management (PM) Forum will be held on Thursday, April 17, in Building 1, Room 966, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At this forum, Kevin Cullen of Leadera Consulting Group will be speaking about "Having a Powerful Relationship with Change." Cullen is the president of Leadera Consulting Group, which specializes in the training and development of business leaders worldwide. He is an exceptional speaker and was last year's keynote speaker at the Project Management Institute Conference. Don't miss this PM Forum! All civil servant and contractor project managers are invited to attend. The purpose of the PM Forum is to provide an opportunity for our project managers to freely discuss issues, best practices, lessons learned, tools and opportunities, as well as to collaborate with other project managers. Community - Celebrate Space Pioneers and Unsung Heroes
Hear the stories of space history as recounted by the women of Mercury 13 who, while not part of NASA's astronaut program and never flew in space, underwent some of the same physical and physiological tests of their male counterparts. Discover the importance of aerospace careers that aren't widely recognized but essential to the success of space missions. Also enjoy: - Astronaut autograph sessions
- Cultural performances representing nations around the world
- Behind-the-scenes photographs of unsung heroes who made space travel a reality
- Panel discussions: "Women in STEM" and "Behind the Scenes at NASA"
- All the shows, tours and attractions at Space Center Houston
When, you ask? April 12—which happens to be International Human Spaceflight Day! Space Center Houston 281-244-2100
[top] - Volunteer Opportunity in Our Own Backyard
Clear Lake City will soon be home to Exploration Green, the new recreation and conservation area right here in JSC's backyard. We need a few volunteers to help with NASA exhibits/displays during the official groundbreaking of Exploration Green on Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. until noon. We plan to have an exhibit, a photo opportunity display and everyone's favorite: COSMO! Go to V-CORPs to check out this great opportunity, right here in Clear Lake! | |
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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. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters. |
NASA and Human Spaceflight News
Thursday – April 10, 2014
HEADLINES AND LEADS
Sandy Hook School Students Launch Space Talk
Eliza Hallabeck - Newtown Bee
Flight engineers on the International Space Station helped Sandy Hook Elementary School students celebrate the end of the school's One School One Read program on Tuesday, April 8.
NASA: Human landing on Mars is on track for 2030s
Ledyard King – USA Today
A human landing on Mars is still about 20 years away, but NASA's mission to the Red Planet appears to be steadily moving forward.
GM seeks NASA help in recall review
David Shepardson – The Detroit News
General Motors Co. has asked a special team at NASA to review whether 2.6 million recalled GM cars are safe to drive with only an ignition key, two people briefed on the matter said Wednesday.
NASA Authorizing Bill Clears House Subcommittee Quickly
Dan Leone – Space News
A one-year NASA authorization bill that cleared its first legislative hurdle April 9 would require NASA to allow the contractors building the James Webb Space Telescope, Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew capsule to spend money currently set aside to cover the potential cost of canceling these big-ticket programs.
Progress supply ship docks with space station
William Harwood – CBS News
A Russian Progress supply ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment vaulted into orbit Wednesday, chased down the International Space Station and glided to a picture-perfect docking to close out an autonomous four-orbit rendezvous with the lab complex.
NASA 'flying saucer' for Mars to land in Hawaii
Lisa Grossman – New Scientist
In June, while beachgoers in Hawaii sit blissfully unaware, a flying saucer will descend over the island of Kauai. This is not a trailer for an alien invasion movie – NASA is gearing up to conduct the first test flight of a disc-shaped spacecraft designed to safely land heavy loads and one day people on the surface of Mars.
Did A Lake Once Cover Spirit Rover's Landing Site On Mars?
Elizabeth Howell – Universe Today
Science is an iterative process, with each discovery building on those made before. This means that as new evidence comes into play, you need to examine the evidence in context of what you know now, and what you knew before. Sometimes the evidence points to new theories. And sometimes, like in this case concerning Mars, it points to older ones.
Huntsville scientists ready to launch experiment to International Space Station
Lee Roop – Huntsville Times
What if you could turn a virus or bacteria off by blocking its cellular reproduction? It's a big idea and not a new one, but Huntsville scientists will be trying a new way to do it with an experiment flying on the International Space Station for the next six months.
COMPLETE STORIES
Sandy Hook School Students Launch Space Talk
Eliza Hallabeck - Newtown Bee
Flight engineers on the International Space Station helped Sandy Hook Elementary School students celebrate the end of the school's One School One Read program on Tuesday, April 8.
Seated inside Monroe's Chalk Hill Middle School's Lecture Hall, Sandy Hook School third and fourth grade students faced a projection of a Skype conversation with two astronauts, Rick Mastracchio and Steve Swanson.
The conversation was also shared live so students across the school and family members could tune in.
Tuesday's event was the culmination of this year's One School One Read, a program that has the entire school community read the same book at the same time, which was How Do You Burp in Space? And Other Tips Every Space Tourist Needs to Know by Susan E. Goodman.
"Station, this is Sandy Hook Elementary. How do you hear me?" Sandy Hook School Principal Kathy Gombos said at the start of the video posted by NASA. The video, called "Space Station Crew Discusses Life in Space with Students at Sandy Hook Elementary School" is posted to YouTube on NASA's account.
"Sandy Hook Elementary, we hear you loud and clear. Welcome to the International Space Station," Mr Mastracchio said.
This year's One School One Read program began on Friday, March 14. During multiple presentations that day for different grade levels, Sandy Hook School library/media specialist Yvonne Cech and reading consultant Cynthia McArthur unveiled this year's One School One Read.
Past One School One Read books have been The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling, Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins, The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney, Red Slider by Blair Hickson, A Bear Named Trouble by Marion Dane Bauer, The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, Stuart Little by E.B. White, and Frindle by Andrew Clements.
During the last month, the Sandy Hook School community celebrated reading How Do You Burp in Space? And Other Tips Every Space Tourist Needs to Know through classroom activities, take-home exercises, and more.
For the Skype session to happen, Maryann Jacob, who worked on setting up the technical aspect of the event with Nelson Santos, said a communication unit was borrowed from the state. Staff members at the Newtown Municipal Center, including Director of Technology Carmella Amodeo, also helped oversee the conversation.
Ms Jacob said this year's One School One Read and the ability to set up a conversation with the International Space Station "just played together so great."
Ms Cech prepared students for the conversation with the astronauts by completing lessons and helping them to prepare questions that were asked during the interview.
Students asked questions like, "How do you brush your hair in space?" "Can you show us how you eat food and how those items are packaged?" And, "We read that each astronaut has to keep their packed personal items to a maximum of two pounds. What kinds of personal items did you bring with you on this trip?"
Every ounce and pound of things brought to the International Space Station is expensive to bring, Mr Mastracchio explained.
"So we are only allowed very few personal items," Mr Mastracchio said. "Of course, I've got pictures of my family, I've got my watch, I've got a ring from my wife, I've got little pieces of jewelry from friends and family."
He also had another item with him on Tuesday. Mr Swanson helped Mr Mastracchio, who is a resident of Waterbury, unwrap a Sandy Hook School T-shirt that he was able to bring up with him.
Mr Mastracchio said the Sandy Hook School shirt will be returned to students at the school when he returns from the International Space Station.
Students also learned that the astronauts complete experiments while on the International Space Station, and sleeping on the International Space Station is similar to camping, according to Mr Swanson.
"We have an area, it's about the size of a tent, which are our little homes we have, our little room for us. And in there we have a sleeping bag," said Mr Swanson, "and that is where we sleep, in a sleeping bag. It's really a nice sleep. I feel very comfortable when I sleep."
To wash their hair, Mr Mastracchio said astronauts use a no-rinse shampoo and wipe their hair afterward.
Moving around on the International Space Station with microgravity is fun, according to Mr Mastracchio, who completed a flip to prove it.
"Moving around the International Space Station in very easy, because there is no gravity," said Mr Mastracchio. "It's a lot of fun. You can fly around like you are Superman, almost."
Showering on the International Space Station is a towel with some hot water in it, according to Mr Swanson.
"It's kind of like a sponge bath for us," Mr Swanson said.
Trash is managed in two different bags, one for the "wet and stinky" and one for other trash items, and all of the trash is transported by a cargo vehicle that then burns up on its way back to Earth, according to Mr Swanson.
Students also asked questions about how the astronauts prepare for safety issues, what inspired them to become astronauts, and how to become astronauts themselves.
Mr Swanson said he was inspired to become an astronaut after watching Star Trek when he was younger. He also told the students to work hard in school, do what their parents tell them, get good grades, and be the best person they can be to become an astronaut.
Near the end of the event, music teacher Maryrose Kristopik led the third and fourth graders in singing the Sandy Hook School song for Mr Mastracchio and Mr Swanson.
"Thank you very much. You guys sound fantastic," Mr Mastracchio said.
NASA: Human landing on Mars is on track for 2030s
Ledyard King – USA Today
A human landing on Mars is still about 20 years away, but NASA's mission to the Red Planet appears to be steadily moving forward.
Development of key components of the deep-space rocket, capsule and infrastructure needed to reach Mars remain on schedule for an eventual landing in the 2030s, NASA's top human exploration chief told a Senate panel Wednesday.
And earlier Wednesday, a House subcommittee approved an authorization bill that would allow NASA to use an asteroid as part of a "steppingstone" approach for the mission, the space agency's preferred strategy. NASA wants to redirect an asteroid into the moon's orbit, land astronauts there and use the asteroid as a testing outpost and weigh station on the way to Mars.
House Republicans who want to return to the moon are skeptical of that approach. But the bipartisan authorization bill endorsed by the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Space would permit the agency to consider the asteroid option. The agency would have to spell out the cost and details of the mission as part of an exploration "roadmap" to Mars that NASA would have to submit to Congress.
"I know that different members have their own personal favorite destinations and interim missions," said Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., a member of the subcommittee and co-sponsor of the authorization bill. "But this (measure) puts the job of deciding the pathway forward where it belongs by requiring NASA to develop an informed and realistic roadmap to get this nation to Mars."
In a hearing room on the other side of the Capitol, Associate NASA Administrator Bill Gerstenmaier assured members of a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee that the agency remains on target to launch an uncrewed mission in 2017 to test the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle that will carry astronauts to Mars.
Avionics testing of solid rocket boosters was completed Tuesday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for a test of the SLS rocket later this year. Acoustic testing of the engines was being conducted Wednesday at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. And sections of the massive rocket and its oxygen and hydrogen tanks are being welded together at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
"There is real hardware in manufacture for the path to Mars," Gerstenmaier told senators.
Talk of Mars permeates the nation's space program, which many say needs a bold target now that the space shuttle has been retired and a return trip to the moon is viewed by many as been there, done that. President Obama scrapped a lunar mission in 2010 on the advice of an expert panel.
But the ambitious Mars mission could be delayed or derailed if funding from a budget-conscious Congress continues to erode, or if other countries' plans for a lunar mission force the U.S. to change course for security reasons.
Although there's broad bipartisan support for landing humans on the Red Planet this century, not everyone likes the idea.
GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California, who sits on the Space Subcommittee, called the notion "an expensive folly" that would divert billions from other, more urgent priorities.
"When one tries to cross a bridge too far, somebody's going to get soaked," Rohrabacher told fellow panel members. "In this case, it will be the American taxpayer who will be paying dearly for unnecessary expenditures in achieving a goal — landing human beings on Mars — which is more of a publicity stunt than a scientific achievement."
Former astronaut Leroy Chiao expressed a different view at Wednesday's Senate hearing, calling a Mars mission important not only for developing technologies beneficial to humans on Earth but for boosting national prestige and inspiration.
"Human space flight has become woven into the very fabric of our identity, as a nation of explorers, innovators and entrepreneurs," he said. "It was exactly the endeavors of the Apollo and prior programs that inspired me and my generation. We must do the same and more for our children and grandchildren, and to help maintain our position as the world leader."
GM seeks NASA help in recall review
David Shepardson – The Detroit News
General Motors Co. has asked a special team at NASA to review whether 2.6 million recalled GM cars are safe to drive with only an ignition key, two people briefed on the matter said Wednesday.
At the Detroit automaker's request, Ralph R. Roe Jr., who is director of the NASA Engineering & Safety Center, is expected to lead an independent outside review of GM's recall of cars linked to at least 13 deaths.
The review, which is expected to start soon, comes amid questions raised by members of Congress and safety advocates about whether the Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other similar cars are safe to drive before repairs.
GM says its own testing shows they are safe when only the weight of a single key is in the faulty ignition switch; heavy key chains can push the key to the "off" or "accessory" mode, which kills the engine and disables power steering and air bags. A lawyer has asked a federal judge in Texas to order GM to tell owners of all the recalled cars to stop driving until repairs are made.
NASA is expected to evaluate and analyze the work GM has done to ensure that the recalled vehicles are safe to drive. The NASA team also is expected to conduct a broader review of GM's overall approach to safety issues. GM has appointed a new vice president of global safety, Jeff Boyer, who has been given wide authority to make faster decisions on whether recalls are necessary. Since being appointed, Boyer helped speed several recent recalls.
GM declined to confirm the space agency's appointment, and NASA didn't respond to a request for comment late Wednesday seeking confirmation. A spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating GM's recall and whether it was done in a timely fashion, also declined to comment.
"We will not comment specifically on NASA," GM spokesman Greg Martin said. "I will say what we have in the past, that we will draw upon an array of outside expertise to help guide us during this time."
NASA has assisted in auto safety investigations in the past.
In 2010, the Transportation Department asked the space agency to investigate whether electronic defects were to blame for sudden acceleration problems in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles. NASA and the NHTSA spent 10 months reviewing the issue, tapping NASA engineers with expertise in areas such as computer-controlled electronic systems, electromagnetic interference and software integrity to research whether electronic systems or electromagnetic interference played a role in incidents of unintended acceleration.
NASA engineers found no electronic flaws in Toyota vehicles capable of opening the throttle wide enough to cause dangerous high-speed unintended acceleration.
"We enlisted the best and brightest engineers to study Toyota's electronics systems, and the verdict is in. There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas," said then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
At the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, NASA hardware and systems engineers examined and tested mechanical components of Toyota vehicles that could result in an unwanted throttle opening. At a Chrysler Group LLC facility in Michigan, NHTSA and NASA engineers bombarded vehicles with electromagnetic radiation to study whether it could cause malfunctions.
NHTSA engineers and researchers also tested Toyotas at NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Test Center in East Liberty, Ohio, to determine whether there were any additional mechanical causes for unintended acceleration and whether any of the test scenarios developed during the NHTSA-NASA investigation could actually occur in real-world conditions.
"NASA found no evidence that a malfunction in electronics caused large, unintended accelerations," said Michael Kirsch, principal engineer at the NASA Engineering and Safety Center, in February 2011.
Roe has directed the NASA Engineering & Safety Center since it was created 2003. The center performs "independent, in-depth technical reviews of NASA's most difficult problems and challenges," according to a NASA website.
This week, GM began getting parts to dealers to begin the recall, but the automaker says it may take until October or longer to build enough parts to repair all of them. Questions about the timeliness of recall — which has become the automaker's biggest crisis in years — stem from GM's failure to recall the cars for more than decade after learning of ignition switch problems in a 2001 pre-production Saturn Ion.
Separately, the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported that government investigators are about to begin interviews in the criminal probe being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. The Detroit News previously confirmed a criminal investigation is underway.
A person briefed on the matter said GM has been cooperating extensively with the probe, and said it is expected the government will seek to interview senior officials at the automaker. Some of those officials have been working to retain lawyers.
NASA Authorizing Bill Clears House Subcommittee Quickly
Dan Leone – Space News
A one-year NASA authorization bill that cleared its first legislative hurdle April 9 would require NASA to allow the contractors building the James Webb Space Telescope, Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew capsule to spend money currently set aside to cover the potential cost of canceling these big-ticket programs.
NASA would not need congressional approval to cancel JWST, SLS or Orion — a change from the two-year NASA authorization bill the House Science Committee was pushing last summer to no avail — but would be required to notify Congress a year in advance if it wants to cancel any of these programs for convenience. Any funds already held in reserve to cover termination liability, the bill says, should "be promptly used to make maximum progress" on these marquee programs.
If NASA does decide to terminate any of these programs for convenience, the bill says, Congress would step in and approve a supplemental appropriations request to cover the costs.
In stark contrast to last year's highly partisan, hours-long markup, the House Science space subcommittee took less than a half hour April 9 to send the 91-page NASA Authorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4412) to the full committee for consideration.
Authorization bills do not provide funding for federal agencies, although they do provide guidelines for appropriations legislation that does. In this case, however, appropriators have already acted, approving $17.6 billion for NASA in January as part of an omnibus spending bill that runs through September.
Unlike last year's bill, which stalled after clearing the Republican-controlled committee on a largely party-line vote, H.R. 4412 does not bar NASA from spending money on the White House-proposed Asteroid Redirect Mission. It does, however, require NASA to submit within 180 days of enactment a report detailing the mission's cost and schedule, and what technologies it will use that could also be used for human Mars missions but that could not also be gained from lunar missions.
NASA would also be required to report within 60 days on a 2021 Mars flyby mission concept proposed by the Dennis Tito-backed Inspiration Mars Foundation and favored by the committee's Republican majority as a better objective for NASA than relocating an asteroid to lunar space by 2025.
Another highlight of H.R. 4412 is an eventual prohibition against NASA paying Russia to take astronauts to the international space station aboard the proven Soyuz system. NASA now pays Russia about $70 million for each astronaut round trip.
NASA has spent roughly $2 billion during the last few years fostering a domestic alternative to Soyuz through its Commercial Crew Program, which aims to field by 2017 at least one of the three competing commercially designed systems that Boeing Space Exploration, Sierra Nevada Space Systems, and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. are working on.
NASA is seeking $848 million for the Commercial Crew Program in 2015, which is about $150 million more than the highest appropriation Congress has ever made for the program. The authorization bill that cleared the House Science space subcommittee April 9 would require NASA to study the implications of funding the Commercial Crew Program with annual appropriations between $600 million to $800 million.
Other directives in the proposed NASA Authorization Act of 2014 would require NASA to:
- Set a firmer pace for planetary science missions, including a small Discovery-class launch every two years, a medium-sized New Frontiers-class launch every five years, and a new flagship-class mission every 10 years, beginning with a mission to Europa in 2021.
- Use the National Academy for Public Administration to review the effectiveness of the NASA Advisory Council, an agency chartered advisory group that provides nominally independent advice to the NASA administrator.
- Provide cost estimates for extending international space station operations through 2024, as the White House proposed in January, and through 2030, as some in Congress would like.
- Further study the cost of using a donated spy telescope with a 2.4-meter-diameter primary mirror for the planned Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the next big NASA astrophysics mission after the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA got two of these telescopes from the National Reconnaissance Office in 2012, and House lawmakers want to know how much the gifts, which must be stored at NASA's expense until flown, are costing the space agency.
Progress supply ship docks with space station
William Harwood – CBS News
A Russian Progress supply ship loaded with 2.9 tons of supplies and equipment vaulted into orbit Wednesday, chased down the International Space Station and glided to a picture-perfect docking to close out an autonomous four-orbit rendezvous with the lab complex.
The cargo ship's Soyuz booster ignited on time at 11:26 a.m. EDT (GMT-4, 9:26 p.m. local time), quickly pushing the spacecraft away from its firing stand at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Seconds after liftoff, the rocket knifed through a layer of low clouds and disappeared from view, but NASA launch commentator Rob Navias said telemetry from the spacecraft showed rock-solid performance as it continued its ascent.
The eight-minute 45-second climb to space went smoothly and the Progress M-23M supply craft's solar arrays and navigation antennas deployed as planned moments after separation from the booster's upper stage.
"A flawless launch and ascent," said Navias, monitoring the flight from mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "So far, so good, for the Progress 55 (mission)."
Following a fast-track six-hour rendezvous, the Progress M-23M cargo ship moved in for a radar-guided docking at the Russian Pirs module at 5:14 p.m. as the two spacecraft sailed 260 miles above the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Peru.
As always with uncrewed Progress dockings, a Russian cosmonaut aboard the space station monitored the approach from a control station in the station's Zvezda command module, ready to take over by remote control if any problems developed.
But the launch, rendezvous and docking were virtually flawless, and Russian mission managers radioed their congratulations to the station's crew, saying the flight was one of the smoothest in recent memory.
"Again, a huge thank you and congratulations for the excellent work," a Russian called up from the flight control center near Moscow.
"Thank you for your nice words," one of the station cosmonauts replied in translated remarks. "Congratulations to everyone, because it was a joint activity. It's great to see our joint effort has been so successful."
The Progress M-23M spacecraft is the 55th Russian cargo ship launched to the space station since assembly began in 1998. The cargo ship was loaded with 1,764 pounds of propellant for the station's maneuvering rockets; 105 pounds of oxygen; 926 pounds of water; and 3,126 pounds of experiment hardware, spare parts and crew supplies.
Expedition 39 commander Koichi Wakata, Mikhail Tyurin, Rick Mastracchio, Oleg Artemyev, Alexander Skvortsov and Steven Swanson plan to unload the cargo ship over the next several days and weeks.
Next up for the space station is launch of a commercial SpaceX Dragon cargo ship Monday that is loaded with 4,600 pounds of equipment and supplies.
Liftoff from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida is targeted for 4:58 p.m. Monday, setting up a two-day rendezvous with the station. If all goes well, the station's robot arm will latch onto the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft around 7:11 a.m. Wednesday, pulling it in for berthing at the Earth-facing port of the forward Harmony module.
Launch originally was planned for last month, but the flight was delayed, first by concern about possible contamination in the spacecraft's unpressurized cargo section and then by a short circuit that damaged critical Air Force radar tracking equipment.
The contamination issue later was dismissed, but work to repair the U.S. Eastern Range tracking gear delayed the SpaceX flight as well as launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite.
With the tracking network back in operation, the Atlas 5 is scheduled for launch from complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 1:45 p.m. Thursday. If all goes well, the SpaceX Dragon will follow suit Monday.
NASA 'flying saucer' for Mars to land in Hawaii
Lisa Grossman – New Scientist
In June, while beachgoers in Hawaii sit blissfully unaware, a flying saucer will descend over the island of Kauai. This is not a trailer for an alien invasion movie – NASA is gearing up to conduct the first test flight of a disc-shaped spacecraft designed to safely land heavy loads and one day people on the surface of Mars.
The Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) will be lofted into the stratosphere from the US Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai. The inflatable technology is intended to help slow down vehicles after they enter the thin Martian atmosphere at supersonic speeds.
"It may seem obvious, but the difference between landing and crashing is stopping," says Allen Chen at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who oversaw the successful landing of the one-tonne Curiosity rover in 2012. "We really only have two options for stopping at Mars: rockets and aerodynamic drag."
Inflatable spacecraft
Until recently, NASA had used parachutes and airbags for most robotic landings on Mars, starting with the Viking mission in 1976. But the heavier the load, the harder it is to come in softly. For the car-sized Curiosity, NASA invented an ambitious system called the sky crane, which combined parachutes with landing gear powered by retro-rockets that could lower the rover to the surface on tethers.
However, Curiosity pushed the weight limits of that technology, and future human missions could require 40 to 100 metric tonnes per mission. Such weight can't be adequately slowed by parachutes in the Martian air, which is just 1 per cent as dense as Earth's. Unfortunately, rocket-powered landings are out of the question, too, as the atmosphere is still just thick enough to buffet incoming spacecraft with more turbulence than thrusters can accommodate.
The LDSD design solves this quandary using a balloon-like decelerator and a giant parachute twice the size of Curiosity's. The decelerator would attach to the outer rim of a capsule-like entry vehicle. When the capsule is travelling at about Mach 3.5, the device would rapidly inflate like a Hawaiian pufferfish to increase surface area. The added air resistance would slow the capsule down to Mach 2, at which point the 33.5-metre parachute could safely deploy.
Bridge to Mars
To simulate Mars's thin atmosphere on Earth, the team in Hawaii will first lift a test vehicle fitted with the LDSD system to about 37 kilometres above the Pacific Ocean using a high-altitude balloon. The craft will detach and fire a small rocket to reach a height of 55 kilometres, about halfway to the edge of space. As it falls back to Earth, the system will inflate and moments later the parachute will fire. The saucer should gently splash down in open water.
NASA has three more test flights in Hawaii planned for the LDSD, and mission managers will review the results before deciding on next steps. In addition to landing human missions on Mars, the system could help robotic craft safely land in Martian mountains or highlands. These areas have even less air available for slowing down a spacecraft via drag and so have been inaccessible with current technology.
"Personally, I think it's a game-changer. You could take a mass to the surface equal to something like 1 to 10 Curiosities," says Robert Braun at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. "Think about it like a bridge for humans to Mars. This is the next step in a sequence of technologies that would need to be developed."
Did A Lake Once Cover Spirit Rover's Landing Site On Mars?
Elizabeth Howell – Universe Today
Science is an iterative process, with each discovery building on those made before. This means that as new evidence comes into play, you need to examine the evidence in context of what you know now, and what you knew before. Sometimes the evidence points to new theories. And sometimes, like in this case concerning Mars, it points to older ones.
The Spirit rover spent six years (2004-2010) exploring Gusev Crater, which is just a little south of the Martian equator. Scientists have been back and forth about whether it once was a vast lake of water, but some new research could swing the pendulum towards the water hypothesis.
The water track hinges on magnesium-iron carbonate minerals found in Columbia Hills, a 300-foot (91-meter) feature about two miles (3.2 kilometers) away from Spirit's landing site. When the minerals were first found in the hills' Comanche outcrop in 2010, scientists (which included the lead author of the study) attributed this to ancient hot springs activity.
It was a bit of a disappointment for those who had picked Gusev as a landing site from the belief that it was indeed an ancient lake. "From orbit, Gusev looked, with its southern rim breached by a meandering river channel, as if it once held a lake – and water-deposited rocks were the rover mission's focus," Arizona State University stated.
Spirit, however, initially found that the crater was lined with volcanic rocks and not the sediments scientists needed to support the lake theory. When it did find evidence of water in the hills, it was linked to hydrothermal activity.
The new analysis suggests that Comanche (and other outcrops in the vicinity) got their liquid from water on the surface that was of a much lower temperature than what you would find in a hot spring –which originates underground.
This is because Comanche and the surrounding area are believed to have started as a buildup of volcanic ash (called a tephra) from eruptions somewhere around Gusev. As the theory goes, waters penetrated Gusev at the south, lingered, and created a "briny solution". Over time, the brine evaporated and what remained was carbonate minerals residue that coated the rocks.
"The lake didn't have to be big," stated Steve Ruff, an associate research professor at Arizona State University who led the research. "The Columbia Hills stand 300 feet high, but they're in the lowest part of Gusev. So a deep, crater-spanning lake wasn't needed."
Getting more information, however, would be one way to add credence to the theory. That's why the team is also pushing for the forthcoming NASA Mars 2020 rover to land in Gusev Crater, which would be unprecedented among Mars missions as each lander and/or rover has gone to a different spot. Site selection has not been finalized yet.
"Going back to Gusev would give us an opportunity for a second field season there, which any terrestrial geologist would understand," stated Ruff. "After the first field season with Spirit, we now have a bunch more questions and new hypotheses that can be addressed by going back."
Huntsville scientists ready to launch experiment to International Space Station
Lee Roop – Huntsville Times
What if you could turn a virus or bacteria off by blocking its cellular reproduction? It's a big idea and not a new one, but Huntsville scientists will be trying a new way to do it with an experiment flying on the International Space Station for the next six months.
On Monday, April 14, 2014, a SpaceX rocket is scheduled to lift a Dragon capsule toward a rendezvous with the station. On board the capsule is an experiment by the small Huntsville company iXpressGenes located at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, owned by the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and headed by UAH biology professor Dr. Joseph Ng.
Just getting your experiment to the space station is an accomplishment. iXpressGenes first beat out other applicants to win a research grant to grow protein crystals in space from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). That's the independent agency that controls science in the American laboratories on the space station.
An earlier SpaceX launch attempt this spring was scrubbed by technical issues, forcing Ng's team to start over with a new batch of protein samples. They're at the Kennedy Space Flight Center in Florida this week to try again.
Scientists like to grow crystallized forms of proteins for experiments because it's much easier to see how the protein works in its 3-D crystallized shape. Crystals can be grown on Earth, but they grow much larger and less flawed in microgravity. The difference is so dramatic that protein crystals experiments have turned out to be a major focus of science in space.
iXpressGenes is studying a protein enzyme involved in the passing of DNA instructions when genes replicate. If scientists can understand the arrangement of every atom in the enzyme, Ng says, they can theoretically use bioengineering techniques to make it more active or inhibit its growth.
"In case the (enzyme) is from a pathogen," Ng said, "an antibiotic can be made to deactivate the enzyme and in turn (destroy) the pathogen."
The experiment began in Huntsville with the production of a large amount of protein samples. They will grow into crystals on the station for six months, return to Earth aboard another capsule and be rushed directly to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for analysis.
Ng and his team are hoping for good weather and a launch Monday. But they won't know until six months after that if they even have crystals to analyze.
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