Hope to see some of you at our retirees Lunch at Hibachi Grill TODAY in a half hour.
| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- Joint Leadership Team Web Poll
- Swanni Swabs Saliva on the Space Station
- Update on IE9 and Office 2013 Pilot Push to JSC
- JSC and WSTF Agency RSA Tokens
- Spring Fair Community Basket Just Got Bigger
- Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System
- Access Online Resources at the STI Center
- The ISS Conference Facility is Moving - Organizations/Social
- Call for Photos
- AIAA Luncheon - Sandra Magnus, Ph.D.
- Environmental Brown Bag - Residential Solar Energy
- Alcohol Awareness
- Space Serenity Al-Anon Meeting April 8
- Starport Summer Camp Registration Now Open
- JSC Annual Picnic at SplashTown on April 27
- Starport's Sunrise Spinning - April 20 - Jobs and Training
- Save the Date for the Project Management Forum
- HTC Lunch and Learn Today - Community
- Special Olympics Needs Space Center Volunteers |  |
| Headlines - Joint Leadership Team Web Poll
Building 32's Chambers A and B are JSC's second National Historic Landmark, not the Saturn V. It belongs to the Smithsonian, but isn't a landmark. Stephen F's last-second four-point play was your favorite tournament moment so far. Mine too. This week you may have heard about Building 1's stinky problem. I'm referring to a skunk, of course. We have lots of wild critters on this site. Which one is your favorite? Hawks? Deer? Cows? Since we are in the Final Four part of the tourney, I'd like your prediction on the eventual national champion. Will it be Badgers? Wildcats? Huskies? Gators? Dickie your Vitale on over to get this week's poll. - Swanni Swabs Saliva on the Space Station
The first science samples that Steve Swanson collected on orbit were for the Salivary Markers investigation. We know that astronauts' immune systems don't work as well during spaceflight. In this study, saliva, blood and urine are collected to determine if spaceflight-induced immune system dysregulation increases infection susceptibility or poses a significant health risk. - Update on IE9 and Office 2013 Pilot Push to JSC
ACES has informed us the previously delayed pushes of software, patches and updates has resumed for JSC following the flight freeze. This includes IE9 and MS Office 2013 for JSC pilot users. Since there is a limit on the number of systems that can be updated at one time, the push to all users may not be complete until close of business Thursday, April 3. - JSC and WSTF Agency RSA Tokens
Agency RSA tokens are used for two-factor authentication to access protected systems, like JSC VPN or White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) VPN remote access. Users who no longer require their token should return them to an ACES RSA representative. - JSC users return RSA tokens to Building 46, Room 154
- WSTF users return RSA tokens to Building 101, Room 118
Secure control of government-issued equipment is a user's responsibility and must be turned in when leaving employment, including RSA tokens. JSC and WSTF VPN users may also optionally use their agency PIV smartcard badge on ACES Windows workstations. For more information on RSA tokens services and assistance: - On-site - See RSA Token FAQs
- Publically available off-site - See RSA Token FAQs at NASA.gov
- Spring Fair Community Basket Just Got Bigger
Don't miss this opportunity to sign up for the JSC community basket drawing at today's Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair at the Gilruth. How would you like a certificate for a free Starport massage or personal training session? What about a beautiful challenge coin courtesy of JSC Security? Or some special Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory memorabilia? Maybe you need safety glasses, an emergency blanket or even a NASA rain poncho. Don't like plastic? There's an aluminum water bottle donated by Occupational Health. These are just a few of the items the JSC team has pulled together for the best basket drawing ever. Come out today and sign up! The winner will be notified at the end of today's event. You don't have to be present to win. Event Date: Thursday, April 3, 2014 Event Start Time:10:00 AM Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: JSC Gilruth and Bluebonnet Pavilion
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Rindy Carmichael x45078
[top] - Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System
The Emergency Dispatch Center and Office of Emergency Management will conduct the monthly, first Thursday test of the JSC Emergency Warning System (EWS) today at noon. The EWS test will consist of a verbal "This is a test" message, followed by a short tone and a second verbal "This is a test" message. The warning tone will be the "wavering" tone, which is associated with an "Attack warning" message. Please visit the JSC Emergency Awareness website for EWS tones and definitions. During an actual emergency situation, the particular tone and verbal message will provide you with protective information. - Access Online Resources at the STI Center
Do you need access to important online public journal articles, conference papers or e-books, but keep getting those annoying user login messages? Your JSC library, also known as the Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Center, can get it for you via Interlibrary Loan Services. Contact us via email or call 281-483-4245, fax 291-244-6624, or come by Building 30A, Room 1077, between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (open Flex-Fridays). We're here to assist you with your information research needs. Please visit the website for the complete policy and procedures. - The ISS Conference Facility is Moving
Beginning April 28, meetings scheduled for the International Space Station (ISS) Conference Facility, currently at Regents Park III, will be held at 1800 Space Park Drive in Nassau Bay. During the facility transition period between April 5 and 27, meetings will be held in alternate locations. Please check with your meeting host or ISS Conference Facility staff to verify the location of your meeting prior to driving to Regents Park. Also, during the transition time, the ISS Conference Facility will have limited ability to accommodate non-ISS meeting requests. Organizations/Social - Call for Photos
Calling all photographers! The ASIA Employee Resource Group (ERG) wants your pictures. We are looking for photos that capture culture; diversity; collaboration for innovation; and leadership with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We would like to showcase them to the JSC community during the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May. The theme for the ASIA ERG event is "Diverse Leadership + Expanding Opportunity: An Imperative for America." Guidelines are as follows: ALL ENTRIES: Send up to four images per person. Please include your name, address, phone, email, titles/captions and any other information pertinent to your submission on all files. By submitting your photos, the photographer affirms that he or she produced the artwork and that such reprint may be reproduced, published and exhibited. We will notify the finalists by April 22. - AIAA Luncheon – Sandra Magnus, Ph.D.
Join the AIAA Houston Section in welcoming former astronaut and AIAA Executive Director Sandra Magnus, Ph.D., back to Houston! Magnus will be here 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. Please RSVP at the event website with your meal selection. The cost of this luncheon is $7 for AIAA members and $10 for non-members. The schedule for this event is as follows: 11 to 11:30 a.m. - Social 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Lunch 11:50 a.m. - Speaker Introduction - Environmental Brown Bag – Residential Solar Energy
Solar PV installation is increasing at an exponential rate, with more than 75 percent of total solar installed in the United States having been added in the past 18 months. One third of new electric capacity in the United States in 2013 was solar, and homeowners are now looking into solar for its financial benefits, more so than its environmental benefits. What's changing? Join us on Tuesday, April 8, to learn about past and expected trends in solar technology and the resulting effects on solar economics. The presentation will include a case study for a recent solar installation on a home in Austin, Texas, and review the design factors that affect cost, aesthetics, safety, quality and energy production. This brown bag will be in Building 45, Room 551, from noon to 1 p.m. (*note different room*). - Alcohol Awareness
Did you know that 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 the JSC Employee Assistance Program, for her presentation on "Alcohol Awareness." - Space Serenity Al-Anon Meeting April 8
"Easy does it" reminds Al-Anon members to spring into action gradually, with ease. Our 12-step meeting is for co-workers, families and friends of those who work or live with the family disease of alcoholism. We will meet Tuesday, April 8, in Building 32, Room 135 (*ROOM CHANGE*), from 12 noon to 12:45 p.m. Visitors are welcome. - Starport Summer Camp Registration Now Open
Summer is fast approaching, and Starport will again be offering summer camp for youth at the Gilruth Center all summer long! We have tons of fun planned, and we expect each session to fill up, so get your registrations in early. Weekly themes are listed on our website, as well as information regarding registration. Ages: 6 to 12 Times: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dates: June 9 to Aug. 22 in one-week sessions Fee per session: $140 per child | $125 per sibling Register for all sessions and receive a DISCOUNT! Register online or at the Gilruth Center information desk. - JSC Annual Picnic at SplashTown on April 27
The NASA JSC Family Picnic takes place at SplashTown water park every year the weekend before the park opens to the public. Don't miss out on this fun family event taking place on April 27! Tickets will be on sale from March 17 through April 18 in the Buildings 3 and 11 Starport Gift Shops and the Gilruth Center. Tickets are $33 each for ages 3 and up (2 and under do not need a ticket). After April 18, tickets will be $37. A ticket includes: admission to SplashTown from noon to 6 p.m. for plenty of thrills and admission to the NASA JSC exclusive pavilion (with wristband) for a barbecue lunch, beverages, snow cones, kids' games, Bingo with prizes, face painting, moon bounce, balloon artist, DJ, horseshoes, volleyball and basketball. - Starport's Sunrise Spinning – April 20
Renew your senses and invigorate your mind and body with a 60-minute outdoor spinning class that will conclude as the sun rises. This motivational endurance ride is great for all levels. Light refreshments will be provided after class. Reserve your spot now! There are still spots left at the discounted $10 registration fee (ends April 11). Register at the Gilruth Center information desk or online. Starport's Sunrise Spinning - April 20
- 6 to 7 a.m.
Early Registration Fee: - $10/person (ends April 11)
Regular Registration: - $15/person (April 12 to 19)
For more information about this spinning class, or for those interested in biking or running in to the Gilruth that morning, please contact Kerri Knotts. Jobs and Training - Save the Date for the 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. Event Date: Thursday, April 17, 2014 Event Start Time:11:30 AM Event End Time:12:30 PM
Event Location: Building 1, Room 966
Add to Calendar
Danielle Bessard x37238
[top] - HTC Lunch and Learn Today
Ever thought about starting your own business? Do you have an idea or technology that you think has potential as a commercial product? Then bring your bagged lunch and join the Houston Technology Center (HTC) in the HTC Conference Center located on the second floor of Building 35 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today and for the next five Thursdays for a series of lectures on how to launch, fund and sustain a new business. Community - Special Olympics Needs Space Center Volunteers
The local Special Olympics Spring Games are approaching, and we are in need of volunteers! Space Center Volunteers is the largest group that supports the spring games, so let's not disappoint. The spring games are the largest track-and-field day for the area's special needs athletes, so come out and volunteer with your co-workers, friends and family. The games will take place on Saturday, May 3, at the Clear Creek High School track and field. Volunteer shifts are throughout the day on May 3, and 10 to 15 volunteers are needed Friday, May 2, to help with the setup of the games. Please note that the Friday shift does occur during regular business hours, and no charge number will be provided. To sign up to volunteer, visit V-CORPs and then here. | |
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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 3, 2014
HEADLINES AND LEADS
NASA Breaks Most Contact With Russia
Kenneth Chang and Peter Baker – The New York Times
NASA said Wednesday that it was suspending most contacts with Russian space agency officials, underscoring just how rapidly the Russian-American relationship is deteriorating in the wake of the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea and hinting at further ramifications that will go beyond previous rifts.
NASA cuts off most ties with Russia over Ukraine
Mark K. Matthews – Orlando Sentinel
In a sign that the standoff over Ukraine continues to escalate, NASA on Wednesday moved to suspend nearly every tie it has with its Russian counterpart Roscosmos -- with the key exception of communications dealing with the International Space Station.
NASA halts contact with Russia, except for International Space Station
William Harwood – CBS News
NASA has been told to suspend contact with Russian government officials because of Russia's "ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," according to an agency memo circulated Wednesday. The International Space Station, which is jointly operated by NASA, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and Canada, is exempt and not directly impacted by the new guidelines.
GOP budget slashes spending, aid to poor
Andrew Taylor – The Associated Press
A budget plan stuffed with familiar proposals to cut across a wide swath of the federal budget breezed through the House Budget Committee on Wednesday, but its sharp cuts to health care coverage for the middle class and the poor, food stamps and popular domestic programs are a nonstarter with President Barack Obama.
Ethics report could help NASA weigh risks of long-term space travel
Amina Khan – Los Angeles Times
As NASA plans to send astronauts to an asteroid or even to Mars in the coming decades -- missions that could last well beyond 30 days -- they're grappling with an ethical dilemma. How do they handle decisions on long-distance space exploration when it could expose astronauts to high or unknown health hazards?
NASA's Morpheus completes test with new sensors
James Dean – Florida Today
At Kennedy Space Center today, NASA's prototype Morpheus lander completed its first free flight carrying a sensor package designed to detect and avoid hazards on the ground.
VAB preparing for key role during SLS processing flow
Chris Bergin – NASA Space Flight
The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the world famous Kennedy Space Center (KSC) may have fallen silent over recent years, but behind the scenes teams are working on a "roadmap of operations" for the giant building, ahead of its primary role with the integration of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft.
Building 4202 in Marshall Space Flight Center HQ complex gets closer to the wrecking ball
Lee Roop – Huntsville (AL) Times
NASA formally notified contractors this week that it will go out for bids soon to demolish Building 4202, a six-story office building in the headquarters complex of the Marshall Space Flight Center. The building dates back to 1965 just five years after NASA's opening, and the tear-down is expected to cost between $1 million and $5 million. Here's a short Q&A on Marshall's makeover
COMPLETE STORIES
NASA Breaks Most Contact With Russia
Kenneth Chang and Peter Baker – The New York Times
NASA said Wednesday that it was suspending most contacts with Russian space agency officials, underscoring just how rapidly the Russian-American relationship is deteriorating in the wake of the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea and hinting at further ramifications that will go beyond previous rifts.
The one exception, NASA said, would involve operations of the International Space Station, the primary space collaboration between the two countries.
Otherwise, the extent of NASA's break in relations is broad and includes "travel to Russia and visits by Russian government representatives to NASA facilities, bilateral meetings, email, and teleconferences or videoconferences," Michael F. O'Brien, the agency's associate administrator for international and interagency relations, wrote in an email to top NASA officials.
Over the years of collaboration, the Russian-American partnership in space has continued largely immune to the geopolitical ups and downs between Washington and Moscow, and as recently as a few weeks ago officials expressed optimism that would still be the case, with the NASA administrator, Charles F. Bolden Jr., saying, "Right now, everything is normal in our relationship with the Russians."
But as the confrontation over Ukraine intensifies, it became untenable for the Obama administration to continue sending NASA officials to Russia or hosting their space agency officials in the United States as if all were normal, even as Washington cut off trade talks and military cooperation and threw Russia out of the Group of 8 industrial nations.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has also directed the Air Force to review the use of Russian engines in rockets that send American military satellites into orbit. The Atlas 5 rockets, now produced by a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, have been built for years with Russian-made RD-180 engines. American officials are exploring the consequences of possible supply interruptions.
Still, the administration was not going so far as to cut off all cooperation, especially just a week after sending a NASA astronaut to the International Space Station along with two Russian cosmonauts in a Russian capsule. Further measures could seriously jeopardize the American space program.
Since the retirement of the space shuttles, NASA astronauts get their rides into orbit aboard Russian Soyuz rockets at a cost of up to $70 million a seat. NASA is financing commercial companies to develop rockets and spacecraft to start carrying astronauts as soon as 2017. At a congressional hearing last week, Mr. Bolden said the program, called commercial crew, was the "critical need" for the human spaceflight program.
The new restrictions are similar to ones that limit what NASA is allowed to do with China because of worries, particularly by Representative Frank R. Wolf, Republican of Virginia, that China would take advantage of collaborations to copy American technologies. Under those rules, NASA cannot host any Chinese citizens.
The decision to suspend the relationship with the Russian space agency is unusual for several reasons, not least because keeping the space enterprises alive has long been a symbol of Washington's commitment to an apolitical working relationship with Moscow. Breaking it, some government officials have feared, would invite the Russians to retaliate by suspending nuclear inspections under the new Start treaty — inspections that have continued despite the differences over Ukraine.
But the Obama administration's decision was made easier by the dwindling nature of the nation's space program. Grand plans for international space programs have largely withered, as the space shuttle program has ground to an end. "There's a sense that we don't need the space relationships the way we once did," one senior government scientist said, "because we don't have as much going on in space."
NASA cuts off most ties with Russia over Ukraine
Mark K. Matthews – Orlando Sentinel
In a sign that the standoff over Ukraine continues to escalate, NASA on Wednesday moved to suspend nearly every tie it has with its Russian counterpart Roscosmos -- with the key exception of communications dealing with the International Space Station.
The move was revealed in an internal memo, dated Wednesday, that called on NASA officials to suspend all contacts with Russian officials, as well as travel to Russia and visits to NASA facilities by Russian scientists.
"Given Russia's ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, until further notice, the U.S. Government has determined that all NASA contacts with Russian Government representatives are suspended, unless the activity has been specifically excepted," noted the memo, which was sent by Michael O'Brien, NASA's Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations.
The move marks a sharp turnaround for NASA, where top officials have said for weeks that relations with Roscosmos have been unaffected by the crisis that began with Russia's annexation of Crimea, a former Ukrainian territory.
"Right now, everything is normal in our relationship with the Russians," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden last month when the agency rolled out its 2015 budget proposal.
He said the agency had not taken steps -- at that point -- to find an alternate way to get its astronauts to the station.
Since NASA retired the space shuttle in 2011, the agency has paid Russia to ferry its astronauts to the outpost at cost of about $1.7 billion over five years.
NASA halts contact with Russia, except for International Space Station
William Harwood – CBS News
NASA has been told to suspend contact with Russian government officials because of Russia's "ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," according to an agency memo circulated Wednesday. The International Space Station, which is jointly operated by NASA, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and Canada, is exempt and not directly impacted by the new guidelines.
The memo apparently reflects a broad State Department directive to multiple federal agencies that have regular contact with the Russian government. In NASA's case, the space station represents the bulk of the agency's dealings with Russia and the exemption presumably means business as usual.
But the space agency has multiple, less-visible cooperative efforts in space science, aeronautics and other areas, and the potential impacts on those remain to be seen.
"Apparently, this is happening in all federal agencies," said John Logsdon, professor emeritus of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. "So it's consistent with the across-government thing. It's civilian, it doesn't have anything to do with the RD-180 (a Russian engine used aboard Atlas 5 rockets) and ISS is unperturbed."
He said the restrictions mirror those already in place governing NASA's relationship, or lack thereof, with China.
"Personally, I think it invites retaliation," Logsdon said of the new Russian guidelines. "But the company line is it's not an escalation, and no retaliation is expected."
The memo was sent to NASA field centers Wednesday by Michael O'Brien, the agency's associate administrator for International and Interagency Relations.
"Given Russia's ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, until further notice, the U.S. Government has determined that all NASA contacts with Russian Government representatives are suspended, unless the activity has been specifically excepted," the memo says.
"This suspension includes NASA travel to Russia and visits by Russian Government representatives to NASA facilities, bilateral meetings, email and teleconferences or videoconferences."
The only exceptions are "operational International Space Station activities," the memo, posted on multiple web sites, continued. "In addition, multilateral meetings held outside of Russia that may include Russian participation are not precluded under the present guidance."
A statement issued later by NASA repeated that directive and added, "NASA and Roscosmos [the Russian space agency] will, however, continue to work together to maintain safe and continuous operation of the International Space Station."
It also called on Congress to increase NASA funding and end its dependence on Russia for transportation to and from the space station. "NASA is laser focused on a plan to return human spaceflight launches to American soil, and end our reliance on Russia to get into space," the statement said. "This has been a top priority of the Obama Administration's for the past five years... The choice here is between fully funding the plan to bring space launches back to America or continuing to send millions of dollars to the Russians."
NASA has enjoyed a close relationship with Roscosmos since the early 1990s when, in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia joined the International Space Station program.
The station is now virtually complete, at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of some $100 billion over the past three decades, and the Obama administration recently approved long-range plans to operate the outpost at least through 2024.
In its current form, the space station's operation requires close cooperation between all of the partner nations, but especially between NASA and Roscosmos and their various contractors. Both sides are mutually dependent and neither could operate the station on its own.
The Russian segment of the space station taps into the lab's U.S. power grid, relies on a shared computer network and takes advantage of NASA's communications satellites. The Russians also rely on U.S. gyroscopes and flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to keep the outpost properly oriented without having to use precious rocket fuel.
NASA, in turn, relies on the Russians to ferry U.S. and partner astronauts to and from the station aboard Soyuz spacecraft and to provide the propulsion needed for major station maneuvers. Both sides share critical life support systems and launch uncrewed cargo ships to keep the station supplied.
NASA hopes to have one or more commercially developed spacecraft capable of carrying NASA astronauts to and from the station by around 2017. But until then, the agency must rely on the Russians, paying more than $70 million per seat aboard Soyuz spacecraft.
The station crew currently consists of three Russians -- Mikhail Tyurin, Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev -- two NASA astronauts -- Rick Mastracchio and Steven Swanson -- and Expedition 39 commander Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to command the outpost. Skvortsov, Artemyev and Swanson were launched to the station March 25.
Despite the increased superpower tensions over Ukraine and Crimea, "there is this kind of mutual dependency (with the station program) that would make it not in Russia's interest to cut off our access," Logsdon said in an interview before the most recent Soyuz launch.
"And it's certainly not in our interest to so alienate Russia that we no longer had access to the station," he said. While Russian President Vladimir Putin could step in at some point to block U.S. access to Soyuz flights, "it basically would be a catastrophe for the station," Logsdon said.
"Cutting off U.S. access to station would be kind of a last-resort action that would reflect a total breakdown of U.S.-Russian relationships," he said, adding he does not believe it will come to that. But he said the current conflict may encourage U.S. lawmakers to fully fund NASA's commercial crewed spacecraft program to ensure independent access to space as soon as possible.
GOP budget slashes spending, aid to poor
Andrew Taylor – The Associated Press
A budget plan stuffed with familiar proposals to cut across a wide swath of the federal budget breezed through the House Budget Committee on Wednesday, but its sharp cuts to health care coverage for the middle class and the poor, food stamps and popular domestic programs are a nonstarter with President Barack Obama.
The GOP-controlled committee approved the plan by a party-line vote after swatting away numerous Democratic attempts to ease its cuts. The plan by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the committee chairman and the party's former vice presidential nominee, promises $5.1 trillion in cuts over the coming decade to bring the government's ledger into the black by 2024.
The plan is a dead letter with the Democratic-controlled Senate and Obama, but gives Republicans a vehicle to polish their budget-cutting credentials in the run-up to fall midterm elections in which they're counting on a big turnout from GOP conservatives and the tea party.
Ryan's plan would wrestle the government's chronic deficits under control after a decade, relying on deep cuts to Medicaid, highway construction, federal employee pension benefits, food and heating aid to the poor, and Pell Grants for college students from low-income families. It would eliminate health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act while assuming the government keeps $1 trillion worth of Obamacare's tax increases, and retains a 10-year, $700 billion cut to Medicare that Democrats drove through in 2010 when passing the health care law.
Republicans say such tough cuts are required to take on chronic deficits that threaten to sap the economy of its strength in coming years as government borrowing squeezes out savings and investment and spiraling costs of federal retirement and health care programs promise to swamp taxpayers. Ryan cited Congressional Budget Office studies that show curbing deficits and debt would lead to a healthier economy in the long term - and claims $74 billion in such macroeconomic effects to promise a balanced budget in 2024.
"Just as a weak economy can drag the budget into the red, a responsible budget can help propel the economy forward," Ryan said. "If Washington is serious about helping working families - or serious about getting families out of work back to work - then it needs to get serious about the national debt."
But Democrats cast Ryan's plan as an all-out assault on the poor and working class. More than $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid over 10 years would force hundreds of thousands of seniors from nursing home care, for instance, while $135 billion cut from food stamps and other nutrition aid would increase hunger. Eliminating a mandatory funding stream for Pell Grants would mean fewer poor kids could dream of college, they said, while cuts to education, scientific research and NASA would harm U.S. competitiveness.
"This dog-eat-dog budget is nothing short of an assault on Americans struggling to stay afloat economically. It absolutely decimates safety net programs - like (food stamps) and Medicaid - designed to stop people from falling into deep poverty," said Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the budget panel.
The GOP's top vote counter promised Wednesday that the Ryan budget would pass the House next week despite resistance from conservatives uneasy over higher spending for agency budgets in 2015, in line with a small-bore budget pact negotiated in December by Ryan and the head of the Senate Budget Committee, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in December.
"It'll pass," promised Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California.
Under Congress' arcane budgeting rules, the annual budget resolution is a non-binding blueprint that tries to set broad goals for follow-up legislation on taxes, agency spending and curbs on the growth of expensive benefit programs like Medicare, whose budgets go up every year as if on autopilot.
As such, the annual budget debate allows GOP lawmakers to go on record in favor of spending cuts big and small - whether it's slashing Medicaid, cutting subsidies for farmers and Amtrak, or further cuts to domestic agencies like the Transportation Security Administration - without having to follow through with binding legislation.
So every spring, the House goes on record to eliminate taxpayer subsidies for money-losing flights into rural airports and cut community development grants to state and local governments, for example, only to have GOP appropriators scramble to replace them later on when adopting a binding spending bill.
Ryan's budget brings back a now-familiar list of spending cuts: $2.1 trillion over 10 years in health care subsidies and coverage under the Affordable Care Act; $732 billion in cuts to Medicaid and other health care programs; almost $1 trillion in cuts to other benefit programs like food stamps, Pell Grants and farm subsidies. Hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts are not identified at all.
While repealing "Obamacare's" benefits, the GOP plan relies on its tax increases and cuts to providers to promise balance, including reductions to private insurers under the Medicare Advantage program. Republicans have attacked Democrats for the Medicare cuts used to finance the health law.
The measure also reprises a proposal to dramatically reshape Medicare for future retirees, providing those who now are 55 or younger with a federal subsidy to buy health insurance on the open market.
Republicans say that makes Medicare sustainable with savings created by lower annual cost increases than traditional Medicare. Critics cite studies that predict the voucher-like plan would mean considerably higher out-of-pocket costs as it is phased in.
Ethics report could help NASA weigh risks of long-term space travel
Amina Khan – Los Angeles Times
As NASA plans to send astronauts to an asteroid or even to Mars in the coming decades -- missions that could last well beyond 30 days -- they're grappling with an ethical dilemma. How do they handle decisions on long-distance space exploration when it could expose astronauts to high or unknown health hazards?
To help develop an ethical framework for venturing into this unknown territory, the space agency asked the Institute of Medicine to convene a panel of experts to offer some helpful guidelines. The results in a 187-page report were released Wednesday.
"Long duration and exploration spaceflights (including extended stays on the ISS or exploration missions to an asteroid or Mars) will likely expose crews to levels of known risks beyond those allowed by current health standards," according to the report led by Jeffrey Kahn of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, "as well as to a wide range of risks that are poorly characterized, uncertain, and perhaps unforeseeable."
The risks include radiation-induced cancers; loss of bone mass from long stints in zero gravity; nausea or fatigue from extreme radiation if astronauts get hit by a solar storm; and blurred vision. That's just a short list of the health hazards that researchers are aware of. It's also not counting the long-term psychological toll that dealing with stressful situations in a confined enclosure can take.
Among the report's recommendations: Avoid harm by minimizing risk to astronauts. Missions should be valued for the benefits they provide. Make sure the benefits outweigh the risks enough for the mission to be worthwhile. Operate in a transparent and accountable way, and keep astronauts informed of the risks they face. Basically: Act in a responsible and transparent manner.
As it stands, any sort of long-term exposure could very well take astronauts past the current safe limits for exposure, which puts NASA in something of a bind. A study that tracked the Curiosity rover's radiation exposure on its way to Mars found that the round-trip journey could potentially exceed the currently acceptable limits for astronauts. Scientists may have to figure out how to make the trip shorter, the spacecraft more protective – or, as one scientist put it, consider "reassessing what level of risk we think is acceptable." So what does NASA do? Relax the current standards? Make a looser set of exposure standards for long-distance space hangs? No go, the IOM report said.
"The committee finds relaxing (or liberalizing) current health standards to allow for specific long duration and exploration missions to be ethically unacceptable," they wrote.
The only way to allow for such missions ethically is to grant an exception to the rule on a case-by-case level, they said.
"Exceptions to health standards should be considered on a mission-by-mission basis, used in very limited circumstances, and following the ethics framework recommended," the study authors wrote.
Among its other considerations, the agency should also offer lifetime healthcare for its astronauts, the experts concluded. They also have to take into account that there may be different risk profiles depending on the astronaut. And they have to constantly monitor the astronauts and collect as much health data as they can while also protecting the spacefarers' privacy.
In spaceflight, there always has been and will continue to be significant risk, the authors pointed out.
"From its inception, human spaceflight has pushed the boundaries of acceptable health and safety risks for astronauts," the study authors wrote.
NASA's Morpheus completes test with new sensors
James Dean – Florida Today
At Kennedy Space Center today, NASA's prototype Morpheus lander completed its first free flight carrying a sensor package designed to detect and avoid hazards on the ground.
The four-legged, liquid methane-fueled vehicle lifted off at 4:21 p.m., climbed 800 feet and flew down range 1,300 feet before landing in a cloud of dust in a hazard field north of the shuttle runway.
The 96-second flight was Morpheus' first carrying expensive sensors and software called Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT, and followed a series of test flights to prove the vehicle's flight worthiness.
The laser-guided system scanned the hazard field and ranked safe landing options, but did not control the flight as is planned in future tests expected to run through May.
Led from Johnson Space Center and funded by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems division, Morpheus is a technology demonstration program testing "green," non-toxic propellants and the autonomous hazard avoidance sensors.
The technologies could be applied to future robotic or manned spacecraft.
VAB preparing for key role during SLS processing flow
Chris Bergin – NASA Space Flight
The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the world famous Kennedy Space Center (KSC) may have fallen silent over recent years, but behind the scenes teams are working on a "roadmap of operations" for the giant building, ahead of its primary role with the integration of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft.
VAB:
The VAB has been the focal point for mating NASA launch vehicles since the days of the Saturn through to the 30 year career of the Space Shuttle. The building's role has been secured for decades to come, providing the role for SLS integration with its payloads.
Its four main Bays are being re-purposed not only to host SLS, but also any potential commercial launch vehicle – per its multi-user ambitions. However, only SLS has been confirmed as specifically requiring the iconic facility at this time.
With oversight from the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program, the VAB is being slowly transformed into becoming a key part of the SLS and Orion flow, ultimately resulting in the rollout of the monster rocket to Pad 39B.
A recent Preliminary Design Review (PDR), provided an assessment of the initial designs for infrastructure at Kennedy and allowed development of the ground systems to proceed toward detailed design.
"The preliminary design review is incredibly important, as it must demonstrate the ground systems designs are on track to process and launch the SLS and the Orion from Kennedy," noted Mike Bolger, GSDO program manager.
The result is a roadmap of the integration for the numerous elements of hardware that will make up the SLS/Orion stack prior to rollout.
The first step will involve the Mobile Launcher (ML), which is currently undergoing work to convert it from its initial – now defunct – role with the Constellation Program (CxP). The huge structure will roll into High Bay 3 of the VAB, via one of the Crawler Transporters (CT) – which are also undergoing modifications.
ATK-built Booster segments will then started to arrive from the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) – from their Off-Line Booster Processing flow – rolled into the VAB's Transfer Aisle where they will be hooked to a crane and carried over into High Bay 3 for integration with the ML's zero deck.
Starting with the left booster, the segments will arrive one at a time for stacking on the ML.
Around this time, the largest element of hardware – the Core Stage – will arrive via Barge, following its construction at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans and testing at the Stennis Space Center (SSC).
This arrival will be a similar sight to that observed during the shipping of the External Tanks during the Space Shuttle Program (SSP). However, the Core Stage will be a larger structure, complete with its four RS-25 engines already installed when it's rolled off the Barge.
The Core Stage will be rolled from the KSC Turn Basin to the VAB's Transfer Aisle via one of the new Self Propelled Module Transporters (SPMT). Once in the Transfer Aisle, the Core Stage will be inspected and prepared for the hoisting over to the awaiting ML and Boosters.
Lowered between the two boosters, this process will bring back memories of SSP flows, where the ET was transferred over and lowered for mating with the Solid Rocket Boosters.
The next element to make its way over from the Transfer Aisle will be the Launch Vehicle Stage Adaptor (LVSA), a key piece of hardware that allows for the Orion spacecraft – and its propulsion stage – to sit atop of the Core Stage.
This processing milestone is where NASA's Spacecraft and Payload Integration Office (SPIO) will become heavily involved with the integration procedures, collectively known as the Integrated Spacecraft and Payload Element (ISPE) flow.
The LVSA hardware will be the first ISPE element to be integrated to the stack, with a separation plane at the top of the LVSA – the mark between the first and second stages of the entire vehicle.
The next element will be the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), currently set to be the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) for at least the first flight. The Stage will be prepared in the Multi-Purpose Processing Facility (MPPF) in the Operations & Checkout (O&C) building, via off-line processing, before being rolled out towards the VAB.
Lifted over from the Transfer Aisle to High Bay 3, the Stage will be mated atop of the LVSA.
The LVSA assembly and Core Stage mating flanges will be verified to meet flatness and cleanliness requirements, and the components are electrically grounded prior to installation on the Core.
Next in line will be the Orion spacecraft – or any other payload that gets to ride on the SLS. For an Orion mission, the spacecraft will also enjoy a ride from the MPPF to the VAB's Transfer Aisle. Once there it will be mated with its Stage Adaptor, before being lifted over to the stack in High Bay 3.
The Adaptor – or MSA - also serves as a spacer between the exit plane of the Orion SM engine nozzle and the forward end of the Propulsion Stage's LH2 tank. This interface ring was the first actual element of hardware that was constructed for SLS, due to its requirement on the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) vehicle.
Topping off the stack will be the Launch Abort System (LAS), built by ATK.
The LAS' key role is to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of an SLS mission.
With the stack complete, the vehicle will undergo Integrated Vehicle Testing procedures, prior to the mating of the vast array of umbilical connections that will be hooked up between the ML and the vehicle.
The final processing milestone prior to rollout will involve Integrated Testing and Closeouts, including system checks inside the Orion spacecraft. This will ensure the Orion and SLS are successfully communicating between each other, as is required during the countdown and launch.
The giant platforms will then retract from around the vehicle, allowing for the CT to gently ease the stack out of the High Bay, beginning the first rollout to Pad 39B.
Once at the pad, more system checks will take place, ahead of the Launch Countdown Simulation, a milestone known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) during SSP days.
However, unlike Shuttle, the stack will then rollback to the VAB to allow for ordnance installation and final closeouts. With SLS, this process cannot be conducted at the pad.
The second rollout will be for launch, with arrival at the pad marked by the loading of hypergolics on the vehicle.
The vehicle will then head into launch countdown operations.
"We've pushed the boundaries of space exploration for more than 50 years and are making progress getting ready to move the frontier even further into the solar system," added Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for exploration system development at NASA Headquarters in Washington. '
'The (VAB) work being done to transform our abilities to prepare and process spacecraft and launch vehicles at Kennedy is a critical piece of our efforts to send astronauts in Orion on top of the Space Launch System to an asteroid and ultimately Mars."
Building 4202 in Marshall Space Flight Center HQ complex gets closer to the wrecking ball
Lee Roop – Huntsville (AL) Times
NASA formally notified contractors this week that it will go out for bids soon to demolish Building 4202, a six-story office building in the headquarters complex of the Marshall Space Flight Center. The building dates back to 1965 just five years after NASA's opening, and the tear-down is expected to cost between $1 million and $5 million. Here's a short Q&A on Marshall's makeover.
Q: Why is 4202 coming down?
A: To make room for new office Building 4221 to be built on that site next year, if the money is there. 4221 will be the second new building erected in the HQ complex in recent years. NASA will begin moving employees out of 4202 into the first of the new HQ buildings - Building 4220 -- in the next few weeks.
Q: Building 4202 is not that old, really, and it's already there. Why not refurbish it or simply leave it open and let workers stay there?
A: Building 4202 is full of asbestos, a common insulating material used in walls and ceilings in the 1960s and now known to be highly toxic if disturbed and inhaled. The building is also expensive to heat and cool compared to modern buildings.
As for keeping it open, the asbestos is such a problem that an entire floor would have to be shut down and sealed off just to run new computer cables above the drop ceiling, NASA says.
Q: Isn't the building historic? Didn't Dr. Wernher von Braun work there?
A: The State of Alabama and NASA take Marshall's history seriously. NASA will refurbish Building 4200 in the same complex, which was where von Braun's office was located. It has also refurbished a building near the test stands where his German rocket team worked in the early days.
Building 4202 has always been an office building housing workers on the Apollo, space shuttle and Space Launch System programs, as well as personnel, finance and legal offices. When it was opened in 1965, its first occupants worked on the Saturn V and the Saturn IB rockets, specifically "industrial operations" related to those rockets.
Q: What are the dollars involved here, and what's the analysis?
A: NASA says it would cost $75 million to refurbish Building 4202, getting rid of the asbestos and bringing it up to modern standards. Marshall built Building 4220, the first of the new buildings in the complex, for $30 million. Replacing 4202 with 4221 will still mean a total cost for two new energy-efficient buildings in the neighborhood of what it would cost just to refurbish 4202.
END
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