Fwd: NASA and Human Spaceflight News - Wednesday – May 21, 2014 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: May 21, 2014 10:35:39 AM CDT
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: NASA and Human Spaceflight News - Wednesday – May 21, 2014 and JSC Today

 

 

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

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JSC TODAY CATEGORIES Headlines -  Did You Know the Travel System is Changing? -  Plan Ahead for JSC Today This Long Weekend -  Change from JSC Listserver to Agency Mailing List -  Time for Feedback! 2014 Employee Viewpoint Survey -  Great Day Houston Highlights NASA -  Connections -  ISS Conference Facility Open House -  Automated External Defibrillator Program Changes -  Volunteers Needed for HERA Study -  Early Shuttle Design and Organizational Structure Organizations/Social -  Reminder: Second AAPI Heritage Month Event -  Improve Speaking Confidence with a Pinch of Fun -  Starport Zumba for Kids - Free Class This Friday -  Latin Dance Introduction: June 13 from 8 to 9 p.m. Jobs and Training -  Searching for NASA Images and Mission Videos? -  Enterprise Service Request System Training Community -  Deadline May 22 - Houston Pride Parade Volunteers -  Simulated Mission to Mars Needs Volunteers

Student-Built Rocket Lifts Off From the Bonneville Salt Flats

 

Headlines Did You Know the Travel System is Changing? The agency will transition from the current travel system, FedTraveler.com, to Concur Government Edition (CGE) on June 30. CGE is a government-wide, Web-based, end-to-end travel management system that will consolidate and automate travel management. JSC will utilize instructor-led classroom training specifically designed for NASA travelers, arrangers and approvers. SATERN schedules for training class registration will be announced shortly. Close-out activities for FedTraveler (i.e., closing outstanding vouchers) will be coordinated with your directorate travel coordinators. The JSC CGE Implementation Team resides in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and will provide key stakeholders in all organizations up-to-the-minute details and schedules on upcoming go-live activities. The JSC project coordinator is Alan Miyamoto in the LB\Integration Management Office. Alan Miyamoto x36500 [top] Plan Ahead for JSC Today This Long Weekend This holiday weekend includes Flex Friday on May 23 and Memorial Day on May 26. Plan accordingly when submitting your JSC Today announcements, and both Friday and Monday will not be options for having your submission appear. Announcements for Thursday, May 22, are due by noon on Wednesday, May 21. Announcements for Tuesday, May 27, are due by noon on Thursday, May 22. Submit now in the JSC Today Web-based system so that we've got you covered! JSC Today [top] 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, the JSC listserver will no longer be available. For more information on AMLS, see the New List Owner Guide or the FAQs. Questions may also be sent to list service support. For more information on the JSC listserver, please contact Damon Saber. JSC-IRD-Outreach x33434 https://lists.nasa.gov/index.html [top] Time for Feedback! 2014 Employee Viewpoint Survey If you have not yet completed the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, please take a few minutes to do so. You will have already received an email from "Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey" with a link to the survey, and will be receiving reminders during the survey period. The ultimate goal of the survey is to provide agencies with a true perspective of current strengths and challenge areas. We encourage your voluntary participation in this survey and hope you view this as an opportunity to influence positive change in our agency. Prior to taking the survey, we encourage you to visit the newly updated Employee Viewpoint and Resources Web page posted on the JSC Human Resources portal. This site provides information regarding 2013 survey results, how our center has used past results and quick reference links to other employee resources. Jennifer Rodriguez x46386 [top] Great Day Houston Highlights NASA A recent Great Day Houston show segment featured Jean Sibonga, Ph.D., and Dr. William J. Tarver talking about how NASA is breaking medical ground in fighting osteoporosis. May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. Osteoporosis affects 70 million people worldwide. As part of NASA's observance, osteoporosis-related space station research will be highlighted—as this is one of many examples of how science conducted aboard station provides benefits to humankind on Earth. Watch the segment an bone up on how NASA is expanding relevance to life on Earth! JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111 [top] Connections The JSC Office of Procurement has established a new Web link, "Connections," to foster working-level exchanges in the JSC contracting community. This tool will be used to: Solicit feedback on Source Selection Office initiatives Solicit feedback from industry on existing competitive processes Allow industry to submit generic questions on JSC procurement processes The collaboration via this Web link is intended to foster efficiencies with future acquisitions. It is not intended to solicit feedback or questions about ongoing competitive acquisitions. We look forward to collaborating with you. Anna Carter x31869 http://procurement.jsc.nasa.gov/connections.html [top] ISS Conference Facility Open House The new International Space Station (ISS) Conference Facility (formally known as Regents Park III) is now open for business! The new facility is in the heart of Nassau Bay, located at 1800 Space Park Drive, Suite 100. We would like to invite you to stop by and take a tour of our new facility during our Open House planned for May 29 between 4 and 6 p.m. Event Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014   Event Start Time:4:00 PM   Event End Time:6:00 PM Event Location: ISS Conference Facility Add to Calendar Ann Herring x47505 https://oa1.jsc.nasa.gov/projects/conferenceroom/SitePages/Home.aspx [top] Automated External Defibrillator Program Changes Join the Occupational Health Branch today at 1 p.m. in the Building 30A Auditorium as we outline and explain upcoming changes to JSC's AED Program. We will discuss the history of JSC'S AED program, the difference between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest, when AEDs should be used and JSC's emergency medical system. Also learn how everyone can help in the "chain of survival" by knowing the steps in the chain and how to sign up for free CPR and AED training. Event Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:2:00 PM Event Location: Building 30A Auditorium Add to Calendar Bob Martel x38581 https://sashare.jsc.nasa.gov/sd/SD3/SitePages/Human%20Test%20Support/AED... [top] Volunteers Needed for HERA Study Test Subject Screening (TSS) needs volunteers for a seven- to nine-day study with overnight stays in the Human Exploration Research analog (HERA) unit. Subjects will simulate a space exploration mission to evaluate impacts due to isolation, remoteness and confined habitation. Data collected will include evaluation of team cohesion, cognition, communication and affect, as well as sensorimotor assessments. Psychological, human factors and physiological impacts will be studied. Volunteers must pass a Category I physical; be 26 to 55 years old; have a BMI of 29 or less; be 74 inches or less; have no history of sleepwalking or use of sleep aids; and must have a high level of technical skills. Volunteers will be compensated. (Restrictions apply to NASA civil servants and NASA contractors. Please contact your Human Resources department to determine your company's policy.) If interested, please contact both Linda Byrd, RN, x37284, and Rori Yager, RN, x37240, in TSS. Linda BYrd x37284 [top] Early Shuttle Design and Organizational Structure Straight wing versus delta wing, fully reusable versus partially reusable, lead center management versus matrix management … Get the facts about the decisions that influenced the early design of the space shuttle and its organizational structure and the lessons learned from each. Hear from those who were there: Bob Thompson, George Jeffs, Norm Chaffee, Owen Morris, Tom Moser and others. Check out two new case studies: The Genesis of the Shuttle: Early Design Development Organizational Structure Both are on the JSC Knowledge Management website. Consider what lessons we can take away from this and apply to our own tasks. While you are there, please take time to give us your feedback. Also, we would like your suggestions for potential topics. Share your ideas with us! Brent J. Fontenot x36456 https://knowledge.jsc.nasa.gov/?event=casestudies [top]    Organizations/Social Reminder: Second AAPI Heritage Month Event The ASIA Employee Resource Group (ERG) would like to invite you to our second event for Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, "A Glimpse of Asia." It will take place on May 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Teague Auditorium lobby. The JSC community will have the opportunity to try delicacies from all over Asia while viewing photos and cultural exhibits, with a martial arts showcase from Bushi Ban. The Hispanic ERG will also be contributing food, and the cultural exhibit will be a joint effort with Boeing's AAPA. If you would like to help organize this event or have questions, please contact Jennifer Turner. Event Date: Thursday, May 29, 2014   Event Start Time:11:00 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: Teague Auditorium Lobby Add to Calendar Jennifer Turner 614-432-4141 [top] Improve Speaking Confidence with a Pinch of Fun We all learn better when we're having fun. Practice your speaking skills with Toastmasters, a world leader in communications and leadership development. The Space Explorers Toastmasters Club will meet Thursday, May 22, in Building 30A, Room 1010, at 11:45 a.m. for one hour. Event Date: Thursday, May 22, 2014   Event Start Time:11:45 AM   Event End Time:12:45 PM Event Location: B. 30A, Room 1010 Add to Calendar Carolyn Jarrett x37594 [top] Starport Zumba for Kids - Free Class This Friday     Zumba for Kids is back by popular demand! This program is designed exclusively for kids. Zumba for Kids classes are rockin', high-energy fitness parties packed with specially choreographed, kid-friendly routines. This dance-fitness workout for kids ages 5 to 10 will be set to hip-hop, salsa, reggaeton and more. TRY A FREE CLASS ON MAY 23! Please call the Gilruth Center front desk to sign your child up for the free class (only 25 available spots). Five-week session: May 30 to June 28 Fridays: 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Ages: 5 to 10 Cost: $55 Register online or at the Gilruth Center. Shericka Phillips x35563 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/familyyouth-programs/zumba-for... [top] Latin Dance Introduction: June 13 from 8 to 9 p.m. This class is mostly an introduction to Salsa, but it also touches on other popular Latin dances found in social settings: Merengue, Bachata, and even a little bit of Cha-Cha-Cha. Emphasis is on Salsa and then Bachata. For the first-time student or those who want a refresher course. You will go over basic steps with variations and build them into sequences. Discounted registration: o $40 per person (ends May 30) Regular registration: o $50 per person (May 31 to June 13) Salsa Intermediate: June 13 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. This class continues teaching salsa beyond that taught in the introduction class. You should be comfortable and confident with the material from the introduction class before moving on to the intermediate class. This is a multi-level class where students may be broken up into groups based on class experience. Shericka Phillips x35563 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/recreation-programs/salsalatin... [top]    Jobs and Training Searching for NASA Images and Mission Videos? Don't forget to register for tomorrow's training from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Learn how to use JSC's Imagery Online (IO) and Digital Imagery Management System (DIMS), which house and manage JSC's still imagery and downlink videos from our human spaceflight programs. 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 This training is provided by the Information Resources Directorate. Event Date: Thursday, May 22, 2014   Event Start Time:2:30 PM   Event End Time:3:45 PM Event Location: Online Add to Calendar Scientific and Technical Information Center x32490 http://library.jsc.nasa.gov [top] Enterprise Service Request System Training The Information Resources Directorate (IRD) is providing a training class in the Building 12 training facility on May 29. Learn how to use the new online service request tool for I3P services, such as how to enter and track requests like ordering new seats, moves, edits, network connections, distribution lists and seat de-subscribes. To sign up, visit the Training Schedule Web page. Space is limited. Sign up NOW! IRD Customer Service Center x46367 https://esd.nasa.gov/ [top]    Community Deadline May 22 - Houston Pride Parade Volunteers The 35th annual Pride Festival and Parade is June 28 in the Montrose area of Houston. The Out & Allied @ JSC Employee Resource Group will walk behind a banner that identifies us as protected federal employees of NASA. We invite all supporters to come out and walk. Last year, more than 400,000 people attended the festival/parade, providing an incredible opportunity to reach the public by showcasing NASA as an inclusive and supportive place to work. To volunteer for the festival NASA booth between noon and 7 p.m., please sign up in V-CORPs under "Houston Pride Festival," or at this link if you can't access V-CORPs. Sign up to walk in the parade (line up by 7 p.m.) and order mandatory glow sticks and optional parade items via this link by May 22. Please contact Robert Blake, Kim Reppa and Roger Galpin for meeting arrangements. See you there! Roger Galpin x40272 [top] Simulated Mission to Mars Needs Volunteers Only a few spots left! Don't miss out. Employees and interns can mentor a team of high school students to compete in a Mars human exploration simulation. The 15th year of NASA High School Aerospace Scholars is bringing 260 students to JSC, and they want to know YOUR college advice and YOUR role in NASA missions. Just choose one week to volunteer and enjoy our fun activities, work with current and Apollo astronauts, view NASA VIP presentations, facility tours and more. Summer Schedule: Week 3: July 6 to 11 Week 5: July 20 to 25 Week 6: July 27 to Aug. 1 If interested, please contact Christopher Blair. Christopher Blair x31146 [top]

 

JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters.

 

 

 

NASA and Human Spaceflight News

Wednesday – May 21, 2014

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION:

www.nasa.gov/ntv - NASA TV

·          1 p.m. CT - ISS Expedition 40 Mission Overview Briefing

·         2:30 p.m. CT -  Destination Station: ISS Science Forum

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

What if the worst happens? Losing the International Space Station

Eric Berger – Houston Chronicle

 

This weekend, in the series Adrift, I wrote about how the United States became dependent upon Russia for rides into space. The uncomfortable reality is that the International Space Station is hanging in the balance.

Before we talk about the possibility of losing the station here are some facts:

·         U.S. taxpayers paid more than $100 billion to construct the station, the single most expensive object ever built.

·         The United States is dependent upon Russia for transportation to the station until 2017.

·         The United States wants to extend the life of the station until 2024.

·         Russia has threatened to end the partnership by 2020.

Now let's talk about what this means.

 

Connecticut Astronaut Rick Mastracchio Returns; No Russia Tensions in Space

Erik Ofgang – Connecticut Magazine

 

Rick Mastracchio still recalls his first spacewalk with wide-eyed wonder. "It's an incredible, incredible thing to do," says Mastracchio, 54, a NASA astronaut and native of Waterbury, Connecticut, who returned to Earth on May 13 after spending 188 days aboard the International Space Station. He adds, "I can remember the first time I opened the hatch on my first spacewalk and it was dark outside, we were on the dark side of the Earth, but I could see lightning storms off in the distance, these flashes of light. It was just incredible."

 

Lockheed gets go ahead for construction of NASA Mars lander

Emily Mekinc – Washington Business Journal

 

Lockheed Martin Corp. will begin building a spacecraft that NASA will send to Mars in 2016, now that it has gotten the green light from a review board, the Bethesda-based defense giant announced Monday.

NASA expects the InSight spacecraft will land on Mars six months after its planned launch from California in March 2016. The robotic probe will study the crust, mantle and core layers of rocky planets like Earth. It will also provide further insights into internal planetary structures.

 

Global spending on space grew 4 pct in 2013 to $314 bln –report

Irene Klotz - Rueters

 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. May 20 (Reuters) - Worldwide spending on satellites, launches and support services increased to $314 billion in 2013, up 4 percent from 2012, even though the U.S. government reduced its own space spending, an industry association reported this week.Commercial space activity, including rocket launches to fly cargo to the International Space Station, fueled most of the growth, the report by the U.S. Space Foundation said.

 

Space Station Operations Costs 'Too High,' House Panel Says

Anne Kim – Roll Call

 

NASA should scale back certain costs of the International Space Station so it can be a "sustainable long-term program," says the House panel that writes annual spending bills. In a report accompanying a proposed fiscal 2015 bill covering NASA, the House Appropriations Committee had this to say: The Committee remains concerned that annual ISS operations costs are too high, particularly in light of NASA's proposal to extend the life of the Station through 2024. In order for the Station to remain a sustainable long-term program, NASA must continue to seek and implement cost savings measures with the goal of reducing the ISS operations budget or, at a minimum, slowing the growth in such budget.

 

Shelton: time for "pause" in RD-180 debate

Jeff Foust – Space Politics

 

A week after Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin ignited a firestorm with a claim that Russia would ban the use of RD-180 engines for launching American military payloads, the head of Air Force Space Command said that operations were proceeding as usual and urged a "pause" in the debate. "There have been no official pronouncements out of the Russian government on the RD-180. There has been the one 'twitter' out of one government official that has caused everybody concern," said Gen. William Shelton in a press conference at the 30th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs Tuesday morning. "It's time that we all kind of paused and and make sure we understand the messages and make sure we understand where the messages are coming from officially."

 

Apps in Space! Boeing Looking at Mobile Tech for New Astronaut Taxi

Miriam Kramer – space.com

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Mobile tech and apps designed for astronauts could make a fresh appearance in space, thanks to efforts by Boeing and Samsung. The two companies are teaming up to find new ways to incorporate mobile technology and applications into the CST-100 spacecraft, which Boeing is developing as part of NASA's commercial crew program with the goal of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

 

SpaceX Falcon 9 set to launch June 11

James Dean – Florida Today

 

A SpaceX launch of commercial satellites postponed earlier this month is now targeted for June 11 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch had been planned for May 10 when SpaceX encountered unspecified problems the day before, during fueling of a Falcon 9 rocket for a test-firing of its engines at Launch Complex 40.

 

Updated! Zoomable Poster Now Shows Off 54 Years Of Space Exploration

Elizabeth Howell – Universe Today

 

We humans are busy creatures when it comes to exploring the solar system. This new graphic (which updates one from four years ago) showcases all the planets we have visited in the past half-century. Both successful missions and failures are included on this updated list, although sadly you won't find much about the various visits to comets and asteroids.

COMPLETE STORIES

What if the worst happens? Losing the International Space Station

Eric Berger – Houston Chronicle

 

This weekend, in the series Adrift, I wrote about how the United States became dependent upon Russia for rides into space. The uncomfortable reality is that the International Space Station is hanging in the balance.

 

Before we talk about the possibility of losing the station here are some facts:

 

·         U.S. taxpayers paid more than $100 billion to construct the station, the single most expensive object ever built.

·         The United States is dependent upon Russia for transportation to the station until 2017.

·         The United States wants to extend the life of the station until 2024.

·         Russia has threatened to end the partnership by 2020.

 

Now let's talk about what this means.

 

THE WORST

 

During remarks this week NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, "There is no single partner that can terminate the international space station."

 

For now this simply isn't true. There is a scenario in which the station is lost. If relations between Russia and the United States continue to worsen the Russians could simply refuse to take U.S. astronauts to the space station any time between now and 2017. If this happens the United States would stop maintaining its part of the station, which provides power to both the U.S. and Russian segments.

 

Conversely if Russia wanted to bring the station down it could. Its Zvezda module provides the primary life support for the station, as well as much of the guidance and navigation systems. As former ISS commander Leroy Chiao told me, "The station was designed to be operational with both crews, both mission control centers, working in conjunction.  One side can't operate the station by itself."

 

Either side could operate the station for a short time, but eventually they would be forced to abandon the station without joint Russian and U.S. cooperation.

 

It's far from certain the situation will come to that, but despite Bolden's remarks to the contrary, it is indeed possible.

 

WHAT THIS MEANS

 

For starters this country would be throwing away a huge investment that's only now beginning to pay dividends. There's promising science research on the station. We're learning how long-duration spaceflight affects the human body. And we're testing key technologies, such as water recycling, needed for long trips in space.

 

In the bigger picture, it means ceding space to China.

"If one of us pulls out of the station we leave human exploration in space to the Chinese," said Jeff Manber, who worked closely with the Russian space agency and co-founded NanoRacks. "The Chinese would be left standing as the one nation capable of doing human spaceflight."

 

NASA would have no human spaceflight hardware, and Russian rockets would have nowhere to go. Welcome to obsolescence.

 

WHAT WE'D BE GIVING UP

 

This is the orbiting laboratory that NASA largely paid for, largely carried to orbit, and largely put together. Depending on how you parse expenses, it cost between $100 billion and $150 billion to build.

That's a staggering number, and it's hard to put into perspective the amount the United States has invested. The station is the most expensive single thing ever built.

 

Consider this: The tallest building on Earth, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, opened in 2010. The building stands an astonishing 2,722 feet tall, rising one-half mile above the desert. It is nearly three times taller than the Chase Tower in downtown Houston.

Burj Khalifa. (Wikimedia)

 

That building, the largest building in the world, cost $1.5 billion. The International Space Station cost 100 times that amount.

 

So if we lose the station it would be the equivalent of throwing away 100 of the largest buildings in the world. Poof. Here's a graphical representation of what that would look like.

It's like throwing away 100 of these.

 

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

 

Connecticut Astronaut Rick Mastracchio Returns; No Russia Tensions in Space

Erik Ofgang – Connecticut Magazine

 

Rick Mastracchio still recalls his first spacewalk with wide-eyed wonder.

 

"It's an incredible, incredible thing to do," says Mastracchio, 54, a NASA astronaut and native of Waterbury, Connecticut, who returned to Earth on May 13 after spending 188 days aboard the International Space Station. He adds, "I can remember the first time I opened the hatch on my first spacewalk and it was dark outside, we were on the dark side of the Earth, but I could see lightning storms off in the distance, these flashes of light. It was just incredible."

 

During Mastracchio's most recent six-month mission he made 3,008 orbits of the Earth, traveled more than 79.8 million miles, performed three unscheduled spacewalks, delivered the University of Connecticut's commencement address, watched as U.S. tensions with Russian threatened the future of international space collaboration, and, along with fellow astronaut Steve Swanson, took the first selfies of the space age.

 

Speaking to Connecticut Magazine and other media outlets Tuesday morning from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Mastracchio said that even as Russia and U.S. relations soured on Earth, there was no coldness between him and his Russian crewmates on the space station.

 

"On a person-to-person basis we have a great working relationship with our Russian colleagues," he says.

 

Russia recently announced that it does not plan to use the International Space Station beyond 2020. The announcement has cast the long-term future of the station, which was scheduled to operate until 2024, into doubt.

 

Mastracchio graduated from Waterbury's Crosby High School in 1978; received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science from UConn in 1982, a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1987, and a Master of Science Degree in Physical Science from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1991.

 

On May 10,  Mastracchio's previously recorded speech (below) delivered in space, was shown to UConn's graduating class.

 

"I was asked to say a few words," says Mastracchio. "I tried to make it a little entertaining to the students as well as pass on a little bit of my experience and wisdom."

 

During the speech, part of which he delivered while floating upside down, he talked about how he decided he wanted to be an astronaut shortly after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and he pursued his dream with years and years of hard work.

 

During this mission he conducted three unscheduled spacewalks for maintenance of the space station. The first two were to remove and replace a faulty cooling pump, and the third to remove and replace a failed backup computer relay box. Though space walks are physically and mentally demanding (just preparing for the spacewalk can take up to five hours), Mastracchio says they're one of the best parts of the job.

 

"Every astronaut that goes into orbit wants to perform a spacewalk," he says.

 

Mastracchio's previous three missions were each only about two weeks; however, he says readjusting to gravity after this significantly longer mission has not been too bad.

 

"It's kind of like a real bad case of jet leg right now," he says. He adds he misses sleeping in space, "Being able to sleep in a weightless environment is actually very, very comfortable."

 

On his previous missions Mastracchio flew on NASA Space Shuttles, and for this mission he flew on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He says the two spacecraft provided quite different experiences.

 

"The Space Shuttle is a very luxurious vehicle. It comes in very much like an airplane. If you ever landed in a large airplane, you kind of know how the Space Shuttle feels. You feel a little bit heavy in the Space Shuttle but not too bad. Whereas the Soyuz capsule, just like any of the earlier U.S. capsules that came in, it's a very rough ride. You get tossed around quite a bit and it's a pretty hard landing. But it's a very reliable vehicle and it got me home safe, so I really have no complaints."

 

Lockheed gets go ahead for construction of NASA Mars lander

Emily Mekinc – Washington Business Journal

 

Lockheed Martin Corp. will begin building a spacecraft that NASA will send to Mars in 2016, now that it has gotten the green light from a review board, the Bethesda-based defense giant announced Monday.

NASA expects the InSight spacecraft will land on Mars six months after its planned launch from California in March 2016. The robotic probe will study the crust, mantle and core layers of rocky planets like Earth. It will also provide further insights into internal planetary structures.

 

Many features from the NASA Phoenix Mars Lander from 2008 have been incorporated into the InSight spacecraft.

 

Global spending on space grew 4 pct in 2013 to $314 bln –report

Irene Klotz - Rueters

 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. May 20 (Reuters) - Worldwide spending on satellites, launches and support services increased to $314 billion in 2013, up 4 percent from 2012, even though the U.S. government reduced its own space spending, an industry association reported this week.

 

Commercial space activity, including rocket launches to fly cargo to the International Space Station, fueled most of the growth, the report by the U.S. Space Foundation said.

 

"Fifty-seven years after the launch of the first satellite, the space industry is rapidly evolving," said the foundation's annual Space Report, released on Monday.

 

"It is clear that space technology continues to become more accessible each year to a wider variety of end-users in an increasing number of countries," it said. "The outlook for the space sector is very bright in the years to come."

 

Globally, commercial revenues and government spending on space projects totaled $314 billion -- $12 billion than the $302 billion spent in 2012, the report showed.

 

Commercial space products and services, such as communication services via satellite and space-based navigation, increased 7 percent in 2013 over the previous year.

 

In all, governments spent 1.7 percent less in 2013 than they did in 2012, but there were notable exceptions. Canada, India, Russia, South Korea and the United Kingdom, for example, each hiked space spending by 25 percent or more.

 

Despite the increased revenue, U.S. employment in the space industry continued its six-year decline, the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed.

 

In 2012, there were 234,173 people employed in the industry, down from 242,724 in 2011.

 

Meanwhile, Japanese and European industry space employment grew by 11 percent and 1.5 percent respectively in 2012.

 

On the civilian government side, NASA's 18,068-member workforce was essentially unchanged for the 2014 fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

 

Analysts noted a slight uptick in the number of launches worldwide, with 81 launches in 2013 -- three more than in 2012. The five-year average is 79 launches per year.

 

Russia continued to dominate the world launch market, with 36 flights in 2013. The United States, after falling behind China for the past two years, came in a distant second with 19 launches in 2013.

 

China had 15 launches in 2013 and Europe conducted seven, the report said.

 

In total, those 81 rockets delivered almost two-thirds more satellites into orbit in 2013 than in the previous year.

 

"This was largely due to a significant uptick in the number of satellites with masses below 200 pounds (91 kg)," the Space Foundation said in a press release.

 

"These micro-satellites constituted more than half of the 197 satellites launched in 2013," the foundation said.

 

"Many of the micro-satellites were short-lived technology demonstrations, but there is a considerable degree of interest in future possibilities for constellations," it added.

 

Space Station Operations Costs 'Too High,' House Panel Says

Anne Kim – Roll Call

 

NASA should scale back certain costs of the International Space Station so it can be a "sustainable long-term program," says the House panel that writes annual spending bills.

 

In a report accompanying a proposed fiscal 2015 bill covering NASA, the House Appropriations Committee had this to say:

 

The Committee remains concerned that annual ISS operations costs are too high, particularly in light of NASA's proposal to extend the life of the Station through 2024. In order for the Station to remain a sustainable long-term program, NASA must continue to seek and implement cost savings measures with the goal of reducing the ISS operations budget or, at a minimum, slowing the growth in such budget.

 

Congressional committees often move bills with reports that explain lawmakers' intentions. In this case, it's the Appropriations panel's Republican majority. A House GOP aide said that lawmakers broadly support use of the ISS for as long as possible, and that the language was a note of caution about ongoing costs. It's unclear whether the panel's Democrats agree.

 

Earlier this year, top officials at NASA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy announced that they want to extend ISS operations through at least 2024.

 

In written testimony for the House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee in March, NASA administrator Charles Bolden said:

 

This will allow NASA to complete many of the research and technology development activities aboard the ISS necessary to enable planned long-duration human missions beyond LEO; extend the broader flow of societal benefits from research on the Station, which has already resulted in a discoveries that could have significant medical and industrial implications; provide NASA and its private-sector partners time to more fully transition to the commercial space industry the transportation of cargo and crew to LEO; instill confidence in the science community that the ISS platform will be available for important, long-term research endeavors; and help cement continuing U.S. leadership in human spaceflight going forward.

 

The House Rules committee yesterday paved the way for floor consideration of the spending bill.

 

More recently, news outlets have reported about the future of Russia's involvement with the ISS, given the tensions over Ukraine.

 

NASA hasn't received any official notification from Russia "on any changes in our space cooperation at this point," according to a written statement from the agency.

 

"Ongoing operations on the ISS continue on a normal basis with last week's return of three crew members and scheduled launch of three new crew members next week," according to the statement.

 

Shelton: time for "pause" in RD-180 debate

Jeff Foust – Space Politics

 

A week after Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin ignited a firestorm with a claim that Russia would ban the use of RD-180 engines for launching American military payloads, the head of Air Force Space Command said that operations were proceeding as usual and urged a "pause" in the debate.

 

"There have been no official pronouncements out of the Russian government on the RD-180. There has been the one 'twitter' out of one government official that has caused everybody concern," said Gen. William Shelton in a press conference at the 30th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs Tuesday morning. "It's time that we all kind of paused and and make sure we understand the messages and make sure we understand where the messages are coming from officially."

 

While Shelton appeared to be referring to this tweet from Rogozin, others at the press conference noted Rogozin made the comments at a press conference in Moscow. Shelton, though, said there was still a need to understand the official government position. "I think it's a time to pause and find out if that's the official position," he said. "Right now, I don't think we have an indication that it really is where the government comes down on this in the long term. And there are other indications that 'business as usual' is the state of play with Russian industry."

 

Shelton, though, said he personally supported proposals to develop a new large "hydrocarbon boost" rocket engine in the US. "There's a debate to be had, and I think it will occur over the next four to five months," he said, noting that while some in Congress support new engine development (there is language to that effect in the House defense authorization bill), other, unnamed people in government don't necessarily agree. Shelton added that he supported development a new engine development, helping support the space industrial base, over co-production of the RD-180 in the US. "All of the studies we did in the past indicated that the cost to co-produce versus the cost of developing a new engine were about in the same ballpark," he said.

 

Shelton also addressed the SpaceX launch competition controversy, saying that the Air Force was committed to competition and getting SpaceX certified. "When you're spending $60 million and putting 100 people against the problem to get somebody certified, it's hard to say you're excluding them," he said of the Air Force's investment in getting the SpaceX Falcon 9 certified. He added that he thought it would be difficult to accelerate the certification process, which won't be done before the end of the year, "and I think SpaceX would have a hard time going faster than they are now."

 

As for the SpaceX lawsuit, Shelton said this: "Generally, the person you want do business with, you don't sue them." But as others have noted, contract protests and other suits over government business are hardly uncommon in the industry.

 

Lockheed Martin Is Seeking To Americanize Orion's European Service Module

Dan Leone – Space News

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — Lockheed Martin Space Systems is working to get American parts onto the European service module slated to power the first crewed flight of the Orion deep-space capsule the Denver-based company is building for NASA.

 

The European Space Agency is providing the service module for that flight, notionally slated for 2021, and for an uncrewed 2017 precursor. Both missions will send Orion to the same distant lunar retrograde orbit.

 

These service modules will be derived from the Automated Transfer Vehicle ESA used to carry cargo to the international space station. ESA agreed to provide Orion service modules in 2013, displacing a domestic option from Lockheed.

 

Now, for financial reasons, ESA prime contractor Airbus Defence and Space may provide only "one and a half" service modules, Larry Price, Lockheed's Orion deputy program manager, said in an interview here.

 

"They may not complete both of them, depending on funding," Price said. But "we think we can drive Europe's cost down so they can deliver two complete service modules" by steering the European company toward American suppliers already working on the Orion crew module. "If we use common parts, they can be lower price," Price said. He added that ESA is set to deliver a full service module for the 2017 flight.

 

Spokespersons for Airbus, ESA and NASA could not be reached by deadline May 20.

 

Because of U.S. export control regulations, and the fact that Lockheed has no contractual authority over the European service module, the company has had to tread "very carefully" in its interactions with Airbus, which are nevertheless ongoing, Price said.

 

Orion will be equipped with a Lockheed-provided service module for an unmanned test flight slated to launch Dec. 4 from Florida atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket.

 

The 2017 and 2021 Orion missions will be launched by NASA's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket.

 

Structural elements of the Orion capsule for the 2017 mission already have been fabricated at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility outside New Orleans. NASA, as part of internal 2016 budget deliberations, assumes an Orion mission will launch about every two years, according to Price.

 

Apps in Space! Boeing Looking at Mobile Tech for New Astronaut Taxi

Miriam Kramer – space.com

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Mobile tech and apps designed for astronauts could make a fresh appearance in space, thanks to efforts by Boeing and Samsung.

 

The two companies are teaming up to find new ways to incorporate mobile technology and applications into the CST-100 spacecraft, which Boeing is developing as part of NASA's commercial crew program with the goal of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

 

The aerospace company is also planning to fly other types of commercial missions with the vehicle, such as taking paying customers to a variety of space locales in the future.

 

Boeing wants to use mobile technology to help future astronauts share their experiences in orbit and make the most of their time in space. Representatives for the company have already identified about six apps that could be used on the CST-100 during flight.

 

Some of the app software — which could potentially be transferred to the Android operating system used by Samsung — is currently used on the space station and was also useful during past NASA space shuttle missions, said former astronaut Chris Ferguson, director of crew and mission operations for the Boeing Commercial Crew Program.

 

For example, an app called World Map allows astronauts to set an alarm that will tell them when the International Space Station flies over a particular part of the world, Ferguson said.

 

"Those geopolitical lines aren't necessarily carved on the Earth," Ferguson said here today (May 20) at the 2014 National Space Symposium. "You have to rely sometimes on a tool to tell you where you are, and there's a great application on the space station called World Map that we would like to bring over to an Android platform. That's an example of how a NASA astronaut would use it."

 

Space tourists might have different uses for tablet technology. For example, private space explorers might be able to capture photos and share them with people on Earth using an onboard Wi-Fi-type tool that can beam back information to the surface of the planet.

 

"There's no telling where this [partnership] is going to lead in half a dozen years, but our intention is to closely mimic what the commercial customer desires on an airliner, to be able to provide them with at least a similar type of service on a spaceliner," Ferguson said.

 

There are also other apps that could be useful in space. For instance, mobile apps could give astronauts information about their vessels and their position in space, as well as help replace the bulky, heavy checklists that astronauts currently need on the station.

 

Ferguson also thinks that, in the future, tablets could even make spacecraft windows unnecessary.

 

Windows can pose risks, he said. "They're heavy. You have to defog them. You have to do a lot of things to keep your window happy," Ferguson said. "What if I just put a camera on the outside and a nice LCD that's perhaps conformal that can wrap on the inside, and I can otherwise see on a screen what I can see outside through the hull? Is that something I could see in the future? Yes, it is."

 

But it might not be that simple, Ferguson added. Windows probably will not be replaced entirely, however — after all, the view from space isn't quite the same when seen on an LCD screen.

 

Boeing is currently competing with other spaceflight companies — notably, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. — to fly astronauts to the space station under the commercial crew program, which aims to have at least one American spaceship up and running by 2017. In August, NASA is planning to pick a smaller number of companies to continue on in the process.

 

Ferguson said that the CST-100 is currently on track to make its first unmanned flight to space in January 2017, followed by its first manned mission in July 2017.

 

SpaceX Falcon 9 set to launch June 11

James Dean – Florida Today

 

A SpaceX launch of commercial satellites postponed earlier this month is now targeted for June 11 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

 

The launch had been planned for May 10 when SpaceX encountered unspecified problems the day before, during fueling of a Falcon 9 rocket for a test-firing of its engines at Launch Complex 40.

 

RELATED: ULA manager's sense of mission shows in launch preps

 

The "static fire" test is expected to be performed again two or three days before the new launch date.

 

The Falcon 9 will attempt to place six satellites in low Earth orbit for Orbcomm Inc., a provider of machine-to-machine communications.

 

In an update on its Web site, Orbcomm said satellite teams would return to the Cape in the first week of June to enclose the satellites in a fairing before the rocket engine test.

 

The mission is the first of two planned this year to deploy 17 Orbcomm Generation 2, or OG2, spacecraft.

 

Updated! Zoomable Poster Now Shows Off 54 Years Of Space Exploration

Elizabeth Howell – Universe Today

 

We humans are busy creatures when it comes to exploring the solar system. This new graphic (which updates one from four years ago) showcases all the planets we have visited in the past half-century. Both successful missions and failures are included on this updated list, although sadly you won't find much about the various visits to comets and asteroids.

 

"The only downside to this spectacular map is the absence of orbits around minor bodies," wrote Franck Marchis, a researcher at the Carl Sagan Center of the SETI Institute, in a blog post describing the graphic — which he often uses in public talks.

 

"Samuel Velasco, one of its creators, told me that missions to asteroids and comets were not included because the graphic was getting too difficult to read. Tough choices had to be made."

Other features of the graphic worth noting are the growing number of moon and Mars missions and the current locations of spacecraft in the outer solar system (or in Voyager 1′s case, beyond the solar system).

 

Explore the full resolution version by clicking on the lead image or here.

 

 

 

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