Fwd: NASA to deploy army of science satellites on Orion's first mission

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: February 3, 2016 at 9:29:02 AM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: NASA to deploy army of science satellites on Orion's first mission

Six CubeSats with JPL Contributions Chosen for SLS Flight

The first flight of NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), will carry 13 low-cost
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2016-034&rn=news.xml&rst=4887

 

 

 

 

NASA to deploy army of science satellites on Orion's first mission

 

Space Launch System to carry CubeSat explorers during first mission

 

NASA announced a secondary mission to its launch of the Orion spacecraft aboard the Space Launch System.

 

Richard Tribou

Contact Reporter

Orlando Sentinel

 

NASA to send out army of little satellites from Orion launch

 

While NASA's Space Launch System and Orion capsule's primary mission will be to send humans into deep space and eventually to Mars, a secondary mission was revealed today.

 

Along for the ride will be 13 small satellites called CubeSats that will be deployed on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. That unmanned mission that will send the Orion capsule out to the moon will also allow for the placement of 13 science experiments from a variety of sources into deep space.

 

Previous launches have only allowed for similar science-based satellites to be deployed in low Earth orbit.

 

"The 13 CubeSats that will fly to deep space as secondary payloads aboard SLS on EM-1 showcase the intersection of science and technology, and advance our journey to Mars," said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman in a press release.

 

Seven of the 13 satellites were revealed today with another three being negotiated with international partners and another three open to a competition called the Cube Quest Challenge that will name winners in 2017.

 

Here's a rundown of the seven science missions named today:

 

Skyfire from Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company: Will do a lunar flyby for enhanced knowledge of the moon's surface.

 

Lunar IceCube from Morehead State University in  Kentucky: Will search for water ice 62 miles above the moon's surface.

 

Near-Earth Asteroid Scout, or NEA Scout from NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate: Will recon an asteroid taking pictures.

 

BioSentinel from NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate: Will use yeast to measure deep space radiation on living things over time.

 

Lunar Flashlight from NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate: Will search for ice deposits that ID locations where resources could be extracted on the moon's surface.

 

CuSP from NASA's Science Mission Directorate: Will measure particles and magnetic fields in space, basically monitoring space weather.

 

LunaH-Map from NASA's Science Mission Directorate: Will measure hydrogen in craters and other shadowed regions of the moon's South Pole.

 

"The SLS is providing an incredible opportunity to conduct science missions and test key technologies beyond low-Earth orbit," said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development said in the press release. "This rocket has the unprecedented power to send Orion to deep space plus room to carry 13 small satellites – payloads that will advance our knowledge about deep space with minimal cost."