Fwd: NASA and Human Spaceflight News – March 5, 2014 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: March 5, 2014 10:21:03 AM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: NASA and Human Spaceflight News – March 5, 2014 and JSC Today

Hope you can join us tomorrow for our monthly Retirees Luncheon at Hibachi Grill at 11:30.  

 

 

 

________________________________________

Wednesday, March 5, 2014        

 

 

                    JSC TODAY CATEGORIES

1.            Headlines

-  There is REAL Science in the Movie 'Gravity'

-  Electronic Document System (EDS) 2.0 Release

2.            Organizations/Social

-  Become a JSC Wellness HERO

-  Spring Fest: Kids Event Tickets on Sale Now

-  Starport Supports NASA Night at the Rodeo

-  JSC Annual Picnic at Splashtown on April 27

-  Supercross Tickets - Presale Opportunity

-  Starport Adult Sports Leagues

-  Ultimate Frisbee - New Co-ed Hat League

-  Starport's Spring Break Camp

-  Youth Spring Break Baseball Camp

3.            Jobs and Training

-  Ready, Set, Telework - PC and Mac Users - March 6

-  Professional Engineering Ethics Seminar

-  Pressure Systems Operator and Refresher Training

4.            Community

-  Applications Being Accepted for Scholarship

-  Tour the WM Single-Stream Recycling Facility

-  Talk STEM in an Interactive Setting

-  Take a Look at the Stars Over Spring Break

Source Region for Possible Europa Plumes

 

 

   Headlines

1.            There is REAL Science in the Movie 'Gravity'

Featured alongside Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, "Gravity" has another major star: our International Space Station! Look closely during the interior shots and you might spot some real science behind the fiction.

Read more here.

Liz Warren x35548

 

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2.            Electronic Document System (EDS) 2.0 Release

EDS 2.0 Release in Buildings 44 and 15 Quality Assurance Record Center (QARC)

On March 10, the EDS 2.0 document type Task Performance Sheet will replace the paper JSC Form 1225 for organizations using the QARC in Buildings 44 and 15. An exception will need to be coordinated with respective division management and provided to Quality and Flight equipment Division  management. Any documents in the signature cycle will be accepted until March 17.

Dave Dyer x34334

 

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   Organizations/Social

1.            Become a JSC Wellness HERO

The JSC Wellness Health Enhancement Rewards Operation (HERO) program is an annual wellness campaign comprised of various health promotion and disease prevention measures. All members of the JSC workforce with a Gilruth Center membership are eligible to participate - and it's free!

To be recognized as a JSC Wellness HERO, participants must satisfy the following requirements on an annual basis:

1.            Receive an annual fitness assessment at the Gilruth Center

2.            Attend at least two health education seminars

3.            Actively use the Gilruth Center

4.            Sign up and participate in Starport's annual Wellness Challenge

As a reward, HEROes will receive centerwide recognition and a trophy they can proudly display to exhibit their dedication to personal health and improving JSC's overall well-being.

Become a HERO and help make JSC NASA's healthiest center!

Joseph Callahan x42769 joseph.r.callahan@nasa.gov

 

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2.            Spring Fest: Kids Event Tickets on Sale Now

On April 19, Starport will have one big spring event at the Gilruth Center! Bring the kiddos out for our Children's Spring Fling, complete with a bounce house, face-painting, petting zoo, Easter egg hunt and hot dog lunch. Tickets go on sale this week in the Buildings 3 and 11 Starport Gift Shops, the Gilruth Center and online. Tickets are for children 18 months to 12 years old who will be participating in activities and having lunch. Adults do not need a ticket. Tickets are $8 each through April 11, or $10 the day of. More info can be found here.

While you are there, do some shopping at our outdoor flea market for some hidden treasures and great finds! Then visit our indoor craft fair for homemade crafts and goodies. Plus, enjoy some tasty mudbugs at our crawfish boil! The cost is $7 per pound with corn and potatoes. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will also be available.

Event Date: Saturday, April 19, 2014   Event Start Time:10:00 AM   Event End Time:12:00 PM

Event Location: Gilruth Center

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shelly Haralson x39168 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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3.            Starport Supports NASA Night at the Rodeo

March 12 is NASA Night at the Rodeo! Join your co-workers and business associates for an "Eight Second Ride" on a "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" with songs by Jake Owen while you show your support for NASA, the Aerospace Scholars Program at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Show your March 12 rodeo tickets or a Facebook share for the event in the Buildings 3 or 11 Starport Gift Shops to receive a 10 percent discount on store merchandise (standard exclusions apply). Let's rodeo NASA-style with full support!

Cyndi Kibby x47467

 

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4.            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 will be $33 each for ages 3 and up (2 and under do not need a ticket). After April 18, tickets will be $37. Season Pass holders may use their season pass for park admittance and purchase a wristband at a discounted price for food and other activities.

A ticket includes: admission to SplashTown from noon to 6 p.m., barbecue lunch, beverages, snow cones, kids' games, Bingo, face-painting, moon bounce, balloon artist, DJ, horseshoes, volleyball, basketball and plenty of thrills!

More info can be found here.

Event Date: Sunday, April 27, 2014   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:6:00 PM

Event Location: Splashtown Waterpark

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shelly Haralson x39168 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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5.            Supercross Tickets - Presale Opportunity

Tickets are on sale now in the Buildings 3 and 11 Starport Gift Shops for Supercross 2014 on April 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Reliant Stadium. Choose Gold Circle seats for $28 (ages 2 and up) or get a great deal when you take the whole family with Super Value seats -- adults for $28 and kids just $18. Free pit passes are included on all tickets. The last day to purchase is March 13.

Cyndi Kibby x47467

 

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6.            Starport Adult Sports Leagues

Come join the Starport Athletics adult sports leagues. We offer a plethora of leagues that range from men's and co-ed softball to even dodgeball. Come check us out! Right now we are offering a discounted rate for our whole spring season registration. Dodgeball, kickball and ultimate frisbee registration are now open. Men's and co-ed softball registration are open as well. Hurry and take advantage of this great deal!

Robert .k. Vaughn II x38049 http://www.imleagues.com/nasa-starport

 

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7.            Ultimate Frisbee - New Co-ed Hat League

Starport is excited to offer a great new league for those who have never played ultimate frisbee and those who are veterans to the sport.

Ultimate Frisbee - Co-ed Hat League

- Registration is open through March 25

- Only $20 per person (ages 12 and up)

- Sign up as an individual (don't worry about finding a whole team)

League Info:

- Eight-week league (plus playoffs)

- Monday evenings starting March 31

- Games start at 6 p.m.

Want a friend on your team? No problem! Request an individual to be partnered with!

This is the perfect league for anyone that has always wanted to try Starport Sports or ultimate frisbee. Sign up now!

Steve Schade x30304 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/league-sports/ultimate-frisbee...

 

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8.            Starport's Spring Break Camp

Can you believe spring break is just around the corner?! If you're looking for a fun, convenient and familiar place for your children to go for the school break, look no further. NASA Starport Camps at the Gilruth Center are the perfect place. We plan to keep your children active and entertained with games, crafts, sports and all types of fun activities.

Register your child before spaces fill up!

Dates: March 10 to 14

Time: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Ages: 6 to 12

Cost: $140 all week | $40 per day

Shericka Phillips x35663 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/familyyouth-programs/youth-day...

 

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9.            Youth Spring Break Baseball Camp

The NASA Starport Spring Break Baseball Camp provides instruction for all levels of youth baseball. Our coaches focus on the development of hitting, catching, base running, throwing, pitching and drills while preparing participants for competitive play. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Chuck McElroy will be leading the camp. Hurry, there are only a few spots left!

Robert K. Vaughn II x38049 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/familyyouth-programs/sports-ca...

 

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   Jobs and Training

1.            Ready, Set, Telework – PC and Mac Users – March 6

JSC's Information Resources Directorate (IRD) is hosting how-to-telework sessions based on device. These in-person sessions will focus on the Information Technology (IT) aspects of teleworking. Sessions will review tools required to telework, Virtual Private Network (VPN), collaboration tools, IdMax and tips and tricks to make your telework successful.

All sessions will be in the Building 3 Collaboration Center. No reservations are required, but seating is limited.

o             PC: 9 to 10 a.m.

o             Mac: 11 a.m. to noon

Join us and get ready to telework!

For questions, contact the IRD Customer Support center at x46367 (xGOFOR) - option 6, email JSC-IRD-Customer Support, or reference IRD's Work from Anywhere site.

For more Information on telework and Super-Flex, go to Workplace Flexibilities.

Event Date: Thursday, March 6, 2014   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:12:00 PM

Event Location: Building 3 Collaboration Center

 

Add to Calendar

 

JSC-IRD-Outreach x46367 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/infopedia/wiki%20pages/jsc%20telework%20toolkit....

 

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2.            Professional Engineering Ethics Seminar

Under the Texas Engineering Practice Act, each engineer licensed in the state must spend at least one professional development hour each year reviewing professional ethics and the roles and responsibilities for engineers.

The JSC Safety Learning Center invites JSC engineers to attend this one-hour Professional Engineering Ethics Seminar.

In this seminar, the student will:

o             Review portions of Chapter 137, "Compliance and Professionalism," and Chapter 139, "Enforcement," of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules

o             Review some of the recent disciplinary actions taken by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers to enforce the Practice Act

o             Participate in class discussion regarding specific ethical questions

This seminar meets The Texas Engineering Practice Act yearly one-hour ethics requirement for continuing education.

Date/Time: March 10 from 9 to 10 a.m.

Where: Safety Learning Center - Building 20, Room 205/206

Registration via SATERN required:

https://satern.nasa.gov/plateau/user/deeplink.do?linkId=SCHEDULED_OFFERING_DE...

Aundrail Hill x36369

 

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3.            Pressure Systems Operator and Refresher Training

These courses cover updated pressure systems requirements, do's and don'ts to operating, hazard analysis awareness and lessons learned.

Date: March 12

Location: Safety Learning Center - Building 20, Room 205/206

Use these direct links to SATERN for course times and to register.

Pressure Systems Operator - 9 to 11 a.m. CST

https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Pressure Systems Operator Refresher -11:01 a.m. to 12:01 p.m. CST

https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Aundrail Hill x36369

 

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   Community

1.            Applications Being Accepted for Scholarship

The NASA College Scholarship Program will award multiple scholarships agencywide to qualified dependents of NASA civil servant employees. The scholarship recipients must pursue a course of study leading to an undergraduate degree in science or engineering from an accredited college or university in the United States. Applications are available online.

The application deadline is March 31.

Amanda Gaspard x31387

 

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2.            Tour the WM Single-Stream Recycling Facility

Courtesy of your JSC Green Team, you are invited to see the state-of-the-art Waste Management Single-Stream Recycling Facility off Gasmer. Take an extended lunch break and join us for one of two dates (Wednesday, March 12, or Tuesday, March 18). Bring your own lunch and meet us in front of Building 11 at 11:15 a.m. We will return to JSC no later than 2 p.m. Reservations are required. Contact Laurie Peterson to reserve your seat in the van.

Laurie Peterson x39845 http://jsc-web-www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/ja13/greenteam.cfm

 

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3.            Talk STEM in an Interactive Setting

Tired of vanilla volunteer opportunities? Talk STEM to kids in several local schools this week by kicking off the FMA Live! Program, a STEM venture that uses live actors, hip-hop music and dance, interactive participation and more to really engage students.

What do we need from you? Just your expertise and willingness to talk for a few minutes about how cool it is to have a STEM career and why kids should be interested in math, physics and science. Several times are available for you to volunteer today, March 5, and Friday, March 7. Check out V-CORPs for details!

V-CORPs 281-792-5859

 

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4.            Take a Look at the Stars Over Spring Break

The George Observatory will be open to the public Tuesday, March 11, for spring break. The observatory will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. The telescopes and Discovery Dome will be open.

Tickets for telescopes and the Discovery Dome can be purchased the day of at the observatory gift shop.

Stargazing is weather dependent.

George Observatory is located in the heart of Brazos Bend State Park. Admission to the park is $7 for adults; kids under 12 are free.

Megan Hashier 281-226-4179 http://www.hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&Ite...

 

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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

Wednesday – March 5, 2014

 

NASA TV (all times are Central): www.nasa.gov/ntv

10:40 a.m. - ISS Expedition 38 In-Flight Interviews with the Huffington Post and KGO-TV, San Francisco

11 a.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 39/40 Qualification Training Simulation Runs at Star City, Russia

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

NASA budget would ramp up asteroid mission

The Obama administration's proposal for funding NASA in fiscal 2015 is based partly on assumptions that Republican lawmakers in Congress are sure to contest.

 

Ledyard King - USA TODAY

 

NASA's proposed budget for fiscal 2015 would ramp up funding to fly astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 as part of a steppingstone approach to Mars, a mission some lawmakers want to replace with a return trip to the moon.

 

NASA administrator says Americans and Russians still getting along fine in space

Joel Achenbach – The Washington Post

There's a place where the United States and Russia are still getting along swimmingly: About 250 miles above the surface of the Earth, where three Russians, two Americans and an astronaut from Japan are aboard the international space station.

NASA would get $17.5 billion for 2015 under White House budget plan

Amina Khan – Los Angeles Times

NASA's budget for the 2015 fiscal year wouldn't budge much from last year under the White House's proposal for nearly $17.5 billion, as officials reaffirmed the commitment to extending the life of the International Space Station, funding potential missions to Mars and Jupiter's moon Europa and sending a manned mission to nab an asteroid and bring it back to Earth orbit.

Obama eyes boost in space taxi spending, Jupiter moon mission

Irene Klotz – Reuters

 

President Barack Obama's 2015 NASA budget plan includes funding for a robotic mission to an ocean-bearing moon of Jupiter and could help boost commercial ventures to fly astronauts to the International Space Station, NASA officials said on Tuesday.

NASA budget puts emphasis on getting astronauts into space again

Mark K. Matthews and Scott Powers - Orlando Sentinel

NASA officials on Tuesday unveiled a $17.5 billion budget plan that makes launching astronauts into space a priority once again — though that goal still remains several years away.

White House budget proposal would mean stability for NASA in Alabama in 2015

Lee Roop – Huntsville Times

Here's a look in seven numbers and two quotes at President Obama's 2015 budget proposal as it affects NASA's major Alabama center, the Marshall Space Flight Center.

NASA Langley wins, loses under Obama's FY15 budget request

Tamara Dietrich – Newport News (VA) Daily Press

 

NASA Langley Research Center would take a small fiscal haircut but come away with funding for a cutting-edge science lab under the president's proposed FY2015 federal budget.

President Obama's budget document would boost NASA Glenn, shortchange Great Lakes cleanup

Sabrina Eaton – Cleveland Plain Dealer

Even though all the numbers in President Obama's $3.9 trillion budget blueprint for 2015 are subject to drastic change, NASA Glenn Research Center Director James M. Free was pleased with the 3.6 percent increase the proposal would give his facility over its 2014 funding.

Sand Springs native, Skylab astronaut Bill Pogue dies at 84

Tim Stanley – Tulsa World

William R. "Bill" Pogue, a former astronaut and retired Air Force colonel from Sand Springs who was the pilot for the third and final Skylab space station mission, died Tuesday at his home in Florida, family members said. He was 84.

Orbital Sciences Examining 2-3 Russian Alternatives to Antares' AJ-26 Engine

Peter B. de Selding – Space News

Orbital Sciences is investigating "two or three alternatives," all of them Russian, to the current AJ-26 engine that powers the company's Antares rocket, Orbital Chief Financial Officer Garrett E. Pierce said March 3.

ISS Finds Niche as Important, if Imperfect, Earth Observation Platform

Space News Editor

The emergence of the international space station as a go-to host platform for Earth observing sensors is testimony to the resourcefulness of NASA and the Earth science community during a time of scarcity.

Climate engineering ideas no longer considered pie in the sky

Scientists backed by the government and Bill Gates are studying schemes such as sunlight-blocking particles and giant carbon vacuums to halt climate change.

Evan Halper – Los Angeles Times

As international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions stall, schemes to slow global warming using fantastical technologies once dismissed as a sideshow are getting serious consideration in Washington.

IG report finds flaws in NASA's mobile device management

Frank Konkel – Federal Computer Week

 

NASA is not doing a good job managing its mobile devices, according to a new report authored by NASA Inspector General Paul Martin.

COMPLETE STORIES

NASA budget would ramp up asteroid mission

The Obama administration's proposal for funding NASA in fiscal 2015 is based partly on assumptions that Republican lawmakers in Congress are sure to contest.

 

Ledyard King - USA TODAY

 

NASA's proposed budget for fiscal 2015 would ramp up funding to fly astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 as part of a steppingstone approach to Mars, a mission some lawmakers want to replace with a return trip to the moon.

 

The $133 million for the mission, which would deflect a small asteroid into near-Earth orbit so astronauts could practice landing on it and study its characteristics, is part of the space agency's proposed $17.46 billion budget released by the administration Tuesday.

 

Fiscal 2015 begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30, 2015.

 

The budget also includes funding to continue NASA's other top priorities: a deep-space Space Launch System rocket and the Orion multi-purpose vehicle it will carry to Mars, the James Webb Space Telescope due for launch in 2018, and the Commercial Crew Program that helps fund private efforts to send astronauts from the U.S. to the International Space Station.

 

The budget is about $185 million below the fiscal 2014 level but roughly $600 million more than NASA received in fiscal 2013, when sequestration cut discretionary spending across the board.

 

NASA could have access to another $900 million as well — its share of a $56 billion Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative that would be separate from the regular budget.

 

NASA administrator says Americans and Russians still getting along fine in space

Joel Achenbach – The Washington Post

There's a place where the United States and Russia are still getting along swimmingly: About 250 miles above the surface of the Earth, where three Russians, two Americans and an astronaut from Japan are aboard the international space station.

"Everything is nominal right now with our relationship with the Russians," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden during a teleconference Tuesday.

With the space shuttle retired, the U.S. relies on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to get to and from the space station. Russia charges about $71 million per seat. There is no other way for American astronauts to get back to Earth.

Tuesday's teleconference was set up to allow Bolden to discuss the White House's Fiscal Year 2015 budget request, but he wound up fielding numerous inquiries from reporters about whether the Ukraine crisis has affected NASA's strategic planning.

No, Bolden said repeatedly. He noted that past flare-ups between the U.S. and Russia have not affected operations in space.

"We have weathered the storm through lots of contingencies here," Bolden said.

He told a personal story: In 1994 he commanded the first joint U.S.-Russia space shuttle mission. He said that, "because of my training as a Marine," he wasn't entirely comfortable at first with the idea of teaming up with the Russians, but then during the planning stages for the mission he got to know Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and his Russian backup.

Russia, the U.S., Europe, Canada and Japan jointly operate the ISS, which the Obama administration wants to continue funding at least through 2024, a four-year extension. Whether the international partners will extend their participation beyond 2020 is unclear at this point.

After the teleconference, NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs e-mailed an elaboration on Bolden's comments:

"NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, have maintained a professional, beneficial, and collegial working relationship through the various ups and downs of the broader U.S.-Russia relationship and we expect that to continue throughout the life of the ISS program and beyond.

"NASA is moving toward awarding contracts this year to private American companies to send our astronauts to the International Space Station, keeping the agency on target to launch American astronauts from the U.S. by 2017 and ending our reliance on Russia to get into space."

The administration has repeatedly stressed that the "commercial crew" program needs to be fully funded by Congress if the 2017 target is going to be met. But NASA's budget has been squeezed for several years, having peaked at $18.7 billion in 2010.

Obama's budget request asks for just under $17.5 billion for NASA in 2015, a decrease of $186 million from what Congress allotted the agency in FY2014.

Bolden said the budget keeps NASA moving full speed ahead: "This budget keeps us on the same, steady path we have been following – a stepping stone approach to send humans to Mars in the 2030's."

The administration's budget would trim $180 billion from the science program. A prominent casualty is the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a jumbo jet that will wind up being warehoused unless funding somehow materializes.

The administration wants $133 for the controversial Asteroid Redirect Mission, in which a robotic vehicle would either grab a small asteroid or break a chunk off a bigger one and then haul it back to lunar orbit.

Popular science missions such as Cassini, the probe orbiting Saturn, and Curiosity, the rover on Mars, will stay alive under the president's budget, and the modest sum of $15 million will go toward early planning for a possible robotic mission to Jupiter's intriguing moon Europa, which appears to have a subsurface ocean. Engineers think a mission to study Europa would cost upward of $2 billion, but Bolden and his deputies in recent months have said there's no money in the near future for such big-ticket "Flagship" missions.

Boosters of planetary science were unhappy Tuesday that the overall planetary-science budget request is only $1.28 billion, a modest boost over last year's budget request but still less than what Congress appropriated for 2014. Advocates have argued that planetary science ought to have a $1.5 billion budget — as it did a few years ago.

"It's still plainly insufficient to maintain America's leadership in planetary science," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D.-Calif.), who represents Pasadena, home to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA would get $17.5 billion for 2015 under White House budget plan

Amina Khan – Los Angeles Times

NASA's budget for the 2015 fiscal year wouldn't budge much from last year under the White House's proposal for nearly $17.5 billion, as officials reaffirmed the commitment to extending the life of the International Space Station, funding potential missions to Mars and Jupiter's moon Europa and sending a manned mission to nab an asteroid and bring it back to Earth orbit.

The proposed $17.46-billion budget for 2015 is roughly $200 million less than the 2014 fiscal year request, and the planetary science division would receive about $1.28 billion -- not quite up to last year's $1.35 billion.

Still, plans for a mission to capture an asteroid would get $133 million. And the space station's extension to 2024 was framed as part of the Obama administration's long-term vision for humans to visit an asteroid by 2025 and reach Mars by the 2030s.

"We are very excited that this budget does fund all of our priorities," NASA Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Robinson said.

The proposed budget would fund the 2020 Mars mission that would cache a sample of Mars rock that a later spacecraft could bring back to Earth; and it would provide almost $15 million to develop a plan for a potential mission to Europa, an icy moon that apparently squirts water and could be one of the "worlds" in our own solar system with the potential to host a life-friendly environment beneath its frigid shell.

But the budget would also involve some cuts, including putting NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) on ice unless its partner on the project, the German Aerospace Center, shoulders more of the cost. Robinson cited the need to balance funding older missions and investing in new efforts, such as a potential mission to Europa or the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a mission that could search for dark energy. 

"Budgets are about making choices," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said during a news briefing.

But Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), whose district includes Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, which operates the Mars rovers, said the funding for planetary science was nowhere near the 2012 level of $1.5 billion.

"It's an improvement on what the administration submitted a year ago, but it's still insufficient to maintain our position of leadership in planetary science," Schiff said in an interview.

Schiff, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he and others would be working to augment President Obama's budget for planetary science, a practice that has been repeated in recent years.

"I wish we didn't have to keep doing this," he said. 

Obama eyes boost in space taxi spending, Jupiter moon mission

Irene Klotz – Reuters

 

President Barack Obama's 2015 NASA budget plan includes funding for a robotic mission to an ocean-bearing moon of Jupiter and could help boost commercial ventures to fly astronauts to the International Space Station, NASA officials said on Tuesday.

The White House is requesting a $17.5 billion budget for the U.S. space agency in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

That marks a 1 percent decrease from NASA's 2014 budget. But NASA could also have access to an additional $900 million from Obama's proposed Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative, a $56 billion fund for special projects that is separate from the regular budget.

If approved, the agency would have $1.1 billion next year to help at least two companies develop commercial space taxis to fly astronauts to and from the space station. The $100 billion research outpost, a project of 15 nations, flies about 260 miles (420 km) above Earth.

Since the space shuttles were retired in 2011, the United States is dependent on Russia to fly crews to the space station at a cost of more than $65 million a seat.

For now, escalating U.S. tensions with Russia over the crisis in Ukraine have not affected the space partnership, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told reporters on a conference call.

"We are continuing to monitor the situation," Bolden said. "Right now, everything is normal in our relationship with the Russians," he said.

Currently, NASA is supporting space taxi designs by Boeing Co, privately owned Space Exploration Technologies and privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp.

The agency intends to select at least two companies for a final round of development funding this summer. Obama wants to have U.S. options for flying astronauts to the station before the end of 2017.

The so-called Commercial Crew program is receiving $696 million for the 2014 fiscal year ending September 30. The proposed funding increase would add as much as $400 million to the program for fiscal 2015.

The new budget also includes $3.1 billion for NASA to operate the station and provides $2.8 billion to continue development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule for future human missions to the moon, asteroids and Mars. An unmanned Orion test flight is scheduled for Sept. 18.

One of the first operational Orion missions would send astronauts to an asteroid that has been robotically relocated into a high orbit around the moon. Planning for the so-called Asteroid Redirect Mission gets a boost to $133 million in the 2015 budget proposal, up from $78 million in 2014.

As currently envisioned, hiking spending on the asteroid initiative means cutbacks in other programs, warns the Coalition for Space Exploration, a Houston-based industry advocacy organization.

"We remain concerned and opposed to the annual effort to drain funds from our nation's exploration programs," the group said in a statement.

Science missions would share nearly $5 billion in 2015, including $15 million to begin planning for a mid-2020s mission to Europa, an ice-encrusted moon of Jupiter.

Scientists have strong evidence that the moon has a vast ocean beneath its frozen surface. Water is believed to be essential for life.

"It's one of those places where life might occur, in the past or now, and so we're really excited about going there," said NASA's Chief Financial Officer Beth Robinson.

The proposed budget keeps the Hubble Space Telescope successor program - an infrared observatory known as the James Webb Space Telescope - on track for launch in 2018. It also lets NASA begin planning for a new telescope to probe the mysterious force known as "dark energy" that is driving the universe apart at faster and faster rates.

NASA budget puts emphasis on getting astronauts into space again

Mark K. Matthews and Scott Powers - Orlando Sentinel

NASA officials on Tuesday unveiled a $17.5 billion budget plan that makes launching astronauts into space a priority once again — though that goal still remains several years away.

Under the 2015 funding proposal, which still requires the approval of Congress, NASA would pour billions of dollars into two programs aimed at solving a problem that has existed since the last shuttle flew in 2011 from Kennedy Space Center: NASA has no way of launching its own people into low Earth orbit, or beyond.

Instead, NASA has been forced to rely on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the International Space Station — an expensive arrangement that has drawn extra attention in recent days because of the standoff between Washington and Moscow over Ukraine.

"We need to get going with giving America its own capability … so we are not dependent on any other nation," NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said during a budget briefing.

But Bolden, a retired Marine Corps major general, emphasized that the crisis in Ukraine had not affected the relationship between NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos.

"Right now, everything is normal in our relationship with the Russians," Bolden said.

He added that he saw "no reason" now to develop alternate arrangements in case the situation worsened, though he said "if we need to do contingency planning, we will."

The NASA plan was part of an overall federal budget proposal released Tuesday by President Barack Obama.

NASA is paying Russia about $1.7 billion through 2017 for the astronaut flights, though the 2015 budget plan includes about $850 million to continue funding a program that would help U.S. rocket companies develop a new "taxi service" to take American astronauts to the station.

The goal is to launch those first flights in 2017, though Congress has balked in years past at giving the administration the full amount it has requested for the program.

Also included in the NASA portion was $2.8 billion to keep building NASA's new rocket and crew capsule. A test flight of the Orion capsule is scheduled for later this year, with a first crewed launch planned for the early 2020s.

With these flights still several years away, activity at KSC remains steady — if not muted compared to the heyday of the shuttle era.

KSC Director Bob Cabana said he doesn't expect any job growth or decline anytime soon.

"I don't see a significant change. It's essentially flat, and I expect us to stay that way for a while," he said. "There is not going to be any large increase in this budget. This allows us to continue with where we were and continue to make progress toward our transformation and to do all the things we said we would do."

White House budget proposal would mean stability for NASA in Alabama in 2015

Lee Roop – Huntsville Times

Here's a look in seven numbers and two quotes at President Obama's 2015 budget proposal as it affects NASA's major Alabama center, the Marshall Space Flight Center.

First, a quote from Marshall Director Patrick Scheuermann: "This is a good budget for Marshall Space Flight Center and it provides stability for our workforce, programs and projects."

Next, the numbers:

$2.15 billion - the share of the president's $17.5 billion NASA budget request that comes to Marshall. It's about the same as last year.

$1.4 billion - the amount the center will spend developing the heavy-lift rocket called the Space Launch System next year. It's also "consistent with last year," Scheuermann said.

$193 million - the amount budgeted for space operations at Marshall. The big item here is the Payload Operations Center where Marshall manages all science experiments aboard the International Space Station. That's a 24/7/365 operation.

$41 million - the amount budgeted for Marshall's technology work including its centennial challenges and similar programs.

$140 million - the amount budgeted for science at Marshall including solar research, climate research, meteoroid research and other programs.

$71 million - the amount budgeted for construction and revitalization on the center in 2015.

1 - the number of new buildings Marshall will open in FY 2015. It's also the number of buildings Marshall will close and tear down and the number of historic buildings the center will finish refurbishing.

0 - The chance this White House budget will pass Congress as it stands now. Both houses will add here, cut there and eventually pass a budget.

Finally, a second quote: Asked if Marshall's $140 million science budget request is an increase, a cut or about the same as this year, center financial officer Bill Hicks said the numbers are still flowing down from NASA Headquarters but, "Our science budget tends to run pretty flat, so we expect it to be there."

NASA Langley wins, loses under Obama's FY15 budget request

Tamara Dietrich – Newport News (VA) Daily Press

 

NASA Langley Research Center would take a small fiscal haircut but come away with funding for a cutting-edge science lab under the president's proposed FY2015 federal budget.

According to numbers released Tuesday, NASA Langley's budget would come in at $760 million, or $10 million leaner than last year, but the Hampton center would receive an additional $94 million to build a Measurement Sciences Laboratory for aeronautics research as part of its 20-year revitalization plan.

The trim would also mean about 30 fewer full-time employees at the center by 2015, and Deputy Director David Bowles said those losses are expected to come from routine attrition among their 1,880 employees.

"We usually get more than 30 (a year) through normal attrition," Bowles said, "so this doesn't involve any kind of people leaving."

He also said he doesn't expect to lose any of the center's 1,650 contract employees.

Overall, he said, he was pleased with the center's proposed allocation, and with NASA's overall budget request of $17.5 billion.

"That's good for the agency, good for the center," Bowles said. "We're excited about this budget."

NASA's $17.5 billion is nearly $186 million less than in FY2014, but doesn't include $885 million the agency would also receive as part of the president's government-wide Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative. NASA Langley's science lab would be funded by that initiative.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden also praised Barack Obama's budget request in a conference call with reporters. The request is part of the president's just released $3.9 trillion budget package.

"There is a lot of good news in it for NASA," Bolden said. "The president's funding plan reaffirms the path we are on, and will keep us moving forward — pushing farther into the solar system and leading the world in a new era of exploration."

Under the proposal, funding would continue on key NASA projects, which include developing the Orion spacecraft for crewed exploration of deep space and the Space Launch System rockets to launch it, a mission to retrieve an asteroid for study, a crewed mission to Mars, completing the James Webb Space Telescope for a 2018 launch into space, continued science missions to the International Space Station through 2024, studying the Earth's changing climate, partnering with private industry to make space flight and exploration more affordable, and developing aircraft that are lighter, more efficient and less noisy.

NASA Langley is involved in many of those projects, including the Orion spacecraft and SLS rockets, landing the Curiosity rover on Mars to study its surface, deep space exploration, the asteroid redirect mission, game-changing science technologies and advancing research into composite materials to build better aircraft.

President Obama's budget document would boost NASA Glenn, shortchange Great Lakes cleanup

Sabrina Eaton – Cleveland Plain Dealer

Even though all the numbers in President Obama's $3.9 trillion budget blueprint for 2015 are subject to drastic change, NASA Glenn Research Center Director James M. Free was pleased with the 3.6 percent increase the proposal would give his facility over its 2014 funding.

He said the proposed $587.7 million budget for Glenn, up by $20.5 million from last year, would keep Glenn's workforce around its current level of 3,000 civil servants and contractors -- if it becomes law.

"This is the proposal," Free cautioned. "Congress will move forth and act on the budget as they see fit."

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition hopes Congress sees fit to override Obama's $25 million proposed cut to the $300 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative -- which fights pollution and invasive species in the lakes -- as well as a $430 million cut in the $1.4 billion Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which funds community wastewater treatment system repairs.

"Every year, we have to reeducate people on the importance of protecting and preserving the Great Lakes, which account for one fifth of the world's fresh water supply," said Russell Township GOP Rep. Dave Joyce, a member of the House committee that oversees federal spending. "The good thing is there is bipartisan support in Congress to protect the Great Lakes."

Obama visited a Washington, D.C. elementary school to tout his budget's proposals to extend the Earned income Tax Credit to more low-income workers, establish new job training programs, and create 45 high-tech manufacturing hubs like a prototype established in the Youngstown area.

"Our budget is about choices," said Obama. "It's about our values. As a country, we've got to make a decision if we're going to protect tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, or if we're gong to make smart investments necessary to create jobs and grow our economy, and expand opportunity for every American."

House Speaker John Boehner of West Chester said Obama's plan would spend, borrow and tax too much, hurting the economy and costing jobs.

"This budget is a clear sign this president has given up on any efforts to address our serious fiscal challenges that are undermining the future of our kids and grandkids," said Boehner.

Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander said the final budget that Congress approves is always different -- sometimes significantly -- from the wish list Presidents present to Congress every year. She said this year's budget exercise "seems emptier than most" because it exceeds discretionary spending levels Obama and Congress agreed to.

"The $56 billion in additional spending the President is proposing is likely going nowhere," she said. "The revenue offsets the administration proposed are perennials that are likely to be rejected, particularly in an election year with tax reform on the horizon."

Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman -- a member of the Senate Budget and Finance Committees who headed the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush -- said Obama's plan "squanders an opportunity to enact pro-growth policies or reform our important but unsustainable entitlements."

"Families struggling to make ends meet don't need us to grow the size and scope of Washington," said Portman They need us to help grow the economy and create private sector jobs."

Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan called Obama's proposal "a forward-thinking roadmap for innovation and economic growth in our nation," and said he liked its four-year plan for $302 billion in infrastructure improvements that would be funded by reforming taxes on businesses.

Ohio's Democratic U.S. Senator, Sherrod Brown, applauded Obama's efforts to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, and noted that roughly 200,000 of the 1 million low income Ohioans who currently qualify for the credit don't utilize it. He predicted that expanding the tax credit to childless workers, which Obama endorsed and Brown has championed in the U.S. Senate, would help about 500,000 more Ohioans.

The President's budget proposal is an important step towards ensuring that American's who work hard and take responsibility can take home more of their pay each month," said Brown. "As we continue our economic recovery, it's vital that we pursue policies that reward Americans for hard work and provide them greater opportunities." 

Sand Springs native, Skylab astronaut Bill Pogue dies at 84

Tim Stanley – Tulsa World

William R. "Bill" Pogue, a former astronaut and retired Air Force colonel from Sand Springs who was the pilot for the third and final Skylab space station mission, died Tuesday at his home in Florida, family members said. He was 84.

Funeral services are pending.

Pogue, together with astronauts Gerald Carr and Edward Gibson, spent 84 consecutive days in space from 1973 to 1974 aboard Skylab, the first American space station.

Their 12 weeks in orbit was a record at the time, topping the previous Skylab mission's eight weeks. They orbited the earth 1,214 times while aboard the station, traveling 35.5 million miles

Pogue made two space walks during the mission.

Born Jan. 23, 1930, in Okemah, Pogue grew up in Sand Springs.

After graduating from Sand Springs High School in 1947, he entered the Air Force, beginning what would be a distinguished 25-year career.

Among the highlights, he was a combat fighter pilot in Korea and later spent two years as an aerobatic pilot with the Air Force's Thunderbirds.

In 1966, Pogue was among the applicants selected by NASA for the space program.

Pogue held a bachelor's degree in education from Oklahoma Baptist University and a master's in mathematics from Oklahoma State University.

Among his many awards and citations, he was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997.

The William R. Pogue Municipal Airport in Sand Springs is named for him.

Pogue enjoyed speaking at schools, and one of the most common questions he was asked led to a book. Now in its third edition, Pogue's "How Do You Go to the Bathroom in Space?" answers that and many other of the queries he fielded from curious children and adults.

Orbital Sciences Examining 2-3 Russian Alternatives to Antares' AJ-26 Engine

Peter B. de Selding – Space News

Orbital Sciences is investigating "two or three alternatives," all of them Russian, to the current AJ-26 engine that powers the company's Antares rocket, Orbital Chief Financial Officer Garrett E. Pierce said March 3.

Orbital's exploration includes filing suit against United Launch Alliance of Colorado in an attempt to break ULA's exclusivity contract with the makers of Russia's RD-180 engine, which powers the first stage of ULA's Atlas 5 rocket.

In a presentation to a conference organized by Raymond James investment advisers, Pierce said Dulles, Va.-based Orbital and its suppliers have enough AJ-26 engines to complete Orbital's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) space station cargo-supply contract with NASA, which totals eight Antares missions, and several additional missions as well. NASA is preparing to solicit bids for a follow-on contract that would call for four to five flights a year between 2017 and 2024.

"Right now we are exploring the various avenues that could be available to the company to continue to use the AJ-26 or to use other rocket systems — Russian-sourced systems — we're looking at right now," Pierce said. "There are two or three alternatives. Right now the AJ-26 is the standard rocket [engine] that we use on the Antares for the [CRS] contract and a bit beyond that. Then we'll have the option — this is a few years out — to change the system or continue with it."

ISS Finds Niche as Important, if Imperfect, Earth Observation Platform

Space News Editor

The emergence of the international space station as a go-to host platform for Earth observing sensors is testimony to the resourcefulness of NASA and the Earth science community during a time of scarcity.

The massive orbiting outpost already hosts a handful of downward-looking sensors, both government and commercially owned. Examples include the U.S. government-developed Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Environment and a pair of commercial imaging cameras — one for taking full-motion video — operated by UrtheCast, a for-profit company. 

NASA plans to install at least five more environmental instruments during the next four years. Among them are space-based versions of sensors previously flown only on aircraft and instruments that will build on existing records of satellite-collected environmental data.

The push to utilize station for Earth science can be viewed from one of two different perspectives. As a readily available platform with ample onboard space and power resources, the station is an ideal, low-cost test bed for new technologies and measurements that are candidates for future dedicated satellite missions. Alternatively, but for the same reasons, the station might be seen as an option of last resort for NASA's Earth Science Division, whose ability to build and launch dedicated satellites, even to collect measurements of proven scientific value, is severely limited by budget pressures. As Michael Freilich, the division's director, recently noted, the launch — and in some cases the development — costs for station-hosted instruments are covered by that program's budget.

It's true that the station is in many ways less than ideal as a platform for Earth observation, especially if the objective is scientific research, as opposed to technology demonstration.  Station's orbit is inclined at 56 degrees relative to the equator, whereas most Earth observing satellites operate in polar, sun-synchronous orbits that provide global coverage and pass over a given point on Earth at the same time each day. In addition, the altitude of the station's orbit varies widely, and data collection is frequently interrupted during events such as orbit raising maneuvers and the arrival of crew- and cargo-carrying spacecraft.

On the brighter side, some research applications are best suited to relatively low-inclination orbits. Moreover, station-hosted sensors, because they pass over the same spots on Earth at different times of day, can complement the data collected from sun-synchronous orbit.

Given its estimated $100 billion-plus price tag, the international space station could never be justified on the basis of its ability to support environmental or climate-change research.  But the station is available, underutilized and has a logistics and research budget that can support any number of NASA science activities. Station managers are doing all the right things to encourage potential users, government and commercial, to take advantage. That the Earth Science Division is taking that offer to heart, in much the same way as it is making the most of hosted payload opportunities aboard commercial telecommunications spacecraft, is to its credit.

Climate engineering ideas no longer considered pie in the sky

Scientists backed by the government and Bill Gates are studying schemes such as sunlight-blocking particles and giant carbon vacuums to halt climate change.

Evan Halper – Los Angeles Times

As international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions stall, schemes to slow global warming using fantastical technologies once dismissed as a sideshow are getting serious consideration in Washington.

Ships that spew salt into the air to block sunlight. Mirrored satellites designed to bounce solar rays back into space. Massive "reverse" power plants that would suck carbon from the atmosphere. These are among the ideas the National Academy of Sciences has charged a panel of some of the nation's top climate thinkers to investigate. Several agencies requested the inquiry, including the CIA.

At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, scientists are modeling what such technologies might do to weather patterns. At the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., a fund created by Microsoft founder Bill Gates — an enthusiast of research into climate engineering — helps bankroll another such effort.

"There is a level of seriousness about these strategies that didn't exist a decade ago, when it was considered just a game," said Ken Caldeira, a scientist with the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University, who sits on the National Academy of Sciences panel. "Attitudes have changed dramatically."

Even as the research moves forward, many scientists and government officials worry about the risks of massive climate-control contraptions.

Some fear the potential for error in tampering with the world's thermostat. Get it wrong, they say, and the consequences could be disastrous.

Many also say the public could develop a false hope that geo-engineering schemes alone could halt climate change. That, they worry, would undermine already tenuous support for efforts to seriously reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to warming the climate.

Even so, once-skeptical federal officials and scientists at major research institutions including Stanford, Harvard and Caltech have decided that ignoring these largely untested technologies also poses dangers.

"There has been so little movement globally and, particularly, nationally toward mitigation of climate change that we're in a situation where we need to know what the prospects are for this," said Marcia McNutt, a former director of the U.S. Geological Survey, who is chairwoman of the National Academy of Sciences panel.

"Whether we wind up using these technologies, or someone else does and we suddenly find ourselves in a geo-engineered world, we have to better understand the impacts and the consequences," she said.

Agencies are struggling to analyze the possibilities of weather control and how it might be policed. In November, the Congressional Research Service advised lawmakers to pay attention to the issue, saying "these new technologies may become available to foreign governments and entities in the private sector to use unilaterally — without authorization from the United States government or an international treaty."

That already happened to a limited extent in mid-2012 when a California businessman, Russ George, dumped 200,000 pounds of iron-rich dust off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, in an effort — many say publicity stunt — aimed at spurring a massive plankton bloom.

The theory of ocean fertilization holds that more plankton would increase the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. George's test did appear to cause more plankton to bloom, but it is unclear whether it had any effect on carbon dioxide levels in the air.

That same year, British scientists canceled plans to test the effect that spraying liquids at high altitude would have on sunlight. The proposed small-scale test involved launching a balloon high above the sea and spraying what would have amounted to a couple of bathtubs of water into the atmosphere. In theory, that would mimic the cooling effect that occurs when ash from a volcanic eruption blocks sunlight.

The experiment was grounded amid a heated dispute, which continues today, over whether field tests should be taking place at all in the absence of international rules guiding how to go about them. Some prominent climate experts have argued that the technology the British scientists were testing, were it ever to be used on a large scale, could exacerbate extreme drought and flooding in parts of the world.

"We need to consider whether we have the right legal architecture in place to make sure bad things don't happen," said Harvard law professor Jody Freeman, a former White House counselor for energy and climate change. "It is important we have some control and society is engaged in the risks."

The technologies being proposed are numerous, and often odd.

"I have seen all kinds of proposals," said James Fleming, author of "Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control" and a member of the National Academy geo-engineering committee.

"There is a crazy new one in my email every week," he said. "There are a lot of Rube Goldbergs out there, and some Dr. Strangeloves."

Of the technologies being considered, those that would remove carbon tend to be less controversial. Riley Duren, chief systems engineer for Earth science and technology at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, estimates, for example, that counteracting today's emissions would require about 30,000 of what he calls reverse power plants: enormous steel structures developed by a start-up in Calgary, Canada, that would use fans to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

IG report finds flaws in NASA's mobile device management

Frank Konkel – Federal Computer Week

 

NASA is not doing a good job managing its mobile devices, according to a new report authored by NASA Inspector General Paul Martin.

The space agency's mismanagement of its 16,900 agency-issued tablets, smartphones, cell phones and AirCards came with a hefty price tag for taxpayers in 2013. About 2,300, or 14 percent of all agency-issued devices, went unused for seven months while costing taxpayers $679,000, according to the report.

The report attributes the waste to "weaknesses in NASA's mobile device management practices," primarily its lack of a "complete and accurate inventory of agency-issued mobile devices." The IG explains that the information system NASA uses to order mobile devices from its primary IT contractor, HP Enterprise Services, "Is not fully functional or integrated with the database the agency uses to track IT assets."

This is the second time in as many months that significant IT issues have surfaced between NASA and HP Enterprise Services.

In January, the NASA IG released a report outlining "significant problems" in its $2.5 billion Agency Consolidated End-User Services (ACES) contract with HP Enterprise Services, which is expected to provide NASA with desktops, laptops, mobile devices, computer equipment and end-user services. The report came midway through the contract's four-year base period, and NASA officials said it was still evaluating whether to exercise the contract's option. When reached by FCW, a NASA official said the agency had no further comment on whether it would exercise the option.

With regards to the poor mobile-device management, the IG puts the blame on both parties.

"Neither NASA nor HP has an accurate inventory of Agency-issued mobile devices. NASA officials admitted they had no authoritative database of these devices and were not confident that HP could accurately account for the full inventory of mobile devices it provides to the Agency," the new report states. "The lack of a complete inventory adversely affects NASA's ability to verify the accuracy and completeness of ACES invoices and leaves the Agency susceptible to paying erroneous or excessive charges."

In its latest report, the IG also found that NASA has significant information security risks to address. The agency improved the secure means by which its mobile devices connected to NASA email systems in 2013, but with locations around the country, NASA still has vulnerabilities across its multitude of networks, including the wireless local networks at its centers.

Not surprisingly, the IG recommended NASA improve its methods for tracking agency-issued mobile devices and that the agency implement a centralized mobile device management capability. NASA CIO Larry Sweet, in the process of trying to centralize his authority over NASA's IT spending, signed off on both recommendations.

END

 

 

 

 

Fwd: JSC Special: Morpheus Free Flight 8 Today at Kennedy Space Center

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: March 5, 2014 8:54:52 AM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: JSC Special: Morpheus Free Flight 8 Today at Kennedy Space Center

Fyi   I am hearing that Morpheus is nearing the end of its available budget so its flying days may be limited.  Quite a shame

 

From: JSC Today [mailto:jsc-jsctoday@mail.nasa.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 8:47 AM
To: JSC-Today
Subject: JSC Special: Morpheus Free Flight 8 Today at Kennedy Space Center

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Read JSC Today in your browser

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JSC 2.0 Space To Ground JSC External Homepage Inside JSC JSC Events Submit JSC Today JSC Roundup NASA News Connect Category Definitions

JSC Special: Morpheus Free Flight 8 Today at Kennedy Space Center Today, weather permitting, the Morpheus team plans another free flight test at Kennedy Space Center. The test will be streamed live on JSC's UStream Channel. View the live stream, along with progress updates sent via Twitter, on the website. Or, if you're on-site, watch live on JSC HDTV (channel 51-2) and IPTV (channel 4512).   During this test, the autonomous untethered Morpheus "Bravo" vehicle will launch from the ground over the flame trench, ascend approximately 142 meters, then translate approximately 194 meters downrange while performing a 17-meter divert to emulate a hazard avoidance maneuver before descending to land on a pad in the hazard field. Test firing is planned for approximately 9:45 a.m. CST and will last around 82 seconds. Streaming will begin approximately 20 minutes prior to ignition.   *Note: Testing operations are very dynamic, and actual firing time may vary. Follow Morpheus on Twitter for the latest information @MorpheusLander. (Send "follow morpheuslander" to 40404 for text updates.) For more, check out: http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov   Point of contact: Wendy Watkins, wendy.l.watkins@nasa.gov

 

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.

 

Fwd: Declassified Air Force program will launch from Cape Canaveral

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: March 4, 2014 10:02:00 PM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Declassified Air Force program will launch from Cape Canaveral

 

 

 

Mar. 3, 2014  

Declassified Air Force program will launch from Cape Canaveral

Spacecraft would act as orbital watchdogs to protect US satellites

Beautiful Delta IV rocket launch: A Delta iV rocket carrying a military communications satellite launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37 at 8:29 p.m. ULA video. Posted Aug. 7, 2013

Written by
James Dean
FLORIDA TODAY

Zoom

Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, announces new Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, during a speech at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium and Technology exposition on Feb. 21 in Orlando. / U.S. Air Force/Scott M. Ash

Local appearance

Gen. William Shelton will discuss "Air Force Space Command: Delivering Space Capabilities for the Nation," at the National Space Club Florida Committee's March 11 meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Radisson Resort at the Port. Register by Wednesday at www.nscfl.org.

 

A newly declassified military space program will place satellites on the lookout for threats to national-security spacecraft high above Earth.

Four satellites launched in pairs, the first late this year from Cape Canaveral on a Delta IV rocket, will provide new eyes on exactly what is flying in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles up.

And should an adversary's spacecraft move too close to U.S. assets — to learn more about them or potentially launch an orbital attack — the action won't go unnoticed.

"The U.S. military has some very important national security satellites out there performing a range of missions, and they're worried about being able to protect those satellites, particularly against any kind of hostile action," said Brian Weeden, technical analyst with the Secure World Foundation.

Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, disclosed the previously secret Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, at a conference in Orlando last month.

"GSSAP will bolster our ability to discern when adversaries attempt to avoid detection and to discover capabilities they may have, which might be harmful to our critical assets at these higher altitudes," Shelton said, according to an Air Force report.

Details about the design and cost of the satellites built by Orbital Sciences Corp. were not discussed. The second pair is expected to launch in 2016.

Shelton said the program was made public as a deterrent. The hope is that if other countries know these spacecraft are up there, they might be less inclined to consider an aggressive move.

U.S. military spacecraft in that region of space — including some whose existence are not publicly acknowledged — provide early warnings of rocket and missile launches, collect intelligence, and would provide secure communications during a nuclear conflict.

Although the new program was a surprise, Weeden said, the Air Force has long expressed concern about the need for better "situational awareness" to protect these increasingly important space-based capabilities.

The use of satellites to study what other spacecraft are doing also isn't new.

Small experimental U.S. satellites reportedly inspected a missile warning satellite that had failed for unknown reasons in 2008.

As far back as 1967, U.S. spacecraft took pictures of the Soviet Union's lunar landing system during orbital tests, said Charles Vick, senior analyst with GlobalSecurity.org.

"This kind of thing, to protect ourselves against other nations' potential intentions, it's just a modernized version, a much more up-to-date and real-time kind of thing," said Vick.

Public disclosure of the new program was unusual, he said, "but I guess they realized somebody could figure it out."

Satellites in geostationary orbit circle the planet at the same speed at which the Earth rotates, so appear fixed in the sky.

To see what's operating in the geostationary belt around the equator, the new Air Force spacecraft will fly slightly lower or higher, thus moving a bit faster or slower and from side to side, to eventually drift past everything.

Other satellites aren't the only potential threats; orbital debris could also cause a disabling collision, though it's a bigger problem in lower orbits.

Only about 436 of 1,400 objects now being tracked in or near geosynchronous orbits are actively controlled satellites.

Space debris smaller than 10 centimeters cannot now be tracked reliably, but the new satellites could help.

Weeden said there has been no known attempt by one satellite to attack another. Speculation over decades has imagined a variety of ways that might be accomplished, from one satellite poking a hole in another's fuel tank, to parking in front of it to block its view, to setting off explosives.

Given limited information, it's hard to know how serious the threat is.

"Maybe China or Russia is doing something that we don't know about, but it's more likely the Air Force is being overly cautious," he said.

Some countries may worry the GSSAP satellites are capable of aggressive acts, a suspicion likely to grow if the U.S. is not transparent about their operations, Weeden said.

He thinks calling them spy satellites, however, is a stretch.

"Spying connotes that it's somehow malicious or bad," he said. "This is just collecting more information. It's intelligence."

 

Copyright © 2014 www.floridatoday.com. All rights reserved. 

 

===============================================================

 

Fwd: Air Force Certifies SpaceX's Debut Launch of Upgraded Falcon 9 Rocket

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: March 4, 2014 10:01:12 PM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Air Force Certifies SpaceX's Debut Launch of Upgraded Falcon 9 Rocket

 

 

Falcon 9 rocket moves closer to certification by Air Force
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
March 3, 2014

The first launch of SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 rocket in September will count as one of the three successful flights to certify the launcher to carry the U.S. military's most valuable payloads into orbit, despite a glitch with the rocket's upper stage engine during a demonstration maneuver after deployment of a Canadian research payload, the Air Force announced last week.

Photo of the Falcon 9 rocket's Sept. 29, 2013, launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Photo credit: SpaceX
 
The Air Force's decision moves SpaceX closer to competing to launch the military's most expensive and vital communications, missile warning, navigation and intelligence satellites.

SpaceX would join incumbent contractor United Launch Alliance, which operates the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets for the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.

The Air Force is seeking reduced-cost launch options in the wake of rising prices for launch services in recent years. Officials have targeted some of the blame for spiraling costs on the retirement of the space shuttle and the cancellation of NASA's Constellation moon program, now replaced with the heavy-lift Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule in development for human missions beyond low Earth orbit.

The Sept. 29 launch of the Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket was the debut flight of SpaceX's new-generation satellite launcher, featuring more powerful Merlin 1D engines, a simplified stage separation system with three connecting points instead of 12, a triple-redundant flight computer, and new software.

The maiden flight of the Falcon 9 v1.1 delivered Canada's Cassiope satellite into a polar orbit to conduct space weather research and communications relay experiments.

SpaceX considered the Sept. 29 launch a test flight, and engineers tried to relight the Falcon 9's upper stage Merlin 1D engine after releasing Cassiope into orbit.

But the rocket's on-board computer aborted the engine restart.

SpaceX officials said engineers traced the problem to lines feeding igniter fluid into the engine's thrust chamber. Between the engine burns, the lines froze from exposure to cryogenic liquid oxygen, which the Merlin engine consumes along with kerosene fuel stored at warm temperatures.

The Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center is still assessing two subsequent Falcon 9 launches Dec. 3 and Jan. 6, but those missions successfully put their commercial telecom payloads into orbit without any problems.

The Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage Merlin 1D engine as seen from an on-board video camera. Photo credit: SpaceX
 
SpaceX and the Air Force signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement in June 2013, setting conditions before the Air Force permits the company to compete for launch contracts for the military's most critical satellites.

"This flight represents one of many certification requirements jointly agreed to between the Air Force and SpaceX," said Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, SMC commander at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.

The agreement calls for three successful flights of a common launch vehicle configuration, technical reviews, audits and independent verification, and validation of the launch vehicle's ground systems and manufacturing processes, according to the Air Force.

"Where possible, the Air Force will work jointly with SpaceX to accelerate completing the requirements from these phases to expedite certification," the Air Force said in a statement.

SpaceX currently assembles Falcon 9 rockets with their payloads horizontally, then rolls the rocket to the launch pad before erecting it on top of the launch mount. Company officials have said they will adjust their procedures to accommodate the military's requirement to integrate national security payloads in a vertical orientation.

"We plan to accommodate vertical integration at out launch pads for any Air Force mission that requires it, and we'll make the necessary modifications at our own expense," a SpaceX spokesperson said last year.

An Air Force spokesperson said national security spacecraft are currently not designed for horizontal integration.

"The EELV program is required to provide a common interface so spacecraft do not require re-design in order to move to a different EELV launch vehicle," the Air Force spokesperson said. "All current and future EELV launch vehicles are required to comply with this standard interface."

The Hawthorne, Calif.-based space transportation company could offer the Air Force $1 billion in launch cost savings per year, according to SpaceX spokesperson Emily Shanklin.

While ULA and the Air Force signed a sole-source deal for 36 Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rocket cores to guarantee access to space for military payloads, the service identified 14 missions to open up to competition with SpaceX once the Falcon 9 rocket is certified.  

 

 

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US Air Force Certifies SpaceX's Debut Launch of Upgraded Falcon 9 Rocket

By Mike Gruss, Space News   |   March 03, 2014 06:38pm ET

 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket launches the SES-8 commercial communications satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Dec. 3, 2013. The mission is SpaceX's first commercial satellite launch into a geostationary transfer orbit. This photo was released Nov. 28, 2013. Credit: SpaceX View full size image

WASHINGTON — Space Exploration Technologies Corp. moved a step closer to being allowed to bid for U.S. national security launch contracts with the Air Force announcing that the Sept. 29 debut of the company's Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket will count as the first of three required successes despite SpaceX's failure to reignite the rocket's upper-stage engine following deployment of its satellite payload. 

The Air Force's formal certification of Falcon 9 v1.1's maiden launch was announced Feb. 25. The upgraded rocket has launched twice since it debuted last September carrying Canada's Cassiope space weather satellite and three secondary payloads to low Earth orbit. SpaceX successfully delivered the SES-8 telecommunications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit Dec. 3 and followed with a successful Jan. 6 launch of the Thaicom-6 satellite. The Air Force is still evaluating those flights, although Air Force leaders have said they do not expect problems.

As part of its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, the Air Force is negotiating the purchase of up to 36 rocket cores over five years from market incumbent United Launch Alliance of Denver. The service plans to competitively award an additional 14 missions to give new entrants such as SpaceX a chance to break into the market. Under the Air Force's so-called New Entrant Certification Guide used to vet competitors in the launch business, companies are expected to complete three successful launches of their rockets, including at least two consecutively. The rocket also must pass technical reviews and audits of the launch vehicle, ground systems and manufacturing processes. [6 Fun Facts about SpaceX]

"[The Sept. 29] flight represents one of many certification requirements jointly agreed to between the Air Force and SpaceX," Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, said in a Feb. 25 press release.

Meanwhile, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk and United Launch Alliance Chief Executive Michael Gass are slated to testify side by side March 5 at a Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing on national security space launch programs. Senators are expected to ask about the structure of the competition, savings on a recent deal between the Air Force and ULA on the first batch of rockets in the block buy, and the EELV contract structure under which ULA receives two separate lines of funding: one for launch vehicles and related services and one for launch capability funding. 

 

 

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Astronauts

Editor's note: In an open letter obtained by NBC's Jay Barbree, former astronauts Neil Armstrong, James Lovell  and Eugene Cernan urge President Obama to reconsider what they warn would be "devastating" new policies for the future of NASA.

The United States entered into the challenge of space exploration under President Eisenhower's first term, however, it was the Soviet Union who excelled in those early years.  Under the bold vision of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and with the overwhelming approval of the American people, we rapidly closed the gap in the final third; of the 20th century, and became the world leader in space exploration.

America's space accomplishments earned the respect and admiration of the world. Science probes were unlocking the secrets of the cosmos; space technology was providing instantaneous worldwide communication; orbital sentinels were helping man understand the vagaries of nature.  Above all else, the people around the world were inspired by the human exploration of space and the expanding of man's frontier.  It suggested that what had been thought to be impossible was now within reach. Students were inspired to prepare themselves to be a part of this new age.  No government program in modern history has been so effective in motivating the young to do "what has never been done before." 
  
World leadership in space was not achieved easily.  In the first half-century of the space age, our country made a significant financial investment, thousands of Americans dedicated themselves to the effort, and some gave their lives to achieve the dream of a nation.  In the latter part of the first half century of the space age, Americans and their international partners focused primarily on exploiting the near frontiers of space with the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. 
  
As a result of the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, it was concluded that our space policy required a new strategic vision. Extensive studies and analysis led to this new mandate: meet our existing commitments, return to our exploration roots, return to the moon, and prepare to venture further outward to the asteroids and to Mars.  The program was named "Constellation."  In the ensuing years, this plan was endorsed by two Presidents of different parties and approved by both Democratic and Republican congresses. 
  
The Columbia Accident Board had given NASA a number of recommendations fundamental to the Constellation architecture which were duly incorporated.  The Ares rocket family was patterned after the Von Braun Modular concept so essential to the success of the Saturn 1B and the Saturn 5.   A number of components in the Ares 1 rocket would become the foundation of the very large heavy lift Ares V, thus reducing the total development costs substantially.  After the Ares 1 becomes operational, the only major new components necessary for the Ares V would be the larger propellant tanks to support the heavy lift requirements. 

The design and the production of the flight components and infrastructure to implement this vision was well underway.  Detailed planning of all the major sectors of the program had begun.  Enthusiasm within NASA and throughout the country was very high. 
  
When President Obama recently released his budget for NASA, he proposed a slight increase in total funding, substantial research and technology development, an extension of the International Space Station operation until 2020, long range planning for a new but undefined heavy lift rocket and significant funding for the development of commercial access to low earth orbit.

Although some of these proposals have merit,  the accompanying decision to cancel the Constellation program, its Ares 1 and Ares V rockets, and the Orion spacecraft, is devastating.

America's only path to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station will now be subject to an agreement with Russia to purchase space on their Soyuz  (at a price of over 50 million dollars per seat with significant increases expected in the near future) until we have the capacity to provide transportation for ourselves.   The availability of a commercial transport to orbit as envisioned in the President's proposal cannot be predicted with any certainty, but is likely to take substantially longer and be more expensive than we would hope.  

It appears that we will have wasted our current $10-plus billion investment in Constellation and, equally importantly, we will have lost the many years required to recreate the equivalent of what we will have discarded. 
  
For The United States, the leading space faring nation for nearly half a century, to be without carriage to low Earth orbit and with no human exploration capability to go beyond Earth orbit for an indeterminate time into the future, destines our nation to become one of second or even third rate stature.  While the President's plan envisages humans traveling away from Earth and perhaps toward Mars at some time in the future, the lack of developed rockets and spacecraft will assure that ability will not be available for many years.

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Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity.  America must decide if it wishes to remain a leader in space.  If it does, we should institute a program which will give us the very best chance of achieving that goal.

Neil Armstrong 
Commander, Apollo 11

James Lovell 
Commander, Apollo 13

Eugene Cernan 
Commander, Apollo 17

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Hiccup in Soyus

REAL Space Act of 2013 also commented on their link. REAL Space Act of 2013 wrote: "http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/06/shuttle-veterans-fight-to-delay-spacecrafts-retirement/ Shuttle Veterans Fight to Delay Spacecraft's Retirement CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – First moonwalker Neil Armstrong, first American in orbit John Glenn, Mission Control founder Chris Kraft, Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, first shuttle pilot Robert Crippen and others are pushing for a last minute reprieve for the about-to-be-retired space shuttle fleet. They're even urging a delay of Friday's final launch. They may get a delay of a day or two because of bad weather. But the NASA veterans are looking for a pause of more than a year, until more shuttle parts are ready to keep flying and extend the 30-year program. Back in June, as Atlantis headed to the launch pad, launch director Mike Leinbach on a live audio loop groused to his fellow workers "we're all victims of poor policy out of Washington, D.C.," for not having a new mission for the post-shuttle era. Glenn, who returned to space at the age of 77 by flying on the shuttle Discovery in 1998, said: "I told the president, 'We're violating one of NASA's critical design criteria."' That means there must be a backup system for getting into space and bringing astronauts home from the International Space Station. Armstrong, Kraft and Lovell sent a letter June 30 to President Barack Obama and NASA chief Charles Bolden asking that they keep shuttles flying and delay this final launch. Glenn, who wasn't involved in the letter campaign, is also calling it a mistake to end the space shuttle program -- planned since 2004. Kraft said he considered a backup crucial as he ran Mission Control or oversaw the people who did -- missions from the Mercury days of the 1960s through early space shuttle days. He said it is still possible at this late date to put Atlantis' final mission on hold while NASA builds new external fuel tanks and boosters for future shuttle flights -- a process that would delay the launch about 18 months. "It's a generational thing. It's a culture thing and mostly it's a political thing," said Kraft, 87. Nearly all the signees of the letter are in their 70s and 80s. Glenn, who didn't sign the letter, will turn 90 this month. It's a fight Kraft has waged for at least three years, pulling in Armstrong, 80, and others. Armstrong, in an email to The Associated Press, wrote: "Chris is an exceptional engineer and manager who has always been reliable in the many cases where he held the success or failure of American human space flight in his hands." He wrote that if Kraft thinks this is too risky a plan, "I can readily accept that." For his part, NASA Administrator Bolden, a former shuttle commander, defended the shuttle retirentury approach: "This is a century with new challenges and also new opportunities." Scott Parazynski, a 49-year-old former astronaut who heads the educational center created by Challenger families, said in an email that he agrees with Kraft that NASA shouldn't be left without a backup to the Soyuz, but disagrees with the idea of delaying the shuttle retirement. "The cards have been dealt, and even though we may not all like the cards we've gotten, we've got to play," Parazynski wrote. "I see a path forward that gives American industry (new enterprise as well as established aerospace) and NASA a bright future." The American public apparently wants the U.S. to continue to be a space leader. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center released Tuesday, 58 percent of Americans think it's essential the nation continue as a leader in space. For his part, Glenn said he doesn't disagree with Obama's plans, although he said he believes private spaceflight will take years longer than Bolden predicts. What Glenn objects to is the gap between the shuttle and a future spacecraft. While the Soyuz is reliable, Glenn said NASA should always want an alternative in case of a "hiccup" in the Soyuz plans. "I think we should be keeping the shuttle going," Glenn said. "It's the most complicated vehicle ever put together by people.""

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