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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Space shuttle Endeavour brought an early sunrise to the East Coast Tuesday, launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 2:28 a.m. EDT and beginning the STS-123 mission to the International Space Station.
During the 16-day flight, Endeavour's seven astronauts will work with the three-member space station crew and ground teams around the world to install the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. STS-123 is the longest shuttle mission to the station and will include a record five shuttle spacewalks at the orbiting laboratory, delivery of a new crew member to the complex and the return of another astronaut after nearly seven weeks aboard the station.
Shortly before launch, Commander Gorie thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "You've got seven smiling faces on board here," said Gorie. "God's truly blessed us with a beautiful night to launch so let's light 'em up and give them a show."
Joining Gorie on STS-123 are Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken, Mike Foreman, Rick Linnehan, Garrett Reisman and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takao Doi. Reisman will replace current station crew member Leopold Eyharts, who has lived on the outpost since early February. Reisman will return to Earth on shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission, targeted for launch on May 25, 2008.
Endeavour's cargo will help continue the station's assembly. The Japanese Experiment Logistics Module-Pressurized Section, or ELM-PS, will hold experiment samples, maintenance tools and other spare items. Dextre can be attached to the station's robotic arm to handle smaller components typically requiring a spacewalking astronaut. At the tip of each arm is a "hand" that consists of retractable jaws used to grip objects.
NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Endeavour's mission, which is the 122nd shuttle flight, the 21st for Endeavour and the 25th shuttle mission to the station.
NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at:
NASA's Web coverage of STS-123 includes current mission information, interactive features, and news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, also is available on the main space shuttle Web site at:
Daily news conferences with STS-123 mission managers take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations. Please contact your preferred NASA facility by its daily close of business to confirm its availability before each event.
For information about other NASA missions and activities, visit:
Source: NASA
Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Top U.S. planetary scientists, several astronauts and former NASA division directors will meet privately at Stanford University on February 12-14 to discuss a plan for the first manned landing on an asteroid, which could launch as early as 2025 and cancel a proposed manned base on the Moon, Aviation Week & Space Technology (AW&ST) exclusively reports in its January 21st issue.
Charting a course for an asteroid marks a new direction for space exploration. NASA's current plan follows President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration and uses the Moon as a base.
"It's becoming painfully obvious that the Moon is not a stepping-stone for manned Mars operations but is instead a stumbling block," Robert Farquhar, a veteran space planner, told AW&ST. The 2025 mission, proposed by Farquhar and the International Astronautical Association (IAA), would send U.S. astronauts to Asteroid "99-A010" for 30 days to study its surface, origin and geological history, a demonstration that could lead to a longer mission to Martian moons Phobos or Deimos.
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin disagrees, but acknowledged that "a large portion of the scientific community in the U.S. prefers Mars over the Moon."
The story, "Moon Stuck," is available online now at AviationWeek.com as well as the January 21st issue of AW&ST, a must-read for the space community. The story also reports:
-- Asteroid plan supporters argue that compared with the Moon, asteroid
missions give NASA developers and astronauts more practice operating at
great distances from the Earth and valuable knowledge for manned Mars
flights.
-- The asteroid plan would provide the new ability to reach and repair
astronomical telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, that
are parked 1 million miles from Earth at gravity equilibrium points, or
Lagrangian points.
-- Presented as an "alternate vision" for the next president, the plan
will include a strong emphasis on the development of Earth
environmental monitoring spacecraft to provide better data on global
warming.
-- Manned asteroid landings would also examine and sample asteroids
directly, to begin more active planning for how one could be diverted
from striking Earth in the future.
"Moon Stuck" was reported by Craig Covault, overall Senior Editor for AW&ST. Covault has written about 3,000 major articles on space and aeronautics during 35 years at the publication. As AW&ST's Senior Editor, he writes extensively on major shifts in manned and robotic space flight. Covault has joined astronauts many times in space mission simulations, such as wearing space suits under water, learning space station assembly tasks, and Hubble Space Telescope servicing work. He is a pilot and has flown about 20 major military aircraft including numerous bomber, high performance fighter and command and control aircraft.
AVIATION WEEK, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, and includes the publications Aviation Week & Space Technology, Defense Technology International, Business & Commercial Aviation, Overhaul & Maintenance, ShowNews, Aviation Daily, The Weekly of Business Aviation, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report and the World Aerospace Database. The group's web portal, http://www.aviationweek.com/, offers the industry's most reliable news, information, intelligence and features, and its Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) at http://www.aviationweek.com/awin is the industry's most integrated business tool for managers, business developers, buyers and technical professionals across the entire aviation and aerospace field. The group also produces 12 major conferences and exhibitions in the MRO, defense and programs sectors. Information is available at http://www.aviationweek.com/conferences.
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.
PRNewswire -- Jan. 18
Source: AVIATION WEEK
Web site: http://www.aviationweek.com/
http://www.aviationweek.com/awin
http://www.aviationweek.com/conferences
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has delayed Thursday's planned launch of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-122 mission to the International Space Station. The next liftoff opportunity is Friday at 4:09 p.m. EST.
Shuttle program managers decided to postpone Atlantis' launch at 9:56 a.m. because of an issue with a fuel cut-off sensor system inside the external fuel tank. This is one of several systems that protect the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. During countdown activities Thursday morning, two sensors failed a routine prelaunch check. There are four engine cut-off, or ECO, sensors inside the liquid hydrogen section of the tank, and Launch Commit Criteria require three of the four sensor systems to be functioning properly.
The tank's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen will be drained from the tank, and preparations will begin for a possible launch attempt tomorrow. NASA's launch rules have a preplanned procedure that states in the case of ECO sensor system failure, engineers need to drain the tank and verify all the sensors are working as they go dry. This and other data will be discussed at a Mission Management Team Meeting at 2 p.m., when a decision will be made whether to attempt to launch on Friday. A news conference will follow that meeting at 4 p.m.
During Atlantis' 11-day mission, the crew will install and activate the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, which will provide scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments.
Atlantis' crew consists of Commander Steve Frick, Pilot Alan Poindexter, mission specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel, from Germany, and Leopold Eyharts, from France.
For the latest information about the STS-122 mission and its crew and more information about engine cut-off sensors, visit:
Source: NASA
Web Site: http://www.nasa.gov/
(2/25/04). In his youth, Mark
Moody was fascinated by suspension bridges: their strength and
balance, the complex network of cables and trusses arranged so
that each strengthens the next; so that, together, they support
the whole structure.
Moody's job today may seem a far cry from his original career
dream, but in many ways, he's still building bridges. As lead
engineer in the Propulsion Test Integration Office at NASA's
Stennis Space Center (SSC) near Bay St. Louis, Miss., Moody provides
guidance and technical expertise on NASA rocket-propulsion test
assets, activities and resources in support of testing rocket
engines -- the technologies necessary to bridge the challenges
of space flight and carry future launch vehicles to space.
He also plays a key role in organizing the propulsion testing activities at other NASA centers and at partner facilities across the nation. It's a complex network of test sites, each strengthening the work of the next and, together, supporting every aspect of NASA's flight programs.
"Our test facilities are our bridge to flight," Moody said. "Testing is NASA's primary means of validating technology, proving an element is going to work when it needs to work."
Moody's office orchestrates the SSC test schedule, juggling the many facets including rocket engines, component technologies and even future spacecraft. His office also determines the testing to be conducted at NASA's other primary propulsion test sites, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.; Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio; White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, N.M.; or at NASA's partner facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Defense.
"We're in constant motion," Moody remarked. "We make assignments based on capabilities among the NASA centers, or recommendations to use Department of Defense facilities if that will better serve our combined needs," Moody said. "We outline processes, share best practices and ensure the right mix of hardware and skills at each location. It's a challenge, handling the whole spectrum of work, but there's an outstanding level of dedication and teamwork among our test facility personnel," he added.
Moody grew up in New Orleans, one of seven siblings. That early interest in architecture and engineering, plus a knack during his teen years for tuning up his '64 Volkswagen Beetle and other family cars, led Moody to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, which he received in 1985 from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.
After college, Moody designed tools for Denver-based Martin Marietta Corp., now Lockheed Martin, working on the Space Shuttle's External Tank at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Simultaneously, he pursued a master's degree in management from Florida Institute of Technology of Melbourne, completing that degree in 1988.
In 1988, working for the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International of Canoga Park, Calif., he came to Stennis as a combustion devices engineer. In 1994, he joined NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, where he was responsible for the implementation of safety, reliability and quality assurance policies on rocket-propulsion test programs assigned to SSC.
Moody credits the "nurturing positive guidance" of his extended family, his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and close family friends, with giving him the skills to succeed in life. They taught him to work hard, be responsible and never stop learning. He strives to pass along those skills to his own children and others as a Cub Scoutmaster and parent volunteer with USA Track and Field, the Indianapolis-based governing body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States.
But Moody still contends it is schoolwork, and those ambitions first realized in the classroom, that are critical to success in life.
"Be serious about school," he cautions young people. "This is where you find the building blocks, the fundamentals, the first ideas of what you may want to be and do. Work hard in school and you'll discover nothing but great opportunities in the future," he said.
"You might even end up building bridges to space," he added.
This article was reprinted from NASA's website, www.nasa.gov
Greensboro, SC - (March 16, 2004) Bennett College, a historically-black college in North Carolina, will host its 2nd annual NASA Space Science Week, March 22-25, 2004. The focus of this year's event will be space medicine, science and health. With the many current issues facing our nation, globally, the purpose of NASA Space Science Week 2004 is to share with the Greensboro community and surrounding areas advances in science, medicine and health. Many of these scientific advances are directly a result of space science research. The week will consist of dynamic seminars, exhibits, spectacular science shows, K-12 activities, a museum flight show, workshops, and a student research symposium. The student research symposium will involve several other partner institutions and allow students from Bennett College and our partner schools to share their cutting-edge research. Other special topics will include aerospace medicine, nutrition in space, sex and gender based medicine, countermeasures for disease prevention and psycho-physiological adaptation to spaceflight.
The kick-off reception will take place, March 22, 2004 at 4:00pm in the Student Union on the campus of Bennett College. The Urban Nation Choir from Washington, DC under the directorship of Mr. Rickey Payton, President and CEO will provide a special tribute.
The event will be held on the campus of Bennett College and is open to the public. For additional questions, please contact Dr. Benita P. Bell, Director, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Program at 336-517-2288 or email address: bbell@bennett.edu
[distributed through BlackPR.com/BlackNews.com]
(2/20/04) NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is enhancing the availability of all Mars rover images for students and the public by distributing them via the Internet. The images can be viewed on the NASA Web site at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov as well as the educational Web site MarsQuest Online at http://www.marsquestonline.org/mer .
The sites allow anyone with an Internet connection to participate in the adventure of Mars exploration. MarsQuest Online is making the full set of images from Spirit and Opportunity available for public viewing, along with daily updates, in an integrated exploration and education environment. The site is a powerful example of inquiry-based learning and public engagement in the thrill of exploration and discovery.
Dr. Eric De Jong of JPL heads the Science Data Visualization and Modeling team that produces images of the rovers and the martian surface. He’s also the
co-principal investigator for MarsQuest Online. “This is NASA’s vision of 21st century exploration through the Internet, a shared experience of scientists, students and the public. The rovers’ eyes are our eyes, and MarsQuest Online puts these eyes on your desktop.”
MarsQuest Online enables the public, educators and students to gain a sense of what it’s like to explore another world. According to Principal Investigator Daniel Barstow, MarsQuest Online was created “to provide the public with a highly engaging and interactive experience while learning about Mars by directly exploring it, just as the scientists do.”
Students are able to learn more about the red planet by examining the most recent panoramic views of the two landing sites and the images of rocks and soil investigated by the instruments on the rovers’ robotic arms. They can also follow the progress of the twin robotic field geologists as they navigate around the martian surface. Students will learn information about Mars and the search for water through an array of learning activities, such as an interactive feature that allows users to control 3-D virtual flyovers of prominent martian landform features. These activities support key elements of the National Science Education Standards, including core concepts of Earth and space science.
Adults will appreciate the site, with its daily updates and its intuitive point-and-click interface. Each image is visually organized so novice and expert users can easily navigate across the martian landscape through the eyes of the rovers. The site also provides current news about important scientific findings.
With support from the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va., MarsQuest Online was built in close collaboration with NASA’s Mars visualization team. It extends the power of NASA’s very popular Mars Web site http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov to offer a more in-depth exploration environment for the images.
“The design of MarsQuest Online is based on extensive research on the most effective methods of using images and visualizations as tools by students and the general public,” said Barstow, who also serves as director of the Technical Education Research Center (Terc) for Science Teaching and Learning in Cambridge, Mass. Barstow emphasized that “research findings show that most people can grasp concepts more quickly and intuitively by interacting with visual imagery than by simply reading text. With MarsQuest Online, students experience authentic science, venturing into the unknown, asking questions and pursuing answers.”
MarsQuest Online is funded by the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education Division and developed through collaboration between the Technical Education Research Center, the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., and JPL.
The Technical Education Research Center is a non-profit educational research and development organization that specializes in inquiry-based science, math and technology education. The Space Science Institute is a science and education research and development organization that created the traveling MarsQuest museum exhibit associated with MarsQuest Online.
JPL manages the Mars Exploration Program for NASA and provides the technical expertise on Mars rovers and the rover imaging systems. Internet mirroring support for high-bandwidth use of this site is provided by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo., and the San Diego Supercomputing Center.
For more information on the Mars Exploration Rover mission visit:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov . To learn how to make your own 3-D images of Mars images, see http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features/3d.cfm .
This article was reprinted from NASA's website, www.nasa.gov
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Astronomers believe a doomed star came too close to a giant black hole after being thrown off course by a close encounter with another star. As it neared the enormous gravity of the black hole, the star was stretched by tidal forces until it was torn apart. This discovery provides crucial information about how these black holes grow and affect surrounding stars and gas. Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss |
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(Feb 5, 2003). NASA is set to examine military video by an Apache helicopter of space shuttle Columbia's loss when it was re-entering the Earth's atmposphere. Shuttle debris, tiles and wing material found in California and Arizona, may be vital to understanding the country's tragic loss of seven astronauts; however, because of the large debris field, not everyone is getting the word to leave shuttle parts alone because they may be toxic. Columbia's nose cone was found in the woods of Texas near Louisiana. It was still intact. A seat, two tanks, and a syringe from an on-board experiment have also been recovered. Some large, dense objects thought to be the engines may also have been secured.
Home video shot in California shows pieces of Columbia falling of as it re-entered the atmosphere long before its breakup in Texas. The discovery of debris west can provide valuable evidence as to what happened. Debris from the early part of the flight is critical because it would note the start of events
NASA is researching what may have caused insulation foam to fall from the external fuel tank. This has happened in the past without flight problems or incident.
A memorial was held for the fallen astronauts: Columbia commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; payload commander Michael Anderson; mission specialists David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Kalpana Chawla; and Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon.
Space shuttle Columbia's crew's remains will be military airlifted to the National Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The remains of Ramon have been identified by DNA.
People who find debris are urged to call (281) 483-3388.
(Feb 4, 2003). An unmanned Russian supply ship, Progress M-47, docked with the international space station, delivering food stores and fuel to two U.S. astronauts, Donald Pettit and Ken Bowersox, and a Russian cosmonaut, Nikolai Budarin, who were due to return to Earth in March. All future shuttle flights have been put on hold because of the disaster. The astronauts have been in space since November. The supplies received can be lived on until the end of June (three tons of water, food, oxygen, and food). There is a "lifeboat" attached to station that astronauts could come back aboard if things got out of hand in space.
The International Space Station (ISS), worth $95 billion dollars, is a combined effort of the U.S., Russian, and 14 other countries. It floats 250 miles above Earth and has been surrounded around controversy from the beginning. The project was first envisioned in 1984. The docking of U.S. Atlantis with Russia's Mir station in 1995 when astronauts met in space marked the beginning of its assembly. ISS is expected to be the size of a football field, with a living space the size of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Two space tourists have visited after paying millions for their trips. A half-acre of solar panels will power it and 52 computers will run it. It is one of the brightest objects in the night sky. Upon completion, it will be the brightest and only artificial celestial body seen by the naked eye.
After the space shuttle disintegrated in the skys above Texas and Russia had to send an unmanned spacecraft to supply the international space station, some see this as an opportunity for their lagging space program to take the lead. Even though there were no plans for Columbia to dock at the space staion, it was scheduled for five flights to deliver equipment over this year. Now, ISS is dependent on Russia for delivery of cargo and crews. Russian rockets carry only three people, 2.5 tons of supplies, and are not reusable. U.S. shuttles have seven-member crews, 25 tons of cargo, and three engines that can make the trip in less time and less cost.
In the past, U.S. shuttles delivered long-term crews, while Russian craft ferried visiting crews and emergency rockets. ISS drops 1.5 miles a week from its orbit. U.S. shuttles are needed to periodically haul it into its original position in order to keep it in space.
The station drops 1.5 miles a week from its orbit and it needs the shuttle to periodically haul it into its original position in order to keep it in space. Scientists argue that unmanned flights with robots can do the job with less expense and danger. With robots, you can read the soil and understand the atmosphere of any planetary body.
(Feb 1, 2003). 40 miles above ground, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere with 3,000-degree Fahrenheit temperatures. Debris is scattered over an area the size of West Virginia, approximately 28,000 miles. Initial inquiries suggest that the shuttle's demise wer a result of damage to it's heat-resistant tiles and external fuel tank. Back in January, 80 seconds after liftoff, a piece of foam fell off the external fuel tank and struck the shuttle's left wing. Sensor readings in the doomed shuttle's final minutes showed heat spikes and unexpected drag resistance. NASA is investigated the wings of space shuttles Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour for information that may aid in understanding what happened and may have caused the accident.
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