Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - January 4, 2013 and JSC Today

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 4, 2013 7:22:49 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - January 4, 2013 and JSC Today

Happy Friday everyone.   It was great to see so many of you that were able to join us at our monthly luncheon yesterday at Hibachi Grill.   Special thanks goes to Jim Akkerman for sharing all  his great calendars with the group.    Hope all of you have a great weekend.

 

 

Friday, January 4, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            Centralized Trash Program

2.            Rodeo Tickets From Starport -- Tuesday, Jan. 8

3.            New Year, New Roundup, New Articles for Your Enjoyment

4.            AIAA Honors and Awards Nominations -- Deadlines Approaching

5.            The JSC Safety Action Team (JSAT) Says ...

6.            Be a Technology Champion: Houston Technology Center Presents Tech Champs

7.            Francisco Alvarez Talks About 'Innovating the Future Today' Wednesday, Jan. 9

8.            Don't Miss Carlos Dominguez -- The TechNowist

9.            Starport Boot Camp -- It's Back in 2013

10.          Starport's Run to Excellence Half Marathon Training

________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY

" I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's. "

 

-- Henry Moore

________________________________________

1.            Centralized Trash Program

Custodial contractor Native Resource Development Company will begin full implementation of the centralized trash program this month for JSC, Sonny Carter Training Facility and Ellington Field facilities.

Custodial employees will no longer empty individual resident trash cans. Residents will now be responsible for taking their trash can to a centralized collection point.

Below are program reminders:

o             New collection containers will be conveniently installed on each floor of your building.

o             Do NOT place food in your individual trash container.

o             Plastic liners will no longer be provided.

o             Facility residents are required to take any food waste or trash associated with food directly to the central collection location.

o             Custodial employees will only collect and remove trash from restrooms and centralized bins.

o             Facility Residents are responsible for conference rooms, break rooms, vending areas and coffee stations.

For more, contact Reinhard F. Brueckner at x33140 or Scott A. Robinson at x36670.

Reinhard F. Brueckner x33140

 

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2.            Rodeo Tickets From Starport -- Tuesday, Jan. 8

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tickets go on sale in the Building 11 Starport Gift Shop on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Numbers will be issued in the café at 7:30 a.m., and doors open for sales at 8 a.m. All tickets will be sold in pairs only (two or four), with a maximum of four tickets per customer. Tickets are available for all performances in sections 121, 122, 124, 125 and 129 for $26; sections 119, 135, 138 and 140 for $25; and section 534 for $22 - while supplies last. No holds, no phone orders, no special requests. Payment options are cash, Visa, Mastercard and Discover only. Checks are not accepted for ticket sales. Get your rodeo tickets at Starport!

Cyndi Kibby x35352 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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3.            New Year, New Roundup, New Articles for Your Enjoyment

If you just can't waaaaait any longer to get your hands on a hard copy of the winter 2013 Roundup, cheat a little by reading the online version right here, right now. Inside, JSC Director Ellen Ochoa debuts her column, and you'll get to see some of the amazing things we achieved in 2012 in the realms of ISS science and other programs like Orion, Advanced Exploration Systems, Aircraft Ops and many, many more. Enjoy the Spotlight featuring former JSC Director Mike Coats and, if you're handy with facts and figures, check out the center's economic impact on the back cover.

If you can't get enough of ISS science, read the longer version of the story on page 3 here.

JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x33317 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/roundup.html

 

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4.            AIAA Honors and Awards Nominations -- Deadlines Approaching

The following awards have nomination deadlines approaching within the month:

o             J. Leland Atwood Award - further info here. Nominations to ASEE by Jan. 14.

Awards below have a nomination deadline of Feb. 1:

o             Daniel Guggenheim Medal

o             Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award

o             Aerospace Power Systems Award

o             Aircraft Design Award

o             de Florez Award for Flight Simulation

o             Energy Systems Award

o             F. E. Newbold V/STOL Award

o             George M. Low Space Transportation Award

o             Haley Space Flight Award

o             Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program Management

o             Hypersonic Systems and Technologies

o             Mechanics & Control of Flight Award

o             Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award

o             Otto C. Winzen Lifetime Achievement Award

o             Piper General Aviation Award

o             Space Operations & Support Award

o             Space Science Award

o             Space Systems Award

o             von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management

For detailed award information and nomination forms, please visit the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics website or contact me.

Jennifer Wells 281-336-6302

 

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5.            The JSC Safety Action Team (JSAT) Says ...

"Don't find out about SAFETY ... by ACCIDENT!"

Congratulations to January 2013 "JSAT Says ..." winner Jeremias Serna, Chenega Security and Support Solutions. Any JSAT member (all JSC contractor and civil servant employees) may submit a slogan for consideration to JSAT Secretary Reese Squires. Submissions for February are due by Friday, Jan. 11. Keep those great submissions coming. You may be the next "JSAT Says ..." winner!

Reese Squires x37776 \\jsc-ia-na01b\JIMMS_Share\Share\JSAT\JSAT Says\JSAT Says 01-2013.pptx

 

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6.            Be a Technology Champion: Houston Technology Center Presents Tech Champs

Learn about Houston Technology Center's (HTC's) Incubation and Acceleration clients focused in the energy, life sciences, Information Technology and NASA/aerospace sectors.

Open to the community, these meetings allow professionals to be involved with and influence the evolution of emerging technology.

Light breakfast and networking:

7:30 to 7:45 a.m.

Presentations:

7:45 to 9 a.m.

Keynote speaker:

Congressman Randy Weber, United States House of Representatives

Register today here.

Following Tech Champs, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., HTC invites you to a free orientation seminar to learn how HTC accelerates the growth and success of emerging technology companies. The seminar is open to anyone interested in learning about HTC's acceleration process. All companies applying to be HTC clients are required to attend an orientation session.

Event Date: Friday, January 11, 2013   Event Start Time:7:30 AM   Event End Time:10:30 AM

Event Location: Aerospace Transition Center, 16921 El Camino Real

 

Add to Calendar

 

Pat Kidwell x37156 http://www.houstontech.org/

 

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7.            Francisco Alvarez Talks About 'Innovating the Future Today' Wednesday, Jan. 9

Attend JSC's SAIC/Safety and Mission Assurance Speaker Forum featuring Francisco Alvarez, founder and managing director of Green Technologies.

Subject: "Innovating the Future Today" - providing technological resources to maximize plant performance, save water, and benefit life on Earth and beyond

Wednesday, Jan. 9

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Building 1, Room 966

Green Technologies, a private company located in Houston, provides technological resources to help maximize plant performance, as well as save on water consumption.

For more information, contact J. Traslavina  at 281-335-2272.

Event Date: Wednesday, January 9, 2013   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM

Event Location: Building 1 room 966

 

Add to Calendar

 

Della Cardona 281-335-2074

 

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8.            Don't Miss Carlos Dominguez -- The TechNowist

The Human Health and Performance Directorate is pleased to welcome Carlos Dominguez, senior vice president at Cisco Systems and technology evangelist, as our next Innovation Lecture Series speaker! Dominguez speaks to and motivates audiences worldwide about how technology is changing how we communicate, collaborate, and especially, how we work. He gives humorous, highly animated presentations full of deep insight into how technology and the right culture can create winning companies.

All are encouraged to attend! Register now in SATERN at https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_... to receive Human Systems Academy credit.

Event Date: Friday, January 11, 2013   Event Start Time:2:00 PM   Event End Time:3:30 PM

Event Location: Teague Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

Carissa Vidlak 281-212-1409 http://sa.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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9.            Starport Boot Camp -- It's Back in 2013

Starport's phenomenal boot camp registration is now open. Don't miss a chance to be part of Starport's incredibly popular program. The class WILL fill up, so register now.

Early registration (ends Jan. 11):

- $90 per person (just $5 per class!)

Regular registration (Jan. 11 to 22):

- $110 per person

The workout begins on Wednesday, Jan. 23.

Are you ready for 18 hours of intense workouts with an amazing personal trainer to get you to your fitness goal?

Don't wait!

Sign up today and take advantage of this extreme discount while it lasts. Register now at the Gilruth Center information desk or call 281-483-0304 for more information.

Steve Schade x30304 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Fitness/RecreationClasses/RecreationProgram...

 

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10.          Starport's Run to Excellence Half Marathon Training

Make 2013 unforgettable!

Are you ready to take your training up a notch? The time is now for you to accept the fitness challenge and train for a half marathon! Starport's Run to Excellence program is for anyone who wants to run, walk or run-and-walk a half marathon. The group meets at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings for long-distance sessions. Each member will get a training log and an awesome Run to Excellence tech shirt. Take that step towards doing something healthy, empowering and successful.

This 10-week program will get you to places you've never been!

Registration: (Now open)

o             Returning Participants - $60

o             Newbies - $80

The program begins at 6 a.m. on Jan. 26 at the Gilruth Center.

Sign up today!

Steve Schade x30304 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Fitness/RecreationClasses/RecreationProgram...

 

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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. To see an archive of previous JSC Today announcements, go to http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/news/jsctoday/archives.

 

 

 

NASA TV:

• 9:30 am Central SATURDAY (10:30 EST) – FIRST Robotics Kick-Off Event

(For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology)

 

Human Spaceflight News

Friday – January 4, 2013

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Congress tells NASA & White House, again, that it wants SLS

 

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

 

In one of its last acts before adjourning, the 112th Congress gave final approval Wednesday to a law telling policymakers in both the White House and NASA -- again -- that Congress is serious about wanting the new heavy-lift rocket being developed in Huntsville, Al. The measure, which includes other sections critical to future space exploration, now goes to President Obama for his signature.

 

The day William Shatner Tweeted at an astronaut (and the astronaut Replied)

 

Megan Garber - The Atlantic

 

That day, my friends, is today (Thursday). So this just happened: William Shatner, he of Priceline and also of spoken-word poetry but mostly of Star Trek, is also William Shatner of Twitter. And this afternoon, the actor took to the service to ask a question of the Canadian Space Agency's Chris Hadfield, who is currently serving as the International Space Station's Flight Engineer for Expedition 34 -- and who has indeed been tweeting from space. Hadfield's glorious reply to this glorious question is above. And there really is not much more to be said about the matter. Except that, basically, a fake starship captain just sent a tweet to a real-life space station engineer, who replied using the language of the fake starship captain ... and all of us got to see it. And then retweet it. And then make lame-but-awesome Star Trek-related jokes about it. MBB: What a world.

 

ISS Astronaut Reports to Captain Kirk

 

Ian O'Neill - Discovery News

 

No Klingons, Yet: During a magical Twitter conversation today, science fiction met science fact. Actor William Shatner decided to drop Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield a line. Usually, this wouldn't be particularly newsworthy, except for the fact that Hadfield is currently living on the International Space Station -- orbiting over 250 miles above Earth -- and Shatner, well, is Captain James T. Kirk!

 

Captain Kirk Tweets the Space Station

 

Jason Major - Universe Today

 

You know that you're living in a very special point in time when you can watch a man who became famous playing a starship captain on television send a tweet to a man who's actually working in a spaceship orbiting the Earth — and get an amusing response back. Which is exactly what happened earlier today when William Shatner got a reply from Chris Hadfield, currently part of the Expedition 34 crew aboard the ISS. For many people Shatner was the first starship captain remembered from TV in the late '60s, and in a couple of months Chris Hadfield will become the first Canadian astronaut to assume command of the International Space Station.

 

Big hair, no sitting, Velcroed to your pillow: What it's like to live weightlessly

 

Robert Krulwich - National Public Radio

 

Oh, I wish, wish, wish I could spend a few days totally weightless, floating about high above the planet. And now that I've seen this video, I wish it more than ever, because now I know the down and dirty — details that make it seem so ... different. I know, for example, that if I had a thick, rich mane of hair like International Space Station commander Sunita Williams, I wouldn't need a comb, because combs are for getting hair to stay in place. But up there, hair doesn't have a place, it just floats — like you do. Combs would be useless.

 

Golden Spike enters contract with Northrup Grumman for lander design

 

Kristen Leigh Painter - Denver Post

 

The Golden Spike Co., a Boulder-based company that last month revealed its plans for commercially sending humans to the moon, on Thursday announced that it has entered into a contract with Northrop Grumman Corp. for the design of its lunar lander. The partnership with the Virginia-based company — a giant among defense and aerospace contractors — comes before the dust could even settle on the high-profile unveiling of Golden Spike as the first private aerospace company of its kind.

 

Private company developing commercial lunar lander

 

James Dean - Florida Today

 

A private company that hopes to land paying customers on the moon has hired the builder of the first human landers to start designing a modern version. Boulder, Co.-based Golden Spike Co., headed by former NASA executives, will work with Northrop Grumman Corp. on the preliminary design for a commercially flown lunar lander, including a review of concepts and mission requirements.

 

Private Moon Travel Startup Hires Lunar Lander Designer

 

Clara Moskowitz - Space.com

 

The new moon travel startup Golden Spike has chosen its first contractor to design private lunar lander vehicles: veteran aerospace firm Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman built the very first manned lunar landers back in the 1960s (when the company was called Grumman) for NASA's Apollo program. The firm made the Eagle module that carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the lunar surface for the first manned moon landing in 1969. Now the company will design a vehicle to help Golden Spike achieve its goal of establishing routine commercial transportation of people to the moon and back by the end of the decade.

 

Bill to rename NASA Dryden after Neil Armstrong dies in Senate

 

Jeff Foust – SpacePolitics.com

 

The Senate did not consider on Wednesday HR 6612, a bill to rename NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center after Neil Armstrong. The House passed the bill 404-0 on Monday, but the Senate did not bring the bill up for a vote, or passage by unanimous consent, on either Tuesday or Wednesday. With the Senate adjourned until the 113th Congress convenes for the first time at noon on Thursday, backers will have to start over and reintroduce the bill. (NO FURTHER TEXT)

 

Houston boosts its congressional delegation from ten to 12 with swearing in of two newcomers

 

Stewart Powell - Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac

 

Two Republicans from the greater Houston area joined the House of Representatives today as freshmen members of Congress to boost the number of Houston-area lawmakers from 10 to 12. Rep. Randy Weber, of Pearland, and Rep. Steve Stockman, of Friendswood, were sworn in to the $174,000-a-year jobs on Capitol Hill along with the remainder of Texas' 36-member House delegation. The Texas delegation includes eight new members – three Republicans and five Democrats. Weber won assignments on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology that has jurisdiction over NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Weber also was assigned to serve on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

 

Conn. L. Gov.'s office: Giffords meeting planned

 

Associated Press

 

A spokesman says Connecticut's lieutenant governor has been invited to attend a meeting between former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and families of the victims of the deadly Newtown elementary school shooting. Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman's spokesman Steve Jensen said Thursday night a visit by Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, is "planned but not confirmed" for Friday afternoon.

__________

 

COMPLETE STORIES

 

Congress tells NASA & White House, again, that it wants SLS

 

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

 

In one of its last acts before adjourning, the 112th Congress gave final approval Wednesday to a law telling policymakers in both the White House and NASA -- again -- that Congress is serious about wanting the new heavy-lift rocket being developed in Huntsville, Al. The measure, which includes other sections critical to future space exploration, now goes to President Obama for his signature.

 

Congress had been asked to extend third-party liability indemnification for commercial space launch companies and to remove a potential legal hurdle to continued use of Russian rockets as space taxis for American astronauts. The law doing both of those things is called the "Space Exploration Sustainability Act," and it was passed Monday by the Senate and accepted without objection Wednesday by the House.

 

But senators led by outgoing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, attached an amendment to the Senate version stating again that Congress expects NASA and the White House to follow through on what Hutchison called "a hard-fought congressional and administration consensus" reached in 2010.

 

That deal passed into law in late 2010 requires NASA to pursue both commercial space development and government development of a new heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule together called the Space Launch System. The version of the sustainability law passed by the House on Wednesday includes the Senate amendment.

 

The new rocket is being developed at Huntsville's Marshall Space Flight Center and its core built by Boeing at NASA's Michoud assembly facility outside New Orleans. The Orion crew capsule is being developed in Houston. Huntsville's portion of the system passed a crucial design review in late December, and Boeing could start bending metal for the first rocket's core later this year.

 

"The sense of Congress clearly reaffirms the existing law in requiring a balanced approach to developing a new heavy lift vehicle and crew exploration module (the Space Launch System and the Orion exploration vehicle) as well as developing a new commercial space launch capability for both crew and cargo to the (International Space Station) and other potential destinations in low-Earth orbit," Hutchison said in a statement today. "It also underscores the importance of not pursuing those developments at the expense of each other, or of NASA's other vital missions."

 

Why Congress felt the need to add this language to what was basically housekeeping legislation is a longer story relating to NASA's future in a tight budget environment. The short version, however, is that with serious budget battles directly ahead in the new 113th Congress and critical technical milestones to meet, the new rocket system is still seen as vulnerable by some supporters in Congress.

 

Washington sources say the lawmakers who support it are taking every opportunity they can to confirm congressional intent in legislation.

 

The day William Shatner Tweeted at an astronaut (and the astronaut Replied)

 

Megan Garber - The Atlantic

 

That day, my friends, is today (Thursday).

 

William Shatner

?@WilliamShatner 3 Jan 13 @Cmdr_Hadfield Are you tweeting from space? MBB

 

Chris Hadfield

@Cmdr_Hadfield @WilliamShatner Yes, Standard Orbit, Captain. And we're detecting signs of life on the surface.

 

So this just happened:

 

William Shatner, he of Priceline and also of spoken-word poetry but mostly of Star Trek, is also William Shatner of Twitter. And this afternoon, the actor took to the service to ask a question of the Canadian Space Agency's Chris Hadfield, who is currently serving as the International Space Station's Flight Engineer for Expedition 34 -- and who has indeed been tweeting from space:

 

William Shatner

?@WilliamShatner @Cmdr_Hadfield Are you tweeting from space? MBB

 

Hadfield's glorious reply to this glorious question is here. And there really is not much more to be said about the matter. Except that, basically, a fake starship captain just sent a tweet to a real-life space station engineer, who replied using the language of the fake starship captain ... and all of us got to see it. And then retweet it. And then make lame-but-awesome Star Trek-related jokes about it. MBB: What a world.

 

ISS Astronaut Reports to Captain Kirk

 

Ian O'Neill - Discovery News

 

No Klingons, Yet: During a magical Twitter conversation today, science fiction met science fact. Actor William Shatner decided to drop Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield a line. Usually, this wouldn't be particularly newsworthy, except for the fact that Hadfield is currently living on the International Space Station -- orbiting over 250 miles above Earth -- and Shatner, well, is Captain James T. Kirk!

 

Hadfield arrived at the station on Dec. 21, 2012, and is currently serving as Flight Engineer for Expedition 34. He will take command of Expedition 35 when the Expedition 34 crew depart the orbiting outpost in March 2013. Hadfield will be the first Canadian to command the station.

 

In his tweet, Shatner wanted to know if his fellow Canadian was in space, to which the astronaut replied: "Yes, Standard Orbit, Captain. And we're detecting signs of life on the surface."

 

I get the feeling this social media relationship will only grow over the coming months, so don't be surprised if Hadfield's mission takes on a decidedly Star Trek-like flavor. Let's just hope he doesn't report any Birds of Prey sightings.

 

Keep an eye on Hadfield's tweets by the way. Although many astronauts have changed the way the space station uses the platform, Hadfield's feed is particularly good, tweeting his life from low-Earth orbit.

 

Captain Kirk Tweets the Space Station

 

Jason Major - Universe Today

 

You know that you're living in a very special point in time when you can watch a man who became famous playing a starship captain on television send a tweet to a man who's actually working in a spaceship orbiting the Earth — and get an amusing response back.

 

Which is exactly what happened earlier today when William Shatner got a reply from Chris Hadfield, currently part of the Expedition 34 crew aboard the ISS.

 

For many people Shatner was the first starship captain remembered from TV in the late '60s, and in a couple of months Chris Hadfield will become the first Canadian astronaut to assume command of the International Space Station.

 

Big hair, no sitting, Velcroed to your pillow: What it's like to live weightlessly

 

Robert Krulwich - National Public Radio

 

Oh, I wish, wish, wish I could spend a few days totally weightless, floating about high above the planet. And now that I've seen this video, I wish it more than ever, because now I know the down and dirty — details that make it seem so ... different.

 

I know, for example, that if I had a thick, rich mane of hair like International Space Station commander Sunita Williams, I wouldn't need a comb, because combs are for getting hair to stay in place. But up there, hair doesn't have a place, it just floats — like you do. Combs would be useless.

 

I know that an exercise bike in space is not like an exercise bike on Earth, because up there they don't have seats — none at all. "You don't need a seat," says Williams, because you don't have to deal with your center of gravity. Seats are for settling. There's no weight to settle. "Actually, I haven't sat down for six months now," she says. All you do is put your feet on the pedals and pump.

 

(Well, not quite, because from time to time, all astronauts have to sit down to expel what must be expelled, and here's where they do that.)

 

"It's pretty small," Williams points out, "so you have to have pretty good aim." But to help things move in the right direction, this device "has a little bit of suction." So does this hose, which is how you do "No. 1," she says.

 

And "it's color-coded [yellow], so you really don't get it mixed up." Ah.

 

Sleeping Weightlessly

 

Going to sleep is different — nicely different. For one thing, because you are floating, you never have to lie on your arm. So your under-limb never gets prickly. But then again, nothing will lie on you. Astronaut Marsha Ivins once told me, "I'm one of those who likes to sleep under lots and lots of cover" when it's cool. Me too, I told her. "Well, you don't get that when there's no gravity." You could lay under two thick blankets, or three, or four, but they're not going to weigh anything. "It's a little disconcerting to sleep without weight," she said. It takes time to learn how to, as she put it, "sleep free."

 

Sleeping free means getting used to the idea that everything drifts apart when you're in space. Your head will not rest on a pillow. It will float up. If you want to be "on" that pillow, you have to Velcro-strap it to your head, so in effect, you're wearing it. "Or it's wearing you," said Ivins.

 

The Glories Of Velcro

 

Dan Barry, another astronaut, once told me he likes to sleep in a fetal curl, knees to chest. But in space you can't do that, because you're being pulled equally in all directions, so your body just naturally wants to open up. As soon as you doze off, you unfurl into the letter "C." On the first few nights in space, he Velcro-taped himself to his knees.

 

Then there's the matter of "lying down" at bedtime. Since there is no "down" in space, you don't ever have the sense of doing that. My favorite part of this video comes at the beginning, when Williams takes us to her "bedroom" — which is upside down from her neighbor's bedroom.

 

"I'm feeling like I'm standing up right now," she says while lying down.

 

As she moves about the International Space Station while narrating this video, you can see how fun it is to spin, dive, tumble whenever you please. At one point (14:49 minutes in), Williams decides to drop in on a Japanese colleague. With one light push, she whooshes down a chute like Alice dropping through that hole in Wonderland, and then comes roaring back, one arm extended, crying "Superman!"

 

Bliss

 

And finally, there's "The Cupola." On this hodgepodge of a space hotel/laboratory, there's a room I can only dream of: a perch, where you can sit (sorry, float) surrounded by big, side-to-side windows all facing toward the Earth, where you can gaze down at deserts, thunderstorms, city lights, mountains and continents passing slowly by, or if you like, you can shift your gaze to the edge, to the giant curve of the Earth, thinly wrapped by a whisper-thin halo of air. It's so beautiful.

 

So take a look at this video, a guided tour from Williams, last year's commander of the International Space Station (she's back on Earth now). It's 25 minutes long. If you don't have that kind of time, the first 3 1/2 minutes are a treat: That's when you get a feel for no ups, no downs, get to visit sleeping quarters and watch a remarkable spacewoman behave so gracefully, it's like she was born weightless.

 

Golden Spike enters contract with Northrup Grumman for lander design

 

Kristen Leigh Painter - Denver Post

 

The Golden Spike Co., a Boulder-based company that last month revealed its plans for commercially sending humans to the moon, on Thursday announced that it has entered into a contract with Northrop Grumman Corp. for the design of its lunar lander.

 

The partnership with the Virginia-based company — a giant among defense and aerospace contractors — comes before the dust could even settle on the high-profile unveiling of Golden Spike as the first private aerospace company of its kind.

 

Northrup Grumman designed and built the lunar module and the lunar module descent engines for the Apollo moon missions from 1969 to 1972.

 

According to a news release, this contract is the first of many steps and will involve the exploration of several lander concepts and their various flight aspects.

 

"This study is one of a number of initial studies we're undertaking to begin creating the design requirements and specs for the lander contract competition we expect to hold to select a Golden Spike lander for flight development," said James R. French, a former Apollo engineer and Golden Spike's engineering chief for the lunar lander systems study.

 

Private company developing commercial lunar lander

 

James Dean - Florida Today

 

A private company that hopes to land paying customers on the moon has hired the builder of the first human landers to start designing a modern version.

 

Boulder, Co.-based Golden Spike Co., headed by former NASA executives, will work with Northrop Grumman Corp. on the preliminary design for a commercially flown lunar lander, including a review of concepts and mission requirements.

 

"This is a significant step forward in our plans," said Gerry Griffin, Golden Spike's board chairman and a former Apollo program flight director, in a press release. "Northrop Grumman brings Golden Spike a unique body of knowledge and skills as the only company to ever build a successful human-rated lunar lander, the Apollo Lunar Module."

 

Northrop Grumman legacy companies, Grumman and TRW, designed and built the Lunar Module and Lunar Module Descent Engines for six Apollo moon landings between 1969 and 1972.

 

Publicly announced last month, Golden Spike hopes to fly two-person missions to the moon for about $1.5 billion, using rockets and crew spacecraft that are already existing or in development.

 

The lander is the only major new piece of the system, and a competition to build it will follow the initial study work. Financial terms of the Northrop contract were not disclosed.

 

Golden Spike is shooting for a moon landing by the end of the decade and believes 15 to 25 more expeditions could be flown in the decade that follows. The company expects demand from nations, corporations or wealthy individuals interested in "scientific exploration and discovery, national prestige, commercial development, marketing, entertainment, and even personal achievement."

 

Private Moon Travel Startup Hires Lunar Lander Designer

 

Clara Moskowitz - Space.com

 

The new moon travel startup Golden Spike has chosen its first contractor to design private lunar lander vehicles: veteran aerospace firm Northrop Grumman.

 

Northrop Grumman built the very first manned lunar landers back in the 1960s (when the company was called Grumman) for NASA's Apollo program. The firm made the Eagle module that carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the lunar surface for the first manned moon landing in 1969.

 

Now the company will design a vehicle to help Golden Spike achieve its goal of establishing routine commercial transportation of people to the moon and back by the end of the decade.

 

"This is a significant step forward in our plans," Gerry Griffin, Golden Spike's board chairman, said in a statement. "Northrop Grumman brings Golden Spike a unique body of knowledge and skills as the only company to ever build a successful human-rated lunar lander, the Apollo Lunar Module."

 

The founding of Golden Spike (named after the final spike built into the First Transcontinental Railroad), was announced just last month, though the project has been secretly in the works for two and a half years.

 

The startup hopes to sell round-trip moon expeditions to foreign countries, research organizations and even some wealthy individuals. Company market studies suggest Golden Spike could sell and carry out 15 to 25 of these trips within 10 years, once it gets going. Each expedition will carry a price tag of roughly $1.5 billion, company officials have said.

 

To launch these journeys, Golden Spike officials say existing rockets and spacecraft already built or under development can be enlisted. The only major hardware element that must be designed and constructed from the ground up is the lunar lander.

 

Northrop Grumman will explore a variety of different lunar lander concepts, looking for the best combination of reliability, affordability, and operability, officials said.

 

"We're very proud to be working with Northrop Grumman, which has the most experience and successful performance record for human lunar lander designs in the world," said planetary scientist Alan Stern, Golden Spike's president and CEO.

 

For now, Northrop Grumman has been hired to design the lunar lander, but whether or not the same firm will construct it remains to be seen.

 

"This study is one of a number of initial studies we're undertaking to begin creating the design requirements and specs for the lander contract competition we expect to hold to select a Golden Spike lander for flight development," said James R. French, Golden Spike's Lunar Lander Systems Study (LLaSS) engineering chief.

 

Houston boosts its congressional delegation from ten to 12 with swearing in of two newcomers

 

Stewart Powell - Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac

 

Two Republicans from the greater Houston area joined the House of Representatives today as freshmen members of Congress to boost the number of Houston-area lawmakers from 10 to 12.

 

Rep. Randy Weber, of Pearland, and Rep. Steve Stockman, of Friendswood, were sworn in to the $174,000-a-year jobs on Capitol Hill along with the remainder of Texas' 36-member House delegation.

 

The Texas delegation includes eight new members – three Republicans and five Democrats.

 

Voters in the 14th Congressional District formerly represented by retiring Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, "hired me to go to Washington to be their voice," Weber said. "The voters have made it extremely clear that they want government out of their lives and wallets."

 

Weber said he would be "a strong advocate to hold the line on spending, vote against tax increases on hard-working families and work toward providing a stable climate for our job creators," adding: "I'm ready to get to work."

 

Weber won assignments on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology that has jurisdiction over NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Weber also was assigned to serve on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

 

Stockman returns to the House for a second time, after serving a single term in the mid-1990s after defeating then-House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jack Brooks, D-Beaumont in 1994.

 

Stockman, sworn in with colleagues on the House floor, made good on a pledge to challenge the selection of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

 

Stockman voted "present" when the roll call was taken on Boehner's election as leader of the GOP-controlled House. As speaker, Boehner becomes second in line in presidential succession behind Vice President Joe Biden.

 

"We cannot tolerate betrayal of conservative principle and economic reality," Stockman said of Boehner on his blog.

 

Boehner is a "decent man" but Stockman said that he had "sharp disagreements with the manner in which he has handled President Obama and House conservatives."

 

Stockman said Boehner had been "all too eager to favorably negotiate with a liberal White House that has outmaneuvered him at every turn" as well as being "harsh and punitive in dealing with conservatives."

 

The two freshmen join nine other House members whose districts include parts of the greater Houston area. The lawmakers include: Reps. Ted Poe, R-Humble, John Culberson, R-Houston; Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands; Al Green, D-Houston; Michael McCaul, R-Austin; Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston; Gene Green, D-Houston; Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land; Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi; Bill Flores, R-Bryan.

 

Conn. L. Gov.'s office: Giffords meeting planned

 

Associated Press

 

A spokesman says Connecticut's lieutenant governor has been invited to attend a meeting between former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and families of the victims of the deadly Newtown elementary school shooting.

 

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman's spokesman Steve Jensen said Thursday night a visit by Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, is "planned but not confirmed" for Friday afternoon.

 

He says the plans include Giffords meeting at a private home with families of the 20 children and six school officials killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month. He says Giffords may also make a second appearance.

 

Phone calls and emails to Giffords' representatives haven't been returned.

 

Giffords was wounded by a gunman in a mass shooting two years ago in Tucson, Ariz. Six people died in that assault.

 

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