Fwd: JSC Director News, February 2013

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: February 6, 2013 8:45:28 PM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: JSC Director News, February 2013

Open invite from Ellen Ochoa to get on an email distribution list for her periodic emails about what's happening at JSC.   If interested---sign up for the email below at the bottom of this email.

 

From: Ochoa, Ellen (JSC-AB111)
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 4:53 PM
To: JSC-DL-JSC-Civil-Servants; JSC-DL-JSC-Contractors; JSC-DL-JLT
Subject: JSC Director News, February 2013

 

To the JSC Community,

As I mentioned in the All-Hands meeting today, we've developed a pilot email that we're sharing with our external stakeholders.  While JSC employees are likely familiar with the high level information included in the email, we've heard from many of our partners that they would appreciate occasional messages directly from JSC .  If you'd like to be added to the list, please sign up for the listserve.  If you know of people outside of JSC who'd like to be included, please forward this note to them and invite them to sign up for the listserve.

 

Thanks –

 

Ellen

 

 

From: On Behalf Of JSC Director's News
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 4:32 PM
To: jsc-director-news@lists.nasa.gov
Subject:  JSC Director News, February 2013

 

Feb. 5, 2013

Greetings:

 

Last month I began my tenure as the Director of the Johnson Space Center (JSC).  As I spoke with people around our community, I learned many of you would appreciate short updates about what's going on in human space exploration.  This email is a pilot project where I send out occasional emails providing you with a few recent highlights.  I hope it helps keep you informed, since NASA values your interest and support. If you know of others who would be interested in receiving this email, please forward it. The sign up information is at the bottom of this note.

Orion:  The agency is developing the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration of space.  The Orion capsule is being developed at JSC with the Lockheed Martin team, and the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 is the first planned uncrewed test flight of the vehicle, currently scheduled for Fall 2014.  A couple of major milestones along the way include:  the completion of the crew module structure for the first test flight at KSC, and the heat shield composite is in final machining.  A recent accomplishment for the agency is the agreement between NASA and the European Space Agency to provide a service module for the Orion spacecraft's first human mission in 2017. This agreement expands on the successful partnership between the agencies on the space station and other activities and ensures continued international collaboration as we explore together.

International Space Station (ISS):  The ISS continues to be an amazing place for scientific research and educational outreach where crew members conduct a variety of experiments each and every day.  In addition, the ISS serves as a testbed for spacecraft systems and equipment required for missions beyond low-Earth orbit.  Currently, the agency continues to expand its human footprint in the cosmos with plans for a one-year stay aboard for astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko in 2015. Mastering a much longer-duration mission and mitigating its effect on the crew will put us one step closer to destinations like Mars or an asteroid.

Commercial Crew:  This past December 2012, NASA announced the next step in its plan to launch American astronauts from U.S. soil, selecting three companies to conduct activities under contracts that will enable future certification of commercial spacecraft as safe to carry humans to the ISS.  JSC continues to work closely in conjunction with the Kennedy Space Center in accomplishing the next steps in commercial crew program.

The work we do in advancing Space Technology here at JSC and onboard the ISS are providing relevance to your life here on Earth.   Some examples include:  

·         New knowledge about human bone health is part of our Japanese partners' research of the impact of zero-g on osteoclasts, the cells responsible for the process by which bone breaks down. Researchers believe that basic studies with the Medaka (Oryzias latipes) fish in the station's Aquatic Habitat could ultimately benefit astronauts, osteoporosis patients and people with reduced mobility here on Earth.

·         The aerospace community made an impressive debut on December 3rd, as it joined with Houston's globally recognized oil and gas and medical communities for the Pumps & Pipes 6, a growing collaboration started by some of the region's brightest engineers and scientists to exchange strategies for solving tough technical problems that could improve the lives of everyone.  Our debut featured displays of the Lunar Electric Rover, a 12-wheeled all-terrain prototype vehicle; Robonaut, the humanoid robot; as well as the X-1, a human exoskeleton that could one day help those restricted to wheelchairs walk again.

 

Lastly, check out the "NASA Johnson Style" video created by college students working at JSC.  This video has garnered close to 4.5 million views since its December 14th release, making the video the most watched clip on the agency's "Reel NASA" YouTube channel.  The upbeat video highlights the center's achievements in human space exploration and research through footage of the International Space Station, Mission Control, and JSC's Rocket Park. 

 

If you found this e-news helpful, I ask that you forward this note to people who might want to sign up for future editions.  Thanks for your continued support.

 

 

Ellen Ochoa

JSC Center Director

 

Visit http://go.nasa.gov/12qVNbk to subscribe to JSC Director News

 

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