Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - March 14, 2013 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: March 14, 2013 7:08:16 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - March 14, 2013 and JSC Today

 

 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            TODAY -- See the Expedition 34 Crew Arrive Home on NASA TV

2.            "The View Inside JSC: Educate to Innovate Women in STEM" Panel Disussion

3.            You Are Invited: Lecture Featuring Former Astronaut and Artist Alan Bean

4.            Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair -- Did You Know?

5.            2013 Trash Bash - March 23rd

6.            NASA Supervisor Workers' Comp Training - Return To Work

7.            AIAA March Dinner Meeting

8.            Starport Summer Camp Registration Starts Next Week

9.            Wellness ViTS Today: Optimism -- Don't Worry, Be Happy

10.          Youth Violence

11.          JPR 1700.1, Rev. K, JSC Safety and Health Handbook, is Out for Review

12.          JSC Still Imagery and Mission Video Resources Training -- March 20

13.          Space Available - APPEL - Creativity and Innovation

14.          Parent's Night Out at Starport -- March 29

15.          Investigating Aircraft and Flight System Mishaps: April 23 to 25

16.          Machinery and Machine Guarding - May 21 - Building 20, Room 205/206

________________________________________     NASA FACT

" Several studies traveling to station aboard the second SpaceX Dragon involve a small flowering plant called thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana, which is essentially the lab mouse of plant research."

________________________________________

1.            TODAY -- See the Expedition 34 Crew Arrive Home on NASA TV

Expedition 34 Commander Kevin Ford of NASA, Russian Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Russian Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin will undock their Soyuz spacecraft from the station at 7:30 p.m. CDT today, March 14, heading for a landing in Kazakhstan northeast of the remote town of Arkalyk at 10:56 p.m. (9:56 a.m. Kazakh time March 15). They will have spent 143 days in space since launching from Kazakhstan Oct. 23, including 141 days aboard the orbital laboratory.

When the Soyuz undocks, Expedition 35 will begin aboard the station under the command of Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency. Hadfield will be the first Canadian commander. He and his crew mates, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, will tend to the station for two weeks until the arrival of three new crew members: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin.

Coverage on NASA TV for Expedition 34's return to Earth begins at the following times:

Today, March 14:

o             3:45 p.m. -- Farewells and hatch closure (hatch closure scheduled at 4:15 p.m.)

o             7:15 p.m. -- Undocking (undocking scheduled at 7:30 p.m.)

o             9:45 p.m. -- Deorbit burn and landing (deorbit burn scheduled at 10:04 p.m.; landing scheduled at 10:56 p.m.)

Friday, March 15:

o             1 a.m. -- Video File of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities

o             1 p.m. -- Video File of post-landing activities and interviews

JSC employees with wired computer network connections can view NASA TV using onsite IPTV on channels 404 (standard definition) or 4541 (HD).

If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at x46367.

JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

 

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2.            "The View Inside JSC: Educate to Innovate Women in STEM" Panel Disussion

Join the dynamic panel discussion with six dedicated JSC employees who play a vital role at JSC in making positive contributions toward promoting women to choose STEM education and career fields. The panel will address gender stereotyping and provide concrete tools for women to maintain them at every level of their scientific careers. Raising awareness among stakeholders to support and motivate women to choose STEM education and career fields will directly influence sustainable and inclusive growth of women in STEM.

Date: Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

Location: Teague Auditorium

Time: 11:00am-1:00pm

Hosted by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and the Office of Education. To view and print the 2013 Women's History Month poster: (http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/733308main_WomensHistoryMonth2013-poster12x18-01.pdf) For general information, please contact T.Q. Bui at 281-244-0266 or tu-quynh.t.bui@nasa.gov.

Accommodations for a specific disability are available upon request by contacting Janelle Holt at 281-483-7504 or janelle.holt-1@nasa.gov, NLT Wednesday, March 20th, 2013.

Event Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2013   Event Start Time:11:00 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM

Event Location: Teague Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

JSC Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity 281-244-0266 http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oeod/

 

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3.            You Are Invited: Lecture Featuring Former Astronaut and Artist Alan Bean

Join the Rice University Space Frontiers Lecture Series on Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. for a special evening with former NASA astronaut and artist Alan Bean. "Reaching for Your Own Special Star" begins at 7 p.m., with a reception in the McMurtry Auditorium in Duncan Hall earlier at 6:30 p.m.

The closest visitor parking for the event (paid) is near Entrance 2. Parking for $1 is available in lot west of the stadium (entrance on Greenbriar Street), but plan for a long walk or ride on the shuttle. All parking must be paid by credit card.

For a campus map, click here.

For details about other lectures and to be added to the mailing list, go here.

Pamela S. Jones 713-348-3353

 

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4.            Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair -- Did You Know?

Did you know that JSC has its own compost program? Not only does composting help reduce the amount and cost of trash that has to be hauled off, converting organic material compost to use around site also saves water and the need to fertilize.

Come to the spring fair at the Gilruth Center on Wednesday, April 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to find out more. Bring a can of used coffee grounds and tea leaves from your on-site coffee club to the JSC environmental booth and learn about composting benefits and how your contributions help JSC save and meet agency sustainability goals. You can also find out about the JSC Sustainability Engagement Strategy and Annual Report.

Event Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2013   Event Start Time:10:00 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM

Event Location: JSC Gilruth gym and pavilion

 

Add to Calendar

 

Rindy Carmichael x45078

 

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5.            2013 Trash Bash - March 23rd

Trash Bash is here again, and JSC is calling for volunteers! JSC has a Space Act Agreement with Armand Bayou Nature Center, and the JSC Environmental Office is coordinating a JSC team for this year's Trash Bash on Saturday, March 23rd from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers will be participating in a state-wide effort to clean trash out of our waterways. All participants get a free t-shirt and lunch after the event with opportunities to win door prizes. Families are welcome. If you would like to participate, please contact Jennifer Morrison for more information. We look forward to seeing you there!

Event Date: Saturday, March 23, 2013   Event Start Time:8:30 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM

Event Location: Meet in Gilruth Parking Lot

 

Add to Calendar

 

Jennifer Morrison x40878 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/ja13/index.cfm

 

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6.            NASA Supervisor Workers' Comp Training - Return To Work

The next Webex in the series is today, Thursday, March 14.This week, Tim Revenaugh will be discussing Returning Injured Employees to Work.

Please contact your Center's Injury Compensation Specialist http://www.ohp.nasa.gov/disciplines/workers-comp/index.html

or janine.e.hardin@nasa.gov (321-867-2423) if you have any questions.

Dial In and WebEx Instructions

Dial: 1-888-989-9792. The passcode is "Supervisor". For those who are participating with others on one telephone, the operator only needs one name and Center affiliation for the group.

Date: Thursday, March 14, 2013

Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)

Meeting Number: 992 525 553

Meeting Password: EmpRTW-Mar14

1. Go to https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?ED=192796662&UID=0&PW=NMDNlYjY2YmE2&RT=MiMx...

2. Enter your name and email address on the right-hand side of the screen where it says: Non-NASA Users Join (even though you are a NASA employee--this is the easiest way to connect that doesn't involve several steps).

Lynn Hogan, RN 713-653-4886

 

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7.            AIAA March Dinner Meeting

Join AIAA Houston in welcoming Wayne Hale as our speaker for the next AIAA dinner meeting on the evening of March 28th at the Gilruth Center.

Deepwater offshore drilling rivals orbital space launch for engineering complexity, extreme environments, and technological challenge. The major failure in the Gulf of Mexico mirrors the Challenger and Columbia accidents. Hale will discuss the April 2010 Macondo accident as a case study for all involved in a high reliability organization looking to learn from past mistakes in order to prevent accidents in one's own field of endeavor.

Please join us for an enlightening evening by sending your RSVP and making your dinner selection at: www.aiaahouston.org

Eryn Beisner 281-244-0212

 

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8.            Starport Summer Camp Registration Starts Next Week

Summer is fast approaching, and Starport will again be offering summer camp for youth at the Gilruth Center all summer long. We have tons of fun planned, and we expect each session to fill up, so get your registrations in early! Weekly themes are listed on our website, as well as information regarding registration and all the necessary forms.

Ages: 6 to 12

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

Dates: June 10 to Aug. 16 in one-week sessions

Registration: March 18 for NASA dependents | May 6 for non-dependents

Fee per session: $140/child for dependents | $160/child for non-dependents

Shericka Phillips x35563 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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9.            Wellness ViTS Today: Optimism -- Don't Worry, Be Happy

Join us for the March installment of JSC's 2013 fitness/nutrition/Employee Assistance Program series today! Takis Bogdanos of the JSC Employee Assistance Program will present information on staying well with his presentation of "Optimism -- Don't Worry, Be Happy!"

Location: Building 17, Room 2026

Time: 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Dial-In: 1-888-370-7263, pass code 8811760#

To join the online meeting (now from iPhones and other smart phones, too):

1. Go to: https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?ED=192796747&UID=0&PW=NZDViMjJmYWZm&RT=MiMx...

2. Enter your name and email address.

3. Enter the meeting password: EAP-March14

4. Click: "Join Now"

Each monthly module in this 2013 series will be 90 minutes to facilitate more audience questions. We hope that you will attend each module as often as your schedule permits. Please check the agency's Occupational Health website for information about the series, copies of the slides used and the schedule for the rest of 2013.

Takis Bogdanos x46127

 

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10.          Youth Violence

In observance of the National Youth Violence Prevention Week, please join Takis Bogdanos, LPC-S, CGP, with the JSC Employee Assistance Program, on Thursday, March 21, at 12 noon in the Building 30 Auditorium for a presentation discussing the effects of youth violence in our children and our community, how to recognize the signs and the types of interventions available.

Event Date: Thursday, March 21, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM

Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch x36130

 

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11.          JPR 1700.1, Rev. K, JSC Safety and Health Handbook, is Out for Review

The draft Revision K of JPR 1700.1, JSC Safety and Health Handbook, is out for review. This revision includes changes to most chapters and consolidates some chapters. It removes the top-level policy statements and responsibilities, which will be in the new JPD 1700.3, JSC Safety and Health Policy. There are also three new chapters.

Please submit your comments through your organizational directives coordinator per your organization's process. Comments are due to the center on March 25, but individual organizations may have early due dates.

Safety has set up a review site here.

The draft JPD 1700.3, JSC Safety and Health Policy, is also out for review.

Dan Clem x34272

 

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12.          JSC Still Imagery and Mission Video Resources Training -- March 20

Want to find that "perfect" picture? Learn how during a webinar on Wednesday, March 20, from 2:30 to  3:30 p.m. CDT. Mary Wilkerson, Still Imagery lead, will show employees how to find and obtain NASA still images in Imagery Online (IO) and the Digital Imagery Management System (DIMS). IO is now the source for on-orbit mission video from International Space Station (ISS) Expeditions and ISS assembly shuttle missions. Leslie Richards, Video Imagery lead, will show employees the video functionality in IO.

This training is open to any JSC/White Sands Test Facility contractor or civil servant. To register, click on the "Classroom/WebEx" schedule here.

This training is provided by the Information Resources Directorate.

Event Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2013   Event Start Time:2:30 PM   Event End Time:3:30 PM

Event Location: WebEx

 

Add to Calendar

 

Ebony Fondren x32490 http://library.jsc.nasa.gov

 

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13.          Space Available - APPEL - Creativity and Innovation

The goal of this course is to enable NASA personnel to be more creative and innovative in all their work, including technical and managerial. Participants will learn what enables creativity and innovation, as well as what hinders it. Participants will learn techniques and tools that they can employ in their everyday work that will enable themselves and their co-workers to be more creative and innovative.

This three-day course is for NASA's technical and managerial workforce who are seeking to increase their abilities to be both creative and innovative in their technical and managerial endeavors.

This course is available for self-registration in SATERN until March 20 and is open to civil servants and contractors.

Location: Building 12, Room 146

Dates: Tuesday to Thursday, April 24 to 26

Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED...

 

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14.          Parent's Night Out at Starport -- March 29

Enjoy a night out on the town while your kids enjoy a night with Starport. We will entertain your children with a night of games, crafts, a bounce house, pizza, a movie, dessert and loads of fun!

When: Friday, March 29, from 6 to 10 p.m.

Where: Gilruth Center

Ages: 5 to 12

Cost: $20/first child and $10/each additional sibling if registered by the Wednesday prior to event. If registered after Wednesday, the fee is $25/ first child and $15/ additional sibling.

Register at the Gilruth Center front desk. Click here for more information.

Shericka Phillips x35563 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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15.          Investigating Aircraft and Flight System Mishaps: April 23 to 25

8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in Building 20, Room 205/206. This course provides instruction in aviation and flight systems mishap investigation basics and policy. Topics discussed include: NASA NPR 8621.1B - mishap investigation requirements and terminology; investigator qualifications; board composition; and field techniques. Evidence identification; recovery and protection; witness interviewing; and site mapping, along with individual component systems and material failures, are key areas discussed during sessions on field investigation. The course contains extensive accident investigation information generally applicable to aviation accidents, which can be applied to other areas of flight systems mishaps such as unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets and balloons, and other spaceflight systems mishaps such as Genesis. To register for this course, you MUST FIRST have completed the required four-part online prerequisite: (SMA-002-07) Overview of Mishap Investigations; (SMA-002-08) Mishap Investigation Roles and Responsibilities; (SMA-002-09) Completing the Investigation and Mishap Report; and (SMA-002-10) Root Cause Analysis. Update Profile First. SATERN Registration Required. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Polly Caison x41279

 

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16.          Machinery and Machine Guarding - May 21 - Building 20, Room 205/206

This three-day course provides the student with an in-depth understanding of NASA and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements for machinery and machine guarding. It is based on the OSHA Training Institute Machinery and Machine Guarding course and provides the foundation for meeting our goal of contributing to improving the overall safety of NASA operations. The course also includes an overview of various types of common machinery used at NASA and the safety standards relating to those types of machines. There will be a final exam associated with this course, which must be passed with a 70 percent minimum score to receive course credit.

Target audience: Safety, Reliability, Quality and Maintainability professionals; maintenance repair supervisors; fabrication shop personnel; and anyone working around or with machinery.

Use this direct link for registration: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Shirley Robinson x41284

 

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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:

·         3:45 pm Central (4:45 EDT) – Exp 34 farewell & Soyuz TMA-06M hatch closure coverage

·         4:15 pm Central (5:15 EDT) –Soyuz hatch closure approximate

·         7:15 pm Central (8:15 EDT) – Soyuz undocking coverage

·         7:30 pm Central (8:30 EDT) – UNDOCKING

·         9:45 pm Central (10:45 EDT) – Soyuz deorbit burn & landing coverage

·         10:04:42 pm Central (11:04 EDT) – DEORBIT BURN (TGO 4:45 / DV 286 mph)

·         10:57:22 pm Central (11:57 EDT) – LANDING near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan

·         1 am Central FRIDAY (2 EDT) –Video File of Exp 34/Soyuz landing & post-landing activities

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, WATCH…

 

Expedition 34/35 Change of Command Ceremony

 

Wednesday afternoon Expedition 34 Commander Kevin Ford handed command of the International Space Station to Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Chris Hadfield. Upon undocking this afternoon, Hadfield officially becomes the first Canadian to command a spaceship as CDR of Expedition 35. Ford, Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin return home late tonight in their Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft.

 

Human Spaceflight News

Thursday, March 14, 2013

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Hadfield humbled as leader of ISS

Canadian astronaut takes over as skipper

 

Todd Halvorson - Florida Today

 

A Canadian for the first time took command of the International Space Station on Wednesday as an American skipper and two Russian cosmonauts prepared to return to Earth. "O, Canada," the Canadian national anthem, boomed through the outpost before U.S. astronaut Kevin Ford turned command of the station over to veteran Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. "You do me a tremendous honor by playing that song for me and my country. Thank you, very much," Hadfield said.

 

Space station trio flying home Thursday night

 

Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com

 

After turning command of the International Space Station to a Canadian astronaut for the first time, an American and two Russian crewmates will complete their five-month mission aboard the complex Thursday and return to Earth in a parachute-equipped Soyuz descent capsule. Touchdown in Kazakhstan is expected at 11:57 p.m. EDT (0357 GMT Friday). NASA's Kevin Ford and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeni Tarelkin are heading home after their tour-of-duty as part of Expeditions 33 and 34.

 

First Canadian takes command of International Space Station

 

Irene Klotz - Reuters

 

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield took the helm of the International Space Station on Wednesday, only the second time in the outpost's 12-year history that command has been turned over to someone who is not American or Russian. "It's a huge honor and a privilege for me, but also for all the people at the Canadian Space Agency and for my entire country," Hadfield, 53, said during a change of command ceremony aboard the station broadcast on NASA Television.

 

Queen Elizabeth II Congratulates 1st Canadian Space Station Commander

 

Mike Wall - Space.com

 

If becoming the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station weren't exciting enough by itself, Chris Hadfield now has the best wishes of Queen Elizabeth II to go along with it. The queen — who reigns over the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada — offered her congratulations to Hadfield, who took charge of the orbiting lab's new Expedition 35 Wednesday. "I am pleased to transmit my personal best wishes, and those of all Canadians, to Colonel Christopher Hadfield as he takes command of the International Space Station on Wednesday," Queen Elizabeth II said in a statement. "Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and the entire crew, as are our prayers for an eventual safe return to family, friends and fellow Canadians."

 

Hadfield first Canuck to lead space station

 

Canadian Press

 

The Queen and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have sent out congratulations to Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who is now commander of the International Space Station. It's the first time in the history of the space station a Canadian has assumed control of the giant orbiting space laboratory. A small change-of-command ceremony that included the playing of O Canada took place on Wednesday as the other five astronauts on board gathered around Hadfield.

 

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield takes command of the Space Station

 

Tu Thankh Ha - Globe and Mail

 

Chris Hadfield, already famous as a former test pilot, veteran astronaut and social-media sensation, assumed a new role Wednesday. Mr. Hadfield, whose online posts are followed by half a million fans on Twitter, took command of Expedition 35 of the International Space Station, the first Canadian to lead such a mission. Since people began living permanently aboard the space station 11 years ago, Mr. Hadfield is only the second astronaut who is not American or Russian to command a mission.

 

Queen sends message of support to Canadian astronaut

 

UK Guardian

 

The Queen has sent a message of support to the first Canadian astronaut to take command of the international space station. Colonel Chris Hadfield, 53, a former test pilot and Twitter sensation, is now in control of the orbiting centre after taking over from a Nasa colleague. The Queen said in her message: "I am pleased to transmit my personal best wishes, and those of all Canadians, to Colonel Christopher Hadfield as he takes command of the International Space Station on Wednesday.

 

Canadian commands space station for first time

 

Agence France Press

 

With the ringing of a ceremonial bell in space to mark a crew change, astronaut Chris Hadfield became the first Canadian to assume command of the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Canadian Space Agency called it "a historic milestone for our country." Hadfield said in a Twitter message that outgoing Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford of NASA handed him the "keys" to the spaceship, marking the start of the Hadfield-led Expedition 35.

 

Canada in charge:

Chris Hadfield becomes first Canadian to command space station

 

Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com

 

For the first time in history, a Canadian has taken charge of a space mission. Chris Hadfield, an astronaut since 1992 with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), took command of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, assuming the lead of the orbiting outpost's 35th expedition crew. "It is a huge honor and a privilege to me but also for all the people at the Canadian Space Agency ... and for my entire country," Hadfield said from on board the station during a change of command ceremony.

 

NASA official says closing unused facilities could help save money

 

Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac

 

Maintaining NASA's 4,900 facilities across the nation is something agency officials say they increasingly cannot afford. NASA's Inspector General Paul Martin said the agency needs to improve how it identifies what facilities are being used and considering options to dispose of infrastructures if there are no future plans for the facility. Of its facilities, 33 have been identified as ones without current or future projects.

 

NASA clamps down on travel spending

 

Frank Konkel - Federal Computer Week

 

Event planners hoping to book NASA speakers: You have a problem. The space agency will continue to cut its travel expenditures and conference spending in 2013 as it readies for sequestration and makes good on President Barack Obama's executive order to promote efficient agency spending. While travel and conference attendance have not been banned entirely, the new criteria ensure few if any NASA employees will be jetting off to events. ("Local Center" conferences are still permitted, so long as "there are no associated travel costs and attendance contributes to the agency's core mission.")

 

Sex in Space: Is it Unethical to Conceive a Child Out There?

 

Laura Woodmansee - Space.com (Opinion)

 

(Woodmansee holds an M.S. in Journalism from USC and is the author of "Women Astronauts," "Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier," & "Sex in Space." She contributed this piece to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.)

 

Sex in space is obviously one of those topics that gets people giggling, but it has a serious side too. If we are going to venture out into space, and really live there, then people are going to do everything they do on Earth — including having sex and making babies. Seven years ago, I wrote a book called "Sex in Space." The idea came from previous book interviews I did with women astronauts like Sally Ride and Shannon Lucid. After talking with them about the challenges of being a female on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, I became interested in what the next step of human space exploration would look like.

 

Scott will fill in as Space Florida lead

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

Space Florida lost a passionate and tireless advocate with the resignation of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who chaired the agency's board of directors, board members and industry representatives said Wednesday. Her departure, however, is not expected to hurt the Brevard County-based agency's agenda as the state's spaceport authority and aerospace economic development organization. "While it's certainly a loss for Florida's space efforts, it will not be a setback in terms of our efforts to continue to grow and to support the space industry here in Florida and in Brevard County," said Tallahassee lawyer Hayden Dempsey, a Space Florida board member and a former special counsel to Gov. Rick Scott.

__________

 

COMPLETE STORIES

 

Hadfield humbled as leader of ISS

Canadian astronaut takes over as skipper

 

Todd Halvorson - Florida Today

 

A Canadian for the first time took command of the International Space Station on Wednesday as an American skipper and two Russian cosmonauts prepared to return to Earth.

 

"O, Canada," the Canadian national anthem, boomed through the outpost before U.S. astronaut Kevin Ford turned command of the station over to veteran Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.

 

"You do me a tremendous honor by playing that song for me and my country. Thank you, very much," Hadfield said.

 

It was momentous for the Canadian Space Agency. The space station has been staffed around the clock since November 2000, and for the most part, either U.S. astronauts or Russian cosmonauts have been in command. Frank De Winne, a European Space Agency astronaut, skippered the station in 2009.

 

"It's a huge honor and a privilege for me, but also for all the people at the Canadian Space Agency, all of my hard-working co-workers at the Canadian Space Agency, and for my entire country," Hadfield said.

 

"In our time here, we set a record for the amount of science done in a given length of time. The space station is humming with hundreds of experiments. It's a very healthy spaceship because of the work that you all put in," he said.

 

"Thank you very much for giving me the keys to the family car. We're going to put some miles on it. But we'll bring it back in good shape. And I would really like to thank your crew and wish your crew soft landings."

 

Hadfield launched to the International Space Station in December along with U.S. astronaut Thomas Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko. They joined Ford and his two cosmonaut colleagues — Oleg Novitzskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin — onboard the outpost.

 

Ford, Novitzskiy and Tarelkin are scheduled to depart the station Thursday after about 140 days on the outpost, ending the 34th expedition to the complex and beginning the 35th.

 

Three other Expedition 35 crewmembers — U.S. astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin — are scheduled to launch to the station March 28.

 

Hadfield, Marshburn and Romanenko are due back in May.

 

Space station trio flying home Thursday night

 

Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com

 

After turning command of the International Space Station to a Canadian astronaut for the first time, an American and two Russian crewmates will complete their five-month mission aboard the complex Thursday and return to Earth in a parachute-equipped Soyuz descent capsule.

 

Touchdown in Kazakhstan is expected at 11:57 p.m. EDT (0357 GMT Friday).

 

NASA's Kevin Ford and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeni Tarelkin are heading home after their tour-of-duty as part of Expeditions 33 and 34.

 

The trio will say their farewells to the station's other residents -- the new Expedition 35 commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, NASA's Tom Marshburn and Russia's Roman Romanenko -- then float into the Soyuz TMA-06M craft currently docked to the station's Poisk module and close the hatchway around 5:15 p.m. EDT.

 

The homeward-bound crew will work together for a next couple of hours to power up the Soyuz, active the craft's systems, remove docking clamps, depressurize the vestibule between the capsule and station and perform other work to ready for undocking.

 

Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin have been living on the station since Oct. 25. Their departure continues the next rotation of crews and change of Expedition mission number.

 

Once the undocking happens, the station will be staffed by just Hadfield, Marshburn and Romanenko until another Russian Soyuz spacecraft launches at the end of this month.

 

Thursday's Soyuz departure activities begin when the command to open hooks and latches firmly holding the capsule to its docking port is sent at 8:27 p.m. EDT. Physical separation between the two craft occurs three minutes later at 8:30 p.m. (0030 GMT)

 

After moving a short distance from the station, the Soyuz engines will fire for 15 seconds to begin propelling the craft out of the orbiting lab's vicinity at 8:33 p.m.

 

After moving a short distance from the station, the Soyuz engines will fire for 15 seconds to begin propelling the craft out of the orbiting lab's vicinity at 8:33 p.m.

 

About two-and-a-half hours later, the capsule's engines will ignite for the deorbit burn to brake from space. The onboard computers will initiate an engine firing at 11:04 p.m. EDT (0304 GMT) that slows the ship by 286 miles per hour, just enough to slip out of orbit for the return to Earth. The burn will last 4 minutes and 45 seconds.

 

Shortly before reaching the top of the atmosphere, the Soyuz's three distinct modules will separate at 11:31 p.m. EDT (0331 GMT). The crew will be located in the Descent Module, which is sandwiched between the forward Orbital Module containing the docking mechanism and the rear Instrumentation and Propulsion Module housing the engines and avionics.

 

The Descent Module orients itself to point the ablative heat shield in the direction of travel to protect the craft and crew from the intense plunge back to Earth. At 11:34 p.m. EDT (0334 GMT) and an altitude of 63 miles, the moment of Entry Interface occurs as the capsule hits the upper fringes of the atmosphere for the fiery re-entry.

 

During the fall to Earth, the Orbital Module and Instrumentation and Propulsion Module will burn up in the atmosphere.

 

About seven minutes after Entry Interface, the crew will experience the period of maximum G-loads during entry at an altitude of 24 miles, as they feel the tug of Earth's gravity for the first time since launch.

 

At 11:43 p.m. (0343 GMT), the onboard computers will start a commanded sequence for deployment of the capsule's parachutes at an altitude of about 6.7 miles. Two "pilot" parachutes are unfurled first, extracting a drogue parachute.

 

The parachute deployment creates a gentle spin for the Soyuz as it dangles underneath the drogue chute, assisting in the capsule's stability in the final minutes before touchdown.

 

The drogue chute will be jettisoned, allowing the main parachute to be deployed. It is connected to the Descent Module by two harnesses.

 

Initially, the Descent Module will hang underneath the main parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to the horizon for aerodynamic stability, but the bottommost harness will be severed a few minutes before landing, allowing the Descent Module to hang vertically through touchdown.

 

At an altitude of just over three miles, the heat shield will be cast free. That is followed by dumping of any residual propellant from the Soyuz.

 

Once the heat shield is gone, the Soyuz altimeter is exposed to the surface of the Earth. Using a reflector system, signals are bounced to the ground from the Soyuz and reflected back, providing the capsule's computers updated information on altitude and rate of descent.

 

At an altitude of about 40 feet, cockpit displays will tell the crew to prepare for the soft landing engine firing. Just seconds before touchdown, the six solid propellant engines are fired in a final braking maneuver, enabling the Soyuz to land to complete its mission.

 

Touchdown is expected at 11:57 p.m. EDT (0357 GMT) on the steppes of Kazakhstan. The target landing spot is 51.01 degrees North latitude and 67.11 degrees East longitude. The mission concludes with a duration of 142 days, 17 hours and 7 minutes.

 

It will be about two hours after sunrise at the landing site, which is located about 52 miles north-northeast of the town of Arkalyk.

 

A group of Russian helicopters carrying the recovery forces should arrive soon after landing to help the crew exit the capsule.

 

Each crew member will be placed in special reclining chairs near the capsule for initial medical tests and begin readapting to Earth's gravity. They will be transferred into a portable medical tent erected near the touchdown point where the three crew members can remove their spacesuits.

 

Post-landing plans call for the crew to be flown from the site in helicopters.

 

First Canadian takes command of International Space Station

 

Irene Klotz - Reuters

 

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield took the helm of the International Space Station on Wednesday, only the second time in the outpost's 12-year history that command has been turned over to someone who is not American or Russian.

 

"It's a huge honor and a privilege for me, but also for all the people at the Canadian Space Agency and for my entire country," Hadfield, 53, said during a change of command ceremony aboard the station broadcast on NASA Television.

 

"Thank you very much for giving me the keys to the family car," Hadfield told outgoing station commander Kevin Ford, who is due to depart on Thursday along with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin.

 

"We're going to put some miles on it, but we'll bring it back in good shape," Hadfield said.

 

Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin have been aboard the station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 250 miles above Earth, since October.

 

Command of the station, a project of 15 nations that has been permanently staffed since November 2000, normally rotates between primary partners United States and Russia.

 

But in May 2009, Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne became the first station commander from the European Space Agency.

 

Hadfield, a veteran of two space shuttle missions, is the station's first Canadian commander.

 

Hadfield will be part of a three-man skeleton crew until NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin arrive later this month.

 

Hadfield, astronaut Thomas Marshburn and cosmonaut Roman Romanenko have been aboard the station since December 21. They are due to return to Earth on May 13.

 

Among Hadfield's first duties as commander is overseeing the packing and release of the visiting Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon cargo capsule. The capsule, making a second resupply run for NASA, is due to depart the station on March 25.

 

Hadfield has taken to Twitter to share his experiences in orbit with short messages and pictures dispatched several times a day. His followers now number more than 512,000.

 

"My heartfelt congratulations to Commander Hadfield and his family on what is an important milestone for all Canadians," Canada's Industry Minister Christian Paradis said in a statement.

 

Queen Elizabeth II Congratulates 1st Canadian Space Station Commander

 

Mike Wall - Space.com

 

If becoming the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station weren't exciting enough by itself, Chris Hadfield now has the best wishes of Queen Elizabeth II to go along with it.

 

The queen — who reigns over the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada — offered her congratulations to Hadfield, who took charge of the orbiting lab's new Expedition 35 Wednesday.

 

"I am pleased to transmit my personal best wishes, and those of all Canadians, to Colonel Christopher Hadfield as he takes command of the International Space Station on Wednesday," Queen Elizabeth II said in a statement. "Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and the entire crew, as are our prayers for an eventual safe return to family, friends and fellow Canadians."

 

Hadfield assumed command of the orbiting lab from NASA astronaut Kevin Ford during a ceremony this afternoon.

 

"Thank you very much for giving me the keys to the family car," Hadfield said during the ceremony, which featured the playing of "O Canada" in his honor. "We're going to put some miles on it, but we'll bring it back in good shape."

 

Ford and Russian cosmonauts Evgeny Tarelkin and Oleg Novitskiy will head home to Earth Thursday, marking the official end of the station's Expedition 34 and the start of Expedition 35.

 

Hadfield, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko will have the station to themselves until March 28, when three new crewmembers will arrive aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

 

Hadfield is the first citizen of a Commonwealth nation — the group of 54 countries that have maintained ties after the British Empire came to an end — to hold the space station's keys. He's just the second-ever commander who is neither a NASA astronaut nor a Russian cosmonaut. (Belgian spaceflyer Frank De Winne led Expedition 21 in 2009).

 

The guitar-strumming Hadfield had already made a mark on the space station before taking charge. Shortly after arriving in December, he played the first original song ever recorded on the space station. And in February, Hadfield performed a duet with Barenaked Ladies singer Ed Robertson, a fellow Canadian, who did his part from Earth.

 

Hadfield first Canuck to lead space station

 

Canadian Press

 

The Queen and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have sent out congratulations to Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who is now commander of the International Space Station.

 

It's the first time in the history of the space station a Canadian has assumed control of the giant orbiting space laboratory.

 

A small change-of-command ceremony that included the playing of O Canada took place on Wednesday as the other five astronauts on board gathered around Hadfield.

 

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, the outgoing commander, surprised Hadfield when he played the Canadian national anthem over a speaker.

 

Hadfield said Ford did a "tremendous honour for playing that song for me and my country."

 

The 53-year-old space veteran also thanked Ford for giving him "the keys to the family car."

 

"We're gonna put some miles on it, but we'll bring it back in good shape," Hadfield said.

 

The transfer of command to Hadfield is the start of what's officially designated "Expedition 35."

 

A member of the ground crew also relayed congratulations to Hadfield and passed along best wishes from the Queen.

 

Aside from Hadfield, the only other space station commander who wasn't either American or Russian was Frank De Winne of Belgium.

 

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield takes command of the Space Station

 

Tu Thankh Ha - Globe and Mail

 

Chris Hadfield, already famous as a former test pilot, veteran astronaut and social-media sensation, assumed a new role Wednesday. Mr. Hadfield, whose online posts are followed by half a million fans on Twitter, took command of Expedition 35 of the International Space Station, the first Canadian to lead such a mission.

 

Since people began living permanently aboard the space station 11 years ago, Mr. Hadfield is only the second astronaut who is not American or Russian to command a mission.

 

"I have devoted pretty much my whole adult life … to getting to this position where someone would trust me to command what is, in effect, the world's spaceship," Mr. Hadfield said in an interview with The Globe and Mail before he left in December for his five-month mission.

 

The 53-year-old retired Canadian Forces colonel took the helm from NASA's Kevin Ford, who is flying back to Earth this week with his two Russian flight engineers.

 

Mr. Ford surprised Mr. Hadfield when he played the Canadian national anthem over a speaker as part of the transfer of command.

 

A member of the ground crew also relayed congratulations to Mr. Hadfield and passed along best wishes from the Queen.

 

With the arrival of another group of astronauts at the end of the month, Mr. Hadfield will command two American and three Russian crew members.

 

The crew will keep busy operating scores of medical experiments and maintaining the ISS, often described as the most complex and expensive structure ever launched into orbit.

 

The commander's job is most critical when there are emergencies, Mr. Hadfield says.

 

"If someone has a serious medical problem … If we had a major technical emergency on board, a puncture, so that we start losing pressure, or contaminated atmosphere or smoke or a fire, then … I am in charge."

 

The risks aren't theoretical. In 1997, an oxygen-generating canister aboard the aging Russian Mir space station burned out of control for 15 minutes, filling the cabin with smoke and soot. Four months later, a supply ship crashed into Mir. The station began to depressurize until the crew sealed off the leaking module.

 

In such situations, Mr. Hadfield says, the decisions a commander makes within the first minutes of a crisis can be the difference between life and death.

 

"Professionally, it is both an enormous thrill but also a great challenge to be asked to do this."

 

Queen sends message of support to Canadian astronaut

Colonel Chris Hadfield is sent best wishes and prayers from monarch as he takes command of International Space Station

 

UK Guardian

 

The Queen has sent a message of support to the first Canadian astronaut to take command of the international space station.

 

Colonel Chris Hadfield, 53, a former test pilot and Twitter sensation, is now in control of the orbiting centre after taking over from a Nasa colleague.

 

The Queen said in her message: "I am pleased to transmit my personal best wishes, and those of all Canadians, to Colonel Christopher Hadfield as he takes command of the International Space Station on Wednesday.

 

"Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and the entire crew, as are our prayers for an eventual safe return to family, friends and fellow Canadians."

 

The Canadian is a Twitter user with more than 500,000 followers and in response he tweeted: "If anything can make one's jaw drop in weightlessness, it is to be honoured by the Queen herself. I am amazed & humbled."

 

His mission on the space station began in December when he and colleagues blasted into space aboard a Russian rocket and he will remain in orbit until May.

 

In June 1992 he was selected to become an astronaut – one of four chosen out of 5,330 applicants – and three years later was part of a Nasa space shuttle mission that docked with the Russian space station Mir.

 

He also became the first Canadian to complete a space walk in 2001, helping to install a robot crane on the International Space Station.

 

The Canadian has been orbiting over the UK on Wednesday and earlier tweeted about different parts of the country he could see.

 

The astronaut even tweeted a picture and described the image: "Hull and the Humber Estuary, Yorkshire, England, on a picture-perfect beautiful day."

 

The astronaut told Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper that his role was crucial: "If someone has a serious medical problem … if we had a major technical emergency on board, a puncture, so that we start losing pressure, or contaminated atmosphere or smoke or fire, then … I am in charge."

 

Canadian commands space station for first time

 

Agence France Press

 

With the ringing of a ceremonial bell in space to mark a crew change, astronaut Chris Hadfield became the first Canadian to assume command of the International Space Station on Wednesday.

 

The Canadian Space Agency called it "a historic milestone for our country."

 

Hadfield said in a Twitter message that outgoing Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford of NASA handed him the "keys" to the spaceship, marking the start of the Hadfield-led Expedition 35.

 

The two men also shook hands and gave short speeches, and Ford offered Hadfield a few gifts.

 

A fan back on Earth, meanwhile, offered Hadfield this advice in a Twitter message: "Don't lock your keys inside the spaceship. You'd have to break into the ship and everyone would think you were stealing it."

 

Hadfield, 53, rocketed into space in December on a 147-day mission. It was his third trip into space and his second to the ISS.

 

He took the helm of the ISS -- which orbits the Earth from a distance of 350 kilometers (217 miles), circling the planet every 90 minutes at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour -- as three astronauts from the previous mission departed for home.

 

As ISS commander, Hadfield will oversee the station's operations, including over 100 scientific experiments, and be responsible for the safety of the crew and the station.

 

Canada in charge:

Chris Hadfield becomes first Canadian to command space station

 

Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com

 

For the first time in history, a Canadian has taken charge of a space mission.

 

Chris Hadfield, an astronaut since 1992 with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), took command of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, assuming the lead of the orbiting outpost's 35th expedition crew.

 

"It is a huge honor and a privilege to me but also for all the people at the Canadian Space Agency ... and for my entire country," Hadfield said from on board the station during a change of command ceremony.

 

"So, for the International Space Station Program, all the international partners, thank you very much for giving me the keys to the 'family car.' We're going to put some miles on it but we'll bring it back in good shape," he said.

 

Hadfield, who is approaching his 100th day on the space station since launching in December, took over command from NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, who led Expedition 34. Ford and cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin are set to leave the space station to return to Earth aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on Thursday evening.

 

"We're very proud of Chris," Ford remarked, after playing a recording of the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada," in Hadfield's honor. "We are very proud of Canada as our partner in this International Space Station. We are really proud most of all that the space station is such a fantastic example of international cooperation."

 

Canada is one of 15 partner nations that comprise the International Space Station program. As a part of its contribution to the complex, the Canadian Space Agency provided the orbital laboratory's robotic arm, the Canadarm2, as well as a two-armed robot named Dextre, which is also used to move and manipulate items outside the station.

 

Hadfield, along with NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and cosmonaut Roman Romanenko are scheduled to stay on the space station through May. They will be joined later this month by three new Expedition 35 crew members, including Chris Cassidy of NASA and cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Aleksandr Misurkin, both with Roscosmos.

 

This is not the first time that Chris Hadfield has made Canadian history. In addition to his new role as the first Canadian space commander, Hadfield earlier set the record as the first Canadian to walk in space in 2001 and was the first of his countrymen to visit the International Space Station on that same mission 12 years ago.

 

"He's a uniquely talented person on the planet and now a uniquely talented person off the planet," said Ford.

 

Commanding the world's spaceship

 

In a pre-flight interview with collectSPACE.com, Hadfield described his taking command of the space station as a "watershed moment" for Canada while also acknowledging his crew's place in the orbiting laboratory's history.

 

"I am the commander of Expedition 35. I mean, 35 is a big number, it is not like we're going to revolutionize the world. We are not taking the first steps on the moon," Hadfield told collectSPACE. "But for Canada, this is a very visible and tangible measure of accomplishment that has been a long time coming and hard earned."

 

"It is rare, in fact, it is a brand new, unprecedented thing for Canada to be able to command what is in essence the world's spaceship," Hadfield said.

 

This year marks the 50th anniversary since the launch of Alouette, Canada's first satellite in space, and it has been 29 years since astronaut Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to orbit the Earth.

 

"I stand on the shoulders of so many that have made this possible, and now take my turn to try and add to that solid foundation for the Canadians that follow," Hadfield said in a statement after becoming Expedition 35 commander.

 

Hadfield's rise to command the station was recognized in statements released by Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper and by the Queen of England Elizabeth II.

 

"Today, on behalf of all my fellow citizens, I would like to congratulate our very own space pioneer, Chris Hadfield, who is continuing in that fine tradition of pushing the limits by being named the first Canadian to take command of the International Space Station," Harper said.

 

Hadfield is not a stranger to being hailed on the national level. His likeness has appeared on Canadian stamps and coins, and schools, roads and an airport have been named after him.

 

"It's a tremendous honor to be on a stamp for the country, or to have my face on one side of a coin and the Queen on the other," Hadfield told collectSPACE. "To be at that level is a little bit of a giddy-feeling but at the same time, it is very surreal and mostly is just a palpable and tangible measure of hopefully a life well lived."

 

The dawn of Expedition 35

 

As Expedition 35 begins on board the space station — a moment marked when the prior crew departs for Earth — Hadfield and his shipmates will adopt a new mission patch to signify the transition.

 

Hadfield sought the assistance of another Canadian, artist and writer Paul Fjeld, to come up with the design for the Expedition 35 crew emblem.

The oval-shaped insignia portrays a natural moonlit view of the Earth as seen from the station at the moment of an orbital sunrise.

 

"We all agreed we wanted it to be simple and expressive, inherently beautiful and we didn't needed our names on it," Hadfield described. "The purpose of the patch was not to advertise who we were but instead to try to capture the essence of this particular part of space exploration."

 

According to the crew, the emblem's depiction of the arc of the Earth's horizon with the sun's arrows of light was to symbolize "a bow shooting the imagination to Mars and the cosmos where our species may one day thrive."

 

"[The patch] puts together the beauty of the big mother Earth below us and where we are heading, with the moon and Mars," Hadfield said. "It puts it all into the context of the wonderful endlessness of space with the things that we don't know yet."

 

NASA official says closing unused facilities could help save money

 

Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac

 

Maintaining NASA's 4,900 facilities across the nation is something agency officials say they increasingly cannot afford.

 

NASA's Inspector General Paul Martin said the agency needs to improve how it identifies what facilities are being used and considering options to dispose of infrastructures if there are no future plans for the facility. Of its facilities, 33 have been identified as ones without current or future projects.

 

Echoing current criticisms of the space program's lack of a clear mission, Martin said the agency maintains too many programs and not enough funding. As facilities built for specific projects  come to a conclusion, the facilities are left unused, such as the space shuttle program which included in 2011.

 

"NASA is still saddled with vastly more infrastructures and facilities than it, frankly, can maintain in a safe way," he told members of a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science on Wednesday.

 

However, closing the facilities create political tension as lawmakers fight against closing any facility in their district. Martin said there's a fight to keep facilities to maintain viability for housing future projects that would bring more jobs.

 

"There's a good bit of political pushback when you're talking about an arc jet or a wind tunnel or an airfield in someone's district being potentially excessed so there has to be some political will," Martin said.

 

Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., said the economy and technology changes too fast to maintain outdated facilities and would rather see one operating successfully and supporting jobs. However, Graves admitting he didn't have a NASA center in his own district.

 

One Houston facility has received such Congressional outcry.  In February 2012, House members from Texas were outraged by NASA's plans to close down a test facility at Houston's Johnson Space Center. The 27 Democrats and Republicans sent a letter to NASA administrator Charles Bolden to delay any plans to shut the facility down. The center was used to assess the impact of re-entry on spacecraft, which officials said would be shifted over to the Ames Research Facility, located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley.

 

Despite the effort, the arc jet facility in Houston is still in the process of closing, though no final closing date has yet been set.

 

"While I have advocated large and significant spending cuts, NASA is not the place to start," said Rep. Steve Stockman, whose district includes the Johnson Space Center, in a statement on Wednesday.

 

Eighty percent of the agency's facilities are over 40 years old and outdated, but policies that require these facilities to be kept in safe condition has led to an estimated $2.3 billion in deferred payments.  Martin said the space agency and Congress need to be more eager to come to the table and talk about selling, leasing, or demolishing structures no longer in use.

 

NASA clamps down on travel spending

 

Frank Konkel - Federal Computer Week

 

Event planners hoping to book NASA speakers: You have a problem.

 

The space agency will continue to cut its travel expenditures and conference spending in 2013 as it readies for sequestration and makes good on President Barack Obama's executive order to promote efficient agency spending.

 

While travel and conference attendance have not been banned entirely, the new criteria ensure few if any NASA employees will be jetting off to events. ("Local Center" conferences are still permitted, so long as "there are no associated travel costs and attendance contributes to the agency's core mission.") To attend a domestic conference that requires travel, the event must:

 

1. Be "essential and/or necessary;"

2. Contribute to NASA's core mission;

3. "Substantially involve" the attendee (moderating a panel does not qualify, though presenting may); and

4. Remote participation by phone or video conference is not possible;

The bar for attending international conferences is even higher.

 

NASA released a statement to FCW on March 12 after rumors swirled when NASA employees scheduled to speak at events had to cancel.

 

"NASA has moved aggressively to reduce its conference spending, and over the past calendar year has reduced costs by 30 percent," the statement said. "In addition, the agency reduced travel costs by $21 million in Fiscal Year 2012. As we address the impact of sequestration on the agency's operations, we will continue to look for ways to more efficiently and cost-effectively carry out the agency's missions of exploration, scientific discovery, and research and development."

 

The agency's policy was established in January, and affects all NASA centers and personnel, according to a spokesperson.

 

In a March 13 email to agency employees and contractors that included the new policy guidelines, NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, Jr., wrote that "It should be no surprise that sequestration has required us to take a hard look at realizing savings while minimizing mission impacts.... These guidelines call for increased scrutiny of and reductions in travel and training expenditures for the remainder of FY 2013. They also call for new limits on monetary awards as well as conference sponsorships and attendance."

 

The new guidelines apply "to NASA employees and to all contract employees, including JPL employees, to extent permissible," Bolden wrote. "You should know that Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and I have already begun to adjust our activities in line with these guidelines. We have both canceled travel and participation in the April National Space Symposium in Colorado and I have also canceled a planned overseas trip."

 

Bolden also stressed that NASA does not plan to furlough employees, and that no changes have been made to agency hiring policy.

 

Sex in Space: Is it Unethical to Conceive a Child Out There?

 

Laura Woodmansee - Space.com (Opinion)

 

(Woodmansee holds an M.S. in Journalism from USC and is the author of "Women Astronauts," "Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier," & "Sex in Space." She contributed this piece to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.)

 

Sex in space is obviously one of those topics that gets people giggling, but it has a serious side too. If we are going to venture out into space, and really live there, then people are going to do everything they do on Earth — including having sex and making babies.

 

Seven years ago, I wrote a book called "Sex in Space." The idea came from previous book interviews I did with women astronauts like Sally Ride and Shannon Lucid. After talking with them about the challenges of being a female on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, I became interested in what the next step of human space exploration would look like.

 

I felt then, and still do today, that it's important for any spacefaring society to discuss sex and reproduction beyond Earth. To put it simply, we need to know exactly what we're getting into because the consequences affect not only us, but the next generation of human beings.

 

Although we've been studying the health of astronauts in orbit for fifty plus years, we've never really looked into how the human reproductive system responds to the microgravity of Earth orbit, the low gravity of the Moon or Mars, or the hyper-gravity of a giant planet. It's an understandably sensitive topic, especially for a public agency such as NASA or the ESA.

 

The news that University of Montreal researchers found that reproductive processes in plants were affected by changes in gravity is very important because it gives us a clue as to how the human reproductive system might react to micro- or hyper-gravity. That study only increases my concern that there could be trouble ahead for babies conceived in space, as well as for the mothers.

 

According to the University of Montreal study, changes in gravity affect both the "traffic flow" and the formation of the cell. Can you imagine how those kinds of changes would affect a human embryo? At this point in time, I hope that no one would want to do that experiment.

 

Couples going on space vacations are bound to want to have a good time. Maybe space tourism companies ought to consider banning conception in orbit. I realize this may seem extreme. But consider the fact that doctors prescribe medications with warnings about pregnancy. Maybe spaceflight ought to come with a warning label: 'Don't get pregnant in space.' Sex in space education anyone? Just a thought . . .

 

The research that has come out today on plant sex and conception in space highlights the fact that we simply don't know the impact space conditions would have on human conception and pregnancy. Right now, it would be unethical to conceive a baby in orbit, or even risk conception. That's my bottom line.

 

Scott will fill in as Space Florida lead

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

Space Florida lost a passionate and tireless advocate with the resignation of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who chaired the agency's board of directors, board members and industry representatives said Wednesday.

 

Her departure, however, is not expected to hurt the Brevard County-based agency's agenda as the state's spaceport authority and aerospace economic development organization.

 

"While it's certainly a loss for Florida's space efforts, it will not be a setback in terms of our efforts to continue to grow and to support the space industry here in Florida and in Brevard County," said Tallahassee lawyer Hayden Dempsey, a Space Florida board member and a former special counsel to Gov. Rick Scott.

 

Gov. Scott becomes Space Florida's interim board chair, but his next appointee as lieutenant governor is expected to assume Carroll's old role.

 

Danny Gaekwad, another board member, described Carroll as a hard worker who never needed to refer to notes when she spoke around the world about the state's space industry.

 

"She had such a passion for Space Florida and she was such an advocate, and I hate to lose her," said Gaekwad, an Ocala-based CEO of information technology and hotel companies.

 

Outsiders also credited Carroll for getting up to speed on and promoting space issues, and, as a Navy veteran, knowing how to communicate with military officials and contractors.

 

"She was very effective," said Edward Ellegood, a space policy analyst at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. "Her efforts were always paid attention to by the Legislature, by industry, by the federal government, as well. So she brought a lot to the industry at a time when we really need it."

 

The space industry is still rebounding from the shuttle program's retirement, while tightening federal budgets and sequestration are putting pressure on NASA and the Defense Department.

 

Don White, chair of last week's Florida Space Day event in Tallahassee, in which Carroll participated, said Carroll understood the aerospace industry's importance to the state's economy, and that support is now broad.

 

"Though the lieutenant governor was perhaps our most visible supporter, aerospace industry support among our legislators in the Senate and House has never been greater," said White, general manager of Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. "We will continue to work with our legislators toward the common goal of growing our state's economy."

 

END