Thursday, July 25, 2013

Fwd: NASA News - my version and JSC Today - Thursday, July 25, 2013



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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: July 25, 2013 6:21:22 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: NASA News - my version and JSC Today - Thursday, July 25, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Headlines

  1. Coverage of Station Cargo Ship Activities

NASA TV will broadcast live coverage of the departure of one Russian cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station today, July 25, and the launch and docking of another to the station Saturday, July 27.

The Progress 50 resupply ship currently moored to the space station's Pirs docking compartment will undock at 3:43 p.m. CDT today. Progress 50 arrived at the station in February, and will depart filled with trash and then burn up during reentry over the Pacific Ocean. NASA TV coverage of undocking will begin at 3:44 p.m.

The departure will clear Pirs for the arrival of Progress 52, another unpiloted cargo craft loaded with almost three tons of food, fuel, supplies and experiment hardware for the six crew members aboard the orbiting laboratory. Progress 52 is scheduled to launch at 3:45 p.m. Saturday (2:45 a.m. Kazakh time Sunday, July 28) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA TV coverage of launch begins at 3:30 p.m.

Progress 52's expedited four-orbit, six-hour trip to the station will result in rendezvous and docking at 9:26 p.m. NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 8:45 p.m.

JSC, Ellington Field, Sonny Carter Training Facility and White Sands Test Facility team members with wired computer network connections can view NASA TV using the JSC EZTV IP Network TV System on channels 404 (standard definition) or 4541 (HD). Please note: EZTV currently requires using Internet Explorer on a Windows PC connected to the JSC computer network with a wired connection. Mobile devices, Wi-Fi connections and newer MAC computers are currently not supported by EZTV. 

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/station

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  1. Expedition Special Event at Space Center Houston

The International Space Station Expedition Special Event featuring Kevin Ford, Expedition 33 flight engineer and Expedition 34 commander; Oleg Novitskiy, Expedition 33/34 flight engineer; Evgeny Tarelkin, Expedition 33/34 flight engineer; Tom Marshburn, Expedition 34/35 flight engineer; Chris Hadfield, Expedition 34 flight engineer and Expedition 35 commander; and Roman Romanenko, Expedition 34/35 flight engineer, will be held tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Space Center Houston Theater. The event will consist of awards, slides, a video presentation and question-and-answer session. This event is free and open to JSC employees, contractors, friends, family members and public guests.

Event Date: Thursday, July 25, 2013   Event Start Time:7:30 PM   Event End Time:9:00 PM
Event Location: Space Center Houston

Add to Calendar

Jessica Ocampo 281-792-7804

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  1. Nominate an Innovator

On June 18, our Innovation 2013 Committee honored individuals and teams around JSC that embody the spirit of innovation. The pictures and citations from our "Nominate an Innovator" awards ceremony have been published to our website.

Check out our website here.

Suzan P. Thomas x48772 https://innovation2013.jsc.nasa.gov/

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  1. Vote for your New NASA@work Award System

New challenge on NASA@work! As Good as Dollars: Follow-up Challenge - Vote Now for your New NASA@work Award System! (deadline: Aug. 21). Take this opportunity to cast your vote and have a say in the design of the NASA@work award system.

Are you new to NASA@work? NASA@work is an agencywide, collaborative problem-solving platform that connects the collective knowledge of experts (like YOU) from all centers across NASA. Challenge owners post problems, and members of the NASA@work community participate by responding with their solutions to posted problems. Anyone can participate!

Kathryn Keeton 281-204-1519 http://nasa.innocentive.com

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  1. Recent JSC Announcements

Please visit the JSC Announcements (JSCA) Web page to view the newly posted announcements:

JSCA 13-024: Communications with Industry Procurement Solicitation for the Advanced Technology & Integration Contract (ATIC)

JSCA 13-025: Communications with Industry Procurement Solicitation for the Software, Robotics and Space Systems Services (SRS3) Contract

Archived announcements are also available on the JSCA Web page.

Linda Turnbough x36246 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/DocumentManagement/announcements/default.aspx

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   Organizations/Social

  1. Save the Date - YODA Mid-Point Event Aug. 27

Join us for the annual YODA Mid-Point Event on Aug.27 from noon to 3 p.m. in the Gilruth Alamo Ballroom. Enjoy lunch and an interactive event with fellow YODA participants. You will also have the opportunity to learn about several Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). The $10 tickets can be purchased in the Buildings 3 and 11 cafés now through Aug. 16.

Event Date: Tuesday, August 27, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:3:00 PM
Event Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom

Add to Calendar

YODA Team x27831

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   Jobs and Training

  1. Organizational Culture and Capabilities Workshop

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 12:30 to 4 p.m., come join us! Oxford professor Loizos Heracleous will facilitate the JSC workshop: Evolving Organizational Culture and Capabilities to Sustain Success. He will discuss examples of organizations that have evolved their cultures and capabilities in response to the requirements and imperatives of their environments. Following this discussion, participants will join in a strategic thinking exercise on how each JSC member can enable the future of JSC through their organizations. Take a look at the course introductory video.

Registration is open to all of JSC (contractors and civil servants). Space is limited, so please plan to register early using this SATERN link: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=REGISTRATI...

Sonia Hernandez-Moya x31752 http://ao.jsc.nasa.gov/pages.ashx/1/Home

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  1. JSC Imagery Online Training - July 30

Need to find mission pictures or videos? Learn how during a webinar on Thursday, July 30, from 1 to 2:15 p.m. CDT. Mary Wilkerson, Still Imagery lead, will show users how to find and NASA mission images in Imagery Online (IO) and the Digital Imagery Management System (DIMS). Leslie Richards, Video Imagery lead, will show employees the video functionality in IO. This training is open to any JSC/White Sands Test Facility employee. To register for the WebEx, click here.

This training is provided by the Information Resources Directorate.

Event Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2013   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:2:15 PM
Event Location: WebEx

Add to Calendar

Scientific & Technical Information Center x34245 http://library.jsc.nasa.gov

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   Community

  1. Get the Truck STUFFED and Puffed

Friday, July 26, is the very last day for JSC Feeds Families donations, and it concludes in the Space Center Houston parking lot from 7:30 to 9 a.m. This is the final push for donations with our "Stuff a Truck" event, and we need you to show your JSC spirit as we get that truck stuffed, puffed and barely able to wheel out of the parking lot!

Buy something from the grocery store and drive through to drop off your donations. You don't even have to get out of your car. There will be lots of familiar faces on hand to help. Robonaut and a Mars rover will also be there, so bring your cameras.

As a thank you to those that come with a grocery bag full of food, you'll receive a ticket (limit four per vehicle) to the Apollo 13 Movie Night being held in August. (Gene Kranz will host movie night and share his experiences. Afterward, he will be signing autographs.)

Get your game face on and your game plan ready and come to stuff a truck! Let's reach 50,000 pounds.

JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111

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  1. Save the Date - Aug. 15 - Voyage Back to School

JSC and Space Center Houston (SCH) invite the JSC community and their families to attend NASA's Summer of Innovation (SoI) 2013 Voyage Back to School community event at SCH on Aug. 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. NASA's SoI program partners with school districts and non-profit organizations in the JSC region to provide summer science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) camps for middle school students. Come celebrate all our children's summer successes and enjoy an evening of hands-on activities, speakers and educational shows to inspire and excite your children as they prepare to return to school. The event is free to the JSC Community and their families. For more information about SoI, please visit our website.

We would like to extend an invitation to Bring Our Child to Work (BOCTW) participants to remain at SCH to attend NASA's SoI Voyage Back to School community event from 4 to 7 p.m. 

Event Date: Thursday, August 15, 2013   Event Start Time:4:00 PM   Event End Time:7:00 PM
Event Location: Space Center Houston

Add to Calendar

JSC External Relations, Office of Education x37836

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  1. Be an Image Detective Today With Astronaut Imagery

Locate astronaut photography of Earth and earn points for your successes. Your investigation results will be added to the database for The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website. Your discoveries will help users of our website from around the world to find, appreciate and use the images taken by astronauts to share their experiences in space.

Get started now by going to The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth and click on the "Image Detective" badge.

Have fun and happy hunting!

Melissa Dawson x30303 http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

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JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles.

Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters.

 

 

 

 

LEADING THE NEWS

Parachutes Appear To Work Fine During Orion Capsule Test

By Todd Halvorson

Florida Today, July 25, 2013

NASA's Orion spacecraft scored an apparent success today during a drop test that simulated a main parachute failure during descent toward an Arizona desert.

The full-scale Orion test vehicle was dropped from a military cargo plane 35,000 feet above the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground.

Live video broadcast on NASA TV showed the conical capsule descending under three huge red-and-white striped parachutes. The main parachute failed, but the two remaining lowered the craft to what appeared to be a relatively soft landing.

"We have touchdown," NASA test commentator Brandi Dean said.

Officials at the site said the test appeared to be a success. The Orion spacecraft is designed to land safely despite a main parachute failure.

NASA is developing the Orion spacecraft for human expeditions beyond Earth orbit. Asteroids, the moon, Mars and the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos are potential destinations.

The first flight test of an Orion spacecraft is scheduled to take place in September 2014 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket will propel the Orion to a point 3,600 miles away from Earth.

Then, at the end of its second orbit, the Orion will reenter Earth's atmosphere at about 20,000 mph – a velocity that is 84 percent of the reentry speed of a spacecraft returning from beyond Earth orbit. Ten of 16 systems most critical to crew safety will be tested during the flight.

The Orion for the flight test is now being prepared for the mission at a Lockheed Martin factory located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

 

NASA NEWS

New For Space Tourists: A Light, Comfy Space Suit

By Joey Carmichael

Popular Science, July 25, 2013

Final Frontier Design, a Brooklyn, NY-based space company, unveiled their new "3G" space suit yesterday on Capitol Hill. The company's previous suit won a 2013 Popular Science invention award, and this third-generation suit builds on four years of research and development.

The space suit is safe for both suborbital and orbital commercial space travel. But Final Frontier's intentions reach beyond mere safety: the suit is also "comfortable, lightweight, and inexpensive" compared with other spacesuits, according to a press release.

Here are the cool features: A single-layer pressure garment system (two fused pieces of durable, airtight urethane-coated nylon) makes the suit comfortable and flexible, once inflated. It also has 13 adjustment points for sizing and a carbon-fiber waist ring to make it lighter. Finally, it has cooling loops for your head, chest, hands, and feet (so you don't overheat in there).

The company premiered the suit as part of NASA's "Tech Day on the Hill." Along with over 500 staff and guests, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (pictured above) and 16 members of Congress were in attendance.

Space suits have sure come a long way over the years...

Eleven From 11: Search For States' Missing Apollo 11 Moon Rocks Continues

By Robert Pearlman

collectSPACE, July 25, 2013

Eleven states' Apollo 11 moon rocks are missing.

Despite a search that has lasted more than a decade, the current whereabouts of the Apollo 11 moon rocks gifted to Alabama, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin are still unknown.

The eleventh missing display, presented to Delaware, was stolen in 1976.

Forty-four years ago Wednesday (July 24), astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins returned to Earth after completing the first mission to land on the moon. The souvenirs of the moonwalkers' success were 48.5 pounds (22 kg) of lunar material, including samples of the moon's fine-grain soil and 50 rocks.

As the first-ever geologic return from another world, every pebble was scientifically precious, even the scraps found at the bottom of the astronauts' collection bags. So it was a particularly prestigious honor when four months after the Apollo 11 mission, then-President Richard Nixon decided to award tiny specimens — 0.05 grams (0.002 oz) each in the form of four specks — to each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as the nation's territories and 135 foreign nations.

Each of the displays' four small stones were embedded in a single acrylic button and mounted to a desktop wooden podium. Accompanying the moon rocks was a small state or country flag, which had been flown to the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts.

At the base of the display were mounted two plaques, one reading in part: "This flag of your nation was carried to the moon and back by Apollo 11 and this fragment of the moon's surface was brought to Earth by the crew of that first manned lunar landing."

Lost moon

The displays that were exported outside the United States have been difficult to find four decades later. Geographical and language barriers have complicated a search already hindered by the passage of time. Nearly 100 of the gifts are currently unaccounted for; either they are truly missing or have yet to be found by the mostly-American graduate students, historians and space enthusiasts conducting the search.

As the displays are no longer U.S. property, NASA has no responsibility or need to track them. The same is true for the states' samples, but as they are still within the borders of the nation, it was assumed that the common laws that govern public gifts would make finding them rather easy.

Some of the moon rock displays are exactly where you would expect to find them: museums, state capitols and archives. Among the 39 states' samples that have been catalogued, about one-fourth of them are presently held in storage for safekeeping or are on hold for the state's next planned temporary or permanent displays. The others are on exhibit for the public to see.

Some of those now on display however, had to be found first.

Hawaii's was rediscovered after it was stored in a cabinet in the executive chambers of the state capitol building. Minnesota's moon rocks had been put away with military artifacts before being found and transferred to the state's historical society last year. Nebraska's display was lost in the governor's mansion until building renovations resulted in the moon rocks resurfacing.

And then there was the case of Alaska's Apollo 11 lunar sample display, which disappeared in 1973 after a fire tore though the museum where they were on exhibit. In 2010, they reemerged in the possession of a reality TV star, who tried to sue the state to gain legal title to the moon rocks. He ultimately surrendered them.

Missing moon

Of those that are still missing, someone swiped the moon rocks right off Delaware's display some 37 years ago. The state's Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs still has the blank wooden podium but hasn't any new leads on the lunar larceny.

But at least Delaware knows where their four small specks of the moon once were; the efforts to turn up the other 10 states' samples have so far been unsuccessful.

The Apollo 11 sample displays were not the only pieces of the moon gifted to the states. A similar presentation was made after the final lunar landing.

The Apollo 17 goodwill moon rocks were gifted attached to a wooden plaque rather than a podium and each included one stone rather than four specks.

Eight states have yet to find their Apollo 17 goodwill moon rocks including Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

History of the Goodwill moon rock

In 1972, two astronauts dedicated a moon rock to the nations of the world. Over 100 countries were gifted a piece of this rock. Where are they today?

Space Art Eyes Creativity In Tech At Smithsonian

By Brett Zongker

Associated Press, July 25, 2013

The familiar exteriors of astronauts' spacesuits often hide all of the ingenuity and mechanics that are built inside the suits, which were first imagined as "wearable spacecraft."

Now a new art exhibit, "Suited for Space," opening Friday at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, highlights the creativity behind the suits that allowed humans to explore the moon and aspire to fly farther from Earth.

X-ray images and photographs show the suits in intricate detail, said space history curator Cathleen Lewis. The museum's X-rays are the first such images ever created to study, conserve and research the nation's spacesuits.

"You don't realize what a complex machine these are," Lewis said. But the X-rays of Alan Shepard's Apollo spacesuit and a 1960s prototype "allow visitors to see beyond what is visible to the naked eye, through the protective layers of the suit to see the substructures that are embedded inside."

The exhibition traces the evolution of the spacesuit from the early high-altitude test flight suits of the 1930s to the dawn of the space age with Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle missions.

While technology drove much of the suit design to maintain an airtight barrier to the vacuum of space and to protect from solar radiation, fashion aesthetics of the time also played a role, Lewis said. The original Mercury seven astronaut suits were unique from all others with a silvery coating to introduce America's space explorers to the world.

"NASA had a demand to create the astronauts into a whole new corps, a non-military corps. So here was an opportunity to dress them in a new uniform ... that evokes sensibilities of that Buck Rogers imagination," she said. "All of these guys, the engineers, they grew up on science fiction. They fed it with their ideas, and they were consumers of it at the same time."

Curators are working to find ways to preserve spacesuits because some materials are decomposing, discoloring or becoming rigid some 50 years after they were created.

The spacesuit show is traveling to 10 cities, moving next to Tampa, Fla., Philadelphia and Seattle through 2015.

Two companion exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum also highlight 50 artworks of about 550 new items added to the Smithsonian's growing space art collection over the past decade. They include portraits of astronomer Carl Sagan and astrophysicist Neal deGrasse Tyson, and a photograph of first female shuttle commander Eileen Collins by photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The museum's art collection includes 7,000 paintings, drawings, prints, posters and sculptures. Curators have been working to add more contemporary and conceptual art over the past 10 years.

Chief Curator Peter Jakab said art helps people reflect on aerospace achievements and the humanity imbued in each machine.

Albert Watson, a photographer known for his portraits of celebrities, such as Steve Jobs, and of fashion, took a break in 1990 to photograph spacesuits and other artifacts. More recently, he donated two large-scale prints of an Apollo glove and boot to the museum.

Watson said he was captivated by the thought of suits that traveled in space and came back covered with moon dust.

"When you deal with celebrities every day or super models every day and fashion people every day, there is always a nice escape to go into still life," he said. "As a child, I loved science fiction. I always remember arguing with my father about rocket ships. He said man will never go into space, he said, because what goes up must come down."

The museum also has acquired a sculpture by Angela Palmer that evokes 46 different earth-like worlds that have been discovered by NASA's Kepler Observatory. The piece, entitled "Searching for Goldilocks," involves 18 sheets of glass marked with circles for each star with an orbiting planet.

It refers to "Goldilocks" planets that might support life. They range from 132 light-years to about 4,300 light-years away.

"If you have a look, you can stand there looking from Earth, as if you are the eye of the telescope," she said. "Or you can go to the back of the sculpture, and you can be thrown back towards Earth — 4,300 light years straight back down."

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

ISS Producing Some Revenue From Commercial Projects

By Frank Morring

Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 25, 2013

Some early entrepreneurs are starting to see returns on their investments in International Space Station (ISS) business, as the $100 billion orbiting laboratory continues a slow turn away from assembly operations to utilization.

Some 28% of U.S. rack space on the station remains unused, NASA officials say. The station still has not reached its full capacity, in part because worries about how long it will remain in orbit and what happens to intellectual property generated there give pause to some potential users.

Those concerns have not stopped Nanoracks LLC, a Houston-based startup that built a low-cost small-payload accommodation based on the cubesat standard and persuaded NASA to install it on the ISS three years ago.

Since then the company has expanded on that model to offer space on several internal and external ISS facilities, and has plans for another significant addition to its revenue stream.

The work won Nanoracks the first American Astronautical Society ISS innovation award at the organization's space station research and development conference here last week. But more importantly, the company is moving ahead with a new station app that promises a significant boost in its cash flow—commercial cubesat launches from a multi-unit dispenser of its own design (see photo inset).

"After we became the first company to coordinate a small satellite deployment from station, we were very very surprised by the market response," says Jeff Manber, Nanoracks founder and managing director. "It became clear that people are enamored for using the ISS for a variety of reasons—frequent access, and the fact that it's available."

Like the first satellite it launched—a Vietnamese cubesat—Nanoracks will use the Japanese Kibo module's airlock, exposed facility and robotic arm to launch multiple cubesats with the new dispenser scheduled to reach the station by the end of the year.

Cubesats will be packed into the dispenser's eight spring-loaded tubes for the ride to orbit, according to Michael Johnson, the company's chief technology officer. The ISS crew will send them outside through the airlock, and use the robotic arm to move the dispenser into position on the Earth-facing side of the station. The satellites will be deployed into a retrograde orbit below the station to avoid recontact, says Johnson.

From there, they will function for as long as a year before reentering.

Nanoracks is charging $85,000 per 10-cc cubesat "U" for the service, and expects to launch as many as 38 of the units on the first mission. It has invested about $500,000 developing the hardware, and is taking advantage of free NASA transport to orbit.

In addition to the traditional academic payloads that formed the company's initial market, some of the commercial multilaunch customers are attracted by the relatively low cost of access to orbit, and some of them are developing Earth-observation and other businesses that will require constellations of the tiny spacecraft.

Nanoracks isn't the only company gearing up to sell accommodation on the station. Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., which has built several flight-releasable attachment mechanisms (Frams) for the ISS exterior, plans to launch a pointable Fram-based Earth-observation platform to the station next year and sell space on it under a cooperative agreement with NASA (AW&amp;ST June 18, 2012, p. 16).

But after that, congressional hopes to commercialize part of the U.S. accommodation on the ISS have yet to be realized. The nonprofit Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (Casis), chosen by NASA to manage the U.S. National Laboratory that Congress set aside for commercial work, has attracted only $2 million in outside funds. Created by Space Florida, the state's aerospace-business development agency, Casis has relied on $15 million in annual NASA funding to hire a staff of 31 and organize 40 National Lab flight projects to date.

Casis has issued three request for proposals (RFP) for station research, and has funded six projects in protein crystal growth and two in materials science. An RFP on stem-cell research closes July 25.

Duane Ratliff, chief operating officer and NASA liaison at Casis, says the new organization shifted six months ago from a "membership" approach requiring participants to "buy in" to a "partnership" format of sharing necessary resources. The nonprofit still lacks an executive director, and has been feeling its way into a field long dominated by NASA's mission-oriented needs.

"We need to be able to translate both their findings and some of the questions that haven't been asked as to where the terrestrial interests may lie," Ratliff says. We need the answers to the very fundamental questions of what it is that microgravity can provide with respect to developing product applications, intellectual property, or others."

The nonprofit has focused its efforts to find projects and outside investment in the technology-rich areas around Cambridge, Mass., Houston and Denver, and plans another drive in Silicon Valley in California soon, Ratliff says. Sticking points with potential partners include uncertainty over how long the station will continue to operate, and concern that the Casis agreement with NASA does not offer sufficient protection of intellectual property. Both issues are being addressed as Congress works on a NASA reauthorization bill.

Meanwhile, the space agency has started producing some meaningful results with the station research it funds through its own scientists and those affiliated with U.S. academic institutions. Among advances reported at the conference here were the discovery at the University of California, San Francisco, via some very sophisticated skeletal measurements of returning astronauts, that a combination of rigorous resistive exercise and doses of alendronate or other bisphosphonates in orbit can virtually eliminate the weakening that occurs when bones lose their gravity loading during extended missions.

Researchers at the University of Delaware used magnetic fields to align colloids in microgravity, holding promise for manufacturing more efficient solar arrays and other applications requiring nanostructures. Space-combustion studies at NASA's Glenn Research Center that detected and characterized previously unseen "cool flames" as various chemical fuels burned out holds promise for more efficient internal combustion engines, as well as fire-safety implications for spacecraft.

In non-NASA government research, the station's Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO), when combined with careful in situ calibration, has given the Environmental Protection Agency a new tool for monitoring coastal water quality from space that may produce a smartphone app for swimmers, campers and boaters.

But while there is increasing interest in using the station as an orbital platform for remote-sensing and technology research, there also is a perception among possible users here that safety and other regulations will make it more trouble than it is worth to get on board.

NASA and Casis officials deny that is the case, and point to a changing attitude among station gatekeepers as the program shifts from managing an incredibly complex space-assembly job to running a functioning scientific laboratory.

"Now it's built," says Mike Suffredini, NASA's ISS program manager. "Now we're making our switch, and we're changing our mindset to a more research-mission phase, and with that you've got to increase the throughput. So there's been a paradigm shift in the program. This almost sounds sacrilegious, but to operate safely is just not good enough anymore. The trick is, how do you operate safely, and get more and more out of this spacecraft?"

How Do Astronauts Exercise In Space?

PCMag visited the Astronaut Exercise Equipment Training Facility at Johnson Space Center to find out how astronauts stay fit on the International Space Station.

By Meredith Popolo

PC Magazine, July 25, 2013

Right now your muscles and bones are working against gravity. Even if you don't exercise as much as you should, you're still pushing against the force just to stay upright. But when you get to space, your body is relieved of the effort… and quickly starts turning into a noodle.

So how do astronauts stay fit in space? They can't simply lift some dumbbells. To minimize the physiological effects of microgravity, NASA has equipped the International Space Station (ISS) with some fancy fitness equipment. There's a space treadmill named COLBERT; CEVIS, a stationary bike; and ARED, a device that simulates weightlifting.

Astronauts spend up two-and-a-half hours a day working out on the ISS. Even with this regime however, those who spend long durations in space return to Earth with muscular atrophy, cardiovascular deconditioning, and bone loss that can be difficult to reverse. In fact, after 180 days in space muscular strength can decrease by anywhere from 11 to 17 percent, muscular endurance by about 10 percent, and bone mineral density by two to seven percent, according to NASA. (Conversely, Countermeasures System Instructor Robert Tweedy noted recovery can be faster in space thanks to less lactic acid buildup.)

Previously astronauts' fitness could only be measured before and after ISS missions, said Lori Ploutz-Snyder, PhD, lead exercise physiology scientist at NASA. But new ultrasound and panoramic imaging technologies make it possible for crewmembers to take their own in-flight muscle measurements, allowing their terrestrial trainers to better monitor their fitness and alter personalized workout plans.

Currently a study called Sprint is evaluating the effectiveness of alternating between days of high intensity, low-volume exercising, and days of continuous aerobic exercise. Although individual data cannot be discussed, Sprint is proving to be more successful than anticipated in minimizing the loss of bone, muscle, and cardiovascular function, says Ploutz-Snyder, the principal investigator of the study. Below is the exercise schedule of an average week in Sprint.

The data could help develop and optimize exercise countermeasures to prevent fitness deterioration when humans embark on longer-duration missions to the Moon or Mars, the latter requiring at least six months in transit. It could also help Earth-bound humans improve exercise practices to advance muscle, bone, and cardiovascular health, particularly in bedridden patients and elders.

PCMag flew to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and got a close-up look at the three pieces of equipment astronauts use to stay fit on board the International Space Station. Continue to the next page to read more about each machine.

ARED (Advanced Resistive Exercise Device) was delivered to the ISS by Space Shuttle mission STS-126 in November 2008. Designed for weightlifting in a weightless environment, it consists of two evacuated, pistol-driven canisters with a flywheel mechanism. Astronauts can configure the machine to perform exercises like dead lifts, squats, biceps curls, and calf raises.

In 2009 when NASA launched a contest to name Node 3, an ISS module, political satirist Stephen Colbert lobbied viewers viewers of his Colbert Report show to nominate the name COLBERT—which won. NASA overruled the poll however, and chose Tranquility. As a consolation NASA named the treadmill COLBERT (Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill) and a picture of Colbert is mounted in front of the ISS treadmill. It sits on a vibration isolation system designed to let astronauts run without vibrating delicate microgravity science experiments in adjacent labs.

The treadmill is tightly incorporated into astronauts' workout regimens but in order to use it, they must be harnessed in place.

CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolations and Stabilization System) is the closest thing you'll get to a stationary bike in space. CEVIS doesn't have a seat because astronauts can't sit in zero gravity. (The bike in the image above has a seat for training on Earth.) Instead, astronauts snap their shoes to the pedals and tether themselves to the bike with a seatbelt in order to cycle upright and obtain the aerobic and cardiovascular benefits. They can adjust the workload and change speeds to hit their target heart rates. Astronaut Doug Wheelock explained it can take weeks to get used to cycling in a microgravity environment.

CEVIS also sits on a vibration isolation system to reduce the vibrations on the structure of the ISS.

Doctor Who? Astronauts Need To Figure Out Medical Procedures Before Leaving Earth

By Elizabeth Howell

Universe Today, July 25, 2013

Should an astronaut get sick on the International Space Station, that could be a bad scene given the nearest hospital requires a spaceship ride. That's why every crew has at least two medical officers on board that can deal with some routine procedures, getting to items as complex as filling teeth, for example.

How to get that training done?

Here's an example: above is Alexander Gerst, an astronaut with the European Space Agency, recently working with a mannequin at the Uniklinik Köln, a hospital in Cologne, Germany. The mannequin is at least as realistic as some baby dolls you can buy in stores: "it blinks, breathes and responds to injections", ESA stated.

That's in addition to three days Gerst spent in operating theatres, emergency and the intensive care unit at the hospital. He has about another year to do medical training before going to station for Expedition 40/41 in May 2014.

Mind you, help is also a phone call away to a ground control station, who has doctors on site. Also, there are a lot of medical doctors or similarly trained personnel that fly in space.

On board the International Space Station right now is a trained Navy SEAL, for example: Chris Cassidy. He would have been trained to treat injuries during combat. In May, he told Universe Today that he expects "muscle memory" would kick in during an emergency, whether medical or station-related:

"I think just the training that I got in the field, training in the early part of my Navy career, and during my time being an astronaut will all combine together," he said.

"What I know from combat in the Navy, there's a sort of calmness that comes over people who are well-trained and know what to do. Muscle memory kicks in, and it's not until after the thing is over that you realize what you went through."

While those who fly in space train for medical emergencies, they also serve as medical guinea pigs for ongoing experiments. Turns out microgravity simulates aging processes on Earth, so the research could have benefits on the ground in future decades. Here's a couple of experiments happening right now on station:

Space Headaches: "Current, pre, in-flight and post-flight data via questionnaires to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of crewmembers' headaches in microgravity."

Reaction Self Test: "A portable 5-minute reaction time task that will allow the crewmembers to monitor the daily effects of fatigue on performance while on board the International Space Station."

Looking at the medical aspect alone, it's abundantly clear why astronauts spend years in training before flying to the station. Remember, though, this is on top of other science experiments they do there, not to mention repairs, maintenance and the occasional spacewalk or catching a supply spacecraft.

Astronaut Suni Williams: You Need To Make Peace Before Leaving Earth

By Christine Jeavans

BBC News, July 25, 2013

US astronaut Sunita Williams spent a total of 322 days in space on two missions to the International Space Station. As part of BBC News' How to put a human on Mars coverage she explains how she coped and considers whether a crew could endure a voyage to the Red Planet.

So you settle yourself on that but you also have to prepare yourself. I call it tying up the ends of your life before you go because you never know what's going to happen.

You want to make sure that when you leave, you feel at peace with everything.

My first mission was six-and-a-half months. We weren't exactly sure how long it was going to be because I went up and back on the space shuttle which was dependent on weather for launch and landing.

I had to prepare myself for being away for a long time and I didn't know exactly the dates I was going to leave and when I was going to come back.

So you might have to say goodbye a couple of times and you might get excited to come home and then have to wait. It was an emotional rollercoaster, particularly because it was my first space flight.

From the technical side you need to know that you can live in a small space with people.

There are a lot of training tools on Earth that help you do that, including the Aquarius unit [off the Florida Keys] where I was underwater for nine or 10 days. That is a good test to see how you like living in a "can".

But you also work on your own awareness of yourself in terms of leadership and followership and how you get along with people; particularly if you have difference of culture or difference of ideas.

Those are all good things to practise because you are going to be dealing with people in a close environment.

In space you need to stay as "usual" as possible. On the space station I would brush my hair every day, I'm not sure it made my hair look any better but it was one of those things that you do that you usually do on Earth so it keeps you normal.

We take things to remind us of home. I think my favourite is a stuffed dog that was homemade from a picture of my little Jack Russell terrier.

Food is really important and I was sent marshmallow crème to make my childhood favourite "fluffernutter" sandwiches on a tortilla with peanut butter.

Other favourite food reminded me of home – dried cranberries and even canned lobster, Slovenian sausages on my mother's side of my family, and Indian samosas on my father's side.

We try to keep to a regular day because there have been studies which found that even a half-hour change to the normal 24-hour cycle starts to mess people up a little bit.

We have sleep stations where you just close the door and it's dark and quieter. You can hear alarms in case something bad happens but it's generally pretty quiet.

We turn the lights off except for a couple of "night lights" over the toilet so that folks will know where they're going.

Most people have a little bit less sleep, there is always a feeling of nervousness, just because you're in a different environment and subconsciously you're always on edge a little bit.

Spacewalks

On my second mission, I was part of a crew of three and I trained with them for about a year-and-a-half, getting to know each other.

That knowledge is important. When we were up on the space station, Aki Hoshide and I were out doing a spacewalk and we had a little difficulty with one of the electrical boxes.

Yuri Malenchenko, who we trained with for our Soyuz crew, and Joe Acaba, who we overlapped with on a different crew, were right there to help us out.

They knew when we were getting tired, when we weren't getting tired, when to say something encouraging, when to make a joke, when to be serious.

The team comes together and if you saw the latest spacewalk [in which liquid leaked into Luca Parmitano's helmet] you will have seen the same thing: you do training together and then, when things get a little bit rough, everybody wants to help each other out.

That's a natural progression of getting to know each other and knowing that you're going to rely on the other guy to save your life.

Homesickness

When you're flying in space some of the things down on Earth seem trivial. Things like politics leave your mind. I didn't feel like I was a person from the United States, I felt like I was lucky enough to be a person from Earth.

For me, [most] news wasn't important but people are important, so when you hear about natural disasters like hurricanes and fires, that makes you miss home and wonder how everybody's coping.

But I would also look back at the planet and think "gosh it's a pretty little place, everybody's going for a walk on the beach or something like that, they must be enjoying life down there".

If you are having a bad day, you can go to the cupola window and see a part of the Earth. It makes you smile.

Likewise, when you have communication ability, you can call home and just say "hi" and hear another friendly voice.

Mission to Mars

I can imagine the vehicle going to Mars is going to be a little bit smaller, they probably won't be doing as many science experiments on the way.

The programme is going to have to find things to occupy the crew's time as the Earth is getting smaller and smaller outside the window and the communications delay is getting longer and longer.

Mentally, it will be more challenging but I think the reward is huge. So if folks keep the goal in mind then I think it will be do-able. But I don't doubt it will also be psychologically difficult. Radiation threat

There are a lot of medical issues that we need to solve before we put somebody on a trip to Mars, far away from low-Earth orbit, far away from the protection of even the little bit of atmosphere that's near the planet, that's protecting us from radiation.

We want people to go there and be successful. Robots going there is great but putting somebody's two eyes on the problem where they can make a decision and really understand what is out there is the next step.

We will eventually figure out and solve all the engineering problems, I have no doubt in my mind.

Even though people think the space programme has been running a long time, it's only really been 50-60 years.

It's an incredible step from when we were first just trying to launch rockets to now living and working in space and doing spacewalks on a regular basis.

If there was a definitive goal that specified: "We are going to Mars and how do we do that?" I think that you would see a lot of people sign up. I would go for sure.

U.S. Firm In Talks On Buying Kuznetsov Rockets

By Anatoly Medetsky

Moscow Times, July 25, 2013

The U.S. company that relies on phased-out Soviet engines for its $1.9 billion contract with NASA is looking to use their updated version.

Orbital Sciences Corporation has sent Michael Hamel, its senior vice president, to the engine manufacturer in Samara for a reconnaissance mission.

The Kuznetsov plant is investing to the tune of 2 billion rubles ($65 million) to start producing an upgraded model of the rocket engine.

Orbital Sciences successfully test launched its Antares rocket in April, which utilized the Soviet-made engine that was originally designed for the aborted Soviet lunar program.

The company sourced the engines from its U.S. contractor Aerojet, a company that purchased a few dozen of these engines from Kuznetsov in the mid-1990s and modified them.

Known in Russia as NK-33, the kerosene-fueled engines that initially rolled off the assembly line in the 1960s and 1970s adopted a new name after the reworking, AJ26.

Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of launch business unit at Aerojet, accompanied Hamel on the trip to Russia.

Hamel and Kleek toured the Kuznetsov plant on July 15 but did not sign any deals, a plant spokeswoman said. They also had a meeting with Samara region Governor Nikolai Merkushkin the next day.

"It's remarkable that the engine was created during the rivalry between the U.S.S.R. and U.S.A., and now we are equal partners for commercial flights to the International Space Station," Hamel said, according to the Russian-language statement from the governor's office.

Orbital Sciences has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to make eight cargo deliveries to the International Space Station in the wake of the retirement of the space shuttles. The test flight in April and another test launch this coming September are part of the contract.

Aerojet has enough engines to equip rockets for the contract but needs more going forward. It has a tentative contract to buy 50 upgraded engines from Kuznetsov from 2016, when it will start producing them, through 2024, a spokeswoman for United Engine Building Corporation, which includes Kuznetsov, said Wednesday.

Aerojet could also strike a deal with another Russian rocket engine producer, NPO Energomash, which now sells its RD-180s to U.S.-based United Launch Alliance for making the Atlas 5 rocket. ULA is a joint venture whose stake holders include Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Chance To Be A Space Agricultural Scientist

BERNAMA (MYS), July 25, 2013

Primary and secondary students throughout the country now stand a chance a to become a space agricultural scientist by participating in the Malaysia Space Seeds Contest 2013 (MASS2013).

In a statement here Wednesday, the National Space Agency (Angkasa) said through the contest, participants will get to conduct research on growth of Azuki beans (Vigna Angularis) grown at the International Space Station as compared to on Earth.

Schools interested in having their students join the contest can register them at http://mass2013.angkasa.gov.my . The closing date is Aug 18.

The contest is organised by Angkasa in collaboration with the Malaysian Agricultural Research Insitute, the Education Ministry and National Seeds Association of Malaysia.

More information can be obtained by calling 03-3180 4377 or e-mailing to helmy@angkasa.gov.my or zulia@angkasa.gov.my.

Astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield To Kick Off Next CCA Conference

Daily Commercial News and Construction Record, July 25, 2013

Astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield will be the opening keynote speaker at the Canadian Construction Association's (CCA) annual conference in March.

"We're pretty excited about it," said CCA president Michael Atkinson. "For a delegate's family that comes to be able to see and recognize a well-known Canadian personality and to be able to rub shoulders with them or shake a hand or get a photo, that adds to the whole conference experience."

Hadfield became an international sensation during his reign as commander of the International Space Station from December 2012 to May 2013 through his use of social medial to make outer space accessible to millions of people.

Hadfield's accessibility, whether answering questions such as "how do you wring out a washcloth in space," via Skype or collaborating with The Barenaked Ladies for a song sung by over a million people simultaneously, endeared him to all while he orbited Earth.

Hadfield was the first Canadian to use the Canadarm and the first Canadian to board a Russian spacecraft during his mission to the Russian space station. In 2001, he performed two spacewalks as a mission specialist on STS-100, the first Canadian to do so.

A heavily decorated astronaut, engineer, and test pilot, Hadfield's many awards include being named a Member of the Order of Ontario (1996); receiving an honourary Doctorate of Laws from Trent University (1999); the Vanier Award (2001); the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2002); and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal (2003). He was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005 and commemorated on the Royal Canadian Mint silver and gold coins in 2006.

The CCA's 96th annual conference will take place March 8-14, 2014 at Westin Playa Bonita. Conference registration will open at the end of September. Visit www.cca-acc.com/en/annual-conference for more information.

Now You Can Lland' A NASA Space Shuttle

By William Garbe

WHIO-TV Dayton (OH), July 25, 2013

It was two years ago this week when the Space Shuttle landed for the last time, but a new space shuttle experience took off Wednesday here in the Miami Valley.

Officials at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force cut the ribbon on two state-of the-art simulators that are exact models of the Space Shuttle, down to an identical cockpits and dimensions.

"Sitting in the simulator is very much like sitting in a real shuttle," said John Fongheiser of Historic Space Systems, the Ohio company that designed the simulator.

According to the museum, the simulator will allow visitors to "fly" the shuttle to a safe landing using a joystick and video screens, and receive feedback on how well they piloted the shuttle on three different levels of difficulty.

"I will tell you, when I was at Edwards (Air Force Base) as an instructor we flew the T38 (Talon jet trainers)," said the museum director, retired Lt. Gen. Jack Hudson. "This mimics those very well."

The simulator is a part of the larger Crew Compartment Trainer exhibit, which will feature a fabricated payload bay, access ramps and structures, and engine and tail sections, according to the museum.

Display Dynamics, a company in Clayton, is in the final design stages of the exhibit and hopes to open the exhibit by fall, museum officials said.

"All things considered, this has been a wonderful experience for our team of exhibit designers and technicians," said Display Dynamics President Veit Parker.

In 2011, the museum placed a failed bid to house an actual retired Space Shuttle. NASA administrators instead awarded shuttles and a testing vehicle to museums in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York City and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The simulators are free and will open to the public on Thursday. For more information, contact the museum at (937) 255-3286.

 

 

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