Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - November 7, 2013 and JSCToday

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: November 7, 2013 7:30:35 AM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - November 7, 2013  and JSCToday

Hope you can join us today at Hibachi Grill for our monthly Retirees Luncheon at 11:30.  Please bring a family member or friends.

 

It's a perfect day for a hot bowl of hot and sour soup, or wonton soup, or egg drop soup.  Or my very favorite is the Hot apple Strudel with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, followed by a plate of lots of great food and fellowship.

 

 

 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

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JSC TODAY CATEGORIES Headlines -  Check Out the Changes on Inside JSC -  Morpheus to Take Off Today ... and Land! -  Badging Offices Closed for Veterans Day -  Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System Organizations/Social -  Have Breakfast With the JSC NMA & JLT -  Environmental Brown Bag: Houston's Green Building -  Mental Health Disorders and Coping Strategies -  Parenting Series: Parenting Gifted Children -  Space Serenity Al-Anon Meeting Nov. 12 -  Thanksgiving Lunch in the Cafes -  Breakfast With Santa -  JSC Weight Watchers at Work Plans Open House Jobs and Training -  Project Management Forum Community -  NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars -  NASA National Community College Aerospace Scholars -  Display of Lund University Student Work at LPI -  Family Space Day Saturday

Arcing Towards Orbit

 

Headlines Check Out the Changes on Inside JSC Yes we are still implementing some of your suggestions on Inside JSC. The JSC Features box now scrolls through the last several stories highlighting the latest happenings at JSC. DON'T MISS 'EM! These stories can be shared on your Facebook because the site it public! Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you'll see our new weather tile -- no clicking required but if you do click on the button it will take you to weather deluxe thanks to our very own JSC weather team. We've updated the JSC Discussion button to Ask A Question. Just ask us anything. We'll put the whole External Relations Office to work to find out the answer (Well maybe not the whole office. But we will try to get the answer. After all, we try to keep in the know. Plus, we want you want to know too so we are all ambassadors for JSC.). Finally, at the top of the page you will see the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) tile. Click the button to find out how to give back to the community. Your gift, no matter how large or small will help a plethora of organizations. You can give pick the ones that you want your $$$ to go to.  You can contribute any amount, starting at $1 per pay period. Every dollar makes a difference - so this year "make it possible"! JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111 [top] Morpheus to Take Off Today ... and Land! Morpheus is planning an exciting GROUND TAKEOFF and LANDING (GTAL) tether test of the "Bravo" vehicle today. The test will be streamed live on JSC's UStream channel. View the live stream and progress updates on our website. Test firing is planned from approximately 1 to 2 p.m. The live stream will begin about 30 minutes before ignition. Today's test will include increased risks. As a reminder, on-site viewers should stay back by Buildings 14 or 18 and not enter the field during operations. Note: Testing operations are dynamic; actual firing time may vary and tests may be postponed with short notice. Follow Morpheus on Twitter @MorpheusLander, or view the feed from our website for updates. For more information, visit: http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/exploration/morpheus/ Or, contact Wendy Watkins. Wendy Watkins http://morpheuslander.jsc.nasa.gov [top] Badging Offices Closed for Veterans Day All badging offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Normal working operations will resume Tuesday, Nov. 12, as listed below. Building 110: 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Building 111: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ellington Field: 7 to 11 a.m. Sonny Carter Training Facility: 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tifanny Sowell x37447 [top] Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System The Emergency Dispatch Center and Office of Emergency Management will conduct the monthly, first Thursday test of the JSC Emergency Warning System (EWS) today at noon. The EWS test will consist of a verbal "This is a test" message, followed by a short tone and a second verbal "This is a test" message. The warning tone will be the "wail" tone, which is associated with an "All clear" message. Please visit the JSC Emergency Awareness website for EWS tones and definitions. During an actual emergency situation, the particular tone and verbal message will provide you with protective information. Dennis G. Perrin x34232 http://jea.jsc.nasa.gov [top]    Organizations/Social Have Breakfast With the JSC NMA & JLT Are you a morning person? If so, the JSC National Management Association (NMA) invites you to spend your breakfast with us and the Joint Leadership Team (JLT). On Nov. 19, a JLT panel will report on progress regarding expected behaviors, communications, and roles and responsibilities between civil servants and contractors. This breakfast is a new early-bird event we're adding to the mix, and we hope you can attend. When: Tuesday, Nov. 19 Time: 8:30 to 10 a.m. (breakfast!) Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom   Cost for members: FREE Cost for non-members: $12 (a steal!) All attendees will get to pick and choose from a hot and healthy buffet: roasted vegetable frittata, turkey sausage, oven-roasted home fries, house-baked muffins and fresh cut fruit. Includes assorted fruit juice, Starbucks coffee, hot tea and iced water. RSVPs are required by 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, so don't delay. RSVP now! Event Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2013   Event Start Time:8:30 AM   Event End Time:10:00 AM Event Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom Add to Calendar Catherine Williams x33317 http://www.jscnma.com/Events [top] Environmental Brown Bag: Houston's Green Building Would you like to save money on your home energy bill? Are you planning an upgrade and want to learn about green or less-toxic building materials? Houston's Green Building Resource Center (GBRC) has a showroom and classroom with samples of recycled or refurbished materials; more than 50 displays, many interactive; and a library of information providing additional strategies for "going green." The GBRC program director offers plan reviews for cost-effective green options. This could lead to energy and water savings that create a healthier living environment, reduce wasted materials and save money. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, GBRC Director Steve Stelzer will be at JSC to talk about the various ways that Houstonians can save money by retrofitting or upgrading their home systems. Bring your lunch to Building 45, Room 751, from noon to 1 p.m. Event Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: B45 room 751 Add to Calendar Laurie Peterson x39845 [top] Mental Health Disorders and Coping Strategies Please join Takis Bogdanos, LPC-S, CGP, with the JSC Employee Assistance Program, today, Nov. 7, in the Building 30 Auditorium for a presentation on Autistic Spectrum Disorders as part of the psycho-educational series: "Mental Health Disorders, Causes and Treatment." He will be discussing causes, prevalence, symptoms and impact in everyday life, as well as the latest treatments being implemented. Event Date: Thursday, November 7, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium Add to Calendar Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assitance Program, Occupational Health Branch x36130 [top] Parenting Series: Parenting Gifted Children According to the National Association for Gifted Children, about six percent of U.S. children are in gifted and talented programs. Some experts suggest that number is really only three to five percent nationwide. Gifted children reach developmental milestones earlier than expected, with implications for peer relations, school issues and educational planning. With this in mind, parenting a gifted child comes with its own hurdles and parenting implications. Parents are often worried about missing opportunities, not exposing their child or desiring to provide enrichment. Come out to learn tools for fostering your child's creativity, avoiding overscheduling, addressing their social development and much more. Join JSC Employee Assistance Program counselor Anika Isaac, MS, LPC, LMFT, CEAP, NCC, LCDC, as she presents "Parenting Gifted Children" on Nov. 13 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in the Building 30 Auditorium. Event Date: Wednesday, November 13, 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, Occupational Health Branch x36130 [top] Space Serenity Al-Anon Meeting Nov. 12 "Principles Above Personalities" is a reminder to focus on the quality of the message or idea and not be distracted by a personality we may not relish. Our 12-step meeting is for co-workers, families and friends of those who work or live with the family disease of alcoholism. We meet Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Building 32, Room 142 (room change), from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Visitors are welcome. Event Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2013   Event Start Time:11:00 AM   Event End Time:11:45 AM Event Location: Building 32, room 142 (Room Change) Add to Calendar Employee Assistance Program x36130 http://sashare.jsc.nasa.gov/EAP/Pages/default.aspx [top] Thanksgiving Lunch in the Cafes Enjoy a home-style Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings on Tuesday, Nov. 19, in Buildings 3 and 11 cafés. Entrées will include roast turkey dinner or carved smoked-pit ham. You have a choice of three sides, from peas and mushrooms, maple-glazed brussel sprouts, winter squash with cranberry and pecans, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green almondine and traditional cornbread stuffing. Choose from sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie for dessert. Fountain drink or iced tea also included. All for only $7.99! Danial Hornbuckle x30240 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/ [top] Breakfast With Santa Santa Claus is coming to town and making a stop at the Gilruth Center! Enjoy breakfast with Santa in the Alamo Ballroom from 9 to 11 a.m. on Dec. 7. Your child will have the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap to give him their wish list and have their picture taken. Fees are $10/child and $15/adult if purchased on or before Nov. 30. Register for this event at the Gilruth Center or online. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Don't miss out on this special event! More info can be found here. Event Date: Saturday, December 7, 2013   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:11:00 AM Event Location: Gilruth Center Add to Calendar Shelly Haralson x39168 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/ [top] JSC Weight Watchers at Work Plans Open House JSC Weight Watchers at Work will be hosting an Open House on Monday, Nov. 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Open House will provide information and registration for the next 17-week session, which begins Dec. 2 and runs through the end of April. Meetings are Mondays during lunchtime. We will no longer accept Monthly Passes at this meeting. We are going back to the at-work sessions, which have proven to be more successful. We also moved the meeting to Building 12, a more central location closer to the cafés. We hope this will increase interest and participation so we can keep this meeting on-site. We need at least 15 active participants to continue. RSVP by Nov. 11 to the email below if you are interested in attending the Open House or would like more details. An email will be sent out to interested parties next week. Event Date: Monday, November 18, 2013   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM Event Location: Bldg 12, Rooms 148 & 150 Add to Calendar Julie Kliesing x31540 [top]    Jobs and Training Project Management Forum The Project Management Forum will be held on Thursday, Nov. 14, in Building 1, Room 966, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At this forum, Dr. Basil Hassan from Sandia National Laboratories will be speaking about "Rapid Prototype Technology Demonstrations at Sandia National Laboratories." Hassan is manager of the Aerospace Systems Analysis Department of the Integrated Military Systems Center at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. Hassan manages applied aerospace engineering work; in particular, flight dynamics analysis and range safety as applied to a variety of flight vehicles. All civil servant and contractor project managers are invited to attend. Please feel free to bring your lunch; dessert will be provided. The purpose of the Project Management Forum is to provide an opportunity for our project managers to freely discuss issues, best practices, lessons learned, tools and opportunities, as well as to collaborate with other project managers. Event Date: Thursday, November 14, 2013   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM Event Location: Building 1, Room 966 Add to Calendar Danielle Bessard x37238 https://oasis.jsc.nasa.gov/sysapp/athena/Athena%20Team/SitePages/Home.aspx [top]    Community NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (CAS) is now accepting applications for the spring 2014 workshop. CAS is for community college students from across the state of Texas. As a CAS participant, students will take part in graded Web-based modules. Based on the module grades and completed applications, qualified students will be chosen to attend the three-day on-site experience at JSC. With this experience, you will have the chance to tour JSC and interact with NASA engineers and scientists. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with community college students from across the state of Texas and participate in engineering design challenges. The deadline to submit an application is Tuesday, Jan. 21. For more information and updated timelines, please visit the CAS website. Maria Chambers x41496 http://cas.aerospacescholars.org [top] NASA National Community College Aerospace Scholars National Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) is accepting applications from community college students nationwide for our spring 2014 workshops! The deadline for submitting an application is Tuesday, Nov. 26. As an NCAS participant, you will embark upon a three-day on-site robotics team design challenge at either the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., or the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. To be chosen for this prestigious opportunity, you will be required to complete Web-based modules in addition to meeting basic qualifications. With this exciting science, technology, engineering and math experience, you will work in teams to complete a robotics challenge, tour the NASA facilities and interact directly with NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists! You will also have the opportunity to collaborate and network with other community college students across the United States. For more information and updated timelines, please visit the NCAS website. Maria Chambers x41496 http://ncas.aerospacescholars.org [top] Display of Lund University Student Work at LPI A display of work by Industrial Design students from Lund University, recently shown at JSC, will be on display through the end of November at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. LPI is located at 3600 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, 77058, 281-486-2100. Come see their innovative approaches on a variety of topics related to Mars exploration. Larry Toups x47974 [top] Family Space Day Saturday The Challenger Learning Center at the George Observatory is holding a Family Space Day on Saturday, Nov. 9, from about 3 to 8 p.m. For purchase are tickets to complete a 45-minute Challenger Center Mission to the Moon! Challenger Center mission tickets may be purchased for $10/person online. After enjoying a trip to space, stay for the evening and look at the night sky through our telescopes. George Observatory is located in the heart of Brazos Bend State Park. Admission to the park is $7 for adults; kids 12 and under are free. Megan Hashier 281-226-4179 http://www.hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=404&Ite... [top]

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NASA TV: www.nasa.gov/ntv

·      8 am Central (9 EST) –File of Exp 38/39 Soyuz docking, hatch opening & other Activities

 

Human Spaceflight News

Thursday – November 7, 2013

 

Olympic leap: Soyuz TMA-11M lifts off from Baikonur (Photo by NASA's Bill Ingalls)

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Soyuz blasts off on station flight

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

A Russian Soyuz booster roared to life late Wednesday and rocketed away from Kazakhstan carrying a crew of three and an Olympic torch bound for the International Space Station, the centerpiece of an out-of-this-world photo op to herald the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. With commander Mikhail Tyurin at the controls, flanked on the left by NASA flight engineer Rick Mastracchio and on the right by Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:14:15 p.m. EST (GMT-5; 10:14 a.m. Thursday local time).

 

Olympic Torch Blasts Into Space Ahead of Games

 

Laura Mills - Associated Press

 

A Russian rocket soared into the cosmos Thursday carrying the Sochi Olympic torch and three astronauts to the International Space Station ahead of the first-ever spacewalk for the symbol of peace. Video streamed by the U.S. space agency NASA reported a flawless docking with the space station about six hours after the craft blasted off from Russia's manned space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The unlit torch for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi is to be taken on a spacewalk Saturday, then return to Earth on Monday (late Sunday EST) with three departing space station astronauts.

 

Russian Soyuz rocket flies Olympic torch to space station

 

Alissa de Carbonnel - Reuters

 

A three-man crew successfully blasted off into space with the Olympic torch on Thursday, ready to take it on its first space walk in what they said would be a "spectacular" showcase for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Japan's Koichi Wakata pumped the air with his fist as the Soyuz rocket, painted with snowflake patterns, took off on a crisp morning, an onboard camera showed. The crew sat beneath a stuffed polar bear wrapped in a blue scarf, a Sochi mascot. The space flight is part of what will be the longest torch relay before a Winter Olympics, which President Vladimir Putin hopes will boost Russia's image and show what it can achieve, more than two decades after the Soviet Union collapsed.

 

US, Russian and Japanese crew lifts off for Space Station from Kazakhstan

 

Mark Carreau - Aviation Week

 

Russia's Soyuz TMA-11M crew transport reached the International Space Station early Thursday with a Russian, U. S., and Japanese crew, temporarily raising the population of the orbiting science lab to nine astronauts for weekend activities marking the approach of the 2014 Winter Games. The capsule docked with the station's Russian segment Rassvet module at 5:27 a.m., EST, delivering newcomers Mikhail Tyurin, Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata for a six month tour of duty.

 

Olympic torch launches into orbit with new space station crew

 

Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com

 

A torch for the 2014 Sochi Olympics lifted off for the International Space Station on Wednesday night (Nov. 6), accompanied by three new crew members for the orbiting outpost. Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched on Russia's Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz FG rocket climbed spaceward at 11:14 p.m. EST (0414 GMT; 10:14 a.m. Kazakh local time Nov. 7), marking the start of the crew's four-orbit, six-hour journey to the station. The booster and its launch pad was specially-outfitted for this flight to celebrate the torch being aboard and the 22nd Winter Games being hosted in Sochi, Russia. The rocket and the protective shroud shielding the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft were decorated with Olympic-inspired graphics. The launch pad was equipped with metal Olympic rings.

 

Astronaut taking treasure-hunt 'travel bug' to space station

 

Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com

 

The countdown is underway for the launch of a treasure-hunt token to the International Space Station (ISS). The same Russian spacecraft that will lift off Wednesday evening (Nov. 6) with three crew members and an Olympic torch for the orbital outpost is also carrying a "travel bug," a device used to mark the location of a hidden cache or container. On the ISS, it will serve as a tool for students and enthusiasts to track the astronaut who is bringing it to space.

 

Japan's robot astronaut awaits companion for conversation

Kirobo is programmed to communicate in Japanese and keep records of its conversations

 

Agence France Presse

 

The world's first robot astronaut is pining for a conversation partner as he waits for Japanese spaceman Koichi Wakata aboard the International Space Station (ISS). "Mr. Wakata, are you not here yet? I really want to see you soon," the pint-sized android said in a message released by its project team in Japan on Wednesday. The wide-eyed and bootie-wearing 'Kirobo' — roughly the size of a Chihuahua — left Earth on a cargo-carrying rocket and reached the space station on August 10.

 

As China's space program rises, will NASA rise again?

 

Eric Berger - Houston Chronicle

 

China has the opportunity in coming years to surpass the United States in space programs, forcing the government to step up NASA funding to retain a leadership position, partner with the Chinese or risk falling behind, according to space policy experts. Russia is the other country that presently has the capacity to launch humans into space. Its space program, however, reliant upon technology designed nearly five decades ago, is getting by on past momentum. China's space program, by contrast, is in ascendance.

 

Exclusive: Lady Gaga to Sing in Space in 2015

 

Nicole Eggenberger & Ian Drew - US Weekly

 

No one ever said she was down-to-earth! In early 2015, Lady Gaga will become the first artist to sing in outer space, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal. The "Dope" performer, 27, is set to blast off in a Virgin Galactic ship and belt out a single track during the Zero G Colony high-tech musical festival in New Mexico. "She has to do a month of vocal training because of the atmosphere," says a source, who adds that the diva's glam squad will join her in the shuttle. Zero G Colony is a three-day hi-tech festival set to take place at Spaceport America in New Mexico that features world-class entertainment and cutting-edge technology. Gaga's performance in space is planned to take place on the third day at dawn, which is approximately six months after the first Virgin Galactic commercial flight. A source says the historic event will be "like nothing the world has seen before."

 

Lady Gaga to perform at, launch from Spaceport America

 

Las Cruces Sun-News

 

Lady Gaga is expected to perform at a music festival at Spaceport America in early 2015, according to People magazine. In the event's third day, Lady Gaga will take a Virgin Galactic flight to suborbital space, where she's expected to become the "first ever recording artist to perform outside the atmosphere," according to the magazine. Lady Gaga sent a tweet Wednesday with the hashtag "#GagaInSpace2015." Other celebrities expected to launch from the spaceport include Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher and Leonardo DiCaprio. The first Virgin Galactic flights could happen in 2014 from Spaceport America, a state taxpayer-funded launch site just north of Doña Ana County. (NO FURTHER TEXT)

 

Lady Gaga to Sing In Outer Space In 2015

 

Alyssa Toomey - E! Online (eonline.com)

 

Lady Gaga is officially taking her out-of-this-world performance style to the next level. The 27-year-old pop star will sing in outer space in early 2015, E! News confirms. Zero G Colony, a three-day hi-tech music festival, is set to take place at Spaceport America, New Mexico, and the climax of the event will feature the Mother Monster performing the first ever gig in outer space. While some reports suggest Zero G Colony is a tech festival, we've learned that the event is a high-concept ground event music festival, where guests will experience A-list entertainment, music, cutting-edge technology and futuristic attractions.

 

Lady Gaga Is Too Much Of An Artist For The World

 

Elizabeth Licata - TheGloss.com

 

Lady Gaga's latest attempt at reinvention could have some serious ramifications for her wardrobe crew, because the pop star-turned artiste has decided to shoot herself into space, and she's taking them with her. No, really. A Lady Gaga space trip is happening. The singer has signed on to be the first performer to sing in outer space who is not actually an astronaut. Astronaut Chris Hadfield brilliantly performed "Space Oddity" from the International Space Station this spring, and Sarah Brightman announced plans to sing from the ISS in October, 2015, but this new announcement indicates Lady Gaga could well beat her to the space microphone.

__________

 

COMPLETE STORIES

 

Soyuz blasts off on station flight

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

A Russian Soyuz booster roared to life late Wednesday and rocketed away from Kazakhstan carrying a crew of three and an Olympic torch bound for the International Space Station, the centerpiece of an out-of-this-world photo op to herald the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

 

With commander Mikhail Tyurin at the controls, flanked on the left by NASA flight engineer Rick Mastracchio and on the right by Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:14:15 p.m. EST (GMT-5; 10:14 a.m. Thursday local time).

 

Launch was timed for roughly the moment Earth's rotation carried the pad into the plane of the space station's orbit about five minutes after the lab complex passed overhead.

 

As the 162-foot-tall rocket climbed away to the East, live television views showed the crew members in the cramped command module calmly watching cockpit displays and following their checklists, appearing relaxed as the spacecraft accelerated toward space.

 

"Everything's fine on board," Tyurin reported through a translator. "Everything is nominal."

 

"We can see you on camera and everything is going nominally," mission control confirmed.

 

"Actually, the launch was really smooth," Tyurin said. "Now we can feel some G loads, but we can take it all right."

 

Eight minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff, the rocket's third stage shut down and the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft was released to fly on its own. A few moments after that, its two solar panels and antennas unfolded and locked in place as planned.

 

"Congratulations on a successful ascent," a flight controller radioed. "Best of luck to you guys. Have a good mission."

 

If all goes well, the Soyuz will execute a four-orbit six-hour rendezvous with the space station, gliding to an automated docking at the Earth-facing Rassvet module around 5:31 a.m. Thursday.

 

In a departure from normal practice, the Soyuz launch schedule was juggled to get the Olympic torch to the space station and quickly back to Earth as part of a high-profile relay leading up to the opening ceremony of the Winter Games in February.

 

As a result, the Soyuz TMA-11M crew launching Wednesday will boost the lab's crew to nine instead of six as is the usual procedure.

 

They will join Soyuz TMA-10M commander Oleg Kotov, Michael Hopkins and Sergey Ryazanskiy, launched Sept. 25, to make up the six-member Expedition 38 crew. Three other crew members -- Soyuz TMA-09M commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, flight engineer Luca Parmitano and Karen Nyberg -- will bring the Olympic torch back to Earth Sunday. They were launched May 28 and are closing out a long-duration stay in space.

 

"We'll have three Soyuz vehicles and nine crew members," Mastracchio said in an interview from Star City near Moscow. "I think it's only happened one other time. It's going to be great to see Karen and Luca and Fyodor on orbit. I was there six months ago (in Kazakhstan) as their backup crew when they launched, so it's going to be great to see them on orbit, even for just a few days. It's going to be exciting."

 

All nine crew members plan to participate in news conference Friday. The next day, Kotov and Ryazanskiy will take the Olympic torch outside at the start of an otherwise routine Russian maintenance spacewalk for a high-flying photo op to publicize the winter games.

 

"It's great to be a small part of the Olympics," Mastracchio said. "We'll hand off the Olympic torch to the Soyuz 10 crew, who will then take it out on a spacewalk. They'll then come back from the spacewalk, hand it to the Soyuz 9 crew and they will return it to Earth about five days after we arrive on the space station. So it's kind of like our own little relay with the torch on orbit."

 

The day after the spacewalk, Yurchikhin, Parmitano and Nyberg plan to board their Soyuz TMA-09M ferry craft and undock from the Zvezda command module's aft port at 6:26 p.m. Landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan is expected around 9:50 p.m. The torch then will be handed off to Olympic organizers for use in the opening ceremonies of the February games.

 

For Mastracchio, who logged 40 days in space during three space shuttle missions, launching aboard a Soyuz and having the opportunity to fly in the left seat, essentially the co-pilot's position, is a long-awaited opportunity.

 

"It's quite a different vehicle and that's really the main reason I'm looking forward to it so much," he said. "I was a flight engineer on the space shuttle, but I didn't have my own set of controls. Here in the Soyuz, I'm also the flight engineer but I'm actually going to be helping control the vehicle along with the commander.

 

"So I'm looking forward to having that front row seat, if you will, and actually helping operate the vehicle."

 

Learning how to operate a spacecraft is challenging under any circumstances. It was especially tough to do in a second language.

 

"It's very, very challenging," Mastracchio said. "Being an engineer, I have the skills to learn how to fly a vehicle and how to operate a vehicle, but the language skill was very challenging for me. It's not as easy as it sounds to fly a spacecraft while speaking a foreign language! Again, a big challenge, which made it very interesting to me."

 

Asked how his family viewed the risk of flying aboard a Soyuz compared to the space shuttle, Mastracchio said "I think they believe what I believe, which is the Soyuz is a very reliable vehicle. The Russians have been flying the Soyuz since the late '60s, it's been very successful, I feel very confident we'll have a safe and successful mission. And I believe they think the same."

 

Mastracchio is flying with extremely experienced crewmates. Tyurin is a veteran of two long-duration stays aboard the International Space Station with a total of 532 days in space.

 

Wakata has logged 348 days in space during two shuttle missions and a long-duration stay aboard the station. In a major first for Japan, Wakata will become commander of the space station next year after Kotov, Ryazanskiy and Hopkins depart.

 

"It means a lot to Japan to have its own representative to command the International Space Station," Wakata said. "It's a big milestone for Japanese human space exploration to have this experience. Hopefully, we, Japan, will be able to be an essential partner of future human space program beyond low-Earth orbit. So I think it's a big milestone for Japan."

 

Mastracchio described Wakata as "a very smart astronaut, he's a very friendly guy, very capable, a very hard worker."

 

"But I think the thing that makes Koichi commander material is he knows he has a very talented team working with him and he lets us do our job. He's not only the commander, but he's also one of the workers, working right along side us to do all the tasks we need to do to accomplish the mission."

 

As for Tyurin, Mastracchio said "he's great to work with. He and I work well together, we've been training together for more than a year, a year and a half, and we've really created a good team with us and Koichi."

 

Asked what he's looking forward ?to the most during his first extended mission, Mastracchio said having time to simply enjoy the experience is at the top of his list.

 

"Space shuttle missions are two-week sprints where we know exactly everything we're going to have to do from day one until landing," he said. "And we practice and practice that, we work very hard and get very little free time.

 

"So what I'm really looking forward to is living on board the space station for a long period of time where I may even have days where I have very little work to do and I can look out the window and just kind of enjoy living in space. I'm really looking forward to that.

 

"And of course, the other thing is the research. I'm really looking forward to working with the scientists ... where I'll be on orbit kind of as (a) lab assistant, if you will, working on the experiment, putting his samples into the testing equipment and things like that. I'm really looking forward to that, building that relationship with the scientists on the ground."

 

Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata plan to stay in space until May 14. In the near term, they expect cargo deliveries from a Russian Progress supply ship later this month, followed by arrival of an Orbital Sciences Corp. commercial Cygnus cargo craft in mid December.

 

Another Progress is expected in early February followed about a week later by a commercial SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle.

 

Kotov, Ryazanskiy and Hopkins plan to return to Earth around March 12, leaving the station in the hands of Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio. On March 26, three fresh crew members -- Soyuz TMA-12M commander Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Artemyev and Steve Swanson -- are scheduled for launch to boost the lab's crew back to six.

 

One more Progress and two more commercial cargo ships are scheduled to arrive in April and May before Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata depart and return to Earth to close out a 188-day mission.

 

"It's interesting, because the first time I went to the International Space Station was in 2000," Mastracchio said in a pre-launch briefing. "It was a brand new space station, when I arrived there nobody was living there, there were only three modules, it had that new space station smell.

 

"I came back in 2007, there were three folks living there, we had completed most of the truss work on the space station, we'd added the U.S. laboratory and the airlock. I got to do three spacewalks, help assemble the space station, and then I went back again in 2010, six people were living there, all the modules had been added.

 

"So every time I go there, the space station gets bigger and bigger and more and more people," he said. "Now I'm going there for the fourth time, but this time I'm not going there to help assemble the space station but to live and work aboard the space station. So I'm really looking forward to actually spending a long period of time up there, helping to do some research, get involved in the science, actually use the space station for what it was intended to be used for."

 

Olympic Torch Blasts Into Space Ahead of Games

 

Laura Mills - Associated Press

 

A Russian rocket soared into the cosmos Thursday carrying the Sochi Olympic torch and three astronauts to the International Space Station ahead of the first-ever spacewalk for the symbol of peace.

 

Video streamed by the U.S. space agency NASA reported a flawless docking with the space station about six hours after the craft blasted off from Russia's manned space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

 

The unlit torch for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi is to be taken on a spacewalk Saturday, then return to Earth on Monday (late Sunday EST) with three departing space station astronauts.

 

The arriving crew members Thursday were Russia's Mikhail Tyurin, American Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata of Japan.

 

Once the newcomers enter the space station following a long hatch-opening process, the orbiting lab will have nine people aboard for the first time since 2009. Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russia, NASA's Karen Nyberg and Italian Luca Parmitano are the crew scheduled to return to Earth with the torch via a Monday landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

 

The Olympic torch will not burn onboard the space outpost because lighting it would consume precious oxygen and pose a threat to the crew. The crew will carry the unlit torch around the station's numerous modules before taking it out on a spacewalk.

 

The Olympic torch was taken aboard the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis in 1996 for the Atlanta Summer Olympics, but this is the first it time it will be taken outside a spacecraft.

 

"It's a great pleasure and responsibility getting to work with this symbol of peace," Tyurin told journalists on Wednesday before the launch.

 

Russians Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazanskiy will take the torch out of the space station on Saturday while American Michael Hopkins remains inside.

 

The four-month Sochi torch relay, which started in Moscow on Oct. 7, is the longest in the history of the Olympics. For most of the 65,000-kilometer (39,000-mile) route across Russia, it will travel by plane, train, car and even reindeer sleigh.

 

Some 14,000 torch bearers are taking part in the relay that stops at more than 130 cities and towns.

 

Last month, the Olympic flame traveled to the North Pole on a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker. Later this month it will sink to the bottom of the world's deepest lake, Lake Baikal. In early February, it will reach the peak of Mount Elbrus, at 5,642 meters (18,510 feet) the highest mountain in Russia and Europe.

 

The torch will be used to light the Olympic flame at Sochi's stadium on Feb. 7, marking the start of the 2014 Winter Games that run until Feb. 23.

 

Russian Soyuz rocket flies Olympic torch to space station

 

Alissa de Carbonnel - Reuters

 

A three-man crew successfully blasted off into space with the Olympic torch on Thursday, ready to take it on its first space walk in what they said would be a "spectacular" showcase for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

 

Japan's Koichi Wakata pumped the air with his fist as the Soyuz rocket, painted with snowflake patterns, took off on a crisp morning, an onboard camera showed. The crew sat beneath a stuffed polar bear wrapped in a blue scarf, a Sochi mascot.

 

The space flight is part of what will be the longest torch relay before a Winter Olympics, which President Vladimir Putin hopes will boost Russia's image and show what it can achieve, more than two decades after the Soviet Union collapsed.

 

Less than six hours after the launch, Russian Mikhail Tyurin, American Rick Mastracchio and Wakata will deliver the torch to the International Space Station.

 

"It's just an outstanding day and a spectacular launch," William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, told Reuters.

 

"I get the privilege of understanding what goes on behind the scenes ... It's not easy and it is not routine. It is still a marvel to me when I see it."

 

Their families and other spectators watched the rocket disappear into the blue sky, leaving a trail of blazing light. Mission control announced: "Soyuz TMA-11M is in the orbit" to applause.

 

For safety reasons, the torch will not be lit in what could be a relief for Russia after the flame went out several times since the relay began last month.

 

"We will have a kind of relay of our own with this torch," veteran cosmonaut Tyurin, 53, told a news conference at the Baikonur cosmodrome, which Moscow rents from Kazakhstan, on the eve of his launch.

 

Tyurin will hand off the torch to fellow cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky, who will take it outside the airlock on Saturday.

 

"Spectacular"

 

The Olympic torch has gone into space twice before, in 1996 and 2000, but it has never been taken on a spacewalk.

 

"Our goal here is to make it look spectacular," Kotov told reporters before his mission began. "We'd like to showcase our Olympic torch in space ... Millions of people will see it live on TV and they will see the station and see how we work."

 

While the red-and-silver torch, designed to evoke the feathers of a Firebird from Russian folklore, is taken outside space station 250 miles above Earth, the flame will remain lit on the ground below.

 

As well as replacing the gas flame, Russian engineers have equipped the torch with a tether to keep it from floating out of the cosmonauts grip in weightlessness. "It was reworked ... so that it doesn't fly away," said Sergei Krikalev, head of the Cosmonauts' Training Centre outside Moscow.

 

As part of its 65,000-km (40,000-mile) relay, the torch has traveled to the North Pole on an atomic-powered ice breaker.

 

It will still go to the peak of Europe's highest mountain, Mount Elbrus, and the depths of Siberia's Lake Baikal before reaching Sochi on the Black Sea for the start of the Games on February 7.

 

"The Olympics are a huge international event that takes many, many countries cooperating and working together to pull off such a tremendous event," Mastracchio, 53, told reporters.

 

"So in a small way, I think it's great that we bring this symbol up to the international space station, which is another representation of international cooperation."

 

The torch-bearing trio's arrival at the orbital station, a $100 billion project of 15 nations, will briefly swell its crew to nine people - the most on board the outpost since America's last shuttle mission in 2011.

 

The torch will be brought back to Earth by Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin, American astronaut Karen Nyberg and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano on November 11.

 

US, Russian and Japanese crew lifts off for Space Station from Kazakhstan

 

Mark Carreau - Aviation Week

 

Russia's Soyuz TMA-11M crew transport reached the International Space Station early Thursday with a Russian, U. S., and Japanese crew, temporarily raising the population of the orbiting science lab to nine astronauts for weekend activities marking the approach of the 2014 Winter Games.

 

The capsule docked with the station's Russian segment Rassvet module at 5:27 a.m., EST, delivering newcomers Mikhail Tyurin, Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata for a six month tour of duty.

 

The spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday at 11:14 p.m., EST, or Thursday at 10:14 a.m., local time, to initiate a fourth, four orbit, six hour "express" transit to the station by a Soyuz crew.

 

"Everything is nominal," reported Tyurin with the linkup. "We're home."

 

The TMA-11M astronauts were greeted by ISS Expedition 37 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and his crew, Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy, all of Russia; NASA's Karen Nyberg and Mike Hopkins; as well as the European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano.

 

An unlit ceremonial Olympic torch stowed aboard the TMA-11M capsule  will accompany Kotov and Ryazanskiy on Saturday as they embark on a spacewalk to prepare the station's Russian segment for the departure of the Pirs docking module and arrival of the Multipurpose Laboratory Module.

 

The torch is scheduled to return to Earth late Sunday, as Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano board their Soyuz TMA-09M transport for a descent to Earth, with a landing under parachute in Kazakhstan to end 5 1/2 months in orbit.

 

As the trio departs, command of the station will transfer from Yurchikhin to Kotov for Expedition 38.

 

The torch will make its way to Sochi, Russia, where it will be used to light the Olympic flame for the Winter Games in February.

 

Olympic torch launches into orbit with new space station crew

 

Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com

 

A torch for the 2014 Sochi Olympics lifted off for the International Space Station on Wednesday night (Nov. 6), accompanied by three new crew members for the orbiting outpost.

 

Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched on Russia's Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz FG rocket climbed spaceward at 11:14 p.m. EST (0414 GMT; 10:14 a.m. Kazakh local time Nov. 7), marking the start of the crew's four-orbit, six-hour journey to the station.

 

The booster and its launch pad was specially-outfitted for this flight to celebrate the torch being aboard and the 22nd Winter Games being hosted in Sochi, Russia. The rocket and the protective shroud shielding the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft were decorated with Olympic-inspired graphics. The launch pad was equipped with metal Olympic rings.

 

"The Olympic torch, in the history of mankind, is probably the most ancient symbol of peace," Tyurin said during a pre-launch press conference. "It is a great pleasure and it is a great responsibility we are to work with this symbol of peace."

 

"I think it's great that we're bringing this symbol [of peace] up to the space station, which is another representation of international cooperation," Mastracchio added. "It is great that we can tie these two events, the Olympics and the International Space Station. We are happy to be a small part of it." [Related: Astronaut taking treasure-hunt 'travel bug' to space station]

 

The unlit torch and the three crew members are expected to dock at the space station at 5:31 a.m. EST (1031 GMT) Thursday (Nov. 7).

 

About two hours later, the hatches between Soyuz TMA-11M and the station will be opened. Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata will be greeted by Expedition 37 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, NASA flight engineer Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, who have been aboard the orbiting lab since late May, as well as Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky of Roscosmos and NASA's Mike Hopkins, who arrived at the space station in September.

 

This will be the first time since October 2009 that nine people have served together aboard the station without a space shuttle being docked to the complex. Normally, the outgoing crew — in this situation, Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano — would have already returned to Earth, but the schedule was adjusted to facilitate the handoff of the Olympic torch.

 

Orbital Olympic relay

 

The aluminum red and silver torch, which is similar to the 14,000 others being used in the traditional terrestrial relay now crossing Russia but for the addition of an extra tether, is the third Olympic torch to fly in space. Previous torches flew on the space shuttle in 1996 and 2000, with the latter even coming aboard the International Space Station.

 

The 2014 Sochi Olympics torch will still set a first as it is taken outside on a spacewalk. The extravehicular activity (EVA) is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT) on Saturday (Nov. 9).

 

Expedition 38 commander Oleg Kotov and flight engineer Sergey Ryazansky will carry the torch with them on their outing, during which video and photographs will document the Olympic icon floating above the Earth.

 

The torch will then be brought back inside and returned to Earth on Sunday (Nov. 10), landing on board Soyuz TMA-09M with Yurchikhin, Nyberg, Parmitano.

 

Three months later, the space-flown torch will enter Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi to begin the Winter Games on Feb. 7, 2014.

 

Expedition 38/39

 

Meanwhile, Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata will be on the space station through May 2014.

 

The trio are all veterans of spaceflight. Expedition 38/39 is Tyurin's third long-duration mission and his second stay aboard the ISS. Mastracchio and Wakata have each flown to space three times before.

 

"You're probably one of the most experienced crews that we've flown, so I cannot think of a better crew to represent the countries who built and operate the largest peacetime project in human history," NASA's space station program manager Michael Suffredini told the crew.

 

Wakata will become the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station when he takes the lead of ISS Expedition 39 beginning in March.

 

In addition to participating in the Olympic relay, the three will conduct hundreds of science experiments and oversee the arrival and departure of as many as seven resupply spacecraft, including three Russian Progress vehicles and both SpaceX and Orbital Sciences U.S. commercial cargo freighters.

 

Astronaut taking treasure-hunt 'travel bug' to space station

 

Robert Pearlman - collectSPACE.com

 

The countdown is underway for the launch of a treasure-hunt token to the International Space Station (ISS).

 

The same Russian spacecraft that will lift off Wednesday evening (Nov. 6) with three crew members and an Olympic torch for the orbital outpost is also carrying a "travel bug," a device used to mark the location of a hidden cache or container. On the ISS, it will serve as a tool for students and enthusiasts to track the astronaut who is bringing it to space.

 

"We are going to bring up a geocache travel bug, which is basically just a small dog tag," NASA flight engineer Rick Mastracchio said in a televised media interview. "The kids are going to follow it online and I'll answer questions while I'm on orbit with them. It gives them a reason to follow the mission and learn about NASA."

 

Mastracchio, together with Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata are set to launch aboard Russia's Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft atop a Soyuz FG rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their six-hour, four-orbit journey to the station is scheduled to begin at 11:14 p.m. EST (0414 GMT; 10:14 a.m. Kazakh local time Nov. 7).

 

Geocaching in space

 

On the Earth, geocaching is a "real world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices," the activity's official website, Geocaching.com describes. "Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache hidden at that location."

 

There are more than two million geocaches found around the world. Each travel bug is assigned an ID number that corresponds to a cache and a page on Geocaching.com, where those searching for the container can report their find and exchange messages.

 

Mastracchio's travel bug, number TB5JJN1, has a slightly different mission than all the rest: to travel to the space station and then return in six months to Chase Elementary School in Waterbury, Connecticut. The school's fifth grade class, working with the Waterbury Police Activity League, recruited Chase alum Mastracchio to fly the bug.

 

In space, Mastracchio will unite his tag with the first travel bug flown in space, which has been orbiting the Earth for five years.

 

In October 2008, computer game pioneer Richard Garriott, the first second-generation U.S. astronaut, funded his own trip to the space station and brought a travel bug with him. He used the token to mark a geocache that he established on the ISS.

 

"I left the bug on the exterior of a panel, which is a generic storage container," Garriott said after his return to Earth. "The cache is the container itself. In my mind, it is only a question of time before another geocacher flies."

 

He was right — although Mastracchio wasn't a geocacher until he was approached by the students in Waterbury, but now he says he thinks its a "great idea." And he doesn't expect any difficulty finding Garriott's cache.

 

"I know where it is, it should be no problem," Mastracchio said. "I will find it and we will take some pictures of it."

 

Those pictures, along with other mission updates, will be posted to the travel bug's web page, where the students at Chase Elementary, the students at ten other "hitchhiker" schools, and geocachers from around the globe will keep track of the token, the mission and Mastracchio.

 

Geocaching gatherings

 

To celebrate the the bug's liftoff and to kickoff tracking the mission, geocachers have organized parties to watch live as Mastracchio and his two crew mates leave the planet.

 

"There are over a thousand parties worldwide to watch the launch of this travel bug on its journey to the International Space Station," Mastracchio said. "That is a great thing."

 

According to the calendar on Geocaching.com, the launch parties spread across the globe, from Australia to Austria, the United Kingdom to all but one of the 50 United States (Wyoming being the odd state out).

 

If all proceeds as planned, Soyuz TMA-11M will arrive at the International Space Station with the bug, Mastracchio, Tyurin and Wakata aboard at 5:31 a.m. EST (1031 GMT) Thursday (Nov. 7). The three men and the geocaching tag will remain aboard the orbital lab until May 2014.

 

Japan's robot astronaut awaits companion for conversation

Kirobo is programmed to communicate in Japanese and keep records of its conversations

 

Agence France Presse

 

The world's first robot astronaut is pining for a conversation partner as he waits for Japanese spaceman Koichi Wakata aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

 

"Mr. Wakata, are you not here yet? I really want to see you soon," the pint-sized android said in a message released by its project team in Japan on Wednesday.

 

The wide-eyed and bootie-wearing 'Kirobo' — roughly the size of a Chihuahua — left Earth on a cargo-carrying rocket and reached the space station on August 10.

 

"Good morning to every one of you people on Earth. I am robot astronaut Kirobo. I am the world's first talking robot astronaut. Nice to meet you," the automaton said in Japanese.

 

Wakata along with Mikhail Tyurin of Russia and Nasa astronaut Rick Mastracchio will be aboard the Soyuz-FG rocket which will set off from Kazakhstan on Thursday for a six-hour journey to the ISS.

 

Kirobo, which stands just 34 centimetres (13.4 inches) tall and weighs about one kilogram, is programmed to communicate in Japanese and keep records of its conversations with Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to command the ISS.

 

"My dream is to see human beings and robots live together as friends," the robot added. "I will talk to you a lot from space so please listen to my chats."

 

The humanoid was created jointly by advertising firm Dentsu, the University of Tokyo, robot developer Robo Garage and Toyota.

 

The robot is part of a study aimed at seeing how a non-human companion can provide emotional support for people isolated over long periods

 

As China's space program rises, will NASA rise again?

 

Eric Berger - Houston Chronicle

 

China has the opportunity in coming years to surpass the United States in space programs, forcing the government to step up NASA funding to retain a leadership position, partner with the Chinese or risk falling behind, according to space policy experts.

 

Russia is the other country that presently has the capacity to launch humans into space. Its space program, however, reliant upon technology designed nearly five decades ago, is getting by on past momentum. China's space program, by contrast, is in ascendance.

 

China launched its first astronaut, Yang Liwei, into space a decade ago, Since then it has made steady progress, from conducting space walks to launching a small laboratory. By 2020, China plans to complete construction of its own space station.

 

While that may seem modest compared to NASA's overall accomplishments, they signal an ambitious program that is advancing rather than regressing, space experts say.

 

China has provided a stable budget and ample funding for its space goals, while NASA has been tasked with large expectations in human exploration without commensurate resources.

 

In a widely read article in Foreign Policy earlier this year, Berry College international studies professor John Hickman argued that today's modest achievements are setting the stage a decade from now for China to be the dominant player in human space exploration.

 

"Shift the focus to the present and they are merely unsettling," Hickman wrote of China's efforts in space. "But look to the future, and there are unmistakable warning signs that China may surpass the United States and Russia to become the world's pre-eminent space-faring power."

 

'Makes me cringe'

 

Leroy Chiao, a former astronaut who commanded the International Space Station, says critics who dismiss China's advancements as "been there, done that" are missing the point.

 

"It really makes me cringe when you have people dismiss what they're doing by saying they're only doing what we did 50 years ago," Chiao said. "We can't go to the moon right now. We can't even launch our own astronauts right now. We do have plans, but everyone knows the budgets we have in this country don't support those spaceflight plans."

 

Lagging in launches

 

In some areas, China has already surpassed the United States. During 2011 and 2012 China conducted four launches of commercial satellites into space, whereas the United States performed just two.

 

At a recent space conference, Adam Harris, a vice president of SpaceX, the private U.S. rocket company, identified China as the company's main competitor for future launch business.

 

"The Chinese government is certainly committed to furthering their program," said Harris, according to the website space.com. "They've announced moon missions, they've announced further activities, and they are doing it within their country."

 

Among space policy experts, two of the most critical questions about China's space program concern the extent to which NASA will be allowed in coming years to partner with China, and whether future Chinese gains in space will prod the United States to invest more in its own program.

 

By U.S. law, NASA is prohibited from working with China's space program, and other U.S. regulations prevent any satellite that includes U.S.-made components from launching on Chinese rockets.

 

The chief obstacle to NASA collaboration with China is U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., who chairs the House subcommittee overseeing the space agency's budget. Wolf's opposition is rooted to China's human rights violations.

 

Could be left behind

 

But other countries, including Russia and NASA's European partners in the International Space Station, have expressed a willingness to work with China. They wanted to see China brought in as a space station partner. And it appears likely that astronauts from both Russia and Europe will fly to China's station in the 2020s.

 

Chiao said he's concerned about a scenario in which the United States stops flying its space station in 2020, and the international partners transfer their funds and support to the Chinese station. If that scenario plays out, the United States could find itself locked out of space exploration while the world's other major powers are working and cooperating in space.

 

"If we can work with the Russians, who were our sworn enemies during the Cold War, why can't we work with the Chinese?" Chiao asked. "We've been working with the Russians since the mid-1990s and there haven't been any instances of inappropriate technology transfer that I'm aware of."

 

A 'Sputnik moment'?

 

There's also the question of whether Chinese ambitions in space might push U.S. lawmakers to give NASA a budget that allows it to meet greater spaceflight challenges.

 

Although the Chinese government has not set a firm time line, it has long-term plans to develop its line of Long March rockets from smaller to larger sizes such that a human mission to the moon might become feasible by 2025 or 2030.

 

"China plans to put their men on the moon in 2025," said Michio Kaku, a City University of New York physicist and noted science communicator. "For America, that's going to be a shock. A real wake-up call. We're going to have another 'Sputnik moment' when the Chinese put the flag on the moon."

 

However, when NASA has played the China card in the past to drum up more funding from lawmakers, it hasn't worked.

 

Mike Griffin, the space agency's administrator from 2005 to 2009, used to invoke the possibility of Chinese moon landings when seeking congressional support to fund the Constellation Program, which would have returned NASA astronauts to the moon. President Barack Obama canceled Constellation in 2010. Its replacement, the under-funded Space Launch System, doesn't have a destination.

 

"NASA in the past has tried to play up China as a competitor in space to encourage fuller funding of its human space program," said Jeff Foust, an aerospace analyst with the Futron Corporation. "It never worked."

 

Exclusive: Lady Gaga to Sing in Space in 2015

 

Nicole Eggenberger & Ian Drew - US Weekly

 

No one ever said she was down-to-earth! In early 2015, Lady Gaga will become the first artist to sing in outer space, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal.

 

The "Dope" performer, 27, is set to blast off in a Virgin Galactic ship and belt out a single track during the Zero G Colony high-tech musical festival in New Mexico. "She has to do a month of vocal training because of the atmosphere," says a source, who adds that the diva's glam squad will join her in the shuttle.

 

Zero G Colony is a three-day hi-tech festival set to take place at Spaceport America in New Mexico that features world-class entertainment and cutting-edge technology. Gaga's performance in space is planned to take place on the third day at dawn, which is approximately six months after the first Virgin Galactic commercial flight.

 

A source says the historic event will be "like nothing the world has seen before."

 

And just in case the force isn't with the pop star, a source tells Us, "Gaga has taken out a ridiculous life insurance policy!"

 

Lady Gaga to Sing In Outer Space In 2015

 

Alyssa Toomey - E! Online (eonline.com)

 

Lady Gaga is officially taking her out-of-this-world performance style to the next level.

 

The 27-year-old pop star will sing in outer space in early 2015, E! News confirms. Zero G Colony, a three-day hi-tech music festival, is set to take place at Spaceport America, New Mexico, and the climax of the event will feature the Mother Monster performing the first ever gig in outer space.

 

While some reports suggest Zero G Colony is a tech festival, we've learned that the event is a high-concept ground event music festival, where guests will experience A-list entertainment, music, cutting-edge technology and futuristic attractions.

 

On the third day of the event, Lady Gaga will take off from the Spaceport on board a Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two spacecraft and, upon reaching space, the singer will become the first ever-recording artist to perform outside the atmosphere, in zero gravity.

 

The performer herself hinted at the news on her Twitter page today, simply tweeting the hashtag "#GagaInSpace2015."

 

Gaga most recently released her latest single, Dope, from her forthcoming album ARTPOP, which is the final song available for purchase before the album hits airwaves on Monday, Nov. 11.

 

The heavily hyped record, which includes 15 tracks including the hit single "Applause," also features collaborations with R.Kelly, as well as T.I., Too $hort and Twista.

 

While Gaga has released a few songs from ARTPOP—which is, according to the singer "designed be a trip, heard from start to finish"—"Applause" was leaked early and happened to drop the same day as Katy Perry's single "Roar," sparking rumors of a feud between the two singers.

 

John Mayer's missus later insisted that there was no "beef" between the two pop stars, and they even tweeted their support for each other, despite the fact that Gaga was less than pleased with the purported leak.

 

Lady G most recently appeared at the first ever YouTube Music Awards on Sunday Nov. 3, where she arrived wearing a bizarre look similar to the cover art from her single "Dope," which included a black top hat, black shades and a black leather shirtdress in addition to a yellow, decaying, faux grin.

 

During a guest appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the "Applause" singer later said that her crazy outfits are how she deals with her "insanity."

 

"From when I was young I had voices in my head, and for the longest time I was drinking and doing a lot of drugs and it was the clothing and the artistry that saved me," she explained.

 

The performer was also recently nominated for a People's Choice Awards for Favorite Music Fan Following thanks to her loyal Little Monsters.

 

Lady Gaga Is Too Much Of An Artist For The World

 

Elizabeth Licata - TheGloss.com

 

Lady Gaga's latest attempt at reinvention could have some serious ramifications for her wardrobe crew, because the pop star-turned artiste has decided to shoot herself into space, and she's taking them with her.

 

No, really. A Lady Gaga space trip is happening. The singer has signed on to be the first performer to sing in outer space who is not actually an astronaut. Astronaut Chris Hadfield brilliantly performed "Space Oddity" from the International Space Station this spring, and Sarah Brightman announced plans to sing from the ISS in October, 2015, but this new announcement indicates Lady Gaga could well beat her to the space microphone.

 

Gaga is scheduled to perform at the Zero G Colony tech festival in New Mexico in early 2015, approximately six months after the first Virgin Galactic trip will take moneyed tourists into space, US Weekly reports. At dawn on the third day of the festival, Lady Gaga will be shot into space on a Virgin Galactic ship to sing a track that will be beamed down to festival attendees on the ground.

 

Performing a rock concert from space has never been done before, and it's going to take some training.

 

"She has to do a month of vocal training because of the atmosphere," a source told US Weekly.

 

Of course Lady Gaga won't be performing in just a space suit or T-shirt, which means she'll need help getting ready, so the festival is letting her take her wardrobe crew with her to help her through what is sure to be many costume changes.

 

That's a career turn we're expecting her "glam squad" was not anticipating. One minute you're doing laundry and hot-gluing seashells to an umbrella, the next your boss calls and tells you she's going to have you hurled into space.

 

Is it weird that my first thought is wondering how I would tell my mom? "Hi mom, don't freak out, but Lady Gaga says I have to go to space."

 

We can't imagine Lady Gaga's bosses are too thrilled with the idea. Going into space is dangerous, and Lady Gaga is making them a fortune.

 

"Gaga has taken out a ridiculous life insurance policy!" the source said.

 

We imagine it would have to be a pretty ridiculous policy that would cover "exploded in space."

 

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