| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- JSC is Transforming - Learn More This Morning
- JSC Crosswalk Safety
- Who Has Been Safe, Not Sorry? - Organizations/Social
- Discount for Gala of the Royal Horses
- Parent's Night Out at Starport - Aug. 15
- Assertiveness Skills - Jobs and Training
- Need a Spring Intern?
- Project Management and Systems Engineering Forum - Community
- Help Us Reach Our 60,000-Pound Goal
- Get Thee to Space Center Houston Tomorrow |  |
| Headlines - JSC is Transforming - Learn More This Morning
Join JSC Director Ellen Ochoa for an all-hands meeting this morning, Aug. 13, at 10 a.m. in the Teague Auditorium as she discusses developments relevant to JSC's ongoing transformation to become a center that is lean, agile and adaptive to change. First-time users will need to install the EZTV Monitor and Player client applications: - For those WITH admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you'll be prompted to download and install the clients when you first visit the IPTV website
- For those WITHOUT admin rights (Elevated Privileges), you can download the EZTV client applications from the ACES Software Refresh Portal (SRP)
If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at x46367, or visit the FAQ site. Event Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 Event Start Time:10:00 AM Event End Time:11:00 AM
Event Location: Teague Auditorium
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JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
[top] - JSC Crosswalk Safety
JSC Security has received numerous reports regarding crosswalk safety. Many of these reports come in the form of a close call. All JSC personnel are reminded that both vehicle operators and pedestrians have crosswalk responsibilities. Pedestrian responsibilities include: - Waiting on the curb until it is safe to enter a crosswalk
- Ensuring that you know you are seen by the approaching traffic prior to stepping off the curb or proceeding further into the crosswalk
- Yielding to an emergency vehicle using emergency lights and/or sirens
- Walking bicycles through a crosswalk
Driver responsibilities include: - Stopping for pedestrians using a crosswalk
- Using a cell phone ONLY in the hands-free mode
- Not obstructing a crosswalk
Employees are encouraged to review the JSC Vehicle Code for additional information. Violating crosswalk rules can result in penalties that include the suspension of JSC driving privileges. - Who Has Been Safe, Not Sorry?
David Jamison didn't waste any time when he noticed a long piece of metal hanging off the roof of the Apollo Mission Control Center visitor area. The flashing was blocking the doors, and it was almost time for the visitors to arrive. After noting the piece would not stay in place safely, Jamison pulled the metal flashing completely off and brought it to the building's facility area for safekeeping until work control could pick it up. His quick actions prevented an unsafe condition from becoming worse and served to keep the visitor area flowing safely and without delay. Jamison received an SNS pin for being Safe, Not Sorry. To request SNS pins, call Rindy Carmichael at x45078. Organizations/Social - Discount for Gala of the Royal Horses
Experience the excitement, splendor and majesty of the Gala of the Royal Horses, a spectacular show combining the most beautiful horses in the world with live performer, creating a breathtaking event for the entire family on Aug. 17 at 3 p.m. at the NRG Arena. The Gala of the Royal Horses is a "must see" for horse lovers, and this is the first time the show has performed in the United States. To receive your $5 discount, enter the code "TEXAS" under the offer code here. Taxes and service fees will apply. Watch a video to see what it's about. - Parent's Night Out at Starport – Aug. 15
Enjoy a night out on the town while your kids enjoy a night with Starport. We will entertain your children with a night of games, crafts, a bounce house, pizza, a movie, dessert and loads of fun! When: Friday, Aug. 15, from 6 to 10 p.m. Where: Gilruth Center Ages: 5 to 12 Cost: $20/first child and $10/each additional sibling if registered by the Wednesday prior to event. If registered after Wednesday, the fee is $25/first child and $15/additional sibling. - Assertiveness Skills
Assertiveness is the quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive. It requires being honest about your wants and needs while still considering the rights, needs and wants of others. Of the three main communication styles, it is the most desirable one to attain. Come and learn to identify assertive communication skills from passive and aggressive styles. Identify assertive communication techniques and learn key assertive phrases to use. Understand how self-confidence is an essential trait of assertiveness. Please join Anika Isaac, LPC, LMFT, LCDC, NCC, CEAP, as she presents "Assertiveness Skills." Jobs and Training - Need a Spring Intern?
If a project in your organization could benefit from student support, enter the project in the One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) online now. Projects should be entered by Oct. 12. The costs are $12,600 for and undergraduate and $15,000 for a graduate intern. The funding deadline is Oct. 30. Interested students can apply now through Oct. 12. Although family members of NASA employees are encouraged to apply, the selection process is highly competitive. Please note that if a family member is selected, they cannot be placed in the same directorate as the relative. For additional details, contact Missy Matthias at x27844 or via email. - Project Management and Systems Engineering Forum
The JSC Project Management and Systems Engineering Forum and the Jacobs Project Management Community of Practice are hosting a joint event today, Aug. 13, in the Building 30 Auditorium from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At this forum, James T. Brown, Ph.D. and president of SEBA® Solutions, Inc., a registered education provider for the Project Management Institute, will be speaking about "Change Management: The Undercover Role of the Project." Brown has 16 years of NASA experience that includes "hands-on" experience as a team member, project manager and executive-level organizational leadership roles. All civil servant and contractor project managers and members are invited to attend. Event Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 Event Start Time:11:30 AM Event End Time:12:30 PM
Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium
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Charlene Curtis x32548
[top] Community - Help Us Reach Our 60,000-Pound Goal
We are almost there! Help us reach our JSC Feeds Families goal of 60,000 pounds of food for families in need in our local area. This week we continue to collect canned and dry goods. Why not spend the amount you typically would for lunch on a food voucher instead? They are available in the Starport Gift Shops. Or, why not pick up a few extra groceries on your next trip to the store? YOU can make a big difference in the lives of so many, and it doesn't take much. Simply drop a donation in the bins located across site, or purchase a food voucher or prepackaged bag of food found in the Starport Gift Shops. Don't forget! Our "Stuff the Truck" closing event is Aug. 27. Come by the Gilruth Center with your bags of food and help us fill up the truck and knock out hunger! - Get Thee to Space Center Houston Tomorrow
… to watch a momentous moment for an equally momentous exhibit as a giant crane lifts the space shuttle replica Independence to its permanent home atop Space Center Houston's historic shuttle carrier aircraft. View this exciting AND FREE Rise of Independence beginning at 7:15 a.m. with a ceremony before the actual lift and piggyback at 8 a.m. on Aug. 14 (weather permitting). Whether you were an integral part of the Space Shuttle Program, or just want to see this amazing feat in action, come out and cheer on NASA's space program. There is limited viewing available on a first-come, first-served basis. The event will be postponed to another date in the event of rain or high winds, but updates will posted on both Space Center Houston's website and Facebook page. Event Date: Thursday, August 14, 2014 Event Start Time:7:15 AM Event End Time:9:00 AM
Event Location: Space Center Houston
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JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
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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. |
NASA and Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday – August 13, 2014
HEADLINES AND LEADS
Black hole bends light, space, time -- and NASA's NuSTAR can see it all unfold
Suzanne Presto – CNN
NASA's black-hole hunting telescope has captured a cosmic battle between dark and light.
Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight: Tips on how to see it
Deborah Netburn – Los Angeles Times
The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight and you don't want to miss it.
Europe's last cargo ship reaches space station
Irene Klotz – Reuters
A European resupply line to the International Space Station closed on Tuesday with the arrival of a fifth and final freighter to the orbital outpost.
Small Alabama aerospace companies urge Rep. Mo Brooks to support competition in industry
Lee Roop – Huntsville (AL) Times
Aerospace suppliers in North Alabama are reminding Alabama congressional representatives, who fight hard in Washington to protect legacy aerospace centers such as NASA, that commercial space companies are also important to their bottom lines and to the region's high-tech economy.
Another former SpaceX employee sues over alleged labor law violations
Chad Garland – Los Angeles Times
Upstart rocket manufacturer and darling of the commercial space industry SpaceX is facing another lawsuit over its labor practices.
Apollo 11 Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin Mourns Robin Williams
Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin paid his respects to comedian Robin Williams today with a post on Facebook. The Oscar-winning actor was found dead of an apparent suicide in his home in California on Monday (Aug. 11). He was 63 years old.
The Right (Mental) Stuff: NASA Astronaut Psychology Revealed
So, you want to be an astronaut. Assuming you have a college degree, some scientific experience and meet all the physical criteria, you'll still have to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine if you have what it takes to fly on a NASA mission.
NASA doctor who cares for astronauts to speak at UAH nursing conference
Paul Gattis – Huntsville (AL) Times
The lead physician for the NASA astronaut care program will be the keynote speaker at a nursing conference Aug. 29 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Space Center Houston hoisting shuttle replica onto top of shuttle carrier
Craig Hlavaty – Houston Chronicle
On Thursday morning Space Center Houston will hoist the replica Space Shuttle Independence onto the top of the shuttle carrier 747 aircraft that was installed just outside the front doors of the museum. The shuttle and plane will eventually be a six-story interactive attraction which will tell the story of the space shuttle program.
NASA's Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Gas Observatory Captures 'First Light' at Head of International 'A-Train' of Earth Science Satellites
Ken Kremer - Universe Today
NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying Earth's atmospheric climate changing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and its carbon cycle has reached its final observing orbit and taken its first science measurements as the leader of the world's first constellation of Earth science satellites known as the International "A-Train."
Kennedy Space Center's quiet rebirth slowly taking shape
Paul Brinkmann – Orlando Sentinel
Kennedy Space Center is relatively quiet these days, but there's a rebirth taking shape in the historic buildings and grounds.
COMPLETE STORIES
Black hole bends light, space, time -- and NASA's NuSTAR can see it all unfold
Suzanne Presto – CNN
NASA's black-hole hunting telescope has captured a cosmic battle between dark and light.
NuSTAR, formally known as the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, has observed a supermassive black hole's gravity tugging on X-ray light that's being emitted near that black hole.
That light is getting stretched and blurred, and researchers are getting to see it all in unprecedenteddetail, said NASA in a news release issued today.
In this instance, the corona -- a source of X-ray light that sits near a black hole -- recently collapsed in toward the black hole that's named Markarian 335.
The NuSTAR telescope has been collecting X-rays from black holes and dying stars for the past two years.
The craft completed its primary mission earlier this year, and it was redirected to investigate Markarian 335 once scientists noticed that the black hole had become dramatically brighter. NuSTAR observed that Markarian 335's gravity sucked the corona's light, an illuminating action that NASA likened to someone shining a flashlight for astronomers.
Scientists can now see the corona "lighting up material around the black hole," which allows them to study "the most extreme light-bending effects" of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, said NuSTAR's principal investigator, Fiona Harrison, in the news release. She is with the California Institute of Technology.
As if NuSTAR's observations and Einstein's theories aren't mind-boggling enough, NASA says the black hole Markarian 335 "spins so rapidly that space and time are dragged around with it."
The space agency says the new observations could help scientists better understand mysterious coronas and black holes, which are thought to be formed when massive stars collapse, creating such density that not even light can escape their intense gravitational pull.
Scientists believe supermassive black holes reside in the centers of galaxies. Some are more massive and rotate faster than others.
Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight: Tips on how to see it
Deborah Netburn – Los Angeles Times
The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight and you don't want to miss it.
The Perseid meteor shower is usually one of the most prolific meteor showers of the year, with an estimated peak of 30 to 40 meteors zooming across the sky per hour.
This year, however, observers should expect a slightly less spectacular show, as the lingering effects of Sunday evening's super bright, supermoon will drown out some of the fainter meteors.
NASA/MSFC/Danielle Moser
This map shows where the Perseids are visible around the world.
"What the moon is doing is lighting up the whole sky, it's like nature's own light pollution," said Alan MacRobert, of Sky and Telescope magazine. "It will reduce the number of faint meteors you can see, but you can still see the bright ones."
He added that committed meteor watchers could still see an average of one meteor every five minutes tonight, so it's certainly worth trying!
The Perseid meteor shower occurs each year as the Earth passes through a stream of ancient bits of dust and ice left in the wake of comet Swift-Tuttle. As the Earth goes barreling through the stream, small pieces of comet detritus slam into our planet and burn up in our atmosphere, causing what looks like shooting stars to streak across the sky.
Swift-Tuttle is in a 133-year orbit around the sun, and the people of Earth have been enjoying this late summer light show for at least 2,000 years. According to NASA, the shooting stars we can expect to see tonight could be caused by dust that has been hanging out in space for as long as 1,000 years.
The best time to see the show is after 11 p.m. time, when the constellation Perseus is high in the sky. If you are willing to wait until 3 a.m. that's even better, but not essential.
Grab a blanket or a reclining lawn chair and get yourself to a big, wide open view of the sky. You'll want to face away from the moon, because its bright glare will mess up your night vision. Also, try to stop yourself from looking at your cell phone. You want to let your eyes get used to the dark with no bright light interruptions. Then, lay back and relax and with a little luck, you should enjoy a beautiful natural light show.
For those of you who prefer to do their sky gazing on the computer (or if you just can't get outside at the shower's peak), NASA will live stream a view of the meteor shower from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The agency is also hosting a live chat with a team of meteor experts.
Happy sky watching!
Europe's last cargo ship reaches space station
Irene Klotz – Reuters
A European resupply line to the International Space Station closed on Tuesday with the arrival of a fifth and final freighter to the orbital outpost.
Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle 5, known as ATV-5, blasted off two weeks ago with more than seven tons of cargo for the station, a $100 billion orbiting laboratory staffed by rotating crews of Russian, U.S., European, Japanese and Canadian astronauts and cosmonauts.
The ATV's journey ended slowly with the 32-foot tall (9.8-m), 13.5-ton (12,247-kg) freighter inching closer and closer to a docking port on the station's Zvezda module while the two spacecraft raced around the planet at 17,100 miles per hour (27,600 km per hour.)
A small metal probe extending from the top of the ATV slipped into Zvezda's capture cone at 9:30 a.m. EDT as the ships passed 260 miles (418 km) over southern Kazakhstan, a NASA Television broadcast showed.
NASA mission commentator Rob Navias called the docking a "bittersweet moment" for the European Space Agency, a core member of the 15-nation international partnership that built and operates the orbital outpost. Europe's cargo runs to the station began in 2008.
With two U.S. companies now regularly flying freight to the station along with Russian and Japanese cargo ships, Europe will turn its attention toward building a power and propulsion module for NASA's manned Orion spacecraft. The capsule, which is being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp, is designed to carry four astronauts to destinations beyond the space station, including asteroids, the moon and Mars.
The fifth and last ATV, the largest of the cargo ships currently servicing the station, carries a record load of 7.2 tons (6,532 kg) of fuel, water, science gear, food and other supplies.
"It's a big event for us," European astronaut Alexander Gerst, one of six men currently aboard the station, said during an in-flight interview last week.
The cargo includes a European-built electromagnetic levitator, which will be used to suspend and heat metal samples in weightlessness with the goal of improving industrial casting processes.
Once the crew unpacks the ship, it will be loaded with trash and equipment no longer needed on the station. In late January, ATV-5 will be detached from the station so it can fly into the atmosphere to be incinerated. Its final task will be to record and transmit images of its demise to help engineers plan for the eventual removal of the space station from orbit.
The United States intends to keep the station operational until at least 2024. Russia and the other partners' commitments currently run through 2020.
Small Alabama aerospace companies urge Rep. Mo Brooks to support competition in industry
Lee Roop – Huntsville (AL) Times
Aerospace suppliers in North Alabama are reminding Alabama congressional representatives, who fight hard in Washington to protect legacy aerospace centers such as NASA, that commercial space companies are also important to their bottom lines and to the region's high-tech economy.
In an Aug. 1 letter to U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) copied to several others in the Alabama congressional delegation, the vice president of one of these companies urges lawmakers to welcome the new companies. The letter was sent to aerospace media reporters late Monday.
"These companies – though they may not be based in Alabama – draw many millions of dollars each year to the Decatur and Huntsville areas," writes Pete Willis, vice president of Industrial Manufacturing Specialties, Inc. in Decatur. "Because of it, we and other suppliers are able to maintain existing and create new high-skill, high-paying jobs right here."
The letter comes about a month after Brooks joined two other representatives asking NASA to provide information on what the lawmakers called an "epidemic of anomalies" on SpaceX launch missions.
SpaceX is one of the commercial companies vying for a NASA contract to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and Congress has repeatedly disagreed with the White House over how much money should go to commercial space and how much to NASA for the new Space Launch System. SpaceX also wants to compete with United Launch Alliance in Decatur to build rockets for government satellite launches.
The letter's signers say some of the "new entrant" companies, which it did not specify, have chosen their small companies as key suppliers. Traditional aerospace leaders use their products, too, the businesses say, but more companies in the field means more customers for them. One of the companies whose leaders signed the letter, Cimmaron Composites, lists SpaceX on its client list.
The letter reproduced below is signed by five company leaders in addition to Willis.
Another former SpaceX employee sues over alleged labor law violations
Chad Garland – Los Angeles Times
Upstart rocket manufacturer and darling of the commercial space industry SpaceX is facing another lawsuit over its labor practices.
In the second of two lawsuits filed in Los Angeles County last week, a former employee alleges that the rocket maker violated state labor laws by denying workers breaks and requiring them to work "off the clock."
tool maker at the Hawthorne company accused Space Exploration Technologies Corp. managers of pressuring workers with schedules and workloads that denied them meal and rest breaks required by law.
The complaint also says employees were not compensated for the missed break periods and other work the company required them to perform off the clock.
The latest suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, came just days after two other former employees filed a lawsuit accusing the company of improperly laying off hundreds of employees in late July without notice or compensation.
The latest complaint seeks back-pay with interest as well as other damages and penalties. It also seeks class-action status to include other hourly employees it says were treated similarly.
California labor law requires employers to provide 30-minute meal breaks for employees who work more than five hours and a second meal break if the employee works more than 10 hours. It also requires employers to allow 10-minute rest breaks for every four hours worked.
Companies are required to pay employees an extra hour of pay for each workday a meal break was not provided and an additional hour of pay for each workday when a rest break was not provided.
The suit alleges that since August 2010, the company enforced shift and break schedules that shortened, interrupted or failed to provide meal and rest breaks without employee consent.
Employees were also required to round their hours worked to the nearest 15-minute increment, according to the 31-page court filing, which contends that workers were not paid wages, including overtime, for time lost when those hours were rounded down. The suit also alleges that employees were not provided with some of the tools required to do their work and were not reimbursed for the use of tools they purchased themselves.
James Hawkins, the Irvine-based lawyer representing the former employee, Joseph A. Smith, was not immediately available for comment.
A SpaceX spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Apollo 11 Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin Mourns Robin Williams
Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin paid his respects to comedian Robin Williams today with a post on Facebook. The Oscar-winning actor was found dead of an apparent suicide in his home in California on Monday (Aug. 11). He was 63 years old.
"I regarded Robin Williams as a friend and fellow sufferer," Aldrin wrote on Facebook Tuesday (Aug. 12). "His passing is a great loss. The torment of depression and the complications of addiction that accompany it affect millions, including myself and family members before me - my grandfather committed suicide before I was born and my mother the year before I went to the moon - along with hundreds of veterans who come to a similar fate each year. As individuals and as a nation we need to be compassionate and supportive of all who suffer and give them the resources to face life."
Williams made his own contribution to the United States space program by providing the wakeup call for astronauts onboard the space shuttle Discovery during a mission in 1988. The actor's recorded call to the shuttle made Mission Controllers on the ground break out in smiles, giggling as he yelled "G-o-o-d morning, Discovery" in reference to his 1987 role in the movie "Good Morning, Vietnam."
The Right (Mental) Stuff: NASA Astronaut Psychology Revealed
So, you want to be an astronaut. Assuming you have a college degree, some scientific experience and meet all the physical criteria, you'll still have to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine if you have what it takes to fly on a NASA mission.
On Friday (Aug. 8), a panel of NASA psychologists described the rigorous process used to weed out people with mental disorders from the pool of potential astronauts and identify those best suited to the risky and isolated world of space travel. The panel spoke here at a meeting of the American Psychological Association.
"We're looking for the 'right stuff,' but we're also trying to get rid of people with the 'wrong stuff,'" said Kelley Slack, a psychologist at Wyle, an agency that contracts with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and a member of the astronaut selection panel.
The right stuff
Anyone with a college degree and some scientific experience can apply to be an astronaut. More than 6,000 people applied in 2013, but only eight individuals were selected. It takes almost two years from the time the job is advertised to the final selection of astronaut candidates, and in some cases, 10 years can go by before a newly selected astronaut makes his or her first spaceflight, Slack said.
"It's challenging to pick astronauts for a lot of reasons, primarily because we are predicting behavior so far in the future," Slack said. Also, the job the astronauts are selected for is probably not going to be the job they have by the time they fly.
The psychological selection process consists of two parts. The first round involves an initial set of interviews. In the second round, the applicants are assessed based on their suitability for the job, and interviews are conducted with a psychiatrist to determine any grounds for disqualification. The applicants also participate in field exercises at the Johnson Space Center to simulate some of the challenges of being in space. (Slack said she couldn't describe the specific exercises, for security reasons.)
The qualities NASA looks for in prospective astronauts are "pretty much what you'd expect from any individuals whose job it is to work very closely in very risky environments, and isolated environments," said Jamie Barrett, another psychologist at Wyle on the astronaut selection panel.
This means a person who would make a "good neighbor" — someone who's easygoing and has good social skills, Barrett told Live Science. A good candidate is also very resilient, she added.
Grounds for disqualification
The panel will disqualify astronaut applicants for a variety of psychological reasons. "We're looking for things that are clinically psychologically wrong with them," Barrett said.
In space, "they're away from their families. They're away from their friends. They [can't feel] the sun or the breeze," she said. So existing psychiatric disorders will probably disqualify them. Marital problems can also make disqualification more likely, but disqualified applicants can always reapply, she said.
Barrett couldn't speak freely about whether the selection process involves giving the applicants stress tests or putting them in challenging situations, but she acknowledged that doing these kinds of activities "would probably be a useful thing to do."
Some other countries' space programs use methods of psychological testing that NASA doesn't allow. "Sometimes we look at [our international partners] with envy at some of the things they get to do that we don't get to do," Slack said, but did not give any examples.
NASA's manned space missions are changing, however, so the qualities used to select astronauts may also change, the psychologists said. Right now, astronauts fly short, six-month missions on the International Space Station, but future missions will likely be much longer, and could include visiting the moon, near-Earth asteroids and, ultimately, Mars.
The agency is currently developing an updated list of psychological competencies for astronauts, the panelists said.
NASA doctor who cares for astronauts to speak at UAH nursing conference
Paul Gattis – Huntsville (AL) Times
The lead physician for the NASA astronaut care program will be the keynote speaker at a nursing conference Aug. 29 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Dr. William Tarver, president of the Space Medicine Association and lead physician of the Astronaut Occupational Health Program at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center, will address the UAH College of Nursing Space Life Sciences conference.
Tarver has been working with astronauts for nearly 10 years. According to UAH, he manages an annual budget of $16 million which includes six physicians, nurses, medical technicians, industrial hygienists, and a corporate wellness program.
He previously served as medical lead for the NASA Astronaut Occupational Health Program, and medical director of the Clinical Services Branch. Before joining NASA, Tarver was owner of the South Texas Occupational Medicine and Prevention Clinic.
UAH said in the announcement that north Alabama scientists, educators, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, practical nurses, and students interested in space life science and physiology of the human body are encouraged to attend the conference.
The conference is free but UAH is encouraging registration by Friday to secure a seat at the conference.
For registration and more information about the UAH College of Nursing Space Life Sciences conference, please email Christy Bacon (RN) at: clb0018@uah.edu, or Dr. Azita Amiri at: aa0033@uah.edu. Space Center Houston hoisting shuttle replica onto top of shuttle carrier
Craig Hlavaty – Houston Chronicle
On Thursday morning Space Center Houston will hoist the replica Space Shuttle Independence onto the top of the shuttle carrier 747 aircraft that was installed just outside the front doors of the museum. The shuttle and plane will eventually be a six-story interactive attraction which will tell the story of the space shuttle program.
The NASA 905 jet ferried dozens of space shuttles just back from orbit during the days of the shuttle program. It was moved from a remote part of Ellington Field to its new home just outside the front doors of Space Center Houston in late April during a high-profile two-night move through the streets of Clear Lake. The shuttle replica was brought to Space Center Houston in June 2012.
According to Jack Moore, spokesman for Space Center Houston, the plane was finally assembled a month ago. Space Center Houston let folks at home watch workers reassemble the 747 space shuttle carrier via webcam.
Thursday morning's shuttle hoisting won't be without celebration, with former astronauts and local officials coming out in force for the event, which kicks off at 7:30 a.m.
Slated to appear at the ceremony beforehand will be Space Center Houston President and CEO Richard Allen Jr., NASA JSC administrator Dr. Ellen Ochoa, and former astronaut Col. Eileen Collins, who was the first woman to pilot and command a space shuttle.
The event is open to the public, with gates opening bright and early at 6:30 a.m. for viewing.
The operation to place the shuttle on top of the plane is scheduled to commence a half hour later, which in itself will be a feat of modern engineering.
It should take the 236-foot-tall, 440-ton crane about 30 minutes to get the 86-ton shuttle into place.
Work will then begin on turning the pair into an exhibit open for touring. This will be the only shuttle -- albeit a replica -- that will be able to be explored by the public. The other decommissioned shuttles, which are at various locations across the country, are not open for touring.
So far the museum has raised $9.5 million of its stated $12 million goal. Moore says they need just over $2.5 million to get the exhibit how they want it.
"We'd like to have the exhibit open to the public sometime in 2015, depends on fundraising efforts," Moore said.
NASA's Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Gas Observatory Captures 'First Light' at Head of International 'A-Train' of Earth Science Satellites
Ken Kremer - Universe Today
NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying Earth's atmospheric climate changing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and its carbon cycle has reached its final observing orbit and taken its first science measurements as the leader of the world's first constellation of Earth science satellites known as the International "A-Train."
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) is a research satellite tasked with collecting the first global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) – the leading human-produced greenhouse gas and the principal human-produced driver of climate change.
The 'first light' measurements were conducted on Aug. 6 as the observatory flew over central Papua New Guinea and confirmed the health of the science instrument.
Before the measurements could begin, mission controllers had to cool the observatory's three-spectrometer instrument to its operating temperatures.
"The spectrometer's optical components must be cooled to near 21 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 6 degrees Celsius) to bring them into focus and limit the amount of heat they radiate. The instrument's detectors must be even cooler, near minus 243 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 153 degrees Celsius), to maximize their sensitivity," according to a NASA statement.
The team still has to complete a significant amount of calibration work before the observatory is declared fully operational.
OCO-2 was launched just over a month ago during a spectacular nighttime blastoff on July 2, 2014, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, atop a the venerable United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.
OCO-2 arrived at its final 438-mile (705-kilometer) altitude, near-polar orbit on Aug. 3 at the head of the international A-Train following a series of propulsive burns during July. Engineers also performed a thorough checkout of all of OCO-2's systems to ensure they were functioning properly.
"The initial data from OCO-2 appear exactly as expected — the spectral lines are well resolved, sharp and deep," said OCO-2 chief architect and calibration lead Randy Pollock of JPL, in a statement.
"We still have a lot of work to do to go from having a working instrument to having a well-calibrated and scientifically useful instrument, but this was an important milestone on this journey."
OCO-2 now leads the A-Train constellation, comprising five other international Earth orbiting monitoring satellites that constitute the world's first formation-flying "super observatory" that collects an unprecedented quantity of nearly simultaneous climate and weather measurements.
Scientists will use the huge quantities of data to record the health of Earth's atmosphere and surface environment as never before possible.
OCO-2 is followed in orbit by the Japanese GCOM-W1 satellite, and then by NASA's Aqua, CALIPSO, CloudSat and Aura spacecraft, respectively. All six satellites fly over the same point on Earth within 16 minutes of each other. OCO-2 currently crosses the equator at 1:36 p.m. local time.
The 999 pound (454 kilogram) observatory is the size of a phone booth.
OCO-2 is equipped with a single science instrument consisting of three high-resolution, near-infrared spectrometers fed by a common telescope. It will collect global measurements of atmospheric CO2 to provide scientists with a better idea of how CO2 impacts climate change and is responsible for Earth's warming.
During a minimum two-year mission the $467.7 million OCO-2 will take near global measurements to locate the sources and storage places, or 'sinks', for atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is a critical component of the planet's carbon cycle.
OCO-2 was built by Orbital Sciences as a replacement for the original OCO which was destroyed during the failed launch of a Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg back in February 2009 when the payload fairing failed to open properly and the spacecraft plunged into the ocean.
The OCO-2 mission will provide a global picture of the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their "sinks," the natural ocean and land processes by which carbon dioxide is pulled out of Earth's atmosphere and stored, according to NASA.
Here's a NASA description of how OCO-2 collects measurements.
As OCO-2 flies over Earth's sunlit hemisphere, each spectrometer collects a "frame" three times each second, for a total of about 9,000 frames from each orbit. Each frame is divided into eight spectra, or chemical signatures, that record the amount of molecular oxygen or carbon dioxide over adjacent ground footprints. Each footprint is about 1.3 miles (2.25 kilometers) long and a few hundred yards (meters) wide. When displayed as an image, the eight spectra appear like bar codes — bright bands of light broken by sharp dark lines. The dark lines indicate absorption by molecular oxygen or carbon dioxide.
It will record around 100,000 precise individual CO2 measurements around the worlds entire sunlit hemisphere every day and help determine its source and fate in an effort to understand how human activities impact climate change and how we can mitigate its effects.
The 999 pound (454 kilogram) observatory is the size of a phone booth.
OCO-2 is equipped with a single science instrument consisting of three high-resolution, near-infrared spectrometers fed by a common telescope. It will collect global measurements of atmospheric CO2 to provide scientists with a better idea of how CO2 impacts climate change and is responsible for Earth's warming.
During a minimum two-year mission the $467.7 million OCO-2 will take near global measurements to locate the sources and storage places, or 'sinks', for atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is a critical component of the planet's carbon cycle.
OCO-2 was built by Orbital Sciences as a replacement for the original OCO which was destroyed during the failed launch of a Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg back in February 2009 when the payload fairing failed to open properly and the spacecraft plunged into the ocean.
The OCO-2 mission will provide a global picture of the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their "sinks," the natural ocean and land processes by which carbon dioxide is pulled out of Earth's atmosphere and stored, according to NASA.
Here's a NASA description of how OCO-2 collects measurements.
As OCO-2 flies over Earth's sunlit hemisphere, each spectrometer collects a "frame" three times each second, for a total of about 9,000 frames from each orbit. Each frame is divided into eight spectra, or chemical signatures, that record the amount of molecular oxygen or carbon dioxide over adjacent ground footprints. Each footprint is about 1.3 miles (2.25 kilometers) long and a few hundred yards (meters) wide. When displayed as an image, the eight spectra appear like bar codes — bright bands of light broken by sharp dark lines. The dark lines indicate absorption by molecular oxygen or carbon dioxide.
It will record around 100,000 precise individual CO2 measurements around the worlds entire sunlit hemisphere every day and help determine its source and fate in an effort to understand how human activities impact climate change and how we can mitigate its effects.
Kennedy Space Center's quiet rebirth slowly taking shape
Paul Brinkmann – Orlando Sentinel
Kennedy Space Center is relatively quiet these days, but there's a rebirth taking shape in the historic buildings and grounds.
On a recent tour, I was able to see ongoing work to retool large areas of the complex for a new era of space flight. I saw and learned more about four big projects happening at NASA that I had only read about before.
First of all, anticipation is building for the unmanned Orion flight in December. The new capsule, designed to carry astronauts into deep space again, will be sitting on top of a huge Delta IV heavy rocket.
Lockheed Martin is building the capsule in the renovated Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy. Florida threw $35 million at the project to make sure it was located here. The project employs about 150 people currently. The goal is to have a manned Orion launch in 2021.
On my tour there last week, I saw the capsule under construction in the 1964 operations building, now named after Neil Armstrong and completely renovated. The Orion is the first capsule to be built at Kennedy. It the past, capsules were only inspected there after being manufactured elsewhere.
The second big renovation I saw was at the Vehicle Assembly Building itself. The equivalent of a 52-story skyscraper, it is one of the largest buildings by volume on the planet. It was built in the 60's to accommodate enormous Saturn V rockets; it was also used for 30 years to assemble Space Shuttles.
NASA engineer Jason Hopkins, who showed me the VAB, pointed out bright orange fiber optic cables running through metal frames along the walkways high up in the building.
"These cable trays here were stacked high with cables from the Apollo program and the shuttle program until recently. The fiber optics have replaced a large volume of cables and circuits. After Apollo, they didn't necessarily gut everything," he said. "From that perspective having some down time is good."
Also being retooled at the VAB: the crawler platform that moves assembled launch rockets to the launchpads.
Hopkins oversees planning for the complex's Ground Systems Development and Operations. In the past, rockets would often spend a month on the launch pad before liftoff. Now, Hopkins said the goal is to occupy the pad for only a week, allowing other rockets to use it.
Even if new spaceports spring up all over Texas and California, they won't have the heritage, expertise and structures that Florida has. And that is good news for Orlando and Central Florida's tech industry.
"If it's leaving the planet's gravity and it's carrying people on board, it's probably going out of Kennedy," said Jules Schneider, a senior manager for Lockheed Martin's Orion space capsule operations.
Hopkins and the press people I spoke to also explained the Commercial Crew Program. Later this year, NASA plans to award one or more contracts that will transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station by the end of 2017. Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corp. and SpaceX are competing. Boeing has said it plans to bring several operations to Florida if it wins the contract.
And finally, NASA is also prepping for the eventual Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is being tested and designed to carry the Orion capsule to an asteroid and eventually Mars.
SpaceX, which also operates in California and is planning a new launch facility in Texas, is also developing its own heavy lift systems, the Falcon Heavy. And there are plenty of questions about whether NASA will get properly funded for all of its goals. But there is a new era dawning, and it could mean big things for Central Florida.
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