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Monday, September 15, 2014

Fwd: JSC Today - Monday, September 15, 2014



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From: "Nakamura, Stacey T. (JSC-NC211)" <stacey.t.nakamura@nasa.gov>
Date: September 15, 2014 2:03:28 PM CDT
To: "Nakamura, Stacey T. (JSC-NC211)" <stacey.t.nakamura@nasa.gov>
Cc: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: JSC Today - Monday, September 15, 2014

 

 

 

From KSC PAO on the Orion EFT-1 CM/SM rollout Sept 11, 2014:

 

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/september/nasa-s-orion-spacecraft-nears-completion-ready-for-fueling/

 

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Moves in Preparation for First Flight (you tube video, time lapse)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jWe_gzozXE&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Public Website for Orion MPCV Program

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv/index.html

 

 

 

 

From: JSC Today [mailto:jsc-jsctoday@mail.nasa.gov]
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2014 7:03 AM
To: JSC-Today
Subject: JSC Today - Monday, September 15, 2014

 

 

 

Monday, September 15, 2014

 

JSC 2.0

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Inside JSC

JSC Events

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   Headlines

  1. Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 Updates

This December, NASA will launch a spacecraft built for humans farther than any has traveled in over 40 years. Here's your chance to learn about what milestones have been reached and what's to come as we work through the last few months leading up to launch.

All employees are invited to join Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer for an all-hands meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 1 pm. in the Teague Auditorium.

Geyer, along with Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes, United Launch Alliance Director of Human Launch Services Ellen Plese, as well as Ground Systems Development & Operations Program Manager Mike Bolger and his deputy Jennifer Kunz will give a joint update to JSC.

To submit a question for consideration in advance of or during the all hands, please email it to JSC-MPCV-Board-Support with "Orion All Hands" in the subject line.

JSC employees unable to attend can watch the all hands via USTREAM or via the mobile page.

The program will also be broadcast live on JSC RF channels 2 (SD) and 52-2 (HD), as well as IPTV channels 402 (SD) and 4522 (HD).

Event Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2014   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:2:00 PM
Event Location: Teague Auditorium

Add to Calendar

Orion Communications Office

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  1. SMART-OP Study for Flight Controllers

Test Subject Screening (TSS) seeks mission controllers to evaluate a self-guided, multimedia stress management and resilience training computer program called SMART-OP, which will be compared to an attention control group who will watch videos and read information on stress management. Volunteers will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups and:

    1. Attend one information session
    2. Complete two pre- and post-test assessments (60 to 90 minutes) involving questionnaires, neuropsychological tasks, physiological data and biomarker assays
    3. Attend six weekly stress management training sessions (30 to 60 minutes)
    4. Attend a three-month follow-up, equaling a total of 10 session contacts

Volunteers must be healthy non-smokers taking no medications. Individuals must pass or have a current Category I physical.

Volunteers will be compensated. (Restrictions apply to NASA civil servants and some contractors. Individuals should contact their local Human Resources department.) Please email or call both Linda Byrd, RN, at x37284, and Rori Yager, RN, at x37240.

Linda Byrd x37284

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   Organizations/Social

  1. Hispanic Heritage Month Starts Today

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The term Hispanic, or Latino, refers to Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. According to this census, 50.5 million people, or 16 percent of the population, are of Hispanic or Latino origin. This represents a significant increase from 2000, which registered the Hispanic population at 35.3 million, or 13 percent, of the total U.S. population.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on Sept. 15 and ending on Oct. 15. It was enacted into law on Aug. 17, 1988.

HERG Officers https://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/hispanic/SitePages/Hispanic%20H...

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  1. JSC Contractor Safety and Health Forum

Our next JSC Contractor Safety and Health Forum will be held tomorrow, Sept. 16, in the Gilruth Alamo Ballroom from 9 to 11:15 a.m. One guest speaker for this event is Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairperson of the U.S. Chemical Safety Investigation Board, who will be presenting on several of the board's recent investigations and their outcomes. Our second guest speaker is Mr. John L. Allen, P.E., acting director of the Laboratory Services Division and chief of the Fire Research Laboratory, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives, located in Ammendale, Maryland. Allen will present on the ATF Fire Research Laboratory's mission, capabilities and research, as well as several cases studies.

This will be a very dynamic and informative meeting that you will not want to miss.

If you have any questions, please contact Pat Farrell at 281-335-2012 or via email.

Event Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2014   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:11:00 AM
Event Location: Gilruth Center Alamo Ballroom

Add to Calendar

Patricia Farrell 281-335-2012

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  1. JSC Holiday Bazaar - Taking Vendor Applications

The Starport JSC Holiday Bazaar at the Gilruth Center will be Nov. 15.

We are now taking applications for vendors. If you have special arts and crafts, jewelry, candles, holiday décor, baked goods and more that would be a great addition to our event, submit your application by Oct. 3 for consideration. For more information, please visit our website.

Lisa Villarreal x39168

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  1. JSC Toastmasters - Wednesday Nights

Looking to develop speaking and leadership skills? Ignite your career? Want to increase your self-confidence, become a better speaker or leader and communicate more effectively? Then JSC Toastmasters is for you! Members attend meetings each Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Gilruth Center Brazos Room. JSC Toastmasters weekly meetings are learn-by-doing workshops where participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a pressure-free atmosphere. Membership is open to anyone.

Thomas Bryan x31721 http://3116.toastmastersclubs.org/

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  1. Lead Like a Rock Star

Please join us for an enlightening September JSC National Management Association (NMA) chapter luncheon with Dayna Steele, author and speaker, as she presents "Lead Like a Rock Star."

When: Thursday, Sept. 25

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom

Cost for members: FREE

Cost for non-members: $20

There are three great menu options to choose from:

    1. Mustard pork loin medallions with apple chutney, Dijon-roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus
    2. Blackened Chicken with red bell peppers and parmesan cream, angel-hair pasta and roasted asparagus
    3. Vegetarian dish: pasta primavera with whole-wheat rotini

Desserts: Pineapple/coconut sorbet

RSVP on the JSC NMA website by close of business Thursday, Sept. 18, no later than 3 p.m. with your menu selection.

Event Date: Thursday, September 25, 2014   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Gilruth - Alamo Ballroom

Add to Calendar

Leslie N. Smith x46752

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   Jobs and Training

  1. Human Systems Academy Lecture

Join the Human Systems Academy lecture on "Reducing Risks for Exploration Missions: The BHP Element's Research Strategy."

This lecture will provide information on how the distant, lengthy journey to and from Mars will involve risks to human health and performance. It will also highlight the behavioral health and performance risks faced by the crew and some of the research and technology development underway to mitigate those risks.

As space is limited, please register in SATERN.

Event Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2014   Event Start Time:10:00 AM   Event End Time:12:00 PM
Event Location: B2S/Studio B (Rm 180)

Add to Calendar

Ruby Guerra x37108 https://sashare.jsc.nasa.gov/hsa/default.aspx

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  1. Upcoming Inclusion & Innovation (I&I) Classes

Microinequities: Nanobites That Sting

Sept. 18 (choose one session - AM or PM)

• Session 1 (AM) 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

• Session 2 (PM) 1 to 4 p.m.

Increasing Inclusion and Engagement (supervisors)

Sept. 24

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Increasing Inclusion & Engagement (individual contributors)

Sept. 25 (choose one session - AM or PM)

• Session 1 (AM) 8 a.m. to Noon

• Session 2 (PM) 1 to 5 p.m.

Introduction to I&I

Oct. 7

Gilruth Alamo Ballroom

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (registration begins at 8 a.m.)

Diane Kutchinski x46490

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  1. Don't Miss: What Can Tech Scouting Do For You?

If you're looking for access to solutions outside of your regular channels, join the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation on Sept. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Building 35 for the yet2.com workshop! Yet2.com is a technology-scouting capability that provides access to a broad network of external experts and potential collaborators from all over the globe. Learn more about this platform, business model and how you can benefit. Registration and participation in the workshop is FREE! For more information, please click here.

To register, contact Carolyn Woolverton or Carissa Callini.

Event Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2014   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:3:00 PM
Event Location: B35

Add to Calendar

Carissa Callini 281-212-1409

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  1. Managing Across Cultures

Mark your calendar and REGISTER TODAY!

Date: Sept. 22

Time: 1 to 4 p.m.

Location: Building 12, Rooms 152-154

Managing Across Cultures brings to light the differences in leadership, communication and conflict styles across cultures, and how these differences can cause misperceptions or misinterpretation leading to misunderstanding in the workplace. Workshop participants will engage in experiential exercises designed to develop skills to effectively deal with the differences to prevent misunderstanding.

Key Benefits

    1. Learn and develop cross-cultural management and communication skills through experiential exercises
    2. Recognize five functions of nonverbal communication
    3. Distinguish the six patterns of nonverbal communication
    4. See how the differences in nonverbal communication styles cause misperceptions, misinterpretation and lead to misunderstanding
    5. Recognize differences in values across cultures and how they impact the inter-cultural relationships in the corporate environment
    6. Understand the sources of intercultural conflict and different resolution styles
    7. Recognize the most common, incorrect ways to deal with these differences

Jennifer Rodriguez x46386

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  1. NASA Healthier You Webinars Continue

The journey to well-being starts with awareness, a key step in our behavioral transformation. Breaking through barriers starts with becoming aware of our perspectives regarding change. Beliefs and behaviors we follow have been built over a lifetime. Once we become aware, the next step is education. Gaining accurate and impactful knowledge regarding improving our personal productivity and well-being is critical in creating our roadmap to wellness.

Join us on Sept. 24 and learn how healthy diets rich in nutrients help us pack energy and satisfaction into our busy lifestyles. This webinar will discuss the health benefits of food and how food can help reduce our risk of disease. Whether good health means improved productivity, more energy, a better mood or just plain fun, these webinars are for you! These webinars are available to all civil servants, contractors and family members.

For details, click here.

Lisa Villarreal x39168

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  1. Job Opportunities

Where do I find job opportunities?

Both internal Competitive Placement Plan and external JSC job announcements are posted on the Human Resources (HR) Portal and USAJOBS website. Through the HR Portal, civil servants can view summaries of all the agency jobs that are currently open at: https://hr.nasa.gov/portal/server.pt/community/employees_home/239/job_opportu...

To help you navigate to JSC vacancies, use the filter drop-down menu and select "JSC HR." The "Jobs" link will direct you to the USAJOBS website for the complete announcement and the ability to apply online.

Lateral reassignment and rotation opportunities are posted in the Workforce Transition Tool. To access, click: HR Portal > Employees > Workforce Transition > Workforce Transition Tool. These opportunities do not possess known promotion potential; therefore, employees can only see positions at or below their current grade level.

If you have questions about any JSC job vacancies or reassignment opportunities, please call your HR representative.

Brandy Braunsdorf x30476

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   Community

  1. 2014 Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) introduces the 2014-2015 Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series, "Science" on the Silver Screen. This series will explore the accuracy, as well as inaccuracy, of science portrayed in the movies.

Astronaut and planetary scientist Dr. Stanley Love will discuss the 2013 movie "Gravity" on Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series Web page. Limited seating is available, so RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.

LPI's Cosmic Explorations presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a light reception. The LPI is located in the USRA Building (3600 Bay Area Blvd.; the entrance is located on Middlebrook Drive). For more information, please click here or contact Andrew Shaner at 281-486-2163. Parking is limited.

Event Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014   Event Start Time:7:30 PM   Event End Time:9:00 PM
Event Location: LPI Building

Add to Calendar

Andrew Shaner 281-486-2163 http://www.usra.edu/

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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

Monday – September 15, 2014

HEADLINES AND LEADS

Embry-Riddle students get hands-on experience with NASA

Dustin Wyatt – The Daytona Beach News-Journal

It wasn't an ordinary boat ride for Jonathan Jaworski. It was a rare chance for the Embry-Riddle freshman to show NASA astronauts what he's been working on in the college classroom.

Citadel grad shuttle astronaut turns aquanaut

Bo Petersen - The Charleston (SC) Post and Courier

 

It's definitely not space - not with barracuda in a feeding frenzy right outside the porthole. But the view on his latest mission kept NASA astronaut and space shuttle veteran Randy Bresnik peering out enthralled.

 

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen may take first space trip in next five years

The Canadian Press

 

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen has taken part in geological expeditions in the High Arctic and even lived in caves underground for several days.

 

Michoud proudly reveal monster welder for SLS cores

Chris Bergin – NASA Space Flight

The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is continuing its lengthy transition towards its new flagship role, marked by ribbon cutting event on Friday for a huge tool that will help construct the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS). Known as the Vertical Assembly Center (VAC), the tool is the centerpiece of the new era for the New Orleans facility.

Two Space Coast launches on tap this week

James Dean – Florida Today

 

A 19-story Atlas V rocket is scheduled to roll to its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch pad Monday morning in preparation for a 5:44 p.m. Tuesday blastoff with a secret U.S. government satellite.

 

NASA Extends Wyle's NASA Space Crew Support Contract

Anna Forrester – ExecutiveBiz

 

Wyle's science, technology and engineering business unit in Houston has received a $75 million contract modification from NASA for continued support to the Johnson Space Center's human health and performance directorate.

 

Google to test cars without a driver at Moffett Field

Brandon Bailey – San Jose (CA) Mercury News

 

Google plans to begin testing its new prototype of a self-driving car -- which, unlike earlier models, the company hopes to operate without a backup driver -- at NASA's Ames Research Center on the grounds of Moffett Field, just a few miles from the tech company's headquarters, space agency officials said this week.

COMPLETE STORIES

Embry-Riddle students get hands-on experience with NASA

Dustin Wyatt – The Daytona Beach News-Journal

It wasn't an ordinary boat ride for Jonathan Jaworski. It was a rare chance for the Embry-Riddle freshman to show NASA astronauts what he's been working on in the college classroom.

He was in Key Largo on Friday moving over choppy water. A 4-foot-long automated submarine called an ecodolphin was in tow and when he arrived at the destination, he put it in the ocean and showcased its functions to a group of NASA astronauts and researchers.

"We (students) actually constructed the ecodolphin. Being able show it off for NASA validates all of our hard work," he said during a phone call as soon as he returned to dry land. "I think NASA is really excited about the dolphin. It's a cute little submarine, so it's been getting a lot of attention."

Jaworski is one of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students involved in a three-part research project with NASA and its Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO).

NEEMO is a training program in which a group of astronauts, engineers and scientists live in an undersea research station for three weeks at a time. NASA believes the habitat, which sits in about 60 feet of water nearly three miles off Key Largo, simulates what it's like to be in space. The aquanauts suit up, escape the habitat for a "spacewalk" and roam throughout the water. The mission is over Sunday and students on the mission, who have been getting up at 6 each morning and going to bed as late as 4 a.m., aren't looking forward to coming back home.

"It's been a pretty nice vacation," said Victoria Barkley, a human factors major. "Even though we have been working every day, it's still been nice to get a little break from school to do some research projects."

On Thursday, Embry-Riddle students in Daytona Beach got an update on the mission.

About 50 students filled a classroom as the school hosted a live, interactive video conference with the NASA astronauts and professors involved in the mission. Using Skype, the students also got a peek inside the school bus-sized habitat where four aquanauts are living.

The research partnership has been a success thus far, said Nicole Stott, an astronaut and Embry-Riddle board of trustees member.

"This kind of operation allows the students to participate, and my hope is that, as we move forward, Embry-Riddle will continue to participate in a more prevalent and grander and grander scale," she said during the conference. "It makes me feel good to know that we can feel comfortable bringing our students and faculty into this environment and allowing them to do really cool stuff."

Some students showcased the ecodolphin while others, like Holly Abernethy, is spending a lot of time in a control room observing the aquanauts' mission and listening in on their conversations.

"It was really neat to be a part of that," Abernethy said.

Other students worked with Teledyne Oil and Gas over thwe summer to construct a metallic structure called CORAL. It was dropped in 60 feet of water Thursday and placed beside the underwater habitat called Aquarius so Teledyne — which manufactures underwater electrical and fiber optic cables for offshore oil drilling — could see how its equipment responds to extreme levels of water pressure.

Embry-Riddle student Austin Leach helped build the structure and he was in Key Largo last week telling astronauts how it works and what it does. As an aspiring astronaut, he also received advice.

"Astronauts told me to get involved in hands-on activities," he said. "When I heard the opportunity was available to work with both Teledyne and NASA, I of course jumped on it. It absolutely made the trip worth it."

Jason Kring, an Embry-Riddle professor of human factors who has been in Key Largo with students for the past two weeks, said he hopes this opportunity opens up doors for students once they graduate.

"That's one of my jobs — to put students in situations where they can meet the people who are doing the jobs. They are observing how a mission is run, how to organize schedules, etc. It's been priceless in terms of the experience. I can't simulate this in a laboratory."

He said he has been impressed with the work the students have done.

"They have exceeded my expectations in terms of their hard work, their commitment to each of their projects," he said. "They've impressed everyone including me; they make me very proud."

"It's been a pretty nice vacation," said Victoria Barkley, a human factors major. "Even though we have been working every day, it's still been nice to get a little break from school to do some research projects."

On Thursday, Embry-Riddle students in Daytona Beach got an update on the mission.

About 50 students filled a classroom as the school hosted a live, interactive video conference with the NASA astronauts and professors involved in the mission. Using Skype, the students also got a peek inside the school bus-sized habitat where four aquanauts are living.

The research partnership has been a success thus far, said Nicole Stott, an astronaut and Embry-Riddle board of trustees member.

"This kind of operation allows the students to participate, and my hope is that, as we move forward, Embry-Riddle will continue to participate in a more prevalent and grander and grander scale," she said during the conference. "It makes me feel good to know that we can feel comfortable bringing our students and faculty into this environment and allowing them to do really cool stuff."

Some students showcased the ecodolphin while others, like Holly Abernethy, is spending a lot of time in a control room observing the aquanauts' mission and listening in on their conversations.

"It was really neat to be a part of that," Abernethy said.

Other students worked with Teledyne Oil and Gas over thwe summer to construct a metallic structure called CORAL. It was dropped in 60 feet of water Thursday and placed beside the underwater habitat called Aquarius so Teledyne — which manufactures underwater electrical and fiber optic cables for offshore oil drilling — could see how its equipment responds to extreme levels of water pressure.

Embry-Riddle student Austin Leach helped build the structure and he was in Key Largo last week telling astronauts how it works and what it does. As an aspiring astronaut, he also received advice.

"Astronauts told me to get involved in hands-on activities," he said. "When I heard the opportunity was available to work with both Teledyne and NASA, I of course jumped on it. It absolutely made the trip worth it."

Jason Kring, an Embry-Riddle professor of human factors who has been in Key Largo with students for the past two weeks, said he hopes this opportunity opens up doors for students once they graduate.

"That's one of my jobs — to put students in situations where they can meet the people who are doing the jobs. They are observing how a mission is run, how to organize schedules, etc. It's been priceless in terms of the experience. I can't simulate this in a laboratory."

He said he has been impressed with the work the students have done.

"They have exceeded my expectations in terms of their hard work, their commitment to each of their projects," he said. "They've impressed everyone including me; they make me very proud."

Citadel grad shuttle astronaut turns aquanaut

Bo Petersen - The Charleston (SC) Post and Courier

 

It's definitely not space - not with barracuda in a feeding frenzy right outside the porthole. But the view on his latest mission kept NASA astronaut and space shuttle veteran Randy Bresnik peering out enthralled.

 

Bresnik, a 1989 graduate of The Citadel, was scheduled to "splash up" Sunday after spending a week more than 60 feet deep, nearly six miles off Key Largo, Fla. He has been aboard and diving around the Aquarius Reef Base, an underwater research laboratory run by Florida International University.

 

He talked by Skype with The Post and Courier on Friday afternoon, near the porthole with tropical fish lazily finning by.

 

The cutely acronymed NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) mission gives shuttle veterans like Bresnik the opportunity to command and work with newer astronauts to prepare them for the space environment.

 

Life at the lab, supported by surface equipment, is called saturation diving. The environment is singular. Bresnik pointed out fewer people have done it than have been to space.

 

Among other jobs, his team developed a technique for drilling into asteroids from a spacecraft, using a platform and a remote, telescoping arm. They tested "intuitive procedures" such as learning from video displays mounted on their heads as they did tasks they hadn't been trained for.

 

An experienced scuba diver, Bresnik had the weird opportunity to spend more than four hours at a time outside the lab - something that usually couldn't be done at that depth with scuba gear, a "once in a lifetime opportunity to live among the fishes," he said. Because the divers are living at that depth and pressure, they can simply change air tanks and come aboard the lab when they are finished.

 

Bresnik, two Europeans and a Canadian astronaut, worked in conditions simulating the zero gravity of deep space, the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the one-third gravity of Mars, as well as the "micro-gravity" around an asteroid, a cluster of rubble or rock rocketing through space.

 

After his 2009 space-walking journey aboard the shuttle Atlantis, Bresnik talked about the awe and hard-to-grasp scale of circling the Earth, the sun rising every half-hour. An undersea "traverse" can be just as physically challenging as a space walk, he said Friday.

 

"It's a harsh environment humans are not built for," he said. As a mentor to the newer astronauts, part of his job was to pass on the expectation of that environment - "This is why we do this (undersea), because this is what it's like in space."

The contrast can be startling. They swam out one morning into a fierce current that had them digging into the bottom and tilting forward to make headway. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen observed that it would take a 2,000-mile-per-hour wind to duplicate those conditions on Mars.

 

But maybe the oddest thing was the way fish would school outside the porthole window at sunset, likely because of the light emanating from it. That brought in the barracuda and "they'd just go crazy," Bresnik said.

 

Kidded about how going from space to the sea floor didn't seem like a good career trajectory for an astronaut, he laughed and brought up that in between the trips he took part in a mission 1½ miles underground in European caves.

 

Bresnik doesn't know what's in store for him next. With a new generation of spacecraft and equipment being developed in public and joint public-private efforts, he can see advances such as a space hotel that gives ordinary people a chance at that orbiting wonder ride.

 

"Hopefully opportunities open up like they did in aviation in the 1920s," he said. He wants to be a part of it.

 

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen may take first space trip in next five years

The Canadian Press

 

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen has taken part in geological expeditions in the High Arctic and even lived in caves underground for several days.

 

He's now adding a week living in an underwater environment to his credentials which he hopes will get him into space by 2020.

 

Hansen, who was born in London, Ont., says no specific time frame is being discussed, but the Canadian astronaut feels he'll be taking his first trip into space by 2020.

 

"I guess if you got inside my head and you understood what I'm thinking, I kind of have a feeling that I'm going to fly in this decade," he told The Canadian Press in an interview Friday.

 

NASA has said no Canadians will be heading up to the International Space Station anytime soon because all flights have been booked through the end of 2016.

 

Another opportunity could open up in 2019-2020.

 

Hansen, a CF-18 fighter pilot, noted that for the first time time in history, commercial companies like SpaceX in the United States are building rockets that will take humans to space.

 

He said that would drive down the cost of space travel.

 

"Everything is going to change," Hansen said, predicting the future looks bright for Canadians in space."

 

When I look into the future, I think the 2020s are just going to be a heyday in space, there's going to be a lot going on and I'm still planning to stick around and be a part of it if I can.

 

"But most importantly I think what that says — especially to young Canadians— is that we're going to have a space program that's growing (and) there are going to be more and more Canadians flying in space."

 

Hansen, 38, made the comments during an interview from Aquarius, an undersea laboratory about six kilometres off Key Largo in Florida.

 

He's been a member of the NEEMO 19 mission, which has been taking place under 19 metres of water in conditions that closely resemble a space environment.

 

NEEMO stands for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations.

 

Hansen, who is due to surface Sunday. has been doing spacewalk simulations and testing tools and techniques that could be used to deal with the different levels of gravity that would be encountered on asteroids, Mars and its moons.

 

"What I see everybody focusing on is developing infrastructure that's going to allow us to go to multiple destinations," he said.

 

Back in 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama challenged NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid. But reaction in the American Congress to such a mission has been lukewarm at best.

 

"The asteroid is a commonly debated topic," Hansen said. "NASA talks a lot about going to an asteroid, but certainly at the Canadian Space Agency, we haven't made any commitments to going to an asteroid yet, (but) it doesn't mean we wouldn't."

 

He said the ultimate goal is to go to Mars.

 

Hansen's underwater habitat is similar in size to modules on the International Space Station and he and his fellow crew members experienced some of the challenges they would in space — including delays in their communications with the surface.

 

"When we go to Mars or an asteroid for example, we will have a significant communications delay, so down here, in this mission, we're simulating a five-minute communication delay each way," he said.Hansen's colleagues include NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen and Herve Stevenin, head of the ESA's extra-vehicular training.

 

Fellow Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques was involved in a NEEMO mission in 2011, while retired astronauts Chris Hadfield, Dave Williams and Bob Thirsk took part in earlier missions.

 

Michoud proudly reveal monster welder for SLS cores

Chris Bergin – NASA Space Flight

The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is continuing its lengthy transition towards its new flagship role, marked by ribbon cutting event on Friday for a huge tool that will help construct the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS). Known as the Vertical Assembly Center (VAC), the tool is the centerpiece of the new era for the New Orleans facility.

MAF Transition:

It's been a long road back for the huge factory in Louisiana.

Following a famed history that included the production of stages for the giant Saturn V, transitioned to the construction of the External Tanks for the Space Shuttle Program (SSP), its future looked bleak when the Constellation Program (CxP) was cancelled.

 

With most of its workforce made redundant, the facility's large expanses became the set for several Hollywood movies – a depressing situation, as the former home of space hardware such as ET-132 became the set for GI Joe 2.

 

Shoots of recovery – one that involves commercial and government work – have slowly come to fruition, such as the opening work on the first space bound Orion (EFT-1) and the ongoing construction of SNC's space-worthy Dream Chaser.

 

However, it's the Space Launch System (SLS) that will return the hustle and bustle to Michoud, as the facility gears up with an array of extraordinary tooling that will result in huge stages – complete with their four RS-25 engines – rolling out of the factory doors.

 

The project to transition MAF into the birthplace of the SLS stages is huge.

It involves construction projects in Buildings 103, 110, 114, 115, 131 and 451 – along with modifications in numerous other areas inside the facility's 42 acres. Even the roof has been extended in areas to allow for sheer size of SLS stages.

A big rocket requires big tooling, and that is no exception for the VAC.

Coming in at 170-foot-tall and 78-foot-wide, the giant structure completes a world-class welding toolkit for Michoud.

The VAC will be where domes, rings and barrels will be joined together to complete the tanks or dry structure assemblies. The tool also will perform nondestructive evaluation (NDE) on the completed welds.

Officially opened during Friday's ribbon cutting ceremony, the VAC will undergo validation testing, ahead of work on several large structures that have already been prepared nearby.

Engineers recently completed welding all the rings for the first flight of SLS using the Segmented Ring Tool, while ten barrels also have been welded for the SLS core stage using the Vertical Weld Center.

The Segmented Ring Tool use a friction-stir-weld process to produce segmented support rings for the SLS core stage. The rings connect and provide stiffness between domes and barrels.

Meanwhile, the Vertical Weld Center - a friction-stir-weld tool for wet and dry structures on the SLS core stage – welds barrel panels together to produce whole barrels for the two pressurized tanks, the Intertank, the Forward Skirt and the Aft Engine Section.

Once in full flow, numerous tools will work together in a production line scenario, that includes the Robotic Weld Tool – with the Circumferential Dome Weld and Gore Weld tools – used to make dome components for SLS.

This machine will be known as the Enhanced Robotic Weld Tool when in full operation.

Specifically, the Circumferential Dome Weld Tool's role is to perform circumferential friction stir welds in the production of dome assemblies for the SLS core stage cryogenic tanks.

The Gore Weld Tool will perform vertical conventional friction stir welds in the production of gore assemblies – preformed aluminum alloy dome segments – for the SLS core stage tanks.

While the ribbon cutting event was surrounded by the usual political sound bytes about going to Mars – despite such an aspiration being undefined, it follows closely after the SLS team received approval to proceed to the Critical Design Review (CDR) stage for the big rocket.

 

"The SLS Program continues to make significant progress. The core stage and boosters have both completed critical design review, and NASA recently approved the SLS Program's progression from formulation to development," noted Todd May, SLS program manager.

 

"This is a major milestone for the program and proof the first new design for SLS is mature enough for production."

 

Two Space Coast launches on tap this week

James Dean – Florida Today

 

A 19-story Atlas V rocket is scheduled to roll to its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch pad Monday morning in preparation for a 5:44 p.m. Tuesday blastoff with a secret U.S. government satellite.

 

The mission called CLIO is not attributed to any agency, and spacecraft builder Lockheed Martin won't discuss it.

 

The payload is described only as a "commercially based communications satellite."

Around 10 a.m. Monday, the rocket and its payload will emerge from a vertical processing tower at Launch Complex 41 and roll a short distance to the launch pad.

 

The launch day forecast shows a 60 percent chance of favorable weather during a nearly two-and-a-half-hour window.

 

Thunderstorms, clouds and even solar weather — in the form of possible X-class flares — could pose problems. Wednesday's outlook is no better, with 30 percent odds.

 

The launch could be the first of two from the Cape this week. SpaceX's next launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule packed with International Space Station cargo is planned at 2:16 a.m. Saturday.

 

The mission is SpaceX's fourth of 12 under a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract.

 

DiBello leads commercial group

 

Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello last week was elected to lead the board of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, the industry's leading advocacy group.

 

The announcement came after the CSF board, on which DiBello already served, met in Jacksonville before the Cecil Spaceport's Commercial Space Summit.

 

"I look forward to taking the helm of this organization during this dynamic period in our industry," DiBello said in a statement. "I'm thrilled to be working with the new CSF staff leadership and member companies to promote the continued development and success of the commercial spaceflight sector."

 

The leadership position could bolster DiBello's credibility as Space Florida continues to negotiate with NASA and the Air Force on how best to attract commercial space activity to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.

 

Curiosity: NASA responds

 

NASA last week downplayed an independent science panel's concerns about the agency's science priorities for its flagship $2.5 billion Mars Curiosity rover, launched from the Cape in 2011.

 

The so-called senior review panel recommended a two-year extension of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, but said its proposal "lacked scientific focus and detail."

 

Further, the panel was angered that the mission's lead scientist was not present to answer some questions, leaving an impression that the mission team arrogantly believed it was "too big to fail."

 

NASA last week held a teleconference promoting Curiosity's future science work, announcing that the Mini Cooper-sized rover had reached the base of Mt. Sharp, its goal since landing in Gale Crater more than two years ago.

 

Jim Green, head of planetary science at NASA headquarters, pointed to the senior review's overall finding that extensions of MSL and six other missions "all represent added value to the Planetary Science Division and the American taxpayer because they are essentially new missions without the development and launch costs."

 

After that, Green said, the panel got "down into the weeds" with critical recommendations that NASA welcomed.

 

The panel's main recommendation was that Curiosity drive less and drill more.

 

Curiosity Project Scientist John Grotzinger, of the California Institute of Technology, said that preference aligned with NASA's plans now that the rover has reached Mt. Sharp, where it will seek evidence of once-habitable environments.

 

"They'd like to see us do more drilling, and that's exactly what we want to do, so they both align," he said. "I think a couple years from now nobody's going to worry about that."

 

Green said NASA had approved Grotzinger to attend another function instead of answering questions from the review panel, giving his deputy that responsibility. He said the concern about Grotzinger's absence was "largely a misunderstanding."

 

SpaceShipTwo: Flying in 2015?

 

For years, Sir Richard Branson's answer to questions about when Virgin Galactic would begin flying space tourists on suborbital trips has been "next year."

 

So it is again, according to Branson's recent interview on the "Late Show with David Letterman."

 

Branson said he would be on the first flight of Virgin's SpaceShipTwo out of Spaceport America in New Mexico — now targeted for February or March of next year. The company had hoped to begin its commercial spaceline service before the end of this year.

 

NASA Extends Wyle's NASA Space Crew Support Contract

Anna Forrester – ExecutiveBiz

 

Wyle's science, technology and engineering business unit in Houston has received a $75 million contract modification from NASA for continued support to the Johnson Space Center's human health and performance directorate.

 

The modification brings the contract's value to nearly $1.5 billion and extends Wyle's support until at least the end of April 2015, NASA said Thursday.

 

Wyle STE Group will provide research, engineering, medical and operations and flight development services for crews on the Orion and International Space Station programs.

 

Work will also cover areas such as program integration, human adaptation, space medicine, habitability and environment factors and other concerns that help ensure the safety, health and productivity of its space crews.

 

Contract work occurs at JSC and Ellington Field in Houston and the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

 

Google to test cars without a driver at Moffett Field

Brandon Bailey – San Jose (CA) Mercury News

 

Google plans to begin testing its new prototype of a self-driving car -- which, unlike earlier models, the company hopes to operate without a backup driver -- at NASA's Ames Research Center on the grounds of Moffett Field, just a few miles from the tech company's headquarters, space agency officials said this week.

Because Moffett is federal property, Google cars can drive the network of streets that crisscross the sprawling, 2,000-acre research facility without worrying about California regulations that say a human operator must be able to take control of self-driving vehicles during testing on public roads.

 

Testing of cars without drivers could begin at Moffett early next year, according to a statement from Ames Associate Director Deborah Feng. NASA is working with Google on the project and hopes to gain useful information for its own efforts to develop unmanned drones and air traffic management systems.

 

The Google cars are one of several projects run by the company's secretive X division, overseen by co-founder Sergey Brin. He and Google CEO Larry Page have said computer-driven cars may someday eliminate countless traffic injuries and deaths caused by human error, while also saving time, money and land devoted to parking, since they could drop off passengers and return later to pick them up.

 

Google, which is also testing cars at more remote sites, including a former air base in Merced County, declined to comment in detail this week but said in a brief statement: "As we develop new technologies, we often partner with organizations like NASA Ames who have related interest and expertise."

 

The tech giant already has ties with NASA: Along with collaborating on other research projects, Google has leased a large section of Moffett Field to build a big new office campus. It's also negotiating a separate lease to manage the historic hangars and runways at Moffett. And some of Google's top executives have a lease to park their personal jets there.

 

In recent years, Google's self-driving car project has used retrofitted Lexus and Toyota cars that pilot themselves, using sophisticated sensors, software and onboard computers. Those vehicles, which are a common sight on streets around Mountain View, have steering wheels and other standard controls so technicians in the car can take over driving as needed.

 

But Google announced this spring that it's developing a new prototype for a self-driving car. The small, bubble-shaped prototype has two seats and an electric motor that can go up to 25 mph, but no manual controls except for "start" and "stop" buttons. It may be impractical to expect passengers in a self-driving car to remain attentive and ready to intervene in an emergency, Google said in May, so it wants to design a car where that's unnecessary.

 

California, however, has adopted safety regulations that require even self-driving cars to have manual controls when tested on public roads. Google has said it will install a temporary steering wheel and gas and brake pedals in the new cars to comply with those rules. But the regulations don't apply to roads on federal properties like Moffett Field, said Bernard Soriano, deputy director of California's Department of Motor Vehicles. Public access to most of Moffett is restricted.

Google has already deployed self-driving Lexus vehicles at Moffett, in the first stages of its testing agreement with NASA. Those vehicles have been mapping the site and gathering other data that the cars' computers use to steer themselves.

In the next phase, scheduled to begin in the next three to six months, Google will test its new prototype at Moffett, with a driver on board who can take control if necessary, Feng said in a statement. A month or two after that, she added, Google could begin testing the prototypes "in a more autonomous mode without a safety driver onboard."

Some NASA employees, while applauding the project's goals, raised concerns last month about potential hazards to people who walk or drive on the Moffett grounds. But since then, said Leland Stone, president of the Ames Federal Employees Union, managers have given assurances that Google and NASA will make sure the tests are conducted safely.

"One of the goals of this partnership is to make the breakthrough from the current level of partial automation with backup human drivers to true automation," Stone said. "This ambitious goal raised novel safety challenges that needed to be addressed. The union is confident that the safeguards now being put in place will resolve our initial concerns."

 

END

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