Fwd: JSC Today - Friday, January 16, 2015 and NASA News --my version

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 16, 2015 at 8:02:16 AM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: JSC Today - Friday, January 16, 2015 and NASA News --my version

Happy Flex Friday everyone  and have a great weekend.   Enjoy the Houston Marathon.

 

 

 

Friday, January 16, 2015

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Interior View From the International Space Station Cupola

 

Organizations/Social Walk a Marathon in a Month! with Shape Up Houston If you've ever dreamed of completing a marathon, now you can do so with us at Starport!   Starport Wellness: Walk a Marathon in a Month! • Begins Sunday, February 1 and ends Saturday, February 28   • Sign-up: o If you haven't done so already, sign-up with Shape Up Houston: https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/wellness/shape-up-houston o Once registered, just log your miles on your online Shape Up Houston Health Journal   • PRIZES! o Those who enter and complete the challenge successfully will be entered into an incentive drawing at the completion of the program       Evan Thoman 281-244-2769 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/ [top]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TO: THE ADMINISTRATOR AND SENIOR OFFICIALS DATE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015 7:30 AM EST | CS#15-3062 Holiday Message In observance of the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, we will not publish on Monday, January 19, 2015. Service will resume on Tuesday, January 20, 2015. We wish our readers a safe holiday.   TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Space Agencies Looking To Study More Astronauts On One-Year Missions. NASA NEWS • NASA Has Greater Need For SpaceX To Make Its Deliveries On Time. • Walker: Cruz Will Be An NASA Advocate As Head Of Subcommittee. HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS • POIC Crew Helped Preserve ISS Experiments During False Alarm. • Brightman In Training For October Launch To ISS. • New LED System For ISS Wins Innovation Award. • ISS Said To Be One Of The Best Locations To See Auroras. • Some American Food Items For The ISS Stuck At Russian Customs. • Venture Capitalists Want "Next Big Opportunity" In Space. • NASA Photo Depicts Interior Of ISS Cupola Module. • Radio Club Connects Students With ISS. • Greenberg: US Starting To "Dream Again" After Orion Flight. • "Space School" Documentary Films Astronauts Training For Space Travel. • NASA Astronaut Joins Garden City Students At Cradle Aviation Museum. • UFO Found In Apollo 12 Mission Photos. SCIENCE • New Horizons Spacecraft Beings Approach Phase For Pluto Flyby. • MRO Images Show Missing Beagle 2 Lander In One Piece On Mars. • Curiosity About To Be Upgraded With New Software. • NASA Releases First Satellite Image Of The US Using Landsat 1 Images. • Sea Level Rise Accelerating Since 1990. • Study Finds That Chondrules May Not Be Planetary Building Blocks. • Thin Atmospheres Could Prevent Some Exoplanets From Becoming Tidally Locked. SPACE TECHNOLOGY • NASA Will Place First Laser Communications Ground Terminal In Hawaii. • NASA Working On Ways To Overcome Challenges For Future Mars Colonization. LEADING THE NEWS Space Agencies Looking To Study More Astronauts On One-Year Missions. The AP (1/15) reports that even before astronauts Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko begin their one-year stints aboard the ISS, researchers are "clamoring" for additional flights of the same length. Space Station Program Scientist Julie Robinson said, "What we don't know right now is what that six- to 12-month period looks like. ... We're talking about it scientifically, but we're not really having deep discussions about it until we have the first information from the first two. If we see something dramatic, that's going to change how everybody looks at having additional one-year missions." However, NASA and its partners are evaluating whether to study "as many as 12 one-year test subjects" in the coming years. The article notes that last week, ISS program manager Mike Suffredini said those additional studies could start once the commercial crew spacecraft are developed.         NASA NEWS NASA Has Greater Need For SpaceX To Make Its Deliveries On Time. Spaceflight Now (1/15, Clark, 3K) reports that there is "pressure" for SpaceX to get the cargo lost during the Orbital Sciences launch failure to the ISS this year. Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, said, "It's just critical. ... We can't operate without the logistics partners. With the Orbital standdown, we basically lost about 2.3 metric tons of cargo that we had planned for, so now we're adjusting for that." Suffredini said that while nothing was immediately necessary, "We can't live without it. ... We're working very closely with SpaceX to fly as close to the times that we have on the manifest today." Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASA's human exploration and operations directorate, said that the ISS did lose "a couple of months" of its extra supplies, "and that just put a lot of criticality on the next two SpaceX flights. ... The next SpaceX flight in the April or May timeframe is also important after the Soyuz crew rotation in March, and that's a function of restaffing the crew." NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden also said, "When Orbital lost Antares, they could have said, 'We're done. ... But they didn't. (Orbital chairman and CEO) David Thompson was on a phone the very next morning to everybody that he knew that produced launch vehicles to say, 'I have an obligation to NASA, and I intend to fulfill that. Can you help?' ... After their analysis, they came up with the Atlas 5 and said they think they can fly by the end of the year. If that's successful — if Cygnus is berthed to the International Space Station by the end of 2015 … that would be a major achievement for commercial space." Gerstenmaier said that Orbital's decision to fly on the Atlas 5 rocket shows how NASA's contract strategy "incentivized" Orbital "to find another way to provide the service, so they could continue the revenue stream to their corporation."         Orbital Reportedly To Buy Up 60 RD-181 Engines. Russia's ITAR-TASS News Agency (1/16, 1K) reports that according to the Izvestia newspaper, Orbital Sciences plans to purchase up to 60 new RD-181 rocket engines from NPO Energomash to replace the AJ-26 engines used on the Antares rocket before the crash. A deal has been signed for 20 engines with possible extensions for the rest. The contract also includes provisions for "flight training, installing the rocket engine and conducting tests." Walker: Cruz Will Be An NASA Advocate As Head Of Subcommittee. Newsmax (1/15, Coren, 554K) reports that former Rep. Robert Walker believes that Sen. Ted Cruz "will be a great advocate for NASA" as the head of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Walker said he will bring "vitality" back to NASA. Meanwhile, Walker thinks that NASA is currently "moving in the right direction" by having private companies build spacecraft to end the US' reliance on Russia.         Houston Chronicle: Cruz Should Not Let Ideology Harm NASA's Research. The Houston Chronicle (1/15, 2.47M) editorialized on Cruz's appointment. According to the editors, NASA has historically struggled whenever those in office "interject their priorities over scientific expertise," just like Cruz has begun to do with his position on climate science. The editors warn that Cruz could potentially repeat "the same mistakes" that the US made in the past when it chose to cut the Superconducting Supercollider program because Congress thought the US could not afford both it and the ISS program, which led to Europe now being the leader in particle physics at CERN. Although the region can be "glad" Cruz is supporting the work at the Johnson Space Center, the editors want Cruz to show some "pragmatism" and help Rep. John Culberson with his goal of placing NASA "on a 10-year budget cycle" so it is no longer "a political pawn." HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS POIC Crew Helped Preserve ISS Experiments During False Alarm. The WAAY-TV Huntsville, AL (1/15, Barrett, 546) "Space Alabama" website continues coverage of Wednesday's false alarm at the ISS. Because the alarm involved a suspected ammonia leak in the coolant system, some of the station's experiments were at risk because crews had to turn of freezers. However, the article notes that the crew at the Marshall Space Flight Center's Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) had trained for such a situation and were ready to protect what they could. Katie Presson, a Payload Operations Director at the POIC, said, "We have to do a lot of simulation training amongst ourselves here, make sure we understand how our payloads operate, but then also we do a lot of training with our counterparts in Houston." According to the article, time was "the most valuable thing" that was unrecoverable because of flight controller's "quick reaction time and adaptability." Presson noted, "We have no impacts to mission duration relative to events that happened yesterday. We're still going to be able to complete all our science activities that need to return on SpaceX 5." Brightman In Training For October Launch To ISS. Reuters (1/15, Klotz) reports that on Thursday, NASA said that UK singer Sarah Brightman is scheduled to launch to the ISS in October with a 10-day stay arranged by Space Adventures. Brightman reportedly paid about $52 million for the venture, which is about $17 million more than the last space tourist who traveled to the station in 2009. The article noted that Brightman was supposed to start her training for the mission in Russia yesterday, but that has been off for a week to allow her to deal with a cold. New LED System For ISS Wins Innovation Award. The WHYY-FM Philadelphia (1/15, Bookman, 18K) website reports that George Brainard of Thomas Jefferson University is working with NASA and Harvard researchers to design "new LED lighting systems" that can help ISS astronauts sleep well, work that has won Brainard and his team the Johnson Space Center Director's Innovation Award. Brainard said that this LED system is not only "a very important innovation for NASA," but also for people on Earth. According to the article, the new lights should be installed at the ISS next year. ISS Said To Be One Of The Best Locations To See Auroras. Popular Science (1/15, Griggs, 8.11M) reports that Google is allowing users to use Google Maps to "walk onto a frozen lake, look up, and see" the aurora borealis in Finland. The article notes that "arguably the best vantage point of all" to see auroras is from space, just like NASA astronauts at the ISS. Some American Food Items For The ISS Stuck At Russian Customs. Russia's ITAR-TASS News Agency (1/16, 1K) reports that some food from the US for use at the ISS is currently "stalled" at Russian Customs. The items are "not critically important" for operations at the station. Sean Fuller, the director of NASA's manned space flights program in Russia, added, "The US-produced foods are for the Russian segment. ... Our Russian colleagues like to have American food for a change once in a while."         RT (RUS) (1/15, 346K) also covers the story.         Cosmonauts To Get Black Caviar. Sputnik News (1/15) reports that when the Progress M-26M cargo spacecraft reaches the ISS, it will be carrying black caviar "in addition to the cosmonauts' daily food rations." The spacecraft is scheduled to launch on February 17. Venture Capitalists Want "Next Big Opportunity" In Space. The International Business Times (1/15, Poladian, 655K) reports that with commercial spaceflight growth in part due to NASA's commercial crew program, venture capitalists like Ilya Golubovich, founding partner of I2BF Global Ventures, are reportedly on the hunt "for the next big opportunity." Golubovich said their could be great investments in launchers and the small satellite industry. Golubovich said that one "exciting business opportunity" involves utilizing all the information CubeStats will likely generate. Golubovich added that asteroid mining could also start "a new age of space exploration" with the resources gained. The article notes that companies and NASA currently are working on that technology. NASA Photo Depicts Interior Of ISS Cupola Module. The Daily Mail (UK) (1/15, Zolfagharifard, 4.35M) posts a photo taken by NASA of the interior of Cupola, one of the two robotic work stations aboard the ISS. The photo, taken on January 4, "shows the Cupola's large bay windows which allow the Expedition 42 crew to see outside, providing them with a full panoramic view of Earth."         Headlines & Global News (1/16, Aquilina) notes that the Cupola was featured as NASA's Image of the Day. Radio Club Connects Students With ISS. NPR (1/15, O'Connor, 2.22M), in a "StateImpact" piece, reports that students at Richmond Heights Middle School in Miami, Florida spoke with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoferretti aboard the ISS. Dade Radio Club enabled the connection, which allowed students the opportunity to ask Cristoferretti about life in space. Greenberg: US Starting To "Dream Again" After Orion Flight. In his column for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette (1/15, 373K), Paul Greenberg wrote that the Orion capsule's first flight demonstrated that the US has not given up spaceflight. Greenberg believes that "usual naysayers," who have issued the same complaints since the time of Cristoforo Colombo, could derail progress. However, "human nature" renders all those complaints moot. With Orion and the development of the Space Launch System, the US is beginning "to dream again" and heading to Mars, not "just going back to the moon and landing on asteroids (and even a comet!)" "Space School" Documentary Films Astronauts Training For Space Travel. The South Florida Sun Sentinel (1/15, Diaz, 739K) reports on a new documentary by Broward College and the Oceanic Research Group called "Space School," that follows astronauts-in-training as they prepare for space travel. The documentary follows Jeannette Epps as she trains for space at the Aquarius Reef Base near Key Largo, Florida. The film also captures Chris Cassidy and Jeff Williams as they perform drills at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. NASA Astronaut Joins Garden City Students At Cradle Aviation Museum. 12-TV Long Island, NY (1/16) reports on its website that "NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson visited with students from Roosevelt, Westbury and Freeport Thursday at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City." Wilson has spent over 42 days in space. UFO Found In Apollo 12 Mission Photos. The Houston Chronicle (1/16, Christian, 2.47M) reviews recent UFO sightings, including claims by Scott Waring of UFO Sightings Daily that over 30 photos from the Apollo 12 mission contain the image of a UFO. Another claim made by Toby Lunch to Disclose.tv states that NASA cuts its live feed of the ISS when UFO's approach. According to the article, claims like these are "nothing new." SCIENCE New Horizons Spacecraft Beings Approach Phase For Pluto Flyby. Newsweek (1/15, Ziv, 511K) reports that yesterday was a "significant day" for NASA and the New Horizons mission with the start of "the first phase of approach" of Pluto. The spacecraft is still 135 million miles away from its closest approach, which will come in July. According to the article, later this month, New Horizons will begin taking images that will help it navigate, with scientific observations starting in April. By mid-May, the images of Pluto are expected to "surpass" those taken by the Hubble telescope. MRO Images Show Missing Beagle 2 Lander In One Piece On Mars. BBC News (1/16, Amos, 1.37M) reports NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has identified the final resting spot of the Beagle2 lander, which went missing on Christmas 2003 when it attempted to make a soft landing. The images show that the landing was successful, and it may have landed "in one piece," instead of crashing into pieces as many had assumed. According to the article, those involved with the project likely will be frustrated by "just how close" they were to a successful touchdown.         The Press Association (UK) (1/16) also covers the story. Curiosity About To Be Upgraded With New Software. SPACE (1/15, Wall, 276K) continued coverage of Curiosity rover drill tests at Mars. This week, the rover has been testing a rock called Mojave to see whether a full drill can be made to sample "lozenge-shaped features" that could be mineral crystals. Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada said, "The crystal shapes are apparent in the earlier images of Mojave, but we don't know what they represent. ... We're hoping that mineral identifications we get from the rover's laboratory will shed more light than we got from just the images and bulk chemistry." According to the article, a full drill, if one is conducted, could be "complicated by a software update," which is scheduled to start next week. NASA officials reportedly stated that after the update, which will halt science operations for a week, the rover should "drive more efficiently, among other benefits."         The Indo-Asian News Service (1/15) and AmericaSpace (1/15, Kremer) also cover the story. NASA Releases First Satellite Image Of The US Using Landsat 1 Images. The Daily Mail (UK) (1/15, Zolfagharifard, 4.35M) reports that NASA released a composite image of the US formed by combining 595 black and white images taken by the Landsat 1 satellite in 1974, making it "the first ever complete shot of the US."         Engadget (1/15, Cooper, 584K) also covers the story. Sea Level Rise Accelerating Since 1990. Space Reporter (1/15, Taylor) reports that a new Harvard study determined that global sea-level rise from 1900 to 1990, calculated using tidal gauges, was overestimated "by about half a millimeter annually." However, by using satellite images and more modern gauges, the researchers have found that since 1990, there has been "a tremendous acceleration in the rise of sea levels." The article notes that the joint NASA and CNES Jason series of spacecraft has been observing sea level rise since 1992. Blog Coverage. Nick Stockton at Wired (1/16, 3.51M) writes that a video showing Arctic ice cap formation and melting from 1979 to 2014 is its "Science Graphic of the Week." Released earlier this week by NASA's Science Visualization Studio, the video "builds" on a study released back in October that tracked the changes through 2000. According to Stockton, the video demonstrates how the ice cap is "steadily, if spikily, melting." Study Finds That Chondrules May Not Be Planetary Building Blocks. The International Business Times (1/15, Pandey, 655K) reports that a study by MIT and Purdue University scientists questions whether meteorites are the "building blocks of planets." Current theory holds that chondrules in meteorites coalesced to form the planets we have today. In the new study, the team simulated collisions between protoplanets and found that they formed the chondrules now found in meteorites. Furthermore, they discovered that objects the size of the moon were formed before chondrules as well.         The Daily Mail (UK) (1/15, O'Callaghan, 4.35M), Science Times (1/15, Wu), Nature World News (1/15, Iacurci), Utah People's Post (1/15, Walker), China Topix (1/15, Verayo), and Capital Berg (1/15, Trommler) also cover the story. Thin Atmospheres Could Prevent Some Exoplanets From Becoming Tidally Locked. SPACE (1/15, Cofield, 276K) reports that a new study by scientists at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics has found that "a thin atmosphere" could prevent an exoplanet orbiting close to its star from being tidally locked; i.e., having one side always facing toward the star and another always facing away. The researchers say that this means that "a large number of known terrestrial exoplanet" now thought to not have a typical day/night cycle could in fact have one, although maybe lasting "between a few weeks and a few months."         Physics World (UK) (1/15, Croswell, 102K) and Science News (1/15, Crockett, 346K) also cover the story. SPACE TECHNOLOGY NASA Will Place First Laser Communications Ground Terminal In Hawaii. The Pacific Business News (1/15, Shimogawa, Subscription Publication, 58K) reports that according to documents obtained through a public records request, NASA has chosen Hawaii for the location of "the world's first laser communications ground terminal." The Hawaii Office of Aerospace Development, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), and NASA will work together to install the terminal under the project which has yet to be finalized. The article noted that when installed, the terminal could generate "major economic activity" for Hawaii. NASA Working On Ways To Overcome Challenges For Future Mars Colonization. The Business Insider (1/15, Orwig, 2.38M) interviews astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman, who discussed how "radiation and technology" are the two hurdles that need to be overcome in order to establish colonies on Mars. There are currently "40 scientists at institutions across the country" and close to a dozen centers established by NASA working on how to protect people from the increased amount of radiation they will experience while traveling to Mars. Hoffman said that once on Mars, people will have to know how to use Martian resources because it is too costly to launch everything from Earth. To move that technology forward, NASA will launch the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resources Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) on its Mars 2020 mission to see whether it can turn the Martian atmosphere into oxygen. Hoffman, MOXIES principal investigator, said would like to scale that up into a larger version that astronauts could one day use on Mars, according to the article.