Fwd: NASA news --my version

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 5, 2015 at 3:13:49 PM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: NASA news --my version

Don't forget to join us this Thursday at Hibachi Grill at 11:30 for our monthly NASA retirees luncheon.   We gather in the back left party room  just tell them at the front you are with the NASA retirees group and come on back for good food and good fellowship.

 

 

 

LEADING THE NEWS

• Tuesday's SpaceX Launch Features Reusable Rocket Test.

NASA NEWS

• Bolden, Nelson Defend NASA's Current Projects.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• NASA Knew Of Potential Orbital Engine Issues Since 2008.

• Boston Companies Now Participating In ISS Research.

• Testing About to Begin On SLS Engines.

• Marshall Space Flight Center Kicks Off "Recycle Rush" Robotics Challenge.

• People Claim To See UFO In Another ISS Video.

LEADING THE NEWS

Tuesday's SpaceX Launch Features Reusable Rocket Test.

The New York Times (1/4, Chang, Subscription Publication, 9.9M) reports that when SpaceX makes its next launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, it will attempt "to upend the economics of space travel" by trying to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating platform. If that works, SpaceX will reuse the stage on a future launch, bringing it one step closer to its goal of developing a reusable rocket. According to the article, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claims that reusability will reduce launch costs "to a hundredth of what they are now." Meanwhile, the article notes that the launch is also generating more "scrutiny" because it is carrying 17 of the 18 student experiments destroyed during an Orbital Sciences launch failure back in October. Jeff Goldstein, the director of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, said that NASA "moved heaven and earth" to make sure the experiments made it onto this launch.

cover the story.

        2015 Expected To Be A Significant Year At The Kennedy Space Center. Florida Today (1/3, Dean, 151K) reported 2015 is expected to be a "significant year" for the Kennedy Space Center, which is in the process of becoming "more than just a NASA spaceport." The new commercial activity expected at the center comes as the "buzz fades" from the recent Orion launch, which does not launch again until 2018. Meanwhile, this year SpaceX will attempt to complete work on a "mothballed NASA pad" it is now leasing for Falcon 9 launches and the inaugural Falcon Heavy launches. Other activity at KSC includes the use of former shuttle hangars by Boeing and the US Air Force; work on the Atlas V rocket in order to launch Boeing's CST-100 capsule in the future; the completion of a deal between Space Florida and NASA for the use of the three-mile shuttle runway; and more work on the infrastructure needed for the Space Launch System;

  

        SpaceX Posts Jobs For Its Commercial Launch Site. The Brownsville (TX) Herald (1/3, Perez-Treviño, 58K) reported that SpaceX has begun issuing job openings "for an electrical engineer for the launch pad facilities and for a field contact representative" at its commercial launch site at Boca Chica Beach.

NASA NEWS

Bolden, Nelson Defend NASA's Current Projects.

In letters to the Wall Street Journal (1/2, Subscription Publication, 5.62M), NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Sen. Bill Nelson respond to a critical op-ed by Sen. Tom Coburn. Both defend NASA's current projects, especially those Coburn took to task. Bolden especially highlighted the work at the ISS and one the Space Launch System. He also noted that had Congress given NASA the Commercial Crew funds requested by the Administration years ago, it could have ended the US' dependence on Russia this year.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

NASA Knew Of Potential Orbital Engine Issues Since 2008.

The Los Angeles Times (1/4, Petersen, 4M) reports that NASA knew as far back as 2008 that the "50-year-old Soviet-made engines" used in Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket could run a "substantial" risk of failure because of cracking. That rocket suffered a launch failure back in October. NASA spokesperson Stephanie Schierholz said, "Launching rockets is a very difficult engineering endeavor. ... NASA and its contractors do our best to mitigate risks, but we can never eliminate them entirely." Meanwhile, the article notes that NASA made "advance payments" to Orbital for the launches, despite a NASA inspector general warnings that the practice was putting "hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars."

Boston Companies Now Participating In ISS Research.

The Boston Globe (1/3, Newsham, 1.78M) reported that several Boston-based companies have experiments underway or planned for the ISS, an "excellent place" to send projects looking "to exploit the potential of microgravity, the effects of which are felt on even a microscopic, chemical level." Cam Med, after taking part in the Mass Challenge competition, will now test a version of its "miniature drug pump" to see how it will perform in "unusual environments" on Earth. The article notes that astronauts aim to conduct "70 to 100 hours" of experiments per week as efficiently as possible. Astronaut T.J. Creamer, who "now directs astronauts from the ground," said, "Crew time is valuable, so we want to minimize the overhead for any activity on board."

Testing About to Begin On SLS Engines.

NASA Space Flight (1/2, Sloss, 305) reported that this month, NASA will start the test program at the Stennis Space Center for the Space Launch System's (SLS) RS-25 engines, "formally known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME)." SLS Program Manager Todd May said, "We've got three things that we're really interested in making sure that we shake out on these engines, because you're actually talking about engines that have flown in space before. These are engines that have flown on the Shuttle before – they're qualified engines." Meanwhile, the article notes that more hardware is under development at the Michoud Assembly Facility, "utilizing an array of new machinery."

Marshall Space Flight Center Kicks Off "Recycle Rush" Robotics Challenge.

Alabama Live (1/3, Campbell, 497K) reported that NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center kicked off the annual FIRST Robotics competition on Saturday, announcing the theme to be "Recycle Rush." Teams from Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi were given kits and instructed to design robots that "can manipulate three objects: a plastic garbage can, a hard-sided crate, and... a swimming pool noodle."

       .

People Claim To See UFO In Another ISS Video.

The Inquisitr (1/3, Vankin, 267K) reported on another video which UFO enthusiasts claim shows alien activity at the ISS, making it "the third recently spotted near the space station." The article notes that what some consider an alien may be "nothing more than a trick of the light on the lens of the camera."