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Monday, March 2, 2015

Fwd: FWNASA News --my Version and JSC Today - Monday, March 2, 2015 at the end of the email



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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: March 2, 2015 at 1:40:29 PM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FWNASA News --my Version and  JSC Today - Monday, March 2, 2015 at the end of the email

JSC Today - Monday, March 2, 2015

Hope you can join us this Thursday at our monthly NASA retirees luncheon at Hibachi Grill at 11:30am  --join the group at the back left party room of the restaurant.

 

 

LEADING THE NEWS

• Astronauts, NASA Pay Tribute To Nimoy's Passing.

NASA NEWS

• ASAP Can Not Yet Say Whether Commercial Crew Spacecraft Will Be Safe.

• MMS Spacecraft Now Atop Their Rocket.

• Jemison Discusses Science Literacy At Ag Issues Forum.

• Time Square To Show Countdown For "Apollo XVIII."

• NASA Employee Arrested For Assaulting University Police Officer.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• Astronauts Complete Third Successful Spacewalk To Prepare For Future Spacecraft.

• Cristoforetti Takes "Breathtaking" Photos Of Chicago And Other Locales.

• Satellite Deployments From The ISS Resume.

• NASA Must Now Build On Success Of Orion's First Flight.

• Noguchi Presents Prince William With ISS Mission Patch.

• Whitmore: Mars One Is Being "Foolhardy."

• Hadfield's Flight Suit Found At Vintage Store.

• Fossum In Minnesota To Promote New Exhibit.

• Chiao Speaks At Several Fairbanks, Alaska Locations.

• One Of NASA's First Scientist-Astronauts Passes.

• US Space Walk Of Fame Hosts Appraisal Event.

Astronauts, NASA Pay Tribute To Nimoy's Passing.

NBC Nightly News (2/28, story 14, 0:20, Alexander, 7.86M) broadcast that ISS astronauts paid tribute to the passing of "Star Trek" actor Leonard Nimoy. Astronaut Terry Virts tweeted an image of the Vulcan "salute" over Nimoy's home state of Massachusetts. ABC World News (2/28, story 12, 0:25, Llamas, 5.84M) had similar coverage in its nightly news broadcast.

        Blog Coverage. At the Washington Post (3/1, 5.17M) "PostEverything" blog, Margaret A. Weitekamp, curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, wrote about how Nimoy and the rest of the cast of "Star Trek" influenced NASA, especially as a model of diversity for the astronaut corp in the 1970s. It can even be seen today when "a NASA engineer specializing in space telescopes" visited the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to see a model of the U.S.S. Enterprise from the show.

        Bruce Dorminey at Forbes (2/27, 6.54M) wrote that Nimoy's Spock, with his dispassionate actions, will be a good model for future astronauts who need to be "passionate enough about their work to get the whole 'vision thing' but unflappable enough to think under extreme and wholly unexpected conditions." Dorminey thought that this might require people with "new cognitive skill sets."

        Ezra Klein at Vox (3/1, 737K) Writes about Virts' tweet in an post titled, "The best sendoff to Spock came from the International Space Station." However, Klein believes NASA has a "very grim" future at the moment.

        Kyle Hill at the Nerdist (3/1) writes that NASA understands "the galvanizing power of Star Trek." Hill similarly believes Virts gave one of the best tributes to Nimoy.

        The author of a post at the Daily Kos (3/1, 213K) writes that "Star Trek" had an optimistic view of the future, which is being born out by the "myriad...ways" progress is happening now in space, even if these ways are not in the media spotlight. After citing both manned and unmanned projects by NASA and other agencies, the author argues against those who claim these projects are not worth the money spent. To the author, the "imagination, persistence, and curiosity – and optimism" needed to bring a space mission to fruition is just what is needed to solve "many other problems facing us as a civilization."

ASAP Can Not Yet Say Whether Commercial Crew Spacecraft Will Be Safe.

Florida Today (2/28, King, 178K) reported that Vice Adm. Joseph Dyer, chairman of the NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), told members of a House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittee on Friday that NASA's slow pace in providing information about the Commercial Crew Program is "insufficient" for ASAP to determine if the commercial spacecraft under development will be safe enough. Both Rep. Steven Palazzo and Rep. Donna Edwards expressed disappointment, with Edwards telling Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for human exploration, she was "incredibly dismayed at the advisory panel's difficulty in obtaining the kind of information they need to advise Congress." Gerstenmaier said that NASA has turned over the information now that a bid protest was resolved, "and we'll continue to give more as needed." Gerstenmaier also told the committee that Congress' lack of funding for the program has required NASA to change its plans and rely more on Space Act agreements than it wanted to. According to the article, the topics brought up in the hearing are just "the latest flashpoint between NASA and Congress over the Commercial Crew Program."

        Space News (2/27, Foust, Subscription Publication, 481) notes that Dyer did say that NASA was correcting the situation, as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden promised.

        Blog Coverage. Lee Billings at the Scientific American (2/27, 2.83M) "Observations" blog wrote that last week's Senate Space, Science and Competitiveness subcommittee showed that there is little chance that NASA will soon have "a coherent and sustainable plan." Billings thought that those testifying only offered "platitudes" with "the flawed assumption that taxpayers and politicians will be eager to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on human spaceflight because it sometimes makes them feel good." Or, they were "utterly disconnected from prevailing social, political, and economic realities." The only one Billings agreed with was astronaut Walter Cunningham, who was the "most rational and pragmatic" witness, stating that NASA does not have the budget it needs for what it is asked to do. All told, Billings does not expect "progress or solutions" in the near-term.

MMS Spacecraft Now Atop Their Rocket.

In a brief series of write ups, Florida Today (2/28, Dean, 178K) reports that the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission's (MMS) four spacecraft are now atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launching them on March 12. Meanwhile, in another report, shuttle astronaut Sidney Gutierrez has been tapped by Rocket Crafters, which is "developing a suborbital spaceplane," to be its new chairman and CEO,

        Spaceflight Now (2/27, Ray, 3K) reported that Craig Tooley, MMS project manager at the Goddard Space Flight Center, said, "The team is in high spirits and ready to get these technological marvels in space." Meanwhile, NASA and ULA engineers plan to conduct an "integrated systems test" before "the final closeouts of the various rocket compartments and fairing" ahead of the roll-out to the launch pad on March 11.

        Universe Today (2/28, Kremer, 19K) also covered the story, with quotes from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden about the mission when he visited Goddard in May 2014.

Jemison Discusses Science Literacy At Ag Issues Forum.

AgWired (2/28, Zimmerman) reported that at last week's Bayer CropScience 10th annual Ag Issues Forum, astronaut Mae Carol Jemison discussed "why scientific literacy is critical to the future of farming." She also "stressed" the need to get students interested in science, as well as providing "a great motivational message, especially for young women."

Time Square To Show Countdown For "Apollo XVIII."

collectSPACE (2/27, Pearlman) reported that the billboards in Time Square will feature a three minute artistic countdown for the film "Apollo XVIII." It will be broadcast every night in March at 11:57 p.m. The video was created by Marco Brambilla and combines archival footage with computer generated images. Brambilla said of the countdown, "The space age represented a landscape of optimism, capturing the imagination of the public. With Apollo XVIII I hope to recapture the golden age of manned space travel as a spectacle, presenting Times Square as the virtual launch site."

NASA Employee Arrested For Assaulting University Police Officer.

The Dayton (OH) Daily News (3/1, 65K) reports that David I. Hawbecker, who is listed as the laboratory chief for the NASA Office of Inspector General, was arrested on Friday for "reportedly assaulting a University of Dayton police officer as he was being arrested during an incident at off-campus housing Friday morning." Hawbecker allegedly struck the officer, who responded to a call from the residence saying that a man was refusing to leave the home.

Astronauts Complete Third Successful Spacewalk To Prepare For Future Spacecraft.

The AP (3/1, Dunn) reports that ISS astronauts Terry Virts and Butch Wilmore successfully completed their third spacewalk to prepare the ISS for future commercial spacecraft. The three spacewalks were "the quickest succession of spacewalks since NASA's former shuttle days." After the spacewalk, Virts reported that water reappeared in his helmet, but it was "not a big deal." Virts told Mission Control, "I couldn't feel it on my skin. I could just see the thin film on the visor." Meanwhile, the article notes that "Wilmore's much newer suit" had no issues whatsoever.

        The CFLN-TV Orlando, FL (3/1, Hume, 28K) website notes that NASA Spacewalk Officer Alex Kanelakos explained that VIrts' "spacesuit is known to have carryover water. ... That's what we call this type of occurrence, and we've had seven other occurrences of this carry over on this spacesuit." According to the article, even with the spacesuit's water, NASA is characterizing the set of spacewalks as "a success."

        Reuters (3/1, Klotz) reports that mission commentator Daniel Huot said that the water was "no issue to crew safety."

        According to CBS News (3/1, Harwood, 8.2M), the team was "running ahead of schedule throughout the day," finishing almost an hour ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, Virts said, "We're coming up on some pretty amazing anniversary milestones this year. ... It's amazing it's been 50 years [doing spacewalks], and to see how far we've come since the very first steps outside to being able to do six-plus hours of work like we do nowadays (is) truly amazing. It's going to be an eventful next few months celebrating these milestones. ... Hopefully, the next 50 years will be even more exiting and we'll go even farther."

       

Cristoforetti Takes "Breathtaking" Photos Of Chicago And Other Locales.

The Chicago Sun-Times (3/1, Wall, 1.11M) posted "breathtaking" photos of Chicago and other areas recently taken by Italian astronaut Sam Cristoforetti from the ISS. According to the article, one from Chicago "might give you pause," while others of different locations are "the opposite of cold and desolate."

Satellite Deployments From The ISS Resume.

Forbes (2/27, Knapp, 6.54M) reported that NanoRacks "celebrated" the deployment of two Planet Labs satellites from the ISS on Friday. The company's launchers had malfunctioned last summer and required "several months of work and repair." NanoRacks External Payloads Account Manager Conor Brown said that the success is a "testament" to how well the ISS partners can work together with commercial companies.

NASA Must Now Build On Success Of Orion's First Flight.

The Houston Chronicle (2/28, Berger, 2.28M) reported that NASA "now must" build on the success of the Orion's first launch. Lead flight director Mike Sarafin said, "The mission had an impact far beyond just human spaceflight, just Houston, just America. It was a global story. ... That's what excites me about moving forward." Mark Geyer, who leads the Orion program, reportedly said that the flight went so well, engineers "actually learned more from building Orion than flying it." Geyer noted, "A lot of people outside of NASA didn't think we could do it. ... We're a long way from this thing flying every year, and this becomes NASA's spacecraft for the long run. We know that. We're not out of the woods. But after what we went through, it gives me a lot of confidence in what this team can do, and what this vehicle can do." According to the article, Geyer now thinks that Orion's first flight makes it much harder to cancel the program like it almost was years ago, noting, "The reaction really validated for a lot of us why we feel like we're here, why we do this job. ... It's because of the importance the country places in the United States being a leader in exploring space."

        WAFF-TV Huntsville, AL (2/28, 5:07 p.m. CST, 34K) similarly broadcast on Orion's "near flawless test flight."

Noguchi Presents Prince William With ISS Mission Patch.

The Press Association (UK) (2/27) reported that during a trip to Japan, the UK's Prince William met Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, "who is famous in Japan for having spent six months at the International Space Station." Noguchi, as part of the launch of the "Innovation is Great" campaign, gave the prince a patch he wore during his mission. The article notes that Williams revealed he wanted to be an astronaut as a child.

        The Telegraph (UK) (2/27, Rayner, 3.35M) noted that when asked whether he would ever travel to the ISS, Williams replied, "It seems like an awfully long way off the ground. Having seen the 12 days of underwater training they have to do, I think there's a very good reason [I won't be going]."

        The AP (2/28) also covered the prince's childhood desire to be an astronaut, but does not mention the meeting with Noguchi

Whitmore: Mars One Is Being "Foolhardy."

The Logan (UT) Herald Journal (2/28, Opsahl, 47K) reported that Utah State University professor Stephen Whitmore, who has served as an Orion technical lead, is deeply skeptical of Mars One's plans for a one-way trip to Mars starting in 2025. Whitmore, citing his own experience, thought that the group is being "foolhardy" with how quickly they are proceeding without doing any of the necessary research or technical developments. In contrast, Whitmore thinks that NASA's Mars Exploration Program was "intelligent...well done," and proceeding in the "right" direction. Whitmore would go with NASA to Mars, especially if it was "a real mission." However, he does not think commercial organizations have the "incentive" to make it as safe as NASA would.

Hadfield's Flight Suit Found At Vintage Store.

The ABC News (3/1, Shapiro, 3.41M) website reported that physician Julielynn Y. Wong found Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield's flight suit in "a vintage store in downtown Toronto." Wong met Hadfield when "training in space medicine at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston." Wong, who confirmed the suits authenticity with Hadfield, noted that Hadfield said he does not know how the suit made its way to the shop.

        CBC News (CAN) (2/27, 167K) and Daily Mail (UK) (2/28, D'Amato, 4.78M) also cover the story.

Fossum In Minnesota To Promote New Exhibit.

The WDAZ-TV Grand Forks, ND (3/2, McNamara, 1K) website interviews astronaut Mike Fossum, who told an "incredible story" about his time at the ISS. Fossum was at the Science Museum of Minnesota to promote the new exhibit, "Space: An Out of Gravity Experience." Fossum said, "Visitors can come to the museum and they can see the history, see what we're doing today, and dream about how we're going to get to Mars and do the things of tomorrow."

Chiao Speaks At Several Fairbanks, Alaska Locations.

The Fairbanks (AK) News-Miner (3/1, Morrow, 39K) reports astronaut Leroy Chiao spoke at the University of Alaska Museum of the North last week. He also spoke Immaculate Conception and Monroe Catholic Schools and several other charter and public schools.

One Of NASA's First Scientist-Astronauts Passes.

collectSPACE (3/2, Pearlman) reports that astronaut Curt Michel, one of NASA's "first scientist-astronauts," passed away on Friday. Michel left the agency right before the Apollo 11 mission "when it became clear he would not fly to the moon." According to the article, Michel's departure may have led to Harrison Schmitt getting the opportunity to fly to the moon in 1972.

US Space Walk Of Fame Hosts Appraisal Event.

Florida Today (2/28, Bonanno, 178K) reported that the US Space Walk of Fame Museum's appraiser Don Willis reviewed items owned by individuals this weekend. One couple brought in a rocket that had washed up on a beach, which they bought at a garage sale for $10. The appraisal event is held twice monthly at the museum.

 

 

 

 

 

   Headlines

  1. Win Big with the NACA Scavenger Hunt

We are celebrating the NACA centennial TOMORROW, March 3, with a week-long online scavenger-hunt adventure presented by the JSC Knowledge Office (JKO). Don't remember what the NACA is? Read up before embarking on your mission to WIN BIG—like attend-the-VIP-lauch-of-the-one-year-International-Space-Station-crew-in-mission-control-and-be-the-envy-of-all-your-friends-BIG. Remember, you must participate in all five days of scavenging for trivia this week to be eligible for the grand-prize drawing. But don't let that stop you. There are other great JSC experiences to be had just by participating once or twice.

Visit the JKO home page to answer our first three questions for the week, which cover the basics of the NACA and a legendary engineer and designer of the Mercury capsule. Whodunnit? We're not telling …

Answering all three correctly TODAY will put you in the running for an amazing JSC experience of your choice: a seat with media at the Expedition 44/45 crew news conference on Wednesday, March 18; a tour in a specialized facility or lab at JSC; or a ride in one of our space exploration vehicles.

We'll be back tomorrow with more opportunities to win! (Winners to be announced on March 9—stay tuned.)

Julie Barnes-Gober x38407

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  1. EZTV Installation on Macs

Tomorrow, March 3, EZTV plug-ins will be deployed to enable Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) capabilities on Mac computers that do not have the following plug-in versions already installed.

    • IPTV Monitor plug-in version 5.5.1.3
    • IPTV Player plug-in version 7.1.0.0

Note: If the above EZTV plug-in versions are already installed on your computer, you will not receive the below prompts and can disregard this message.

The first time you access EZTV after the installation, you will receive two prompts. Click "Trust" when you receive each prompt to enable the plug-ins.

For technical assistance, contact the Enterprise Service Desk at 1-877-677-2121.

JSC IRD Outreach x46367 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/Lists/wIReD%20in%20The%20Latest%20IRD%20News/Att...

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  1. March Sustainability Opportunities - Rhythms

"March winds and April showers bring May flowers." Or, in our case, February winds and showers may bring flowers ... now. Enjoy getting back to your roots with this month's sustainability opportunities.

Nature operates with a rhythm just like we do. Check out our featured story relating to operating rhythms and why they're so important organizationally.

Finally, for immediate contact from your sustainability leads, join our list serve.

Laurie Peterson x39845 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/sustainability

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   Organizations/Social

  1. The Martian Book Club

In an effort to engage employees in the agency's exploration work, JSC Director Ellen Ochoa is encouraging us all to read "The Martian" by Andy Weir. The story follows an American astronaut who is stranded alone on Mars and must improvise to survive.

Emerge has been tasked specifically to read this book and help match the various technologies described in it to the work currently being done here at JSC and across the agency to better understand our current capabilities and some gaps we could begin looking into to get to Mars. Throughout the course of this year, you will see many different events surrounding this book and JSC's mission for exploration, including a film adaptation scheduled for release in November.

The Emerge Professional Development Committee will be hosting a journal/book club to discuss the novel. Bring your lunch and a friend.

Event Date: Thursday, March 5, 2015   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Bldg 45/Rm 751

Add to Calendar

Elena Buhay 281-792-7976 https://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/emerge/SitePages/Home.aspx

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  1. The JSC Safety and Health Action Team (JSAT) Says

"Safety—the gift that keeps you living."

Congratulations to Jeremias Serna, Chenega Security and Support Solutions, for submitting the winning slogan for March. Any JSAT member (all JSC contractor and civil servant employees) may submit a slogan for consideration to JSAT Secretary Reese Squires. Submissions for April are due by Monday, March 9. Keep those great submissions coming—you may be the next "JSAT Says" winner!

Reese Squires x37776 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/apps/news/newsfiles/3549.pptx

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   Jobs and Training

  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: 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 have now moved to the NASA Employee Talent Search (NETS) website. These opportunities do not possess known promotion potential.

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

Brandy Braunsdorf x30476

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  1. MATLAB Fundamentals: March 17 to 19

This three-day course provides a comprehensive introduction to the MATLAB® technical computing environment. No prior programming experience or knowledge of MATLAB is assumed. Themes of data analysis, visualization, modeling and programming are explored throughout the course.

This course is designed for anyone who has an understanding of undergraduate-level mathematics and experience with basic computer operations.

This course is available for self-registration in SATERN and is open to civil servants and contractors.

Dates: Tuesday to Thursday, March 17 to 19

Location: Building 12, Room 138

Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED...

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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.

 

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