| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- Submit Announcements Before JSC Today's Hiatus
- Teague Auditorium Closed for the Holidays
- Back in the Saddle: Jan. 10 at 9 a.m. - Teague
- Latest International Space Station Research
- Recent JSC Announcement - Organizations/Social
- November 2013 Storytelling - The Movie
- Order your Holiday Basket at Starport
- Boot Camp at the Gilruth - Registration Now Open - Jobs and Training
- ISS EDMS User Forum
- Russian Language Training: Winter Quarter 2014 - Community
- Blood Drive Today and Tomorrow
- New Volunteer Opportunity in V-CORPs |  |
| Headlines - Submit Announcements Before JSC Today's Hiatus
Just as many of you will be off for the holidays and centerwide services are being put on hold, JSC Today is also taking a brief hiatus from Dec. 20 through Jan 6. During that time, the regular edition of JSC Today will not be delivered to your inbox. If any special announcements are warranted, those will be sent out on an as-needed basis.
If you would like to submit something for the Dec. 19 edition (which is the last day before the hiatus begins), you must submit your announcement to the JSC Today Web-based system by noon today, Dec. 18.
If you would like to submit an announcement for the Jan. 6 edition of JSC Today, you must submit your announcement to the JSC Today Web-based system by noon tomorrow, Dec. 19. All submissions received after noon on Dec. 19 will be bumped to Jan. 6.
To submit an announcement, click here. - Teague Auditorium Closed for the Holidays
The Teague Auditorium and lobby of Building 2S will be closed for the Christmas and New Year's holidays, closing Monday, Dec. 23, through Friday, Jan. 3. See you in 2014! JSC External Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs x35111
[top] - Back in the Saddle: Jan. 10 at 9 a.m. - Teague
Join us as we fine-tune our focus on the tasks ahead in 2014 at our Back in the Saddle presentation. Our special guest speaker is Jeff "Odie" Espenship, who will talk about "Target Leadership." Target Leadership was founded by Espenship to motivate and encourage people, employees and leadership to embrace the culture leadership safety systems in their workplace. As a United States Air Force A-10 "Thunderbolt" fighter pilot and international airline pilot, Espenship knows how to operate safely and lead others who work in high-risk and sometimes dangerous work environments. Failures in the cockpit rarely occur due to improper equipment or poor training. Ninety percent of the time, it's the little things - like lack of focus, complacency, inattention to detail, miscommunication, poor job briefing, non-compliance, assuming, snap decision, shortcut, failing to speak up or failing to listen. Event Date: Friday, January 10, 2014 Event Start Time:9:00 AM Event End Time:10:00 AM
Event Location: Teague Auditorium
Add to Calendar
Suprecia Franklin x37817
[top] - Latest International Space Station Research
Last week, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 (AMS-02) passed the 42 billion particle count. AMS-02 is a particle physics detector that collects information from cosmic sources and will help to advance scientists' knowledge about the low-Earth orbit space radiation environment. AMS-02 uses the unique environment of space to gain knowledge of the universe and lead to the understanding of the universe's origin by searching for antimatter, dark matter and measuring cosmic rays. You can read more here. - Recent JSC Announcement
Please visit the JSC Announcements (JSCA) Web page to view the newly posted announcement: JSCA 13-042: JSC Academic Fellowship and JSC Fellowship at Naval Post Graduate School (NPS) Archived announcements are also available on the JSCA Web page. Organizations/Social - November 2013 Storytelling - The Movie
For those of you who missed our November Storytelling event, "Early Space Shuttle Programmatic Decisions," the video file is now available for your preview at JSC Knowledge Online. After viewing the video, we would like to have your feedback on this session. Just click on the "Storytelling Feedback" button and let us know what you think. While you are there, check out our previous storytelling events. This event epitomizes the kind of knowledge transfer we like to do. Check it out! Also, we are looking for 2014 "storytellers." Storytelling is a technique that JSC uses to capture, retain and transfer explicit and tacit knowledge. A vital component of knowledge management, in a single word, is storytelling. We know there are many interesting stories out there waiting to be told. If you are interested, please contact us. - Order your Holiday Basket at Starport
There is still time to order a holiday basket at Starport. Choose the Warm Me Up, the Teacher Appreciation or the NASA Kids Fun pack -- all at great prices. The Mind & Body and the Man O' Man both include the gift of relaxation and everyone's favorite: a 60-minute massage. Or, get a six-month membership to Inner Space or Outer Space, along with a NASA water bottle (a $154 value), for just $99.95! Purchase a basket and get more value for your dollar at Starport. - Boot Camp at the Gilruth - Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for the next installment of Starport's popular Boot Camp. Classes begin Monday, Jan. 13, with both morning and evening sessions available. Don't delay; class sizes are limited, and they fill up fast! Program Details Registration: Dec. 16 to Jan. 12 Cost: $90 before Jan. 3, or $110 thereafter Classes meet: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for six weeks (18 sessions) Morning session: 6 to 7 a.m. Evening session: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Register online! Visit the Starport website. Jobs and Training - ISS EDMS User Forum
The International Space Station Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) team will hold the monthly General User Training Forum this Thursday, Dec. 19, at 9:30 a.m. in Building 4S, Conference Room 5315. WebEx and telecom provided. If you use EDMS to locate station documents, join us to learn about basic navigation and searching. Bring your questions, concerns and suggestions, and meet the station EDMS Customer Support team. The agenda can be found here. - Russian Language Training: Winter Quarter 2014
The JSC Language Education Center announces Phase One and Phase Two Russian Language courses in the 2014 winter quarter (Jan. 6 to March 28). The following classes will be offered during the winter quarter 2014: Russian Phase One (Russian 1), Russian 2A, Russian 2B, Russian 2C and Russian 2J. Students should register only using NASA's SATERN system. All language training takes place in the JSC Language Education Center located in Building 12, Suite 158. If you have any questions, please contact Natalia Rostova at 281-851-3745 or via email. Community - Blood Drive Today and Tomorrow
Give the "Gift of Life" this holiday season by donating at our final blood drive for 2013 on Dec. 18 and 19. Your blood donation can as many as three patients. You can donate at one of the following locations: - Teague Auditorium lobby - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Building 11 Starport Café donor coach - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Gilruth Center donor coach - Noon to 4 p.m. (Thursday only)
Criteria for donating can be found at the St. Luke's link on our website. T-shirts, snacks and drinks are available for all donors. - New Volunteer Opportunity in V-CORPs
Spend your afternoon with future scientists! The Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) science fair is coming up early in 2014 -- on Monday, Jan. 13. Your participation is vital, as CCISD is still about 70 judges short. This website contains fair information, including last year's winners. We hope you will join us for the district science fair on Monday, Jan. 13! Your participation also gives you a free lunch. | |
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| JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters. |
NASA and Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday – December 18, 2013
International Space Station:
- Last Friday, news coverage on the cooling system issues at the ISS were broadcast on about 1500 local television reports reaching nearly 140 million people.
- NASA managers are postponing the upcoming Orbital Sciences commercial cargo resupply mission to the ISS to proceed with a series of spacewalks to replace a faulty pump module. NASA TV will air a news briefing at 2 p.m. CST today to preview the spacewalks. Watch here: www.nasa.gov/ntv
HEADLINES AND LEADS
NASA orders spacewalks to fix station coolant loop
William Harwood – CBS News
After an exhaustive effort to come up with a workaround to fix a balky valve in one of the International Space Station's two coolant loops, NASA managers decided Tuesday to change gears and press ahead with at least two and possibly three spacewalks to replace a refrigerator-size ammonia pump module.
NASA orders urgent spacewalk repairs at station
Marcia Dunn – AP
NASA has ordered up a series of urgent spacewalks to fix a broken cooling line at the International Space Station, a massive repair job that could stretch to Christmas Day.
NASA astronauts to repair ISS coolant system
James Dean – Florida Today
NASA astronauts plan to perform three spacewalks, culminating in one on Christmas Day, to repair the International Space Station's coolant system.
Spacewalks Set to Fix Broken Space Station Pump
Kenneth Chang – New York Times
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will venture outside on three spacewalks to replace a malfunctioning pump that has shut down part of the station's cooling system, NASA announced on Tuesday.
CST-100 Launch-abort Engines Complete Testing Milestone
Dan Leone - Space News
Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, Calif., wrapped up development testing on a pair of launch-abort engines for the space capsule Boeing is developing to ferry astronauts to and from the international space station.
NASA exerts 1 million pounds of force on rocket tank; see what happens
Amy Hubbard - Los Angeles Times
I'm a huge NASA fan. Huge. In the past, the space agency has never failed to bowl me over. Curiosity. Wow. Hubble. Incredible. Space station. 925,000 pounds of awesome.
Morpheus takes second flight at KSC
James Dean – Florida Today
A prototype NASA lander today completed a second free flight at Kennedy Space Center.
Tom Coburn 'Wastebook': $125K 3-D pizza
Lucy McCalmont – Politico
Republican Sen. Tom Coburn released his annual "Wastebook" on Tuesday, outlining 100 examples of what he calls egregious federal spending totaling $30 billion. From defense equipment to the downright bizarre, the Oklahoma senator highlights it all in his latest report. He started the reports in 2010. Here is a list of the top 10 most eyebrow-raising expenditures:
NASA Moon Probe Eyeing Chinese Lunar Lander from Orbit
A sharp-eyed NASA spacecraft is keeping tabs on China's recently arrived lunar lander, all in the name of science.
National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio to induct 6
Associated Press
An Apollo astronaut is among six people being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio next year.
China Moon Rover Landing Marks a Space Program on the Rise
Clara Moskowitz – Scientific American
China cemented its reputation as the fastest rising star on the space scene this weekend by landing a rover on the moon—a challenging feat pulled off by only two nations before: the U.S. and the Soviet Union. "This is a very big deal indeed," says lunar scientist Paul Spudis of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. "Landing on the moon is not something easily attained—it requires precision maneuvering, tracking, computation and engineering. It is a delicate task and the Chinese success reflects a mature, evolving and capable program."
Space shuttle parking shuffle: Mock orbiter moved in Houston for jet display
collectSPACE,com
Space shuttle Independence has a new parking spot. Space Center Houston's full-size shuttle replica embarked on a short trip on Tuesday (Dec. 17) as it was moved from its outdoor display location of more than a year to a spot in the adjacent parking lot.
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COMPLETE STORIES
NASA orders spacewalks to fix station coolant loop
William Harwood – CBS News
After an exhaustive effort to come up with a workaround to fix a balky valve in one of the International Space Station's two coolant loops, NASA managers decided Tuesday to change gears and press ahead with at least two and possibly three spacewalks to replace a refrigerator-size ammonia pump module.
Astronauts Rick Mastracchio, a spacewalk veteran, and first-time flier Mike Hopkins are scheduled to begin the first spacewalk, or EVA, Saturday around 7:10 a.m. EST (GMT-5). The second EVA is planned for Monday with the third, if necessary, on Christmas day.
The decision to carry out multiple spacewalks to repair coolant loop A means a delay for the planned launch of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket carrying the company's Cygnus cargo capsule. Orbital engineers rolled the rocket to its seaside pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Island, Va., flight facility early Tuesday for a possible launch try Thursday night.
The flight now will be put on hold until next month.
"Orbital Sciences Cygnus spacecraft, atop its Antares rocket, now will launch no earlier than Jan. 13," NASA said in a statement. "The postponement of the Antares launch will allow ample time for the station crew to focus on repairing a faulty pump module that stopped working properly on Dec. 11."
While the station's six-member crew is not in any danger because of the coolant system problem, research activities have been curtailed and, more important, the lab has lost redundancy in a critical system. If a problem took down coolant loop B, the crew could be forced to evacuate and return to Earth aboard their Soyuz ferry craft.
"Our best position to be in is to have both those loops up and running and available to us," Kenny Todd, a senior space station manager at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said earlier. "While we're sitting at one loop, I think we're somewhat vulnerable, and so clearly, from a program perspective, our intention would be to move sooner rather than later to recover that functionality."
The space station is equipped with two independent external coolant loops that use ammonia to dissipate the heat generated by the lab's electrical systems. Cooling is critical for station operations and while one loop can support critical systems and keep the lab operational, both are needed to avoid powerdowns of non-essential equipment.
The problem with coolant loop A developed last week when the flow control valve inside the station's starboard/loop A ammonia pump module malfunctioned, allowing the temperature of the coolant to drop below safety limits.
That did not affect loop A's ability to cool major electrical components mounted in the station's solar power truss. But to carry away heat generated by systems inside the station's habitable modules, where ammonia is not allowed, the coolant must flow through "interface heat exchangers" where it picks up heat carried by water that flows through cold plates where electrical gear is mounted.
"If we get the ammonia outside too cold, we are unable to integrate these interface heat exchangers with the internal loops because there's a risk of freezing the internal water loops," Flight Director Judd Frieling said Tuesday. "And if we freeze the internal water loops, that's a bad thing. ... If we freeze this, the water expands and would allow ammonia to come to the internal part of station and that's a really bad thing for the astronauts."
With loop A hobbled, flight controllers switched critical systems to coolant loop B and powered down non-essential equipment in the Harmony module, the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory and Japan's Kibo research module to reduce the cooling required.
Engineers worked through the weekend to come up with an indirect fix, including a software patch to precisely control the operation of another valve in the system in a bid to regain temperature control.
Frieling said the software patch was intended to give flight controllers the ability to quickly make small changes in the position of a radiator return isolation valve in coolant loop A, a valve that is normally either fully open or tightly closed. By precisely controlling the valve's position as heat loads affect the system, flight controllers hoped to regulate the temperature and keep it within normal operating limits.
"We start (with the valve) at a known position, we tell it to drive and then a number of seconds after it drives, we pull the power from the valve," he said. "So that fixes it in a certain spot.
"The fidelity we have here on the ground to precisely control when that valve starts moving and stops is on the order of about .2 seconds, .3 seconds, somewhere in that range. We really need the fidelity to be much finer than that, we need it to be on the order of .1 seconds."
He said engineers had planned to uplink the patch late Tuesday, but NASA managers apparently decided otherwise, opting for the spacewalk repair job.
"NASA currently plans for two Expedition 38 astronauts to venture outside the space station Dec. 21, 23 and 25," NASA said in its statement. "NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will remove a pump module that has a failed flow valve. They will replace it with an existing spare that is stored on an external stowage platform.
"The pump is associated with one of the station's two external cooling loops, which circulate ammonia outside the station to keep both internal and external equipment cool. Each of the three spacewalks will begin at 7:10 a.m. and is scheduled to last six and a half hours. NASA TV coverage will begin at 6:15 a.m."
The 780-pound pump module in coolant loop A is mounted on the forward face of the starboard S1 segment of the space station's power truss. The loop B pump module is mounted on the left side of the truss in a corresponding position.
The S1 pump module being replaced was installed during three spacewalks in August 2010 after the original unit suffered a short circuit that knocked its pump out of action. In this case, the pump in the replacement module is working normally, but the flow control valve is not regulating the ammonia temperature as required.
Three spare pump modules, supplied by Boeing, the station's prime contractor, are mounted on cargo pallets attached to the lab's power truss.
The pump module "is a difficult box to maneuver with, it's a big, unwieldy object," space station Flight Director Courtenay McMillan said before the 2010 pump replacement. "None of that part of it is technically difficult, but it's just very time consuming and takes a lot of focus."
Based on the 2010 repair work, spacewalkers would have to disconnect five power and data lines, three 1.5-inch ammonia lines and one half-inch coolant line. Two of those lines must be quickly connected to a "jumper box" to prevent pressure extremes in the ammonia supply as the station moves into and out of Earth's shadow.
A pump module replacement is one of several possible spacewalk repairs that all station astronauts are trained for before launch. Mastracchio and Hopkins spent the weekend reviewing procedures and preparing their spacesuits and tools for use if needed.
Lessons learned from the 2010 spacewalks will be incorporated in the upcoming EVAs and if all goes well, the astronauts should be able to remove the old pump module, install its replacement and make all the necessary connections in two outings. But NASA managers are holding a third spacewalk in reserve just in case.
NASA orders urgent spacewalk repairs at station
Marcia Dunn – AP
NASA has ordered up a series of urgent spacewalks to fix a broken cooling line at the International Space Station, a massive repair job that could stretch to Christmas Day.
Station managers decided Tuesday to send two American astronauts out as soon as possible to replace a pump with a bad valve. The task will require two and possibly three spacewalks on Saturday, Monday and next Wednesday — Christmas Day.
"The next week will be busy with space walks so not much tweeting from here," NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio said from space via Twitter soon after the decision was announced.
The spacewalks are taking priority over the launch of a supply ship from Virginia. The commercial delivery had been scheduled for this week, but is now delayed until at least mid-January.
U.S.-led spacewalks have been on hold since July, when an Italian astronaut almost drowned because of water that leaked into his helmet.
NASA hopes to wrap up the pump swap in two spacewalks and not have to do a third on Christmas Day. Astronauts have ventured outside of their spaceship on Dec. 25 only once, way back in 1973 during Skylab, America's first space station. Shuttle astronauts finished a series of spacewalks on the Hubble Space Telescope on Christmas Eve 1999.
Half of the space station's cooling system shut down last Wednesday, forcing the six-man crew to turn off all nonessential equipment, including some science experiments. Because of the valve failure, one of the two cooling lines became too cold.
The cooling system, which runs ammonia through the lines, is critical for dispelling heat generated by on-board equipment.
While the astronauts are safe and comfortable, NASA wants the system back up to full strength, in case of another failure that could leave the orbiting outpost even more vulnerable than it is right now.
Flight controllers tried in vain to fix the valve remotely, then came up with a plan to use another valve to regulate the temperature. Some success was reported, and for a while, engineers thought the space station could limp along with this short-term solution. But on Tuesday, managers opted for spacewalks right now. Spare pumps are on board.
This is the same pump — a bulky 780-pound bundle — that was replaced by spacewalking astronauts in 2010. Three spacewalks were needed then. The lessons learned may enable Mastracchio and astronaut Michael Hopkins to finish the job more quickly.
Mastracchio, a veteran spacewalker, and Hopkins, a first-time space flier, trained for just such a repair before rocketing into orbit. They have been prepping all week, just in case of just such a decision.
"Have not looked out the window in 4 days," Mastracchio said in a tweet. "Too busy building space suits. Where did I put my gloves?"
The investigation into last summer's suit mishap continues; the problem is believed to be linked to a component in the cooling system for the suit. Other suits will be used for the upcoming spacewalks.
Orbital Sciences Corp., meanwhile, will stand down from its planned Thursday night launch of its Cygnus cargo ship from Wallops Island, Va.
The station crew includes three Russians and one Japanese, aside from the two Americans. An unrelated Russian spacewalk planned for Dec. 27 remains on track.
NASA astronauts to repair ISS coolant system
James Dean – Florida Today
NASA astronauts plan to perform three spacewalks, culminating in one on Christmas Day, to repair the International Space Station's coolant system.
The space agency confirmed this afternoon that the launch of a cargo resupply mission whose rocket rolled to its Virginia launch pad this morning would be postponed until January.
The decision came after efforts to regulate temperatures in one of the station's two external loops apparently were unsuccessful.
A flow control valve designed for that purpose failed last Wednesday, and NASA through today was trying to coax a different valve into action.
NASA said the spacewalks were scheduled for Saturday, Monday and next Wednesday.
Expedition 38 astronauts Rick Mastracchio, a veteran of six spacewalks, and rookie Mike Hopkins will attempt to remove an ammonia pump module on the station's starboard side and replace it with one of three spares.
The spacewalks will repeat procedures performed three years ago in the same location when the previous pump module failed for different reasons.
Spacewalks Set to Fix Broken Space Station Pump
Kenneth Chang – New York Times
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will venture outside on three spacewalks to replace a malfunctioning pump that has shut down part of the station's cooling system, NASA announced on Tuesday.
The space agency also postponed until January the launching of a cargo supply ship, which had been scheduled to lift off on Thursday.
The first spacewalk is on Saturday, with the second on Monday and the third next Wednesday.
Two loops of circulating ammonia cool equipment on the station. The problem started last Wednesday with a malfunction of a valve inside the pump, which is on one of the station's exterior trusses. Flight controllers shut down that cooling loop. The remaining loop is sufficient for regulating the temperature of critical equipment, and NASA said there was no immediate danger to the six crew members.
NASA managers want both cooling loops to be operating before the cargo ship is sent into orbit. The Orbital Sciences Corporation, a private company hired by the space agency to bring cargo to the space station, had rolled out its Antares rocket, carrying 3,230 pounds of supplies, to the launching pad on Wallops Island in Virginia. The launching will now occur no earlier than Jan. 13.
During the spacewalks, each lasting six and a half hours, the NASA astronauts Richard Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins will remove the malfunctioning pump module, which had been installed three years ago, and replace it with a spare one.
NASA also said it has fixed a problem with a spacesuit that led to the near-drowning of Luca Parmitano, an Italian astronaut, when his helmet started filling with water during a spacewalk in July. A faulty part has been replaced, and tests showed no further leaks.
CST-100 Launch-abort Engines Complete Testing Milestone
Dan Leone - Space News
Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, Calif., wrapped up development testing on a pair of launch-abort engines for the space capsule Boeing is developing to ferry astronauts to and from the international space station.
The latest round of tests took place near Mojave, Calif., during the second half of October. A pair of engines, each capable of generating about 39,000 pounds of thrust, were fired for a combined 29.7 seconds, Boeing spokeswoman Kelly George wrote in a Dec. 16 email. The successful development tests clear the way for qualification tests, in which each engine will be fired for 11 seconds — double their design requirement, George said.
Developed by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne before the company was acquired this year by Aerojet parent Gencorp Inc., the engines are for CST-100's pusher-style abort system. In the event of a launch mishap, four such engines would propel CST-100 and its crew to safety. In a normal launch, the system will be carried to orbit, where its fuel could be used to pad margins for the rest of the mission, Boeing Space Exploration of Houston said in a Dec. 16 press release.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is working on a similar pusher abort system for its Dragon space capsule, which is a competitor to the CST-100 in NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The program aims to field a commercial crew taxi service for the space station by 2017.
Pusher abort systems are different from tractor-style abort systems — such as the one used on the Saturn 5 rocket for Apollo missions and the one planned for NASA's Space Launch System — which are discarded shortly after liftoff during a nominal launch.
NASA in August 2012 awarded Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corp. and SpaceX contracts to continue developing their crew taxi concepts in the third round of the Commercial Crew Program. Boeing's award, at $480 million, is the largest of the three.
Competition is now underway for the fourth and final round, under which a crewed demonstration flight to the international space station could happen as soon as 2015. A fourth-round award is expected by September.
NASA wants at least one commercial crew taxi flying by 2017 so that it can stop paying Russia to take crews on round trips to station aboard Soyuz spacecraft.
NASA exerts 1 million pounds of force on rocket tank; see what happens
Amy Hubbard - Los Angeles Times
I'm a huge NASA fan. Huge. In the past, the space agency has never failed to bowl me over. Curiosity. Wow. Hubble. Incredible. Space station. 925,000 pounds of awesome.
High-tech can-crushing tests? Meh. My problem with this worthy endeavor -- which will help in the construction of lighter, more affordable rockets -- is in the "crush."
A massive empty rocket fuel tank was set up in a cavernous space at Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunstville, Ala., for the Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project. Then nearly 1 million pounds of force -- yes, 1 million! Cool! -- was applied to the tank to test its structural integrity, the space agency said.
You can sense the enormous pressure in the video. Things appear to be popping and buckling. Exciting! Then it's over. There's bending, and there's banging. But there's no satisfying crunch. Where's the big heap of rubble and engineers high-fiving each other? I was told, basically, the popping and bending are the crunching, you knucklehead.
"They don't crush it all the way flat," public affairs specialist Tracy McMahan told me. "They are looking at particular areas and trying to identify structural weaknesses. For example, welds are traditionally areas that tend to be weaker and might fail during forces created during a launch.
"The types of bending and buckling you see in the video is not something you'd want to happen during a launch."
Morpheus takes second flight at KSC
James Dean – Florida Today
A prototype NASA lander today completed a second free flight at Kennedy Space Center.
The lander called Morpheus climbed 82 feet and hovered, then doubled its altitude and flew forward about 150 feet before descending into a hazard field set up at the north end of KSC's former shuttle runway.
NASA confirmed the 81-second test flight, which lifted off at 1:37 p.m., met its goals and landed within a few inches of its target.
The free flight was the second in a week of the new prototype, which was built after the first vehicle crashed and exploded during a flight attempt at KSC last year.
The liquid methane-fueled Morpheus lander, named for the Greek god of dreams, is testing "green" propulsion technologies and autonomous hazard detection and landing systems that are expected to be incorporated into test flights next year.
Tom Coburn 'Wastebook': $125K 3-D pizza
Lucy McCalmont – Politico
Republican Sen. Tom Coburn released his annual "Wastebook" on Tuesday, outlining 100 examples of what he calls egregious federal spending totaling $30 billion. From defense equipment to the downright bizarre, the Oklahoma senator highlights it all in his latest report. He started the reports in 2010. Here is a list of the top 10 most eyebrow-raising expenditures:
- $125,000 3-D pizza: NASA gave a $124,955 grant to Arjun Contractor, a mechanical engineer with a small company hoping to build a 3-D pizza printer as part of space-exploration mission supplies. However, NASA scientists say the research will take time, and it could be years before the technology becomes feasible.
- 2. $914,000 to research Team Edward: The Popular Romance Project has received $914,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities since 2010, Coburn says. The project is expanding its website, which provides research into the origins of romance and its depiction in popular culture, including novels, Internet fan fiction and advice books. Coburn notes that the website currently provides analysis into the pop hit "Call Me Maybe" and the debate over fictional characters from "Twilight," the young-adult series.
- 3. $17.5 million in brothel tax exemptions: Coburn says that through the tax code, $17.5 million has gone to brothels in Nevada that have claimed tax exemptions for everything from breast implants to "free passes" that were deemed part of promotional costs and eligible for deductions by the IRS.
- 4. $50 million "Google searches": Coburn attributes $50 million to National Technical Information Services, an agency that charges for reports that often can be found for free through a Google search. Coburn calls NTIS, which is part of the Department of Commerce, antiquated, as it was created at a time when information wasn't as readily available. He noted that about 74 percent of its reports had information available in public sources. Additionally, a CD-ROM for which the agency charges $79 contains information that is also available for free on the Internet.
- 5. $297 million "Mega-Blimp": The Army's "mega-blimp," or Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle, project was halted this year as spending nearly reached $300 million after more than three years of development. Coburn says it was sold back to the contractor for only $301,000. Intended for use in Afghanistan, it made only one trip, a 90-minute flight over New Jersey.
- 6. $360,000 bed-rest study: NASA is paying 20 people $18,000 each to spend 70 days lying in bed. As part of a bed-rest study, they have to have their bodies tilted slightly downward but are free to play games or watch TV. NASA has assured that they do not want "couch potatoes," instead calling the individuals "pillownauts" whose participation will help in research on what astronauts' bodies go through in weightlessness.
- 7. $285,000 for rock 'n' roll : For the first time, the federal government's "trade arm" funded the music industry as the American Association of Independent Music received $284,300 this year from the International Trade Administration. The funding allowed 12 music label executives — joined by one government official — to travel to Rio to promote music in foreign markets. Coburn, calling it the "the Indie Rock Music Execs World Tour," says the group also had a side trip to Sugarloaf Mountain.
- 8. $10,000 "Pole" dancing: Through a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a group called PowerUP Project features the linemen and electrical technicians of an Austin, Texas, power company who engage in performance art in a choreographed "ninety minute dance with bucket trucks, cranes and field trucks, and a set of 20 utility poles, all set before a live audience."
- 9. $65 million Sandy emergency fund ads: Despite passing a bill in January to provide $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy relief, $65 million has been used by New York and New Jersey for tourism ads while only one person in Staten Island, as of October, received housing assistance. New Jersey, launched its "Stronger than the Storm" marketing campaign which features Gov. Chris Christie, who also appeared with the Snooki of MTV's "Jersey Shore" in May for events aimed at drawing visitors for the tourism season.
- 10. $125,000 comic superheroes documentary: To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the debut of Superman, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts financed the production of a documentary, "Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle," looking back at the history of comics and their impact. It aired as a three-part series on PBS. Coburn's report notes that the project has received three federal grants totaling $825,000 over the past three years.
NASA Moon Probe Eyeing Chinese Lunar Lander from Orbit
A sharp-eyed NASA spacecraft is keeping tabs on China's recently arrived lunar lander, all in the name of science.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has added China's Chang'e 3 lander and associated rover — which touched down on the moon on Saturday (Dec. 14) — to its list of observation targets.
"Repeated imaging of the landing site by LROC [the LRO Camera] will allow for detailed measurements of changes to the surface caused by the landing and movement of the Chang'e 3 rover," NASA officials wrote in a statement on Friday (Dec. 13).
"LROC can image the surface to identify changes caused by Chang'e 3's descent engine, similar to what has been observed from previous lunar landers," they added. "The resulting atmospheric and surface changes will provide LRO with a new scientific opportunity to observe the transport of gases on the moon and the effects of local disturbances on the lunar regolith."
Three other NASA moon probes also were slated to observe the Dec. 14 landing for scientific purposes. The agency's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), for example, kept an eye out for changes to the wispy lunar atmosphere caused by Chang'e 3's touchdown, officials said.
And the two spacecraft making up NASA's ARTEMIS mission (short for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon's Interaction with the Sun) did their part as well.
"The first ARTEMIS spacecraft (P1) will pass within 124 miles (200 km) of the lunar surface on December 14," NASA officials wrote in the Dec. 13 statement. "According to current plans, the spacecraft will look for any plume signatures in the plasma or magnetic field associated with Chang'e 3's landing. The second spacecraft (P2) will observe pristine solar wind plasma and magnetic field conditions. This information is needed to determine how dust is lofted from the lunar surface."
The Chang'e 3 success marked China's first-ever landing on the moon, and the first soft touchdown on the lunar surface since the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976. NASA's last soft lunar landing came in 1972, on the Apollo 17 mission.
The Chang'e 3 mission carries a lander and a rover called Yutu, whose name means "Jade Rabbit." (Yutu is a pet of the goddess Chang'e and travels with her to the moon in Chinese legends.) Both robots will conduct science observations on the lunar surface.
The $504 million LRO spacecraft launched in June 2009. It's about the size of a Mini Cooper car and carries seven different science instruments, which it uses to observe the moon from an altitude of 31 miles (50 km).
National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio to induct 6
Associated Press
An Apollo astronaut is among six people being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Ohio next year.
Retired Brig. Gen. James McDivitt served as command pilot for Apollo 9 and later managed the Apollo Spacecraft Program for NASA.
Also among inductees announced Tuesday are Cirrus Design founders Alan and Dale Klapmeier and flight instructor Emily Howell Warner. Warner was hired by Frontier Airlines in 1973 as the first female captain of a scheduled, jet-equipped U.S. airline.
Two deceased pilots also are being honored. Bertrand "Bert" Acosta built his first plane in 1910 and was among the nation's first test pilots. Sylvester "Steve" Wittman built aircraft, managed the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, airport and competed in his final air race at age 85.
The induction is Oct. 4 in Dayton.
China Moon Rover Landing Marks a Space Program on the Rise
Clara Moskowitz – Scientific American
China cemented its reputation as the fastest rising star on the space scene this weekend by landing a rover on the moon—a challenging feat pulled off by only two nations before: the U.S. and the Soviet Union. "This is a very big deal indeed," says lunar scientist Paul Spudis of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. "Landing on the moon is not something easily attained—it requires precision maneuvering, tracking, computation and engineering. It is a delicate task and the Chinese success reflects a mature, evolving and capable program."
The Chang'e 3 mission touched down on the moon Saturday (December 14) after launching December 1 on a Chinese rocket. The lander included a four-legged stationary probe and a six-wheeled robotic rover that, with mast deployed, stands about 1.5 meters tall. The spacecraft is the first man-made object to land on the moon in 37 years, and coincidentally touched down exactly 41 years after the last humans departed the lunar surface. Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt launched off the moon to begin their return trip on December 14, 1972, space history expert Robert Pearlman points out at collectSPACE.com. The Chang'e 3 landing is "no small achievement," says Roger Launius, associate director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. "There is a measure of pride at home and prestige abroad that accrues to the Chinese space program." At the same time, he adds, China is replicating an achievement the U.S. and the Soviet Union mastered decades ago, and one that private teams, some of which are made up of undergraduate and graduate students, are aiming to match in the near future for the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. "Some people who might be concerned that the Chinese are demonstrating these capabilities, and who are running around with their hair on fire—I'm not sure that's appropriate."
Those in a tizzy about China's growing space prowess might include the members of Congress, led by Congressman Frank Wolf (R–Va.), who passed a law in 2011 that explicitly forbids NASA from cooperating with China on any space activities. Wolf has called China "fundamentally evil," and has said the law is necessary to prevent China from stealing NASA technologies, which it might use for military purposes. And some in the space industry fear that China's rise will eclipse U.S. leadership in space and cost American companies dollars. Commercial space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, whose Bigelow Aerospace company is building inflatable space habitats, has said China is likely to claim ownership of the moon if other nations do not step up to challenge them.
China's latest achievement may also sting for some in the U.S. as it comes on the heels of NASA retrenchment in planetary science and exploration. NASA's budget has been battered by sequestration and other federal funding cuts, and the reductions are hitting the planetary science program hardest. The space agency may soon be forced to choose between prematurely shutting down its Cassini orbiter program at Saturn or its Mars rover Curiosity mission.
Yet space does not have to be a zero-sum game, and some experts advocate for greater U.S.–Chinese cooperation at a time when China appears to have more money to spend than NASA does. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden himself has protested the law prohibiting him from working with the Chinese, and has advocated increased collaboration. "We're the only agency of the federal government that does not have bilateral relations with China," Bolden complained to the House Committee on Appropriations in March.
Ultimately, both friends and foes of the Chinese space program will be watching eagerly for the next move from a space agency that is clearly on the rise. China has said it eventually aims to land astronauts on the moon—a prospect that is "at least an order of magnitude more difficult" than landing a rover there, Launius says, largely because of the need to supply life support and return the crew home again. China is also building a space station in Earth orbit on which it hopes to post people continuously. So far, two teams of Chinese space flyers have docked with a prototype module in orbit called Tiangong 1 for short stays. With China's impressive track record lately, not much seems to be beyond the nation's scope down the line.
Space shuttle parking shuffle: Mock orbiter moved in Houston for jet display
collectSPACE,com
Space shuttle Independence has a new parking spot.
Space Center Houston's full-size shuttle replica embarked on a short trip on Tuesday (Dec. 17) as it was moved from its outdoor display location of more than a year to a spot in the adjacent parking lot.
Riding on top of a motorized transporter similar to the 144-wheel vehicle that in June 2012 brought it to Space Center Houston, the visitor center for the NASA Johnson Space Center, the 123-foot-long (37 meters) shuttle mockup was moved from its place alongside the center's main building into the lot, where it will stay for the next several months.
The replica, which earlier this year was named the space shuttle Independence, was repositioned to make way for the arrival next year of the original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). The modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet will be topped by the shuttle replica to create a new $12 million, six-story attraction scheduled to open to the public in 2015.
When completed, visitors to Space Center Houston will be able to tour inside both the carrier aircraft and the shuttle mockup sitting atop it.
The SCA, which is also known by its tail number, NASA 905, was the first of NASA's two jets to ferry the orbiters across the nation in between the shuttles' flights to space. In November 2012, NASA 905 was flown to Ellington Field in Houston after completing the delivery of retired orbiters Discovery, Enterprise and Endeavour for their own public displays.
Boeing, which originally built the 747 and then modified it to become the SCA in the 1970s, has donated the needed disassembly and reassembly services to move NASA 905 from Ellington Field to Space Center Houston.
To date, the jumbo jet's four engines have been removed for reuse by NASA's airborne observatory SOFIA, and the associated nacelles have been moved to the space center to await the remainder of the aircraft.
According to a schedule shared with collectSPACE.com, Boeing's engineers will begin working on the disassembly of NASA 905 on Feb. 3, 2014, removing its two wings and tail section from the fuselage. Delivery of the jet's parts to Space Center Houston is then targeted for the weekend of March 29.
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