| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- Join Us for a JSC All Hands This Wednesday
- 'Space to Ground' Features Orbital and More
- Take SATERN Training Now for Computer Admin Rights
- Flu Shots Still Available in the JSC Clinic
- POWER of One Award - Organizations/Social
- JSC Systems Engineering Forum
- NASA Young Professionals Lunch & Learn
- Emerge Monthly Meeting
- See the Visual ISS Configurator Viewer on Jan. 15
- JSC Toastmasters Club Meets Wednesday Nights
- Rodeo Ticket Sales at Starport Tomorrow
- Start 2014 Off Right at the Gilruth - Jobs and Training
- Job Opportunities
- Fire Extinguisher Training
- Train-the-Trainer: Aerial Platform Certifying - Community
- Mentors Needed for Community College Students
- Midtown/Montrose Carpool to JSC
- Family Space Day at George Observatory - Jan. 25 |  |
| Headlines - Join Us for a JSC All Hands This Wednesday
Join JSC Director Ellen Ochoa and JSC Deputy Center Director Kirk Shireman as they welcome Robert Lightfoot, NASA associate administrator, and Lesa Roe, NASA deputy associate administrator, to JSC for an all-hands meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 8:30 a.m. in the Teague Auditorium. Lightfoot and Roe will talk about the Technical Capabilties Assessment Team (TCAT) and how NASA will align to ensure we have the right skills and facilities to execute our missions to keep the United States a world leader in space. Also hear how the agency's goals will benefit from our JSC 2.0 effort to become lean, agile, innovative and adaptive to change to advance human spaceflight. JSC team members can watch the event live in the Teague Auditorium. After the All Hands, the panel will take questions from the audience. If you would like to submit a question for consideration in advance or during the All Hands, please email it to: Those unable to attend in person can watch the All Hands on RF Channel 2 or Omni 3 (45). JSC team members with wired computer network connections can view the All Hands using the JSC EZTV IP Network TV System on channel 402. Please note: EZTV currently requires using Internet Explorer 32bit on a Windows PC connected to the JSC computer network with a wired connection. Mobile devices, Wi-Fi connections and newer MAC computers are currently not supported by EZTV. If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, please contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at x46367. - 'Space to Ground' Features Orbital and More
We invite you to take a look at our new weekly Web series "Space to Ground" that covers weekly activities aboard the International Space Station. This two-minute video is designed to provide viewers with a short wrap-up of what's happening on space station and showcases the diversity of activities taking place aboard the world's only orbiting laboratory. "Space to Ground" is available every Friday on NASA.gov, the JSC home page and our social media accounts. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family. This past week's episode featured Orbital's launch to station, the implications of certain types of exercise in space (and maybe Earth, too) and more. Check it out! - Take SATERN Training Now for Computer Admin Rights
Starting tomorrow, admin rights, or elevated privileges (EP), will be removed from employees' work machines until they are needed and the necessary training is completed. Tomorrow the BA and DA orgs will kick off what will be a year-long phased approach being implemented by JSC's Information Resources Directorate in coordination with ACES. Each organization will receive further instructions from their organization IT points of contact closer to their push date. If you think you may need short-term admin rights (EP) on your work computer in the future, then please take the necessary training in SATERN. Most employees fall into the "Basic User" category and should take the 10-minute training course: Elevated Privileges on NASA Information System (ITS-002-09). Taking this course now will make it easier and faster to get EP when you need it. Managing EP, rather than automatically granting EP to everyone, improves security since most viruses, trojans and spyware install and run under the rights and privileges of the currently logged-on user. For more information, click here. - Flu Shots Still Available in the JSC Clinic
If you have been watching the news, you know that influenza is widespread throughout Texas this fall/winter. There have been multiple deaths across the state, including the Houston area, as a result of the flu. Young people, as well as seniors, have succumbed to the flu this season. Most of the reported flu cases have tested positive to Influenza A (H1N1) virus. H1N1 is included in this season's flu vaccine, so if you have not had a flu shot yet, it is not too late to get some protection from this virus. It takes about two weeks to build up antibodies to the virus, so we recommend that you get your shot ASAP. Call the clinic at x34111 for an appointment if you'd like to get a flu shot. Flu season historically runs through the end of March. - POWER of One Award
The POWER of One Award has been a great success, but we still need your nominations. We're looking for standouts with specific examples of exceptional or superior performance. Our award criteria below will help guide you in writing the short write-up needed for submittal. - Single achievement: Truly went above and beyond on a single project or initiative
- Affect and impact: How many were impacted? Who was impacted?
- Category: Which category should nominee be in? Gold - agency impact award level; Silver - center impact award level; and Bronze - organization impact award level
- Effort and time: Was additional time and effort in place?
- Mission and goals: Were goals met?
- Standout: What stands out?
If chosen, the recipient can choose from a list of JSC experiences and have their name and recognition shared in JSC Today. Organizations/Social - JSC Systems Engineering Forum
Revolutionizing Prosthetics: From the Impractical to Impacting Lives The next JSC Systems Engineering (SE) Forum meeting will host a presentation from Justin Thomas, formerly of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, on the SE challenges of Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL) in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Revolutionizing Prosthetics Program. The meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Building 1, Room 966. Synopsis: Deemed a "breakthrough" by "60 Minutes," a neutrally integrated ("brain-controlled") prosthesis provides amputee soldiers with pre-injury levels of function. The MPL has been successfully controlled by tetraplegic and upper-extremity amputee volunteers. This presentation will discuss the SE principles and practices that allowed more than 30 collaborating institutions from industry and academia to achieve natural human limb performance by combining the state of the art in neuroscience, robotics, sensors, power systems, actuation and complex embedded software. For more information, please contact Tim Fisher at x31456. Event Date: Thursday, January 16, 2014 Event Start Time:11:30 AM Event End Time:12:45 PM
Event Location: JSC Building 1; Room 966
Add to Calendar
Rob Bayt x40055
[top] - NASA Young Professionals Lunch & Learn
Ever wonder what those who are early in their NASA careers are working on around the agency? Join us for a video conference to hear from presenters: - Adam Kimberlin from Marshall Space Flight Center on "Inside the propulsion Research and Development Lab"
- Mary Coan, Ph.D., from Kennedy Space Center on "RESOLVE Payload's Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) Subsystem"
- Brian Banker from JSC on "LOx/Methane Propulsion as an Integrated Solution for Human Space Exploration"
- Aaron Weaver, Ph.D, from Goddard Research Center on "The Development of Next Generation Exercise Equipment for Space Exploration"
Four early career scientists, 15 minutes, each month. Learn, Network, Collaborate Event Date: Thursday, January 16, 2014 Event Start Time:12:00 PM Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Building 35/Rm 108A
Add to Calendar
Oscar Guzman x47386
[top] - Emerge Monthly Meeting
Emerge, the Employee Resource Group for JSC's next generation, will be hosting their monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 21, from noon to 1 p.m. in Building 12, Room 134. Emerge's onboarding committee will be hosting this meeting, and they want your opinion on creating a welcome packet for new employees, as well as a potential new employee orientation class. Bring your lunch and a co-worker! Event Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 Event Start Time:12:00 PM Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Building 12/Rm 134
Add to Calendar
Elena Buhay 281-792-7976
[top] - See the Visual ISS Configurator Viewer on Jan. 15
JSC's SAIC/Safety & Mission Assurance speaker forum features Sharon Goza, IGOAL lab manager. Subject: Visual ISS Configurator (VIC) Tool Expert Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: Building 1, Room 966 Goza will demonstrate the VIC and how the user can interact with the tool using a mouse or keyboard. The VIC assists with visualizing and communicating the current and potential space station configuration to a wide audience. Key features in VIC: - Drag/rotate/zoom a 3-D ISS mode
- View station from above (bird's eye view) or set the viewpoint to one of five external cameras
- Relocate/add major elements based on recently discussed station configuration options
- Attach multiple visiting vehicles to ports
- Relocate MBS to different worksites on MT; relocate SSRMS/SPDM between base points, etc.
- Attach cargo
- Change space station attitude
- Rotate appendages (solar arrays, etc.)
- JSC Toastmasters Club Meets Wednesday Nights
Looking to develop speaking and leadership skills? Ignite your career? Want to increase your self-confidence, become a better speaker or leader and communicate more effectively? Then JSC Toastmasters is for you! Members attend meetings each Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Gilruth Center Longhorn Room. JSC Toastmasters weekly meetings are learn-by-doing workshops where participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a pressure-free atmosphere. Membership is open to anyone. - Rodeo Ticket Sales at Starport Tomorrow
The Building 11 Starport Gift Shop will begin selling Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo concert tickets at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Tickets will be available for all performances, but sold in pairs and with a limit of four tickets per customer (badged employee). Note: Concert tickets are available in Building 11 only. Carnival Packs, Barbecue Cook-Off and Reliant Admission tickets will be available at both Building 3 and 11 for your convenience. Let's rodeo at Starport! - Start 2014 Off Right at the Gilruth
The new year is here, which means it's time to get back into your fitness routine. Make sure you do it at JSC's fitness center, the Gilruth. Did you know? JSC civil servants and employees with Starport Partner companies receive a membership for FREE! Not sure if your company is a Starport Partner? A list of partners can be found on the Starport website, or check with your Human Resources benefits specialist. New for 2014: Renew online! We've made it fast and easy to renew your membership. Simply visit the Starport website. For new members, stop by the Gilruth Center. Our helpful staff will assist you with your membership needs. Make 2014 your healthiest year yet - at the Gilruth! Jobs and Training - Job Opportunities
Where do I find job opportunities? 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. If you have questions about any JSC job vacancies, please call your HR representative. - Fire Extinguisher Training
Fire safety, at its most basic, is based upon the principle of keeping fuel sources and ignition sources separate. The Safety Learning Center invites you to attend a one-hour Fire Extinguisher Course that provides instructor-led training on the proper way to safely use fire extinguishers. Students will learn: - Five classes of fires
- Types of fire extinguishers and how to match the right extinguisher to different types of fires
- How to inspect an extinguisher
- How to use a fire extinguisher - P.A.S.S.
- Understand the importance of knowing where extinguishers are at your location
- Rules for fighting fires and the steps to take if a fire occurs
- Hands on (weather permitting)
Date/Time: Jan. 23 from 9 to 10 a.m. Where: Safety Learning Center, Building 20, Room 205/206 Registration via SATERN required: - Train-the-Trainer: Aerial Platform Certifying
ATTENTION: There is a date change for the Aerial Platform Certifying train-the-trainer class. It has changed from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22 because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In order to assist with the transition of responsibility for certifying lift operators to line organizations, the Safety Learning Center is offering training for aerial platform-certifying officials (three-hour course). Date/Time: Jan. 22 from 8 a.m. to noon Location: Safety Learning Center, Building 20, Rooms 205/206 This class is a train-the-trainer class for those certifying operators for aerial lifts. Registration via SATERN required: Community - Mentors Needed for Community College Students
Are you looking for a great way to mold and inspire young minds? If you are, then Texas Community College Aerospace Scholars (CAS) is looking for you! CAS provides a unique opportunity for community college students to participate in a two-day on-site experience, where they get to interact with members of the NASA workforce and be part of a team designing a mission to Mars. As a CAS mentor, you'll have the opportunity to interact and lead a group of outstanding community college students from across the state of Texas through their project design challenge. You'll also have the opportunity to represent your division in an education outreach activity without leaving JSC. We are looking for full-time employees, co-ops and interns to serve as mentors during one of the following CAS sessions: March 20 to 21, March 26 to 27 April 1 to 2 - Midtown/Montrose Carpool to JSC
Live near downtown? Interested in carpooling to work at JSC for free? Come make new friends, save money and the environment! Hours are flexible, and immediate carpooling is available. - Family Space Day at George Observatory - Jan. 25
The Challenger Learning Center at the George Observatory is holding a Family Space Day on Saturday, Jan. 25, from about 3 to 8 p.m. For purchase are tickets to complete a 45-minute Challenger Center mission to the moon! Challenger Center mission tickets may be purchased for $10 per person online. After enjoying a trip to space, stay for the evening and look at the night sky through our telescopes. George Observatory is located in the heart of Brazos Bend State Park. Admission to the park is $7 for adults; kids under 12 are free. | |
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| JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters. |
NASA and Human Spaceflight News
Monday – Jan. 13, 2014
HEADLINES AND LEADS
Space station supply ship finally makes good on Christmas delivery, after launch delays
Marcia Dunn – AP
Christmas has finally arrived for the six space station astronauts. A privately launched supply ship arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday morning, three days after blasting off from Virginia. The space station crew used a hefty robot arm to capture the Cygnus capsule as the two craft zoomed side by side at 17,500 mph.
Orbital Sciences cargo ship arrives at space station
Irene Klotz - Reuters
Orbital Sciences Corp, one of two companies hired by U.S. space agency NASA to make supply runs to the International Space Station, delivered its first cargo ship on Sunday, a NASA TV broadcast showed.
Astronauts 'impressed' with Cygnus delivery
James Dean – Florida Today
A fresh batch of supplies and science experiments, including one designed by local high school students, safely reached the International Space Station early Sunday.
Cygnus cargo ship berthed at space station
William Harwood – CBS News
A commercial cargo ship loaded with nearly 1.5 tons of supplies and equipment was captured by the International Space Station's robot arm early Sunday and attached to a docking port, wrapping up a complex but problem-free two-and-a-half-day rendezvous.
Private Cargo Ship Delivers Gifts, Ants to Space Station Crew
A privately launched cargo ship packed with late Christmas presents and space-traveling ants linked up with the International Space Station on Sunday (Jan. 12) in a milestone delivery mission for the astronauts onboard.
China And The US Are Close To Cooperating In Space
Jean-Louis Santini – AP
China -- which until now has worked alone as it pursues an ambitious space program -- seems more open to international cooperation, especially with the United States, European and American experts say.
A Longer Life for the Space Station
The Editorial Board – The New York Times
The Obama administration's decision to extend the international space station's time in orbit by at least four years makes good sense. Some $100 billion has been invested to build the station, which was completed less than three years ago. The plan had been to allow the station to plunge into the ocean in 2020.
COMPLETE STORIES
Space station supply ship finally makes good on Christmas delivery, after launch delays
Marcia Dunn – AP
Christmas has finally arrived for the six space station astronauts.
A privately launched supply ship arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday morning, three days after blasting off from Virginia. The space station crew used a hefty robot arm to capture the Cygnus capsule as the two craft zoomed side by side at 17,500 mph.
The Cygnus is carrying 3,000 pounds of equipment and experiments for NASA, including ants for an educational project. Also on board: eagerly awaited Christmas presents from the families of all six spacemen as well as some fresh fruit courtesy of NASA.
NASA is relying on private industry to keep the orbiting lab well stocked in this post-shuttle era and, in four more years, possibly supply rides for U.S. astronauts as well.
Orbital Sciences Corp. was supposed to make the delivery last month, well before Christmas. But the Virginia company had to wait a month. A space station breakdown in mid-December took priority, and NASA bumped the flight to January in order to repair the disabled cooling system at the orbiting outpost. Then frigid weather at the launch site forced a delay. Then a strong solar storm interfered.
Launch controllers for Orbital Sciences broke into applause once robot arm operator Michael Hopkins grabbed onto the Cygnus, more than 260 miles above the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar. The next major step was to bolt the capsule down onto the space station.
Because of the long day, the astronauts were supposed to wait until Monday before opening the hatch to Cygnus. But with presents from their families awaiting them, there was no telling whether they would oblige.
As a holiday treat, NASA stashed away the fruit for the two Americans, three Russians and one Japanese, and Orbital Sciences included a few surprises of its own.
This is the second visit by an Orbital Sciences cargo ship. The first was a test run last September; this one is the first official supply run under a $1.9 billion contract with NASA.
"I've been up here on station for about 3 1/2 months," Hopkins said, "and I've seen two Orbital vehicles in that time, and I think that's very impressive. So congratulations to everyone."
The Cygnus will be filled with trash and cut loose for a fiery, destructive re-entry by the end of February.
NASA is paying Orbital Sciences and the California-based SpaceX company to supply the space station. SpaceX will make its fourth delivery next month, launching from Cape Canaveral. Russia, Japan and Europe also make periodic deliveries.
Russia is the lone means of astronaut transport, however, until SpaceX or another American company is able to fly humans. NASA estimates that should occur by 2017.
NASA is paying Orbital Sciences and the California-based SpaceX company to keep the space station well stocked, in the post-shuttle era.
This Cygnus is named for the late shuttle astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, who helped conduct air-launched rockets for Orbital Sciences in the 1990s. He died in August at age 76 following a stroke. Sunday's successful linkup is a testament to Fullerton's career, both Hopkins and Mission Control noted.
"Gordo was an American hero," Mission Control said.
Orbital Sciences cargo ship arrives at space station
Irene Klotz - Reuters
Orbital Sciences Corp, one of two companies hired by U.S. space agency NASA to make supply runs to the International Space Station, delivered its first cargo ship on Sunday, a NASA TV broadcast showed.
Space station flight engineer Mike Hopkins used the outpost's 60-foot-long (18 meter) robotic arm to pluck a Cygnus freighter capsule from orbit at 6:08 a.m. EST (1108 GMT) as the two ships sailed 264 miles (425 km) over the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar.
"A big sigh of relief for Orbital," said astronaut and NASA TV commentator Catherine "Cady" Coleman from Mission Control in Houston.
About two hours later, Hopkins latched the capsule, which is about the size of a small bus, to a docking port on the space station's Harmony module.
The capsule is loaded with 3,221 pounds (1,461 kg) of food, equipment, science experiments and supplies for the station, including computers and replacement parts for NASA's spacesuits.
Several commercial payloads also are aboard the Cygnus freighter, including a "CubeSat" launcher owned by Houston-based NanoRacks. CubeSats are 4-inch-sided (10 cm), standardized, relatively inexpensive spacecraft. They produce their own power, transmit signals and are used for a variety of scientific purposes. Individual CubeSats can be configured to fly together.
The launcher will be operated from Japan's Kibo module, which includes a small airlock, robotic arm and external platform. The Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency already operates a similar CubeSat launcher.
The Cygnus capsule is scheduled to remain docked to the outpost for about 45 days, and will be unpacked, then refilled with trash and items no longer needed aboard the station.
Astronauts will then use the station's robot arm to remove the capsule and release it into orbit so it can drive itself into the atmosphere for incineration.
Orbital Sciences (NYS:ORB) and privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, have NASA contracts worth a combined $3.5 billion for a total of 20 cargo flights to the space station, a $100 billion research complex owned by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
Orbital Sciences made a successful test flight to the station in September. On Thursday, the Virginia-based company launched the first of eight paid missions for NASA. SpaceX meanwhile is preparing for its third cargo run on February 22.
NASA hired the companies following the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011. The U.S. space agency also is managing a heated three-way competition between SpaceX, Boeing Co (BA.N) and privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp, to develop spaceships to fly astronauts.
NASA hopes to break the Russian government's monopoly on station crew taxi flights by 2017.
Rides on Russian Soyuz capsules currently cost the United States more than $60 million per person. The price will rise to more than $70 million in 2016.
NASA meanwhile is developing a heavy-lift rocket and capsule for future human missions into deep space, such as the moon and Mars beyond the station's orbit.
Astronauts 'impressed' with Cygnus delivery
James Dean – Florida Today
A fresh batch of supplies and science experiments, including one designed by local high school students, safely reached the International Space Station early Sunday.
Expedition 38 astronauts captured Orbital Sciences Corp.'s unmanned Cygnus cargo freighter at 6:08 a.m., three days after its launch from Virginia on an Antares rocket.
Steering a 58-foot robotic arm, astronaut Mike Hopkins snared the barrel-shaped spacecraft carrying nearly 2,800 pounds of supplies as the two vehicles flew 260 miles over the Indian Ocean, traveling 17,500 mph.
Hopkins radioed congratulations to the ground, noting that the Cygnus, which was developed privately with NASA support, was the second he'd seen in three-and-a-half months, since a maiden demonstration mission last fall.
"I think that's very impressive," he said.
The capture Sunday completed the first of eight planned Cygnus trips to the station under a $1.8 billion NASA resupply contract.
Astronaut Koichi Wakata of Japan attached the Cygnus to a Harmony node port two hours later.
The crew planned to open the hatch Sunday or today to begin removing experiments, including the time-sensitive "Ants in Space."
Another experiment on board was designed by students from West Shore Jr./Sr. High in Melbourne, one of 17 projects selected by the Student Spaceflight Experiment Project.
The experiment honors their former teacher Jason Whitworth, who was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
The Cygnus is expected to stay berthed at the station for about 40 days.
Unlike SpaceX's Dragon, which has completed two resupply missions under a $1.6 billion contract and is targeting launch of a third next month from Cape Canaveral, the Cygnus will not return to Earth.
Instead, it will be packed with trash, freeing up valuable space on the station, and burn up in the atmosphere when its mission is complete.
Both the Orbital and SpaceX systems were developed under a roughly $800-million NASA program that transferred cargo delivery to commercial providers after the shuttle's retirement in 2011.
A similar program hopes to begin flying astronauts commercially by 2017. NASA last week announced plans to extend station operations at least another four years, to 2024.
Cygnus cargo ship berthed at space station
William Harwood – CBS News
A commercial cargo ship loaded with nearly 1.5 tons of supplies and equipment was captured by the International Space Station's robot arm early Sunday and attached to a docking port, wrapping up a complex but problem-free two-and-a-half-day rendezvous.
The Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo craft, launched Thursday from Wallops Island, Va., was captured by arm operator Mike Hopkins at 6:08 a.m. EST (GMT-5) as the two spacecraft sailed 260 miles above the Indian Ocean. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata then maneuvered the spacecraft to the Earth-facing port of the forward Harmony module where motorized bolts locked it into place at 8:05 a.m.
Named after the late astronaut and test pilot C. Gordon Fullerton, the Cygnus cargo ship is packed with 2,780 pounds of spare parts, crew supplies and experiment hardware, including 23 experiments involving more than 8,600 elementary, junior high and high school students in the United States and Canada.
An "ants in space" payload will give students and opportunity to study behavioral differences between ants in normal gravity and those in the weightless environment of space. Other experiments will study the biology of drug-resistant bacteria and how liquids simulating rocket fuel slosh around in weightlessness.
Along with on-board science, the Cygnus is delivering more than two dozen small "cubesat" satellites, including a fleet of 23 "Dove" satellites built by Planet Labs of San Francisco that will monitor the global environment.
A crowd-funded cubesat provided by Southern Stars, also of San Francisco, will allow the public to send "tweets from space" that can be picked up by amateur radio operators. Users also will be able to request Earth images from the satellite.
Also on board: belated holiday gifts for the station crew. The Cygnus capsule originally was scheduled for launch before Christmas, but the flight was pushed into January when NASA ran into problems with the space station's cooling system.
This is the first operational station resupply mission carried out by Orbital Sciences under a $1.9 billion contract with NASA calling for at least eight flights and delivery of 40,000 pounds of cargo and supplies.
The Cygnus captured Sunday will remain attached to the space station until mid February. At that point SpaceX will step up with launch of a Dragon cargo ship around Feb. 22. It will be the third operational resupply flight by SpaceX, which holds a $1.6 billion contract to deliver more than 44,000 pounds of supplies over a dozen missions.
Private Cargo Ship Delivers Gifts, Ants to Space Station Crew
A privately launched cargo ship packed with late Christmas presents and space-traveling ants linked up with the International Space Station on Sunday (Jan. 12) in a milestone delivery mission for the astronauts onboard.
Space station astronauts used a robotic arm to capture the unmanned Cygnus spacecraft early Sunday morning and attach it an open docking port as both spacecraft sailed 260 miles (418 kilometers) above Earth. The special delivery comes courtesy of the Dulles, Va.-company Orbital Sciences Corporation, which launched the Cygnus spacecraft on Thursday (Jan. 9) to make its first commercial resupply mission to the station for NASA.
The Cygnus spacecraft is carrying 2,780 lbs. (1,260 kilograms) of gear for the space station crew, including fresh fruit and Christmas gifts. It is also delivering eight ant farms to the station for weightlessness research, 23 student experiments and small cubesat satellites among the science gear.
"The cargo is comprised of vital science experiments, crew provisions, spare parts and other hardware," NASA officials said in a statement. "One newly arrived investigation will study the decreased effectiveness of antibiotics during spaceflight. Another will examine how different fuel samples burn in microgravity, which could inform future design for spacecraft materials."
The mission was originally slated for a mid-December launch, but Orbital Sciences officials and NASA delayed the flight to January when a cooling system malfunction on the station forced astronauts to perform emergency spacewalk repairs.
Bitter cold temperatures and a surprise solar flare added extra delays last week, with the Cygnus spacecraft finally launching on Thursday from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. It lifted off atop an Orbital-built Antares rocket.
Despite the delay, Sunday's arrival appeared to go flawlessly, with astronauts Mike Hopkins of NASA and Koichi Wakata of Japan — both flight engineers with the station's six-man Expedition 38 crew —easily latching onto the Cygnus spacecraft with the station's robotic arm.
"Our first mission under the [Commercial Resupply Services] contract with NASA was flawlessly executed by our Antares and Cygnus operations team, from the picture-perfect launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility to the rendezvous, capture and berthing at the space station this morning," Orbital President and CEO David Thompson said in a statement.
Orbital's $1.9 billion cargo delivery deal with NASA calls for the company to launch at least eight resupply missions to the space station by 2016 to ferry a total of 40,000 lbs. (18,143 kg) of supplies to the orbital lab. The company's Cygnus spacecraft are bus-size disposable spacecraft designed to deliver supplies to the station, and then haul away trash and unneeded items for disposable. A Cygnus spacecraft visited the station last September in a debut test flight, but that demonstration mission did not carry a full cargo load.
The Cygnus currently at the station, known as Orb-1, is due to depart the orbiting lab on Feb. 18 and be intentionally destroyed on Feb. 19, when it is scheduled to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.
Orbital officials named the Orb-1 Cygnus the Spaceship C. Gordon Fullerton in honor of the late NASA astronaut Gordon Fullerton of the same name, who died last year.
"Very pleased the S.S. C. Gordon Fullerton performed so well. Just as its namesake would have expected," Orbital officials wrote in a Twitter statement Sunday. "'Gordo' would be proud!"
NASA currently has contracts with Orbital and the Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX for commercial resupply missions to the station using unmanned spacecraft. SpaceX has a $1.6 billion deal with NASA for 12 cargo missions using its Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon space capsules. Two of those missions have flown so far, with the third slated to launch on Feb. 22.
"This resupply operation is the life of the space station," NASA astronaut Cady Coleman said during docking commentary on Sunday. "It is one thing to get the crew up there, but it is really important to get the supplies up there."
China And The US Are Close To Cooperating In Space
Jean-Louis Santini – AP
China -- which until now has worked alone as it pursues an ambitious space program -- seems more open to international cooperation, especially with the United States, European and American experts say.
"There is a change in the Chinese attitude, with a call for cooperation in space. And Americans aren't reticent -- on the contrary," said Jean-Yves Le Gall, head of the French space agency CNES.
Le Gall spoke Thursday as he left a meeting in Washington of high-level envoys from 30 space-faring nations discussing ways to pool efforts to explore the stars. The conference continued Friday with space agency chiefs.
The space race started as an intense Cold War competition between the United States and the former Soviet Union.
But with budgets shrinking, the United States is relying more on private companies and looking to keep costs down with multinational collaborations -- and other countries that are emerging as future major players in space.
The participants at the conference, which included Brazil, China, India, Japan and Russia, "showed a strong desire for coming together" in space exploration activities, Le Gall said, noting that the Chinese showed up in force, with a large delegation.
"The big question for the next three years is whether China will join the International Space Station," which currently includes the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada, he said.
"That's the challenge," the CNES chief said, recalling that the United States had just extended the orbiting space lab's mission by at least four years to 2024.
John Logsdon, former director of the the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University and a NASA consultant, shared Le Gall's sentiment.
He noted that China has recently indicated its willingness to participate in the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, which currently has 14 members including NASA.
Beijing has also openly invited other countries to join it in its own ambitious project that aims to put a Chinese space station into orbit within 10 years.
"Every indication is that China is eager to become part of the inner circle of space countries, rather than going its own path," Logsdon told AFP.
He said it was surprising that China, which, along with the United States and Russia is one of three countries in the world "that knows how to put people in space," was not "directly involved in things like the International Space Station."
Logsdon said it was "very possible" that China would be invited within the next two or three years to join some activities aboard the ISS, although he said it was likely to be part of a broader initiative that could also include Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.
The expert recalled that NASA was still not authorized by the US Congress to work with China, because several lawmakers consider it a risk to America's national security.
But if the European Space Agency were to issue an invitation to China to participate in the ISS partnership, NASA would not be required to oppose it, Logsdon said.
"We have seen a strong willingness among the different space agencies of the world to increase global cooperation in space exploration," he added.
So far it's just "rhetoric," he said, "but it is a step toward reality."
The head of the French space agency was equally cautious, but he said the current environment was conducive to increased cooperation.
"Paradoxically, the space-faring nations that are in the forefront" -- including the United States and Europe -- "don't have any more money, while those that have the ambition to get there and to be recognized, like China, have money," he said.
For him, "that constitutes a good ground to get together."
A Longer Life for the Space Station
The Editorial Board – The New York Times
The Obama administration's decision to extend the international space station's time in orbit by at least four years makes good sense. Some $100 billion has been invested to build the station, which was completed less than three years ago. The plan had been to allow the station to plunge into the ocean in 2020.
Very little research was conducted during the 13 years the station was being built; research has only been going at a significant clip since 2011. Allowing the space station to operate to 2024, and possibly beyond, would provide more time for scientific and commercial experiments.
American space officials hope that other international partners, including the European Space Agency, Russia and Japan, will support the extension, but said that if necessary the United States will go it alone.
The move will not be cheap. Operating the space station currently costs the United States about $3 billion a year, a big chunk of the space agency's proposed $17 billion budget, and that cost could grow. Congress has yet to appropriate funds for specific agencies, so NASA's financial prospects for the coming year remain uncertain.
Administration officials listed several benefits of giving the station four more years of life. The extra time may encourage more scientists and more private companies to develop research proposals that often take years to plan and carry out. It would give commercial launching companies that carry cargo to the station, and will carry humans starting in 2017, a longer period to recoup their investments.
Perhaps most important, it will allow NASA to complete the research that is deemed necessary for preparing for long-duration flights beyond low-Earth orbit, including planned human missions to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s. The research is looking for ways to mitigate many of the health hazards of long-duration flight and will test technologies that are needed to operate safely and productively in deep space.
Congress seems likely to support the extension because it will provide local jobs and contracts. The budgetary effect will be negligible through 2020. But eventually, Congress will need to decide whether to keep operating the station for as long as its key components last, possibly through 2028 or beyond, use the money for other manned and robotic space missions or supply enough money to do it all. The station ought to be kept in orbit as long as it yields important research findings, but it should not be allowed to cannibalize other important space activities.
NASA's budget is a tiny part of the trillions of dollars in annual federal spending. Congress ought to appropriate enough money to keep the United States at the forefront in all realms of space research and exploration.
END
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