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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: February 1, 2014 1:41:31 PM CST
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: NASA and Human Spaceflight News - Friday – Jan. 31, 2014
Welcome back to some of you whom I had lost your DL for the past month or so somehow. Thanks to Sullivan and Stacey Nakamura for having saved copies of them that I was able to quickly add you all back. Mark your calendars to join us this Thursday at Hibachi Grill @11:30 for our next monthly retirees luncheon.Enjoy superbowl Sunday regardless of who you maybe rooting for.NASA and Human Spaceflight NewsFriday – Jan. 31, 2014HEADLINES AND LEADSSolar Dynamic Observatory: Solar Dynamics Observatory Sees Lunar Transit.
NASA TV:10:45 a.m. - ISS Expedition 38 In-Flight Interview with Space.com - JSC (All Channels)HEADLINES AND LEADSNASA's Day of RemembranceMarie D. De Jesus – Houston ChronicleJohnson Space Center hosted a day of remembrance for the fallen astronauts of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.[END OF STORY]Veteran Astronauts & Astronaut Candidates at White House STEM eventNASANASA's 2013 astronaut candidate class joined the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, John P. Holdren, and more than 100 students from Washington area schools for the annual White House State of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (SoSTEM) address on Jan. 29[END OF STORY]Veteran Astronauts & Astronaut Candidates at National Air & Space MuseumNASANASA's 2013 astronaut candidate class joined Washington-area students and the public on Jan. 30 for an educational event at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington.[END OF STORY]Urthecast Says Spacewalk Installed ISS Earth Viewing Cameras Just FineMark Carreau - Aviation WeekVancouver, Canada-based UrtheCast Corp. said Tuesday that two commercial Earth viewing cameras installed by spacewalking Russian cosmonauts outside the International Space Station a day earlier provided telemetry within expected results, though the outcome passed along by Russia's Mission Control suggested otherwise.Russian Space Agency Plans World's Biggest RocketRIA NovostiRussia's Roscosmos space agency is to seek government approval to build the world's largest rocket, its head said Tuesday.Former Space Shuttle Commander Flies Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship for 1st TimeMike Wall - Space.comAny test pilots hoping to match Rick "CJ" Sturckow's resume must now be feeling seriously discouraged.Commercial Space Travel Training Company Gets FAA ApprovalMiriam Kramer - Space.comDo you want to fly on a suborbital space plane? What about a rocket launch all they way into orbit? A new commercial spaceflight training company wants to help you develop the right stuff for flying to space.Space Center Houston names leader of its multimillion-dollar capital campaignKaty Stewart - Houston Business JournalSpace Center Houston has tapped a new chief development officer to lead its $12 million capital campaign.House Science Committee to examine "necessary updates" to commercial launch lawJeff Foust – Space PoliticsWhen Congress passed a three-year extension of the third-party commercial launch indemnification regime earlier this month (the pending legislation was used as the "legislative vehicle" for the omnibus fiscal year 2014 spending), industry celebrated the move, but some wondered if the extension would take pressure off Congress to take a broader look at commercial launch law, including a reauthorization of the Commercial Space Launch Act. House Democrats had sought only a one-year extension in order to examine the indemnification regime and related issues.Four Delta 4-Heavy rockets part of ULA block buy dealJustin Ray – Spaceflight NowCAPE CANAVERAL, FL - There will be 28 launches of Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets enabled through the new block buy, including four Heavy rockets, with the three dozen cores purchased by the Pentagon.Commercial Space Travel Training Firm Gets FAA Approval, But NASA's Role Still TBDBrian Berger – Space NewsWASHINGTON -- Waypoint 2 Space — a Houston startup aimed at helping commercial astronauts train for spaceflight — has received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration safety approval for its plan to train would-be astronauts.Prospective Galileo Receiver Makers Concerned over Patent IssuePeter B. de Selding – Space NewsBRUSSELS — The European Commission is pressuring France and Britain to surrender patents they have secured relating to the Galileo satellite navigation system to avoid a chilling effect on Galileo receiver builders now worried about having to pay royalty or licensing fees, European government officials said.On Mars, NASA's Curiosity Rover Seeks Smoother Road to Reduce Wheel DamageMike Wall– Space.comNASA engineers are looking for ways to reduce the wear and tear on the Mars rover Curiosity's wheels, which have accumulated an increasing number of dings and punctures over the last few months.NASA in Huntsville says goodbye to key Space Launch System flight hardwareLee Roop – Huntsvilles TimesHUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Rockets don't come in standard sizes, so if you're fitting part of yours on to a part of theirs, chances are you'll need an adapter. You don't get those at the local Home Depot or Tractors Supply, either.COMPLETE STORIESUrthecast Says Spacewalk Installed ISS Earth Viewing Cameras Just FineMark Carreau - Aviation WeekVancouver, Canada-based UrtheCast Corp. said Tuesday that two commercial Earth viewing cameras installed by spacewalking Russian cosmonauts outside the International Space Station a day earlier provided telemetry within expected results, though the outcome passed along by Russia's Mission Control suggested otherwise."Contrary to the online broadcast of the installation, the telemetry was received by Mission Control Central near Moscow. During the installation, we were able to complete all of the intended tests during the spacewalk. At this time, all telemetry received and analyzed is within our expected results," UrtheCast said in a statement.Cosmonauts Oleg Kotov, the ISS commander, and Sergey Ryazanskiy, carried out a six-hour excursion Monday for the re-installation of a high resolution video camera and a medium resolution still camera outside the station's Russian segment Zvezda module. Through translators, Russia's mission control reported the video imager's installation and check out went well, but that the post-installation check out of the still camera failed to provide satisfactory telemetry.Russia's Mission Control also informed the cosmonauts there would be no further efforts to troubleshoot the imagers, according to the translated live account of the spacewalk that originated with Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, and NASA.Both of the UrtheCast imagers were installed by the same cosmonauts during a record setting Russian spacewalk on Dec. 27 that eclipsed the eight-hour mark. Kotov and Ryazanskiy retrieved the just-installed cameras on Dec. 27 and returned them to the inside of the station for troubleshooting. The difficulties were traced to an internal cable connection in the case of the video camera and a mix-up in external cables for the still imager."We're again extremely grateful to Energia and Roscosmos for providing such quick and efficient technical support throughout the camera installation process,'' UrtheCast's Chief Executive Officer said Scott Larson in Tuesday's statement. "With the cameras now successfully installed and communicating with Mission Control, UrtheCast can now focus on the routine commissioning of the cameras in preparation for the unveiling of our Ultra HD, color video of Earth.''UrtheCast plans to offer near-real time video and still Earth views to subscribers through the Internet in partnership with Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency.Russian Space Agency Plans World's Biggest RocketRIA NovostiRussia's Roscosmos space agency is to seek government approval to build the world's largest rocket, its head said Tuesday."I think that in the near future, within a month, we will make our suggestions to the Military-Industrial Commission," Oleg Ostapenko said at an annual space conference in Moscow.Ostapenko, who was appointed head of the agency in October, said the planned launcher would be able to lift 80 metric tons into low Earth orbit.It could also be upgraded to launch as much as 160 tons, which would be the heaviest payload every lifted by a single rocket into space.The current record holder, NASA's Saturn V rocket that was used to launch Apollo astronauts on their journey to the moon, had a maximum capability of 120 metric tons.Roscosmos formed a working group last year to evaluate proposals for a heavy-lift rocket, including the revival of the Energia launcher, the highest payload rocket ever built in the country.The Energia, developed in the Soviet Union and launched twice, was cancelled during the economic crisis twenty years ago.Experts consider such large rockets to be necessary for manned Mars or deep space missions, although they are likely to be uneconomical for commercial payloads that can be launched on existing rockets.NASA is currently building a new super-heavy rocket, the Space Launch System, that will also come in two variants capable of lifting 70 and 130 tons into orbit. The first test flight of the smaller version is scheduled for 2017.Russia's largest existing rocket, the Proton, can launch payloads of up to 20 tons. The modular Angara rocket is also under development and comes in several versions, the largest of which is planned to send up to 40 tons into orbit.China is reportedly considering construction of its own super-heavy rocket, the Long March 9, for a manned lunar mission.Former Space Shuttle Commander Flies Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship for 1st TimeMike Wall - Space.comAny test pilots hoping to match Rick "CJ" Sturckow's resume must now be feeling seriously discouraged.The former NASA astronaut, who has four space shuttle missions under his belt, got behind the wheel of Virgin Galactic's private SpaceShipTwo spaceliner for the first time earlier this month, guiding the vehicle through an unpowered "glide flight" in the skies above California's Mojave Air and Space Port.Friends and colleagues doused Sturckow with water on the runway to celebrate the successful Jan. 17 SpaceShipTwo test flight, which marked his first spacecraft landing since bringing the space shuttle Discovery down safely in 2009."#SpaceShipTwo is back on the ground after another important glide flight, which proceeded as planned. Good job, team!" Virgin Galactic officials tweeted on Jan. 17.Sturckow joined Virgin Galactic after a long and storied NASA career. For example, he served as pilot for the space shuttle Endeavour's STS-88 mission in 1998, which was the first shuttle flight to the International Space Station.Sturckow also piloted Discovery on its STS-105 flight in 2001 and commanded the STS-117 and STS-128 missions, which were flown by the shuttles Atlantis and Discovery in 2007 and 2009, respectively.The Jan. 17 SpaceShipTwo glide flight came just a week after the vehicle made its third-ever rocket-powered test flight, which saw it set a company altitude record of 71,000 feet (21,641 meters) and accelerate to 1.4 times the speed of sound.The six-passenger SpaceShipTwo is designed to be lofted to an altitude of about 50,000 feet (15,000 m) by a huge carrier aircraft called WhiteKnightTwo. At that point, the spaceliner is dropped and engages its rocket engine, which blasts the craft onward and upward to suborbital space.Virgin Galactic expects SpaceShipTwo to become fully operational later this year. Passengers aboard the spaceliner will enjoy a few minutes of weightlessness and see Earth against the blackness of space, company officials say. The current ticket price for a ride aboard the vehicle is $250,000.In addition to the three rocket-powered test flights, SpaceShipTwo has now successfully completed 29 glide flights. The Jan. 17 test also involved another pilot — Pete Siebold, who works for SpaceShipTwo's builder, the aerospace firm Scaled Composites.Commercial Space Travel Training Company Gets FAA ApprovalMiriam Kramer - Space.comDo you want to fly on a suborbital space plane? What about a rocket launch all they way into orbit? A new commercial spaceflight training company wants to help you develop the right stuff for flying to space.Waypoint 2 Space — a Houston-based company aimed at helping commercial astronauts train for spaceflight — just received Federal Aviation Administration safety approval for their plan to train would-be astronauts. Officials with the company hope to start training commercial spaceflyers for private trips to space in spring of this year. People holding tickets aboard a private spacecraft or space fans interested in learning how to fly to space are eligible to purchase a training package."This achievement is an important milestone for us and for the commercial spaceflight industry as a whole," Kevin Heath, chief executive officer of Waypoint 2 Space said in a statement. "The FAA is working very hard to assure that space vehicles, launch sites and training programs are the safest they can be and we believe this safety approval for our programs is another step in that direction. If someone wants to go to space or just wants to experience what it is like to train like an astronaut, Waypoint 2 Space is their first step."Spaceflight training doesn't exactly come cheap. Waypoint 2 Space's one-week "spaceflight fundamentals" program costs $45,000 and the company is currently offering 300 slots for people who want to train in the program starting in April. Full trips to space on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, for comparison, sell for $250,000 a ticket. The Zero Gravity Corporation, meanwhile, offers weightless trips on a modified jet for abotu $5,000 per trip.The spaceflight fundamentals program is one of three commercial spaceflight training options offered by Waypoint 2 Space. The fundamental program is designed to give participants a taste of what spaceflight is like. It is expected to take people through g-force training, a history of spaceflight, microgravity training and other kinds of courses needed for flying to space.The company is also offering specific suborbital training for flights aboard a space plane — like Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. However, registration is only available for service providers to reserve spots.The third Waypoint 2 Space program is aimed at orbital spaceflights and will not begin until 2015. Officials with the company are taking wait list reservations to begin training next year."The Waypoint 2 Space team is a strategic mix of individuals who have developed training programs for both NASA astronauts and Air Force pilots," Kelly Soich, director of programs and chief payload specialist for Waypoint 2 Space said in a statement. "Waypoint 2 Space training programs incorporate the best techniques and technologies from NASA and Air Force programs while the FAA safety approval allows us to move forward with offering training classes and bringing the programs to the public. We are excited to be leading this effort and look forward to bringing the reality of spaceflight to our trainees."Learn more about Waypoint 2 Space through the company's website: http://waypoint2space.com/Space Center Houston names leader of its multimillion-dollar capital campaignKaty Stewart - Houston Business JournalSpace Center Houston has tapped a new chief development officer to lead its $12 million capital campaign.Meg Naumann will now direct the fundraising efforts needed to create the center's latest project: moving the new full-scale space shuttle replica and creating the accompanying educational exhibits."Meg brings a wonderful enthusiasm for our educational mission and incredible insight into forging strong partnerships," Space Center Houston CEO Richard Allen said in a statement.Naumann previously worked at Lone Star Flight Museum, where she led a $25 million capital campaign to support the museum's conservation and relocation efforts. She has nearly 20 years of experience with nonprofit fundraising efforts.The $12 million project is the first phase of a 10-year plan to continue the center's growth and expand its abilities to share the history of crewed exploration.The space shuttle replica will move to Space Center Houston from NASA's Johnson Space Center in April. The shuttle was recently named "Independence" after more than 10,000 people participated in a "Name the Shuttle" contest.Deciding on a name "was a tough decision, but we ultimately chose a name that celebrates the Lone Star State and highlights its distinct contribution to America's Space Shuttle Program," Allen previously said.The attraction will be the "only place in the world where guests can climb aboard the shuttle carrier aircraft and the shuttle replica to experience the 30-year-old space shuttle program in the most dynamic, hands-on environment imaginable," a previous statement said.The new attraction will open in March 2015.House Science Committee to examine "necessary updates" to commercial launch lawJeff Foust – Space PoliticsWhen Congress passed a three-year extension of the third-party commercial launch indemnification regime earlier this month (the pending legislation was used as the "legislative vehicle" for the omnibus fiscal year 2014 spending), industry celebrated the move, but some wondered if the extension would take pressure off Congress to take a broader look at commercial launch law, including a reauthorization of the Commercial Space Launch Act. House Democrats had sought only a one-year extension in order to examine the indemnification regime and related issues.A House committee, though, plans to at least start the process of examining what needs to be changed in commercial space transportation law. The House Science Committee's space subcommittee will hold a hearing next Tuesday afternoon titled "Necessary Updates to the Commercial Space Launch Act." George Nield, associate administration for commercial space transportation at the FAA, will testify, along with Alicia Cackley of the GAO and Henry Hertzfeld of George Washington University. Nield and Cackley testified before the same subcommittee in mid-2012 specifically on launch indemnification.That hearing, incidentally, comes on the eve of the FAA's annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference on February 5-6 in Washington. Among those scheduled to speak: Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS), chairman of the space subcommittee.Four Delta 4-Heavy rockets part of ULA block buy dealJustin Ray – Spaceflight NowCAPE CANAVERAL, FL - There will be 28 launches of Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets enabled through the new block buy, including four Heavy rockets, with the three dozen cores purchased by the Pentagon."This contract action saves $4.4 billion in taxpayer funds from what was originally submitted in the FY12 President's Budget request. That in itself is a significant achievement but the block buy also stabilizes the U.S. launch industrial base while setting up a competitive environment going forward," according to the Air Force press desk."This contract locks in firm-fixed prices for launch services for the next five years to support the National Security Space (NSS) manifest. These launch services cover missions where only ULA is capable of meeting the required mission performance."The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Launch Vehicle Production Services (LVPS) and Capability contract award to United Launch Alliance has a potential value of up to $10 billion, which includes future LVPS orders and the annual priced capability options through FY19. The current contract value is $2.6 billion."The long term commitment and stable production quantities allowed ULA to commit to year over year cost reductions for the associated capability to launch the 36 cores and the previously-procured cores not yet launched," the Air Force said."The 36 EELV cores for the Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office and Navy will be procured across FY13-17. The contract also includes the capability to launch those cores and previously-procured cores from ULA, the last of which is scheduled to launch in 2019."The contract procures a variety of launch vehicle configurations to meet the manifest for such satellites as GPS, AEHF, SBIRS and MUOS. There are four Delta 4-Heavy launch vehicles as part of the 36 core commitment."The Air Force's guiding priority in this effort is to continue our proven record of successful launches while continuing to be a good steward of the American taxpayer's money. This contract obtained near-term savings from our existing supplier. We continue to work with potential New Entrants to gain the benefits of competition as soon as possible," the press desk said.Commercial Space Travel Training Firm Gets FAA Approval, But NASA's Role Still TBDBrian Berger – Space NewsWASHINGTON -- Waypoint 2 Space — a Houston startup aimed at helping commercial astronauts train for spaceflight — has received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration safety approval for its plan to train would-be astronauts.However, finalizing an agreement with NASA to use astronaut training facilities at Johnson Space Center in Houston is taking longer than expected, officials said, so the company now expects to start training commercial spacefliers in late spring at a building it is renting near JSC.The FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation issued its safety approval, which is good for five years, in a Jan. 23 letter."This achievement is an important milestone for us and for the commercial spaceflight industry as a whole," Kevin Heath, chief executive of Waypoint 2 Space, said Jan. 28 in a statement. "The FAA is working very hard to assure that space vehicles, launch sites and training programs are the safest they can be and we believe this safety approval for our programs is another step in that direction. If someone wants to go to space or just wants to experience what it is like to train like an astronaut, Waypoint 2 Space is their first step."Heath told SpaceNews in December that Waypoint 2 Space was finalizing a Space Act Agreement with NASA that would allow the company to access — on a cost-reimbursable basis — select astronaut training facilities at and around JSC.Heath said Waypoint 2 Space's use of these facilities — for its initial crop of students and on an ongoing basis for the development and testing of new training techniques of mutual interest to both Waypoint and NASA — would be handled under the umbrella of Jacob Engineering's $1.9 billion JSC Engineering, Technology and Science contract.Although finalizing the agreement with NASA is taking longer than anticipated, a spokeswoman for the company said that will not prevent Waypoint 2 Space from opening up shop later this year."It has always been [Waypoint 2 Space's] plan to use NASA facilities temporarily while they built their own facility. They have spent the month of January identifying the facility, and in the month of February will be acquiring the necessary hardware that meets the NASA standard," spokeswoman Grace Younger wrote Jan. 30 in response to a SpaceNews queryA Space Act Agreement remains in the works, according to Heath, "but due to delays ... the scope of use will be redefined."In the meantime, Waypoint is moving into a 900 square meter facility near Johnson "to set up all the same equipment that NASA has (i.e. Simulators, Gravity offset equipment for Lunar, Martian and Orbital EVA's, Virtual Reality, Normobaric Chambers, Space Suits, etc.)," Younger wrote. "Since NASA is taking some time and they don't know exactly which facilities and/or equipment they will be able to use, Waypoint is accelerating their plan to have their own facility to meet their deadline of offering training in late Spring."With that said, regardless of what happens with the facility usage authorization Waypoint will continue to work with NASA to advance technologies beneficial to human spaceflight for both commercial and government," Younger wrote.Waypoint 2 Space's one-week "spaceflight fundamentals" program costs $45,000, and the company is currently offering 300 slots for people who want to train in the program starting in April. Full trips to space on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, for comparison, sell for $250,000 a ticket. Zero Gravity Corp., meanwhile, offers weightless trips on a modified jet for about $5,000 per trip.The spaceflight fundamentals program is one of three commercial spaceflight training options offered by Waypoint 2 Space. The fundamental program is designed to give participants a taste of what spaceflight is like. It is expected to take people through g-force training, a history of spaceflight, microgravity training and other kinds of courses needed for flying to space.The company is also offering specific suborbital training for flights aboard a spaceplane — like Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. However, registration is only available for service providers to reserve spots.The third Waypoint 2 Space program is aimed at orbital spaceflights and will not begin until 2015. Officials with the company are taking wait list reservations to begin training next year."The Waypoint 2 Space team is a strategic mix of individuals who have developed training programs for both NASA astronauts and Air Force pilots," Kelly Soich, director of programs and chief payload specialist for Waypoint 2 Space, said in a statement. "Waypoint 2 Space training programs incorporate the best techniques and technologies from NASA and Air Force programs while the FAA safety approval allows us to move forward with offering training classes and bringing the programs to the public. We are excited to be leading this effort and look forward to bringing the reality of spaceflight to our trainees."Prospective Galileo Receiver Makers Concerned over Patent IssuePeter B. de Selding – Space NewsBRUSSELS — The European Commission is pressuring France and Britain to surrender patents they have secured relating to the Galileo satellite navigation system to avoid a chilling effect on Galileo receiver builders now worried about having to pay royalty or licensing fees, European government officials said.Officials involved said they hoped to avoid a court case in which patents legally obtained by the British Ministry of Defence and the French space agency, CNES, at the European Patent Office would be challenged by the commission, which owns the Galileo positioning, navigation and timing system.Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, in a Jan. 28 address to a space policy conference at the commission's headquarters here, was adamant that his office "will not let issues like patents stand in the way of the use of Galileo. We are working on a solution."Government officials said Tajani was referring to patents held by the French and British goverments, which, if unchallenged, could allow these governments and the individuals associated with the patents to complicate what the commission hopes will be the rapid, royalty-free spread of Galileo uses."We have already heard concerns of some manufacturers asking about their future liability," one commission official said. "It's more the unknown than anything else that concerns them. This is the time we need these receiver builders to be working full-speed ahead to be ready when Galileo is operational. The concern is that the patent issue will give them pause."French and British government officials said they understood the commission's concerns and have no intention of putting sand in the gears of Galileo's deployment.Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of CNES, nonetheless said resolving the issue is not as easy as signing a single document turning over the patents to the commission for open-source use. The legal route ending up with just that result — which he said is France's intention — will take some time to navigate."We have absolutely no intention of causing problems for Galileo's deployment," Le Gall said in a Jan. 30 interview. "Frankly, this is not going to be a problem for Galileo and I don't think [receiver] manufacturers should be concerned about this."David Willetts, Britain's minister for science and universities, who has principal responsibility for space affairs but did not presume to speak for the Ministry of Defence, agreed with Le Gall. "This is going to be worked out, and part of it has to do with financial issues" for the individuals who sought the patents, Willetts said in a Jan. 29 interview.Willetts said that while he could not speculate on when a resolution would arrive or what its exact form would be, there is little chance that it will deter those interested in developing Galileo applications.The commission has agreed to spend 6.3 billion euros ($8.5 billion) on Galileo between 2014 and 2020.With Galileo's full development now funded, the commission is focusing on selling the service to other European government organizations, and to governments the world over.Willetts said Galileo should be mandated — but currently is not — in commission regulations for high-speed rail networks and Europe's next-generation automobile emergency service system.Diego Canga Fano, Tajani's head of cabinet, told the conference Jan. 29 that Tajani now routinely gives his counterparts in other regions of the world little Galileo satellite models instead of the usual pens and other knickknacks that fall within the permitted gift-giving limits of the commission.Canga said the satellites never fail to elicit interest that, the commission hopes, will lead to Galileo's adoption in many places in the world that, like Europe, want an alternative to the U.S. GPS system.The commission is also still unclear on who will have what kind of access to Galileo's Public Regulated Service (PRS), which is limited to government users and is the Galileo equivalent to the GPS military M-code.The U.S. Defense Department is among those that have expressed interest in PRS. A commission official said the commission is still waiting for a clear directive from its member governments on the issue. Many of these governments are members of the NATO alliance and, as such, have access to the M-code.On Mars, NASA's Curiosity Rover Seeks Smoother Road to Reduce Wheel DamageMike Wall– Space.comNASA engineers are looking for ways to reduce the wear and tear on the Mars rover Curiosity's wheels, which have accumulated an increasing number of dings and punctures over the last few months.Curiosity's handlers are driving the 1-ton rover more cautiously now and are checking the condition of its wheels frequently, NASA officials said. The rover team is also considering sending Curiosity over a 3-foot-tall (1 meter) sand dune soon to access a potentially smoother, less rocky route to its ultimate science destination, the foothills of the towering Mount Sharp."The decision hasn't been made yet, but it is prudent to go check," Curiosity project manager Jim Erickson, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement."We'll take a peek over the dune into the valley immediately to the west to see whether the terrain looks as good as the analysis of orbital images implies," Erickson added, referring to pictures snapped by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.Engineers at JPL are also testing out techniques that may help mitigate Curiosity's wheel wear, including driving the rover backward and engaging only four of its six wheels at any one time. This latter strategy could prevent some punctures that occur when Curiosity's rear wheels push its middle and front wheels against sharp rocks, officials said.The Curiosity rover, which landed inside Mars' huge Gale Crater in August 2012, is in the middle of a long trek to the base of Mount Sharp, which rises about 3 miles (5 kilometers) into the Martian sky from Gale's center. Scientists want Curiosity to climb up the mountain's foothills, reading a history of the Red Planet's changing environmental conditions as it goes.While Curiosity likely won't reach Mount Sharp until the middle of the year, engineers are already preparing to do science work there. For example, they've used a test rover on the ground to see how well Curiosity can drill into rock while perched on a slope.The early returns from these trials are promising, team members said."These tests are building confidence for operations we are likely to use when Curiosity is on the slopes of Mount Sharp," said JPL's Daniel Limonadi, systems engineering leader for surface sampling with the rover's arm.The rover team is currently examining photos taken by Curiosity to determine whether or not to cross the small sand dune. Mission scientists and engineers are also evaluating potential routes to a site called "KMS-9," where the rover may break out its trusty drill once again."At KMS-9, we see three terrain types exposed and a relatively dust-free surface," said science team collaborator Katie Stack of Caltech in Pasadena.Curiosity has driven a total of 3.04 miles (4.89 kilometers) since arriving on Mars, officials said. The robot thus has a long way to go to catch its older, smaller cousin Opportunity, which has racked up 24 miles (38.7 km) to date since its January 2004 touchdown on the Red Planet.NASA in Huntsville says goodbye to key Space Launch System flight hardwareLee Roop – Huntsvilles TimesHUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Rockets don't come in standard sizes, so if you're fitting part of yours on to a part of theirs, chances are you'll need an adapter. You don't get those at the local Home Depot or Tractors Supply, either.That's the backstory for Thursday's celebration at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Workers there applauded the completion and imminent shipping of an adapter ring that will attach the Orion crew capsule to a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket for a key test flight later this year.The flight will be the first space test for the Orion capsule that America is betting its future in deep space on. For the test, an uncrewed Orion will be launched 3,600 miles into space and endure extreme re-entry stress and heat. If everything works, NASA will be one big step closer to flying the Orion on top of a Space Launch System rocket in 2017.When Marshall ships the adapter ring in March, it won't go far. The Delta IV rocket is being assembled by ULA at its massive plant on the Tennessee River in Decatur. There it will ride by water down the Tennessee River and ultimately to Cape Canaveral, Fla.END-----No virus found in this message.Checked by AVG - www.avg.comVersion: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3681/7042 - Release Date: 01/29/14
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