Shuttle Crew Completes Landing Systems Tests

The shuttle crew earlier this morning checked out two systems for tomorrow’s landing. The astronauts completed a test of the Reaction Control System steering thrusters that will help control Endeavour’s attitude and speed after the deorbit burn. During that test, one of the jets, F2F, failed. This will not be an issue for landing. The crew also tested the shuttle aerosurfaces and flight control

Moon and Mars at Kennedy - Ares Processing Update

The Constellation Program's Ares I-X rocket has transformed during the past few weeks for its targeted flight test in late August.The four motor segments were stacked on the Mobile Launcher Platform and tested, in addition to tests on the vehicle's instruments.The Super Stack 1 assembly is complete. Stack one is made up of eight pieces: interstages 1 and 2, the frustum, the forward skirt

Harnessing the Sun

This image, taken during the fifth and final spacewalk of the STS-127 mission, is of one of the International Space Station's solar panels intersecting Earth's horizon. Eleven astronauts and cosmonauts remained inside the orbital outpost and the shuttle to which it was docked, while Tom Marshburn and Christopher Cassidy made their spacewalk on July 24, 2009.

NASA's Shuttle Discovery Moves to Launch Pad, Practice Liftoff Set

Reporters are invited to cover space shuttle Discovery's move to the launch pad on Aug. 3 and the mission crew's dress rehearsal activities Aug. 5 to Aug. 7 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The first motion of Discovery from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The 3.4 mile journey is expected to take approximately six hours. Activities include

Space Shuttle Crew Set To Return To Earth Friday

Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew are scheduled to return to Earth on Friday after a 16-day mission. There are two landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:48 a.m. and 12:23 p.m. EDT.NASA will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Endeavour and its crew to land. If weather prevents a return to Kennedy on Friday, the backup landing

New Spin On Saturn's Rotation

New meteorological data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft indicates the value for Saturn's rotation period could be more than 5 minutes shorter than previously believed - and that Saturn is more like its larger neighbor Jupiter than previously considered. The rate at which Saturn spins provides important data for planetary scientists interested in the ringed world. Obtaining an accurate fix on that

NASA to Provide Web Updates on Objects Approaching Earth

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is introducing a new Web site that will provide a centralized resource for information on near-Earth objects – those asteroids and comets that can approach Earth. The "Asteroid Watch" site also contains links for the interested public to sign up for NASA's new asteroid widget and Twitter account."Most people have a fascination with near-Earth objects," said Don

Hometown Heroes 2009: Robert Shane Kimbrough Visits the Atlanta Braves

NASA astronaut Robert Shane Kimbrough had two dreams growing up as a child; to be an astronaut and to play baseball. He grew up in the small town of Smyrna, Ga., just outside of Atlanta. Recently Kimbrough’s two passions came together while making a special appearance in his native Georgia. He spoke to the people of Atlanta about being an astronaut and was given the opportunity to participate in

NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, Expedition Journal Entry 1

As a flight surgeon and specialist in space medicine, I have awaited my own space flight experience with great anticipation. I have spent years practicing the craft of space medicine, studying the world’s literature and debriefing crew members following their flights. The prominent topics on my mind have been the specific physiologic problems associated with living in weightlessness – bone and

Space Station's Tranquility

The Node 3 module, also known as Tranquility, will be one of the last components added to the International Space Station.The pressurized section will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems already on board. These systems include air revitalization, oxygen generation and water recycling. A waste and hygiene

Past and Present: Field Testing For the Moon

“We Choose to Go to the Moon.”When President Kennedy announced on Sept. 12, 1962, that the United States would go to the moon before the end of the decade, life and work at NASA changed in monumental ways.By then, NASA had four manned spaceflights under its belt. A trip to the moon would leverage years of spaceflight knowledge, but traveling out of low Earth orbit, past Geosynchronous orbit to

EAA AirVenture: An Aviator's Dream World

Aviation enthusiasts seek out certain destinations. There are Paris and Farnborough for the big international crowd, Kill Devil Hills, N.C. for the historians and Oshkosh, Wisc., for those who crave a look at aircraft that are a little different.For a week every summer a small airfield in central Wisconsin is an aviator's dream world. It's been that way for more than half a century, since what is

Postcards From the Field

Horacio Munoz Lopez (Mexico) at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

First Image from GOES-14

From approximately 35,786 km (22,236 miles) in space, NOAA's newest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – GOES-14 – took its first full-disk visible image of the earth on July 27, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. GOES-14, launched on June 27, 2009, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., joins three other NOAA operational GOES spacecraft that help the agency's forecasters track life-threatening weather

Late Heat Shield Inspections for Shuttle

The seven-member crew was awakened Wednesday morning to the song “Yellow” by the band Coldplay, uplinked for Pilot Doug Hurley in honor of his International Space Station fly-around.Space shuttle Endeavour undocked Tuesday from the International Space Station at 1:26 p.m. EDT. After completing a fly-around of the space station, Endeavour performed a maneuver to separate from the station.Shuttle

Warmed Up and Ready to Go

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has put its infrared eyes back on the sky to observe the cold and dusty universe. The telescope ran out of liquid coolant on May 15, 2009, after more than five-and-a-half years of observations. Two of its infrared channels are working at full capacity at the observatory's new "warm" temperature of approximately 30 Kelvin (minus 406 degrees Fahrenheit) -- still quite

NASA Increases Value of Engineering Support Contract

NASA has increased the maximum ordering value of the Multidisciplinary Engineering and Technology Support, or METS, services contract with Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (SGT) Inc. of Greenbelt, Md. The maximum value increased by $40 million to approximately $339 million. The ordering period remains from Feb. 5, 2005, through Feb. 4, 2010.Under the contract, SGT Inc. performs tasks that are

NASA Changes Date for Briefings on Next Space Shuttle Mission

A series of media briefings to preview NASA's STS-128 space shuttle mission has been rescheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13.NASA Television and the agency's Web site will provide live coverage of the mission briefings from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston beginning at 8 a.m. CDT. Questions will be taken from reporters at participating NASA centers and journalists in Europe. A feed of video and

In Tandem Final Spacewalk For The STS-127 Mission.

During Monday's 4-hour, 54-minute spacewalk, astronauts Tom Marshburn (left) and Christopher Cassidy secured multi-layer insulation around the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator known as Dextre, split out power channels for two space station Control Moment Gyroscopes, installed video cameras on the front and back of the new Japanese Exposed Facility and performed a number of get ahead tasks,

NASA Honors Apollo Astronaut Al Worden with Moon Rock

NASA will honor Apollo astronaut Al Worden with the presentation of an Ambassador of Exploration Award for his contributions to the U.S. space program.Worden will receive the award during a ceremony Thursday, July 30, at 4 p.m. EDT. The ceremony will be held at the Apollo Saturn V Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, where the moon rock will be displayed.Reporters

Associate Deputy Administrator: Charles H. Scales White House Liaison: David Noble Assistant Associate Administrator: Christyl JohnsonAdministrator Staff Offices Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance:

LRO Sees Apollo Landing Sites

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has returned its first imagery of the Apollo moon landing sites. The pictures show the Apollo missions' lunar module descent stages sitting on the moon's surface, as long shadows from a low sun angle make the modules' locations evident.The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, was able to image five of the six Apollo sites, with the remaining

Spacewalkers Camping Out in Airlock; Station Steering Clear of Debris

A minor reboost of the International Space Station will be performed at 8:27 p.m. EDT to ensure plenty of clearance in relation to an unknown piece of space debris. That maneuver using Endeavour’s small vernier thrusters will last about 15 minutes and change the overall velocity of the shuttle/station complex by about 0.8 meter per second.Spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tim Kopra will begin their “

Some Shovels of Dirt Ring in NASA Langley's Future

With a push of her right foot on a shovel Friday morning, Lesa Roe celebrated the 92nd birthday of NASA's Langley Research Center by ushering in its future.Helping Roe, Langley's center director, in breaking ground for New Town Building 1 were Hampton Mayor Molly Ward; Rob Hewell, from the General Services Administration, and Charles Scales, NASA associate deputy administrator."We've waited and

10 Things You Never Knew About Earth

10 Things You Never Knew About EarthGlobal Climate Change Nasa Eyes On Earth

STS-128 Mission Crew Profiles

Crew Profiles Frederick W. “Rick” Sturckow Commander› View biography → Kevin A. Ford Pilot› View biography → Patrick G. Forrester Mission Specialist› View biography → José M. Hernández Mission Specialist› View biography → Christer Fuglesang Mission Specialist› View biography → John D. "Danny” Olivas Mission Specialist› View biography → Nicole P. Stott Mission Specialist/ISS Flight Engineer

STS-128 Mission Information

Commander Rick Sturckow will lead the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery with Kevin Ford serving as pilot. Also serving aboard Discovery are mission specialists Patrick Forrester, José Hernández, John "Danny" Olivas, Christer Fuglesang and Nicole Stott.Stott will remain on the station as an Expedition 20 flight engineer replacing Timothy Kopra. Kopra

LROC’s First Look at the Apollo Landing Sites

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was afforded its first of many opportunities to image the six Apollo landing sites July 11 through 15 with its high resolution Narrow Angle Cameras (NACs). These early images show the Lunar Module descent stages left behind by the departing astronauts. LRO’s current elliptical orbit (40 x 199 km), with

South Polar Basin on Titan

An enigmatic large basin appears in the south polar region of Saturn's moon Titan at the center of this Titan Radar Mapper image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft acquired on June 22, 2009. Centered near 76.5 degrees south latitude, 213 degrees west longitude, the image covers an area of 190 by 140 kilometers (118 to 87 miles). The basin itself is 100 kilometers wide (62 miles). The radar

Taking Flight To Seek Out The Least Understood Climate Driver

A NASA research plane spent the month of June crisscrossing the southern Great Plains in search of more detailed information on the least understood variable in long-term climate change scenarios.Tiny suspended particles are nearly everywhere in the atmosphere, and what we see as dust, smoke, soot or haze in the sky scientists study collectively as aerosols. Some aerosols are easy to see with the

Endeavour Docks; Expedition 20 Set to Welcome Visitors

Image Above: Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka uses a computer in the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station. Credit: NASASpace shuttle Endeavour docked with the International Space Station at 1:47 p.m. EDT. Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineers Michael Barratt, Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Roman Romanenko, Robert Thirsk

Endeavour Docks at Station

Commander Mark Polansky docked space shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station’s Harmony node at 1:47 p.m. EDT while flying about 220 miles above the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the north coast of Australia.Following leak checks, the hatches between the two craft will open at 3:43 p.m., creating the first 13-member crew in space history. Shortly after hatch opening, NASA Television will

Space Shuttle Mission: STS-127

Image above: The space shuttle Endeavour performs a back flip, or Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, about 600 feet below the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA TVShuttle Docks at Station, Begins 11 Days of Joint OperationsThe International Space Station population has grown to a record 13 today as the space shuttle Endeavour docked this afternoon.The astronauts aboard Endeavour began

NASA's LRO Spacecraft Gets Its First Look at Apollo Landing Sites

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has returned its first imagery of the Apollo moon landing sites. The pictures show the Apollo missions' lunar module descent stages sitting on the moon's surface, as long shadows from a low sun angle make the modules' locations evident.The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, was able to image five of the six Apollo sites, with the remaining

NASA Briefs Media on New Images of Apollo Lunar Landing Sites, 2 p.m. EDT

NASA officials will discuss recently released photos from Apollo lunar landing sites and future plans for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO mission. Participating in the teleconference are: Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist, NASA Headquarters, WashingtonRichard Vondrak, project scientist, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.Mark Robinson,

NASA Releases Orbiting Carbon Observatory Accident Summary

A NASA panel that investigated the unsuccessful Feb. 24 launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, has completed its report.NASA's OCO satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide launched aboard a Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Feb. 24 at 4:55 a.m. EST, but it failed to reach orbit.The Mishap Investigation Board led by Rick Obenschain, deputy director

Apollo TV camera Restoring History

Mike Simons, Director of the National Electronic Museum in Baltimore, Md., assembles an Apollo TV camera for display prior to NASA's briefing to release restored Apollo 11 moonwalk footage at the Newseum, Thursday, July 16, 2009.

Reflections on the CASIE first science flight

It was great to see the SIERRA head off over the horizon yesterday, on its first science mission. This first science flight, targeted a range of sea ice conditions to the north of Ny-Alesund by flying a box pattern with a short "mapping" segment (flight tracks closely aligned to provide full coverage with camera and radar imagery. The flight length and location was designed to provide good

The CASIE Mission Tracker

The CASIE team includes participants from three NASA centers (ARC, GSFC, and JPL), the University of Colorado Boulder Brigham Young University, Fort Hays State University, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Team members from NASA Ames Research Center developed a mission planning tool using Google Earth. The tool allows team members in Svalbard to view near-real time satellite data

NASA Airborne Expedition Chases Arctic Sea Ice Questions

A small NASA aircraft completed its first successful science flight Thursday as part of an expedition to study the receding Arctic sea ice and improve understanding of its life cycle and the long-term stability of the Arctic ice cover. The mission continues through July 24.NASA's Characterization of Arctic Sea Ice Experiment, known as CASIE, began a series of unmanned aircraft system flights in

Launch of Apollo 11 Viewing History

Adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center thousands of spectators camped out on beaches and roads to watch the launch of Apollo 11, which launched at 9:32 a.m. Eastern on July 16, 1969.The launch of Apollo 11 was the culmination of 8 years of hard work by thousands of scientists and technicians. Four days later, Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module and took "one small

NASA Announces News Conference with Next Space Station Crew

A NASA astronaut, Russian cosmonaut and the founder of Cirque du Soleil will hold a news conference at 8 a.m. CDT, Thursday, July 23 to discuss their upcoming flight to the International Space Station.Jeff Williams, Maxim Suraev and spaceflight participant Guy Laliberté of Canada are scheduled to launch on a Soyuz spacecraft Sept. 30 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They will arrive

NASA Briefs Media on New Images of Apollo Lunar Landing Sites

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has sent back its first images of Apollo lunar landing sites. The agency will release the images Friday, July 17, at noon and hold a teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT to discuss the photos and future plans for the LRO mission. Participating in the teleconference are: Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist, NASA Headquarters, WashingtonRichard Vondrak,

NASA Sets Media Credentials Deadlines for Next Space Shuttle Flight

NASA has set media accreditation deadlines for the next space shuttle flight to the International Space Station. Shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch Aug. 18 to begin its mission, designated STS-128.Discovery's seven-member crew will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment including: science and storage racks; a freezer to store research samples; and the COLBERT treadmill. The 13-day mission will

NASA Releases Restored Apollo 11 Moonwalk Video

NASA released Thursday newly restored video from the July 20, 1969, live television broadcast of the Apollo 11 moonwalk. The release commemorates the 40th anniversary of the first mission to land astronauts on the moon.The initial video release, part of a larger Apollo 11 moonwalk restoration project, features 15 key moments from the historic lunar excursion of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.A

Lori B. Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator

Nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Lori Beth Garver began her duties as the Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 17, 2009.As deputy administrator, Garver is NASA's second in command. She is responsible to the administrator for providing overall leadership, planning, and policy direction for the agency. Garver

After Five Years, NASA's Aura Shines Brightly

On July 15, 2004, NASA's Aura spacecraft launched from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on a mission to study Earth's ozone layer, air quality and climate. Aura's data are helping scientists address global climate change issues such as global warming; the global transport, distribution and chemistry of polluted air; and ozone depletion in the stratosphere, the layer of Earth's atmosphere

Endeavour, STS-127 Crew Begin Complex Mission

Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts are in orbit after an on-time launch at 6:03 p.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following a smooth countdown with no technical issues and weather that steadily improved throughout the afternoon, the shuttle lifted off from Launch Pad 39A and began its orbital chase of the International Space Station."It was a testimony

Endeavour Lifts Off

Under a cloud-washed sky, spectators watch as space shuttle Endeavour rises majestically from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 6:03 p.m. EDT on July 15, 2009, and was the sixth launch attempt for the mission. The launch was scrubbed on June 13 and June 17 when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during

NASA's Shuttle Endeavour Launches to Complete Japanese Module

Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew launched at 6:03 p.m. EDT Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will deliver the final segment to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station.Endeavour's 16-day mission includes five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms outside the

Bolden and Garver Confirmed by U.S. Senate

Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday as the twelfth administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lori Beth Garver was confirmed as NASA's deputy administrator. As administrator, Bolden will lead the NASA team and manage its resources to advance the agency's missions and goals."It is an honor to have been nominated by President Obama and

Keeping a 'Trained Eye' on the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA and Northrop Grumman are keeping a "trained eye" on the James Webb Space Telescope, by training their engineers on how to handle and assemble the telescope's Optical Telescope Element (OTE), also known as the "eye" of the telescope.Recently, a mock-up of the OTE’s Primary Mirror Backplane Assembly (PMBA), which supports the telescope’s mirror segments, was used to simulate how the element

NASA And The National Symphony Orchestra Salute Apollo Legacy

NASA is kicking off events to commemorate the achievements of the Apollo program and the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing. On July 18, NASA and the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Emil de Cou will host a free concert, “Salute to Apollo: The Kennedy Legacy,” at 8 p.m. EDT at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts’ Concert Hall.Special guests at the event include

Space Station STS-127 Launch Coverage

Tank JettisonedThu, 16 Jul 2009 03:42:35 AM GMT+0530The external tank has fallen away from Endeavour as scheduled. MECO! Endeavour is in Space and in Pursuit of ISSThu, 16 Jul 2009 03:41:56 AM GMT+0530Eight-and-a-half minutes after launch, space shuttle Endeavour has reached orbit and is on its way to the International Space Station with the final piece of the Japanese Kibo laboratory. Even at

Bringing It All Together Saturn 506

This image, taken on March 4, 1969, shows the stacking of the S-II stage for the Saturn 506 in the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for the Apollo 11 launch. On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission lifted off for humanity's first visit to another celestial body.

Statement from Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins

The following is a series of questions and answers prepared by Michael Collins, command module pilot for Apollo 11. Collins issued the following statement in lieu of media interviews:These are questions I am most frequently asked, plus a few others I have added. For more information, please consult my book, the 40th anniversary edition of CARRYING THE FIRE, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Apollo 11 Conversations Earth Didn't Hear Now Online at Nasa.Gov

You're in a spacecraft, on a mission to land on the moon for the first time in history, and the microphone to Earth is off. What do you say? Now you can listen in on a NASA Web site and find out. As Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins flew on Apollo 11 to a lunar landing in July 1969, the world heard communications between the crew and Mission Control live as they happened. But Earth did

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Unfolds by Animation

Although engineers, scientists and manufacturers are still in the process of building all of the instruments that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, they had to figure out long ago, how it was going to "unfold" in space. That's because the Webb Telescope is so big that it has to be folded up for launch. Now, animators have made that "unfolding" come to life in two new videos.A

Mars Dust Devil Has Colorful Effect in Image Series

Scientists have combined a trio of shots taken seconds apart through different colored filters to create a special-effects portrait of a moving dust devil on Mars.The panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit was taking exposures through different filters during the 1,919th Martian day of Spirit's mission (May 27, 2009) as part of constructing a large color panorama. Three westward

NASA Stirs Up the First Development Dome Welds for Ares I Upper Stage

Using a metal joining technique called friction stir welding, the Ares Projects team at the Marshall Center has completed welding the first liquid hydrogen tank dome being developed to define manufacturing processes for the upper stage of the Ares I -- the rocket that will launch explorers to the moon, Mars and beyond in coming decades. The innovative welding process produces high-strength welds

NASA JPL Scientist Receives Presidential Early Career Award

Josh Willis, an oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has been honored by President Barack Obama with the 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.Willis is one of 100 beginning researchers to

Marshall Space Flight Center: Home to Science and Space Exploration

From the roar of mighty rocket engines to extraordinary scientific discoveries about our world and our universe, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., stands at the forefront of the nation’s space exploration mission -- just as it has done for five decades.The Marshall Center became NASA's first field center July 1, 1960. Today it supports the whole spectrum of the agency's

Astronauts Getting to the Heart of the Matter

When humans venture into space for long periods, their muscles tend to weaken. The heart of the matter is that muscles don't have to work as hard without gravity.Of course, the most important muscle in the body is the heart.While doctors are well aware of this weakening of the heart in space -- known as cardiac atrophy -- a new study aboard the International Space Station seeks to find out

Review of U.S Human Space Flight Plans Committee

Public Meeting - Washington, D.C. - No Pre-Registration Required Date and Time: June 17, 2009 - 9 am - 5 pm EDT Location Information:Carnegie Institution for Science1530 P Street NWWashington, D.C. 20005Directions to Carnegie Insitution of Science Federal Register Notices- Federal Register Notice - June 17 meeting (pdf, 44k) Press Releases- Agenda for June 17 U.S. Human Space Flight Plans

U.S. Human Space Flight Review Committee Announces Public Meetings

The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee will hold three public meetings July 28-30. The meetings are open to news media representatives. No registration is required, but seating is limited to location capacity.The first meeting will be July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center, 2500 South Shore Blvd. in League City, Texas. Agenda

NASA Seeks Undergrads to Defy Gravity for Science and Engineering

NASA is offering undergraduate students an opportunity to test experiments in microgravity aboard NASA's "Weightless Wonder" aircraft.The opportunity is part of NASA's Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program, which gives aspiring explorers a chance to propose, design and fabricate a reduced gravity experiment. Selected teams will get to test and evaluate their experiment aboard NASA's reduced

Connectivity Hell, Part III

To their credit, fixing my problem has become a higher priority with Cox. A senior guy came out today, confirmed the problem (intermittent high latencies and packet losses), made some changes that adjusted voltages at the modem, and found by tracing the coax from our house to the new pole behind it that the guys who installed the pole nearly severed the coax when they did it. So he replaced that

NASA Plays Audio "Time Capsule" of Historic Apollo 11 Mission

NASA will provide a unique audio "time capsule" in observance of the 40th anniversary of the first human landing on the moon. Audio from the entire Apollo 11 mission will be replayed and streamed on the Internet at exactly the same time and date it was broadcast in 1969.The audio retrospective will begin at 6:32 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 16, two hours before the spacecraft launched. The audio will

A Satellite Combination Covers Hurricane Carlos

Tropical Depression 4E in the eastern Pacific became Hurricane Carlos over the weekend as expected. Carlos reached hurricane status on Saturday, July 11 at 5 p.m. EDT when it was about 1,000 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Twenty-four hours later at 5 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 12, Carlos dropped back down to Tropical Storm status. Three satellites captured images of

NASA Sees Carlos Power Back Up to Hurricane Status in 3-D

Hurricane Season 2009: Carlos (Eastern Pacific)Carlos became a hurricane for about 24 hours over the previous weekend, then powered down to a tropical storm and now atmospheric conditions have enabled him to power back into a hurricane in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been capturing images of Carlos since it was born as tropical

Saturn I booster model is set up for testing in NASA

A Saturn I booster model is set up for testing in NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center's Supersonic Wind Tunnel in 1960. The model had eight working rocket engines with 250 pounds of thrust each. The tests simulated actual flight conditions, providing valuable information to optimize vehicle stability and air pressure distribution.The Saturn I had a cluster of eight rocket nozzles in the first

Position Markers in Preparation for Test

Mars Exploration Rover team members at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., prepare an experiment on July 13, 2009, for assessing how a test rover moves when embedded in loose soil and commanded to drive backward with wheels turned.Engineers checking possible rover movements to get Spirit out of the "Troy" sand trap on Mars are evaluating how a comparable rover at JPL fares in a

Nasa Radar Tandem Searches For Ice On The Moon

With the Mini-RF instrument, a synthetic aperture radar flying aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, the space agency now has two powerful tools searching for ice on the moon. This week operators powered up and began preparing Mini-RF (Miniature Radio Frequency) for its primary mission, to create detailed images of the moon’s darkest areas, scan the lunar surface for hints of water

NASA Announces Apollo Astronauts Media Briefing

NASA will hold a news briefing with astronauts from the Apollo program at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 20, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing.The news conference will take place in the James Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, in Washington. It will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. Astronauts scheduled to participate are: -

NASA Holds Briefing to Release Restored Apollo 11 Moonwalk Video

NASA will hold a media briefing at 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday, July 16, at the Newseum in Washington to release greatly improved video imagery from the July 1969 live broadcast of the Apollo 11 moonwalk.The release will feature 15 key moments from Neil Armstrong's and Buzz Aldrin's historic moonwalk using what is believed to be the best available broadcast-format copies of the lunar excursion, some

Awaiting Launch space shuttle Endeavour

TV monitors in Firing Room Four of the Launch Control Center show Launch Pad 39A with the space shuttle Endeavour and the inspection team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, July 12, 2009. Endeavour is set to launch at 6:51p.m. EDT on Monday, July 13, with the crew of STS-127 to start a 16-day mission that will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace

National Space Grant Consortium Web Sites

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Endeavour Launch Now Scheduled for July 13

Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 launch now is scheduled for July 13 at 6:51 p.m. EDT.Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida called off Sunday's planned liftoff due to inclement weather. Cumulus clouds and lightning violated rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have

NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour to Launch Monday

Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida called off the liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour Sunday, due to inclement weather. Cumulus clouds and lightning violated rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy. Endeavour's next

Launch of NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour Postponed Until Sunday

Space shuttle Endeavour's launch to the International Space Station has been postponed until Sunday to give technical teams more time to evaluate lightning strikes at the launch pad that occurred during thunderstorms Friday. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:13 p.m. PDT.News media and the public are invited to observe the live televised broadcast of Endeavour's launch in the Exploration Center at NASA

Author Andrew Chaikin speaks at NASA Ames

Award-winning science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin spoke before a rapt audience of hundreds at NASA Ames Research Center on July 9, 2009.Chaikin's lecture, titled, Evolution of Human Exploration: How Apollo Changed Our Concept of Our Place in the Universe, described how the Apollo moon missions were history’s greatest technological achievements and a turning point in the

Has undergraduate education lost its way?

THE excesses since 2000, especially the latest financial meltdown from Wall Street to the city of London, and from Paris and Frankfurt on to the other end of Asia, Tokyo, have broken the public trust. Madoff-proof is the new by-word. Yet, those responsible are educated in some of the finest and smartest global universities. It just doesn’t make sense. What went wrong? I know it’s always difficult

Herschel Instruments Get First Peek at Cosmos

Herschel images promise bright future Herschel observes the infrared skyAll three of Herschel's instruments have now opened their eyes and collected their first astronomy data. The new images and spectra (fingerprints of cosmic light) demonstrate that the instruments and the telescope, which observe light with longer infrared wavelengths, are working as expected. The mission, led by the European

NASA Names College Winners In Supersonic Design Contest

Eight college students have summer jobs at NASA this year, thanks to their participation in a contest to design a supersonic airliner.College students from the U.S., Japan and India researched technology and created concepts for a supersonic passenger jet as part of a competition sponsored by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program in NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.The

NASA Awards Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor Contract

NASA has awarded a contract to the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for the development of the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS, a key instrument for the future National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System, known as NPOESS. The total estimated value of the cost, no-fee contract is approximately $42

NASA Names College Winners In Supersonic Design Contest

Eight college students have summer jobs at NASA this year, thanks to their participation in a contest to design a supersonic airliner.College students from the U.S., Japan and India researched technology and created concepts for a supersonic passenger jet as part of a competition sponsored by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program in NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.The

NASA Selects 20 Innovation Fund Projects

NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program, working with the Office of the Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters, has selected 20 projects for the 2009 NASA Innovation Fund. The fund was established to advance work from NASA innovators on novel technologies and concepts that have the potential to revolutionize the way NASA performs its missions such as enabling new capabilities in space flight, science

Hybrid Wing Body Model

NASA's Glenn Research Center dedicated a model of the hybrid wing body, a futuristic aircraft concept, on July 8, 2009. The center is testing parts of a new propulsion system that can be embedded in the wing of the airplane.Developed by NASA and Boeing, the plane is called a hybrid wing body because its wings and fuselage blend together in a triangular shape. The concept could revolutionize air

STS-127 Launch Coverage Steven Siceloff

Join Launch Blogger Steven Siceloff as NASA counts down toward the launch of space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts on a mission to the International Space Station. The blog begins at 10 a.m. EDT on July 11 and will follow all the critical milestones leading up to liftoff, including the crucial filling of the external tank. The astronauts' suit-up and drive to the launch pad at NASA's

Solar Dynamics Observatory SDO Spacecraft and Instruments

As you have learned, the Sun affects the Earth and those of us living on Earth in many ways. We may already know a lot about the Sun but we are nowhere near having all the answers. SDO has three instruments on board to help us in our never ending quest to always know more. Hopefully, every new discovery we make will help us answer old questions and find answers to new questions.SDO INSTRUMENTSSDO

NASA Innovative Partnerships Program [ Innovation Fund ]

NIF Selection 2009 Project TitleProject LeaderNASA Center Small Payload Quick Return (SPQR) Marcus Murbach ARC Graded Ablating (TPS) Materials Development, Characterization, and Modeling Frank Milos ARC Breaking Barriers in Antenna Size, Weight, Power and Cost Lawrence C. Freudinger DFRC Human Exploration using Real-time Robotic Operations (HERRO) Steven R. Oleson GRC

Atlantic Ocean Temperatures at End of June 2009

The first month of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season drew to a close without so much as a tropical storm, but that isn’t unusual. According to the National Hurricane Center, the 1944-2002 average for named storms in June was only about 0.75, which means they don't occur every year. When they do form, it is usually the Gulf of Mexico that brews them up, and this image of sea surface temperatures

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

NASA's upcoming mission to study the sun in unprecedented detail and its effects on Earth, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on July 9.The spacecraft left NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., on July 7, where it was built and tested. .SDO will undergo final testing at Astrotech Space Operations, located near Kennedy Space Center,

What Lies inside the Sun?

When a pond's surface is calm, you can see more clearly into its depths. As it turns out, the same is true for the sun.Researchers are excited that the sun's surface is calmer now than it's been in almost a century. It's a rare opportunity — the first since the Space Age began - to peer more clearly into the sun's mysterious interior.To take advantage of the opportunity, NASA is about to launch

Stephan's Quintet--A Galaxy Collision in Action

Stephan's Quintet, a compact group of galaxies discovered about 130 years ago and located about 280 million light years from Earth, provides a rare opportunity to observe a galaxy group in the process of evolving from an X-ray faint system dominated by spiral galaxies to a more developed system dominated by elliptical galaxies and bright X-ray emission.Being able to witness the dramatic effect of

NASA Scientists Dive Deep to Learn More about Life on the Moon, Mars

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency invite journalists and the public on Tuesday, July 14, to observe the international, multidisciplinary Pavilion Lake Research Project team as it studies the origin of rare freshwater carbonate rock structures that thrive in Pavilion Lake, British Columbia, Canada.Reporters will have an opportunity to interview Pavilion Lake Research Project scientists from 9 a.m

Judge Mulls Sanctions Against Berkman Center Founder

A federal judge on Tuesday suggested she would sanction Charles Nesson, the founder of Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, for his “blatant disregard” of court orders. About Nesson is defending a former Boston University student in what later this month is expected to become the nation’s second file-sharing lawsuit brought by the Recording Industry Association of America

Moon Mission Provides Students with Unique Opportunity

When NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on June 18, 2009, students in the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program were ready.The GAVRT program students have a unique resource: a massive 34-meter radio telescope used for exploration of the universe; and the students are using it to

NASA Ames Hosts Live Broadcast of Space Shuttle Launch

News media and the public are invited to observe the live televised broadcast of the launch of STS-127, space shuttle Endeavour, on Saturday, July 11, 2009 in the Exploration Center at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.In addition to the broadcast, former NASA astronaut Karol “Bo” Bobko will narrate the launch and discuss how NASA's astronauts are trained to fly the space shuttle in

Supersonic Technology Named Nasa Commercial Invention of 2008

The 2008 NASA Commercial Invention of the Year is a high temperature resin designed to create composites through low-cost manufacturing processes -- ideal for advanced aerospace vehicles.Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., were able to create the unique material, which is ideal for the high temperatures of supersonic flight. The material, known as PETI-330, is used in

NASA Successfully Tested MLAS Launches

NASA successfully demonstrated an alternate system for future astronauts. The launch of the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, took place on July 8, 2009, at 6:26 a.m. at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.The unpiloted launch tested an alternate concept for safely propelling a future spacecraft and its crew away from a problem on the launch pad or during ascent. The MLAS consists

NASA and ESA Establish a Mars Exploration Joint Initiative

The following joint statement was issued today by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA):On June 29 and 30 the NASA Associate Administrator for Science (Ed Weiler) and ESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration (David Southwood) met in Plymouth, England, to establish a way for a progressive program for exploration of the Red Planet. The outcome of the bilateral meeting was an agreement to

NASA Demonstrated Alternate Launch Abort System For Astronaut Escape

NASA has successfully demonstrated an alternate system for future astronauts to escape their launch vehicle. A simulated launch of the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, took place Wednesday morning at 6:26 a.m. at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.The unpiloted launch tested an alternate concept for safely propelling a future spacecraft and its crew away from a problem on the

NASA testing scale model of a blended wing body aircraft

It's a noisy world out there, especially around the nation's busiest airports. NASA is looking at new technologies and aircraft designs that could help quiet things down a bit.Every source of aircraft noise from takeoff to touchdown is being studied for ways to reduce the racket. Without innovations such as lower fan speeds, improved acoustic treatment surrounding engines, and chevrons to improve

Sunlight glints from the space station's solar arrays

Space Station MarathonIf you've never seen a spaceship with your own eyes, now's your chance.The International Space Station (ISS) has recently started a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning the first weekend of July, the station has been appearing once, twice, and sometimes three times a day successively. No matter where you live, you should have at least a few

NASA Invites Media and Public to Discussion About Legacy of Apollo

On Thursday, July 16, at 1 p.m. EDT, NASA will host a roundtable discussion titled "Apollo: History and Legacy," to mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. Members of the news media and public are invited to attend the panel in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW in Washington.The discussion will begin with remarks by NASA Acting Administrator

New NASA Satellite Survey Reveals Dramatic Arctic Sea Ice Thinning

Arctic sea ice thinned dramatically between the winters of 2004 and 2008, with thin seasonal ice replacing thick older ice as the dominant type for the first time on record. The new results, based on data from a NASA Earth-orbiting spacecraft, provide further evidence for the rapid, ongoing transformation of the Arctic's ice cover.Scientists from NASA and the University of Washington in Seattle

NASA Research to Help Aircraft Avoid Ocean Storms, Turbulence

NASA is funding the development of a prototype system to provide aircraft with updates about severe storms and turbulence as they fly across remote ocean regions.Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., in partnership with colleagues at the University of Wisconsin, are developing a system that combines satellite data and computer weather models with

Nitrogen, Ozone Change the Way Rising CO2 Affects Earth's Water

Through a recent modeling experiment, a team of NASA-funded researchers have found that future concentrations of carbon dioxide and ozone in the atmosphere and of nitrogen in the soil are likely to have an important but overlooked effect on the cycling of water from sky to land to waterways.As plants ‘breathe’ and ‘perspire’ they help cool the atmosphere. Plants consume carbon dioxide—a

Herschel Opens Its Infrared Eyes

The Herschel Space Observatory has snapped its first picture since blasting into space on May 14, 2009. The mission, led by the European Space Agency with important participation from NASA, will use infrared light to explore our cosmic roots, addressing questions of how stars and galaxies are born.The new "sneak preview" image was taken in an early attempt to demonstrate that Herschel works, and,

Coldest Known Objects in Space concept of Planck

The detectors of Planck's High Frequency Instrument reached their amazingly low operational temperature of -273.05 degrees Celsius (-459.49 degrees Fahrenheit), making them the coldest known objects in space. The spacecraft has also just entered its final orbit around the second Lagrange point of the sun-Earth system, called L2.For more information, go to the story on ESA’s Planck site at http://

Kepler mission - Tyson of NOVA science NOW

Through his numerous TV appearances and books (including the recently released The Pluto Files), astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has shared his infectious enthusiasm for discovery with worldwide audiences. Tyson's show on WGBH, NOVA scienceNOW, kicks off its fourth season on Tuesday night at 9:00, and we talked to him beforehand to get his thoughts on the state of science education and space

The Exoplanet Sleuth Behind NASA's Kepler Mission

Space scientist William "Bill" Borucki is a soft-spoken, pleasant person who grew up in a small town in Wisconsin where he liked to build and launch rockets. He still does, and he convinced NASA to build and launch Kepler, the first spacecraft capable of finding Earth-size planets orbiting other stars.Bill displays a number of similarities to another mild-mannered Midwesterner, a guy named Clark

NASA Origins Education And Missions

The Origins Education Forum is one part of a NASA education team bringing NASA's discoveries to you, from explorations of our home planet Earth to the most distant stars and galaxies.This Forum is an association of education and outreach professionals working to maximize the Origins missions’ efforts to bring that science to the public. It weaves together the stories provided by the missions,

NASA Phoenix Results Point to Martian Climate Cycles

Favorable chemistry and episodes with thin films of liquid water during ongoing, long-term climate cycles may sometimes make the area where NASA's Phoenix Mars mission landed last year a favorable environment for microbes.Interpretations of data that Phoenix returned during its five months of operation on a Martian arctic plain fill four papers in this week's edition of the journal Science,

LCROSS Captured in Flight by Amateur Astronomer

On June 29, 2009, as part of the LCROSS Observation Campaign, Paul Mortfield, an avid amateur astronomer and frequent contributer to NASA missions, took a series of images of the LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft and Centaur as they passed through the night sky. LCROSS is currently orbiting the Earth-moon system on its 5,592,000 mile (9,000,000 km) journey to the moon.Capturing these images is no

Backup plan to get NASA to moon cheaper

Like a car salesman pushing a luxury vehicle that the customer no longer can afford, NASA has pulled out of its back pocket a deal for a cheaper ride to the moon. It won't be as powerful, and its design is a little dated. Think of it as a base-model Ford station wagon instead of a tricked-out Cadillac Escalade. Officially, the space agency is still on track with a 4-year-old plan to spend $35

NASA's LRO Spacecraft Sends First Lunar Images to Earth

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has transmitted its first images since reaching lunar orbit June 23. The spacecraft has two cameras -- a low resolution Wide Angle Camera and a high resolution Narrow Angle Camera. Collectively known as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, they were activated June 30. The cameras are working well and have returned images of a region a few

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Probes Dozens of Pulsars

With NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, astronomers now are getting their best look at those whirling stellar cinders known as pulsars. In two studies published in the July 2 edition of Science Express, international teams have analyzed gamma-rays from two dozen pulsars, including 16 discovered by Fermi. Fermi is the first spacecraft able to identify pulsars by their gamma-ray emission

Lunar mapping satellite snaps first test images

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched June 18 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, has beamed back its first pictures of the moon as engineers continue instrument checkout and calibration prior to the start of its primary mission. The LRO spacecraft braked into a highly elliptical orbit around the moon June 23. A series of rocket firings have now placed the satellite in

NASA Shuttle Program Manager Proposes Cheaper Moon Travel

A NASA shuttle program manager recently proposed a new plan which would allow NASA to cut costs on moon travel. The plan revolves around a "shuttleless shuttle" concept that has been around NASA for years, but adds in a few new components.Since even before the recession, people have continuously searched for opportunities to save money. Hunting for grocery coupons and exercising haggling skills

ASTER Imagery Mission

Global MapNASA and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and industry (METI) released the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) to the worldwide public on June 29, 2009. The GDEM was created by processing and stereo-correlating the 1.3 million-scene ASTER archive of optical images, covering Earth's land surface between 83 degrees

NASA and Japan released a new digital topographic map of Earth

NASA and Japan released a new digital topographic map of Earth Monday that covers more of our planet than ever before. The map was produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.The new global digital elevation model of Earth was created from nearly 1.3 million individual stereo-pair images collected by the Japanese Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer,

Earthquake simulated view of ground movement

Earthquakes: they're among the most frightening and deadly of all natural disasters. A live videocast and chat from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will give viewers an opportunity to ask questions of NASA scientists who are using space-based technologies to advance our understanding of these mysterious phenomena. The live event will air on the "NASAJPL" channel available on

Nobel Prize Winner and NASA's Blueshift Podcast Take You on a Data Journey

Dr. John Mather, a Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. joined the Blueshift podcast on June 18th to share his sense of what makes scientific data beautiful. "I think it's worth a lot of attention to portraying the information in the best possible graphic way," he said. "Data are beautiful when they tell a story."Blueshift, a series of

Mars Rover Yielding New Clues While Lodged in Martian Soil

NASA's Mars rover Spirit, lodged in Martian soil that is causing traction trouble, is taking advantage of the situation by learning more about the Red Planet's environmental history.In April, Spirit entered an area composed of three or more layers of soil with differing pastel hues hiding beneath a darker sand blanket. Scientists dubbed the site "Troy." Spirit's rotating wheels dug themselves

NASA Information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Overview of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. It is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st

NASA Selects New Astronauts for Future Space Exploration

2009 Astronaut Candidate ClassAfter reviewing more than 3500 applications, NASA has selected nine men and women for the 2009 astronaut candidate class. They will begin training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, in August.“This is a very talented and diverse group we've selected,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations. “They will join our current