CNN News: NASA spots smallest planet yet discovered outside Sun's solar system
CNN) -- A NASA spacecraft has detected a rocky planet that is the smallest ever discovered outside the Sun's solar system, the agency announced Monday.
The exoplanet -- so named because it orbits a star other than the Sun -- has been dubbed Kepler-10b. It measures 1.4 times the Earth's diameter and was confirmed after more than eight months of data collection, the agency said. It is the first rocky, or Earth-like, planet discovered by Kepler.
"All of Kepler's best capabilities have converged to yield the first solid evidence of a rocky planet orbiting a star other than our sun," said Natalie Batalha, deputy science team leader for the NASA mission. "The Kepler team made a commitment in 2010 about finding the telltale signatures of small planets in the data, and it's beginning to pay off."
Kepler-10b's size and rocky composition would make it more likely than gaseous planets to contain liquid water, and perhaps life of some kind, if it were the right distance from its star, NASA said. However, it is much too close to the star -- 20 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun.
Kepler-10b's star is about 560 light years from Earth, according to NASA.
Still, the discovery has scientists optimistic about what else Kepler might be able to reveal.
"Although this planet is not in the habitable zone, the exciting find showcases the kinds of discoveries made possible by the mission and the promise of many more to come," said Kepler program scientist Douglas Hudgins.
The mission is the agency's first capable of finding Earth-size planets near the habitable zone, or the distance from a star where a planet can maintain liquid water and potential life.
The spacecraft measures size and other details by noting the tiny decrease in a star's brightness that occurs when a planet crosses in front of it.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Japan to aid nation's space programme
Vietnam News: Japan to aid nation's space programme
HCM CITY — The Japanese government would provide official development assistance (ODA) loans for Viet Nam to carry out its space exploration programme, the Japanese daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported last Friday.
The ODA loans totally valued at between 35 billion yen (US$420 million) and 40 billion yen ($480 million) would be Japan's first ODA allocated for space development.
The loans would reportedly be spent on three projects, an earth-based space centre, two observation satellites and the training of Vietnamese engineers.
The space centre would be built at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, which is now under construction in an area some 30 kilometres west of Ha Noi.
The centre would house a testing facility for satellite assembly, a satellite operated data-analysis facility and a large bidirectional antenna seven metres in diametre.
One of the two earth observation satellites would be manufactured in Japan and loaded onto an H-2A rocket to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture in 2017.
Japanese private space development firms and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency would train Vietnamese technicians on satellite production and operation, as well as data analysis.
The other satellite would be made by the Japan-trained engineers, with production expected to start from around 2019.
Japan would send components and engineers to Viet Nam for the project for a planned launch in 2020.
The Government of Viet Nam officially asked Japan to support its space programme with ODA in April 2009.
The final decision on the project would be made later in June 2011 at a Japanese Government's ministerial meeting on packaged assistance for overseas infrastructure projects, and an agreement should be reached between the Japanese and Vietnamese governments in June.
According to Yomiuru Shimbun's reports, the Japan External Trade Organisation has conducted research to determine the possibility of helping Viet Nam obtain its own satellite. — VNS/Yomiuru Shimbun.
HCM CITY — The Japanese government would provide official development assistance (ODA) loans for Viet Nam to carry out its space exploration programme, the Japanese daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported last Friday.
The ODA loans totally valued at between 35 billion yen (US$420 million) and 40 billion yen ($480 million) would be Japan's first ODA allocated for space development.
The loans would reportedly be spent on three projects, an earth-based space centre, two observation satellites and the training of Vietnamese engineers.
The space centre would be built at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, which is now under construction in an area some 30 kilometres west of Ha Noi.
The centre would house a testing facility for satellite assembly, a satellite operated data-analysis facility and a large bidirectional antenna seven metres in diametre.
One of the two earth observation satellites would be manufactured in Japan and loaded onto an H-2A rocket to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture in 2017.
Japanese private space development firms and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency would train Vietnamese technicians on satellite production and operation, as well as data analysis.
The other satellite would be made by the Japan-trained engineers, with production expected to start from around 2019.
Japan would send components and engineers to Viet Nam for the project for a planned launch in 2020.
The Government of Viet Nam officially asked Japan to support its space programme with ODA in April 2009.
The final decision on the project would be made later in June 2011 at a Japanese Government's ministerial meeting on packaged assistance for overseas infrastructure projects, and an agreement should be reached between the Japanese and Vietnamese governments in June.
According to Yomiuru Shimbun's reports, the Japan External Trade Organisation has conducted research to determine the possibility of helping Viet Nam obtain its own satellite. — VNS/Yomiuru Shimbun.
Space Program Runs in Congresswoman’s Family
Space Program Runs in Congresswoman’s Family
Representative Gabrielle Giffords has been one of the biggest champions in Congress of what amounts to nearly a family enterprise for her — space exploration.
Both Ms. Giffords’ husband — Capt. Mark E. Kelly of the Navy — and her brother-in-law (her husband’s twin) — Scott Kelly — are astronauts.
Mark Kelly has been an astronaut since selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1996. He has flown three space shuttle missions, twice as pilot and once as commander, and he is the commander of the next and last flight of Endeavour.
Scott Kelly, who is also a Navy captain, is currently aboard the International Space Station.
Peggy A. Whitson, the head of the astronaut office, told Scott Kelly about the attack against his sister-in-law on Saturday afternoon, said Michael Cabbage, a NASA spokesman.
Mr. Cabbage said it was too early to say how Mark Kelly’s scheduled Endeavour mission would be affected. The Kelly brothers were to have been the first twins to be in space together when Endeavour visited the space station, but the launching of Endeavour has slipped to April, a month after Scott Kelly’s scheduled return to Earth.
Ms. Giffords and Mark Kelly, 46, married in November 2007. In Congress, Ms. Giffords has played a major role in NASA policy. Until the Republicans assumed control of the House of Representatives last week, she was chairwoman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science.
As the Obama administration sought last year to end NASA’s Constellation program to send astronauts to the moon, Ms. Giffords was critical of the shift, arguing that the program should be modified, not canceled. In September, she voted against an authorization bill that laid out the blueprint for NASA for the next three years.
She said the bill, which passed and was signed into law by President Obama, “forces NASA to build a rocket that doesn’t meet its needs, with a budget that’s not adequate to do the job and on a schedule that NASA’s own analysis says is unrealistic.”
“As a longtime supporter of NASA, Representative Giffords not only has made lasting contributions to our country, but is a strong advocate for the nation’s space program and a member of the NASA family,” Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., the NASA administrator, said in a statement. “We at NASA mourn this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to Congresswoman Giffords, her husband, Mark Kelly, their family, and the families and friends of all who perished or were injured in this terrible tragedy.”
Representative Gabrielle Giffords has been one of the biggest champions in Congress of what amounts to nearly a family enterprise for her — space exploration.
Both Ms. Giffords’ husband — Capt. Mark E. Kelly of the Navy — and her brother-in-law (her husband’s twin) — Scott Kelly — are astronauts.
Mark Kelly has been an astronaut since selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1996. He has flown three space shuttle missions, twice as pilot and once as commander, and he is the commander of the next and last flight of Endeavour.
Scott Kelly, who is also a Navy captain, is currently aboard the International Space Station.
Peggy A. Whitson, the head of the astronaut office, told Scott Kelly about the attack against his sister-in-law on Saturday afternoon, said Michael Cabbage, a NASA spokesman.
Mr. Cabbage said it was too early to say how Mark Kelly’s scheduled Endeavour mission would be affected. The Kelly brothers were to have been the first twins to be in space together when Endeavour visited the space station, but the launching of Endeavour has slipped to April, a month after Scott Kelly’s scheduled return to Earth.
Ms. Giffords and Mark Kelly, 46, married in November 2007. In Congress, Ms. Giffords has played a major role in NASA policy. Until the Republicans assumed control of the House of Representatives last week, she was chairwoman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science.
As the Obama administration sought last year to end NASA’s Constellation program to send astronauts to the moon, Ms. Giffords was critical of the shift, arguing that the program should be modified, not canceled. In September, she voted against an authorization bill that laid out the blueprint for NASA for the next three years.
She said the bill, which passed and was signed into law by President Obama, “forces NASA to build a rocket that doesn’t meet its needs, with a budget that’s not adequate to do the job and on a schedule that NASA’s own analysis says is unrealistic.”
“As a longtime supporter of NASA, Representative Giffords not only has made lasting contributions to our country, but is a strong advocate for the nation’s space program and a member of the NASA family,” Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., the NASA administrator, said in a statement. “We at NASA mourn this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to Congresswoman Giffords, her husband, Mark Kelly, their family, and the families and friends of all who perished or were injured in this terrible tragedy.”
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Amherst-based company to auction space-related items
Nashua [NH] Telegrah: Amherst-based company to auction space-related items
AMHERST – Space might be the final frontier, but a local auction house hopes it will also provide the route to more business.
RRAuction, which has built its reputation in recent years on sales of signed items such as letters, books and pictures, will hold a sale starting Jan. 13 of 422 items related to America’s space program.
That isn’t unusual, since the company’s monthly sales have often included items signed by astronauts and NASA officials. The unusual part is that the sale will also include things that aren’t signed, such as a power cable from the Apollo 15 lunar lander, a 19-pound bolt from the space shuttle rocket booster and a crumpled piece of titanium from the wing of a crashed Blackbird supersonic plane, which the auction house cautions has “extremely sharp” edges.
The move is a test by the company about expanding its business with specialty sales of artifacts and signed objects associated with a specific topic, said Bobby Livingston, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.
“We are hoping to add four more auctions per year and decided to do a space auction with artifacts,” he said.
RRAuction sold artifacts until a half-dozen years ago, when it decided to specialize in signed items.
The space program is a good target for a return to specialty artifact sales partly because the items are relatively easy to authenticate, which is important for the auction industry, Livingston said.
It was also a natural for RRAuction: “We’re well-known in the space-collecting community because of the autographs we sell,” Livingston said. “We simply put out word to space collectors we know.”
The material for this auction came from six collectors and an astronaut, Livingston said.
Other high-profile items in the sale are a Playboy calendar with a smiling, topless model that’s signed on the back by an astronaut; a picture of the Batman character from the 1960s TV show that was put on astronaut Gordon Cooper’s control panel as a joke; and a number of items that flew in space such as star charts and bits of Mylar.
Other items include a “welcome aboard” pamphlet from when the Apollo 11 crew was picked up by the USS Hornet after splashing down from their moon voyage, a glass pipette used to study dust brought back from the moon and a topographic model of the lunar surface used by the Apollo 16 astronauts.
All the items are held locally, partly so the company can authenticate them and partly so RRAuction can guarantee they’ll be shipped out quickly after purchase.
RRAuction, which has offices on Route 101A, runs multiday auctions over the Internet. It doesn’t hold in-person auctions.
The company has drawn attention over the years for selling such high-profile material as a letter signed by Ludwig van Beethoven, an original photo of Albert Einstein and a check signed by first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, who is famously shy about giving autographs.
AMHERST – Space might be the final frontier, but a local auction house hopes it will also provide the route to more business.
RRAuction, which has built its reputation in recent years on sales of signed items such as letters, books and pictures, will hold a sale starting Jan. 13 of 422 items related to America’s space program.
That isn’t unusual, since the company’s monthly sales have often included items signed by astronauts and NASA officials. The unusual part is that the sale will also include things that aren’t signed, such as a power cable from the Apollo 15 lunar lander, a 19-pound bolt from the space shuttle rocket booster and a crumpled piece of titanium from the wing of a crashed Blackbird supersonic plane, which the auction house cautions has “extremely sharp” edges.
The move is a test by the company about expanding its business with specialty sales of artifacts and signed objects associated with a specific topic, said Bobby Livingston, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.
“We are hoping to add four more auctions per year and decided to do a space auction with artifacts,” he said.
RRAuction sold artifacts until a half-dozen years ago, when it decided to specialize in signed items.
The space program is a good target for a return to specialty artifact sales partly because the items are relatively easy to authenticate, which is important for the auction industry, Livingston said.
It was also a natural for RRAuction: “We’re well-known in the space-collecting community because of the autographs we sell,” Livingston said. “We simply put out word to space collectors we know.”
The material for this auction came from six collectors and an astronaut, Livingston said.
Other high-profile items in the sale are a Playboy calendar with a smiling, topless model that’s signed on the back by an astronaut; a picture of the Batman character from the 1960s TV show that was put on astronaut Gordon Cooper’s control panel as a joke; and a number of items that flew in space such as star charts and bits of Mylar.
Other items include a “welcome aboard” pamphlet from when the Apollo 11 crew was picked up by the USS Hornet after splashing down from their moon voyage, a glass pipette used to study dust brought back from the moon and a topographic model of the lunar surface used by the Apollo 16 astronauts.
All the items are held locally, partly so the company can authenticate them and partly so RRAuction can guarantee they’ll be shipped out quickly after purchase.
RRAuction, which has offices on Route 101A, runs multiday auctions over the Internet. It doesn’t hold in-person auctions.
The company has drawn attention over the years for selling such high-profile material as a letter signed by Ludwig van Beethoven, an original photo of Albert Einstein and a check signed by first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, who is famously shy about giving autographs.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Is outer space big enough for the U.S. and China?
Foreign Policy: Is outer space big enough for the U.S. and China?
Is outer space big enough for the U.S. and China?
Posted By Joshua Keating Monday, January 3, 2011 - 6:20 PM
When U.S. President Barack Obama visited China last December, he and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao issued a joint statement promising "the initiation of a joint dialogue on human spaceflight and space exploration, based on the principles of transparency, reciprocity and mutual benefit." But don't expect space to be on the agenda when Hu comes to Washington this month, according to Reuters' Jim Wolf:
Hu's state visit will highlight the importance of expanding cooperation on "bilateral, regional and global issues," the White House said.
But space appears to be a frontier too far for now, partly due to U.S. fears of an inadvertent technology transfer. China may no longer be much interested in any event, reckoning it does not need U.S. expertise for its space program.
New obstacles to cooperation have come from the Republicans capturing control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2 congressional elections from Obama's Democrats.
Representative Frank Wolf, for instance, is set to take over as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the U.S. space agency in the House. A China critic and human rights firebrand, the Republican congressman has faulted NASA's chief for meeting leaders of China's Manned Space Engineering Office in October.
"As you know, we have serious concerns about the nature and goals of China's space program and strongly oppose any cooperation between NASA and China," Wolf and three fellow Republicans wrote NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on October 15 as he left for China.
It's hard to look at space and not see an example of American decline. While China has launched two moon orbiters and conducted a space walk in recent years and plans for a moon rover by 2012, the U.S. is now forced to hitch a ride on Soviet-era Soyuz rockets in order to maintain the international space station.
Is outer space big enough for the U.S. and China?
Posted By Joshua Keating Monday, January 3, 2011 - 6:20 PM
When U.S. President Barack Obama visited China last December, he and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao issued a joint statement promising "the initiation of a joint dialogue on human spaceflight and space exploration, based on the principles of transparency, reciprocity and mutual benefit." But don't expect space to be on the agenda when Hu comes to Washington this month, according to Reuters' Jim Wolf:
Hu's state visit will highlight the importance of expanding cooperation on "bilateral, regional and global issues," the White House said.
But space appears to be a frontier too far for now, partly due to U.S. fears of an inadvertent technology transfer. China may no longer be much interested in any event, reckoning it does not need U.S. expertise for its space program.
New obstacles to cooperation have come from the Republicans capturing control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2 congressional elections from Obama's Democrats.
Representative Frank Wolf, for instance, is set to take over as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the U.S. space agency in the House. A China critic and human rights firebrand, the Republican congressman has faulted NASA's chief for meeting leaders of China's Manned Space Engineering Office in October.
"As you know, we have serious concerns about the nature and goals of China's space program and strongly oppose any cooperation between NASA and China," Wolf and three fellow Republicans wrote NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on October 15 as he left for China.
It's hard to look at space and not see an example of American decline. While China has launched two moon orbiters and conducted a space walk in recent years and plans for a moon rover by 2012, the U.S. is now forced to hitch a ride on Soviet-era Soyuz rockets in order to maintain the international space station.
Monday, January 3, 2011
NASA Langley Forecast
Press Release: NASA Langley Forecast
AEROSPACE IS ECONOMIC ENGINE FOR VIRGINIA
NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton and Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore generate $1.2 billion and more than 10,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. On Feb. 2-3, Langley Director Lesa Roe and Wallops Director William Wrobel will join with representatives of the aerospace industry and academia at AeroSpace Day at the General Assembly in Richmond. Learn how NASA's Virginia facilities, Virginia's aerospace companies and excellent academic institutions are playing a critical role in advancing the nation's future in space exploration, aeronautics and science. For more information, contact Marny Skora at 757-864-6121 or marny.skora@nasa.gov.
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY TO TAKE LAST FLIGHT
The space shuttle Discovery is targeted to lift off on its last voyage Thursday, Feb. 3, at 1:37 a.m. ET. NASA Langley engineers participate in damage assessment and impact dynamics teams during shuttle missions. Discovery's high-speed return through the atmosphere will also provide more data to the NASA Langley team looking at the effects of extreme aerodynamic heating, an aid for future spacecraft and aircraft designers, called the Hypersonic Thermodynamic Infrared Measurements experiment (HYTHIRM). For more information, contact Kathy Barnstorff at 757-864-9886 or kathy.barnstorff@nasa.gov.
NASA PLANS TEST IN WORLD'S LARGEST CAN CRUSHER
NASA has a New Year's resolution to lose weight and save money -- in rocket designs. In February, the agency will crush a 27-ft diameter section of rocket casing at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The large-scale test follows a series of smaller scale tests, all aimed at reducing the time and money spent designing and testing future rockets. And by incorporating more modern, lighter high-tech materials into the design and manufacturing process, rockets will save weight and carry more payload. The joint NASA Langley- Marshall tests are funded by NASA's Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), based at Langley. For more information, contact Chris Rink at 757-864-6786 or christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov.
THE FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON OF CLOUDS
A "normal" cumulonimbus cloud is imposing enough -- a massive, anvil-shaped tower of power reaching five miles (8 km) high, hurling thunderbolts, wind and rain. Add smoke and fire to the mix and you have pyrocumulonimbus, an explosive storm cloud created by the smoke and heat from fire. They have ravaged tens of thousands of acres and are increasing in frequency as the climate changes. For more information, contact Michael Finneran at 757-864-6110 or michael.p.finneran@nasa.gov.
NASA AND NORTH CAROLINA TEAM FOR TEACHER WORKSHOPS
In March, NASA Langley's Education Office will be busy promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) events in North Carolina. March 1-3, the third annual NASA STEM Educators Workshop series will be held at Whitewater Middle School in Charlotte, N.C., with a theme of "Embrace the Challenge to Innovate." Aerospace education specialists, along with master educators and coordinators, will lead lessons for area teachers. On March 2-5, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's (CIAA) Tournament and Career Day will educate thousands of students about STEM and opportunities with NASA. For more information, contact Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022 or amy.johnson@nasa.gov.
NASA GETS READY TO MAKE A SPLASH
Construction is complete on a new facility at NASA Langley that will be used to certify space vehicles for water landings. The 115-ft long and 20-ft deep Hydro Impact Basin is located at the west end of Langley's historic Landing and Impact Research Facility, also known as the Gantry. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is tentatively scheduled for late spring. A series of water impact tests will be conducted using Orion drop test articles beginning in the spring of 2011. These tests will initially validate and improve the computer models of impact and acoustic loads used in the design and engineering process, and will ultimately qualify the final vehicle design for flight. For more information, contact Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022 or amy.johnson@nasa.gov.
NASA 360 AIRS UP IN THE AIR
Airline and cruise ship passengers may soon be able to see an Emmy award-winning NASA TV program that shows how NASA technology is part of our lives. The producers of "NASA 360" have reached agreement with Airline Media Productions (AMP) International to air the half-hour show through AMP's entertainment outlets, including US Airways, Virgin America, Singapore Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Flydubai, Tunisair and a number of cruise ships. "NASA 360" is based at NASA's Langley Research Center. For more information, contact Kathy Barnstorff at 757-864-9886 or kathy.barnstorff@nasa.gov.
THE ROBOTS ARE COMING!
The Virginia Regional FIRST Robotics competition will be held April 7-9 at Virginia Commonwealth University's Siegel Center in Richmond. More than a dozen Hampton Roads high school robotics teams, including the New Horizons NASA Knights from Hampton, will compete with robots they designed and built. NASA's Robotics Alliance Project (RAP) has been supporting participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition by providing grants to high school teams as well as sponsoring FIRST regional competitions. For more, visit http://robotics.nasa.gov or contact Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022, amy.johnson@nasa.gov.
SPEAKER SERIES
Daytime presentations to employees at NASA Langley are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. in the Reid Conference Center. Media are invited to interview speakers at a news conference at 1:15 p.m. prior to the talk. The public is invited to free presentations on the same or similar topics at 7:30 that evening at the Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton. Contact Chris Rink at 757-864-6786 or christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov.
JAN. 11 TALK: CHILEAN MINERS' RESCUE, NASA PLAYS A PART
Clint Cragg, a founding member of the NASA's Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) at NASA Langley, was a member of the four-person NASA team invited to help with the Chilean miners' rescue. Cragg subsequently led an NESC team that recommended design requirements for the rescue capsule. Cragg will discuss NASA's site visit, the situation at the mine at the time, and the assistance NASA provided.
NASA news releases are available automatically by sending an e-mail message to Langley-news-request@lists.nasa.gov with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. You will receive an e-mail asking you to visit a link to confirm the action. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to Langley-news-request@lists.nasa.gov with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
SOURCE NASA
AEROSPACE IS ECONOMIC ENGINE FOR VIRGINIA
NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton and Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore generate $1.2 billion and more than 10,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. On Feb. 2-3, Langley Director Lesa Roe and Wallops Director William Wrobel will join with representatives of the aerospace industry and academia at AeroSpace Day at the General Assembly in Richmond. Learn how NASA's Virginia facilities, Virginia's aerospace companies and excellent academic institutions are playing a critical role in advancing the nation's future in space exploration, aeronautics and science. For more information, contact Marny Skora at 757-864-6121 or marny.skora@nasa.gov.
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY TO TAKE LAST FLIGHT
The space shuttle Discovery is targeted to lift off on its last voyage Thursday, Feb. 3, at 1:37 a.m. ET. NASA Langley engineers participate in damage assessment and impact dynamics teams during shuttle missions. Discovery's high-speed return through the atmosphere will also provide more data to the NASA Langley team looking at the effects of extreme aerodynamic heating, an aid for future spacecraft and aircraft designers, called the Hypersonic Thermodynamic Infrared Measurements experiment (HYTHIRM). For more information, contact Kathy Barnstorff at 757-864-9886 or kathy.barnstorff@nasa.gov.
NASA PLANS TEST IN WORLD'S LARGEST CAN CRUSHER
NASA has a New Year's resolution to lose weight and save money -- in rocket designs. In February, the agency will crush a 27-ft diameter section of rocket casing at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The large-scale test follows a series of smaller scale tests, all aimed at reducing the time and money spent designing and testing future rockets. And by incorporating more modern, lighter high-tech materials into the design and manufacturing process, rockets will save weight and carry more payload. The joint NASA Langley- Marshall tests are funded by NASA's Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), based at Langley. For more information, contact Chris Rink at 757-864-6786 or christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov.
THE FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON OF CLOUDS
A "normal" cumulonimbus cloud is imposing enough -- a massive, anvil-shaped tower of power reaching five miles (8 km) high, hurling thunderbolts, wind and rain. Add smoke and fire to the mix and you have pyrocumulonimbus, an explosive storm cloud created by the smoke and heat from fire. They have ravaged tens of thousands of acres and are increasing in frequency as the climate changes. For more information, contact Michael Finneran at 757-864-6110 or michael.p.finneran@nasa.gov.
NASA AND NORTH CAROLINA TEAM FOR TEACHER WORKSHOPS
In March, NASA Langley's Education Office will be busy promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) events in North Carolina. March 1-3, the third annual NASA STEM Educators Workshop series will be held at Whitewater Middle School in Charlotte, N.C., with a theme of "Embrace the Challenge to Innovate." Aerospace education specialists, along with master educators and coordinators, will lead lessons for area teachers. On March 2-5, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's (CIAA) Tournament and Career Day will educate thousands of students about STEM and opportunities with NASA. For more information, contact Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022 or amy.johnson@nasa.gov.
NASA GETS READY TO MAKE A SPLASH
Construction is complete on a new facility at NASA Langley that will be used to certify space vehicles for water landings. The 115-ft long and 20-ft deep Hydro Impact Basin is located at the west end of Langley's historic Landing and Impact Research Facility, also known as the Gantry. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is tentatively scheduled for late spring. A series of water impact tests will be conducted using Orion drop test articles beginning in the spring of 2011. These tests will initially validate and improve the computer models of impact and acoustic loads used in the design and engineering process, and will ultimately qualify the final vehicle design for flight. For more information, contact Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022 or amy.johnson@nasa.gov.
NASA 360 AIRS UP IN THE AIR
Airline and cruise ship passengers may soon be able to see an Emmy award-winning NASA TV program that shows how NASA technology is part of our lives. The producers of "NASA 360" have reached agreement with Airline Media Productions (AMP) International to air the half-hour show through AMP's entertainment outlets, including US Airways, Virgin America, Singapore Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Flydubai, Tunisair and a number of cruise ships. "NASA 360" is based at NASA's Langley Research Center. For more information, contact Kathy Barnstorff at 757-864-9886 or kathy.barnstorff@nasa.gov.
THE ROBOTS ARE COMING!
The Virginia Regional FIRST Robotics competition will be held April 7-9 at Virginia Commonwealth University's Siegel Center in Richmond. More than a dozen Hampton Roads high school robotics teams, including the New Horizons NASA Knights from Hampton, will compete with robots they designed and built. NASA's Robotics Alliance Project (RAP) has been supporting participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition by providing grants to high school teams as well as sponsoring FIRST regional competitions. For more, visit http://robotics.nasa.gov or contact Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022, amy.johnson@nasa.gov.
SPEAKER SERIES
Daytime presentations to employees at NASA Langley are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. in the Reid Conference Center. Media are invited to interview speakers at a news conference at 1:15 p.m. prior to the talk. The public is invited to free presentations on the same or similar topics at 7:30 that evening at the Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton. Contact Chris Rink at 757-864-6786 or christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov.
JAN. 11 TALK: CHILEAN MINERS' RESCUE, NASA PLAYS A PART
Clint Cragg, a founding member of the NASA's Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) at NASA Langley, was a member of the four-person NASA team invited to help with the Chilean miners' rescue. Cragg subsequently led an NESC team that recommended design requirements for the rescue capsule. Cragg will discuss NASA's site visit, the situation at the mine at the time, and the assistance NASA provided.
NASA news releases are available automatically by sending an e-mail message to Langley-news-request@lists.nasa.gov with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. You will receive an e-mail asking you to visit a link to confirm the action. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to Langley-news-request@lists.nasa.gov with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
SOURCE NASA
Our Place In Space After The Shuttle Program Wraps
NPR: Our Place In Space After The Shuttle Program Wraps
The space shuttle program is coming to an end and the Obama administration has decided not to fund a new, manned rocket program this year. Liane Hansen talks to NPR's Joe Palca about what's happening now in space exploration, like interesting robotic missions, private enterprise and international efforts.
LIANE HANSEN, host:
America's space program is scheduled to undergo a fundamental shift in 2011. Unless something changes by the end of the year, NASA will no longer have a rocket to send astronauts into space. The space shuttle program is being retired, and for the moment there is no American replacement rocket capable of sending people into orbit.
To talk about rockets and more of what's ahead for the new year in space, NPR science correspondent Joe Palca is in the house. And first of all, Joe, how did NASA get into this situation?
JOE PALCA: Well, as you say, they decided they were going to retire the shuttles and that makes sense. They're 30 years old. They were an expensive program to operate, and seemed like after 30 years it might be time to get something new.
So NASA began this large program to come up with a replacement. And then the Obama administration decided they didnt want to do that. So they basically cancelled the program.
Interestingly, the L.A. Times reports recently that they still have to pay like $500 million in this fiscal year, because Congress hasn't gotten around to cutting off the funding yet. But that's another story.
HANSEN: So NASA is abandoning manned space flight?
PALCA: Well, no, they're not. The plan is, they've got contracts with the Russian space agency to send astronauts to the space station, the international space station, on the Soyuz launch system, the capsule, to get astronauts into space. And they've been doing that already. I mean, that's already been an alternative way of getting up there for American astronauts.
And the other thing thats happening is there is going to be some private companies that are jumping into this space launch business. SpaceX, Orbital Sciences, are some of the ones that have been very public about their activities. There are some others that might be a little more, you know, sort of cagey about what they're up to. But the idea is that NASA will buy launch services from a commercial entity.
HANSEN: But there will be at least two more shuttle flights this coming year?
PALCA: Yeah. And one of them is one of those exciting supply missions where they bring up lots of equipment. And then the other one is a little more interesting in that it's bringing up a major scientific experiment that's supposed to measure charged particles and cosmic rays. And there could be a third shuttle, and this is one of these funny things.
So, since the Columbia accident, NASA's policy is to have a space shuttle waiting in case they have to send up a rescue mission if one gets into space and it's been damaged and they don't want to let it come back down to earth. So they have one that's waiting after the last shuttle mission, but then some people said, well, if it's just waiting there, why don't we launch it, because it's fully ready to be launched.
And so NASA said, well, we will if you tell us to. And right now, Congress has said, we're not sure yet. So, of course, if they launch one, then do they have another one standing by? This could go on forever. But I think they're talking about doing one. So it could be three this year, but there's two on the books.
HANSEN: It's always so interesting to talk about human space flight, but there are also some interesting unmanned missions that will be launched in 2011. Can you elaborate on some of them?
PALCA: Well, sure. One of them that's kind of cool is the Juno spacecraft. That's the solar-powered spacecraft that's heading off to Jupiter. And then theres GRAIL. It's actually twin spacecraft that are going to be used to determine the interior of our moon, which I think is kind of cool.
And then, the big one is, in Thanksgiving, the next Mars Rover is going to go off. It's the Mars science laboratory. If you think of the last rover as sort of like dune buggies, this is more like an SUV, although it's still smaller than an SUV.
HANSEN: Yeah. I remember we talked back in January 4th, 2004 about the first Rover, and that was supposed to last about, what, a week?
PALCA: Right. That was the Spirit Rover, and a few weeks later it was the twin Rover Opportunity that went up, and they were supposed to last 90 days. So, talk about your successful program. Ninety days expected launch, now we're into seven years. But I have to say that we might have to declare Spirit dead sometime this year.
They had to shut off almost all of its instruments before the winter started because they didn't think they'd have enough power - they're solar powered also. So they shut everything down and they said, when the sun comes back up, we hope to hear from you. Well, the sun's come back up and they haven't heard anything.
Now, they've got some time. It might wake up, but it might not, and that would be sad.
HANSEN: But it's not dead yet.
PALCA: Well, not officially.
HANSEN: NPR's science correspondent, Joe Palca. Joe, thanks a lot. Happy new year.
PALCA: Happy new year to you.
The space shuttle program is coming to an end and the Obama administration has decided not to fund a new, manned rocket program this year. Liane Hansen talks to NPR's Joe Palca about what's happening now in space exploration, like interesting robotic missions, private enterprise and international efforts.
LIANE HANSEN, host:
America's space program is scheduled to undergo a fundamental shift in 2011. Unless something changes by the end of the year, NASA will no longer have a rocket to send astronauts into space. The space shuttle program is being retired, and for the moment there is no American replacement rocket capable of sending people into orbit.
To talk about rockets and more of what's ahead for the new year in space, NPR science correspondent Joe Palca is in the house. And first of all, Joe, how did NASA get into this situation?
JOE PALCA: Well, as you say, they decided they were going to retire the shuttles and that makes sense. They're 30 years old. They were an expensive program to operate, and seemed like after 30 years it might be time to get something new.
So NASA began this large program to come up with a replacement. And then the Obama administration decided they didnt want to do that. So they basically cancelled the program.
Interestingly, the L.A. Times reports recently that they still have to pay like $500 million in this fiscal year, because Congress hasn't gotten around to cutting off the funding yet. But that's another story.
HANSEN: So NASA is abandoning manned space flight?
PALCA: Well, no, they're not. The plan is, they've got contracts with the Russian space agency to send astronauts to the space station, the international space station, on the Soyuz launch system, the capsule, to get astronauts into space. And they've been doing that already. I mean, that's already been an alternative way of getting up there for American astronauts.
And the other thing thats happening is there is going to be some private companies that are jumping into this space launch business. SpaceX, Orbital Sciences, are some of the ones that have been very public about their activities. There are some others that might be a little more, you know, sort of cagey about what they're up to. But the idea is that NASA will buy launch services from a commercial entity.
HANSEN: But there will be at least two more shuttle flights this coming year?
PALCA: Yeah. And one of them is one of those exciting supply missions where they bring up lots of equipment. And then the other one is a little more interesting in that it's bringing up a major scientific experiment that's supposed to measure charged particles and cosmic rays. And there could be a third shuttle, and this is one of these funny things.
So, since the Columbia accident, NASA's policy is to have a space shuttle waiting in case they have to send up a rescue mission if one gets into space and it's been damaged and they don't want to let it come back down to earth. So they have one that's waiting after the last shuttle mission, but then some people said, well, if it's just waiting there, why don't we launch it, because it's fully ready to be launched.
And so NASA said, well, we will if you tell us to. And right now, Congress has said, we're not sure yet. So, of course, if they launch one, then do they have another one standing by? This could go on forever. But I think they're talking about doing one. So it could be three this year, but there's two on the books.
HANSEN: It's always so interesting to talk about human space flight, but there are also some interesting unmanned missions that will be launched in 2011. Can you elaborate on some of them?
PALCA: Well, sure. One of them that's kind of cool is the Juno spacecraft. That's the solar-powered spacecraft that's heading off to Jupiter. And then theres GRAIL. It's actually twin spacecraft that are going to be used to determine the interior of our moon, which I think is kind of cool.
And then, the big one is, in Thanksgiving, the next Mars Rover is going to go off. It's the Mars science laboratory. If you think of the last rover as sort of like dune buggies, this is more like an SUV, although it's still smaller than an SUV.
HANSEN: Yeah. I remember we talked back in January 4th, 2004 about the first Rover, and that was supposed to last about, what, a week?
PALCA: Right. That was the Spirit Rover, and a few weeks later it was the twin Rover Opportunity that went up, and they were supposed to last 90 days. So, talk about your successful program. Ninety days expected launch, now we're into seven years. But I have to say that we might have to declare Spirit dead sometime this year.
They had to shut off almost all of its instruments before the winter started because they didn't think they'd have enough power - they're solar powered also. So they shut everything down and they said, when the sun comes back up, we hope to hear from you. Well, the sun's come back up and they haven't heard anything.
Now, they've got some time. It might wake up, but it might not, and that would be sad.
HANSEN: But it's not dead yet.
PALCA: Well, not officially.
HANSEN: NPR's science correspondent, Joe Palca. Joe, thanks a lot. Happy new year.
PALCA: Happy new year to you.
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