July 31, 2001
Anticipating the Perseids
The 2001 Perseid meteor shower peaks on Sunday morning, August 12. Will it be an extraordinary sky show like last year -- or a moonlit disappointment? This story explains how to see for yourself.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast31jul_1.htm?list448368
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91190 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
NASA WATCHES WYOMING WILDFIRE
A NASA instrument has captured images of the wildfire burning through
Bridger-Teton National Forest in the northwest part of Wyoming. The so-called "Green Knoll"
fire is reportedly 70 percent under control after burning about 1,810 hectars (4,473 acres).
The images are available online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/usa . Built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the radiometer is one of several
Earth-observing experiments aboard Terra, which was launched in December 1999.
The instrument acquires images of Earth at nine angles simultaneously, using nine
separate cameras pointed forward, downward, and backward along its flight path.
More information is available at: http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov .
Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington, DC July 31, 2001
RELEASE: 01-154
SUSPENDED IN SPACE: RESEACHERS MAKE IMPORTANT DISCOVERY ABOUT FLUIDS
A NASA-funded study on fluids has yielded a discovery that may significantly change the way electronics, paint, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries develop products.
Researchers discovered a new approach for suspending fine particles in fluids. Such collections of particles, called colloids or colloidal suspensions, may help researchers better understand how to manipulate small particle assemblies found in fluids such as water or organic solvents (e.g., ethanol).
According to a paper co-authored by a NASA researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which will appear today's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors have devised a process that stabilizes particles in fluids to prevent them from otherwise organizing themselves or coagulating into a disordered gel-like structure. The authors have named this approach "nanoparticle haloing."
"Paint is an example of a fluid that contains suspended colloidal particles. If such particles become unstable, they clump together causing the paint to thicken substantially. This limits the product's shelf life. By using the nanoparticle haloing approach, we can control the behavior and structure of materials in fluids," said Dr. Jennifer Lewis, co-author, NASA researcher and professor at the University of Illinois.
Lewis and her colleagues conducted the research under a grant from NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research, Washington, DC. The research program offers investigators the opportunity to use a microgravity or low-gravity environment to enhance understanding of fundamental physical and chemical processes associated with materials science.
"NASA scientists are using microgravity to examine the properties and structures of materials and the role processing plays in creating the materials. By subtracting gravity from the equation, we are better able to see what is happening as a material is produced," said Dr. Kathie Olsen, Acting Associate Administrator for Biological and Physical Research at NASA Headquarters.
By tailoring the interactions between particles, the researchers were able to engineer the desired degree of colloidal stability into the mixture. "That means we can create designer colloidal fluids, gels and even crystals," Lewis said. "This designer capability will assist us in developing improved materials such as photonics." Photonics are materials that control the flow of light.
For example, Lewis has teamed with co-author Paul Braun, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, to explore the use of these nanoparticle-stabilized colloidal microsphere mixtures in assembling robust periodic templates for photonic band gap materials. The researchers recently were awarded funding by the National Science Foundation to pursue such efforts.
Lewis and her students are also studying the structure and flow behavior of colloidal fluids and gels assembled from these microsphere-nanoparticle mixtures. By simply varying composition, the researchers can produce systems whose properties vary dramatically. Such studies provide the foundation of ongoing efforts in the area of colloidal processing of electrical ceramics.
In addition to Lewis and Braun, the research team included University of Illinois doctoral students Valeria Tohver and James Smay, from Lewis' group, and graduate student Alan Braem from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.
More information on NASA's Biological and Physical Research Program is available at: http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov
Additional information about this research is available at: http://colloids.mse.uiuc.edu
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, manages the Materials Science Program for the Office of Biological and Physical Research. Marshall is also NASA's lead center for microgravity research -- conducting unique scientific studies in the near-weightlessness of space to improve life on Earth.
Michael Mewhinney July 31, 2001 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Beth Swanson The Air Show Network
RELEASE: 01-52AR NASA TECHNOLOGY TO BE FEATURED AT MOFFETT FIELD AIR SHOW
NASA's cutting-edge research in information technology, aeronautics and space science will be showcased in a new "Technology Pavilion" during the Air Show Network's Air Expo at Moffett Field, Aug. 11-12.
Housed in historic Hangar One, the display will feature a variety of exhibits highlighting new and emerging technologies. NASA Ames research will be featured in a 10,000-square-foot interactive display within the Technology Pavilion.
"This event offers NASA an extraordinary opportunity to promote our mission in information technology and aeronautics," said Dr. Henry McDonald, director of NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. "It will also enable us to develop new strategic partnerships with the private sector. Through these partnerships, industry will benefit from the advanced research capabilities we have at this Center, and we will benefit from their expertise in making our technologies more readily available to the public," he said.
"This activity fits in well with our new NASA Research Park initiative," explained McDonald. "The NASA Research Park will bring together the best of Silicon Valley, and the nation, to work with us to accomplish our mission. A critical element of our mission is to share what we learn with the public; what better way than through an exciting air show and exposition, " McDonald added.
"The Air Expo event will be a tremendous opportunity for NASA to showcase its latest developments in the areas of aeronautics and information technology," said Mountain View Mayor Mario Ambra. "The City of Mountain View looks forward to this exciting event," he added.
"The Moffett Field air shows and expositions have long been exciting opportunities for the public to view both the history and future of aviation," said Sunnyvale Mayor Jack Walker. "NASA Ames is continuing that tradition, as well as offering a chance for the public to glimpse some of NASA's newest efforts in aerospace and information technology."
The Ames information technology display will highlight advances made by applying the latest techniques in digital technology to real-world problems and situations. The Ames aeronautics display will feature research aimed at improving the nation's air traffic management system to increase efficiency and reduce delays while maintaining air travel safety. The science display will showcase the diverse research being conducted at Ames in astrobiology, medical applications and various experiments and hardware for the International Space Station.
Featured in the NASA exhibit will be displays highlighting NASA Research Park and the California Air and Space Center, the space shuttle docking simulator, intelligent flight control, artificial heart assist pump, air traffic management tools, rotorcraft and tiltrotors, robots, and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
Among the aerial acts to be featured at the Air Expo will be formation aerobatics by the Smirnoff Ice MiG-17s; Team Oracle stunt pilot Sean D. Tucker; Greg Poe in the Crucial Technology Edge 540 and Steve Appleton in a former RAF Hawker Hunter; a high-speed demonstration by the U.S. Navy's F/A-18 demonstration team flying with a World War II era F8F Bearcat; and sky diving and combat rescue demonstrations by the 129th squadron of the California Air National Guard. Audiences can see more than 30 aircraft on display, including NASA's 747 space shuttle transport, a B-1 Bomber, an F-117 Stealth Fighter, and the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft.
"We are pleased to be working with NASA, the premier space and technology organization in the world, in the development of this important event," said Jim Breen, president and founder of The Air Show Network, Carpinteria, CA. "As the leader in aerospace and technology, the United States should have a world-class event to showcase its achievements, and we believe the Air Expo at Moffett Field will be such an event. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Moffett Field offers the finest combination of location and facilities possible for the development of a world-class event such as this," Breen said.
More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the two-day Air Expo, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. On-site parking is available only with advance purchase of premier seating at http://www.airshownetwork.com Limited off-site parking is available at the Juniper Networks, and Lockheed facilities on Mathilda Road, and free secured bicycle parking will be offered at the Ellis Street entrance. The VTA will also add additional service and link CalTrain with the event at the Mountain View station. For additional information, call 650/562-3665 or visit the Air Show Network web site.
Located in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, NASA Ames Research Center encompasses the Moffett Field property formerly occupied by the Navy. Ames is NASA's lead center for astrobiology, information technology, and aviation systems operations and capacity. For more information about NASA Ames, visit: http://www.arc.nasa.gov/
The Air Show Network is the largest air show producer in North America. The company has supported more than 600 aviation events during the past 14 years, working with all branches of the U.S. military, as well as the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom. The Air Show Network is owned by Umbrella Entertainment Group, a privately held company based in Carpinteria, CA. For more information about The Air Show Network, visit: http://www.airshownetwork.com
Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington, DC July 31, 2001 RELEASE: 01-154
REVISED -- SUSPENDED IN SPACE: RESEARCHERS MAKE IMPORTANT DISCOVERY ABOUT MATERIALS
A NASA-funded study in materials science has yielded a discovery that may significantly change the way electronics, paint, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries develop products.
According to a paper co-authored by a NASA researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which will appear in today's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors have devised a process that stabilizes particles in fluids to prevent them from otherwise organizing themselves or coagulating into a disordered gel- like structure. The authors have named this approach "nanoparticle haloing."
For example, Lewis has teamed with co-author Paul Braun, another professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, to explore the use of these nanoparticle-stabilized colloidal microsphere mixtures in assembling robust periodic templates for photonic band gap materials. The researchers recently were awarded funding by the National Science Foundation to pursue such efforts.
Dwayne Brown/Bob Jacobs Headquarters, Washington, DC July 31, 2001
RELEASE: 01-152
NASA ADMINISTRATOR ANNOUNCES DISTINGUISHED TEAM TO REVIEW INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROGRAM
A diverse team of world-renowned experts, including two Nobel laureates and the world's most famous heart surgeon, make up an independent task force created by NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin to take a focused look at the budget and management challenges facing the International Space Station program.
"In the last year, we have successfully carried out all of the 14 scheduled assembly missions to the International Space Station. We did so with unbelievable precision and execution, completing the second phase of space station construction," said Administrator Goldin. "It's an incredible management and engineering achievement, but we must ensure it is carried out in a more efficient and effective manner."
The ISS Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force (IMCE) will help NASA address the recent cost growth on the program by assessing the quality of the ISS cost estimates as well as program assumptions and requirements, and identifying high- risk budget areas and potential risk mitigation strategies.
"Since April, we've been working to select a team of outstanding innovators in the fields of science, engineering, finance and business to advise NASA and the Administration how to maximize the scientific returns on the station, while living within the guidelines of the President's budget," added Administrator Goldin. "The financial management of the International Space Station needs an overhaul, but we're going to do it in a way that doesn't sacrifice safety."
Two Nobel Prize winners are among the members of the IMCE Task Force. Dr. Richard Roberts shared the1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine for the discovery of "split genes." He is currently the head of the Department of Bioinformatics and Research at New England Biolabs, Beverly, MA.
Another panel member, Dr. Robert Richardson, is Vice-Provost for Research at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and shared the 1996 Nobel Prize for the discovery of superfluidity in the isotope helium-3 (3He).
Another prominent task force member is world-renowned medical pioneer, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Chancellor Emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas and an active staff member at The Methodist Hospital of Houston. Dr. DeBakey is internationally recognized for his innovations in open-heart surgery and his recent pioneering work in the field of telemedicine.
Administrator Goldin appointed Thomas Young chair of the IMCE Task Force. Young, a former president at Martin Marietta Corp., managed numerous complex and technically challenging programs in government as well as private industry. He recently led the Mars Program Independent Assessment Team which reviewed NASA's approach to robotic exploration.
The chair and the other members of the IMCE Task Force will report to the NASA Advisory Council (NAC).
"This panel has been empowered to leave no stone unturned. We have experts in all fields that have the capacity to dig deep to help us restructure the business and financial approach of this program, added Administrator Goldin. The task force will identify opportunities for maximizing capability to meet priority research program needs within the planned ISS budget and International Partner contributions. In addition, it will assess and refine cost estimates for potential U.S.-funded enhancements.
A Financial Management Team (FMT) and a Cost Analysis Support Team (CAST) will support the IMCE Task Force. The FMT will assist the IMCE Task Force in reviewing the financial management tools used in the development and operation of the International Space Station, and making Agency-wide recommendations for improvements. The CAST will assess the quality of the space station estimates in an effort to establish cost credibility.
In empowering the external team, Administrator Goldin stated that, in addition to technical excellence, it is essential that NASA maintain strict financial and management accountability. The task force will review management reforms in the ISS Program Management Action Plan and may make recommendations for additional reforms.
The panel will report its findings to the NAC by Nov. 1, 2001. The NAC will consider and formally present its recommendations to the NASA Administrator for an official Agency response.
International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) Task Force
* Mr. A. Thomas Young, Chairman, former President of Martin- Marietta Corp., and former director of NASA's Viking missions to Mars. Member of the National Academy of Engineering * Rear Admiral Thomas Betterton, USN (Ret), Vice Chairman, formerly a Senior Navy Official with the National Reconnaissance Office
Science Group * Michael DeBakey, MD, heart surgeon and Chancellor Emeritus of the Baylor College of Medicine * Robert Richardson, PhD, Vice Provost for Research, Cornell University; shared 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics * Richard Roberts, PhD, head of the Department of Bioinformatics/Research, New England Biolabs; shared 1993 Nobel Prize in Medicine * Rae Silver, PhD, Kaplan Professor of Natural and Physical Sciences, Columbia University and President of the Society for Biological Rhythms
Engineering Group * Mr. Kent Black, former Chief Executive Officer of United Space Alliance and former Executive Vice-President of Rockwell International * Mr. Pete Bracken, vice chairman, ACS Government Solutions Group and former Director of Mission Operations and Data Systems at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center * Gregory Canavan, PhD, American Physical Society Fellow at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory * Mr. Sidney Gutierrez, senior executive Sandia National Laboratories, former Space Shuttle commander and member of the NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel * Bradford Parkinson, PhD, professor of mechanical engineering, Stanford University, original director of the Defense Department's Global Positioning System Program and member of the National Academy of Engineering * Mr. Peter Wilhelm, Director, Naval Center for Space Technology, Naval Research Laboratory Brigadier General Pete Worden, PhD, Vice-Director of Operations. United States Space Command
Business, Finance Group * Mr. Anthony DeMarco, President of PRICE Systems * Mr. William Friend, former Executive Vice-President of Bechtel Group, Inc. and a member of the National Academy of Engineering * Ms. Susan Eisenhower, President of the Eisenhower Institute * Mr. Robert Grady, Partner and Managing Director in Venture Capital, the Carlyle Group and former Executive Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget * Admiral Paul Reason, USN (Ret), President and Chief Operating Officer of the Metro Machine Corp., and former Commander-in-Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet * Mr. Roger Tetrault, retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, McDermott International and former president of the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics
July 30, 2001
This Week on Galileo July 30 - August 3, 2001
This is the last week before the August 4 start of Galileo's next encounter with the volcanic satellite Io. As playback of data from the May flyby of Callisto winds down, the final observations to be returned come from the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) and the Solid State Imaging camera (SSI). NIMS data concentrates on Jupiter atmospheric observations, including a global map of the giant planet. NIMS takes detailed looks at some persistent hot spots in the turbulent clouds and at the region trailing the Great Red Spot. SSI will be returning global color pictures of Ganymede, Jupiter's largest satellite.
While the Flight Team makes final preparations for next week's Io flyby, the spacecraft undertakes a few last housekeeping tasks to get ready. On Thursday, routine maintenance of the on-board tape recorder is performed.
On Friday, playback is stopped, and the final targeting orbit trim maneuver is executed. This engine burn could last as long as six hours, and ensures that Galileo reaches its scheduled rendezvous with Io at the correct time and place. Six hours may seem like a long time to run the engine, but remember that Galileo is like a large gyroscope, spinning at a stately 3 revolutions per minute. In order to nudge the path of the 1300 kilogram (2870 pound) spacecraft in a particular direction, a set of small 10 Newton thrusters (about 2.2 pounds of thrust each) are fired for less than one second per pulse on each revolution. Galileo has twelve such thrusters, some pointing forward, some backward, and some to the sides. The choice of which thrusters to fire and when to fire them determines what direction the spacecraft moves. They can also be used to turn the spacecraft in place, pointing its antenna in a new direction, with no change to its orbital path about Jupiter.
Typically, final targeting maneuvers such as this one change the spacecraft velocity by a few tenths of a meter per second. Compare this to the 7.1 kilometers per second speed of Galileo as it flies by Io. These are truly gentle nudges in the grand scheme of things!
After the maneuver, the tape is repositioned to the correct starting place to begin recording the next set of data from the upcoming Io flyby. It's about to get busy again!
For more information on the Galileo spacecraft and its mission to Jupiter, please visit the Galileo home page at one of the following URL's: http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SHUTTLE and PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS REPORT Monday, July 30, 2001 (1:30 p.m.)
MISSION: STS-105 - 11th ISS Flight (7A.1) - Leonardo MPLM
VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103 LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: August 9, 2001 at 5:38 p.m. EDT TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: August 21, 2001 at about 1:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 11 days, 20 hours and 25 minutes CREW: Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry, Forrester; (ISS up) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Turin; (ISS down) Usachev, Voss, Helms, ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Processing of Space Shuttle Discovery continues on schedule at Launch Pad 39A. Orbiter aft compartment closeouts are in work today and continue through Friday. Shuttle ordnance installation begins Tuesday. The astronaut spacesuits are being checked out today, and the flight crew is scheduled to arrive at KSC Sunday afternoon.
Payload Processing Note: The payload bay doors will be closed today for ordnance operations and reopened on Wednesday. The Shuttle/Payload integrated vehicle test is scheduled for Thursday. On Sunday, the flight crew will conduct a brief inspection of the payload bay and then on Monday, Aug. 6, the doors will be closed for flight.
Upcoming Milestones Flight Readiness Review begins -- Aug. 1 (10:30 a.m.) Flight crew arrival at KSC -- Aug. 5 (12:30 p.m.) Launch countdown begins -- Aug. 6 (9 p.m.) External tank loading begins-- Aug. 9 (about 8:42 a.m.)
MISSION: STS-108 - 12th ISS Flight (UF1) - MPLM
VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1 TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 29, 2001 at 7:23 p.m. EST TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 9, 2001 MISSION DURATION: 10 days CREW: Gorie, Kelly, Godwin, Tani; (ISS up) Onufrienko, Bursch, Walz; (ISS down) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees Processing Note: Technicians are performing a condensate modification on Endeavour's life support system. While the vehicle is powered down, workers are also performing planned modifications on orbiter wiring and harnesses.
MISSION: STS-109 - HST Servicing Mission 3B VEHICLE: Columbia/OV-102 LOCATION: OPF bay 3 TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Jan. 17, 2002 at 2:40 p.m. EST TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Jan. 28, 2002 MISSION DURATION: TBD CREW: Altman, Carey, Grunsfeld, Currie, Newman, Linnehan, Massimino ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 308 nautical miles/28.5 degrees
Processing Note: Work continues on Columbia's nose cap in preparation to install it on the vehicle later this week. Technicians have completed S-band antenna testing and are proceeding with Ku-band antenna tests.
MISSION: STS-110 - 13th ISS Flight (8A) - ITS, SO, MT VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Feb. 28, 2002 KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: March 9, 2002 MISSION DURATION: 9 days CREW: Bloomfield, Frick, Ross, Smith, Ochoa, Morin, Walheim ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Processing Note: Atlantis' payload bay doors have been opened and payload removal preparation is in progress. The payload will be removed Tuesday. Main engine positioning and initial controller tests are complete. Engine heat shield removal is in work today.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 35812 For release: July 30, 2001
RELEASE: 01-258
Marshall Center hosting minority & woman-owned business technology transfer briefing
The Technology Transfer Department at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., is hosting a briefing on technology transfer opportunities for Alabama-based minority and women-owned businesses at the Oakwood College Business & Technology Complex on Tuesday, Aug. 14.
The daylong event will include briefings on available technologies and contract opportunities, one-on-one meetings with Marshall representatives, exhibits from Alabama economic development organizations, and a luncheon keynote speaker.
Karen Stanley, vice president of finance for Stanley Construction Co. of Huntsville will deliver the keynote address. A member of several Huntsville civic boards and organizations, she is a director of the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Women's Business Council. She holds degrees from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., as well as from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, both in Cambridge, Mass.
The event is free to qualified companies. Deadline for registration is Aug. 1. For more information, contact SMITHLAIN Enterprises at (256) 704-7880 or eignont@smithlain.com.
Highlights of event: Attendees will learn first hand what technologies and contract opportunities are available from NASA. Briefings will focus on Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer programs, Commercialization Assistance, Technology Partnerships and Marshall procurement processes.
One-on-one meetings: Entrepreneurs will be able to introduce their companies to the Marshall Technology Transfer Team. Reservations can be made for 15-minute, one-on-one sessions with representatives from Marshall Procurement, Commercialization Assistance and Technology Partnerships, and Technology Transfer Department liaisons to the Space Transportation Directorate, Science Directorate, Flight Projects Directorate and Engineering Directorate.
Exhibits: The conference will feature exhibits staffed by representatives of the Small Business Administration, the Southeast Region Technology Transfer Center, the Northeast Alabama Small Business Development Center, the Chamber of Commerce Huntsville/Madison County Small Business Office and Women's Business Council, the North Alabama African American Chamber of Commerce, Oakwood College Business & Technology Complex, Alabama A&M University Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Biz Tech small business incubator.
The briefing is a part of the NASA Minority & Woman-Owned Business National Initiative. The initiative allows companies to work with NASA to facilitate the transfer of NASA technologies and expertise and resources to the private sector, enabling companies to improve or expand existing products or services.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 35812
For release: July 30, 2001
RELEASE: 01-259
NASA's out-of-this world 'SUV' remembered
How do you get around when you're more than a quarter-million miles from the nearest roads? It may not have been the first sports utility vehicle, but NASA made history three decades ago by taking the first all-terrain rover to the Moon.
On July 31, 1971, the electric-powered, four-wheel-drive Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), or "Moon Buggy," was deployed by the astronauts of Apollo 15. The first of three LRVs was driven on the lunar surface by astronauts David Scott and Jim Irwin.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., managed the design, development and testing of the LRV, which traversed nearly 17 miles during the Apollo 15 mission.
Video of this unique explorer is available today on NASA Television. NASA TV is broadcast on GE-2, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees West longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical and audio is monaural at 6.8 MHz.
The NASA TV schedule is available on the Internet at:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/breaking.html
Additional information about the Moon Buggy and Apollo 15 is available on the Web at:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a15/Welcome.html
http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/brief/brief2.html
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_lrv.html
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
Martha Heil Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Joan Underwood Lockheed Martin
KSC Release No: 90-01
LAUNCH OF GENESIS POSTPONED TO NO EARLIER THAN AUG. 1
The launch of NASA's Genesis spacecraft aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket has been postponed to no earlier than Wednesday, Aug. 1.
The spacecraft contains two power supply components, one within each of the two Startrackers, similar to components that recently failed during a simulated space radiation environment test unrelated to Genesis. NASA and the Genesis project decided today that additional time is needed for further test and evaluation to provide assurance that the flight hardware on Genesis will be able to meet the requirements of the mission.
"We feel confident that the components on the spacecraft will meet the mission requirements," said Chet Sasaki, Genesis Project Manager from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
"The testing being done at Lockheed Martin in Denver will subject the components to higher doses of radiation than they would normally be expected to see in space. We anticipate the tests will give us confidence that the Genesis spacecraft has adequate margins," added Sasaki.
On Aug. 1, the two-minute launch window opens at 12:31:38 p.m. EDT.
Craig Tupper
What's new lately in Space Science:
---------------------
Rats. Due to a hardware glitch, the Genesis launch has been postponed until no earlier than Wednesday afternoon at 12:30 PM EST. You can follow developments at http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/ , although as of the moment they are still showing Tuesday, which I understand isn't going to happen. When launch does occur, you can watch it on the web; details are also at the Project page.
Meanwhile, our Earth Science friends (along with NOAA) did launch a new weather bird on July 22, that will be looking at the Earth and Sun at the same time. A pre-launch story is at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-136.txt
Researchers using our Wind spacecraft have made rare direct observations of the mysterious process that allows the solar wind to connect to Earth's magnetic field. Story at http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2001/01-71.htm , Wind at http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/wind/
For the first time ever, a star spinning so fast its mid-section is stretched out has been directly measured. For those of you who know the sky, it's Altair. Interferometry in action at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_150.html
2 Hubble news items:
Hubble's Panoramic Portrait of a Vast Star-Forming Region -- a beautiful image, like a distant Eagle Nebula, at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/21/
Star Clusters Born in the Wreckage of Cosmic Collisions - pictures from the Hubble telescope show that at least two of the galaxies in Stephan's Quintet have been involved in high-speed, hit-and-run accidents, which have ripped stars and gas from neighboring galaxies and tossed them into space. But the galactic carnage also has spawned more than 100 new star clusters and several dwarf galaxies. http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/22/index.html
And from our other Great Observatory: the first unambiguous evidence for a giant halo of hot gas around a nearby, spiral galaxy has been found by astronomers using our Chandra X-ray Observatory. http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/01_releases/press_071901.html
The United States and Japan will team up to rebuild and launch a powerful observatory for measuring high energy phenomena in the Universe. The Astro-E2 observatory will replace the original Astro-E satellite, which was lost during launch in February 2000. Press release at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-147.txt , Goddard project page at http://astroe.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/astroe/astroegof.html
NASA CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARS LANDING - our Viking 1 spacecraft was the first successful Mars lander. Nostalgia at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-143.txt
Why I've Been Too Busy To Write: we here in the Office of Space Science at NASA HQ have been reorganized. Our new org chart (in .pdf format) is available online. At about the same time, I have redone our web site at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/ , to update the appearance and (hopefully) to improve the ease of navigation. A small amount of content has been added; I expect to add more in the weeks to come. Perhaps most notably, I have now linked directly to our award-winning SpaceKids page, where your kids (or you!) can sign up to send your name to Mars on a CD-ROM, amongst other activities. We'll be adding more stuff to SpaceKids soon, stay tuned.
July 29, 2001
Dr. Frank Drake, noted astronomer and pioneer of SETI, spoke at ALCON 2001 in Frederick, Maryland on July 27. The SETI Institute would like to invite amateur astronomers to participate in a new project to search for optical SETI signals.
California astronomers are broadening the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) with a new experiment to look for powerful light pulses beamed our way from other star systems. Scientists from the University of California's Lick Observatory, the SETI Institute (Mountain View, California), UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley are coupling the Lick Observatory's 40-inch Nickel Telescope with a new pulse-detection system capable of finding laser beacons from civilizations many light-years distant. Unlike other optical SETI searches, this new experiment is largely immune to false alarms that slow the reconnaissance of target stars.
"This is perhaps the most sensitive optical SETI search yet undertaken," said Frank Drake, Chairman of the Board of the SETI Institute and a co-investigator on the new experiment. Drake, who in 1960 conducted the first modern hunt for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, is usually associated with radio SETI, an approach in which large antennas are connected to specialized, multi-million channel receivers. "This is different," noted Drake. "We are looking for very brief but powerful pulses of laser light from other planetary systems, rather than the steady whine of a radio transmitter."
The number of possible star systems to survey is huge, and this is where amateurs could help. It is possible for amateur sized instruments to detect distant optical pulses if they are as powerful as pulses now being generated in research labs. Anyone interested in more details concerning Optical SETI (OSETI) should contact:
SETI Institute 2035 Landings Drive Mountain View, CA 94043 info@seti.org
July 27 Evening Edition, 2001
UNIVERSITY AVIATION DESIGN COMPETITION WINNERS NAMED AT AIR SHOW
University of Virginia team's design, Vector Evolution, won both third place in the NASA/FAA National General Aviation Design Competition and the Best Use of Air Force Developed Technologies award. The competition engages university students in a major effort to rebuild the general aviation sector.
NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) today awarded honors to four university teams for their innovative general aviation designs. The winners of the National General Aviation Design Competition were recognized at a ceremony held at AirVenture2001, the Experimental Aircraft Association's Annual Convention and Fly-In at Oshkosh, WI.
The competition calls for individuals or teams of U.S. students to participate in a major national effort to rebuild the U.S. general aviation sector. Participants are challenged to meet the engineering goals of the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE) project. For the purpose of the contest, general aviation aircraft are typically defined as single or twin engine (turbine or piston), single-pilot, fixed-wing aircraft for two to six passengers. NASA, the FAA and AFRL hope to stimulate breakthroughs in technology and their application in the general aviation marketplace.
Virginia Tech, working with Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, won an honorable mention in the General Aviation Design Competition for Tempus, this design featuring an advanced composite structure and modern aerodynamics. The competition, sponsored by NASA, the FAA and the AFRL, engages university students in a major national effort to rebuild the general aviation sector.
The first place award was presented to a team from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL. The team's design seeks to retrofit the popular Cessna 182 Skylane with a modern, turbocharged, reciprocating diesel engine that runs on readily available jet A fuel. The review panel, comprised of representatives from NASA, FAA, industry and academia, praised the design for its practicality and rated the design effort as outstanding overall.
The first place award provides a total of $3,000 to Embry Riddle's design team members and a $5,000 award to the university's Aerospace Engineering Program. James Ladesic and Reda Mankbadi served as the team's faculty advisors.
Second place honors went to Pennsylvania State University, University Park. The team's design, "Defiance," features a four-place, single engine, turbofan-powered, general aviation aircraft. The twin-tail-boom, twin-vertical-tail layout uses both aluminum and modern composite materials, and features advanced aerodynamics, avionics and support systems. The second place award provides a $2000 prize to the team. Hubert C. "Skip" Smith was the team's faculty advisor. Penn State has won a place award in every year of the competition.
The third place award went to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, for a design dubbed "Vector Evolution." The design combined the fast, high-altitude performance of a business jet with the short takeoff and landing performance of a typical general aviation aircraft. The team's faculty advisor was James McDaniel. For third place, the team will share a $1,000 prize.
An honorable mention in the General Aviation Design Competition went to Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, and its collaborating international partner Loughborough University, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, for "Tempus," an aircraft with a 3,600-nautical-mile range. The team set a goal of efficient, affordable and comfortable transportation between international destinations. James Marchman was the Virginia Tech faculty advisor, and Gary Page and Lloyd Jenkinson served as faculty advisors at Loughborough.
The best use of Air Force-developed technologies award was also presented to the University of Virginia's "Vector Evolution" design. The team received an additional $3,000 from the Air Force Research Laboratory. The technologies included: wireless flight controls; non-hydraulic, electric actuator systems; and aerogel and serrated engine-nozzle-edge noise-reduction techniques.
The competition for the 2000-2001 academic year was managed by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. The AGATE project will end in September 2001, and the new competition will be managed by the General Aviation Programs Office at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA.
Conference and Exhibit on International Space Station Utilization - 2001
Come hear about the exciting past, present, and future research, and commercial initiatives on the International Space Station, and exchange ideas and information with your research colleagues and station personnel!
NASA and Boeing are co-sponsoring the Conference and Exhibit on International Space Station Utilization - 2001 in Cape Canaveral, FL on 15-18 October, 2001. Forty-two sessions containing over 250 presentations and papers will cover all of the major research areas to be explored on the Space Station, including biotechnology, biomedicine, gravitational biology, materials science, fluids and combustion research, space science, earth science, fundamental physics, and engineering research. Each session will include presentations by both the users and the providers of ISS. There will be several sessions on commercial research, commercial services and other initiatives. Technical presentations on Space Station capabilities, processes, and new technologies for experimenters, are also included.
Key Speakers will include: Dr. Kathie Olsen, NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Roger Crouch, Senior Scientist, Office of Space Flight, NASA Mr. Tommy Holloway, ISS Program Manager, NASA Johnson Space Center Mr. Brewster Shaw, VP and General Manager, ISS Program, The Boeing Company Gen. Roy Bridges, Center Director, NASA Kennedy Space Center And many researchers who have already conducted investigations on-board ISS.
The Exhibit Hall will include all of the major U.S. research facilities under development for ISS, as well as industrial 'provider' booths.
A separate ISS Hardware and Services Show-and-Tell session will allow the display of new technologies, equipment, software, and other technical services. Display spaces are provided for the "Show-and-Tell". To reserve one, call or email Craig Seabrook at 256-726-6141, craig.seabrook@tbe.com or Jim Fountain at 256-461-3634, jim.fountain@boeing.com .
The Conference is administered by AIAA. The complete list of planned papers, as well as registration and logistics information can be found on the web at http://www.aiaa.org/calendar/index.hfm?cal=1 , then scroll down to October.
Dave Steitz July 27, 2001 Headquarters, Washington, DC
Ed Campion Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
RELEASE: c01-n
NASA AWARDS SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING COMPUTING CONTRACT
NASA has awarded a fixed price, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to 8 Maryland and Northern Virginia companies for the Scientific Engineering and Workstation Procurement (SEWP III). The contract award has a minimum value of $60,000 and a maximum value of $4 billion. The SEWP III contract is a follow-on to the SEWP II contract, which expired July 15, 2001
The Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurement (SEWP) supports NASA's requirements for high-performance information technology that will provides flexibility, functionality, high-speed connectivity and performance growth. This procurement makes available state-of-the-art commercial hardware and software products, improves compatibility between systems and maximizes flexibility through established government and industry standards. This objective will ensure a cost-effective growth path for the government by providing for competition in information- technology acquisitions.
A list of the companies can be found online at:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/contracts/2001/c01-nlist.txt
RELEASE: 01-257
Teachers of the Year from across the country participating in Space Camp courtesy of NASA
The nation's top teachers are about to get an idea of what it's like to live and work in space, thanks to NASA. Outstanding educators from the 50 states and beyond will be participating in a weeklong series of events in Huntsville, Ala., next week, including International Space Camp.
From July 28-Aug. 3, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville will host the nation's Teachers of the Year and provide them with a unique educational experience. Participating this year are 51 U.S. teachers -- including National Teacher of the Year Michelle Forman of Vermont -- and 22 educators from other countries. While attending Space Camp, educators will participate in simulated Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions, train on a variety of astronaut simulators and attend workshops to learn innovative hands-on techniques for teaching students about NASA's space program.
Educators also will attend a series of lectures and labs provided by the University of Alabama in Huntsville, meet members of the local aerospace community and tour Marshall - NASA's lead center for space transportation and manager of all of the propulsion elements that carry the Space Shuttle from launch to orbit. In addition to exploring new rocket technology, Marshall also manages the science experiments conducted on the Space Station.
"One of NASA's primary goals is to spark the imaginations of our young people and inspire them toward math, science and engineering careers," said Art Stephenson, director of the Marshall Center. "Supporting excellence in education through the Teacher of the Year program is an effective way of accomplishing that goal."
NASA is a long-time supporter of the U.S. Space Camp programs. "We are very excited that NASA is once again demonstrating its ongoing commitment to excellence in education," said Larry Capps, the chief executive officer of the Space & Rocket Center. "Educators are some of the world's best ambassadors for the space program and their participation here will carry over to classrooms around the world."
The Space & Rocket Center began International Space Camp in 1990, realizing that human space travel of the future would not be a sole U.S. effort, but rather an international undertaking. By including the U.S. Teachers of the Year in the program, the expertise and voices of exemplary teachers across the nation create informed advocates of space science and exploration.
Teachers of the Year are selected by each state's department of education after reviewing nominations from local school systems. The Teachers of the Year program dates back to 1953 and is the oldest and most prestigious awards program to focus public attention on educator excellence.
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 07/19/01 - 07/25/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Canberra tracking station on Wednesday, July 25. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/ .
Recent spacecraft activities include clearing the Attitude Control Subsystem (ACS) Highwater Marks, a Command & Data Subsystem Solid State Recorder Memory Load Partition repair, testing of the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) Instrument Expanded Blocks, and an RPWS High Frequency Receiver calibration. The Spacecraft Operations Office (SCO) performed two ACS Reaction Control Subsystem Controller tests to investigate possible ways to decrease thruster cycles and hydrazine use. The SCO team also completed the first of three instrument muting tests in support of future Huygens Probe checkouts.
A Delivery Coordination Meeting was held for version 4.1 of the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer Flight Software. The delivery was accepted and the software released for testing in the Integrated Test Laboratory, with a planned uplink in late August.
Training was conducted for team members from Instrument Operations, Composite Infrared Spectrometer, Imaging Science Subsystem, and Mission Support & Services Office. Classes introduced personnel to the Cassini Help Desk; Science Opportunity Analyzer; the JPL Problem Reporting System; the Uplink Process; Spacecraft, Planet, Instruments, C-matrix, and Events (SPICE) kernels; and Cassini's Distributed Object Manager file repository.
The Cross-Discipline and Magnetosphere Target Working Teams met to discuss the integration of the Tour segments allocated to these teams.
Cassini management staff supported a meeting with a subset of the board from the NASA Independent Annual Review to discuss board findings.
Two new Cassini slide sets have been posted on the web. "A Trip to Saturn" chronicles the assembly, launch, and journey of Cassini-Huygens to the Saturn System. "The Saturn System" is a compilation of images of Saturn, its moons, rings, and magnetospheres as seen by Voyager and the Hubble Telescope. "A Trip to Saturn" and "The Saturn System" slides can be viewed at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/pic/trip2saturn.html and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/pic/saturnsystem.html
Meteorites Don't Pop Corn
A fireball that dazzled Americans on July 23rd was a piece of a comet or an asteroid that exploded in the air like 3000 tons of TNT. Contrary to reports, however, it probably didn't scorch any cornfields. Small meteorites that reach the ground are usually cold, not hot. This story explains why.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast27jul_1.htm?list448368
July 27, 2001
SPECIAL KENNEDY SPACE CENTER LAUNCH EDITION Genesis Mission Outreach E-News, 20th Edition July 2001 ********************************************************** Visit the Genesis mission outreach Web site at: http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov
********************************************************** Countdown to Launch: The Countdown is ON!
Stay tuned to the Genesis mission Web site as we count down to launch. The Genesis mission homepage will provide links to NASA Television, enabling you to view pre-launch and launch programming online. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory will offer a live launch Webcast http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/webcast/genesis_launch and NASA's TV selection page http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/ntvweb.html lists additional links to sites that carry live streams of the Genesis launch. NASA TV will carry the pre-launch news conference live beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 29. On launch day, Monday, July 30, countdown coverage will begin at 11 a.m. EDT. Coverage from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will conclude shortly after spacecraft separation that occurs 64 minutes after launch. Commentary will then begin from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for acquisition of the spacecraft's radio signal through the Deep Space Network tracking station at Goldstone, California. This is anticipated to occur approximately 20 minutes after spacecraft separation. At that time the Genesis spacecraft's state of health can be reported.
You can continue to follow the pre-launch activities via our homepage live stream link from Kennedy Space Center. Would you like an insider's look as the Genesis spacecraft is prepared for launch? In their "latest pics straight from the lab," the Publisher's Photo Corner continues to feature images of "countdown to launch" activities online at: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/subjects/genesis.htm
********************************************************** Genesis Launch Events
July 30 launch events are happening around the country. Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassadors are hosting Genesis mission launch day presentations at Chabot Planetarium http://astro.clpccd.cc.ca.us/astrdept/planet.html in San Francisco, Adler Planetarium http://www.adlerplanetarium.org in Chicago, and Jetty Park http://www.jettypark.com at Port Canaveral in Florida. If you are in one of these areas, plan to attend a presentation on Monday for a great a direct line to the mission launch. The launch is scheduled for 12:36 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
********************************************************** Meet Don Sweetnam
Meet Genesis mission Operations Manager Don Sweetnam at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Don serves as PCAR team leader. "PCAR is an acronym for Planning, Control, Analysis, and Recovery*generally speaking, these are the tasks of the mission operations team. Our job is to fly the spacecraft by remote control from the time of launch until the return to Earth." When he's not working on the Genesis mission, Don spends time with his family and photographs the great outdoors. You can meet Don at: http://www.genesismission.org/people/sweetnam/sweetnaminterview.html
*********************************************************
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
JPL/Jane Platt Space Telescope Science Institute/Donna Weaver
HUBBLE'S PANORAMIC PORTRAIT OF A VAST STAR-FORMING REGION A panoramic view of a vast, sculpted area of gas and dust where thousands of stars are being born has been captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The image, taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, is online at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/21 and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/wfpc . The camera was designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
The photo offers an unprecedented, detailed view of the entire inner region of the fertile, star-forming 30 Doradus Nebula. The mosaic picture shows that ultraviolet radiation and high-speed material unleashed by the stars in the cluster, called R136 (the large blue blob left of center), are weaving a tapestry of creation and destruction, triggering the collapse of looming gas and dust clouds and forming pillar- like structures that incubate newborn stars.
The 30 Doradus Nebula is in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way located 170,000 light-years from Earth. Nebulas like 30 Doradus are signposts of recent star birth. High-energy ultraviolet radiation from young, hot, massive stars in R136 causes surrounding gaseous material to glow. Previous Hubble telescope observations showed that R136 contains several dozen of the most massive stars known, each about 100 times the mass of the Sun and about 10 times as hot. These stellar behemoths formed about 2 million years ago.
The stars in R136 produce intense "stellar winds," streams of material traveling at several million miles an hour. These winds push the gas away from the cluster and compress the inner regions of the surrounding gas and dust clouds (seen in the image as the pinkish material). The intense pressure triggers the collapse of parts of the clouds, producing a new star formation around the central cluster. Most stars in the nursery are not visible because they are still encased in cocoons of gas and dust.
This mosaic image of 30 Doradus consists of five overlapping pictures taken between January 1994 and September 2000 by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Several color filters enhance important details in the stars and the nebula. Blue corresponds to the hot stars. The greenish color denotes hot gas energized by the central cluster of stars. Pink depicts the glowing edges of the gas and dust clouds facing the cluster, which are being bombarded by winds and radiation. Reddish-brown represents the cooler surfaces of the clouds, which are not receiving direct radiation from the central cluster.
Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope is at http://www.stsci.edu . More information about the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 is at http://wfpc2.jpl.nasa.gov .
More
HUBBLE'S PANORAMIC PORTRAIT OF A VAST STAR-FORMING REGION
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a panoramic portrait of a vast, sculpted landscape of gas and dust where thousands of stars are being born. This fertile star-forming region, called the 30 Doradus Nebula, has a sparkling stellar centerpiece: the most spectacular cluster of massive stars in our cosmic neighborhood of about 25 galaxies. The mosaic picture shows that ultraviolet radiation and high- speed material unleashed by the stars in the cluster, called R136 [the large blue blob left of center], are weaving a tapestry of creation and destruction, triggering the collapse of looming gas and dust clouds and forming pillar-like structures that are incubators for nascent stars.
Credits: NASA, N. Walborn and J. Maiz-Apellaniz (Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD), R. Barba (La Plata Observatory, La Plata, Argentina)
To see and read more, please click on: http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/21 and via links in http://hubble.stsci.edu/go/news http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/latest.html and http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Mary Hardin
CONTRACTS AWARDED FOR MARS ASCENT VEHICLE CONCEPT STUDIES
NASA's Mars Technology Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has awarded three industry contracts for the development of concepts for a small rocket that will lift science samples gathered by NASA's Mars Sample Return mission from the Martian surface and support their return to Earth.
A panel consisting of propulsion experts including NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and JPL selected these companies from the five that responded to the request for proposals. The awardees are:
- Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif. - Lockheed Martin Corporation, Denver, Colo. - TRW, Redondo Beach, Calif.
The contracts are valued at $300,000 each and are to be performed over a six- month period. These studies will provide independent concepts and technology roadmaps to develop a Mars Ascent Vehicle for the Mars Sample Return mission. Concepts emerging from these studies will contribute to the final specifications for the eventual Mars Ascent Vehicle.
"The Mars Exploration Program is looking at a wide variety of ideas and concepts to conduct the Mars Sample Return mission. A small, reliable launch vehicle that would launch collected samples from the Martian surface months after initial arrival is considered one of the key building blocks requiring development. Launch of a sample return mission is scheduled for no sooner than 2011," said Dr. Samad Hayati, manager of the Mars Technology Program at JPL.
For more information about the Mars Exploration Program, go to: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov .
MISSION: STS-105 - 11th ISS Flight (7A.1) - Leonardo MPLM VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103 LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: August 9, 2001 at 5:38 p.m. EDT TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: August 21, 2001 at about 1:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 11 days, 20 hours and 25 minutes CREW: Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry, Forrester; (ISS up) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Turin; (ISS down) Usachev, Voss, Helms, ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Processing of Space Shuttle Discovery continues on schedule at Launch Pad 39A. Multiplexer-demultiplexer testing is complete and tomorrow the orbiter midbody umbilical unit will be mated to the vehicle and undergo routine leak checks. One of Discovery's master events controllers will be replaced and retested on Saturday. The Rotating Service Structure is being positioned today for payload operations. The Flight Readiness Review is scheduled to occur Aug. 1.
Payload Processing Note: The Leonardo MPLM arrived at the pad July 25 and has been installed in the payload changeout room. Discovery's payload bay doors are being opened today and the MPLM is slated for installation into the payload bay tomorrow morning. The standard payload interface verification test is slated for Aug. 2, and final payload bay door closure occurs Aug. 6.
Upcoming Milestones Flight Readiness Review begins Aug. 1 (10:30 a.m.) Launch countdown begins Aug. 6 (9 p.m.) External tank loading Aug. 9 (8:42 a.m. - 11:42 a.m.)
MISSION: STS-108 - 12th ISS Flight (UF1) - MPLM VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1 TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 29, 2001 at 7:23 p.m. EST TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 9, 2001 MISSION DURATION: 10 days CREW: Gorie, Kelly, Godwin, Tani; (ISS up) Onufrienko, Bursch, Walz; (ISS down) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees Shuttle Processing Note: Technicians have replaced the thermostat inside Endeavour's left-hand orbital maneuvering system pod. While Endeavour is powered down, workers are also performing planned modifications on orbiter wiring and harnesses.
Payload Processing Note: The Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC) arrived at KSC yesterday. Rack installation into MPLM in now underway.
Shuttle Processing Note: Work continues on Columbia's nose cap. Technicians are also checking out Columbia's Ku-band system and performing leak and functional tests on the orbiter's main propulsion system.
Shuttle Processing Note: Orbiter Atlantis has been jacked and leveled in OPF bay 2. Preliminary inspections revealed 110 debris hits to the orbiter's thermal protection system. Twenty-six hits measured 1-inch or larger. The landing gear tires are in good post-flight condition.
Main engine drying and draining of the power reactant storage system is in work today. Payload bay door opening is expected later today and payload removal occurs Tuesday.
July 26, 2001 MidDay Report
From Mark Helmlinger, JPL AirMISR Ground Truth Scientist on the road:
Hi. Been busy at BARC. We have been able to collect clear day data at three different sites and cover types in the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Saturday, the ER-2, with AirMISR, flew over, and Suz was instrumental (pardon the pun) in setting up our stuff and collecting field reflectances. She was gouged by the Spectralon panel, but wears her war wound proudly. She says that PARABOLA's operational tones sound like jungle noises. The field we were in is next to the Secret Service's training grounds. We heard lots of automatic weapons and mortar fire. So, Suz says it sounds like South American guerillas are attacking. On to the pictures: almost.jpg - Wouldn't you know it? The day before the one clear day we get for a while and the farmer wants to spray fertilizer. He was nice enough to work around us so we didn't have to uninstall too much equipment. PARA_corn.jpg - This is the view looking north about 30m from PARABOLA. Behind PARABOLA's stand is ShunLin's albedometer tower. There are two sensors, one at either end of the boom. One is the VNIR and the other far IR. PARABOLA is supported 5m up above the corn, and the tower behind it is 10m tall. The stature of the corn is not very consistent in this field. barcsite.jpg - This image of our "A" Reagan sunphotometer deployed in the field has been labled and speaks for itself. wirawhee.jpg - Where are we in this AirMISR image from over BARC Saturday the 21st? It's as easy as ABC. Mark & Susan
10th European Solar Physics Meeting SOLAR VARIABILITY: FROM CORE TO OUTER FRONTIERS Europhysics Conference September 9 - 14, 2002 Prague, Czech Republic http://www.asu.cas.cz/~spm10/
Flyer of First Announcement: http://soho.estec.esa.nl/SPS/spm2002.pdf
Callisto's watery secret
One of Jupiter's moons may hold an underground ocean.
ERICA KLARREICH Nature Science Update July 26, 2001
One of Jupiter's largest moons, Callisto, may hold watery secrets beneath its surface, suggests a new analysis. The satellite's icy crust may be the planetary equivalent of a blanket, insulating an underground ocean.[1]
Radioactivity at Callisto's core provides ample heat to keep water from freezing. But scientists believed that the heat would escape through the satellite's crust of ice and rock.
The first hints of Callisto's watery secret emerged in 1998. Data collected by sensors on the spacecraft Galileo revealed that the moon's magnetic field fluctuates as Jupiter turns. An underground ocean of salt water seemed the most plausible explanation, as salt water conducts electrical current, which could interact with Jupiter's magnetic field to produce the fluctuations.
Full story here:
http://www.nature.com/nsu/010726/010726-12.html
RELEASE: 01-255
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Expedition Two Science Operations Status Report for the week ending July 26, 2001
Payload ground support teams were at Kennedy Space Center to greet Space Shuttle Atlantis when it landed late Tuesday and retrieve their experiments that have been onboard the International Space Station for more than three months.
Now on their way back to labs around the country for analysis are the Advanced Astroculture experiment, Protein Crystal Growth Single Thermal Enclosure Unit experiment, and the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus experiment.
The goal of the Advanced Astroculture experiment, the first U.S. plant growth facility aboard the Station, was to grow plants through a complete life cycle - from seed to seed. When the Astroculture experiment returns to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, scientists will conduct physiology and morphology studies that include counting the number of seeds and leaves, growth height, weight and other factors, said Dr. Weijia Zhou, principal investigator for the experiment, with the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR). The post-mission study also will include cell wall and chemical analyses.
The seeds are Arabidopsis, a member of the same plant family as cabbage, cauliflower and radishes. It was selected for the experiment by WSCAR's commercial partner, Space Explorers Inc., because of several advantages such as rapid life cycle, easy cultivation in restricted space, prolific seed production, extensive genetic maps and other factors. Such advantages have led Arabidopsis becoming the model organism for studies of the molecular genetics of flowering plants.
Most of the seeds will be turned over to Space Explorers, located in De Pere, Wisconsin. The company plans to incorporate the results obtained from the post mission analysis into its "Orbital Laboratory" Internet-based commercial education program. It also will use the seeds for other proprietary commercial ventures.
Some of the space-grown seeds will be used to conduct the second Arabidopsis life cycle experiment on the upcoming UF-1 Shuttle mission to the Station, which will produce a second generation of space seeds, Zhou said.
"That will allow us to study whether microgravity may have effects on the plant's genetic code," Zhou said.
The protein crystallization experiment is on its way back to Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville for analysis of biological samples grown during the mission. The Bioprocessing Apparatus will return to the University of Colorado in Boulder where the payload team will try to learn why it experienced a failure early in the mission.
Automated payloads onboard the Station continued operating during the past week, while crew activities focused on docked operations with Space Shuttle Atlantis. The crew continued to monitor experiment health and status to make sure experiments were operating normally.
The Protein Crystal Growth Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar experiment transferred to the Station last week during the STS-104 Shuttle mission was placed in Zarya, the Russian FGB module, and is operating as expected. It is the last Expedition Two experiment to arrive on the Station.
On Saturday, July 21, the Microgravity Acceleration Experiment System recorded the Atlantis undocking. It also recorded the Shuttle docking last week. Scientists plan to compare the Station microgravity environment with and without the additional mass of an attached Shuttle. This information will be used by scientists planning future experiments that require a vibration-free environment and allow them to minimize the impact on their experiments.
During the past week, the Experiment on Physics of Colloids in Space conducted four scheduled operations. Two were used to downlink missing data files to the ground and perform some short science measurements to monitor any changes in four crystalline samples started in the past several weeks. The remaining two operations were used to mix the Colloid-Polymer Critical Point sample and begin studying its behavior. Scientists monitoring their experiment from the ground were able to obtain excellent data on the sample, which separated itself into two phases resembling a gas and a liquid.
A colloid is a system of fine particles suspended in a fluid. Paint, milk and ink are only some of the examples of colloid products routinely produced and used on Earth. Scientists hope to learn how to manipulate the physical structure of colloids for the manufacture of new materials and products.
No photography targets were uplinked to the crew last week for the Crew Earth Observations research program due to orbit changes caused by reboost activities to maintain the proper Station orbit. The next coordinates were scheduled to be uplinked to the crew on Thursday.
Other experiments continuing operations aboard the Station are: the Commercial Protein Crystal Growth experiment, the Active Rack Isolation System, and three radiation monitoring experiments -- Phantom Torso, Dosimetric Mapping and the Bonner Ball Neutron Detector.
The Payload Operations Center has sent more than 15,000 commands to the Space Station to date. The Expedition 3 cadre is scheduled to succeed the Expedition 2 team on round the clock operations on August 6. The Expedition 2 team is completing five months of round the clock operations and support for payload operations. In coming months, these controllers will be preparing to return to the control room for later Station missions.
In the meantime, controllers are continuing to update the software on board the Station to recognize the new payloads, and control software on the ground is undergoing similar updates.
July 26, 2001
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
IMAGE ADVISORY SPACE VIEW SHOWS TWO PLUMES FROM MT. ETNA ERUPTION Two volcanic plumes from Mt. Etna composed of different materials are visible in new images from NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer on the Terra satellite. A bright, brownish plume drifting southeast over the Ionian Sea is made up primarily of volcanic ash -- tiny frozen fragments of lava. A fainter, bluish-white plume, seen near the summit, contains very fine droplets of water and dilute sulfuric acid. The images, taken July 22, 2001, are available at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/volcano The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer, built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is one of several Earth-observing experiments aboard Terra, launched in December 1999. The instrument acquires images of the Earth at nine angles simultaneously, using nine separate cameras pointed forward, downward, and backward along its flight path. More information is available at
http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov .
Martha J. Heil,
INTERNET ADVISORY July 24, 2001
LAUNCH OF SUNBATHING SPACECRAFT TO BE WEBCAST
Web viewers can watch NASA's Genesis mission, set to catch a piece of the Sun and return it to Earth, launch July 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida.
The Internet event, lasting two and a half hours, will begin at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/webcast/genesis_launch/ .
Genesis will capture a piece of the Sun -- a sample of the ions and elements in the solar wind -- and bring the samples back to Earth so that scientists can study the exact composition of the Sun and probe the solar system's origin. By studying the solar wind, scientists hope to find clues about the formation of the solar system as we know it today. The Genesis mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colo.
In 2004, samples collected by Genesis will return to Earth in a spectacular helicopter capture. Specially trained helicopter pilots will catch the sample return capsule as it parachutes to the ground at Utah's Air Force Test and Training Range. The samples will then be analyzed to provide a "Rosetta Stone" of solar material for comparing the Sun's original ingredients to those of the planets and other solar system bodies. Information on the mission is available at http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/ .
Genesis is part of NASA's Discovery Program of competitively selected, low-cost solar system exploration missions with highly focused science goals. Chester Sasaki of JPL is project manager, and Dr. Donald Burnett of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena is the principal investigator. JPL is a division of Caltech.
July 25, 2001
Los Alamos National Laboratory Shelley Thompson, Los Alamos instruments to capture the sun An artist's rendering of the Genesis spacecraft and its payload. The concentrator (solar wind concentrator), ion monitor and electron monitor were designed and built by a team of scientists and engineers in Space and Atmospheric Sciences (NIS-1) and Space Instrumentation and System Engineering (NIS-4) groups at Los Alamos. The solar wind concentrator is designed to collect a high concentration of oxygen and return the sample back to Earth for analysis. The ion and electron monitors instantaneously determine which type of solar wind is passing the spacecraft at any time and translate that knowledge into actions for the solar wind concentrator and solar wind collector arrays.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 23, 2001 -- Three instruments designed and built by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory will help scientists understand the origin of the solar system. The instruments are aboard Genesis, a remote-controlled NASA space mission designed to capture particles from the sun and return them to Earth. The spacecraft is scheduled for launch on July 30 from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Genesis will collect samples of the solar wind to reveal the makeup of the cloud that formed the solar system nearly five billion years ago. Scientists believe the solar system possibly began with a dense cloud of gas and dust that collapsed in on itself. Most of this "solar nebula" condensed to form the sun, while outlying particles coalesced into the diverse planets, moons and comets that make up our solar system. Although scientists have a general understanding of the formation of the solar system, the composition of the initial nebula remains relatively unknown. Fortunately, nature provides a record of the solar nebula; its pristine composition is preserved for the most part in the outer layers of the sun. The solar wind provides a continuous flow of this material into space. "To understand how the planets were formed with their different compositions, we need to know the starting materials," explains Roger Wiens, who led the payload instrument development at Los Alamos. Genesis' main goal is to determine isotopic ratios of different elements in solar matter, with a focus on oxygen -- an element making up two thirds of everything found on earth. Oxygen isotope amounts vary among the different planets in the solar system and this puzzles scientists because all solar system bodies were supposedly formed from the same raw materials. An isotope is a variation of an element -- it has more or fewer neutrons in its nucleus making it heavier or lighter than the standard form of the element. Los Alamos designed and built a solar wind concentrator to collect a high concentration of oxygen and return the sample back to Earth for analysis. The concentrator takes solar wind and passes it through a series of electrically charged grids into a bowl-shaped mirror. The mirror reflects a filtered stream of elements heavier than hydrogen upward into a centrally poised collector tile, where oxygen and other elements embed themselves. The several layers of charged grids are made of incredibly strong and durable wires one-fourth the diameter of a human hair. The wire grids possess different electrical charges to filter out the much more numerous hydrogen ions and direct other ions of interest to the collector tile. The collector tile, a four inch disk, is made of four pie-shaped pieces of ultra-pure materials: one industrial diamond wedge, two silicon carbide wedges and one wedge of silicon topped with thin diamond. The entire interior of the concentrator is coated with a very thin layer of gold to keep all the surfaces free of oxygen.
"We used a solar simulation, initially a spotlight purchased from Hollywood, to test how the concentrator will respond to sunlight in the vacuum of space," said Wiens. "During the test, we had to monitor the shapes of the fragile grids. If the grids get any damage, like wrinkles, this could change the path of the ions so that they don't reach the collector tile and this would give skewed results." "The concentrator is the first solar instrument sent into space that we will ever see again," said Beth Nordholt, of the Neutron Science and Technology Group and one of the leaders on the concentrator instrument. "All other instruments aboard spacecrafts remain in space indefinitely, or, like Lunar Prospector, are intentionally crashed after their mission ends. This is the first mission in three decades, since the Apollo missions in the seventies, that will bring extraterrestrial samples back to Earth for analysis." The other two Los Alamos instruments aboard Genesis are solar wind ion and electron monitors. Genesis' ion and electron monitors instantaneously determine which type of solar wind is passing the spacecraft at any time and translate that knowledge into actions for the solar wind concentrator and solar wind collector arrays -- five meter-sized panels containing 55 coaster-sized tiles made of a variety of materials selected to trap specific elements in the solar wind. The monitors will distinguish between three types of solar wind by recognizing their characteristic temperature, velocity, direction and composition. The onboard computer will use the information collected by the monitors to adjust the solar wind concentrator for optimum oxygen concentration and to select the appropriate collector arrays for exposure to the wind. The ion monitor measures the density, temperature and energy of protons and alpha particles -- helium atoms stripped of their electrons -- in the solar wind. About 96 percent of the solar wind is composed of protons, 4 percent alpha particles and less than 1 percent minor ions, one being oxygen. Genesis' electron monitor will determine the direction of travel of solar-wind-electrons. Located on the edge of Genesis' equipment deck, it can view the whole sky as the spacecraft rotates. Genesis will collect just 10 to 20 micrograms of solar wind -- or the equivalent of a few grains of salt. The extraterrestrial material will return to Earth in 2004 -- in the spacecraft's specially designed sample return capsule -- for analysis. The instruments were built in clean rooms to avoid terrestrial contamination in order to guarantee the atoms analyzed are of pristine solar origin. They were designed and constructed by a team of scientists and engineers from Los Alamos' Space and Atmospheric Sciences and Space Instrumentation groups under the direction of Wiens, Nordholt, Bruce Barraclough, Donald Mietz, Eric Dors and Daniel Reisenfeld. Genesis is the first spacecraft to have a completely robotically-controlled sample collection system in which data from science instruments is used to control sample collection. The software to control the payload was developed jointly by Los Alamos National Laboratory and the spacecraft builder, Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver. The mission is led by Donald Burnett, a professor in the Geology and Planetary Science Division at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The collector tile portion of the payload was also built at JPL. During flight, the entire payload will be under the control of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Scientists will monitor the health of the payload instruments and will keep a history of all solar wind conditions and array exposure times. These data will be made available to the scientific community at large. Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Don Savage For Release: July 24, 2001 NASA Headquarters George H. Diller Kennedy Space Center
Martha Heil Jet Propulsion Laboratory KSC Release No: 88-01 NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: GENESIS SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH JULY 30 ABOARD BOEING DELTA II The launch of NASA's Genesis spacecraft is scheduled for Monday, July 30 at 12:36:01 p.m. EDT. The launch window is two minutes in duration. Liftoff will occur aboard a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Should launch be postponed for 24 hours for any reason, the launch time on July 31 is 12:32:34 p.m. EDT. Genesis, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will catch a piece of the Sun -- a sample of the elements and ions in the solar wind and bring them back to Earth. Scientists can then study the exact composition of the Sun and probe the solar system's origin. By studying the solar wind, scientists will have a detailed view of the factors that went into building the solar system as we know it today. Genesis' samples will return to Earth in a capsule in September 2004. As the capsule parachutes toward the ground in the Air Force's Utah Testing and Training Range, it will be captured by a helicopter to prevent the samples from being disturbed by impact with the ground. The samples will then be analyzed to provide a basis for comparing the Sun and the solar nebula's compositions to those of the planets and the other solar system bodies. This makes these samples a "Rosetta Stone" of data. PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE A prelaunch news conference is scheduled for Sunday, July 29, at 1 p.m. EDT in the NASA-KSC News Center auditorium and will be carried live on NASA Television. Participating in the briefing will be: * Jay Bergstralh, Chief Scientist, Solar System Exploration, NASA Headquarters * Omar Baez, NASA Launch Manager, Kennedy Space Center * Rich Murphy, Mission Director, The Boeing Company * Chet Sazaki, Genesis Project Manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory * Lloyd Oldham, Genesis Program Manager, Lockheed Martin Space Systems - Astronautics Operations * Don Burnett, Principal Investigator, California Institute of Technology * Joel Tumbiolo, Launch Weather Officer, Department of the Air Force ACCREDITATION Media who wish to cover the launch of Genesis including the prelaunch news conference should send a letter of request to the NASA-KSC News Center on news organization letterhead by the close of business on Friday, July 27. It should include name and Social Security number or passport number, and be faxed to 321/867-2692 or addressed to: Genesis Launch Accreditation NASA XA-E1 Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 Genesis mission badges may be obtained at the NASA-KSC News Center beginning on Friday, July 27, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. On launch day, Monday, July 30, Genesis mission badges will be available starting at 11 a.m. and will be issued at the Pass & Identification Building on SR 401 outside Gate 1 of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Departure on launch day from the Gate 1 Pass & Identification Building for Press Site 1 will be at 11:15 a.m. A NASA Genesis mission badge is required for all media covering the launch at Press Site 1. Annual KSC badges or other Space Shuttle launch credentials will not be honored on Genesis launch day. After launch, media may leave unescorted for the return to Gate 1. An escort is required for all other areas of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For further information on Genesis launch accreditation contact Patti Beck at the NASA-KSC News Center at 321/867-2468. REMOTE CAMERAS Media wishing to establish remote cameras at the launch pad should meet at the NASA-KSC News Center at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 29 to be escorted to Space Launch Complex 17. TOWER ROLLBACK PHOTO OPPORTUNITY A photo opportunity to view rollback of the mobile service tower will be available on launch day. Media will depart from the Gate 1 Pass & Identification Building at 6:15 a.m. on Monday, July 30. PRESS SITE OPERATING HOURS On launch day, the NASA-KSC News Center will be open from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE, V CIRCUITS, WEBCAST AND RECORDED LAUNCH STATUS NASA Television will carry the prelaunch news conference beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 29. On launch day, Monday, July 30, countdown coverage will begin at 11 a.m. Coverage from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will conclude shortly after spacecraft separation that occurs 64 minutes after launch. Commentary will then begin from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for acquisition of the spacecraft's radio signal through the Deep Space Network tracking station at Goldstone, Calif. This is anticipated to occur approximately 20 minutes after spacecraft separation. At that time the Genesis spacecraft's state of health can be reported. NASA Television is available on satellite GE 2, transponder 9C, located at 85 degrees West longitude. A simulcast of the NASA Television coverage will also be available on the worldwide web at www.ksc.nasa.gov. Information about the Genesis mission is available on-line at http://www.ast.lmco.com/.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
Donald Savage Headquarters, Washington, DC
Jane Platt Jet Propulsion Laboratory , Pasadena, CA
STAR WITH MIDRIFF BULGE EYED BY ASTRONOMERS
For the first time ever, a star spinning so fast its mid-section is stretched out has been directly measured by an ultra-high-resolution NASA telescope system on Palomar Mountain near San Diego.
"Measuring the shape of this star, Altair, was as difficult as standing in Los Angeles, looking at a hen's egg in New York, and trying to prove that it's oval-shaped and not circular," said Dr. Charles Beichman, chief scientist for astronomy and physics at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA.
Altair is a well-known member of the Summer Triangle, clearly visible in the summer night sky across the United States. Scientists using the Palomar Testbed Interferometer, which links multiple telescopes, measured the star's radius at different angles on the sky. They noticed the size of the star varied with changing angles, which was the first tip-off that Altair is not perfectly round.
"This surprising observation led to a bit of challenging detective work to properly interpret the data," said principal investigator Dr. Gerard van Belle of JPL. "We measured the size of another star, Vega, at the same time, which didn't change with angle, so we knew this wasn't just a fluke of the telescope."
Previous studies of Altair raised the prospect that the star might have midriff bulge, but never before had the shape been measured directly. Earlier measurements of the star's spectrum, or light-wave pattern, had hinted that Altair was rotating very fast. When a gaseous orb, like a star, spins fast enough, it tends to expand at the middle, like a beach ball that is squeezed at the top and bottom.
Altair is a perfect example -- it rotates at least once every 10.4 hours, and the new Palomar observations reveal the diameter at its equator is at least 14 percent greater than at its poles. For a star that spins slowly, this effect is miniscule. For example, our Sun rotates once every 30 days and has an equator only .001 percent greater in diameter than its poles.
By measuring Altair's size at separate positions along its edge, van Belle and his colleagues determined that Altair rotates at a speed of at least 210 kilometers per second (470,000 mph) at the equator. Future studies may pin down the speed more precisely.
"Determining the shape of another star helps us learn about the forces that control the shape and structure of all stars, including our star, the Sun," Beichman said. "This tells us more about the Sun's behavior and ultimate fate."
The Palomar Testbed Interferometer has three 50-centimeter (20-inch) telescopes. To study Altair, the telescopes were used two at a time. The combined light from the telescope pairs provided sharpness comparable to a telescope as large as a football field.
"Altair is the twelfth brightest star in the sky -- you'd think that everything there is to know about this star would have been discovered already," said co-investigator Dr. David Ciardi of the University of Florida, Gainesville. "It's a good example of the surprises you're going to encounter when you are able to look at even familiar stars with unprecedented resolution."
The Palomar Testbed Interferometer is paving the way for the Keck Interferometer, Space Interferometry Mission and Terrestrial Planet Finder, all part of NASA's Origins program. The program will hunt for Earthlike planets that might harbor life around other stars. "In the long run, we'll use these interferometric capabilities to search for planets around nearby stars. This is an important first step," said Beichman.
Van Belle and Ciardi co-authored the Altair paper, scheduled to appear in the October 1 issue of the Astrophysical Journal, with Robert Thompson of JPL and the University of Wyoming, Laramie; Dr. Rachel Akeson of the JPL/Caltech Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Pasadena, CA; and Dr. Elizabeth Lada of the University of Florida, Gainesville.
Their research was funded by NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, along with the National Science Foundation. Palomar Observatory is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, which manages JPL for NASA. The Palomar Testbed Interferometer was designed and built by a team of JPL researchers led by Drs. Mark Colavita and Michael Shao. Funded by NASA and managed by JPL, the interferometer is located at the Palomar Observatory near the historic 200-inch Hale Telescope.
Images and animation of Altair are available at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/stars/index.html Information on the Palomar Testbed Interferometer is available at: http://huey.jpl.nasa.gov/palomar Information on NASA's Origins Program is available at: http://origins.jpl.nasa.gov
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SHUTTLE and PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS REPORT Wednesday, July 25, 2001 (1 a.m.)
NOTE: This is an orbiter processing report and does not necessarily reflect the chronological order of upcoming Space Shuttle flights. Visit http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/schedule.htm on the KSC Home Page for the latest schedule of future Shuttle missions.
MISSION: STS-104 - 10th ISS Flight (7A) - Airlock VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: Shuttle Landing Facility KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July 12, 2001 at 5:03:59 a.m. EDT KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 24, 2001 at 11:39 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, CREW: Lindsey, Hobaugh, Kavandi, Gernhardt, Reilly ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down tonight on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15 completing its 13-day mission to deliver the new airlock to the International Space Station. Landing occurred on the first opportunity at 11:39 p.m. EDT (July 24). Through the evening, mission managers and forecasters were treated to near perfect weather conditions for the ending of the year's fourth Shuttle mission.
Atlantis will be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 at about 5 a.m. Wednesday and soon begin processing for its next mission to the International Space Station slated for launch early next year. The five-member crew was lead by Commander Steven Lindsey.
Unofficial landing times are:
Main gear touchdown -- 11:38:55 p.m. EDT (12 days, 18 hours, 34 minutes, 56 seconds) Nose gear touchdown -- 11:39:10 p.m. EDT (12 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes, 11 seconds) Wheels stop -------------- 11:40:38 p.m. EDT (12 days, 18 hours, 36 minutes, 39 seconds)
WEATHER AND CLIMATE FORECASTING IN THE YEARS AHEAD: LIVE INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY WITH SUPERCOMPUTING SCIENTISTS
Using what may be the most powerful parallel supercomputer of its kind, NASA scientists can now evaluate the global impact of natural and human-induced activities on our climate and predict probable climate patterns in the future.
On Tuesday, July 31, computer scientists Dr. William Feiereisen and Dr. James Taft of NASA Ames Research Center will be available for live interviews to discuss Ames' world-leading supercomputing technology that may significantly improve our ability to simulate future climate dynamics.
"The new supercomputer will lead to faster and better development of climate models for the Earth science community, government and industry," said Feiereisen, Chief of the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility. "We have improved our ability to simulate climate by a factor of 10. Such a substantial increase in performance allows Earth scientists to complete climate simulations in days, rather than months, leading to a better understanding of how human activity has changed climate patterns," he added.
"The new techniques have demonstrated a development path that will allow us to move forward to100-times performance improvements over the next few years. At these performance levels, we can begin to execute climate simulations at truly high resolution, while taking advantage of the huge data streams emerging from the latest Earth resources satellites," added Taft.
Possible Questions for Ames Scientists:
Why use a computer to predict climate? What is different about this supercomputer? How can supercomputing help us predict the weather? How does a supercomputer show the impact of human activities on our climate? Who will benefit from this advancement?
ESO Photo Gallery updated - ESO/CERN/ESA Conference website
the ESO Photo Gallery has now been fully updated, with new images from La Silla and Paranal. At the same time, the latest images have been placed in the area with VLT Astronomical Photos. Look at:
http://www.eso.org/outreach/gallery/ and
http://www.eso.org/outreach/info-events/ut1fl/astroimages.html
Some icons have been added to the "Outreach" top-page, in order to facilitate access to the various areas of this website, cf.:
http://www.eso.org/outreach/
More information about the ESO-CERN-ESA Symposium on "Astronomy, Cosmology and Fundamental Physics" (March 4-7, 2002, Garching bei Muenchen, Germany) is now available on the web at:
http://www.eso.org/gen-fac/meetings/symp2002/
Space Seeds Return to Earth
Seed pods from a commercial gardening experiment aboard the International Space Station are back on our planet. The far-out pods will liven up Earth-bound biology classrooms and may hold the key to long-term habitation of space.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast25jul_1.htm?list448368
"CLAMS" MISSION STUDIES EAST COAST OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE
NASA scientists are using a Virginia lighthouse, research aircraft and a satellite for a unique field study this summer. On the sea, in the sky, and from outer space, they are hoping for a better understanding of global climate change.
Led by NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, the Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites campaign, or "CLAMS," started in early July. Scientists are using equipment mounted on the U.S. Coast Guard's Chesapeake lighthouse about 15 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, VA, as well as instruments on six research airplanes and the orbiting Terra research satellite to enhance their knowledge of how the ocean affects the atmosphere.
"Ultimately, we are trying to improve our understanding of the Earth's climate," said Langley researcher Bill Smith Jr., the CLAMS lead mission scientist.
Scheduled through early August, CLAMS has as its major goals to improve satellite-based estimates of aerosol measurements and to measure ocean characteristics. This will create a better understanding of how Earth maintains its overall temperature or its energy budget. Researchers fly the aircraft at the same time, one above another to scan the ocean and sample air high into the atmosphere. CLAMS is using the NASA OV-10, the NASA high- flying ER-2, the University of Washington Convair 580, a Proteus aircraft, a Learjet, and a Cessna during the mission. Mission operations and some of the planes are based at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, VA.
Scientists will combine measurements from aircraft instruments and from the long-term CERES Ocean Validation Experiment (COVE) at the lighthouse to improve information from CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) and other instruments on NASA's Terra satellite.
"CLAMS is focusing on understanding some important pieces of the climate prediction puzzle, such as ocean properties and atmospheric aerosols, so we can improve estimates of the Earth's energy budget," Smith said.
The Terra spacecraft is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research effort dedicated to understanding how human-induced and natural changes affect our global environment.
Additional information is available on the Internet at:
http://snowdog.larc.nasa.gov/clams/
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/ceres/ASDceres.html
http://terra.nasa.govv/
July 24, 2001
STS-104 Report # 27 Tuesday, July 24, 2001 - 11 p.m. CDT Atlantis and its crew of five glided to a landing at Kennedy Space Center late Tuesday, ending a 5.3-million-mile mission that saw successful installation of the International Space Station's new airlock Quest.
The Atlantis crew, Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, spent eight days docked to the station during their almost 13-day flight. Reilly and Gernhardt completed three spacewalks to help with Quest's installation and its fitting out with four high-pressure tanks, two oxygen and two nitrogen.
Lindsey and Hobaugh fired Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines at 9:32 p.m. CDT to drop the shuttle out of orbit for the 10:39 p.m. landing at KSC on the 3-mile-long Shuttle Landing Facility runway. Their landing was the 55th shuttle landing and the 13th night landing at KSC. Florida weather cooperated beautifully, with none of the rain showers that caused waveoff of two landing opportunities a day earlier.
The Atlantis crew is expected to return to Houston on Thursday for a 4 p.m. public welcome home at Ellington Field's Hangar 990. For updates on crew arrival time at Ellington, please call 281 483-8600.
Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss, will be awakened just before midnight to resume their full work schedule after two light days of activity. Flight controllers in Moscow successfully performed the fourth of five scheduled orbital adjustment burns using jet thrusters on the Progress supply vehicle docked at the rear of the Service Module Tuesday afternoon. The maneuvers are designed to optimize the station's orbit for the arrival of the next Progress vehicle in August and the Russian Docking Compartment in September.
The station is in excellent condition, orbiting at an average altitude of about 240 statute miles. The next space station status report will be issued Aug. 1, or sooner if events warrant. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SHUTTLE and PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS REPORT Tuesday, July 24, 2001 (1 a.m.)
MISSION: STS-104 - 10th ISS Flight (7A) - Airlock VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: On orbit KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July 12, 2001 at 5:03:59 a.m. EDT KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 24, 2001 at 11:39 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 12 days, 18 hours CREW: Lindsey, Hobaugh, Kavandi, Gernhardt, Reilly ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Mission managers waived off both landing opportunities early this morning due to rain showers within 30 miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility. Atlantis is now scheduled to land at KSC on the first of two opportunities Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning. Because the weather forecast for KSC is reported to be improving, mission managers have decided not to call up Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for landing there. KSC landing opportunities are:
Orbit Site Deorbit Burn Landing 200 KSC (Tuesday) 10:35 p.m. 11:39 p.m. EDT 201 KSC (Wednesday) 12:12 a.m. 1:15 a.m.
STS-104 Report # 25 Tuesday, July 24, 2001 1:30 a.m. CDT Atlantis and its crew of five will spend at least one more day in orbit, after the weather in Florida refused to permit landing Monday night on either of two opportunities to Kennedy Space Center.
Atlantis will try again Tuesday night. The first of two opportunities for KSC would see a landing at 10:39 p.m. CDT on the 200th orbit of the mission. The second opportunity for the Florida landing site would see Atlantis touch down on orbit 201 at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. Weather forecasts for Florida called for improving conditions.
Conditions late Monday and early Tuesday were marginal at the Cape, but very nearly improved enough to permit landing. Showers near the landing strip prevented Atlantis, homecoming, and the decision was made to back off and try again Tuesday night without calling up landing support in California.
Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly reopened the shuttle,s payload bay doors as they moved through procedures to back out of the landing configuration. The crew was scheduled to go to bed just after 6 a.m. Tuesday, and to be awakened a few minutes after 2 p.m. to begin landing preparations again.
On the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew awakened about 9:30 p.m. CDT Wednesday for another day of light duty following the hectic pace of joint operations with the shuttle crew. Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss were informed of their colleagues, delayed return to Earth. About the only activities scheduled were continued unloading and stowage of the 2,500 pounds of supplies delivered by the Atlantis crew.
Both the shuttle and station continue to orbit at an average altitude of 240 statute miles with all systems working well.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 35812 For release: July 24, 2001 UPDATE: 01-254 Stennis completes second hot-fire test of aerospike engine technology for Space Launch Initiative Stennis Space Center has successfully completed the second test in a three-part series for a Space Launch Initiative (SLI) test program of the Electro-Mechanical Actuator (EMA) technology used on the former X-33 program's Linear Aerospike XRS-2200 flight engine set. The July 23 test achieved 80 percent power-level and went the full scheduled duration of 25 seconds. The test series is a unique opportunity for NASA to effectively gain valuable experience and data from existing commercial technology. EMAs electronically regulate the amount of propellant (fuel and oxidizer) flow in the engine. The technology is a potential alternative and improvement to the older hydraulic-fluid systems currently used by the aerospace industry to drive and control critical rocket engine valves. All test objectives appear to have been met, pending final data review. Post-test inspections are in-work. The third and final test in this series is planned to occur in about two weeks. The Space Launch Initiative is managed for NASA by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It is a research and technology development effort designed to substantially improve safety and reliability, and reduce the high cost of space travel. Additional information on NASA's Space Launch Initiative is available on the Internet at: http://www.slinews.com
July 23, 2001
Inspired by science fiction classics, NASA scientists are building a talking, thinking and flying robot to help astronauts with their chores in space.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast23jul_1.htm?list448368
Martin Weisskopf, Phil Stahl of NASA Marshall Center named fellows in optical engineering society
Dr. Martin Weisskopf and Dr. H. Philip Stahl of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., have been selected as fellows of SPIE -- The International Society for Optical Engineering.
SPIE is an international technical society for engineering and scientific applications of technologies related to optics, imaging and photonics, the electronic technology behind optical devices such as lasers or video cameras.
Fellows, distinguished individuals who have made significant scientific and technical contributions in these areas, are recognized for their service to the general optics community and SPIE.
Weisskopf, chief of X-ray Astronomy at the Marshall Center, is project scientist for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the world's largest X-ray telescope. Stahl, a senior optical physicist at Marshall, is the Next Generation Space Telescope Mirror technology lead, the Next Generation Space Telescope Center Lead and the Optical Technologies group lead at Marshall's Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center.
Their induction brings the number of Marshall employees who are fellows in this prestigious organization to four. Jim Bilbro, assistant to the Marshall Center Director for optics, and Richard Hoover, an astrobiologist in Marshall's Science Directorate, also are fellows, and serve on the society's 2001 executive board.
"There are only 282 fellows in the society, and two from Marshall serve on the executive board," said Bilbro, the board's secretary and a fellow since 1992. "This is indicative of Marshall's role internationally."
Hoover, named a fellow in 1991, is this year's SPIE president. "The annual recognition by elevation to the rank of SPIE fellow provides an opportunity for the Society to acknowledge outstanding members who have made important scientific contributions to the fields of Optics and Photonics and exhibited distinguished service to the general optics community in the view of their peers," he explained.
Weisskopf, who earned his doctorate in physics from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass, has held numerous special appointments during his career. He is a senior co-investigator of the European Space Agency's international X-ray imaging experiment, called IBIS. He is principal investigator of a major experimental research program initiated in 1978 that currently concentrates on the development of X-ray optics.
Stahl earned his doctorate in optical sciences from the University of Arizona Optical Sciences Center in Tucson. He is the Next Generation Space Telescope Mirror technology lead, the Next Generation Space Telescope Center lead and the Optical Technologies group lead at Marshall's Space Optics Manufacturing and Technology Center. The Next Generation Space Telescope is being developed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Stahl is a leading authority in optical engineering, the science of precise measurement known as optical metrology, and phase-measuring interferometry - a highly accurate method for measuring the shape of an optical wavefront or surface.
Many of the world's largest telescopes - such as the Very Large Telescope (VLT), Keck and Gemini -- have been fabricated with the aid of equipment developed by Stahl, including high-speed and infrared phase-measuring interferometers used for measuring wavelengths of light.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is NASA's lead center for development of advanced large optics manufacturing technology and space transportation and propulsion systems, as well as microgravity research.
The largest professional optics engineering society of its kind, SPIE serves the global technical and business communities, with more than 15,000 individual, 320 corporate and 3,000 technical group members in more than 80 countries. A
ASTRONAUTS TO TESTIFY FROM SPACE TO U.S. CONGRESSSTRONAUTS TO TESTIFY FROM SPACE TO U.S. CONGRESS
Astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station, while orbiting more than 200 miles above Earth, will become the first-ever witnesses to present live testimony before Congress during an unprecedented House Science Committee Hearing.
The International Space Station is the most complex international endeavor ever undertaken. Still under construction, it is now larger and more capable than any spacecraft ever flown.
The space testimonial is scheduled for Wednesday, July 25, at noon.
Flight Engineers James Voss and Susan Helms, part of the second crew to live on the station, will provide a brief tour of the facilities, explain construction activities and discuss research capabilities aboard the operational outpost. Astronaut Mary Ellen Weber, a crewmember on the May 2000 space shuttle flight -- the third mission to install components and transfer supplies to the station -- and astronaut Bill Shepherd (Captain, USN), the first American resident and commander on the station, will also testify at the hearing. Weber, who holds a doctorate in physical chemistry, will explain the relevance of space-based experiments and provide personal reflections on research and scientific investigations in space. Shepherd will discuss a typical day in the life of a crewmember on the International Space Station, as well as the challenges involved in constructing, living and working in a permanently inhabited space-based facility.
The hearing will be held in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill and is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Testimony from the Expedition Two Crew will be carried live on NASA Television and webcast on NASA's Internet homepage. The hearing will also be taped and replayed on NASA TV.
NASA TV is available on GE-2, Transponder 9C, at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 MHz, and audio of 6.8 MHz.
NASA TV is transmitted on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/ntvweb.html
Additional information about the International Space Station, upcoming missions, crews and their activities is available on the Internet at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/
ASTRONAUTS' TESTIMONY FROM SPACE POSTPONED
Due to a scheduling conflict, the House Science Committee Hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday, July 25, featuring astronauts testifying from the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, is postponed until later this year.
GOES-M ENVIRONMENTAL SPACECRAFT SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED
An advanced environmental satellite equipped with instruments to monitor Earth's weather and with a telescope that will be used to detect solar storms soared into space this morning at 3:23:01 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
The satellite, GOES-M, will monitor hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, flash floods and other severe weather. It is the first of the GOES satellites equipped with a Solar X-ray Imager which will be used to forecast earth space weather due to solar activity.
NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-M spacecraft was carried into space aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA rocket. Twenty-seven minutes later, the spacecraft separated from the Centaur stage. At approximately 4:40 a.m., controllers successfully deployed the outer panel of the solar array, making the spacecraft power positive.
"We're off to a great start," said Martin Davis, GOES project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "The spacecraft is now in transfer orbit and all data indicates we have a healthy spacecraft."
The spacecraft is a three-axis internally stabilized weather spacecraft that has the dual capability of providing pictures while performing atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once in geostationary orbit, the spacecraft is to be designated GOES-12.
Throughout the next 17 days, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) controllers are scheduled to perform several apogee motor firings and adjust maneuvers, culminating with the spacecraft arriving in a geosynchronous orbit 22,240 miles (35,790 kilometers) above the Earth's equator at 90 degrees West Longitude. Controllers will operate the spacecraft from the NOAA's Satellite Operations Control Center in Suitland, Md.
The first of several burns to move the spacecraft into its final orbit begin approximately 20 hours after liftoff, when controllers perform the first apogee motor firing, lasting for 53 minutes. The second firing is scheduled for approximately four days after liftoff and will last for 30 minutes.
The third and final apogee motor firing is scheduled for approximately six days after liftoff, and will last for approximately six minutes. Apogee is the point at which a spacecraft is farthest from the Earth and at its minimum velocity. Apogee burns are designed to boost GOES-M from its transfer orbit to geosynchronous orbit.
The primary objective of the GOES-M launch is to provide a fully capable spacecraft in on-orbit storage, which can be activated on short notice to assure continuity of services from a two-spacecraft constellation.
GOES-M was built and launched for NOAA under technical guidance and project management by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
GOES information and imagery are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.goes.noaa.gov http://goes2.gsfc.nasa.gov http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/
The images taken by the Solar X-ray Imager will be available in real time to the general public via the World Wide Web, through NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colo. When available, the images will be at: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/stp.html
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 07/12/01 - 07/18/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Monday, July 16. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/ .
Recent spacecraft activities include a clearing of the Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem (AACS) Highwater Marks, a Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) Low Energy Magnetospheric Measurement Subsystem (LEMMS) sensor power cycle, and a Radio Frequency Subsystem (RFS) static phase error test. The Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA) system was unloaded and powered off, and the spacecraft switched to Reaction Control Subsystem (RCS) control as planned. As part of a Periodic Instrument Maintenance activity, the Radio Science Subsystem (RSS) team executed a High Gain Antenna (HGA) boresight calibration and Ultra Stable Oscillator (USO) characterization. The Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument performed a High Frequency Receiver (HFR) calibration, and the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (UVIS) performed two interplanetary hydrogen surveys. The Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) successfully executed its first observations of Saturn along with some star calibrations, and the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) performed a Pleiades observation.
The Instrument Operations/Multimission Image Processing Laboratory (IO/MIPL) team created and delivered 362 ISS image products of Saturn and stars. The main body of Saturn is about 40 pixels across in the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) image, and about 90 pixels across when Saturn's rings are included. Titan is also visible and was calculated to be 1.6 pixels across. For comparison, if the NAC were viewing Saturn from Earth, the main body would be about 16 pixels across. Additionally, IO/MIPL created and delivered 220 VIMS cube products of stars.
The Huygens Mission Recovery Task Force (HRTF) held its eighth meeting at the European Space Research & Technology Centre in Noordwijk, Holland. The agenda for this last meeting was to prepare the final report and to consolidate follow-on actions for the JPL and European Space Agency (ESA) teams which will implement the new Huygens mission.
The Attitude Control Flight Software Development team delivered version A8.3.2 of the AACS Flight Software (FSW) to the Integrated Test Lab (ITL) for further testing. This is the second point build for A8.3, which is the FSW build the Spacecraft Operations Office (SCO) is using for critical sequence development.
The VIMS team delivered version 4.1 FSW to the Project Software Library. An ITL test of the newly delivered flight software was conducted to produce data to validate the new MIPL ground software that will process data generated by the FSW. Analysis of the data processing is underway.
An in-depth Critical Design Review (CDR) of Cassini Tour Downlink Operations Concepts was held as the first in a series of reviews to present Cassini readiness for Tour. Additionally, a dry-run presentation was held in preparation for the next CDR, which will review the Cassini Ground Data System.
System Engineering and MSSO personnel worked with the Cassini Information Management System (CIMS) developers to identify several new procedures to increase user access capabilities to the CIMS Web Server.
A kaleidoscopic movie made from about 1,200 Jupiter images taken by Cassini revealed unexpectedly persistent polar weather patterns on the giant planet, and was featured on the CNN website at http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/07/17/jupiter.storms.reut/index.html
Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
STS-104 Report # 24 Monday, July 23, 2001 - 4 p.m. CDT Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly were awakened at 3:04 p.m. CDT to begin preparations for a return trip to Earth with a planned landing tonight at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The wakeup song was "Honey, I'm Home" by Shania Twain, played for Kavandi.
Preliminary weather forecasts show generally favorable conditions at the Shuttle Landing Facility tonight, with only a possibility of low clouds and rain within 30 miles of the runway.
The crew will begin its final deorbit preparations around 6:30 p.m. Atlantis' payload bay doors are slated to be closed at 7:49 p.m. and computers on the shuttle will be switched to landing mode at 8:01 p.m. with the crew scheduled to climb into their seats at 9:29 p.m. for the first of tonight's two landing opportunities.
The first opportunity to return to Florida begins with a deorbit burn at 10:29 p.m. resulting in an 11:37 p.m. CDT landing Monday (12:37 a.m. eastern time Tuesday.) If weather precludes a landing on the first opportunity, there is a second landing opportunity beginning with an engine firing at 12:08 a.m. and a landing at 1:14 a.m. Tuesday. For the second landing opportunity, Houston area residents would have an opportunity to watch Atlantis streak through the sky on its return to Florida. Atlantis would pass over the Houston area moving from southwest to east beginning at 12:57 a.m. Atlantis and its plasma trail should be visible in the skies for approximately two minutes as it flies at speeds between Mach 10-12 at an altitude of 130,000 feet, with less than 20 minutes to touchdown in Florida.
Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew enjoyed a quiet day on orbit with no scheduled work, though they did spend some time working on items from their Task List. Both spacecraft continue to orbit the Earth in excellent condition at an average altitude of 240 statute mile
STS-104 Report # 23 Monday, July 23, 2001 - 7 a.m. CDT With the equipment used during the 10th International Space Station assembly mission securely stowed and all systems needed for landing checked out and ready to go, Atlantis, crew went to bed at 7:04 a.m. CDT today.
Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will awaken at 3:04 p.m., and begin deorbit preparations at 6:30 p.m. The shuttle's payload bay doors are slated to be closed at 7:49 p.m. Computers on the shuttle will be switched to landing mode at 8:01 p.m., and the crew will climb into its seats at 9:29 p.m.
Since the shuttle,s supplies will support several more days on orbit, Entry Flight Director Wayne Hale has elected to activate landing support only at Kennedy Space Center for tonight. Forecasters are predicting generally favorable conditions at the Shuttle Landing Facility, but are watching out for the possibility of thunderstorms and rain within 30 miles.
There are two Florida landing opportunities Monday night and Tuesday morning. The first begins with a deorbit burn at 10:29 p.m. and concludes with landing at 11:37 p.m. CDT Monday. The second commences with an engine firing at 12:08 a.m. ending with landing at 1:14 a.m. CDT Tuesday.
Lindsey and Hobaugh on Sunday conducted successful tests of the reaction control system jets used to maneuver Atlantis as it begins to re-enter the Earth,s atmosphere. They then checked out the flight control surfaces that become effective once the orbiter,s computers sense aerodynamic drag on the vehicle.
Kavandi, Gernhardt and Reilly put away the bulk of the equipment they used during their eight days docked to the station and stowed the 2,550 pounds of equipment they are bringing home from the station.
Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Two crew enjoyed off-duty and exercise time. Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss did spend time talking with flight controllers in Houston and Moscow about the work ahead of them to get squared away after Atlantis, visit, and to get ready for the next shuttle mission and their replacement crew. The crew is scheduled to go to bed at 1 p.m. CDT today.
Both spacecraft continue to orbit the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.
MISSION: STS-104 - 10th ISS Flight (7A) - Airlock VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: On orbit KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July 12, 2001 at 5:03:59 a.m. EDT KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 24, 2001 at 12:37 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 11 days, 19 hours and 33 minutes CREW: Lindsey, Hobaugh, Kavandi, Gernhardt, Reilly ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Orbiter Atlantis is in excellent health as the STS-104 crew and flight controllers continue preparation for a KSC landing Tuesday, July 24, at 12:37 a.m. EDT. Managers have decided not to call up Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for possible landing Tuesday.
Orbit Site Deorbit Burn Landing 185 KSC 11:29 p.m. 12:37 a.m. EDT 186 KSC 1:08 a.m. 2:14 a.m.
The latest weather forecast for KSC calls for a few clouds at 2,000 feet and broken clouds at 12,000 and 25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; wind from the southeast at 8 peaking to 14 knots; temperature at 75 degrees F and relative humidity at 91 percent. The primary concern is the chance of rain showers within 30 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility.
MISSION: STS-105 - 11th ISS Flight (7A.1) - Leonardo MPLM VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103 LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Aug. 9, 2001 at 5:38 p.m. EDT TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Aug. 21, 2001 at about 1:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 11 days and 20 hours CREW: Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry, Forrester; (ISS up) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin; (ISS down) Usachev, Voss, Helms, ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Processing of Space Shuttle Discovery at Launch Pad 39A continues on schedule for the Aug. 9 target launch date. The helium signature leak test is complete.
Over the weekend, workers replaced a quick disconnect on auxiliary power unit No. 2. The Shuttle main engine flight readiness test is in work.
Payload Processing Note: The Leonardo MPLM arrives at the pad July 25 for installation into the payload changeout room. Leonardo will be installed into Discovery's payload bay July 27. The standard payload interface verification test is scheduled for Aug. 2 and the payload bay doors will be closed for flight Aug. 6. MISSION: STS-108 - 12th ISS Flight (UF1) - MPLM VEHICLE: Endeavour/OV-105 LOCATION: Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 1 TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: Nov. 29, 2001 at 8:05 p.m. EST TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: Dec. 9, 2001 MISSION DURATION: 10 days CREW: Gorie, Kelly, Godwin, Tani; (ISS up) Onufrienko, Bursch, Walz; (ISS down) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Turin ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: While Endeavour is powered down, workers are performing planned modifications on orbiter wiring and harnesses.
Payload Processing Note: The Raffaello MPLM began pre-integration checkout in the Space Station Processing Facility July 17.
Shuttle Processing Note: Checks on Columbia's ammonia system are complete. Radar altimeter and fuel cell voltage tests are also complete. The orbiter's nose cap has been removed and shimming is in work today. Technicians are also checking out Columbia's Ku-band system this week.
STS-104 Report # 22 Sunday, July 22, 2001 - 6 p.m. CDT Atlantis crewmembers, Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, will spend their day preparing the spacecraft for its return to Earth Monday night.
Lindsey and Hobaugh will do a test firing of the reaction control system jets that will be used to maneuver Atlantis as it begins to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. The pair also will check out the orbiter's flight control surfaces that will be used to maneuver Atlantis when it reaches the lower portions of the atmosphere. Finally, they will test Atlantis' communications systems.
Kavandi, Gernhardt and Reilly will put away some of the equipment they used during their eight days docked to the International Space Station. They also will stow some of the 2,550 pounds of equipment they are bringing home from the station. Atlantis is almost 100 statute miles ahead of the space station and increasing the separation by almost nine miles per 90-minute orbit.
Atlantis is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday at 11:37 p.m. CDT. Another landing opportunity is available on the subsequent orbit, which would see Atlantis touch down at 1:13 a.m. Tuesday. Though the outlook was improving, forecasts for landing time still carried the possibility of clouds and rain.
During the afternoon, Russian flight controllers performed the first two firings of thrusters of the Progress resupply vehicle docked at the rear of the station's Service Module. These burns and three subsequent firings of the Progress thrusters this week will adjust the inclination of the station's orbit. The slight adjustment is being made to prepare for arrival of Discovery on the STS-105 mission and the next Progress, both in August, and the launch of the Russian Docking Compartment in September. The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:36 p.m. Sunday by the song "Orinoco Flow" sung by Enya. The song was played for Mike Gernhardt. All systems aboard Atlantis continue to function normally as the spacecraft orbits the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.
STS-104 Report # 20 Saturday, July 21, 2001 - 6 p.m. CDT The crews of Atlantis and the International Space Station will bid one another farewell and close the hatches between the vehicles at about 9 p.m. on Saturday. Undocking is scheduled for 11:54 p.m., to be followed by an hour-long fly around of the station by Pilot Charlie Hobaugh. The final separation burn that will move Atlantis away from the station to begin its journey home is scheduled for 1:14 a.m. Sunday.
The Atlantis crew, Commander Steve Lindsey, Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, will leave behind the Expedition Two crew of Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms, who are in their 136th day in space.
The Expedition Three crew, Commander Frank Culbertson and Flight Engineers Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikail Tyurin, will replace the Expedition Two crew next month during the STS-105 mission.
Atlantis will undock from an International Space Station that is ready to begin independent operations. Since July 2000, 77 tons of hardware has been added to the station, including the Zvezda module, the Z1 Truss Assembly, Pressurized Mating Adapter 3, the P6 Truss and its 240-foot long solar arrays, the U.S. laboratory Destiny, the Canadarm2 and the Quest airlock.
The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:14 p.m. Saturday by the song "Who Let The Dogs Out" sung by the Baha Men. The song was played for Hobaugh. All systems aboard both Atlantis and the International Space Station continue to function normally as the two spacecraft orbit the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.
MISSION: STS-104 - 10th ISS Flight (7A) - Airlock VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: On orbit KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July 12, 2001 at 5:03:59 a.m. EDT KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 24, 2001 at 12:34 a.m. MISSION DURATION: 10 days, 19 hours and 30 minutes CREW: Lindsey, Hobaugh, Kavandi, Gernhardt, Reilly ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Orbiter Atlantis continues to perform well on orbit. At KSC, solid rocket booster open assessments began Monday, and to date have revealed both boosters to be in excellent condition. Booster disassembly preparation is in work and segment demates begin Tuesday. The solid rocket motors are scheduled for railcar shipment to Utah in about 2 weeks. Post launch film review indicates no abnormal damage at the launch pad.
A preliminary weather forecast indicates the threat of scattered showers and thunderstorms over central Florida at the time of Atlantis' first planned landing opportunity on July 24. The forecast calls for scattered clouds at 2,000 feet and broken clouds at 12,000 and 25,000 feet; visibility at 7 miles; wind from the southeast at 8 peaking to 14 knots; temperature at 75 degrees F and relative humidity at 91 percent.
MISSION: STS-105 - 11th ISS Flight (7A.1) - Leonardo MPLM VEHICLE: Discovery/OV-103 LOCATION: Launch Pad 39A TARGET KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: August 9, 2001 at 5:38 p.m. EDT TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: August 21, 2001 at about 1:17 p.m. MISSION DURATION: 11 days and 20 hours CREW: Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry, Forrester; (ISS up) Culbertson, Dezhurov, Turin; (ISS down) Usachev, Voss, Helms, ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Processing of Space Shuttle Discovery at Launch Pad 39A continues on schedule for the Aug. 9 target launch date. The STS-105 and Expedition 3 flight crews have been at KSC since last Tuesday participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities. The visit culminated with a launch day dress rehearsal this morning. The astronauts are scheduled to depart KSC for Houston, Texas this afternoon.
At the pad, Discovery's helium signature leak test is complete. Over the weekend, technicians will complete some minor subcomponent work on auxiliary power unit No. 2. Workers will complete a main engine flight readiness test Tuesday and proceed with payload operations midweek.
Shuttle Processing Note: While Endeavour is powered down, workers are performing planned modifications on orbiter wiring and harnesses. A powered-up checkout is scheduled to begin July 30.
Shuttle Processing Note: Technicians are checking out Columbia's ammonia system this week. Radar altimeter and fuel cell voltage tests are scheduled into next week.
July 21, 2001
STS-104 Report # 18 Atlantis and International Space Station crewmembers will mark the 32nd anniversary of the first human steps on the moon tonight by completing another phase of station construction. Atlantis spacewalkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will float out of the station's new Quest airlock around 11 p.m., completing airlock activation and marking the beginning of independent operations aboard the space station.
During the mission's third spacewalk, Gernhardt and Reilly will install a second nitrogen tank on the Quest airlock. Three other tanks, two oxygen and one nitrogen, were installed during a previous spacewalk. Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss, assisted by Flight Engineer Susan Helms, will lift the final gas tank from the payload bay of Atlantis around 10:40 p.m. and slowly deliver it to Gernhardt and Reilly, who will be awaiting its arrival at the Quest airlock.
Atlantis Pilot Charlie Hobaugh assisted by Station Commander Yury Usachev will coordinate the nearly five-hour spacewalk. Commander Steve Lindsey will operate the shuttle's robotic arm.
The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:04 p.m. by the song "I Could Write A Book" from the motion picture When Harry Met Sally. The song was played for Lindsey. All systems aboard both Atlantis and the International Space Station continue to function normally as the two spacecraft orbit the Earth at an average altitude of 240 statute miles.
MEDIA BRIEFING TO PREVIEW CREW EXCHANGE TO ORBITING SPACE STATION
The next space shuttle mission -- to feature the second rotation of astronauts and cosmonauts and the third flight of an Italian-built module delivering materials to the International Space Station -- will be the subject of briefings on Thursday, July 26, from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Designated STS-105, the mission on Space Shuttle Discovery, scheduled for launch no earlier than Aug. 9, will involve three crews. They are the four-member crew of Discovery, the three members of the Expedition Three crew to be launched to the space station, and the three members of the Expedition Two crew returning to Earth aboard the shuttle.
The crew exchange is the second for the permanently inhabited outpost, and the logistical module, Leonardo, is making its second flight carrying additional scientific racks, equipment and supplies. An identical module named Raffaello has flown once.
The briefings will begin with an overview of the space station program at 9 a.m. EDT, concluding with a joint STS-105/Expedition Three crew news conference beginning at 3 p.m. EDT.
Round-robin interviews with the STS-105 and Expedition Three crewmembers will follow the joint crew conference, for reporters in attendance at Johnson, and by phone for those who make advance arrangements. The round-robin interviews will not be televised, and space may be limited. Reporters planning to attend the briefings and participate in the round-robin interviews must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281/483-5111 by 5 p.m. Central time Tuesday, July 24.
NASA Television is available on GE-2, Transponder 9C, at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 MHz, and audio of 6.8 MHz.
STS-105/EXPEDITION THREE PREFLIGHT BRIEFINGS JULY 26, 2001 (all times are CDT)
8 a.m. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) OVERVIEW Tommy Holloway, ISS Program Manager
9 a.m. STS-105 MISSION OVERVIEW Paul Dye, STS-105 Lead Flight Director Mark Ferrring, STS-105 ISS Lead Flight Director Sharon Castle, STS-105 Launch Package Manager
10 a.m. EXPEDITION THREE MISSION OVERVIEW Missy Gard, Expedition Three Increment Manager John Uri, Lead Increment Scientist Raymond Echols, Expedition Three Lead Payload Operations Director, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
11 a.m. NASA TELEVISION VIDEO FILE (from NASA Headquarters)
Noon STS-105 SPACEWALK OVERVIEW Scott Bleisath, STS-105 Lead EVA Officer
1 p.m. EXPEDITION THREE INCREMENT CREW NEWS CONFERENCE Frank Culbertson, Expedition Three Commander Vladimir Dezhurov, Expedition Three Pilot Mikhail Tyurin, Expedition Three Flight Engineer
2 p.m. STS-105/EXPEDITION THREE MISSION CREW NEWS CONFERENCE Scott Horowitz, Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Mission Specialist 1 (MS 1) Dan Barry Mission Specialist 2 (MS 2) Pat Forrester Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson Expedition Three Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov Expedition Three Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin
3 p.m. ROUND-ROBIN INTERVIEWS (NOT SEEN ON NASA TV)
July 20, 2001 am Report
STS-104 Report # 17 Friday, July 20, 2001 6 a.m. CDT The two crews on board the International Space Station today completed checkout and activation of the new Quest airlock and conducted a dry run of the steps they will take before christening the newest station component.
STS-104 Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and Jim Reilly also got together with Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss inside Quest to answer questions from reporters in the U.S. and Russia.
Voss reported tracking down and sealing a minor leak discovered during an overnight pressure check. Air had found a path from the Equipment Lock segment of the new airlock to its Crew Lock, which is the segment the orbital construction workers will open to the vacuum of space when they step outside about 11:09 p.m. CDT Friday.
Flight Directors Paul Hill and Mark Kirasich talked with the crew about 1 a.m. Friday, going over the final details and sending up the good news that both the shuttle and station flight control teams agree all systems are "go for the first station-based excursion out of the airlock. Lindsey sent down a video tour of the fully outfitted Quest module about 4:50 a.m.
The entire crew then reviewed the plan for Friday,s five-hour space walk by Gernhardt and Reilly. On their third foray outside this mission, the pair will attach the final nitrogen gas tank to the airlock and climb to the top of the station,s solar array truss to check on a swivel joint that allows the arrays to track the sun. If time allows, they,ll also take a look a the nearby Floating Potential Probe that measures the plasma created as the arrays drag through the rarified atomic oxygen at 240 miles up.
Meanwhile, Usachev performed some periodic maintenance duties on the station,s Russian systems, and helped Voss and Helms prepare for their work with the Candarm2 robotic arms operations related to Friday evening,s space walk.
After some time off to rest up after a very busy week, the crews were scheduled to turn in at 8 a.m. Their alarm clock is scheduled to go off at 4:04 p.m.
STS-104 Report # 16 Thursday July 19, 2001 - 6 p.m. CDT The eight Atlantis and International Space Station crewmembers will start their day with a dry run of a spacewalk from the station's new Quest airlock, completing their testing and activation of the airlock. Atlantis spacewalkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, assisted by Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss, will simulate spacewalk preparations beginning around 7 p.m.
Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey and Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi will assist with the final checks of the airlock later in the morning. Subsequently, all eight crewmembers will gather to review the procedures for Friday's spacewalk, the third of the mission. During that spacewalk, Gernhardt and Reilly will attach the final nitrogen gas tank to the airlock, assisted by Voss and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms who will be operating the station's robotic arm. At 10:11 p.m., the two crews will participate in a joint news conference with media representatives at several NASA centers and the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev. That conference will run for 26 minutes and will be shown live on NASA TV. In addition, Lindsey is scheduled to downlink a tour of the Quest airlock around 3 a.m.
Station Commander Yury Usachev will perform various periodic maintenance duties on the station's Russian systems, as well as help fellow crewmates Voss and Helms prepare for robotics operations related to Friday evening's spacewalk.
The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:04 p.m. by the song "A Time To Dance" by Janet Giroux played by the Space Center Intermediate School Symphonic Band. The band was directed by Giroux and the song was played for Reilly.
NASA REJOINS JAPAN IN X-RAY SPACE OBSERVATORY PROJECT
The United States and Japan will team up to rebuild and launch a powerful observatory for measuring high energy phenomena in the Universe.
The Astro-E2 observatory will replace the original Astro-E satellite, which was lost during launch in February 2000. The Japanese government recently approved the Astro-E2 mission and has invited NASA to participate.
"The opportunity to support the rebuilding of the Astro-E observatory provides NASA with an excellent path for completing the ambitious goals of this program," said Dr. Alan Bunner, Science Director of NASA's Structure and Evolution of the Universe program.
Scheduled for launch in February 2005, the instruments on Astro-E2 will provide powerful tools to use the Universe as a laboratory for unraveling complex, high-energy processes and the behavior of matter under extreme conditions. These include the fate of matter as it spirals into black holes, the nature of supermassive black holes found at the center of quasars, the 100 million degree gas that is flowing into giant clusters of galaxies, and the nature of supernova explosions that create the heavier elements, which ultimately form planets.
NASA will provide the core instrument, the high resolution X- Ray Spectrometer (XRS). The XRS will be the first X-ray microcalorimeter array to be placed in orbit. It measures the heat created by individual X-ray photons.
The XRS operates at a temperature of 65 mK, which is about -459.6 F, only 1/10 degree above absolute zero, and is held at this temperature by a three stage cooling system developed jointly by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science in Japan. The cryogenic system is capable of maintaining the temperature of the microcalorimeter array for about two years in orbit.
Japan will provide the other instruments on Astro-E2, a set of four X-ray cameras and a high-energy X-ray detector. NASA will also provide the five X-ray telescopes required to focus X- rays on the XRS and the X-ray cameras.
"This increased precision for measuring X-rays should allow fundamental breakthroughs in our understanding of essentially all types of X-ray emitting sources," said Dr. Richard Kelley, principal investigator for the U.S. participation of Astro-E2 at Goddard. "This will be especially true of matter very close to black holes and the X-ray emitting gas in clusters of galaxies."
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Expedition Two Science Operations Status Report for the week ending July 19, 2001
When Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the orbiting research outpost on June 12, the event was recorded by an important Expedition Two science experiment.
The Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS) precisely recorded both the initial Shuttle capture, followed minutes later by the hard mating when docking latches locked the Station and Shuttle securely together, said Kevin McPherson, project manager for Principal Investigator Microgravity Services at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
"This is the first time we've captured a Shuttle docking event to the Space Station," McPherson said. "In a few days, we will record the undocking event. For folks operating payloads through Station joint operations, these kinds of impulsive disturbances are important to them so they know what to expect and what precautionary action they might take to minimize the effect on their science."
This is important basic data for scientists operating or planning experiments that require a very stable microgravity environment. Dockings, crew activities and even operating equipment can create gravity-like accelerations that can disturb experiments. The vibration environment will change throughout the Station program as new modules and facilities are added to the orbiting facility, which in its current configuration weighs 130 tons and is roughly 171 feet by 240 feet in size.
The focus of Expedition Two crew activities shifted this week as planned from payloads to joint operations with the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis, including installation of a new airlock module and the transfer of equipment between the Shuttle and the Station. The crew conducted normal science payload status checks to make sure experiments are operating normally.
This is a transition period for several Expedition Two experiments. One is arriving on board the Station. Three others are returning to Earth at the conclusion of their research programs.
On Monday, June 16, the crew moved the Protein Crystal Growth Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar experiment from the Shuttle to the Station. This is the last Expedition Two experiment to arrive on the Station. This untended experiment will be activated after the Shuttle undocks and stowed in the Russian Zvezda Service Module until its return on the next Shuttle mission, STS-105, now scheduled for launch on August 9.
This is the third trip to the Station for the Dewar. Inside are hundreds of samples of biological materials that carry out many important functions in humans, animals and plants. In space, the materials will form crystals that will be returned to Earth, where scientists will retrieve the samples and analyze them to determine the structure of the biological molecules. Knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure is an important tool for biochemists designing medicines. Students around the country helped prepare some of the samples and will be able to monitor the results. More than 500 schools across the country have participated in the program since it began in 1999.
The crew was scheduled to transfer the Advanced Astroculture and Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus experiments to the Shuttle today for return to Earth. On Saturday, the crew is scheduled to transfer Protein Crystal Growth Single Thermal Enclosure System Units 9 and 10 to the Shuttle.
Automated experiments continue to operate aboard the Station. Those currently include the Experiment on the Physics of Colloids in Space (EXPPCS), the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS), and three radiation monitoring experiments -- Phantom Torso, Dosimetric Mapping (DOSMAP) and the Bonner Ball Neutron Detector.
Among the list of targets uplinked to the Station this week for the Crew Earth Observations photography research program are smog and dust in the Sichuan Province in China, reefs of the central Philippines, the Ganges River delta around Calcutta, sediments and wetlands of the Irraddy River delta near Rangoon, Burma, and the Lake Eyre basin area of Australia.
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LAPTOP COMPUTER TOOL HELPS SPACE STATION FLY SMOOTHLY IN ORBIT
Technology used in laptop computers is now saving time and money by helping astronauts troubleshoot International Space Station subsystems during construction.
Rick Alena, a computer engineer at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and Dan Duncavage of NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, engineered the computer diagnostic tool. It includes a computer card and software that can monitor status and command messages sent between onboard control computers and major space station subsystems, including solar arrays, docking ports and gyroscopes.
"For producing our on-board spacecraft troubleshooting tool, we found a suitable commercial product, flight qualified the hardware and software, and then integrated the diagnostic system with the station support computers, which are modified laptops," said Alena. "We now are using commercial computer systems to support mission and payload operations in space flight because they have the performance required and run a large range of software."
"The Databus Analysis Tool (DAT) enables engineers on the ground to analyze data during troubleshooting sessions," Alena said. The tool allows onboard monitoring of the station's nervous system, a computer control network that ties the avionics components together, he explained. Avionics are critical aviation electronics systems that control the station.
Engineers designed the tool to help solve minor problems during assembly of the space station modules. Alena explained that engineers on the ground can resolve most assembly problems using data radioed to them from station systems, but some problems require more data. "Our idea was to acquire data messages directly onboard and to provide this extra data to engineers on the ground to help analyze how station parts were interacting." Alena said.
Although engineers designed the computer tool to be a passive monitor, its first use was to issue commands for checkout of the station's gyroscope systems during the STS-92 mission in October 2000. The gyroscopes are flywheels that stabilize the station's attitude without use of propellant fuel. The attitude of a spacecraft is its tilt compared to the surface of another body in space, such as the Earth. The space station also has small jets that shoot propellant into space to slowly rotate the craft for fine attitude adjustments.
The gyroscopes spin like heavy toy tops to maintain the station's proper orientation relative to Earth, explained Alena. "Otherwise, costly propellant must be used to maintain the station's proper attitude with the control jets. The cost of stabilizing the station using propellant rather than the gyros could run into millions of dollars."
After tests in August 2000, engineers decided to use DAT to control heaters that warm the gyroscopes and to test the spin motors. Between the STS-92 shuttle mission that carried the gyroscopes to the station, and the STS-98 mission in February 2001 that delivered the U.S. laboratory module and control computers, engineers needed to check the gyroscopes' operation, Alena said.
Astronauts Bill McArthur and Leroy Chiao tested gyroscopic system operation during STS-92. The astronauts used the computer tool to activate and spin the gyroscopes on the Z1 truss to test controls and sensors. McArthur and Chiao also used DAT to test gyroscope system power, heaters and spin motors. "All four gyroscopes checked out okay," said Alena. "The detailed procedures for checking the gyroscopes were developed by Boeing engineers, in concert with the DAT team," he added.
NASA Ames and JSC partners did the initial tests of DAT in space about four years ago. "The amount of preparation and work to fly an electronic system is quite time-consuming," Alena explained. "DAT has been flown on most station assembly missions since 1998. There are two DAT flight sets, and occasionally we bring one down and test the flight hardware at JSC," he said. Duncavage and Alena hand-carried the DAT through all flight-qualification phases. The two men minimized the cost in this way and, just as importantly, the DAT was ready to fly early during space station construction, according to Alena.
Chandra detects halo of hot gas around Milky Way-like galaxy
The first unambiguous evidence for a giant halo of hot gas around a nearby, spiral galaxy much like our own Milky Way was found by astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This discovery may lead to a better understanding of our own galaxy, as well the structure and evolution of galaxies in general.
A team of astronomers, led by Professor Daniel Wang of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, observed NGC 4631, a spiral galaxy approximately 25 million light years from Earth with both Chandra and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
While previous X-ray satellites have detected extended X-ray emission from this and other spiral galaxies, because of Chandra's exceptional resolution this is the first time that astronomers were able to separate the individual X-ray sources from the diffuse halo. Chandra found the diffuse halo of X-ray gas to be radiating at a temperature of almost 3 million degrees.
"Scientists have debated for over 40 years whether the Milky Way has an extended corona, or halo, of hot gas," said Wang, lead author of the paper which appeared this month in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. "Of course since we are within the Milky Way, we can't get outside and take a picture. However, by studying similar galaxies like NGC 4631, we can get an idea of what's going on within our own galaxy."
The Chandra image reveals a halo of hot gas that extends for approximately 25,000 light years above the disk of the galaxy. One important feature of the X-ray emission from NGC 4631 is that it closely resembles the overall size and shape seen in the radio emission from the galaxy. This indicates that there may be a close connection between the outflows of hot gas, seen in X-rays, and the galaxy's magnetic field, revealed by radio emission.
The Hubble image of NGC 4631 shows filamentary, loop-like structures enclosing enhanced X-ray-emitting gas and emanating from regions of recent star formation in the galaxy's disk. These data clearly show the hot gas is heated by clusters of massive stars and is now expanding into the halo of the galaxy.
"What we see in NGC 4631 can be thought of as the bursting flames of a gigantic cosmic camp fire," said Wang. "Using Chandra and Hubble together, we really get a complete story of what is happening in this galaxy."
NGC 4631 is a galaxy that has high amounts of star formation, possibly triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxies. Such star formation might have created the conditions necessary to heat the gas seen by Chandra, as vast amounts of energy are released from supernovae and massive stars in star-forming regions - enough to lift the gas out of the plane of the galaxy.
These new results provide important clues about the cycling of energy and mass in a galaxy like our own Milky Way and about the evolutionary history of galaxies, which are thought to be more active in star formation in the past than at the present.
Other members of the research team include: Stefan Immler, University of Massachusetts; Rene Walterbos, New Mexico State University; James Lauroesch, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., and Dieter Breitschwerdt, Max Plank Institute, Germany.
Chandra observed NGC 4631 with its Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) instrument, which was developed for NASA by Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program, and TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach, Calif., is the prime contractor for the spacecraft. The Smithsonian's Chandra X-ray Center controls science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass.
Frederick A. Johnsen, news chief NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
X-43A MISHAP INVESTIGATION UPDATE
The board investigating the June 2 X-43A mission loss is continuing to meet at the Orbital Sciences Corp. facility in Chandler, Ariz., where the Pegasus-derived booster rocket used with the X-43A was built.
The X-43A mission, first in a series of three, was lost moments after the X-43A and its booster rocket were released from the wing of the B-52 carrier aircraft. Following booster ignition, the combined booster and X-43A experienced a structural failure and deviated from its flight path. The mission was then deliberately terminated. Robert W. Hughes, the board chairman from Marshall Space Flight Center, has said that the root cause of the mishap is still to be determined. The mishap investigation team includes representatives from five NASA centers including Dryden, Langley, Marshall, Goddard and Kennedy, as well as the primary X-43A mission contractors, Orbital Sciences Corp. and Microcraft.
Hughes stressed that the investigation team was working to fully understand the causal relationship and emphasized that the solution might involve several contributing causes rather than a single cause. He also pointed out that when a single cause for a mishap is not forthcoming, the difficulty of the investigation becomes significantly more complex because interrelationships of many events and data must be firmly understood to assure that all of the initiating causes are understood. Hughes also emphasized that the investigation team "is composed of the brightest and best experts in their fields" and that he has the highest confidence that a probable cause will be found.
To date, the team has established a fault tree of several hundred possible or contributing causes that are being systematically investigated. Approximately 70 percent of these faults have been eliminated from consideration. The majority of the remaining faults are in the booster vehicle control arena, Hughes explained.
The X-43A is designed to be the first scramjet-powered vehicle, capable of attaining speeds as high as Mach 10. NASA's Langley Research Center at Hampton, Va., leads the X-43A program, with flight operations conducted by NASA Dryden, Edwards, Calif. Micro Craft, Inc., of Tullahoma, Tenn., built the 12-foot-long X-43A vehicle.
STAR CLUSTERS BORN IN THE WRECKAGE OF COSMIC COLLISIONS
In the beginning of the 1946 holiday film classic "It's a Wonderful
Life," angelic figures take on the form of a famous group of compact galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet. In reality, these galaxies aren't so heavenly. Pictures from the Hubble telescope show that Stephan's Quintet has been doing some devilish things. At least two of the galaxies have been involved in high-speed, hit-and-run accidents, which have ripped stars and gas from neighboring galaxies and tossed them into space. But the galactic carnage also has spawned new life. Arising from the wreckage are more than 100 star clusters and several dwarf galaxies. The young clusters, each harboring up to millions of stars, are shown clearly for the first time in pictures taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2.
To see and read more, please click on: http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/22 and via links in http://hubble.stsci.edu/go/news http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/latest.html and http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pictures.html
The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
This close-up view of Stephan's Quintet, a group of five galaxies, reveals a string of bright star clusters that sparkles like a diamond necklace. The clusters, each harboring up to millions of stars, were born from the violent interactions between some members of the group. The rude encounters also have distorted the galaxies' shapes, creating elongated spiral arms and long, gaseous streamers.
The NASA Hubble Space Telescope photo showcases three regions of star birth: the long, sweeping tail and spiral arms of NGC 7319 [near center]; the gaseous debris of two galaxies, NGC 7318B and NGC 7318A [top right]; and the area north of those galaxies, dubbed the northern starburst region [top left].
The clusters' bluish color indicates that they're relatively young. Their ages span from about 2 million to more than 1 billion years old.
The brilliant star clusters in NGC 7318B's spiral arm (about 30,000 light-years long) and the northern starburst region are between 2 million and more than 100 million years old. NGC 7318B instigated the starburst by barreling through the region. The bully galaxy is just below NGC 7318A at top right. Although NGC 7318B appears dangerously close to NGC 7318A, it's traveling too fast to merge with its close neighbor. The partial galaxy on the far right is NGC 7320, a foreground galaxy not physically bound to the other galaxies in the picture.
About 20 to 50 of the clusters in the northern starburst region reside far from the coziness of galaxies. The clusters were born about 150,000 light-years from the nearest galaxy.
A galaxy that is no longer part of the group triggered another collision that wreaked havoc. NGC 7320C [not in the photo] plowed through the quintet several hundred million years ago, pulling out the 100,000 light-year-long tail of gaseous debris from NGC 7319. The clusters in NGC 7319's streaming tail are 10 million to 500 million years old and may have formed at the time of the violent collision. The faint bluish object at the tip of the tail is a young dwarf galaxy, which formed in the gaseous debris.
The quintet is in the constellation Pegasus, 270 million light-years from Earth. Spied by Edouard M. Stephan in 1877, Stephan's Quintet is the first compact group ever discovered.
The mosaic picture was taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 on Dec. 30, 1998 and June 17, 1999.
STS-104 Report # 15 Astronauts aboard the International Space Station complex successfully replaced a leaky air circulation valve and moved a hatch into position for the first space walk out of the new Quest airlock.
That space walk is scheduled to begin about 10:30 p.m. Friday, pending a successful leak check of the crew lock while the crew sleeps today. Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will attach a fourth and final supply tank to the airlock,s exterior, and move on to some get-ahead tasks made possible when they were able to attach a bonus third tank during Wednesday,s space walk. Tasks added to Friday,s space walk include an inspection of one of the station,s solar array swivels and inspection of the Floating Potential Probe that measures plasma levels around the solar arrays.
STS-104 Commander Steve Lindsey and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss finished replacing the Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Assembly valve in the station's Unity module about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. With help from station Commander Yury Usachev, they replaced the leaking valve with another from the Destiny laboratory that won,t be needed until the station,s second node arrives in 2003.
Voss, Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi and Susan Helms moved the hatch from its initial location between the Unity module and the airlock,s Equipment Lock to between the Equipment Lock and Crew Lock. The Equipment Lock will be used for storing and servicing space suits, while the Crew Lock will serve as the exit to space.
Usachev also worked with one of the station,s payload computers, performing maintenance on several of the station,s Russian systems, and Kavandi, Gernhardt and Reilly worked to transfer items between the shuttle and station while getting equipment and space suits squared away in the airlock. Helms also changed out a Command and Control computer that had been temporarily installed in place of a payload data computer in Destiny. The payload computer was cannibalized during the STS-100 and retasked when all three of the station,s command computers broke down. The old computer will be returned to Earth on Atlantis for testing and analysis.
Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh gave the station another boost using the shuttle,s reaction control system jets, increasing the station,s orbit about 5 miles to 244 x 240 statute miles. It was the final reboost planned for this mission. Atlantis will leave the station later this week about 10 miles higher than when it arrived.
July 19, 2001
A Propitious Alignment of Planets
In ancient times many people thought heavenly alignments influenced daily life on Earth. Nowadays we know that astrology has no predictive power. But scientists do study planetary alignments for another reason: to set the schedule for space exploration.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast19jul_1.htm?list448368
Explore the future of space travel NASA's Starship 2040 takes sky enthusiasts to the stars at Oshkosh Air Show July 24-30
NASA's Starship 2040 won't make a thunderous descent from the heavens when it arrives at the EAA AirVenture 2001 air show in Oshkosh, Wis., next week. This high-tech "spacecraft" hitches a ride inside an Earthbound tractor and trailer rig, after all.
But space transportation officials from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., are confident the Starship 2040 experience will send air show attendees' imaginations rocketing straight into orbit.
Housed in a 48-foot (14.6-meter) trailer, the traveling exhibit is designed to share NASA's vision of what commercial spaceflight might be like 40 years from now. Visitors board the "ship" and move through fully realized control, passenger and engineering compartments. Audio effects -- engine noises, computer and crew voices -- add to the realistic ambience of the experience.
The Starship 2040 exhibit is sure to delight visitors to the 49th annual AirVenture air show July 24-30. The exhibit will dock outside the main NASA hangar, and will be open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free.
While inside the "craft," visitors gain insight into technologies now being investigated by NASA and its partner organizations to increase the safety and reliability of space transportation systems while dramatically lowering costs -- eventually making commercial space travel as routine and affordable as air travel.
All the innovations suggested aboard the exhibit -- automated vehicle health monitoring systems, high-energy propulsion drive, navigational aids and emergency and safety systems -- are based on concepts and technologies now being studied at NASA Centers and academic and industry partner institutions around the nation.
Starship 2040 has been on the road since February, touring high schools and universities in Alabama and Tennessee, visiting Chicago for the annual National Manufacturing Week trade show, appearing in downtown Washington, D.C., and traveling to Charlotte, N.C., for a visit to the Discovery Place multimedia space and science museum. Future state tours and appearances are in the works.
For more information about the Starship 2040 exhibit and a complete listing of upcoming tour dates, visit:
http://www.Starship2040.com
More about NASA at Oshkosh Along with Starship 2040, NASA will present numerous exhibits and presentations highlighting future-generation spaceflight, as well as advanced technologies intended to reduce the cost of getting us to space while making flights safer and more reliable. Some of these presentations include:
* "Crash Course: Rocket Science 1960-2040," a lecture on NASA's space transportation goals, to be presented July 24 at 1 p.m. in the NASA forum tent.
* Advanced Space Transportation Program displays in the Kitty Hawk pavilion, which include a demonstration of NASA's air-breathing rocket engine and hypersonic flight research -- technologies that may one day eliminate chemical propellants and enable aircraft to fly at rocket speed to and from space.
* NASA's interactive "Mission to Neptune," also on display in the Kitty Hawk pavilion, takes visitors on a futuristic flight to the Sun's eighth planet -- courtesy of an innovative plasma propulsion drive now being studied by NASA scientists and researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.
* Additional exhibits illustrate the mission and goals of NASA's ambitious Space Launch Initiative, Space Shuttle upgrades and other technology advancements.
More about NASA Space Transportation Programs NASA is the nation's premier agency for development of Space Transportation systems, including future-generation reusable launch vehicles. Such systems -- the keys to a real Starship 2040 -- require revolutionary advances in critical aerospace technologies, from thermal, magnetic, chemical and propellantless propulsion systems to new energy sources such as space solar power or antimatter propulsion. These and other advances are now being studied, developed and tested at NASA field centers and partner institutions all over the nation.
NASA and its partners also seek innovative materials and processes technologies, investigating ways to develop safer, stronger and more durable engines, vehicles, structures and components to handle the immense power of these futuristic propulsion systems.
The Marshall Center leads all these efforts, aimed at enabling dramatic improvements in the safety, cost and reliability of future space transportation systems.
For more information about NASA Space Transportation Systems, visit:
http://www.spacetransportation.com
John Bluck NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA jbluck@mail.arc.nasa.gov
NEW NASA SUPERCOMPUTER MODELS EARTH CLIMATE AT WARP SPEED
Using what may be the most powerful parallel supercomputer of its kind, NASA scientists recently used a highly advanced prototype processor to significantly advance the ability to evaluate the global impact of natural and human-induced activities on our climate.
Developers say the new 512 supercomputer is 10 times more powerful than today's supercomputers. "This substantial increase in performance allows us to complete Earth climate simulations in days, rather than months," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Associate Administrator for Earth Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. "This tool will help us to objectively evaluate the effects of natural and human activities on global climate."
"When we run the climate model after including Earth climate data from satellites, ground and air observations, we can simulate hundreds of days of global climate per day of computer processing time," Asrar added. "This is a major milestone in our nation's computing capability, and sets the stage for our next steps in advanced computing for climate models."
Scientists at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, continue to advance state-of the-art supercomputing with corporate partner SGI, Mountain View, CA. Ames and SGI have been cooperating under a memorandum of agreement since 1998.
The 512 supercomputer will lead to faster and better development of climate models for the Earth Science community, government and industry. What used to take a year to calculate on a single processor might be done in less than a day on a 512-processor machine. "With large NASA computer codes, we now have a technique that speeds up the processing time ten-fold," Asrar said.
Ames computer scientists plan to combine two 512-processor supercomputers to make an even more powerful machine. "The full 1024-processor system will be capable of doubling the speed of the climate models. The assembly of the 1024 supercomputer is to be completed in August 2001," Asrar added.
"This 1024 processor will serve as a research test-bed and once mature will be shifted to routine operations. The next step in research and development will be linking clusters of similar processors located across the nation to create a 'virtual supercomputer' with a computational capability greater than the sum of the individual clusters," Asrar said.
For the last few years NASA computer scientists have encouraged SGI to connect many computer processor chips in a new way when building large parallel supercomputers. These machines include many central processing unit (CPU) chips instead of just one or a few CPU's like older supercomputers. Within the last 5 years, microprocessors have become much more powerful, and computer makers have found that building a supercomputer with thousands of processors is cost-effective.
"By means of this work, NASA is establishing its world leadership position in supercomputing," said Steven Zornetzer, Director of Information Sciences and Technology at Ames. "This new ability to simulate future climate dynamics followed efforts by NASA scientists and one of their industrial partners to improve supercomputing."
"We envision NASA teaming with our industry partners to achieve at least two orders of magnitude improvement in American supercomputers that will support climate change research during this decade," Asrar concluded. STS-104 Report # 13 Wednesday, July 18, 2001 6:00 a.m. CDT S104-E-5065 (15 July 2001) --- The newly-installed Candarm2, Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), controlled by Susan J. Helms, Expedition Two flight engineer, maneuvers the Quest Airlock in the proper position to be mated onto the starboard side of Unity Node 1 during the first extravehicular activity (EVA) of the STS-104 mission. The Earth backdrops this image, exposed with a digital still camera.
Six arms worked together outside the International Space Station again today to install supply tanks for the new joint airlock, accomplishing a bonus oxygen tank installation during a 6 hour, 29 minute space walk.
Four of the arms belonged to space walkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly. Two robotic arms also were called into service the shuttle,s Canadarm and its big brother, the station,s Canadarm2. Station Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss were at the station arm,s controls, while Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi guided the shuttle limb.
The space walk got off to a slightly delayed start at 10:04 p.m. CDT Tuesday after the station,s primary Command and Control computer had to be restarted. The computer, needed to guide the station arm as it lifted the high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen tanks out of the shuttle cargo bay and into position alongside the new airlock, was back in business shortly after 8 p.m., allowing first motion of the arm by 9 a.m.
Gernhardt and Reilly, supported by their six colleagues inside the shuttle and station, latched the first two dog house-shaped tank assemblies into place without difficulty, so shuttle and station Flight Directors Paul Hill and Mark Kirasich decided to move ahead with installation of the third tank at 1:41 a.m.
The second space walk of the mission concluded at 4:33 a.m. CDT Wednesday. It was the 66th space walk in shuttle program history, and the 23rd devoted to International Space Station assembly. So far, STS-104 space walks have lasted 12 hours, 28 minutes.
The crews will have an extra day to prepare for the third and final planned space walk of the flight, which now is scheduled for Friday. Mission managers decided Tuesday to add the additional docked day to give the joint crew adequate time to ready the new airlock for its first use.
The two crews are about half a day behind schedule due to a small water leak that occurred when the astronauts were linking the new airlock to the station,s Moderate Temperature Loop. The crews will resume troubleshooting a leaky air valve in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) unit on the rear, right side of the station,s Unity node after wakeup scheduled for 4:04 p.m. today.
With the space walk complete, STS-104 Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh, who also was the inside coordinator for the space walk, began another hour-long series of automated steering jet firings to reboost the station,s altitude.
July 18, 2001
STS-104 Report # 12 Tuesday, July 17, 2001 - 6 p.m. CDT The combined crews of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station will focus their efforts tonight on the mission's second spacewalk. During the 5-hour spacewalk, scheduled to begin around 9:30 p.m., Atlantis Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will work with the Expedition Two crew in the installation of two high-pressure gas tanks on the station's new Quest airlock.
Early this morning, mission managers decided to add an additional docked day to the flight between the second and third spacewalks. The mission's third spacewalk, which will be the first out of the Quest airlock, will now occur Friday evening on Flight Day 10 instead of Thursday evening.
The two crews are about half a day behind schedule due to a small water leak that occurred when the astronauts were linking the new airlock to the station's Moderate Temperature Loop. The crews also have been troubleshooting a leaky air valve in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Assembly in the rear, right side of the station's Unity node. Troubleshooting efforts to pinpoint where the valve is leaking and why will continue tomorrow and for now the astronauts have installed a cap on the valve to stop the leak. Should replacement of the valve become necessary, several identical valves are available aboard the station.
The Atlantis crew was awakened at 4:08 p.m. by "Happy Birthday Darlin'" sung by Conway Twitty. It was played for Atlantis Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi who is celebrating a birthday today as she soars 235 miles above the Earth.
During tonight's spacewalk, Expedition Two Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss, working from a robotics workstation in the station's Destiny lab, will maneuver the station's robotic arm, the Canadarm2, over Atlantis' payload bay and grapple oxygen tank one. They will then maneuver the tank to Quest where the tank will be attached to the airlock by Gernhardt and Reilly. During the spacewalk, Gernhardt, wearing the spacesuit with the red stripes on the legs, will be on the end of the shuttle robotic arm, which will be controlled by Kavandi. Pilot Charlie Hobaugh will coordinate the spacewalk from inside Atlantis. The procedure will be repeated for nitrogen tank four. The remaining two tanks will be removed from Atlantis' payload bay Friday evening during the mission's third spacewalk.
Alan Brown NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
RELEASE No: 01-50
HELIOS PROTOTYPE - FLYING ON SUNSHINE IN THE STRATOSPHERE
It is into that hostile environment 19 miles above ground that a small group of engineers from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and AeroVironment, Inc., plan to fly the unique unmanned solar-powered Helios Prototype. The giant yet ultralight flying wing could soar into the stratosphere on its quest as early as the second week in August, after successfully completing an 18-hour functional checkout flight July 14 and 15.
Should the Helios Prototype reach its objective, it would set a new world's altitude record for propeller-driven aircraft, surpassing the 80,201-foot record of its predecessor, the solar-electric Pathfinder-Plus, set in August, 1998. It would also exceed the highest reported altitude achieved in sustained horizontal flight by jet-powered aircraft as well, 85,068 feet by a SR-71 aircraft in July, 1976. Only short-duration rocket-powered aircraft have flown higher.
The Helios Prototype flights are being conducted from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The location at 22 degrees north latitude gives the Helios Prototype a sun angle advantage, and the protection of a vast test range and restricted airspace over the Pacific Ocean west of the islands.
The Helios Prototype is one of the unique remotely operated, uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV) being developed for high-altitude, long-duration earth science imaging and atmospheric sampling missions under the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project at NASA Dryden, located at Edwards, Calif.
John Del Frate, project manager for solar-powered aircraft at NASA Dryden, noted that setting an altitude record is only one of several goals for this summer's flight tests.
"A 100,000-foot altitude record would be the icing on the cake," he said. "Our primary interest in testing this new aircraft is for taking sophisticated lightweight science instruments to greater heights.
"Another added bonus for NASA is the fact that flight at 100,000 feet would be very similar to flight in the Martian atmosphere," Del Frate added. "In a way, we are going to school on these flights to learn what the aerodynamics are like in these conditions."
AeroVironment vice-president Robert Curtin noted that production versions of the Helios could also serve as long-endurance commercial telecommunications relay platforms, orbiting over major population centers at 55,000 to 70,000 feet altitude for months at a time. Disaster recovery agencies might one day be able to move a Helios over the scene of a natural calamity where the normal communications infrastructure has been destroyed.
"AeroVironment's goal is to develop an airplane that is the equivalent of an 11-mile-high tower in the sky," he added.
The primary objective of Helios' recent checkout flight was to expand the flight envelope of the aircraft and verify proper operation of aircraft systems at a range of altitudes up to 76,271 feet. Reaching that altitude was considered necessary in order to reduce risk for the upcoming effort to achieve sustained horizontal flight at 100,000 feet (30,000 meters) altitude.
The 247-foot-span ultralight flying wing flew six low-altitude initial airworthiness validation flights on battery power at NASA Dryden in the fall of 1999.
Since then, the Helios Prototype has undergone major upgrades, including the installation of more than 65,000 high-efficiency solar cells across the wing which can produce more than 35 kW of electricity.
The 100,000-foot altitude flight is one of two major flight milestones set for the craft by NASA, the other being a four-day non-stop long-endurance demonstration flight above 50,000 feet planned for 2003. Development of a regenerative hydrogen-oxygen energy storage system which would make the multi-day continuous flight possible is progressing at AeroVironment. The system will use excess power generated by the solar arrays during the daytime to run an electrolyzer that separates water into its component parts, hydrogen and oxygen, which are then stored in pressurized tanks. At night, the hydrogen and oxygen are recombined by the fuel cells, producing electricity as a by-product to power Helios.
AeroVironment, based in Monrovia, Calif., developed the Helios Prototype at their Design Development Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley, Calif. The Dryden Flight Research Center, located on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is NASA's premier center for atmospheric flight research.
NASA CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARS LANDING
Original Caption Released with Image: This color picture of Mars was taken July 21--the day following Viking l's successful landing on the planet. The local time on Mars is approximately noon. The view is southeast from the Viking. Orange- red surface materials cover most of the surface, apparently forming a thin veneer over darker bedrock exposed in patches, as in the lower right. The reddish surface materials may be limonite (hydrated ferric oxide). Such weathering products form on Earth in the presence of water and an oxidizing atmosphere. The sky has a reddish cast, probably due to scattering and reflection from reddish sediment suspended in the lower atmosphere. The scene was scanned three times by the spacecraft's camera number 2, through a different color filter each time. To assist in balancing the colors, a second picture was taken of z test chart mounted on the rear of the spacecraft. Color data for these patches were adjusted until the patches were an appropriate color of gray. The same calibration was then used for the entire scene.
Twenty-five years ago, on July 20, 1976, NASA's Viking 1 lander soft-landed on the surface of Mars, becoming the first successful mission to land on the Red Planet, as well as the first successful American landing on another planet.
With a second lander later joining the first on the surface and with two orbiters circling the planet, the Viking project changed our understanding of that alien world. Its treasure trove of images and data covering the entire Martian globe remains a valuable scientific resource for the study of Mars.
Thursday, July 19, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin delivers the keynote address at "Continuing the Quest -- Celebrating Viking and Looking to the Future of Mars Exploration," a symposium hosted by Lockheed-Martin Corp. at the National Geographic Society's Grosvenor Auditorium, Washington, DC, from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT.
NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, hosts a panel discussion, titled "Viking: The First Encounter," at Langley's Reid Conference Center, Friday, July 20, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT. This event will be broadcast live on NASA Television.
The Viking 1 lander operated on the Plain of Chryse (Chryse Planitia) until November 1982. The Viking 2 lander set down on the Plain of Utopia (Utopia Planitia) on Sept. 3, 1976, and operated until April 1980. The two landers took 4,500 unprecedented images of the surrounding surface and more than three million weather-related measurements, while the two orbiters took 52,000 images representing 97 percent of the Martian globe.
Viking will probably be most remembered for its search for life on Mars. Each lander contained a suite of biology instruments designed to detect evidence of life in the Martian soil. Scientists concluded that the Viking experiments found no evidence of life at either landing site, but didn't rule out the possibility that life may have existed in the past or may still exist in other, more hospitable, places.
"The Viking landing sites are extremely dry desert environments where it would be unlikely to find present-day biological activity on the surface," said Dr. Jim Garvin, Mars Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. "Other sites on Mars, such as nearer the polar caps or other places where liquid water may be found, are far more likely places to look for signs of present or past life. Our long- term plans call for missions to find liquid water on or under the surface, which will be the best places to begin a search for signs of life."
NASA's Langley Research Center was responsible for managing Project Viking. "We didn't really knows what Mars was all about. Mars had been examined from orbit by the Mariners and we had a pretty good picture, but the images were on the scale of a football field," said Viking Project Manager James Martin. "That was the smallest thing we could see and that's not very distinct when you consider the landers are only in the order of six or eight feet across. We didn't have the slightest idea what was on the surface in that scale."
In April 1978, Langley turned Project Viking over to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA. Today, JPL manages the Mars Exploration program, a two-decade-long effort to answer fundamental questions about Mars' early evolution and its ability to support life.
Since Viking, NASA's missions to Mars have included the ill- fated Mars Observer, the successful Mars Pathfinder lander and Sojourned rover, the prolific Mars Global Surveyor (still operating in orbit around Mars), and the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander, both of which failed as they neared Mars. The 2001 Mars Odyssey explorer is more than halfway to the Red Planet and is due to arrive in orbit on Oct. 23.
In 2003, NASA plans to launch twin geology-laboratory rovers to the surface, each the size of a desk and capable of travelling up to 110 yards a day from their landing site. Other missions, including landers and orbiting missions, will follow every 26 months.
VOLCANO RESEARCH ERUPTS IN SPACE
The view from the rim of Mt. St. Helens may be thrilling, but one of the best and safest ways to study volcanoes is from space. New spaceborne instruments let scientists peer deep into volcanoes and learn about their behavior.
"We now have a view toward the center of Earth," says volcanologist Michael Abrams of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Previously, we had to depend on on-site observations not easily accomplished when a volcano was actively erupting. Now we can safely view them from space and obtain fast, accurate information from satellites."
Erupting volcanoes cause casualties, destroy property and devastate local areas. They can also affect regional air quality and visibility with implications ranging from public health to air traffic control. For example, a large eruption by the Popocatepetl volcano near Mexico City has serious consequences for the more than one million people living within 30 kilometers (19 miles) of the volcano.
Now, instruments such as radiometers, spectrometers and interferometers fly far above Earth's surface year-round. They provide scientists with continual coverage of the approximately 500 active volcanoes around the world. The new information they provide makes it possible to do long-term monitoring, develop new research techniques and create detailed images and videos, according to JPL researchers.
Data collected over time can be turned into computer animation that provides dynamic evidence of changes to scientists, government officials and the interested public. "We are pioneering the use of powerful commercial animation software to visualize dynamic volcanic processes such as lava flows, ground deformation, and the appearance and growth of hot spots," says Dr. Vince Realmuto of JPL's Digital Image Animation Laboratory.
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer is an imaging instrument flying on Terra, a satellite launched in December 1999 as part of NASA's Earth Observing System. It is being used to obtain detailed maps of land surface temperature, radiation emissions, reflectance and elevation. The instrument helps scientists monitor volcanoes worldwide as they look for unusual thermal features and changes in the output of sulfur dioxide, a major air pollutant that is vented by some volcanoes. Particular attention is currently being directed to Popocatepetl, as well as Kilauea in Hawaii and Mount Etna in Sicily.
Also flying on Terra is the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. Viewing the sunlit Earth simultaneously at nine widely spaced angles, this instrument produces detailed images of Earth in four colors at every angle. These images are carefully calibrated to provide accurate measures of the brightness, contrast and color of reflected sunlight. The instrument can identify even very thin clouds of airborne particles emitted by volcanoes and can sense the cloud height, particle amount and type.
"The multi-angle imaging techniques pioneered by this instrument allow us to detect very small amounts of airborne particles, including volcanic plumes, from space. We can also distinguish non-spherical particles such as mineral dust from pollution and maritime particles, which helps us identify aerosols of volcanic origin," says JPL's aerosol scientist Dr. Ralph Kahn.
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000, uses a technique called radar interferometry. Differences between two radar images taken from slightly different locations allow for the calculation of surface elevation. According to Dr. Tom Farr, a JPL geologist, "The three-dimensional shapes of volcanoes we get with this data gives volcanologists information on the types of eruptions, ash flow and erosion patterns."
Synthetic aperture radar interferometry data from the European Remote Sensing satellite enables researchers to see how the volcano "breathes," or the changes within and beneath the volcano that cause the surface to expand or contract. "InSAR is one of the keys to revolutionizing our ability to view volcano deformation with complete spatial coverage of almost the entire globe," says Dr. Paul Lundgren, a JPL geophysicist. The Terra and SRTM missions are included in NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, whose goal is to obtain a better understanding of the interactions between the biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
SEVENTY-DAY JUPITER MOVIE PULLS PATTERNS OUT OF CHAOS
A kaleidoscopic movie made from about 1,200 Jupiter images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveals unexpectedly persistent polar weather patterns on the giant planet.
Long-lived storms and globe-circling belts of clouds are familiar features around Jupiter's midsection, easily seen even in still pictures. Closer to the poles, though, still images show widespread mottling that appears chaotic.
"You'd expect chaotic motions to go with the chaotic appearance, but that's not what we see," said the planetary scientist who put the movie together, Dr. Ashwin Vasavada of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. "The movie shows that the small spots last a long time and move in organized patterns."
Cassini shot the images in infrared light to cut through Jupiter's upper haze and show the clouds underneath in black and white. The movie clip combines those images taken over a span of 70 days into a sequence less than a minute long. The version centered on the north pole and another version showing the entire planet are available online from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/jupiter and from the Cassini imaging science team's site at http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu .
Caltech planetary scientist Dr. Andrew Ingersoll, a member of the Cassini imaging team, said the movie also gives insight into storms' duration in Jupiter's high latitudes. "There are thousands of storms there the size of the biggest storms on Earth," he said. "Until now, we didn't know the lifetime of those storms." The movie shows thousands of spots bumping into each other but generally moving together within each band of latitude. The spots occasionally change bands or merge with each other, but usually they last for the entire 70 days. Each spot is an active storm in Jupiter's atmosphere.
"The smaller and more numerous storms at high latitude share many of the properties of their larger cousins like the Great Red Spot at lower latitudes," Ingersoll said.
The mystery of Jupiter's weather is why the storms last so long. Storms on Earth last a week before they break up and are replaced by other storms. The new data heighten the mystery because they show long-lived storms at the highest latitudes, where the weather patterns are more disorganized than at low latitudes.
"Perhaps we should turn the question around and ask why the storms on Earth are so short lived," Ingersoll said. "We have the most unpredictable weather in the solar system, and we don't know why."
Dr. Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader and a planetary scientist at the Boulder, Colo., office of Southwest Research Institute, presented the movie at a meeting of Jupiter scientists in Boulder recently. "This is the first movie ever made of the motions of Jupiter's clouds near the poles, and it seems to indicate that one notion concerning the nature of the circulation on Jupiter is incomplete at best, and possibly wrong," she said.
The model in question suggests that Jupiter's alternating bands of east-west winds are the exposed edges of deeper, closely-packed rotating cylinders that extend north-south through the planet. In this laboratory-tested model, Porco said, "many such cylinders sit side-by-side, girdling the planet like rings of narrow solid-rockets strapped to the outside of a larger rocket." At the planet's surface, one would see only east and west winds, alternating with latitude and symmetric about the equator. "However, the east-west winds that the movie shows in the polar regions don't fit that model," Porco said. Jupiter's wind pattern may involve a mix of rotation-on-cylinders near the equator and some other circulation mechanism near the poles.
The movie required processing of images that Cassini took through an infrared filter during the last three months of 2000. The position of the spacecraft slightly north of the planet's equatorial plane gave an oblique view of Jupiter's north pole. The images were projected into maps of the northern hemisphere as if viewed from directly above the pole. In that view, the high-latitude mottling becomes a concentric series of circular bands, each rotating in the opposite direction as adjacent bands.
Cassini, launched in 1997, passed Jupiter on Dec. 30, 2000, on its way toward its ultimate destination, Saturn. It will begin orbiting Saturn on July 1, 2004, and drop its piggybacked Huygens probe onto the haze-wrapped moon Titan about six months later.
More information about the Cassini-Huygens mission is available online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/ . The mission is a collaboration of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Cassini program for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
MARS ODYSSEY MISSION STATUS
At 8:30 a.m. Pacific time today, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft passed the halfway point on its journey to Mars. It has been 100 days since Odyssey's launch and 100 days remain until it arrives at the red planet.
"Odyssey is now closer to Mars than Earth. The spacecraft is healthy and all systems are looking good," said David A. Spencer, the Odyssey mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Planning for Mars approach and orbit insertion in October is our primary focus right now."
The navigation team reports the spacecraft is right on course. To date, the Deep Space Network has taken 11 separate measurements using the so-called delta differential one-way range measurement, a technique that uses two ground stations to determine the angular position of the spacecraft relative to the known position of a quasar. The measurements provide the navigation team with an additional source of information, adding confidence to their estimates of the Odyssey flight path.
Today, Odyssey is 45.8 million kilometers (about 28.5 million miles) from Earth and 30 million kilometers (about 19 million miles) from Mars, traveling at a velocity of 26 kilometers per second (58,000 miles per hour) relative to the Sun.
The Mars Odyssey mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The Odyssey spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver.
July 17, 2001
STS-104 Report # 11 Tuesday, July 17, 2001 7:00 a.m. CDT Shuttle and station crews set aside work on a leaky ventilation valve and pressed forward with activation of the new Quest airlock and a dry run of the steps they,ll use for the first space walk using the new station doorway to space.
The practice run included a successful lowering of the airlock,s pressure to 10.2 pounds per square inch for the first time in space.
Lead Flight Director Paul Hill said troubleshooting on the valve -- and work the day before to get air bubbles out of an airlock water cooling line -- have put the combined crew about half a day behind its timeline. Among the tasks delayed was a relocation of the hatch from the junction of the airlock and the Unity module to its final position between the airlock,s crew and equipment lock sections.
The second space walk of the flight remains on schedule for Tuesday night. Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly are scheduled to step out of the space shuttle,s airlock about 9:30 p.m. The objective of the 5 hour foray is to mount one high-pressure oxygen and one high-pressure nitrogen tank on the shell of the new airlock to provide consumables that would allow expeditioners to leave the station in American space suits for construction and maintenance work without a shuttle present. Russian space suits can be used from the airlock as well.
The crews closed the hatches between the two spacecraft at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to begin lowering Atlantis, cabin pressure to that same 10.2 pounds per square inch mark. This measure helps purge nitrogen bubbles from the space walkers, bloodstreams, and is augmented by the space walkers pre-breathing pure oxygen. All crewmembers reviewed the procedures for the space walk prior to closing the hatch between the shuttle and the station,s Destiny Laboratory.
Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss took the lead in troubleshooting the suspected leak in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) assembly. The series of fans and valves circulates air between station modules and connects the airlock to the station,s environmental control and life support system. The pair wasn,t able to pinpoint the problem with the valve, but did install a cap that stopped the leak. Should replacement be necessary, several valve replacement options are available to the flight control team and crew onboard.
The delays have led flight managers to study the possibility for an extra day of docked operations and a shuttle mission extension to ensure all of the mission,s work can be completed.
Shuttle Commander Steve Lindsey, Atlantis, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Station Commander Yury Usachev took time late Monday night to answer questions from reporters from CBS, Space.com and KNBC-TV of Los Angeles.
Project manager, Galileo Millennium Mission
Eilene Theilig: Faith. by Jupiter
(CNN) -- "I did my graduate work on Mars."
That's not quite what Eilene Theilig means. But when she catches the way it's come out, her laugh rings as clear as a Galileo photo of the massive planet she studies.
Since January 29, Theilig has been the manager of NASA's Galileo spacecraft mission to Jupiter at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
And on August 5, she may be less prone to giggles. That's when the 12-year-old Galileo spacecraft makes a north-polar pass at the Jovian moon Io.
"It's always a nervous time for us," Theilig says. "Io encounters are particularly challenging. They're in closer to Jupiter than most of the moons we fly by. And they deal in a radiation environment, the spacecraft gets socked pretty well with radiation on these passes.
"Galileo has already taken three times the dosage of radiation it was designed to take. So there's a risk to the electronics. We're already starting to see some degradation in the science instruments, but there's always a risk there may be something that could happen to one of the more critical systems. Of course we have redundant systems on board, but it's always a challenging time."
No one's going to ask for his money back if Galileo doesn't make it through this flyby or the two more scheduled at Io before a pass at the smaller moon Amalthea and a final controlled impact on Jupiter in 2003.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/jobenvy/07/16/eilene.theilig/index.html
CENTENNIAL OF FLIGHT COMMISSION SELECTS FIRM FOR OUTREACH SUPPORT
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission has selected Carter Ryley Thomas Public Relations and Marketing Counsel (CRT) of Richmond, VA, to support the Commission in encouraging and promoting national and international commemoration of the centennial of powered flight. CRT will develop and implement a detailed and wide-ranging plan to increase awareness of centennial events and the centennial itself, which will occur on December 17, 2003.
"We were impressed by CRT's thorough understanding of our goals for this anniversary celebration," said Sherry Foster, executive director of the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. "Their research, their ideas and their presentation really showed the passion and strengths of CRT."
"This is a wonderful opportunity," said CRT President Mark Raper. "We will be helping share this compelling story of innovation while capturing imaginations and inspiring future inventors. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the Commission on a project of such magnitude."
CRT's outreach plan will focus particularly on reaching school children in all 50 states and serve as a resource for organizations promoting the centennial. Work on the three- year contract, which was awarded to CRT on June 20, began July 1.
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission was set up by Congress to provide recommendations and advice to the President, Congress and Federal agencies on the most effective ways to encourage and promote national and international commemoration of the centennial of powered flight. Its six members represent the First Flight Centennial Foundation of North Carolina; Inventing Flight: Dayton 2003 of Ohio; aeronautical societies, foundations and organizations outside of Ohio and North Carolina, represented by the President of the Experimental Aircraft Association; the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum; the Federal Aviation Administration; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
More information on the Commission and the centennial can be found on the Internet at: www.centennialofflight.gov
CRT, which also has offices in Los Angeles; Norfolk and Roanoke, VA; and Charleston, SC, is Virginia's largest public relations firm and ranks 31st among the largest independent agencies in the nation. More information is available at: www.crtpr.com
July 16, 2001
STS-104 Report # 08 Sunday, July 15, 2001 - 6 p.m. CDT The five-member crew of Atlantis will spend their fifth day in space working with the Expedition Two crew aboard the International Space Station to continue the activation of the station's new airlock, named Quest.
Today's work will include testing nitrogen and oxygen lines that will be used during future shuttle missions to replenish the airlock's tanks of high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen; testing the airlock's space walk equipment; and installing valves that will connect Quest to the station's environmental control system. In addition to checking and activating Quest's systems, the crews will remove the motor controllers from the airlock's berthing mechanism, which are no longer needed now that the airlock is firmly attached to the station.
The shuttle crew's day began at 4:04 p.m. with a wake-up call from Mission Control playing the song "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley for Mission Specialist Mike Gernhardt. On board the space station, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms awoke at 5:04 p.m.
After the airlock was attached to the station early Sunday morning, and the first part of its checkout was completed, the shuttle and station crews held a ribbon cutting for the new addition. Station Commander Yury Usachev and Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey cut a white ribbon that had been strung across the entrance of Quest's crew lock. Lindsey and Usachev made two cuts to the ribbon, each on either side of the word Quest to christen the new compartment. This evening's checkout of Quest will help prepare for the mission's third space walk, scheduled for Thursday evening. That space walk, during which two air tanks will be installed on Quest, will be the first to originate from the new airlock.
Yesterday, a decision was made to bring home a spare space suit aboard Atlantis that had experienced a leaking battery. Controllers were worried that the leaking battery may have damaged portions of the suit and decided to bring the suit home for inspection and cleaning. The originial plan had been to leave the suit aboard the station for use by future crews.
All systems continue to function normally aboard both the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station. Later this evening, a little after 8 p.m., the shuttle's engines will be used to perform an hour-long reboost of the station's altitude.
NASA TO HOST MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING WORKSHOP
State-of-the-art NASA imaging technologies that allow scientists to see through the surface of unexplored planets can now be used to explore the human body.
This and other highly sophisticated technologies and data management tools that may revolutionize medical imaging will be displayed during the NASA advanced technology workshop in Greenbelt, MD, July 17 and 18. The workshop, "New Partnerships in Medical Diagnostic Imaging," will be held at the Greenbelt Marriott Hotel.
"This workshop will showcase NASA technologies that can significantly enhance medical imaging and allow participants to explore potential commercial partnerships with the private sector," said Carolina Blake, chief of the Commercial Technology Office at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley.
"Last summer, our company partnered with NASA Ames to develop a breast cancer detection tool that would provide a less costly and less painful alternative to biopsy," reflected BioLuminate, Inc. president and CEO Richard Hular, who will speak at the workshop and share his success story. "In less than a year, this partnership took us from licensing the smart surgical probe developed by Dr. Robert Mah of Ames to testing our first original prototype," said Hular.
During the workshop, NASA centers will demonstrate a variety of innovations that have valuable medical applications. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, will introduce Solid State Image Detectors and Computing Hardware/Software Applications. NASA Ames will provide information about 3-D reconstruction software and digital image compression.
"ROSS 3D reconstruction software can be an extremely useful diagnostic, visualization and animation tool for imaging methods and reconstruction techniques," said Richard Boyle, director of Ames' Center for Bioinformatics. Originally developed by Sterling Software and Dr. Muriel Ross, this software enables scientists and doctors to create a three-dimensional reconstruction of an object obtained from imaged sections or layers by physical, optical, sound or other means with the interactive aid of a computer.
DCTune is a computer technology that can enhance editing, storage and transmission of x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other medical images by advancing digital image compression. As a part of a larger program of human factors research at Ames, DCTune is a result of Dr. Andrew Watson's research on visual perception and its application to coding, understanding and display of visual information. Based on a model of human vision, DCTune provides perceptual optimization of image compression.
"NASA is strongly committed to transferring innovative technologies from our research and development projects to the private sector. This event is another example of our on-going effort to commercialize NASA technology," said Blake.
Information about the Commercial Technology Office at NASA Ames is available at its web site at: http://ctoserver.arc.nasa.gov/
This Week on Galileo July 16-22, 2001
Standard cruise activities continue for the Galileo spacecraft this relatively quiet week. On Monday, the spacecraft performs routine maintenance on the propulsion system. On Thursday, the spacecraft is turned 3.9 degrees to keep the communications antenna pointed towards Earth.
In the realm of real-time science data collection, the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EUV) continues its two-month-long study of interplanetary hydrogen gas.
Just to keep things interesting, on Wednesday and Thursday the spacecraft appears to pass within approximately 0.5 degree of Earth's Moon, as seen from the ground communications antennas. When this happens, the Moon can actually be "seen" by the antennas which are tracking the spacecraft, and can interfere with the radio signal from Galileo. This effect is not nearly as severe as that seen when the spacecraft and Sun are close together in the sky, but we still make sure that no valuable telemetry is being sent during the time period when communications are affected. Not all of the complications that govern how a spacecraft is operated are caused by situations in the remote reaches of the solar system!
As part of the continuing playback of data stored on the on-board tape recorder during Galileo's May flyby of Callisto, the data expected this week are from the Solid State Imaging camera (SSI) and the suite of Fields and Particles instruments that measure the magnetic field environment of Jupiter. These instruments are the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), Heavy Ion Counter (HIC), Magnetometer (MAG), Plasma instrument (PLS), and Plasma Wave Subsystem (PWS).
SSI will be returning the highest resolution images of Callisto ever obtained. They were taken near our closest approach, which was at 138 kilometers (85 miles) altitude. In addition, stereo pictures of a domed crater will be played back. The Fields and Particles data were recorded during a period of approximately one hour centered on the closest approach to Callisto, and will help to study the interactions between the solid body of Callisto and the electromagnetic fields and plasmas of Jupiter's magnetosphere. In addition, these data will add to our understanding of Callisto's own magnetic field. Like Europa, Callisto displays an induced magnetic field, possibly due to the presence of substantial liquid water within a hundred kilometers (62 miles) or so of its icy surface.
Planet Gobbling Dust Storms
A massive dust storm --the largest in 25 years and still growing-- has erupted on Mars. It's so big that amateur astronomers using modest telescopes can see it from Earth. And the cloud has raised the temperature of the frigid Martian atmosphere by a stunning 30 degrees Celsius. This story includes movies of the ongoing storm and explains how Martian dust storms can grow so large.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast16jul_1.htm?list448368
LAUNCH OF GOES-M WEATHER SATELLITE RESCHEDULED FOR JULY 22
The launch of the GOES-M weather satellite for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA rocket (AC-142) has been re-scheduled for Sunday, July 22. Liftoff is targeted to occur at the opening of a launch window that extends from 3:01 - 4:25 a.m. EDT, a duration of one hour and 24 minutes. Launch will occur from Pad A at Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
GOES-M is the fifth and last spacecraft to be launched in the current advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for NOAA, however, it is the first to have a Solar X-ray Imager. The spacecraft is a three-axis internally stabilized weather satellite that has the dual capability of providing pictures while performing atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once in orbit the spacecraft will be designated GOES-12.
The new Solar X-ray Imager is a solar storm detection instrument. It will take a full-disk image of the sun's atmosphere once every minute. The images will be used to monitor and forecast the sources of space weather disturbances from the sun. This will enable forecasters to predict disturbances to Earth's space environment that can fry satellite electronics, disrupt satellite, navigation and radio signals, and create surges in power grids. This will also benefit astronauts, high-altitude pilots and scientists.
NASA/NOAA Pre-launch Press Conference
The prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA-KSC News Center on Friday, July 20 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. Participating in the briefing will be:
Gerry Dittberner, GOES program manager, NOAA Chuck Dovale, NASA launch director, Kennedy Space Center Adrian Laffitte, director, Atlas Launch Operations, Lockheed Martin Marty Davis, GOES project manager, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Jerry Zwirn, GOES program executive director, Space Systems/LORAL Steve Hill, lead, Solar X-ray Imager, NOAA Space Environment Center James Sardonia, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, USAF
No post-launch news conference is planned.
Press Coverage
There will be a tower-rollback photo opportunity for the news media. Press representatives should be at the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station located on State Road 401 at 11:30 p.m., July 21. Departure for Launch Complex 36 will be promptly at 11:45 p.m.
Media covering launch only should assemble at the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building at 1:30 a.m., Sunday, July 22. The convoy to Press Site 1 will depart at 1:45 a.m.
Media who wish to cover the pre-launch press conference and the launch of GOES-M should send a letter of request on news organization letterhead. Include the full names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of those desiring accreditation. Letters should be faxed to 321/867-2692 or may be addressed to:
GOES-M Launch Accreditation NASA XA-E1 Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
GOES-M/AC-142 mission badges may be picked up at the NASA-KSC News Center beginning on Wednesday, July 18. Badges may also be obtained on launch day, Sunday, July 22 at the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building starting at 1:30 a.m. All media are required to have a GOES-M mission badge to cover the launch. STS 104 mission badges will not be valid.
Remote Camera Placement On Saturday, July 21 at 9:30 a.m., a van will depart from the NASA-KSC News Center for Complex 36 for media photographers to establish remote cameras at the pad. There will be no access or transportation from Gate 1 for remote camera set-ups.
Television Coverage
NASA Television will carry live the GOES-M/AC-142 pre-launch press conference on Friday, July 20 at 12:30 p.m. A two-way question and answer capability will be available from other NASA field centers.
A complete GOES-M video package will be broadcast during the NASA TV Video File on July 20 at 12 noon EDT.
On launch day, Sunday, July 22, live coverage on NASA Television will begin at 1:30 a.m. and continue through spacecraft separation at L+27 minutes. If launch should be postponed 24 hours to Monday, July 23, launch coverage will not be on NASA Television, but instead will be on Skynet's Telstar 5, Transponder C-20 located at 97 degrees West.
The pre-launch press conference and all launch coverage will be carried live on the NASA "V" audio circuits which may be accessed by dialing 321/867-7135, 4003, and 4920. NASA Television is available on the GE-2 satellite, transponder 9C, located at 85 degrees West.
Stennis completes first hot-fire test of aerospike engine technology for Space Launch Initiative
Stennis Space Center, Miss., has successfully completed a critical initial test in a three-part series for a Space Launch Initiative (SLI) test program of the Electro-Mechanical Actuator (EMA) technology used on the former X-33 program's Linear Aerospike XRS-2200 flight engine set. The July 12 test was a "start-sequence" test and went the full scheduled duration of 5.32 seconds.
The test was a unique opportunity for NASA to effectively gain valuable experience and data from existing commercial technology.
EMAs electronically regulate the amount of propellant (fuel and oxidizer) flow in the engine. The technology is a potential alternative and improvement to the older hydraulic-fluid systems currently used by the aerospace industry to drive and control critical rocket engine valves.
According to NASA's Garry Lyles, Space Launch Initiative Propulsion Program Office manager at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., the EMA technology is of interest to SLI because all engine concepts being considered for the program use EMAs.
"SLI's primary focus is on technology development for concepts that would be able to dramatically reduce cost and improve safety and reliability of launching payloads for NASA, commercial and military missions," Lyles said. "Since the engine was already in a test stand at Stennis, taking advantage of the dual aerospike flight engine set already in the A-1 test stand was too great of an opportunity to pass up."
According to NASA's Dr. Don Chenevert, EMA project manager at Stennis, the initial test will be followed with a 25-second test at 80 percent power-level. The third test is scheduled for 100 seconds and will demonstrate relevant engine operations and show how the EMA control system works under actual thermal, hydraulic and stress loads.
July 14, 2001
Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 07/05/01 - 07/10/01
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Monday, July 9. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/ .
The C27 sequence was uplinked to the spacecraft and began executing this week. Final activities in C26 included a RADAR calibration activity, an AACS reaction wheel unload, and a constraint monitor update. The RADAR activity was completed without incident and matched the results predicted by Integration Test Laboratory (ITL) testing. Initial activities in C27 included power-on of the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS), loading of Instrument Expanded Blocks for Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS), Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (UVIS), Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) and Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS), an RPWS High Frequency Receiver Calibration, an AACS reaction wheel friction test, and clearing of the AACS high water marks. Observations included a Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) Fomalhaut Observation following their Solar Port Calibration, a UVIS Interplanetary hydrogen survey, and CIRS observations of Eta Carinae and VY-Canis Majoris.
Radio Science team personnel met in Rome with a group of engineers from Alenia and a representative from the Italian Space Agency. Discussions centered on the status of the KAT (Ka-Band Translator) anomaly investigation.
ISS conducted an ITL test of various reset modes and Bus Interface Unit conditions to better understand the interaction of instrument flight software and camera operations. Analysis is underway.
Mission Assurance submitted an Abstract for a Risk Management Session at the 2002 meeting of the IEEE. The paper entitled: "Managing Risk During Cassini Mission Operations & Data Analysis" would document the Cassini approach to Risk Management during mission operations, including the use of an on-line risk tracking system and automated metrics generation.
VIMS Flight Software version 4.1 was received by Configuration Management and archived in the Project Software Library.
A Delivery Coordination Meeting was held for CIMS version 1.2. This version of CIMS provided a bulk data import capability (using data formatted with XML).
A June 2001 update of the Integrated Mission Operations Schedule was published to the Cassini Electronic Library (CEL)/Work Area. The schedule now covers the period from Launch through April 2005 and includes sequence development, execution and activities for the first nine tour sequences. Hardcopy distribution at JPL and Distributed Ops sites has begun.
The Native file for Anomaly Response Operations Plan Rev G has been posted to the CEL and the Master Controlled Document List. The Cassini Duty roster for C27 has been updated to reflect changes in the G version.
STS-104 Report # 06 The five-member crew of Atlantis will spend today working in concert with the Expedition Two crew aboard the International Space to install the station,s new airlock Quest. The installation of that airlock will take place as part of a seven-hour space walk by Mission Specialists Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly, scheduled to begin at 9:09 p.m. Central.
The Shuttle crew,s day began at 4:04 p.m. with a wake-up call from Mission Control, playing the song "Space Cowboy by N,Sync for Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi. On board the Space Station, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms also awoke at 4:04 p.m.
During tonight,s space walk, Gernhardt, designated EV1, will be identifiable by the red stripes around the legs of his spacesuit, while Reilly, EV2, will be wearing an all-white space suit. Atlantis, pilot Charlie Hobaugh will coordinate the space walk from within the shuttle cabin.
Gernhardt will begin the space walk by removing an insulating cover, nicknamed the "shower cap, from the airlock,s berthing mechanism, as well as protective covers from the mechanism,s seals. Reilly will work to install bars on the airlock that will be used to attach four High-Pressure Gas Tanks during two subsequent space walks later in the mission. Gernhardt will then disconnect heater cables that kept the airlock warm while in the payload bay, which Reilly will stow along with the shower cap and berthing mechanism covers.
When the airlock is ready for installation, Helms, from a control panel in the station and assisted by crewmate Voss, will attach the Canadarm2 to the Quest airlock and lift it out of Atlantis, payload bay. Grappling of the airlock by the station,s robotic arm is scheduled to occur at 11:04 p.m., with removal of the airlock from the payload bay at 11:19 p.m. The airlock is scheduled to be attached to the right side of the Unity module at 2:04 a.m.
Throughout the space walk, Atlantis astronaut Janet Kavandi will operate the shuttle,s robotic arm, using it to maneuver the two space walkers around the space station and to provide camera views to assist Helms and Voss with their work.
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109
FREE LECTURES WILL EXPLORE VIKING LEGACY, FUTURE MISSIONS TO MARS
A quarter of a century after successfully landing on Mars with twin spacecraft, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will treat the world to a trip down memory lane and a sneak-peak into the future with a pair of free lectures. The first lecture will also be broadcast over the Internet.
Both lectures are open to the public and will start at 7 p.m. The first will be held at JPL on Thursday, July 19, and the other at Pasadena City College on Friday, July 20.
Viking 1 and Viking 2, each comprised of an orbiter and a lander, unveiled a wealth of information about the red planet. While the orbiters mapped 97 percent of the surface, both landers carried out biology experiments designed to look for possible signs of life. The results gave scientists direct measurements of enigmatic chemical activity. However, they showed no clear evidence for the presence of living microorganisms in the soil near the landing sites.
"The orbital and lander data sets collected by Viking serve as the foundation upon which the next era of Mars Exploration is based," said John Callas, science manager of the Mars Exploration Rover Project and the speaker for both lectures. "The Viking legacy has enabled NASA to engage in a very ambitious campaign of exploration."
The lectures will discuss the Viking legacy, highlight recent discoveries by Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor, and describe plans for future exploration. Launched in April, the 2001 Mars Odyssey will enter Mars' orbit in October. Two rovers equipped with sophisticated instruments will launch in 2003. The rovers will land in different regions of the red planet.
Lecture seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The lecture at JPL will be held in the von Karman Auditorium, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., in Pasadena, off the Oak Grove Drive exit of the 210 (Foothill) Freeway. For directions to JPL, see http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about_JPL/directions.html . Information on the webcast is at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/jul01.html .
On Friday, the lecture will be held in Pasadena City College's Forum at 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. For more information, call (818) 354-0112.
STS-104 Report # 05 Saturday, July 14, 2001 -- 6 a.m. CDT Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey smoothly docked the space shuttle with the International Space Station late Friday about 240 statute miles above the northeastern coast of South America. With both spacecraft moving at about 17,500 mph, Lindsay moved Atlantis to the station at a relative speed of about a tenth of a foot per second. Docking occurred at 10:08 p.m. CDT.
Atlantis brings a new airlock to the station. It will enable station crewmembers to conduct spacewalks from the station, using either Russian or U.S. spacesuits.
The hatch separating the Atlantis crew, Lindsey, Pilot Charles Hobaugh, and mission specialists Mike Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and James Reilly, from Expedition Two crewmembers Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms was opened at midnight. After a safety briefing by Expedition Two Commander Usachev, both crews began an hour-long review of procedures for the first of three spacewalks of the STS-104 mission.
The spacewalk, by Gernhardt and Reilly, is to begin about 9:10 p.m. Saturday and last more than seven hours. Focus of the spacewalk is the berthing of the airlock, named Quest. Two subsequent spacewalks by Gernhardt and Reilly will attach high-pressure Oxygen and Nitrogen tanks to the airlock.
After the hour-long meeting on the spacewalk, robotic arms on both the station and Atlantis were put through a rehearsal of procedures to be used during removal of the airlock from the shuttle's cargo bay and its attachment to the station. Helms took the station's 58-foot-long robotic arm, Canadarm2, through a dry run of the berthing of the new airlock to the starboard docking port of the station's Unity node. Aboard Atlantis, Kavandi powered up the shuttle's robotic arm and practiced its spacewalk activities.
Early Saturday Gernhardt and Reilly checked the batteries of their spacesuits and found no evidence of potassium hydroxide leakage that was seen Friday as they checked a spare spacesuit. The battery was replaced and the suit cleaned. Managers decided to postpone temporarily the planned transfer of that suit to the station while they study the situation.
Hatches between Atlantis and the station were closed at 4:45 a.m. and the pressure in the shuttle's cabin reduced to 10.2 pounds per square inch in preparation for the first spacewalk. Astronaut Michael L. Gernhardt, mission specialist, training for extravehicular activity (EVA), prepares to enter a deep pool of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). The STS-104 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) represents the Space Shuttle Atlantis' first flight using a new engine and is targeted for a liftoff no earlier than June 14, 2001. Photo by NASA
July 13, Evening Edition, 2001
STS-104 Report # 04 Friday, July 13, 2001 6:30 p.m. CDT The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis was awakened at 3:04 p.m. CDT to the song "God of Wonders by the group Caedmon,s Call. On this, their third day in space, the five-member crew of Atlantis is focusing on a rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station around 9:53 p.m.
The day,s rendezvous operations began at 4:34 p.m. with Atlantis trailing the station by about 250 statute miles and closing the gap by 230 miles every orbit. Yesterday, the crew powered up the shuttle,s docking mechanism and installed a centerline camera that will help line up the orbiter,s docking mechanism with the station,s docking port.
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition Two crew Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms awoke at 4 p.m. The Expedition Two crew spent its orbital morning preparing the station for the arrival of Atlantis, and some initial cargo exchanges.
Another successful firing of Atlantis, orbital maneuvering system engines at 6 p.m. refined the shuttle,s approach. A final burn, called the Terminal Intercept (Ti) burn, is scheduled for 7:33 p.m. when Atlantis is about 50,000 feet behind the station. After the Ti burn, the shuttle,s rendezvous radar system will begin tracking the station and providing range and closing rate information to Commander Steve Lindsey and Pilot Charlie Hobaugh. When Atlantis reaches a point about a half mile below the station, Lindsey will take manual control of the station and slow Atlantis, approach, flying to a point about 600 feet below the station. Mission Specialists Michael Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and Jim Reilly will assist, operating additional range-finding tools and documenting the approach with an IMAX camera mounted in the cargo bay. Lindsey will trace a quarter-circle around the station, bringing the shuttle to a point a little more than 300 feet in front of the Destiny laboratory and Pressurized Mating Adapter 2. From that point, Lindsey will move Atlantis toward the station at a speed of one tenth of a mile per hour until the two vehicles are just 30 feet apart; there he will pause for a few minutes to check his alignment. Lindsey will gently close the distance until the shuttle,s spring-loaded docking mechanism makes contact with the station. The mechanism will be retracted and latches commanded to close, completing the docking process.
After docking, the crews are scheduled to open the hatches between the two vehicles about 11:30 p.m. and greet one another in a brief welcoming ceremony.
July 13, 2001
First launch is 'smooth' for NASA Marshall Center's new Space Shuttle Block II Main Engine It was a "smooth" launch Thursday for the new Block II Main Engine, which helped lift Space Shuttle Atlantis into orbit at 4:04 a.m. (CDT).
The initial look at the data indicates the launch was smooth and the new engine performed as expected, said George Hopson, manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Atlantis used one Block II Main Engine and two Block IIA engines to complete its full complement of three engines.
"The launch of STS-104 was a major milestone for Space Shuttle propulsion," said Art Stephenson, director of the Marshall Center. "The new engine provides the Shuttle crew with an even safer ride into orbit. It is one of the many initiatives we are undertaking to improve what is already the safest, most reliable space transportation system in the world."
The Shuttle is headed to the International Space Station to deliver the Station's new doorway to space -- an airlock built and tested at the Marshall Center.
The Block II Space Shuttle Main Engine includes a new high-pressure fuel turbopump developed by Pratt & Whitney of West Palm Beach, Fla. The new design eliminates welds by using a casting process for the housing and includes a heavy integral shaft/disk with robust bearings. This makes the pump stronger and should increase the number of flights between major overhauls.
Post-Launch Quick Look Assessment: * Engine performed as predicted and all pre-launch conditions and boost phase operations were normal * Observations on coolant liner pressure and turbine discharge temperatures were on target * Data indicates good starts on all three engines * Vibration levels were normal and consistent with testing history * Block II turbopump exhibited comparable trends and levels to acceptance test
Donna Weaver Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD
Myron Smith Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD
Detlef Groote University of Hamburg, Germany MAGNETIC FIELDS WEAVE RINGS AROUND STARS
There are stars with planets. Stars with companion stars. Stars with pancake-shaped disks of rocky debris. But how about young, hot, hefty stars embedded in large inner tube-shaped clouds of shimmering gas? Astronomers had suspected that the thick rings are the signatures of stars with strong magnetic fields. Sometimes, the surfaces of those "magnetic stars" possess peculiar chemical compositions, namely low amounts of "heavy elements" like iron. Now a team of astronomers analyzing archival information on four stars provides convincing evidence of the link between rings and magnetic fields. The team also suggests that rings around massive stars are more common than scientists thought. The study shows that magnetic stars with normal chemical abundances can have rings, too.
STS-104 #2 Report The five-member crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis awoke to its first full day in space at 5:38 p.m. The crew was awakened by the song "Wallace Courts Murron from the movie "Braveheart. The song, by James Horner, was played for Atlantis Pilot Charlie Hobaugh. The shuttle is en route to the International Space Station to deliver the station,s new airlock, Quest, and is scheduled to dock with the station at 9:53 p.m. CDT Friday.
Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Jim Reilly and Mike Gernhardt will spend their first full day in space checking equipment in preparation for the major events to come on their 11-day mission: Friday,s docking with the station and Saturday,s first of three space walks.
With Gernhardt and Reilly assisting during a seven-hour space walk, scheduled to begin around 9 p.m. Saturday, Flight Engineer Susan Helms will use the station,s new robotic arm -- Canadarm2 -- to remove the Quest airlock from the shuttle,s payload bay and attach it to the right side of the station,s Unity connecting module. The new airlock will enable station crews to perform space walks in U.S. space suits without the shuttle being present. This ability will enhance the station,s capabilities for maintenance and construction and complete a major milestone in the station,s orbital construction.
The International Space Station crew Commander Yuri Usachev and Flight Engineers Helms and Jim Voss awoke at 2 p.m. The station crew will spend its day preparing for the Friday docking of Atlantis and the Saturday installation of the Quest airlock. The Expedition Two crew has been in space since March 8 and in charge of the space station since it took over from the Expedition One crew March 18. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA STS-104 Report # 01 The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on time this morning at 4:04 a.m. Central from the Kennedy Space Center, FL, and, after a smooth climb to orbit, is now en route to deliver a new doorway to space to the International Space Station later this week.
Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Janet Kavandi, Jim Reilly and Mike Gernhardt will install an airlock named Quest on the station, increasing the orbiting complex,s onboard capabilities for maintenance and construction and completing a major milestone in the station,s orbital construction. The International Space Station crew Commander Yuri Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms -- was informed of Atlantis, launch just minutes after liftoff. The station crew spent the day preparing for the shuttle,s visit. Earlier in the week the station crew performed final checks of the orbiting outpost,s Canadian-built mechanical arm, an arm that will be used to attach the airlock, and reported the arm in excellent condition.
Atlantis is planned to dock with the station at about 9:51 p.m. Central on Friday. After opening Atlantis, payload bay doors and preparing the shuttle for an extended stay in space, Atlantis, crew will go to sleep at 9:04 a.m. Central today. The space station crew, now in their fourth month aboard the complex, will begin their sleep period at about 5:30 a.m. Central.
The station crew will awaken at 2 p.m. and Atlantis, crew will awaken at 5:03 p.m. today. When they awaken this afternoon, the shuttle crew will spend their first full day in space checking out equipment in preparation for the major events to come on their 11-day mission: Friday,s docking with the station and three space walks, the first to begin on Saturday, to install the new airlock.
The next mission status report will be issued at about 6 p.m. Central.
NASA SCIENTIST FINDS CLUE TO POSSIBLE EVOLUTIONARY SHIFT
A team of researchers, including a NASA scientist, reports that an early-life nitrogen crisis may have triggered a critical evolutionary leap about 2 billion years ago.
The team, from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and NASA's Ames Research Center in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, published its results in the July 5 issue of Nature. Their paper is entitled "A Possible Nitrogen Crisis for Archaean Life Due to Reduced Nitrogen Fixation by Lightning." The researchers, who simulated early Earth atmospheric conditions in a laboratory, postulate that the bacteria that existed then began producing their own nitrogen "fertilizer" in order to survive. "Our findings show how life on early Earth had to adapt to major changes in the environment," said Dr. Chris McKay, a team member from NASA Ames. "Our results indicate that a couple of billion years ago, life had to invent a way to make its own nitrogen fertilizer because the amount being produced by lightning dropped to almost zero."
The UNAM-Ames researchers cite evidence that carbon dioxide was much more abundant on early Earth than it is now, and suggest that ancient lightning bolts made nitrate (in a form usable by early life) by combining oxygen from carbon dioxide with nitrogen in the atmosphere. This nitrate acted as a natural "fertilizer" for early life, providing nourishment and spurring growth, they suggest. However, because making nitrate from atmospheric nitrogen is energy intensive, the bacteria did not develop this capability on their own until the lightning source became inadequate for their needs, the research team concluded.
In the lab, the team simulated conditions on early Earth over a wide range of atmospheric compositions, from mostly carbon dioxide to mostly complex nitrogen atmospheres, but always without oxygen. They used a high-power laser to simulate lightning and measured the nitrate produced.
Although the temporary lapse in nitric oxide production may have lasted for only 100 million years, a relatively short period on the geologic time scale, researchers believe this was long enough to cause the ecological crisis that triggered early life's ability to "fix" its own nitrogen.
"We are used to thinking of the environment and life as steady and unchanging," said McKay, "but the early Earth was quite different. Major changes in the atmosphere occurred and life had to adapt. To me, the interesting follow-up question is: Did it happen on other planets, too?"
McKay said the process was triggered because, over time, carbon dioxide levels on Earth dropped and the production of atmospheric nitrate by lightning was greatly reduced. This left bacteria literally starving for nitrogen. The UNAM-NASA Ames team estimates that this environmental crisis occurred between 2 and 2.2 billion years ago.
In addition to McKay, other team members included Dr. Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez and Dr. Delphine Mvondo, UNAM. NASA's Astrobiology Division in Washington, D.C. funded McKay's and NASA Ames' participation in the research project.
July 11, 2001N
GENESIS SET TO CATCH A PIECE OF THE SUN
PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- At Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, part of the fairing for the Genesis spacecraft is lifted up the gantry. The fairing will encapsulate the spacecraft to protect it during launch aboard a Delta II rocket. Genesis will be on a journey to capture samples of the ions and elements in the solar wind and return them to Earth for scientists to use to determine the exact composition of the Sun and the solar system's origin. NASA's Genesis project in managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Lockheed Martin Astronautics built the Genesis spacecraft for NASA in Denver, Colo. The launch is scheduled for July 30 at 12:36 p.m. EDT.
NASA'S next robotic space explorer is ready to do a little sunbathing on a mission to catch a wisp of raw material from the luminous celestial body around which the Earth and other planets revolve.
Genesis, set for launch July 30 from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, is designed to collect tiny pieces of the Sun and return them to Earth. The mission is expected to capture about 10 to 20 micrograms of the solar wind, made up of invisible charged particles expelled by the Sun.
The particles, about the weight of a few grains of salt, will be returned to Earth with a spectacular mid-air helicopter capture. Scientists will preserve this treasured smidgen of the Sun in a special laboratory for study. The researchers hope to answer fundamental questions about the exact composition of our star and the birth of our solar system.
"This mission will be the Rosetta Stone of planetary science data, because it will show us the foundation by which we can judge how our solar system evolved," said Chester Sasaki, Genesis project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "The samples that Genesis returns will show us the composition of the original solar nebula that formed the planets, asteroids, comets and the Sun we know today."
"Genesis will return a small but precious amount of data crucial to our knowledge of the Sun and the formation of our solar system," said Dr. Donald Burnett, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, who is principal investigator and leader of the Genesis mission. "Data from Genesis will provide critical pieces for theories about the birth of the Sun and planets."
In October 2001, Genesis will arrive at a place in space well outside Earth's atmosphere and magnetic environment that will allow it to gather pristine samples of the solar wind.
The spacecraft carries four scientific instruments: bicycle-tire-sized solar-wind collector arrays, made of materials such as diamond, gold, silicon and sapphire, designed to entrap solar wind particles; an ion monitor, which will record the speed, density, temperature and approximate composition of the solar wind; an electron monitor, which will make similar measurements of electrons in the solar wind; and an ion concentrator, which will separate out and focus elements in the solar wind like oxygen and nitrogen into a special collector tile. Sample collection will conclude in April 2004, when the spacecraft returns to Earth. Genesis will be the first mission to return a sample of extraterrestrial material collected beyond the orbit of the Moon.
In September 2004, the solar samples will be returned in a dramatic helicopter capture. As the Genesis return capsule parachutes toward the ground at the U.S. Air Force's Utah Testing and Training Range, specially trained helicopter pilots will catch it on the fly to prevent the delicate samples from being disturbed by the impact of a parachute landing.
The samples will be taken to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where the collected materials will be stored and distributed for analysis. Scientists anticipate that, in addition to today's capabilities, new analytical techniques developed in coming decades can be used to study the solar matter returned by Genesis.
Researchers believe the surface of the Sun, from which the solar wind originates, has preserved the composition of the solar nebula from which all the different planetary bodies formed. Study of Genesis' samples is expected to yield the average chemical composition of the solar system to greater accuracy. It will also provide clues to the evolutionary process that has led to the incredible diversity of environments in today's solar system.
Genesis is sponsored by NASA's Discovery Program, which competitively selects low-cost solar system exploration missions with highly focused science goals.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Genesis mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colo., designed and built the spacecraft and will operate it jointly with JPL. Major portions of the payload design and fabrication were carried out at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.
July 11, 2001
STELLAR APOCALYPSE YIELDS FIRST EVIDENCE OF WATER-BEARING WORLDS BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
In this artist's rendering, the aging star IRC+10216 vaporizes a belt of comet-like objects in its vicinity. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
As an alien sun blazes through its death throes, it is apparently vaporizing a surrounding swarm of comets, releasing a huge cloud of water vapor, a team of astronomers reported today. The discovery, reported in an article to be published tomorrow in the journal Nature, is the result of observations with the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), a small radio observatory that NASA launched into space in December 1998.
The new SWAS observations provide the first evidence that extra-solar planetary systems contain water, a molecule that is an essential ingredient for known forms of life. This result will be the subject of a NASA Space Science Update today at the NASA Headquarters auditorium in Washington, D.C., at 1:00 PM.
"Over the past two years, SWAS has detected water vapor from a wide variety of astronomical sources," says Dr. Gary Melnick of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Principal Investigator on the SWAS mission. "What makes the results we are reporting today so unusual is that we have found a cloud of water vapor around a star where we would not ordinarily have expected to find water."
The star in question is an aging giant star designated by astronomers as IRC+10216, also known as CW Leonis, located 500 light years (almost 3,000 trillion miles) from Earth in the direction of the constellation Leo.
"IRC+10216 is a carbon-rich star in which the concentration of carbon exceeds that of oxygen," explains Melnick. "In such stars, we expect all the oxygen atoms to be bound up in the form of carbon monoxide (an oxygen atom and a carbon atom bound together), with almost nothing left over to form water (one oxygen atom bound to two hydrogen atoms). Yet we see substantial concentrations of water vapor around this star; the most plausible explanation for this water vapor is that it is being vaporized from the surfaces of orbiting comets, 'dirty snowballs' that are composed primarily of water ice."
From its vantage point in orbit above the absorbing effects of water in Earth's atmosphere, SWAS is capable of detecting the distinctive radiation emitted by water vapor in space. The observations of water vapor around IRC+10216 suggest that other stars may be surrounded by planetary systems similar to our own. Over the past decade, more than 50 stars have been shown to have large planets in orbit around them, but little is known about the composition of those planets.
In order to explain the water vapor concentration that SWAS has
detected, several hundred billion comets would be needed at distances from the star between 75 and 300 times the distance of the Earth from the Sun. "That sounds like a lot," comments Saavik Ford, a Johns Hopkins graduate student who is a co-author on the article reporting the discovery. "But the total mass required of this swarm of orbiting comets is similar to the original mass of the Kuiper Belt, a collection of comets that orbits our own Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune. In our own solar system, these comets orbit the Sun quietly for the most part; occasionally a comet comes in close to the Sun, starts to vaporize, and displays the characteristic coma and tail that we are familiar with. But IRC+10216 is so much more luminous than the Sun that comets start to vaporize even at the distance of the Kuiper Belt. So one has several hundred billion comets all vaporizing at once."
The Kuiper belt, located beyond the orbit of Neptune, contains many billions of icy objects (of which Pluto is the largest currently known.) Most Kuiper belt objects orbit the Sun quietly and unobserved, except very occasionally when one of them is deflected onto an elliptical orbit that takes it close to the Sun. As a comet comes close to the Sun, it heats up and starts to vaporize, yielding a fuzzy coma and a tail. Giant stars like IRC+10216 have grown roughly ten thousand times more luminous than the Sun and are now so luminous that they vaporize comets even at the distance of the Kuiper belt. The SWAS observations suggest that IRC+10216 is surrounded by a belt of comets similar to our Kuiper belt; these comets are now all vaporizing en masse and depositing large amounts of water vapor into the surrounding space.
Figure courtesy of Johns Hopkins University The SWAS observations of IRC+10216 paint a picture of the future of our solar system. "We think we are witnessing the type of apocalypse that will ultimately befall our own planetary system," says SWAS team member Dr. David Neufeld, professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins. "Several billion years from now, the Sun will become a giant star and its power output will increase five thousand fold. As the luminosity of the Sun increases, a wave of water vaporization will spread outwards through the solar system, starting with Earth's oceans and extending well beyond the orbit of Neptune. Icy bodies as large as Pluto will be mostly vaporized, leaving a cinder of hot rock."
SWAS was built and operated by NASA with support from the German government and the participation of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Cornell University, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Cologne, Ball Aerospace, and Millitech (now Telaxis Communication Corp.).
In addition to Melnick, Neufeld and Ford, the other co-authors on the article reporting the new results on IRC+10216 are Dr. David Hollenbach of NASA's Ames Research Center and Dr. Matthew Ashby of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics., SYNTHECON AGREE ON PROTEIN PHARMACEUTICAL LICENSE
NASA JSC Release J01-73
NASA has granted biotechnology company Synthecon, Inc. an exclusive pharmaceutical license to produce recombinant human protein drugs in its proprietary Rotary Cell Culture System TM (RCCSTM).
Synthecon is using the RCCSTM technology to develop a recombinant protein drug to treat autoimmune system diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The Synthecon/NASA Rotary Cell Culture System TM technology is expected to increase the efficiency of producing such drugs by at least ten times.
The RCCSTM technology is based on a 1986 NASA invention, known as the bioreactor. The bioreactor is a cell culturing apparatus, having a rotating cylinder developed at Johnson Space Center during research to simulate the way cell cultures grow in weightlessness. Unlike cultures grown in petri dishes on Earth, in weightlessness the cells have no pressure points that can disrupt the culture. To simulate this, the rotating bioreactor was developed. Its rotation and shape reduce pressure points to stimulate the effect of weightlessness, producing high-density cell cultures that would not otherwise grow outside the body.
Synthecon holds an exclusive NASA license to manufacture the RCCSTM equipment, with two more patents pending. Synthecon, Inc. is the manufacturers of 3-dimensional tissue culture systems using licensed NASA bioreactor technology developed for the space program.
"The Human Genome Project mapped all of the human genes, said Andy Anderson, Synthecon,s president. "Proteomics is an emerging discipline that uses that data to identify and produce human proteins, and the RCCSTM already is a proven tool in these proteomic developments.
Anderson continued, "If the Genome Project is the diamond mine and the proteomics proteins are the diamonds, then the Rotary Cell Culture System TM is the pick and shovel for getting them out. This new NASA license allows Synthecon to mine some of the diamonds and grant sublicenses to others to use the RCCSTM technology to mine their own proteomics diamonds.
JSC has an active program to transfer technology designed for space into products to improve life on earth. Space technology in propulsion; structures; energy generation, storage, and transmission; human factors engineering; aerospace medicine; sensors; communications; computers; and materials are transferred from the government to the private sector, often in cooperative development projects with companies such as Synthecon.
TWELVE NEW-FOUND MOONS OF SATURN ARE COLLISIONAL REMNANTS OF LARGER MOONS From Lori Stiles, UA News Services, Astronomers have discovered 12 more moons around Saturn. And they have evidence that these once were just 3 or 4 moons, minding their business, orbiting the planet like all regular saturnian moons do today. The 12 new-found moons are in irregular orbits that suggest they are the collisional remnants of larger parent moons, once securely captured in, but later blasted from, their saturnian orbits. Using several medium-to-large sized telescopes, large-format CCD arrays that photograph big areas of sky, and computers that process multiple gigabytes of data each night, teams of astronomers collaborated last fall in a search for so-called "irregular" moons around the gas giant. Saturn was known to have six relatively large moons and 12 minor moons. All except one minor moon, Phoebe, discovered in 1898, are classified as regular satellites because they move along nearly circular orbits in the planet's orbital plane, revolving in the same direction as the planet spins. The 12 new-found satellites are irregular - meaning they orbit outside the plane of Saturn's equator - and it appears that their orbits cluster in three, possibly four, distinct groups, said Carl W. Hergenrother of the UA Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL). "We think we're seeing orbits cluster, that is, orbits of several moons fall in the same general plane, just as asteroids cluster," Hergenrother said. "And with asteroids that cluster, the belief is they are pieces of what once was a big asteroid that got hit by something. It's possible that we're seeing the same thing with the satellites." Brett Gladman of the Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur in France, J.J. Kavelaars of McMaster University in Canada, and Matthew Holman of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., discovered the irregular saturnian moons in August, September and November, 2000, using the 2.2-meter (87-inch) European Southern Observatory in Chile, the 3.6-meter (142-inch) Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii, and the 1.2-meter (48-inch) Mount Hopkins telescope in Arizona. Hergenrother, Stephen M. Larson and Rob Whiteley - all of the LPL - and Dennis Means of the UA Steward Observatory used the Steward Observatory's 1.5-meter telescope (61-inch) in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson and the 2.3-meter (90-inch) Bok Telescope on Kitt Peak to observe the moons for more precise information on their orbits. Others doing this "recovery" work to help define the satellite orbits used the 4-meter Kitt Peak telescope, the 5-meter Palomar telescope and 2-to-3-meter class European telescopes. The research is reported in the article, "Discovery of 12 satellites of Saturn exhibiting orbital clustering," in the July 12 Nature. Astronomers in 1997 and 1999 discovered five irregular satellites around Uranus, and in 1999 - 2000 discovered another 12 irregular satellites around Jupiter, previously known to have eight. The UA Spacewatch on Kitt Peak discovered one of the new-found jovian moons. Almost all of the irregulars discovered since 1997 cluster in easily discernible groupings, the astronomers note in their article. "The difficult question is whether the disruptions occurred during the capture process itself when the planets formed long ago, or whether intact moons were captured at that time into orbits near the present grouping and these single moons were subsequently shattered and scattered by intruding comets or asteroids during the subsequent (more than 4-billion-year solar system history)," they wrote. The most probable theory is that each cluster is the remains of a once-intact moon smashed by a collision sometime after the planets were formed, according to their analysis. Saturn must have captured the original parent moons during planetary formation, as the objects passed through Saturn's surrounding proto-planetary gas cloud, Hergenrother said. An alternative theory is that the moons were captured when Saturn suddenly increased in mass - in which case the moons would all be prograde, moving around the planet in the same direction as the planet moves around the sun. "But we are seeing just as many retrograde as prograde irregular moons at Saturn," Hergenrother said. Objects captured as moons would move in either prograde or retograde orbits depending on their direction as they passed through and were slowed by proto-Saturn's gas cloud. Satellites in orbital clusters could range in size from one to 100 kilometers in diameter, he added. "Right now, we see irregular satellites as small as 3 kilometers around Saturn, but there may be many smaller than that. These may go on a continuum in size all the way down to the size of dust. "
Martha J. Heil Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
"This mission will be the Rosetta Stone of planetary science data, because it will show us the foundation by which we can judge how our solar system evolved," said Chester Sasaki, Genesis project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA. "The samples that Genesis returns will show us the composition of the original solar nebula that formed the planets, asteroids, comets and the Sun we know today."
Researchers believe surface of the Sun, from which the solar wind originates, has preserved the composition of the solar nebula from which all the different planetary bodies formed. Study of Genesis' samples is expected to yield the average chemical composition of the solar system to greater accuracy. It will also provide clues to the evolutionary process that has led to the incredible diversity of environments in today's solar system.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Genesis mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, designed and built the spacecraft and will operate it jointly with JPL. Major portions of the payload design and fabrication were carried out at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Johnson Space Center.
Jonas Diño NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
NASA TESTS NEW TRACKING SYSTEM DESIGNED TO BRIDGE THE GULF
Keeping up with aircraft flying over the Gulf of Mexico is difficult, if not impossible, in some instances. Now that may change, with the help of NASA and the Department of Transportation (DOT), which are testing a new in-flight tracking system that is smaller, less costly and more flexible than anything seen to date.
The Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) project led by NASA's Ames Research Center located in California's Silicon Valley and the DOT's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, MA, is putting the new system through its paces in Louisiana, offshore from Intercoastal City. The current testing is designed to evaluate the operational benefits of the system for fleet management in the Gulf.
The in-flight tracking system uses multiple small ground stations to triangulate on an aircraft's transponder signal, accurately determining its position. "Radar coverage, particularly at low altitudes, is non-existent over most of the Gulf of Mexico. The in-flight tracking system will provide operators with precise aircraft position data. The data from the tests will be evaluated by operators as a possible flight tracking system," said Mike Landis, AATT project manager at Ames.
The tracking system addresses many of the drawbacks of beacon radar systems currently used for air traffic control. The system's smaller size, enhanced flexibility and reduced cost permit ground stations to be placed in areas that are not feasible for beacon radar. This includes remote areas, open water and mountainous terrain. These characteristics make the system particularly suitable for tracking low-flying aircraft that cannot be monitored adequately by standard radar systems.
"These tests will provide the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with data they can use in determining how the new system compares with radar," Landis said. "We believe the new system may have significant cost, size and flexibility advantages over currently available systems," he added.
The FAA and aviation users are evaluating the deployment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), which is based on all aircraft transmitting their position reports (based on the Global Positioning System) to surveillance systems in the area.
The tracking system is based on equipment originally developed by the Sensis Corporation, DeWitt, NY, for the FAA's Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Mode X (ASDE-X) program. The role of the DOT is to manage deployment of the system and conduct a technical assessment for NASA.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SHUTTLE and PAYLOAD PROCESSING STATUS REPORT Wednesday, July 11, 2001 (12:30 p.m.) Launch - 1 Day
MISSION: STS-104 - 10th ISS Flight (7A) - Airlock VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 LOCATION: Launch Pad 39B KSC LAUNCH DATE/TIME: July 12, 2001 at 5:04 a.m. EDT KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: July 23, 2001 at 12:58 a.m. LAUNCH WINDOW: about 5 minutes MISSION DURATION: 10 days and 19 hours and 54 minutes CREW: Lindsey, Hobaugh, Gernhardt, Kavandi, Reilly ORBITAL INSERTION ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 122 nautical miles/51.6 degrees
Shuttle Processing Note: Activities continue on schedule for the launch of Shuttle mission STS-104 Thursday morning. Operations to load the cryogenic reactants into Atlantis' onboard storage tanks concluded yesterday and the rotating service structure was moved to the launch-park position at 9:30 a.m. today. External tanking operations are scheduled to commence at about 7:30 this evening. No technical issues are being discussed by the launch team or the mission management team. The flight crew will be sleeping until about 5 p.m. today. Once awake, they will undergo final medical evaluations and be seated for their final meal at about 10 p.m. They will don their flight suits beginning at about 12:30 a.m. tomorrow and depart for the launch pad at 1:13 a.m.
Weather Status: Forecasters continue to show high amounts of tropical moisture in the central Florida area with disturbances moving in from the northwest. This will likely result in a threat of coastal precipitation through the weekend. At launch time on Thursday, clouds are expected to be scattered at 1000 feet and 3000 feet, and broken at 12,000 feet and 25,000 feet. Visibility will be 7 miles, temperature 74 degrees F., and humidity 93 percent. Pad winds will be from the west at 8 -12 knots. Coastal showers and low cloud ceilings are the primary concern. As a result, there is a 40 percent chance of KSC weather prohibiting launch. The 24-hour and 48-hour scrub turnaround forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of violation each day. Also, today's forecast calls for 30 percent chance of weather violating tanking constraints.
At the Shuttle Landing Facility, winds are expected to be from the southwest at 7-11 knots. At the Solid Rocket Booster recovery area in the Atlantic, seas are expected to be 2 - 4 feet and winds from the southwest at 12-16 knots.
SUMMARY OF BUILT-IN HOLDS FOR STS-104
T-TIME LENGTH OF HOLD HOLD BEGINS HOLD ENDS T-27 hours 4 hours 12 a.m. Tues. 4 a.m. Tues. T-19 hours 4 hours 12 noon Tues. 4 p.m. Tues. T-11 hours 13 hours, 8 minutes 12 a.m. Wed. 1:08 p.m. Wed. T-6 hours 2 hours 6:08 p.m. Wed. 8:08 p.m. Wed. T-3 hours 2 hours 11:08 p.m. Wed. 1:08 a.m. Thurs. T-20 minutes 10 minutes 3:48 a.m. Thurs. 3:58 a.m. Thurs.
T-9 minutes about 45 minutes 4:09 a.m. Thurs. 4:54 a.m. Thurs.
CREW FOR MISSION STS-104 Commander (CDR): Steven Lindsey Pilot (PLT): Charles Hobaugh Mission Specialist (MS1): Michael Gernhardt Mission Specialist (MS2): Janet Kavandi Mission Specialist (MS3): James Reilly SUMMARY OF STS-104 LAUNCH DAY CREW ACTIVITIES
Wed., July 11 5 p.m. Crew wake up 5:45 p.m. Breakfast 6:30 p.m. Medical checks 10 p.m. Photo and Lunch (to be recorded and televised later)
Thurs., July 12 12:33 a.m. Weather Briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2) 12:33 a.m. Don flight suits (MS1 and MS3) *12:43 a.m. Don flight suits (CDR, PLT, MS2) *1:13 a.m. Depart for launch pad *1:43 a.m. Arrive at white room and begin ingress *2:58 a.m. Close crew hatch *5:04 a.m. Launch
* Televised events (times may vary slightly) All times Eastern
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX SEVENTH X-38 FLIGHT TEST VERIFIES FLIGHT CONTROL AND PARACHUTE DEPLOY IMPROVEMENTS
An advanced X-38 prototype International Space Station test "lifeboat," assembled last year at Houston's Johnson Space Center, floated to a successful touchdown under the world's largest parafoil at 1 p.m. Central today at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, CA, completing the seventh large-scale free flight test for the X-38 project.
The landing test, begun at an altitude of about 37,500 feet when the X-38 was released at 12:47 p.m. from NASA's B-52 aircraft, verified recent enhancements made to the X-38's flight control software. The flight also checked advances in the two-stage repositioning deployment of a drogue parachute that initially slows the vehicle from 600 miles an hour to about 60 miles an hour and sets the stage for deployment of the 7,500-square-foot-parafoil wing. The surface area of the parafoil is more than one and a half times that of the wings of a 747 jumbo jet.
Program engineers also continued testing of European Space Agency-developed software that guides the parafoil, steering the X-38 to a safe landing. Several parafoil maneuvers were performed using the European-developed X-38 software. After a 13-minute gliding descent, the uncrewed X-38 touched down at a speed of less than 40 miles an hour on the clay surface of Rogers Dry Lake on Edwards Air Force Base.
"Each flight test of the X-38 incorporates technologies that have never before been used on a human spacecraft -- from satellite-based navigation to electromechanical actuators to the giant parafoil," said X-38 Crew Return Vehicle Program Manager John Muratore. "Every flight gives us invaluable insight into the performance of these technologies during an actual descent and brings us closer to proving them for use in space."
The test was the second X-38 mission using the giant parafoil, with a surface area more than one and a half times that of the wings of a 747 jumbo jet. The test also was the second flight of an X-38 shape that includes a semicircular cross section aft end, identical to the shape of an X-38 space vehicle planned for a test flight from a Space Shuttle in 2003 and now under construction. The European-influenced semicircular aft end could allow the X-38 to be compatible with launch on a European Ariane V rocket as well as aboard the Space Shuttle.
The X-38 project is developing technologies that could be used to operate a prototype "lifeboat" for the International Space Station. The project combines proven technologies -- a shape borrowed from a 1970s Air Force project -- with some of the most cutting-edge aerospace technology available today. Although the United States has led the development of the X-38, international space agencies also are participating. Contributing countries include Germany, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The Johnson Space Center leads the X-38 program and has outfitted the atmospheric test vehicles. A space test vehicle is currently under construction at JSC.
More information on the X-38 is available on the Internet at
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/x38/
Students' hands-on biology experiment bound for International Space Station this week
Students and teachers from elementary, middle and high schools in Alabama, California and Tennessee have prepared biological samples for an experiment astronauts will place aboard the International Space Station this week when the Space Shuttle Atlantis returns to that unique, orbiting laboratory. Working side-by-side with university and NASA scientists, the students mixed and loaded about 100 of the 500 biological samples in small plastic tubes that were then frozen and placed in an experiment container.
Adrienne Scott, a student at Central West High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., prepares a biological sample for an experiment headed to the International Space Station this week. During a May workshop at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Scott and students from Alabama and Tennessee also grew crystals on the ground and learned about the important role that biological substances, like proteins, play in humans, animals and plants. This hands-on educational activity was sponsored by the Biotechnology Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
PHOTO: NASA Marshall Center
The crew will transfer the experiment from the Shuttle to the Space Station during the STS-104 mission set for launch Thursday. "We are pleased to give the scientists and engineers of the future a hands-on role in biotechnology experiments on the Space Station," said Ron Porter, manager of the Biotechnology Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Marshall is NASA's lead center for flying payloads that take advantage of the low-gravity environment created as the Space Station orbits Earth.
This will be the third trip to the Space Station for the experiment, called the Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar - a vacuum-jacketed container, similar to a large thermos bottle that stores the samples. Since the hands-on educational project began in 1999, students and teachers from more than 500 schools in states across the country have attended workshops where they grew crystals and learned about biological substances that carry out many important functions for humans, animals and plants.
The students and teachers mix biological solutions and seal the chemicals in small tubes or capillaries. The samples were frozen to -321 degrees Fahrenheit (-196 degrees Celsius or 77.3 degrees Kelvin).
Katheryn Koenemann, a student at Central West High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., pipes a solution into a small plastic tube that will be sealed and frozen. Scientists selected some of the solutions prepared by students to be delivered to the International Space Station this week for an experiment that studies crystals of biological substances that are critical to all life. This hands-on educational activity was sponsored by the Biotechnology Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Just before the Shuttle launch, scientists place the samples in a dewar that has an absorbent inner liner saturated with liquid nitrogen. After Atlantis docks with the Station, the crew will move the dewar to the Space Station. After about ten days, when the nitrogen has completely boiled off and thawing is complete, the biological solutions will form crystals.
When the Space Shuttle Discovery visits the Station in August, the dewar will be brought back to Earth, where scientists will retrieve and analyze the crystals to determine the structure of biological molecules.
The students can view photos of the crystals grown during NASA workshops on a special Web site designed by Dr. Anna Holmes, a NASA scientist who helps conduct the workshops at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
The students can also monitor results as Dr. Alex McPherson -- a biochemist at the University of California at Irvine and the lead scientist for the experiment -- analyzes other crystals grown aboard the same flight. Right now, McPherson and other scientists are analyzing crystals grown on the Station in the fall of 2000 and spring of 2001.
Often, higher quality crystals can be grown in the low-gravity environment created as the Space Station circles Earth. Scientists use the crystals to map the structure of macromolecules - the building blocks that make up proteins, viruses and other substances that perform critical functions in our bodies and in animals and plants. Knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure is an important tool for biochemists designing medicines.
This pilot education program has been supported by the NASA Headquarters Education Office in Washington, D.C.; Marshall Center Biotechnology Program; University of California at Irvine; University of Alabama in Huntsville; Alabama A&M University in Huntsville; Alabama Space Grant Consortium; Florida Space Grant Consortium; Texas Space Grant Consortium; Bell South Pioneers in Tennessee; Alabama Science in Motion, a division of the Alabama Department of Education; and many other corporate and institutional sponsors.
The Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar experiment and the student experiment program are sponsored by the Microgravity Research Program Office at the Marshall Center and the Office of Biological and Physical Research at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala.
First flight of new and safer Shuttle Main Engine scheduled for Thursday on STS-104
What: Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to fly a new high-pressure fuel turbopump on one of its main engines when it launches Thursday, July 12 on mission STS-104 from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The turbopump - made by Pratt & Whitney of West Palm Beach, Fla. -- is one of the improvements in the new Block II Main Engine configuration.
Atlantis will use one Block II Main Engine and two Block IIA engines to complete its full complement of three engines. The primary modification to the pump is the elimination of welds by using a casting process for the housing, and a heavy integral shaft/disk with robust bearings. This makes the pump stronger and will increase number of flights between major overhauls.
Who: The Space Shuttle Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the main engines; the world's most sophisticated reusable rocket engine.
For additional information: News media interested in more information on the Block II Main Engine upgrades may contact June Malone of the Marshall Space Flight Center Media Relations Department at (256) 544-0034.
Leslie Williams Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
01-48R (Revised to show that this was the seventh free flight, first graph)
PALO ALTO GRANTS NASA $20,000 FOR SOLAR-ELECTRIC ROOF SYSTEM
In an unusual role reversal, a city will give the federal government (NASA) a grant for solar energy work.
While standing on the space sciences building roof (N245) in front of electricity-making solar arrays, a City of Palo Alto Utilities representative tomorrow will hand a $20,000 grant check for the solar system to Steve Frankel, the energy "czar" at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley.
"We took advantage of a renewable energy program sponsored by the City of Palo Alto, CA," said Frankel. "Palo Alto will refund $4.00 per watt towards our system because solar is a renewable energy technology," Frankel said. He oversees Ames' effort that resulted in a 12-percent reduction of electricity use in June as compared to a year ago. The savings resulted from installation of motion detector light switches and other conservation efforts, including an e-mail campaign encouraging Ames employees to save.
"The City of Palo Alto Utilities supports the development of renewable energy technologies both within Palo Alto and in neighboring communities," said John Ulrich, Director of Utilities for the city. "Our grant program is part of a remote renewable demonstration project which shows the viability of photovoltaic systems in commercial and technical uses, school and industry."
"The purpose of the solar array system is to shave peak energy demand," said Ron Thompson, of the Ames Plant Engineering Branch. "Peak energy demand can be during a hot day, say, at the height of business hours when everybody is using computers, air conditioning and lab appliances."
When sunlight is bright, solar panels on the roof of Bldg. N245 make about 5.5 kilowatts of electricity per hour. That is enough to light more than 150 32-watt fluorescent bulbs. The solar-electric demonstration project has been operating since May. Though the electric current generated is small compared to the total electricity that Ames uses, center engineers are closely looking at what it takes to make a solar-electric system successful. They hope for much bigger Ames systems in the future.
"We also are considering using lighter solar cell panels to replace the old solar water heating systems on the cafeteria and on buildings 583A and 584B, old barracks that are now used to house visitors," Thompson said. The old racking systems that support the solar water heating structures on the three buildings are sound, and can be used to mount new solar-electric panels, thereby saving funds, he said.
"On Bldg. N245, we have a portable metering system that is much akin to a fancy electrical meter. It's like a photographic light meter that we use to monitor the operation of the array. But the system takes many more kinds of readings. It's run by a laptop computer meter in the mechanical room," Thompson said.
The plant could produce about 7,300 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. "This system would be more than capable of running a typical residential house complete with all the major appliances and with four or five occupants," he said. Each of the18 solar panels on Bldg. N245 costs $2,200 and has three modules that contain photovoltaic cells. A sheet of glass covers each module. Each panel can make 360 watt-hours of direct current (DC) electricity before inverters convert it to alternating current (AC). Solar (photovoltaic) cells generate electricity when light hits the junction between certain pairs of dissimilar substances.
The system includes three inverters that make AC, the standard form of electric current that generating plants transmit to users. "Each inverter was about $3,000, but due to the California Energy Commission buy-down program, we received discounts on the price," Thompson said. Including labor, the system's total cost was about $60,000. The frame on which the panels are mounted is heavy-duty, much stronger than a typical homeowner would require, according to Thompson. "The components cost about $44,000," said Thompson. "We did not opt to get a battery system, but, rather, stuck with a direct grid-tie." Workers finished installing the system in May.
NASA is paying the balance of the cost to construct and operate the pilot plant. NASA and the Department of Energy designed the system. More information about solar-electric projects is available on the Internet at: http://www.eren.doe.gov/millionroofs/
Ames engineers are studying wind power, as well. A small windmill (wind turbine) is powering a bilge pump that removes water from a storm water basin. The windmill replaced a one-horsepower electric pump. The windmill's total operations and maintenance cost savings is about $1,970 per year. In addition, Thompson is investigating other systems to generate electricity, including solar-panel roof tiles. Ames engineers also are considering shutdown of some facilities on weekends in order to receive additional power company discounts.
NASA/SJSU Summer Seminar Series on Science and Engineering
World-renowned experts from the fields of space science and aerospace engineering are taking part in a series of free public seminars at San Jose State University this summer.
The NASA/American Society for Engineering Education summer faculty fellowship program is designed to foster long-term collaboration between university and NASA scientists and engineers. The program, which is funded by NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., is administered by San Jose State University (SJSU).
"The purpose of this program is to bring college and university professors to NASA Ames to do collaborative research with Ames scientists or engineers," said Dr. Bradley Stone, program co-director and professor of chemistry at SJSU. "Although the collaboration is for a 10-week period in the summer, we hope it will lead to long-term collaborations."
The summer seminar series is one of the key activities of the fellowship program. "Not only are the seminars of great benefit to the Fellows, but we feel this is a wonderful outreach opportunity for NASA as well," added Jacob Redmond, the Ames Fellowship coordinator.
The first seminar, by Ames scientist Dr. Malcolm Cohen, covered astrobiology and space exploration. Dr. Steven Charnley of Ames discussed interstellar organic chemistry in the second seminar. The remaining seminars in the series are:
July 12 Dr. Jason Dworkin, Astrochemistry Group, NASA Ames Research Center: "Exogenous Origin of Life"
July 19 Dr. Hank Pernicka, SJSU Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering: "Spartnik Project: Design, Manufacture, Assembly, Test and Operation of a Microsatellite at San Jose State University"
July 26 Dr. Claire Tomlin, Stanford University Associate Professor of Aeronautics & Astronautics & Electrical Engineering: "Distributed Control of Air Traffic Systems"
Pat Viets NOAA
KSC Release No: 79-01
LAUNCH OF GOES-M WEATHER SATELLITE POSTPONED
The launch of the GOES-M environmental satellite for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA rocket (AC-142) has been postponed one week to no earlier than July 22.
This new launch date is pending the repair and delivery of the Remote Control Unit, a portion of the launch vehicle guidance system on the Centaur upper stage.
When the repaired unit is reinstalled on the rocket, the vehicle will then undergo a combined electrical readiness test to ensure all systems are functioning properly.
The launch window on July 22 is 3:01 - 4:25 a.m. EDT. Seating is limited, so early arrival is recommended.
SEVENTH X-38 FLIGHT PROVES NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPACE RESCUES
An advanced X-38 prototype International Space Station "lifeboat" floated to a successful touchdown at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time today under the world's largest parafoil at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif. This is the seventh free flight test for the X-38 project, ultimately intended to produce a vehicle capable of evacuating a seven-person crew from the station in an emergency.
The landing test, begun at an altitude of about 37,500 feet when the X-38 was released at 10:47 a.m. from NASA's B-52 aircraft, verified recent enhancements made to the X-38's flight control software. The flight also checked advances in the two-stage repositioning deployment of a drogue parachute that initially slows the vehicle from 600 miles an hour to about 60 miles an hour and sets the stage for deployment of the 7,500-square-foot-parafoil wing. The surface area of the parafoil is more than one and a half times that of the wings of a 747 jumbo jet.
Program engineers continued testing European Space Agency-developed software that guides the parafoil, steering the X-38 to a safe landing. After a 13-minute gliding descent, the uncrewed X-38 touched down at a speed of less than 40 miles an hour on the clay surface of Rogers Dry Lake on Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert. Several parafoil maneuvers were performed using the European-developed X-38 software.
The test was the second X-38 mission using the giant parafoil. The test also was the second flight of an X-38 shape that includes a semicircular cross section aft end, identical to the shape of an X-38 space vehicle planned for a test flight from a Space Shuttle in 2003 and now under construction.
The European-influenced semicircular aft end could allow the X-38 to be compatible with launch on a European Ariane V rocket as well as aboard the Space Shuttle.
The X-38 project is developing technologies that could be used to operate a prototype "lifeboat" for the International Space Station. The project combines proven technologies -- a shape borrowed from a 1970s Air Force project -- with some of the most cutting-edge aerospace technology available today.
Although the United States has led the development of the X-38, international space agencies also are participating. Contributing countries include Germany, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, leads the X-38 program and is building the space-rated test vehicles. The X-38 atmospheric test vehicles were built by Scaled Composites, Mojave, Calif. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center flight tests the evolving X-38s.
Shuttle Processing Note: Activities continue on schedule for the launch of Shuttle mission STS-104 Thursday morning. Operations to load the cryogenic reactants into Atlantis' onboard storage tanks will wrap up this morning, and preparations for demating the obiter mid-body umbilical unit will begin this afternoon. No technical issues are being discussed by the launch team or the mission management team.
Launch Preparation Milestones: Stow flight crew equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 11 (5:20 a.m.) Move Rotating Service Structure to park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .July 11 (9 a.m.) Begin loading external tank with propellants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 11 (as early as 7:38 p.m.)
Weather Status: Forecasters indicate an abundance of tropical moisture in the central Florida area with disturbances moving in from the north. This will result in a threat of coastal precipitation through the weekend. At launch time on Thursday, clouds are expected to be scattered at 2000 feet and broken at 12,000 feet and 25,000 feet. Visibility will be 7 miles, temperature 74 degrees F., and humidity 93 percent. Pad winds will be from the west at 8 -12 knots. Coastal showers and thunderstorm anvil clouds are the primary concern. As a result, there is a 40 percent chance of KSC weather prohibiting launch. The 24-hour and 48-hour scrub turnaround forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of violation each day. Also, the late Wednesday afternoon forecast calls for 30 percent chance of weather violating tanking constraints.
At the Shuttle Landing Facility, winds are expected to be from the southwest at 7-11 knots. At the Solid Rocket Booster recovery area in the Atlantic, seas are expected to be 3 - 5 feet and winds from the west at 15-18 knots.