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U.S.A.F. 45th Space Wing Space X NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter • Long Range Launch Schedule • NASA TV Schedule - Titusville Cable Channel 15 Witness an Atlas V Rocket Lift Off on a Mission to the Sun! Mission: Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Launch Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2010 Launch Window: 10:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m. ET Launch schedule subject to change. SDO launch viewing included with KSCVC admission. Click here to purchase general admission or an annual pass. Feb. 8, 2010 LAUNCH OF NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR SPARKS EARLY MONDAY SUNRISE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky above Florida's Space Coast on Monday with a 4:14 a. m. EST launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle's last scheduled night launch began a 13-day flight to the International Space Station and the final year of shuttle operations. Endeavour's STS-130 mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, the final major U. S. portion of the station. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to Tranquility is a cupola with seven windows, which houses a robotic control station. The windows will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the orbiting laboratory will be approximately 90 percent complete. Shortly before liftoff, Commander George Zamka said, "Thanks to the great team that got Tranquility, cupola and Endeavour to this point. And thanks also to the team that got us ready to bring Node 3 and cupola to life. We'll see you in a couple of weeks. It's time to go fly." Zamka is joined on the flight by Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. Virts is making his first trip to space. Endeavour's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, at 10:01 p. m. The STS-130 mission will be Endeavour's 24th flight and the 32nd shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. NASA's Web coverage of STS-130 includes mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the mission. NASA Television features live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv Patrick, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, plans to tweet from orbit during the mission. He can be followed at: www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicholas Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa For more information about the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Time exposure of Space Shuttle Endeavour's night launch on February 8, 2010. Endeavour Launch Rescheduled Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:45:38 AM EST Managers officially have scheduled space shuttle Endeavour's next launch attempt for Monday, Feb. 8 at 4:14 a.m. EST. The Mission Management Team will meet at 6:15 p.m. Sunday to give the "go" to fill Endeavour's external fuel tank with propellants. Tank loading would begin at 6:45 p.m. Feb. 3, 2010 GLOW-IN-THE-DARK PLANTS ARE HIGHLIGHT OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCIENCE BRIEFING CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will shed light on plant investigations aboard the International Space Station in a briefing at 12 p. m. EST, Friday, Feb. 5. The briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be broadcast live on NASA Television. The upcoming shuttle mission, planned to launch Feb. 7, will continue assembling the space station so it can be used for continuous scientific research as a national and multinational laboratory. Microgravity plant growth experiments conducted aboard the station will help prepare for long-duration spaceflights of the future. The use of miniaturized green fluorescent proteins that glow in the dark, and associated compact imaging systems, may be used to help monitor crop conditions on Earth. NASA has published a new Web feature that provides examples of space station research dividends such as those related to cancer treatment delivery, food poisoning vaccine development, air purification, remote ultrasound tests and more. For more information about space station science payoffs, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/coolstation.html For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the upcoming shuttle mission, designated STS-130, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Feb. 1, 2010 NASA SETS SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY LAUNCH COVERAGE EVENTS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is set to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Feb. 9. There is a one-hour launch window that extends from 10:30 to 11:30 a. m. EST. Should the launch be postponed for 24 hours, the launch time on Feb. 10 is 10:26 to 11:26 a. m. The Solar Dynamics Observatory is the first mission that will be launched for NASA's Living With a Star program and is designed to understand the causes of solar variability and how space weather results from that variability. SDO will take a closer look at the Sun and help develop the ability to better understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere. SDO will perform several measurements that will help characterize the interior of the Sun, the Sun's magnetic field, the hot plasma of the solar corona, and the density of radiation that creates the ionosphere of the planets. By better understanding the Sun and how it works, scientists will be able to better predict and better forecast the "weather out in space" providing earlier warning to protect our aircraft, satellites, and astronauts when working in space. Jan. 29, 2010 NASA ANNOUNCES INNOVATION INITIATIVES WITH FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will brief reporters about the agency's fiscal year 2011 budget at 3 p. m. EST on Monday, Feb. 1. The news conference will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, located at 300 E St. S.W., in Washington. NASA Chief Financial Officer Beth Robinson will join Bolden. The news conference will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. Questions will be taken from media representatives at headquarters and participating field centers, including Kennedy Space Center. To watch the budget news conference online, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA budget and supporting information will be available at 12:30 p. m., Feb. 1, at: www.nasa.gov/budget Jan. 28, 2010 NASA SETS SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR PRELAUNCH EVENTS AND COUNTDOWN DETAILS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are set for the upcoming launch of space shuttle Endeavour. The shuttle's STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 4:39 a. m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 7. STS-130 is the final scheduled shuttle night launch. A NASA blog will provide countdown updates beginning at 11:30 p. m. on Saturday, Feb. 6. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the mission's three spacewalks live. As Endeavour's flight concludes, the NASA blog will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth. For NASA's launch blog and continuous mission updates, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated during the launch countdown, mission and landing. To follow, visit: www.twitter.com/NASA STS-130 astronaut Nicholas Patrick will be tweeting about his pre-launch preparations and providing updates to his Twitter account during the shuttle mission. Follow Patrick at: www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicholas Endeavour's flight begins the final year of shuttle operations. Five missions are planned in 2010, with the final flight targeted for launch in September. Jan. 27, 2010 NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR FEB. 7 AS FINAL SPACE SHUTTLE NIGHT LAUNCH CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour is set to begin a 13-day flight to the International Space Station with a Feb. 7 launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is planned for 4:39 a. m. EST, making this the final scheduled space shuttle night launch. Endeavour's launch date was announced Wednesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready. Endeavour's flight will begin the final year of space shuttle operations. Five shuttle missions are planned in 2010, with the last flight currently targeted for launch in September. Endeavour's mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, the final module of the U. S. portion of the space station. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which houses a robotic control station and has seven windows to provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the orbiting laboratory will be about 90 percent complete. Commander George Zamka and his crew of five astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at approximately 10 p. m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, for final launch preparations. Joining Zamka on STS-130 are Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. Virts will be making his first trip to space. STS-130 will be Endeavour's 24th mission and the 33rd shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information about STS-130, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Patrick, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is sending updates about his training to his Twitter account. He plans to tweet from orbit during the mission. He can be followed at: www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicholas For more information on the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Jan. 26, 2010 NASA CUES UP UNIVERSITY CUBESATS FOR GLORY LAUNCH THIS FALL CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will launch small research satellites for several universities as part of the agency's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNA, mission. The satellites are manifested as an auxiliary payload on the Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA's Glory mission, planned for liftoff in late November. The satellites, called CubeSats because of their shape, come from Montana State University, the University of Colorado and Kentucky Space, a consortium of state universities. The University of Florida was selected as an alternate in case one of the three primary spacecraft cannot fly. CubeSats are in a class of small research spacecraft called picosatellites. They have a size of approximately four inches, a volume of about one quart, and weigh no more than 2.2 pounds. To place these satellites into orbit by an agency expendable launch vehicle, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is adapting the Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD. This deployment system, designed and manufactured by the California Polytechnic State University in partnership with Stanford University, has flown previously on Department of Defense and commercial launch vehicles. Montana State designated its satellite as Explorer 1 Prime, or E1P. The name honors the launch and scientific discoveries of the Explorer-1 mission, which detected the Van Allen radiation belts more than 50 years ago. E1P will carry a miniature Geiger tube to measure the intensity and variability of the electrons in the Van Allen belts. Colorado's satellite is named Hermes. Its mission is to improve CubeSat communications through the on-orbit testing of a high data-rate communication system that will allow the downlink of large quantities of data. The Kentucky vehicle is called KySat-1. It includes a camera to support a scientific outreach program intended for, but not limited to, Kentucky students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The satellite also has a 2.4-gigahertz industrial, scientific and medical band radio, which will be used to test high-bandwidth communications in the license-free portion of the S-band. The satellites will hitch a ride to space with the Taurus rocket's primary payload, NASA's Glory spacecraft. The Glory climate mission, developed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, will extend the nearly 30-year record of precise measurements of the sun's energy output. It also will obtain first-ever, global measurements of the distribution of tiny airborne aerosol particles. Aerosols represent one of the greatest areas of uncertainty in understanding Earth's climate system. The ELaNA project is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy. For more information about the program, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Jan. 26, 2010 NASA DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER JAN. 29 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will pay tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues, during the agency's Day of Remembrance observance on Friday, Jan. 29. Media and the general public are invited to a wreath-laying at 11 a. m. EST at the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Kennedy Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana will take part in the ceremony. NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will provide flowers for visitors throughout the day to place at the memorial. For more information, please call 321-449-4400. Kennedy contractors and civil servants will be allowed access to the Space Mirror Memorial throughout the day to pay their respects. The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, a private, not-for-profit organization, built and maintains the Space Mirror Memorial. It was dedicated in 1991 to honor all astronauts who lost their lives on missions or during training and since has been designated a National Memorial by Congress. Video of the service will air on NASA Television's Video File segment. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy Jan. 15, 2010 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-P, or GOES-P CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - GOES-P, which becomes GOES-15 when it reaches orbit, is the last of three geostationary weather and environmental satellites in the current series built for NASA by Boeing. GOES-N was launched in 2006, GOES-O was launched in 2009, and GOES-P is now being prepared for its upcoming launch in early March. The launch is currently scheduled for no earlier than March 1 at the opening of a one hour launch window that occurs between 6:19 - 7:19 p. m. EST. The Delta IV rocket will be launched by United Launch Alliance for Boeing Launch Services under an FAA commercial license. It now is being prepared for liftoff at Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket is being hoisted into the launcher on the launch pad this week. GOES-P will feature a highly stable pointing platform, which will improve the performance of the Imager and Sounder that are important instruments for creating daily weather-prediction models and for hurricane forecasting. For NOAA's National Ocean Service, data from GOES-P will be valuable for oceanographic circulation models and forecasts for U. S. coastal communities. GOES-P will also provide expanded capability for the space and solar environment-monitoring instruments. Forecasts and warnings for solar disturbances will be enhanced. This will protect investments of billions of dollars by the private sector and the government in assets on the ground and in space. As with all of NOAA's geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellites, GOES-P also will be able to relay distress signals detected from emergency locator beacons on the ground and at sea. Boeing's GOES-P contract with NASA calls for a "delivery on orbit." The satellite will be turned over to NASA after a successful on-orbit checkout has been completed by Boeing. Approximately six months after completion of post-launch testing, the spacecraft will be turned over to NOAA. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for designing and developing the spacecraft and its instruments. For additional information on the GOES-P satellite and mission, visit: http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/spacecraft/n_p_spacecraft.html For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center and the programs and missions it supports, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy Jan. 14, 2010 NASA INVESTIGATES ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE FOUND IN SHUTTLE HANGAR CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has launched an extensive investigation after a small amount of cocaine was found in a restricted area of the processing hangar for shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. There are no indications the incident has impacted Discovery's readiness for its planned launch in March. "This is a rare and isolated incident, and I'm disappointed that it happened, but it should not detract from the outstanding work that is being done by a dedicated team on a daily basis," Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana said. "We are conducting an investigation and working with center security and law enforcement officials to get to the bottom of it. We have multiple checks and balances in place to ensure the work on the orbiter is done correctly, and I have no concern for Discovery's fitness for flight." While there are no indications anyone who was working on Discovery was under the influence of any illegal substances, drug testing of personnel who were in that area has been conducted. There were about 200 NASA and contractor personnel who were around the facility at the time the drug was found. Extensive efforts are being made to ensure flight hardware and equipment that will be used by astronauts on Discovery's upcoming STS-131 mission are completely safe. "We have processes that will ensure the integrity of the shuttle," Cabana said. "There is no reason whatsoever to believe this incident will have any impact on Discovery's upcoming launch." Meticulous records are kept on all work that is performed. Shuttle safety and quality assurance teams have the capability to trace individuals' work in detail. In addition, most work tasks are reviewed and approved by one, and sometimes two, quality inspectors and specialists who verify proper work was done on critical flight hardware. For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Jan. 6, 2010 NASA SHUTTLE AT LAUNCH PAD FOR FINAL SCHEDULED NIGHT LAUNCH; CREW SET TO ARRIVE FOR PRACTICE LIFTOFF CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, space shuttle Endeavour now awaits its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-130 mission. Endeavour arrived at Launch Pad 39A at 8:45 a. m. EST Wednesday on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 4:13 a. m, traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the pad at 10:37 a. m. With Endeavour on the pad, the STS-130 astronauts and ground crews can participate in the practice countdown and related training starting Jan. 19. The rehearsal provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The six astronauts for Endeavour's STS-130 mission will deliver a third connecting module, the Tranquility node, to the International Space Station. Endeavour's Feb. 7 target liftoff is at 4:39 a. m., making it the final scheduled space shuttle night launch. NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the space station and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/station For more information about the STS-130 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Dec. 31, 2009 NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER 2009 REVIEW AND LOOK AHEAD CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Kennedy Space Center in Florida helped NASA return to the moon in 2009 and look beyond. Information Contact a Kennedy employee, request information, make a suggestion, or view our organization chart. Information Center Kennedy teams were involved in launching 14 missions in 2009 -- eight on expendable launch vehicles, five on space shuttles and the first new rocket to liftoff from Kennedy in more than a quarter of a century, the Ares I-X. The expendable launch vehicle mission that received the highest public attention was NASA's first moon flight in 10 years, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LRO/LCROSS. It launched June 18 aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. LRO is designed to orbit the moon and relay the most detailed data about the lunar surface and environment. LCROSS' mission was to impact into the lunar surface to confirm the presence of frozen water in a permanently shadowed crater at the moon's south pole, which it did in October. In March, NASA's exploration eyes looked deep into space with the launch of the Kepler mission aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral. Kepler is designed to find the first Earth-size planets orbiting stars at distances where water could pool on the surface. Kennedy helped the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with two launches in 2009. First in February, the NOAA-N Prime spacecraft launched from NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Delta II rocket. The new polar-orbiting satellite will improve weather forecasting and climate research. Then in June, the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O, soared into space on a Delta IV rocket from the Cape. NOAA's GOES-O satellite will improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy also supported two launches for the U. S. Missile Defense Agency, the Space Tracking and Surveillance System-Advanced Technology Risk Reduction spacecraft, or STSS-ATRR in May from Vandenberg and the STSS-Demo mission in September from Cape Canaveral. On Feb. 24, NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, failed to reach orbit after its liftoff aboard a Taurus XL launch vehicle from Launch Pad 576-E at Vandenberg. An investigation concluded the OCO mission was lost when the payload fairing of the Taurus failed to separate during ascent. Kennedy ended the year with the successful launch of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, spacecraft aboard a Delta II on Dec. 14 from Vandenberg. WISE will survey the entire sky in infrared light, picking up the glow of millions of objects never seen before, including the coolest stars, most luminous galaxies and darkest near Earth asteroids and comets. Kennedy sent five shuttles safely and successfully on their way in 2009. First on March 15, space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew lifted off from Launch Pad 39A on the STS-119 mission to deliver the final set of large power-generating solar array wings and a new crew member to the International Space Station. Then on May 11, shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew lifted off on the fifth and final shuttle mission to repair and upgrade NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, leaving the world-famous orbiting observatory in better shape than ever before and extending its life at least five more years. This also was the last shuttle mission scheduled to fly to a destination other than the International Space Station before the fleet is retired. Two months later in July, shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member STS-127 crew launched on a 16-day mission to deliver the final segment of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the space station. On Aug. 28, shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew launched on the STS-128 mission to deliver supplies, equipment and a new crew member to the station. The final shuttle mission of 2009, STS-129, began on Nov. 16 with shuttle Atlantis launching with its six crew members. They delivered critical spare parts and equipment the space station will need after shuttles stop flying. Kennedy also held its first ÒTweet upÓ event during the STS-129 launch, bringing in 101 Tweeters from 21 states and four countries with an estimated 150,000 followers. Atlantis brought back Expedition 21 Flight Engineer and Florida native Nicole Stott, the last station astronaut scheduled to return from or launch to the orbiting laboratory aboard a space shuttle. Bad weather kept two shuttle missions from ending at Kennedy, Atlantis' STS-125 flight and Discovery's STS-128. Both landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California and had to be flown back on top of NASA's modified 747 aircraft. One special passenger aboard Discovery's ferry flight to Florida was Disney's toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear. The space toy was returned to Walt Disney World in Orlando for an Oct. 2 event that was the launching point for new NASA educational efforts to encourage students to pursue studies in science, technology and mathematics. NASA and Disney Parks had collaborated to fly the 12-inch-tall action figure aboard the International Space Station for more than 15 months. Currently, there are only five scheduled shuttle missions left for NASA before the program's scheduled retirement in 2010, with the first one targeted for February and the last in September. In April and May for what was expected to be the last time for the agency's Space Shuttle Program, two shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis, stood poised on both Launch Complex 39 launch pads. Atlantis was on pad 39A for the STS-125 mission. Endeavour was on pad 39B as the STS-125 rescue spacecraft, if required. After being cleared from its possible rescue assignment, Endeavour was moved to pad A and then on May 31, pad B officially was transferred from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program for the Ares I-X flight test. Pad B already had been undergoing modifications for first flight of the new program. Three, 600-foot-tall lightning towers were assembled this year at the pad to accommodate the taller Ares next-generation rockets, including I-X, changing Kennedy's landscape. Going from the drawing board to the launch pad in just a few years, NASA's Ares I-X rocket lifted off Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 28. The flight test lasted about six minutes from launch until splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. Among the systems tested, the rocket's more than 700 sensors will provide ascent data for future flights. Other work at Kennedy for the Constellation Program included ongoing construction of a new, lighter and taller mobile launcher, renovations on Kennedy's historic Operations and Checkout Building high bay for use as the final assembly facility for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, and a test in April under real and simulated weather conditions off the coast of Kennedy that used a full-scale mock-up of the Orion spacecraft. Kennedy continued to expand its environmentally friendly and recycling initiatives this year. Five facilities are qualifying for the U. S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification. The Life Support Facility already earned silver certification in 2009, and the Propellants North Facility is expected to receive the highest rating, platinum, when it is complete in the summer of 2010. There are about 145 platinum-rated facilities in the United States with only one other in Florida. In May, NASA and Florida Power and Light, or FPL, held a groundbreaking ceremony for new solar power facilities at Kennedy. FPL will build and maintain two solar photovoltaic power generation systems on Kennedy property, a one-megawatt solar farm for Kennedy's use and a 10-megawatt one for Florida residents. The one-megawatt facility officially was commissioned in November and has been providing power to Kennedy for several months. The 10-megawatt facility is set to be complete in April 2010. At the November commissioning ceremony, Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana announced plans to pursue a new renewable energy research and development facility at Kennedy's under development business center, Exploration Park. Plans also were announced to expand the electrical generating capacity of the 10-megawatt solar facility to 100-megawatts. In October, NASA announced it was partnering with Starfighters Inc. of Tarpon Springs, Fla., to use the space shuttle runway at Kennedy to help support the development of the commercial space industry. Kennedy and the aerospace company signed a cooperative Space Act Agreement enabling Starfighters to become a tenant at Kennedy where it will launch a new business venture with a fleet of privately operated Lockheed F-104 Starfighter aircraft. The new venture also is enabled by Space Florida, which has entered into separate agreements with Starfighters to use a state-built hangar at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility and to provide other business assistance. In July, Kennedy helped celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch to and first steps on the moon with a ceremony at the center's visitor complex. Several Apollo astronauts attended the event, which featured the opening of the Apollo Treasures Gallery. On July 30, Kennedy helped support a public meeting in Cocoa Beach, Fla., of the Review of U. S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, led by Norm Augustine. The blue-ribbon panel was requested by President Barack Obama's administration to conduct an independent review of America's human spaceflight plans and programs, as well as alternatives. The committee's report was issued in October to the White House and NASA. While final decisions about future space exploration plans, including the Space Shuttle and Constellation programs, haven't been announced, NASA's Kennedy Space Center and its work force are expected to be a vital part of those endeavors in 2010, into the next decade and beyond. For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Dec. 22, 2009 NASA EXTENDS HOLIDAY 'GREENINGS' TO SANTA CLAUS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA is putting a little more emphasis this year on the "green" part of the traditional red and green colors for Santa Claus' flyby of Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 24. Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility, with its 15,000 feet of runway nestled in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, should be a familiar sight along the Space Coast for Santa. Like many other government agencies, NASA grants Santa permission to fly over Kennedy's airspace during his globetrotting flight, so there will be no mistaking mistletoe for missiles. Kennedy is becoming more environmentally friendly and is happy to show off the center's green spaces to the jolly old fellow this year. So for one night, the LC-39 area temporarily will become the SC-39 area -- as in the Santa Claus-39 area. It is obvious St. Nick is no stranger to using an alternative-fuel vehicle. He has been using reindeer-powered propulsion, or in NASA acronym terms RPP, for centuries. But if Dasher or Comet need a little rest while traveling over Central Florida, Santa might consider borrowing one of Kennedy's more than 900 alternative-fuel vehicles. Perhaps he'll get behind the wheel of an electric car, which can travel about 100 miles for less than $2.00. The center is planning to have its entire fleet of automobiles running on substances other than gasoline within a decade. If Santa is looking to expand his toy workshop at the North Pole, he might want to adopt some green principles from the construction folks at Kennedy. Five facilities are qualifying for the U. S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification. The Life Support Facility already earned silver certification, and the Propellants North Facility is expected to receive the highest rating, platinum, when it is complete next summer. There are about 145 platinum-rated facilities in the United States with only one other in Florida. The green features at the Propellants North Facility will include high-efficiency walls, a roof constructed of recycled metal covered with a rainwater harvesting system to supply restroom fixtures, air conditioning with energy recovery technology, and landscaping that will use native species and recycled crushed crawlerway rock for mulch. Even though Santa will be flying by the light of a half-moon Christmas Eve, he will get to see for the first time Kennedy's new solar power facilities. A one-megawatt solar farm inside the center has been supplying the spaceport with clean, renewable energy for several months. A 10-megawatt facility outside Kennedy's gates along State Road 3 is set to be complete in the spring and will supply electricity to Florida Power & Light customers. There are even plans to increase that solar farm's generating capacity to 100 megawatts. If Santa has any plastic milk jugs he wants to recycle after visiting houses and eating cookies in the area, he can take advantage of Kennedy's growing recycling program. In 2009, employees collected about 496 tons of office paper and cardboard, 1,364 tons of metal, and 15 tons of plastic, glass and aluminum. Also, about 30,000 tons of recycled concrete was used in this year's NASA Causeway seawall repair project. The proceeds from recycling activities are used to fund additional recycling, green purchasing and pollution-prevention efforts. In case anyone gets concerned Santa will be so influenced by seeing all the eco-friendly and recycling initiatives at Kennedy that it will affect his present-giving strategies, NASA officials are confident Mr. Claus will not start "regifting." For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy Dec. 18, 2009 GOES-P SATELLITE ARRIVES AT KENNEDY FOR FINAL PRELAUNCH TESTING CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES, developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), called GOES-P, arrived on Thursday, Dec. 17, on a C-17 military cargo aircraft at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility from its manufacturing plant in El Segundo, Calif. The GOES-P satellite is targeted to launch on Feb. 25 onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle. Once in geosynchronous orbit, GOES-P will be designated GOES-15, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. GOES-P will be placed in on-orbit storage as a replacement for an older GOES satellite. After arriving, the satellite was transported to Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., where final testing of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems will be performed. These tests will take approximately six weeks to complete. Then the spacecraft will be fueled with the propellant necessary for orbit maneuvers and the attitude control system. When the fueling is completed, the spacecraft is encapsulated in the Delta IV nose fairing and prepared for transport to the launch pad. GOES-P is the third and last spacecraft to be launched in the GOES N-P series of geostationary environmental weather satellites. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations, as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. GOES-P carries an advanced attitude control system using star trackers and Hemispherical Inertial Reference Units. The imager and sounder instruments are mounted on a stable optical bench, which provides enhanced instrument pointing performance for improved image navigation and registration. This means better location of severe storms and other events important to the NOAA National Weather Service. The Imager on GOES-P, as on the GOES-O before it, has improved resolution from previous GOES missions in the 13 micron channel from 8 km to 4 km. The finer spatial resolution allows improved estimates of horizontal distribution of cloud-top, height of atmospheric motion vectors, and volcanic ash detection. Similarly to the GOES-O mission, the GOES-P image navigation accuracy of about 2 km from an orbit altitude of about 22,300 miles, or 35,700 km, is superior compared to the previous series of GOES satellites. GOES-P only differs from GOES-O in the channel configuration for the solar Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) telescope. The EUV will be the same 5 channel configuration that flew on GOES-N/13. The multi-mission GOES N-P series of satellites are vital contributors to weather, solar, and space operations and future science improvements with weather prediction and remote sensing. These satellites aid in severe storm warnings, resource management, search and rescue, emergency managers, and likely lead to additional advances in environmental sciences and multifaceted data applications of remotely sensed phenomena. GOES-P data will add to the global climate change databases of knowledge, embracing many civil and government environmental forecasting organizations that work to benefit people everywhere and help save lives. A United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle will be erected in early January at Space Launch Complex 37-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. NOAA manages the operational environmental satellite program and establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes operational environmental satellite data for the United States. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., procures and manages the development and launch of the satellites for NOAA on a cost-reimbursable basis. United Launch Alliance will conduct the commercial launch with a Federal Aviation Administration launch license. They will also oversee launch service duties that include oversight of the launch vehicle processing activities, integration of the GOES-P spacecraft with the Delta IV rocket, and the launch countdown activities. For more information about GOES-P and the geostationary satellites, visit: http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Dec. 17, 2009 ENDEAVOUR - THE FIRST OF FIVE REMAINING SHUTTLE FLIGHTS HOUSTON - Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the final module of the U. S. portion of the International Space Station on the STS-130 mission, now targeted to launch Feb. 7. Endeavour's flight will begin the final year of space shuttle operations. Five shuttle missions are planned in 2010, with the final flight currently targeted for launch in September. Endeavour's 13-day flight will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, a connecting module that will increase the International Space Station's interior space. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station and has seven windows to provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecrafts. After the node and cupola are added, the space station will be about 90 percent complete. George Zamka will command Endeavour. He will be joined by Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kay Hire, Steve Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Bob Behnken. Virts will be making his first trip to space. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules, and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-130 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For the latest information on the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Dec. 14, 2009 NASA'S WISE EYE ON THE UNIVERSE BEGINS ALL-SKY SURVEY MISSION VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, lifted off over the Pacific Ocean this morning on its way to map the entire sky in infrared light. A Delta II rocket carrying the spacecraft launched at 9:09 a. m. EST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket deposited WISE into a polar orbit 326 miles above Earth. "WISE thundered overhead, lighting up the pre-dawn skies," said William Irace, the mission's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "All systems are looking good, and we are on our way to seeing the entire infrared sky better than ever before." Engineers acquired a signal from the spacecraft via NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System just 10 seconds after the spacecraft separated from the rocket. Approximately three minutes later, WISE reoriented itself with its solar panels facing the sun to generate its own power. The next major event occurred about 17 minutes later. Valves on the cryostat, a chamber of super-cold hydrogen ice that cools the WISE instrument, opened. Because the instrument sees the infrared, or heat, signatures of objects, it must be kept at chilly temperatures -- its coldest detectors are less than minus 447 degrees Fahrenheit. "WISE needs to be colder than the objects it's observing," said Ned Wright of UCLA, the mission's principal investigator. "Now we're ready to see the infrared glow from hundreds of thousands of asteroids, and hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies." With the spacecraft stable, cold and communicating with mission controllers at JPL, a month-long checkout and calibration is under way. WISE will see the infrared colors of the whole sky with sensitivity and resolution far better than the last infrared sky survey, performed 26 years ago. The space telescope will spend nine months scanning the sky once, then one-half the sky a second time. The primary mission will end when WISE's frozen hydrogen runs out, about 10 months after launch. Just about everything in the universe glows in infrared, which means the mission will catalog a variety of astronomical targets. Near-Earth asteroids, stars, planet-forming disks and distant galaxies all will be easy for the mission to see. Hundreds of millions of objects will populate the WISE atlas, providing astronomers and other space missions, such as NASA's planned James Webb Space Telescope, with a long-lasting infrared roadmap. JPL manages the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The mission was competitively selected under the Explorers Program, managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The science instrument was built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, and the spacecraft was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., managed the payload integration and the launch service. More information about the WISE mission is available online at: \www.nasa.gov/wise Dec. 11, 2009 LAUNCH OF NASA'S WISE SPACECRAFT DELAYED UNTIL DEC. 14 WASHINGTON - The launch of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has been rescheduled for Monday, Dec. 14. The launch window extends from 9:09 to 9:23 a.m. EST. The first launch attempt scheduled for Dec. 11 was delayed because of a problem with the motion of a booster steering engine. Mission managers have implemented a plan to resolve the issue. This plan includes removing and replacing a suspect component today. The current weather forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather at launch time on Monday. NASA TV coverage of the countdown and WISE launch will begin at 7 a.m. on Dec. 14 and also will be available on the NASA Web site at: http://www.nasa.gov For more information about the WISE mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/wise Dec. 7, 2009 NASA'S WISE SKY SURVEYING SPACECRAFT READY FOR LAUNCH DEC. 11 WASHINGTON - The launch of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, aboard a Delta II rocket is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11, between 9:09 a. m. and 9:23 a. m. EST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NASA will provide television and Internet coverage of prelaunch activities and liftoff of the agency's latest space science mission. After launch, WISE will scan the entire sky in infrared light with a sensitivity hundreds of times greater than ever before, picking up the glow of hundreds of millions of objects and producing millions of images. The mission will uncover objects never seen before, including the coolest stars, the universe's most luminous galaxies and some of the darkest near-Earth asteroids and comets. A prelaunch news conference will be held Dec. 9 at 4 p. m. at the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office and broadcast on NASA Television. The briefings will be webcast at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv A WISE webcast with launch and mission managers is scheduled for noon Dec. 10. To access WISE features, visit NASA's WISE Web site at: www.nasa.gov/wise On Dec. 11, NASA TV coverage of the countdown and launch will begin at 7 a. m. Launch coverage of countdown activities also will be available on the NASA Web site at: http://www.nasa.gov Audio of the prelaunch news conference and launch coverage will be available by dialing 321-867-1220/1240/1260. This is a listen-only audio system. Mission audio of countdown activities without NASA launch commentary will be carried on 321-867-7135 beginning at 6 a. m. Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog starts at 7 a. m. The coverage will feature real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/ksc_blogs.html The WISE mission news center is operational at the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office. Reporters should call 805-605-3051 for launch information. Recorded status reports also are available by dialing 805-734-2693. Nov. 27, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE CREW RETURNS HOME AFTER 11-DAY MISSION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven astronauts ended an 11-day journey of nearly 4.5 million miles with a 9:44 a. m. EST landing Friday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, designated STS-129, included three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the International Space Station's truss, or backbone. The platforms hold large spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are retired. The shuttle crew delivered about 30,000 pounds of replacement parts for systems that provide power to the station, keep it from overheating, and maintain a proper orientation in space. STS-129 Commander Charlie Hobaugh was joined on Atlantis' STS-129 mission by Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher. Atlantis returned with station resident Nicole Stott, who spent 91 days in space. This marks the final time the shuttle is expected to rotate station crew members. A welcome ceremony for the astronauts will be held Monday, Nov. 30, in Houston. The public is invited to attend the 4 p. m. CST event at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 990. Highlights from the ceremony will be broadcast on NASA Television's Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for launch of shuttle Endeavour on its STS-130 mission, targeted to begin in February. Endeavour will deliver a pressurized module, known as Tranquility, which will provide room for many of the space station's life support systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that provides a 360-degree view around the station. For more about the STS-129 mission and the upcoming STS-130 flight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle STS-129 crew members Melvin, Satcher and Stott are providing mission updates on Twitter. For their Twitter feeds and other NASA social media Web sites, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov Nov. 25, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS CREW SET TO LAND IN FLORIDA FRIDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew are expected to return to Earth on Friday, Nov. 27, after an 11-day mission. The two landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are at 9:44 a. m. and 11:19 a. m. EST. NASA will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Atlantis and its crew to land. If bad weather prevents a return to Florida on Friday or Saturday, both Kennedy and the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will be activated for consideration on Sunday. For recorded updates about the shuttle landing, call 321-867-2525. After touchdown in Florida, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. They are expected to make brief remarks at the runway and hold a news conference approximately six hours after landing. The news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-129 mission and accomplishments, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Nov. 25, 2009 WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY EXPLORER READY FOR LAUNCH DEC. 9 VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The launch of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 9. Liftoff will be from NASA's Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch window is approximately 14 minutes in duration, extending from 6:09:33 to 6:23:51 a. m. PST (9:09:33 to 9:23:51 a. m. EST). The spacecraft's final circular polar orbit will be 326 miles (525 kilometers), orbiting the earth 15 times a day. WISE will scan the entire sky in infrared light with sensitivity hundreds of times greater than ever before possible, picking up the glow of hundreds of millions of objects and producing millions of images. The mission will uncover objects never seen, including the coolest stars, the universe's most luminous galaxies and some of the darkest near-Earth asteroids and comets. The voluminous quantity of images WISE can generate will help scientists answer fundamental questions about the origins of planets, stars and galaxies, and provide data for astronomers for decades to come. During the nine-month survey mission, snapshots can be taken as frequently as every 11 seconds. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, or JPL, Pasadena, Calif., manages WISE for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The mission's principal investigator, Edward "Ned" Wright, is at UCLA. The mission was competitively selected under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The science instrument was built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory, Logan, Utah, and the spacecraft was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena which manages JPL for NASA. The launch is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program, headquartered at the Kennedy Space Center. The Delta II launch service is being provided to Kennedy by United Launch Alliance, Denver, Colo. Nov. 19, 2009 NASA REAPS BENEFITS FROM SOLAR FARM AND PLANS NEW ENERGY PROJECT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The electricity that's being used at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., now is partly supplied by the space agency's first large-scale solar power generation facility. Representatives from NASA, Florida Power & Light Company and SunPower Corporation formally commissioned a one-megawatt facility Thursday and used the occasion to announce plans to pursue a new research, development and demonstration project at Kennedy to advance America's use of renewable energy. The facility is the first element of a major renewable energy project currently under construction at Kennedy. The completed system features a fixed-tilt, ground-mounted solar power system designed and built by SunPower, along with SunPower solar panels. A 10-megawatt solar farm, which SunPower is building on a nearby Kennedy property, will supply power to FPL's customers when it's completed in April 2010. At Thursday's commissioning ceremony, Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana and FPL Vice President and Chief Development Officer Eric Silagy announced plans to establish a permanent renewable energy research and development center at Kennedy along with a new solar facility that would expand the 10-megawatt generating capability up to 100-megawatts. This expansion of the solar facilities is contingent on regulatory support and the passage of renewable energy legislation at the state level. If proven environmentally and economically feasible, an expansive field of photovoltaic solar panels will be constructed in phases on 500 or more acres of fallow Kennedy agricultural land and integrated into the utility's grid. A dedicated research and development facility to support continual improvement of solar renewable energy would be established by SunPower and FPL's other partners at Kennedy's business complex, Exploration Park. "Both our current projects are nearing completion, and this proposed expanded collaboration with FPL directly responds to the president's recent executive order directing NASA and other federal agencies to expand their use of renewable power and enable renewable projects on agency lands," said Cabana. "We are pleased to be taking a leadership role in supporting this important national goal aimed at increasing America's energy independence while improving the planet's environment." "FPL is a national leader in the development of clean, renewable energy, and we are committed to growing the renewable power industry here in Florida, which will spur the local economy and create jobs," said Silagy. "These solar projects are an important part of Florida's clean-energy future and we are proud to be at the forefront of powering the space program. Like NASA, FPL is looking beyond the horizon. We are prepared and excited about the prospect of building more emissions-free solar power with the quality of life of our children and grandchildren in mind." "We congratulate NASA and FPL for their commitment to the development of solar technologies, and for making solar energy a key part of the nation's economic recovery and the protection of the environment for future generations," said Howard Wenger, president, global business units for SunPower. "Solar power systems can be built quickly anywhere and at any scale, and we are pleased to partner with NASA and FPL on these important projects." The dedicated R&D facility proposed for Exploration Park could result in at least 50 high-salary science and engineering positions permanently established at Kennedy by SunPower and FPL's other partners, a potential for solar panel manufacturing located nearby and as many as 1,000 new construction jobs. FPL and Kennedy have initiated environmental studies and a plan to support the next project, which could be initiated before the end of 2010. The proposed project will be pursued under a five-year Memorandum of Understanding entered into by Kennedy and FPL in 2007 to promote jointly developed projects in renewable technologies. Implementation will require completion of the environmental and business assessments, the development of a formal partnering agreement, renewable energy legislation at the state level and a constructive regulatory framework. The current agreement to construct two solar energy projects totaling 11 megawatts recently won the 2009 General Services Administration Award for Asset Management. The public-private partnership for solar power facilities at Kennedy was selected by the GSA judges for its innovative use of federal land, and published as a "best practice" example by GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy. For information about Florida Power & Light and its programs, visit: www.fpl.com For information about SunPower, visit: www.sunpowercorp.com For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Nov. 16, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS HEADED FOR DELIVERY STOP AT SPACE STATION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew began an 11-day delivery flight to the International Space Station on Monday with a 2:28 p.m. EST launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle will transport spare hardware to the outpost and return a station crew member who spent more than two months in space. Atlantis is carrying about 30,000 pounds of replacement parts for systems that provide power to the station, keep it from overheating, and maintain a proper orientation in space. The large equipment can best be transported using the shuttle's unique capabilities. "We appreciate all the effort making this launch attempt possible. We are excited to take this incredible vehicle for a ride to another incredible vehicle, the ISS," Commander Charlie Hobaugh said shortly before launch. The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the station's truss, or backbone. The platforms will store the spare parts needed to sustain station operations after the shuttle fleet is retired. Hobaugh is joined on Atlantis' STS-129 mission by Pilot Barry E. Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher. Atlantis will return with station resident Nicole Stott, marking the final time the shuttle is expected to rotate station crew members. Wilmore, Bresnik and Satcher are first-time space fliers. Atlantis' first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 27, at 9:43 a.m. This mission is the 129th space shuttle flight, the 31st to the station, the 31st for Atlantis and the fifth in 2009. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Atlantis' mission. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA's Web coverage of STS-129 includes mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Melvin, Satcher and Stott are providing mission updates on Twitter. For their Twitter feeds and other NASA social media Web sites, visit: www.nasa.gov/connect Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa Nov. 9, 2009 NASA AWARDS INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES CONTRACT FOR KENNEDY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has selected C&C International Computers and Consultants Inc. of Hollywood, Fla., to provide institutional support services at the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with time and material type task orders begins Dec. 1, 2009. It has a 10-month base period with two one-year option periods. The maximum potential value of the contract is approximately $31.5 million, which is comprised of an $11.5-million base value and $10 million for each one-year option. C&C International Computers and Consultants will provide administrative support services personnel including accountants, accounting clerks, administrative assistants, personnel assistants, procurement specialists and analysts, program analysts, resource analysts, secretaries and general clerks. Programs supported under the contract include the space shuttle, International Space Station, Constellation, launch services, engineering, external relations and the Office of the Center Director. For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Nov. 9, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launched: Oct. 28 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Upcoming Key Milestones Dec. -- 30 day update briefing Ares I-X Flight Hardware Booster was delivered to Hanger AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for inspections and processing Batteries disconnected Data recorder and high speed video camera removed Thrust Vector Control depressurized Parachutes are being evaluated Development Flight Instrumentation evaluations complete Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, post launch evaluations completed The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the NASA's next crew launch vehicle. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/aresIX Previous status reports are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 Atlantis' Payload is Delivered; Astronauts Return to Kennedy At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the cargo for space shuttle Atlantis' mission to the International Space Station was moved to Launch Pad 39A overnight and will be installed into the shuttle's payload bay. Technicians will finish testing Atlantis' waste collection system, or toilet, this weekend and ground teams are getting ready for the final part of launch dress rehearsal known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. Today, the STS-129 mission's six astronauts are involved in their final bench review of flight hardware at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and they will conduct contingency abort simulation training in the motion base simulator. The crew will fly to Kennedy Monday afternoon for the completion of TCDT. During their two-days at Kennedy they will participate in a simulated launch countdown where they practice liftoff procedures inside the shuttle. Before returning to Johnson on Tuesday, crew members will practice emergency pad evacuation. On Oct. 29, NASA managers announced the official launch date and time of Nov. 16 at 2:28 p.m. EST for Atlantis' flight to the space station. The only deviation to this date would be if the planned Nov. 14 launch of an Atlas V rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is delayed. Since the Atlas team has reserved the Eastern Range for Nov. 14 and 15, this means the shuttle's liftoff will move to no earlier than 2:02 p.m. on Nov. 17. Oct. 29, 2009 NASA GIVES GO FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAUNCH ON NOV. 16 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to begin an 11-day flight to the International Space Station with a Nov. 16 launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 2:28 p.m. EST. Atlantis' launch date was announced Thursday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready. The Nov. 16 target date depends on the planned Nov. 14 launch of an Atlas V rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Atlas has reserved the Eastern Range on Nov. 14 and 15. If the Atlas launch is delayed to Nov. 15, the shuttle's liftoff will move to no earlier than 2:02 p.m. on Nov. 17. The STS-129 mission will focus on storing spare hardware on the exterior of the space station. The flight will include three spacewalks and install two platforms on the station's truss, or backbone. The platforms will hold spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttle fleet is retired. Commander Charlie Hobaugh and his crew of five astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at approximately 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, for final launch preparations. Joining Hobaugh on STS-129 will be Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher. Nicole Stott, an astronaut who currently resides on the station, will return home with the Atlantis crew after living in space for more than two months. Her return on the shuttle is slated to be the final time it is used to rotate space station crew members. STS-129 will be Atlantis' 31st mission and the 31st shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information about STS-129, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Mission Specialist Bobby Satcher, an orthopedic surgeon, now is sending updates about his training to his Twitter account, Astro_Bones. He can be followed at: www.twitter.com/Astro_Bones For more information on the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Oct. 28, 2009 NASA'S ARES I-X ROCKET COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT TEST The stars and stripes on the American flag reflect NASA's commitment to teamwork as the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image credit: NASA/Jim Grossman CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Ares I-X test rocket lifted off at 11:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a two-minute powered flight. The test flight lasted about six minutes from its launch from the newly modified Launch Complex 39B until splash down of the rocket's booster stage nearly 150 miles down range. "This is a huge step forward for NASA's exploration goals," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Ares I-X provides NASA with an enormous amount of data that will be used to improve the design and safety of the next generation of American spaceflight vehicles -- vehicles that could again take humans beyond low Earth orbit." The 327-foot tall Ares I-X test vehicle produced 2.6 million pounds of thrust to accelerate the rocket to nearly 3 g's and Mach 4.76, just shy of hypersonic speed. It capped its easterly flight at a suborbital altitude of 150,000 feet after the separation of its first stage, a four-segment solid rocket booster. Parachutes deployed for recovery of the booster and the solid rocket motor will be recovered at sea for later inspection. The simulated upper stage, Orion crew module, and launch abort system will not be recovered. "The most valuable learning is through experience and observation," said Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager. "Tests such as this -- from paper to flight -- are vital in gaining a deeper understanding of the vehicle, from design to development." Wednesday's flight offered an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities, and ground operations - important data for future space vehicles. During the flight, a range of performance data was relayed to the ground and also stored in the onboard flight data recorder. The 700 sensors mounted on the vehicle provide flight test engineering data to correlate with computer models and analysis. The rocket's sensors gathered information in several areas, including assembly and launch operations, separation of the vehicle's first and second stages, controllability and aerodynamics, the re-entry and recovery of the first stage and new vehicle design techniques. The Ares I-X efforts are led by the Ares I-X mission management office of the Constellation Program, based at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland designed and built the vehicle's upper stage mass simulator. NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., provided aerodynamic characterization, flight test vehicle integration and the crew module/launch abort system mass simulator. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., with contractor support, provided management for the development of Ares I-X avionics, roll control, and first stage systems. The Kennedy Space Center provided operations and associated ground activities and launch operations. Contractors for Ares I-X include Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, of Salt Lake City for the first stage solid rocket booster and Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville for the roll control system. Jacobs Engineering of Tullahoma, Tenn., supported by Lockheed Martin of Denver, provided the avionics systems. United Space Alliance of Houston and ATK Launch Systems support the ground systems and launch operations. For information about Ares I-X, visit: www.nasa.gov/aresIX CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Ð Go Ares I-X! A banner on the perimeter fence of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida reflects the excitement building in Kennedy's work force in anticipation of the flight test of the towering 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket. The test rocket left the Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m. EDT on its 4.2-mile trek to the pad and was "hard down" on the pad's pedestals at 9:17 a.m. A Flight Test Readiness Review, a meeting to assess preparations for the flight test, is scheduled for Oct. 23. The flight test is targeted for Oct. 27. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, along with the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. For information on the Ares I-X vehicle and flight test, visit www.nasa.gov/aresIX. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett Oct. 27, 2009 NASA'S ARES I-X LAUNCH RESCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA mission managers canceled Tuesday's scheduled launch of the Ares I-X flight test because of weather concerns at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Another launch attempt is targeted for Wednesday. A four-hour launch window opens at 8 a.m. EDT. The launch was delayed for 24 hours because of winds at the launch pad that exceeded the 20-knot limit and concerns about clouds with moisture that could have caused static build-up on the rocket and led to communication issues. Forecasters predict a 60 percent chance of favorable weather Wednesday. The Ares I-X is part of a larger flight test program that will provide data for future launch vehicles and give NASA an opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations. For information about Ares I-X, visit: www.nasa.gov/aresIX To follow the Ares I-X flight test on Twitter, visit: www.twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov Oct. 23, 2009 NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR THE ARES I-X TEST ROCKET LAUNCH ON OCT. 27 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has completed a review of the Ares I-X development rocket's readiness for its flight test and selected Tuesday, Oct. 27, as the official launch date. Liftoff is scheduled for 8 a.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ares I-X launch date was announced after a flight test readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the test and determined the rocket, support systems and procedures are ready for launch. "I am proud of the work this team has done to ready this test rocket for launch," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. "This is the first time in more than 30 years that NASA has built a vehicle in a new configuration so this has been a valuable learning experience. "This test will yield important data to support the nation's next steps in exploration. There is no substitute for hard data - flight testing clarifies the distinction between imagined outcomes and real flight experience." The 28-mile high, two-minute flight of the Ares I-X, an uncrewed development rocket, will provide NASA with an opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations, while gathering critical data for the Ares I rocket and future launch vehicles. To follow Ares I-X on Twitter, visit: www.twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X For more information about Ares I-X and NASA's next-generation spacecraft, visit: www.nasa.gov/aresIX Oct. 22, 2009 NASA AND STARFIGHTERS MAKE AGREEMENT ON SHUTTLE RUNWAY USE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA and Starfighters, Inc., of Tarpon Springs, Fla., are partnering to use the space shuttle runway at Kennedy Space Center to help support the development of the commercial space industry. Kennedy and the aerospace company have signed a cooperative space act agreement enabling Starfighters to become a tenant at Kennedy where it will launch a new business venture with a fleet of privately-operated Lockheed F-104 Starfighter aircraft. The new venture also is enabled by Space Florida, which has entered into separate agreements with Starfighters to use a state-built hangar at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, and to provide other business assistance. Under the agreement, Starfighters will be permitted to use the SLF on a regular basis to conduct flight operations supporting the test, development, and training activities associated with the emerging commercial space launch industry, and to advance aerospace and space-related technology. It also will be permitted to house and perform maintenance on its aircraft at the SLF and will reimburse NASA costs associated with its operations at the center. "This agreement with Starfighters aligns well with NASA's mission and national space policy direction to support and enable the U.S. commercial space industry," said Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana. "This activity also will help diversify our uses at the SLF in a manner compatible with NASA's operations, and help us sustain the SLF as a unique asset supporting horizontal space launch and recovery after the shuttle retires." Starfighters plans to operate its aircraft to simulate suborbital vehicle trajectories and provide both training and technology development for the reusable launch vehicle industry. In addition, the firm may provide flight test services to NASA and other government users, for other spaceflight and aviation test activities and other uses approved by NASA pursuant to the agreement. Starfighters recently was awarded a blanket purchase agreement from NASA's Airborne Science Program from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. The company plans to relocate all operations to Brevard County and expects to employ as many as approximately 20 highly-skilled workers to assist and develop its operations at Kennedy. Starfighters responded to Kennedy's 2005 request to industry for interest in use of the SLF, and previously flew several test flights from the SLF as a demonstration project, which included testing of a NASA-developed range safety system and an investigation of the sonic boom characteristics to be anticipated from suborbital vehicles taking off from and returning to the SLF. For more information about Starfighters, visit: www.starfighters.net/ For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Oct. 20, 2009 NASA'S ARES I-X ROCKET ARRIVES AT LAUNCH PAD IN FLORIDA CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - For the first time in more than a quarter century, a new vehicle is sitting at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ares I-X flight test vehicle arrived at the pad atop of a giant crawler-transporter at approximately 7:45 a.m. EDT Tuesday. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during the 4.2-mile journey. The rocket was secured on the launch pad at 9:17 a.m. The vehicle is scheduled to launch at 8 a.m. on Oct. 27. This test flight of the Ares I-X rocket will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, models, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I launch vehicle. The Ares I rocket is being designed to carry astronauts to space in the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The Ares I-X test flight also will allow NASA to gather critical data during ascent of the vehicle's integrated stack, which includes the Ares I with a simulated upper stage, Orion and launch abort system. Data collected from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will begin to confirm the vehicle as a whole is safe and stable in flight before astronauts begin traveling into orbit. "With the arrival of Ares I-X at the pad, this milestone demonstrates NASA's world-class ability to conceptually design, build and process a new launch vehicle in just under four years," said Bob Ess, mission manager for Ares I-X at Kennedy. "Nearly 2,000 NASA and contractor employees located throughout the United States worked together in an unprecedented fashion, resulting in the new vehicle ready for flight." During the week before launch, technicians at the pad will perform a variety of electrical and mechanical checks to ready the vehicle for flight, including hydraulic power unit hot fire, steering tests and internal power verifications using flight batteries. United Space Alliance of Houston is NASA's prime contractor for the ground processing of the Ares I-X rocket. "Processing for the Ares I-X test flight in parallel with space shuttle operations has been a true challenge involving people and hardware from across the country, and we're very proud of what the team has accomplished," said Mark Nappi, vice president of Launch and Recovery Systems for United Space Alliance. ATK Space Systems of Magna, Utah, is NASA's prime contractor for the first stage of the rocket. "The NASA and contractor teamwork displayed over the last four years has been the catalyst that brought us to this important milestone today," said Bob Herman, ATK's vice president of Exploration Systems for Kennedy Space Center Operations. "As the Ares I first stage provider, we are looking forward to receiving invaluable data during the flight test." At the Flight Test Readiness Review on Oct. 23, mission managers will finalize the launch date and provide the team with a final "go" or "no go" for launch. Ares I-X is an uncrewed, suborbital development test in a modified Ares I configuration. Ares I-X is the first developmental flight test of the Constellation Program, which includes the Ares I and V rockets, Orion and the Altair lunar lander. To follow Ares I-X on Twitter, visit: www.twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X For information about Ares I-X, visit: www.nasa.gov/aresIX Oct. 19, 2009 NASA UPDATES SHUTTLE ATLANTIS TARGET LAUNCH DATE, CREW REHEARSAL WASHINGTON -- NASA is targeting Nov. 16 for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Managers for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate met Monday and decided to adjust Atlantis' target launch date to optimize the agency's ability to launch both Ares I-X and Atlantis before the end of the year. The same launch team at Kennedy is supporting both the shuttle and the flight test of the Ares I-X rocket, which is targeted to lift off on Oct. 27. Ares I-X is scheduled to roll out to its launch pad at 12:01 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Atlantis' new target launch date will give Ares I-X launch opportunities Oct. 27, 28 and 29. NASA has yet to schedule Atlantis' new target liftoff date on the Eastern Range. The change to Atlantis' targeted launch will affect the launch countdown dress rehearsal for the shuttle's six astronauts. The astronauts arrived at Kennedy on Monday for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test and related training. The simulated countdown has been rescheduled to Nov. 3. The astronauts will practice emergency escape and other related training while they are at Kennedy this week and return there Nov. 2 to conclude their rehearsal work. The agency's Flight Readiness Review meeting for STS-129 is set for Oct. 29. NASA will schedule an official launch date for Atlantis following that meeting. For more information about the STS-129 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 18, 2009 NASA RESCHEDULES ROLLOUT OF ARES I-X CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has rescheduled to Tuesday, Oct. 20, the rollout of the Ares I-X rocket to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first motion of the Ares I-X out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building is targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The 4.2-mile journey is expected to last about seven hours. Live NASA Television coverage with commentary will start at 11:45 p.m., Oct. 19, and 7 a.m., Oct. 20. Video highlights of the move will air on NASA Television's Video File. The rollout of Ares I-X originally was set for Monday, Oct. 19. During testing on Oct. 14, engineers detected a nitrogen gas leak in an accumulator located in the aft skirt of the rocket. The accumulator, which absorbs hydraulic pressure spikes as the system operates, was replaced and successfully retested. Management is assessing what effect, if any, this delayed rollout will have on the targeted Oct. 27 launch date. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv To follow the Ares I-X flight test on Twitter, go to: www.twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X For information about Ares I-X, visit: www.nasa.gov/aresIX Oct. 15, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Oct. 27 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Upcoming key milestones: No earlier than Oct. 20 - Rollout to Launch Pad 39B targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT Oct. 21 - Satellite live shot campaign at Launch Pad 39B from 6-9 a.m. EDT Oct. 23 - L-4 Flight Test Readiness Review followed by a news conference on NASA TV targeted for 5 p.m. EDT Oct. 24 - L-3 Media briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT Oct. 25 - L-2 Launch Status Briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT Oct. 26 - Prelaunch News Conference on NASA TV at 1 p.m. EDT Oct. 27 (target) - Ares I-X flight test launch at 8 a.m. EDT Ares I-X Flight Hardware - The rollout of the Ares I-X flight test vehicle scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19, is being rescheduled by at least 24 hours. This will allow time for the launch team to remove and replace a hydraulic accumulator. During testing late on Oct. 14, hydraulics engineers detected a gaseous nitrogen leak in the accumulator, which is located in the aft skirt of the rocket. The pressurized nitrogen is leaking past a seal and into the area of the accumulator containing hydraulic fluid. The accumulator absorbs hydraulic pressure spikes as the system operates. The accumulator is being removed and replaced today, and the retest will begin on Friday. The same problem has occurred in the past on space shuttle flight hardware, most recently on STS-117 in March 2007. What effect this will have on the Ares I-X targeted Oct. 27 launch date, if any, is being assessed by management and will be based on when the rollout is finally scheduled to occur. This week's milestones include: Upper Stage, Interstage, Frustrum and RoCS closeouts for flight are complete, and the installation of the flight door is in work Power up testing is in work First Stage closeouts continue Upcoming milestones: Rollout Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are complete The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the NASA's next crew launch vehicle. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/aresIX Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html Oct. 13, 2009 NASA LAUNCHES TWEETUP FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LIFTOFF IN FLORIDA WASHINGTON - For the first time, NASA Twitter followers are invited to view a space shuttle launch in person at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA is hosting this unique Tweetup on Nov. 11 and 12. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch at 4:04 p.m. EST, Nov. 12, on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. "This will be NASA's fifth Tweetup for our Twitter community," said Michael Cabbage, director of the News Services division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Each event has provided our followers with inside access to NASA personnel, including astronauts. The goal of this particular Tweetup is to share the excitement of a shuttle launch with a new audience." NASA will accommodate the first 100 people who sign up on the Web. An additional 50 registrants will be added to a waitlist. Registration opens at noon EDT on Friday, Oct. 16. To sign up and for more information about the Tweetup, visit: www.nasa.gov/tweetup The two-day event will provide NASA Twitter followers with the opportunity to take a tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, view the space shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers. The Tweetup will include a "meet and greet" session to allow participants to mingle with fellow Tweeps and the staff behind the tweets on @NASA. To follow NASA programs on Twitter visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate For more information about space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 13, 2009 ANNUAL NASA-SPONSORED BUSINESS EXPO SET FOR OCT. 20 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Business leaders interested in learning more about government contracting and what local and national vendors have to offer should attend the "Business Opportunities Expo 2009" on Oct. 20. The expo will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Cruise Terminal 3 at Port Canaveral, Fla. Admission is free and open to the public. The annual trade show, sponsored by the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Prime Contractor Board, 45th Space Wing and Canaveral Port Authority, is in its 20th year. It will feature more than 175 business and government exhibitors from throughout the nation and across Brevard County. Exhibitors will include vendors from a variety of product and service areas, such as computer technology, engineering services, communication equipment and services, and construction and safety products, to name a few. Representatives from the 45th Space Wing, Kennedy prime contractors, NASA and many more agencies and organizations will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. During the opening ceremonies, welcoming remarks will be provided by a representative from U.S. Congressman Tom Posey's office and U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas's office. Also speaking will be NASA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Small Business Programs Glenn Delgado; Kennedy's Associate Director Mike Wetmore; Kennedy's procurement officer Dudley R. Cannon Jr.; Col. Andre L. Lovett, vice commander, 45th Space Wing, Patrick Air Force Base; and Tom Goodson, commissioner, Canaveral Port Authority. Larry Third, Kennedy small business specialist, will recognize the contractor-of-the-year award winners. NASA's Central Industry Assistance Office provides support to small businesses that want to do business at Kennedy. This office works with the NASA Kennedy Prime Contractor Board, which consists of many of the center's prime contractors to help small businesses learn how to navigate in the world of government contracting. By co-sponsoring the expo, the Board helps provide a one-stop environment for buyers and sellers. For more information, please visit the expo Web site at: expo.ksc.nasa.gov For more information about Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Oct. 9, 2009 NASA ADJUSTS SHUTTLE ATLANTIS' LAUNCH PAD MOVE TO OCT. 14 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA now is targeting Wednesday, Oct. 14, to move space shuttle Atlantis to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion of Atlantis from Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad is targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The move is known as "rollout." The 3.4 mile journey is expected to take approximately six hours. Live video coverage of the move will be shown on NASA Television starting at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights of the move will air on NASA TV Video File. Atlantis' original rollout date was Oct. 13. The shuttle was towed Tuesday from its hangar, Orbiter Processing Facility 1, to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, in preparation for its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station. However, an issue with a crane that was being used to transfer Atlantis for attachment to its external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters caused a delay in operations. That in turn caused additional workload on teams in the VAB who also are working on preparing NASA's Ares I-X rocket for rollout to Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 19. Ares I-X is targeted to launch on its flight test on Oct. 27. Shuttle managers added a day to Atlantis' rollout preparations to provide relief to the work force. The one-day change to the rollout still will allow managers to target Atlantis' launch for Nov. 12. It also does not affect the practice countdown, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test, and associated training for Atlantis' six astronauts and ground teams, which is set to begin Oct. 19. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-129 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 9, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Oct. 27 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Upcoming key milestones: Oct. 14 - Launch Pad 39B modifications media event at 2 p.m. EDT Oct. 19 - Rollout to Launch Pad 39B targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT Oct. 21 - Satellite live shot campaign at Launch Pad 39B from 6-9 a.m. EDT Oct. 23 - L-4 Flight Test Readiness Review followed by a news conference on NASA TV targeted for 5 p.m. EDT Oct. 24 - L-3 Launch Status briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT Oct. 25 - L-2 Launch Status Briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT Oct. 26 - Prelaunch News Conference on NASA TV at 1 p.m. EDT Oct. 27 (target) - Ares I-X flight test launch at 8 a.m. EDT Ares 1-X Rocket Ares I-X Flight Hardware This week's milestones include: Launch Readiness Review was held at Kennedy At the conclusion of the review, KSC management determined that there are no major launch processing or engineering issues, and the team should proceed toward the scheduled rollout on October 19. Launch Vehicle Readiness Testing was successfully completed This test ran the vehicle through a series of simulated pre and post launch events to ensure all systems operate properly before rolling out to the launch pad Thermal Excursion testing This test determined the temperature sensitive avionics can operate safely without purge for a 4-hour launch countdown window Launch Abort System and Crew Module simulator closeouts Upper Stage closeouts have begun Final Hydraulic System closeouts Upcoming milestones: Rollout Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are complete The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the NASA's next crew launch vehicle. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html Oct. 8, 2009 NASA SELECTS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR INSPIRE EDUCATION PROGRAM WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected 1,732 high school students from 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to participate in its Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience, also known as INSPIRE. The INSPIRE project is designed to encourage students in grades nine through 12 to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The selectees will participate in an online learning community in which students and parents have the opportunity to interact with their peers and NASA engineers and scientists. It also provides appropriate grade-level educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms for participants and their families to gain exposure to the many career opportunities at NASA. The selected students will have the option to compete for workshops and internships at NASA facilities and participating universities throughout the nation during the summer of 2010. The summer experience provides students a hands-on opportunity to investigate careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The INSPIRE project is part of NASA's education efforts to engage and retain students in disciplines critical to the agency's missions. For information about the program, visit: www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE For more information about NASA's education programs, visit: www.nasa.gov/education Oct. 6, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS MOVES TO LAUNCH PAD, PRACTICE LIFTOFF SET CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Atlantis is targeted to launch to the International Space Station Nov. 12 on an 11-day cargo flight. Atlantis was moved from its hangar on Tuesday to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building. There it will be attached to its external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters before its move next week to Launch Pad 39A. The first motion of Atlantis from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad is targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT on Oct. 13. The 3.4 mile journey is expected to take approximately six hours. Atlantis' astronauts and ground crews will participate in the practice countdown, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test. The test provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-129 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 5, 2009 NASA KENNEDY'S COVERAGE OF LCROSS LUNAR IMPACT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will provide an interview opportunity and a potentially unique view of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Centaur rocket's impact on the moon Oct. 9. On Friday, Oct. 9, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the LCROSS spacecraft and Centaur rocket will impact the moon's southern pole. The collision is designed to send up a plume of debris that may include water ice that will be monitored by various telescopes, including NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. For the impact itself at 7:30 a.m., three tracking cameras used by Kennedy Space Center to observe space shuttle launches - one infrared and two high-definition - also will be focused on the moon to try to record the plume. For NASA TV Video File downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the LCROSS mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/lcross Oct. 2, 2009 NASA LAUNCHES NEW EDUCATION INITIATIVES WITH DISNEY'S BUZZ LIGHTYEAR WASHINGTON -- NASA and Disney Parks, which collaborated to carry toy space ranger Buzz Lightyear into orbit, are launching new efforts to encourage students to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Buzz Lightyear aboard the International Space Station The 12-inch-tall action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth on Sept. 11. On Friday, Oct. 2, a ticker-tape parade at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., will officially welcome Lightyear home. "Buzz's historic spaceflight is a great example of spreading the excitement of space exploration with students around the world," said Joyce Winterton, NASA's assistant administrator for Education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We hope our space station crews and Buzz will continue to spark student interest in the space station and its scientific potential." NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, the station commander from October 2008 to April 2009, is spending the day at the Magic Kingdom to tell students about two new educational design challenges and a new online game. Mission Patch Design Challenge: Students ages 6-12 will have the opportunity to design a patch to commemorate Lightyear's mission and his accomplishment of being the longest serving space ranger. The student with the most creative mission patch and 100-word essay will win a tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and a trip to Walt Disney World Resort. NASA will fly the winning patch into space, then present it to the contest winner. Kids in Micro-g Experiment Challenge: Students in the fifth through eighth grades are encouraged to devise experiments to be conducted aboard the space station. The 12 winning experiments will be performed by the end of the school year and videotaped for the winning schools. For more information about the challenges, visit: www.nasa.gov/buzzoniss NASA and Disney Parks are launching a new online game as part of the Space Ranger Education Series. The series includes fun educational games for students and materials for educators to download and integrate into classroom curricula. In the newest game, "Putting It All Together," players can build the entire station using all of the real modules. "We can't thank our partners at NASA enough for bringing Buzz Lightyear home from space to his family, friends and fans here at Disney Parks -- after all, this was his dream come true," said Duncan Wardle, vice president of Disney Parks. NASA Television will air highlights of Finke's meeting with students and the Buzz Lightyear parade. For streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about other NASA education programs, visit: www.nasa.gov/education For more information about the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station For more information about the space shuttle, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Sept. 30, 2009 NASA MODIFIES LIFE SCIENCES SERVICES CONTRACT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA is extending the Life Science Services contract at Kennedy Space Center held by Dynamac Corporation of Rockville, Md., for an additional one year, three months and increasing its value. The potential estimated increase value of the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is $9.7 and begins Oct. 1. The base extension value is $8.1 million with three, one month options totaling about $1.6 million. The contract's additional period of performance allows Dynamac Corporation to continue to provide a space experiment and processing laboratory at Kennedy, known as the Space Life Sciences Lab, maintain and operate this laboratory, conduct critical life sciences and technology development tasks and perform biological payload integration and processing in support of the Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Constellation Programs. Some of the effort under the existing contract is expected to transition to the Medical and Environmental Services Contract on Oct. 1. However, the remainder of the requirements being supported under this contract will not be transitioned until the Exploration Ground Launch Services contract and the Engineering Services Contract are awarded in the fall of 2010. The original period of performance for the Life Science Services contract was seven years, nine months, which ends Sept. 30. The total original contract value was $123.6 million. The revised potential contract value is $133.3 million. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov Oct. 1, 2009 NASA SPONSORS STUDENT WATER RECYCLING COMPETITION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA is inviting fifth through eighth grade students to participate in a waste limitation management and recycling design challenge. Participants in the competition will design and test water recycling systems that could be used for future exploration of the moon. The top three teams will receive awards, and the first place team will receive an expense-paid trip to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams of up to six students and one teacher or mentor should submit their proposals and results to NASA for evaluationby Feb. 1, 2010. Schools in the United States and its territories, science museums, science centers and home school groups may host teams. The winning teams will be announced in May 2010. During the winning team's visit to Kennedy, students will gain first-hand knowledge about NASA's missions, receive behind-the-scenes tours of NASA's launch facilities, and learn about future aerospace and engineering careers. The competition is designed to engage and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For information about the challenge and how to apply, visit: www.nasa.gov/offices/education/centers/kennedy/home For information about NASA's education programs, visit: www.nasa.gov/education Sept. 30, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Oct. 27 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Upcoming key milestones: Oct. 9 – Launch Readiness Review at Kennedy Oct. 15 – Launch Pad 39B modifications media event at 10 a.m. EDT Oct. 19 – Rollout to Launch Pad 39B targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT Oct. 21 – Satellite live shot campaign at Launch Pad 39B from 6-9 a.m. EDT Oct. 23 – L-4 Flight Test Readiness Review followed by a news conference on NASA TV Oct. 24 – L-3 Launch Status briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT Oct. 25 – L-2 Launch Status Briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT Oct. 26 – Prelaunch News Conference on NASA TV at 1 p.m. EDT Oct. 27 (target) – Ares I-X flight test launch at 8 a.m. EDT Ares I-X Flight Hardware Last week's milestones include: Launch Team countdown simulation from the firing room Full-up Development Flight Instrumentation system testing Flight control actuator testing This week's milestones include: Powered up testing continues Launch Vehicle Readiness Test Tests the rocket's systems to assure responds correctly to both pre-launch aborts and in-flight failures Super Stack 5 closeouts Upcoming milestones: Launch pad readiness review Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are ongoing Vehicle Stabilization System final checkouts Environmental Control System (ECS) validation testing Fixed Service and Rotating Service Structures walk downs The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop NASA's next crew launch vehicle. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html Sept. 25, 2009 DELTA II NASA LAUNCH FOR MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY SUCCESSFUL STSS Demonstrators Program is a midcourse tracking technology demonstrator and is part of an evolving ballistic missile defense system. Owned by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the payload's two satellites were successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Delta II rocket Sept. 25, 2009 at 8:20 a.m. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta II rocket managed by NASA's Launch Services Program lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Thursday with two spacecraft for the United States Missile Defense Agency. The Space Tracking and Surveillance System Demonstrator mission, or STSS Demo, lifted off from Pad B at Launch Complex 17 at 8:20 a.m. EDT. The launch vehicle was a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7920-10c. The final spacecraft separation for the second of two satellites occurred 55 minutes after liftoff. "With confirmation of the payload's delivery into the correct orbit, the launch is a success," said Omar Baez, launch director for the NASA Launch Services Program headquartered at Kennedy Space Center. The STSS Demo mission is a space-based sensor component of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. The two spacecraft will use sensors capable of detecting visible and infrared light to provide timely and accurate acquisition and tracking of potentially threatening ballistic missiles. The satellites have a two-year mission life and four-year design life. NASA also managed the launch of another mission for the Missile Defense Agency aboard a Delta II rocket in May from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets Sept. 23, 2009 STSS DEMO LAUNCH POSTPONED UNTIL NO EARLIER THAN SEPT. 25 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The launch of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Space Tracking and Surveillance System Demonstration mission, or STSS Demo, is postponed until no earlier than Friday, Sept. 25. Teams are working to correct a technical issue with some ground equipment on the pad at Space Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. A Friday liftoff of the Delta II rocket carrying the STSS Demo spacecraft would be at 8 a.m. EDT in a one hour launch window. Following Wednesday morning's weather launch scrub, teams detected a small leak in a flange in the fuel transfer system under the launch pad. Both the Delta II and STSS spacecraft have no technical issues. Teams plan to assess the fuel leak and determine what steps to take to support the next launch attempt. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for the launch of STSS Demo. United Launch Alliance is conducting the launch service for NASA. For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program visit: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html Sept. 22, 2009 NASA SETS TARGET DATE FOR ARES I-X ROCKET'S TEST LAUNCH CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA is targeting Tuesday, Oct. 27, for the flight test of the Ares I-X rocket, pending successful testing and data verification. Senior managers made the decision after a meeting Monday at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Oct. 27 target date has been confirmed with the Air Force's Eastern Range. The launch window will extend from 8 a.m. to noon EDT. There is another launch opportunity on Oct. 28. The date will be finalized at a Flight Test Readiness Review scheduled for Oct. 23 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians at Kennedy have completed the stacking, or assembly, of the rocket on a mobile launch platform. This week, Ares I-X team members are conducting a launch countdown simulation and conducting final checks of the rocket's systems. The checks will begin with the launch abort system simulator atop the rocket and continue down to its aft skirt. The rocket is targeted to roll out to Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 19. The launch will provide NASA with an opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations, while gathering critical data for the Ares I rocket and future launch vehicles. To follow Ares I-X processing on Twitter, visit: www.twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X For more information about Ares I-X and NASA's next-generation spacecraft, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Sept. 21, 2009 DELTA II DEFENSE DEPARTMENT LAUNCH RESCHEDULED FOR SEPT. 23 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - To accommodate spacecraft readiness, launch of the Missile Defense Agency's Space Tracking and Surveillance System Demonstration mission, or STSS Demo, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 23, from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window opens at 8 a.m. EDT and is one hour long. STSS Demo is an element of the STSS Program, a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detection, tracking and discrimination of ballistic missiles. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for the launch of STSS Demo aboard a Delta II 7920-10c rocket. United Launch Alliance is conducting the launch service for NASA. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is in charge of the STSS Demo mission. The STSS Demo satellites were built for MDA by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage NASA's home on the Internet, www.nasa.gov, will provide countdown and liftoff coverage of the STSS Demo launch. Live coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 6 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 23. The coverage features real-time updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. To view the launch blog, go to: www.nasa.gov/launch Sept. 15, 2009 NASA BRINGS THE ARES I-X FLIGHT TEST ROCKET TO LIFE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Ares I-X team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has reached a significant milestone with the first electrical power-up of the test rocket on Sept. 11. Ares I-X and its simulated crew module and launch abort system are assembled on a mobile launcher platform at Kennedy in preparation for its targeted Oct. 31 flight test. Power-up is the first application of power to all of the electronics boxes, including avionics, sensors and thrust vector control system, since the rocket segments arrived and were stacked at Kennedy. Testing ran for three days and concluded Sept. 14. The boxes were all powered up individually in Denver, but had not been tested since installation in the rocket with actual flight cabling. "Powering up a new vehicle and having all of the systems 'talking' to each other is always a challenge. The power-up was a tremendous success, with all of the systems functioning nominally," said Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager. The Ares I-X is wired with more than 700 sensors to gather data during the two-and-a-half minute flight test. The launch will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations. The data collected during the launch will allow NASA to gather critical data for Ares I and future launch vehicles. To follow Ares I-X processing on Twitter, visit: www.twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X For more information about Ares I-X and NASA's next-generation spacecraft, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Sept. 15, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY SET TO RETURN TO FLORIDA EDWARDS, Calif. -- After landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Sept. 11, space shuttle Discovery is about to start its cross-country journey back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following the successful STS-128 mission to the International Space Station, Discovery was mounted on a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft. Discovery is expected to begin its journey from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., to Kennedy as early as Friday, Sept. 18. The exact date and time of departure have yet to be set because of changing weather conditions and the fluid nature of preparing Discovery for the flight. Live status updates will be added periodically to the NASA News Twitter feed during the flight. To access the feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa NASA Television will provide live coverage of Discovery's departure and arrival. For the NASA TV downlink, the schedule of ferry flight coverage and streaming video information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv Sept. 14, 2009 DEFENSE DEPARTMENT MISSION TO LAUNCH ABOARD DELTA II SEPT. 19 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Launch of the Missile Defense Agency's Space Tracking and Surveillance System Demonstration mission, or STSS Demo, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch window opens at 8 a.m. EDT and is one hour in duration. STSS Demo is an element of the STSS Program, a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detection, tracking and discrimination of ballistic missiles. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for the launch of STSS Demo aboard a Delta II 7920-10c rocket. United Launch Alliance is conducting the launch service for NASA. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is in charge of the STSS Demo mission. The STSS Demo satellites were built for MDA by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. Sept. 11, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION Space shuttle Discovery lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Credit: NASA TV EDWARDS, Calif. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles with a 5:53 p.m. PDT landing Friday at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized science racks to the International Space Station. One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics. The results from these experiments could lead to the development of better materials on Earth. The other rack will be used for fluid physics research. Understanding how fluids react in microgravity could lead to improved designs for fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid-based systems. STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow was joined on the mission by Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott flew to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a nearly three-month mission as a station resident, replacing Tim Kopra, who returned home on Discovery. Weather concerns prevented the crew from returning to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the primary end-of-mission landing site. In seven to 10 days, Discovery will be transported approximately 2,500 miles from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet. Once at Kennedy, Discovery will be separated from the aircraft to begin processing for its next flight, targeted for March 2010. A welcome ceremony for the crew's return to Houston will be held at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 990 at 4 p.m. CDT on Saturday, Sept. 12. The public is invited to attend. In addition to carrying a new station crew member, Discovery and the crew also delivered a new sleeping compartment, an air purification system and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The mission included three spacewalks that replaced experiments outside the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory and an empty ammonia storage tank. Ammonia is needed to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located outside. Disney's toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear also returned from the space station aboard Discovery. He flew to the station in May 2008 on shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission and served as the longest tenured "crew member" in space. While on the station, Buzz supported NASA's education outreach by creating a series of online educational outreach programs. The crew's return will be broadcast on NASA Television's video file. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of shuttle Atlantis on its STS-129 mission. Atlantis' liftoff currently is targeted for Nov.12, although shuttle and station teams are assessing Nov. 9 as a potential launch date. The flight will focus on storing important spare hardware on the station's exterior. The 11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the station's truss, or backbone. Atlantis also will bring Stott back to Earth. Stott and STS-128 astronaut Hernandez are providing updates on Twitter. To connect to their Twitter feeds and other NASA social media, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate For more about the STS-128 mission and the upcoming STS-129 flight, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:42:59 PM EDT - From NASA's Shuttle website: Kennedy Landings Waved Off, Discovery to Land at Edwards Mission Control has decided to target Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for today's landing since the weather at Kennedy is unstable. The deorbit burn is timelined to begin at 7:47 p.m. EDT for an 8:53 p.m. landing at Edwards. The burn lasts three to four minutes, slowing Discovery enough to begin its descent. Sept. 11, 2009 NASA EXERCISES PAYLOAD PROCESSING CONTRACT OPTION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA is exercising its final option in the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services contract, known as CAPPS. The option is the second of two on the cost-plus-award-fee CAPPS contract awarded to Boeing Space Operations Company of Titusville, Fla., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company. The option's performance period is from Oct. 1, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2012, with a maximum potential value of approximately $156.5 million. The contract provides management and technical services in support of payload processing requirements at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the International Space Station, space shuttle, expendable launch vehicle, Constellation and other payload programs. Boeing performs all aspects of payload processing, including planning, safety and mission assurance, payload processing ground systems support, space shuttle integration, launch and post-landing activities. Option 1 on the CAPPS contract began in October 2006 with a value of $308.8 million. The base contract began in October 2002 with a value of $359.4 million. The total maximum potential value of the CAPPS contract with both options is approximately $824.8 million. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov Sept. 8, 2009 NASA AWARDS HELIUM CONTRACT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected five companies to provide liquid and gaseous helium for 17 agency locations, including centers and facilities. This new fixed-price requirements contract with economic price adjustment is for the acquisition of approximately 12.5 million liters of liquid helium and 235.7 million standard cubic feet of gaseous helium during a five-year period of performance starting Oct. 1. It has a maximum potential value of approximately $56.5 million. The awardees are: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., of Allentown, Pa., has been awarded about $18.7 million of the base contract plus options. Linde LLC, of Murray Hill, N.J., has been awarded $80,000 of the base contract plus options. Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc., of Basking Ridge, N.J., has been awarded $3.8 million of the base contract plus options. Praxair Distribution, Inc., of Austin, Texas, has been awarded $553,000 of the base contract plus options. Praxair, Inc., of Danbury, Conn., has been awarded $33.4 million of the base contract plus options. NASA uses helium as a cryogenic agent for cooling various materials, precision welding applications, lab use, as an inert purge gas for hydrogen systems, and as a pressurizing agent for the space shuttle's ground and flight fluid systems. The total period of performance for all awards is five years, with a three-year base period plus two one-year options. The base contract period ends Sept. 30, 2012. Option 1 would extend the contract from Oct. 1, 2012, to Sept. 30, 2013. Option 2 would extend the contract from Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014. NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for the acquisition of helium on behalf of the agency. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov Sept. 8, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY CREW SET TO RETURN TO EARTH THURSDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew are expected to return to Earth Thursday after a 13-day mission. Two landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are available at 7:05 p.m. and 8:42 p.m. EDT. NASA will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Discovery and its crew to land. If bad weather prevents a return on Thursday, both Kennedy and the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will be activated for consideration on Friday. After touchdown in Florida, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. They are expected to make brief remarks at the runway. The news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-128 mission and accomplishments, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Sept. 4, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Targeted for Oct. 31 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Ares I-X Flight Hardware This week's milestones include: Launch Team countdown simulation from the firing room First vehicle power up preparations ongoing Electrical cable run installations continue in support of power up Upcoming milestones: Vehicle power up Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are ongoing Environmental Control System (ECS) final hardware installations Installation of the Vehicle Stabilization System The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop NASA's next crew launch vehicle. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html Aug. 31, 2009s ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Targeted for Oct. 31 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Ares I-X Flight Hardware Last week's milestones include: Modal testing of the flight test vehicle complete A series of sensors strategically located throughout the stack will measure the amount and direction of movement, as the electro-mechanical shakers impose random loads to determine the rocket segment's first several bending modes Development flight instrumentation testing is now complete This week's milestones include: Launch Team simulation from the firing room First vehicle power up Upcoming milestones: Installation of the Vehicle Stabilization System Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are ongoing The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop NASA's next crew launch vehicle. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html Aug. 29, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCHES TO ENHANCE SPACE STATION SCIENCE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery, with its seven-member crew, launched at 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle will deliver supplies, equipment and a new crew member to the International Space Station. Inside the shuttle's cargo bay is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, a pressurized "moving van" that will be temporarily installed to the station. The module will deliver storage racks; materials and fluids science racks; a freezer to store research samples; a new sleeping compartment; an air purification system; and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The name "Colbert" received the most entries in NASA's online poll to name the station's Node 3. NASA named the node Tranquility. Shortly before liftoff, Commander Rick Sturckow said, "Thanks to everyone who helped prepare for this mission. Let's go step up the science on the International Space Station!" The 13-day flight will include three spacewalks to replace experiments outside the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, install a new ammonia storage tank and return the used one. Ammonia is needed to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located outside. Sturckow is joined on the STS-128 mission by Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott will fly to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a three-month mission as a station resident. She replaces NASA's Tim Kopra, who will return home on Discovery. Ford, Hernandez and Stott are first-time space fliers. The mission marks the start of the transition from assembling the space station to using it for continuous scientific research. Assembly and maintenance activities have dominated the available time for crew work. As completion nears, additional facilities and the crew members to operate them will enable a measured increase in time devoted to research as a national and multinational orbiting laboratory. Discovery's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7:09 p.m. EDT. This mission is the 128th space shuttle flight, the 30th to the station, the 37th for Discovery and the fourth in 2009. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Discovery's mission. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA's Web coverage of STS-128 includes mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Hernandez and Stott are providing mission updates on Twitter. For their Twitter feeds and other NASA social media Web sites, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa Aug. 27, 2009 NASA DELAYS SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCH CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers postponed Friday's 12:22 a.m. EDT launch of space shuttle Discovery to allow engineers more time to develop plans for resolving an issue with a valve in the shuttle's main propulsion system. Launch now is targeted for no earlier than 11:59 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During loading of the shuttle's external fuel tank for Wednesday's launch attempt, a liquid hydrogen fill and drain valve located in Discovery's aft compartment failed to provide the proper indication when it was commanded to close. Engineers cycled the valve five times Wednesday evening to collect data on the valve and its associated actuator and position indicator. NASA managers decided Thursday that more time is needed to analyze the test data and develop alternative procedures for confirming that the valve is closed if the valve fails to provide the proper closed indication during Discovery's next launch attempt. Discovery's 13-day STS-128 flight to the International Space Station will deliver storage racks; materials and fluids science racks; a freezer to store research samples; a new sleeping compartment; an air purification system; and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. For information about the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station For the latest information about the STS-128 mission and its crew, visit:www.nasa.gov/shuttle Aug. 25, 2009 NASA SETS NEW TARGET LAUNCH DATE FOR SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has targeted the next launch attempt for space shuttle Discovery for no earlier than 12:22 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 28, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Wednesday's launch attempt was postponed after an indication that a valve in the shuttle's main propulsion system failed to perform as expected during fueling of the shuttle's external fuel tank. NASA managers officially postponed Wednesday's launch attempt because of uncertainty about whether a valve that was commanded to be closed actually was closed. The valve is associated with the fill and drain plumbing of the main propulsion system within the shuttle's aft compartment. The space shuttle mission management team will meet at noon on Thursday, Aug. 27, to discuss the troubleshooting results and decide whether to continue with a launch attempt. The tanking weather briefing will follow at 2:15 p.m. Discovery's 13-day STS-128 flight to the International Space Station will deliver storage racks, materials and fluids science racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment, an air purification system, and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. For information about the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station For the latest information about the STS-128 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle NASA Television is providing coverage of Discovery's mission. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv August 25, 2009, ca: 10:20pm Twitter from Andrea Farmer, PR for KSCVC "Discovery's launch is now targeted for Friday (Aug. 28) at 12:22am ET from KSC pending a review of analysis on the valve issue." Aug. 21, 2009 NASA TO AIR STEPHEN COLBERT MESSAGE ON EVE OF SHUTTLE LAUNCH CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will broadcast a special message from comedian Stephen Colbert on Monday, Aug. 24, as the space shuttle Discovery prepares to deliver the COLBERT treadmill to the International Space Station. The message will air on NASA Television after the shuttle's fueling commentary concludes at approximately 7:15 p.m. EDT. The name Colbert received the most entries in NASA's online poll to name the station's Node 3 module, so NASA named its new space station treadmill the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, or COLBERT. NASA named the module Tranquility. Colbert, the host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," took an interest in the poll and urged his viewers to suggest his name, which received the most entries. Discovery and its seven-member crew are set to launch at 1:36 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 25, on a 13-day mission to deliver scientific experiments, equipment and supplies to the station. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv After the initial broadcast, the video also will be available at: www.youtube.com/NASATelevision For more information about the Node 3 module naming poll, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_ISS/index.html For more information about the COLBERT treadmill, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/colberttreadmill.html Aug. 20, 2009 NASA ANNOUNCES SHUTTLE PRELAUNCH EVENTS AND COUNTDOWN DETAILS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The shuttle's STS-128 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 1:36 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Aug. 25. NASA will provide continuous STS-128 online updates, including a webcast and a blog at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle On launch day, a blog will update the countdown beginning on Monday, Aug. 24, at 8:30 p.m. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the spacewalks live. As Discovery's flight wraps up, NASA will offer a blog detailing the spacecraft's return to Earth. The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the shuttle launch countdown, mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv Aug. 19, 2009 NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCH ON AUG. 25 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has completed a two-day review of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and selected Aug. 25 as the official launch date for the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:36 a.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery's launch date was announced after a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for launch pending the resolution of one remaining issue. An orbiter power controller that failed to operate properly was replaced, and an analysis was completed. The issue is expected to be closed when final data from the analysis is presented at the mission management team meeting on Aug. 23. The readiness review included a thorough discussion about foam insulation that covers the shuttle's external fuel tank. The foam helps prevent ice from developing when super-cold propellants are loaded prior to launch. During shuttle Endeavour's liftoff on July 15, foam separated from the intertank area and the liquid oxygen tank's ice frost ramps. The foam loss led to a detailed examination that determined Discovery is acceptable to fly. "There was an excellent discussion on foam loss that included input from multiple teams including our NASA safety and engineering communities," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who chaired the day and a half meeting. "After examining the foam releases on recent flights and completing a lot of testing and analysis to improve our understanding of the relative risks, we concluded that we're ready to go fly. The teams are continuing to learn about foam and have planned additional tests and analysis to continue to improve our understanding of foam loss mechanisms and risks." The 13-day flight will deliver science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment, an air purification system and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The name Colbert received the most entries in NASA's online poll to name the station's Node 3. NASA named the node Tranquility. Astronaut Rick Sturckow will command Discovery. He will be joined by Pilot Kevin Ford and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott will fly to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a three-month mission as a station resident. She replaces NASA's Tim Kopra, who will return home on Discovery. STS-128 will be Discovery's 37th mission and the 30th shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information about STS-128, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information on the space station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Fri, 14 Aug 2009 Space Shuttle Discovery Continues Launch Preparations While space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 launch preparations continue at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the astronaut crew completed its final planned integrated ascent training in Houston at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Launch is targeted for 1:58 a.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 24. On Friday, shuttle managers approved 18 additional plug pull tests on the orbiter side of the external fuel tank to ensure there are no issues with its intertank region. Engineers at the tank's manufacturing plant in New Orleans are assessing high-tech X-ray data to ensure protective foam ramps on the tank slated for November's STS-129 mission show no defects. The ice-frost ramps (IFR) protect brackets along the external tank from development of ice when super-cold liquid oxygen and hydrogen are loaded prior to launch. Foam loss during the last two shuttle launches from one particular IFR high up on the liquid oxygen tank has led to a detailed examination to determine if it is acceptable to launch Discovery without further work. Meanwhile, the STS-128 crew Friday conducted its final launch training session integrated with Mission Control before heading into quarantine Monday. They will fly to Kennedy on Wednesday to prepare for launch. Aug. 14, 2009 NASA COMPLETES ASSEMBLY OF ARES I-X TEST ROCKET Ares I-X in the VAB. Credit: NASA CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- For the first time in more than a quarter-century, a new space vehicle stands ready in NASA's Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building. The Ares I-X rocket, its simulated crew module and launch abort system are assembled on a mobile launch platform at Kennedy in preparation for launch this fall. The final segments of the Ares I-X were stacked on Aug. 13, completing the 327-foot launch vehicle and providing the first look at the finished rocket's distinctive shape. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31. "More than three years of hard work with the NASA and contractor team has brought us to this historic moment," said Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager. "This flight test is a critical step in continuing our design process for the Ares vehicle and the first flight for the Constellation Program." The Ares I-X is wired with more than 700 sensors to gather data during the two-and-a-half minute flight test. The launch will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I crew launch vehicle. The data collected during the launch will allow NASA to gather critical data during ascent of the integrated Orion spacecraft and the Ares I rocket. Now that the Ares I-X is assembled, numerous evaluations will be run on all the rocket systems, including complex instruments that will constantly measure the vehicle's movements as it launches and the first stage separates. The evaluations include a process called "modal testing," which will shake the stack slightly to test stiffness of the rocket, including the pinned and bolted joints. Video B-roll of the Ares I-X will be available on NASA Television's Video File feed. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv To follow Ares I-X processing on Twitter, visit: http://twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X For more information about the Ares I-X and NASA's next-generation spacecraft, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ares Aug. 11, 2009 NASA ASSIGNS CREW FOR STS-134 SHUTTLE MISSION, CHANGE TO STS-132 WASHINGTON -- NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-134 to the International Space Station. The flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter and the origin and structure of the universe. Navy Capt. Mark Kelly will command the STS-134 mission. Retired Air Force Col. Gregory H. Johnson will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Air Force Col. Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff and Andrew Feustel. European Space Agency astronaut and Italian Air Force Col. Roberto Vittori also will serve as a mission specialist. The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of the space station using both the shuttle and station arms. The AMS will be attached to the right side of the station's truss, or backbone. NASA also has named Air Force Col. Michael Good to replace Karen Nyberg on shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission, targeted to launch in May 2010. Nyberg is being replaced due to a temporary medical condition. Nyberg will be assigned to a technical role while she awaits a future assignment. Kelly previously served as the pilot of STS-108 in 2001 and STS-121 in 2006, and commander for STS-124 in 2008. He was born in Orange, N.J., and considers West Orange, N.J., to be his hometown. Kelly has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, King's Point, N.Y., and a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Johnson previously flew as a pilot on STS-123 in 2008. He was born in South Ruislip, Middlesex, United Kingdom, but graduated from Park Hills High School in Fairborn, Ohio. Johnson has a bachelor's from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and master's degrees from Columbia University and the University of Texas, Austin. Fincke is a veteran of two long-duration missions aboard the space station. He served as the NASA science officer and flight engineer on Expedition 9, and commander for Expedition 18. He was born in Pittsburgh and considers Emsworth, Pa., his hometown. He has an Associate Science degree from El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., two bachelor's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and master's degrees from Stanford University and the University of Houston - Clear Lake. Chamitoff, also a veteran of a long-duration spaceflight, served as NASA science officer and a flight engineer on Expeditions 17 and 18. He was born in Montreal and grew up in San Jose, Calif. He holds a bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic State University, a master's degree from the California Institute of Technology, a second master's degree from UHCL and a doctorate from MIT. STS-134 is the second mission for Feustel, who flew as a mission specialist on STS-125 in May. He has an Associate Science degree from Oakland Community College, Mich., a bachelor's and a master's degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and a doctorate from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Feustel considers Lake Orion, Mich., his hometown. Vittori is a veteran of two prior spaceflights to the space station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He was born in Viterbo, Italy. He received his bachelor's degree from the Italian Air Force Academy and earned master's degrees from the University of Naples and University of Perugia. This will be the second mission for Good, who flew on STS-125. He was born in Parma, Ohio, and considers Broadview Heights, Ohio, to be his hometown. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame. For complete astronaut biographical information, visit: www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios Video of the STS-134 crew members will air on NASA Television's Video File. For downlink and scheduling information and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information about AMS, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/AMS-02.html Aug. 7, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Oct. 31, pending final NASA Headquarters approval Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Ares I-X Flight Hardware This week's milestones include: Super Stack 2 was lifted and mated to Super Stack 1 on MLP 1 in VAB HB3 Ballasts, or weights, were placed into Super Stack 2 Super Stack 3 lift and mate to Super Stack 2 on MLP 1 in VAB HB3 Next processing milestones: Super Stack 4 lift and mate to Super Stack 3 on MLP 1 in VAB HB3 Super Stack 5 lift and mate to Super Stack 4 on MLP 1 in VAB HB3, completing the stacking of the rocket Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are ongoing. The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the Ares I, which is NASA's next crew launch vehicle. The test also will allow NASA to gather critical data during the ascent of the integrated stack, which will help inform the design of the Ares I rocket and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling in it to the International Space Station and moon. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html Aug. 4, 2009 NASA ANNOUNCES LUNAR EXPLORATION COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate is accepting proposals from teams of undergraduate and graduate students for the inaugural Lunabotics Mining Competition. The event will be held at the Astronaut Hall of Fame near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., May 25-28, 2010. Full competition proposals can include a request for up to $5,000 to cover designing, building, and travel expenses. NASA anticipates funding the first 10 approved team requests. Participants in the competition will design and build excavation systems that could be used for future lunar exploration. Teams will test their designs in a "head to head" challenge to see which design can excavate the most simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, over a specific timeframe. The competition also involves submittal of a systems engineering paper, as well as an educational outreach project. The competition is designed to engage and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For information on the competition and how to apply, visit: education.ksc.nasa.gov/esmdspacegrant/Lunabotics.htm For information about NASA's education programs, visit: www.nasa.gov/education Aug. 4, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Oct. 31, pending final NASA Headquarters approval Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Ares I-X Flight Hardware Last week's milestones include: Super Stack 1 lift and mate to the RSRM on MLP 1 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3 (VAB HB3) Electrical instrumentation testing Next processing milestones: Super Stack 2 lift and mate to Super Stack 1 on MLP 1 in VAB HB3 Ballasts, or weights, will be placed into Super Stack 2 Super Stack 3 lift and mate to Super Stack 2 on MLP 1 in VAB HB3 Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are ongoing. The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the Ares I, which is NASA's next crew launch vehicle. The test also will allow NASA to gather critical data during the ascent of the integrated stack, which will help inform the design of the Ares I rocket and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling in it to the International Space Station and moon. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html July 31, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR GLIDES HOME AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 16-day journey of more than 6.5 million miles with a 10:48 a.m. EDT landing Friday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the flight, Endeavour delivered the final piece of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station. Endeavour's mission included five spacewalks and installation of two platforms outside the Japanese module. One platform remained on the station and serves as a type of porch for experiments that require direct exposure to space. The other was an experiment storage pallet that returned aboard the shuttle. During the mission, Kibo's robotic arm transferred three experiments from the palette to the platform. The station now is 83 percent complete and has a mass of more than 685,000 pounds. Mark Polansky commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. Kopra remained aboard the station, replacing Flight Engineer and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who returned to Earth on Endeavour after more than four months on the station. When Endeavour's seven astronauts joined the six resident Expedition 20 crew members aboard the space station, a record number of 13 people were aboard the orbiting laboratory. All five partner agencies were represented. A welcome ceremony for the crew's return to Houston will be held at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 990 at 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 1. The public is invited to attend. The crew's return will be broadcast on NASA Television's video file Monday. With Endeavor and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of STS-128, which is targeted for Aug. 25. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. For more about the STS-127 mission and the upcoming STS-128 flight, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov July 29, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE CREW SET TO RETURN TO EARTH FRIDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew are scheduled to return to Earth on Friday after a 16-day mission. There are two landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:48 a.m. and 12:23 p.m. EDT. NASA will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Endeavour and its crew to land. If weather prevents a return to Kennedy on Friday, the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will be activated Saturday for consideration as well. After touchdown in Florida, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. The crew is expected to hold a news conference at approximately 3:15 p.m. Both news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-127 mission and accomplishments, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle July 28, 2009 NASA HONORS APOLLO ASTRONAUT AL WORDEN WITH MOON ROCK WASHINGTON -- NASA will honor Apollo astronaut Al Worden with the presentation of an Ambassador of Exploration Award for his contributions to the U.S. space program. Worden will receive the award during a ceremony Thursday, July 30, at 4 p.m. EDT. The ceremony will be held at the Apollo Saturn V Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, where the moon rock will be displayed. NASA is giving the Ambassador of Exploration Award to the first generation of explorers in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs for realizing America's goal of going to the moon. The award is a moon rock encased in Lucite, mounted for public display. The rock is part of the 842 pounds of lunar samples collected during six Apollo expeditions from 1969 to 1972. Those astronauts who receive the award will then present the award to a museum of their choice, where the moon rock will be placed for public display. Worden served as command module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission, which set several moon records for NASA, including the longest lunar surface stay time, the longest lunar extravehicular activity and the first use of a lunar roving vehicle. Worden spent 38 minutes in a spacewalk outside the command module and logged a total of 295 hours, 11 minutes in space during the mission. Worden was born in Jackson, Mich. He received a bachelor of military science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1955, and Master of Science degrees in astronautical and aeronautical engineering and instrumentation engineering from the University of Michigan in 1963. For more biographical information about Worden, visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/worden-am.html NASA Television will broadcast a Video File of the event. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the Apollo Saturn V Center, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com For information about and pictures of the NASA Ambassador of Exploration Award, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/AofEphotos.html July 27, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: October 31 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Ares I-X Flight Hardware Last week's milestones include: New launch date The Constellation Program has recommended setting Oct. 31, 2009, as the new target launch date for the Ares I-X test flight. This change is the result of a detailed schedule assessment performed as follow-on to the Ares I-X Mate Review, which was conducted June 30 - July 1. The purpose of the mate review was to evaluate readiness to begin stacking major vehicle components on the mobile launch platform. The complexity of all known work and challenges ahead to achieve a successful test flight were identified, as well as logistics and personnel constraints. This data was then used to determine an aggressive yet achievable new launch date. The date change is currently being reviewed by NASA Headquarters, with formal determination expected by the end of July. Electrical instrumentation testing Recent milestones completed include: Forward center motor segment stacking Final of four motor segments stacking Stack 1 modal test A series of sensors strategically located throughout the stack measured the amount and direction of movement, as the electro-mechanical shakers imposed random loads to determine the rocket segment's first several bending modes. Next processing milestones: 7/29: Super Stack 1 lift and mate to the RSRM on MLP 1 in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3 Flight instrumentation testing ongoing Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are ongoing. The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the Ares I, which is NASA's next crew launch vehicle. The test also will allow NASA to gather critical data during the ascent of the integrated stack, which will help inform the design of the Ares I rocket and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling in it to the International Space Station and moon. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html July 24, 2009 HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVEIW COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES MEETING AGENDAS WASHINGTON -- The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee will hold public meetings July 28, 29, 30, Aug. 5 and 12. The meetings are open to news media representatives. No registration is required, but seating is limited to the location's capacity. Agenda times are approximate and subject to change. The first meeting will be July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center, 2500 South Shore Blvd. in League City, Texas. The agenda is: 10 a.m.: Committee chairman Norm Augustine opening remarks 10:30 a.m.: Mike Coats, director, NASA's Johnson Space Center 11 a.m.: Congressional perspective (presenters TBD) Noon: Lunch break 12:30 p.m.: NASA Constellation projects managed at Johnson 1:30 p.m.: International Space Station/space shuttle subgroup (Sally Ride, moderator) 3:30 - 4: p.m.: Public comment period The second session will be July 29 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the Davidson/U.S. Space and Rocket Center, 1 Tranquility Base, in Huntsville, Ala. The agenda is: 8 a.m.: Robert Lightfoot, director, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center 8:30 a.m.: Low Earth Orbit Access subgroup briefing (Bo Bejmuk, moderator) 10 a.m.: NASA Constellation projects managed at Marshall 11a.m.: Congressional perspective (presenters TBD) Noon: Lunch break 1 p.m.: NASA Constellation projects continued 2 p.m.: Integration subgroup briefing (Lester Lyles, moderator) 3:30 - 4 p.m.: Public comment period The third public session will be July 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Grand Ballroom, 1550 North Atlantic Ave., in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The agenda is: 8 a.m.: Bob Cabana, director, NASA's Kennedy Space Center 8:30 a.m.: Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit subgroup (Ed Crawley, moderator) 11 a.m.: Congressional perspective (presenters TBD) Noon: Lunch break 1 p.m.: NASA Constellation projects managed at Kennedy 2:30 p.m.: Public comment period 3 - 4 p.m.: Committee public deliberations Following each meeting, committee chairman Norman Augustine will be available to answer questions from reporters. NASA Television will carry the meetings and news conferences live on the agency's media channel. The events also can be viewed on NASA's Web site. The committee is planning two public meetings in Washington on Aug. 5 and 12. The Aug. 5 meeting is planned from 8 a.m. to noon EDT at the Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P St. NW. The Aug. 12 session is expected to be the committee's final public meeting. It is planned from 1 to 5 p.m. EDT at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Agendas will be released when finalized. To watch the events online, select the NASA TV media channel at: www.nasa.gov/ntv Viewers also can watch and participate in the meeting online via Ustream at: www.ustream.tv/nasatelevision For committee information, agendas, charter, biographies and schedules, visit: hsf.nasa.gov For information about NASA and agency activities, visit: www.nasa.gov July 22, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE TO CONSTELLATION WORKFORCE TRANSITION REPORT ISSUED WASHINGTON -- NASA is issuing the third edition of the Workforce Transition Strategy, which details the agency's plan to minimize job losses while transitioning from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program. The report is available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/transition. Click here for the document itself. The initial report was submitted to Congress on March 31, 2008, followed by the second report on Oct. 8, 2008. The fourth edition will be submitted to Congress this fall. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov July 20, 2009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: No earlier than August 30, 2009 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Ares I-X Flight Hardware This past week's milestones include: Forward center motor segment stacking Final of four motor segments stacking Stack 1 modal test A series of sensors strategically located throughout the stack will measure the amount and direction of movement, as the electro-mechanical shakers impose random loads to determine the rocket segment's first several bending modes. Instrumentation testing Last week milestones completed include: Super Stack 1 assembly complete. Stack one is made up of eight individual pieces: interstages 1 and 2, the frustum, the forward skirt extension, the forward skirt and the aft, center and forward segments of the fifth segment simulator. It also includes two internal elements, the roll control system and the first stage avionics module. Aft center motor segment was moved from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building and attached to the aft assembly in High Bay 3. Camera installed on the upper stage simulator Artist cocept of Ares I and AresV. Image Credit: NASA Next processing milestones: Forward segment stacking Flight instrumentation testing ongoing Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modification are ongoing. The vehicle stabilization system is being built at the base of the launch pad. The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the Ares I, which is NASA's next crew launch vehicle. The test also will allow NASA to gather critical data during the ascent of the integrated stack, which will help inform the design of the Ares I rocket and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling in it to the International Space Station and moon. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Previous status reports are available at: www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/moonandmars/status/index.html July 15, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR LAUNCHES TO COMPLETE JAPANESE MODULE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew launched at 6:03 p.m. EDT Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will deliver the final segment to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and a new crew member to the International Space Station. Endeavour's 16-day mission includes five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms outside the Japanese module. One platform is permanent and will allow experiments to be directly exposed to space. The other is an experiment storage pallet that will be detached and returned with the shuttle. During the mission, Kibo's robotic arm will transfer three experiments from the pallet to the exposed platform. Future experiments also can be moved to the platform from the inside of the station using the laboratory's airlock. Shortly before liftoff, Commander Mark Polansky thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "Endeavour has patiently waited for this," said Polansky. "We're ready to go, and we're going to take all of you with us on a great mission." Polansky is joined on STS-127 by Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette and Tim Kopra. Kopra will replace space station crew member Koichi Wakata, who has been aboard the station for more than three months. Kopra will return to Earth during the next station shuttle mission, STS-128, targeted to launch in August 2009. Hurley, Cassidy, Marshburn and Kopra are first-time space fliers. Endeavour's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for Friday, July 31, at 10:45 a.m. STS-127 is the 127th space shuttle flight, the 29th to the station, the 23rd for Endeavour and the third in 2009. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Endeavour's mission. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA's Web coverage of STS-127 includes current mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, also is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Polansky will send updates about the mission from space to his Twitter account, Astro_127. He can be followed at: www.twitter.com/Astro_127 Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:41:26 PM EDT Endeavour Launch Rescheduled for Wednesday Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission has been rescheduled for Wednesday, July 15 at 6:03 p.m. EDT. Monday's attempt was canceled due to poor weather conditions within the launch area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Anvil clouds and storm cells containing lightning flared up toward the end of the countdown, violating stringent launch safety rules. "Technically, we've been really clean the last two days with our vehicle," Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses said of Endeavour's launch attempts on Sunday and Monday. "It's just been the weather scenario that got us." The outlook is better on Wednesday, with only a 40 percent chance of weather conditions prohibiting liftoff. STS-127 Mission Overview The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space. The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station. NASA will provide continuous STS-127 online updates, including a webcast and a blog at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle July 14, 2009 U.S. HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETINGS WASHINGTON -- The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee will hold three public meetings July 28-30. The meetings are open to news media representatives. No registration is required, but seating is limited to location capacity. The first meeting will be July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center, 2500 South Shore Blvd. in League City, Texas. Agenda topics include NASA's Johnson Space Center operations, NASA's Constellation program, committee sub-group reports and public comments. The second session will be July 29 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT at the Davidson/U.S. Space and Rocket Center, 1 Tranquility Base, in Huntsville, Ala. Agenda topics include NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center operations, committee sub-group reports, NASA's Constellation program and public comments. The third public session will be July 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Grand Ballroom, 1550 North Atlantic Avenue, in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Agenda topics will include NASA's Kennedy Space Center operations, committee sub-group reports, NASA's Constellation program and public comments. Following each meeting, committee chairman Norman Augustine will be available to answer questions from reporters. NASA Television will carry the meetings and news conferences live on the agency's media channel. The events also can be viewed on the agency's Web site. To watch the events online, select the NASA TV media channel at: www.nasa.gov/ntv Viewers also can watch and participate in the meeting online via Ustream at: www.ustream.tv/nasatelevision For committee information, agendas, charter, biographies and schedules, visit: hsf.nasa.gov For information about NASA and agency activities, visit: www.nasa.gov Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:03:28 PM EDT Endeavour's Launch "No Go" Due to Weather Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have called off today's liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour due to inclement weather. Cumulus clouds and lightning violated rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy. Endeavour's next launch attempt is 6:51 p.m. EDT Monday. NASA TV coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. From NASA Twitter at 7:16pm Space shuttle Endeavour's NASA TV launch coverage will begin tomorrow at 1:30pm ET. www.nasa.gov/ntv -- 14 minutes ago from web The weather conditions violate rules for launching. Endeavour's next launch attempt is 6:51pm ET tomorrow. -- 16 minutes ago from web Forecasters at NASA say current conditions violate rules for launching Endeavour. We will continue to monitor.about -- 1 hour ago from web Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:42:20 AM EDT Endeavour's Launch Delayed 24-Hours Space shuttle Endeavour's launch has been delayed 24 hours to allow technical teams additional time to evaluate lightning strikes at Launch Pad 39A that occurred during Friday's thunderstorm. A news conference with Mike Moses, SSP Launch Integration Manager, will be held at 11 a.m. EDT on NASA TV and on the Web at www.nasa.gov/tv. Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:59:52 AM EDT Careful Testing Under Way After Lightning Strikes The launch of space shuttle Endeavour was postponed until Sunday evening so engineers could evaluate the spacecraft's myriad systems following 11 lightning strikes in the Launch Complex 39A area. None of the strikes hit the shuttle or its external tank and solid rocket boosters, but there were strikes to the lightning mast and water tower. The launch pad is equipped with a lightning protection system of wires that is intended to steer bolts away from the shuttle. "We've seen nothing so far that shows anything affected any of the systems," said Mike Moses, chairman of the pre-launch Mission Management Team. Two of the strikes were strong enough to trigger an evaluation by engineers just to make sure all of Endeavour's systems are ready for flight. Although early evaluations showed no problems, engineers wanted more time to make sure they have checked everything correctly. "We need to be 100 percent confident that we have a good system across the board," Moses said. The launch time for Sunday is 7:13 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions. July 10, 2009 STATUS REPORT: ARES-I-X-071009 ARES I-X STATUS REPORT Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X Launch Date: Targeted for no earlier than August 30 Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Artist concept of Ares I. Image Credit: NASA Artist concept of Ares V. Image Credit: NASA Concept image of the Ares V earth departure stage in orbit, shown with the Crew Exploration Vehicle docked with the Lunar Surface Access Module. Image Credit: NASA Ares I-X Flight Hardware This week's milestones include: Super Stack 1 assembly is now complete with the attaching of the forward assembly to the fifth segment simulator. Stack one is made up of eight individual pieces: interstages 1 and 2, the frustum, the forward skirt extension, the forward skirt and the aft, center and forward segments of the fifth segment simulator. It also includes two internal elements, the roll control system and the first stage avionics module. The aft assembly, which comprises the aft skirt and aft motor segment, was moved from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building. It was lifted onto the Mobile Launcher Platform in High Bay 3, signifying the beginning of stacking operations. The aft center motor segment also was moved from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building and attached to the aft assembly in High Bay 3. Camera installed on the upper stage simulator Last week milestones completed include: Aft assembly closeouts VAB High Bay 3 stacking preparations Next processing milestones: Instrumentation testing Stack 1 modal test A series of sensors strategically located throughout the stack will measure the amount and direction of movement, as the electro-mechanical shakers impose random loads to determine the rocket segment's first several bending modes. A comparison will be made between predicted and measured mode shapes to verify the flight dynamics model. Forward center motor segment stacking Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment At Launch Pad 39B, modification are ongoing. The gaseous vent arm, beanie cap and orbiter access arm have been removed. The vehicle stabilization system is being built at the base of the launch pad. The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the Ares I, which is NASA's next crew launch vehicle. The test also will allow NASA to gather critical data during the ascent of the integrated stack, which will help inform the design of the Ares I rocket and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling in it to the International Space Station and moon. For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares July 10, 2009 NASA'S SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY ARRIVES AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on July 9 for its upcoming mission to study the sun in unprecedented detail and its effects on Earth. The spacecraft left NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., where it was built and tested, on July 7. SDO will undergo final testing at Astrotech Space Operations, located near Kennedy Space Center, in preparation for its anticipated November launch. Engineers will perform a battery of comprehensive tests to ensure SDO can withstand the stresses and vibrations of the launch itself, as well as what it will encounter in its space environment after launch. After the final tests are completed, SDO will move to Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the solar-studying spacecraft into orbit. SDO will take measurements and images of the sun in multiple wavelengths for at least five years during its primary science mission. The spacecraft will collect a staggering 1.5 terabytes of data daily, the equivalent of downloading a half million songs a day. Space weather results from changes on the sun, called solar activity. Active regions on the sun can erupt suddenly and violently, usually in the form of a solar flare or coronal mass ejection (CME). Flares and CMEs can send millions of tons of solar material and charged particles streaming toward Earth on the solar wind. When the star stuff reaches Earth's atmosphere, it can damage orbiting satellites and wreak havoc on navigation systems and the power grid. Understanding space weather requires knowing the nature of changes that happen in the sun. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how those changes affect Earth. For more information about SDO, visit: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov http://www.nasa.gov/sdo July 2, 2009 NASA UPDATES SHUTTLE PRELAUNCH EVENTS AND COUNTDOWN DETAILS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The shuttle's STS-127 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 7:39 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 11. On Tuesday, July 7, Endeavour's seven astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at about 2 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage as Commander Mark Polansky makes a brief statement to reporters. NASA will provide continuous STS-127 online updates, including a webcast and a blog at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle On launch day, a blog originating from Kennedy will update the countdown beginning at 2:30 p.m. The blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the spacewalks live. As Endeavour's flight wraps up, NASA will offer a blog detailing the spacecraft's return to Earth. Live updates to the NASA Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle launch countdown from Kennedy. To access the NASA Twitter feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa Detailed lists of countdown milestones, news briefing times and participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and media credentialing office are available at: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news/ For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv June 29, 2009 NASA HOLDS TEST TO VERIFY ENDEAVOUR TANK REPAIRS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA will conduct a tanking test at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, July 1, to ensure repairs to space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank were successful. The test will be shown live on NASA Television beginning at 7 a.m. EDT. It will be followed by a news conference at approximately 1 p.m. Briefing participants will be shuttle program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. During the test, the external tank will be filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, just as it is before launch. A hydrogen gas leak at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, postponed Endeavour's launch attempts June 13 and 17. The GUCP is attached to the venting system used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Engineers determined the most likely cause of the leak is a slight misalignment in the External Tank Carrier Assembly. The assembly was fastened to the tank during manufacturing. The misalignment likely is putting uneven pressure on a Teflon seal, causing a small leak when extremely low temperatures occur during fueling. Technicians replaced the old seal with a two-piece seal and added small washers to counter any movement of the external tank carrier assembly as the tank is fueled. Endeavour's launch on the STS-127 mission is targeted for 7:39 p.m. on Saturday, July 11. The 16-day mission to the International Space Station will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space. For the latest information about the STS-127 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle STS-127 mission Commander Mark Polansky's Twitter account can be followed at: www.twitter.com/Astro_127 For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station For information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv June 27, 2009 NASA AND NOAA'S GOES-O SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED WASHINGTON -- The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O, soared into space today after a successful launch from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Rising above the two lightning towers around the pad, a Delta IV rocket races into the sky with the GOES-O satellite aboard. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett The GOES-O spacecraft lifted off at 6:51 p.m. EDT on a Delta IV rocket. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-O satellite will improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world. The satellite is the second to be launched in the GOES N series of geostationary environmental weather satellites. "All indications are that GOES-O is in a normal orbit, with all spacecraft systems functioning properly," stated Andre Dress, GOES deputy project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "We are proud of our support teams and pleased with the performance of the Delta IV launch vehicle." Approximately 4 hours and 21 minutes after launch, the spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle. The Universal Space Network Western Australia tracking site in Dongara monitored the spacecraft separation. On July 7, GOES-O will be placed in its final orbit and renamed GOES-14. Approximately 24 days after launch, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems will turn engineering control over to NASA. About five months later, NASA will transfer operational control of GOES-14 to NOAA. The satellite will be checked out, stored in orbit and available for activation should one of the operational GOES satellites degrade or exhaust its fuel. NASA contracted with Boeing to build and launch the GOES-O spacecraft. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida supported the launch in an advisory role. NOAA manages the GOES program, establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes environmental satellite data for the United States. Goddard procures and manages the design, development and launch of the satellites for NOAA on a cost-reimbursable basis. For more information about the GOES-O mission and program, visit: www.nasa.gov/goes-o and http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov June 26, 2009 GOES-O WEATHER SATELLITE LAUNCH SCRUBBED, RESET FOR JUNE 27 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla - The GOES-O launch team will try again Saturday, June 27, to launch the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O. Friday's scheduled launch of a Delta IV rocket carrying the GOES-O weather satellite was scrubbed at 6:58 p.m. EDT because of thunderstorms within 10 miles of Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Forecasters are calling for a 40 percent chance of favorable weather Saturday. The one-hour launch window runs from 6:14 p.m. to 7:14 p.m. NASA Television's launch commentary will begin at 4:30 p.m. and conclude about 30 minutes after liftoff. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv United Launch Alliance is conducting the launch on behalf of Boeing Launch Systems. Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog begins at 4:30 p.m. Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video and podcast of launch. For more information about GOES-O, visit: www.nasa.gov/goes-o June 22, 2009 NASA's GOES-O LAUNCH SET FOR JUNE 26 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O, or GOES-O, is scheduled for a liftoff on Friday, June 26, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The one-hour launch window extends from 6:14 to 7:14 p.m. EDT. GOES-O is the second of three in the current series of geostationary weather and environmental satellites built for NASA by Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. It will be launched into orbit for NASA aboard a Boeing Delta IV rocket. Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog begins at 4 p.m., on June 26. Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video and podcast of launch. To access these features, go to NASA's GOES-O mission Web site at: www.nasa.gov/goes-o GOES-O will also provide expanded capability for the space and solar environment-monitoring instruments. Forecasts and warnings for solar disturbances will be enhanced. GOES-O data will protect investments of billions of dollars by the government and private sector for assets on the ground and in space. GOES-O will feature a highly stable pointing platform, which will improve the performance of its Imager and Sounder that are important instruments for creating daily weather-prediction models and for hurricane forecasting. Data from GOES-O will be valuable for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service, which provides oceanographic circulation models and forecasts for U.S. coastal communities. As with all of NOAA's geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellites, GOES-O will be able to relay distress signals detected from emergency locator beacons on the ground and at sea. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland is responsible for designing and developing the spacecraft and its instruments for NOAA. June 18, 2009 NASA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES LUNAR IMPACTOR CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA successfully launched the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, Thursday on a mission to search for water ice in a permanently shadowed crater at the moon's south pole. The satellite lifted off on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at 5:32 p.m. EDT, with a companion mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket roars into space carrying NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Photo credit: NASA/Tom Farrar LRO safely separated from LCROSS 45 minutes later. LCROSS then was powered-up, and the mission operations team at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., performed system checks that confirmed the spacecraft is fully functional. LCROSS and its attached Centaur upper stage rocket separately will collide with the moon at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2009, creating a pair of debris plumes that will be analyzed for the presence of water ice or water vapor, hydrocarbons and hydrated materials. The spacecraft and Centaur are tentatively targeted to impact the moon's south pole near the Cabeus region. The exact target crater will be identified 30 days before impact, after considering information collected by LRO, other spacecraft orbiting the moon, and observatories on Earth. "LCROSS has been the little mission that could," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We stand poised for an amazing mission and possible answers to some very intriguing questions about the moon." The 1,290-pound LCROSS and 5,216-pound Centaur upper stage will perform a swing-by maneuver of the moon around 6 a.m. on June 23 to calibrate the satellite's science instruments and enter a long, looping polar orbit around Earth and the moon. Each orbit will be roughly perpendicular to the moon's orbit around Earth and take about 37 days to complete. Before impact, the spacecraft and Centaur will make approximately three orbits. On the final approach, about 54,000 miles above the surface, LCROSS and the Centaur will separate. LCROSS will spin 180 degrees to turn its science payload toward the moon and fire thrusters to slow down. The spacecraft will observe the flash from the Centaur's impact and fly through the debris plume. Data will be collected and streamed to LCROSS mission operations for analysis. Four minutes later, LCROSS also will impact, creating a second debris plume. "This mission is the culmination of a dedicated team that had a great idea," said Daniel Andrews, LCROSS project manager at Ames. "And now we'll engage people around the world in looking at the moon and thinking about our next steps there." The LCROSS science team will lead a coordinated observation campaign that includes LRO, the Hubble Space Telescope, observatories on Hawaii's Mauna Kea and amateur astronomers around the world. Ames manages LCROSS and also built the instrument payload. Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, Calif., built the spacecraft. The LCROSS mission is providing updates via @LCROSS_NASA on Twitter. To follow, visit: http://www.twitter.com/lcross_nasa For more information about the LCROSS mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/lcross June 18, 2009 NASA RETURNING TO THE MOON WITH FIRST LUNAR LAUNCH IN A DECADE GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launched at 5:32 p.m. EDT Thursday aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The satellite will relay more information about the lunar environment than any other previous mission to the moon. NASA's LRO and LCROSS spacecraft on top of the Atlas V rocket launch from Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance/Pat Corkery The orbiter, known as LRO, separated from the Atlas V rocket carrying it and a companion mission, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and immediately began powering up the components necessary to control the spacecraft. The flight operations team established communication with LRO and commanded the successful deployment of the solar array at 7:40 p.m. The operations team continues to check out the spacecraft subsystems and prepare for the first mid-course correction maneuver. NASA scientists expect to establish communications with LCROSS about four hours after launch, at approximately 9:30 p.m. "This is a very important day for NASA," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington, which designed and developed both the LRO and LCROSS missions. "We look forward to an extraordinary period of discovery at the moon and the information LRO will give us for future exploration missions." The spacecraft will be placed in low polar orbit about 31 miles, or 50 kilometers, above the moon for a one-year primary mission. LRO's instruments will help scientists compile high resolution three-dimensional maps of the lunar surface and also survey it at many spectral wavelengths. The satellite will explore the moon's deepest craters, exploring permanently sunlit and shadowed regions, and provide understanding of the effects of lunar radiation on humans. "Our job is to perform reconnaissance of the moon's surface using a suite of seven powerful instruments," said Craig Tooley, LRO project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "NASA will use the data LRO collects to design the vehicles and systems for returning humans to the moon and selecting the landing sites that will be their destinations." High resolution imagery from LRO's camera will help identify landing sites for future explorers and characterize the moon's topography and composition. The hydrogen concentrations at the moon's poles will be mapped in detail, pinpointing the locations of possible water ice. A miniaturized radar system will image the poles and test communication capabilities. "During the 60-day commissioning period, we will turn on spacecraft components and science instruments," explained Cathy Peddie, LRO deputy project manager at Goddard. "All instruments will be turned on within two weeks of launch, and we should start seeing the moon in new and greater detail within the next month." "We learned much about the moon from the Apollo program, but now it is time to return to the moon for intensive study, and we will do just that with LRO," said Richard Vondrak, LRO project scientist at Goddard. All LRO initial data sets will be deposited in the Planetary Data System, a publicly accessible repository of planetary science information, within six months of launch. Goddard built and manages LRO. LRO is a NASA mission with international participation from the Institute for Space Research in Moscow. Russia provides the neutron detector aboard the spacecraft. The LRO mission is providing updates via @LRO_NASA on Twitter. To follow, visit: www.twitter.com/lro_nasa For more information about the LRO mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/lro June 17, 2009 FUEL LEAK AGAIN POSTPONES LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA postponed the launch of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission Wednesday because of a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle's external fuel tank. Endeavour's next launch opportunity is July 11. This date comes after the end of an orbital sun-angle condition called a beta angle cut-out, which occurs between June 22 and July 10. The cut-out creates a thermal condition that prohibits shuttle and space station docked operations. The gaseous hydrogen venting system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Wednesday's leak is similar to one that prevented Endeavour's launch on June 13. The 16-day mission to the International Space Station will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space. Mission Commander Mark Polansky, who has a Twitter account named Astro_127, can be followed online at: www.twitter.com/Astro_127 For information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-127 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station June 15, 2009 NASA SETS NEW LAUNCH DATES FOR SPACE SHUTTLE, LRO AND LCROSS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers have scheduled the next launch attempt of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission for 5:40 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 17. The launch will take place at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As a result, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, are set to lift off together aboard an Atlas V rocket on Thursday, June 18. There are three launch opportunities from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida: 5:12 p.m., 5:22 p.m. and 5:32 p.m. NASA managers postponed Endeavour's planned June 13 liftoff because of a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle's external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. The LRO and LCROSS launch was moved to June 18 to accommodate Endeavour's June 17 liftoff. If Thursday's liftoff of LRO and LCROSS is postponed 24 hours, the launch times Friday are 6:41 p.m., 6:51 p.m. and 7:01 p.m. Saturday's opportunities are 8:08 p.m., 8:18 p.m. and 8:28 p.m. Endeavour's 16-day STS-127 mission to the International Space Station will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space. LRO is scheduled for a one-year exploration mission at a polar orbit of about 31 miles, or 50 kilometers, the closest any spacecraft has orbited the moon. The primary objective of LRO is to conduct investigations to prepare for future explorations of the moon. Launching with LRO is LCROSS, a partner mission that will search for water ice on the moon by sending the spent upper-stage Centaur rocket, about the size of a sports utility vehicle, to impact part of a polar crater in permanent shadows. LCROSS will fly into the plume of dust left by the impact and measure the properties before also colliding with the lunar surface. Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: www.twitter.com/nasa The STS-127 mission commander, Mark Polansky, has a Twitter account named Astro_127, can be followed online at: www.twitter.com/Astro_127 For information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station For the latest information about the STS-127 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle To learn more about the LRO and LCROSS missions, go to the mission home pages at: www.nasa.gov/lro and www.nasa.gov/lcross June 13, 2009 NASA POSTPONES LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR Space shuttle Endeavour is revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following rollback of the rotating service structure. Image credit: NASA TV CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA postponed space shuttle Endeavour's launch to the International Space Station on Saturday because of a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle's external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Managers scrubbed the launch for at least 96 hours. The earliest the shuttle could be ready to launch is June 17. However, there is a conflict on the Eastern Range that date with the scheduled launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Mission managers will hold a meeting at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday to discuss the repair options and Endeavour's launch opportunities. A news conference will follow the meeting and air on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space. The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station. Polansky, who has a Twitter account named Astro_127, can be followed online at: www.twitter.com/Astro_127 For information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-127 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station June 11, 2009 NASA'S ARES I-X ROCKET ACHIEVES HISTORIC HARDWARE MILESTONES CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Constellation Program reached two major processing milestones this week as two new pieces of Ares I-X hardware were transferred for final assembly in preparation for the first flight test of the rocket later this summer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once stacking operations begin later this month, it will be the first time a new vehicle has been stacked on NASA's Mobile Launcher Platform in more than 25 years. The forward assembly, composed of the forward skirt, forward skirt extension and the frustum, was moved Thursday from Kennedy's Assembly Refurbishment Facility, or ARF, to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations. The aft skirt was moved Monday from the ARF to the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to be attached to the aft motor segment, forming the aft assembly. The assembly will next move to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the Mobile Launcher Platform. The Ares I-X rocket is a combination of existing and simulator hardware that will resemble the Ares I crew launch vehicle in size, shape and weight. It will provide valuable flight data to guide the final design of the Ares I, which will launch astronauts in the Orion crew exploration vehicle. "This is a very exciting week for the team to have the hardware moving out of the ARF, showing how much progress we've made and that we are that much closer to launch," said NASA Ares I-X mission manager Bob Ess of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The flight test of the Ares I-X will bring NASA one step closer to its Constellation Program's exploration goals of returning humans to the moon for sustained exploration of the lunar surface and missions to destinations beyond. The forward assembly connects the 12-foot diameter first stage motor to the 18-foot diameter upper stage simulator. Weighing more than 40,000 pounds, the assembly houses three newly designed descent parachutes for first stage recovery. The aft skirt, which is used at the bottom of the Solid Rocket Boosters for the Space Shuttle Program, was modified over the last year and a half for use on Ares I-X. Some modifications include adding deceleration and tumble motors, avionics and a controller for the auxiliary power unit. "This week is the culmination of tremendous hard work and dedication by the entire NASA and contractor team," said Joe Oliva, first stage program manager for the Ares I-X at ATK Space Systems in Salt Lake City. "These milestones are leading us to a flight test later this year that will provide our proof of concept data for NASA's next generation of launch vehicles." United Space Alliance, of Houston, under a subcontract to ATK completed the processing and integration of the forward assembly and aft skirt. ATK is NASA's prime contractor for the first stage of the Ares I rocket. Video B-roll of the arrival of the Ares I-X hardware will be available on NASA Television's Video File feed. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the Ares I-X and NASA next-generation spacecraft, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares June 3, 2009 RELEASE: 09-128 NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR JUNE 13 LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers completed a review Wednesday of space shuttle Endeavour's readiness for flight and selected June 13 as the official launch date for the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Commander Mark Polansky and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 7:17 a.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour's launch date was announced following a daylong Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy. During the meeting, top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight. The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space. The STS-127 crew members are Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station. Polansky, who has a Twitter account named Astro_127, can be followed online at: www.twitter.com/Astro_127 For more information about the STS-127 crew and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station May 29, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE PROGRAM HANDS OVER LAUNCH PAD TO CONSTELLATION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The May 31 transfer of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program is the next step in preparing the first flight test of the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch system. The Constellation Program is developing new spacecraft -- including the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, the Orion crew capsule, and the Altair lunar lander -- to carry humans to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond. Since the late 1960s, pad B has been instrumental in human spaceflight programs, such as Apollo, Skylab and the space shuttle. The pad originally was built for the Saturn V rockets to launch the Apollo capsules to the moon. In July 1975, the pad was modified to support space shuttle operations. The first space shuttle to lift off from pad B was Challenger in January 1986. The handover took place Sunday after space shuttle Endeavour was moved to Launch Pad 39A. The ground operations team will finish modifying pad B for the Ares I-X rocket launch. Modifications will include removing the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm and installing access platforms and a vehicle stabilization system. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 30. For more information about Ares I-X, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX For more information about the Constellation Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/constellation May 29, 2009 NASA AWARDS LIQUID NITROGEN AND LIQUID OXYGEN CONTRACTS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected three companies to provide liquid nitrogen, or LN2, and liquid oxygen, or LOX, to six agency facilities supporting activities for the Space Operations Mission Directorate and Exploration System Mission Directorate. Linde LLC of Murray Hill, N.J., has been awarded a new fixed-price contract to supply approximately 256,500 tons of LN2 and approximately 173,000 tons of LOX to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans during a five-year period of performance. The three-year base period contract with two, one-year options has a maximum value of about $28.8 million. The contract begins July 1, 2009. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. of Allentown, Pa., has been awarded a new fixed-price contract to supply approximately 197,250 tons of LN2 and approximately 26,000 tons of LOX to support NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., during a five-year period of performance. The three-year base period contract with two, one-year options has a maximum value of about $14.2 million. The contract begins July 1, 2009. Under these contracts, the LN2 will be used for pneumatic actuation, purging, cooling and pressurization of equipment. The LOX will be used as an oxidizer in cryogenic rocket engines. Air Liquide Industrial U.S. LP of Houston has been awarded a new fixed-price contract to supply approximately 90,000 tons of LN2 and approximately 1,300 tons of LOX to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston during a 5-year period of performance. The three-year base period contract with two, one-year options has a maximum value of about $6.1 million. The contract begins July 1, 2009. Under this contract, the LN2 will be used for pneumatic actuation, purging, cooling and pressurization of equipment. The LOX will be used as a breathing agent for astronauts. NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for releasing the LN2 and LOX solicitation, known as the NASA Acquisition of Nitrogen and Oxygen, on behalf of the agency. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov May 29, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS SET TO RETURN TO FLORIDA EDWARDS, Calif. -- After landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on May 24 following the successful Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, space shuttle Atlantis is about to start its cross-country journey back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mounted on a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft, Atlantis is expected to begin its journey from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., to Kennedy as early as Sunday, May 31. The exact date and time of departure have yet to be set because of changing weather conditions and the fluid nature of preparing Atlantis for the flight. For the first time ever, a ferry flight team member will blog details of Atlantis' trip at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Live status updates will be added periodically to the NASA News Twitter feed during the flight. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa NASA Television will provide live coverage of Atlantis' departure and arrival. For NASA TV downlink, the schedule of ferry flight coverage and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv ATLANTIS ARRIVAL AT KENNEDY Strict flight weather restrictions may cause unexpected changes to the flight path and arrival time of Atlantis in Florida. During their nearly 13-day journey of approximately 5.3 million miles, the STS-125 crew conducted five successful spacewalks to enhance and extend the life of NASA's Hubble Telescope. For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle May 28, 2009 NASA UPDATES SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR'S MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD, TCDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour now is planned to be moved from Launch Pad 39B to 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Sunday, May 31, weather permitting. Endeavour is targeted to lift off June 13 on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. The STS-127 crew's launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, has changed to June 2 to June 4 at Kennedy. The delay will allow engineers and technicians to rearrange remaining processing work because of recent weather delays. Dates and times of these events are subject to change. NASA Television will provide live video of Endeavour at the launch pad beginning at 6 a.m. Video highlights of the rollaround will air on the NASA TV Video File. Endeavour's astronauts and ground crews will participate in the practice countdown. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-127 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle May 24, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER HUBBLE MISSION EDWARDS, Calif. -- Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at 8:39 a.m. PDT Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., completing the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' astronauts conducted five successful spacewalks during their STS-125 flight to enhance and extend the life of the orbiting observatory. "This mission highlights what the challenges of spaceflight can bring out in human beings," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This mission required the absolute best from the shuttle team, the Hubble science and repair teams, and the crew. The results are a tribute to the entire team and the years of preparation." Atlantis' nearly 13-day mission of almost 5.3 million miles rejuvenated Hubble with state-of-the-art science instruments designed to improve the telescope's discovery capabilities by as much as 70 times, while extending its lifetime through at least 2014. "This is not the end of the story but the beginning of another chapter of discovery by Hubble," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for Science at NASA Headquarters. "Hubble will be more powerful than ever, continue to surprise, enlighten, and inspire us all and pave the way for the next generation of observatories." Scott Altman commanded the shuttle flight and was joined by Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. McArthur served as the flight engineer and lead for robotic arm operations, while the remaining mission specialists paired up for challenging spacewalks on Hubble. Weather concerns prevented the crew from returning to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the primary end-of-mission landing site. In seven to 10 days, Atlantis will be transported approximately 2,500 miles from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet. Once at Kennedy, the shuttle will be separated from the aircraft to begin processing for its next flight, targeted for November 2009. The STS-125 mission was the 126th shuttle flight, the 30th for Atlantis and the second of five planned for 2009. Hubble was delivered to space on April 24, 1990, on the STS-31 mission. Atlantis' landing at Edwards was the 53rd shuttle landing to occur at the desert air base. Hubble has enabled a number of ground-breaking discoveries during its time in orbit. They include determining the age of the universe to be 13.7 billion years; finding that virtually all major galaxies have black holes at their center; discovering that the process of planetary formation is relatively common; detecting the first-ever organic molecule in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star; and providing evidence the expansion of the universe is accelerating because of an unknown force that makes up approximately 72 percent of the matter-energy content in the universe. With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the focus will shift to the launch of STS-127, targeted for June 13. Endeavour's 16-day flight will deliver a new station crew member and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will serve as a type of "back porch" for experiments that require direct exposure to space. For information about NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble For more about the STS-125 mission and the upcoming STS-127 flight, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle May 23, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE LANDING DELAYED BY WEATHER CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew will stay in space another day after bad weather prevented them from landing Saturday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Flight Director Norm Knight and the entry team will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting the shuttle to land. If the weather is not acceptable for a return to Kennedy, the team will look to land at the secondary landing site, Edwards Air Force Base in California. White Sands Space Harbor is not expected to be activated tomorrow. For recorded updated information about landing, call 321-867-2525. The landing times below are approximate and subject to change. All times are Eastern: Sunday Landing Opportunities 10:11 a.m., Orbit 196, landing at Kennedy (deorbit burn at 8:58 a.m.) 11:40 a.m., Orbit 197, landing at Edwards (deorbit burn at 10:25 a.m.) 11:49 a.m., Orbit 197, landing at Kennedy (deorbit burn at 10:31 a.m.) 1:19 p.m., Orbit 198, landing at Edwards (deorbit burn at 12:08 p.m.) The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-125 mission and accomplishments, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about Hubble, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble May 22, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE LANDING DELAYED BY WEATHER CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew will stay in space another day after bad weather prevented them from landing Friday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Flight Director Norm Knight and the entry team will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Atlantis and its crew to land at 9:16 a.m. Saturday. A second Kennedy landing opportunity is at 10:54 a.m. The shuttle also has landing opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 10:46 a.m. and 12:24 p.m. If Atlantis does not land Saturday, there are multiple landing opportunities Sunday at Kennedy, Edwards, or White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The Kennedy news center will open for landing activities. For recorded updated information about landing and news center hours, call 321-867-2525. The landing times below are approximate and subject to change. All times are EDT: Saturday Landing Opportunities 9:16 a.m., Orbit 180, landing at Kennedy (deorbit burn at 8:02 a.m.) 10:46 a.m., Orbit 181, landing at Edwards (deorbit burn at 9:29 a.m.) 10:54 a.m., Orbit 181, landing at Kennedy (deorbit burn at 9:46 a.m.) 12:24 p.m., Orbit 182, landing at Edwards (deorbit burn at 11:12 a.m.) Sunday Landing Opportunities 10:01 a.m., Orbit 196, landing at Edwards (deorbit burn at 8:42 a.m.) 10:04 a.m., Orbit 196, landing at White Sands (deorbit burn at 8:46 a.m.) 10:10 a.m., Orbit 196, landing at Kennedy (deorbit burn at 8:57 a.m.) 11:39 a.m., Orbit 197, landing at Edwards (deorbit burn at 10:24 a.m.) 11:42 a.m., Orbit 197, landing at White Sands (deorbit burn at 10:29 a.m.) 11:48 a.m., Orbit 197, landing at Kennedy (deorbit burn at 10:42 a.m.) The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-125 mission and accomplishments, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about Hubble, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble May 21, 2009 HUBBLE SERVICING CREW SET TO RETURN TO EARTH FRIDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The seven astronauts who upgraded NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are expected to return to Earth aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Friday after an 11-day mission. The two landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are at 10 a.m. and 11:39 a.m. EDT. NASA flight directors will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Atlantis and its crew to land. If weather prevents a return to Kennedy on Friday, the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will be activated Saturday for consideration as well. For recorded updated information about landing, call 321-867-2525. Approximately two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a media briefing to discuss the mission. The participants will be: - Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington - Mike Moses, launch integration manager for NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston - Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director, Kennedy After touchdown in Florida, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. The STS-125 crew is expected to hold a news conference about four and a half hours after landing Friday. Both news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television. The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-125 mission and accomplishments, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about Hubble, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble May 11, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAUNCHES ON A FINAL MISSION TO HUBBLE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis with its seven-member crew launched at 2:01 p.m. EDT Monday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Image above: Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo credit: NASA Television Atlantis' 11-day mission will include five spacewalks to refurbish Hubble with state-of-the-art science instruments designed to improve the telescope's discovery capabilities by up to 70 times while extending its lifetime through at least 2014. Shortly before liftoff, Commander Scott Altman thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "At last our launch has come along," said Altman. "...Getting to this point has been challenging, but the whole team, everyone, has pulled together to take us into space." Altman is joined on STS-125 by Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. McArthur will serve as the flight engineer and lead for robotic arm operations while the remaining mission specialists pair up for the hands-on spacewalk work after Hubble is captured and secured in the payload bay. Altman, Grunsfeld and Massimino are space shuttle and Hubble mission veterans. Johnson, Feustel and Good are first-time space fliers. The STS-125 mission is the 126th shuttle flight, the 30th for Atlantis and the second of five planned in 2009. Hubble was delivered to space on April 24, 1990, on the STS-31 mission. STS-125 is referred to as Servicing Mission 4, although it is technically the fifth servicing flight to the telescope. "Hubble has a long history of providing outstanding science and beautiful pictures," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "If the servicing mission is successful, it will give us a telescope that will continue to astound both scientists and the public for many years to come." Among Hubble's greatest discoveries is the age of the universe (13.7 billion years); the finding that virtually all major galaxies have black holes at their center; the discovery that the process of planetary formation is relatively common; the first ever organic molecule in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star; and evidence that the expansion of the universe is accelerating -- caused by an unknown force that makes up approximately 72 percent of the matter-energy content of the universe. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Atlantis' mission. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at: www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA's Web coverage of STS-125 includes current mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, also is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate Daily news conferences with STS-125 mission managers will take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. During normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday, reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations. Please contact your preferred NASA facility before its daily close of business to confirm its availability before each event. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, visit: a href="http://www.nasa.gov/hubble" target="_blank" title="Opens in a new window." class="small">www.nasa.gov/hubble May 6, 2009 DELTA II LAUNCH FOR MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY SUCCESSFUL VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Delta II rocket managed by NASA's Launch Services Program lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Tuesday with a spacecraft for the United States Missile Defense Agency. The spacecraft is called the Space Tracking and Surveillance System Advanced Technology Risk Reduction mission, or STSS-ATRR. Liftoff from NASA's Space Launch Complex 2 occurred at 1:24 p.m. PDT. The launch vehicle was a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7920-10c. Spacecraft separation occurred approximately one hour after liftoff. "With confirmation of the payload's delivery into the correct orbit, the launch is a success," said Chuck Dovale, launch director for the NASA's Launch Services Program. NASA also will manage the launch of another mission for the Missile Defense Agency aboard a Delta II rocket this summer from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For information about the Missile Defense Agency, visit: www.mda.mil/ For more information about NASA missions and programs, visit: www.nasa.gov May 5, 2009 NASA INVITES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO APPLY FOR INSPIRE PROJECT WASHINGTON -- NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, known as INSPIRE, is accepting applications from high school students through June 30. NASA will make selections in September. The selectees will participate in an online learning community in which students and parents have the opportunity to interact with their peers and NASA engineers and scientists. It also provides appropriate grade-level educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms for participants and their families to gain exposure to the many career opportunities at NASA. Students selected for the online learning community will have the option to compete for experiences during the summer of 2010 at NASA facilities and participating universities throughout the nation. The INSPIRE project is designed to encourage ninth through 12th grade students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The summer experience provides students a hands-on opportunity to investigate education and careers in those disciplines. The INSPIRE project is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For information about the project, including details about how to apply, visit: www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE For information about NASA's education programs, visit: www.nasa.gov/education April 30, 2009 NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH ON MAY 11 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers completed a review Thursday of space shuttle Atlantis' readiness for flight and selected an official launch date for the STS-125 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. Commander Scott Altman and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 2:01 p.m. EDT, May 11, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis' launch date was announced following Thursday's Flight Readiness Review. During the meeting, top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight. Atlantis' 11-day mission will include five spacewalks to refurbish Hubble with state-of-the-art science instruments. After the astronauts' visit, the telescope's capabilities will be expanded and its lifetime extended through at least 2014. Commander Altman will be joined on the mission by Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino. The spacewalkers are Feustel, Good, Grunsfeld and Massimino. McArthur is the flight engineer and lead for robotic arm operations. For more information about the STS-125 crew and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble April 27, 2009 NASA TV TO AIR U.S. ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME INDUCTION MAY 2 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Television will provide live coverage of the 2009 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, May 2, at 3 p.m. EDT. The ceremony will take place at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Joining the hall of fame this year are former astronauts George "Pinky" Nelson, one of only four space shuttle astronauts to fly untethered in space using NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit; William Shepherd, commander of the first crew to live aboard the International Space Station; and Jim Wetherbee, commander of the longest docked shuttle-Mir mission. CNN reporter John Zarrella will host the event. More than 20 hall of fame astronauts are expected to attend, including Scott Carpenter, Walt Cunningham, Jim Lovell and Bob Crippen. For the astronauts' complete biographies, visit: www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/astrobio_former.html For more information about the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, visit: www.kennedyspacecenter.com For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv April 17, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR MOVES TO LAUNCH PAD 39B CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour completed a 4.2-mile journey to launch pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Friday, at approximately 6:15 a.m. EDT and was secured to the pad at 7:17 a.m. Endeavour left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 11:57 p.m., Thursday, traveling at less than 1 mph atop a massive crawler-transporter. Endeavour will stand by at pad B in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during space shuttle Atlantis' upcoming mission to upgrade NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis is targeted to launch May 12. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue spacecraft, it will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for its STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch June 13. With the space shuttle fleet set for retirement in 2010, this is expected to be the final time two shuttles will be on launch pads at the same time. Video of Endeavour's move to its launch pad will be available on NASA Television's Video File segment. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the upcoming shuttle missions, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle PRESS RELEASES April 13, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR MOVES TO LAUNCH PAD FRIDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Endeavour will move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B on Friday, April 17, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 4.2-mile journey is scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. EDT and will take approximately seven hours. Endeavour will be at Launch Pad 39B in the unlikely event a rescue mission is needed during Atlantis' May flight to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. After Atlantis is cleared to land, Endeavour will move to Launch Pad 39A in late May for its upcoming STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. April 6, 2009 NASA AWARDS EDUCATION GRANTS TO UNIVERSITIES CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has awarded cooperative education grants to the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico; South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, S.D.; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. The grants support implementation of a two-week residential college experience as part of NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, also known as INSPIRE. The grants feature a one-year basic period of performance with two one-year extension options. The value of the agreement is $50 thousand for each university with a potential total value of $450 thousand for all three grants if options are exercised. The program is designed to encourage high school students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM. It is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in STEM disciplines. A key component of INSPIRE is an online community where students and parents have the opportunity to interact with NASA engineers, scientists and their peers. Students selected for the online community have the opportunity to compete for unique summer experiences at NASA facilities and various universities throughout the nation. The selected universities will provide students with a residential educational experience that will enhance their knowledge and study of STEM-related fields. For information on NASA's education programs, visit: www.nasa.gov/education April 1, 2009 NASA AWARDS INTERIM PROTECTIVE SERVICES CONTRACT FOR KENNEDY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has awarded a contract to Space Gateway Support of Cape Canaveral, Fla., to continue providing protective services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This cost-plus-fixed-fee contract begins on April 1, 2009, and will provide interim support until NASA awards a new competitive contract for agency-wide protective services. The Interim Protective Services Contract has a three-month base period and nine one-month option periods through March 31, 2010. The maximum potential value of this contract is approximately $40 million, if all options are exercised. The services Space Gateway Support will provide include firefighting, physical security and emergency response support. For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov March 31, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS AT LAUNCH PAD FOR HUBBLE MISSION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After safely reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis now awaits liftoff for its target May 12 STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Space shuttle Atlantis stands on Launch Pad 39A, ready for final preparations for the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Image credit: NASA Atlantis arrived at Launch Pad 39A at approximately 9:10 a.m. EDT Tuesday on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 3:54 a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the launch pad at 11:17 a.m. Atlantis' 11-day mission is the final shuttle flight to Hubble. During five spacewalks, the shuttle's seven astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and replace other Hubble components. The Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit that will be installed in the telescope arrived at Kennedy on Monday. The new unit will replace the one in Hubble that stopped working in September 2008 and delayed the servicing mission. The result of the upgrades will be six working, complementary science instruments with capabilities beyond those now available and an extended operational lifespan of the telescope through at least 2014. Scott Altman will command Atlantis. Gregory C. Johnson will be the pilot. The Mission Specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. STS-125 is the 126th shuttle flight, the 30th flight for Atlantis and the fifth Hubble servicing mission. Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to Kennedy's other launch pad, 39B, on Thursday, April 17. Endeavour will be prepared for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary following Atlantis' launch. After Atlantis is cleared to land, Endeavour will move to Launch Pad 39A for its upcoming STS-127 mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch in mid-June. Endeavour will roll over from Kennedy's Orbiter Processing Facility 2 to the Vehicle Assembly Building on April 10. In the assembly building, crews will attach the spacecraft to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters in preparations for its move to pad 39B. NASA managers decided to proceed with the dual-pad approach after carefully reviewing the manifest options to complete the International Space Station and to ensure it is in the most robust condition possible following shuttle retirement. The dual-pad approach requires one month less processing time than the single-pad approach and will help complete both STS-125 and STS-127. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Exposed Facility and make the space station more robust to support cargo delivery for a six-person crew. The Space Shuttle Program will continue to work with the Constellation Program to minimize the impact on the Ares I-X test flight which will use Launch Pad 39B later this year. For more information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble For more information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station For more information about the Constellation Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/constellation March 30, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS STARTS MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD AT 4 A.M. TUESDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis' rollout to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been rescheduled to begin at 4 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 31, as preparations for the STS-125 mission move forward. Atlantis is targeted to lift off May 12 to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. NASA Television's live coverage of the event will begin at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights will air on the NASA TV Video File. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters is mounted on a mobile launcher platform and will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours. During Atlantis' 11-day mission, the crew of seven astronauts will make the final shuttle flight to Hubble. During five spacewalks, they will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and replace components. The result will be six working, complementary science instruments with capabilities beyond what is now available, and an extended operational lifespan for the telescope through at least 2014. Scott Altman will be the commander of Atlantis. Gregory C. Johnson will be the pilot. Mission specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle March 28, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY GLIDES HOMES AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew landed at 3:14 p.m. EDT Saturday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, completing a 13-day journey of more than 5.3 million miles. With Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building as backdrop, the drogue chute unfurls behind space shuttle Discovery completing a 13-day, 5.3-million mile journey on the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Chuck Tintera The STS-119 flight delivered the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The additional electricity provided by the arrays will fully power science experiments and help support station operations. During three spacewalks, astronauts installed the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and accomplished important tasks to prepare the station for future upgrades and additions later this year. The flight also replaced a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water. Samples from the station's Water Recovery System will be analyzed. It's expected to take about a month for the analysis to be completed and the water to be cleared for the station crew to drink. STS-119 spacewalkers were unable to deploy a jammed external cargo carrier on the Port 3 truss segment. It was tied safely in place. Because the issue is not yet understood, Mission Control cancelled the installation of a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side. Engineers are evaluating the problem and will address it during a future spacewalk. On March 24, the 10 shuttle and station crew members gathered in the station's Harmony module and spoke to President Barack Obama, members of Congress and school children from the Washington, D.C., area. From the White House's Roosevelt Room, the president and his guests congratulated the crew on the mission and asked about a range of topics from sleeping in weightlessness to the station's travelling speed. Lee Archambault commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata remained aboard the station, replacing Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus, who returned to Earth on Discovery after more than four months on the station. Acaba and Arnold are former science teachers who are now fully trained NASA astronauts. They made their first journey into orbit and conducted critical spacewalking tasks on this flight. STS-119 was the 125th space shuttle mission, the 36th flight for Discovery and the 28th shuttle visit to the station. With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of STS-125, targeted for May 12. Atlantis' mission will return the space shuttle to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 11 days and five spacewalks, Atlantis' crew will upgrade the telescope, preparing it for at least another five years of research. For the latest information about the STS-119 mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station March 27, 2009 SPACE STATION CREWS HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE FROM ORBIT HOUSTON -- The two crews aboard the International Space Station will answer questions about their upcoming change of command in a news conference at 10:10 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, April 1. Expedition 19 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Barratt will arrive at the station Saturday to join Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov. Fincke and Lonchakov have been living and working aboard the station since October. They will return to Earth April 7 with Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi. Simonyi, a U.S. software engineer, will spend 10 days on the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency. He also will be available to answer questions during the news conference. NASA Television will provide live coverage of the 30-minute news conference. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the space station and its crew members, visit: www.nasa.gov/station March 25, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS TO MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD TUESDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, March 31, as preparations for the STS-125 mission move forward. Atlantis is targeted to lift off May 12 to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, was mounted on a mobile launcher platform and will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours. NASA Television will provide live coverage of Atlantis' rollout to the launch pad beginning at 7 a.m. Video highlights will air on the NASA TV Video File. During Atlantis' 11-day mission, the crew of seven astronauts will make the final shuttle flight to Hubble. During five spacewalks, they will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and replace components. The result will be six working, complementary science instruments with capabilities beyond what is now available, and an extended operational lifespan for the telescope through at least 2014. Scott Altman will be the commander of Atlantis. Gregory C. Johnson will be the pilot. Mission specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble March 25, 2009 SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY SET TO LAND SATURDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The space shuttle Discovery's crew is expected to complete its mission to the International Space Station with a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:43 p.m. EDT on Saturday, March 28. The return to Earth will conclude a 13-day flight. Nine of those days were spent docked to the station. During the STS-119 mission, the shuttle and station crews installed and deployed the final set of solar arrays. The arrays provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The flight also delivered Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, who replaced space station crew member Sandra Magnus. She spent more than four months aboard the station and will return to Earth aboard Discovery. The entry flight control team in Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Discovery to return to Earth. Saturday's landing opportunities at Kennedy are at 1:43 p.m. and 3:19 p.m. If weather prevents a Kennedy landing Saturday, the secondary landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., will be activated Sunday for consideration as well. After touchdown in Florida, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. The STS-119 crew is expected to hold a news conference about five hours after landing Saturday. Both news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television. The Kennedy News Center will open for landing activities at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and close at 8 p.m. or one hour after the last media event. The STS-119 media badges are in effect through landing. The media accreditation building on State Road 3 will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The last bus will depart from the news center for the Shuttle Landing Facility one hour before landing. For updated information about the landing, call 321-867-2525. If the landing is diverted to Edwards, news media should call the Dryden public affairs office at 661-276-3449. Dryden has limited facilities available for use by previously accredited journalists. Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed are added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-119 mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station March 25, 2009 NASA'S CONSTELLATION PROGRAM TESTS ORION RECOVERY PROCEDURES WASHINGTON -- A full-scale mockup of NASA's Orion crew module is being tested in water under simulated and real landing weather conditions. Beginning March 23, a Navy-built, 18,000-pound Orion mockup will be placed in a test pool at the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Md. Ocean testing will begin April 6 off the coast of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The goal of the operation, dubbed the Post-landing Orion Recovery Test, or PORT, is to determine what kind of motions the astronaut crew can expect after landing, as well as conditions outside for the recovery team. The experience will help NASA design landing recovery operations including equipment, ship and crew necessities. The Carderock facility provides a controlled environment for crew recovery personnel to familiarize themselves with the Orion capsule before the team tests procedures in the uncontrolled waters of the Atlantic Ocean. For the ocean testing, the team will use a space shuttle solid rocket booster recovery ship to take the mockup out to sea, going further into rougher conditions each day. A media opportunity to view testing visible from shore will be scheduled for April 7 at Kennedy. During the Orion mockup's transportation from Maryland to Florida, it will make stops for public viewing. Designated opportunities are March 30 in front of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington and April 3 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. NASA's Constellation Program, which includes the Orion crew vehicle and the Ares I rocket that will launch it, is America's next-generation human spaceflight system that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station, back to the moon and to destinations beyond. The Constellation Program's Operations and Test Integration Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is leading the PORT effort. Development of Orion and associated Constellation Program elements is a joint effort involving every NASA center and partners across the country. Results of these tests will influence Orion vehicle design at Johnson and recovery hardware designs under evaluation at Kennedy. For more information about NASA's Orion crew vehicle, visit: www.nasa.gov/orion For more information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/constellation March 19, 2009 FINAL HARDWARE FOR TEST OF NASA'S NEW ROCKET ARRIVES IN FLORIDA CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After a seven-day, 2,917-mile journey, a train carrying the four motor segments for the Ares I-X rocket arrived Thursday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer. The test flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and facilities and ground operations needed to develop the Ares I, which is NASA's next crew launch vehicle. The test also will allow NASA to gather critical data during the ascent of the integrated stack, which will help inform the design of the Ares I rocket and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling in it to the International Space Station and moon. The reusable segments departed March 13 from Promontory, Utah, where Ares I first stage prime contractor Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, manufactured them. "We have achieved a tremendous milestone with the arrival of the segments," said Bob Ess, mission manager for Ares I-X at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "For NASA personnel and contractor teams throughout the country, this is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication." The Ares I-X first stage uses a four-segment solid rocket motor capable of generating 3.3 million pounds of thrust. The motor provides the primary propulsion for the vehicle from liftoff to stage separation 120 seconds into the flight. The motor segments for the flight test were taken from the existing space shuttle solid rocket booster inventory. The booster used for the Ares I-X launch is being modified by adding new forward structures and a fifth segment simulator. These modifications help NASA better replicate the size and shape of the five-segment booster that will be used for the Ares I crew launch vehicle. "As we move toward a flight this summer, it is exciting to see the final hardware arrive at the launch site," said Bob Herman, ATK's Florida site director. "We are honored to play an important role in helping NASA achieve its exploration goals." Having arrived at Kennedy, the segments now will be transferred to the center's Rotation Processing and Surge facility for final processing and integration. The stacking operations are scheduled to begin in the Vehicle Assembly Building in April. To follow the progress of the Ares I-X mission with the Ares I-X blog, visit: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares I-X For more information about Ares I-X, Ares I and NASA's next-generation rockets, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ares March 17, 2009 Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O, or GOES-O CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O, or GOES-O, will be launched into orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket in late April. GOES-O, which becomes GOES-14 when it reaches orbit, is the second of three new geostationary weather and environmental satellites built for NASA by Boeing Satellite Systems. GOES-N was launched in 2006, GOES-O is to be launched this year, and GOES-P is currently planned for launch in 2010. GOES-O will feature a highly stable pointing platform, which will improve the performance of the Imager and Sounder that are important instruments for creating daily weather-prediction models and for hurricane forecasting. For NOAA's National Ocean Service, data from GOES-O will be valuable for oceanographic circulation models and forecasts for U.S. coastal communities. It also will provide expanded capability for the space and solar environment-monitoring instruments. Forecasts and warnings for solar disturbances will be enhanced. This will protect investments of billions of dollars by the private sector and the government for assets on the ground and in space. As with all of NOAA's geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellites, GOES-O will also be able to relay distress signals detected from emergency locator beacons on the ground and at sea. The Delta IV rocket will be launched by United Launch Alliance and is now being prepared for liftoff at Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch is currently scheduled to occur on April 28 at the opening of a 60-minute launch window that occurs between 6:24 - 7:24 p.m. EDT. Boeing's GOES-O contract with NASA calls for a "delivery on orbit" and will be a commercial launch under an FAA commercial license. The satellite will be turned over to NASA after a successful checkout has been completed by Boeing Satellite Systems. Approximately six months after completion of post-launch testing, the spacecraft will be turned over to NOAA. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for designing and developing the spacecraft and its instruments. For more information about GOES-O, visit: http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/ March 16, 2009 NASA AWARDS LAUNCH SERVICES CONTRACT FOR FOUR MISSIONS CAPE CANAVERAL, FL -- NASA has selected United Launch Services of Littleton, Colo., for the launch of two Science Mission Directorate and two Space Operations Mission Directorate payloads under the NASA Launch Services contract. The launches will occur on Atlas V expendable launch vehicles. The total value of the award is approximately $600 million, which includes the launch services for the rockets, plus additional services under other contracts for payload processing, launch vehicle integration, and tracking, data and telemetry support. The launches will be from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The four payloads are the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission, the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, and the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites K and L, or TDRS-K and TDRS-L, missions. Planned for launch in 2011, the NASA Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission uses two almost identical spacecraft built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. For two years, the twin probes will study the radiation belts surrounding Earth to improve our understanding of how the sun's changing energy flow affects them. Two new Tracking and Data Relay satellites will be launched, TDRS-K and TDRS-L, to replenish the NASA communications relay network that provides voice, data, video and telemetry links between spacecraft below geosynchronous orbit and the ground. Among the major users of the relay network are the International Space Station and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The launches are planned for 2012 and 2013. The Magnetospheric Multiscale mission is a NASA space physics research effort to discover the fundamental plasma physics processes of magnetic reconnection that occurs when energy emanating from the sun's solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetic field. Four identical satellites will be launched together in a stacked configuration. They will fly in an elliptical orbit around Earth. The Magnetospheric Multiscale Project is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., under a contract with the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The launch is planned for 2014. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages launch services, including payload integration and certifying launch vehicles, for NASA's use. For more information about NASA and its missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov March 15, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCHES TO FULLY POWER SPACE STATION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 7:43 p.m. EDT Sunday to deliver the final set of power-generating solar array wings and a new crew member to the International Space Station. Discovery's STS-119 flight is carrying the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The arrays will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The 13-day mission will feature three spacewalks to help install the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and deploy its solar arrays. The flight also will replace a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water. Shortly before launch, Commander Lee Archambault thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "It's truly an honor to be part of this team representing NASA, the nation and the international partners," Archambault said. "See you in a couple of weeks." Archambault is joined on STS-119 by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace space station crew member Sandra Magnus, who has been aboard the station for more than four months. He will return to Earth during the next station shuttle mission, STS-127, targeted to launch in June 2009. Former science teachers Acaba and Arnold are now fully-trained NASA astronauts. They are making their first journey to orbit on the mission and will step outside the station to conduct critical spacewalking tasks. Discovery's launch was postponed Wednesday, March 11, after a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system was detected during fueling. Technicians rebuilt and replaced seals and other components associated with the system. No leaks were detected during Sunday's fueling. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Discovery's mission, which is the 125th shuttle flight, the 36th for Discovery and the 28th shuttle mission to the station. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at: www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA's Web coverage of STS-119 includes current mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, also is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed and other agency Twitter feeds, visit: www.nasa.gov/collaborate For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station March 13, 2009 NASA SETS SATURDAY BRIEFING FOR DISCOVERY'S STS-119 MISSION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers will hold a prelaunch news conference no earlier than 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, March 14, to discuss the status of space shuttle Discovery's mission to the International Space Station. The briefing will air live on NASA Television and the agency Web site. Launch is scheduled for 7:43 p.m. on Sunday. Saturday's news conference will follow the conclusion of a NASA mission management team meeting that starts at 1 p.m. Discovery's launch was postponed Wednesday due to a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Discovery's STS-119 flight will deliver the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The arrays will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The flight also will replace a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water. For information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-119 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle March 11, 2009 NASA SHUTTLE LAUNCH TARGETED FOR NO EARLIER THAN MARCH 15 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery's launch to the International Space Station now is targeted for no earlier than March 15. NASA managers postponed Wednesday's planned liftoff due to a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Liftoff on March 15 would be at 7:43 p.m. EDT. The exact launch date is dependent on the work necessary to repair the problem. Managers will meet Thursday at 4 p.m. to further assess the troubleshooting plan. Discovery's STS-119 flight is delivering the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The arrays will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The 14-day mission will feature four spacewalks to help install the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and the deployment of its solar arrays. The flight also will replace a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water. Commander Lee Archambault is joined on STS-119 by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace space station crew member Sandra Magnus, who has been aboard the station for more than four months. He will return to Earth during the next station shuttle mission, STS-127, targeted to launch in June 2009. For the latest information about the STS-119 mission and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station March 7, 2009 NASA'S KEPLER MISSION ROCKETS TO SPACE IN SEARCH OF OTHER EARTHS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Kepler mission successfully launched into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II at 10:49 p.m. EST, Friday. Kepler is designed to find the first Earth-size planets orbiting stars at distances where water could pool on the planet's surface. Liquid water is believed to be essential for the formation of life. Liftoff of the Delta II rocket carrying NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Image credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller "It was a stunning launch," said Kepler Project Manager James Fanson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Our team is thrilled to be a part of something so meaningful to the human race -- Kepler will help us understand if our Earth is unique or if others like it are out there." Engineers acquired a signal from Kepler at 12:11 a.m. Saturday, after it separated from its spent third-stage rocket and entered its final sun-centered orbit, trailing 950 miles behind Earth. The spacecraft is generating its own power from its solar panels. "Kepler now has the perfect place to watch more than 100,000 stars for signs of planets," said William Borucki, the mission's science principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Borucki has worked on the mission for 17 years. "Everyone is very excited as our dream becomes a reality. We are on the verge of learning if other Earths are ubiquitous in the galaxy." Engineers have begun to check Kepler to ensure it is working properly, a process called "commissioning" that will take about 60 days. In about a month or less, NASA will send up commands for Kepler to eject its dust cover and make its first measurements. After another month of calibrating Kepler's single instrument, a wide-field charge-couple device camera, the telescope will begin to search for planets. The first planets to roll out on the Kepler "assembly line" are expected to be the portly "hot Jupiters" -- gas giants that circle close and fast around their stars. NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes will be able to follow up with these planets and learn more about their atmospheres. Neptune-size planets will most likely be found next, followed by rocky ones as small as Earth. The true Earth analogs -- Earth-sized planets orbiting stars like our sun at distances where surface water, and possibly life, could exist -- would take at least three years to discover and confirm. Ground-based telescopes also will contribute to the mission by verifying some of the finds. In the end, Kepler will give us our first look at the frequency of Earth-size planets in our Milky Way galaxy, as well as the frequency of Earth-size planets that could theoretically be habitable. "Even if we find no planets like Earth, that by itself would be profound. It would indicate that we are probably alone in the galaxy," said Borucki. As the mission progresses, Kepler will drift farther and farther behind Earth in its orbit around the sun. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which was launched into the same orbit more than five years ago, is now more than 62 million miles behind Earth. Kepler is a NASA Discovery mission. Ames is the home organization of the science principal investigator and is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. JPL manages the Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., is responsible for developing the Kepler flight system and supporting mission operations. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., managed the launch service including payload integration and certifying the Delta II launch vehicle for NASA's use. For more information about the Kepler mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/kepler March 6, 2009 NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH ON MARCH 11 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers completed a review Friday of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and selected the official launch date for the STS-119 mission. Commander Lee Archambault and his six crewmates are now scheduled to lift off to the International Space Station at 9:20 p.m. EDT on March 11. Discovery's launch date was announced following Friday's Flight Readiness Review. During the meeting, top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight. The review included a formal presentation of the shuttle's flow control valve work, initiated after NASA identified damage to a valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. Using a detailed inspections, there are three valves that have been cleared of crack indications now installed in Discovery to support the STS-119 mission. Discovery's STS-119 flight will deliver the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The arrays will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The 14-day mission will feature four spacewalks to help install the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and the deployment of its solar arrays. The flight also will replace a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water. Archambault will be joined on STS-119 by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace space station crew member Sandra Magnus, who has been aboard the station for more than four months. He will return to Earth during the next station shuttle mission, STS-127, targeted to launch in June 2009. Former science teachers Acaba and Arnold are now fully-trained NASA astronauts. They will make their first journey to orbit on the mission and step outside the station to conduct critical spacewalking tasks. For more information about the upcoming shuttle flights, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle March 3, 2009 GOES-O SATELLITE ARRIVES AT KENNEDY FOR FINAL PRELAUNCH TESTING CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES, developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, called GOES-O, arrived Tuesday on a C-17 military cargo aircraft at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility from its manufacturing plant in El Segundo, Calif. The GOES-O satellite is targeted to launch April 28 onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. GOES-O will be placed in on-orbit storage as a replacement for an older GOES satellite. After arriving, the satellite was transported to Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., where final testing of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems will be performed. These tests will take approximately six weeks to complete. Then the spacecraft will be fueled with propellant for the attitude control system, encapsulated in the nose fairing and prepared for transport to the launch pad. GOES-O is the second spacecraft to be launched in the GOES N-P series of geostationary environmental weather satellites. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. GOES-O carries an advanced attitude control system using star trackers with spacecraft optical bench Imager and Sounder mountings that provide enhanced instrument pointing performance for improved image navigation and registration to better locate severe storms and other events important to the NOAA National Weather Service. The Imager on GOES-O has improved resolution in the 13 micron channel from 8 km to 4 km. The finer spatial resolution allows improved estimates of horizontal distribution of cloud-top, height of atmospheric motion vectors, and volcanic ash detection. In addition, the GOES-O image navigation accuracy of about 2 km from an orbit altitude of about 22,300 miles, or 35,700 km, is superior compared to the previous series of GOES satellites. The multi-mission GOES N-P Series of satellites are vital contributors to weather, solar, and space operations and future science improvements with weather prediction and remote sensing. These satellites aid in severe storm warnings, resource management, search and rescue, emergency managers, and likely lead to additional advances in environmental sciences and multifaceted data applications of remotely sensed phenomena. GOES-O data will add to the global climate change databases of knowledge, embracing many civil and government environmental forecasting organizations that work to benefit people everywhere and help save lives. A United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle was erected Feb. 25 at Space Launch Complex 37-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. NOAA manages the operational environmental satellite program and establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes operational environmental satellite data for the United States. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., procures and manages the development and launch of the satellites for NOAA on a cost reimbursable basis. United Launch Alliance will conduct the commercial launch with a Federal Aviation Administration launch license. They will also oversee launch service duties that include oversight of the launch vehicle processing activities, integration of the GOES-O spacecraft with the Delta IV rocket and the launch countdown activities. For more information about GOES-O and the geostationary satellites, visit: http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/ March 2, 2009 PUBLIC INVITED TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space enthusiasts from across the United States and around the world are invited to submit questions about space shuttle Discovery's upcoming launch, its STS-119 mission to the International Space Station, and NASA space exploration. Questions may be answered on NASA Television during the countdown to launch. Questions can be submitted online at: webcast.ksc.nasa.gov The STS-119 mission will deliver a new crew member to the space station. The crew also will deliver and install a fourth and final set of large solar arrays that will provide electricity to support six-person station crews beginning in May. Currently, three crew members live aboard the station for several months at a time. Discovery and its seven astronauts are tentatively targeted to launch March 12 at 8:54 p.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA commentary will begin about five hours before liftoff. For more information about the STS-119 crew and mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle 27 Feb 2009 Flow Valve Testing Continues NASA's Space Shuttle Program managers meet March 4, to review new testing data of space shuttle Discovery's gaseous hydrogen flow control valves. Managers then will be able to decide whether to go ahead with another Flight Readiness Review on March 6. The launch date for STS-119's mission to the International Space Station is tentatively targeted for March 12. No other work on the shuttle is scheduled for this weekend. The STS-119 crew members will be enjoying a well-earned weekend of relaxation before resuming their training Monday. Feb. 26, 2009 NASA'S KEPLER TELESCOPE TO LAUNCH ABOARD DELTA II ROCKET CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Launch of NASA's Kepler telescope is targeted for no earlier than Friday, March 6, from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. There are two launch windows, from 10:49 - 10:52 p.m. and 11:13 - 11:16 p.m. EST. Kepler is a spaceborne telescope designed to search the nearby region of our galaxy for Earth-size planets orbiting in the habitable zone of stars like our sun. The habitable zone is the region around a star where temperatures permit water to be liquid on a planet's surface. Liquid water is considered essential for the existence of life as we know it. The vast majority of the approximately 300 planets known to orbit other stars are much larger than Earth, and none is believed to be habitable. The challenge for Kepler is to look at a large number of stars in order to statistically estimate the total number of Earth-size planets orbiting sun-like stars in the habitable zone. Kepler will survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy. Engineers are reviewing all common hardware between the Delta II rocket carrying the Kepler telescope and the Taurus XL launch vehicle. On Tuesday, a Taurus carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory failed to reach orbit. Managers want to confirm there will not be similar issues with Kepler's Delta II. Kepler's original March 5 target launch date was moved one day later to accommodate the additional time for analysis. The March 6 target date still must be confirmed by the U.S Air Force, which manages the eastern launch range. Kepler's Flight Readiness Review is on Monday, March 2. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is responsible for the launch of Kepler aboard a Delta II 7925-10L rocket. United Launch Alliance is conducting the launch for NASA. NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., is the home organization of the principal science investigator and is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is responsible for the spacecraft and the Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation of Boulder, Colo., is responsible for developing and building the Kepler spacecraft and supporting mission operations. 25 Feb 2009 Space Shuttle Program Completes New Plan for Next Launch NASA's Space Shuttle Program has established a plan that could support shuttle Discovery's launch to the International Space Station, tentatively targeted for March 12. An exact target launch date will be determined as work progresses with the shuttle's three gaseous hydrogen flow control valves. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have started removing Discovery's three valves, two of which will undergo detailed inspection. Approximately 4,000 images of each valve will be reviewed for evidence of cracks. Valves that have flown fewer times will be installed in Discovery. Engineering teams also will complete analysis and testing to understand the consequences if a valve piece were to break off and strike pressurization lines between the shuttle and external fuel tank. Hardware modifications may be made to the pressurization lines to add extra protection in the unlikely event debris is released. NASA and contractor teams have been working to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. Part of the main propulsion system, the valves channel gaseous hydrogen from the main engines to the external tank. After a thorough review of shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight on Feb. 20, NASA managers decided more understanding of the valve work was required before launching Discovery. The Space Shuttle Program will hold a meeting March 4 to review new data and assess ongoing work. Managers then will determine whether to move forward with a flight readiness review March 6. If Discovery's tentative launch date holds, there will be no effect on the next two shuttle launches: STS-125 to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and STS-127 to the International Space Station. Feb. 25, 2009 NASA NAMES CHAIRMAN FOR ORBITING CARBON OBSERVATORY INVESTIGATION WASHINGTON -- NASA's Rick Obenschain, deputy director at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will lead the investigation board for the unsuccessful launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory on Feb. 24. The Mishap Investigation Board, or MIB, will have four other members. NASA will announce the names of additional members as they become available. The board will gather information, analyze the facts, and identify the failure's cause or causes and contributing factors. The MIB will make recommendations for actions to prevent a similar incident. Obenschain shares responsibility for executive leadership and overall direction and management of Goddard and its assigned programs and projects. He also is responsible for providing executive oversight and technical evaluation for the development and delivery for Goddard space systems launch and operations. Previously, Obenschain was appointed director of the Flight Projects Directorate in September 2004, and was responsible for the day-to-day management of more than 40 space and Earth science missions. He has held a number of project management positions at Goddard. Obenschain is the recipient of NASA's Distinguished Service Medal, Exceptional Service Medal, Outstanding Leadership Medal, Equal Opportunity Medal, and Goddard's Award of Merit. In 1995, he received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management. For information about the Orbiting Carbon Observatory failed launch and investigation, visit: www.nasa.gov/oco Feb. 25, 2009 NASA PRESENTS SAFETY AWARD TO STEVEN M. DAVIS WASHINGTON -- NASA has presented its Quality and Safety Achievement Recognition, or QASAR, award for 2008 to Steven M. Davis of Titusville, Fla. Davis, an employee of the Defense Contract Management Agency at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, received the award for his attention to detail in an incident involving a space shuttle solid rocket booster. He was recognized along with three other recipients Feb. 25 at NASA's sixth annual Project Management Challenge in Daytona Beach, Fla. The QASAR award recognizes individual government and contractor employees who have demonstrated exemplary performance in contributing to the quality and/or safety of products, services, processes, or management programs and activities. "This is a great honor and I feel extremely privileged to be given this award. Winning this award is not about me. It took a lot of people everywhere to make this happen," said Davis, a native of Russell's Point, Ohio. According to his award citation, Davis discovered that a quality assurance representative mistakenly waived a mandatory proof pressure test on a solid rocket booster gas generator, after contractor personnel had overlooked the inspection. Davis then worked closely with NASA and contractor safety and mission assurance specialists to document the missed inspection for space shuttle program review and ensure that the gas generator was examined properly. The graduate of Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky., also briefed the solid rocket booster contractors on the importance of mandatory inspections and prohibitions against waivers. For more information about the Quality and Safety Achievement Recognition award program, visit: www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/qasar/ Feb. 25, 2009 NASA PRESENTS SAFETY AWARD TO ROBERT D. STRANEY WASHINGTON -- NASA has presented its Quality and Safety Achievement Recognition, or QASAR, award for 2008 to Robert D. Straney of Merritt Island, Fla. Straney, an employee of United Space Alliance at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, received the award for his attention to detail in an inspection of the space shuttle Discovery. He was recognized along with three other recipients Feb. 25 at the agency's sixth annual Project Management Challenge in Daytona Beach, Fla. The QASAR award recognizes individual government and contractor employees who have demonstrated exemplary performance in contributing to the quality and/or safety of products, services, processes, or management programs and activities. "I'm proud to be part of the shuttle program and it's an honor to be recognized by NASA," said Straney. While conducting a post-flight inspection of shuttle Discovery's thermal protection system, Straney found that one of the two bolts that connect a carrier panel to the orbiter's wing had a washer installed where it should not have been. The hidden configuration of the washer posed a safety hazard, and it took a keen eye for the graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach to see it. Straney's discovery prompted changes in inspection procedures for the same flight hardware in the future. For more information about the Quality and Safety Achievement Recognition award program, visit: www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/qasar/ 25 Feb 2009 NASA Removes Discovery's Flow Control Valves - Plans Next Steps for Launch Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center are removing space shuttle Discovery's three gaseous hydrogen flow control valves today. Managers continue to evaluate test data in an effort to gather enough information to finalize a plan setting a new target launch date for the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Though the plan has not yet been completed, technicians will install flow control valves that have flown fewer times than the ones currently in Discovery's main propulsion system. The plan is expected to be finalized today. Once senior managers are in agreement, a Flight Readiness Review meeting will be rescheduled to assess the readiness for launch and set a formal launch target date. Meanwhile, Discovery's astronauts are making a quick trip to Kennedy for the day to refresh their training and understanding of the hardware and flight equipment they'll use during the mission. Feb. 24, 2009 NASA'S LAUNCH OF CARBON-SEEKING SATELLITE IS UNSUCCESSFUL WASHINGTON -- NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite failed to reach orbit after its 4:55 a.m. EST liftoff Tuesday from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. Preliminary indications are that the fairing on the Taurus XL launch vehicle failed to separate. The fairing is a clamshell structure that encapsulates the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere. A Mishap Investigation Board will be immediately convened to determine the cause of the launch failure. For more information, visit: www.nasa.gov 24 Feb 2009 Technicians to Replace Discovery's Flow Valves NASA managers have asked technicians at Kennedy Space Center to remove the three gaseous hydrogen flow control valves from space shuttle Discovery. Work continues in evaluation of test data in an effort to gather enough information to finalize a plan setting a new target launch date for the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Though the plan has not yet been completed, technicians will install flow control valves that have flown fewer times than the ones currently in Discovery's main propulsion system. The plan should be finalized by Wednesday and once senior managers are in agreement, a Flight Readiness Review will be rescheduled to assess the readiness for launch and to set a formal launch target date. At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Mission Specialists Steve Swanson and Richard Arnold are in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory practicing spacewalking techniques today. 23 Feb 2009 NASA Looks to Set New Launch Date This week, NASA's Space Shuttle Program managers and engineers will continue to evaluate gaseous hydrogen flow control valve testing data. The results will be reviewed during a meeting Feb. 25, and may provide enough information to select a new target launch date for the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Meanwhile, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Discovery's crew members are out of quarantine and practicing solar array deployment maneuvers in a fixed base simulator. Feb. 20, 2009 NASA DEFERS SETTING NEXT SHUTTLE LAUNCH DATE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During a thorough review of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight, NASA managers decided Friday that more data and possible testing are required before launching the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Engineering teams have been working to identify what caused damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. "We need to complete more work to have a better understanding before flying," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington who chaired Friday's Flight Readiness Review. "We were not driven by schedule pressure and did the right thing. When we fly, we want to do so with full confidence." The shuttle has three flow control valves that channel gaseous hydrogen from the main engines to the external fuel tank. Teams also have tried to determine the consequences if a valve piece were to break off and strike part of the shuttle and external fuel tank. The Space Shuttle Program has been asked to develop a plan to inspect additional valves similar to those installed on Discovery. This plan will be reviewed during a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Afterward, the program may consider setting a new target launch date. For more information about the Space Shuttle Program, including a fact sheet about the flow control valves, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Feb. 20, 2009 SEGMENT OF ARES I-X TEST ROCKET ARRIVES AT KENNEDY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The last newly manufactured section of the Ares I-X test rocket arrived at the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Friday. Called the frustum, the section resembles a giant funnel. Its function is to transition the primary flight loads from the rocket's upper stage to the first stage. The frustum is located between the forward skirt extension and the upper stage of the Ares I-X. "It is always great to get the hardware to the launch site, and once the motors arrive in just a few weeks, the entire launch vehicle can begin final processing prior to stacking operations in the Vehicle Assembly Building," said Jon Cowart, the Ares I-X deputy mission manager at Kennedy. The Ares I-X is targeted to launch in the summer of 2009. The flight will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I launch vehicle. The flight test also will bring NASA a step closer to its exploration goals of sending humans to the moon and destinations beyond. The frustum is manufactured by Major Tool and Machine Inc. in Indiana under a subcontract with Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, the Ares first stage prime contractor. Weighing in at approximately 13,000 pounds, the 10-foot-long section is composed of two aluminum rings attached to a truncated conic section. The large diameter of the cone is 18 feet and the small diameter is 12 feet. The cone is 1.25 inches thick. "We are thrilled to deliver this final segment to the ground processing team at Kennedy," said Bob Herman, ATK's Florida site director. "The arrival of the frustum is a significant milestone. Much rigorous design, development and testing had to be accomplished prior to manufacturing all of the new segments that make up the Ares I-X first stage." The frustum will be integrated with the forward skirt and forward skirt extension, which already are in the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility. That will complete the forward assembly. The assembly then will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations, which are scheduled to begin in April. Video B-roll of the hardware arrival will be available on NASA Television's Video File. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about Ares I-X and NASA's next-generation rockets, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Feb. 20, 2009 BE PART OF HISTORY -- HELP NASA NAME THE NEXT SPACE STATION MODULE WASHINGTON -- NASA is asking the public to help name the International Space Station's next module - a control tower for robotics in space and the world's ultimate observation deck. Eight refrigerator-sized racks in the Node 3 module will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Attached to the node is the cupola, a one-of-a-kind work station with six windows around the sides and one on top. The cupola will offer astronauts a spectacular view of their home planet and their home in space. In addition to providing a perfect location to observe and photograph Earth, the cupola also will contain a robotics workstation from which astronauts will be able to control the station's 57-foot robotic arm. Individuals can vote for the module's name online, choosing one of four NASA suggestions -- Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity or Venture -- or writing in a name. Submissions will be accepted Feb. 19 through March 20. The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station and follow in the tradition set by Node 1, named "Unity," and Node 2, named "Harmony." The winning name will be announced at the Node 3 unveiling April 28 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The node is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy April 20 and is targeted for launch in late 2009. For more information, to submit a name and to view pictures of the node and cupola, visit: www.nasa.gov/namenode3 For additional information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Feb. 20, 2009 BE PART OF HISTORY -- HELP NASA NAME THE NEXT SPACE STATION MODULE WASHINGTON -- NASA is asking the public to help name the International Space Station's next module - a control tower for robotics in space and the world's ultimate observation deck. Eight refrigerator-sized racks in the Node 3 module will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Attached to the node is the cupola, a one-of-a-kind work station with six windows around the sides and one on top. The cupola will offer astronauts a spectacular view of their home planet and their home in space. In addition to providing a perfect location to observe and photograph Earth, the cupola also will contain a robotics workstation from which astronauts will be able to control the station's 57-foot robotic arm. Individuals can vote for the module's name online, choosing one of four NASA suggestions -- Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity or Venture -- or writing in a name. Submissions will be accepted Feb. 19 through March 20. The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station and follow in the tradition set by Node 1, named "Unity," and Node 2, named "Harmony." The winning name will be announced at the Node 3 unveiling April 28 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The node is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy April 20 and is targeted for launch in late 2009. For more information, to submit a name and to view pictures of the node and cupola, visit: www.nasa.gov/namenode3 For additional information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Feb. 17, 2009 NASA MISSION TO SEEK WATER ICE ON MOON HEADS TO FLORIDA FOR LAUNCH MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS, is enroute from Northrop Grumman's facility in Redondo Beach, Calif., to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for a spring launch. The satellite's primary mission is to search for water ice on the moon in a permanently shadowed crater near one of the lunar poles. LCROSS is a low-cost, accelerated-development, companion mission to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. At Kennedy, the two spacecraft will be integrated with an Atlas V launch vehicle and tested for final flightworthiness. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. After launch, the LCROSS spacecraft and the Atlas V's Centaur upper stage rocket will fly by the moon and enter into an elongated orbit to position the satellite for impact. On final approach, the spacecraft and Centaur will separate. The Centaur will strike the chosen lunar crater, creating a debris plume that will rise above the surface. Four minutes later, LCROSS will fly through the debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before striking the moon's surface and creating a second debris plume. Scientists will use data from the debris clouds to determine the presence or absence of water ice. "The LCROSS project has had to work within very challenging cost-cap and schedule-cap constraints," said Dan Andrews, LCROSS project manager at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "The shipping of our spacecraft is a testament to our balanced approach and the great people working on this project." To remain within budget and a short schedule of 26 months, the LCROSS project team developed a simple yet innovative spacecraft that uses existing NASA systems, commercial-off-the-shelf components modified to survive the harsh conditions of space, and the spacecraft design and development expertise of integration partner Northrop Grumman Space Technologies. "LCROSS delivers a high science value per dollar," said Steve Hixson, vice president for advanced concepts at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach. "With its versatile, fast and cost efficient architecture, the LCROSS spacecraft serves as a pathfinder for future low-cost Earth and space science missions." Ames manages the LCROSS mission and will conduct mission and science operations. Northrop Grumman designed, built, integrated and tested the spacecraft. The LCROSS and LRO missions are components of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The program manages pathfinding robotic missions to the moon for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. For more information about the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, visit:vbwww.nasa.gov/lcross For more information about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, visit: www.nasa.gov/lro For more information about Northrop Grumman Corporation, visit: www.northropgrumman.com Feb. 17, 2009 NASA ORBITING CARBON OBSERVATORY ON A TAURUS XL READY FOR LAUNCH VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, aboard a Taurus XL rocket is scheduled for Feb. 24. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., is set for 1:51:30 a.m. PST during a four-and-a-half-minute launch window. The spacecraft's final polar orbit will be 438 miles. OCO is NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in the Earth's climate. OCO will provide the first complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources as well as their "sinks," the places where carbon dioxide is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored. It will map the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time. The new observatory will dramatically improve global carbon dioxide data, collecting about eight million precise measurements every 16 days for at least two years. Feb. 11, 2009 NASA LUNAR SPACECRAFT SHIPS SOUTH IN PREPARATION FOR LAUNCH GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, spacecraft was loaded on a truck Wednesday to begin its two-day journey to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is targeted for April 24. The spacecraft was built by engineers at Goddard, where it recently completed two months of tests in a thermal vacuum chamber. During its time in the chamber, the spacecraft was subjected to hot and cold temperatures it will experience as it orbits the moon. The satellite's mission is one of the first steps in NASA's plan to return astronauts to the moon. LRO will spend at least one year in a low polar orbit on its primary exploration mission, with the possibility of three more years to collect additional detailed scientific information about the moon and its environment. The orbiter will carry seven instruments to provide scientists with detailed maps of the lunar surface and enhance our understanding of the moon's topography, lighting conditions, mineralogical composition and natural resources. Information gleaned from LRO will be used to select safe landing sites, determine locations for future lunar outposts and help mitigate radiation dangers to astronauts. The polar regions of the moon are the main focus of the mission because continuous access to sunlight may be possible and water ice may exist in permanently shadowed areas of the poles. "This is the culmination of four years of hard work by everyone on the LRO Project," said Cathy Peddie, LRO deputy project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "LRO now begins its launch site processing, where it will be prepped for integration with our sister mission LCROSS, and eventually encapsulated in the Atlas V for its journey to the moon." LRO's instruments have considerable heritage from previous planetary science missions, enabling the spacecraft to transition to a research phase under the direction of NASA's Science Mission Directorate one year after launch. Accompanying LRO on its journey to the moon will be the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, a mission that will impact the lunar surface in its search for water ice. The LCROSS mission is managed by NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Goddard manages the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about LRO, visit: www.nasa.gov/lro Feb. 9, 2009 NASA AWARDS LAUNCH SERVICES FOR NUSTAR MISSION TO ORBITAL SCIENCES CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corp., of Dulles, Va., to launch the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, high energy X-ray telescope. The spacecraft will fly in 2011 aboard a Pegasus XL rocket from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site located at the Pacific Ocean's Kwajalein Atoll. The total cost of the NuSTAR launch services is approximately $36 million dollars. This estimated cost includes the task ordered launch service for a Pegasus XL rocket, plus additional services under other contracts for payload processing, launch vehicle integration, and tracking, data and telemetry support. NuSTAR will be the first focusing high energy X-ray telescope in orbit. The telescope will conduct a census for black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars. The California Institute of Technology leads the mission, which NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch vehicle program management. NuSTAR is part of the Explorers Program that NASA's Goddard Space Fight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages. For more information about NASA and its missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov Feb. 9, 2009 NASA TO ANNOUNCE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER "DREAM EXPERIENCE" WINNERS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Daniel Tani will announce the winners of Kennedy Space Center's "Your NASA Dream Experience" contest at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 12, at Lake Mills High School, Lake Mills, Wis. The nationwide contest, announced in Seventeen magazine, gave teams consisting of a teacher and two students the opportunity to apply for a three-day job shadow experience at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The winning team includes a science teacher and two former students of Lake Mills Middle School. During the visit, the team will learn first-hand about NASA's missions, receive behind-the-scenes tours of Kennedy's launch facilities, and learn about future aerospace and engineering careers. For more information on NASA education programs, visit: www.nasa.gov/education/ For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:14:06 PM EST NASA CONTINUES ASSESSMENT OF THE NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION Because of an ongoing review of the space shuttle's flow control valves, NASA managers are rescheduling meetings next week to assess the launch readiness of shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. The Space Shuttle Program will hold a meeting Feb. 13 to review data and determine whether to move forward with a flight readiness review on Feb. 18. The official launch date will be set at the readiness review, but for planning purposes launch now is no earlier than Feb. 22. There are three valves that channel gaseous hydrogen from the shuttle's main engines to the external fuel tank. One of these valves in shuttle Endeavour was found to be damaged after its mission in November. As a precaution, Discovery's three gaseous hydrogen valves were removed, inspected and reinstalled. Feb. 6, 2009 NOAA-N PRIME ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A new environmental satellite that will improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world soared into space this morning after a picture-perfect launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA-N Prime spacecraft lifted off at 2:22 a.m. PST aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from NASA's Space Launch Complex 2. Approximately 65 minutes later, the spacecraft separated from the Delta II Space Launch Vehicle. Shortly after liftoff, flight controllers tracked the launch vehicle's progress using real-time telemetry data relayed through NASA's Tracking and Date Relay Satellite System. NOAA-N Prime was in a power positive mode with its solar array deployed approximately five minutes after spacecraft separation. NOAA-N Prime was renamed NOAA-19 after achieving orbit. "NOAA-19 is in a nominal orbit with all spacecraft systems functioning properly," stated Wayne McIntyre, the NASA POES Project Manager. "The NASA/NOAA partnership continues to produce enormous results with environmental missions, now exceeding more than three decades." NOAA-19 is the fifth in a series of five Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) with advanced microwave sounding instruments that provide imaging and sounding capabilities. As it orbits the Earth, NOAA-N Prime will collect data about the Earth's surface and atmosphere that are vital inputs to NOAA's weather forecasts. NOAA-N Prime has instruments that support the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (SARSAT), part of the international satellite system that includes the Russian provided satellites (COSPAS). Since SARSAT was established in 1982, NOAA polar-orbiting satellites have been detecting emergency distress beacons set by aviators, mariners and individuals in remote locations and relaying them to ground stations so that rescue teams may be dispatched. More than 24,500 lives have been saved through the satellite based Search and Rescue system to date. NOAA-N Prime will replace NOAA-18 in a 2:00 p.m. local solar time orbit as the primary afternoon spacecraft. NOAA-N Prime will carry the same primary instruments as NOAA-18 plus an Advanced Data Collection System and an improved Search and Rescue Processor provided by France. NOAA-N Prime is the sixteenth and last satellite in a series of polar-orbiting satellites dating back to 1978. A new generation of environmental satellites called the National Polar Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) will become operational after the POES satellites complete their mission. NPOESS is a tri-agency (NOAA, U.S. Department of Defense, NASA) program. NPOESS will provide more capable sensors for improved data collection and better weather forecasts beginning in 2013. NOAA manages the polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite program and establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes environmental satellite data for the United States. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., procures and manages the development and launch of the satellites for NOAA on a cost reimbursable basis. NOAA-N Prime integration with the Delta II, countdown and launch management is the responsibility of the NASA Launch Services Program headquartered at the Kennedy Space Center. Twenty-one days after it is launched, NASA will transfer operational control of NOAA-19 to NOAA. NASA's comprehensive on-orbit verification period is expected to last approximately 45 days after launch. For more information about NOAA-N Prime and the polar-orbiting satellites, see the following Web sites: www.nasa.gov/noaa-n-prime nws.noaa.gov www.osd.noaa.gov/POES/noaa_n_prime.htm Feb. 3, 2009 SHUTTLE DISCOVERY LAUNCH NOW NO EARLIER THAN FEB. 19 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During a review of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight, NASA managers decided Tuesday to plan a launch no earlier than Feb. 19. The new planning date is pending additional analysis and particle impact testing associated with a flow control valve in the shuttle's main engines. Discovery's STS-119 mission to the International Space Station originally had been targeted for Feb. 12. The valve is one of three that channels gaseous hydrogen from the engines to the external fuel tank. One of these valves in shuttle Endeavour was found to be damaged after its mission in November. As a precaution, Discovery's valves were removed, inspected and reinstalled. The Space Shuttle Program will convene a meeting on Feb. 10 to assess the analysis. On Feb. 12, NASA managers and contractors will finalize the flight readiness review, which began Tuesday, to address the flow control valve issue and to select an official launch date. The 14-day mission will deliver the station's fourth and final set of solar arrays, completing the orbiting laboratory's truss, or backbone. The arrays will provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. Altogether, the station's 240-foot-long arrays can generate as much as 120 kilowatts of usable electricity -- enough to provide about forty-two 2,800-square-foot homes with power. Discovery also will carry a replacement distillation assembly for the station's new water recycling system. The unit is part of the Urine Processing Assembly that removes impurities from urine in an early stage of the recycling process. The Water Recovery System was delivered and installed during the STS-126 mission in November, but the unit failed after Endeavour's departure. Joining Archambault on STS-119 will be Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Richard Arnold, John Phillips, Steve Swanson and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace Sandra Magnus aboard the station. She will return home with the Discovery crew after three months in space. Former science teachers Acaba and Arnold are now fully-trained NASA astronauts. They will make their first journey to orbit on the mission and step outside the station to conduct critical spacewalking tasks. STS-119 will be Discovery's 36th mission and the 28th shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information about the STS-119 mission, including images and interviews, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Jan. 27, 2009 NASA HONORS FALLEN COLLEAGUES DURING DAY OF REMEMBRANCE CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Kennedy Space Center will pay tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues, during the agency's Day of Remembrance observance on Jan. 29. NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will provide flowers for visitors throughout the day to place at the memorial. Kennedy contractors and civil servants will be allowed access to the Space Mirror Memorial throughout the day to pay their respects. The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, a private, not-for-profit organization, built and maintains the Space Mirror Memorial. It was dedicated in 1991 to honor all astronauts who lost their lives on missions or during training and since has been designated a National Memorial by Congress. Images of the service will be available in Kennedy's Media Gallery online at: mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/index.cfm Video of the service will air on NASA Television's Video File segment. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Jan. 14, 2009 NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY ARRIVES AT LAUNCH PAD, PRACTICE LIFTOFF SET CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery now awaits its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-119 mission. A launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test, is scheduled to take place at Kennedy from Jan. 19 to 21. Discovery arrived at Launch Pad 39A at 10:08 a.m. EST Wednesday on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 5:17 a.m. Wednesday, traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the pad at 12:16 p.m. The STS-119 astronauts and ground crews will participate in the practice countdown. The test provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Video B-roll of the terminal countdown demonstration test will be available on the NASA TV Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv Discovery is targeted to launch Feb. 12 on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station. The crew of seven astronauts will install the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and deploy its solar arrays. Four spacewalks will be conducted during the flight. Lee Archambault will command the STS-119 mission. Tony Antonelli will be the pilot. The mission specialists are Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will remain on the station as a resident crew member, replacing station Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus. She will return home on Discovery. STS-119 is the 125th shuttle flight, the 36th flight for Discovery and the 28th flight to the station. For more information about the STS-119 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information about the space station and its crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Jan. 8, 2009 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY TO MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD WEDNESDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Jan. 14, as preparations for the STS-119 mission move forward. Discovery is targeted to lift off Feb. 12 to the International Space Station. The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for 4 a.m. EST. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, was mounted on a mobile launcher platform. It will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler transporter that will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and its solar arrays to the starboard side of the station, completing the station's backbone, or truss. Discovery's crew members are Commander Lee Archambault, Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. For more information about the STS-119 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Jan. 23, 2009 NOAA-N PRIME ATOP DELTA II ROCKET READY FOR LAUNCH FEB. 4 VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The launch of the NOAA-N Prime polar-orbiting weather satellite for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4. Liftoff will be from Space Launch Complex 2, SLC-2, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The 10-minute launch window extends from 2:22:01 - 2:32:01 a.m. PST. The NOAA-N Prime satellite, built for NASA by Lockheed Martin, will improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world. NOAA-N Prime is the fifth and last in the current series of five polar-orbiting satellites with improved imaging and sounding capabilities. The satellite will collect meteorological data and transmit the information to NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, which processes the data for input to the National Weather Service for its long-range weather and climate forecasts. Forecasters worldwide also will be able to access the satellite's images and data. NOAA-N Prime has sensors that will be used in the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System to monitor for distress signals around the world. On launch day, Feb. 4, NASA TV launch commentary coverage of the countdown will begin at 12:15 a.m. PST and conclude after spacecraft separation from the Delta II, occurring 65 minutes, 36 seconds after launch. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the NOAA-N Prime mission will be available on the NASA Web site at: www.nasa.gov Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog begins at 12:15 a.m. PST. Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. To access these features, go to NASA's NOAA-N Prime mission Web site at: www.nasa.gov/noaa-n-prime/ Dec. 31, 2008 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER CELEBRATES NASA'S 50 YEARS IN 2008, EYES NEXT 50 CAPE CANAVERAL, - Fla. While employees at Kennedy Space Center celebrated the first 50 years of NASA in 2008, they also were working on missions and projects that will carry the space agency into the next five decades and beyond. NASA commemorated its 50th anniversary on Oct. 1 and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex helped the public mark the golden milestone by hosting three weeks of live concerts with the music from America's space eras. The 2008 Fall Concert Series featured music from the 1960's, 70's and 80's, spanning the time of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs. The series culminated with Kennedy's second Space & Air Show in November, which was highlighted by the precision flying of U.S. Navy Blue Angels. About the same time NASA was celebrating the anniversary, Kennedy was welcoming a new center director. Bob Cabana assumed the role as the center's tenth director Oct. 26. Cabana, who is a former space shuttle astronaut, came to Kennedy from NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where he was director for the past year. He also was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May. Cabana succeeded William W. Parsons who left the agency Oct. 11 to pursue opportunities in the private sector. Kennedy teams were involved in launching seven different missions into space in 2008, four on space shuttles and three on expendable launch vehicles. Atlantis' STS-122 mission started the year's shuttle flights with a February trip to the International Space Station. Atlantis' seven astronauts attached the European Space Agency's Columbus science lab. The following month, Endeavour's STS-123 mission brought to the space station the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, known as Dextre. In May, Discovery's STS-124 mission delivered and installed JAXA's Kibo pressurized module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the station. Finally in November, shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission brought up supplies and equipment that will allow the space station to expend from its current three-person crew to a six-person crew in May 2009. The shuttle program's emphasis on NASA's and America's international partners in 2008 was exemplified early in the year at Kennedy Space Center. NASA and the U.S. Department of State welcomed ambassadors from more than 45 countries to the center. The visit, one of the largest tours undertaken by the diplomatic corps, provided dignitaries an overview of the United States' space exploration programs and showed them various facilities at the center. Two of the three NASA science missions sent into space aboard expendable launch vehicles this year took place in June. NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. on June 11. GLAST is exploring the universe's ultimate frontier and studying gamma-ray bursts. On June 20, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 launched Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The satellite is on a globe-circling voyage to continue charting sea levels, a vital indicator of global climate change. Then on Oct. 20, NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer mission, or IBEX, successfully launched from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. IBEX will be the first spacecraft to image and map dynamic interactions occurring in the outer solar system. Solar interactions with the Earth were the focus of a new partnership between NASA and Florida Power & Light, or FPL, signed in June. Kennedy and the state's largest electric utility teamed up to provide Florida residents and America's space program with new sources of "green power." The agreement will permit FPL to lease 60 acres of NASA Kennedy Space Center's approximately 140,000 acres for a solar photovoltaic power generation system. The facility will produce an estimated 10 megawatts of electrical power, which is enough energy to serve roughly 3,000 homes. As part of the agreement, FPL will build a separate one megawatt solar power facility at Kennedy that will support the electrical needs of the center. Groundbreaking for the one megawatt facility will be early in 2009. The first major flight hardware pieces of the Ares I-X rocket started arriving in Florida in November for the inaugural test flight of the agency's next-generation launch system. The Ares I-X upper stage simulator and the forward skirt are being prepared for the targeted July 11, 2009 test flight. During the next few months, all of the additional hardware needed to complete the test vehicle will be delivered to Kennedy, beginning with a piece that simulates a fifth segment for the four-segment solid rocket booster and concluding with delivery of the complete motor set in January 2009. The Ares I-X rocket is a combination of existing and simulator hardware that will resemble the Ares I crew launch vehicle in size, shape and weight. It will provide valuable data to guide the final design of the Ares I, which will launch astronauts in the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The test flight also will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals of returning humans to the moon for sustained exploration of the lunar surface and missions to destinations beyond. In May, Kennedy Space Center awarded a contract for the construction of the Ares I mobile launcher platform for the Constellation Program. The new platform will be used in the assembly, testing and servicing of Ares I at existing Kennedy facilities. The space shuttle mobile launcher platform that will be used for Discovery's targeted February 2009 mission to the International Space Station will be turned over to the Constellation Program and modified for the Ares I-X test flight. After more than four decades of use, Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A sustained significant damage during the launch of space shuttle Discovery on May 31. It occurred to an area of the pad known as the flame trench. The damage was analyzed and repair by August. The fix is expected to last through the remainder of the space shuttle program. Shortly after the repairs were complete, Tropical Storm Fay slowly made its way across the state. Although Kennedy was closed Aug. 19-21 because of heavy rain and wind, the center sustained minimal damage. In May, NASA entered into two agreements to help the work force and regional economy with the transition from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program. Kennedy management singed a Space Act Agreement and renewed its partnership with the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast to strengthen, retain and expand Brevard County as the prime location for the aerospace industry. Then Kennedy management signed the center's first Space Act Agreement with the Brevard Workforce Development Board to help support existing and future missions at the space center. The Space Gateway Support 10-year Joint Base Operations Services Contract ended Sept. 30. New contractors officially began the transition Oct. 1, resuming operations and services to the center. For more information on NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov Dec. 23, 2008 SANTA INVITED TO EXPLORE NASA'S MOON AND MARS PROGRESS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - When Santa Claus makes his routine pit stop at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility on Christmas Eve, he may do a bit more than chow down on milk and cookies. In the next few decades, humans could be living, working and playing on the moon, including millions of good little boys and girls counting on Santa to put presents under their trees, no matter where those trees are. So this year, Kennedy is inviting Santa to check out the progress being made with the agency's Constellation Program. After Santa and his reindeer-propelled sleigh glide to a stop on the 15,000-foot-long shuttle runway, he can head over to Launch Pad 39B where modifications are being made for the Ares I-X rocket test flight targeted to launch in July 2009. Workers are using the Manitowoc 21000 model crane, which extends 640 feet off the ground, to lift the lightning protection system's three 600-foot-tall steel and fiberglass towers. Word has it Santa's elves began constructing a similar launch pad and lightning protection system at the North Pole last year in preparation for Santa's sojourns to the stars. Santa also has the option to check out the new Ares I-X firing room, which is fairly empty in comparison to space shuttle firing rooms. It takes more than 200 controllers to launch a space shuttle, whereas Ares calls for about 100. The firing room also has the capability to go paperless. Shuttle controllers can have up to 6,000 procedure documents at their consoles, but the new system will provide all necessary documents online. Next, Santa can swing by the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, to look at the first pieces of Ares I-X hardware. The test flight rocket's upper-stage simulator, consisting of 11 cylinders that look like enormous tuna cans, will help engineers prepare NASA's next generation human spacecraft launch system for space travel. Rumor has it elves are looking to have a similar system like the Ares I and will call Santa's fleet, "Jingle Bell Rockets." Santa's last stop would be Kennedy's Parachute Refurbishment Facility where workers are manufacturing and packing Ares parachutes. The drogue parachute that will gently slow the descent of the spent Ares I-X first-stage motor has faired well during testing at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. Santa reportedly requested a mock-up moonsuit from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The new red suit is expected to support a week's worth of moonwalks. Santa may only need to wear it one night a year, unless of course he relocates his workshop to the north pole of the moon, Mars or beyond. For more information about NASA's return to the moon, Mars and beyond, visit: www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars For more information on NASA's Constellation Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/constellation For more information on NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Dec. 18, 2008 NASA'S KEPLER SPACECRAFT READY TO SHIP TO FLORIDA PASADENA, Calif. - Engineers are getting ready to pack NASA's Kepler spacecraft into a container and ship it off to its launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The mission, scheduled to launch on March 5, will seek to answer an age-old question -- are there other Earths in space? "Kepler is ready to begin its journey to its launch site, and ultimately to space, where it will answer a question that has been pondered by humankind at least as long ago as the ancient Greeks," said James Fanson, the project manager for the mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Kepler will monitor more than 100,000 stars for signatures of planets of various sizes and orbital distances. It has the ability to locate rocky planets like Earth, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them, and the first to measure their frequency. "Kepler's mission is to determine whether Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of other stars are frequent or rare; whether life in our Milky Way galaxy is likely to be frequent or rare," said William Borucki, the Kepler science principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Kepler is currently at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. It passed all its environmental tests ensuring that it is prepared for the harsh trip to space. It also passed what's called the "pre-ship review," meaning that it is ready to be shipped via convoy to Florida in early January. Its first stop will be Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., where the spacecraft will be processed before being carried to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Kepler will launch atop a Delta II rocket. "An outstanding team of engineers overcame some difficult hurdles to achieve this considerable milestone," said Ball Aerospace Program Manager John Troeltzsch. "The culmination of this effort will put a spectacular mission in orbit designed to increase our understanding of the cosmos." Kepler is a NASA Discovery mission. In addition to being the home organization of the science principal investigator, NASA Ames Research Center is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. Kepler mission development is managed by JPL. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. is responsible for developing the Kepler flight system and supporting mission operations. More information about the Kepler mission is at http://www.nasa.gov/kepler. More information about extrasolar planets and NASA's planet-finding program is at http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov. December 8, 2008 NASA PROVIDES UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR ORLANDO AREA STUDENTS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - More than 2,500 eighth grade students attending Orange County Public Schools will travel to NASA's Kennedy Space Center the week of Dec. 15 to take part in the first Orange County Space Week. Kennedy's Education Office, in partnership with the center's visitor complex and Educator Resource Center, are hosting the visit. The program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. It is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in STEM disciplines. Orange County Space Week will feature activities designed to promote awareness of NASA's Constellation program. For more information on NASA's education programs, visit:vcwww.nasa.gov/education Dec. 5, 2008 MATERIALS SCIENCE RESEARCH RACK ARRIVES FOR PROCESSING CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A multiuse materials science laboratory arrived Dec. 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to begin the first leg of its journey to the International Space Station. The research rack traveled from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to Kennedy for final flight preparations. The Materials Science Research Rack, or MSSR, will allow for study of a variety of materials including metals, ceramics, semiconductor crystals and glasses onboard the orbiting laboratory. It is scheduled to fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-128, targeted for launch in July 2009. After arriving at the station, the rack will be housed in the U.S. Destiny laboratory. The research rack is a highly automated facility and contains two furnace inserts in which sample cartridges will be processed up to temperatures of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The MSSR is about the size of a large refrigerator, measuring 6 feet high, 3.5 feet wide and 40 inches deep, and weighs about 1 ton. The rack will be installed in the Leonardo logistics module for transport to the station. For more about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Dec. 5, 2008 NASA ASSIGNS ASTRONAUT CREWS FOR FUTURE SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS WASHINGTON - NASA has assigned the crews for space shuttle missions STS-130 and STS-131. The STS-130 mission will deliver a third connecting module to the International Space Station and a seven-windowed cupola to be used as a control room for robotics. The STS-131 mission will deliver research and science experiment equipment, a new sleeping area and supplies to the station in a logistics module carried in the shuttle's payload bay. STS-130 Marine Col. George Zamka will command the shuttle Endeavour during STS-130, targeted for launch in December 2009. Air Force Col. Terry Virts, Jr., will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists are NASA astronauts Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Behnken, Nicholas Patrick, Kathryn Hire and Stephen Robinson. Virts will be making his first trip to space. Navy Capt. Alan Poindexter will command the shuttle Atlantis during STS-131, targeted for launch in February 2010. Air Force Lt. Col. James P. Dutton, Jr., will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists are NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio, Clayton Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki. Dutton, Metcalf-Lindenburger and Yamazaki will be making their first trip to space. Zamka was born in Jersey City, N.J., and grew up in several cities including Medellin, Colombia. He received a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology. He served as the pilot on STS-120. Virts was born in Baltimore and considers Columbia, Md., his hometown. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master's degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Behnken recently flew as a mission specialist on STS-123. Behnken holds bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and physics from Washington University in St. Louis. He also has master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Behnken was born in Creve Coeur, Mo. STS-130 will be the second flight for Nicholas Patrick, who flew as a mission specialist on STS-116. Patrick was born in North Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and considers London and Rye, N.Y., his hometowns. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hire will again serve as a mission specialist on her second spaceflight. Her first was STS-90. She holds a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in space technology from the Florida Institute of Technology. She was born in Mobile, Ala. Stephen Robinson is a veteran of three spaceflights. Flying on STS-85, STS-95 and STS-114, he has logged more than 830 hours in space. He was born in Sacramento, Calif., and holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical and aeronautical engineering from the University of California and master's and doctorate degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. STS-131 STS-131 will be the second spaceflight for Poindexter, who served as the pilot on STS-122. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. He also has a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He was born in Pasadena, Calif. Dutton joined NASA in 2004. His hometown is Eugene, Ore. He has a bachelor's degree in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington in Seattle. Mastracchio flew as a mission specialist on STS-106 and STS-118. He was born in Waterbury, Conn., and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Connecticut. He also has master's degrees in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and physical science from the University of Houston. Anderson spent 152 days on the space station, as a flight engineer on Expedition 15. He launched to the station as part of the STS-117 crew and returned on the STS-120 mission. Anderson's hometown is Omaha, Neb. He has a bachelor's degree in physics from Hastings College, Neb., and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University. Metcalf-Lindenburger was selected as an astronaut in 2004. She was born in Colorado Springs, Colo., and considers Fort Collins her hometown. She has a bachelor's degree in geology from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. Wilson was born in Boston. This will be her third spaceflight. She flew as a mission specialist on STS-121 and STS-120. Wilson received a bachelor's degree in engineering science from Harvard University and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas. Yamazaki was born in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. She holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Tokyo. Yamazaki was selected by National Space Development Agency of Japan (currently JAXA) as one of three astronaut candidates in 1999 and joined NASA's astronaut candidates for training in 2004. Video of the STS-130 and STS-131 crew members will air on NASA Television's Video File. For downlink and scheduling information and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For complete astronaut biographical information, visit: www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios For more information about the Space Shuttle Program and upcoming flights, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Dec. 2, 2008 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR SET TO RETURN TO FLORIDA Endeavour coming home EDWARDS, Calif. - After landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Nov. 30, space shuttle Endeavour is about to make its cross-country journey back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mounted on a modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft, Endeavour is expected to begin its journey to Florida as early as Sunday. The exact date and time of departure have yet to be determined because of changing weather conditions and the fluid nature of preparing Endeavour for this ferry flight. However, the latest information about the shuttle's ferry flight will be available by calling 321-867-2525. Current flight information also will be posted on the space shuttle's main Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle NASA Television will provide live coverage of Endeavour's departure and arrival. For NASA TV downlink, the schedule of ferry flight coverage and streaming video information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv Strict flight weather restrictions may cause unexpected changes to the flight path and arrival time of the shuttle in Florida. During their 16-day journey of more than 6.6 million miles, the STS-126 crew conducted important repair work and prepared the International Space Station to house six crew members on long-duration missions beginning next year. For more information about the mission, visit NASA's Web site at: www.nasa.gov Dec. 2, 2008 NASA SETS TARGET SHUTTLE LAUNCH DATE FOR HUBBLE SERVICING MISSION HOUSTON - NASA announced Thursday that space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope is targeted to launch May 12, 2009. The final servicing mission to Hubble was delayed in September when a data handling unit on the telescope failed. Since then, engineers have been working to prepare a spare for flight. They expect to be able to ship the spare, known as the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling System, to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in spring 2009. STS-125 is an 11-day flight featuring five spacewalks to extend Hubble's life into the next decade by refurbishing and upgrading the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments and swapping failed hardware. Scott Altman will command STS-125, with Gregory C. Johnson serving as pilot. Mission specialists are veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur. The manifest has been adjusted to reflect current planning. The next space shuttle mission, STS-119, is targeted for launch on Feb. 12, 2009. Preparations continue for the STS-127 mission, currently targeted for launch in May 2009. That launch will be further assessed and coordinated with NASA's international partners at a later date. STS-128 is targeted for August 2009, and STS-129 is targeted for November 2009. All target launch dates are subject to change. The shuttle launch manifest is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html For more about the Hubble repair mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble Dec. 2, 2008 NASA TV TO AIR SPACE SHUTTLE COMMANDER REMARKS ON 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF INAUGURAL STATION ASSEMBLY FLIGHT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In honor of the 10th anniversary of the first construction flight for the International Space Station, NASA Television will provide sound bites and video b-roll featuring the commander of that space shuttle mission. The footage will begin airing Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. EST. Former astronaut Bob Cabana led shuttle Endeavour's STS-88 mission, the first space station assembly flight, which launched Dec. 4, 1998. The NASA TV Video File includes Cabana's thoughts about the first assembly flight, how the orbiting laboratory is being used today for long-term space exploration, and the station's benefits for the United States and its international partners. Cabana currently is the director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During STS-88's 12-day mission, Endeavour's astronauts attached NASA's Unity connecting module to Russia's Zarya control module. Crew members from both countries then entered the space station for the first time in orbit and began set-up operations. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-126 mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more on the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Nov. 30, 2008 NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR GLIDES HOME AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION EDWARDS, Calif. - Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew landed at 1:25 p.m. PST Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base in California, completing a 16-day journey of more than 6.6 million miles. The STS-126 mission featured important repair work and prepared the International Space Station to house six crew members on long-duration missions beginning next year. The new station equipment includes a water recovery system, additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet and an exercise device. During four spacewalks, the crew serviced the station's two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, which allow its solar arrays to track the sun, and installed new hardware that will support future assembly missions. Chris Ferguson commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Sandra Magnus. Magnus remained aboard the station, replacing Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, who returned to Earth on Endeavour after more than five months on the station. Space shuttle Endeavour and the STS-126 crew land at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. after completing a mission to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV Weather concerns prevented the crew from returning to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the primary end-of-mission landing site. In 7-10 days, Endeavour will be transported approximately 2,500 miles from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet. Once at Kennedy, Endeavour will be separated from the aircraft to begin immediate processing for its next flight, targeted for May 2009. STS-126 was the 124th space shuttle mission, the 22nd flight for Endeavour and the 27th shuttle visit to the station. With Endeavour and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of STS-119, targeted for Feb. 12, 2009. Discovery will deliver the final pair of U.S. solar arrays, which will be installed on the starboard end of the station's truss. The truss serves as the backbone support for external equipment and spare components. Lee Archambault will command the 14-day flight that will include four planned spacewalks. Joining him will be Pilot Tony Antonelli, Mission Specialists John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will replace Magnus on the station as a flight engineer. For more about the STS-126 mission and the upcoming STS-119 mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Nov. 28, 2008 SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR SET TO LAND SUNDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The space shuttle Endeavour crew is expected to complete its mission to the International Space Station with a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:19 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 30. This will conclude a 16-day flight, 11 of which were spent docked to the station. The STS-126 mission began Nov. 14 and prepared the space station to house six crew members for long-duration missions. The new station cargo includes a water recovery system, additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet and a resistance exercise device. During four spacewalks, the crew serviced the station's two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, which allow its solar arrays to track the sun, and installed new equipment in support of future assembly missions. The flight also delivered station resident Sandra Magnus to the outpost. Greg Chamitoff will return to Earth aboard Endeavour after spending more than five months aboard the complex. The entry flight control team in Mission Control, Houston, will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Endeavour to return to Earth. Sunday landing opportunities at Kennedy are at 1:19 p.m. and 2:54 p.m. The secondary landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., will be activated Sunday for consideration as well. The opportunities at Edwards are 4:24 p.m. and 5:59 p.m. Approximately two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a media briefing to discuss the mission. The participants will be: - Michael Griffin, NASA administrator - Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations - Mike Leinbach, NASA space shuttle launch director After touchdown in Florida, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. The STS-126 crew is expected to hold a news conference at approximately 6 p.m. Sunday. Both news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television. In the event landing is diverted to Edwards, media should call the Dryden public affairs office at 661-276-3449. Dryden has limited facilities available for use by previously accredited journalists. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-126 mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more on the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Nov. 24, 2008 NASA AWARDS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT CONTRACT FOR KENNEDY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has selected Science Applications International Corporation of Houston to provide project management support services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The contract begins on Feb. 1, 2009, with a two-year base period and three one-year options to extend performance. The contract has a maximum potential value of approximately $69.3 million. The contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract and has a total potential core value of $59.3 million if all options are exercised. An additional indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract line item is included with a possible ceiling of $10 million. Science Applications International Corporation will provide engineering and technical services, project and business management and administrative support to Kennedy's Ground Operations Project Office in support of NASA's Constellation Program. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov Nov. 21, 2008 NASA ASSIGNS SPACE STATION CREWS, UPDATES EXPEDITION NUMBERING HOUSTON - NASA and its international partners have assigned the International Space Station's crew members through 2010. The numbering sequence of expeditions was modified to reflect the start of six-person crews. The update to the expedition numbering begins with the docking of a Soyuz spacecraft in May 2009. That Soyuz will mark the beginning of six-person crew operations. From that point forward, expeditions will end with the undocking of a Soyuz. The expedition number will change every two to four months as new crew members arrive and depart. The arrangement emphasizes that every six-person crew living on the station is a cohesive team. A crew member typically will stay about six months and be part of two expeditions. In addition to the Russian Soyuz, the space shuttle will continue to provide transportation for station crew members through mission STS-129, targeted for the fall of 2009. With the departure of a Soyuz, command of the station will be handed over to a crew member remaining aboard, and the next expedition will begin. Specific backup crew members will not be announced because of the streamlined training flow for six-person crews. If needed, backups can be selected from subsequent crews in training. The groups of assigned crew members, beginning with the first six-person crew and including newly announced crew members, are outlined below by expedition. An asterisk indicates the crew member was previously announced. Expedition 20 begins with the Soyuz 19 docking and the arrival of three new crew members in May 2009. - Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, International Space Station commander, who will launch in March 2009 on Soyuz 18 and return in October 2009 on Soyuz 18.* - NASA astronaut Michael R. Barratt, who will launch in March 2009 on Soyuz 18 and return in October 2009 on Soyuz 18.* - NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, who will launch on STS-127 and return on STS-128.* - Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, who will launch in May 2009 on Soyuz 19 and return in November 2009 on Soyuz 19. - European Space Agency, or ESA, astronaut Frank De Winne, who will launch in May 2009 on Soyuz 19 and return in November 2009 on Soyuz 19* - Canadian Space Agency, or CSA, astronaut Robert Thirsk, who will launch in May 2009 on Soyuz 19 and return on STS-129.* - NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, who will launch on STS-128 and return in November 2009 on Soyuz 19.* Expedition 21 begins with the Soyuz 18 undocking in October 2009. Two new crew members will arrive on Soyuz 20 for the handover before the previous crew departs. - ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, the first European station commander - CSA astronaut Robert Thirsk - Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko - NASA astronaut Nicole Stott - Russian Cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, who will launch in September 2009 on Soyuz 20 and return in March 2010 on Soyuz 20 - NASA astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams, who will launch in September 2009 on Soyuz 20 and return in March 2010 on Soyuz 20. Expedition 22 begins with the Soyuz 19 undocking in November 2009. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz 21. - NASA astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams, station commander - Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev - Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, who will launch in December 2009 on Soyuz 21 and return in May 2010 on Soyuz 21. - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who will launch in December 2009 on Soyuz 21 and return in May 2010 on Soyuz 21.* - NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, who will launch in December 2009 on Soyuz 21 and return in May 2010 on Soyuz 21.* Expedition 23 begins with the Soyuz 20 undocking in March 2010. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz 22. - Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, station commander - JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi - NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer - Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, who will launch in April 2010 on Soyuz 22 and return in September 2010 on Soyuz 22. - Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, who will launch in April 2010 on Soyuz 22 and return in September 2010 on Soyuz 22. - NASA astronaut Tracy E. Caldwell, who will launch in April 2010 on Soyuz 22 and return in September 2010 on Soyuz 22. Expedition 24 begins with the Soyuz 21 undocking in May 2010. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz 23. - Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, station commander - Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko - NASA astronaut Tracy E. Caldwell - Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, who will launch in May 2010 on Soyuz 23 and return in November 2010 on Soyuz 23. - NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, who will launch in May 2010 on Soyuz 23 and return November 2010 on Soyuz 23. - NASA astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock, who will launch in May 2010 on Soyuz 23 and return in November 2010 on Soyuz 23. Expedition 25 begins with the Soyuz 22 undocking in September 2010. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz 24. - NASA astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock, station commander - Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov - NASA astronaut Shannon Walker - Russian cosmonaut Dmitri Kondratyev, who will launch in September 2010 on Soyuz 24 and return in March 2011 on Soyuz 24. - Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, who will launch in September 2010 on Soyuz 24 and return in March 2011 on Soyuz 24. - NASA astronaut Scott J. Kelly, who will launch in September 2010 on Soyuz 24 and return in March 2011 on Soyuz 24. Expedition 26 begins with the Soyuz 23 undocking in November 2010. Three crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz 25. - NASA astronaut Scott J. Kelly, station commander - Russian cosmonaut Dmitri Kondratyev - Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka - Russian cosmonaut Andrey Borisienko, who will launch in November 2010 on Soyuz 25 and return in May 2011 on Soyuz 25. - NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman, who will launch in November 2010 on Soyuz 25 and return in May 2011 on Soyuz 25. - ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, who will launch in November 2010 on Soyuz 25 and return in May 2011 on Soyuz 25. For more information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station To find out how to see the station from your own backyard, visit: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings Nov. 17, 2008 NASA RECEIVES FIRST STAGE ROCKET HARDWARE FOR ARES I-X TEST FLIGHT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida welcomed the arrival Nov. 10 of important hardware for the Ares I-X rocket's upcoming test flight. Called the forward skirt, the component is part of the rocket's first stage. The Ares I-X launch will be the first test flight for NASA's next crew launch vehicle. The launch is targeted for July 2009 from Kennedy and will provide an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I rocket. The forward skirt began its trip Nov. 7 from Major Tool & Machine Inc. of Indiana, a subcontractor to Alliant Techsystems Inc., or ATK, of Utah. ATK is the prime contractor for the first stage of the Ares I rocket. The rocket's first stage provides the primary propulsion -- 2.6 million pounds of thrust -- for the vehicle from liftoff to stage separation, which occurs 120 seconds into the flight. Part of the first stage, the nearly 14,000-pound forward skirt is constructed entirely of armored steel and stands seven feet tall and 12 1/4 feet wide. The main deceleration parachutes that slow the return of the rocket's boosters to Earth after launch are attached to this hardware. The forward skirt was designed as an empty, buoyant space to be used as ballast, keeping the first stage afloat for recovery. "We could not be more pleased that the vehicle first stage hardware is beginning to arrive," said Pepper Phillips, director of the Constellation Project Office at Kennedy. "This is one of many major milestones and is a testament to the tremendous NASA and contractor team working together to ensure a successful test flight for the new program." Ares I and Ares V. Image Credit: NASA The upper stage simulator was the first major piece of the Ares I-X rocket to arrive at Kennedy on Nov. 4. During the next few months, all of the additional hardware needed to complete the test vehicle will be delivered to Kennedy, beginning with a piece that simulates a fifth segment for the four-segment solid rocket booster and concluding with delivery of the complete motor set in January 2009. United Space Alliance of Florida, under a subcontract to ATK, will complete the integration and assembly of the forward skirt in Kennedy's Assembly and Refurbishment Facility. The hardware then will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations in high bay 3 during the spring of 2009. "The forward skirt has 12 parachute brackets, with each bracket restraining two parachute spools," said Bob Herman, ATK's Florida site director. "For the Ares I-X launch, six of these spools will be used to measure parachute loads passed on to the forward skirt. ATK is proud to play a critical role in helping NASA achieve its vision to return to the moon." The rocket's deceleration subsystem includes the pilot, drogue and main parachutes. The pilot parachute is deployed at an altitude of 16,210 feet and pulls out the drogue parachute. When the drogue parachute opens, it slows the vehicle and orients it to descend tail first. The main parachutes are deployed as the forward skirt extension separates from the forward skirt. They are used to slow the final decent of the first stage to 48 mph, allowing a safe impact with the water. The Ares I-X rocket is a combination of existing and simulator hardware that will resemble the Ares I crew launch vehicle in size, shape and weight. It will provide valuable data to guide the final design of the Ares I, which will launch astronauts in the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The test flight also will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals of returning humans to the moon for sustained exploration of the lunar surface and missions to destinations beyond. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the first stage for the Ares I-X project, which is located at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Video B-roll of the arrival will be available on NASA Television's Video File feed. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the Ares I-X and NASA next-generation spacecraft, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Nov. 17, 2008 NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD MARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPACE STATION HOUSTON - Nations around the world will join together to mark a milestone in space exploration this week, celebrating the 10th birthday of a unique research laboratory, the International Space Station. Now the largest spacecraft ever built, the orbital assembly of the space station began with the launch from Kazakhstan of its first bus-sized component, Zarya, on Nov. 20, 1998. The launch began an international construction project of unprecedented complexity and sophistication. The station is a venture of international cooperation among NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, and 11 members of the European Space Agency, or ESA: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. More than 100,000 people in space agencies and contractor facilities in 37 U.S. states and throughout the world are involved in this endeavor. "The station's capability and sheer size today are truly amazing," said International Space Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini. "The tremendous technological achievement in orbit is matched only by the cooperation and perseverance of its partners on the ground. We have overcome differences in language, geography and engineering philosophies to succeed." Only a few weeks after the U.S.-funded, Russian-built Zarya module was launched from Kazakhstan, the space shuttle carried aloft the Unity connector module in December 1998. Constructed on opposite sides of Earth, Unity and Zarya met for the first time in space and were joined to begin the orbital station's assembly and a decade of peaceful cooperation. Ten years later, the station's mass has expanded to more than 627,000 pounds, and its interior volume is more than 25,000 cubic feet, comparable to the size of a five-bedroom house. Since Zarya's launch as the early command, control and power module, there have been 29 additional construction flights to the station: 27 aboard the space shuttle and two additional Russian launches. One hundred sixty-seven individuals representing 14 countries have visited the complex. Crews have eaten some 19,000 meals aboard the station since the first crew took up residence in 2000. Through the course of 114 spacewalks and unmatched robotic construction in space, the station's truss structure has grown to 291 feet long so far. Its solar arrays now span to 28,800 square feet, large enough to cover six basketball courts. The International Space Station hosts 19 research facilities, including nine sponsored by NASA, eight by ESA and two by JAXA. Cooperation among international teams of humans and robots is expected to become a mainstay of space exploration throughout our solar system. The 2005 NASA Authorization Act recognized the U.S. orbital segment as the first national laboratory beyond Earth, opening it for additional research by other government agencies, academia and the private sector. "With the International Space Station, we have learned so many things -- and we're going to take that knowledge and apply it to flying to the moon and Mars," said Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke, now aboard the station. "Everything we're learning so close to home, only 240 miles away from the planet, we can apply to the moon 240,000 miles away." To take a virtual tour of the International Space Station and learn more about the current mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/station To find out how to see the station from your own backyard, visit: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings Nov. 14, 2008 NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR LAUNCHES ON HOME IMPROVEMENT MISSION CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 7:55 p.m. EST Friday to repair and remodel the International Space Station. Endeavour's STS-126 mission will carry to space about 32,000 pounds, which includes supplies and equipment necessary to double the crew size from three to six members in spring 2009. The new station cargo includes additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet, a water reclamation system and a resistance exercise device. The mission's four planned spacewalks primarily will focus on servicing the station's two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, which allow the outpost's solar arrays to track the sun. The starboard SARJ has had limited use since September 2007. Shortly before launch, Commander Chris Ferguson thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible. "It's our turn to take home improvement to a new level after 10 years of International Space Station construction," he said. "Endeavour is good to go." Joining Ferguson on Endeavour's 15-day flight are Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Sandra Magnus. Magnus will replace current station crew member Greg Chamitoff, who has lived on the outpost since June. She will return to Earth on Discovery's STS-119 mission, targeted for February 2009. NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Endeavour's mission, which is the 124th shuttle flight, the 22nd for Endeavour and the 27th shuttle mission to the station. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at: www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA's Web coverage of STS-126 includes current mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, also is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: www.nasa.gov/shuttle For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Nov. 12, 2008 NASA TV TO AIR CLEAN FEED OF ENDEAVOUR'S STS-126 COUNTDOWN CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA Television will provide a continuous clean video feed on its Media Channel of space shuttle Endeavour in the hours before its 7:55 p.m. EST liftoff on Nov. 14. Beginning at 2:30 p.m., video will show one stationary wide shot of Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The feed will include live audio of communications between launch controllers and the shuttle but not the commentary airing on NASA TV's Public Channel. NASA TV commentary will air on both channels beginning approximately nine minutes before the scheduled launch time at the conclusion of what is known as the T minus 9 minute hold in the launch countdown. During the shuttle's 15-day STS-126 mission to the International Space Station, the crew will deliver supplies and equipment necessary to double the station crew size from three to six members and conduct four spacewalks. For NASA TV's downlink coordinates, streaming video and scheduling information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about Endeavour's STS-126 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Nov. 10, 2008 NASA'S SPACE EXPLORATION EXHIBIT LIFTS OFF AT WANNADO CITY NOV. 12-14 HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - America's plans for opening the space frontier, including new exploration of Earth's moon and future voyages beyond, are featured in an interactive exhibit that will be open to the public in Sunrise, Fla., Nov. 12-14. The NASA Exploration Experience exhibit will complement space-themed activities at Wannado City, an indoor, role-playing theme park for kids ages two to 14. Wannado City is located at 12801 West Sunrise Blvd. in downtown Sunrise. The public is invited to tour the exhibit each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. The exhibit simulates a breathtaking visit to the first destination on America's new journey into the solar system: Earth's moon. "Interactive control panels and activity stations, immersive 3D imagery and audio effects will plunge visitors into a not-too-distant future on the moon," said NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Outreach Coordinator Kirk Pierce, a spokesperson for the exhibit. "They'll discover what it will be like to live and work on the surfaces of other worlds -- and how it will benefit life back home on Earth." NASA staffers will be on hand to answer questions and discuss some of the thousands of technologies used on Earth as a result of years of space-based research and development by the agency and its partners. Touring the NASA Exploration Experience exhibit takes approximately 12 minutes. The exhibit is wheelchair accessible. "Exhibit visitors can learn how our quality of life improves when America's space exploration activities refine existing technologies or develop new breakthroughs in areas such as power generation, computer technology, communications, networking and robotics," Pierce said. "Visitors also can learn how other advanced technologies are increasing the safety and reliability of space transportation systems, while also reducing costs." NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the traveling exhibit for the agency's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Wannado City, visit: www.wannadocity.com For more information about NASA's exploration plans, visit: www.nasa.gov/exploration Nov. 4, 2008 NOAA-N PRIME SATELLITE ARRIVES AT VANDENBERG FOR LAUNCH CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The latest polar-orbiting operational environmental weather satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, called NOAA-N Prime, arrived Tuesday by C-5A military cargo aircraft at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in preparation for a Feb. 4, 2009, launch. NOAA-N Prime, built by Lockheed Martin, is similar to NOAA-N launched on May 20, 2005. The satellite will be launched from the Western Range at Vandenberg AFB by a United Launch Alliance two-stage Delta II rocket managed by NASA's Launch Service Program at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. NOAA-N Prime is the latest satellite in the Advanced Television Infrared Observational Satellites -N series built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. NOAA-N Prime will provide a polar-orbiting platform to support environmental monitoring instruments for imaging and measuring the Earth's atmosphere, its surface and cloud cover, including Earth radiation, atmospheric ozone, aerosol distribution, sea surface temperature, and vertical temperature and water profiles in the troposphere and stratosphere. The satellite will assist in measuring proton and electron fluxes at orbit altitude, collecting data from remote platforms and will assist the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking system. NOAA-N Prime will be prepared for launch in a NASA payload processing facility located on north Vandenberg AFB. On Nov. 5, the satellite will be removed from its shipping container and rotated from the horizontal to vertical position. Spacecraft systems testing and launch preparations will then begin, which will take about a month. Meanwhile, at the launch pad, the rocket that will launch NOAA-N Prime is a Delta II 7320 manufactured and prepared for launch by the United Launch Alliance. The first stage is scheduled to be erected on Space Launch Complex 2 on Dec. 2. The three strap-on solid rocket boosters will be raised and attached to the booster the following day. The second stage which burns hypergolic propellants will be hoisted atop the first stage on Dec. 4. The fairing which will surround the spacecraft will then be hoisted into the clean room of the mobile service tower. The following week, as a leak check, the first stage will be loaded with liquid oxygen during a simulated countdown. The following day, a simulated flight test will be performed simulating the vehicle's post-liftoff flight events without fuel aboard. The electrical and mechanical systems of the entire Delta II will be exercised during this test. In mid-January, the NOAA-N Prime spacecraft will be hoisted atop the Delta II at the launch pad. The following week, a final major test is then ready to be conducted, which will involve the Delta II and NOAA-N Prime working together. This will be a combined minus count and plus count, simulating all events as they will occur on launch day, but without propellants aboard the vehicle. Finally during the last week of January, the fairing will be installed around the spacecraft. NOAA manages the polar-orbiting operational environmental weather satellite program and establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes environmental satellite data for the United States. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., procures and manages the development and launch of the NOAA satellites for NOAA on a cost reimbursable basis. For related images to this story, please visit: www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2008/noaa_n.html For more information about NOAA-N Prime and the polar orbiting satellites, visit: goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov Nov. 4, 2008 FIRST ROCKET PARTS OF NASA'S NEW LAUNCH SYSTEM ARRIVE IN FLORIDA CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first major flight hardware of the Ares I-X rocket has arrived in Florida to begin preparation for the inaugural test flight of the agency's next-generation launch system. The test flight is targeted for July 12, 2009. The Ares I-X upper stage simulator traveled to Port Canaveral aboard the Delta Mariner, a ship that also transports the Delta IV rocket for United Launch Alliance. The journey began Oct. 22 on the Ohio River as the barge traveled toward the Mississippi River for its voyage to Port Canaveral. By Nov. 6, the flight hardware will have been moved off the barge into high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The upper stage simulator consists of 11 individual components that were designed and manufactured during a two-year period at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The components represent the size, outer shape and weight of the second stage of the Ares I rocket, and will be integrated together in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The upper stage simulator eventually will be stacked atop the solid rocket booster segments of the Ares I-X rocket. The Ares I-X test flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I crew launch vehicle. It also will allow NASA to gather critical data during ascent of the integrated Orion crew exploration vehicle and the Ares I rocket. The data will ensure the entire vehicle system is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling to orbit. On Nov. 6, video B-roll of the arrival activities will be available on NASA Television's Video File feed. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the Ares I-X and NASA's next-generation spacecraft, visit: www.nasa.gov/ares Oct. 30, 2008 NASA GIVES "GO" FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH ON NOV. 14 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers completed a review Thursday of space shuttle Endeavour's readiness for flight and selected the official launch date for the STS-126 mission. Commander Chris Ferguson and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off to the International Space Station at 7:55 p.m. EST on Nov. 14. Endeavour's STS-126 flight will feature important repair work to the station and prepare it for housing six crew members during long-duration missions. The primary focus of the 15-day flight and its four planned spacewalks is to service the station's two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, which allow its solar arrays to track the sun. Endeavour will carry about 32,000 pounds to orbit, including supplies and equipment necessary to double the crew size from three to six members in spring 2009. The new station cargo includes additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet and a resistance exercise device. Endeavour's launch date was announced after the conclusion of Thursday's Flight Readiness Review. During the meeting, top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight. Ferguson will be joined on STS-126 by Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Sandra Magnus. Magnus will replace space station crew member Greg Chamitoff, who has been aboard the station for more than five months. She will return to Earth during the next shuttle mission, STS-119, targeted to launch in February 2009. For more information about the upcoming shuttle flights, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 30, 2008 NASA MANAGERS DELAY HUBBLE SERVICING MISSION WASHINGTON -- NASA managers have announced that they will not meet a February 2009 launch date for the fifth and final shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. The decision comes after engineers completed assessments of the work needed to get a second data handling unit for the telescope ready to fly. The unit will replace one that failed on Hubble in late September, causing the agency to postpone the servicing mission, which had been targeted for Oct. 14. "We now have done enough analysis of all the things that need to happen with the flight spare unit to know that we cannot be ready for a February launch," said NASA's Astrophysics Division Director Jon Morse at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The February date was an initial estimate, assuming minimal hardware preparations and test durations that are no longer viewed as realistic. We've communicated our assessment to the Space Shuttle Program so it can adjust near-term plans. We will work closely with the Shuttle Program to develop details for a new launch opportunity." "Getting ourselves in a position to be ready to launch the Hubble mission will involve many steps, and a significant one took place earlier today," said Hubble Program Manager Preston Burch at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "We held a flight certification peer review meeting where every aspect for doing this effort -- the inspections needed, all the tests to be conducted, the certification process and the final flight preparations -- was examined. The conclusion was that we indeed have a very good plan in place." The Hubble flight spare, known as the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling system, has been at Goddard since it was originally delivered as a back-up system in 1991. The unit currently is undergoing testing and examination to identify and correct any problems. That work will continue until mid-December. The unit will then undergo environmental assessments that include electro-magnetic interference checks, vibration tests, and extended time in a thermal vacuum chamber. Environmental testing is anticipated to run from mid-December to early March 2009. Final testing will be conducted on the unit, and delivery to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is expected in early April. "The equipment we are dealing with has a flight-proven design," said Burch." The original unit on Hubble ran for more than 18 years. We have a lot of spare parts if we encounter problems, and we have most of the same test equipment that was used with the original unit. We also have a lot of experience on our Hubble electrical replica, which uses the engineering model data handling unit." The vast majority of the flight hardware, tools and support equipment that will be used during the mission will be stored at Kennedy. A small amount of new work such as re-lubricating the latches on the Soft Capture Mechanism and testing the motors on the Flight Support System will be conducted. The Wide Field Camera 3 will remain in its carrier. The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph is in a special double-layered purge system in its shipping container to help support its environmental needs. The new batteries to be installed during the mission are in cold storage at Goddard and will be returned to Kennedy in 2009. In the meantime, science observations on Hubble that had been suspended continue to move toward standard operations. The current primary camera on the telescope, the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, was brought back online. On Wednesday, calibration images with the Advanced Camera for Surveys' Solar Blind Channel were completed. Regular science observations resumed Thursday, and the first science image from the camera was released. For more information about Hubble, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble For more information about the Space Shuttle Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 30, 2008 CABANA ASSUMES ROLE AS TENTH NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER DIRECTOR CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is under new leadership. Robert Cabana assumed the role as the center's tenth director Oct. 26. Media are invited to an informal Q-and-A session with Cabana at Kennedy's News Center on Friday, Oct. 31, at 10:30 a.m. EDT. This session is not open to new media accreditation. Cabana, who is a former space shuttle astronaut, came to Kennedy from NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where he was director for the past year. He succeeds William W. Parsons who left the agency Oct. 11 to pursue opportunities in the private sector. A native of Minnesota, Cabana graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Cabana is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and has logged over 7,000 hours in 36 different aircraft. After his selection as an astronaut candidate in June of 1985, Cabana completed his training in 1986. He has flown four shuttle missions, serving as the pilot of Discovery on STS-41 in October 1990, the pilot of Discovery on STS-53 in December 1992, the commander of Columbia on STS-65 in July 1994, and the commander of Endeavour on STS-88, which was the first International Space Station assembly flight, in December 1998. Before being named the director at Stennis in October 2007, Cabana served as deputy director of Johnson. In addition, Cabana has worked as chief of NASA's Astronaut Office, manager of international operations of International Space Station Program, director of NASA's Human Space Flight Program in Russia, deputy director of the International Space Station Program, and director of Flight Crew Operations. For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Oct. 22, 2008 NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR MOVES TO LAUNCH PAD, PRACTICE LIFTOFF SET CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to move from Launch Pad 39B to Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., as early as 8 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 23, as preparations for the STS-126 mission move forward. Endeavour is targeted to lift off Nov. 14 to the International Space Station. Early Thursday morning, NASA managers will decide when to move the shuttle based on the progress of removing the payload canister from the pad following installation into the pad's changeout room. The payload was delivered to Pad A early Wednesday morning. Endeavour had been scheduled to move Saturday, Oct. 25, but possibly severe weather now is forecast for the area. NASA Television will provide live video of Endeavour's rollaround beginning at 8 a.m. Video highlights of the rollout will air on the NASA TV Video File. The move will take approximately seven hours. After reaching its launch pad, Endeavour will await its next major milestone. A launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, is scheduled to take place at Kennedy from Oct. 27 to 29. During Endeavour's 15-day mission, the shuttle's seven crew members will deliver supplies and equipment necessary to double the station crew size from three to six members, and during four spacewalks, service the station's two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, which allow its solar arrays to track the sun. The shuttle also will deliver Expedition 18 crew member Sandra Magnus and return Expedition 17 flight engineer Greg Chamitoff, who has been aboard the station for more than five months. Chris Ferguson will command Endeavour. Eric Boe is the pilot. Mission specialists are Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Donald Pettit and Magnus. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Video b-roll of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test will be available on the NASA TV Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-126 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 19, 2008 NASA LAUNCHES IBEX MISSION TO OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer mission, or IBEX, successfully launched from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean at 1:47 p.m. EDT, Sunday. IBEX will be the first spacecraft to image and map dynamic interactions taking place in the outer solar system. The spacecraft separated from the third stage of its Pegasus launch vehicle at 1:53 p.m. and immediately began powering up components necessary to control onboard systems. The operations team is continuing to check out spacecraft subsystems. "After a 45-day orbit-raising and spacecraft-checkout period, the spacecraft will start its exciting science mission," said IBEX mission manager Greg Frazier of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Just as an impressionist artist makes an image from countless tiny strokes of paint, IBEX will build an image of the outer boundary of the solar system from impacts on the spacecraft by high-speed particles called energetic neutral atoms. These particles are created in the boundary region when the 1-million mph solar wind blows out in all directions from the sun and plows into the gas of interstellar space. This region is important to study because it shields many of the dangerous cosmic rays that would flood the space around Earth. "No one has seen an image of the interaction at the edge of our solar system where the solar wind collides with interstellar space," said IBEX Principal Investigator David McComas of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "We know we're going to be surprised. It's a little like getting the first weather satellite images. Prior to that, you had to infer the global weather patterns from a limited number of local weather stations. But with the weather satellite images, you could see the hurricanes forming and the fronts developing and moving across the country." IBEX is the latest in NASA's series of low-cost, rapidly developed Small Explorers spacecraft. The Southwest Research Institute developed the IBEX mission with a team of national and international partners. Goddard manages the Explorers Program for the Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about IBEX, including a launch blog, visit: www.nasa.gov/ibex Oct. 17, 2008 NASA UPDATES TIME FOR SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS' ROLL FROM LAUNCH PAD CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers have adjusted the time for space shuttle Atlantis' rollback from Launch Pad 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Oct. 20, to 7 a.m. EDT. Atlantis is expected to be in the Vehicle Assembly Building by about 2 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage of Atlantis' move off the pad beginning Monday at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights of the rollback will air on NASA TV Video File. The next space shuttle flight will be shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for launch Nov. 14. Endeavour is scheduled to move from Launch Pad 39B to Pad 39A on Oct. 25. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about upcoming shuttle missions, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 15, 2008 ANNUAL NASA-SPONSORED BUSINESS EXPO SET FOR OCT. 21 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Business leaders interested in learning more about government contracting and what local and national vendors have to offer should attend the Business Opportunities Expo 2008 on Oct. 21. The expo will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT in Cruise Terminal 3 at Port Canaveral, Fla. Admission is free and open to the public. The annual trade show, sponsored by the NASA Kennedy Space Center Prime Contractor Board, 45th Space Wing and Canaveral Port Authority, is in its 18th year. It will feature more than 150 business and government exhibitors from throughout the nation and across Brevard County. Exhibitors will include vendors from a variety of product and service areas, such as computer technology, engineering services, communication equipment and services, and construction and safety products, to name a few. Representatives from the 45th Space Wing, Kennedy prime contractors, NASA and many more agencies and organizations will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. During the opening ceremonies, speakers will include U. S. Congressman Tom Feeney, U. S. Congressman Dave Weldon's Acting District Director Pam Gillespie, NASA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Small Business Programs Glenn Delgado, Kennedy Assistant Director James E. Hattaway Jr., Kennedy Procurement Officer Dudley R. Cannon Jr., and other representatives from the 45th Space Wing and Port Canaveral. Connie Wilcox, Kennedy Small Business Specialist, will recognize the contractor of the year award winners. NASA's Central Industry Assistance Office provides support to small businesses that want to do business at Kennedy. This office works with the Kennedy Prime Contractor Board, which consists of many of Kennedy's prime contractors to help small businesses learn how to navigate in the world of government contracting. By cosponsoring the expo, the board helps provide a one-stop environment for buyers and sellers. For more information, please visit the Web site at: expo.ksc.nasa.gov For information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Oct. 14, 2008 NASA TO WEBCAST IBEX SPACECRAFT LAUNCH ON PEGASUS ROCKET OCT. 19 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into the cold expanse of space will be launched on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 1:48 p.m. EDT, during a launch window that extends from 1:44 p.m. to 1:52 p.m. The two-year mission will begin from the U.S. Army's Reagan test site at Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the south Pacific Ocean. Called the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, the spacecraft will conduct extremely high-altitude orbits above Earth to investigate and capture images of processes taking place at the farthest reaches of the solar system. Known as the interstellar boundary, this region marks where the solar system meets interstellar space. Carrying the IBEX spacecraft into orbit will be a Pegasus XL rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va. The Pegasus will be deployed from the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean about 125 miles north of Kwajalein. The spacecraft also was built by Orbital Sciences. Live coverage of the IBEX launch will be provided via the Web. No live NASA Television coverage is planned. The live streaming video of the countdown and launch will be available on the NASA home page at: www.nasa.gov Audio coverage of the launch will be available at 321-867-1220, 1240, 1260, and 7135. Streaming video and audio coverage will begin at 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 19. It will conclude after spacecraft separation from the Pegasus, approximately 12 minutes after launch. For more information about IBEX, including a launch blog, visit: www.nasa.gov/ibex Oct. 14, 2008 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ROLLS OFF LAUNCH PAD MONDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to roll back from Launch Pad 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Oct. 20, to await launch on its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. First motion of the shuttle is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 10 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. The fully assembled space shuttle Atlantis, consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, is mounted on a Mobile Launcher Platform and will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building atop a crawler transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey, which is expected to take approximately six hours. NASA Television will provide live coverage of Atlantis' rollback beginning Monday at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights of the rollback will air on NASA TV Video File. The next space shuttle flight will be shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for launch Nov. 14. Endeavour is scheduled to move from Launch Pad 39B to Pad 39A on Oct. 25. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about upcoming shuttle missions, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Oct. 8, 2008 NASA ISSUES SPACE SHUTTLE TO CONSTELLATION WORK FORCE TRANSITION REPORT WASHINGTON -- NASA is releasing an updated version of the Work Force Transition Strategy Report, which was delivered to Congress on Wednesday. The report details the agency's plan to minimize job losses while transitioning from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program. The report will be available online Wednesday at 3 p.m. EDT at: www.nasa.gov/transition The initial report was submitted to Congress on March 31, 2008. The next update will be submitted to Congress in spring 2009. Oct. 6, 2008 NASA SPACECRAFT READY TO EXPLORE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM GREENBELT, Md. -- The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into the cold expanse of space is ready for launch Oct. 19. The two-year mission will begin from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Called the Interstellar Boundary Explorer or IBEX, the spacecraft will conduct extremely high-altitude orbits above Earth to investigate and capture images of processes taking place at the farthest reaches of the solar system. Known as the interstellar boundary, this region marks where the solar system meets interstellar space. "The interstellar boundary regions are critical because they shield us from the vast majority of dangerous galactic cosmic rays, which otherwise would penetrate into Earth's orbit and make human spaceflight much more dangerous," said David J. McComas, IBEX principal investigator and senior executive director of the Space Science and Engineering Division at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The story of the outer solar system began to unfold when the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts left the inner solar system and headed out toward the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space. "The Voyager spacecraft are making fascinating observations of the local conditions at two points beyond the termination shock that show totally unexpected results and challenge many of our notions about this important region," said McComas. Other spacecraft have continued the exploration of the interstellar boundary region. Recently, a pair of NASA sun-focused satellites, the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory mission, detected a higher-energy version of the particles IBEX will observe in the heliosphere. The heliosphere is an area that contains the solar wind. It stretches from the sun to a distance several times the orbit of Pluto. IBEX is poised to thoroughly map this interstellar boundary region of the solar system. The images will allow scientists to understand the global interaction between our sun and the galaxy for the very first time. IBEX will be launched aboard a Pegasus rocket dropped from under the wing of an L-1011 aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean. The Pegasus will carry the spacecraft approximately 130 miles above Earth and place it in orbit. "What makes the IBEX mission unique is that it has an extra kick during launch," said Willis Jenkins, IBEX program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "An extra solid-state motor pushes the spacecraft further out of low-Earth orbit where the Pegasus launch vehicle leaves it." The IBEX mission is the next in NASA's series of low-cost, rapidly developed Small Explorers spacecraft. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the Explorers Program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The mission was developed by Southwest Research Institute with national and international partner participation. For more information about IBEX, visit: www.nasa.gov/ibex Sept. 30, 2008 CABANA TO SUCCEED PARSONS AS KENNEDY SPACE CENTER DIRECTOR CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA announced Tuesday that William Parsons, director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is leaving the agency in mid-October to pursue opportunities in the private sector. Parsons will be succeeded by former astronaut Robert Cabana, currently director of NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Gene Goldman, Stennis' deputy director, will become the acting center director. Parsons, who joined NASA in 1990, also has served as director of Stennis. His other NASA assignments have included launch site support manager, manager of the Space Station Hardware Integration Office, chief of operations of the Propulsion Test Directorate, space shuttle program manager and deputy director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "It has been my distinct privilege to have gotten to know and work with Bill Parsons since joining NASA as the administrator," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said. "In managing both centers and programs for NASA, Bill has demonstrated unswerving dedication to the mission and unshakable loyalty to his teammates. I have learned to expect that from Marines, and Bill's early training is always in evidence. While wishing him well in his new endeavors, I will miss him greatly." "My time with NASA has been extremely rewarding in many ways but made more special because of the talented people I have worked with across all the NASA centers," said Parsons. "Of course, each center I have worked at holds a special place in my heart and I have many friends at each one. Thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to serve with you. I look forward to all of your future successes." His successor, Cabana, is a native of Minnesota. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Cabana is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and has logged over 7,000 hours in 36 different aircraft. After his selection as an astronaut candidate in June of 1985, Cabana completed his training in 1986. He has flown four space shuttle missions, serving as the pilot of Discovery on STS-41 in October 1990, the pilot of Discovery on STS-53 in December 1992, the commander of Columbia on STS-65 in July 1994, and the commander of Endeavour on STS-88 - the first International Space Station assembly mission - in December 1998. Before being named the director at Stennis in October 2007, Cabana served as deputy director of Johnson. In addition, Cabana has worked as chief of NASA's Astronaut Office, manager of international operations of International Space Station Program, director of NASA's Human Space Flight Program in Russia, deputy director of the International Space Station Program, and director of Flight Crew Operations. "Bob Cabana is a longtime colleague, and another whose Marine training has redounded to NASA's benefit," Griffin said. "Bob has seen it all and done it all in human spaceflight, and done it with an open, collaborative style. There is just no better teammate. He will be a terrific successor to Bill Parsons as director of KSC." For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center and the projects and programs it supports, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy Sept. 29, 2008 NASA TO DISCUSS HUBBLE ANOMALY AND SERVICING MISSION LAUNCH DELAY WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 6 p.m. EDT today to discuss a significant Hubble Space Telescope anomaly that occurred this weekend affecting the storage and transmittal of science data to Earth. Fixing the problem will delay next month's space shuttle Atlantis Hubble servicing mission. The briefing participants are: Ed Weiler, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington John Shannon, Shuttle Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston Preston Burch, Hubble manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. As a result of the launch delay, NASA has postponed the planned Oct. 3 Flight Readiness Review and subsequent news conference. The review will occur at a later date. The malfunctioning system is Hubble's Control Unit/Science Data Formatter - Side A. Shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, the telescope's spacecraft computer issued commands to safe the payload computer and science instruments when errors were detected within the Science Data Formatter. An attempt to reset the formatter and obtain a dump of the payload computer's memory was unsuccessful. Additional testing demonstrates Side A no longer supports the transfer of science data to the ground. A transition to the redundant Side B should restore full functionality to the science instruments and operations. The transition to Side B operations is complex. It requires that five other modules used in managing data also be switched to their B-side systems. The B-sides of these modules last were activated during ground tests in the late 1980s and/or early 1990, prior to launch. The Hubble operations team has begun work on the Side B transition and believes it will be ready to reconfigure Hubble later this week. The transition will happen after the team completes a readiness review. Hubble could return to science operations in the immediate future if the reconfiguration is successful. Even so, the agency is investigating the possibility of flying a back-up replacement system, which could be installed during the servicing mission. Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at: www.nasa.gov/newsaudio Related images for the briefing will be available at: www.nasa.gov/hubble For more information about the Space Shuttle Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle Sept. 24, 2008 NASA ANNOUNCES NEW TARGET LAUNCH DATES, STATUS NEWS CONFERENCE WASHINGTON -- The target launch date for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope has been reset to Oct. 14 at 10:19 p.m. EDT. A news conference is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 3, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to announce an official launch date. With the delay of Atlantis' launch from Oct. 10 to Oct. 14, shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 supply mission to the International Space Station, also will move from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16 at 7:07 p.m. EST. The target launch date adjustments were made Wednesday during the Space Shuttle Program's Flight Readiness Review, which concludes Thursday. Detailed assessments were presented Wednesday by Mission Operations, Flight Crew Operations, and training divisions affected by the closure of the NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, as a result of Hurricane Ike. While vehicle processing at Kennedy continues on schedule, the lost week of training and mission preparation due to the impacts of the storm led to the decision to slip the dates. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the upcoming shuttle missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Sept. 19, 2008 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR MOVES TO LAUNCH PAD 39B CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - For the first time since July 2001, two shuttles are on the launch pads at the same time at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Space shuttle Endeavour completed a 4.2-mile journey to Launch Pad 39B on Friday, Sept. 19, at 6:59 a.m. EDT. Endeavour left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 11:15 p.m. Thursday, traveling at less than 1 mph atop a massive crawler-transporter. Endeavour will stand by at pad B in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during space shuttle Atlantis' upcoming mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch Oct. 10. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue spacecraft, it will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for the STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch Nov. 12. Video file of rollout will be available on NASA Television. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For information about the upcoming shuttle missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Sept. 11, 2008 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR TO MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD SEPT. 18 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Sept. 18, in preparation for shuttle Atlantis' mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour will stand by in the unlikely event a rescue mission is necessary following Atlantis' launch, which is targeted for Oct. 10. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue vehicle, it will move to Launch Pad 39A for the upcoming STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch Nov. 12. On Thursday, Endeavour rolled over from Kennedy's Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building. There, Endeavour will be attached to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters to prepare for its move to the pad. The first motion of the shuttle toward the launch pad Sept. 18 is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 4.2-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately seven hours. NASA Television will provide live coverage of Endeavour's rollout to the launch pad beginning at 6:30 a.m. Sept. 18. Video highlights of the rollout will air on the NASA TV Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv Sept. 8, 2008 NEW NASA SPACE EXPERIMENT RACK TO UNDERGO FLIGHT TESTS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A new space experiment rack under development by NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and Space Florida will undergo initial tests this week. The rack will fly aboard NASA's first commercially-provided research flights on Zero Gravity Corporation's reduced gravity aircraft. Flight testing of the FASTRACK Space Experiment Platform will be performed on four consecutive days between September 9-12 from Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. The experiment rack is designed to support two standard lockers that fit inside the space shuttle's crew middeck. It is being developed jointly by Kennedy and Space Florida to facilitate NASA and commercial use of reusable U.S. suborbital flight vehicles currently under development. The rack also will accommodate experiments aboard reduced gravity aircraft such as Zero Gravity's modified Boeing 727 jet, and may also be adapted in the future for orbiting vehicles and facilities. FASTRACK will enable investigators to test experiments, apparatus and analytical techniques in hardware compatible with the International Space Station, and to perform science that can be carried out during the reduced gravity available for brief periods during aircraft parabolas. FASTRACK is designed to accommodate two single middeck lockers or one double locker, and other compatible experiment accommodations developed for use on the space shuttle and International Space Station. Kennedy's FASTRACK project team will use NASA's commercial flight services contract with Zero Gravity Corporation to install and test a prototype rack along with three science investigations to verify interfaces, procedures and performance characteristics prior to fabrication of the FASTRACK flight units. The three science investigations that will be performed on the flights this week are: baseline characterization data of the microgravity environment in the FASTRACK payload accommodations using instrumentation provided by NASA's Glenn Research Center; a fluid dynamics experiment by the University of Central Florida to study Faraday wave interfaces in microgravity; and tests of a biomedical sensor to evaluate its effectiveness in performing continuous, non-invasive monitoring and recording of human hemodynamics, or the movement of blood, during changes in gravity. Another potential group of customers will be those participating in NASA's Facilitated Access to the Space Environment for Technology Development and Training, or FAST, Program. The FAST Program, which is managed by the Innovative Partnerships Program, will provide reduced-gravity or suborbital testing opportunities for emerging technologies developed by small businesses and others in partnerships with NASA. With the expected emergence of commercial suborbital flights over the next few years, FASTRACK will support investigations that can benefit from longer exposure - between 2-3 minutes - of microgravity time, as well as actual spaceflight conditions. The flights are sponsored and funded by NASA's Strategic Capabilities and Assets Program under the agency's commercial microgravity services contract with Zero Gravity Corporation. The FASTRACK project has received support from the NASA Innovative Partnerships Program Office and the NASA Science Mission Directorate. It is being jointly developed under a Space Act Agreement between Kennedy and Space Florida, both of which have contracted with the Bionetics Corporation to accomplish design, fabrication and testing of the experiment rack. FASTRACK is a trademark of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov Sept. 5, 2008 NASA CHANGES 2008 SHUTTLE TARGET LAUNCH DATES, SCHEDULES TCDT HOUSTON - NASA has adjusted the target launch dates for the two remaining space shuttle missions in 2008. Shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope is targeted for Oct. 10, while Endeavour's STS-126 supply mission to the International Space Station has moved to Nov. 12. Shuttle managers made the decision after Atlantis was rolled to the launch pad and the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna were beyond NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That allowed managers to more accurately assess the impacts of recent tropical systems on the launch schedule. Atlantis began rolling from Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A Thursday at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The shuttle arrived at the pad at approximately 2 p.m. and was secured at 3:52 p.m. Atlantis now is targeted to launch at approximately 12:33 a.m. EDT, Friday, Oct. 10. NASA Television coverage of launch will begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 9. The 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to repair and upgrade the Hubble telescope. Atlantis is scheduled to land at approximately 10:21 p.m., Oct. 20. Scott Altman will command STS-125, with Gregory C. Johnson serving as pilot. Mission specialists include veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur. Endeavour will close 2008 with a 15-day mission to deliver supplies and cargo to the space station. During the STS-126 mission, NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus will replace Greg Chamitoff as an Expedition 18 crew member on the station. Chamitoff will return to Earth after five months in space. The mission's targeted launch time is 8:43 p.m. EST, Nov. 12. Landing will occur at approximately 2:45 p.m., Nov. 27. Chris Ferguson will command STS-126, with Eric Boe serving as pilot. Mission specialists will be Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Donald Pettit, Magnus and Chamitoff. The formal launch dates for space shuttle flights are determined during the Flight Readiness Review, which is conducted about two weeks before launch. The STS-125 review is scheduled for Sept. 22-23. The review for STS-126 is scheduled for Oct. 30. An STS-125 launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, is scheduled to take place at Kennedy Sept. 22-24. The test provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station For more about the two remaining shuttle missions of 2008, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Atlantis Rollout - September 4, 2008 - by Thomas Dunkerton Sept. 3, 2008 NASA SETS SHUTTLE ATLANTIS' MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD THURSDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis is tentatively scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10 a.m. EDT, on Thursday, Sept. 4. Managers will meet at 5:30 a.m. Thursday to confirm that weather conditions created by Tropical Storm Hanna will allow for the move. NASA Television will provide live video of Atlantis' rollout beginning at 10 a.m. Video highlights of the rollout will air on NASA TV's Video File segments. Atlantis is targeted to lift off Oct. 8 on an 11-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center examine the Wide Field Camera 3 during preparations for its placement inside the Hubble Space Telescope. Processing of upgraded equipment and instruments for the Hubble is continuing in preparation for STS-125. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller Sept. 2, 2008 NASA AWARDS LANDSCAPING MAINTENANCE, PEST CONTROL CONTRACT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has selected S.C. Jones Services, Inc., of Dillwyn, Va., to provide grounds maintenance and pest control services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The new firm-fixed price contract begins on Oct. 1, 2008. It has a one-year base period and four, one-year option periods. The maximum value of the contract is approximately $13.5 million. S.C. Jones Services will provide grounds maintenance and pest control services in support of all areas of Kennedy. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. Aug. 28, 2008 NASA UPDATES SHUTTLE ATLANTIS' MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD TUESDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Atlantis is targeted to lift off Oct. 8 on an 11-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. This new rollout date accommodates additional work on Atlantis. NASA Television will provide live video of Atlantis at the launch pad beginning at 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 2. Video highlights of the rollout will air on NASA TV's Video File segments. Atlantis will be commanded by Scott Altman. Gregory C. Johnson will be pilot. Mission Specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Aug. 25, 2008 NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS TO MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD SATURDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Aug. 30. Atlantis is targeted to lift off Oct. 8 to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, was mounted on a mobile launcher platform and will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours. Repairs to Launch Pad 39A's flame trench wall were completed Aug. 5 after crews installed a steel grid structure and covered it in a heat-resistant material. The pad's north flame trench was damaged when bricks tore away from the wall during the May 31 launch of space shuttle Discovery. NASA Television will provide live coverage of Atlantis' move to the launch pad beginning at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights of the rollout will air on NASA TV Video File. During its 11-day mission that includes five spacewalks, the STS-125's crew of seven astronauts will install two new instruments in Hubble, as well as replace the Fine Guidance Sensor. The result will be six working, complementary science instruments with capabilities beyond those now available, and an extended operational lifespan of the telescope through at least 2013. Atlantis will be commanded by Scott Altman. Gregory C. Johnson will be pilot. Mission Specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle Aug. 15, 2008 NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER AWARDS CUSTODIAL SERVICES CONTRACT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected Brevard Achievement Center Inc., of Rockledge, Fla., to provide custodial services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The new firm-fixed price contract begins on Oct. 1, 2008. It has a one-year base period and four, one-year option periods. The maximum value of the contract is approximately $41 million. Brevard Achievement Center will provide custodial services for approximately 2.6 million square feet of general office, shop, warehouse and support areas at the space center. For more information about the Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov August 15, 2008 NASA KEEPS ATLANTIS TARGET LAUNCH DATE, MOVES UP MILESTONES This nebula, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope on August 10, is about 170,000 light-years away. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Larger image CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After thoroughly reviewing an option to accelerate the upcoming launch dates of space shuttle Atlantis and Endeavour by a few days, shuttle program managers decided Thursday to keep the current target launch dates. Atlantis' STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope remains targeted for Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT. Endeavour's STS-126 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 10 at 9:31 p.m. EST. Atlantis is scheduled to move from its processing hanger to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, on Monday, Aug. 18, where it will be attached to an external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. The shuttle will roll out to Launch Pad 39A the week of Aug. 24. The date will be finalized early next week. During its 11-day mission, STS-125's crew of seven astronauts will install two new instruments in Hubble, as well as replace the Fine Guidance Sensor. Five spacewalks will be conducted during the flight. Atlantis will be commanded by Scott Altman. Gregory C. Johnson will be pilot. Mission specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. For more information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle. For more information about Hubble, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble. Aug. 13, 2008 NASA ASTRONAUT READY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS FROM SPACE HOUSTON -- Flying 220 miles above the Earth aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff is ready to take your questions. The public can now submit inquiries to Chamitoff and get answers direct from space on NASA's Web site. To submit a question, visit: www.nasa.gov/ask Mission Control will transmit the questions to Chamitoff weekly. He will answer as many as his schedule will allow. Check back periodically to the link above for the transcript and audio clips of the astronaut's answers. Chamitoff is a flight engineer for the Expedition 17 mission. He flew to the station aboard the space shuttle Discovery in June and will return to Earth aboard shuttle Endeavour in November. For more on Chamitoff's mission and the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station Aug. 7, 2008 NASA TV TO AIR INTERVIEWS WITH HUBBLE SERVICING ASTRONAUTS HOUSTON -- NASA Television will air interviews with each of the seven astronauts who will fly to the Hubble Space Telescope beginning at 8 a.m. EDT, on Monday, Aug. 11. The crew includes Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, and Mission Specialists Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel. The interviews will run repeatedly on NASA TV prior to launch. For information on when and for the complete NASA TV schedule and training footage, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv Aug. 4, 2008 NASA AWARDS MEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT CONTRACT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected Innovative Health Applications, LLC, or IHA, of Cape Canaveral, Fla., to provide medical and environmental services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The contract begins on Oct. 1, with a five-year base period, followed by two one-year options. It is a cost-plus-award-fee contract. The maximum potential value of this contract is approximately $163.5 million. Innovative Health Applications will provide medical services, environmental health services, environmental services and agency occupational health program support at Kennedy. Selected services also will be provided to the U.S. Air Force at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The company will furnish resources, including management, personnel, equipment and supplies to support Kennedy's work at the station. For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: www.nasa.gov July 28, 2008 HIGH SCHOOLERS HELP NASA TAKE ONE SMALL STEP BACK TO THE MOON CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - High school students from 35 Florida schools recently experienced what it might be like to land a rocket on the moon or excavate the lunar surface. During two, one-week sessions this summer, eager students worked alongside NASA mentors at Kennedy Space Center to participate in a Governor's School pilot program for the gifted. NASA's involvement in the pilot program included hosting the student groups and creating research projects that explore challenges related to lunar exploration. These challenges included lunar landing, lunar excavating and protecting a pressurized habitat. At the end of each session, the students presented their solutions to a NASA panel of engineers and education coordinators. Dr. Lesley Garner, the pre-college officer in NASA's Education Office at Kennedy, coordinated NASA's portion of the pilot program. Garner hopes the students will have a greater understanding of academic majors they can pursue in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for careers they didn't know existed. Funding for the pilot program was provided by the state of Florida and given to three universities, Florida Tech, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Florida State University, to plan and pilot test the program. Space Florida, NASA and Delaware North Park Services provided the curriculum. Kennedy mentors were Drs. Bob Youngquist and Philip Metzger, as well as Rob Mueller and Greg Galloway, all from the Applied Technology Directorate. They presented real space-related problems for the students to solve along with hands-on activities. Bailee Williams, a senior at Hardee Senior High in Wauchula, was one of six students who conducted a team experiment to simulate excavating on the moon. Under Galloway's guidance, Williams used a scaled-down NASA prototype lunar excavator to investigate the amount of force required to dig in a simulated lunar surface. "This isn't something I get to do everyday, so it's great I was able to participate in a program like this," Williams said. When she returns to her school she will give a presentation to her physics teacher and classmates on what she learned. Corbin Ferris, a senior at St. Augustine High School, said the best parts of his experience at Kennedy were the group projects and learning about new technologies. Ferris learned about current methods for locating and measuring defects in orbiter windows. With Dr. Youngquist as mentor, Ferris and his team members learned about optical techniques and carried out discussions of how they could be utilized in a space station or lunar habitat scenario. Ferris, who is looking into a career in engineering, said it was interesting to see all the types of available jobs at NASA. "NASA research will benefit from the students' fresh 'out of the box' solutions for future lunar missions," Garner said. "It was a win-win situation; and I hope a sustainable Governor's School for the gifted is the end product." Student participants are listed by county: Bay: Amilea Borel, Bay High School, Panama City. Brevard: Parker Allen, Melbourne High School, Melbourne; Joshua Emison, Bayside High School, Palm Bay; and Julia Rauchfuss, West Shore Jr./Sr. High, Melbourne Beach. Broward: Aaron Lewis, JP Taravella High School, Coral Springs. Calhoun: Harlea Perdue, Blountstown High School, Altha. Charlotte: Ashley Kreher, Lemon Bay High School, Rotonda West. Clay: Jessica Evans, Orange Park High School, Orange Park. Columbia: Adam Griffy, Fort White High School, Fort White. Duval: Jessica Yeung, Stanton College Preparatory School, Jacksonville. Escambia: Victor Mendez, Pensacola High School I.B. Program, Cantonment. Flagler: Rebecca Wight, Matanzas High School, Palm Coast. Gilchrist: Sean Kirby, Trenton Middle High School, Trenton. Hardee: Bailee Williams, Hardee Senior High School, Wauchula. Hillsborough: Elisa Berson, Freedom High School, Tampa. Lee: Brittany Kociuba, North Fort Myers High School, Cape Coral. Leon: Jayshree Balakrishnan, James S. Rickards High School, Catherine Branch, Lawton Chiles High School, both in Tallahassee. Marion: David Lakin, Forest High School, Ocala. Miami-Dade: Natalia Slepak, Miami Palmetto Sr. High School, Miami. Monroe: Daniella Fioravanti-Score, Coral Shores High School, Key Largo. Orange: Linda Cao, Timber Creek High School, Orlando; Scott Palmese, Olympia High School, Ocoee. Palm Beach: Michael Koester, Park Vista High School, Lake Worth. Pasco: Stephanie Schlageter, Zephyrhills High School, Zephryhills. Pinellas: Shailaja Emani, Palm Harbor University High, Safety Harbor; Sarah Gardiner, Lakewood High School, St. Petersburg. St. Johns: Matthew Walsh, Bartram High School, Saint Johns; Corbin Ferris, St. Augustine High School. St. Lucie: Gerald Condon, Lincoln Park Academy, Port St. Lucie. Seminole: Alex Friedman, Lake Mary High School, Lake Mary. Sumter: Connor Schofill, South Sumter High School, Bushnell. Suwannee: Wendell Mellette, Branford High School, Branford. Volusia: Deepak Sathyanarayan, Spruce Creek High School, Ormond Beach; Kyle Mays, DeLand High School, Deland. July 16, 2008 NASA ASSIGNS CREW FOR EQUIPMENT DELIVERY MISSION TO SPACE STATION WASHINGTON - NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-128. The flight will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station. Marine Corps Col. Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow will command space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-128 mission, targeted for launch July 30, 2009. Retired Air Force Col. Kevin A. Ford will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists are NASA astronauts John D. "Danny" Olivas, retired Army Col. Patrick G. Forrester, Jose M. Hernandez and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Christer Fuglesang. The mission will deliver a new station crew member, Nicole Stott, to the complex and return Tim Kopra to Earth. Ford, Hernandez and Stott will be making their first trips to space. Stott and Kopra were previously assigned in February to station missions. Atlantis will carry a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module filled with science and storage racks to the station. The mission will include three spacewalks to remove and replace a materials processing experiment outside ESA's Columbus module and return an empty ammonia tank assembly. Sturckow flew as the commander of STS-117 in 2007, and was the pilot of STS-105 in 2001 and STS-88 in 1998. He considers Lakeside, Calif., his hometown. Sturckow has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University. He was selected as an astronaut in 1994. Ford considers Montpelier, Ind., his hometown. He has a bachelor's in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame, master's degrees in international relations from Troy State University in Alabama and aerospace engineering from the University of Florida, and a doctorate in astronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000. Olivas flew as a mission specialist and conducted two spacewalks during STS-117 in 2007. He was raised in El Paso, Texas. Olivas has a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas-El Paso, a master's in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston and a doctorate in mechanical engineering and materials science from Rice University. He was selected as an astronaut in 1998. Forrester flew as a mission specialist on STS-117 in 2007 and on STS-105 in 2001. He has conducted four spacewalks. He was born in El Paso, Texas. Forrester has a bachelor's in applied sciences and engineering from the U.S. Military Academy and a master's in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996. Hernandez considers Stockton, Calif., his hometown. He has a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of the Pacific and a master's in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California-Santa Barbara. He was selected as an astronaut in 2004. Fuglesang flew as a mission specialist and conducted three spacewalks on STS-116 in 2006. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Fuglesang has a master's in engineering physics from the Royal Institute of Technology and a doctorate in experimental particle physics from the University of Stockholm. He was selected to join the ESA astronaut corps in 1992 and began training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1996. For complete astronaut biographical information, visit: www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/shuttle July 16, 2008 FIRST HUBBLE FLIGHT HARDWARE ARRIVES AT KENNEDY FOR STS-125 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first major flight hardware for the fifth and final space shuttle servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is starting to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to begin preparations for its targeted October launch. Three carriers, which are pallets that will hold equipment in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay, were delivered to Kennedy Wednesday. They will be prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during Atlantis' mission, designated STS-125 and SM4. The three payload carriers are the Flight Support System (FSS), the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier (SLIC), and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier (ORUC). At the end of July, a fourth and final carrier, the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment (MULE) carrier, will join the others in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch. The Flight Support System will attach, secure and provide power to Hubble and also contains the Soft Capture Mechanism that will assist in the de-orbiting of the telescope when its science mission is over. Among the components to be integrated onto the carriers are the Wide Field Camera 3 that will be placed on the SLIC with Hubble's two new battery modules. The Fine Guidance Sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph will be on the ORUC, as well as the replacement gyros. The Relative Navigation Sensors and the New Outer Blanket Layers will be on the MULE. These components, which will be integrated onto the carriers, will be delivered to Kennedy during the first half of August. Numerous crew aids and tools that the astronauts will use during their five planned spacewalks also will be integrated o