[Spacetalk] http://www.nasa.gov/

Tue Jun 3 06:09:48 CDT 2014

Good morning all,
 I hope you had fun weekend and I'm sure this is an exciting week for most of you as I think many schools will be finished tomorrow and you will have your well-earned summer to hopefully explore other avenues...every summer we have teachers who come to work with us under a summer hire program that lets them interface with industry and bring some of that knowledge back to the classroom. I think it is a great program as I know just about all of you work in some capacity during the summer, in addition to taking care of your families, and I think all those who come to Kennedy Space Center really enjoy the time...wishing you a wonderful day and a fun summer ahead, no matter what you do...again, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the teachers who do so much, day in and day out, to shape the minds of the kids who are our future with so much patience, dedication, and determination...I truly believe you have the most difficult job in the world and admire you for all you do...we have to remember to always do our best, enjoy everything we do, live in the present, be appreciative of the good in our lives, smile & have fun! gabe

View the "2014 Mid Year Report on This Week at NASA" (Published May 30, 2014)
While "This Week at NASA" is on a short hiatus, view the "2014 Mid Year Report on This Week at NASA" produced by NASA Television for a quick look back at some of the exciting news stories featured so far in 2014. "This Week at NASA" will return to its regular weekly schedule on June 13.
To watch the "2014 Mid Year Report on This Week at NASA," click on the image below:
 <http://youtu.be/wAUwcLug5ws>
Watch the Video
You also may access this program at: http://youtu.be/wAUwcLug5ws
This Week at NASA" and other NASA features are available at http://www.nasa.gov under NASA Multimedia, http://www.youtube.com/nasatelevision and iTunes.

<http://www.nasa.gov/ames/kepler/astronomers-confounded-by-massive-rocky-world>
Astronomers Confounded By Massive Rocky World
 <http://www.nasa.gov/ames/kepler/astronomers-confounded-by-massive-rocky-world>
Astronomers have discovered a rocky planet that weighs 17 times as much as Earth and is more than twice as large in size.
This discovery has planet formation theorists challenged to

Morpheus Prototype Uses Hazard Detection System to Land Safely in Dark<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTQwNTMwLjMyNjQxNTExJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE0MDUzMC4zMjY0MTUxMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg3ODIyJmVtYWlsaWQ9Z2VvcmdlLmdhYnJpZWxsZS0xQGtzYy5uYXNhLmdvdiZ1c2VyaWQ9Z2VvcmdlLmdhYnJpZWxsZS0xQGtzYy5uYXNhLmdvdiZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/content/morpheus-prototype-uses-hazard-detection-system-to-land-safely-in-dark>

[http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/946xvariable_height/public/2014-2707.jpg?itok=7bqzdUeu]
NASA demonstrated that it can land an unmanned spacecraft on a rugged planetary surface in the pitch dark in a May 28, 2014 free-flight test of the Morpheus prototype lander and Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology, or ALHAT. The 98-second test began at 10:02 p.m. EDT, with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet (244 m) into the dark Florida sky at Kennedy Space Center using only ALHAT's Hazard Detection System for guidance. The Hazard Detection System, assisted by three light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors, located obstacles -- such as rocks and craters -- and safely landed on the lunar-like hazard field a quarter mile away from the NASA Center. Project Morpheus tests NASA's ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus' ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. > Read more > Video: Morpheus Completes Nighttime Flight Test Image Credit: NASA/Mike Chambers

Orion Heat Shield Attached<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTQwNTMwLjMyNjYzNzExJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE0MDUzMC4zMjY2MzcxMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg4MzEzJmVtYWlsaWQ9Z2VvcmdlLmdhYnJpZWxsZS0xQGtzYy5uYXNhLmdvdiZ1c2VyaWQ9Z2VvcmdlLmdhYnJpZWxsZS0xQGtzYy5uYXNhLmdvdiZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/content/orion-heat-shield-attached>

[http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/946xvariable_height/public/14121174269_5b1673c66f_o.jpg?itok=zAm9QvtO]
The world's largest heat shield, measuring 16.5 feet in diameter, has been successfully attached to the Orion spacecraft. The heat shield is made from a single seamless piece of Avcoat ablator. It will be tested on Orion's first flight in December 2014 as it protects the spacecraft from temperatures reaching 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. The uncrewed flight, dubbed Exploration Flight Test-1(EFT-1), will test the spacecraft for eventual missions that will send astronauts to an asteroid and eventually Mars. EFT-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion capsule 3,600 miles into space for a four-hour mission to test several of its most critical systems. After making two orbits, Orion will return to Earth at almost 20,000 miles per hour, before its parachutes slow it down for a landing in the Pacific Ocean.

Venice Lagoon<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTQwNjAyLjMyNzAzNjUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE0MDYwMi4zMjcwMzY1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg5MTQ2JmVtYWlsaWQ9Z2VvcmdlLmdhYnJpZWxsZS0xQGtzYy5uYXNhLmdvdiZ1c2VyaWQ9Z2VvcmdlLmdhYnJpZWxsZS0xQGtzYy5uYXNhLmdvdiZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/content/venice-lagoon>

[http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/946xvariable_height/public/iss039-e-019482_lrg.jpg?itok=Wn9QV7NT]
A narrow barrier island protects the Lagoon of Venice from storm waves in the northern Adriatic Sea, and breakwaters protect inlets to the lagoon. Red tiles on the roofs of Venice contrast with the grays of the sister city of Mestre, and the cities are joined by a prominent causeway. What appears to be another causeway joining the island to the airport (top right) is actually the combined wakes of many boats and water taxis shuttling between them. Small, bright agricultural fields on well-drained soils (top left) contrast with the darker vegetation of back-bay swamps, where fishing is a popular pastime. The water is turbid in the northern half of the lagoon, the result of heavy use by watercraft and of dense urban populations on the shores. This turbidity and other issues of environmental concern led to the creation in 2002 of the Atlas of the Lagoon (Atlante della laguna), which was set up to document environmental conditions and to track changes. Today, the Atlante della laguna is available online (in Italian) and provides a comprehensive collection of interpretive maps and imagery-including astronaut photographs from the International Space Station. A detailed view of Venice in 2007 can be viewed here. A more detailed article on the use of astronaut photography to monitor environmental change in the Lagoon of Venice is available here. This astronaut photograph (ISS039-E-19482) was acquired on May 9, 2014, with a Nikon D3S digital camera using a 400 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 39 crew. It has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. > View annotated image Image Credit: NASA Caption: M. Justin Wilkinson, Jacobs at NASA-JSC.

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