[Spacetalk] https://www.nasa.gov/index.html

Wed Dec 16 23:24:44 CST 2015

Good morning all,
 I know some of the schools are off on Friday while most go through the week, then have your two week break….it was so much fun to be in Norway and Denmark at the start of the Christmas celebration to see how the school were decorated as everyone was enjoying the season. I want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, whatever you may celebrate, or just enjoy the two weeks off…I’m sure this week has been so much fun for you and the kids...special parties, games, excitement…last year I was at Sand skule in Norway as Santa came by to see all the kids :-) so cute…wishing you A Healthy, Safe, and Prosperous New Year filled with fun and laughter. We have to remember to always do our best, enjoy everything we do, live in the present, let those we care about most know, be appreciative of the good in our lives, smile, and have fun :-) Gabe  

Be an Astronaut: NASA Accepting Applications for Future Explorers

Recently named the best place to work in the federal government for the fourth year in a row, NASA is looking for the best candidates to work in the best job on or off the planet. The astronaut candidate application website now is live and accepting submissions through Feb. 18.

Qualifying U.S. citizens may apply at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/423817000 <https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/423817000>
NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and astronaut selection manager Anne Roemer will answer questions about the job, and the application and selection processes, on Reddit.com beginning at 4 pm EST today. At that time, anyone may submit questions at: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/ <http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/>
The agency expects to announce final candidate selections in mid-2017. Those chosen may fly on any of four different U.S. spacecraft during their careers: the International Space Station, two commercial crew <http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew> spacecraft currently in development by U.S. companies, and NASA’s Orion <http://www.nasa.gov/orion> deep-space exploration vehicle.
“NASA is on an ambitious journey to Mars and we’re looking for talented men and women from diverse backgrounds and every walk of life to help get us there,” said NASA Administrator and former astronaut Charles Bolden. “Today, we opened the application process for our next class of astronauts, extraordinary Americans who will take the next giant leap in exploration. This group will launch to space from U.S. soil on American-made spacecraft and blaze the trail on our journey to the Red Planet.”
NASA astronauts will again launch to the International Space Station from Florida’s Space Coast on American-made commercial spacecraft -- Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and the SpaceX Crew Dragon. These spacecraft will allow NASA to add a seventh crew member to each station mission, effectively doubling the amount of time astronauts will be able to devote to research in space, expanding scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies.
Astronauts also will lift off again from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched on the agency’s Space Launch System <http://www.nasa.gov/sls>rocket, to unprecedented missions in lunar orbit. There, the space agency will learn more about conducting complex operations in a deep space environment before moving on to longer duration missions as it progresses on its journey to Mars.
To help accomplish this work, NASA will select qualified astronaut candidates from a diverse pool of U.S. citizens with a wide variety of backgrounds, including engineers, scientists and physicians. According to the professional networking site LinkedIn, some 3 million of the site’s members working in the United States appear to meet the minimum academic eligibility requirements for the job.
“NASA’s mission, and what we need from the astronauts helping to carry it out, has evolved over the years,” said Brian Kelly, director of Flight Operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Some people would be surprised to learn they might have what it takes. We want and need a diverse mix of individuals to ensure we have the best astronaut corps possible.”
Astronaut candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics. An advanced degree is desirable. Candidates also must have at least three years of related, progressively responsible professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Astronaut candidates must pass the NASA long-duration astronaut physical.
“The Office of Personnel Management is proud to support NASA’s efforts to recruit our country’s next generation of astronauts,” said Beth Cobert, acting director of OPM. “One of this agency's primary goals is to help attract, recruit, hire and retain the best and most talented workforce to serve the American people. We stand ready to help NASA find and support the talent it needs to fulfill its exciting mission to Mars. I’m proud to help agencies across government shape the federal workforce of the future by providing such tools as USAJOBS, our one-stop source for federal job and employment information.” 
For more information about a career as an astronaut, and application requirements, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts <http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts> Follow NASA on LinkedIn, and find more NASA jobs, at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nasa <https://www.linkedin.com/company/nasa>
Expedition 46 Soyuz Launch to the International Space Station <http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUxMjE1LjUyNzgxMzAxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MTIxNS41Mjc4MTMwMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjM3ODUyJmVtYWlsaWQ9Zm9yZGdhYmVAbmV0emVyby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWZvcmRnYWJlQG5ldHplcm8uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/expedition-46-soyuz-launch-to-the-international-space-station?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery>
12/15/2015 07:00 AM EST

The Soyuz TMA-19M rocket is launched with Expedition 46 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA, and Flight E

Expedition 46 Soyuz Approaches Space Station for Docking <http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUxMjE2LjUyODM3NjQxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MTIxNi41MjgzNzY0MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjM4NTI3JmVtYWlsaWQ9Zm9yZGdhYmVAbmV0emVyby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWZvcmRnYWJlQG5ldHplcm8uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/expedition-46-soyuz-approaches-space-station-for-docking?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery>
12/16/2015 11:25 AM EST

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko manually docked the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft on Dec. 15, 2015 to the International Space Station's Rassvet module after an initial automated attempt was aborted. Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA and Flight Engineer Tim Peake of ESA flanked Malenchenko as he brought the Soyuz to the Rassvet port.

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American, Russian and Briton Join International Space Station Crew 
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In pre-flight quarantine, Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA answers media questions from behind glass during a press conference Dec. 14, 2015 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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 <http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/nhq201512150009.jpg>
Expedition 46 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (top) and Flight Engineers Tim Kopra of NASA (center) and Tim Peake of ESA (bottom) wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz TMA-19M rocket for launch on Dec. 15, 2015 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Hatches between the International Space Station and an arriving Soyuz spacecraft opened at 2:58 p.m. EST Tuesday, signaling the arrival of three new crew members, including NASA astronaut Tim Kopra. They will join other residents on the station to continue important research that advances NASA's journey to Mars, while making discoveries that can benefit all of humanity.
Kopra, Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Tim Peake launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:03 a.m. (5:03 p.m. in Baikonur) and, after orbiting Earth four times, manually docked to the station at 12:33 p.m.
The arrival of Kopra, Malenchenko and Peake returns the station's crew complement to six. The three join Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly <https://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly> of NASA and Flight Engineers Sergey Volkov and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos. During more than five months on humanity’s only microgravity laboratory, the Expedition 46 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition46/index.html> crew members will conduct more than 250 science investigation <http://go.nasa.gov/1HPhPpz> in fields including biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development.
Kopra, Malenchenko and Peake will remain aboard the station until early June 2016. Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth at the conclusion of their one-year mission <http://www.nasa.gov/content/one-year-crew> on March 1, 2016, along with Volkov. The pair will have spent 340 consecutive days living and working in space to advance understanding of the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges astronauts face during long duration spaceflight, in addition to developing countermeasures to reverse those effects.
Ongoing station research also includes the Microbial Payload Tracking Series project, which uses microbial analysis techniques to establish a census of the microorganisms living on surfaces and in the atmosphere of the space station. Along with crew members and experimental payloads, the space station is home to a variety of microbes, which are a cleaning nuisance and potentially threatening to crew health and station equipment. Analyzing these microbes can help determine whether some are more virulent in space, and which genetic changes might be involved in this response. Results from the investigation can be used to evaluate cleaning strategies, and to mitigate microbe-related risks to crew health and spacecraft system performance.
The crew members are scheduled to receive several cargo spacecraft -- including multiple U.S. commercial resupply vehicles from SpaceX and Orbital ATK -- each delivering tons of food, fuel, supplies and research.
SpaceX will deliver on its eighth commercial resupply services mission an important technology project that could help drive future exploration. Developed under a public-private partnership, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) <http://www.nasa.gov/content/bigelow-expandable-activity-module> is an expandable habitat technology demonstration for the International Space Station. Expandable habitats can greatly decrease the amount of transport volume for future space missions, weighing less and taking up less room on a rocket. These habitats have the potential to provide a comfortable area for astronauts to live and work, as well as a varying degree of protection from solar and cosmic radiation, space debris and other elements of the space environment. Highly reliable habitation systems will be essential to keep future crews healthy and productive in the deep-space environment during missions in lunar orbit where the systems will be validated for future missions to Mars that could last as long as 1,100 days. 
For 15 years, humans have been living continuously aboard the station to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that also will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A truly global endeavor, more than 200 people from 15 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,700 research investigations from researchers in more than 80 countries.
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv <http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv> 
Follow the crew members and space station on social media at: http://www.twitter.com/nasa_astronauts <http://www.twitter.com/nasa_astronauts>;  http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station <http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station>; http://www.facebook.com/ISS <http://www.facebook.com/ISS>
click on the links below for additional info
Spinoff 2016 Highlights Space Technologies Used in Daily Life on Earth <http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUxMjE2LjUyODU2MjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MTIxNi41Mjg1NjI2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjM4ODUzJmVtYWlsaWQ9Zm9yZGdhYmVAbmV0emVyby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWZvcmRnYWJlQG5ldHplcm8uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/spinoff-2016-highlights-space-technologies-used-in-daily-life-on-earth?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery>
NASA technology is all around us, turning trash into oil, saving women from a deadly complication of childbirth, and putting the bubbles in beer.

Space to Ground: Home For The Holidays: 12/11/2015 <http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUxMjE2LjUyODU2NTMxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MTIxNi41Mjg1NjUzMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjM4ODQ1JmVtYWlsaWQ9Zm9yZGdhYmVAbmV0emVyby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWZvcmRnYWJlQG5ldHplcm8uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/mediacast/space-to-ground-home-for-the-holidays-12112015?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery>
IT WAS A BITTERSWEET MORNING AS 3 OF OUR CREW MEMBERS SAID FAREWELL TO SPACE AND HELLO TO MOTHER EARTH.

Plunging into the Ionosphere: Satellite’s Last Days Improve Orbital Decay Predictions <http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUxMjE1LjUyNzgxNTAxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MTIxNS41Mjc4MTUwMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjM3ODUwJmVtYWlsaWQ9Zm9yZGdhYmVAbmV0emVyby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWZvcmRnYWJlQG5ldHplcm8uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/plunging-into-the-ionosphere-satellite-s-last-days-improve-orbital-decay-predictions?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery>
Scientists are learning more about how the upper atmosphere and ionosphere affect space satellites as well as communications and navigation here on Earth, thanks to new data from a U.S. Air Force satellite that recently completed a more than seven-year mission.

Meanwhile, in a galaxy not so far, far away… <http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUxMjE2LjUyODI1MzIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MTIxNi41MjgyNTMyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjM4MzcyJmVtYWlsaWQ9Zm9yZGdhYmVAbmV0emVyby5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWZvcmRnYWJlQG5ldHplcm8uY29tJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/meanwhile-in-a-galaxy-not-so-far-far-away?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery>
The fantasy creations of the "Star Wars" universe are strikingly similar to real planets in our own Milky Way galaxy.
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