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

Wed Mar 22 23:22:56 CDT 2017

Good morning all,
 I am back from Brazil….it was such an amazing experience...saw almost 7,000 kids and adults….so many have dreams of coming to NASA….it was so much fun to talk with them….I know many of you are still on spring break… it has been about two weeks since I sent anything, allot going on….please remember you can always go to the subject link for updates….please think about the SuNFun workshop…it is a great event for teachers, see below…I will update you on the space walks…they will be shown on NASA/TV, so hopefully you can find a couple of minutes to let the kids see, real time, what the astronauts are doing….wishing you a wonderful day...we have to always remember to do our best, enjoy everything we do, live in the present, be appreciative of the good in our lives, make each day special, smile & have fun! Gabe

>> I want to remind everyone of the Sun’nFun Aerospace Educators Workshop, April 8th, 2017 in Lakeland, Florida….It is an amazing day and the evening program will include fireworks with a night air show. https://visitcentralflorida.org/blog/sun-n-fun-international-fly-in-expo <https://visitcentralflorida.org/blog/sun-n-fun-international-fly-in-expo> ...registration form is below….I will be doing two presentations on Sat morning…it is where I have met so many of you and from there arranged to visit schools…I hope as many of you as possible can make it….it would be a preview of what I will do at your school…and so much fun to see you….

NASA TV to Air Seventh Orbital ATK Resupply Mission to International Space Station
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NASA commercial cargo provider Orbital ATK is targeting its seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA/Tony Gray & Kevin O'Connell
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NASA commercial cargo provider Orbital ATK <http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk> is targeting its seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station <http://www.nasa.gov/station> for 9 p.m., EDT Friday, March 24, the start of a 30-minute launch window. Coverage of the launch begins at 8 p.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website <https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv>. An option exists to move the launch earlier to March 23, if the Eastern Range becomes available. Two prelaunch briefings will air the day prior to launch. At 1 p.m., scientists and researchers will discuss some of the investigations to be delivered to the station, and at 4 p.m., mission managers will provide an overview and status of launch operations. Dubbed S.S. John Glenn <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/orbital-atk-dedicates-cygnus-spacecraft-to-john-glenn>, the Cygnus spacecraft name is a tribute to the former astronaut and U.S. Senator from Ohio. It will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Coverage of the spacecraft’s solar array deployment will begin at 10:40 p.m., March 24, and will include post-launch interviews on console with mission managers. Under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract, Cygnus will carry more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 50 and 51 crew members. The new experiments will include magnetized tools <https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1929.html> to make it easier to reproduce experiments on Earth, an antibody investigation <https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/2347.html> that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment, and an advanced plant habitat <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-plant-habitat-will-increase-harvest-on-international-space-station> for studying plant physiology and growth of fresh food in space. Cygnus also is carrying 38 CubeSats, including many built by university students from around the world as part of the QB50 <https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/2539.html> program. The CubeSats are scheduled to deploy from either the spacecraft or space station in the coming months. When Cygnus arrives to the space station, Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will use the space station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, to take hold of the spacecraft. After Canadarm2 captures Cygnus, ground commands will be sent for the station’s arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station’s Unity module. Cygnus will remain on the station until June, when it will depart with several tons of trash for a fiery reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Prior to re-entry, a third experiment to test will be conducted to study how fire burns in space <https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2017/02/23/saffire-iii-fire-experiment-prepped-for-flight-to-station/>. This is Orbital ATK’s third launch from Cape Canaveral. Missions from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia are scheduled to resume for the eighth and subsequent contracted flights. For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/content/orbital-atk-crs-7-briefings-and-events <https://www.nasa.gov/content/orbital-atk-crs-7-briefings-and-events> For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv <http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv>

NASA TV to Air Preview Briefing, Three U.S. Spacewalks
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Expedition 50 astronauts will conduct three spacewalks outside the International Space Station (ISS) in late March and early April to prepare for the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft and upgrade station hardware.
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Expedition 50 astronauts will conduct three spacewalks outside the International Space Station (ISS) in late March and early April to prepare for the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft and upgrade station hardware.

NASA Selects CubeSat, SmallSat Mission Concept Studies 
NASA has selected ten studies under the Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies (PSDS3) program, to develop mission concepts using small satellites to investigate Venus, Earth’s moon, asteroids, Mars and the outer planets.

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For these studies, small satellites are defined as less than 180 kilograms in mass (about 400 pounds). CubeSats <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-space-cubes-small-satellites-provide-big-payoffs> are built to standard specifications of 1 unit (U), which is equal to 10x10x10 centimeters (about 4x4x4 inches). They often are launched into orbit as auxiliary payloads, significantly reducing costs. “These small but mighty satellites have the potential to enable transformational science,” said Dr. Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “They will provide valuable information to assist in planning future Announcements of Opportunity, and to guide NASA’s development of small spacecraft technologies for deep space science investigation.” NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is developing a small satellite strategy, with the goal of identifying high-priority science objectives in each discipline that can be addressed with CubeSats and SmallSats, managed for appropriate cost and risk. This multi-disciplinary approach will leverage and partner with the growing commercial sector to collaboratively drive instrument and sensor innovation. The PSDS3 awardees were recognized Monday at the 48th Lunar and Planetary Society Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. The total value of the awards is $3.6 million. 

The recipients are:

Venus

Christophe Sotin, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California:  Cupid's Arrow, a 30-kilogram probe to measure noble gases and their isotopes to investigate the geological evolution of Venus and why Venus and Earth have evolved so differently. Valeria Cottini, University of Maryland, College Park: CubeSat UV Experiment (CUVE), a 12-unit CubeSat orbiter to measure ultraviolet absorption and nightglow emissions to understand Venus’ atmospheric dynamics.

Moon
Suzanne Romaine, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts: CubeSat X-ray Telescope (CubeX), a 12-unit CubeSat to map the elemental composition mapping of airless bodies such as the moon, to understand their formation and evolutionary history using X-ray pulsar timing for deep space navigation. Timothy Stubbs, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland: Bi-sat Observations of the Lunar Atmosphere above Swirls (BOLAS), tethered 12-unit CubeSats to investigate the lunar hydrogen cycle by simultaneously measuring electromagnetic fields near the surface of the moon, and incoming solar winds high above.

Asteroids
Jeffrey Plescia, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland: Asteroid Probe Experiment (APEX), a SmallSat with a deployable seismometer to rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis and directly explore its interior structure, surface properties, and rotational state. Benton Clark, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado: CubeSat Asteroid Encounters for Science and Reconnaissance (CAESAR), a constellation of 6-unit CubeSats to evaluate the bulk properties of asteroids to assess their physical structure, and to provide constraints on their formation and evolution.

Mars
David Minton, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana: Chariot to the Moons of Mars, a 12-unit CubeSat with a deployable drag skirt to produce high-resolution imagery and surface material composition of Phobos and Deimos, to help understand how they were formed. Anthony Colaprete, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California: Aeolus, a 24-unit CubeSat to directly measure vertically-resolved global winds to help determine the global energy balance at Mars and understand daily climate variability.

Icy Bodies and Outer Planets
Kunio Sayanagi, Hampton University, Virginia: Small Next-generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP), an atmospheric entry probe to measure vertical cloud structure, stratification, and winds to help understand the chemical and physical processes that shape the atmosphere of Uranus. Robert Ebert, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas: JUpiter MagnetosPheric boundary ExploreR (JUMPER), a SmallSat to explore Jupiter’s magnetosphere, including characterizing the solar wind upstream of the magnetosphere to provide science context for future missions such as the Europa Clipper. For more information about NASA's CubeSat activities, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cubesats/index.html <https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cubesats/index.html>

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