<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Hi all,</font><div class=""><font size="4" class=""> I think most schools are back overseas... here not until next week but wanted to get this to you because i hope you can find a few minutes to share some of it with the kids… here is the link….<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class=""> </span><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(66, 139, 202); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv</a> </font><font face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class="">Expedition 50 astronauts will venture outside the International Space Stationat 7 a.m. EST Jan. 6 and 13 to perform a complex upgrade to the orbital outpost’s power system. Coverage of the spacewalks will begin at 5:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(66, 139, 202); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">website</a>...wishing you all a wonderful weekend….</font><font size="4" class="">we have to remember to always do our best, enjoy everything we do, live in the present, make each day special, let those we care about most know, smile & have fun…gabe</font></div><div class=""><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""> </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""> </div><div class="title-bar" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2em 0px;"><div class="title-wrap" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 738.75px; padding: 0px;"><h1 class="title" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.1; color: inherit; font-size: 2.2em;">NASA Preps for Space Station Power Upgrade Spacewalks; Live NASA TV Coverage</h1></div></div><section id="ember968" class="opened collapsible ember-view" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-height: none; overflow-y: hidden;"><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="type-image dnd-atom-wrapper context-full_width" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: table; margin: 0px auto 2em;"><div class="dnd-drop-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/m16-146.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(42, 100, 150); outline: 0px; background-position: 0px 0px;" class=""><font size="4" class=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" width="985" height="656" alt="Expedition 50 crew members Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough of NASA" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; margin-bottom: 10px;" apple-inline="yes" id="1E3B3637-7917-45E3-B480-70D3C32E4BC2" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:8791D957-0AC1-4CBA-8691-0CB168DE2149" class=""></font></a></div><div class="dnd-legend-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="caption" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" class="">Expedition 50 crew members Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough of NASA capture a quick selfie during robotics training inside the Cupola of the International Space Station.</font></div><div class="credits" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"><font size="4" class="">Credits: NASA</font></div><div class="link" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: inherit; background-attachment: inherit; background-origin: inherit; background-clip: inherit; background-size: inherit; padding: 0px;"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Expedition 50 astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station at 7 a.m. EST Jan. 6 and 13 to perform a complex upgrade to the orbital outpost’s power system. Coverage of the spacewalks will begin at 5:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(66, 139, 202); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial initial;" class="">website</a>.</font></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">On Wednesday, Jan. 4, NASA TV will air a briefing at 2 p.m. from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to preview the spacewalk activities. The briefing participants are:</font></div><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;" class=""><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Kenneth Todd, International Space Station Operations Integration Manager</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Jud Frieling, flight director for Jan. 6 spacewalk</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Gary Horlacher, flight director for Jan. 13 spacewalk</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Troy McCracken, lead battery replacement robotics officer</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Kieth Johnson, lead spacewalk officer</font></li></ul><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Media may attend the briefing at Johnson or ask questions by calling the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 1:45 p.m. Jan. 4.</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Working on the right side truss of the space station, the crew members will install adapter plates and hook up electrical connections for six new lithium-ion batteries that were delivered to the station in December.</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA will perform the first spacewalk Jan. 6. The work will continue Jan. 13 during the second spacewalk, which will be conducted by Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency).</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Prior to each spacewalk, the new batteries will be robotically extracted from a pallet to replace 12 older nickel-hydrogen batteries through a series of robotic operations. Nine of the older batteries will be stowed in a cargo resupply craft for later disposal, while three will remain on the station’s truss, disconnected from the power grid. The robotic operations will not air on NASA TV.</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">This will be the 196th and 197th spacewalks in support of space station assembly and maintenance. Kimbrough will be designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1), wearing the suit bearing red stripes for both spacewalks, the third and fourth of his career.</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Whitson will be making the seventh spacewalk of her career and match the record of NASA’s Suni Williams, for most spacewalks by a woman. She will be designated extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2), wearing the suit with no stripes for the first spacewalk.</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Pesquet, who will be making the first spacewalk of his career, will be extravehicular crew member 2 for the second spacewalk, also wearing a suit with no stripes.</font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Get NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information at: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv" style="font-weight: 700; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(66, 139, 202); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv</a></font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font size="4" class="">For the latest on the International Space Station, its crew and their research, visit: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/station" style="font-weight: 700; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(66, 139, 202); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">http://www.nasa.gov/station</a></font></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><div class="title-bar" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2em 0px;"><div class="title-wrap" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 560.25px; padding: 0px;"><h1 class="title" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.1; color: inherit; font-size: 2.2em;">Black Hole Friday</h1></div></div><div class="feature-image-container" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px -2em 2em;"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/592260main_blackhole-outflow.jpg" data-bindattr-939="939" class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(66, 139, 202); text-decoration: none; background-position: 0px 0px;"><img apple-inline="yes" id="7CF25447-557D-4F33-A7B1-2622B279F4BA" height="480" width="621" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:0EAF5AC4-0271-4561-A70A-71E775188807" class=""></a></div><section id="ember931" class="opened collapsible ember-view" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-height: none; overflow-y: hidden;"><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;"><font size="4" class="">In this artist's illustration, turbulent winds of gas swirl around a black hole. Some of the gas is spiraling inward toward the black hole, but another part is blown away.</font></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;"><font size="4" class="">A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.<br class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently than other stars.<br class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">How Big Are Black Holes?<br class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or "stuff," in an object.</font></p><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></section></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div></section></body></html>