Friday, April 3, 2015

Fwd: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW: NASA News and JSC Today - Friday, April 3, 2015



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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: April 3, 2015 at 8:17:04 AM CDT
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW: NASA News and JSC Today - Friday, April 3, 2015
Reply-To: larry.j.moon@nasa.gov

JSC Today - Friday, April 3, 2015

Happy Good Friday to everyone and have a wonderful Easter weekend and Easter Sunday.

 

It was great to see so many of you yesterday at our monthly Retirees Luncheon –especially good to see Larry Bell,  Barbara Shock, Judy White, Flo Cox, and many other wonderful colleagues and friends who are first timers or have not joined us for awhile.   

 

 

 

LEADING THE NEWS

• New Plan Could Have Astronauts Orbiting Mars By 2033.

NASA NEWS

• NASA's Innovation Score Increases In Recent Survey.

• Picayune Item: Third Party Should Take Over Opportunity Rover.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• Overbye Expounds On Earth As Seen By ISS Astronauts.

• SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Given More Time To Complete CCiCap Milestones.

• ISS' Orbit Raised To Prepare For Cargo Spacecraft.

• "Story Time from Space" Short Of Fundraising Goal.

• Delaware State University Experiment Heading To The ISS.

• Designer Of Zero-Gravity Cocktail Glass Wants To Print A Glass At The ISS.

• Local Residents Have Chance To See ISS On Saturday.

• Morehead State University To Build Cubesat For SLS Launch.

• Travolta To Host Relaunch Of Aldrin's ShareSpace Foundation.

New Plan Could Have Astronauts Orbiting Mars By 2033.

Aviation Week (4/2, Morring, 2K) reports that a workshop hosted by The Planetary Society and chaired by Scott Hubbard and John Logsdon determined that with "inflation-adjusted funding levels comparable to what NASA is spending on its human-spaceflight effort today," the US could afford to send astronauts into Mars orbit by 2033 and onto the surface by 2039. The article notes that the Jet Propulsion Laboratory tasked The Aerospace Corporation to evaluate the cost of the proposal. The plan would require no "dramatic advances in technology," and would rely on NASA's Orion and Space Launch System. It would also be funded by using the ISS' current budget once the station was shut down in 2024. According to the article, Logsdon believes that by undertaking an orbital mission before a landing, NASA would gain public support and "international and commercial partners."

        SPACE (4/2, Cofield, 236K) notes that Hubbard called the proposal a "long-term, cost-constrained, executable humans-to-Mars program." Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye said that while the technical issues involved would be challenging, "the real problem" facing the proposal was politics. Hubbard added that the "major hurdles" NASA faced in the past, such as "biomedical, launch systems and so forth," have been reduced to the point that they are less problematic than finding the necessary "political will."

        NBC News (4/2, Boyle, 2.71M) and Space Policy Online (4/2, Smith) also cover the story.

        Ramos: Manned Mars Mission Will Be Challenging. The Hindu (IND) (4/2, 101K) reports that at the inauguration of Kongu Engineering College's Edulaunch initiative earlier this week, Joe Ramos, a former NASA associate director, said that a manned Mars mission will be "challenging" because of the conditions at the planet. He also discussed how NASA was "useful to mankind."

        Blog Coverage. Morgan Rehnberg at Universe Today (4/2, 19K) considers the new Mars orbital plan "an exciting proposal by an organization with a credible history." However, he does wonder whether starting with an orbital mission would adds unnecessary risks for astronauts.

        Mark Whittington at the Examiner (4/2, 1.01M) blog comments that the proposal could be modified by the next Administration, "reversing some of the more controversial decisions made by the Obama administration."

NASA's Innovation Score Increases In Recent Survey.

Federal Computer Week (4/2, Schneider, 263K) reports that Partnership for Public Service determined that "for the fifth straight year," overall government innovation has declined. However, "several key agencies...both outperform their peers and are on the rise." NASA, for instance, "has topped the large-agency list every year," and "saw its score climb slightly to 76.7." Furthermore, the article notes that four NASA units "outscored their parent agency."

Picayune Item: Third Party Should Take Over Opportunity Rover.

The Picayune (MS) Item (4/3, 18K) editorialized on the possibility that after 11 years on Mars, the Opportunity rover mission may end because of budget cuts, and not because of technical issues. Even though the editors understand why this decision would "make fiscal sense," they think that "a private or commercial third party" should take over operations because the rover can still produce scientific results. They conclude that an arrangement should be made, because there is "no sense" in just abandoning "a perfectly good Opportunity."

Overbye Expounds On Earth As Seen By ISS Astronauts.

In his column for the New York Times (4/2, Subscription Publication, 9.97M), Dennis Overbye writes that with Earth Day approaching, "it's worth taking a look" at the views of Earth taken by ISS astronauts, "one of the little-known benefits of the space station." Astronauts take pictures of geological features and changes that would "spew headlines" if seen on exoplanets. Overbye comments that with the Kepler telescope making more exoplanet discoveries, Earth appears to be even "rarer and rarer" as time goes on.

        Blog Coverage. Chris Mills at Gizmodo (4/2, 1.04M) writes that following the "fantastic images" of Super Typhoon Maysak taken by ISS astronauts, NASA has released "awe-inspiring satellite imagery" of the storm taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's Precipitation Radar, which he posted. Mills notes that the ISS' RapidScat instrument also has been measuring the storm's wind speed. All of these measurements show how NASA is "keeping a very careful eye" on the storm.

SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Given More Time To Complete CCiCap Milestones.

Spaceflight Now (4/2, Clark, 3K) reports that NASA has given SpaceX and Sierra Nevada more time to finish their Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) milestones, although it did not provide any additional funds to do so. SpaceX and Sierra Nevada have until December 31 and March 31, 2016, respectively, to complete work that was supposed to be finished by March 31, which itself was an extension. NASA spokesperson Stephanie Schierholz said, "Throughout CCiCap, we have amended our (agreements) with Boeing, SNC and SpaceX to provide a mutually beneficial partnership for NASA and industry." The article notes that Boeing completed its milestones when the CCiCap deadline was first extended to August 2014.

ISS' Orbit Raised To Prepare For Cargo Spacecraft.

Russia's ITAR-TASS News Agency (4/2, 5K) reports that the ISS' orbit was raised "to facilitate docking with a Progress-M27M cargo spaceship." A mission control spokesperson called this a "routine" maneuver.

"Story Time from Space" Short Of Fundraising Goal.

SPACE (4/2, Howell, 236K) reports how the group behind "Story Time from Space," led by Patricia Tribe, is trying to raise $55,000 on Indigogo to add experiments to the stories read by ISS astronauts. The article notes that the group's first attempt to raise funds failed, and so far, only $3,000 has been raised. However, Tribe said that if this campaign fails, the group is "not stopping" its efforts. Tribe added that some experiments will be shipped to the ISS in June, and more books will be shipped in November. Two of those are written by astronaut Mark Kelly, and Tribe hopes that ISS astronaut Scott Kelly will have the chance to read them.

Delaware State University Experiment Heading To The ISS.

The WXDE-FM Milford, DE (4/3) website reports that Delaware State University students were chosen by the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program to develop an experiment that will fly aboard the ISS. It will be launched to the ISS sometime "this fall."

Designer Of Zero-Gravity Cocktail Glass Wants To Print A Glass At The ISS.

SPACE (4/2, Howell, 236K) reports on the "'zero-gravity' cocktail glass" designed by Samuel Coniglio. Coniglio Kickstarter campaign to has so far only raised $3,400 raised of its $30,000 goal. However, Coniglio is pleased by the publicity generated. According to the article a "big goal" is to one day print "a more ordinary-looking" glass at the ISS, but that "all depends on how quickly the funding appears."

Local Residents Have Chance To See ISS On Saturday.

In an article primarily about this weekend's eclipse, Peninsula (WA) Daily News (4/3, 41K) reports that the ISS will make a "three-minute pass Saturday night." The article notes that local residents will have additional opportunities to see the ISS Monday through Wednesday.

Morehead State University To Build Cubesat For SLS Launch.

The Ashland (KY) Daily Independent (4/2, 40K) reports that NASA selected Morehead State University (MSU) to develop a cubesat to launch aboard the Space Launch System in 2018 as part of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) program. Ben Malphrus, MSU's Department of Earth and Space Sciences chair and Space Science Center director, said that the school was "extremely excited" by the selection. The satellite will "prospect for water ice and other lunar volatiles from an orbit near the lunar surface." The article notes that the Goddard Space Flight Center is part of the project.

        Uncover Michigan (4/2, Bailey) and Examiner (4/2, Whittington, 1.01M) also cover the story.

Travolta To Host Relaunch Of Aldrin's ShareSpace Foundation.

collectSPACE (4/3, Pearlman) reports that on Thursday, Buzz Aldrin's not-for-profit ShareSpace Foundation announced that John Travolta will host the relaunch event at the Kennedy Space Center on July 18 "under one of the last surviving Saturn V rockets." The foundation will now strive "to address science literacy by delivering children's hands-on activities and inspirational messages."

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Organizations/Social

  1. 37th Annual FOD Chili Cook-off is Coming April 11

Calling all chili cooks and chili goers! On Saturday, April 11, the JSC area's finest chili chefs will gather together to cook up their best recipes, all vying for first place. If you haven't already registered your team, GET SIGNED UP—it's not too late. The $7 tickets are available in both Buildings 3 and 11 ShopNASA stores. The cost is $10 at the door, so hurry and get your tickets in advance. Propaganda for the cook-off starts Wednesday, April 8, at 4 p.m. Check the website for more information.

Event Date: Saturday, April 11, 2015   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:5:00 PM
Event Location: Gilruth Complex

Add to Calendar

Elmer Johnson x32084 https://external.jsc.nasa.gov/events/chili/index.cfm

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  1. Parent's Night Out at Starport – April 17

Enjoy a night out on the town while your kids enjoy a night with Starport! We will entertain your children with a night of games, crafts, a bounce house, pizza, movie, dessert and loads of fun!

When: Friday, April 17 from 6-10pm

Where: Gilruth Center

Ages: 5-12

Cost: $20/first child and $10/each additional sibling if registered by the Wednesday prior to event. If registered after Wednesday, the fee is $25/ first child and $15/ additional sibling

Shericka Phillips x35563 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov

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   Jobs and Training

  1. APPEL - Intro to Green Engineering - June 2-4

This course provides an introduction to the topic of green engineering, a tool for reducing the environmental impact of products, processes and systems and making them more sustainable. From a NASA perspective, green engineering is an engineering best practice that considers environmental impacts as another design risk for mission success.

This course is designed as graduate-level seminar for engineers, scientists, project managers and others who design products, processes or systems and want to understand, quantify and reduce the associated environmental impacts.

This course is available for self-registration until Tuesday, May 26, and is open to civil servants and contractors.

Dates: Tuesday through Thursday, June 2 to 4

Location: Building 12, Room 146

Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED...

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  1. NASA Business Acumen - Slots Still Available

There are slots available for CFO University's "NASA Business Acumen" training.

This two-day course has been tailored to the needs of the NASA technical organization staff to provide basic information and process descriptions for key NASA business functions:

    • Budget formulation and execution
    • Cost estimating
    • Procurement and reimbursable agreement policy and processes

A better understanding of these NASA business terms, procedures and policies can assist the technical community in working within the system and achieving mission objectives.

Target Audience: Technical, business and administrative personnel will find the information relevant, with a major objective to provide NASA-specific business acumen to the technical workforce

    • Date: April 14 to 15
    • Location: Building 12, Room 146
    • Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you are interested in attending, please register in SATERN using the direct link: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Patt Williams 713-249-1508

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JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles.

Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters.

 

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