Fwd: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW: NASA News and JSC Today - Wednesday, April 8, 2015

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: April 8, 2015 at 7:02:28 AM CDT
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW: NASA News and JSC Today - Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Reply-To: larry.j.moon@nasa.gov

Great to see some of you at Ralph Marak's memorial service yesterday.  Don't forget, today is Glynn Lunney's talk at the Gilruth at 11:30

 

 

Glynns book  "Highways into Space". will be available for purchase from Mr. & Mrs. Lunney with signature before and after his presentation.  If you already purchased his book, feel free to bring it for his signature.  The books sell for $30 soft cover and $59 hardcover (pay with cash or checks).

 

 

Also, please  keep Hugh Brasseaux Sr. in your prayers for a speedy recovery from a heart attack he suffered late last week …he ended up in St. John's Hospital ER and had to have a stint installed to clear a serious cardio blockage.

 

 

 

LEADING THE NEWS

• White House Initiative Highlights Impact Of Climate Change On Public Health.

• NASA Chief Scientist Predicts Alien Life Will Be Discovered In 10 To 20 Years.

NASA NEWS

• Marshall Space Flight Center Wins Small Business Administrator's Cup.

• IBM To Provide Cloud Services For Annual Space Apps Hackathon.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• Blue Origin's BE-3 Engine To Start Flight Tests This Year.

• NASA Unboxes Items Printed At The ISS.

• Kelly Photographs Texas.

• Student's Hydroponic Chamber Will Spend 120 Days At The ISS.

• Lockheed's ISS Cargo Contract Extended One Year.

• Wearable Device Will Track How Astronauts Utilize The ISS.

• Cristoforetti Tweets Photo Of UK For Peake's Birthday.

• Texas Students Speak With Astronauts Aboard ISS.

• KSC Called "A Hot Spot For Families."

• Scott To Raise Funds With Melbourne High Jazz Band.

• Over 30 Teams To Compete In Student Launch Challenge.

• Gemini 4 Spacewalk Checklist Going To Be Auctioned.

LEADING THE NEWS

White House Initiative Highlights Impact Of Climate Change On Public Health.

The Washington Post (4/8, Eilperin, 5.17M) reports that President Obama on Tuesday launched an initiative "aimed at highlighting the connections between climate change and public health, bringing both medical and data experts to the White House this week." Speaking to a group at Howard University, Obama said the White House will hold a Climate Change and Health Summit later this spring. The Administration is expanding its Climate Data Initiative to include "more than 150 health-relevant data sets." Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who attended the event along with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, warned that climate change could exacerbate asthma. Additionally, "White House senior adviser Brian Deese cited a recent study by the American Thoracic Society finding that 7 out of 10 doctors reported climate change is contributing to more health problems among their patients."

        The White House, McClatchy (4/8, Silverman, Subscription Publication, 17K) reports, "unveiled a long list of actions ranging from corporate and academic partnerships to community programs to highlight the health impacts of climate change." The effort involves multiple government agencies, including the CDC, the NIH, the EPA, and NASA. According to NASA, "97 percent of climate scientists, as well as groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Meteorological Society, agree that human activities have very likely contributed to the warming of the planet."

        According to the AP (4/8, Lederman, Pickler), Obama is "aiming to put a spotlight on ways that climate change will have real impacts on the body, like more asthma attacks, allergic reactions, heat-related deaths and injuries from extreme weather."

        USA Today (4/8, Korte, 4.95M) quotes Obama as saying, "What we know is that the temperature of the planet is rising. And we know that in addition to the adverse impacts that may have when it comes to more frequent hurricanes, or more powerful storms, or increased flooding, we also know that it has an impact on public health."

        The Hill (4/8, Cama, 224K) quotes Surgeon General Murthy as saying, "As surgeon general, one of my larger messages to our country is that we all have a stake in health. And as a result, we all have a responsibility to protect it."

        Also reporting the story are the Wall Street Journal (4/8, Nelson, Subscription Publication, 5.67M), Bloomberg Politics (4/7, 169K), and TIME (4/8, 19.19M).

        NASA Taking To Social Media For Earth Day. The WXYZ-TV Detroit (4/7, Bahou, 101K) website reports on a social media campaign launched by NASA for Earth Day. NASA will share photos of Earth and is encouraging social media users to post photos of their favorite places on Earth using the hashtag #NoPlaceLikeHome.

        Blog Coverage. Brad Plumer at Vox (4/7, 737K) posts "14 of the most revealing" before-and-after images highlighting the changes people have made to the Earth over the years. These were part of NASA's "Images of Change" series. Plumer comments that transformation can be "breathtaking."

        In another article for Vox (4/7, 737K), Dylan Matthews writes about what presidential candidate Rand Paul would do if elected based on the three "detailed" Federal budgets he released. Matthews highlighted the positions that "even his Republican colleagues don't share." one of those includes a 25% cut to NASA's budget. Paul said that because President Obama was "determined to realign the goals of NASA away from human space exploration to science and 'global warming' research, there is also a need to realign the agency's funding." Paul also thought that NASA could reduce its spending now that more private spaceflight companies exist.

NASA Chief Scientist Predicts Alien Life Will Be Discovered In 10 To 20 Years.

The Los Angeles Times (4/7, Netburn, 3.49M) "Science Now" website reports that NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan said during a public panel, "I believe we are going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth in the next decade and definitive evidence in the next 10 to 20 years. ... We know where to look, we know how to look, and in most cases we have the technology." Stofan clarified that this life will involve "microbes," not people. At the same event, Jeffery Newmark, NASA interim director of heliophysics, similarly said, "It's definitely not an if, it's a when." According to the article, those at the panel, such as Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA, described "a flurry of recent discoveries" that corroborate this estimate. For instance, the concept that life formed only around a star's habitable zone was "too limited." Green said, "We now recognize that habitable zones are not just around stars, they can be around giant planets too. ... We are finding out the solar system is really a soggy place." John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for science, added, "Once we get beyond Mars, which formed from the same stuff as Earth, the likelihood that life is similar to what we find on this planet is very low." Green also told the audience, "The science community is making enormous progress. ... And I've told my team I'm planning to be the director of planetary science when we discover life in the solar system."

        According to Popular Science (4/7, Grush, 6.72M), this panel was created because of "the recent discoveries of water hiding within many of our planetary neighbors."

        Also covering the story are the Daily Mail (UK) (4/7, Zolfagharifard, 4.78M), RT (RUS) (4/8, 346K), The Inquisitr (4/7, West, 753K), SPACE (4/7, Wall, 236K), and Nature World News (4/7, Stallard).

NASA NEWS

Marshall Space Flight Center Wins Small Business Administrator's Cup.

The Huntsville (AL) Times (4/7, Roop, 127K) reports that for the fourth time, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden presented the Marshall Space Flight Center with the Small Business Administrator's Cup. Bolden said, "I told the team this morning it's getting to be a habit. ... David Brock, who is sitting over here, is the small business administrator at Marshall and he is a national treasure. A lot of the practices that are utilized in a number of other agencies are practices that David incorporated here in Huntsville." Brock noted, "The entire Marshall team recognizes the value of a diverse and solid foundation of business partners as we build programs of exploration and discovery. ... Mission success depends on their success. We couldn't do it without them." Marshall Director Patrick Scheuermann similarly said, "It's always an honor to receive an award, but to earn this one consistently says volumes about the quality of our team. ... As we continue building the Space Launch System and supporting NASA's missions to help life on Earth and reach ever deeper into space, the participation of small businesses and other partners will be vital."

        The WHNT-TV Huntsville, AL (4/7, Wood, 76K) website carried many of the same quotes as the Huntsville Times. Glenn Delgado, associate administrator of NASA's Office of Small Business Programs, said, "I am pleased — but not at all surprised — to again be presenting the Marshall team with this award. ... They know how important the role of small business is to our mission, and they continue building on their record of commitment to our business programs." Meanwhile, Bolden also praised Marshall for its work on the SLS, saying, "They used to kind of frown upon SLS but now as we're learning more and more about its potential capability, even the science community is starting to take a liking to SLS because it portends of being able to help us get missions — that today take us about 5 years to get to Jupiter — may perhaps take as few as 2."

        Ashland Daily Independent: Selection By NASA Proves MSU's Quality Education. The Ashland (KY) Daily Independent (4/8, 40K) editorialized that "the quality of Morehead State University's (MSU) space science program" was proven when NASA selected it to develop a cubesat for a launch aboard the Space Launch System in 2018. The editors expect this achievement to become "an excellent recruiting tool" for the university.

IBM To Provide Cloud Services For Annual Space Apps Hackathon.

The Washington Post (4/7, Jayakumar, 5.17M) "On I.T." website continues coverage of this weekend's fourth annual space apps hackathon. The article notes that for this year's event, IBM will provide the participants with cloud services on its Bluemix platform and technical support. Sandy Carter, general manager of the company's cloud division, also reportedly said that "30 winners who design the most innovative apps" will win a combined $120,000 worth of Bluemix services in addition to what NASA will dole out.

        TechCrunch (4/7, Miller, 462K) reports that the hackathon aims "to simply encourage creative and entrepreneurial thinking and the joys of programming," as well as develop "creative solutions to real problems."

        Similar coverage is provided by ZDNet (4/7, Gagliordi, 228K) and the CIO Magazine (4/7, Gaudin, 436K).

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

Blue Origin's BE-3 Engine To Start Flight Tests This Year.

The Washington Post (4/7, Davenport, 5.17M) "The Switch" blog reports that Blue Origin revealed Tuesday that its BE-3 engine, which will make its first test flight with its "reusable New Shepard spacecraft" this year. According to the article, this was "a significant milestone" toward the company's plan for suborbital tourist flights. Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson did not say when exactly the flight would take place. The article notes that Jeff Bezos, who owns the company, is part of the "new vanguard of ultra-wealthy entrepreneurs" with spaceflight projects.

        The Seattle Times (4/7, Grunbaum, 1.05M) notes that Blue Origin was still "a long way" from providing "safe, reliable and affordable" space trips for the masses. Meanwhile, Meyerson explained that so far, the engine has gone through "450 tests, running for a total of 500 minutes and consuming 3.3 million gallons of liquid hydrogen."

        According to SPACE (4/7, Malik, 236K), the BE-3 engine will need to complete "a rigorous testing regime." Meyerson said that flight tests could be conducted monthly, with more frequent flights in the future. Meyerson also said that the BE-4 engine the company is developing for the United Launch Alliance's Next-Generation Launch Vehicle could start testing next year. Meyerson added that while the media will not be invited to witness the engine tests, Blue Origin is "a little more open" than it has been in the past.

        Space News (4/7, Foust, Subscription Publication, 481) reports that the first New Shepard flights with the BE-3 engine will not include crews, but Blue Origin could start selling tickets for New Shepard flights in "a few years," according to Meyerson.

        The NBC News (4/7, Boyle, 2.71M) website notes that some of the testing for the BE-3's combustion chamber was conducted at the Stennis Space Center.

        Also covering the story are Reuters (4/7, Klotz), Sen (4/7, Klotz), Puget Sound (WA) Business Journal (4/7, Wilhelm, Subscription Publication, 48K), CBS News (4/7, Harwood, 8.2M), The Verge (4/7, Duhaime-Ross, 876K), GeekWire (4/7, Bishop, 34K), Venture Beat (4/7, Sullivan, 131K), Parabolic Arc (4/7, Messier), Aviation Week (4/7, Morring, 2K), and Spaceflight Insider (4/7, Rhian).

        Blog Coverage. Andrew Tarantola at Engadget (4/7, 759K) writes that once pilots start flying on New Shepard, the spacecraft will still need to complete more flight testing "before earning a NASA Commercial Resupply Contract."

NASA Unboxes Items Printed At The ISS.

The ABC News (4/7, Newcomb, 3.41M) website reports that Quincy Bean, principal investigator for NASA's 3D printer, unboxed 21 items printed that the ISS, including "the first-ever 3-D printed tools." NASA will now examine how these parts and tools compared "to a control set that were printed on Earth last year."

        The NBC News (4/7, Coldewey, 2.71M) website notes that NASA released a video of Bean removing "the carefully packaged pieces."

        The Huntsville (AL) Times (4/7, Roop, 127K) also covered the "special cargo" unboxed at the Marshall Space Flight Center yesterday. Boing Boing (4/7, Jardin, 147K) and Venture Beat (4/7, 131K) also cover the story.

Kelly Photographs Texas.

The Houston Chronicle (4/7, Baddour, 2.28M) reports that ISS astronaut Scott Kelly has sent back photographs of Texas taken from the station. The article notes that the images show how "three giant Texas metropolises" and "even the I-35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin" can be seen from space.

        Meanwhile, the KHOU-TV Houston (4/7, 214K) website notes that another photograph shows Kelly watching the station "during [a] brief downtime."

Student's Hydroponic Chamber Will Spend 120 Days At The ISS.

The Denver Post (4/7, Briggs, 804K) reports that a hydroponic plant chamber built by Lakewood High School students through the high school students united with NASA to create hardware (HUNCH) program is heading to the ISS for 120 days of testing. It will be carried by SpaceX when it launches on a cargo mission in April. Instructor Matt Brown said that typically, student projects only spend a short time at the station, so the fact that the project will stay there for so long was notable.

        AmericaSpace (4/7, Evans) has a very detailed description of the cargo SpaceX will be carrying, which NASA's Dan Huot "stressed" would be finalized this week.

Lockheed's ISS Cargo Contract Extended One Year.

The ExecutiveBiz (4/7, Forrester) blog reports that NASA has extended by one year Lockheed Martin's contract for "cargo planning, processing and shipping services for missions to the International Space Station." Lockheed first won the award in December 2010.

        The Baltimore Daily Record (4/7) also covers the story.

Wearable Device Will Track How Astronauts Utilize The ISS.

The Boston Business Journal (4/7, Harris, Subscription Publication, 89K)"Techflash" blog reports that Draper Laboratory is developing a "wearable" device that will track how astronauts move about the ISS to create "three-dimensional models of the crew's use of the interior of the spacecraft." This, in turn, will allow NASA to design "a better spacecraft" for long-term missions. Séamus Tuohy, director of space systems at Draper, said that the goal is to develop a prototype over the next two years.

Cristoforetti Tweets Photo Of UK For Peake's Birthday.

BreakingNews.ie (4/8) reports that astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti tweeted a photo of the UK in honor of British astronaut Tim Peake's birthday. In the tweet, Cristoforetti mentions Peake's upcoming mission to the ISS in November.

Texas Students Speak With Astronauts Aboard ISS.

KGNB-AM New Braunfels, TX (4/8, 380) reports that students at Smithson Valley High School in Comal County, Texas participated in a question and answer session with astronauts aboard the ISS on Monday via downlink. Former NASA astronaut Charles Duke also participated in the event, which was brought to the school by Rep. Lamar Smith, Chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

KSC Called "A Hot Spot For Families."

In an article for USA Today 10best (4/7, 66K), Aimee Heckel describes the "unique, educational amusement park" at the Kennedy Space Center, "a hot spot for families." Heckel describes what the center offers and recommends that visitors plan to spend an entire day there.

        Communications Specialist Headed To NASA Social Media Event. The WCIA-TV Champaign, IL (4/7, Hockenberry, 3K) website reports that a teacher from Urbana, Illinois will participate in a NASA social media event at the Kennedy Space Center this weekend. Joanne Geigner is the district communications specialist for Urbana schools. Geigner will get "an inside look at how NASA operates" at the event.

Scott To Raise Funds With Melbourne High Jazz Band.

Florida Today (4/8, Sonnenberg, 178K) reports that astronaut Winston Scott will play with the Melbourne High Jazz Band on Friday as part of a fundraiser. According to the article, "the versatile Scott" earned a music degree at Florida State University.

Over 30 Teams To Compete In Student Launch Challenge.

THE Journal (4/7, Hart, 6K) reports that this Friday and Saturday, over "30 middle school, high school and college teams," will compete in the Student Launch Challenge near the Marshall Space Flight Center. Competitors, who have all qualified for the challenge through other events, will have the chance to launch their rockets "to an altitude of as much as 1 mile, deploy onboard science experiments they have prepared and land safely using a system of recovery parachutes." Tammy Rowan, manager of the Marshall Academic Affairs Office, said, "Each team must meet rigorous standards and review processes, just like those applied in the NASA workplace." The article notes that tomorrow, teams will make "technical presentations to NASA engineers" during a Rocket Fair.

        Uncover Michigan (4/7, Bailey) also covers the story.

Gemini 4 Spacewalk Checklist Going To Be Auctioned.

The Daily Mail (UK) (4/7, O'Callaghan, 4.78M) reports that the "bloodstained" checklist from the Gemini 4 spacewalk, the first ever by an American, is set to be auctioned for an estimated value of $120,000. The blood is thought to have come from an astronaut who cut his hand while "frantically" closing the spacecraft's hatch when Ed White returned from the spacewalk. According to the article, checklists like this one are considered "to be highly collectable items."

        The Times (UK) (4/8, de Bruxelles, 10K) also covers the story.

 

 

 

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

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JSC TODAY CATEGORIES Headlines -  WSTF and JSC Connectivity - April 9 -  Farming from Space -  Reminder: Ceres Talk Today by Marc Fries Organizations/Social -  This Saturday is Chili Time -- Get Your Chili Here -  Out & Allied ERG Meeting TODAY, April 8 -  Face to Face Panel: NASA Astronauts -  Astronaut Ron Garan Book Signing and Pre-Order -  Personal and Social Boundaries -  Reminder: JSC Lunarfins SCUBA Club Open House -  Collaborative Project Software May Blow Your Mind -  What's on Top of Building 12? -  Starport Youth Sports Camps -  Gilruth Flex Friday Delights Jobs and Training -  JSC Risk-Informed Decision Making - April 30 -  RLLS Portal Training for April - Via WebEx -  Guidance, Navigation and Control: May 11-15 -  APPEL - Intro to Green Engineering - June 2-4 Community -  NASA Employees Save 10 Percent on Summer Day Camps -  JSC Blood Drive: April 15-16 -  Starport (JSC Exchange) Scholarship Program -  Identity Theft Webinar Available to JSC Employees

Searching for Water in the Solar System and Beyond

 

Headlines WSTF and JSC Connectivity - April 9 Tomorrow, April 9, from 6 to 10 p.m. CDT, the NASA Integrated Communications Services (NICS) team will be transitioning a router as part of the White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) Data Center migration activity. In support of this activity, all connectivity between WSTF and JSC will be unavailable. For technical assistance, contact the Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) at 1-877-677-2123, Option 2. JSC IRD Outreach x34800 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/Lists/wIReD%20in%20The%20Latest%20IRD%20News/Lat... [top] Farming from Space Did you know that remote-sensing instruments on our International Space Station can help farmers make decisions on the use of agricultural land? Check out this video from the Benefits for Humanity series. Liz Warren x35548 [top] Reminder: Ceres Talk Today by Marc Fries Ceres: A Wet-ish, Warm-ish, Habitable World of Mystery and Opportunity Join us TODAY for a talk about dwarf planet Ceres by Marc Fries, a JSC Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science planetary scientist. The NASA Dawn spacecraft recently arrived in orbit around Ceres, a dwarf planet the size of Texas and the largest body in the asteroid belt. Ceres is a poorly understood dwarf planet rich in volatiles, perhaps containing as much fresh water as the Earth. Recently, some salt grains found in two unusual meteorites have been hypothesized as originating from Ceres. This talk will discuss the meteorites in detail and their implications. Fries will also discuss Ceres in general: what we know, what we don't and why this world is an interesting target for future exploration. Questions and discussion are encouraged. Event Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:2:00 PM Event Location: B30 Auditorium Add to Calendar Kristen John x40897 http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/ [top]    Organizations/Social This Saturday is Chili Time -- Get Your Chili Here The wait is over, and now is the time to get your chili this Saturday, April 11! Fifty teams will vie to lay claim to having the best-tasting chili around "these here" parts. Not cooking? No problem. Just $7 in advance gets you all the chili you can eat and all the drinks to wash it down. Gates open at 11 a.m. for the public. Get tickets from the Starport Gift Shops in Buildings 3 and 11. Tickets are $10 at the door on the day of the event. For more information, click here. 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 [top] Out & Allied ERG Meeting TODAY, April 8 All JSC team members (government, contractor, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender [LGBT] and non-LGBT allies) are invited to the Out & Allied @ JSC Employee Resource Group (ERG) monthly meeting today, April 8, from noon to 1 p.m. in Building 4S, Room 1200. The primary order of business for this month's meeting is to hold a special election for the position of ERG co-chair. Please join us to help, meet others and network! For more information about our group, including how to become involved, contact any listed Out & Allied member on our SharePoint site. Event Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: Bldg. 4S/Room 1200 Add to Calendar Barbara Conte x31961 http://collaboration.jsc.nasa.gov/iierg/LGBTA/SitePages/Home.aspx [top] Face to Face Panel: NASA Astronauts Please join the Women Excelling in Life and Leadership (WELL) Employee Resource Group (ERG) on Tuesday, April 14, for a face-to-face panel discussion with six incredible female astronauts. The topic of conversation will be mostly focused toward work/life fit and the astronauts' unique experiences, stories and/or challenges they may have faced. The WELL ERG looks forward to seeing you there! Both women and men are welcome. Please see the flyer for details. Event Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2015   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium Add to Calendar Laura Lucier x45443 https://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/WELL/ [top] Astronaut Ron Garan Book Signing and Pre-Order ShopNASA is proud to announce a book signing with astronaut Ron Garan on Wednesday, May 6. Garan will be signing his new book, "The Orbital Perspective." He flew aboard space shuttle Discovery on STS-124 as a mission specialist and served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station on Expeditions 27 and 28. Books for the book signing must be purchased from Buildings 3 or 11 gift shops. Pre-order begins today, April 8, at both gift shop locations. Ansley Browns x46487 [top] Personal and Social Boundaries Setting clear personal boundaries is the key to ensuring your relationships are mutually respectful, supportive and caring. Boundaries are a measure of self-esteem. We will look at different types of boundaries for your personal life and at the workplace. Boundary violations are key underlying factors in conflict and trust issues within relationships. We will be defining key boundaries, how to manage the guilt with setting a boundary and identifying the mistakes we make in crossing boundaries. No one else can set our boundaries for us. You will also be able to understand the importance of setting and maintaining boundaries with those around you. Please join Anika Isaac, LPC, LMFT, LCDC, CEAP, NCC, with the JSC Employee Assistance Program, as she presents "Personal and Social Boundaries." Event Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium Add to Calendar Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Occupational Health Branch x36130 [top] Reminder: JSC Lunarfins SCUBA Club Open House Don't forget to stop by the Gilruth after work today to discover the benefits of the Lunarfins SCUBA Club at the 14th Annual Open House. Lunarfins has been active as the JSC SCUBCA club for more than 50 years! For those interested in diving, find out how to get started in SCUBA diving. For those already divers, find out about dive trips, social events, monthly talks and advanced training events, and mingle with fellow divers. There's even a SCUBA gear flea market! Bring to sell or come to buy. Hot Dogs, snacks and soft drinks will be served. Hope to see you there! Event Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015   Event Start Time:5:00 PM   Event End Time:7:00 PM Event Location: Gilruth Live Oak Pavilion Add to Calendar Barbara Corbin x36215 http://www.lunarfins.com [top] Collaborative Project Software May Blow Your Mind Ever heard of "mind mapping?" Ever applied it to project management, scheduling and reporting? If so, that's terrific! If not, that's okay, too. Regardless of your experience level with it, the JSC Planning/Scheduling Community of Practice invites you to learn about how the EVA Management Office is using mind-mapping software as a tool for project management—from conception to integration and reporting. We'd love to hear how you have used it, too! Either way, the presentation and conversation may just blow your mind! The JSC Planning/Scheduling Community of Practice is free and open to anyone who is interested in learning about and sharing their experiences with project management planning best practices. It provides a mechanism for practitioners to keep each other current in the developments of program and project planning and scheduling, and fosters communication and collaboration among members. Hope to see you there! Event Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2015   Event Start Time:2:00 PM   Event End Time:3:30 PM Event Location: Bldg1/620 Add to Calendar Nancy Fleming x47205 https://pmi.jsc.nasa.gov/schedules/SitePages/Home.aspx [top] What's on Top of Building 12? There is a lot happening on the roof of Building 12 related to environmental sustainability, and you can learn more at this month's environmental brown bag. Mike Ewert with JSC's Crew and Thermal Systems Division will give an overview of the wind and solar energy systems on Building 12 and a partnership with the National Renewable Energy Lab to gather data on urban wind turbines. The data gathering also extends to monitoring Building 12's "green roof." In fact, brown-bag attendees will have the opportunity to tour the roof after the talk. Flat, closed shoes are required for the tour. Bring your lunch and walking shoes to Building 45, Room 410CA, which looks out over the top of Building 12. Event Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2015   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: B45 room 410CA Add to Calendar Michelle Fraser-Page x34237 [top] Starport Youth Sports Camps Starport is now offering youth sports camps. We are offering three different sports camps: baseball, basketball and a soccer camp. All camps are a week long. Sign up early online, as spots are going fast! Dates: June 22 to 26 (Soccer) July 20 to 24 (Baseball) Aug. 3 to 7 (Basketball) Fee per session: $200 per child | $50 per week extended care Register online or at the Gilruth Center information desk. Robert K. Vaughn II x38049 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/familyyouth-programs/sports-ca... [top] Gilruth Flex Friday Delights Gilruth Flex Friday delights! Are you ready for a *delicious* spin on this week's Flex Friday "menu?" On top of our group classes and personal-training consultations, we are overjoyed to bring you a special presentation by Marla Murphy, registered dietician, called "Back to the Basics!" It takes place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Discovery Room. In her debut, Murphy will discuss how to build a solid nutrition foundation that can be tailored to fit individual needs. So, whether it's a 30-minute, complimentary personal-training session (sign up through the link below), a group fitness class or Murphy's lunch-and-learn—we hope you'll grace us with your presence and energy this Friday, April 10! Chrisanna Colletta x35010 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/special-events/flex-friday-spe... [top]    Jobs and Training JSC Risk-Informed Decision Making - April 30 JSC Risk-Informed Decision Making (RIDM): The JSC RIDM collaborative workshop provides students a strategy to integrate RIDM and Continuous Risk Management. Course materials include a discussion of the benefits of ensuring decisions include risk considerations with appropriate rigor commensurate with the significance. Facilitators will lead the students through exercises demonstrating the steps to evaluate options and select a decision alternative that is risk-informed. Event Date: Thursday, April 30, 2015   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:12:00 PM Event Location: Building 12/Room 134 Add to Calendar Paula Gothreaux 281-335-2441 [top] RLLS Portal Training for April - Via WebEx The April Monthly RLLS Portal Education Series - via WebEx sessions: April 15 at 2 p.m. CDT, Meeting Support Module Training April 16 at 2 p.m. CDT, Lodging Request Training April 22 at 2 p.m. CDT, Cell Phone Request Training April 23 at 2 p.m. CDT, International Space Station Russia Travel Module Training These 30-minute training sessions are computer-based WebEx sessions, offering individuals the convenience to join from their own workstation. The training will cover the following: System login Locating support modules Locating downloadable instructions Creating support requests Submittal requirements Submitting on behalf of another Adding attachments Selecting special requirements Submitting a request Status of a request After each session there will be opportunities for Q&A. Please remember that TTI will no longer accept requests for U.S.-performed services unless they are submitted through the RLLS Portal. Email or call 281-335-8565 to sign up. James Welty 281-335-8565 https://www.tti-portal.com [top] Guidance, Navigation and Control: May 11-15 This course will help you understand the principles of navigation by inertial, celestial and radio (including GPS) methods, the principles of guidance and control of 6-DOF motion, the characteristics and noise models of sensors and the dynamic behavior of controlled and guided systems. This course is designed for engineers and scientists involved in the design or evaluation of guidance, navigation and control systems. This course is available for self-registration in SATERN and is open to civil servants and contractors. Dates: Monday through Friday, May 11 to 15 Location: Building 12, Room 134 Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED... [top] 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... [top]    Community NASA Employees Save 10 Percent on Summer Day Camps NASA employees: Save 10 percent on summer day camps! Book online using coupon code JSCCAMP10 to save. Ignite your child's imagination with inspiring innovations and discoveries in either individual camps or the all-new Discovery Science Series, which rolls together exciting age-appropriate single-day camps into one amazing weeklong adventure. This is the only summer camp experience designed to grow with your child each year. Our educational lineup includes astronaut training, a theater camp, rocket combustion, Scratch computer programming, junior veterinarian camp, structural engineering and much, much more. It's all part of our educational focus on what NASA is working on now and in the future. All NASA employees and NASA-badged contractors can save 10 percent on summer day camps. Reserve your space before the camps fill up. For more information, visit online or call 281-283-4755. Meridyth Moore 281-709-8124 [top] JSC Blood Drive: April 15-16 If you are eligible to donate blood, you have the chance to make the difference in the lives of three people by taking part in the upcoming JSC blood drive. Your donation could help an accident victim, someone receiving an organ transplant or a cancer patient battling his/her disease. Consider giving this gift of life at one of the following locations: Teague Auditorium lobby - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Building 11 Café donor coach - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gilruth Center donor coach - Noon to 4 p.m. (WEDNESDAY for this drive only) T-shirts, snacks and drinks will be provided for all donors. Event Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2015   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:4:00 PM Event Location: Teague Lobby, Bldg. 11, and Gilruth Add to Calendar Bini Kadwa x31979 http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/blooddrv/blooddrv.htm [top] Starport (JSC Exchange) Scholarship Program The deadline for applications to the Starport (JSC Exchange) Scholarship Program has been extended to May 15. Starport is proud to offer two scholarships this year to provide financial assistance for dependents (children) of JSC civil servants or reimbursable detailees and dependents (children) of JSC Starport Partners to attend college. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of academic achievement, financial need and involvement in school or community activities. The scholarship winners may pursue any course of study leading to a recognized degree at any accredited college in the country. Additional information regarding Starport Partners, the Starport Scholarship Program and applications can be found online. Dottie Smith x39028 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/additional-services/scholarship-program [top] Identity Theft Webinar Available to JSC Employees The NASA Federal Credit Union, based at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., will offer financial safety advice, along with a shred truck, at this year's Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair on April 22 at the Gilruth. On Wednesday, April 15, you can attend the "Identity Theft" webinar from noon to 1 p.m. to learn how crooks get your personal information, how to minimize your risk, warning signs that you may be a victim and what to do if you need help. On April 22, bring old bills, bank records, credit-card statements, canceled checks and receipts to the shred truck located in the Gilruth south parking lot from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Your documents will be destroyed on-site. As a bonus, all shredded materials will be recycled. Click here for details. All JSC employees and contractors are invited, with no obligation, to participate in both the webinar and shred truck. Event Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2015   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: http://www.nasafcu.com/jsc Add to Calendar Rindy Carmichael x45078 http://www.nasafcu.com/jsc [top]

 

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