Fwd: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW:NASA New and JSC Today - Wednesday, April 22, 2015

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: April 22, 2015 at 7:58:57 AM CDT
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW:NASA New and JSC Today - Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Reply-To: larry.j.moon@nasa.gov

 

 

LEADING THE NEWS

• Hubble Expected To Last Until Webb Telescope Is Operational.

NASA NEWS

• Spaceflight Has Changed Humanity's View Of The Earth.

• NASA To Attend This Week's Aerospace Alliance Spring Meeting.

• Apollo 13 Mission Commander, Flight Director To Speak At GRU.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• Orion Program Helps Lockheed Beat First Quarter Profit Predictions.

• Army Helps NASA Develop SLS.

• Wooten The New Mission Operations Laboratory Director.

• Kelly: No Tensions Between Russian And Americans At The ISS.

• ARM Technology Will Help Mars Mission, According To NASA.

• SpaceX Pad Abort Test Will Take Place No Earlier Than May 5.

• NASA Delays Next Commercial Resupply Contract Award By Three Months.

• Canada Supports ISS Extension to 2024.

• NASA Distances Itself From Hyundai Ad.

• Private Companies' Experiments Are Now At The ISS.

• ISS' OSTEO Experiment Now Complete.

• Cassidy Recounts ISS Experience.

• Micronaut Mission Teaches Students About ISS Experiments.

• NASA Extends Wyle's Support Contract By Nine Months.

• Spudis: No "Apollo-Like" Level Of Funding Coming For Manned Missions.

• Five Reasons Show Why Humanity Should Colonize Mars.

LEADING THE NEWS

Hubble Expected To Last Until Webb Telescope Is Operational.

The AP (4/22, Dunn) continues coverage of the 25th anniversary of "one of NASA's crowning glories, the Hubble Space Telescope," with plans to celebrate its status on Friday at the Smithsonian Institution and Newseum. John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for Science, "who flew on the final three Hubble repair missions," said, "Hubble has become part of our culture – very much." Grunsfeld added "there's pretty high probability" that the telescope will still be operating when the James Webb Space Telescope is launches and running. Grunsfeld noted, "It will just be absolutely the most capability we will have ever had to look at the cosmos and try and understand it. ... I'm convinced there are going to be some big discoveries."

        The Washington Post (4/22, Achenbach, 5.17M) notes that the Hubble is "still powerful and utterly dominant in its field." Jennifer J. Wiseman, the senior project scientist for the Hubble at the Goddard Space Flight Center, said, "It's fantastic. It's better than ever. That's not just hype, it's the truth." During a tour of operations at Goddard, Jim Jeletic, deputy project manager for the Hubble, said that knowing when Hubble will cease being useful is "kind of like predicting when's the next time your car's going to break down." NASA spokesman Dwayne Brown added, "When the time comes, NASA will make a decision on the disposal plan. Until then, NASA will continue operating Hubble as long as the hardware lasts, enabling it to remain scientifically productive." According to the article, Jeletic predicted that the telescope may be scientifically productive "at least until 2020," and could possibly still be used at a point in the future when "only one gyro, or no gyros," are still functioning.

        Discovery News (4/21, Klotz, 516K) reports that some of the Hubble's work will continue in the future with the Webb telescope, "which like Hubble is a general purpose observatory, designed to address a wide range of astronomical projects."

        The PBS' NewsHour (4/21, Wright, Myers) "The Rundown" blog, KCNC-TV Denver (4/21, 102K) website, KCNC-TV Denver (4/21, 5:17 p.m. MDT, 55K), WRAL-TV Raleigh, NC (4/21, Rice, 117K) website, The Independent (UK) (4/22, Chown, 853K), and SPACE (4/21, Redd, 236K) also cover the story, with similar retrospectives on the Hubble's history and scientific impact.

        Webb Telescope Expected To Be Much More Potent Than Hubble. AFP (4/22) uses the Hubble anniversary to discuss the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) telescope, which should be "100 times more potent than Hubble" when launched. Mark Clampin of the Goddard Space Flight Center said, "What the Webb will really be doing is looking at the first galaxies of the universe. ... We will also be able, with these capabilities, to look in very dark parts of the universe where stars are being born." Matt Greenhouse, JWST project scientist for the science instrument payload, similarly said, "The Webb will have 70 times the light-gathering capacity of Hubble. So the combination of the large size and the infra-red capabilities will allow us to observe this epic of the universe['s] past. ... Webb is quite big enough to have a high probability of finding bio signatures in the atmosphere of exoplanets, evidence of life."

        Hubble May Have Discovered New Type Of Stellar Outburst. Nature (4/21, Cowen, 111K) reports that "at a symposium in Baltimore to celebrate Hubble's 25th anniversary," Steven Rodney of Johns Hopkins University discussed how his team used the Hubble telescope to identify "a mysterious stellar outburst that appears to defy classification." Rodney, according to the article, said that if this is a new type of object, more examples may be spotted in the future by the proposed Wide Field Infrared Space Telescope or Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

        Robertson: Dragon Spacecraft Could Enable Another Servicing Mission. In an op-ed for Space News (4/21, Subscription Publication, 481), freelance journalist Donald F. Robertson examines whether the Hubble could be serviced again now that the space shuttle has been retired. He notes that SpaceX's crewed Dragon v2 spacecraft, once completed, will have all the necessary capabilities for an astronaut servicing mission. Robertson also thinks that NASA should consider using the Orion spacecraft to service the Webb telescope after it is launched. To Robertson, with launch costs coming down, there is no reason "to wastefully abandon major assets" any longer.

NASA NEWS

Spaceflight Has Changed Humanity's View Of The Earth.

The Wired (4/21, Watercutter, 4.24M) reports that the documentary "Planetary," which will be shown at "select theaters and Vimeo On Demand for Earth Day," explores how spaceflight "fundamentally changed" humanity's view of the Earth. This was examined through "interviews with everyone from astronauts to philosophers."

        The Huffington Post (4/21, Gerken, 281K) also covers the new film

        Meanwhile, the Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (4/22, 379K) editorializes that astronaut William Anders' "Earthrise" photo taken on 1968 was a "consciousness-raising" event that led to the first Earth day in 1970. According to the editors, astronauts, who discuss their change in perspective when seeing the Earth from space, are role models for understanding that everyone is responsible for taking care of the Earth.

        NASA Wants Public To Get Involved With #NoPlaceLikeHome. WPSD-TV Paducah, KY (4/21, 5:11 p.m. CDT, 43K) broadcast to celebrate Earth Day, NASA is asking people to post to Facebook, Instagram, or Vine their "favorite places on Earth" using the hashtag #NoPlaceLikeHome.

        The Indo-Asian News Service (4/22) reports that NASA also posted "some of the most gorgeous images and a stunning video of planet Earth as captured from the International Space Station (ISS)." NASA said, "Every day of every year, NASA satellites provide useful data about our home planet, and along the way, some beautiful images as well."

        Ames Officials To Be At Moffett Field Celebration. The Los Altos (CA) Town Crier (4/22, Krishna, 25K) reports that at the Moffett Field Army Headquarters today, an Earth Day Fair and the 107th Army Reserve Anniversary Celebration will take place featuring "several special guests" that include "members of the NASA Ames Research Center Earth Sciences and Environmental Division and the NASA Ames Research Center Emergency Services Fire Department."

NASA To Attend This Week's Aerospace Alliance Spring Meeting.

The Daytona Beach (FL) News-Journal (4/22, Wyatt, 158K) reports that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will host "major aerospace companies" at the Aerospace Alliance's spring meeting on Thursday and Friday. "Big-name companies such as Airbus, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin — Florida's largest industrial employer — and NASA" are expected to be in attendance. The article notes that the meeting will discuss "the future of aerospace in the four-state region, including its educated workforce, and aligning the workforce to meet corporate needs."

Apollo 13 Mission Commander, Flight Director To Speak At GRU.

The Augusta (GA) Chronicle (4/21, Highfield, 184K) reports that as part of an alumni weekend event at Maxwell Theatre, Georgia Regents University will host Apollo 13 mission commander James Lovell, Jr. and flight director Gene Kranz, who will "discuss the roles they played in guiding the spacecraft safely back to Earth" at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

Orion Program Helps Lockheed Beat First Quarter Profit Predictions.

The Wall Street Journal (4/22, Cameron, Subscription Publication, 5.67M) reports that Lockheed Martin, when announcing its first quarter results, raised its guidance for the year after revealing it beat forecasts for its quarterly profits.

        The Denver Post (4/22, Keeney, 804K) notes that although Lockheed's net sales for the quarter were down from the same period last year, its Space Systems division increased net sales and operating profit. According to the article, Lockheed spokesman Dan Nelson said that this increase was due in part to $105 million from the Orion program.

        MarketWatch (4/21, Beilfuss, 962K) reports that although profits beat expectations, the company's first-quarter profit was down compared to 2014 due to a decrease in government military spending.

        Bloomberg News (4/21, Johnsson, 2.94M), Reuters (4/21, Jaisinghani), and 24/7 Wall Street (NY) (4/21, Ausick, 127K) also cover the story.

Army Helps NASA Develop SLS.

The WAAY-TV Huntsville, AL (4/21, Barrett, 2K) "Redstone Alabama" website reports on the collaboration between the NASA and the Army on the Space Launch System (SLS). Chad Bryant, the SLS core stage propulsion lead at the Marshall Space Flight Center, said, "Army and NASA have a long working relationship when it comes to designing, building and testing spaceflight hardware, and the SLS program is no exception." Bryant said that NASA turned to "our friends from the Redstone Test center" when the agency needed to recreate the stresses the rocket would experience during launches. He noted, "We can only find this capability here in Huntsville...and for NASA, we would have to recreate this capability." According to the article, these tests just completed, with NASA finding "some solutions that will ensure the SLS flies straight."

        WAAY-TV Huntsville, AL (4/22, 12:13 a.m. CDT, 151) also broadcasts the report.

Wooten The New Mission Operations Laboratory Director.

WALB-TV Albany, GA (4/21, Miller, 28K) reports on its website that "Lewis Wooten is the new director of the Mission Operations Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama." Wooten "will oversee more than 500 civil service and contractor employees analyzing and developing flight and ground support systems including managing the around-the-clock science operations on the International Space Station."

Kelly: No Tensions Between Russian And Americans At The ISS.

RT (RUS) (4/22, 346K) conducted "a rare video call to the International Space Station," asking astronauts Scott Kelly and Mikhail Korniyenko to answer questions from viewers. When asked what he misses about life on Earth, Kelly said, "One thing that I find least appealing is that you're always at work. So imagine yourself, regardless of what kind of job you have, that you never leave. So it always feels like you're working, that you're always on. So over the long-term that can become fatiguing." Kelly also said that there was no tension between the US and Russian astronauts at the station, noting, "Up here on the space station we rely on each other, literally for our lives. We are great friends, professionals, colleagues, and it is not something that ever comes up in conversation, or should it...these are great guys and I wouldn't want to be flying with anyone else...what we're doing is very important and we'll leave those discussions to those that make that their job."

        Aviation Week (4/21, Carreau, 2K) "On Space" blog reports that Kelly is "pacing his activities" on the advice of cosmonaut Vladimir Titov, "who logged 366 days aboard the former Mir station nearly two decades ago." Kelly said, "I've been doing that, and I hope if I continue to do that, it will carry me through the end of this with as much energy and enthusiasm as I have right now."

        Sputnik News (4/21) also covers the story.

ARM Technology Will Help Mars Mission, According To NASA.

NASA Space Flight (4/21, Bergin, 305) reports that NASA is making the case for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) despite "political uncertainty and public apathy" for the project. According to the article, an "irony" in the current situation is that even though some lawmakers want NASA to focus more on a mission to Mars, ARM would be "a major stepping stone" toward sending people to Mars because of the technology that will be tested, such as the Solar Electric Propulsive (SEP) system. Also, because of the time spent around the asteroid, NASA will conduct "a politically interesting study into potentially mitigating the threat of a space rock." The article notes that all together, ARM will "feed into NASA's plans to send humans on the ultimate trip to Mars."

        SEP Could Open Up Solar System. Machine Design (4/21, Scully, 2K) reports that the Glenn Research Center's SEP system could be used to "turn our solar system into an expansive highway, or even an interworking residency." Because spacecraft powered by SEP will use much less fuel and carry "efficient equipment that weighs half as much as conventional rocket booster ships," launch prices are expected to decrease.

SpaceX Pad Abort Test Will Take Place No Earlier Than May 5.

Florida Today (4/22, Dean, 178K) reports that SpaceX plans to conduct a "so-called 'pad abort' test" at Cape Canaveral no earlier than May 5. NASA said in a statement, "The ability to abort from a launch or pad emergency and safely carry crew members out of harm's way is a critical element for NASA's next generation of crew spacecraft." Because this is a test, NASA warned that "the likelihood of encountering an issue is higher than with operational missions." The article notes that SpaceX will conduct "an 'in-flight abort' test, launched from California," this summer.

        AmericaSpace (4/21, Killian) and Spaceflight Now (4/21, Clark, 3K) also covers the story.

        Class Action Suit Filed Against SpaceX. Law 360 (4/21, Koenig, 9K) reports that "a former clerical employee" has issued a class action suit against SpaceX, claiming the company did not pay "nonexempt employees for normal and overtime work" or allow for "required meal and rest breaks."

        SpaceX Said To Be The Company Musk Favors The Most. In an article for DCInno (4/21), Eric Hal Schwartz writes that he was not surprised to hear that Elon Musk almost sold Tesla to Google because "the company he cares about most" is SpaceX. Schwartz speculates that based on Musk's comments, SpaceX receives "his personal attention," whereas Tesla and SolarCity may just be projects that can help "make long journeys in space more feasible."

        Smart: More Than One Way Exists For Returning Boosters. In an op-ed for The Conversation (UK) (4/22), Michael Smart of the University of Queensland writes about SpaceX's efforts to develop a reusable rocket. He notes that SpaceX's method for returning boosters to the launch pad is not the only way. Instead, "the most promising concepts" involve "'fly-back" boosters, which involves "aerodynamic lift to fly boosters back to the launch pad like a plane." Smart notes that his university is developing the Austral Launch Vehicle (ALV), which is "aerodynamically much simpler than the SpaceX cigar type landing." Despite taking different paths, Smart is thankful SpaceX is disrupting "the status-quo" with its work.

NASA Delays Next Commercial Resupply Contract Award By Three Months.

Space News (4/22, Foust, Subscription Publication, 481) reports that NASA has delayed the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) 2 contract award by three months in order to give itself more time to review the entries. William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for human exploration and operations, told a meeting of the National Research Council's Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, "The selection was expected in June. ... We just moved that to September. I can't say much more about this because we're in blackout." NASA could also decide to add more launches to Orbital ATK and SpaceX's current commercial resupply contract. Regarding that measure, Gerstenmaier said, "We'll go through that and see what happens with the overall CRS-2 contract activity and figure out what we need to do."

        Blog Coverage. Mark Usciak at Spaceflight Insider (4/21) writes about Pad 0A at the Wallops Flight Facility, which is now showing "signs of recovering" from last year's Orbital ATK Antares rocket launch failure. Usciak notes that the visible structures are "easily being repaired." Meanwhile, the Antares rocket for the next cargo mission to the ISS is "undergoing assembly and checkout." NASA's Keith Koehler said, "NASA Wallops and all of the entities involved are looking forward to the return to flight of Orbital ATK's Antares, the entire community is looking forward to that date. ... Orbital ATK has announced that Antares will take back the skies in early 2016 – we all can't wait for that!"

Canada Supports ISS Extension to 2024.

The Canadian Press (4/22) reports that Canada's Harper government announced that the country will support the ISS program through 2024. The ESA and JAXA are now the only remaining "key partners" which have not supported the extension beyond 2020. Meanwhile, according to the article, Aerospace Industries Association of Canada "praised" the government's decision to add "an additional $30 million over four years...to support cutting-edge research and technology development in Canada's satellite communications sector."

NASA Distances Itself From Hyundai Ad.

The Toronto (CAN) Globe and Mail (4/22, Krashinsky, 1.1M) reports that NASA is "distancing itself" from Hyundai's recent ad showing a 13-year-old girl named Stephanie trying to send a message to "her astronaut father working at the International Space Station." NASA spokesperson Jennifer Knotts said that no astronaut or other NASA employee was shown in the commercials because "NASA could not participate. ... As a government entity, we cannot endorse a product. … You can't use your government position for financial gain." The article notes that astronaut Terry Virts does have a daughter by the same name, but he has not mentioned the commercial in his Twitter account. However, according to the article, NASA is "clear" that it does not want advertising to affect its work. Knotts added that companies "can use facts" in their ads, and "if something has been used in space, that company can say it. We're not going to go out and say it for them."

Private Companies' Experiments Are Now At The ISS.

Popular Science (4/21, Grush, 6.72M) reports that among the cargo recently delivered to the ISS by a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft were five experiments funded by private companies, the fifth set of payloads sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which wants more groups to know that "the ISS is at your disposal." Cindy Bouthot, CASIS director of business development, said that the ISS is a "compelling science platform" for product development, but it does cost companies "anywhere from $50,000 and beyond" to get their experiments there, although the organization can help defray the costs and does not charge for the launches. The article notes that at times CASIS must be "creative" when convincing companies to send projects to the ISS, especially "with a budget of $15 million a year." If CASIS is not successful, the ISS is "at risk of underutilization."

        Blog Coverage. Jamie Condliffe at Gizmodo (4/21, 1.04M) wrote that an image showing the reflection of ISS astronauts Scott Kelly and Samantha Cristoforetti is "amazing." The picture was taken during the arrival of the Dragon cargo spacecraft.

ISS' OSTEO Experiment Now Complete.

The Kingston Whig-Standard (4/21, 273) reports that an automated message informed Lowell Misener of CALM Technologies that the OSTeoporosis Experiments on Orbit (OSTEO) experiment aboard the ISS was complete. CALM Technologies built the housing for the experiment, "designed to grow single bone cells in zero gravity." The article notes that Misener himself has worked on the project "since it began almost 20 years ago" as part of the shuttle program.

Cassidy Recounts ISS Experience.

The Lo-Down (4/21, Williams) reports astronaut Chris Cassidy recently recounted his experience aboard the International Space Station to "300 eager middle schoolers" who "responded with glee this past Friday morning to his tales of rockets, Russians, robots, and weightlessness." Cassidy's appearance marked "the latest stage of a cross-country mission to inspire the masses with the wonders of human spaceflight."

Micronaut Mission Teaches Students About ISS Experiments.

The KSAT-TV San Antonio (4/21, Winters, 118K) website reports that Scobee Education Center launched the Micronaut Mission program on Tuesday. The goal of the Micronaut Mission program is to give "pre-kindergarten to third grade students, teachers and parents...hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)." The article notes that on Tuesday, local Head Start students were able to learn about the experiments now being conducted aboard the ISS.

NASA Extends Wyle's Support Contract By Nine Months.

GovCon Wire (4/21, Forrester) reports that NASA has extended Wyle's contract to support the Johnson Space Center's Human Health and Performance Directorate by nine months. The contract now is effective "through the end of January 2016."

Spudis: No "Apollo-Like" Level Of Funding Coming For Manned Missions.

In his column for SPACE (4/21, 236K), Leonard David interviewed Paul Spudis "to discuss the promise and potential of lunar exploration." After discussing China's lunar program, which he thinks is pressing toward an eventual manned mission, Spudis discusses that the US can have a sustained presence in space, but it will not be an "Apollo-like" process where NASA is "showered with money." NASA is "awaiting the money," which is not going to happen. Instead of a "stunt" mission, Spudis thinks that a sustainable program has "recurring and frequent milestones of success." Furthermore, this involves "incrementally and gradually increasing our levels of human reach into space," which would entail a lunar surface mission.

Five Reasons Show Why Humanity Should Colonize Mars.

Business Insider (4/21, Orwig, 2.26M) lists five reasons why humanity needs to colonize Mars: to ensure humanity survives; searching for life on Mars; improving life on Earth; "growing as a species;" and demonstrating American leadership.

 

 

 

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

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JSC TODAY CATEGORIES Headlines -  Come Out to the 20th Anniversary Spring SH&E Fair -  JSC Today Bus Route Fair Date Correction -  Update on Food Trucks at Today's Spring Fair -  45th Anniversary of Earth Day - Today! -  Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Replacement -  NASA Safety Culture Survey Available: Today's Fair -  Day Three: The Hubble Scavenger Hunt -  Innovation 2015: Mars Week - Dr. Daniel Kraft -  Studying Our Earth from ISS -  NASA@work 2.0 Has Arrived -  Recent JSC Announcement Organizations/Social -  'The Martian' Author is Coming to JSC -  Register for the 2015 AIAA Houston ATS Jobs and Training -  Human Health Countermeasures Deputy Element Mgr. -  A Unified Approach to Modal Reduction Methods -  JSC Risk-Informed Decision Making - April 30 -  CareerPower Class -  APPEL: Assertiveness for Technical Professionals -  Understanding & Creating SysML Models: May 12-15 Community -  NCAS Speakers and Judges Wanted

NASA Officials and Astronauts Tour Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building

 

Headlines Come Out to the 20th Anniversary Spring SH&E Fair It's finally here! Don't miss out on the biggest Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair in JSC history. From a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to marine patrol boats to Latin dancers, we've got it all! Don't forget to bring your old files to the shred truck, and be sure to take in a lively environmental Ted Talk complete with fresh popcorn in the Gilruth Ballroom. There's truly something for everyone at this special event. Event Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015   Event Start Time:10:00 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: JSC Gilruth Add to Calendar Rindy Carmichael x45078 [top] JSC Today Bus Route Fair Date Correction Correction to yesterday's JSC Today regarding the date for the Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair. The headline stated the correct date, but the body was incorrect. The correct date of the fair is TODAY, April 22. Hope to see you there! Rindy Carmichael x45078 [top] Update on Food Trucks at Today's Spring Fair Quite a Stir and Curbside Bistro will not be at today's Spring Fair at the Gilruth, but you can still get a great dessert from the Angie's Cake food truck! So come on out, grab a free hot dog for lunch and check out Angie's yummy menu. You can also see some fascinating vehicles, including the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, and learn all about safety, health and protecting our Earth. Rindy Carmichael x45078 [top] 45th Anniversary of Earth Day - Today! Celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Earth Day at JSC's Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair TODAY, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the Gilruth, swap books for "new" reads, securely shred personal documents and more! Be sure to check out the Earth Day photo display and follow the giant footprints to interesting TED Talk videos. Also, check out "Music on the Mall"—on-site from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Come out and learn more about your planet and see how JSC makes a safe, healthy and environmentally friendly place to work! Remember to use NASA's hashtag #NoPlaceLikeHome when posting pictures from the fair on social media. Alexandra Moore-VanDyke x28255 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/apps/news/newsfiles/3577.pdf [top] Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Replacement The Occupational Health Branch will soon be replacing our aging LP500 AEDs with the newer LifePak CR-Plus. Benefits and features of the new CR-Plus include: Automatic shocks. No need to "push to shock." Smaller, lighter and easier to transport. Voice commands are precise and slow, making the operator feel more at ease. Prepackaged ancillary kit, which is less bulky and cumbersome than the older bags. CPR and AED classes at JSC have already started using the newer model. Facility managers with the older model will be contacted by the Human Test Support Group in the near future to schedule the replacement and conduct training on the simple weekly check. Visit us today at the Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair for a demonstration of the latest in lifesaving technology! Bob Martel x38581 https://sashare.jsc.nasa.gov/sd/SD3/SitePages/Human%20Test%20Support/AED... [top] NASA Safety Culture Survey Available: Today's Fair For your convenience, you will be able to take the NASA Safety Culture Survey at today's Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair at the JSC Safety Office booth. This survey is valuable in letting us know your opinion about JSC's safety climate. Answers are anonymous. Laptops will be available at the booth, or you can take the survey on any phone or computer by going here. Your opinion matters! Johanna Petrocelli x28480 [top] Day Three: The Hubble Scavenger Hunt We are in the homestretch of the JSC Knowledge Office's online scavenger hunt featuring the story of the Hubble Space Telescope, launched 25 years ago this week. Today's questions focus on the historic space shuttle mission that deployed the satellite. Answer all three questions correctly to be entered for the chance to win a seat in mission control for the Expedition 44 launch! Full details are available at the JSC Knowledge Online website. Stay tuned for tomorrow's final set of questions. Julie Barnes-Gober x38407 https://knowledge.jsc.nasa.gov/ [top] Innovation 2015: Mars Week - Dr. Daniel Kraft Please plan to attend an exceptional event—a talk by Daniel Kraft, MD, on "The Future of Health and Medicine: Where Can Technology Take Us?" This talk will be in the Teague at noon on April 27 during Mars Week. Kraft is a well-known speaker via TED Talks with more than 20 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and healthcare innovation. He chairs the medicine track for Singularity University and is the founding executive director of Exponential Medicine, a program that explores convergent, exponentially developing technologies and their potential in biomedicine and healthcare. His various TED Talks have more than 1 million views. Event Date: Monday, April 27, 2015   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM Event Location: Teague Auditorium Add to Calendar Lisa Navy x32466 [top] Studying Our Earth from ISS In this month's Earth Day episode of StationLIFE, Astronaut Tracy Dyson tells us about the many ways we study Earth from our International Space Station. Liz Warren x35548 [top] NASA@work 2.0 Has Arrived NASA@work is an agencywide, collaborative problem-solving platform. Since its launch in August of 2011, NASA@work has grown to more than 15,850 solvers and has hosted over 80 successful challenges. An upgraded version of the NASA@work platform, which offers more user-friendly functionality, is now available. It's a great time for you to become a challenge solver … or post your own challenge and put NASA@work to work for you! Check it out today. Kathryn Keeton 281-826-9792 http://nasa.innocentive.com [top] Recent JSC Announcement Please visit the JSC Announcements (JSCA) Web page to view the newly posted announcement: JSCA 15-010: NASA-JSC Exchange Council-Starport Services Archived announcements are also available on the JSCA Web page. Linda Turnbough x36246 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/DocumentManagement/announcements/default.aspx [top]    Organizations/Social 'The Martian' Author is Coming to JSC As part of JSC's Innovation 2015 Mars Week, ShopNASA is excited to announce a book signing with Andy Weir, author of "The Martian," on Wednesday, April 29. Purchase your copy of "The Martian" in the Buildings 3 or 11 ShopNASA Gift Shops or at the Gilruth front desk. Books will also be available for purchase in the lobby of the Teague Auditorium on Tuesday, April 28, before and after Andy's talk for Mars Week. Get your copy today, and bring it to Building 3 on April 29 between noon and 2 p.m. to have it signed by Andy! Ansley Browns x46487 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/special-events/mars-week-merch... [top] Register for the 2015 AIAA Houston ATS Register today for the 2015 Annual Technical Symposium (ATS) on Friday, May 8, at 8 a.m. at the Gilruth Center! $15 for American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) members $20 for non-AIAA member students $25 for non-AIAA members Lunch buffet included in the registration cost. Continental breakfast (including coffee) provided in the Gilruth Alamo Ballroom during registration. Register now! See more information here. Event Date: Friday, May 8, 2015   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:3:00 PM Event Location: NASA/JSC Gilruth Center Add to Calendar Justine Wiles x41728 [top]    Jobs and Training Human Health Countermeasures Deputy Element Mgr. Serves as Human Health Countermeasures (HHC) Deputy Element Manager (DEM) in the Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division. Is responsible for project planning, development, analysis or forecasting; analyzing or managing project resources, objectives and schedules; preparing overall positions, including technical, budget and schedule; and presenting at the Human Research Program, directorate, center and agency management boards. Please see USA JOBS to apply. Judith Hayes x38747 [top] A Unified Approach to Modal Reduction Methods Title: A Unified Approach to Modal Reduction Methods – Part 1 Speaker: Dr. Arya Majed Date/Time: Today, April 22, at noon (last approximately two hours) Part 1 of this two-part series on modal synthesis methods presents a unified mathematical approach to the derivation of the modal reduction methods. The presenter provides a single mathematical tool capable of deriving all methods of modal reduction including the more involved mixed-boundary methods. With this, the user gains an immediate level of comfort with all approaches including the more exotic methods. In addition, with the ability to now derive the method, the assumptions, approximations, application and pitfalls of each method automatically become clearer. Another objective of this presentation is to enable the engineers to develop their own NASTRAN/DMAP or other computer programs for implementing any of the modal reduction methods. To RSVP for the webcast, click here. Learn more. Event Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:2:00 PM Event Location: Webcast Add to Calendar Curt Larsen x38401 [top] 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 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] CareerPower Class This one-day facilitated workshop uses highly interactive self-assessments, tools and activities to empower individuals and stimulate their learning around their career development. Designed around a sequence of assessments and planning activities, this learning experience provides individuals with the foundation to understand their own career fit in the workplace and drive their growth and development. CareerPower provides learners with an award-winning systematic methodology (the five P's: person, perspective, place, possibilities, plan) that they can use to plan and manage their own careers within today's complex organizations. This course is available for self-registration in SATERN and is open to civil servants and contractors. Date: May 13 Location: Building 12, Room 200 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=REGISTRATI... Aaron Blevins x33111 [top] APPEL: Assertiveness for Technical Professionals Learn how to get the job done without worrying, express thoughts clearly, make requests without fear, refuse unreasonable requests without guilt and resolve disputes calmly and effectively. This course targeted toward all technical professionals and managers at every level of the management team who must work effectively with others to get top results. It's also perfect for team leaders and technical contributors who do not possess formal authority to direct others, but who must express themselves clearly and work with others cooperatively to achieve project success. This course is open for self-registration in SATERN until Wednesday, May 20, and is open to civil servants and contractors. Dates: Wednesday through Thursday, May 27 to 28 Location: Building 12, Room 146 Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED... [top] Understanding & Creating SysML Models: May 12-15 This course covers all nine SysML diagram types in a quick and easy-to-learn format. A consistent system modeling example is presented throughout the course to better learn how SysML concepts and diagrams work together. We cover these concepts in a tool-independent manner with a focus on how to interpret SysML models. This course also provides a hands-on training, where participants learn to implement SysML concepts using a representative tool. These skills are reinforced by doing useful things with your SysML models—not just building them for the sake of documentation. This course is designed for engineers, scientists, managers and technicians interested in model-based engineering. This course is available for self-registration in SATERN and is open to civil servants and contractors. Dates: Tuesday through Friday, May 12 to 15 Location: Building 12, Room 144 Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED... [top]    Community NCAS Speakers and Judges Wanted Do you want to inspire the current generation of college students? Get involved with the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS)! The Office of Education is hosting a workshop from April 26 to 28, and we are looking for enthusiastic speakers and impartial judges. Contact Cat Pate for more information and to volunteer. We need YOU to make the workshop a success! Cat Pate 281-792-8670 https://ncas.aerospacescholars.org/ [top]

 

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