Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Fwd: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW:NASA News and JSC Today - Tuesday, April 7, 2015



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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: April 7, 2015 at 8:15:23 AM CDT
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW:NASA News and  JSC Today - Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Reply-To: larry.j.moon@nasa.gov

JSC Today - Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Don't forget todays service for Ralph Marak at the Gilruth Rec. Center

 

 

Below please find the information for Ralph's Memorial Service:

 

"Flag Presentation and Family Meet & Greet"

Date: Tomorrow, April 7th

Location: Alamo Ballroom at the Gilruth

Time: 11:30 am to 2:00 pm **

 

** The Flag Presentation to the Family will be at 12:30 pm **

 

 

 

 

NASA NEWS

• Babin Wants NASA To Make Manned Spaceflight Its Top Priority.

• Ferguson Has Few Doubts That Humans Will Explore Space.

• Kluger: Cernan Film Part Biography, Part Reprimand.

• Watch Given To Astronaut Alan Bean Up For Sale.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• NASA Constructs Dunes To Protect KSC Assets.

• Virts Will Photograph Every City Will Major League Baseball Stadium.

• Some Cubesats Launching With SLS Will Use Solar Sails.

• Astronauts Select Targets For Opportunity Rover.

• Bedford High School Participates In HUNCH.

• Public Has Multiple Chances To See ISS This Week.

• Musk's Work On SpaceX Said To Make Other Projects Appear "Tame."

• Iowa Student Participated In NASA's SSDC Program.

BLOGS

• Berger Defends Piece On NASA's Quiet Shift In Policy.

 

Babin Wants NASA To Make Manned Spaceflight Its Top Priority.

The Bay Area (TX) Citizen (4/6, Nix, 576) reports that at last week's Pasadena Kiwanis Club 32nd Annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, Rep. Brian Babin said, "My focus as member of the House Science Committee is to return human space flight as NASA's top priority. NASA's attention has been diverted toward a host of other competing priorities over the last several years. I think it is long past due that we return NASA's focus to what their mission was originally and that was human space flight and exploration." Babin added, "We have an obligation and a duty to make sure American astronauts are launched from American rockets from American soil and to do this as soon as possible. ... We must provide NASA with the resources to return to flight and we must never put America in this position ever again." Babin went on to say that NASA has also "given us a healthy pride in America... the motivation to explore the sciences, study harder in school for our kids and to think about doing what is considered impossible."

Ferguson Has Few Doubts That Humans Will Explore Space.

The WTOP-FM Washington (4/7, Fraley, 109K) website reports on astronaut Chris Ferguson's participation in the film "Journey to Space," now showing at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Ferguson said that the "only question" about space exploration to him is not whether people will move into space, but the time "between great advancements."

Kluger: Cernan Film Part Biography, Part Reprimand.

Jeffrey Kluger at TIME (4/6, 19.19M) continues coverage of Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan's documentary, "The Last Man on the Moon," which he thinks is "equal parts biography, reminiscence and, yes, cultural reprimand" for the US for abandoning space projects like Apollo. According to Kluger, Cernan's message to children to commit to their dreams has "a special resonance when it comes from the likes of him."

Watch Given To Astronaut Alan Bean Up For Sale.

Bloomberg News (4/6, Pulvirent, 2.94M) reports that the Omega Speedmaster watch given to NASA astronaut Alan Bean upon his return from the Apollo 12 mission is being auctioned at the Bonhams Space History Sale in April. The watch, valued at $40,000 to $60,000, has an engraving which "explicitly says that this watch marks 'man's conquest of space with time, through time, on time.'"

NASA Constructs Dunes To Protect KSC Assets.

NPR (4/6, 1.58M) "All Things Considered" reports on how NASA is working to protect the Kennedy Space Center's assets from rising sea levels. Nancy Bray, director of center operations at KSC, said, "The ocean was further out. And that primary dune that we had protected us for years. But as the ocean crept closer, washed away that primary dune, now we're relying on this man-made dune that we've constructed." According to reporter Amy Green, NASA will rely on the protection from man-made dunes as it "transforms into a multiuser space port." Don Dankert, a biological scientist at the center, said, "The dune that we constructed, you know, we feel will withstand our average storm, if you will. That's not to say that we may not have to come back and repair that at some time if we have a very active storm season." Green said that NASA does have plans to construct a new launch pad farther inland if needed, but there were "no immediate plans" for that.

Virts Will Photograph Every City Will Major League Baseball Stadium.

The ABC News (4/6, Newcomb, 3.41M) website reports that ISS astronaut Terry Virts posted "an out-of-this-world view of Major League Baseball's opening day." Under the hashtag #ISSPlayBall, Virts plans to photograph "all 28 cities with an MLB stadium," post the images "to his and Instagram accounts," and then ask people to guess what city is imaged. Virts said, "This is my favorite thing to do in orbit. ... But as good as the camera is, it's just not even close to the same thing as being here in person."

        The NBC News (4/6, Coldewey, 2.71M) website also covers the story.

        Kelly Captures Australia. The WAAY-TV Huntsville, AL (4/6, 2K) "Space Alabama" website reports on an image ISS astronaut Scott Kelly took of Australia and posted yesterday. He wrote, "Australia. You are very beautiful. Thank you for being there to brighten our day."

        Blog Coverage. Chris Mills at Gizmodo (4/6, 1.04M) writes that Kelly already is taking "some truly fantastic photos" just one week into his year-long mission. To Mills, this indicates that the public may experience "a good ride" in the coming months.

        Meanwhile, Phil Plait and Jim Festante at the Slate Magazine (4/6, 1.21M) "Bad Astronomy" blog post a video about Scott Kelly's year at the ISS, with Plait commenting that he had "mix feelings" about the mission because of his "doubts" with NASA's plans for deep space missions using the Space Launch System. Still, he found that Kelly's mission will be "great" for its biomedical science research.

Some Cubesats Launching With SLS Will Use Solar Sails.

Network World (4/6, Cooney, 24K) reports that NASA has chosen three cubesat missions that will launch with the Space Launch System (SLS) sometime "in the 2017/2018 timeframe." NASA said, "These cubesats are nano-satellites designed to be efficient and versatile. The masses of these secondary payloads are light – no heavier than 30 pounds (14 kilograms) – and will not require any extra power from the rocket to work. They will essentially piggyback on the SLS flight, providing what otherwise would be costly access to deep space." According to the article, it was "interesting" that some of the missions were powered by solar sails "as few have been tested in space."

        Tech Times (4/6, Depra) also covers the story.

Astronauts Select Targets For Opportunity Rover.

In his column for SPACE (4/6, 236K), Leonard David writes how the crew of the ISS, including commander Terry Virts, had the chance to select targets for the Opportunity rover on Mars. James Rice of the Planetary Science Institute said he asked the astronauts to choose targets they would want to investigate if they were on Mars. Virts said, "This very well may be a paradigm we use as we explore the solar system. Jim offered my ISS Expedition 43 crew the chance to choose a rock, or location, to target by the Opportunity rover. Of course we all loved it … and really enjoyed being involved with real time operations on Mars and at JPL. ... Now we are anxiously awaiting the results from Mars, but the initial word is that there may be some interesting findings about this particular location." David similarly commented that this operation could be "a portent of things to come" for future astronauts in orbit around Mars.

Bedford High School Participates In HUNCH.

The Monroe (MI) Evening News (4/6, Alusheff, 50K) reports that Bedford High School students are participating in the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH), with the chance "to produce parts for the International Space Station this year" and for the next five. Stacy Hale, HUNCH program manager, said, "Not only did (Bedford) have a qualified instructor, but one who was willing to go above and beyond what was required of him. ... It takes time and energy to give students what they need to succeed." According to the article, once work begins, someone from the Glenn Research Center will meet with students "every two weeks to help them on the project." Superintendent Mark Kleinhans said it was "phenomenal" and "outstanding" that the local students had the chance to participate in "one of the top programs."

        The AP (4/6) also covers the story, citing the Monroe (MI) Evening News' coverage.

Public Has Multiple Chances To See ISS This Week.

The KTTC-TV Rochester, MN (4/6, McKee, 4K) "Precision Weather" blog reported on "a couple of really good chances" for those in Rochester to see the ISS over the next week. The "better shot" this week comes on Friday.

        The Manchester (UK) Evening News (4/6, Coyle, 41K) has a similar report for sighting opportunities in the Greater Manchester area.

Musk's Work On SpaceX Said To Make Other Projects Appear "Tame."

Fox News (4/6, Crothers, 8.25M) lists the projects Elon Musk is involved with through SpaceX, Tesla, and the Hyperloop system to demonstrate how he has "exceptional abilities as an innovator." According to the article, with the goal to put colonists on Mars, Musk's other projects appear "tame." The article also notes that Musk will be "busy" this year with multiple launches, including to the ISS.

Iowa Student Participated In NASA's SSDC Program.

The Storm Lake (IA) Pilot-Tribune (4/7, 9K) reports that a student from St. Mary's High School in Storm Lake, Iowa was chosen to participate in the 2015 Space Settlement Design Competition. In March, the junior traveled to Houston for the program, where she worked on an aerospace team to design a settlement on Mercury.

BLOGS

Berger Defends Piece On NASA's Quiet Shift In Policy.

Eric Berger at the Houston Chronicle (4/6, 2.28M) "SciGuy" blog defended his recent piece claiming that NASA was "quietly" shifting back toward manned lunar exploration, especially from the "pushback from NASA's media affairs department." After detailing why his piece correctly reported this as a shift in policy for the agency, and noting its current policy was directed by President Obama, Berger comments that NASA's "defensive" stance is understandable. He thought that NASA "deserves credit for reconsidering" a moon mission even if it cannot speak about it publicly.

        Anderson: NASA Should Go To The Moon. In a post for the Huffington Post (4/6, 281K), astronaut Clayton Anderson thinks that NASA needs to test "needed technology" on the moon before even attempting to go to Mars. He comments that he hopes the rumored shift back to the moon is true so that the US will develop "a viable --and sustainable – human expedition to Mars."

 

 

 

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   Headlines

  1. Earth Day Pics and Book Swap

April 22 is Earth Day, and the Environmental Office wants to see what Earth Day means to JSC team members. Send us your favorite pictures that you've taken showing what Earth Day means to you. Top entries will be displayed for NASA and the public in and around Earth Day! Pictures can include people, flora, fauna and more from any time period. Send your pictures in jpeg format to alexandra.j.moore-vandyke@nasa.gov by April 15!

The Environmental Office will also be having a Book Swap on April 22 at the Gilruth Live Oak Pavilion. Bring your new/used books and magazines to swap them out for new reads. Drop-off bins will be at both cafés from April 13 to 21.

Alexandra Moore-VanDyke x36207 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/ja13/index.cfm

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  1. Wireless Network Upgrade: April 11-12

The JSC wireless network will be upgraded on Saturday, April 11.

This upgrade will affect the corporate (nasa), guest (nasaguest) and BYOD (nasabyod) wireless networks.

During this activity, access to these resources will be intermittent throughout the day while the Information Resources Directorate performs the necessary wireless upgrades.

For information on JSC wireless networks and assistance:

We apologize for the inconvenience and are working diligently to improve the center's wireless experience.

For questions regarding outage/update activity, please contact Martin Rivera.

JSC IRD Outreach x39515

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   Organizations/Social

  1. Starport Wellness Comes to You

Be proactive for your good health! Mark your calendar and plan to stop by the Building 3 café today between 6 and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to visit the Starport Wellness table.

Evan Thoman, wellness director, will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about Starport's new services and programs.

Stop by today and get the information and support you need to start making positive lifestyle changes.

Prizes and giveaways will be available for those who participate.

Evan Thoman x42769 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

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  1. It's Taco Time in the Cafés

Each Wednesday this month, the JSC cafés are featuring tacos with fresh and flavorful ingredients, so mark your calendars and indulge in something different for lunch!

April 8 - Cuban Roast Pork Tacos with Orange Mojo

April 15 - Acapulco Fish Tacos

April 22 - Barbecue Korean Beef Tacos

April 29 - Middle-Eastern Chicken Tacos

Peggy Wooten x30700

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  1. JSC NMA Presents Richard D. Jackson

Please join us for a JSC National Management Association (NMA) chapter professional-development activity featuring Richard D. Jackson. Jackson has a wealth of leadership experience related to the integration of programs across four NASA centers and working with teams to define growth opportunities in NASA and adjacent markets. The JSC NMA is providing this professional-development activity because we believe it is important for current leaders to share their stories with future leaders. Successful leaders have a high level of self-awareness to clearly understand why they act as they do and know how their behavior affects and is perceived by others. By knowing themselves, successful executives are better able to keep a clear vision of where their organization is heading, have greater success in communicating their vision to others and are more able to make the decisions that transform vision into reality.

You don't want to miss this event!

Event Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2015   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: Building 1/ Room 966

Add to Calendar

Keya Briscoe x28633

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  1. Young Professional Science & Engineering Web Talk

Join us for the next iteration of the Early Career Science and Engineering Working Group seminar series. This seminar will feature presentations from Anne Caraccio (Kennedy Space Center), Dr. Valerie Wiesner (Glenn Research Center), Christie Funk (Langley Research Center) and Dr. Mary Coan (Kennedy Space Center). You can log in from your desk or come down to Building 31, Conference Room 129, to watch with a group.

Event Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2015   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM
Event Location: B31 Room 129

Add to Calendar

Aaron Burton x42773

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  1. Did You Miss Glynn Lunney's NMA Presentation?

Don't worry, you can catch the former NASA flight director and director of Mission Operations' presentation at the SAIC/Safety and Mission Assurance speaker forum on Wednesday, April 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom                            

Lunney joined the space program in 1958 with the NACA and the Space Task Group. He supported Project Mercury in Mission Control as one of the first Flight Dynamics Officers, and was promoted to flight director in August of 1964, supporting Gemini and Apollo missions, including Apollo 13. Lunney and his team were recipients of the Medal of Freedom for their work in helping to return the Apollo 13 crew back to Earth safely.

Mr. and Mrs. Lunney will have his book "Highways into Space" available for purchase and signature before and after his presentation. If you already purchased his book, feel free to bring it for him to sign.

Event Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM
Event Location: Gilruth Center's Alamo Ballroom

Add to Calendar

Della Cardona/Juan Traslavina 281-335-2074/281-335-2272

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  1. Discount Astros Tickets Through Starport

NASA employees and their friends and families are invited to participate in NASA Nights at Minute Maid Park this season. Discounted ticket are offered throughout the ballpark. There are many games to choose from this summer, so get your discount tickets and come watch some baseball!

Tickets must be ordered online.

Additional information can be found here.

Lisa Villarreal x39168 http://mlb.mlb.com/hou/ticketing/groups.jsp?loc=nasa

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  1. Early Bird Ticket Deadline Extended to April 21

The $35 early bird JSC picnic ticket price has been extended to April 16.

So, bring your family and friends and come on out to SpalshTown water park on April 26 for an all-you-can-eat barbecue dinner, ice cream novelties, adult beverages, music by DJ, unlimited access to park's rides and attractions, horseshoes, sand volleyball, basketball, dunking booth, bingo, bounce house, face painting, kids' games, half-price price return ticket option and more!

Tickets are available at the Shop NASA Gift Shops in Buildings 3 and 11 and the Gilruth for JSC and contractor employees, retirees and friends and family. The price increases to $40 on April 17. The last day to purchase is April 21.

Advance purchase required. Season-pass upgrades available at SplashTown for $44.99 with a JSC picnic ticket.

Cyndi Kibby

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   Jobs and Training

  1. From Tactical to Strategic Thinking Class

This highly experiential and interactive course puts leaders in the driver's seat from the onset of the course by opening with a detailed case study of a leader who has an opportunity to move from a tactical to a strategic perspective. This case, coupled with hands-on and pragmatic exercises, encourages participants to use a strategic framework and their own workplace experiences to identify strategic interests of their organization. Participants apply their learning to a number of real-life situations before planning ways to move from a tactical to a strategic perspective in their own roles as leaders.

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

    • Differentiate between tactical approaches and strategic approaches
    • Use questioning as a method to clearly articulate the strategic interests of one's team, department or organization
    • Identify strategic leverage points within the organization to advance a mission and vision

 April 14 to16

Registration:

https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=REGISTRATI...

Aaron Blevins x33111

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  1. APPEL - Project Planning Analysis and Control

This course offers a foundation in project planning, analysis and control, and provides intensive instruction in project management fundamentals across the entire project lifecycle. Course content covers the areas of technical integration of project elements, design and discipline functions, and their associated interactions to balance performance, cost, schedule, reliability and operability. Proven strategies and practical tools for planning, executing and controlling a variety of projects are presented.

This course is designed for NASA's new engineers or early-career hires.

This course is available for self-registration until Wednesday, May 6, and is open to civil servants and contractors.

Dates: Monday through Friday, June 8 to 12

Location: Building 12, Room 152

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

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  1. Mastering the Art of Project Management: May 6-7

Mastering the Art of Project Management is an intensive, interactive, high-level program. Enterprise Project Management is one of the hottest topics in the world today, and mastering the art is the roadmap to success. There is a very definite trend for global companies to learn these new skills, since it focuses the entire organization on a common strategy and project priorities based on Return on Investment.

This course is specially designed for managers and executives with both project and operations management experience who have taken the Art of Project Management.

This course is available for self-registration in SATERN and is open to civil servants and contractors.

Dates: Wednesday through Thursday, May 6 to 7

Location: Building 12, Room 152

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

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   Community

  1. Hands-free is Not Risk-free

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Did you know there is a lot you can do to help prevent distracted driving? At JSC, we have a rule not to operate any hand-held device while driving. Although many vehicles now come with hands-free technology, 80 percent of American drivers believe this makes them safer—but that is just not the case. Studies show that hands-free devices are no safer, because the brain remains distracted by the conversation. Employees are urged to go a step further and pledge to drive cell free. View an informative video by the NASA Safety Center.

Learn more at the Spring Safety, Health and Environmental Fair on April 22 in the Gilruth gym and outside pavilion.

Rindy Carmichael x45078

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  1. April 9: Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series Event

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) invites all inquisitive adults to attend "The Europa Report: A Report" by Dr. Britney Schmidt of the Georgia Institute of Technology. This free public presentation on Thursday, April 9, is the fourth presentation in LPI's 2014-2015 Cosmic Explorations speaker series "Science" on the Silver Screen.

LPI's Cosmic Explorations presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a light reception. Registration is required, and seating is limited to 250.

LPI is located in the USRA building at 3600 Bay Area Blvd. in Clear Lake. The entrance is located on Middlebrook Drive.

For more information, please click here or contact Andrew Shaner at 281-486-2163 or via email.

Event Date: Thursday, April 9, 2015   Event Start Time:7:30 PM   Event End Time:9:00 PM
Event Location: LPI, 3600 Bay Area Blvd., Houston

Add to Calendar

Andrew Shaner 281-486-2163

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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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