Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Fwd: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW: NASA News and JSC Today - Tuesday, May 26, 2015



Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: May 26, 2015 at 11:19:17 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, May 26, 2015
Reply-To: larry.j.moon@nasa.gov

JSC Today - Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Bad, bad constant rain storms throughtout the Houston metro area,,,also in the Texas Med. Center near me.     Bad memories of Tropical Storm Allison.

 

Hope all are safe and dry.

 

 

 

NASA NEWS

• Columnist Argues The Value Of The Space Program.

• US Leads In New Ranking Of World's Space Powers.

• High School Pushing Students Towards Aviation And Aerospace Studies.

• Aldrin Draws Crowd At Space Development Conference.

• "Journey to Space" Called A "Treat."

• Ride Honored With Google Doodle On Her Birthday.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• Stofan Delivers Signature Series Luncheon Lecture.

• Vanhooser To Keynote Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit.

• ISS Astronauts Use Social Media To Release More Images Of Earth.

• SpaceX Releases New Video Of Launch Pad Abort Test.

• Leonardo Module To Be Relocated On Wednesday.

• Space Florida's "We Are Go" Advertisement Campaign Begins.

• "Tomorrowland" Crew Highlight "Fantastic" Experience Filming At NASA.

• Last Few Weeks Of HI-SEAS Simulation Has Been Difficult For Some Participants.

• Lockheed Martin, Wyle Labs Receive Deep-Space Health Research Grant.

• Alaskan Students Excited By Chance To See Astronaut.

• Seddon To Be Inducted Into Astronaut Hall Of Fame.

• Kazakh Cosmonaut May Fly To ISS In Brightman's Place.

Columnist Argues The Value Of The Space Program.

In their "Venture Bound" column for the Columbia (MO) Daily Tribune (5/24, 68K), Wayne Anderson and Carla Anderson wrote that they learned more about how NASA technology impact people's lives on Earth by visiting the Kennedy Space Center. NASA is "justifiably proud" about what it has accomplished. The pair noted that much of "what we take for granted today" has its roots in NASA, stressing that any time someone criticizes NASA's costs, they need to look at its benefits as well.

        In contrast, Waga Odongo wrote in a column for the Daily Nation (KEN) (5/24, 7K) that spending on space may not be justified because it can lead to technology that has military applications. Odongo believes that Earth is "a bit more paranoid and unsafe" because of NASA, so the money spent on space exploration would be better spent on studying the ocean.

US Leads In New Ranking Of World's Space Powers.

Xinhua (CHN) (5/22, 12K) reported that according to the Beijing Institute of Space Science and Technology Information, China is the fourth leading space power in the world, only surpassed by the US, Europe, and Russia, in that order. The article noted that the US is "unshakable" in space, but its lead is "narrowing," according to the report, which ranked the nations in the categories of "strategy, product systems, infrastructure, industrial scale, innovation and international influence."

        The Press Trust of India (5/22) also covered the story, focusing on India's ranking as the fifth strongest space power in the world.

High School Pushing Students Towards Aviation And Aerospace Studies.

US News & World Report reports in its "High School Notes" blog that "some high school teachers are encouraging teens to reach new heights – literally – through aviation and aerospace education." Rebecca Vieyra, an Albert Einstein distinguished educator fellow at NASA and a former high school physics teacher, is interviewed for the article and says that "teaching students about how flight occurs is a good way to grow their interest in science, technology, engineering and math topics." The article goes on to detail programs at high schools across the country which are focusing on teaching students to explore aviation and aerospace activities.

Aldrin Draws Crowd At Space Development Conference.

The CHCH News (CAN) (5/23, Lonz) reported that "the largest crowd" at a Canadian space development conference assembled to hear a talk by Buzz Aldrin, the keynote speaker for the event. The article noted that Aldrin was "very supportive of a manned mission," and agrees with NASA's timetable of sending people to the planet by the 2030.

        Global News (CAN) (5/26, Mortillaro, 31K) also covers the story.

"Journey to Space" Called A "Treat."

Sean P. Means at the Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (5/22, 470K) reviewed the IMAX film "Journey to Space," calling it "a treat for NASA nerds." Means noted how the film gives viewers "a hopeful, inspiring look forward to humanity's next steps into the cosmos."

Ride Honored With Google Doodle On Her Birthday.

TIME (5/25, Regan, 19.57M) reports that Google honored the late astronaut Sally Ride's birthday "with an animated Google Doodle."

        collectSPACE (5/26, Pearlman), The Verge (5/26, Vincent, 913K), and Beta News (5/26, Fagioli, 16K) also cover the story.

Stofan Delivers Signature Series Luncheon Lecture.

The Prince William (VA) Times (5/22, Ivancic) reported that earlier this month, NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan delivered a Signature Series Luncheon lecture at the Fauquier Springs Country Club. Stofan spoke about how NASA is preparing for future missions to Mars with work at the ISS, such as Scott Kelly's year-long mission. Stofan told the audience, "I would rather go to Mars rather than build a really smart robot." She also discussed unmanned mission like the Hubble telescope, which required scientists "to rewrite textbooks on early galaxy star formations and changed how we look at the universe."

        Kolbert: Mars Should Not Be A Fallback For Humanity. In an article for June 1 issue of the New Yorker (5/26, 4.48M), Elizabeth Kolbert writes that, while it is using astronaut Scott Kelly to prepare for a future Mars mission, NASA is currently not even able to launch its own astronauts, raising a "reasonable" question on whether it is actually heading anywhere deeper into space. Kolbert summarizes some of the recent books that examine NASA's current status and what may lie ahead for spaceflight. Kolbert sides more with the view that humans should not consider Mars a "fallback" for humanity, commenting that those promoting Mars colonization overlook "the obvious" that humans are likely to create the same problems on other planets as they do on Earth.

Vanhooser To Keynote Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit.

The Johnson City (TN) Press (5/23, Baker, 76K) reported that Teresa Vanhooser, deputy director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, will return to her hometown of Johnson City to be the keynote speaker at the Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit on Wednesday. The summit aims "to promote the growth of federal science and technology projects and encourage private sector job growth." Vanhooser said, "Marshall is one of the Tennessee Valley Corridor's partners, we've been working with them as long as they've existed, but this is my first time speaking there. ... It's just a great connection for me to be able to speak in my hometown, because of my personal connection with the Tennessee Valley." The article noted that Vanhooser will also speak with students at University School to "inspire them to consider science-based careers."

ISS Astronauts Use Social Media To Release More Images Of Earth.

NBC News (5/23, Fieldstadt, 2.54M) website reported that ISS astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted an image of Manhattan he took from the station on Saturday. The Gothamist (5/23, Yakas, 324K) and Vox (5/23, Noriega, 839K) also covered Kelly's recently released image.

        Mashable (5/23, Kramer, 2.3M) reported that ISS astronaut Terry Virts has also recently published on Vine "several amazing videos of thunderstorms breaking out across the planet."

        The Zee (IND) News (5/25, 22K) noted that Virts also tweeted "a breathtaking view of the night sky." The article described it as a "spectacular 30-second video."

        The News (AUS) (5/25, 299K), Duluth (MN) News Tribune (5/24, King, 138K) "Astro Bob" blog, the KABC-TV Los Angeles (5/25, 175K) website, and The Verge (5/24, D'Orazio, 913K) also highlight Virts' posts in complimentary terms.

        Video Shows Last Minutes Of Kelly's Arrival At The ISS. TIME (5/22, Kluger, 19.57M) reported that NASA just released a sped-up video of "the final 15 minutes" of the Soyuz capsule carrying Scott Kelly, Gennady Padalka, and Misha Kornienko arriving and docking at the ISS, as seen "from the cockpit of the Soyuz." The article noted that the video demonstrates the "remarkable" amount "precision" and skill that goes into docking.

        The Verge (5/23, D'Orazio, 913K) and Hobby Space (5/25, Lindsey, 468) also cover the story.

        Blog Coverage. Lan Pitts at the Comic Book (5/25, 399K) website writes that ISS astronauts celebrated Towel Day on Monday. In a video on the ESA's YouTube channel, astronaut Samantha Cristoferrti marked the day by reading from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

        Sen (5/26, Winder) also covers the story.

SpaceX Releases New Video Of Launch Pad Abort Test.

Popular Science (5/22, Grush, 6.78M) reported that SpaceX just released a video of its May 6 launch pad abort test "from the point of view of the spacecraft itself." According to the article, that was "a big day" for the company.

        Also covering the story are the NBC News (5/22, Boyle, 2.54M) website, WISN-TV Milwaukee (5/23, 5:46 a.m. CDT, 23K), Fortune (5/22, Snyder, 2.98M), Florida Today (5/25, 168K), ABC's Good Morning America (5/22, Newcomb, 5.24M) website, ABC News Radio (5/22), Gizmodo (5/22, Nagy, 1.08M), Mashable (5/22, Kramer, 2.3M), Tech Times (5/23, Ranosa, 153K), and Daily Mail (UK) (5/22, Zolfagharifard, O'Callaghan, 5.37M).

        SpaceX Employees Expected To Begin Occupying New Redmond Office In June. The Puget Sound (WA) Business Journal (5/22, Wilhelm, Subscription Publication, 48K) reported that employees will begin occupying SpaceX's "new Redmond outpost," which will focus on developing "a swarm of low Earth orbit communications satellites to establish a satellite-based internet system," sometime next month.

Leonardo Module To Be Relocated On Wednesday.

Florida Today (5/23, Dean, 168K) reports that on Wednesday, the ISS' Permanent Multi-purpose Module (PMM), also known as Leonardo, will be relocated Wednesday, one of "the biggest change to the station's structure since its assembly was completed in 2011." The process will be broadcast on NASA TV. This was part of a series of brief reports, including the end of the NASA Railroad and the books ISS commander Terry Virts and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana are recommending.

        USA Today (5/25, Dean, 5.01M) just reprints the report on Leonardo's relocation.

        The Indo-Asian News Service (5/25) also covers the story.

        Blog Coverage. Ben Evans at AmericaSpace (5/23) wrote that NASA pushed up the relocation of the Leonardo because of the failed Progress cargo mission. Evans noted that an update on the investigation into that failure had been expected on Friday, but has since been pushed back to Tuesday. The results of that work should let officials "firm up" the rest of this year's ISS manifest. Meanwhile, NASA's Rob Navias, speaking about the relocation maneuver, said, "We expect the relocation itself to take a few hours...with the previous and following days involved in internal systems configuration."

Space Florida's "We Are Go" Advertisement Campaign Begins.

Florida Today (5/23, Dean, 168K) continues coverage on Space Florida's new "We are go" advertisement campaign to battle the "myth" that NASA is a "dead" agency because the shuttle program ended. The agency released a video and WeAreGoFL.com website, with plans for "ads in media and on billboards." Eric Garvey, executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism, said that this is a "huge" advertisement campaign that should benefit the region, which is experiencing "more rocket launches now than ever before."

        Space Coast Launch Pads Undergoing Changes For Future Rockets. NASA Space Flight (5/23, Bergin, 305) reported on the "physical changes to a number of historic pads located on Florida's Space Coast" to prepare for the launch of SpaceX 's Falcon Heavy rocket, Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft, and NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). The Kennedy Space Center's 39A launch pad is undergoing "a speedy turnaround" from its former use as a shuttle launch site in preparation for the Falcon Heavy. The article noted that even though SpaceX publicly claims that the rocket will be launching this year, a "more realistic" date is sometime in 2016.

        Blog Coverage. Jason Rhian at Spaceflight Insider (5/23), noting that the pace of launches in Florida show "no sign of slowing down," interviewed Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello about the "We are go" campaign. DiBello said that the idea that spaceflight in the US ended with the shuttle was "anything but the truth."

        Mark Whittington at the Examiner (5/23, 1.2M), in his coverage of the campaign, noted that while any launch is "impressive" and "cool," the situation in Florida really will not change until astronauts are launching from there again, "the sooner the better."

"Tomorrowland" Crew Highlight "Fantastic" Experience Filming At NASA.

SPACE (5/22, Pyle, 241K) reported on "Disney's new epic, 'Tomorrowland,'" which was shot in part at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Director Brad Bird said that filming at NASA was a "fantastic" experience, especially because the crew had the opportunity to witness the launch of the MAVEN spacecraft now at Mars. NASA spokesperson Bert Ulrich said, "We knew what the tone of the film was — it's a film about inspiration, and we were happy to be a part of it … we're excited that there are productions out there that want to include NASA and highlight what we are doing, especially when they are inspirational and get kids excited about space exploration."

        collectSPACE (5/22, Pearlman) also reported on how NASA's Launch Pad 39A was a central part of the movie's plot. Bird said in a Disney statement that collaborating with NASA was a "treat" because of how the agency was "close to our hearts."

        Blog Coverage. Tony Bradley at Forbes (5/22, 6.84M) wrote that it was "very cool" that NASA was involved with the film. Bradley noted that he recently spoke with Ulrich about NASA's "revival" and the "unprecedented" public "support and attention." This is evident in the agency's very high social media numbers, which shows that NASA is "mainstream" in American culture.

Last Few Weeks Of HI-SEAS Simulation Has Been Difficult For Some Participants.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (5/23, Hobday, 39K) "AM with Michael Brissenden" website reported that the eight-month Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) is now coming to its end. The mission aimed to learn more about how people would psychologically react during a long-term mission, isolated from others. While the simulate Mars mission has been "a success," the article noted that the last six week were a "challenge" to the six participants. Mission commander Martha Lenio said that there have been "rather difficult bouts of depression from a couple of crew members" that the crew had to work through.

        ABC Radio Australia (5/23, Jackson, 769) has a similar report.

Lockheed Martin, Wyle Labs Receive Deep-Space Health Research Grant.

ExecutiveBiz (5/22, Hoffman) reported in its blog that Lockheed Martin and Wyle Laboratories will receive part of a $12.9 million research award for a proposal that would study the health issues astronauts could face in deep space, including physical and mental health, behavior, and work performance. The funds will be awarded by NASA and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute.

Alaskan Students Excited By Chance To See Astronaut.

The Juneau (AK) Empire (5/25, Petersen, 14K) reported that Fawn Mountain Elementary School students were excited to meet astronaut Steve Swanson earlier this month when he visited the school "as part of American300's tour of Alaska." The nonprofit group sends "interesting and relevant guests to U.S. service stations around the world." Robi Powers, the organization's founder, called Swanson a "living breathing example of what is possible in life," which is important for students to see.

        The AP (5/24, Petersen) also reprints the article.

Seddon To Be Inducted Into Astronaut Hall Of Fame.

The AP (5/26) reports that Margaret Rhea Seddon will be inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame this Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Kazakh Cosmonaut May Fly To ISS In Brightman's Place.

Interfax (RUS) (5/26) reports that Meirbek Moldabekov, deputy chairman of the Kazakh Investment and Development Ministry's aerospace committee (Kazcosmos), said that Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov may fly to the ISS in the spot once held by opera singer Sarah Brightman, who recently backed out of her space tourist trip to the ISS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Organizations/Social

  1. *NEW* Summer Group Fitness Schedule: 6/1 to 8/30

We are overjoyed to announce Starport's *new* Summer 2015 Group Fitness schedule at the Gilruth Center. There are 20 more classes total to choose from on top of new formats and time offerings!

(FYI: The current schedules run until Sunday, May 31, and the summer schedule runs from Monday, June 1, until Sunday, Aug. 30.)

Not sure where to begin? No worries! We have introductory classes in all three studios.

Ready for even better news? *All* of these classes are included in your Starport membership!

Don't have a Starport membership yet? Check out Starport's website to see all of the memberships available. Remember, Starport's Interplanetary memberships are free to JSC civil servants and Starport Partner employees.

Community memberships are available so that friends and family members can take advantage of our group fitness offerings as well.

We hope you enjoy the new chapter of group fitness at the Gilruth!

Chrisanna Colletta, Starport Fitness Director x35010 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

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   Jobs and Training

  1. Planetary Protection, Mars and You

What is "planetary protection?" What does it have to do with Mars? Is it a new initiative? Why do we do it? Does the title of Planetary Protection Officer come with a cool badge? We'll answer these questions and more at this special opportunity to meet with NASA's Dr. Cassie Conley, Planetary Protection Officer, TODAY in the Building 30 Auditorium from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. If you plan to design systems and operations for exploring Mars, a little planetary protection knowledge goes a long way. Come join us for this exciting presentation and engaging discussion!

Event Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2015   Event Start Time:12:30 PM   Event End Time:1:30 PM
Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium

Add to Calendar

James E. Johnson x48305 http://planetaryprotection.nasa.gov/

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  1. IRDLive ServiceNow Training for End-Users

The Enterprise Service Request System (ESRS) transition to ServiceNow is fast approaching. To assist users with this change, the Information Resources Directorate (IRD) has scheduled several IRDLive sessions. Each date below links to a meeting session. To participate, you must join the meeting and dial in.

For all sessions:

    • Telecom: 1-844-467-6272 
    • Passcode: 136624

Information for org approver training will be sent directly to org approvers. Thursday, May 28, the ESRS goes offline at 8 p.m. CDT. ServiceNow go-live is Monday, June 1. With ServiceNow, users will see options for:

    • Early Tech Refresh (ETR) 
    • "Like for Unlike" Refresh 
    • "Show My Assets" 
    • Asset Reporting

For IRDLive questions, contact IRD Customer Support at x46763.

JSC IRD Outreach x46367

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  1. ISS PART/GFE PRACA Training

International Space Station (ISS) PART training for JSC GFE PRACA (FIARs) users (June 2, June 3, June 4).

JSC GFE PRACA (FIARs) records are migrating to the ISS PART system, and the GFE PRACA (FIAR) migration team will be providing training for GFE PRACA authors, approvers and other users of the GFE PRACA system.

As a part of the system migration, the paper FIAR form will be retired, and GFE PRACAs will now be created directly in the ISS PART system.

The training will provide users information on how to search ISS PART and the related systems of OCAD, ISS FMEA and ISS Hazards; how to create and approve GFE PRACA records; and how to CoFR (ISOD) PRACA records in the PART tool.

Sign up for training in SATERN via the links below:

Tuesday, June 2

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

Wednesday, June 3

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

Thursday, June 4

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

Event Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2015   Event Start Time:8:30 AM   Event End Time:11:30 AM
Event Location: ISS Conference Facility, 1800 Space Park Drive

Add to Calendar

Van Keeping x36758

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  1. Job Opportunities

Where do I find job opportunities?

Both internal Competitive Placement Plan and external JSC job announcements are posted on the Human Resources (HR) portal and USAJOBS website. Through the HR portal, civil servants can view summaries of all the agency jobs that are currently open at: https://hr.nasa.gov/portal/server.pt/community/employees_home/239/job_opportu...

To help you navigate to JSC vacancies, use the filter drop-down menu and select "JSC HR." The "Jobs" link will direct you to the USAJOBS website for the complete announcement and the ability to apply online.

Lateral reassignment and rotation opportunities have now moved to NASA Employee Talent Search (NETS). These opportunities do not possess known promotion potential.

If you have questions about any JSC job vacancies or reassignment opportunities, please call your HR representative.

Brandy Braunsdorf x30476

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  1. Request a Fall Intern

If a project in your organization could benefit from student support, enter the project now at https://intern.nasa.gov. Projects should be entered by May 31. The costs are: $12,600 for an undergraduate, and $15,000 for a graduate intern. The funding deadline is June 30.

Interested students can apply now through May 30. Although family members of NASA employees are encouraged to apply, the selection process is highly competitive. Please note that if a family member is selected, they cannot be placed in the same directorate as the relative. For additional details, contact Missy Matthias at x27844 or via email, or Melissa Corning.

Missy Matthias 281-792-7844

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   Community

  1. Middle School Teacher Workshops Deadline is Near

Middle school teachers can now apply for JSC's Educator Professional Development Institutes to be held this July. These are weeklong workshops that map NASA's current missions and education resources to state and national standards for teaching science, technology, engineering and math. The workshops are free and come with a stipend, CPE hours, TAGT hours and prerequisite online activities. Help us spread the word about this opportunity. The application deadline is May 28 at 1 p.m. CDT. Click here for more information on how to apply. We hope to see your friend or family member's application soon!

Dynae Fullwood x47426 http://go.nasa.gov/EPDI2015

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  1. Deadline Extended for HAS Mentors

It's not too late to sign up to pass on your love of spaceflight to the next generation by mentoring High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) students. The series of weeklong summer experiences allow us to connect our NASA workforce with Texas students participating in hands-on engineering challenges. You can advise and work alongside them as they plan a mission to Mars. There are three weeks left to choose from, and the commitment requires about 20 hours.

    • Week 1: June 15 to 19
    • Week 2: June 22 to 26
    • Week 3: July 6 to 10

If interested, please:

1. Complete the mentor application here.

2. Create a V-CORPs account.

3. Review mentor responsibilities.

4. Apply by June 8.

Brandi Dean x41403 http://has.aerospacescholars.org/mentors

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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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