NASA Fiscal Year (2011) Budget

NASA Announces Innovation Initiatives With Fiscal Year 2011 Budget

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will brief reporters about the agency's fiscal year 2011 budget at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 1. The news conference will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, located at 300 E St. S.W., in Washington.

NASA Chief Financial Officer Beth Robinson will join Bolden. The news conference will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. Questions will be taken from media representatives at headquarters and participating field centers.

To watch the budget news conference online, visit:  http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

NASA budget and supporting information will be available at 12:30 p.m., Feb. 1, at:  http://www.nasa.gov/budget

SPACEBOOSTERS Your Online Store for Space Collectables

Hubble Space Telescope - Trio of Galaxies Mixes It Up

Trio of Galaxies Mixes It Up

Though they are the largest and most widely scattered objects in the universe, galaxies do go bump in the night. The Hubble Space Telescope has photographed many pairs of galaxies colliding. Like snowflakes, no two examples look exactly alike. This is one of the most arresting galaxy smash-up images to date.

At first glance, it looks as if a smaller galaxy has been caught in a tug-of-war between a Sumo-wrestler pair of elliptical galaxies. The hapless, mangled galaxy may have once looked more like our Milky Way, a pinwheel-shaped galaxy. Now that it's caught in a cosmic blender, its dust lanes are being stretched and warped by the tug of gravity. Unlike the elliptical galaxies, the spiral is rich in dust and gas for the formation of new stars. It is the fate of the spiral galaxy to be pulled like taffy and then swallowed by the pair of elliptical galaxies, which will trigger a firestorm of new stellar creation.

If there are astronomers on any planets in this galaxy group, they will have a ringside seat to seeing a flurry of star birth unfolding over many millions of years to come. Eventually, the elliptical galaxies should merge, creating one single super-galaxy many times larger than our Milky Way. This trio is part of a tight cluster of 16 galaxies, many of them being dwarf galaxies. This particular galaxy cluster is called the Hickson Compact Group 90 and lies about 100 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA and R. Sharples (University of Durham)

Space souvenirs from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

NASA Provides Inside Look at International Space Station

NASA Provides Inside Look at International Space Station with Streaming Video

HOUSTON -- NASA soon will provide Internet viewers an inside look at astronauts working in space by streaming video live from the International Space Station's laboratories. The internal views are set to begin Feb. 1 and will be available during all crew duty hours.

Since March 2009, NASA has provided streaming video online of Earth and the station's exterior as the laboratory complex orbits 220 miles above Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. The new in-cabin streaming video includes audio of communications between Mission Control and the astronauts, when available.

Television from the station is available only when the complex is in contact with the ground through its high-speed communications antenna and NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. During "loss of signal" periods, Internet viewers may see a test pattern. When the space shuttle is docked to the station, the stream will include video and audio of those activities.

The station is a unique partnership between the space agencies of the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia. Construction began in 1998 and will be completed in 2010. Twenty-two crews have lived aboard the orbiting laboratory since 2000, including the current crew of five. Station residents have conducted important scientific experiments and gathered data to help assist future missions.

To view the streaming station video on Feb. 1, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

To find out when the station will be visible over your city, visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/sightings

NASA's Day of Remembrance

NASA Remembers


Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:54:15 -0600

Today, teams at Launch Pad 39A are expected to finish closing out space shuttle Endeavour's aft for flight. Technicians also will load flight software into the shuttle's massive memory unit.

Meanwhile, Kennedy Director Bob Cabana will take part in NASA's Day of Remembrance wreath-laying ceremony at the Space Mirror Memorial. Remembrance day pays tribute to members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-130 crew will practice entry integrated procedures in the motion base simulator. Later, they will take part in Remembrance Day events.

The STS-130 preflight briefings held at Johnson begin today at 10 a.m. EST and will be aired on NASA TV and www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA Shuttle Endeavour

NASA Sets Shuttle Endeavour Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are set for the upcoming launch of space shuttle Endeavour.

The shuttle's STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to lift off at 4:39 a.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 7. STS-130 is the final scheduled shuttle night launch.

Detailed countdown milestones, news briefing times and participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and media credentialing office are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news

A NASA blog will provide countdown updates beginning at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the mission's three spacewalks live. As Endeavour's flight concludes, the NASA blog will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth. For NASA's launch blog and continuous mission updates, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated during the launch countdown, mission and landing. To follow, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASA

STS-130 astronaut Nicholas Patrick will be tweeting about his pre-launch preparations and providing updates to his Twitter account during the shuttle mission. Follow Patrick at:

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicholas

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Endeavour's flight begins the final year of shuttle operations. Five missions are planned in 2010, with the final flight targeted for launch in September.

NASA Cues Up University CubeSats for Glory Launch This Fall

NASA Cues Up University CubeSats for Glory Launch This Fall

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA will launch small research satellites for several universities as part of the agency's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNA, mission. The satellites are manifested as an auxiliary payload on the Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA's Glory mission, planned for liftoff in late November.


The satellites, called CubeSats because of their shape, come from Montana State University, the University of Colorado and Kentucky Space, a consortium of state universities. The University of Florida was selected as an alternate in case one of the three primary spacecraft cannot fly.

CubeSats are in a class of small research spacecraft called picosatellites. They have a size of approximately four inches, a volume of about one quart and weigh no more than 2.2 pounds.

To place these satellites into orbit by an agency expendable launch vehicle, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is adapting the Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD. This deployment system, designed and manufactured by the California Polytechnic State University in partnership with Stanford University, has flown previously on Department of Defense and commercial launch vehicles.

Montana State designated its satellite as Explorer 1 Prime, or E1P. The name honors the launch and scientific discoveries of the Explorer-1 mission, which detected the Van Allen radiation belts more than 50 years ago. E1P will carry a miniature Geiger tube to measure the intensity and variability of the electrons in the Van Allen belts.

Colorado's satellite is named Hermes. Its mission is to improve CubeSat communications through the on-orbit testing of a high data-rate communication system that will allow the downlink of large quantities of data.

The Kentucky vehicle is called KySat-1. It includes a camera to support a scientific outreach program intended for, but not limited to, Kentucky students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The satellite also has a 2.4-gigahertz industrial, scientific and medical band radio, which will be used to test high-bandwidth communications in the license-free portion of the S-band.

The satellites will hitch a ride to space with the Taurus rocket's primary payload, NASA's Glory spacecraft. The Glory climate mission, developed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, will extend the nearly 30-year record of precise measurements of the sun's energy output. It also will obtain first-ever, global measurements of the distribution of tiny airborne aerosol particles. Aerosols represent one of the greatest areas of uncertainty in understanding Earth's climate system.

The ELaNA project is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy. For more information about the program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

From Space to the Super Bowl

From Space to the Super Bowl


Members of the STS-129 shuttle mission present a specially minted silver medallion to National Football League officials on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The coin, which was flown in space during the November flight of Atlantis, will be used for the official coin toss prior to the kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010.

One member of Atlantis' crew, Leland Melvin, was drafted by the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1986. The crew also flew other NFL-related memorabilia, including jerseys and a football inscribed with the name of every member of the Hall of Fame.

From left: Astronauts Bobby Satcher, Randy Bresnik, and Charlie Hobaugh; Joe Horrigan, Vice President of Communications/Exhibits for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Steve Perry, President/Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; astronauts Berry Wilmore, Michael Foreman and Leland Melvin.

Photo Credit: NASA/Marv Smith

'Go' for Feb. 7 as Final Space Shuttle Night Launch

NASA Gives 'Go' for Feb. 7 as Final Space Shuttle Night Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is set to begin a 13-day flight to the International Space Station with a Feb. 7 launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is planned for 4:39 a.m. EST, making this the final scheduled space shuttle night launch.

Endeavour's launch date was announced Wednesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready.

Endeavour's flight will begin the final year of space shuttle operations. Five shuttle missions are planned in 2010, with the last flight currently targeted for launch in September.

Endeavour's mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, the final module of the U.S. portion of the space station. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which houses a robotic control station and has seven windows to provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the orbiting laboratory will be about 90 percent complete.

Commander George Zamka and his crew of five astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, for final launch preparations. Joining Zamka on STS-130 are Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. Virts will be making his first trip to space.

STS-130 will be Endeavour's 24th mission and the 33rd shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information about STS-130, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Patrick, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is sending updates about his training to his Twitter account. He plans to tweet from orbit during the mission. He can be followed at:  http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicholas

For more information on the space station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

It's Official! - STS-130 Flight Ready!

It's Official! - STS-130 Flight Ready!


Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:02:35 -0600

The Flight Readiness Review taking place at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has concluded. The poll has been taken and all systems are "go for launch."

Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-130 mission to the International Space Station to deliver the Tranquility node and its attached cupola has been scheduled for 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7.

A news conference will be held at 4 p.m. and will be shown live on NASA TV and www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Quake Aftershock Damage Seen by NASA Satellite

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA’s Terra spacecraft captured this false-color image of Haiti on Jan. 21, 2010, nine days after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the region and caused massive damage and loss of life, and one day after a large 5.9 aftershock caused additional damage.

While ASTER's 50-foot resolution is not sufficient to see damaged buildings, it can be used to identify other results. Tiny dots of white against the plant-covered landscape (red in this image) are possible landslides, a common occurrence in mountainous terrain after large earthquakes. The possible landslides were identified by carefully comparing the new image with an image acquired one year ago.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, is silver in the false-color image. The rivers are pale blue, while the ocean is dark blue. Exposed soil is white.

Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Visit the Spaceboosters Online Store

NASA - Newborn Black Holes May Add Power to Many Exploding Stars

Newborn Black Holes May Add Power to Many Exploding Stars

WASHINGTON -- Astronomers studying two exploding stars, or supernovae, have found evidence the blasts received an extra boost from newborn black holes. The supernovae were found to emit jets of particles traveling at more than half the speed of light.


Previously, the only catastrophic events known to produce such high-speed jets were gamma-ray bursts, the universe's most luminous explosions. Supernovae and the most common type of gamma-ray bursts occur when massive stars run out of nuclear fuel and collapse. A neutron star or black hole forms at the star's core, triggering a massive explosion that destroys the rest of the star.

"The explosion dynamics in typical supernovae limit the speed of the expanding matter to about three percent the speed of light," explained Chryssa Kouveliotou, an astrophysicst at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., co-author of one of the new studies. "Yet, in these new objects, we're tracking gas moving some 20 times faster than this."

The new results, published in this week's edition of the journal Nature, used observations from several space and ground-based observatories, including NASA's SWIFT satellite.

The astronomers discovered the ultrafast debris by studying two supernovae at radio wavelengths using numerous facilities, including the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array in Socorro, N.M., and the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia. One team used the real-time operating mode of the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network, an international collaboration of radio telescopes, to rapidly analyze data.

"In every respect, these objects look like gamma-ray bursts -- except that they produced no gamma rays," said Alicia Soderberg at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.

Soderberg led a team that studied SN 2009bb, a supernova discovered in March 2009. It exploded in the spiral galaxy NGC 3278, located about 130 million light-years away.

The other object is SN 2007gr, which was first detected in August 2007 in the spiral galaxy NGC 1058, some 35 million light-years away. The study team, which included Kouveliotou and Alexander van der Horst, a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow in Huntsville, was led by Zsolt Paragi at the Netherlands-based Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Europe.

The researchers searched for gamma-ray signals associated with the supernovae using archived records in the Gamma-Ray Burst Coordination Network located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The project distributes and archives observations of gamma-ray bursts by NASA's SWIFT spacecraft, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and many others. However, no bursts coincided with the supernovae.

Unlike typical core-collapse supernovae, the stars that produce gamma-ray bursts possess what astronomers call a "central engine" -- likely a nascent black hole -- that drives particle jets clocked at more than 99 percent the speed of light.

By contrast, the fastest outflows detected from SN 2009bb reached 85 percent of the speed of light and SN 2007gr reached more than 60 percent of light speed.

"These observations are the first to show some supernovae are powered by a central engine," Soderberg said. "These new radio techniques now give us a way to find explosions that resemble gamma-ray bursts without relying on detections from gamma-ray satellites."

Perhaps as few as one out of every 10,000 supernovae produce gamma rays that we detect as a gamma-ray burst. In some cases, the star's jets may not be angled in a way to produce a detectable burst. In others, the energy of the jets may not be enough to allow them to overcome the overlying bulk of the star.

"We've now found evidence for the unsung crowd of supernovae -- those with relatively dim and mildly relativistic jets that only can be detected nearby," Kouveliotou said. "These likely represent most of the population."

For more information, images and animation about this discovery, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/swift

Space Shuttle Endeavour's FRR Going Smoothly

Endeavour's FRR Going Smoothly


Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:33:12 -0600

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA officials report that the Flight Readiness Review for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is proceeding smoothly.

Following the review, a press briefing will be conducted and broadcast at no earlier than 4 p.m. EST on NASA TV and www.nasa.gov/ntv, to announce the official launch date.
 
STS-130 Crew Portrait
 
 

Visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store!

 

ISS Expedition 23 Mission Insignia Flag Change

ISS Expedition 23 Mission Insignia Flag Change

Spot the difference - Original artwork for Expedition 23

and the updated artwork. Despite being fully reviewed the patch went into production and has now been updated. Artwork credit: NASA.

Expedition 23 photos, patches and pins available from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

Pace Ramps Up for Endeavour and Teams

Pace Ramps Up for Endeavour and Teams


Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:00:00 -0600

Workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center will begin final ordnance connections at Launch Pad 39A in preparation for space shuttle Endeavour's liftoff to the International Space Station targeted for 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7.

Engineers met yesterday to review data after lightning struck about a half mile from the pad during a thunderstorm Jan. 22. They concluded there was no damage to the shuttle or launch pad.



Also, technicians are checking out the astronauts' spacesuits before they're carefully packed into special containers and loaded onto the shuttle.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, STS-130 Commander George Zamka and Pilot Terry will practice shuttle landings in their T-38 jets, while the other crew members review elements of their flight plan.

Tomorrow the agency's Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, for the STS-130 mission will be held at Kennedy. Afterward, NASA will announce an official launch date during a post-meeting briefing aired on NASA TV. The briefing also can be found on www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Endeavour, Pad and Crew Preps Continue

Endeavour, Pad and Crew Preps Continue


Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:12:19 -0600

At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, workers closed space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay doors for flight during the weekend.

Pad maintenance and checks will be conducted until launch day, which is targeted for Feb. 7 at 4:39 a.m. EST.

The six STS-130 mission astronauts will review flight data and practice in-flight maintenance procedures today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

At the conclusion of the executive-level Flight Readiness Review that will be held at Kennedy on Jan. 27, the official launch date will be announced during a press briefing.

NASA Astronaut John Grunsfeld

NASA Astronaut John Grunsfeld, Instrumental to Hubble Telescope Repair, Will Help Oversee its Science Operations

WASHINGTON -- NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, who participated in three spaceflights to service the Hubble Space Telescope, is leaving the agency to become the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. The institute is the science operations center for Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, which is planned for launch in 2014.

"During the past 18 years, John has been a true asset to the agency," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut who flew on the STS-31 mission that deployed the Hubble. "Some have called him the chief Hubble repairman, but I call him a friend and wish him the best in his new endeavor."

In addition to Grunsfeld's flights to Hubble (STS-103 in Dec. 1999, STS-109 in March 2002, and STS-125 in May 2009), he also served on two other shuttle missions. He performed eight critical spacewalks and logged more than 835 hours in space.

During 2003 and 2004, he was NASA's Chief Scientist at the agency's headquarters in Washington. He helped develop the Vision for Space Exploration, which set NASA on the path for future exploration endeavors.

In accepting the institute position, Grunsfeld said, "This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me to work at a focal point of top astronomers at the leading edge of scientific inquiry. The team at the Space Telescope Science Institute has a demonstrated record of meeting the high performance challenges of operating the Hubble Space Telescope and preparing for the James Webb Space Telescope. I look forward to working with this excellent team as we continue to explore the mysteries of the universe."

John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.)


NASA ASTRONAUT

PERSONAL DATA: Born in Chicago, Illinois. Married to the former Carol E. Schiff. They have two children. John enjoys mountaineering, flying, sailing, bicycling, and music. His father, Ernest A. Grunsfeld III, resides in Highland Park, Illinois. Carol’s parents, David and Ruth Schiff, reside in Highland Park, Illinois.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Highland Park High School, Highland Park, Illinois, in 1976; received a bachelor of science degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980; a master of science degree and a doctor of philosophy degree in physics from the University of Chicago in 1984 and 1988, respectively.

ORGANIZATIONS: American Astronomical Society. American Alpine Club. Explorers Club, Experimental Aircraft Association. Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association.

SPECIAL HONORS: W.D. Grainger Fellow in Experimental Physics, 1988-89. NASA Graduate Student Research Fellow, 1985-87. NASA Space Flight Medals (1995, 1997, 1999, 2002). NASA Exceptional Service Medals (1997, 1998, 2000). NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2002). Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Chicago. Alumni Service Award, University of Chicago. Komarov Diploma (1995). Korolov Diploma (1999, 2002). NASA Constellation Award (2004). Society of Logistics Engineers, 2006 Space Logistics Medal.

EXPERIENCE: Dr. Grunsfeld’s academic positions include that of Visiting Scientist, University of Tokyo/Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (1980-81); Graduate Research Assistant, University of Chicago (1981-85); NASA Graduate Student Fellow, University of Chicago (1985-87); W.D. Grainger Postdoctoral Fellow in Experimental Physics, University of Chicago (1988-89); and Senior Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology (1989-92). Dr. Grunsfeld’s research has covered x-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, high-energy cosmic ray studies, and development of new detectors and instrumentation. Dr. Grunsfeld studied binary pulsars and energetic x-ray and gamma ray sources using the NASA Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, x-ray astronomy satellites, radio telescopes, and optical telescopes including the NASA Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Dr. Grunsfeld was selected by NASA in March 1992, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He completed one year of training and is qualified for flight selection as a mission specialist. Dr. Grunsfeld was initially detailed to the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch and was assigned as the lead for portable computers for use in space. Following his first flight, he led a team of engineers and computer programmers tasked with defining and producing the crew displays for command and control of the International Space Station (ISS). As part of this activity he directed an effort combining the resources of the Mission Control Center (MCC) Display Team and the Space Station Training Facility. The result was the creation of the Common Display Development Facility (CDDF), responsible for the onboard and MCC displays for the ISS, using object-oriented programming techniques. Following his second flight, he was assigned as Chief of the Computer Support Branch in the Astronaut Office supporting Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs and advanced technology development. Following STS-103, he served as Chief of the Extravehicular Activity Branch in the Astronaut Office. Following STS-109 Grunsfeld served as an instructor in the Extravehicular Activity Branch and Robotics Branch and worked on the exploration concepts, and technologies for use beyond low earth orbit in the Advanced Programs Branch. He served as the NASA Chief Scientist detailed to NASA Headquarters in 2003-2004 where he helped develop the President’s Vision for Space Exploration. A veteran of five space flights, STS-67 (1995), STS-81 (1997), STS-103 (1999) STS-109 (2002) and STS-125 (2009), Dr. Grunsfeld has logged over 58 days in space, including 58 hours and 30 minutes of EVA in 8 space walks.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-67/Astro-2 Endeavour (March 2-18, 1995) was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. It was the second flight of the Astro observatory, a unique complement of three ultra-violet telescopes. During this record-setting 16-day mission, the crew conducted observations around the clock to study the far ultraviolet spectra of faint astronomical objects and the polarization of ultraviolet light coming from hot stars and distant galaxies. Mission duration was 399 hours and 9 minutes.

STS-81 Atlantis (January 12-22, 1997) was a 10-day mission, the 5th to dock with Russia’s Space Station Mir, and the 2nd to exchange U.S. astronauts. The mission also carried the Spacehab double module providing additional middeck locker space for secondary experiments. In five days of docked operations more than three tons of food, water, experiment equipment and samples were moved back and forth between the two spacecraft. Grunsfeld served as the flight engineer on this flight. Following 160 orbits of the Earth the STS-81 mission concluded with a landing on Kennedy Space Center’s Runway 33 ending a 3.9 million mile journey. Mission duration was 244 hours, 56 minutes.

STS-103 Discovery (December 19-27, 1999) was an 8-day mission during which the crew successfully installed new gyroscopes and scientific instruments and upgraded systems on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Enhancing HST scientific capabilities required three space walks (EVA). Grunsfeld performed two space walks totaling 16 hours and 23 minutes. The STS-103 mission was accomplished in 120 Earth orbits, traveling 3.2 million miles in 191 hours and 11 minutes.

STS-109 Columbia (March 1-12, 2002) was the fourth Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission. The crew of STS-109 successfully upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope installing a new digital camera, a cooling system for the infrared camera, new solar arrays and a new power system. HST servicing and upgrades were accomplished by four crewmembers during a total of 5 EVAs in 5 consecutive days. Grunsfeld served as the Payload Commander on STS-109 in charge of the space walking activities and the Hubble payload. He also performed 3 space walks totaling 21 hours and 9 minutes, including the installation of the new Power Control Unit. STS-109 orbited the Earth 165 times, and covered 3.9 million miles in over 262 hours.

STS-125 Atlantis (May 11-24, 2009) was the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission. After 19 years on orbit the telescope got a major renovation which included the installation of a new wide field camera and a new ultraviolet telescope, new batteries, a guidance sensor, gyroscopes and other repairs. Grunsfeld served as the lead spacewalker in charge of the spacewalking and Hubble activites. He performed 3 of the 5 spacewalks on this flight totaling 20 hours, 58 minutes. For the first time on orbit 2 scientific instruments were surgically repaired in the telescope. The STS-125 mission was accomplished in 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes and 09 seconds, traveling 5,276,000 miles in 197 Earth orbits.

JULY 2009

For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

Endeavour Launch Preps in the Cold

Endeavour Launch Preps in the Cold While Managers Evaluate Cooling Lines


Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:09:25 -0600

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, throughout the weekend technicians will prepare space shuttle Endeavour for prelaunch propellant servicing at Launch Pad 39A

The shuttle continues to be sheltered from the Space Coast's uncharacteristically cold temperatures with heaters and warm air purges. This process will keep the spacecraft's systems at an appropriate temperature.

As International Space Station and shuttle teams prepared for February’s launch, a high-pressure ammonia jumper hose assembly failed during a prelaunch test Thursday. Four such hoses, which will be used to connect the new Tranquility module to the station’s cooling system, are to be installed and activated by spacewalkers during the STS-130 mission.

The teams are continuing to work toward a target launch of Endeavour on Feb. 7, however engineers are reviewing data from the test and evaluating whether there will be any impact to the shuttle mission. The analysis is expected to continue for several days.
 
STS-130 Crew Portrait
 

 
Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits, these six astronauts take a break from training to pose for the STS-130 crew portrait. Seated are astronauts George Zamka (right), commander; and Terry Virts, pilot. From the left (standing) are astronaut Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Kathryn Hire and Stephen Robinson, all mission specialists.
 
STS-130 Mision Insignia

 
The STS-130 patch was designed by the crew to reflect both the objectives of the mission and its place in the history of human spaceflight. The main goal of the mission is to deliver Node 3 and the Cupola to the International Space Station (ISS). Node 3, named "Tranquility," will contain life support systems enabling continued human presence in orbit aboard the ISS. The shape of the patch represents the Cupola, which is the windowed robotics viewing station, from which astronauts will have the opportunity not only to monitor a variety of ISS operations, but also to study our home planet. The image of Earth depicted in the patch is the first photograph of the Earth taken from the moon by Lunar Orbiter I on August 23, 1966. As both a past and a future destination for explorers from the planet Earth, the moon is thus represented symbolically in the STS-130 patch. The Space Shuttle Endeavour is pictured approaching the ISS, symbolizing the Space Shuttle's role as the prime construction vehicle for the ISS.

STS-130: Endeavour Rollout

STS-130: Endeavour Rollout

01.08.10

 › View Now



NARRATOR: Space shuttle Endeavour is one step closer to liftoff on its STS-130 mission.

Endeavour moved out of Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building at 4:13 a.m. on a cold, predawn journey to Launch Pad 39A.

The tracked crawler-transporter carried the shuttle and its launch platform at less than one mile an hour.

NASA Flow Director Dana Hutcherson explains how the shuttle team -- and Endeavour itself -- were protected from bone-chilling overnight temperatures that dipped below freezing.

DANA HUTCHERSON: It is a little bit chilly for us Floridians here at the Cape. For the technical side of the orbiter, we actually do have heaters and purges going on the vehicle to keep the vehicle nice and warm and cozy. We were a little concerned about the personnel being outside during these cold temperatures overnight. We had the team rotating in and out -- about 30-minutes shifts -- so that they can get a little bit warm and come in and take a break.

NARRATOR: The shuttle reached the launch pad's gate at 8:45 a.m. and the move was complete at 10:37 a.m.

Now, teams can begin final preparations for Endeavour's mission to the International Space Station.

DANA HUTCHERSON: This is a very exciting time. The team is in good spirits. You know, we have a great team working with us and everybody seems to be focused at the task at hand, and getting Endeavour processed safely, and getting ready for this next mission.

› View Now
 
For STS-130 Souvenirs Visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

Florida Chill Keeps Endeavour's Protection in Place

Florida Chill Keeps Endeavour's Protection in Place


Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:24:10 -0600

Throughout the weekend, technicians will prepare space shuttle Endeavour for prelaunch propellant servicing at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The shuttle continues to be sheltered from the space coast's uncharacteristically cold temperatures with heaters and warm air purges. This process will keep the spacecraft's systems at an appropriate temperature.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-130 crew will spend the day reviewing flight crew equipment.

Endeavour's six astronauts will participate in the prelaunch dress rehearsal known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, Jan. 19-21 at Kennedy. This training will include simulated countdown activities, equipment familiarization and emergency egress procedures.

NASA Shuttle at Launch Pad

NASA Shuttle at Launch Pad for Final Scheduled Night Launch; Crew Set to Arrive for Practice Liftoff

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, space shuttle Endeavour now awaits its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-130 mission. Reporters are invited to cover the launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, scheduled to take place at Kennedy from Jan. 19 to 21.


Endeavour arrived at Launch Pad 39A at 8:45 a.m. EST Wednesday on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 4:13 a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the pad at 10:37 a.m.

With Endeavour on the pad, the STS-130 astronauts and ground crews can participate in the practice countdown and related training starting Jan. 19. The rehearsal provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training.

Journalists must apply for credentials by noon Friday, Jan. 8, to cover the TCDT.

Reporters requesting accreditation must apply online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/

Times for TCDT activities still are being finalized. Activities available for media coverage will include:

- Jan. 19: STS-130 crew arrival. The astronauts will arrive in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and T-38 jets at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility. Crew arrival will be broadcast live on NASA Television.

- Jan. 20: Crew media availability. The crew will take questions from reporters at Launch Pad 39A. The session will be carried live on NASA TV.

- Jan. 21: Crew walkout photo opportunity. The astronauts will depart from the Operations and Checkout Building in their flight entry suits in preparation for the countdown demonstration test at the launch pad. The walkout will not be broadcast live, but will air on NASA TV's Video File.

Updates with times for all events will be available by calling 321-867-2525.

The six astronauts for Endeavour's STS-130 mission will deliver a third connecting module, the Tranquility node, to the International Space Station. Endeavour's Feb. 7 target liftoff is at 4:39 a.m., making it the final scheduled space shuttle night launch.
NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the space station and its crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Sets Jan. 11 Briefing to Preview Upcoming Spacewalk

NASA Sets Jan. 11 Briefing to Preview Upcoming Spacewalk, Soyuz Relocation and Other January Space Station Milestones

HOUSTON -- NASA officials will discuss an upcoming spacewalk by two Russian cosmonauts, the relocation of a Soyuz spacecraft to a new docking port and other International Space Station activities during a briefing at 1 p.m. CST on Monday, Jan. 11. The briefing will take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. Reporters at participating NASA centers may ask questions.


The briefing participants are:

- Pete Hasbrook, Expedition 22 increment manager, Johnson Space Center

- David Korth, Expedition 22 lead flight director, Johnson Space Center

On Thursday, Jan. 14, Expedition 22 cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Max Suraev will don Russian spacesuits for a six-hour spacewalk. They will prepare a new docking port and airlock named Poisk for use. NASA TV coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 3:30 a.m. Kotov and Suraev are expected to exit the Pirs airlock to begin their work at 4:10 a.m.

On Thursday, Jan. 21, Suraev and Expedition 22 Commander Jeff Williams will move their Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft from the Zvezda Service Module port to the new Poisk module port. NASA TV coverage of the Soyuz undocking and redocking will begin at 3:45 a.m.

Briefers also will discuss the relocation of a spare parts platform on the outside of the station and the move from the Unity node to the Harmony node of the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. The adapter is used to interconnect spacecraft and modules with different docking mechanisms. Hasbrook and Korth also will discuss the first use of the Poisk module.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedule information and streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

For Space Station Souvenirs visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store!

Endeavour's Rollout to Pad Completed

Endeavour's Rollout to Pad Completed


Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:23:19 -0600

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour perched atop the massive crawler transported has reached Launch Pad 39A.

First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 4:13 a.m. EST and the 3.4-mile journey was completed and the shuttle secured, or "hard down" on the pad by 10:37 a.m.

This is the next major milestone met for the upcoming STS-130 mission to deliver the Tranquility node and cupola to the International Space Station.

Endeavour's launch is targeted for 4:39 a.m. Feb. 7.
 
STS-130 Souvenirs at the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

Into the Heart of Darkness - supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy

Into the Heart of Darkness


Astronomers have long known that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, known as Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A* for short), is a particularly poor eater. The fuel for this black hole comes from powerful winds blown off dozens of massive young stars that are concentrated nearby. These stars are located a relatively large distance away from Sgr A*, where the gravity of the black hole is weak, and so their high-velocity winds are difficult for the black hole to capture and swallow. Scientists have previously calculated that Sgr A* should consume only about 1 percent of the fuel carried in the winds.

However, it now appears that Sgr A* consumes even less than expected -- ingesting only about one percent of that one percent. Why does it consume so little? The answer may be found in a new theoretical model developed using data from a very deep exposure made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This model considers the flow of energy between two regions around the black hole: an inner region that is close to the so-called event horizon (the boundary beyond which even light cannot escape), and an outer region that includes the black hole's fuel source -- the young stars -- extending up to a million times farther out. Collisions between particles in the hot inner region transfer energy to particles in the cooler outer region via a process called conduction. This, in turn, provides additional outward pressure that makes nearly all of the gas in the outer region flow away from the black hole. The model appears to explain well the extended shape of hot gas detected around Sgr A* in X-rays as well as features seen in other wavelengths.

This Chandra image of Sgr A* and the surrounding region is based on data from a series of observations lasting a total of about one million seconds, or almost two weeks. Such a deep observation has given scientists an unprecedented view of the supernova remnant near Sgr A* (known as Sgr A East) and the lobes of hot gas extending for a dozen light years on either side of the black hole. These lobes provide evidence for powerful eruptions occurring several times over the last ten thousand years.

The image also contains several mysterious X-ray filaments, some of which may be huge magnetic structures interacting with streams of energetic electrons produced by rapidly spinning neutron stars. Such features are known as pulsar wind nebulas.

This new model of Sgr A* was presented at the 215th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in January 2009 by Roman Shcherbakov and Robert Penna of Harvard University and Frederick K. Baganoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Image Credit: NASA/CXC/MIT/F. Baganoff, R. Shcherbakov et al.

Nature's Most Precise Clocks

Nature's Most Precise Clocks May Make "Galactic GPS" Possible; Pulsing Pulsars Help in Search for Gravitational Waves

WASHINGTON -- Radio astronomers have uncovered 17 millisecond pulsars in our galaxy by studying unknown high-energy sources detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The astronomers made the discovery in less than three months. Such a jump in the pace of locating these hard-to-find objects holds the promise of using them as a kind of "galactic GPS" to detect gravitational waves passing near Earth.


A pulsar is the rapidly spinning and highly magnetized core left behind when a massive star explodes. Because only rotation powers their intense gamma-ray, radio and particle emissions, pulsars gradually slow as they age. But the oldest pulsars spin hundreds of times per second -- faster than a kitchen blender. These millisecond pulsars have been spun up and rejuvenated by accreting matter from a companion star.

"Radio astronomers discovered the first millisecond pulsar 28 years ago," said Paul Ray at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. "Locating them with all-sky radio surveys requires immense time and effort, and we've only found a total of about 60 in the disk of our galaxy since then. Fermi points us to specific targets. It's like having a treasure map."

Millisecond pulsars are nature's most precise clocks, with long-term, sub-microsecond stability that rivals human-made atomic clocks. Precise monitoring of timing changes in an all-sky array of millisecond pulsars may allow the first direct detection of gravitational waves -- a long-sought consequence of Einstein's relativity theory.

"The Global Positioning System uses time-delay measurements among satellite clocks to determine where you are on Earth," explained Scott Ransom of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Va. "Similarly, by monitoring timing changes in a constellation of suitable millisecond pulsars spread all over the sky, we may be able to detect the cumulative background of passing gravitational waves."

The sources Fermi detected are not associated with any known gamma-ray emitting objects and did not show evidence of pulsing behavior. However, scientists considered it likely that many of the unidentified sources would turn out to be pulsars.

For a more detailed look at radio wavelengths, Ray organized the Fermi Pulsar Search Consortium and recruited a handful of radio astronomers with expertise in using five of the world's largest radio telescopes -- the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in W.Va., the Parkes Observatory in Australia, the Nancay Radio Telescope in France, the Effelsberg Radio Telescope in Germany and the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico.

After studying approximately 100 targets, and with a computationally intensive data analysis still under way, the discoveries have started to pour in.

"Other surveys took a decade to find as many of these pulsars as we have," said Ransom, who led one of the discovery groups. "Having Fermi tell us where to look is a huge advantage."

Four of the new objects are "black widow" pulsars, so called because radiation from the recycled pulsar is destroying the companion star that helped spin it up.

"Some of these stars are whittled down to masses equivalent to tens of Jupiters," said Ray. "We've doubled the known number of these systems in the galaxy's disk, and that will help us better understand how they evolve."

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

For images and animations related to this release, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/fermi

Star was torn apart by an intermediate-mass black hole

Stellar Destruction


Evidence from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Magellan telescopes suggest a star was torn apart by an intermediate-mass black hole in a globular cluster.

In this image, X-rays from Chandra are shown in blue and are overlaid on an optical image from the Hubble Space Telescope. The Chandra observations show that this object is a so-called ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX). An unusual class of objects, ULXs emit more X-rays than stars, but less than quasars. Their exact nature has remained a mystery, but one suggestion is that some ULXs are black holes with masses between about a hundred and a thousands times that of the Sun.

Data optical light obtained with the Magellan I and II telescopes in Las Campanas, Chile, also provides intriguing information about this object, which is found in the elliptical galaxy NGC 1399 in the Fornax cluster. The spectrum reveals emission from oxygen and nitrogen but no hydrogen, a rare set of signals from within globular clusters. The combination of this unusual X-ray and optical emission makes this a remarkable object. This leads the researchers to suspect that a white dwarf star strayed too close to the intermediate-mass black hole and was ripped apart by tidal forces.

Another interesting aspect to this object is that it is found within a globular cluster, a very old, very tight grouping of stars. Astronomers have long suspected globular clusters contained intermediate-mass black holes, but there has been no conclusive evidence of their existence there to date. If confirmed, this finding would represent the first such substantiation.

Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UA/J. Irwin et al. Optical: NASA/STScI

Endeavour on the Move to Pad

Endeavour on the Move to Pad


Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:41:19 -0600

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour, atop the mobile launcher platform, began its move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at 4:13 a.m. EST Wednesday morning. The 3.4-mile journey is expected to take about six hours.
 
SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store for Space Collectables and Associated Memorabilia

NASA Names New Dryden Flight Research Center Director

NASA Names New Dryden Flight Research Center Director

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden has named David D. McBride director of the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.


"David has done a terrific job as the acting Dryden director, and I am pleased he will be continuing as director," Bolden said. "David's expertise, leadership and flight research acumen will benefit NASA and the entire aerospace community."

McBride will direct all aspects of facility management, strategy and operations at Dryden, one of NASA's 10 field centers. McBride became Dryden's acting director on April 4, 2009, upon the retirement of former center director Kevin L. Petersen. He also served as Dryden's deputy director since June 8, 2008, first in an acting capacity before his official appointment on Jan. 4, 2009.

McBride's prior management assignments at Dryden include serving as associate director for programs, a role overseeing the complete portfolio of center projects supporting exploration, science, and aeronautics.

He also managed NASA's Flight Research Program at Dryden. The program conducted flight research that expanded aerospace knowledge and capabilities. Activities included the record-breaking flight of the solar-powered Helios aircraft, the Active Aeroelastic Wing flight project and the revolutionary Intelligent Flight Control System, demonstrating adaptive neural network flight control systems.

McBride began his career at Dryden as a cooperative education student in 1982, specializing in digital flight control systems analysis. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico in 1985 and an executive Masters of Business Administration from the University of New Mexico in 1998.

Visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store - Space Collectables & Memorabilia