APOLLO 17 Medallion with Flown Metal Continues 40th Anniversary Series

Apollo 40th Anniversary Flown Metal Series Continues......

Apollo 17 Medallion

The medallion features the Apollo 17 mission insignia on one face and the 40th Anniversary motif on the other and is encapsulated in a protective plastic casing. I think this is the best so far.

The first phase of man's active exploration of the Moon came to an end with the Apollo 17 mission. Many questions about lunar science were answered during the intensive activity of the Apollo missions, but many more remain to be answered. Some of the unanswered questions will be answered in the future from data already returned but as yet not fully analyzed, and some will have to wait for data yet to be returned from instruments already in place on the lunar surface. Still other questions must await further exploration.

The basic objective of the Apollo 17 mission was to sample basin-rim highland material and adjacent mare material and investigate the geological evolutionary relationship between these two major units. Commander Eugene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, also a professional geologist, engaged in three moon walks for a total of 22 hours and 2 minutes. The Lunar Rover also experienced its first lunar fender bender.

Numerous individual investigations of surface and spatial features have been performed based on the Apollo 17 crew orbital observations and panoramic and metric camera photographs. The scope of these investigations has ranged from studies of the structure of individual craters to studies of the sequences of mare stratigraphy and mare ridges to studies of the solar corona and zodiacal light.

Apollo 17 coins/medallions still available from the Store

APOLLO 12 Medallion with Flown Metal Continues 40th Anniversary Series

Apollo 40th Anniversary Flown Metal Series Continues......

Apollo 12 Medallion

The medallion features the Apollo 12 mission insignia on one face and the 40th Anniversary motif on the other and is encapsulated in a protective plastic casing.

The Apollo 12 mission was the first opportunity in the scientific exploration of the Moon to sample extensively the rocks within half a kilometre of the landing site.

Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon Jr. remained in lunar orbit as the Apollo 12 Lunar Module landed on the northwest rim of the Surveyor Crater in the Ocean of Storms. The landing site was at 23 degrees 4 minutes west longitude and 3 degrees 2 minutes south latitude, approximately 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of Lansberg Crater and due north of the centre of Mare Cognitum.

The landing site is near a ray associated with the Copernicus Crater, which is approximately 370 kilometres (230 miles) to the north, and is characterized by a distinctive cluster of craters ranging from 50 to 400 meters in diameter.

During two moon walks totalling 7 hours and 45 minutes, the astronauts collected lunar soil and additional surface samples along a geologic traverse. Commander Charles Conrad Jr. and Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean obtained material from the bottom of a shallow trench and brought back several items from the Surveyor 3 spacecraft.

The astronauts caught some of the solar wind in an aluminium foil, and they took photographs of the lunar surface and crew activities with 70-mm Hasselblad cameras and a close-up stereoscopic camera.

Discovery Prepping for Transport Loading

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:30:53 -0500

Space shuttle Discovery is being readied today for its loading atop a flat, specialized transporter that will carry it to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept 8. Discovery has been inside Orbiter Processing Facility-3 since its return from the STS-131 mission on April 20. It is targeted for launch Nov. 1 on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-133 astronauts will practice procedures for the mission's first spacewalk in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

Discovery Preps Focus on Landing Gear Tires

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:37:27 -0500

The tires on space shuttle Discovery will be pressurized for the final time before flight today as the careful march toward launch continues at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery is targeted to lift off Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m. Eastern time on the STS-133 mission.

Discovery's crew will practice deorbit burn techniques and contingency scenarios in the motion-base simulator today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

A Strange Ring Galaxy

Is this one galaxy or two? Astronomer Art Hoag first asked this question when he chanced upon this unusual extragalactic object. On the outside is a ring dominated by bright blue stars, while near the center lies a ball of much redder stars that are likely much older. Between the two is a gap that appears almost completely dark. How Hoag's Object formed remains unknown, although similar objects have been identified and collectively labeled as a form of ring galaxy. Genesis hypotheses include a galaxy collision billions of years ago and the gravitational effect of a central bar that has since vanished.

 

This image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in July 2001, reveals unprecedented details of Hoag's Object and may yield a better understanding. Hoag's Object spans about 100,000 light years and lies about 600 million light years away toward the constellation of the Snake (Serpens). Coincidentally, visible in the gap (at about one o'clock) is yet another ring galaxy that likely lies far in the distance.

 

Image Credit: NASA, R. Lucas (STScI/AURA)

Next International Space Station Crew Holds News Conference

HOUSTON -- The next crew to live and work on the International Space Station will participate in a news conference at 1 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.


The news conference will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. The crew also will answer questions from reporters at participating NASA centers and from those in Europe.

NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and her crewmates Dmitry Kondratiev, of the Russian Space Agency, and Paolo Nespoli, of the European Space Agency, will participate in individual round-robin interviews, in person or by phone, following the news conference. The crew also will participate in a photo opportunity for reporters at Johnson.

U.S. and foreign media representatives planning to attend the briefing must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7. To participate in the round-robin interviews, reporters should contact the Johnson newsroom by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

Coleman, Kondratiev and Nespoli will constitute three of the six crewmembers for both Expedition 26 and 27. They will launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in mid-December.

They will join NASA's Scott Kelly, who will command the station, and Flight Engineers Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka. Kelly, Kaleri and Skripochka will launch in a separate Soyuz on Oct. 7 and arrive at the orbiting laboratory Oct. 9.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

SPACEBOOSTERS For International Space Station Souvenirs

Islands of Four Mountains

The picturesque, but snow-capped volcanoes, composing the Islands of the Four Mountains in Alaska's Aleutian Island chain look suspiciously like an alien world in this August 2010 image from the ASTER camera aboard NASA's orbiting Terra satellite.

The islands contain restless Mt. Cleveland, an active volcano currently being watched to see if it emits an ash cloud that could affect air travel over parts of North America. A close look at Mt. Cleveland, seen near the image center, shows red vegetation (false color), a white snow-covered peak, a light plume of gas and ash, and dark lanes where ash and debris fell or flowed. Millions of volcanoes have likely been active over the turbulent history of the Earth's surface, while about 20 volcanoes are erupting even today, at any given time.

Image Credit: NASA

 

 

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Discovery's Engines to be Configured

The three main engines on space shuttle Discovery will be configured today so the spacecraft can be taken to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 8 for stacking. Discovery, the oldest active shuttle, is being prepared for the STS-133 mission. Liftoff is targeted for Nov. 1.

The crew is involved in robotic proficiency training today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.‪

Hydrogen Sulfide and Dust Plumes on Namibia's Coast

Cloudless skies allowed a clear view of dust and hydrogen sulfide plumes along the coast of Namibia in early August 2010. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on Aug. 10, 2010.




Multiple dust plumes blow off the coast toward the ocean, most or all of them probably arising from streambeds. Unlike the reddish-tan sands comprising the dunes directly south of the Kuiseb River, the stream-channel sediments are lighter in color. Wind frequently pushes dust plumes seaward along the Namibian Coast. Easterly trade winds blow from the Indian Ocean over the African continent, losing much of their moisture as they go. The winds are hot and dry as they pass over Namibia’s coastal plain, where they are prone to stir fine sediments.



Even with dust plumes overhead, the marked change in land cover is obvious along the Kuiseb River. South of the river, sand dunes predominate, but the vegetation along the Kuiseb River prevents the dunes from advancing northward. North of the river, the land surface consists primarily of gravel plains punctuated by rocky hills.



Hydrogen sulfide appears as a swath of irridescent green running parallel to the coast north of Walvis Bay. A 2009 study linked the emissions in this region to ocean currents, biological activity in the water column, and carbon-rich organic sediments under the water column. The meeting of hydrogen sulfide gas and oxygen-rich surface waters causes pure sulfur to precipitate into the water. The sulfur’s yellow color makes the water appear green to the satellite sensor.

Image Credit: NASA

Discovery's Processing Goes Smoothly Ahead of Rollover

Space shuttle Discovery continues its launch processing on pace as technicians prepare the spacecraft for its scheduled move on Sept. 8 to the Vehicle Assembly so it can be hoisted into launch position with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Today's work at NASA's Kennedy Space Center includes checks of the "glass cockpit" systems, known as MEDS for Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem. Technicians also are pressurizing the main landing gear.




At NASA's Johnson Space Center, STS- 133 astronauts will continue working on spacewalk procedures in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

Anaxagoras Crater

This image from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the floor of the moon's Anaxagoras crater, including a portion of the crater's anorthositic central uplift. The boulders perched on ridges are eroding out of densely fractured bedrock. This image was taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, which consists of a pair of narrow-angle cameras and a single wide-angle camera. The mission is expected to return over 70 terabytes of image data.

Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Leak checks on Discovery

Working inside Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are beginning a three-day leak test of space shuttle Discovery's entry closed loop gaseous nitrogen life support system. Tonight, workers will perform a similar test of the spacecraft's external tank umbilical. The shuttle's glass cockpit displays also are undergoing testing. Discovery is slated to be carried to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 8. Launch is targeted for Nov. 1.

 

The six STS-133 mission astronauts are in the fixed-base simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the training base for NASA's astronauts. The crew is rehearsing the installation of ELC-4, a procedure they will perform during the mission to the International Space Station.

Discovery's Closeout Work Proceeding

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:19:46 -0500

Spacecraft preparations are moving ahead as technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida perform closeout work in the aft and forward sections of the space shuttle Discovery. The shuttle is slated to be carried to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 8 where it will be connected to its external fuel tank and a pair of solid rocket boosters. Liftoff is targeted for Nov. 1.

Discovery's astronauts will rehearse the first spacewalk of the mission inside the large pool at Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston.

Techs to Close Discovery's Payload Bay Doors

The Ku-band antenna that transmits audio, video and data between Earth and the space shuttle will be stowed today inside shuttle Discovery's payload bay before the clamshell doors are closed. The antenna, which resembles a mini-satellite dish, is on a stanchion that folds out from the forward bulkhead inside the cargo bay after the spacecraft reaches orbit. The antenna stowage and door closure are part of the ongoing work at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prep Discovery for its roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building next month. There is will be joined to an external fuel tank and a set of solid rocket boosters for launch on the STS-133 mission. Liftoff is targeted for Nov. 1.

The astronauts of STS-133 are working through a simulated entry and landing today at their training base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Such simulations, performed inside a moving replica of a shuttle flight deck, are made as realistic as possible and often force crew members to deal with emergency situations in a safe environment.

Sailing Amongst the Stars

Making the stuff of science fiction into reality, NASA engineers are testing solar sails--a unique propulsion technology that one day could enable deep space missions. Much like the wind pushing a sailboat through water, solar sails rely on sunlight to propel vehicles through space. The sail captures constantly streaming solar particles, called photons, with giant sails built from a lightweight material. Over time, the buildup of these particles provides enough thrust for a small spacecraft to travel in space.

 

This image is of a four-quadrant solar sail system, measuring 66 feet on each side that is being tested in the world's largest vacuum chamber at NASA's Glenn Research Center at Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio.

Image Credit: NASA

Shuttle Missions' Wakeup Songs

NASA Asks Public for Final Shuttle Missions' Wakeup Songs HOUSTON -- If you like music, the space program and are a little nostalgic, NASA has the perfect opportunity for you. For the first time, the public can help choose songs to wake up the astronauts during the last two scheduled space shuttle missions.

 

Traditionally, the songs played to wake up the astronauts are selected by friends and family of the crews. For the last two scheduled missions, NASA is inviting the public to visit the "Wakeup Song Contest" website to select songs from a list of the top 40 previous wakeup calls or to submit original tunes for consideration. To vote or submit a song, visit:

https://songcontest.nasa.gov/

The two songs with the most votes from the top 40 list will be played as crew wakeup calls on the final scheduled flight of space shuttle Discovery. Discovery's STS-133 mission is targeted to launch on Nov. 1.

 

"We're looking forward to hearing which songs the public wants played for us," STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey said. "It's going to be a difficult choice, because there have been so many great songs played over the years."

Original songs must have a space theme and be submitted to NASA by 4 p.m. CST on Jan. 10, 2011. The songs will be reviewed by agency officials and the top finalists put to a public vote. The top two songs will be used to wake space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 crew.

Endeavour's mission is the last scheduled space shuttle flight. It is targeted to launch on Feb. 26, 2011.

 

"Space shuttle crews really enjoy the morning wake-up music," STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly said. "While we don't have the best quality speaker in the space shuttle, it will be interesting to hear what the public comes up with. We are looking forward to it."

The song contest campaign follows NASA's ongoing "Face in Space" project. It invites the public to send electronic images of their faces into orbit aboard one of the final remaining space shuttle missions. To submit your image, visit:

http://faceinspace.nasa.gov/

For more information about the Space Shuttle Program and the STS-133 and STS-134 missions to the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For spaceflight souvenirs visit the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

Massive Attack

This image shows the eruption of a galactic “super-volcano” in the massive galaxy M87, as witnessed by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and NSF's Very Large Array (VLA). At a distance of about 50 million light years, M87 is relatively close to Earth and lies at the center of the Virgo cluster, which contains thousands of galaxies.

The cluster surrounding M87 is filled with hot gas glowing in X-ray light (and shown in blue) that is detected by Chandra. As this gas cools, it can fall toward the galaxy's center where it should continue to cool even faster and form new stars.

However, radio observations with the VLA (red) suggest that in M87 jets of very energetic particles produced by the black hole interrupt this process. These jets lift up the relatively cool gas near the center of the galaxy and produce shock waves in the galaxy's atmosphere because of their supersonic speed. The interaction of this cosmic “eruption” with the galaxy's environment is very similar to that of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland that occurred in 2010. With Eyjafjallajokull, pockets of hot gas blasted through the surface of the lava, generating shock waves that can be seen passing through the grey smoke of the volcano. This hot gas then rises up in the atmosphere, dragging the dark ash with it. This process can be seen in a movie of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano where the shock waves propagating in the smoke are followed by the rise of dark ash clouds into the atmosphere.

In the analogy with Eyjafjallajokull, the energetic particles produced in the vicinity of the black hole rise through the X-ray emitting atmosphere of the cluster, lifting up the coolest gas near the center of M87 in their wake. This is similar to the hot volcanic gases drag up the clouds of dark ash. And just like the volcano here on Earth, shockwaves can be seen when the black hole pumps energetic particles into the cluster gas.

Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/KIPAC/N. Werner et al Radio: NSF/NRAO/AUI/W. Cotton

Tests for PDU Replacement

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:56:59 -0500

At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3, crews will test the centerline latch power drive unit, or PDU, actuator that was replaced yesterday on space shuttle Discovery. Then technicians will begin preparations to close the spacecraft's payload bay doors one last time before the spacecraft is moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building next month to be joined to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters for launch. Liftoff is targeted for Nov. 1.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-133 astronauts will practice flight procedures in their T-38 training aircraft and perform various administrative duties.

Into the Night

Researchers do not yet know what is lighting up IRAS 05437+2502, a small, faint nebula that spans only 1/18th of a full moon toward the constellation of the Taurus. Particularly enigmatic is the bright upside-down V that defines the upper edge of this floating mountain of interstellar dust.

This ghost-like nebula involves a small star-forming region filled with dark dust that was first noted in images taken by the IRAS satellite in infrared light in 1983. This recently released image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows many new details, but has not uncovered a clear cause of the bright sharp arc.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, R. Sahai (JPL)

Communications in Space

50 Years of Communications in Space

The idea behind a communications satellite is simple: send a signal into space, and send it back down to another spot on the globe. In NASA's early days, engineers discovered the easiest way to accomplish this: bounce signals off a giant metal balloon floating in orbit. The concept was developed into the aptly-named Echo program, and Echo 1A became the first successful launch of the project on Aug. 12, 1960. Echo 1A, now commonly known as just Echo I, was a 100 foot diameter balloon made of mylar polyester. The spacecraft was designed as a passive communications reflector for transcontinental and intercontinental telephone, radio, and television signals.

Pictured here is a scale prototype of the Echo satellite undergoing a Skin Stress Test on May 1, 1960. The prototype was 12 feet in diameter, with the size being chosen because that was the ceiling height in the NASA Langley model shop. After an unsuccessful launch attempt for the original Echo I satellite, Echo 1A and the follow-on Echo II were successfully launched. The Echo projects were instrumental in letting the world see that the U.S. was a major force in the space race not very far behind Russia.

 

Among the many contributions of the Echo programs are the first voice communication via satellite which was made by none other than then President Eisenhower and the first coast-to-coast telephone call using a satellite. In addition, the Echo programs resulted in advances in atmospheric density, solar pressure, gossamer structures, solar sailing, and transmitting videos via satellites. The Echo 1A satellite re-entered the atmosphere on May 24, 1968.

 

Image Credit: NASA

Endeavour's STS-134 Tank Preparations

Tank Prep

In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare External Tank-138, hanging vertically in the transfer aisle, for its lift onto a test cell where it will be checked out before launch. ET-138, the last newly manufactured tank, is designated to fly on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Feb. 26, 2011.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

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NASA Moves Space Station Repair Spacewalk To Friday

NASA Moves Space Station Repair Spacewalk To Friday, Sets Briefings

HOUSTON -- The first of two spacewalks by NASA astronauts to replace a failed ammonia pump on the International Space Station has been delayed by 24 hours to Friday, Aug. 6. A second spacewalk is planned for Monday, Aug. 9, to complete the repairs.

Flight controllers and station managers made the decision Monday night after reviewing proposed timelines, final procedures for the repair work, and the results from a spacewalk dress rehearsal conducted in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson are scheduled to perform the spacewalks. The two NASA astronauts will replace an ammonia coolant pump that failed July 31.

NASA Television coverage of both spacewalks will begin at 5 a.m. CDT. Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson are expected to begin the spacewalks from the Quest airlock at 5:55 a.m. Friday's spacewalk will be the fourth for Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson's first.

Approximately two hours after the conclusion of each spacewalk, NASA TV will broadcast a briefing from Johnson. The briefing participants will be Mike Suffredini, International Space Station program manager; Courtenay McMillan, Expedition 24 spacewalk flight director; and David Beaver, Expedition 24 spacewalk officer.

Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations, and should contact their preferred NASA center to confirm participation. Johnson will operate a telephone bridge for reporters with valid media credentials issued by a NASA center. Journalists planning to use the service must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of a briefing. Phone bridge capacity is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Engineers and flight controllers continue to review data on the failure, which resulted in the loss of one of two cooling loops aboard the station. This caused a significant power down and required adjustments to provide the maximum redundancy possible for station systems. The systems are stable, and the six crew members aboard are not in any danger.

Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson originally were scheduled to perform a spacewalk to outfit the Russian Zarya module for future robotics work and prepare the station for the installation of a new U.S. permanent multipurpose module. However, because of the importance of restoring redundancy to the station's cooling and power systems, the two new spacewalks will be dedicated to the pump module replacement.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the station and the Expedition 24 crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Space station and Space Shuttle souvenirs available from the Spaceboosters Online Store

OMS Pod, APU Gearbox Pass Tests

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:27:33 -0500

Space shuttle Discovery continues its preparations for the STS-133 mission this week after technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida successfully wrapped up leak checks on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. The APU gearbox also passed a leak check.

The astronauts who will fly the shuttle into orbit are taking spacewalk training today at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab outside Johnson Space Center. That is the large swimming pool outfitted as a specialized training facility which allows spacewalkers to rehearse all their procedures before a flight. The pool is large enough to hold full-size mock-ups of space station modules. Discovery is targeted to launch Nov. 1 to the International Space Station

NASA To Discuss Exploring Near Earth Objects

NASA Hosts Workshop To Discuss Exploring Near Earth Objects

WASHINGTON -- NASA will host an interactive workshop to identify objectives for exploration missions to near-Earth objects, or NEOs, on Aug. 10-11 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington.

The event will bring together experts and key leaders from NASA, other government agencies, industry, academia, and international communities. They will discuss past experiences and focus on objectives, capabilities, and concepts of operations for human and robotic exploration of NEOs.

The primary goals for the workshop are to increase the collective understanding of NEOs, communicate NASA's preliminary plans for a human mission to a NEO, and get input on proposed mission objectives. The workshop includes a series of briefings, panels, and breakout sessions.

Space is limited. Journalists interested in attending the workshop's Aug. 10 plenary sessions and reports from the Aug. 11 breakout sessions should register by Aug. 6 with Michael Braukus at michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov.

A live video stream of the plenary sessions and reports on the breakout sessions will be available on NASA's Exploration website. To access the stream and a schedule of events, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

OMS Pod Tests Today as Crew Rehearses Launch

Space shuttle Discovery is undergoing leak checks on the left orbital maneuvering system pod at NASA's Kennedy Space Center today as the spacecraft is readied for the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Workers also will closeout the shuttle's airlock aft hatch and conclude a test on the auxiliary power unit gearbox.

 

The astronauts are conducting a launch simulation today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. They will work inside the motion-based simulator which mimics the movements and behavior of the shuttle. The mission control and launch control teams also take part in launch simulations so the whole team gets in-depth practice.

Updated Space Station Spacewalk Plan

NASA Sets Briefing To Preview Updated Space Station Spacewalk Plan

HOUSTON -- NASA managers will discuss updated plans for two International Space Station spacewalks during a news briefing at 3 p.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 2. The briefing replaces one originally scheduled for Tuesday.

The news conference from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Journalists may ask questions from participating NASA locations.

The briefers are:

- Michael Suffredini, manager, International Space Station Program

- Courtenay McMillan, Expedition 24 spacewalk flight director

Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson are scheduled to perform two spacewalks. The two NASA astronauts will replace an ammonia coolant pump that failed July 31.

Engineers and flight controllers continue to review data on the failure, which resulted in the loss of one of two cooling loops aboard the station. This caused a significant power down and required adjustments to provide the maximum redundancy possible for station systems. The systems are stable, and the six crew members aboard are not in any danger.

Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson originally were scheduled to perform a spacewalk to outfit the Russian Zarya module for future robotics work and prepare the station for the installation of a new U.S. permanent multipurpose module. However, because of the importance of restoring redundancy to the station's cooling and power systems, Thursday's spacewalk will be dedicated to the pump module replacement. Another spacewalk will be scheduled a few days later to complete the repairs.

NASA TV coverage of the 15th U.S. spacewalk from the station will begin at 5 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 5. Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson are expected to begin the spacewalk from the Quest airlock at 5:55 a.m. It will be Wheelock's fourth spacewalk and Caldwell Dyson's first.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Space Station Souvenirs available from the SPACEBOOSTERS Online Store

NASA And ESA'S First Joint Mission To Mars Selects Instruments

NASA And ESA'S First Joint Mission To Mars Selects Instruments

WASHINGTON -- NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have embarked on a joint program to explore Mars in the coming decades and selected the five science instruments for the first mission.


The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, scheduled to launch in 2016, is the first of three joint robotic missions to the Red Planet. It will study the chemical makeup of the Martian atmosphere with a 1000-fold increase in sensitivity over previous Mars orbiters. The mission will focus on trace gases, including methane, which could be potentially geochemical or biological in origin and be indicators for the existence of life on Mars. The mission also will serve as an additional communications relay for Mars surface missions beginning in 2018.

"Independently, NASA and ESA have made amazing discoveries up to this point," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Working together, we'll reduce duplication of effort, expand our capabilities and see results neither ever could have achieved alone."

NASA and ESA invited scientists worldwide to propose the spacecraft's instruments. The five selected were from 19 proposals submitted in January. Both agencies evaluated the submissions and chose those with the best science value and lowest risk.

The selection of the instruments begins the first phase of the new NASA-ESA alliance for future ventures to Mars. The instruments and the principal investigators are:

-- Mars Atmosphere Trace Molecule Occultation Spectrometer -- A spectrometer designed to detect very low concentrations of the molecular components of the Martian atmosphere: Paul Wennberg, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Calif.

-- High Resolution Solar Occultation and Nadir Spectrometer -- A spectrometer designed to detect traces of the components of the Martian atmosphere and to map where they are on the surface: Ann C. Vandaele, Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium.

-- ExoMars Climate Sounder -- An infrared radiometer that provides daily global data on dust, water vapor and other materials to provide the context for data analysis from the spectrometers: John Schofield, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.

-- High Resolution Color Stereo Imager -- A camera that provides four-color stereo imaging at a resolution of two million pixels over an 8.5 km swath: Alfred McEwen, University of Arizona.

-- Mars Atmospheric Global Imaging Experiment -- A wide-angle, multi-spectral camera to provide global images of Mars in support of the other instruments: Bruce Cantor, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif.

The science teams on all the instruments have broad international participation from Europe and the United States, with important hardware contributions from Canada and Switzerland.

"To fully explore Mars, we want to marshal all the talents we can on Earth," said David Southwood, ESA director for Science and Robotic Exploration. "Now NASA and ESA are combining forces for the joint ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission. Mapping methane allows us to investigate further that most important of questions: Is Mars a living planet, and if not, can or will it become so in the future?"

NASA and ESA share a common interest in conducting robotic missions to the Red Planet for scientific purposes and to prepare for possible human visits. After a series of extensive discussions, the science heads of both agencies agreed on a plan of cooperation during a July 2009 meeting in Plymouth, England, later confirmed by ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a statement of intent that was signed in November.

The plan consists of two Mars cooperative missions in 2016 and 2018, and a later joint sample return mission. The 2016 mission features the European-built ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a European-built small lander demonstrator, a primarily-U.S. international science payload, and NASA-provided launch vehicle and communications components. ESA member states will provide additional instrument support.

The 2018 mission consists of a European rover with a drilling capability, a NASA rover capable of caching selected samples for potential future return to Earth, a NASA landing system, and a NASA launch vehicle. These activities are designed to serve as the foundation of a cooperative program to increase science returns and move the agencies toward a joint Mars sample return mission in the 2020s.

NASA's Mars Exploration Program seeks to characterize and understand Mars as a dynamic system, including its present and past environment, climate cycles, geology and potential for life. JPL manages the program and development of the NASA-supplied instruments for the 2016 orbiter for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For information about NASA's Mars programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mars

Shuttle Heat Shield work over the Weekend

Crews working on space shuttle Discovery at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will complete testing on the spacecraft's APU gearboxes Friday before getting into heat shield work over the weekend. The spacecraft is being prepped for the STS-133 mission targeted to launch Nov. 1. At NASA's Johnson Space Center, the astronauts will practice procedures in Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory for the mission's first spacewalk.