STS-131: Discovery Rolls to Pad

STS-131: Discovery Rolls to Pad

George Diller: Space shuttle Discovery met its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-131 mission.

Just before midnight March 2, the doors of the gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida opened to reveal space shuttle Discovery secured on its mobile launcher platform.

The massive crawler-transporter, positioned under the platform, moved the shuttle stack out of the VAB headed for Launch Pad 39A.

It took the powerful transporter about six hours to carefully roll Discovery, its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters to the pad at a steady pace of about one mile an hour.

 

The 3.4-mile trek to the seaside launch complex was completed when Discovery was secured or "hard down" on the pad at about 7 the next morning.

 

Now poised for liftoff in April, Discovery's seven-member crew is preparing to deliver a multi-purpose logistics module filled with science racks to the International Space Station.

From NASA's Kennedy Space Center, I'm George Diller

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NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Trophy

NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Collier Trophy

WASHINGTON - NASA's International Space Station Program has won the 2009 Collier Trophy, which is considered the top award in aviation. The National Aeronautic Association in Washington bestows the award annually to recognize the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.

 

The association says it selected the station "for the design, development, and assembly of the of the world's largest spacecraft, an orbiting laboratory that promises new discoveries for mankind and sets new standards for international cooperation in space."

 

"We are very proud to receive the Collier Trophy," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "This prestigious award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of thousands of people around the world. With our intention to extend station operations to at least 2020, there are limitless possibilities for science and technological breakthroughs."

 

The station is a joint project of NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency. The orbiting laboratory is nearing completion and will mark the tenth anniversary of a continuous human presence in orbit later this year.

 

"We're honored to be recognized for our past achievements for building and operating the space station, and we're excited about the future," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate. "There's a new era ahead of potential groundbreaking scientific research aboard the station."

Congress designated the space station a national laboratory in 2005. The station provides a research platform that takes advantage of the microgravity conditions 220 miles above Earth's surface across a wide variety of fields. These include human life sciences, biological science, human physiology, physical and materials science, and Earth and space science.

After completion of assembly later this year, the station's crew and its U.S., European, Japanese and Russian laboratory facilities will expand the pace of space-based research to unprecedented levels. Nearly 150 experiments are under way on the station. More than 400 experiments have been conducted since research began nine years ago. These experiments already are leading to advances in the fight against food poisoning, new methods for delivering medicine to cancer cells and the development of more capable engines and materials for use on Earth and in space.

Supporting an international crew of six, the station has a mass of almost 800,000 pounds and a habitable volume of more than 12,000 cubic feet. It is approximately the size of a five-bedroom home. The station uses state-of-the-art systems to generate solar electricity, recycle nearly 85 percent of its water and generate much of its own oxygen. Nearly 190 people have visited the station, which is supporting its 22nd resident crew.

The award will be formally presented to the International Space Station Program team on May 13. The trophy is named for Robert J. Collier, a publisher who commissioned it in 1910 with the intent to encourage the U.S. aviation community to strive for excellence and achievement in aeronautic development.

For more information about the Collier Trophy, visit:

http://www.naa.aero/html/awards/index.cfm?cmsid=62

For more information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

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NASA’s Kepler Mission

One year ago this week, NASA’s Kepler Mission soared into the dark night sky, leaving a bright glow in its wake as it began its search for other worlds like Earth.

 

"It was a stunning launch," recalled former Kepler Project Manager James Fanson of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

 

Following Kepler’s spectacular nocturnal launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket at 10:49 p.m. EST on Friday, March 6, 2009, science team members whooped with joy.

"Now the fun begins," quipped an ecstatic William Borucki, Kepler’s science principal investigator of NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

Since the search began, NASA’s plucky exoplanet hunter has achieved significant success in its quest to answer the timeless question: “Are we alone in our galaxy?”

 

"Kepler is by far the best planet finder ever invented," Borucki declared. "It’s very satisfying to see the mission launched and operating so superbly."

 

So well, in fact, that last August, data from Kepler were used to detect the atmosphere of HAT-P-7b, a known giant gas planet located about 1,000 light years from Earth. The detection was based on a relatively short 10 days of test data collected before the official start of science operations.

 

"The occultation, that is the secondary transit seen in the data, also aptly demonstrated the mission’s extraordinary scientific capabilities to detect planets as small as the Earth," said David Koch, Kepler’s deputy principal investigator.

 

And that was just the beginning.

 

Two months ago today, Kepler scientists jubilantly announced the discovery of five exoplanets (planets located beyond our solar system) named Kepler 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b.

The announcement was made during a jam-packed news conference held Jan. 4, 2010 at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington. The discoveries are based on the first six weeks of data collected since science operations began on May 12, 2009.

The mission’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed.

 

"As an astronomer, I’m particularly proud of the Kepler science team who have all worked very hard to make this exciting discovery possible," said NASA Ames Research Center Director S. Pete Worden at the news conference in January. "I really want to express my thanks to all the members of the Kepler science team and everyone else who supported this mission for their dedication and long hours. This is a really cool mission and truly is what NASA is all about."

Borucki credits Kepler’s accomplishments to the tireless efforts of the Kepler team consisting of NASA, industry and more than 30 scientists from 20 institutions.

"We have a wonderful team that works very hard and is dedicated to the mission," Borucki said. "It’s very gratifying to have the continued support of Ames’ management, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation and especially NASA Headquarters."

 

Borucki lauds David Koch for his unflagging dedication and support.

 

"The Kepler mission could not have gotten off the ground without his support," Borucki observed. “When we first conceived of the mission, Dave Koch stood up and said 'Bill, I will help you.' We couldn’t have done it without him."

 

Borucki and science team predict a bright future for Kepler.

 

"We expect to confirm the existence of several terrestrial-size planets and I’m looking forward to the coming year," Borucki said. "It’s going to be exciting."

 

"The unique, precise, extended and nearly continuous data set for a large number and variety of stars will be a lasting benefit to our understanding of stars," added Koch, noting that these data are already being used by scientists around the world to determine the mass, size and ages of thousands of stars.

 

The Kepler Mission is designed to observe more than 150,000 stars continuously and simultaneously for signs of Earth-size planets until at least November 2012. Some of the planets are expected to orbit in a star's "habitable zone," a warm region where liquid water could pool on the surface.

 

Kepler’s science instrument, a photometer containing the largest camera ever flown in space, searches for signatures of planets by measuring dips in the brightness of stars. When planets cross in front of, or transit, their stars, they periodically block the starlight as seen from Earth. The size of the planet can be derived from the tiny change in brightness, and the planet’s temperature can be estimated from the planet’s orbital period and the luminosity of the star.

Kepler is NASA's 10th Discovery mission. NASA Ames manages all operations of the mission and is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., managed the Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo., developed the Kepler flight system. Ball Aerospace and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, support mission operations. The final data archive is located at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md.

"We have a very dedicated team executing the mission," said Roger Hunter, Kepler Project Manager at NASA Ames. "There is no doubt we’ll meet Kepler’s mission requirements. Kepler’s first year in space has been thrilling, and the best is yet to come."

 

To view a video about the Kepler mission, visit:

http://kepler.nasa.gov/images/videos/ARC-KeplerOverview-480p.mov

 

Michael Mewhinney

NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

Crew and Shuttle Get Ready for Launch

Crew and Shuttle Get Ready for Launch

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:59:52 -0600

This morning, the STS-131 astronauts participated in a media question-and-answer session at Launch Pad 39A before beginning their practice of emergency exit procedures. The crew is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week for a full-dress launch rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test.

Also today, technicians at the launch pad will close space shuttle Discovery's crew hatch and perform tests in preparation for a targeted liftoff on April 5.

Black Holes May Shape Galaxies

How Black Holes May Shape Galaxies

This is a composite image of NGC 1068, one of the nearest and brightest galaxies containing a rapidly growing supermassive black hole. X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown in red, optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope in green and radio data from the Very Large Array in blue. The spiral structure of NGC 1068 is shown by the X-ray and optical data, and a jet powered by the central supermassive black hole is shown by the radio data.

The X-ray images and spectra obtained using Chandra's High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer show that a strong wind is being driven away from the center of NGC 1068 at a rate of about a million miles per hour. This wind is likely generated as surrounding gas is accelerated and heated as it swirls toward the black hole. A portion of the gas is pulled into the black hole, but some of it is blown away. High energy X-rays produced by the gas near the black hole heat the ouflowing gas, causing it to glow at lower X-ray energies.

This Chandra study is much deeper than previous X-ray observations. It allowed scientists to make a high-definition map of the cone-shaped volume lit up by the black hole and its winds, and make precision measurements of how the wind speed varies along the cone. Using this data it is shown that each year several times the mass of the Sun is being deposited out to large distances, about 3,000 light years from the black hole. The wind likely carries enough energy to heat the surrounding gas and suppress extra star formation.

These results help explain how a supermassive black hole can alter the evolution of its host galaxy. It has long been suspected that material blown away from a black hole can affect its environment, but a key question has been whether such "black hole blowback" typically delivers enough power to have a significant impact.

NGC 1068 is located about 50 million light years from Earth and contains a supermassive black hole about twice as massive as the one in the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Credits: X-ray (NASA/CXC/MIT/C.Canizares, D.Evans et al), Optical (NASA/STScI), Radio (NSF/NRAO/VLA)

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Shuttle Discovery Launch Pad Bound

Shuttle Discovery Launch Pad Bound

Space shuttle Discovery’s move to Launch Pad 39A for its STS-131 mission is under way. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida was at 11:58 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Despite a strong wind at Kennedy, it’s not expected to exceed the allowable limits of 40 knot (46 mph) with gusts to 60 knots (69 mph). Discovery’s 3.4 mile trip on top of a crawler-transporter is expected to take about six hours. NASA Television’s live video coverage of the move, known as rollout, will begin at 6:30 a.m. The seven astronauts for Discovery’s STS-131 mission, who are at Kennedy for their launch countdown dress rehearsal training called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, were on-hand to watch the start of rollout.

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Astronauts Train, Discovery Ready to Roll

STS-131 Astronauts Train, Discovery Ready to Roll


Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:27:31 -0600

The STS-131 astronauts arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida late yesterday afternoon. The crew will spend this week participating in standard prelaunch training and a full-dress launch rehearsal known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Their schedule today includes practice driving the M113 personnel carrier.

Inside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy, space shuttle Discovery is ready for its rollout to Launch Pad 39A, which is set to begin just after midnight tonight.

Updated Crew Arrival to Kennedy

Updated Crew Arrival to Kennedy

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:24:54 -0600

Space shuttle Discovery's seven STS-131 astronauts will arrive at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility, or SLF, in shifts this afternoon to avoid inclement weather.

Crew members are expected to arrive at the SLF between 3:40 and 7 p.m. EST. Four of the seven crew members, including Commander Alan Poindexter, are expected to arrive between 6 and 7 p.m.

The STS-131 crew are traveling to Kennedy to participate in the standard prelaunch training called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test.

Live coverage will begin on NASA TV at approximately 6 p.m. on www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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Weather Delays Rollout, STS-131 Crew Head to Kennedy

Weather Delays Rollout, STS-131 Crew Head to Kennedy

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:47:38 -0600

Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have completed preparations to move space shuttle Discovery from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A. First motion now is targeted for 12:01 a.m. EST Wednesday.

Rollout was delayed 24 hours due to a high possibility of rain and lightning in the area tonight and tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, the STS-131 astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at about 7 tonight for their full launch dress rehearsal and related training, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT.