The International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
NASA MISSION WANTS AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS TO TARGET ASTEROIDS
WASHINGTON -- A new NASA outreach project will enlist the help of
amateur astronomers to discover near-Earth objects (NEOs) and study
their characteristics. NEOs are asteroids with orbits that
occasionally bring them close to the Earth.
Starting today, a new citizen science project called "Target
Asteroids!" will support NASA's Origins Spectral Interpretation
Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx)
mission objectives to improve basic scientific understanding of NEOs.
OSIRIS-REx is scheduled for launch in 2016 and will study material
from an asteroid.
Amateur astronomers will help better characterize the population of
NEOs, including their position, motion, rotation and changes in the
intensity of light they emit. Professional astronomers will use this
information to refine theoretical models of asteroids, improving
their understanding about asteroids similar to the one OSIRIS-Rex
will encounter in 2019, designated 1999 RQ36.
OSIRIS-REx will map the asteroid's global properties, measure
non-gravitational forces and provide observations that can be
compared with data obtained by telescope observations from Earth. In
2023, OSIRIS-REx will return back to Earth at least 2.11 ounces (60
grams) of surface material from the asteroid.
Target Asteroids! data will be useful for comparisons with actual
mission data. The project team plans to expand participants in 2014
to students and teachers.
"Although few amateur astronomers have the capability to observe 1999
RQ36 itself, they do have the capability to observe other targets,"
said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Previous observations indicate 1999 RQ36 is made of primitive
materials. OSIRIS-REx will supply a wealth of information about the
asteroid's composition and structure. Data also will provide new
insights into the nature of the early solar system and its evolution,
orbits of NEOs and their impact risks, and the building blocks that
led to life on Earth.
Amateur astronomers long have provided NEO tracking observations in
support of NASA's NEO Observation Program. A better understanding of
NEOs is a critically important precursor in the selection and
targeting of future asteroid missions.
"For well over 10 years, amateurs have been important contributors in
the refinement of orbits for newly discovered near-Earth objects,"
said Edward Beshore, deputy principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx
mission at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will provide
overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and
mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta is the mission's
principal investigator at the University of Arizona. Lockheed Martin
Space Systems in Denver will build the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the
third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages New Frontiers for the
agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
TEACHING A SPACESHIP HOW TO FLY
A test model of the Orion spacecraft with its parachutes was tested the skies high above the U.S. Army’s Proving Grounds in Yuma, Ariz. on Feb. 29, 2012. This particular drop test examined the wake -- or the disturbance of the air flow behind Orion -- that is caused by the spacecraft. The U.S. Space Launch System, or SLS, will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond Earth orbit and the Orion capsule is a major part of this program. The Orion spacecraft will replace the space shuttle as NASA's vehicle for human space exploration and is designed to accommodate four to six astronauts traveling into space. It also will supplement commercial and international partner transportation services to the International Space Station. Designed to be flexible for crew or cargo missions, SLS will continue America's journey of discovery from the unique vantage point of space. Image Credit: NASA
Saturday, April 21, 2012
FIRST STAGE OF ANTARES ROCKET
The first stage of Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Antares rocket stands in launch position during pathfinder operations at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Orbital’s Antares launch vehicle will be conducting missions for NASA under its Commercial Orbital Transportation Service Program and Cargo Resupply Services contract. Image Credit: NASA/P.Black
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
NASA, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SELECT FIRST ASTROBIOLOGY CHAIR
FROM: NASA
WASHINGTON -- NASA and the Library of Congress have announced the
selection of David H. Grinspoon to be the first Baruch S. Blumberg
NASA-Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology.
The chair, selected through an international competition, is named for
the late Nobel Laureate and founding director of the NASA
Astrobiology Institute, Baruch "Barry" Blumberg. Applications are
solicited by the Library of Congress and reviewed by a panel jointly
established by the Library and NASA. The prestigious position was
created in November 2011.
Grinspoon will be in residence for a year beginning November 2012 at
the library's scholarly research organization, the Kluge Center, in
Washington. He is the curator of astrobiology in the Department of
Space Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Grinspoon
is a well-known researcher in planetary science and the author of the
award-winning book "Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien
Life."
"Grinspoon's background as an astrobiology researcher, writer and
communicator of science makes him an ideal choice," said Carl
Pilcher, director of the Astrobiology Institute at NASA's Ames
Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. "This is certainly the start
of what will become a great tradition of astrobiology chairs at the
library."
Astrobiology is the study of the origins, evolution, distribution and
future of life in the universe. It addresses three fundamental
questions: How did life begin and evolve? Is there life elsewhere?
What is the future of life on Earth and beyond? The institute's
mission is to promote interdisciplinary research in astrobiology,
train the next generation of astrobiologists and provide scientific
and technical leadership for NASA space missions.
"Grinspoon is uniquely positioned to introduce the Library's unique
multidisciplinary collections on the emerging subject to a wide and
diverse public," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.
At the library, Blumberg was a founding member of the Scholar's
Council, a 12-member group of distinguished scholars who advise the
Librarian of Congress on matters of scholarship.
Blumberg was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine
for discovery of the Hepatitis B virus and development of a vaccine
to prevent Hepatitis B infection. He was the founding director of the
NASA Astrobiology Institute, serving from 1999 to 2002.
Grinspoon will examine choices facing humanity as we enter the
Anthropocene Era, the epoch when human activities are becoming a
defining characteristic of the physical nature and functioning of
Earth. His research will include studies of the role of planetary
exploration in fostering scientific and public understanding of
climate change and the power of astrobiology as a model of
interdisciplinary research and communication.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY DISCOVERS ITS FINAL RESTING PLACE
FROM: U.S. NAVY
The space shuttle Discovery attached to its 747 transport passes over the nation's capital. It will land in Washington D.C. to become an exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Discovery, along with the rest of the shuttle fleet, has been retired from active service after 32 years of operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jason M. Graham
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
COMMERCIAL PLATFORM OFFERS EXPOSURE AT SPACE STATION
FROM: NASA
WASHINGTON -- Researchers will be able to expose experiments to the
weightlessness and vacuum of space by using a new commercial platform
outside of International Space Station (ISS).
NanoRacks LLC will develop and operate the External Platform Program
(EPP) to take advantage of the only orbiting lab that offers
long-term, repeat access to the unique environment of unpressurized
space. NanoRacks is a private company already operating research
facilities under a NASA Space Act Agreement for use of the station's
U.S. National Laboratory.
The EPP and equipment will be developed and operated using only
commercial funding. NASA will contribute space station hardware and
resources such as power and data transmission systems. The Center for
the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the
portion of the station operated as a U.S. National Laboratory, will
reserve the first external platform site for commercial researchers.
The external platform, scheduled to be launched by 2014, will provide
low-cost access to space. It is designed to encourage users to test
materials, biological samples, sensors and sophisticated electronics
outside the space station, which orbits 240 miles above Earth.
"This program opens the door to allow commercial users to fully
utilize not only the U.S. National Laboratory in a pressurized
environment but also outside," said ISS National Laboratory Manager
Marybeth Edeen. "It's another example how companies are investing
their own money to take advantage of this unique national resource."
NanoRacks selected Astrium North America as a team member in the
development of the EPP facility. The program capitalizes on the
history and strengths of the two companies in providing external
payload platforms, operating commercial facilities, and using
off-the-shelf hardware, standard interfaces and existing space
station data and power systems.
The contributions by NanoRacks and Astrium are the most recent example
of NASA efforts to expand the station's research capacity through
innovative partnerships with commercial companies.
"This new capability offers unique opportunities for the research
community and industry to engage in exciting areas of study,
including materials and observational sciences," said CASIS Interim
Executive Director Jim Royston.
NanoRacks operates platforms inside the U.S. National Laboratory,
which also were financed and developed solely by the commercial
company and its partners.
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