Nasa
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-048
Repair of an oxygen generator, robotic arm operations and cargo
unpacking were the top priorities aboard the International Space
Station this week.
On Monday, Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin installed new
valves and cables to repair the Elektron oxygen-generation unit which
shut down in mid-September. Tyurin re-activated it after installing
the new parts, and the Elektron is supplying oxygen for the cabin
atmosphere.
The crew unpacked most of the items from the recently arrived Russian
Progress cargo ship including the Elektron parts, fresh food and
other systems hardware. The rest will be unpacked as needed and as
time permits.
Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria worked on robotics proficiency tasks
throughout the week. At the start of the week, ground controllers
relocated the Mobile Transporter to a different worksite on the
station's truss. On Wednesday, Lopez-Alegria maneuvered the Canadarm2
robotic arm over to the transporter and its operating base from the
arm's normal home base on the Destiny Lab. The free end of the arm
was photographed to help robotics specialists as they evaluate an
issue that can cause snares to misalign inside the arm's end
effector.
On Thursday, Lopez-Alegria connected the free end of the arm to
another grapple fixture on the Mobile Base System and released the
opposite end. Friday, the Mobile Transporter was moved by ground
controllers to the outermost worksite on the port truss. It will
provide support there for the Canadarm2 operations during the next
shuttle assembly mission, STS-116. Next week Lopez-Alegria will check
out the robotic system for the shuttle flight, which will bring and
install a new truss spacer segment to the station.
Lopez-Alegria set up and activated cameras for a session of the Earth
Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students, or EarthKAM experiment.
The middle school students study the Earth, then control a special
digital camera mounted on the space station to photograph coastlines,
mountain ranges and other geographic items from the unique vantage
point of space. At the University of California at San Diego, an
undergraduate student team manages the image requests and posts the
photographs on the Internet for the public and participating
classrooms around the world to view. More than 107 schools from 10
countries participated in this session.
The second sample of seeds for the Analysis of a Novel Sensory
Mechanism in Root Phototropism was harvested and frozen in the
Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer, a cold storage unit that maintains
experiment samples at temperatures of -80 C, -26 C, or 4 C throughout
a mission. Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter worked with the experiment,
which will increase the understanding of the different systems plants
use to determine the direction their roots and shoots should grow and
which genes are responsible for successful plant growth.
Reiter also continued work on a suite of European Space Agency science
experiments. One such experiment, called CARD, is helping scientists
examine the relationship between salt intake and the cardiovascular
system when exposed to the microgravity environment.
Crewmembers typically experience reduced blood pressure in
microgravity. To help them readjust to gravity on Earth, they take
salt tablets just before returning, which temporarily increases the
blood volume. CARD is looking at the effects of ingesting occasional
salt supplements throughout the long duration mission. This
experiment's results could also help improve treatment of patients on
Earth with heart failure.
The crew began gathering tools for a Nov. 22 spacewalk by Tyurin and
Lopez-Alegria in Russian Orlan suits from the Pirs Docking
Compartment. They will replace and retrieve several science
experiments from the hull of the Zvezda Service Module.
Tyurin also plans to hit a golf ball from a bracket on Pirs as part of
a Russian commercial activity.
The next station status report will be issued Nov. 9. For more
information about the crew's activities and station sighting
opportunities, visit:
NASA ANNOUNCES ASTRONAUTS' APPEARANCE AT VETERANS JOB FAIR
NASA astronauts Joe Tanner and Dan Burbank will give job candidates
their perspective Monday about using military experience to build
careers at an employment fair exclusively for veterans.
The two spacewalkers will address participants during the Salute Our
Heroes job fair and career expo in Hall 1A of the Jacob Javits
Convention Center in New York City from 1 to 2:30 p.m. EST Monday,
Nov. 6.
After their presentation, the astronauts will answer questions from
attendees and the media. Tanner and Burbank were crewmembers on the
Space Shuttle Atlantis mission to the International Space Station in
September. Burbank is a captain in the U.S. Coast Guard, and Tanner
is a former Navy pilot.
CONTRACT RELEASE: C06-059
NASA AWARDS AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS SYSTEMS SUPPORT CONTRACT
NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, has awarded a three-year $19.8
million Aircraft Operations Systems Support contract to Science
Applications International Corp., of San Diego.
Two one-year options could bring the total value of the contract to
$31.4 million. The first option is valued at $5.7 million; the second
$5.9 million.
The contract covers replacement and integration of data management
systems for aircraft maintenance systems; aircraft quality assurance;
technical publications and documentation; engineering and operations.
The contract also includes development of security management,
disaster recovery, continuity of operations plans, remote access and
administration processes.
The work will be done at Johnson and nearby Ellington Field, where the
center has flight operations. The activity will support Johnson's
Aircraft Operations Division.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
NASA AWARDS GODDARD MISSION ASSURANCE SERVICES CONTRACT
NASA has selected SRS Technologies, Newport Beach, Calif., for award
of a Mission Assurance Services Contract. This is a five-year
cost-plus-award fee, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract
awarded under the Small Business Set-Aside Program with a maximum
value of $75 million.
The principal purpose of this contract is to provide system safety and
mission assurance support services for all flight and ground system
programs/projects at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
Md. The work will be performed at the center and at several
contractor facilities that develop and build Goddard instruments,
spacecraft and ground support equipment.
The work includes but is not limited to performing electrical and
mechanical assembly inspections; hazard analysis; reliability
predictions and software assurance engineering services. In addition,
SRS Technologies will provide personnel, facilities and materials to
conduct the NASA Manufacturing and Technology Training Courses at two
facilities during the contract period. These courses will provide
NASA prescribed workmanship training to ensure consistency in
designing and assembling space flight hardware throughout the agency.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
NASA ANNOUNCES DISCOVERY PROGRAM SELECTIONS
NASA Monday selected concept studies for missions that would return a
sample of an enigmatic asteroid, probe the chemistry of Venus'
atmosphere and reveal the interior structure and history of the
Earth's moon.
Also selected for further study are three missions of opportunity that
would make new use of two NASA spacecraft that have completed their
primary objectives.
"The science community astounded us with the creativity of their
proposals," said NASA's Science Mission Directorate Associate
Administrator Mary Cleave. "We look forward to the new knowledge of
our solar system that these concepts may provide."
Three missions were selected for concept studies:
-- The Origins Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and
Security (OSIRIS) mission would survey an asteroid and provide the
first return of asteroid surface material samples to Earth. Michael
Drake of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is OSIRIS's principal
investigator. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.,
would manage the project.
-- The Vesper mission is a Venus chemistry and dynamics orbiter that
would advance our knowledge of the planet's atmospheric composition
and dynamics. Gordon Chin of Goddard is Vesper's principal
investigator. Goddard would manage the project.
-- The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission would
use high-quality gravity field mapping of the moon to determine the
moon's interior structure. Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., is GRAIL's principal investigator.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., would manage the
project.
The three missions of opportunity selected for concept studies are:
-- The Deep Impact eXtended Investigation of Comets (DIXI) mission
would use the existing Deep Impact spacecraft for an extended flyby
mission to a second comet to take pictures of its nucleus to increase
our understanding of the diversity of comets. Michael A'Hearn of the
University of Maryland, College Park, Md., is DIXI's principal
investigator.
-- The Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization (EPOCh)
mission would use the high-resolution camera on the Deep Impact
spacecraft to search for the first Earth-sized planets detected
around other stars. L. Drake Deming of Goddard is EPOCh's principal
investigator.
-- The Stardust NExT mission would use the existing Stardust
spacecraft to flyby comet Tempel 1 and observe changes since the Deep
Impact mission visited it in 2005. In 2005, Tempel 1 has made its
closest approach to the sun, possibly changing the surface of the
comet. Joseph Veverka of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., is NExT's
principal investigator.
These proposals were among approximately two dozen submitted in
response to NASA's Discovery Program 2006 Announcement of Opportunity
in April. The announcement solicited two types of investigations:
complete missions to design, build and fly new spacecraft to
accomplish specific planetary science objectives; and missions of
opportunity that propose scientific uses for existing spacecraft or
build instrumentation for spacecraft of other space agencies.
NASA may select one or more investigations to continue into a
development effort after detailed review of the concept studies.
Decisions about which mission concepts will proceed to development
are expected next year.
New missions will receive $1.2 million to conduct concept studies. If
selected for continuation beyond the concept phase, each project must
complete its mission, including archiving and analyzing data, for
less than $425 million.
Missions of opportunities will receive $250,000 to conduct concept
studies. If selected for continuation, each mission of opportunity
must complete its project, including data archive and analysis, for
less than $35 million.
For more information about the Discovery Program, visit:
http://discovery.nasa.gov/
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
NASA APPROVES MISSION AND NAMES CREW FOR RETURN TO HUBBLE
Shuttle astronauts will make one final house call to NASA's Hubble
Space Telescope as part of a mission to extend and improve the
observatory's capabilities through 2013.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced plans for a fifth
servicing mission to Hubble Tuesday during a meeting with agency
employees at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Goddard is the agency center responsible for managing Hubble.
"We have conducted a detailed analysis of the performance and
procedures necessary to carry out a successful Hubble repair mission
over the course of the last three shuttle missions. What we have
learned has convinced us that we are able to conduct a safe and
effective servicing mission to Hubble," Griffin said. "While there is
an inherent risk in all spaceflight activities, the desire to
preserve a truly international asset like the Hubble Space Telescope
makes doing this mission the right course of action."
The flight is tentatively targeted for launch during the spring to
fall of 2008. Mission planners are working to determine the best
location and vehicle in the manifest to support the needs of Hubble
while minimizing impact to International Space Station assembly. The
planners are investigating the best way to support a launch on need
mission for the Hubble flight. The present option will keep Launch
Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., available for such a
rescue flight should it be necessary.
Griffin also announced the astronauts selected for the mission.
Veteran astronaut Scott D. Altman will command the final space
shuttle mission to Hubble. Navy Reserve Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will
serve as pilot. Mission specialists include veteran spacewalkers John
M. Grunsfeld and Michael J. Massimino and first-time space fliers
Andrew J. Feustel, Michael T. Good and K. Megan McArthur.
Altman, a native of Pekin, Ill., will be making his fourth spaceflight
and his second trip to Hubble. He commanded the STS-109 Hubble
servicing mission in 2002. He served as pilot of STS-90 in 1998 and
STS-106 in 2000. Johnson, a Seattle native and former Navy test pilot
and NASA research pilot, was selected as an astronaut in 1998. He
will be making his first spaceflight.
Chicago native Grunsfeld, an astronomer, will be making his third trip
to Hubble and his fifth spaceflight. He performed five spacewalks to
service the telescope on STS-103 in 1999 and STS-109 in 2002. He also
flew on STS-67 in 1995 and STS-81 in 1997. Massimino, from Franklin
Square, N.Y., will be making his second trip to Hubble and his second
spaceflight. He performed two spacewalks to service the telescope
during the STS-109 mission in 2002.
Feustel, Good, and McArthur were each selected as astronauts in 2000.
Feustel, a native of Lake Orion, Mich., was an exploration
geophysicist in the petroleum industry at the time of his selection
by NASA. Good is from Broadview Heights, Ohio, and is an Air Force
colonel and weapons' systems officer. He graduated from the Air Force
Test Pilot School, having logged more than 2,100 hours in 30
different types of aircraft. McArthur, born in Honolulu, considers
California her home state. An oceanographer and former chief
scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, she has a
doctorate from the University of California-San Diego.
The two new instruments are the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and
Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The COS is the most sensitive ultraviolet
spectrograph ever flown on Hubble. The instrument will probe the
cosmic web, the large-scale structure of the universe whose form is
determined by the gravity of dark matter and is traced by the spatial
distribution of galaxies and intergalactic gas.
WFC3 is a new camera sensitive across a wide range of wavelengths
(colors), including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. It will
have a broad inquiry from the planets in our solar system to the
early and distant galaxies beyond Hubble's current reach, to nearby
galaxies with stories to tell about their star formation histories.
Other planned work includes installing a refurbished Fine Guidance
Sensor that replaces one degrading unit of the three already onboard.
The sensors control the telescope's pointing system. An attempt will
also be made to repair the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph.
Installed in 1997, it stopped working in 2004. The instrument is used
for high resolution studies in visible and ultraviolet light of both
nearby star systems and distant galaxies, providing information about
the motions and chemical makeup of stars, planetary atmospheres, and
other galaxies.
"Hubble has been rewriting astronomy text books for more than 15
years, and all of us are looking forward to the new chapters that
will be added with future discoveries and insights about our
universe," said Mary Cleave, NASA's associate administrator for the
Science Mission Directorate.
The Hubble servicing mission is an 11-day flight. Following launch,
the shuttle will rendezvous with the telescope on the third day of
the flight. Using the shuttle's mechanical arm, the telescope will be
placed on a work platform in the cargo bay. Five separate space walks
will be needed to accomplish all of the mission objectives.
"The Hubble mission will be an exciting mission for the shuttle team.
The teams have used the experiences gained from Return to Flight and
station assembly to craft a very workable Hubble servicing flight.
The inspection and repair techniques, along with spacewalk planning
from station assembly, were invaluable in showing this mission is
feasible," said Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill
Gerstenmaier. "There are plenty of challenges ahead as the teams do
the detailed planning and figure the best way to provide for a launch
on need capability for the mission. There is no question that this
highly motivated and dedicated flight control team will meet the
challenge."
The Hubble Space Telescope is an international cooperative project
between NASA and the European Space Agency.
For more information about the mission and the Hubble, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/hubble
NASA'S FIRST 3-D SOLAR IMAGING MISSION SOARS INTO SPACE
NASA's twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories mission, known
as STEREO, successfully launched Wednesday at 8:52 p.m. EDT from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
STEREO's nearly identical twin, golf cart-sized spacecraft will make
observations to help researchers construct the first-ever
three-dimensional views of the sun. The images will show the star's
stormy environment and its effects on the inner solar system, vital
data for understanding how the sun creates space weather.
"The stunning solar views the two observatories will send back to
Earth will help scientists get a better understanding of the sun and
its activity than we've ever been able to obtain from the ground or
any of our other missions," said Nick Chrissotimos, STEREO project
manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
The two observatories were launched on a Delta II rocket in a stacked
configuration and separated from the launch vehicle approximately 25
minutes after lift-off. After receiving the first signal from the
spacecraft approximately 63 minutes after launch, mission control
personnel at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
(APL), Laurel, Md., confirmed each observatory's solar arrays
successfully deployed and were providing power. NASA's Deep Space
Network antennas in Canberra, Australia received the initial radio
signals.
During the next two weeks, mission managers at APL will ensure all
systems are properly working. For the next three months, the
observatories will fly from a point close to Earth to one that
extends just beyond the moon's orbit.
After about two months, STEREO's orbits will be synchronized to
encounter the moon. The "A" observatory will use the moon's gravity
to redirect it to an orbit "ahead" of Earth. The "B" observatory will
encounter the moon again for a second swing-by about one month later
to redirect its position "behind" Earth. STEREO is the first NASA
mission to use separate lunar swing-bys to place two observatories
into vastly different orbits around the sun.
Just as the slight offset between human eyes provides depth
perception, this placement will allow the STEREO observatories to
obtain 3-D images of the sun. The arrangement also allows the two
spacecraft to take local particle and magnetic field measurements of
the solar wind as it flows by.
During the observatories' two-year mission, they will explore the
origin, evolution and interplanetary consequences of coronal mass
ejections, some of the most violent explosions in our solar system.
These billion-ton eruptions can produce spectacular aurora, disrupt
satellites, radio communications and Earth's power systems. Energetic
particles associated with these solar eruptions permeate the entire
solar system and can be hazardous to spacecraft and astronauts.
Better prediction of solar eruptions provides more warning time for
satellite and power grid operators to put their assets into a safe
mode to weather the storm. A better understanding of the nature of
these events will help engineers build better and more resilient
systems.
"We're becoming more and more reliant on space technologies in our
everyday lives and are hatching ambitious plans to explore our outer
space surroundings," said Michael Kaiser, STEREO Project Scientist at
Goddard. "But nature has a mind of its own and STEREO is going to
help us figure out how to avoid those surprises the sun tends to
throw at us and our best-laid plans."
For more information about STEREO, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/stereo
Goddard manages the STEREO mission. The APL designed and built the
spacecraft. The laboratory will maintain command and control of the
observatories throughout the mission, while NASA tracks and receives
the data, determines the orbit of the satellites, and coordinates the
science results. Each observatory has 16 instruments, including
imaging telescopes and equipment to measure solar wind particles and
to perform radio astronomy.
The STEREO mission includes significant international cooperation with
European partners in instrument development, data sharing and
analysis.
-end-
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-045
The three residents of the International Space Station spent a busy
week with varied science and technical tasks as they began their
second month in orbit.
Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer
Mikhail Tyurin practiced using the manual docking system for the
Russian Progress cargo ship. They rehearsed rendezvous; fly around
maneuvers and approach and docking with an on-board simulator.
During the training, technicians at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan completed preparations for the launch of a Progress cargo
craft on Monday, Oct. 23 at 9:40 a.m. EDT. It is scheduled to dock to
the complex Thursday, Oct. 26 at 10:28 a.m. EDT. NASA TV live
coverage starts at 10 a.m. EDT Thursday.
The Progress is filled with more than two tons of food, fuel and
supplies for the station and its crew. Also aboard are new spare
parts for the Russian Elektron oxygen-generation system, which has
been shut down since last month.
Earlier Friday, Lopez-Alegria replaced equipment in the Carbon Dioxide
Removal System, used to remove impurities from the station's
atmosphere. Only one of its two systems designed to purge carbon
dioxide from the air has been operating due to particulate matter
clogging an air valve. Lopez-Alegria installed a new air flow
regulator valve and a filter to recover the use of the second of two
adsorbent beds in the device.
He also joined Tyurin to inspect and photograph the Zvezda Service
Module windows and conducted a video tour of the station for training
of future expedition crews.
Lopez-Alegria, who also serves as the NASA science officer, collected
his second set of blood and urine samples for the Nutrition
Experiment. This is NASA's most comprehensive in-flight study of
human physiological changes during long-duration spaceflight. The
experiment measures bone metabolism, oxidative damage, nutritional
assessments and hormonal changes. It also will help to define
nutritional requirements and develop food systems for missions to the
moon and Mars.
Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin also completed a medical officer proficiency
training session. European Space Agency Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter
began the first of three runs of the Analysis of a Novel Sensory
Mechanism in Root Phototropism experiment in the European Modular
Cultivation System. Seeds will sprout next week in the modular
cultivation facility, where plants and other small organisms can grow
in variable gravity conditions using a centrifuge.
By sprouting seeds under different levels of partial gravity and
different frequencies of light, this study will increase the
understanding of the different systems plants use to determine what
direction their roots and shoots should grow and which genes are
responsible for successful plant growth.
NASA's payload operations team at the Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala., coordinates U.S. science activities on the station.
Other science work this week included sessions of the Profilaktika
and Urolux Russian experiments.
The station remains under the control of three gyroscopes after one
was shut down more than a week ago. On Monday, flight controllers
conducted a test of Control Moment Gyro (CMG) 3, which was turned off
due to excessive vibrations. Monday's test, looking at the health of
the accelerometer, spun the CMG up to 500 rpm and then let it coast
down to zero while acceleration data were taken with the Microgravity
Acceleration Measurement System to correlate and compare with data
from the internal CMG accelerometer. An initial review indicated no
unusual vibrations, but engineers continue to analyze the results.
On Monday, flight controllers will begin a five-day checkout of the
Thermal Radiator Rotary Joints (TRRJ) on the S1 and P1 trusses that
will rotate once the station's upgraded external thermal loops are
activated during the STS-116 mission. The TRRJ test will enable the
radiators to auto track or revolve when required to dissipate heat
from the trusses' avionics equipment.
The next status report will be issued on Monday, Oct. 23, following
the launch of ISS Progress 23. For more about the crew's activities
and station sighting opportunities, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
NASA CENTERS HONORED FOR INNOVATIONS
The 44th Annual R&D 100 Awards recognized four NASA centers for
excellence in innovation in research and development. The
technologies demonstrated in the worldwide competition are among the
most innovative ideas from academia, government and industry.
The NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, and L-3 Communications
Electron Technologies, Inc., Torrance, Calif., created the L-3
Communications 999HA Traveling-Wave Tube. The tube is a high-power,
high-efficiency microwave transmitter that will enable high-data-rate
transmissions of science data and video from NASA's Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter and future planetary missions.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., produced a unique
gripping mechanism that has the potential to revolutionize robotics
by eliminating the need for specialized end effectors and grippers.
End effectors are typically designed for very specific tasks and tend
to be limited in the range of objects they can accommodate. Goddard's
innovative gripper design uses arrays of pins that gently conform to
any object's shape then lock into position for an extremely secure,
yet gentle hold -- even against significant external force or torque.
This enables the conformal gripper to grasp and manipulate objects of
varying size and shape, securely holding an object's position for
repair, machining, or assembly.
Scientists at the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., in
partnership with Messier Dowty, Kent, Wash., created a Magnetic Field
Response Measurement Acquisition System that eliminates the need for
direct contact between sensors and the system being measured. This
measurement acquisition system may improve aviation safety. One
application example is in fuel tanks where a wireless sensor would
virtually eliminate the possibility of fires and explosions from
faulty wires arcing or sparking.
Working in conjunction with a number of industry and federal agencies,
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., helped create
"explorer," a long-range, untethered, self-powered robotic system to
visually inspect natural gas pipelines. The system prevents air from
coming into contact with the natural gas, ensuring a reliable and
safe operation.
For information about the awards, visit:
http://www.rdmag.com
NASA AND NOAA ANNOUNCE ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE IS A RECORD BREAKER
NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
scientists report this year's ozone hole in the polar region of the
Southern Hemisphere has broken records for area and depth.
The ozone layer acts to protect life on Earth by blocking harmful
ultraviolet rays from the sun. The "ozone hole" is a severe depletion
of the ozone layer high above Antarctica. It is primarily caused by
human-produced compounds that release chlorine and bromine gases in
the stratosphere.
"From September 21 to 30, the average area of the ozone hole was the
largest ever observed, at 10.6 million square miles," said Paul
Newman, atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md. If the stratospheric weather conditions had been
normal, the ozone hole would be expected to reach a size of about 8.9
to 9.3 million square miles, about the surface area of North America.
The Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA's Aura satellite measures the
total amount of ozone from the ground to the upper atmosphere over
the entire Antarctic continent. This instrument observed a low value
of 85 Dobson Units (DU) on Oct. 8, in a region over the East
Antarctic ice sheet. Dobson Units are a measure of ozone amounts
above a fixed point in the atmosphere. The Ozone Monitoring
Instrument was developed by the Netherlands' Agency for Aerospace
Programs, Delft, The Netherlands, and the Finnish Meteorological
Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
Scientists from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder,
Colo., use balloon-borne instruments to measure ozone directly over
the South Pole. By Oct. 9, the total column ozone had plunged to 93
DU from approximately 300 DU in mid-July. More importantly, nearly
all of the ozone in the layer between eight and 13 miles above the
Earth's surface had been destroyed. In this critical layer, the
instrument measured a record low of only 1.2 DU., having rapidly
plunged from an average non-hole reading of 125 DU in July and
August.
"These numbers mean the ozone is virtually gone in this layer of the
atmosphere," said David Hofmann, director of the Global Monitoring
Division at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory. "The depleted
layer has an unusual vertical extent this year, so it appears that
the 2006 ozone hole will go down as a record-setter."
Observations by Aura's Microwave Limb Sounder show extremely high
levels of ozone destroying chlorine chemicals in the lower
stratosphere (approximately 12.4 miles high). These high chlorine
values covered the entire Antarctic region in mid to late September.
The high chlorine levels were accompanied by extremely low values of
ozone.
The temperature of the Antarctic stratosphere causes the severity of
the ozone hole to vary from year to year. Colder than average
temperatures result in larger and deeper ozone holes, while warmer
temperatures lead to smaller ones. The NOAA National Centers for
Environmental Prediction (NCEP) provided analyses of satellite and
balloon stratospheric temperature observations. The temperature
readings from NOAA satellites and balloons during late-September 2006
showed the lower stratosphere at the rim of Antarctica was
approximately nine degrees Fahrenheit colder than average, increasing
the size of this year's ozone hole by 1.2 to 1.5 million square
miles.
The Antarctic stratosphere warms by the return of sunlight at the end
of the polar winter and by large-scale weather systems
(planetary-scale waves) that form in the troposphere and move upward
into the stratosphere. During the 2006 Antarctic winter and spring,
these planetary-scale wave systems were relatively weak, causing the
stratosphere to be colder than average.
As a result of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments, the
concentrations of ozone-depleting substances in the lower atmosphere
(troposphere) peaked around 1995 and are decreasing in both the
troposphere and stratosphere. It is estimated these gases reached
peak levels in the Antarctica stratosphere in 2001. However, these
ozone-depleting substances typically have very long lifetimes in the
atmosphere (more than 40 years).
As a result of this slow decline, the ozone hole is estimated to
annually very slowly decrease in area by about 0.1 to 0.2 percent for
the next five to 10 years. This slow decrease is masked by large
year-to-year variations caused by Antarctic stratosphere weather
fluctuations.
The recently completed 2006 World Meteorological Organization/United
Nations Environment Programme Scientific Assessment of Ozone
Depletion concluded the ozone hole recovery would be masked by annual
variability for the near future and the ozone hole would fully
recover in approximately 2065.
"We now have the largest ozone hole on record," said Craig Long of
NCEP. As the sun rises higher in the sky during October and November,
this unusually large and persistent area may allow much more
ultraviolet light than usual to reach Earth's surface in the southern
latitudes. For information and images about NASA's ozone research,
visit:
www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/ozone_record.html
NASA ANNOUNCES NEW INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW
NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency have named two astronauts
and two cosmonauts to the next International Space Station crew,
known as Expedition 15. Astronauts Clayton C. Anderson and Daniel M.
Tani will travel to the station next year and work as flight
engineers. Cosmonauts Fyodor N. Yurchikhin and Dr. Oleg V. Kotov will
spend six months aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Anderson will get a ride to the station aboard Space Shuttle
Endeavour's STS-118 mission, targeted for launch in June 2007. He
will return to Earth on shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-120. That
flight will carry his replacement, Tani, to the station. Tani will
return on shuttle mission STS-122, targeted for October 2007.
Yurchikhin will command Expedition 15, and Kotov will serve as station
flight engineer and Soyuz commander. Yurchikhin and Kotov will fly to
the complex aboard a Soyuz spacecraft scheduled to launch in March
2007. Until Anderson arrives, astronaut Sunita L. Williams will serve
as Expedition 15's third crew member and flight engineer. She will
fly to the station on STS-116 in December.
A native of Nebraska, Anderson was selected as an astronaut in 1998
following a technical career in mission operations at NASA's Johnson
Space Center, Houston. He managed the Emergency Operations Center at
Johnson for several years before becoming an astronaut. He has a
bachelor's degree from Hastings College in Hastings, Neb., and a
master's from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
A native of Illinois, Tani has a bachelor's and a master's degree in
mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Mass. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996.
Tani's first spaceflight was aboard Endeavour in December 2001 on the
STS-108 mission. During that flight, he performed a four-hour
spacewalk.
Yurchikhin previously visited the space station aboard Atlantis on
STS-112 in 2002. He is qualified as a mechanical engineer and has a
doctorate in economics. Before he was selected as a cosmonaut,
Yurchikhin served as a Russian flight controller and lead engineer
for several missions.
Kotov was selected as a cosmonaut in 1996 and has trained for Soyuz,
Mir and space station missions. He is a graduate of the Kirov Medical
Academy in Russia.
The Expedition 15 backup crew is astronaut Gregory E. Chamitoff for
Anderson; Sandra H. Magnus for Tani; Russian cosmonauts Roman Y.
Romanenko and Mikhail B. Kornienko for Yurchikhin and Kotov.
Video of the Expedition 15 crew members will air on NASA TV's Video
File. For NASA TV downlink, streaming video and scheduling
information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
BECOME PART OF SPACE HISTORY -- HELP NAME THE NEXT STATION MODULE
The International Space Station is growing, and NASA's Node 2 is the
next U.S. pressurized module scheduled for installation on the
orbiting laboratory. The node will provide more room for station
crews to live and work, but it needs a name.
Students in kindergarten through grade 12 attending U.S. schools and
children of American personnel overseas are being asked to help NASA
name the module and become part of the history of the station. The
module is at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and is targeted for
launch in late 2007. The node will be a connecting port and
passageway to additional international science labs and space supply
vehicles. It also will be a work platform for the station's robotic
arm.
Name the International Space Station Node 2 Challenge requires
students to work together as a class or school to create their own
Node 2 model. Students will name their node, write a brief
description explaining the choice and take digital pictures to send
to NASA.
The submitted image of the model will not be judged, but it will be
the ticket to enter the name challenge. Submissions will be reviewed
by a panel of NASA scientists, engineers and educators. The deadline
to submit model images and names is Dec. 1. The winning entry will be
announced in early 2007. To register a school or class, teachers or
administrators should send an email to: NASA-ESC@nasa.gov. For
information about Node 2, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/node2.html
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-044
The International Space Station's Expedition 14 crew went for a short
ride this week, performed maintenance and experiments aboard the
growing outpost and celebrated one crew member's 100th day in space.
Station Commander and NASA Science Officer Mike Lopez-Alegria and
flight engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Thomas Reiter boarded their Soyuz
spacecraft and flew it from one docking port to another. The
relocation was a routine procedure conducted ahead of the launch and
arrival of the next Progress supply ship, scheduled for later this
month.
With Tyurin at the controls on Tuesday, the Soyuz undocked from the
aft position of the Zvezda module at 3:14 p.m. EDT and docked to the
Zarya control module's Earth-facing docking port at 3:34 p.m. EDT.
The 23rd Progress vehicle will launch Oct. 23 from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will dock to the vacated Zvezda port
three days later, delivering supplies to the crew.
More than three weeks into a six-month stay, Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin
are settling in to the routine of life in microgravity. They joined
Reiter in celebrating his 100th day in space since his launch aboard
the Space Shuttle Discovery July 4. Reiter, a European Space Agency
astronaut, will return home aboard Discovery in December during the
STS-116 mission. Discovery will bring NASA astronaut Suni Williams as
Reiter's replacement to the station during that flight.
Oxygen is being supplied in the station cabin by tanks on the outside
of the U.S. Quest Airlock while an onboard Russian oxygen-generation
system, called the Elektron, is not working. Additional parts to
repair the Elektron are expected to be among the supplies arriving
late this month on Progress.
The station's orientation is being managed by three of the four
electrically driven Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). One gyroscope,
designated CMG 3, was shut down after exhibiting intermittently high
vibrations early Monday. Three gyros are sufficient to orient the
station, and there has been no impact to the safety or operation of
the station due to the shut down of CMG 3.
Flight controllers are evaluating plans for CMG 3 and any changes that
might be needed to assembly operations during the December mission of
Space Shuttle Discovery. During that mission alternating systems on
the station will be powered off as the complex is rewired to bring
online new supplies of electricity from the recently added solar
arrays. Steering jets could be used to control the station's
orientation if needed as gyroscopes are powered down during those
procedures.
This week the crew also performed routine medical checks and took
water samples while loading the docked Progress vehicle with unneeded
items. Lopez-Alegria swapped a water separator in the Quest Airlock's
Common Cabin Air Assembly to ensure a filter doesn't become clogged.
The maintenance procedure was previously performed by the Expedition
5 crew.
The next status report will be issued Friday, Oct. 20. For more
information about the crew's activities and station sighting
opportunities, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
MANUEL NAMED HEAD OF NASA DIVERSITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale today announced the appointment
of Brenda R. Manuel as the new assistant administrator for the Office
of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.
Manuel will be responsible for providing executive leadership and
advocacy, advising and assisting the Administrator on all matters
pertaining to diversity and equal opportunity requirements.
Manuel returns to NASA with 25 years experience in the equal
employment opportunity and employment law fields as a program
director, a member of the federal government's Senior Executive
Service, an attorney, and a trainer.
As a former senior executive at NASA, Manuel served as acting deputy
assistant administrator for Equal Opportunity Programs and director
of the Discrimination Complaints Division. She has served as a
program director and faculty member for the Public Administration
Forum, a non-profit organization specializing in employment law
training conferences for federal and public sector managers,
attorneys, and Equal Employment Opportunity and human resources
subject matter specialists.
Manuel has a bachelor's degree in business management from Howard
University, Washington, and is a graduate of George Washington
University Law Center, Washington.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
NASA FINDS SATURN'S MOONS MAY BE CREATING NEW RINGS
Cassini scientists are on the trail of the missing moons of Saturn. A
recent observation by the spacecraft leads them to believe that they
will find the moons near newly discovered rings around the planet.
During an unprecedented opportunity, with the sun poised behind
Saturn, Cassini scientists discovered two new rings and confirmed the
presence of two others. The new rings are associated with one or more
small moons and share their orbits with the moons, while scientists
suspect a moon is lurking near a third ring.
"Just like the old maxim that says where there's smoke, there's fire,
at Saturn, where there's a new ring, there's bound to be a moon,"
said Jeff Cuzzi, Cassini interdisciplinary scientist at NASA's Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Under the cover of Saturn's shadow in mid-September, the entire ring
system became visible, and never-before-seen microscopic particles
began to appear. A single, faint new ring at the orbits of two
moonlets, Janus and Epimetheus, was discovered. A second ring was
found a week later. It is narrow and overlies the orbit of the tiny
moon Pallene, which Cassini discovered back in 2004. A third and
fourth ring are visible in the Cassini Division, the big gap in
Saturn's main ring system. Curiously, these rings were not seen in
images from NASA's Voyager spacecraft.
"We are hot on the trail of these possible elusive moonlets," said Joe
Burn, Cassini imaging scientist at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
"Finding the moons and learning about their interactions with the
rings will help us understand how the moons formed and perhaps how
the Saturn system formed."
When viewed by Cassini's infrared instrument, one of the rings in the
Cassini Division has unusual coloring and brightening, a trait it
shares with fresh, faint rings like the F ring, or those in the Encke
Gap in Saturn's outer A ring.
Saturn's smallest moons have weak gravity and cannot retain any loose
material on their surfaces. When these moons are struck by rapidly
moving interplanetary meteoroids, this loose material is blasted off
their surfaces and into Saturn orbit, creating diffuse rings along
the moons' orbital paths. Collisions among several moonlets, or
clumps of boulder-sized rubble, might also lead to debris trails. For
instance, Saturn's G ring seems not to have any single moon large
enough to see; it might have formed from a recent breakup of a moon.
The unusual viewing geometry provided other insights into the changing
nature of Saturn's rings. In addition to the dazzling images, data
from Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer also show
distinct color differences, indicating variations in composition and
in microscopic particles in the Cassini Division, the diffuse E- and
G-rings, lying outside the main rings, and the D ring, which is the
ring closest to Saturn.
"These tiny grains are like spices -- even a little bit of material
can alter the ring's character," said Matt Hedman, another Cassini
scientist at Cornell. Color variation in the rings might imply
particles are being sorted by size.
"We expected to see things we haven't seen before, but we are really,
really puzzled by these new images of Saturn's main ring system,"
said Phil Nicholson, of Cornell, Cassini visual and infrared
spectrometer team member. "The rings appear very different, with none
of their usual calling card of water-ice features. There are hints
that other material besides ice might finally be detected within the
rings."
"The main rings show a neutral color, while the C ring is reddish, and
the D and E rings are quite blue," added Nicholson. "We don't quite
understand if these variations are due to differences in particle
size or composition, but it's nice to be surprised every once in a
while."
Images to support this release, including an infrared mosaic and
visible light mosaic of Saturn can be found at:
http://www.nasa.gov/cassini
NASA'S SPITZER SEES DAY AND NIGHT ON EXOTIC WORLD
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has made the first measurements of the
day and night temperatures of a planet outside our solar system. The
infrared observatory revealed that the Jupiter-like gas giant planet
circling very close to its sun is always as hot as fire on one side,
and potentially as cold as ice on the other.
"This planet has a giant hot spot in the hemisphere that faces the
star," said Joe Harrington of the University of Central Florida,
Orlando."The temperature difference between the day and night sides
tells about how energy flows in the planet's atmosphere. Essentially,
we're studying weather on an exotic planet."
The finding represents the first time any kind of variation has been
seen across the surface of an extrasolar planet, a planet beyond our
solar system. Previous measurements of extrasolar planets described
only global traits like size and mass.
"This is a spectacular result," said Michael Werner, project scientist
for Spitzer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
"When we designed Spitzer years ago, we did not anticipate that it
would be revolutionizing extrasolar-planet science."
The researchers used Spitzer to determine the temperature variation in
the atmosphere of a nearby planet called Upsilon Andromedae b. This
"hot-Jupiter" planet is a gas giant similar to Jupiter, but it orbits
very close to its scorching star, circling the star once every 4.6
days.
Scientists believe the planet is tidally locked to its star. This
means it is rotating slowly enough that the same side always faces
the star, just as the same side of Earth's tidally locked moon always
faces toward us, hiding its "dark side." However, since this planet
is made of gas, its outer atmosphere could be circulating much faster
than its interior.
According to the astronomers, the observed temperature difference
between the two sides of Upsilon Andromedae b is extreme -- about
2,550 degrees Fahrenheit. Such a large temperature difference
indicates the planet's atmosphere absorbs and reradiates sunlight so
fast that gas circling around it cools off quickly. This is unlike
Jupiter, which is even-temperatured all the way around.
"If you were moving across the planet from the night side to day side,
the temperature jump would be equivalent to leaping into a volcano,"
said the project's principal investigator, Brad Hansen of the
University of California, Los Angeles.
Spitzer used its heat-seeking infrared eyes to periodically stare at
the Upsilon Andromedae planetary system over approximately five days.
It found the system's infrared light, or heat, dimmed and brightened
in time with Upsilon Andromedae b's orbit. This change in heat is the
result of the planet showing its different faces to Spitzer as it
traveled around the star. When the planet's sunlit side was in
Earth's view, Spitzer detected more heat from the system; when its
dark side was facing us, it picked up less heat. Upsilon Andromedae b
does not cross behind or in front of its star, but is always in
Earth's line of sight.
Upsilon Andromedae b was discovered in 1996 around the star Upsilon
Andromedae, which is 40 light-years away and visible to the naked eye
at night in the constellation Andromeda. Upsilon Andromedae is
circled by two other known planets located farther out than Upsilon
Andromedae b.
Harrington and Hansen are presenting their results today at the 38th
meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American
Astronomical Society in Pasadena, Calif. Harrington is lead author of
a paper appearing online today in Science.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope
mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science
operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
For graphics about this research and more information about Spitzer,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
NASA SELECTS NEW EDUCATION ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR
NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale announced Wednesday the selection
of Joyce L. Winterton as the agency's new assistant administrator for
education, effective Oct. 16. She succeeds John M. Hairston, Jr., who
has served in an acting capacity since June.
Before joining NASA, Winterton was director of national education
programs for USA Today, the nation's largest circulated newspaper.
She has also directed a number of highly visible and successful
education initiatives during the past three decades.
"I look forward to Joyce's contribution to our education programs. She
has devoted her career to inspiring students as both an educator and
an administrator committed to excellence and advancing knowledge,"
Dale said. "I want to thank John for agreeing to come to headquarters
and serve as acting AA. His outstanding stewardship during this
period of transition for our education office has been deeply
appreciated."
Hairston will return to NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland as
director of the external programs directorate.
Winterton will be responsible for the development and implementation
of the agency's education information and outreach programs that
strengthen student involvement and public awareness about NASA's
scientific goals and missions.
"I look forward to joining NASA at this crucial time for the agency as
it looks to inspire student interest in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics," Winterton said. "This is an exciting
challenge, and I look forward to joining my new colleagues in pushing
new frontiers."
She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Home Economics
Education from Utah State University in Logan. In 1978, she completed
her doctorate in Teacher Education and Administration at Colorado
State University in Fort Collins.
Winterton is no stranger to Washington, serving as executive director
for the National Council on Vocational Education in 1986 and deputy
assistant secretary at the Department of Education in 1983. She has
served on a number of national boards and advisory panels, and she
created her own successful education and business consulting firm in
1991.
For more information about NASA and agency education programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
NASA ANNOUNCES NEW CLEVELAND SAFETY CENTER
NASA re-designated the NASA Assurance Technology Center Wednesday as
the NASA Safety Center.
The change was made after an extensive review of the agency's safety
and mission assurance programs and to better support the Vision for
Space Exploration. The center will focus on supporting the
development of personnel, processes and tools needed for the safe and
successful achievement of NASA's strategic goals.
Residing at the Ohio Aerospace Institute near NASA's Glenn Research
Center in Cleveland, the new safety center will assume and augment
the duties previously accomplished by its predecessor. The new
facility will support and strengthen the wide range of NASA safety
and mission assurance efforts including system safety; reliability
and maintainability; quality engineering and assurances; software
assurance and risk management.
Alan Phillips, director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Office at
NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., was selected to lead
the new center. Philips brings a wealth of knowledge and experience
to the position, having worked in NASA's safety and mission assurance
environment for 19 years.
The center will complement the NASA Engineering and Safety Center
based at Langley. Both centers will support safety but have separate
and independent supervisory chains to ensure consideration of various
points of view about technically complex issues. The Cleveland center
will report to the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA
Headquarters, Washington. For information about NASA and agency
programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
NASA ANNOUNCES NEW STUDENT AERONAUTICS COMPETITION
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Washington, announced
a new aeronautics competition for high school and college students.
The competition is sponsored by the directorate's Fundamental
Aeronautics Program, and it is part of NASA's mission is to inspire
the next generation of engineers, scientists, and explorers.
High School students are challenged to put themselves 50 years into
the future to describe how air transportation systems have evolved
with vehicles flying at various speeds. Entries are due by March 15.
College students are invited to propose solutions for complex
technical problems in hypersonic and supersonic flight; subsonic
fixed and rotary wing transports; or Mars entry, descent, and
landing. College entries are due by April 27.
Monetary awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 may be available for
first place winners in each category. There will be awards for second
and third places and honorable mention recognition. Winning
university students may be offered a 10-week summer internship at a
NASA field center.
For details about this competition, visit:
http://aero.larc.nasa.gov/competitions.htm
For information about other aeronautics competitions, visit:
http://www.aerospace.nasa.gov/design_comp.htm
ARES I CREW LAUNCH VEHICLE FIRST STAGE CONTRACT MODIFICATION
NASA is extending a previous contract action with ATK Thiokol of
Brigham City, Utah, to continue design and development of the first
stage for the Ares I crew launch vehicle. The extension has a maximum
value of $35 million.
Ares I is the crew launch vehicle that will transport the Orion crew
exploration vehicle, its crew or other small cargo payloads to
low-Earth orbit. The first stage will consist of a single solid
rocket booster similar to those used on the space shuttle, but with a
fifth motor segment added. The upper stage will consist of a J-2X
liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen engine and the associated propellant
tanks and main propulsion system.
The contract action maintains the design, development, test and
evaluation schedule; expedites the procurement of new nozzle metal
hardware and production tooling for propellant casting and nozzle
fabrication; and maintains the necessary design and engineering
analysis leading to a Systems Requirements Review in December 2006.
The action also provides support for an initial test flight in the
spring of 2009 known as Ares I-1. The test flight will use a
simulated fifth segment on the first stage motor and a simulated
upper stage.
The contract type is cost-plus-award-fee. This modification will
increase the overall value of the existing $28 million contract
action to a total of $63 million and provide support through Dec. 31,
2006
For information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/constellation
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-043
Expedition 14 completed its first full week solo on the International
Space Station performing standard early mission checks, drills and
some equipment troubleshooting.
Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer
Mikhail Tyurin have been aboard the station for 19 days, while Flight
Engineer Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency is in his third
month in orbit. Along with other work, the crew members prepared for
a short trip away from the station next week, when they will fly the
Soyuz spacecraft from one docking port to another.
Early in the week, the crew conducted a check of procedures required
to exit the station in an emergency, ensuring all necessary equipment
is in place. Throughout the week, time was set aside for
Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin to familiarize themselves with the station
and operations. They started several new scientific activities and
medical checks.
Lopez-Alegria began his first session with the nutrition experiment.
He collected blood and urine samples and began logging all of his
consumed food and drink. The experiment, which tracks many vitamins
and minerals essential for good health, is the most comprehensive
in-flight study to date of human physiological changes during
long-duration spaceflight. The information will help define
nutritional requirements and food systems for future missions to the
moon and Mars.
Lopez-Alegria also supported the Passive Observatories for
Experimental Microbial Systems in Micro-G (POEMS) experiment, by
storing the next set of samples into the Minus-Eighty Laboratory
Freezer for ISS (MELFI). MELFI is a cold storage unit that maintains
experiment samples at temperatures of minus 80 degrees Celsius, minus
26 degrees Celsius or 4 degrees Celsius throughout a mission. POEMS
will evaluate the effect of stress in the space environment on the
generation of genetic variation in model microbial cells.
On Friday, all crew members performed a normal periodic fitness
evaluation, exercising on a stationary bicycle, measuring heart rates
and blood pressure. One new scientific investigation began with
Reiter as part of his evaluation. An oxygen uptake monitor provided
by the European Space Agency was used to measure Reiter's oxygen
consumption, a key parameter that can be used to measure fitness. The
fitness evaluations are performed monthly. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin
also checked emergency medical equipment and supplies, a check done
early in each crew's flight.
Tyurin spent time mid-week continuing to troubleshoot the Russian
Elektron oxygen-generation system. The system converts water into
oxygen to replenish cabin air. It has not been functional since it
overheated just before Expedition 14 arrived. The crew replaced
components in an Elektron control panel this week, but problems
persisted.
Russian engineers are evaluating the system and further repairs may
wait until the next supply ship arrives with additional parts. The
next Progress cargo craft launches later this month. Plentiful oxygen
supplies are available on the station. Oxygen is being replenished
from tanks located on the Quest airlock.
U.S. flight controllers are evaluating a vibration seen in one of the
station's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) this week. The
electrically powered CMGs maintain the station's orientation so
thrusters and limited fuel are not used for that purpose. The
vibrations were first observed Sept. 28 as a station maneuver was
performed using thrusters. The gyroscope, CMG-3, was taken off line
to allow additional testing. Since then, controllers have run various
tests with CMG-3 to better characterize the intermittent vibrations.
Engineers have determined it could be put back on line and into
normal operation, if needed. Only three CMGs are necessary to
properly maintain the station's orientation.
The station crew members will board the Soyuz spacecraft docked at the
rear of the Zvezda living quarters module on Tuesday to prepare for
the short move. NASA TV will cover the activity live beginning at
2:45 p.m. EDT. With Soyuz Commander Tyurin at the controls, they will
undock from the Zvezda port at 3:14 p.m. and re-dock to the
Earth-facing Zarya module port at 3:39 p.m. EDT.
NASA's payload operations team at the agency's Marshall Space Flight
Center, Huntsville, Ala., coordinates U.S. science activities on the
station.
The next status report will be issued Friday, Oct. 13. For more
information about the crew's activities and station sighting
opportunities, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
NASA'S MARS ROVER AND ORBITER TEAM EXAMINES VICTORIA CRATER
NASA's long-lived robotic rover Opportunity is beginning to explore
layered rocks in cliffs ringing the massive Victoria crater on Mars.
While Opportunity spent its first week at the crater, NASA's newest
eye in the Martian sky photographed the rover and its surroundings
from above. The level of detail in the photo from the high-resolution
camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will help guide the rover's
exploration of Victoria.
"This is a tremendous example of how our Mars missions in orbit and on
the surface are designed to reinforce each other and expand our
ability to explore and discover," said Doug McCuistion, director of
NASA's Mars Exploration Program in Washington. "You can only achieve
this compelling level of exploration capability with the sustained
exploration approach we are conducting at Mars through integrated
orbiters and landers."
"The combination of the ground-level and aerial view is much more
powerful than either alone," said Steve Squyres of Cornell
University, Ithaca, N.Y. Squyres is principal investigator for
Opportunity and its twin, Spirit. "If you were a geologist driving up
to the edge of a crater in your jeep, the first thing you would do
would be to pick up the aerial photo you brought with you and use it
to understand what you're seeing from ground level. That's exactly
what we're doing here."
Images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, orbiting the red planet since
1997, prompted the rover team to choose Victoria two years ago as the
long-term destination for Opportunity. The images show the
one-half-mile-wide crater has scalloped edges of alternating
cliff-like high, jutting ledges and gentler alcoves. The new image by
the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter adds significantly more detail.
Exposed geological layers in the cliff-like portions of Victoria's
inner wall appear to record a longer span of Mars' environmental
history than the rover has studied in smaller craters. Victoria is
five times larger than any crater Opportunity has visited during its
Martian trek.
High-resolution color images taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera
since Sept. 28 reveal previously unseen patterns in the layers.
"There are distinct variations in the sedimentary layering as you
look farther down in the stack," Squyres said. "That tells us
environmental conditions were not constant."
Within two months after landing on Mars in early 2004, Opportunity
found geological evidence for a long-ago environment that was wet.
Scientists hope the layers in Victoria will provide new clues about
whether that wet environment was persistent, fleeting or cyclical.
The rovers have worked on Mars for more than 10 times their originally
planned three-month missions. "Opportunity shows a few signs of aging
but is in good shape for undertaking exploration of Victoria crater,"
said John Callas, project manager for the rovers at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
"What we see so far just adds to the excitement. The team has worked
heroically for nearly 21 months driving the rover here, and now we're
all rewarded with views of a spectacular landscape of nearly
50-foot-thick exposures of layered rock," said Jim Bell of Cornell.
Bell is lead scientist for the rovers' panoramic cameras. NASA plans
to drive Opportunity from crater ridge to ridge, studying nearby
cliffs across the intervening alcoves and looking for safe ways to
drive the rover down. "It's like going to the Grand Canyon and seeing
what you can from several different overlooks before you walk down,"
Bell said.
The orbiter images will help the team choose which way to send
Opportunity around the rim, and where to stop for the best views.
Conversely, the rover's ground-level observations of some of the same
features will provide useful information for interpreting orbital
images.
"The ground-truth we get from the rover images and measurements
enables us to better interpret features we see elsewhere on Mars,
including very rugged and dramatic terrains that we can't currently
study on the ground," said Alfred McEwen of the University of
Arizona, Tucson. He is principal investigator for the orbiter's High
Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the rovers and orbiter for
NASA's Science Mission Directorate. For images and information about
the rovers, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/rovers
NASA SEEKS UNDERGRADS TO EXPERIMENT IN LUNAR AND ZERO GRAVITY
NASA is calling on college undergraduates interested in performing
reduced gravity experiments onboard the agency's "Weightless Wonder"
aircraft to submit their proposals by Monday, Oct. 30.
The Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program at NASA's
Johnson Space Center, Houston, has given undergraduate teams the
chance to research, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate reduced
gravity experiments annually since 1995. This will be the first time
students can design their experiment for lunar gravity, which is
one-sixth of Earth's.
NASA's modified McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jet aircraft will give flyers
the feel of space, as it performs a series of steep climbs and
freefalls over the Gulf of Mexico, creating multiple periods of
reduced gravity. Each parabolic maneuver produces about 25 seconds of
weightlessness, and by changing its flight path, the jet can produce
periods of lunar gravity.
"These students will be the ones helping to design our trips back to
the moon and beyond," said Donn Sickorez, university affairs officer
at Johnson. "By putting them through the same procedures as our space
research scientists and providing them with a three-dimensional
reduced gravity laboratory, we're better preparing students for these
future missions."
Each proposal will be evaluated for technical merit, safety and an
outreach plan. The selected proposals will be announced Dec. 11 and
flown in 2007. Selected teams may also invite a full-time, accredited
journalist to participate with them to document the experience.
With this project, NASA continues the agency's tradition of investing
in the nation's education programs. It is directly tied the agency's
major education goal of strengthening NASA and the nation's future
workforce. Through this and other college and university programs,
NASA will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities
needed to achieve the Vision for Space Exploration.
For more information about the Reduced Gravity Student Flight
Opportunities Program or submitting a proposal, contact Mat Bartley
at: 281-483-7185; or by e-mail at: mathew.bartley-1@nasa.gov; or
visit:
http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov
NASA SELECTS MARYLAND FIRM FOR SCIENCE AND RESEARCH SUPPORT
NASA has selected Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, Md.,
to provide science, technology and research support services to the
agency's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
The cost plus award fee, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity
contract has a maximum value of approximately $140 million over five
years.
Science Systems will provide technical support in Earth and planetary
atmospheric science research, technology development, customer and
data services, administrative and logistical support.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
NASA AWARDS APPLIED PHYSICS LAB R&D, ENGINEERING CONTRACT
NASA announced Tuesday it has entered into a five-year contract with
the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL), Laurel, Md.,
which will allow for procurement up to $750 million in services for
aerospace research, development and engineering in support of the
agency's mission.
Under this contract, APL will provide NASA with expertise in space
systems engineering, systems test and evaluation, information
technology, simulation, modeling and operations analysis.
APL is one of three government or university affiliated institutions
with the capability to perform all aspects of robotic space missions.
This contract will provide a means to preserve this essential
capability at APL, consistent with NASA's evolving needs. The
contract includes extension options for up to an additional five
years.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
