Apr 19 2017

From The Space Library

MEDIA ADVISORY M17-046 NASA Scientists to Discuss Search for Habitable Planets, Signs of Life off Earth

NASA scientists from across the agency will present their latest findings and perspectives on topics ranging from the origins and evolution of life on Earth to the search for habitable environments and life in our solar system and beyond during the 2017 Astrobiology Science Conference, April 24-28 in Mesa, Arizona.

Among the scientists scheduled to present at the conference are:

• Giada Arney from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will discuss organic haze on Earthlike planets as a possible biosignatures
• Morgan Cable at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, will talk about mechanisms for enrichment of organics in Enceladus plumes
• John Grunsfeld, former NASA astronaut and associate administrator for science, will deliver a presentation on next-generation space telescopes for terrestrial exoplanet characterization and the search for biosignatures
• Michael Mumma from Goddard will discuss methane as a possible messenger in the search for life on Mars
• Andrew Pohorille at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley will talk about the origin and evolution of information transfer in biological systems

On Sunday, April 23, NASA will hold a town hall meeting from 12:30 to 6 p.m. PDT at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel to solicit feedback from the astrobiology community on the Europa Lander Science Definition Team report. For more information on this town hall, contact Curt Niebur at curt.niebur@nasa.gov.

The Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW) team, chartered to identify science objectives and exploration roadmaps for ocean worlds, will hold a town hall from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Monday, April 24, to share its progress and gather input from the astrobiology community.

Arizona State University (ASU), host of the conference, will hold two free public events at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel. The ASU Beyond Center will sponsor a program from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25 titled “Where a Second Example of Life Might be Discovered in the Next Century.” On Thursday, April 26, the ASU Origins Project will sponsor a program from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on “How Astrobiology and Planetary Science Inform a Perspective of Planetary Stewardship.”

The conference will take place at the Mesa Convention Center, located at 263 N. Center Street, and the Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel, at 200 North Centennial Way.

The Lunar and Planetary Institute is responsible for conference logistics.

MEDIA ADVISORY M17-045 President Trump Makes Special Long-Distance Call to Record Breaking American Astronaut

President Donald Trump, First Daughter Ivanka Trump, and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins will make a special Earth-to-space call Monday, April 24, from the Oval Office to personally congratulate NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson for her record-breaking stay aboard the International Space Station.

The 20-minute call will air live on NASA Television and stream on the agency’s website and Facebook page at 10 a.m. EDT, and will be made available to schools, museums, and other organizations across the nation and globally.

The Department of Education and NASA are working together, on behalf of the White House, to encourage classrooms throughout America to tune-in to this historic event. They also are making available for voluntary use STEM on Station educational materials that may be helpful to further engage students in the classroom. STEM on Station is comprised of education activities that follow astronauts as they demonstrate STEM concepts such as Newton’s Laws of Motion, surface tension and advances in technology.

Commander of the station’s Expedition 51 crew, Whitson will officially set the U.S. record Monday for most cumulative days in space, surpassing NASA astronaut Jeff Williams’ record of 534 days. Additionally, she is the first woman to command the space station twice, and holds the record for most spacewalks conducted by a female astronaut.

Whitson will be joined for President Trump’s call by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer, who is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory Thursday, April 20.

Whitson arrived at the space station Nov. 19, 2016, and is sharing her experiences in space on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Fischer will share his first-time flyer experiences on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

RELEASE 17-045 NASA Eyes Fusion Reactor Engines, Extraterrestrial Drilling, Other Far-Out Technologies with Latest Investment Selections

NASA has selected 399 research and technology proposals from 277 American small businesses and 44 research institutions that will enable NASA's future missions into deep space, and advancements in aviation and science, while also benefiting the U.S. economy. The awards have a total value of approximately $49.9 million.

The agency received 1,621 proposals in response to its 2017 solicitation for its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. From those, NASA selected 338 SBIR and 61 STTR Phase I proposals for contract negotiations. The SBIR Phase I contracts last for six months and STTR Phase I contracts last for 12 months, both with maximum funding of $125,000.

"The SBIR and STTR program’s selection of nearly 400 proposals for further development is a testament to NASA’s support of American innovation by small businesses and research institutions," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This program provides opportunities for companies and institutions to commercialize their innovations while contributing to meeting NASA’s goals and objectives across all mission areas.”

Selected proposals will support the development of technologies in the areas of aeronautics, science, human exploration and operations, and space technology. A sampling of proposals demonstrates the breadth of research and development these awards will fund, including:

• High temperature superconducting coils for a future fusion reaction space engine. These coils are needed for the magnetic field that allows the engine to operate safely. Nuclear fusion reactions are what power our sun and other stars, and an engine based on this technology would revolutionize space flight
• Advanced drilling technologies to enable exploration of extraterrestrial oceans beneath the icy shells of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which can be miles thick. This is critical for detecting past or present life in these off-world oceans.
• New wheels for planetary rovers that dramatically improve mobility over a wide variety of terrains. This new design has multiple applications and could potentially impact any heavy-duty or off-road vehicle in diverse markets such as farming and defense.
• Software-enabling collaborative control of multiple unmanned aircraft systems, especially in scenarios where uncrewed vehicles fly in close proximity to crewed flights. These types of operations also are of interest to national security and disaster relief missions, including fire management.
• A leading-edge manufacturing process that enables recycling of used or failed metal parts by placing them into a press, producing a slab of metal, and machining it into a needed metal part in logistically remote environments, such as a space station or long-duration space mission. This area also is of interest to the manufacturing sector, since there is a need to reduce processing footprint.
• Proposals were selected according to their technical merit and feasibility, in addition to the experience, qualifications and facilities of the submitting organization. Additional criteria included effectiveness of the work plan and commercial potential.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses have created 55% of all jobs in the United States since the 1970s. SBIR and STTR programs are competitive awards-based programs. They encourage small businesses and research institutions to engage in federal research and development, and industrial commercialization, by enabling them to explore technological potential and providing incentives to profit from new commercial products and services. The awards span 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The SBIR program is managed for STMD by NASA's Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. STMD is responsible for developing the cross-cutting, pioneering, new technologies and capabilities needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions.