Aug 27 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-330
NEWEST SPACE STATION CREW MEMBERS LAUNCH FROM KAZAKHSTAN
WASHINGTON -- NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:09 p.m. EST Wednesday (1:09 a.m. local time, Dec. 16). Coleman, Kondratyev and Nespoli are scheduled to dock their Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft to the station's Rassvet docking port at 3:12 p.m., Friday, Dec. 17. They will join Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineers Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka aboard the orbiting laboratory. On Friday, NASA Television will air docking coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. Coverage of the hatches opening and a welcoming ceremony aboard the station will begin at 5:30 p.m. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv During Expedition 26, the six-person crew will continue scientific research, perform station maintenance and welcome several visiting vehicles. Kondratyev and Skripochka will conduct two spacewalks, which are scheduled for Jan. 21 and late February. They will install an antenna to complete an information transfer system that sends large computer files to and from the station. The spacewalkers also will perform work on the outside of the Russian station modules. In addition to space shuttle Discovery's planned STS-133 visit in February, the Expedition 26 crew is expecting the arrival of three resupply vehicles in January and February. The second Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency H-II Transfer Vehicle, called Kounotori, or white stork, is scheduled to launch Jan. 20 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. It will be attached robotically to the Earth-facing docking port on the station's Harmony module on Jan. 27. The second European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle, named for famed mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, is scheduled to launch from Kourou, French Guiana, on Feb. 15. It will dock to the aft port of the Zvezda service module on Feb. 26. The Russian Progress 41 resupply craft is scheduled to launch from Baikonur on Jan. 28 and dock to the Pirs docking compartment on Jan. 31 Kelly, Kaleri and Skripochka, who launched to the station on Oct. 7, are scheduled to return to Earth in March. Before departing, Kelly will hand over command of the station to Kondratyev for Expedition 27 NASA astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev will join Coleman, Kondratyev and Nespoli aboard the station on April 1 to complete the Expedition 27 crew. Their launch is set for March 30. For updates about the space station and Expedition 26/27 crew members, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station To view the new official International Space Station page on Facebook and follow crew member posts from space, visit: http://www.facebook.com/ISS To follow Twitter updates from Expedition 26/27 crew member Coleman, visit: http://twitter.com/Astro_Cady
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RELEASE: 10-111
NASA TO FUND INNOVATIVE MUSEUM EXHIBITS AND PLANETARIUM SHOWS
WASHINGTON -- Innovative planetarium shows and traveling museum exhibits are among nine projects NASA has selected to receive agency funding this year. NASA's Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums will provide $7 million in grants to enhance educational outreach related to space exploration, aeronautics, space science, Earth science and microgravity. This year's grants to nine informal education providers range from approximately $177,000 to $1.25 million and have a maximum five-year performance period. The projects are located in Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Utah and Washington. The selected projects will work with NASA's Shared Service Center in Mississippi to complete the business review necessary before a NASA award is issued. "Science centers and planetariums contribute significantly to engaging people of all ages in science, technology, engineering and math, said James Stofan, acting associate administrator for NASA's Office of Education. NASA wants to give the informal education community access to a variety of agency staff and resources while offering professional development opportunities for informal science educators and encouraging the formation of collaborative partnerships. The selected organizations will partner with NASA's Museum Alliance, an Internet-based, national network of more than 400 science and nature centers, planetariums, museums, aquariums, zoos and related organizations. The projects will engage the public and educators by providing NASA-inspired space, science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning opportunities. Congress initiated the Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums in 2008. The first group of projects began in 2009. NASA's Office of Education and agency mission directorates collaborated to solicit and review the grant applications. For a list of the selected projects, visit: http://nspires.nasaprs.com Click on Selected Proposals and look for Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., leads the Museum Alliance for the agency.
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RELEASE: 10-252
NEW SPACE STATION CREW MEMBERS LAUNCH FROM KAZAKHSTAN
HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka launched to the International Space Station aboard their Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft at 6:10 p.m. CDT, Thursday, (5:10 a.m. Friday local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Kelly, Soyuz commander Kaleri and Skripochka are scheduled to dock with their new home at 7:02 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 9. They will join Expedition 25 crewmates Doug Wheelock, a NASA astronaut and the station's commander, NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, who have been aboard the station since June 17. On Saturday, coverage of the Soyuz docking will begin on NASA Television at 6:30 p.m. NASA TV will return at 9:30 p.m. for coverage of the hatches opening and the welcoming ceremony aboard the orbiting laboratory. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv The six-person crew will usher in the next decade of continuous human presence on the station, continuing scientific research and station maintenance activities. The station residents will welcome the crew of the last flight of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-133 mission, targeted to launch Nov. 1. The shuttle will deliver critical supplies and the Permanent Multipurpose Module that will provide additional storage for the station crew, and experiments may be conducted inside it. Yurchikhin and Skripochka are scheduled to conduct a spacewalk in Russian Orlan suits in mid-November to work on science experiments and hardware on the station's Russian segment. Wheelock, Walker and Yurchikhin, who launched to the station on June 15, are scheduled to return to Earth on Nov. 29. Before departing, Wheelock will hand over command of the station to Kelly for Expedition 26, which begins when the Soyuz TMA-19 undocks Nov. 29. NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dimitry Kondratyev and European Space Agency astronaut P?olo N?spoli will join Kelly, Kaleri and Skripochka in orbit to complete the Expedition 26 crew. Their Soyuz currently is scheduled to launch Dec. 13 and will dock to the station on Dec. 15. Expedition 25 crew member Walker is blogging about her experiences in orbit. To read her blog and more information about the space station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station To follow Twitter updates from Expedition 25 crew member Wheelock and Expedition 25/26 crew member Kelly, visit: http://twitter.com/Astro_Wheels and http://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly
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RELEASE: 10-211
NASA LOVES A GOOD CHALLENGE-NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL
WASHINGTON -- NASA's pioneering use of prize competitions and innovation challenges is a dramatic departure from government's traditional business as usual. The agency's innovation and technology challenges include prizes that encourage independent teams to race to achieve bold goals -- without any upfront government funding. NASA benefits from private sector investments many times greater than the cash value of prizes, and the agency only pays for results. "NASA prize competitions unlock the extraordinary, sometimes untapped potential of U.S. students, private companies of all sizes and citizen inventors, said NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun at NASA Headquarters in Washington. These individuals and teams are providing creative solutions to NASA challenges while fostering new technology, new industries and innovation across the United States. NASA has a history of broad and successful experiences with prize challenges. The agency is a leader in government-sponsored competitions that solve problems to benefit the space program and nation. Since 2005, NASA has conducted 20 Centennial Challenges in six areas and awarded $4.5 million to 13 teams. Each challenge is managed by non-profit organizations in partnership with NASA. In July, NASA announced three new challenges and is seeking non-profit organizations to manage them. The challenges are: -The Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge is to place a small satellite into Earth orbit, twice in one week, for a prize of $2 million. The goals of this challenge are to stimulate innovations in low-cost launch technology and encourage commercial nano-satellite delivery services. -The Night Rover Challenge is to demonstrate a solar-powered exploration vehicle that can operate in darkness using its own stored energy. The prize purse is $1.5 million. The objective of this challenge is to stimulate innovations in energy storage technologies for extreme space environments, such as the surface of the moon, or for electric vehicles and renewable energy systems on Earth. -The Sample Return Robot Challenge is to demonstrate a robot that can locate and retrieve geologic samples from varied terrain without human control. This challenge has a prize purse of $1.5 million. The objective is to encourage innovations in automatic navigation and robotic technologies. NASA's Centennial Challenges program has an impressive track record for generating novel solutions from student teams, citizen inventors and entrepreneurial firms outside the traditional aerospace industry. NASA is putting the innovations to work, as the agency recently announced awards to two small aerospace firms for flight testing rocket vehicles based on designs that won prizes in the Lunar Lander Challenge. NASA's Green Flight Challenge offers $1.5 million for an aircraft with unprecedented fuel-efficiency. At least 10 teams are preparing to compete next summer in the challenge. Other agency challenges are focused on wireless power transmission and super-strong materials. In addition to the Centennial Challenges, NASA sponsors innovation challenges, posing problems via the Internet to people around the world. NASA uses open innovation platforms, or crowd sourcing, to take advantage of group power from outside the agency to help solve problems or to bring in new ideas. Current challenges seek innovative solutions to health and medical problems of astronauts living in space, the forecasting of solar storms and exercise equipment for crews aboard the International Space Station. Solutions are submitted in return for prizes or recognition by the space program. NASA recently inaugurated an employee challenge called NASA@Work. This collaborative problem-solving program will connect the collective knowledge of experts from around the agency using a private Web-based platform. NASA challenge owners can post problems for review by internal solvers. The solvers who deliver the best innovative ideas will receive a NASA Innovation Award. The public can learn more about NASA's Centennial Challenges and other innovation challenges on: http://www.challenge.gov This new online platform empowers the federal government to bring the best ideas and top talent to bear on the nation's most pressing problems. On this site, entrepreneurs, innovators and citizen solvers can compete for prizes by providing novel solutions to tough problems.
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