Aug 30 2017
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-099 NASA and Iconic Museum Honor Voyager Spacecraft 40th Anniversary
NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum will celebrate 40 years of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft -- humanity's farthest and longest-lived mission -- with a public event at 12:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 5.
The observance will take place at the Smithsonian’s museum located at Independence Avenue at 6th street SW in Washington. The event will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency’s website.
Activities will include panel discussions about the Voyagers’ creation and mission history, their unprecedented science findings and imagery, impact on Earth’s culture and how the spacecraft inspired countless scientists, engineers and the next generation of explorers. The event also will include a galactic message transmitted toward the Voyager 1 spacecraft by a celebrity guest.
The Voyagers’ original mission was to explore Jupiter and Saturn. Although the twin spacecraft are now far beyond the planets in the solar system, NASA continues to communicate with them daily as they explore the frontier where interstellar space begins.
Participants in the Sept. 5 event are:
- Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist, Caltech, Pasadena, California
- Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena
- Gary Flandro, Voyager Mission Grand Tour creator, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Alan Cummings, Voyager researcher, Caltech
- Ann Druyan, writer/producer, Golden Record Visionary
- Morgan Cable, researcher, JPL
- Eric Zirnstein, researcher, Princeton University, New Jersey
- Matthew Shindell, curator, National Air and Space Museum
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-102 NASA’s Johnson Space Center Closes Through Labor Day for Tropical Storm Harvey
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will remain closed to all but mission essential personnel through Labor Day due to the effects of now-Tropical Storm Harvey. The center originally closed Aug. 25 and will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 5.
The center’s leadership team continues to closely monitor weather conditions and the overall situation in Houston, and is preparing a full assessment of the center’s status once the storm abates.
“Our primary concern is the safety of our employees and all our fellow Houstonians," said Johnson Director Ellen Ochoa. “We’re taking these measures to ensure the members of our team and their families can take care of themselves and their neighbors.”
The closing allows employees to avoid treacherous road conditions, and to attend to the needs of their families. It also allows the center to focus on the highest priority mission activities, including the landing of three International Space Station crew members this weekend in Kazakhstan.
Flight control for the International Space Station continues in Johnson’s Mission Control Center in Houston. Mission control is expected to remain in operation throughout this period.
All backup systems required to maintain the James Webb Space Telescope, which is at Johnson for testing, were checked prior to the arrival of the storm, and are ready for use, if necessary.
Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for Johnson, has announced it will extend its closure through Friday, Sept. 1. The visitor center’s leadership is monitoring conditions and will announce Saturday’s operating hours on Friday.
