Feb 8 2011
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-026 NASA HOSTING EVENTS FOR VALENTINE'S NIGHT COMET ENCOUNTER PASADENA, Calif. --
NASA will host several live media activities for the Stardust-NExT mission's close encounter with comet Tempel 1. The closest approach is expected at approximately 8:37 p.m. PST, with confirmation received on Earth at about 8:56 p.m. PST on Monday, Feb. 14. Live coverage of the Tempel 1 encounter will begin at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 14 on NASA Television and the agency's website. The coverage will include live commentary from mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., and video from Lockheed Martin Space System's mission support area in Denver. A news briefing is planned for 10 a.m. on Feb. 15. Scheduled participants are: -Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate -Joe Veverka, Stardust-NExT principal investigator, Cornell University -Tim Larson, Stardust-NExT project manager, JPL -Don Brownlee, Stardust-NExT co-investigator, University of Washington, Seattle Midnight to 1:30 a.m., Feb. 15: NASA TV commentary will chronicle the arrival and processing of the first five of 72 close-approach images expected to be down linked after the encounter. The images are expected to include a close-up view of the comet's surface. 10 a.m., Feb. 15: News briefing Starting on Feb. 9, NASA TV will air Stardust-NExT mission animation and b-roll during its Video File segments.
RELEASE: 11-037 NASA PARTICIPATES IN UNITED NATIONS OUTREACH SEMINAR ON THE International Space Station
WASHINGTON -- NASA participated today in a seminar to create awareness among United Nations member states on potential uses of the International Space Station. At the request of the U.N.'s Office for Outer Space Affairs, NASA and its international partner agencies attended the outreach seminar in Vienna. Representatives from NASA; the Canadian Space Agency; the European Space Agency; the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; and the Russian Federal Space Agency presented information on their respective capabilities available on the orbiting outpost. They discussed the station's management structure, research facilities, research accomplishments, education outreach activities and mechanisms for cooperation. "This was an opportunity for NASA and our international partners to share the capabilities of the space station with the international community," said International Space Station Program Scientist Julie Robinson, who presented at the seminar. "Now that the station has shifted from construction to research and technology development, we are working as a partnership to optimize its use as a laboratory." The seminar was the first activity under the U.N.'s Human Space Technology Initiative, a new program that builds awareness among U.N. member states on the benefits of using human space technology to contribute to international cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space. The seminar occurred during the 48th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). UNCOPUOS members who participated gained a greater understanding of the space station and its research, utilization and educational opportunities. As a result, countries not currently part of the International Space Station partnership now will be able to assess better the opportunities for collaborative research aboard the station.
RELEASE: 11-038 NASA ANNOUNCES CANDIDATES FOR CUBESAT SPACE MISSIONS
WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected 20 small satellites to fly as auxiliary cargo aboard rockets planned to launch in 2011 and 2012. The proposed CubeSats come from a high school in Virginia, universities across the country, NASA field centers and Department of Defense organizations. CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart and weigh 2.2 pounds or less. The selections are from the second round of the CubeSat Launch Initiative. The satellites are expected to conduct technology demonstrations, educational research or science missions. The selected spacecraft are eligible for flight after final negotiations when an opportunity arises. The satellites come from the following organizations, which include the first high school proposal selected for a CubeSat flight: -- Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio -- Drexel University, Philadelphia -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. (two CubeSats) -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. (two CubeSats) -- Naval Research Lab, Washington (two CubeSats) -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- Morehead State University, Morehead, Ky. -- The Planetary Society, Pasadena, in partnership with NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. -- Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala. -- St. Louis University, St. Louis, Miss. -- Thomas Jefferson High School, Alexandria, Va. -- University of Colorado -- University of Hawaii -- University of Louisiana, Lafayette -- University of New Mexico -- U.S. Military Academy -- U.S. Naval Academy The first CubeSats to be carried on an expendable vehicle for the agency's Launch Services Program will comprise NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, mission. ELaNa will fly on the Glory mission scheduled to lift off on Feb. 23. The 12 CubeSat payloads selected from the first round of the CubeSat Launch Initiative will have launch opportunities beginning later this year.
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