Jan 29 2016
From The Space Library
Release M16-009 NASA Television to Air Russian Spacewalk
NASA Television will broadcast live coverage of a 5.5-hour spacewalk by two Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station beginning at 7:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Expedition 46 Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos will don their spacesuits and exit the station's Pirs airlock at approximately 8:10 a.m. Their objectives are to deploy and retrieve several experiment packages on the Zvezda and Poisk modules and install devices called gap spanners, which will be placed on the hull of the station to facilitate the movement of crew members on future spacewalks.
Malenchenko and Volkov also will install the Vinoslivost experiment, which will test the effects of the space environment on various structural material samples, and test a device called the Restavratsiya experiment, which could be used to glue special coatings to external surfaces of the station’s Russian segment.
The pair will retrieve the EXPOSE-R Experiment, a collection of biological and biochemical samples placed in the harsh environment of space. The EXPOSE program is part of ESA’s (European Space Agency) research into astrobiology, or the study of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe.
The spacewalk will be the 193rd in support of space station assembly and maintenance, the sixth spacewalk for Malenchenko and the fourth spacewalk for Volkov. Malenchenko will be designated extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1) and Volkov will be extravehicular crew member 2 (EV2). Both will wear Russian Orlan spacesuits bearing blue stripes.
BioSentinel
BioSentinel’s microfluidics card, designed at NASA Ames, will be used to study the impact of interplanetary space radiation on yeast. Once in orbit, the growth and metabolic activity of the yeast will be measured using a 3-color LED detection system and a metabolic indicator dye. Here, pink wells contain actively growing yeast cells that have turned the metabolic dye from blue to pink color.
The BioSentinel mission was selected in 2013 as one of three secondary payloads to fly on the Space Launch System's first Exploration Mission (EM-1) planned for launch in July 2018. The primary objective of BioSentinel is to develop a biosensor using a simple model organism to detect, measure, and correlate the impact of space radiation to living organisms over long durations beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). While progress identifying and characterizing biological radiation effects using Earth-based facilities has been significant, no terrestrial source duplicates the unique space radiation environment.
The BioSentinel biosensor uses the budding yeast S. cerevisiae to detect and measure double strand breaks (DSBs) that occur in response to ambient space radiation. DSBs are deleterious DNS lesions that are generated by exposure to highly energetic particles in the deep-space radiation without errors by the cell. The biosensor consists of genetically engineered yeast strains and nutrient selection strategies that ensure that only cells that have repaired DSBs will grow in specialized media. Therefore, culture growth and metabolic activity of yeast cells directly indicate a successful DSB-and-repair event.
In the BioSentinel payload, yeast cells are stored dried in microfluidic cards inside a 6-Unit (6U) spacecraft measuring approximately 14.4 inches long, 9.4 inches wide, and 4.6 inches tall. It weighs about 30 pounds. At launch, BioSentinel resides within the second stage on the launch vehicle from which it is deployed to a lunar fly-by trajectory and into a heliocentric orbit where its distance to the sun is slightly closer than Earth's, varying between 0.98 to 0.92 times Earth's distance to the sun. After completing the lunar fly-by and spacecraft checkout, the science mission phase begins with the wetting of the first set of cell-containing wells with specialized media. The microfluidic cards carry three yeast strains: wild type (similar to yeast strains found in nature), rad51 mutant (defective in DSB repair), and the DSB biosensor strain. Each set of wells is expected to be in its active mode for 2-4 weeks following hydration; multiple sets of wells will be activated at different time points over the 18-month mission. One reserve set of wells will be activated in the occurrence of a Solar Particle Event (SPE). Payload science data and spacecraft telemetry will be stored on board and then downloaded to the ground.
Growth and metabolic activity of the yeast cells will be measured using a 3-color LED detection system and the metabolic indicator dye alamarBlue. Biological measurements will be compared to data provided by onboard physical sensors an dosimeters to obtain total ionizing radiation dose and particle characterization, and to Earth-based experiments using relevant energetic particle types, energies, and doses. Additionally, three identical BioSentinel payloads will be developed - one for the International Space Station (ISS), where there is similar microgravity but a comparatively low-radiation environment, one for use as a delayed-synchronous ground control at Earth gravity and also with a low radiation environment, and one ground payload that will be used at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York for radiation testing. Thus the BioSentinel payload will help calibrate the biological effects of radiation in deep space to analogous measurements conducted on Earth and on the ISS.
BioSentinel will conduct the first study of biological response to space radiation outside LEO in over 40 years. BioSentinel will address strategic knowledge gaps related to the biological effects of space radiation and will provide an adaptable platform to perform human-relevant measurements in multiple space environments in the future. Yeast is the ideal organism for this mission because of its spaceflight heritage, it is highly capable of repairing DSBs, and it can be stored in stasis for a long period of time. Moreover, the DSB repair mechanisms in yeast are well studied and highly similar to those in human cells. BioSentinel's results will be critical for improving interpretation of the effects of space radiation exposure, and for reducing the risk associated with long-term human exploration.
The BioSentinel mission is funded by the Advanced Exploration Systems program within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Partner organizations include NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Johnson Space Center, Loma Linda University Medical Center, and the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
Better Rovers Yield Better Coffee
Technology often develops through circuitous paths, but the one linking NASA’s cutting-edge autonomous robotic vehicles with gourmet coffee might be one of the more surprising.
The Blossom One Brewer draws heavily on Blossom Chief Engineer Matt Walliser’s four summer internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center, where he learned to work with the kinds of technology that enable the coffeemaker to hold brew temperatures steady.
In 2006, Matt Walliser, now chief engineer at San Francisco-based Blossom Coffee, took on an internship at the Carnegie Mellon Innovations Laboratory at NASA Research Park, part of Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. He spent four summers at the lab and at Ames’ Exploration Aerial Vehicles (EAV) Laboratory, starting when he was a high school student and continuing while he worked toward his mechanical engineering degree.
There, he worked on a class of control systems — proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers — that is common on rockets, missiles and other aircraft. PID controllers work by continually monitoring and correcting the output of a controlled system through feedback loops.
Among other purposes, the team in Ames’ lab used the technology to keep rovers moving at constant speeds over varying terrain. But after graduation, Walliser realized the technique could also help make better coffee. Dialing In the Heat
Coffee made from the same beans can taste significantly different when brewed at different temperatures, Walliser explains. “Most coffee machines will control the temperature within five to 10 degrees, but the average coffee drinker can tell the difference between coffees brewed as little as two degrees apart.”
But how to control the temperature more accurately? Walliser figured PID controllers could help.
He was working with Jeremy Kuempel, who had approached him with his idea for a high-end, precision coffee maker. The two would found Blossom Coffee Inc. in 2011.
Drawing on the expertise he developed at Ames, Walliser enabled Blossom’s machine, called the Blossom One Brewer, to control the average temperature of water to within one degree. It also keeps all the coffee grounds within 10 degrees of each other, regardless of their place within the brewing basket, a temperature gradient significantly narrower than in most coffeemakers, and it automatically corrects heating and fluid delivery for altitude, barometric pressure and ambient temperature. Bots Won’t Replace Baristas
Tight temperature controls allow the user to consistently produce the same brew. They also let the machines change temperature from one cup to the next within a few seconds. Recipes for different beans can be shared and downloaded via the Internet.
Walliser calls the coffeemakers “semi-automatic,” noting that, while they control temperature and extraction time, the grind and the stirring time are in the hands of the barista, making the brewing process flexible. “It’s still a craft product, and you still need training to use it, but it takes over the things that are difficult to control by hand,” he says.
The first prototype Blossom Limited machines went on sale in 2013 for $11,111. By early 2015, the company had set up production in Japan and was offering the Blossom One for about half the price of the prototype. The current product is a single-cup brewer marketed to cafés and coffee shops, but Walliser says the company hopes to offer a home version in the future.
Walliser credits the freedom interns have while working in the NASA labs for the innovations he’s developed. “Being able to do engineering in a self-directed manner isn’t an experience you usually get in high school, or even college,” he says. “Having that kind of real-world experience really allowed me to excel in school and build the skills I have today.”
Release M16-007 Media Accreditation Open for Next Commercial Space Station Cargo Mission
NASA has opened media accreditation for the next launch of a commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. The launch of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for Thursday, March 10, during a 30-minute window that opens at approximately 3 a.m. EST.
Cygnus will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The spacecraft will carry crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory to support the Expedition 47 and 48 crews.
Media prelaunch and launch activities will take place at CCAFS and NASA’s nearby Kennedy Space Center. For media only, the deadline to apply for access to CCAFS is 5 p.m. Feb. 18 for U.S. citizens and Feb. 5 for non-citizens. The deadline to apply for media access to Kennedy is 5 p.m. on March 1 for U.S. citizens and Feb. 22 for non-citizens.
All media accreditation requests for Kennedy must be submitted online at:
International media are required to upload a scanned copy of their visa and passport or green card when submitting their online accreditation request.
All media representatives must present two forms of unexpired legal, government identification to access Kennedy. One form must include a photo, such as a passport or driver’s license. Questions about accreditation should be directed to Jennifer Horner at jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov or 321-867-6598.
For other questions or additional information, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468.
This launch is the fifth contracted mission by Orbital ATK under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract and will be followed later this year by an Orbital ATK resupply mission launching from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia.
Science payloads heading to the space station on this launch include:
- the second generation of a portable onboard printer to demonstrate 3-D printing;
- an instrument for first space-based observations of the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere; and
- an experiment to ignite and study a large-scale fire inside an empty Cygnus resupply vehicle after it leaves the space station and before it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere to improving understanding of fire growth in microgravity and safeguarding future space missions.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.
Airborne Asteroid Impact Chasers Release Findings On Space Junk Object WT1190F
The dramatic fall reentry of a piece of space debris has served as a dress rehearsal for researchers who observe small asteroid entries and impacts.
The object, tagged as WT1190F, reentered Earth’s atmosphere near the coast of Sri Lanka on Nov. 13, 2015. The researchers’ video evidence was revealed in a special session on aerothermodynamics of meteor entries during the recent American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech Forum and Exposition meeting in San Diego.
"This object entered much like a small asteroid, creating a 12-second long meteor," said lead author Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, and NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. "We observed the sequence in which WT1190F broke apart at 37 miles altitude, and then tracked more than 18 fragments."
Jenniskens teamed with Mohammad Odeh, director of the International Astronomical Center (IAC) in Abu Dhabi, to lead a veteran team of NASA- and European Space Agency (ESA)- supported scientists in the mission. The airborne observing campaign was sponsored by IAC and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency, who chartered a G450 business jet to bring the team to the view the entry while airborne. "All teams were successful in collecting data," said Odeh. "We managed to dodge the clouds that hampered the observers on the ground and had a prime view of the entry from an altitude of 45,000 feet."
The team was supported by astronomers worldwide, who tracked the object in space and reported their observations to the Minor Planet Center, the clearinghouse for asteroid observations. Orbit dynamicists at NASA’s Center for near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies hosted at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, then calculated the exact time of the entry to an accuracy of 0.1 seconds.
"This space debris object entered the atmosphere at an angle of 20.6 degrees and had a speed of 6.5 miles per second relative to the atmosphere at 62 miles altitude," said Davide Farnocchia of JPL. "The tricky part in predicting the place and time of impact was to account for the weak but important push of the sun's radiation pressure on this artificial, mostly hollow, object of unknown shape."
As expected, the best observations were made in the hours before reentry, when the small one-meter sized object became relatively bright, but was also quick and hard to track in telescopes.
"An astronomer in the United Kingdom recorded a rapid flicker that showed WT1190F spinning once every 1.5 seconds," said Jenniskens, who recorded a wide-angle view of the entry onboard the aircraft. "When WT1190F entered Earth's atmosphere, it showed a similar flicker from how it broke apart."
The research team used a variety of techniques to study the entry, including high resolution imaging, photometry and spectroscopy. The IAC team collected visible photometric observations, while a team from the Institute of Space Systems from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, collected near-infrared broadband photometric data. A team from Dexter Southfield in Brookline, Massachusetts, recorded the breakup in a color video and obtained spectroscopic signatures at the time of peak brightness, despite the bright background of the daytime sky.
"One fragment showed the distinct broad-band emissions of the titanium oxide radical and emission from hydrogen," said Ron Dantowitz of Dexter Southfield.
Jenniskens suspects that this data points to a disrupting titanium tank with some residual fuel. These and other clues may help identify the nature of this still unidentified object.
The UAE Space Agency team tracked the fragments the longest in the daytime sky using a monochrome camera. They tracked two objects down to 22 miles in altitude, where the objects left their field of view.
"It is possible that what was left of those fragments fell in the Indian Ocean," said Darrel Robertson, a contractor with the Science and Technology Corporation working at NASA’s Ames Asteroid Threat Assessment Project. He had applied tools used for asteroid impact calculations to find that certain artificial objects can survive mostly intact even in these conditions.
The success of the mission has given Jenniskens new confidence that a future asteroid impact can be observed if the team is able to respond quickly enough.
"It won't be easy. For small asteroids of a few meters in size, we will probably get only a few days of warning," he said.
