Jun 12 2012

From The Space Library

RELEASE: 12-195 ROCKET WEEK LAUNCHING AT NASA'S WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY

WASHINGTON -- Students and educators from across the country will experience what it is like to be a rocket scientist during "Rocket Week," June 16--22, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. More than 100 participants will receive hands-on training in building payloads for spaceflight, learn the basics of rocketry and develop activities for the classroom through the fifth annual RockOn! workshop for university-level participants and the concurrent second annual Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers and Students (WRATS) for high school teachers. "RockOn! and WRATS provide a unique experience for students, faculty and teachers to understand the importance of a sounding rocket suborbital launch and the value of science that is collected," said Joyce Winterton, senior advisor for education and leadership development at Wallops. "Both opportunities demonstrate the practical application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics." About 40 participants will build standardized experiments that will fly on a NASA Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket set to launch between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. EDT June 21. The 35-foot-tall rocket is expected to fly to an altitude of about 75 miles. After launch and payload recovery, the participants will conduct preliminary data analysis and discuss their results. In addition to the nine workshop-built experiments, eight custom-built experiments also will fly on the rocket inside a payload canister known as RockSat-C. These experiments were developed at universities that previously participated in a RockOn! workshop. The WRATS program gives high school teachers a technical flight experience to reinforce science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts they teach in their classrooms. During the week, 13 teachers from 12 states will learn about the dynamics of rocketry and the science gained from suborbital sounding rockets. They also will attend the June 21 sounding rocket launch. The programs continue NASA's investment in the nation's education programs by supporting the goal of attracting and retaining students in STEM disciplines critical to future space exploration. RockOn! is conducted in coordination with the Colorado and Virginia Space Grant consortia. Supported by the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program in NASA's Office of Education, it is designed to provide participants an introduction to building small experiments that can be launched on sounding rockets. The RockOn! and WRATS workshops are supported by the agency's Sounding Rocket Program at Wallops.

RELEASE: 12-204 NASA RELEASES SCORECARD ON ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

WASHINGTON -- NASA has released its fiscal year 2011 scorecard on sustainability and energy performance. The agency ranked third overall in the list of government agencies. Out of seven benchmarks, NASA received six green ratings and one yellow. A green rating indicates the benchmark has been met. Yellow indicates that progress is being made. "We are making great progress toward sustainable and efficient operations of our facilities," said Olga Dominguez, assistant administrator for the Office of Strategic Infrastructure at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Sustainable practices are good for the agency, good for our employees and provide better value for the American taxpayer." The scorecard measures federal agency progress in a number of areas related to energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and waste reduction. President Obama in 2009 directed federal agencies to lead by example in energy efficiency and renewable energy use, and meet a range of related goals. In the last year, NASA completed several new sustainable buildings, including Sustainability Base at NASA Ames Research Center, which has been certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building. The 50,000 square-foot building was designed to know exactly how much energy each occupant uses and can adapt to weather, season and occupancy. The agency will update its Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan later this month and post a summary on its website.

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-109 OHIO WORKSHOP SEEKS IDEAS FOR MANUFACTURING INNOVATION NETWORK

WASHINGTON -- NASA and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) are sponsoring the second in a series of regional public workshops to gather ideas and suggestions on the design of the proposed National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). The workshop will be held July 9 at the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. "Designing for Impact II: Workshop on Building the NNMI" is a partnership between the interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office in Gaithersburg, Md., and local Cleveland organizations that include NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cuyahoga Community College and Case Western Reserve University. Confirmed workshop speakers are NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, NIST Director Patrick Gallagher and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. Invited speakers include congressional, state and local leaders. Conceived to address strategic gaps in U.S. manufacturing innovation, the NNMI is envisioned as a network of up to 15 regional hubs -- Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation -- that will connect research discoveries and budding ideas for tomorrow's technologies and products with current U.S. manufacturers and startup firms of tomorrow. The network is proposed as a public and private collaboration in the President's FY 2013 budget. These regional collaborations will bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies and states to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications. They also will support education and training of an advanced manufacturing work force. Workshop participants will learn about the principles and concepts behind the NNMI and participate in interactive sessions designed to solicit ideas on how best to structure the network and the institutes. Facilitated interactive discussions will focus on four areas key to the success of the institutes: -- Technologies with broad impact -- Institute structure and governance -- Strategies for sustainable institute operations -- Education and work force development This event builds on the first regional workshop on designing and building the innovation network, held in Troy, N.Y., April 25. In addition, the Ohio workshop will explore manufacturing-related interests and needs specific to the region. The workshops are organized by the newly created interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, which is charged with coordinating federal resources and programs to enhance technology transfer to U.S. manufacturers. The workshops are hosted by NIST. Core partner agencies include NASA, the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The workshop will be held at Corporate College East, which is part of Cuyahoga Community College.

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-112 NASA ADMINISTRATOR AND SPACEX CEO TO ADDRESS MEDIA AT SPACEX FACILITIES IN TEXAS WEDNESDAY AND CALIFORNIA THURSDAY

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk will participate in a media availability at 11:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday, June 13, in the SpaceX facility at 1 Rocket Rd. in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk will be there to view the Dragon spacecraft that returned to Earth May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station. Bolden and Musk also will participate in a media availability at 9 a.m. PDT, Thursday, June 14, in SpaceX's headquarters at 1 Rocket Rd. in Hawthorne, Calif. They will view the first Dragon spacecraft recovered by SpaceX following its December 2010 orbital test flight. On this mission, SpaceX became the first commercial company to recover a spacecraft after it orbited Earth. Bolden and Musk also will view a prototype Dragon spacecraft being designed to carry astronauts to the space station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Media representatives wishing to attend either availability should email media@spacex.com for information on access. The two Dragon orbital flights were SpaceX demonstration missions under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program (COTS). The program provides investments intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the International Space Station and stimulate the commercial space industry in the United States.