Nov 13 2012

From The Space Library

RELEASE: 12-393 STUDENT TEAMS TO BUILD AND FLY ROCKETS WITH ONBOARD PAYLOADS FOR NASA ROCKETRY CHALLENGE

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Organizers of the NASA Student Launch Projects have announced the 57 student teams whose inventive creations will soar skyward in April during the space agency's 2012-13 rocketry challenge. Representing schools in 26 states around the country, participating teams each will design and build a large, high-powered rocket, complete with a working science or engineering payload and capable of flying to the target altitude of 1 mile. NASA created the rocketry challenge to encourage young people to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. "Every year, the NASA Student Launch Projects build on our students' classroom studies in an energizing, exciting way," said Tammy Rowan, manager of the Academic Affairs Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., which organizes the event. "It's great fun, but it also reflects the real-world complexity of planning missions, building flight hardware and completing tough pre-flight checks and reviews. It tests their problem-solving skills and gives them practical, hands-on experience. We hope the experience is so unforgettable it leads many of them to become the nation's next generation of scientists, engineers and space explorers." Twenty-one middle school and high school teams will take part in the Student Launch Initiative, which is non-competitive. Thirty-six college and university teams will compete in the University Student Launch Initiative with a $5,000 first-place award provided by ATK Aerospace Group of Salt Lake City going to the winner. "We are proud to be sponsoring NASA's Student Launch Competition for the sixth year," said Kent Rominger, a former astronaut who is vice president of business development for ATK's Space Launch Division. "Each year we are impressed with the level of skill and knowledge these students exhibit. We are very optimistic and excited about the caliber of individuals that could become our future work force." Building the powerful rockets and designing and integrating the onboard engineering or science payloads are only two parts of the challenge. Teams also must maintain detailed preliminary and post-launch reports, and build and regularly update a public website to document their rocket-building experience. Each team also will develop an educational engagement program to inspire and educate younger students in their local school system and community. In 2013, the teams will travel to Marshall, where their rockets will undergo a series of intensive reviews and safety inspections -- a smaller-scale version of the rigorous processes applied to the nation's space vehicles. The culmination of their work is set for April 21, when the students launch their creations one by one into the skies over northern Alabama. Each will be seeking the elusive 1-mile altitude goal, as well as a variety of annual awards for vehicle design, engineering excellence and team spirit. The 26 states represented are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin..

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-214 NASA TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE LANDS IN CLEVELAND NOV. 28-30

WASHINGTON -- Business leaders, space enthusiasts, students and the public are invited to attend NASA Technology Days. The free, three-day public technology showcase will take place at the Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference Center Nov. 28-30. Participants from industry, academia and the U.S. Government will discuss strategy development, partnerships and methods to foster technology transfer and innovation. The showcase will feature NASA-funded technologies available for transfer to the aerospace, advanced-energy, automotive, innovative manufacturing and human-health industries. The venue will provide opportunities for networking, business development and forging new relationships, including dialogue with NASA technology program leadership. NASA officials will discuss the agency's upcoming technology initiatives, technology transfer and strategic partnerships. NASA centers also will provide exhibits and information on how businesses can partner with the agency for technology development, transfer and innovation. Attendees also can learn about leading technologies contributing to American economic growth and innovation..

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-215 NASA TELEVISION TO AIR SOYUZ LANDING COVERAGE NOV. 18

HOUSTON -- NASA Television will provide live coverage as three of the crew members on the International Space Station come back to Earth Sunday, Nov. 18. Expedition 33 Commander Sunita Williams of NASA, Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Russian Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko will undock their Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft from the station, heading for a pre-dawn landing in Kazakhstan, northeast of the remote town of Arkalyk at 7:53 p.m. CST (7:53 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Nov. 19). Their return will wrap up 127 days in space since their launch from Kazakhstan on July 15, including 125 days spent aboard the station. At the time of undocking, Expedition 34 formally will begin aboard the station under the command of NASA's Kevin Ford. He and his crewmates, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin, will tend to the station as a three-man crew for one month until the arrival of three new crew members in December. They are Tom Marshburn of NASA, Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko.

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-216 NASA HOSTS NOV. 15 TELECONFERENCE ON CURIOSITY ROVER PROGRESS

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST) on Thursday, Nov. 15, to provide an update about the Curiosity rover's mission to Mars' Gale Crater. The Mars Science Laboratory Project and its Curiosity rover are three months into a two-year prime mission to investigate whether conditions may have been favorable for microbial life.