Oct 7 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-316
NASA SEEKS NONPROFIT TO MANAGE SPACE STATION NATIONAL LAB RESEARCH
WASHINGTON -- As the International Space Station transitions from its assembly phase to full utilization as a unique scientific outpost, NASA is investing in the station's future use by ensuring a wide pool of organizations outside the agency have access to the orbiting lab. NASA is seeking an independent, nonprofit research management organization to develop and manage the U.S. portion of the station, which was designated a national laboratory in 2005. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010, in addition to extending station operations until at least 2020, also directed NASA to establish this organization to manage station research by other U.S. government agencies, academic institutions and private firms. The organization will stimulate uses of the station as a national laboratory and maximize the U.S. investment in this initiative. The selected organization will capitalize on the unique venue of the orbiting laboratory as a national resource; and develop and manage a diversified research and development portfolio based on U.S. needs for basic and applied research in a variety of fields. "NASA recognizes the station is an extraordinary asset for the nation, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Scientific research and development and education are critical to our national growth and prosperity as a high technology society. The station offers exceptional opportunities to contribute to this growth. By taking this action, we are ensuring the station is available for broad, meaningful and sustained use. The NASA Authorization Act for 2010 established eligibility criteria regarding the selected recipient of this planned cooperative agreement. The organization must be exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and must not have any other organizational objective or responsibilities on behalf of the organization or any parent organization or other entity. NASA will host a public forum for organizations that want to learn more about the cooperative agreement from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 10, in the James Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The forum will allow NASA to describe its vision and objectives for the national lab. The event also will help promote competition on the National Laboratory Management Organization Cooperative Agreement Notice. Managers of national laboratory initiatives and representatives from NASA's Procurement Office will be available to answer questions. Organizations and members of the media interested in registering for the forum should send an e-mail to jsc-iss-payloads-helpline@mail.nasa.gov by 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3. Only registered parties may attend; no walk-ins will be permitted. The registration e-mail must include: - Subject line: ISS National Lab Public Day Registration - Point-of-contact's name, telephone number and organization - Names of all attendees from the organization The draft cooperative agreement is due for release by Dec. 10. It will be available on the national laboratory website and the NASA Research Opportunities site at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com For Twitter updates about the cooperative agreement notice and the forum, visit: http://www.twitter.com/ISS_NatLab
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-021
GLOW-IN-THE-DARK PLANTS ARE HIGHLIGHT OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCIENCE BRIEFING
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA will shed light on plant investigations aboard the International Space Station in a briefing at noon EST, Friday, Feb. 5. The briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be broadcast live on NASA Television. The upcoming shuttle mission, planned to launch Feb. 7, will continue assembling the space station so it can be used for continuous scientific research as a national and multinational laboratory. Microgravity plant growth experiments conducted aboard the station will help prepare for long-duration spaceflights of the future. The use of miniaturized green fluorescent proteins, that glow in the dark, and associated compact imaging systems, may be used to help monitor crop conditions on Earth. The briefing participants are: -- Julie Robinson, International Space Station Program scientist, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston -- Robert Ferl, principal investigator of Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System at the University of Florida, Gainesville -- Wagner Vendrame, International Space Station National Laboratory investigator for National Lab Pathfinder-Cells at the University of Florida, Homestead -- Perry Johnson-Green, senior program scientist, Life and Physical Sciences, Canadian Space Agency NASA has published a new Web feature that provides examples of space station research dividends such as those related to cancer treatment delivery, food poisoning vaccine development, air purification, remote ultrasound tests and more.
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-103
NASA SETS BRIEFING TO PREVIEW SPACE STATION SPACEWALK
HOUSTON -- NASA managers will discuss an upcoming spacewalk at the International Space Station during a news briefing at 1 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Aug. 3. Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson are scheduled to perform a 6.5-hour spacewalk on Aug. 5. The two NASA astronauts will outfit the Russian Zarya module for future robotics work and prepare the station for the installation of a new U.S. permanent multipurpose module. The news briefing on the spacewalk will take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. It will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Journalists may ask questions from participating NASA locations. The briefers are: - Dan Hartman, Integration and Mission Operations manager, International Space Station Program - Courtenay McMillan, Expedition 24 spacewalk flight director NASA TV coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 5 a.m. on Aug. 5. Wheelock and Caldwell Dyson are expected to begin the spacewalk from the Quest airlock at 5:55 a.m. It will be Wheelock's fourth spacewalk and Caldwell Dyson's first. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-093
CALIFORNIA STUDENTS AWAIT CALL FROM SPACE STATION CREW
WASHINGTON -- About 300 elementary students will be treated to a unique show and tell on June 23 when they speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The call between students and the astronauts is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT. Reporters interested in attending the event should contact Linda Berdere of the Rio Vista Elementary School in San Bernardino, Calif., at 909-381-1250. Rio Vista students have been learning about the importance of electrical power on the station. They will hear first-hand what it is like to live and work in space from Expedition 24 astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Shannon Walker and Doug Wheelock. The downlink event is part of a series with educational organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an integral component of Teaching From Space, a NASA project that uses the unique environment of human spaceflight to promote learning opportunities and to build partnerships between the agency and the kindergarten-through-12th-grade education community. These California students and teachers have been preparing for the event by connecting to NASA's Digital Learning Network and learning about the station. Rio Vista also is home to two NASA Solar System Ambassadors. The ambassadors program is a public outreach effort run from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. It uses volunteers to communicate the excitement of space exploration missions and information about recent discoveries to people in their local communities. NASA Television will air video from the space station during the event. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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