Jun 30 2016

From The Space Library

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Revision as of 20:35, 30 June 2016

MEDIA ADVISORY M16-077 NASA Television to Air Next International Space Station Crew Launch

The next three crew members bound for the International Space Station are set to launch Wednesday, July 6. Live launch coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency's website.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch at 9:36 p.m. (7:36 a.m. Baikonur time, July 7) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. All three will spend approximately four months on the orbital complex, returning to Earth in October.

The trio will travel in an upgraded Soyuz spacecraft, testing modified systems for two days – and 34 Earth orbits – before docking to the space station’s Rassvet module at 12:12 a.m. Saturday, July 9. NASA TV coverage of docking will begin at 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 8.

Hatches between the Soyuz and station will be opened about 2:50 a.m. Saturday, when the newly arrived crew will be greeted by Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams of NASA and Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos. NASA TV coverage of hatch opening and welcoming ceremonies will begin at 2:30 a.m.

Together, the Expedition 48 crew members will continue the several hundred experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science currently under way and scheduled to take place aboard humanity’s only orbiting laboratory.

RELEASE 16-067 NASA Awards Grants to Nine Informal Learning Institutions

NASA has awarded almost $10 million in grants to informal education organizations in seven states to help inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers.

The organizations include two botanical gardens, five museums, one foundation and one NASA visitor center. The selected projects include botany experiments focused on growing food in space, technology challenges using caves as an analog environment for other planets, hands-on aviation exhibits, and a traveling exhibit focusing on life in Earth’s extreme environments.

“A highly educated and well-prepared workforce has been and continues to be critical to the success of the agency’s mission. NASA’s investment in education is directly linked to inspiring the next generation of explorers and innovators," said Donald James, associate administrator of NASA’s Office of Education in Washington. “Hands-on interactive educational activities engage students, educators, families, and the general public to increase Americans’ science and technology literacy.”

Nine proposals were selected from 73 applications through a peer reviewed process for NASA’s Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities. The selected projects range in value from approximately $420,000 to $1.25 million. Organizations will implement their proposals over the next one to five years, depending on their project.

The selected organizations are:

• DNC Parks & Resorts at KSC, Inc., Kennedy Space Center, Florida
• Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, Coral Gables, Florida
• Orlando Science Center, Florida
• Museum of Aviation, Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia
• Exploration Place, Wichita, Kansas
• Museum of Science, Boston
• The Sciencenter, Ithaca, New York
• Nurture Nature Center, Easton, Pennsylvania
• Wex Foundation, San Antonio

These organizations will partner with other museums, K-12 and higher education institutions, hospitals and industry to create exhibits, educational programming and curricula, immersive multimedia, and hands-on, inquiry-based activities. Such projects extend the reach of informal learning organizations, with the goals of increasing critical-thinking skills and engineering and science literacy while also preparing youth for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Many will focus on providing opportunities to youth in populations that are historically underrepresented in STEM professions.

The selected organizations will collaborate with NASA's Museum Alliance, a nationwide network of informal education professionals at over 700 science museums, planetariums, NASA visitor centers, Challenger Centers, youth-serving organizations, camps, libraries, visitor centers at observatories and parks, nature centers, aquariums and zoos.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, created and manages the Museum Alliance for the agency.