Feb 28 2011

From The Space Library

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-039 MEDIA INVITED TO VIEW SPACE STATION CARGO FOR NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA will host a media event at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 10, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to discuss the cargo of the next space shuttle flight. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a sophisticated science instrument designed to increase our understanding of the universe. It will be installed and operated on the International Space Station. Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver AMS during its final mission, STS-134, targeted for April 19. During the media event, reporters at Kennedy's Space Station Processing Facility will have the opportunity to speak with managers and team members involved in processing the AMS and other cargo for the flight. The AMS, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a particle physics detector constructed, tested and operated by an international team representing 16 countries. AMS will use the unique environment of space to gain a better understanding of our universe's origin by searching for antimatter, dark matter and strange matter. The device also will measure cosmic rays. The AMS will remain active for the duration of the station's operating life. Endeavour also will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier 3, a platform that carries spare parts for sustaining station operations after the shuttles are retired.

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-040 NASA ANNOUNCES MEDIA TELECONFERENCE TO EXPLAIN MISSING SUNSPOTS

WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 3, to discuss the first computer model that explains the recent period of decreased solar activity during the sun's 11-year cycle. The recent solar minimum, a period characterized by a lower frequency of sunspots and solar storms, ended in 2008 and was the deepest observed in almost 100 years. The teleconference panelists are: -- Richard Fisher, director, Heliophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington -- Dibyendu Nandi, assistant professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India -- Andres Munoz-Jaramillo, visiting research fellow, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass. -- Delores Knipp, visiting scientist, University of Colorado at Boulder

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