Jul 3 2012
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 12-223 NASA SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH CRAIG TECHNOLOGIES FOR KENNEDY'S UNIQUE EQUIPMENT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has signed a new partnership with Craig Technologies of Melbourne, Fla., to maintain an inventory of unique processing and manufacturing equipment for future mission support at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Under a five-year, non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement, NASA will loan 1,600 pieces of equipment to Craig Technologies. The equipment supported Space Shuttle Program capabilities such as flight hardware and cable fabrication. It was used in manufacturing, repair and inspection processes necessary for spaceflight hardware, avionics and ground processing. "This is an innovative way to ensure that space shuttle era technology and tools are reused for other hi-tech, private sector purposes along the Space Coast," said David Weaver, NASA's associate administrator for the Office of Communications."This is all part of NASA's plan to support the transition to the next era of exploration, creating good-paying American jobs and keeping the United States the world leader in space." Craig Technologies will be able to use the equipment for five years beginning January 2013 or until NASA requires use of it, whichever comes first. Craig will be required to operate, maintain and store the property at a single location within a 50-mile radius of Kennedy. "Kennedy continues to work with the commercial community to find inventive ways to share our unique capabilities," said Joyce Riquelme, manager of the Kennedy Center Planning and Development Office. "This partnership benefits new customers who will use the equipment now, and keeps it close for our use in future spaceflight projects." The equipment currently is located in the NASA Shuttle Logistics Depot in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and managed by United Space Alliance (USA). The equipment will remain there through the end of the year when the current USA lease expires.
RELEASE: 12-227 NASA ASTRONAUT STEPHEN K. ROBINSON LEAVES AGENCY
HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson has left the space agency. Robinson ends his 36-year NASA career as a veteran of three spacewalks with more than 48 days of spaceflight experience. Robinson will become a professor at the University of California at Davis in the fall of 2012. His last day at NASA was June 30. Robinson began work with NASA as a cooperative education student in 1975 at the agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. He was selected for the astronaut corps in 1995. Robinson served as a mission specialist on four spaceflights, including space shuttle missions STS-85 in 1997, STS-95 in 1998, STS-114 in 2005 and STS-130 in 2010. On his second spaceflight, Robinson was one of Sen. John Glenn's crewmates during Glenn's historic return to space after 36 years. His third flight was NASA's 2005 return to flight mission after the loss of shuttle Columbia in February 2003. During STS-114, Robinson performed the only in-flight spacewalk to repair of a shuttle's heat-shield. During his final spaceflight, Robinson orchestrated the spacewalks and the complex robotic installation of the Tranquility node and cupola onto the International Space Station. "Steve will be sorely missed by the Astronaut Office," said Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations. "He was a fellow classmate, and I will personally miss his ever-positive attitude and smiling face. We wish him the best in his future endeavors, and we are confident that he will be a positive influence and wonderful mentor to inquisitive minds at the University of California at Davis." Robinson holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and aeronautical engineering from the University of California at Davis and a master of science and doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-123 NASA ANNOUNCES EVENT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS AT RBSP LAUNCH
WASHINGTON -- NASA invites its social media followers to a two-day NASA Social on Aug. 22-23, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch of NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission. NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks. This event is expected to culminate in the launch of the twin RBSP spacecraft, currently targeted for 4:08 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 23 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Registration for the NASA Social opens at noon Thursday, July 5, and closes at noon Monday, July 9. Fifty participants will be selected from online registrations. Because portions of this event may take place in restricted areas, registration is limited to U.S. citizens. Participants will have unique behind the scenes experiences with NASA, which they are encouraged to share with others through their favorite social networks. Guests will view the launch, tour facilities at Kennedy, speak with representatives from NASA and the Applied Physics Laboratory, view the RBSP launch pad, meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media and meet members of NASA's launch services and social media teams. The RBSP mission uses two identical spacecraft built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. Designed for a two-year primary science mission in orbit around Earth, RBSP will provide insight into our planet's radiation belts and help scientists predict changes in this critical region of space.
