Aug 16 2016

From The Space Library

RELEASE 16-097 NASA Television Airs Journey to Mars Showcase, Rocket Engine Test

NASA is offering a behind-the-scenes look Thursday, Aug. 18, at its Journey to Mars, including the test of a rocket engine that will launch the agency to the Red Planet, with live coverage on social media, NASA Television and the agency’s website.

The day’s events begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where the agency’s social media followers will have a conversation with NASA officials about the numerous efforts enabling exploration of the Red Planet. The public can ask questions during the live broadcast, which will air on NASA TV, using the hashtag #askNASA.

Participants will include:

• Todd May, director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama
• Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Richard (Rick) Davis, assistant director for Science and Exploration, Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters
• John Vickers, principal technologist for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at Marshall
• Katie Boggs, manager for Systems and Technology Demonstration at NASA Headquarters
• NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio

NASA then will bring its online audience live views of exhibits at Michoud, where work is underway on the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and parts of its Orion spacecraft. The event can be viewed on Periscope at:

https://www.periscope.tv/NASASocial

The event also will be featured on Snapchat and Instagram stories.

http://snapchat.com/add/nasa

https://www.instagram.com/nasa

At 1:30 p.m., NASA will host a Facebook Live event showcasing the work and exhibits at Michoud at:

http://www.facebook.com/nasa

The day will close with the hot fire test of an RS-25 engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Four RS-25 engines will power the SLS core stage and carry Orion to deep space destinations. Live NASA TV coverage of the engine test begins at 6 p.m.

The 7.5-minute test is part of a series of tests designed to put the upgraded former space shuttle engines through the rigorous temperature and pressure conditions they will experience during a launch. The tests also support the development of a new controller, or “brain,” for the engine, which monitors engine status and communicates between the rocket and the engine, relaying commands to the engine and transmitting data back to the rocket.

To follow these activities on social media, use #NASAMarsDay.

NASA is on an ambitious Journey to Mars that includes sending humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s. The agency’s robotic spacecraft are leading the way on Mars with two active rovers, three active orbiters, the planned launch of the InSight lander in 2018, and development of the Mars 2020 rover. In 2018, SLS and Orion will launch together for the first time, and be capable of sending humans farther into space than ever before.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information about NASA’s Journey to Mars, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/journeytomars

RELEASE 16-086 NASA Unveils New Public Web Portal for Research Results

Public access to NASA-funded research data now is just a click away, with the launch of a new agency public access portal. The creation of the NASA-Funded Research Results portal on NASA.gov reflects the agency’s ongoing commitment to providing broad public access to science data.

“At NASA, we are celebrating this opportunity to extend access to our extensive portfolio of scientific and technical publications,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman. “Through open access and innovation we invite the global community to join us in exploring Earth, air and space.”

NASA now requires articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and papers in juried conference proceedings be publicly accessible via the agency’s PubSpace: https://www.nihms.nih.gov/db/sub.cgi

PubSpace is an archive of original science journal articles produced by NASA-funded research and available online without a fee. The data will be available for download, reading and analysis within one year of publication.

While the agency always has made access to its research a high priority, the focus now is to make NASA science data more easily accessible via “one-stop shopping.” This increased public access is intended to accelerate the dissemination of fundamental research results to advance scientific knowledge and help ensure the nation's future prosperity.

The NASA-Funded Research Results portal is in response to a 2013 request from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, directing science-funding agencies to develop plans to increase access to the results of federally-funded research. NASA’s public access plan was developed in coordination with the science and technology research community across the agency. NASA will continue to consult with the scientific community, academic institutions, publishers and other federal agencies to implement this plan and increase access to research results.

“Making our research data easier to access will greatly magnify the impact of our research,” said NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. “As scientists and engineers, we work by building upon a foundation laid by others.”