Nov 16 2016
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY M16-132 Colorado Students to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station
Students in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, will have the opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut currently living and working aboard the International Space Station at 12:40 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 18. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado will open the downlink, hosted by Wheat Ridge High School, with a voice check call to the station. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough, who launched to the station Oct. 19, will answer questions from the students.
Media interested in covering the event should contact Ashley Verville at ashley.verville@mail.house.gov. Wheat Ridge High School is located at 9505 West 32nd Ave.
Teachers have been preparing the ninth through 12th grade students for this call by incorporating space into lessons in each of their core classes – science, math, history, and English.
This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of the NASA Office of Education’s efforts to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in the United States. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station through this STEM on Station activity provides authentic, live experiences in space exploration, space study and the scientific components of space travel, while introducing the possibilities of life in space.
MEDIA ADVISORY M16-133 US Cargo Ship Set to Depart Space Station, Live NASA TV Coverage
One month after launching from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station at 8:20 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 21. Live coverage of the spacecraft departure will begin at 8 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Cygnus arrived at the space station Oct. 16 with more than 5,100 pounds of cargo to support science experiments from around the world. The spacecraft will be detached from the Earth-facing side of the station's Unity module using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, operated by ground controllers. Robotics controllers will maneuver Cygnus into place, and then Expedition 50 robotic arm operators Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will give the command for its release.
Experiments delivered on Cygnus supported NASA and other research investigations during Expeditions 49 and 50, including studies in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science – research that impacts life on Earth. Investigations included studies on fire in space, the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, collection of health-related data, and a new way to measure neutrons.
Five hours after departing the station, the Saffire-II experiment will intentionally ignite a fire inside a module aboard the uncrewed spacecraft. The second in a series of three, the experiment allows researchers to study a realistic fire on an exploration spacecraft. Instruments on the Cygnus will measure flame growth, oxygen use and more. Results could determine microgravity flammability limits for several spacecraft materials, validate NASA’s material selection criteria, and help scientists understand how microgravity and limited oxygen affect flame size. The investigation is important for the safety of current and future space missions.
Cygnus also will release four LEMUR CubeSats from an external deployer on Friday, Nov. 25, sending them to join a remote sensing satellite constellation that provides global ship tracking and weather monitoring.
The spacecraft will remain in orbit until Sunday, Nov. 27, when its engines will fire twice, pushing it into Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn up over the Pacific Ocean.
NASA Receives Sixth Consecutive Clean Audit Opinion
NASA has received an unmodified audit opinion on its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY 2016) financial statements, marking the sixth consecutive year of “clean” opinions. The agency has released its FY 2016 Agency Financial Report (AFR), which provides details on its financial results and performance highlights.
The auditor's unmodified opinion is that NASA's financial statements fairly present the agency's financial position and results of operations. An unmodified opinion is the highest audit opinion that may be received from an external auditor.
“This sixth consecutive ‘clean’ audit opinion reflects NASA’s continued commitment to excellence in financial management and effective stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” said NASA Chief Financial Officer David Radzanowski.
The AFR highlights NASA's progress toward meeting its strategic goals, including significant achievements in research aboard the International Space Station, Earth science, technology development, aeronautics research and deep space exploration.
FY 2016 saw the return of the first one-year mission crew from the International Space Station, a key step in preparing astronauts for future deep space missions, including journeys to an asteroid and Mars. Later in the fiscal year, NASA launched its Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, the first U.S. mission designed to collect a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth for study.
NASA also reached a major milestone in the development of its next Mars rover, getting approval in July to proceed with final design and construction. The Mars 2020 rover will investigate a region of Mars where the ancient environment may have been favorable for microbial life, probing the Martian rocks for evidence of past life. Throughout its investigation, it will collect samples of soil and rock and cache them on the surface for potential return to Earth by a future mission.
NASA produces an Annual Performance Report (APR) that will include more details on these important accomplishments. The APR will be released in early 2017, concurrently with the president's budget request for FY 2018.
