Aug 3 2017

From The Space Library

MEDIA ADVISORY M17-088 California Cub Scouts to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station

Cub Scouts of the Bay Area will speak with a NASA astronaut living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 1:40 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 7. Cub Scout Pack 643 of Lafayette, California, will host nearby Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops for the 20-minute, Earth-to-space call that will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Expedition 52 Flight Engineer Jack Fischer will answer questions from scouts assembled in the Performing Arts Theater at Acalanes High School in Lafayette.

Fischer launched to the space station in April. He’s scheduled to return to Earth in September. Before joining NASA, he attended the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

For more information on the downlink, contact Keith Trimble at 510-547-3200 or keithtrimble@icloud.com. Acalanes High School is at 1200 Pleasant Hill Road in Lafayette.

The scouts of Pack 643 spent time this summer reviewing Expedition 52 mission details. They are excited for the opportunity to speak with and see a NASA astronaut living and working on the International Space Station.

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA Education’s STEM on Station activity, which provides a variety of space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators.

Follow the astronauts on social media: @NASA_astronauts.

MEDIA ADVISORY M17-089 NASA Highlights Science on Next Space Station Resupply Mission

NASA will host a media teleconference at noon EDT Tuesday, Aug. 8, to discuss select science investigations launching on the next SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station.

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Sunday, Aug. 13 for the launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Participants in the teleconference will be:

• Marco Baptista, director of Research and Grants for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and lead investigator Sebastian Mathea of the University of Oxford, England, will discuss Crystallization of LRRK2 Under Microgravity Conditions. The investigation, sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), could help scientists better understand the pathology of Parkinson’s and aid in the development of therapies.
• Joan Nichols, professor of internal medicine and infectious diseases, and associate director of the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, will discuss the Effect of Microgravity on Stem Cell Mediated Recellularization (Lung Tissue). The experiment uses the microgravity environment of space to test strategies for growing new lung tissue, and assists Earth-based efforts to develop complex bioengineered tissue that can be used to repair damaged organs or reduce organ rejection.
• Eun-Suk Seo, principal investigator for the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation (CREAM) at the University of Maryland, College Park. This investigation will involve placing a balloon-borne instrument aboard the International Space Station to measure the charges of cosmic rays over a period of three years.
• Michael Delp, principal investigator for Rodent Research-9 at Florida State University, Tallahassee. The research team will evaluate the physiological changes in mice that occur during a long-duration spaceflight mission in order to improve understanding about how vision loss and joint changes occur in astronauts after long stays in space.
• Wheeler "Chip" Hardy, Kestrel Eye program manager with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC)/Army Forces Strategic Command. NanoRacks-SMDC-Kestrel Eye is a microsatellite carrying an optical imaging system payload to validate the concept of using microsatellites in low-Earth orbit to support critical operations.

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Tabatha Thompson at 202-358-1100 or tabatha.t.thompson@nasa.gov by 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, for dial-in information.

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live online at: https://www.nasa.gov/live

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will carry crew supplies, scientific research and hardware to the orbiting laboratory to support the Expedition 52 and 53 crews for the 12th mission by SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:https://www.nasa.gov/spacex