Jun 30 2017
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-081 NASA Television to Air Departure of U.S. Cargo Ship from International Space Station
After delivering about 6,000 pounds of cargo, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station on Sunday, July 2. NASA Television and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of Dragon's departure beginning at 11:15 a.m. EDT. Credits: NASA
After delivering about 6,000 pounds of cargo, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station on Sunday, July 2. NASA Television and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of Dragon's departure beginning at 11:15 a.m. EDT.
Flight controllers will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach the Dragon capsule, which arrived at the station June 5, from the Earth-facing side of the station's Harmony module. After they maneuver Dragon into place, Expedition 52 Flight Engineers Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson of NASA will command release of the spacecraft at 11:38 a.m.
Dragon’s thrusters will be fired to move the spacecraft a safe distance from the station before SpaceX flight controllers in Hawthorne, California, command its deorbit burn. The capsule will splash down about 5:16 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean. Deorbit burn and splashdown will not air on NASA TV.
Recovery forces will retrieve the capsule and its more than 4,100 pounds of returning cargo, including science samples from human and animal research, biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities. NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the nonprofit organization that manages research aboard the U.S. national laboratory portion of the space station, will receive and process research samples, ensuring they are distributed to the appropriate facilities within 48 hours of splashdown.
In the event of adverse weather conditions in the Pacific, the backup departure date is Monday, July 3, with NASA TV coverage beginning at 2 a.m. and spacecraft release at 2:28 a.m.
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-079 Connecticut Students to Speak with NASA Astronauts on Space Station
Students at the Wallingford Public Library in Wallingford, Connecticut, will speak with NASA astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station at noon EDT on Thursday, July 6. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television’s Media Channel and the agency’s website.
Expedition 52 Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer will answer questions from students ages 5 and up gathered at the library.
Whitson launched to the space station Nov. 17, 2016. Fischer launched to the station in April. Both astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth in September.
For more information on the downlink, contact Allison Murphy at 203-284-6435 or amurphy@wallingfordlibrary.org. The library is at 200 N. Main Street.
The Children’s Department of the library has structured its summer reading theme, Race to Space, around the downlink and will be exploring the space theme throughout the summer break. Various science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities will be offered in the Children’s Department through Aug. 12. Additionally, library visitors will be able to view official artifacts from an archived NASA collection, and students will participate in monitoring the growth of seeds that have been harvested from tomato plants grown on the space station.
Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in 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. Dragon, the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return to Earth intact, launched June 3 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for the company’s 11th NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission to the station.
RELEASE 17-061 NASA Statement on National Space Council
The following is a statement from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot about Friday’s Executive Order creating the National Space Council:
“I am pleased that President Trump has signed an executive order reestablishing the National Space Council. The council existed previously from 1989-1993, and a version of it also existed as the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1958-1973. As such, the council has guided NASA from our earliest days and can help us achieve the many ambitious milestones we are striving for today.
“This high-level group advises the president and comprises the leaders of government agencies with a stake in space, including the NASA administrator, the Secretaries of State, Commerce, Defense, and others, and will be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. It will help ensure that all aspects of the nation’s space power -- national security, commerce, international relations, exploration, and science, are coordinated and aligned to best serve the American people. A Users’ Advisory Group also will be convened so that the interests of industries and other non-federal entities are represented.
“The establishment of the council is another demonstration of the Trump Administration’s deep interest in our work, and a testament to the importance of space exploration to our economy, our nation, and the planet as a whole.”
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-078 Vice President Pence to Visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Vice President Mike Pence will visit NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, July 6.
NASA Television and the agency’s website will provide live coverage for parts of the visit starting at noon EDT with Air Force Two’s arrival at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway, as well as a special address to the center’s workforce at 12:50 p.m.
The Vice President will tour Kennedy and learn more about the center’s work as a multi-user spaceport for commercial and government clients, as well as see the agency’s progress toward launching from U.S. soil on spacecraft built by American companies, and traveling past the moon, and eventually on to Mars and beyond with the help of NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.
U.S. media who wish to cover the Vice President’s visit must apply for accreditation online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
NOTE: All media applications for credentialing must be received before noon EDT Monday, July 3. This is a hard deadline. No exceptions.
Applications for media credentials for international journalists are not available for this event. Questions about accreditation may be addressed to Jennifer Horner at jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov or 321-867-6598. For other questions, or additional information, contact Kennedy’s newsroom at 321-867-2468. Media must present two forms of unexpired, government identification to enter Kennedy. One form must include a photo, such as a passport or driver’s license.
Media should plan to arrive at Kennedy’s Pass and Identification Building on State Road 405, east of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Thursday morning for security screenings and transportation to event locations. The exact arrival time will be provided during the accreditation process.
