Aug 10 2015
From The Space Library
Release M15-119 NASA Invites Education Reporters to Get #spacED at Johnson
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston is inviting education-focused media to attend a two-day #spacED event on Sept. 15 and 16. The event will highlight the International Space Station and the one-year mission with astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.
As students and educators get into the flow of the 2015-2016 school year, Kelly and Kornienko will be coming up on the halfway point of their yearlong stay in space, offering a unique chance for educators to spark students’ interests in space exploration, as well as the supporting fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The event will showcase resources available to educators and tips on how to use them in the classroom. Participants also will hear from NASA experts, learn more about the one-year mission and tour Johnson facilities.
Media interested in participating must be affiliated with a media outlet whose target audience is educators or students, and apply online by 8 a.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 17. Space is limited. For more information, please contact Ashle Harris at ashle.s.harris@nasa.gov.
Release M15-120 NASA Astronauts Speak with Challenger Center Conference from Space Station
Students, members of the public and attendees at the Challenger Center’s International Conference will speak with Expedition 44 crew members aboard the International Space Station at 9 a.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 13.
The 20-minute Earth-to-space call will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
Media interested in covering the event must contact Lisa Vernal at 412- 337-3880 or lvernal@challenger.org. The event will be held in the McAllister Auditorium at San Antonio College located at 1300 San Pedro Ave. in San Antonio. The time of the call is subject to change depending on real-time operations.
Students will have the opportunity to speak live with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Scott Kelly. Lindgren arrived on July 23 for his first six-month mission aboard the space station. Kelly is four months into a yearlong mission. During the mission, Lindgren, Kelly and other crew members will conduct more than 250 science investigations in fields, such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences, and technology development.
Attendees also will hear from current and former NASA astronauts, including Kent Rominger, Joe Acaba and Scott Kelly’s brother, Mark, along with Dr. Graham Scott, chief scientist for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI).
This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of the NASA Education Office to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in the United States. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides them with an authentic, live experience of space exploration, space study and the scientific components of space travel and possibilities of life in space.
Release 15-168 NASA Opens New CubeSat Opportunities for Low-Cost Space Exploration
Space enthusiasts have an opportunity to contribute to NASA’s exploration goals through the next round of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 24.
The CubeSat Launch Initiative provides access to space for CubeSats developed by NASA centers, accredited educational institutions and non-profit organizations, giving CubeSat developers access to a low-cost pathway to conduct research in the areas of science, exploration, technology development, education or operations consistent with NASA's Strategic Plan. NASA does not provide funding for the development of the small satellites.
NASA plans to select the payloads by Feb. 19, 2016, but selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. Selected experiments will fly as auxiliary payloads on agency rocket launches or be deployed from the International Space Station beginning in 2016 and running through 2019. To date, NASA has selected 105 CubeSats from 30 states. Thirty-seven CubeSats have been launched, and 16 more are scheduled to go into space in the next 12 months.
The agency has made progress on a goal established during the White House Maker Faire last year to launch a small satellite from at least one participant in each state over the next five years. For this round, NASA is focusing on gaining participation in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 20 states not previously selected for the CubeSat Launch Initiative. These states are: Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.
CubeSats are in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The base CubeSat dimensions are 10x10x11 centimeters (about 4x4x4 inches), which equals one Cube, or 1U. CubeSats supported by this launch effort include volumes of 1U, 2U, 3U and 6U. CubeSats of 1U, 2U and 3U size typically have a mass of 1.33 kilograms (about three pounds) per 1U. A 6U CubeSat typically has a mass of 12 to 14 kilograms (26.5 to 30.9 pounds). The CubeSat's final mass depends on the selected deployment method.
