Feb 14 2012

From The Space Library

RELEASE: 12-050 NASA ANNOUNCES THIRD ROUND OF CUBESAT SPACE MISSION CANDIDATES

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected 33 small satellites to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets planned to launch in 2013 and 2014. The proposed CubeSats come from universities across the country, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, NASA field centers and Department of Defense organizations. CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart and weigh less than three pounds. The selections are from the third round of the CubeSat Launch Initiative. After launch, the satellites will conduct technology demonstrations, educational research or science missions. The selected spacecraft are eligible for flight after final negotiations and an opportunity for flight becomes available. The satellites come from the following organizations: -- Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio -- Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson AFB -- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo -- Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge -- Montana State University, Bozeman -- Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. (2 CubeSats) -- NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in partnership with the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (2 CubeSats) -- NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, Silver Spring, Md. -- Saint Louis University, St. Louis -- Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Mont. -- Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala. (2 CubeSats) -- Taylor University, Upland, Ind. -- University of Alabama, Huntsville -- University of California, Berkeley -- University of Colorado, Boulder (2 CubeSats) -- University of Hawaii, Manoa (3 CubeSats) -- University of Illinois, Urbana (2 CubeSats) -- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor -- University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D. -- University of Texas, Austin -- US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg Thirty-two CubeSat missions have been selected for launch in the previous two rounds of the CubeSat Launch Initiative. Eight CubeSat missions have been launched (including five selected via the CubeSat Launch Initiative) to date via the agency's Launch Services Program Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, program.

RELEASE: 12-051 NASA SEEKS SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM ADVANCED BOOSTER RISK REDUCTION SOLUTIONS

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has issued a NASA Research Announcement for the Space Launch System (SLS) Advanced Booster risk-reduction effort. NASA is looking for an advanced booster concept with the goal of reducing risk in the areas of affordability, reliability and performance. Proposals will identify and mitigate liquid or solid booster technical risks and provide related hardware demonstrations, as well as identify high-risk areas associated with adaptation of advanced booster technology to SLS. The 130-metric-ton evolved SLS vehicle will require a booster with a significant increase in thrust over existing U.S. liquid or solid boosters. This new heavy-lift launch vehicle will expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system. "These risk-reduction efforts will set the course for the full-scale design and development of this new advanced booster," said Chris Crumbly, SLS Advanced Booster NRA evaluation team chair. "We're excited to see what innovative solutions industry will provide as we embark on this new capability -- enabling unprecedented missions beyond low-Earth orbit." NASA anticipates making multiple awards in response to this solicitation, and anticipates $200 million total funding. Final awards will be made based on the strength of proposals and availability of funds. The deadline for submitting proposals is April 9. The anticipated period of performance for any contracts awarded as a result of this announcement is not expected to exceed 30 months and will have an effective date of Oct.1, 2012. This announcement is the second part of a three-part plan that includes risk-reduction planning prior to design, development, testing and evaluation of the advanced boosters.

RELEASE: 12-053 TEACHERS FLY EXPERIMENTS ON NASA REDUCED GRAVITY FLIGHTS

HOUSTON -- More than 70 teachers had an opportunity to experience what it feels like to float in space as they participated in the Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston last week. The teachers flew aboard an aircraft that flies parabolic flight paths, which create brief periods of weightlessness. It is a key component of NASA's astronaut training protocol. The teachers were selected for the flights through NASA's Teaching from Space and Explorer School Programs. NASA Associate Administrator for Education and two-time space shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin also participated in some of the flights and shared first-hand with the participants his experiences in astronaut training. "The enthusiasm among our teachers participating in the reduced gravity flights is contagious," Melvin said. "I know it will add a new dimension to their teaching as they engage their students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies." Also participating in the flights was Mark Riccobono, executive director of the National Federation of the Blind's Jernigan Institute. Riccobono is blind. NASA has worked with the National Federation of the Blind in a variety of capacities during the past 10 years to share the excitement and inspiration of the agency's missions and programs with those who are visually impaired. "NASA education always is looking for ways to make our offerings available to the widest audience possible," Melvin said. "Mark Riccobono's flight represents a new chapter in our commitment to sharing the excitement of NASA's mission with the blind community." The Teaching from Space Program offers educational opportunities that use the unique assets of NASA's human spaceflight mission to engage the education community and create space-related learning opportunities. Teachers used the event to work with their students to propose, design and build the experiments they took on the flights. Fourteen teams comprising 40 teachers from NASA Explorer Schools also participated as part of the 2011 School Recognition Award for their contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. They conducted microgravity experiments provided by NASA. The Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program continues NASA's investment in U.S. education by helping attract and retain students in STEM disciplines critical to future space exploration.

CONTRACT RELEASE: C12-003 NASA AWARDS HUNTSVILLE OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER SERVICES CONTRACT

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected COLSA Corp. of Huntsville, Ala., for its Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) contract. The estimated value of the contract, including all options, is approximately $94.6 million. COLSA will provide engineering, operations and maintenance, system development services and tools for the International Space Station and other program and project mission services. The HOSC services contract has a potential period of performance of five years and is a small business set-aside. The contract begins April 1, 2012, with an 18-month base period, followed by three one-year options and one six-month option that may be exercised at NASA's discretion. It is a cost-plus-award-fee contract. Under the contract, COLSA will perform its services both locally and remotely to support NASA spacecraft, payload, satellite, and propulsion systems operations services. COLSA will furnish all resources, including management, personnel, equipment and supplies, unless specific exceptions are made by the government. Other members of the COLSA team include Computer Sciences Corp. of Lanham, Md., and QTEC Inc. of Huntsville.