Apr 18 2012

From The Space Library

CONTRACT RELEASE: C12-107 NASA AWARDS LORAL CONTRACT FOR LASER COMM PAYLOAD FLIGHT

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Space Technology Program has awarded Space System/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif., a $3 million contract to initiate the process of hosting a space laser communications relay demonstration terminal payload aboard a Loral commercial satellite, which launches in 2016. The agreement marks the first time NASA has contracted to fly a payload on an American-manufactured commercial communications satellite. NASA's technology demonstration payload will be stationed high above the equator aboard the Loral spacecraft. This is a prime location to conduct communications experiments with other orbiting satellites or ground stations. Commercial communications satellites offer the location, size and power systems needed to conduct NASA's space laser communications trials. "Using a commercial communications satellite to host a NASA technology demonstration payload provides an opportunity to partner with American industry for the agency to gain access to space faster and at a lower cost than developing and launching dedicated satellites," said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA's Space Technology Program in Washington. "Once deep space laser communications is operational, it will be like going from home dial-up Internet service to broadband." Space laser communications has the potential to provide 100 times higher data rates than traditional radio frequency with much less mass and power, which can be constraints when designing satellites. "We are excited to be a part of this mission, which is particularly interesting because of the great potential for laser communications to revolutionize space exploration as well as the commercial satellite industry," said John Celli, president of Space Systems/Loral. Under this contract, Loral will work with NASA to determine the technical requirements for the space communications laser demonstration payload planned to be integrated with a Loral satellite platform. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration mission is one of several crosscutting flight demonstrations that NASA selected for development in 2011 because of its potential to provide tangible, near-term products and infuse high-impact capabilities into NASA's future space operations missions. By investing in high-payoff, disruptive technology that industry does not have today, NASA matures the technology required for its future missions while proving the capabilities and lowering the cost of government and commercial space activities. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration project is part of the agency's Technology Demonstrations Missions Program, which matures crosscutting technology to flight readiness status through relevant environment testing, including testing in space. The primary objective of the Technology Demonstrations Missions are to "bridge the technology gap," by maturing system-level space technologies through flight readiness and mission infusion.

CONTRACT RELEASE: C12-108 NASA AWARDS AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS SUPPORT CONTRACT

HOUSTON -- NASA has selected DynCorp International LLC of Ft. Worth, Texas, to provide aircraft maintenance and operational support services under a contract potentially worth $176.9 million. DynCorp will perform the work at Ellington Field at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; NASA facilities in El Paso, Texas, and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; and other locations worldwide as required. The services will include support for flight operations, maintenance, repairs and alterations to aircraft, component parts and support equipment and engineering services. Additional services include spaceflight readiness training, airborne research and development and flight test support. The major sub-contractor is GeoControl Systems of Houston. The $46.6 million base contract begins June 1 for one year and four months. It is a fixed-price-award-fee/cost-plus-award-fee contract. There are two two-year option periods available. The first, with a value of $70.1 million, may be exercised to extend through September 2015. The second, with a value of $60.2 million, may be exercised to extend through May 2017.

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-074 NASA MARKS EARTH DAY WITH PUBLIC EVENTS AND ONLINE ACTIVITIES

WASHINGTON -- NASA will celebrate the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day this week with several live and online activities to engage the public about the agency's mission to use space to explore and better understand our planet. NASA will host three days of displays and presentations open to the public on the National Mall in Washington from Friday, April 20, through Earth Day, Sunday, April 22. A live video chat with NASA Earth scientists about new insights into our complex planet will be part of these events on April 21. -- The "NASA Village" on the National Mall will contain activities and exhibits in three tents highlighting the use of NASA science and technology to advance knowledge and awareness of our planet. On April 22, a performance stage hosted by the Earth Day Network will feature presentations by NASA with a wide variety of entertainment. The area is located at 12th Street and Jefferson Drive SW. A High-Tech Checkup of Earth's Vital Signs Saturday, April 21 (1-2 p.m. EDT) -- NASA scientists take you on a world tour from the vantage point of space to show you some of the new insights into our changing planet made possible by our orbiting high-tech sensors. This live event in the "NASA Village" on the National Mall will be streamed online via Ustream. Scientists will take questions from the live audience and those viewing online. NASA Earth Day Video Contest 2012 Share your vision of what NASA's exploration of Earth means to you by creating a short YouTube video. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., announced today a contest for the best video about discoveries or real-world benefits resulting from NASA's Earth science program. Producers are encouraged to draw from NASA's extensive collection of public domain Earth imagery. - An exhibit on JPL's Earth science research will be part of the Earth Day celebration at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, Calif. Attendees will learn how they can help our ocean planet. The event includes hands-on learning demonstrations for all ages. ####-end-

RELEASE: 12-121 NASA MISSION WANTS AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS TO TARGET ASTEROIDS

WASHINGTON -- A new NASA outreach project will enlist the help of amateur astronomers to discover near-Earth objects (NEOs) and study their characteristics. NEOs are asteroids with orbits that occasionally bring them close to the Earth. Starting today, a new citizen science project called "Target Asteroids!" will support NASA's Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission objectives to improve basic scientific understanding of NEOs. OSIRIS-REx is scheduled for launch in 2016 and will study material from an asteroid. Amateur astronomers will help better characterize the population of NEOs, including their position, motion, rotation and changes in the intensity of light they emit. Professional astronomers will use this information to refine theoretical models of asteroids, improving their understanding about asteroids similar to the one OSIRIS-Rex will encounter in 2019, designated 1999 RQ36. OSIRIS-REx will map the asteroid's global properties, measure non-gravitational forces and provide observations that can be compared with data obtained by telescope observations from Earth. In 2023, OSIRIS-REx will return back to Earth at least 2.11 ounces (60 grams) of surface material from the asteroid. Target Asteroids! data will be useful for comparisons with actual mission data. The project team plans to expand participants in 2014 to students and teachers. "Although few amateur astronomers have the capability to observe 1999 RQ36 itself, they do have the capability to observe other targets," said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Previous observations indicate 1999 RQ36 is made of primitive materials. OSIRIS-REx will supply a wealth of information about the asteroid's composition and structure. Data also will provide new insights into the nature of the early solar system and its evolution, orbits of NEOs and their impact risks, and the building blocks that led to life on Earth. Amateur astronomers long have provided NEO tracking observations in support of NASA's NEO Observation Program. A better understanding of NEOs is a critically important precursor in the selection and targeting of future asteroid missions. "For well over 10 years, amateurs have been important contributors in the refinement of orbits for newly discovered near-Earth objects," said Edward Beshore, deputy principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission at the University of Arizona in Tucson. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will provide overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta is the mission's principal investigator at the University of Arizona. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver will build the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages New Frontiers for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.