Apr 28 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-188
NASA ANNOUNCES NEXT OPPORTUNITY FOR CUBESAT SPACE MISSIONS
WASHINGTON -- NASA has announced a second opportunity for small satellite payloads to fly on rockets planned to launch in 2011 and 2012. These CubeSats could be auxiliary cargo on previously planned missions. 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 2.2 pounds. CubeSat investigations should be consistent with NASA's Strategic Plan or the Education Strategic Coordination Framework. The research should address aspects of science, exploration, technology development, education or operations. Applicants must submit proposals electronically by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 15. NASA will select the payloads by Jan. 31, 2011, but selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. Collaborators may be required to provide partial reimbursement of approximately $30,000 per CubeSat. NASA will not provide funding for the development of the small satellites. NASA recently announced the results from the first round of the CubeSat Launch Initiative. Twelve payloads have made the short-list for launch opportunities in 2011 and 2012. They are eligible for launch pending an appropriate opportunity and final negotiations. The satellites come from 10 states: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Utah and Vermont. For additional information on NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/home/CubeSats_initiative.html
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-068
NASA FLIGHT DIRECTORS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS ON SHUTTLE ATLANTIS' LAST SCHEDULED MISSION
HOUSTON -- NASA Flight Directors Michael Sarafin of Herkimer, N.Y., and Emily Nelson of Austin, Texas, are available for live satellite interviews from 6 to 7 a.m. CDT Friday, May 7. Nelson and Sarafin will discuss the upcoming space shuttle Atlantis STS-132 mission to the International Space Station and their roles as flight directors. The shuttle and its crew are scheduled to lift off at 2:20 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 14 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission currently is the last flight scheduled for Atlantis. Including STS-132, there are only three remaining shuttle missions scheduled before the fleet is retired. To participate in the interviews, reporters should contact Jeremiah Maddix at 281-483-8631 before 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 6. Sarafin will be available from 6 to 6:30 a.m. He is the lead shuttle flight director for STS-132. Sarafin, a NASA flight director since 2005, has supported 10 shuttle missions, including three as the lead shuttle flight director. He served in NASA's Mission Control as a shuttle flight controller for 10 years and graduated from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. Nelson will be available from 6:30 to 7 a.m. She is the lead space station flight director for STS-132 and has been a NASA flight director since 2007. Since 1998, Nelson served as a flight controller overseeing the station's thermal systems. She is a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin. The six astronauts for the mission will deliver the Russian-built Mini Research Module, also known as Rassvet (dawn in Russian) to the station. The flight also will deliver critical spare parts and cargo. During the 12-day mission, three spacewalks are planned. The NASA Television Live Interview Media Outlet channel will be used for the interviews. The channel is a digital satellite C-band downlink by uplink provider Americom. It is on satellite AMC 3, transponder 9C, located at 87 degrees west, downlink frequency 3865.5 Mhz based on a standard C-band, horizontal downlink polarity, FEC is 3/4, data rate is 6.0 Mbps, symbol rate is 4.3404 Msps, transmission DVB-S, 4:2:0. The NASA TV Live Interview Media Outlet channel will air b-roll footage of preparations for the STS-132 mission beginning at 5:30 a.m. The interviews also will be broadcast live on NASA TV. For streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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