May 16 2012
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 12-155 NASA LENDS GALAXY EVOLUTION EXPLORER TO CALTECH
WASHINGTON -- NASA is lending the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, where the spacecraft will continue its exploration of the cosmos. In a first-of-a-kind move for NASA, a Space Act Agreement was signed May 14 so the university soon can resume spacecraft operations and data management for the mission using private funds. "NASA sees this as an opportunity to allow the public to continue reaping the benefits from this space asset that NASA developed using federal funding," said Paul Hertz, NASA's Astrophysics Division director at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "This is an excellent example of a public/private partnership that will help further astronomy in the United States." The Galaxy Evolution Explorer spent about nine years as a NASA mission, probing the sky with its sharp ultraviolet eyes and cataloguing hundreds of millions of galaxies spanning 10 billion years of cosmic time. "This mission was full of surprises, and now more surprises are sure to come," said Chris Martin, who will remain the mission's principal investigator at Caltech. "It already has scanned a large fraction of the sky, improving our understanding of how galaxies grow and evolve. The astronomy community will continue those studies, in addition to spending more time on stars closer to home in our own galaxy." The spacecraft was placed in standby mode on Feb. 7 of this year. Soon, Caltech will begin to manage and operate the satellite, working with several international research groups to continue ultraviolet studies of the universe. Projects include cataloguing more galaxies across the entire sky; watching how stars and galaxies change over time; and making deep observations of the stars being surveyed for orbiting planets by NASA's Kepler mission. Data will continue to be made available to the public. "We're thrilled that the mission will continue on its path of discovery," said Kerry Erickson, the mission's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "The Galaxy Evolution Explorer is like the 'little engine that could,' forging ahead into unexplored territory." During its time at NASA, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer made many discoveries involving various types of objects that light up our sky with ultraviolet light. Perhaps the most surprising of these was the discovery of a gargantuan comet-like tail behind a speeding star called Mira. Other finds included catching black holes "red-handed" as they munch away on stars, spying giant rings of new stars around old, presumed dead galaxies, and independently confirming the nature of dark energy. For astronomers, the most profound shift in their understanding of galaxy evolution came from the mission's findings about a "missing link" population of galaxies. These missing members helped explain how the two major types of galaxies in our universe -- the "red and dead" ellipticals and the blue spirals -- transition from one type to another. "We were able to trace the life of a galaxy," Martin said. "With the Galaxy Evolution Explorer's ultraviolet detectors, we were able to isolate the small amounts of star formation that are the signatures of galaxies undergoing an evolutionary change. We found that galaxies don't have a single personality, but may change types many times over their lifetime." The mission also captured a dazzling collection of snapshots, showing everything from ghostly nebulas to a spiral galaxy with huge, spidery arms. Under the new agreement, NASA maintains ownership and liability for the Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft. When Caltech completes science activities, it will decommission the spacecraft for NASA. The mission's batteries and solar panels have an expected lifetime of 12 years or more, and the spacecraft will remain in orbit for at least 66 years, after which it will burn-up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The agreement can be renegotiated when it expires in three years. Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Va., which built the spacecraft, will continue performing flight control functions for Caltech associated with monitoring and commanding GALEX and participating in mission planning. Universal Space Network will continue providing the ground stations for communicating with the spacecraft.
RELEASE: 12-157 NASA SURVEY COUNTS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ASTEROIDS
WASHINGTON -- Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have led to the best assessment yet of our solar system's population of potentially hazardous asteroids. The results reveal new information about their total numbers, origins and the possible dangers they may pose. Potentially hazardous asteroids, or PHAs, are a subset of the larger group of near-Earth asteroids. The PHAs have the closest orbits to Earth's, coming within five million miles (about eight million kilometers) and they are big enough to survive passing through Earth's atmosphere and cause damage on a regional, or greater, scale. The new results come from the asteroid-hunting portion of the WISE mission, called NEOWISE. The project sampled 107 PHAs to make predictions about the entire population as a whole. Findings indicate there are roughly 4,700 PHAs, plus or minus 1,500, with diameters larger than 330 feet (about 100 meters). So far, an estimated 20 to 30 percent of these objects have been found. While previous estimates of PHAs predicted similar numbers, they were rough approximations. NEOWISE has generated a more credible estimate of the objects' total numbers and sizes. "The NEOWISE analysis shows us we've made a good start at finding those objects that truly represent an impact hazard to Earth," said Lindley Johnson, program executive for the Near-Earth Object Observation Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "But we've many more to find, and it will take a concerted effort during the next couple of decades to find all of them that could do serious damage or be a mission destination in the future." The new analysis also suggests that about twice as many PHAs as previously thought are likely to reside in "lower-inclination" orbits, which are more aligned with the plane of Earth's orbit. In addition, these lower-inclination objects appear to be somewhat brighter and smaller than the other near-Earth asteroids that spend more time far away from Earth. A possible explanation is that many of the PHAs may have originated from a collision between two asteroids in the main belt lying between Mars and Jupiter. A larger body with a low-inclination orbit may have broken up in the main belt, causing some of the fragments to drift into orbits closer to Earth and eventually become PHAs. Asteroids with lower-inclination orbits would be more likely to encounter Earth and would be easier to reach. The results therefore suggest more near-Earth objects might be available for future robotic or human missions. "NASA's NEOWISE project, which wasn't originally planned as part of WISE, has turned out to be a huge bonus," said Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE principal investigator, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Everything we can learn about these objects helps us understand their origins and fate. Our team was surprised to find the overabundance of low-inclination PHAs. Because they will tend to make more close approaches to Earth, these targets can provide the best opportunities for the next generation of human and robotic exploration." The discovery that many PHAs tend to be bright says something about their composition; they are more likely to be either stony, like granite, or metallic. This type of information is important in assessing the space rocks' potential hazards to Earth. The composition of the bodies would affect how quickly they might burn up in our atmosphere if an encounter were to take place. The WISE spacecraft scanned the sky twice in infrared light before entering hibernation mode in early 2011. It catalogued hundreds of millions of objects, including super-luminous galaxies, stellar nurseries and closer-to-home asteroids. The NEOWISE project snapped images of about 600 near-Earth asteroids, about 135 of which were new discoveries. Because the telescope detected the infrared light, or heat, of asteroids, it was able to pick up both light and dark objects, resulting in a more representative look at the entire population. The infrared data allowed astronomers to make good measurements of the asteroids' diameters and when combined with visible light observations, how much sunlight they reflect.
MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-085 UPDATE: NEW CALL-IN NUMBER
NASA'S DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT WITH INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON -- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will participate in a teleconference on Thursday, May 17, at 2 p.m. EDT with representatives of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation to brief journalists on the future of human commercial spaceflight. Former NASA astronaut and president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation Michael Lopez-Alegria will lead the conference call, along with Jeff Greason, president of XCOR Aerospace and an executive committee member for the federation. NASA expects to reach several milestones this year in its ongoing support of industry's innovative work to transport crew and cargo to low Earth orbit and enhance our nation's use of the International Space Station to improve life on Earth and prepare for the missions of the future.
MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-087 UPDATED COVERAGE FOR NASA/SPACEX LAUNCH AND MISSION TO STATION
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The second SpaceX demonstration launch for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) is scheduled for liftoff on Saturday, May 19. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule will occur from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. There is a single instantaneous launch opportunity at 4:55 a.m. EDT. NASA Television launch commentary from Cape Canaveral begins at 3:30 a.m. During the flight, SpaceX's Dragon capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including the capability to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station. The primary objectives for the flight include a flyby of the space station at a distance of approximately 1.5 miles to validate the operation of sensors and flight systems necessary for a safe rendezvous and approach. The spacecraft also will demonstrate the ability to abort the rendezvous. Once Dragon successfully proves these capabilities, it will be cleared to berth with the space station. FALCON 9 LAUNCH PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): A photo opportunity of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule on the launch pad will be available for the news media. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and SpaceX President Gwynee Shotwell also will be available to answer questions. Media representatives will depart from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Press Site by government bus at 10 a.m. for Space Launch Complex 40. Media will return at noon. SpaceX security regulations require that media attending this event be U.S. citizens. REMOTE CAMERA SETUPS Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): Media will be able to establish sound-activated remote cameras at the launch pad. The location is within Space Launch Complex 40 on the east side of the pad inside the perimeter fence. Media who want to participate in remote camera setup will depart from Kennedy's Press Site by government bus at 9 a.m., one hour before the departure for the launch pad photo opportunity. Media will return to the press site at noon after the photo opportunity is complete. SpaceX security regulations require that media participating in this activity be U.S. citizens. PRELAUNCH AND POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCES Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): The prelaunch news conference for the launch will be held at the Kennedy Press Site at 1 p.m. NASA Television will provide live and streaming Internet coverage. Participants in the prelaunch news conference will be: - Phil McAlister, acting director, NASA Commercial Spaceflight Development - Alan Lindenmoyer, manager, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program - Gwynne Shotwell, president, SpaceX - Joel Tumbiolo, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Media representatives can participate in the news conference in-person at Kennedy or via a phone bridge by calling NASA's Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281-483-5111 at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, May 19 (Launch day): A post-launch news conference will be held at the Kennedy Press Site at approximately 8:30 a.m. Audio of the launch and prelaunch and post-launch news conferences also will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, directly accessible by dialing 321-867-1220, 1240, 1260 or 7135. The briefings will be streamed live on the agency's website. Saturday, May 19 (Launch day): A delegation from the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program will be at the Kennedy Press Site and available for in-person interviews and experiment demonstrations between 3 - 4:30 a.m. The students represent three of the experiments that will launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon as part of the International Space Station NanoRacks 9 platform. A sign-up sheet will be available in the newsroom for those media representatives wanting to talk to the students.
