Nov 24 2015

From The Space Library

Release 15-227 NASA Announces Early Stage Innovations Space Technology Research Grants

NASA has selected 15 university-led proposals for the study of innovative, early stage technologies that address high priority needs of America's space program.

The Early Stage Innovations awards from NASA's Space Technology Research Grants Program are worth as much as $500,000 each. Universities have two to three years to work on their proposed research and development projects.

"The agency’s space technology research areas lend themselves to the innovative approaches U.S. universities can offer for solving tough science and exploration challenges," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington. “NASA's Early Stage Innovations grants align with NASA's Space Technology Roadmaps and the priorities identified by the National Research Council, helping enable NASA's exploration goals including robotic missions to Mars and the outer planets, and ultimately human exploration of Mars.”

The proposals selected under the Early Stage Innovations 2015 solicitation address unique, disruptive or transformational technologies, including: payload technologies for assistive free-flyers; robotic mobility technologies for the surfaces of icy moons; integrated photonics for space optical communication; computationally guided structural nanomaterials design; and atmospheric entry modeling development using flight data from the Orion’s first flight test in space last December called Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1).

The 15 universities selected for Early Stage Innovation (ESI) grants and the titles of their proposals are:

• Autonomous Navigation for Exploration on Icy Moons -- Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Ultra-Low Power Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor-Compatible Integrated Photonic Platform for Terabit-Scale Communications -- Columbia University, New York
• Versatile Manipulation for Assistive Free-Flyers -- Columbia University, New York
• A Novel Electrostatic/Microstructured Adhesive with Dust Mitigation Capabilities -- Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
• Compact Robust Integrated Pulse Position Modulation Laser Transceiver Chip Set with High Sensitivity, Efficiency and Re-Configurability -- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
• Integrated Tapered Active Modulators for High Efficiency Gbps Pulse Position Modulation Laser Transmitter Photonic Integrated Circuits -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana
• Assistive Free-Flyers with Gecko-Inspired Adhesive Appendages for Automated Logistics in Space -- Stanford University, California
• Integrated Photonics for Adaptive Discrete Multi-Carrier Space-based Optical Communication and Ranging -- University of California, San Diego
• PICULS: Photonic Integrated Circuits for Ultra-Low Size, Weight and Power -- University of California, Santa Barbara
• Investigating the Thermochemical Response of Avcoat Thermal Protection Systems from First Principles for Comparison with EFT-1 Data -- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Material Response Reconstruction of Ablative Thermal Protection Systems Using Accurate Boundary Layer Modeling -- University of Kentucky, Lexington
• Design, Test and Control of a Magnetorheological Universal Gripper for Use On-Orbit – University of Maryland, College Park
• Modular Cryogenic Hydraulics for Legged Mobility -- University of Maryland, College Park
• Mesoscopic Distinct Element Method-Enabled Multiscale C Computational Design of Carbon Nanotube-based Composite Materials -- University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Computational Design of Carbon Nanotube Network Materials and Polymer Matrix Nanocomposites -- University of Virginia, Charlottesville

The goal of the Space Technology Research Grants Program is to accelerate the development of low-technology readiness level space technologies to enable future systems capabilities and missions for NASA, other government agencies and the commercial space sector. The program is funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for developing the cross-cutting, pioneering, new technologies and capabilities needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions.

Release 15-228 NASA Statements on Katherine Johnson’s Medal of Freedom

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden about former NASA mathematician and physicist Katherine Johnson being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Tuesday:

“Katherine Johnson once remarked that even though she grew up in the height of segregation, she didn’t think much about it because ‘I didn’t have time for that… don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better.’

“The truth in fact, is that Katherine is indeed better. She’s one of the greatest minds ever to grace our agency or our country, and because of the trail she blazed, young Americans like my granddaughters can pursue their own dreams without a feeling of inferiority.

“Katherine’s legacy is a big part of the reason that my fellow astronauts and I were able to get to space; it’s also a big part of the reason that today there is space for women and African-Americans in the leadership of our nation, including the White House.

“The entire NASA family is both proud of and grateful to Katherine Johnson, a true American pioneer who helped our space program advance to new heights, while advancing humanity’s march of progress ever forward.”

The following is a statement from NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman:

“The reach of Katherine Johnson’s leadership and impact extends from classrooms across America all the way to the moon. Katherine once remarked that while many of her colleagues refrained from asking questions or taking tasks further than merely ‘what they were told to do,’ she chose instead to ask questions because she ‘wanted to know why.’

“For Katherine, finding the ‘why’ meant enrolling in high school at the age of 10; calculating the trajectory of Alan Shepard’s trip to space and the Apollo 11’s mission to the moon; and providing the foundation that will someday allow NASA to send our astronauts to Mars. She literally wrote the textbook on rocket science.

“We are all so fortunate that Katherine insisted on asking questions, and insisted on relentlessly pursing the answers. We are fortunate that when faced with the adversity of racial and gender barriers, she found the courage to say ‘tell them I’m coming.’ We are also fortunate that Katherine has chosen to take a leading role in encouraging young people to pursue education in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math.

“Katherine was born on National Equality Day. Few Americans have embodied the true spirit of equity as profoundly or impacted the cause of human exploration so extensively. At NASA, we are proud to stand on Katherine Johnson’s shoulders.”

Release M15-166 NASA TV Coverage Set for Fourth Orbital ATK Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA commercial partner Orbital ATK is targeting Thursday, Dec. 3, for the launch of its fourth contracted mission to the International Space Station under the agency’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 4:30 p.m. EST.

The company’s Cygnus spacecraft is set to lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 5:55 p.m., the beginning of a 30-minute launch window, from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Cygnus will carry more than 7,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory to support dozens of approximately 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 45 and 46. This first Cygnus mission using the Atlas V launch system provides increased performance and flexibility to the Orbital ATK cargo delivery service.

In addition to launch coverage, NASA TV will air three briefings Wednesday, Dec. 2: several experts involved in the launch and mission will host an interactive discussion with the agency’s social media followers from 9 to 10:30 a.m.; at 1 p.m., scientists and researchers will discuss some of the investigations to be delivered; at 2 p.m., mission managers will host a prelaunch news conference. A post-launch briefing will be held approximately two hours after launch. All briefings will air live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

The new experiments arriving to the orbiting laboratory will challenge and inspire future scientists and explorers. Science payloads will offer a new life science facility that will support studies on cell cultures, bacteria and other microorganisms; a microsatellite deployer and the first microsatellite that will be deployed from the space station; and experiments that will study the behavior of gases and liquids, clarify the thermo-physical properties of molten steel, and evaluate flame-resistant textiles.

Cygnus also will deliver replacement cargo items including a set of Microsoft HoloLens devices for use in NASA’s Sidekick project, a safety jet pack astronauts wear during spacewalks known as SAFER, and high pressure nitrogen and oxygen tanks to plug into the station’s air supply network.

This will be the first flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft to the station. The cargo freighter now features a greater payload capacity, new UltraFlexTM solar arrays and new fuel tanks. Cygnus’ pressurized cargo module has been extended and increases the spacecraft’s interior volume capacity by 25 percent, enabling more cargo to be delivered with each mission.

A Dec. 3 launch will result in the Cygnus spacecraft arriving at the space station on Sunday, Dec. 6. NASA crew members Kjell Lindgren and Scott Kelly will use the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and capture Cygnus at approximately 5:30 a.m. NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and grapple of Cygnus will begin at 4 a.m. Cygnus will be the first cargo ship to be berthed to the Earth-facing port on the Unity module. Coverage of Cygnus' installation will begin at 7:15 a.m.

The spacecraft will spend more than a month attached to the space station before its destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere in January 2016, disposing of about 3,000 pounds of trash.



If the launch does not occur on Dec. 3, the next launch opportunity would be at 5:33 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, resulting in a grapple and berthing on Dec. 7 or Dec. 8.

Media at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida also will have the opportunity to participate in tours on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Journalists will see the progress being made on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which will return astronaut launches from U.S. soil to the space station, as well as the ground systems to support the Space Launch System rocket for missions to deep space and eventually on the journey to Mars.

Release M15-165 NASA TV to Air Event Marking Arrival of Test Orion Powerhouse

NASA Television will broadcast an event marking the arrival of a full-size test version of the service module provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft at 12:30 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 30 at the agency’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio.

Event participants will be:

• Jim Free, director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland
• Greg Williams, deputy associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Mark Kirasich, manager for the Orion Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
• Mike Hawes, program manager for Orion at Lockheed Martin
• Nico Dettmann, development department head at ESA
• Oliver Juckenhoefel, vice president and head of the European Service Module program at Airbus Defence and Space

A brief question-and-answer session will take place during the event with media on site and by phone. Media that wish to ask questions on the phone must email their name, media affiliation and phone number to Jan Wittry at jan.m.wittry-1@nasa.gov by noon EST on Fri., Nov. 27. The public also can ask questions during the briefing on social media using #AskNASA.

The Orion spacecraft is being developed to help send astronauts to deep space destinations, such as an asteroid placed in lunar orbit and Mars. It will launch on the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. ESA, along with its contractor Airbus Defence and Space, is providing the service module for Orion’s next mission, a partnership that will bring international cooperation to the journey to Mars. The service module will supply power and propulsion to the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1.

ESA and Airbus also provided the structural representation of the service module so that NASA may conduct rigorous tests to ensure the module can withstand the trip to space. The multi-month test campaign will take place at Plum Brook’s Space Power Facility. Plum Brook is home to some of the largest testing structures in the world, including one of the world’s largest vacuum chamber, the world's most powerful spacecraft acoustic test chamber, and the world's highest capacity and most powerful spacecraft vibration table.

Strange Star Likely Swarmed by Comets

A star called KIC 8462852 has been in the news recently for unexplained and bizarre behavior. NASA's Kepler mission had monitored the star for four years, observing two unusual incidents, in 2011 and 2013, when the star's light dimmed in dramatic, never-before-seen ways. Something had passed in front of the star and blocked its light, but what?

Scientists first reported the findings in September, suggesting a family of comets as the most likely explanation. Other cited causes included fragments of planets and asteroids.

A new study using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope addresses the mystery, finding more evidence for the scenario involving a swarm of comets. The study, led by Massimo Marengo of Iowa State University, Ames, is accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

One way to learn more about the star is to study it in infrared light. Kepler had observed it in visible light. If a planetary impact, or a collision amongst asteroids, were behind the mystery of KIC 8462852, then there should be an excess of infrared light around the star. Dusty, ground-up bits of rock would be at the right temperature to glow at infrared wavelengths.

At first, researchers tried to look for infrared light using NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, and found none. But those observations were taken in 2010, before the strange events seen by Kepler -- and before any collisions would have kicked up dust.

To search for infrared light that might have been generated after the oddball events, researchers turned to Spitzer, which, like WISE, also detects infrared light. Spitzer just happened to observe KIC 8462852 more recently in 2015.

"Spitzer has observed all of the hundreds of thousands of stars where Kepler hunted for planets, in the hope of finding infrared emission from circumstellar dust," said Michael Werner, the Spitzer project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the lead investigator of that particular Spitzer/Kepler observing program.

But, like WISE, Spitzer did not find any significant excess of infrared light from warm dust. That makes theories of rocky smashups very unlikely, and favors the idea that cold comets are responsible. It's possible that a family of comets is traveling on a very long, eccentric orbit around the star. At the head of the pack would be a very large comet, which would have blocked the star's light in 2011, as noted by Kepler. Later, in 2013, the rest of the comet family, a band of varied fragments lagging behind, would have passed in front of the star and again blocked its light.

By the time Spitzer observed the star in 2015, those comets would be farther away, having continued on their long journey around the star. They would not leave any infrared signatures that could be detected.

According to Marengo, more observations are needed to help settle the case of KIC 8462852.

"This is a very strange star," he said. "It reminds me of when we first discovered pulsars. They were emitting odd signals nobody had ever seen before, and the first one discovered was named LGM-1 after 'Little Green Men.'”

In the end, the LGM-1 signals turned out to be a natural phenomenon.

"We may not know yet what's going on around this star,” Marengo observed. “But that's what makes it so interesting."

Caltech manages JPL for NASA.