Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Fwd: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW: NASA News and JSC Today - Tuesday, March 31, 2015



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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: March 31, 2015 at 8:27:24 AM CDT
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: [nasa-jsc-retirees-list] FW: NASA News and JSC Today - Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Reply-To: larry.j.moon@nasa.gov

JSC Today - Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Don't forget to join us this Thursday for our monthly NASA retirees luncheon at Hibachi Grill on Bay Area Blvd in Webster at 11:30.   All retired NASA employees, civil servants and contractors, and guest are welcome to join us.   

 

Our monthly luncheon is then Followed by the monthly NASA Alumni League talk by Mark Geyer on the EFT-1 test flight results at the Gilruth Rec. Center Lone Star room at 2:30.    Then to cap off the day--- at 4pm the monthly Keg of the Month group meets out at the Gilruth Pavillion.

 

 

NASA NEWS

• Bolden: Counterpart Likely Was Referring To China In Recent Statements.

• Administration Thanks Kelly For Taking Part In One-Year Mission.

• Shelby Believes Marshall Space Flight Center Will Be Well Funded This Year.

• Op-Eds Criticize ARM's Value As Pathway To Mars.

• Regan Technologies Gets $20 Billion NASA Contract For Mass Storage.

HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS

• Air Force X-37 Launches On Its Next Mission In May.

• Ants Able To Explore Their Environment Without Gravity.

• Wilmore Most Surprised By "Mental Gymnastics" Of Zero Gravity Life.

• Ford Visits St. Raphael School.

• Student's Fossil Gets A Ride On Orion.

• Chicago Student Selected For Community College Aerospace Scholars Program.

Bolden: Counterpart Likely Was Referring To China In Recent Statements.

Aviation Week (3/30, Morring, 2K) reports that at a talk Monday at the Aero Club of Washington, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that Igor Komarov, the head of Roscosmos, was probably speaking about future collaborations with China when he mentioned a follow-up project to the ISS. Bolden, noting that NASA was "the only federal agency with a congressional prohibition against bilateral activities with China," added, "My impression of it was, to be quite honest, that was probably what he was talking about when he talked about opening the field of exploration to many countries. ... My comment when he said that was that that's what the president asked me to do when I first became the NASA administrator." Bolden went on to say, "The way that the Russian space program is going now, part of it is unfortunately a blast from the past where almost everything is under a single organization and belongs to the state. ... My counterpart now is responsible, not only for the Roscosmos space agency, but also has responsibility for industrial development of rockets and the like and, even more importantly, actually has control of the institutes and medical organizations that are looking at medical research. The good part is he himself is an industrialist, he's a businessman with no experience in space, with very forward-leaning ideas."

        Blog Coverage. Jason Koebler at Motherboard (3/30, 10K) writes about Komarov's statement, positing that if NASA was in fact negotiating about a future project of this scale, it would not be announced "out of the blue." Such a project would be debated and involve "massive PR campaigns." Koebler even wonders whether NASA would want to develop another space station given its desire "to get out of low-Earth orbit altogether."

Administration Thanks Kelly For Taking Part In One-Year Mission.

The AP (3/30) reports that on Monday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that he was "fooled" for a time when astronaut Mark Kelly appeared without his mustache right before his brother Scott launched on his one-year mission to the ISS because the mustache was "the only way I can tell [the twins] apart." Meanwhile, during a phone conversation with the ISS crew, John Holdren, President Barack Obama's science adviser, said, "You guys are all heroes up there, and we're depending on you."

        The CBS News (3/30, Harwood, 8.2M) website notes that in his conversation with Bolden, Scott Kelly said that he was "looking forward" to the research he would take part in while at the station. Kelly added, "It's going to be a lot of work. ... but I really look forward to the privilege of serving NASA and our nation." Bolden told Kelly, "This is a really important step on our road to Mars. ... We're excited about having you and Mikhail [Kornienko] there as partners and excited about seeing all the things you're going to do."

        According to SPACE (3/30, Kramer, 236K), Bolden also told Kelly, "I really want to thank you for taking on this challenge. ... It really is important that we get it all right because we do plan to put humans on Mars in the next few decades. The 2030s is the target the president set, and we think we can really make that." Meanwhile, Kelly thanked First Lady Michelle Obama for her well wishes last week when he tweeted "his first photo from space during the yearlong mission."

        The Daily Mail (UK) (3/30, McLaughlin, 4.78M) and the WWLP-TV Springfield, MA (3/30, Sapakie, 65K) website also cover the story.

        UC San Diego Celebrates Kelly's Launch. The U-T San Diego (3/30, Bell, 580K) reports that UC San Diego researchers are taking part in Kelly's one-year ISS mission, with Brinda Rana leading two of the 10 research projects involving both Scott and Mark. The article notes that to celebrate Friday's launch, the school held "a launch-watching party on campus...with borscht, catered from the Pomegranate Russian Restaurant, Champagne and MoonPies."

        Cosmonauts Used Tablets Instead Of Manuals During Flight. Sputnik News (3/30) reports that when flying to the ISS, cosmonauts used tablets instead of manuals "for the first time in the history of Russian space exploration." Cosmonauts could eventually use the tablets depending on how they operated during the flight.

        Blog Coverage. Attila Nagy at Gizmodo (3/30, 1.04M) posted a picture of Kelly's launch last week, commenting that it was one of three launches that comprised "a busy weekend for space exploration."

        Sherry Valare at AmericaSpace (3/30) summarized last week's work at the ISS, which culminated in the arrival of Kelly and two other astronauts.

Shelby Believes Marshall Space Flight Center Will Be Well Funded This Year.

The WHNT-TV Huntsville, AL (3/30, Riopka, 76K) website reports that on Monday, "hundreds of business and community leaders" were at the Von Braun Center to hear a talk by Sen. Richard Shelby. As part of the talk, Shelby said that under the Republican Congress, the Marshall Space Flight Center, "which plays a real important role in NASA, will be funded well, just like it was last year."

Op-Eds Criticize ARM's Value As Pathway To Mars.

In an op-ed for Space News (3/31, Subscription Publication, 481), Paul Brower, an O3b Networks aerospace systems engineer, wonders why the development of a lunar base has become "a taboo subject" for space policy advocates. Few are willing to take what he sees as the "seemingly necessary baby steps" to a Mars mission. Brower notes that even before the Apollo program, the idea of a lunar base was discounted. The positions expressed today by advocates may be "biased by the Obama administration's" intent to distance itself from the Constellation program. To move forward, the US needs to "align our actions" with long-term goals, and "not squander these limited resources on missions that make no sense," such as the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which he thinks has few applications. Instead, if necessary when funds are limited, the US should take "a slower pace or slight scale-back in mission scope" to continue progress.

        In an article for The Conversation (UK) (3/30), Roger Handberg at the University of Central Florida, details how the US went from the Constellation program to where it is today, considering ARM a mission "being done on the fly," suffering from "money and lack of consistent direction." To Handberg, it appears like ARM is morphing into "a US presence on the moon." However, the current uncertainty in direction is likely to continue until the US "clarifies its intentions."

        Meanwhile, in an article for the Space Review (3/30), Space Review editor Jeff Foust detailed last week's announcement of ARM's architecture. In the second half of the piece, Foust detailed the continuing opposition to the plan, especially from MIT's Richard Binzel. At the same time, some were concerned that if NASA had no deep space manned mission in the next decade, it could harm NASA's long-term plans. Astronaut Tom Jones said that without a mission like ARM, the public could "lose interest" in future missions. According to Foust, even with the recent news, NASA is not likely to "get much of a break from critics," and will have to continue to try "to justify" ARM as the best "next step" toward Mars.

        Blog Coverage. In a blog post for the Huffington Post (3/30, 281K), Chris Carberry, CEO of Explore Mars, and Rick Zucker, director of political outreach for Explore Mars, writes that "within NASA, within the aerospace community, and among policy makers," there is "far more consensus...than there ever has been before" about sending people to Mars. They contend that much of the current opposition relies "on disinformation and distraction tactics," especially when it comes to how much money a mission would cost. Even though they believe the President has a role in such a mission, the pair argue that "another Kennedy-esque presidential speech" may no longer be needed because of the grassroots program that is forming now. This and other topics will be discussed at the Humans to Mars Summit in May.

Regan Technologies Gets $20 Billion NASA Contract For Mass Storage.

The Meriden (CT) Record-Journal (3/31, 50K) reports on the Regan Technologies Corp. contract with NASA "to provide solutions for mass storage devices." Regan won the $20 billion contract, which begins on May 1. Company founder Christopher Regan said, "It's security for a 10-year period. ... We become a major federal prime contractor and we'll experience explosive growth."

Air Force X-37 Launches On Its Next Mission In May.

Spaceflight Now (3/30, Ray, 3K) reports that an Air Force X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral on May 6. Air Force spokesperson Capt. Chris Hoyler said, "Each OTV mission builds upon previous on-orbit demonstrations and expands the test envelope of the vehicle. The test mission furthers the development of the concept of operations for reusable space vehicles." Hoyler also stated that operators were considering landing the spaceplane at the Kennedy Space Center once its mission is complete.

Ants Able To Explore Their Environment Without Gravity.

BBC News (3/31, Webb, 1.66M) reports that scientists studying ants at the ISS found that the creatures, "despite falling off the walls of their containers for up to eight seconds at a time," were able to explore their environment successfully. Deborah Gordon of Stanford University said that researchers had "no idea" how the ants would behave ahead of time. In order to learn more about how other ant species explore their environment, Gordon has also just set up a website for students "to run the same experiment, using equipment they can make themselves, on whatever species of ant are local to their area."

Wilmore Most Surprised By "Mental Gymnastics" Of Zero Gravity Life.

The AP (3/30) reports that astronaut Barry Wilmore, in an interview, discussed the research he conducted at the ISS. He also mentioned that "the mental gymnastics of working in zero-gravity" was the most surprising aspect of working in space.

Ford Visits St. Raphael School.

The Naperville (IL) Sun (3/30, Baker, 19K) reports that on Friday, astronaut Kevin Ford visited St. Raphael School to speak with students about his time "piloting the space shuttle Discovery in 2009." According to the article, Ford's video and photographs amused and astounded the students.

Student's Fossil Gets A Ride On Orion.

The Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram (3/31, Smith, 479K) reports that a fossil found by a local seventh-grade student was taken aboard the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 in December. The student and her family were given a tour of the Johnson Space Center where she received a plaque. Wanda Horton, one of the student's teachers, said of the experience, "I think that NASA sending Anna's fossil is a great way to encourage other students to share her love for science and use their imagination to see what they can do."

Chicago Student Selected For Community College Aerospace Scholars Program.

The Chicago Daily Herald (3/30, Daday, 300K) reports that a local student, Hasan Fetahi, was chosen to attend the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program. Fetahi said of the program, "For me, it's exciting to think that I'll be working next to engineers and get to be around people that love chemistry and physics as much as I do." Fetahi will join 240 other community college students in a five-week course, which concludes with an event at the Johnson Space Center.

 

 

 

 

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   Organizations/Social

  1. WELL, NoBo and ConVERGE Inauguration Event

Come out and learn more about our new Employee Resource Groups! The special guest is JSC Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa.

Please see the flyer for more information.

Event Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2015   Event Start Time:3:00 PM   Event End Time:4:00 PM
Event Location: B3 Collaboration Center

Add to Calendar

Lauren Johnson x32780 https://collaboration.ndc.nasa.gov/iierg/WELL/SitePages/Home.aspx

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  1. Join the NASA-wide Fitness Challenge: NASA MOVES!

The NASA Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer at NASA Headquarters is sponsoring a three-week, agencywide fitness competition called NASA MOVES! from Friday, April 10, through Friday, May 1. All NASA employees are encouraged to join the JSC team.

To participate, you must sign up online through the NASA MOVES! portal and enter your activity steps. A wide range of physical activities can be converted into steps—not just walking—so everyone can participate.

This initiative is designed to get people moving, but it is also a competition between centers, and WE WANT TO WIN! The winning center will be calculated by taking their recorded steps and dividing it by workforce population. That means we need EVERYONE to sign up.

Only at JSC: You will be entered into a prize drawing when you sign up.

Sign up now.

Evan Thoman x42769 http://ohp.nasa.gov/health4life/

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  1. IEEE Consulting Group Dinner Meeting

Pradeep Anand, business growth specialist and adjunct faculty at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University, will speak on "Seven First Steps to Grow Your Business in Recession" on Thursday, April 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Gilruth Center. Please RSVP by close of business today, March 31.

Event Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015   Event Start Time:6:30 PM   Event End Time:8:30 PM
Event Location: Gilruth Center

Add to Calendar

Zafar Taqvi 713-392-1280 http://ewh.ieee.org/r5/galveston_bay/events/events.html

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  1. Glynn Lunney's Highways into Space - April 8

You are invited to the SAIC/Safety and Mission Assurance speaker forum featuring Glynn Lunney, former NASA flight director and director of Mission Operations.

Lunney and his team were recipients of the Medal of Freedom—awarded by President Nixon after helping return the Apollo 13 crew back to Earth safely. He joined the space program in 1958 with the NACA and Space Task Group. He supported Project Mercury in Mission Control as one of the first Flight Dynamics Officers, and was promoted to flight director in August 1964, supporting Gemini and Apollo missions, including Apollo 13.

Mr. and Mrs. Lunney will have books available for signature before and after his presentation. If you have already purchased his book, feel free to bring it for him to sign.

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Gilruth Alamo Ballroom

Event Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM
Event Location: Gilruth Center's Alamo Ballroom

Add to Calendar

Della Cardona/Juan Traslavina 281-335-2074/281-335-2272

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  1. Youth Brain Development Basics

Join us as we take an introductory look at two key periods in the development of youth. We will go over key changes in the brain during early childhood and discuss how the brain continues its growth and transition during the tween and teen years. Come and learn key concepts and terms that are involved in the cognitive, social and emotional development of the young person in your life. Ideas and tools for encouraging constructive and navigating troubling behaviors will also be addressed. Please join Anika Isaac, MS, LPC, LMFT, NCC, LCDC, CEAP, with JSC Employee Assistance Program, as she presents "Youth Brain Development Basics."

Event Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2015   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM
Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium

Add to Calendar

Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Occupational Health Branch x36130

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  1. JSC Praise and Worship Club Meeting

Join with the praise and worship band "Allied with the Lord" for a refreshing set of Resurrection Day praise and worship songs on Thursday, April 2, from 11:15 a.m. to noon in Building 57, Room 106. The theme for this session will be "Jesus is alive!" Prayer partners will be available for anyone who has need. All JSC civil servants and contractors are welcome.

Event Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015   Event Start Time:11:15 AM   Event End Time:12:00 PM
Event Location: Building 57 Room 106

Add to Calendar

Mike FitzPatrick x30758

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  1. Book & Gift Fair Today Through Thursday - Bldg. 3

The Books Are Fun Book and Gift Fair will be in the Building 3 café this week, today through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Swing by to check out a great selection of books and gifts marked 30 to 70 percent below retail—perfect for an Easter basket or just for fun!

Ansley Browns x46487

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  1. Craft Fair & Flea Market Booths Still Available

It's a CRAFT FAIR. It's a FLEA MARKET. It's so much more!

It's a CHILDREN'S EASTER PARTY—it's a 5.05K RACE—it's an ALIENS vs. ASTRONAUTS COSTUME CONTEST—it's FOOD TRUCKS. It's ALL OF THESE THINGS combined into one giant SPRING FESTIVAL.

What better place to sell your new and used items. Rent a booth today and pack up your stuff. Then get ready to come on out on Saturday, April 4, for maximum exposure with hundreds of shoppers and loads of fun.

    • Craft fair booth - $40 (new and homemade craft items) - indoors
    • Flea market booth - $10 (used/garage-sale-type items) - outdoors
    • Tables available - $12

Register online or at the Gilruth Center.

Rent a booth—sell some stuff—run a race—eat some food—hunt some eggs—have some fun!

Cyndi Kibby

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  1. Children's Spring Fling: April 4

On April 4, Starport will have one big spring event at the Gilruth Center. Bring the kiddos out for our Children's Spring Fling, complete with a bounce house, face painting, petting zoo, Easter-egg hunt and snacks! Register at the Gilruth Center or online. The event is for children ages 18 months to 12 years old who will be participating in the Easter-egg hunt and other activities. Adults do not need a ticket.

Registrations are $5 each NOW, or $8 the day of.

* Pick up wristbands at the kids' check-in table

Egg hunt times: 

10:15 a.m. - kids 8 to 12 years

10:45 a.m. - kids 4 to 7 years

11:15 a.m. - kids 18 months to 3 years

Event Date: Saturday, April 4, 2015   Event Start Time:10:00 AM   Event End Time:12:00 PM
Event Location: The Gilruth Center

Add to Calendar

Shericka Phillips x35563 https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/programs/special-events/spring-festival

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   Jobs and Training

  1. CGE Travel System Live Lab - April 1

Do you need some hands-on, personal help with the Concur Government Edition (CGE) Travel System? Join the Business Systems and Process Improvement Office for a CGE Travel System Live Lab tomorrow, April 1, any time between 9 a.m. and noon in Building 12, Room 142. Our help desk representatives will be available to help you work through your travel processes and learn more about using the CGE Travel System during this informal workshop. Please feel free to bring any travel documents to be worked. This is real-time help, not a training class. Please click on the direct SATERN link below to register and receive SATERN credit. For additional information, please contact Judy Seier at x32771.

SATERN Direct Registration Link: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Gina Clenney x39851

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  1. Understanding & Creating SysML Models: May 12-15

This course covers all nine SysML diagram types in a quick and easy-to-learn format. A consistent system modeling example is presented throughout the course to better learn how SysML concepts and diagrams work together. We will cover these concepts in a tool-independent manner, with a focus on how to interpret SysML models. This course is also hands on, where participants will learn to implement SysML concepts using a representative tool. These skills are reinforced by doing useful things with your SysML models—not just building them for the sake of documentation.

This course is designed for engineers, scientists, managers and technicians interested in model-based engineering.

This course is available for self-registration in SATERN and is open to civil servants and contractors.

Dates: Tuesday through Friday, May 12 to 15

Location: Building 12, Room 144

Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED...

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   Community

  1. 2015 Yuri's Night Houston 5k: #ISS1YEAR Edition

Last Friday, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a one-year stay aboard the International Space Station. They are each scheduled to stay in space for 342 days, totaling 684 days between the two of them.

Celebrate their successful launch with $6.84 off registration today only. Promo code: ISS1YEAR

Click here to register (registration increases this Sunday, April 5).

Click here to volunteer.

Event Date: Saturday, April 18, 2015   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:10:30 AM
Event Location: Nassau Bay

Add to Calendar

Mana Vautier 832-422-5494 http://www.yuris5khouston.com

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  1. Application Deadline Extended for Scholarship

The NASA College Scholarship Program will award multiple scholarships agencywide to qualified dependents of NASA civil servant employees. Scholarship recipients must pursue a course of study leading to an undergraduate degree in science or engineering from an accredited college or university in the United States. Applications are available online.

The application deadline is April 10.

Travis Cooley x47222

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JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles.

Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters.

 

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