Oct 24 2014

From The Space Library

RELEASE M14-177 NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly Shares Bullying Prevention Message Ahead of His One-Year Mission

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who is scheduled to fly on a one-year spaceflight mission in 2015, is lending his voice to help reduce childhood bullying. As part of Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, Kelly recorded a special message encouraging bystanders to take action.

"Be more than just a bystander," said Kelly in the message. "Take action and do something to stop bullying…Teamwork makes the dream work at NASA. There is no space for bullying."

Kelly, a father of two daughters, grew up in Orange, New Jersey, and feels his role as an astronaut is a valuable platform to reach students and help spread the message against bullying.

"I felt compelled to act after hearing about the various cases of bullying around the country last year. I thought of my own daughters, and I recalled my experiences as a child watching other kids bully others without accountability,” Kelly said. “Bullying affects not only the child adversely but also stunts our growth as a society. It is everyone's responsibility to stand up against bullying."

The message will be part of a larger cross-federal agency prevention effort which includes the White House and U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Justice, Agriculture and Defense.

Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka will launch to the International Space Station in March 2015. Kelly and Kornienko will remain aboard until March 2016, supporting a joint U.S./Russian research program. The goal is to obtain maximum scientific benefits from the unique mission.

RELEASE 14-295 NASA Seeks Ultra-lightweight Materials to Help Enable Journey to Mars

NASA is seeking proposals to develop and manufacture ultra-lightweight materials for aerospace vehicles and structures of the future. Proposals will demonstrate lower-mass alternatives to honeycomb or foam cores currently used in composite sandwich structures.

Composite sandwich structures are a special type of material made by attaching two thin skins to a lightweight core. This type of composite is used extensively within the aerospace industry and in other applications where reducing weight while maintaining structural strength is important. A common use for these sorts of composites is the shrouds for launch vehicles and other key technology components that will enable our journey to Mars.

The goal of this Game Changing Development Program effort is to develop and demonstrate scalable and cost-effective manufacturing approaches to produce ultra-lightweight core materials both as flat panels and curved structures. The final products will have half or less the area density of conventional honeycomb cores, with equal or better mechanical properties.

Over the next year, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) will continue to seek industry and university partnerships to assure the agency has the capabilities it needs, while helping America maintain its leadership in the technology-driven global economy. These investments will focus on in-space propulsion and advanced high-power solar arrays; robotics and avionics for outer planetary exploration, especially high-reliability and low-mass, deep ice penetration systems; advanced materials, including large composite structures; and space observatory systems, with a focus on advanced optical coating materials.

"Technology drives exploration and ultra-lightweight materials will play a key role in our future missions," said Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for Space Technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This call for proposals continues a cadence of solicitations that touch on a specific set of thrust areas needed to push human and robotic exploration farther in the solar system."

The reduced mass will lead to an increase in NASA's mission capability while decreasing mission costs and also may provide spinoffs that benefit diverse sectors of the economy and increase the nation's competitiveness.

Proposals will be accepted from U.S. organizations, including NASA centers and other government agencies, federally funded research and development centers, educational institutions, industry and nonprofit organizations. NASA expects to make two awards of up to $550,000 each for this first development phase.

The solicitation, entitled SpaceTech-REDDI-2015 NNH15ZOA001N-15GCD-C1 Ultra-lightweight Core Materials for Efficient Load-Bearing Composite Sandwich Structures Appendix, is available through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System website by going to "Solicitations" and then "Open Solicitations."

RELEASE M14-178 NASA Media Accreditation Opens for Launch of Next SpaceX Station Resupply Mission

Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA's next commercial cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station.

SpaceX is currently targeting no earlier than Dec. 9 for lift off of its Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. This will be the company's sixth visit to the space station and fifth commercial resupply mission, delivering several tons of supplies, including new science experiments and technology research.

Prelaunch and launch activities for media will take place at CCAFS and nearby at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. International media without U.S. citizenship must apply for credentials to cover activities by Nov. 2 to gain access to CCAFS for the launch. Accreditation is open until 4:30 p.m. Nov. 17 for international media without U.S. citizenship who do not need access to CCAFS. The deadline for U.S. media to apply for credentials is 4:30 p.m. Nov. 21.

MEDIA ADVISORY M14-180 NASA Hosts First Agency-wide Social Media Event for Orion’s First Flight Test

NASA invites social media followers to apply for credentials to get a preview of the Orion spacecraft’s first flight test during NASA Social events Dec. 3 at each of its 10 centers. Orion will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 7:05 a.m. EST Dec. 4.

NASA Socials are in-person events for people who engage with the agency through social media networks. Events will be held simultaneously at NASA centers including: Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Johnson Space Center in Houston; Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama; Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; and, Armstrong Flight Research Center, which is hosting a joint event with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Each center will be connected via a multi-center NASA Television simulcast with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during its event, which was previously announced. Along with a discussion on Orion and NASA’s plan to send humans to Mars, participants will get a unique behind the scenes look at the diverse work of the agency through center tours and presentations by scientists, engineers and managers. The events also will provide guests the opportunity to interact with fellow social media users, space enthusiasts and members of NASA's social media team.

Registration for these NASA Socials opens at 5 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 24, and closes at 5 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 2. People may register for NASA Socials at multiple locations but will be chosen only for one event. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and the number of attendance slots varies by center.