Jun 15 2010

From The Space Library

RELEASE: 10-037

LAUNCH OF NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR SPARKS EARLY MONDAY SUNRISE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky above Florida's Space Coast on Monday with a 4:14 a.m. EST launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle's last scheduled night launch began a 13-day flight to the International Space Station and the final year of shuttle operations. Endeavour's STS-130 mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, the final major U.S. portion of the station. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to Tranquility is a cupola with seven windows, which houses a robotic control station. The windows will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the orbiting laboratory will be approximately 90 percent complete. Shortly before liftoff, Commander George Zamka said, Thanks to the great team that got Tranquility, cupola and Endeavour to this point. And thanks also to the team that got us ready to bring Node 3 and cupola to life. We'll see you in a couple of weeks. It's time to go fly. Zamka is joined on the flight by Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. Virts is making his first trip to space. Endeavour's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, at 10:01 p.m. The STS-130 mission will be Endeavour's 24th flight and the 32nd shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. NASA's Web coverage of STS-130 includes mission information, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA TV schedule, is available on the main space shuttle Web site at: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the mission. NASA Television features live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv Daily news conferences with STS-130 mission managers will take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Johnson will operate a telephone bridge for media briefings that occur outside of normal business hours. To use this service, reporters must possess valid media credentials issued by a NASA center or issued specifically for the STS-130 mission. Journalists planning to use the service must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of a briefing. Newsroom personnel will verify credentials and transfer reporters to the phone bridge. Phone bridge capacity is limited, so it will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Patrick, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, plans to tweet from orbit during the mission. He can be followed at: http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicholas Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa

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RELEASE: 10-078

NASA ANNOUNCES FUTURE WORK ASSIGNMENTS FOR FIELD CENTERS

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver presented an outline for new and extended program assignments across the agency Thursday in support of the president's fiscal year 2011 budget request. Pending congressional approval, NASA will create new program offices that include activities in exploration technology and development, heavy lift rockets and rocket propulsion technology, exploration precursor robotic missions, human research, and commercial spaceflight opportunities. In addition, the new budget has increases for NASA's Science and Aeronautics directorates that will improve the agency's Earth observation capabilities and help create a Next Generation air transportation system that is safe, efficient and friendlier to the environment. The work assignments expand on the strengths of NASA's 10 centers while allowing the agency to safely fly out the space shuttle manifest and establish a firm foothold in space by extending the International Space Station, likely to 2020 or beyond. "These assignments build on the deep knowledge and expertise that NASA has developed during five decades, Bolden said. They recognize our work force's wealth of experience and commitment, and the specialties already existing at the NASA field centers. Bolden said the work assignments represent a bold new approach to exploring space that will enable NASA to get beyond low-Earth orbit and create robust near-Earth space flight capabilities. In addition, several of the technology development efforts will focus on innovative approaches to spaceflight and other technologies. For details on the NASA center work assignments and more information about the agency's fiscal year 2011 budget, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/budget

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RELEASE: 10-176

NASA SPACECRAFT CAMERA YIELDS MOST ACCURATE MARS MAP EVER

WASHINGTON -- A camera aboard NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has helped develop the most accurate global Martian map ever. Researchers and the public can access the map via several websites and explore and survey the entire surface of the Red Planet. The map was constructed using nearly 21,000 images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS, a multi-band infrared camera on Odyssey. Researchers at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility in Tempe, in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., have been compiling the map since THEMIS observations began eight years ago. The pictures have been smoothed, matched, blended and cartographically controlled to make a giant mosaic. Users can pan around images and zoom into them. At full zoom, the smallest surface details are 330 feet wide. While portions of Mars have been mapped at higher resolution, this map provides the most accurate view so far of the entire planet. The new map is available at: http://www.mars.asu.edu/maps/?layer=thm_dayir_100m_v11 Advanced users with large bandwidth, powerful computers and software capable of handling images in the gigabyte range can download the full-resolution map in sections at: http://www.mars.asu.edu/data/thm_dir_100m "We've tied the images to the cartographic control grid provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, which also modeled the THEMIS camera's optics, said Philip Christensen, principal investigator for THEMIS and director of the Mars Space Flight Facility. This approach lets us remove all instrument distortion, so features on the ground are correctly located to within a few pixels and provide the best global map of Mars to date. Working with THEMIS images from the new map, the public can contribute to Mars exploration by aligning the images to within a pixel's accuracy at NASA's Be A Martian website, which was developed in cooperation with Microsoft Corp. Users can visit the site at: http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/maproom#/MapMars "The Mars Odyssey THEMIS team has assembled a spectacular product that will be the base map for Mars researchers for many years to come, said Jeffrey Plaut, Odyssey project scientist at JPL. The map lays the framework for global studies of properties such as the mineral composition and physical nature of the surface materials. Other sites build upon the base map. At Mars Image Explorer, which includes images from every Mars orbital mission since the mid-1970s, users can search for images using a map of Mars at: http://themis.asu.edu/maps "The broad purpose underlying all these sites is to make Mars exploration easy and engaging for everyone, Christensen said. We are trying to create a user-friendly interface between the public and NASA's Planetary Data System, which does a terrific job of collecting, validating and archiving data. Mars Odyssey was launched in April 2001 and reached the Red Planet in October 2001. Science operations began in February 2002. The mission is managed by JPL, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. NASA's Planetary Data System, sponsored by the Science Mission Directorate, archives and distributes scientific data from the agency's planetary missions, astronomical observations, and laboratory measurements.

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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-037

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY ROLLS TO LAUNCH PAD; LIFTOFF PRACTICE SET

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Journalists are invited to cover the STS-131 space shuttle crew's practice countdown and related training March 2-5 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Reporters also may cover space shuttle Discovery's move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A on March 2. Atop of a giant crawler-transporter, Discovery's first motion on its rollout to the pad is scheduled for Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. EST. The 3.4-mile journey is expected to take approximately six hours. Activities include a 6:30 a.m. photo opportunity, followed by an 8:30 a.m. interview availability with Discovery Flow Director Stephanie Stilson. Reporters must arrive at Kennedy's news center by 6 a.m. for transportation to the viewing area. Live coverage of the move will be shown on NASA Television beginning at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights will air on the NASA TV Video File. Beginning March 2, Discovery's astronauts and ground crews will participate in a launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. The test provides each shuttle crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The following media events are associated with the TCDT. All times are Eastern. March 1 -- STS-131 crew arrival: The crew will arrive about 7 p.m. at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The arrival will be carried live on NASA TV. Reporters must be at the Kennedy press site at 5:45 p.m. to attend arrival. March 4 -- STS-131 crew media availability: The crew will take questions from journalists at Launch Pad 39A at 8:40 a.m. The event will be carried live on NASA TV. Media representatives must arrive at the press site by 7:15 a.m. to participate. March 5 -- STS-131 crew walkout photo opportunity: The astronauts will depart from the Operations and Checkout Building at 7:45 a.m. in their flight suits in preparation for the countdown demonstration test at the launch pad. The walkout will not be broadcast live but will be part of the NASA TV Video File. Reporters must arrive at the press site by 6:15 a.m. to attend walkout. Foreign journalist media accreditation for these events is closed. U.S. reporters without permanent Kennedy credentials must apply for accreditation by 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 26. Reporters requesting accreditation must apply online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov Badges for the events must be picked up Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office on State Road 405. Dates and times of events are subject to change. Schedule updates are available by calling 321-867-2525. Discovery's STS-131 crew members are Commander Alan Poindexter, Pilot James P. Dutton, Jr., Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Naoko Yamazaki and Clayton Anderson. The seven astronauts will deliver science racks to be transferred to laboratories on the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 6:27 a.m. EDT on April 5. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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