NASA Kennedy Space Center - Press Releases 2008

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2018

Kennedy Space Center Traffic and Road Closures for December Launch Activities

Starting Tuesday, December 18, 2018, Kennedy Space Center Protective Services officers will be enforcing restricted access from the Kennedy Space Center boundary lines for the duration of the SpaceX launch attempt.

ICESat-2 Launch Events from California

NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, a mission to measure the changing height of Earth's ice, is scheduled to launch Saturday, Sept. 15, with a 40-minute window opening at 8:46 a.m. EDT (5:46 a.m. PDT). The spacecraft will lift off from Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on the final launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

Launch coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website at 8:10 a.m. EDT (5:10 a.m. PDT).

ICESat-2 will measure the height of our changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses per second. The satellite will carry a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which measures the travel times of laser pulses to calculate the distance between the spacecraft and Earth's surface. ICESat-2 will provide scientists with height measurements that create a global portrait of Earth's third dimension, gathering data that can precisely track changes of terrain, including glaciers, sea ice and forests.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages development of the ICESat-2 mission, including mission systems engineering and mission operations on behalf of the agency's Science Mission directorate. Goddard also built and tested the ATLAS instrument. The ICESat-2 spacecraft was built and tested by Northrop Grumman in Gilbert, Arizona. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Delta II launch service. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch service acquisition, integration, analysis and launch management.

A prelaunch mission briefing will be held at 4 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. PDT) at NASA Building 836 and will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live launch coverage will begin at 8:10 a.m. EDT (5:10 a.m. PDT). For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of ICESat-2 will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 8:10 a.m. EDT (5:10 a.m. PDT) as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/icesat2/.

For more information about the ICESat-2 mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/icesat-2

Join the conversation on social media by following on Twitter and Facebook at:
https://twitter.com/NASA_ICE
https://www.facebook.com/ICEatNASA/

Photo and video content for ICESat-2 is available at: http://images.nasa.gov/
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/Gallery/icesat2.html

NASA Spacecraft that will Study the Frontier of Space

NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft is scheduled launch aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket Saturday, Oct. 6, at 4 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

ICON will study Earth's ionosphere to help determine the physical process at play in this frontier of space where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology and society.

Mobile Launcher Progresses to First Flight of NASA's Deep Space Exploration System

NASA Sept. 8: the agency's progress toward the first integrated test of its new deep space exploration systems – the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket and ground systems.

On Sept. 8, the mobile launcher, which has been undergoing upgrades to launch Orion atop SLS, will move on the crawler-transporter from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for a series of validation and verification tests.

The first integrated test of the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket and Kennedy ground systems – an uncrewed flight – will be the first in a series of flight tests that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.

As the agency nears a new era in spaceflight, Kennedy's Exploration Ground Systems is transforming the center from a historically government-only launch complex to a world-class spaceport that can support several different governmental and commercial spacecraft and rockets.

Join the conversation on social media by following on social media at: https://www.twitter.com/NASAGroundSys and https://www.facebook.com/NASAGroundSystems

NASA, ULA Launch Parker Solar Probe on Historic Journey to Touch Sun

Hours before the rise of the very star it will study, NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched from Florida Sunday to begin its journey to the Sun, where it will undertake a landmark mission. The spacecraft will transmit its first science observations in December, beginning a revolution in our understanding of the star that makes life on Earth possible.

Roughly the size of a small car, the spacecraft lifted off at 3:31 a.m. EDT on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. At 5:33 a.m., the mission operations manager reported that the spacecraft was healthy and operating normally.

The mission's findings will help researchers improve their forecasts of space weather events, which have the potential to damage satellites and harm astronauts on orbit, disrupt radio communications and, at their most severe, overwhelm power grids.

"This mission truly marks humanity's first visit to a star that will have implications not just here on Earth, but how we better understand our universe," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "We've accomplished something that decades ago, lived solely in the realm of science fiction."

During the first week of its journey, the spacecraft will deploy its high-gain antenna and magnetometer boom. It also will perform the first of a two-part deployment of its electric field antennas. Instrument testing will begin in early September and last approximately four weeks, after which Parker Solar Probe can begin science operations.

"Today's launch was the culmination of six decades of scientific study and millions of hours of effort," said project manager Andy Driesman, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. "Now, Parker Solar Probe is operating normally and on its way to begin a seven-year mission of extreme science."

Over the next two months, Parker Solar Probe will fly towards Venus, performing its first Venus gravity assist in early October – a maneuver a bit like a handbrake turn – that whips the spacecraft around the planet, using Venus's gravity to trim the spacecraft's orbit tighter around the Sun. This first flyby will place Parker Solar Probe in position in early November to fly as close as 15 million miles from the Sun – within the blazing solar atmosphere, known as the corona – closer than anything made by humanity has ever gone before.

Throughout its seven-year mission, Parker Solar Probe will make six more Venus flybys and 24 total passes by the Sun, journeying steadily closer to the Sun until it makes its closest approach at 3.8 million miles. At this point, the probe will be moving at roughly 430,000 miles per hour, setting the record for the fastest-moving object made by humanity.

Parker Solar Probe will set its sights on the corona to solve long-standing, foundational mysteries of our Sun. What is the secret of the scorching corona, which is more than 300 times hotter than the Sun's surface, thousands of miles below? What drives the supersonic solar wind – the constant stream of solar material that blows through the entire solar system? And finally, what accelerates solar energetic particles, which can reach speeds up to more than half the speed of light as they rocket away from the Sun?

Scientists have sought these answers for more than 60 years, but the investigation requires sending a probe right through the unrelenting heat of the corona. Today, this is finally possible with cutting-edge thermal engineering advances that can protect the mission on its daring journey.

"Exploring the Sun's corona with a spacecraft has been one of the hardest challenges for space exploration," said Nicola Fox, project scientist at APL. "We're finally going to be able to answer questions about the corona and solar wind raised by Gene Parker in 1958 – using a spacecraft that bears his name – and I can't wait to find out what discoveries we make. The science will be remarkable."

Parker Solar Probe carries four instrument suites designed to study magnetic fields, plasma and energetic particles, and capture images of the solar wind. The University of California, Berkeley, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Princeton University in New Jersey lead these investigations.

Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA's Living with a Star program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The Living with a Star program is managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed and built, and operates the spacecraft.

The mission is named for Eugene Parker, the physicist who first theorized the existence of the solar wind in 1958. It's the first NASA mission to be named for a living researcher.

Physicist Eugene Parker watches the launch of the spacecraft that bears his name – NASA's Parker Solar Probe – early in the morning of Aug. 12, 2018. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL

Watch this video on YouTube.

A plaque dedicating the mission to Parker was attached to the spacecraft in May. It includes a quote from the renowned physicist – "Let's see what lies ahead." It also holds a memory card containing more than 1.1 million names submitted by the public to travel with the spacecraft to the Sun.

NASA's Launch of ICESat-2 from West Coast

The spacecraft will lift off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on the final launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages development of the ICESat-2 mission, including mission systems engineering and mission operations on behalf of the agency's Earth Science Division. Goddard also built and tested the ATLAS instrument. The ICESat-2 spacecraft was built and tested by Northrop Grumman in Gilbert, Arizona. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Delta II launch service. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is responsible for launch service acquisition, integration, analysis and launch management.

For more information about the ICESat-2 mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/icesat-2

Parker Solar Probe Events

NASA's Parker Solar Probe, a historic mission that will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun, is scheduled to launch on Saturday, Aug. 11. The first launch opportunity is at 3:33 a.m. EDT, at the opening of a 65-minute window. The spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed.

Launch coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website at 3:00 a.m. EDT.

Parker Solar Probe, protected by a first-of-its-kind heat shield and other innovative technologies, will provide unprecedented information about our Sun, where changing conditions can spread out into the solar system to affect Earth and other worlds. The spacecraft will fly directly into the Sun's atmosphere where, from a distance of - at the closest approach -- approximately 4 million miles from its surface, the spacecraft will trace how energy and heat move through the Sun's atmosphere and explore what accelerates the solar wind and solar energetic particles.

Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA's Living with a Star Program, managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, designed, built and manages the mission for NASA.

United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Delta IV launch service for Parker Solar Probe. Northrop Grumman is providing the rocket's fully-integrated third stage. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is responsible for launch service acquisition, integration, analysis and launch management.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live launch coverage will begin at 3:00 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of Parker Solar Probe will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 3:00 a.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/.

Join the conversation on social media by following on Twitter and Facebook at: https://twitter.com/NASASun and https://www.facebook.com/NASASunScience/

NASA Administrator Bridenstine visits Kennedy Space Center

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will make his first official visit as NASA Administrator to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Monday, August 6, and Tuesday, August 7, 2018. Bridenstine will meet with employees and tour various facilities, including those of NASA commercial partners.

Bridenstine was sworn in as NASA's 13th administrator on April 23. For more information, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-administrator-bridenstine

NASA's Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Will "Touch" the Sun

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is at the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida.

Parker Solar Probe will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window will open at about 4 a.m., with an approximate one-hour duration.

The spacecraft will provide unprecedented information about our Sun, where changing conditions can spread out into the solar system to affect Earth and other worlds. The spacecraft will fly directly into the Sun's atmosphere where, from a safe distance of approximately 4 million miles from its surface, the spacecraft will trace how energy and heat move through the Sun's atmosphere and explore what accelerates the solar wind and solar energetic particles.

Join the conversation about Parker Solar Probe on social media at: https://twitter.com/NASASun and https://www.facebook.com/NASASunScience

NASA to Launch a Mission to "Touch" Sun

The launch window will open at about 4 a.m. EDT, with an approximate one-hour duration, no earlier than Saturday, Aug. 4.

The spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. Media prelaunch and launch activities will take place at CCAFS and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center.

Launch date schedule updates will be posted at: https://www.nasa.gov/launchschedule/

Parker Solar Probe, about the size of a small car, will provide unprecedented information about our Sun, where changing conditions can spread out into the solar system to affect Earth and other worlds. The spacecraft will fly directly into the Sun's atmosphere where, from a safe distance of approximately 4 million miles from its surface, the spacecraft will trace how energy and heat move through the Sun's atmosphere and explore what accelerates the solar wind and solar energetic particles.

Join the conversation on social media by following on Twitter and Facebook at: https://twitter.com/NASASun
and
https://www.facebook.com/NASASunScience

New NASA Research, Hardware Heading to Space Station on 15th SpaceX Resupply Mission


About nine minutes and 31 seconds after launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 29, 2018, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft separates from the second stage engine. Credits: NASA TV	About 11 minutes after launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 29, 2018, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft successfully deploys its solar arrays. Credits: NASA TV

Experiments investigating cellular biology, Earth science and artificial intelligence are among the research heading to the International Space Station following Friday's launch of a NASA-contracted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 5:42 a.m. EDT.

Dragon lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with more than 5,900 pounds of research, equipment, cargo and supplies that will support dozens of investigations aboard the space station.

NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel will use the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture Dragon when it arrives at the station. Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will air on NASA Television and the agency's website beginning at 5:30 a.m. Monday, July 2. Installation coverage is set to begin at 9 a.m.

Research materials flying inside Dragon's pressurized cargo area include a cellular biology investigation (Micro-12) to understand how microgravity affects the growth, gene expression and ability of a model bacterium to transfer electrons through its cell membrane along the bacterial nanowires it produces. Such bacteria could be used in microbial fuel cells to make electricity from waste organic material.

An Earth science instrument called the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) will provide a new space-based measurement of how plants respond to changes in water availability. This data can help society better manage agricultural water use.

An observational pilot study with the Crew Interactive MObile companioN (CIMON) aims to provide first insights into the effects of crew support from an artificial intelligence (AI) in terms of efficiency and acceptance during long-term missions in space.

Among the hundreds of pounds of hardware flying to the space station is a spare Canadian-built Latching End Effector (LEE). Each end of the Canadarm2 robotic arm has an identical LEE, and they are used as the "hands" that grapple payloads and visiting cargo spaceships. They also enable Canadarm2 to "walk" to different locations on the orbiting outpost.

This is SpaceX's 15th cargo flight to the space station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon is scheduled to depart the station in August and return to Earth with more than 3,800 pounds of research, hardware and crew supplies.

For more than 17 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, 230 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,400 research investigations from researchers in 103 countries.

Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on social media at: https://instagram.com/iss
and https://www.twitter.com/Space_Station
and http://www.twitter.com/ISS_Research

NASA's Janet Petro Selected for Induction to Florida Women's Hall of Fame

Florida Governor Rick Scott selected Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro as one of three inductees for the 2018 Florida Women's Hall of Fame. The Florida Commission on the Status of Women recommended Petro among ten other nominees.

The Commission selects candidates for their significant contributions to the improvement of life for women and all Florida citizens. They are pioneers who have broken down barriers, created new opportunities, and championed issues to better Florida and its people. The Governor customarily selects up to three individuals for induction into the Hall of Fame each year.

"The Florida Commission on the Status of Women, in the true spirit of celebration, is proud to honor these outstanding women who have had such a meaningful impact on our state and its history," said Commission Chair Lady Dhyana Ziegler, Ph.D., DCJ. "This year marks the thirty-sixth year of the Florida Women's Hall of Fame and the Commission is proud to ensure that the stories of Florida women will be shared for future generations."

Petro was appointed to the deputy director position at KSC in April 2007. She shares responsibility with the center director in managing the Kennedy team of civil service and contractor employees, determining and implementing center policy and managing and executing Kennedy missions and agency program responsibilities.

"I can't think of no one more deserving of this honor," said Bob Cabana, director of Kennedy Space Center. "She has been a role model for women throughout her career and has played a critical role in our success in building a premier multi-user spaceport in Florida. Janet has been integral to making our center the Bridge to the Future and all of us at KSC are proud to see her receive this recognition."

As Kennedy transitioned into a multi-user spaceport, Petro led cross agency initiatives with the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Air Force to streamline government processes and support commercial space operations, to increase government efficiency and limit redundancy. Petro began her career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army after graduating in 1981 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, with a Bachelor of Science in engineering. She served in the U.S. Army's aviation branch. She also holds a Master of Science in business administration from Boston University's Metropolitan College.

Prior to joining NASA, Petro served in various management positions for Science Applications International Corp., also known as SAIC, and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Corporation.

The Florida Women's Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Orlando this September in conjunction with the Florida Chamber Foundation's 2018 Future of Florida Forum. Honorees are immortalized on an honorary wall in the Florida Capitol.

NASA Issues Notice for Kennedy Space Center Land Use

The announcement is part of Kennedy's multi-user spaceport objectives and is based on effectively utilizing land assets identified in the center's 20-year Master Plan. This NOA replaces the existing notice with a two-year window of opportunity beginning June 2, 2018, and expiring June 1, 2020. Interested parties can respond to the notice anytime during the open period.

"The Kennedy Space Center is America's premier multi-user spaceport. The last two years have seen a variety of new partners in governmental, educational and commercial industries that were excited to partner with us in an environment that fosters creativity, flexibility and exploration," said Thomas Engler, director of Kennedy's Center Planning and Development. "Kennedy has established itself as the go-to center of choice for space industry investments, today and in the future."

The official announcement and additional details can be found at: https://go.nasa.gov/2LJIEo2
Kennedy's Master Plan is available at: http://masterplan.ksc.nasa.gov/
For information on additional partnership opportunities at Kennedy, visit: http://kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov/

NASA's New Mission to Study the Frontier of Space

Orbital ATK's Pegasus XL rocket, which is attached to the company's L-1011 "Stargazer" aircraft and will carry ICON into orbit. The observatory will leave Vandenberg June 5 for a scheduled launch on June 15 from Kwajalein (June 14 in the continental United States).

ICON will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. This area at times can be filled with such beauty as the aurora, and at other times experience increases in radiation that can interfere with radio communications, satellites and even astronauts. ICON will help determine the physical process at play in this space environment and pave the way for mitigating their effects on our technology, communications systems and society.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorer Program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory leads the ICON mission. The ICON spacecraft was built by Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch service acquisition, integration, analysis, and launch management.

For more information about NASA's ICON mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/icon

Upcoming Launch of Science to Space Station

A Dragon cargo spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

This is the 15th SpaceX mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Each resupply mission to the station also delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations.

Highlights of space station research that will be facilitated by this Dragon's arrival are:

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 230 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future human missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA Hosts the 2018 Robotic Mining Competition, Women in STEM Networking Forum at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

NASA's 2018 Robotic Mining Competition (RMC) is at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 16-18. NASA's Women in STEM Networking Forum for RMC participants in the Astronauts Memorial Foundation's Center for Space Education will be in a building located on visitor complex grounds.

NASA RMC will feature more than 45 teams of undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the nation competing their self-designed and -built, autonomously-operated robots to traverse simulated Martian terrain and excavate simulated Martian regolith. Robots will go head-to-head to determine which machine can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time.

NASA's Women in STEM Networking Forum will facilitate discussions between more than 40 female NASA engineers and scientists and several hundred RMC student participants about career paths in science, technology, engineering and math.

The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in the STEM fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions with potential use on the Moon and other deep space destinations, including Mars.

For more information on the competition, associated activities and social media links to participate virtually, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasarmc
Video highlights of the practice and competition will air on the NASA Television Video File. For downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
For information about Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA, ULA Launch Mission to Study How Mars Was Made

"The United States continues to lead the way to Mars with this next exciting mission to study the Red Planet's core and geological processes," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "I want to congratulate all the teams from NASA and our international partners who made this accomplishment possible. As we continue to gain momentum in our work to send astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars, missions like InSight are going to prove invaluable."

First reports indicate the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket that carried InSight into space was seen as far south as Carlsbad, California, and as far east as Oracle, Arizona. One person recorded video of the launch from a private aircraft flying along the California coast.

Riding the Centaur second stage of the rocket, the spacecraft reached orbit 13 minutes and 16 seconds after launch. Seventy-nine minutes later, the Centaur ignited a second time, sending InSight on a trajectory towards the Red Planet. InSight separated from the Centaur 14 minutes later – 93 minutes after launch – and contacted the spacecraft via NASA's Deep Space Network at 8:41 a.m. EDT (5:41 PDT).

InSight is on a 300-million-mile trip to Mars to study for the first time what lies deep beneath the surface of the Red Planet. Credits: NASA

"The Kennedy Space Center and ULA teams gave us a great ride today and started InSight on our six-and-a-half-month journey to Mars," said Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "We've received positive indication the InSight spacecraft is in good health and we are all excited to be going to Mars once again to do groundbreaking science."

With its successful launch, NASA's InSight team now is focusing on the six-month voyage. During the cruise phase of the mission, engineers will check out the spacecraft's subsystems and science instruments, making sure its solar arrays and antenna are oriented properly, tracking its trajectory and performing maneuvers to keep it on course.

InSight is scheduled to land on the Red Planet around 3 p.m. EST Nov. 26, where it will conduct science operations until Nov. 24, 2020, which equates to one year and 40 days on Mars, or nearly two Earth years.

"Scientists have been dreaming about doing seismology on Mars for years. In my case, I had that dream 40 years ago as a graduate student, and now that shared dream has been lofted through the clouds and into reality," said Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at JPL.

The InSight lander will probe and collect data on marsquakes, heat flow from the planet's interior and the way the planet wobbles, to help scientists understand what makes Mars tick and the processes that shaped the four rocky planets of our inner solar system.

"InSight will not only teach us about Mars, it will enhance our understanding of formation of other rocky worlds like Earth and the Moon, and thousands of planets around other stars," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency headquarters in Washington. "InSight connects science and technology with a diverse team of JPL-led international and commercial partners."

Previous missions to Mars investigated the surface history of the Red Planet by examining features like canyons, volcanoes, rocks and soil, but no one has attempted to investigate the planet's earliest evolution, which can only be found by looking far below the surface.

"InSight will help us unlock the mysteries of Mars in a new way, by not just studying the surface of the planet, but by looking deep inside to help us learn about the earliest building blocks of the planet," said JPL Director Michael Watkins.

JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The InSight spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch service acquisition, integration, analysis, and launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is NASA's launch service provider.

A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'�tudes Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in G�ttingen, Germany. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument.

For more information about InSight, and to follow along on its flight to Mars, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/insight

InSight Briefings and Events

NASA's next mission to Mars - the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport spacecraft (InSight) - is scheduled to launch as early as Saturday, May 5, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. InSight's liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 is targeted for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT) at the opening of a two-hour launch window, making it also the first planetary mission to take off from the West Coast.

Launch coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website at 3:30 a.m. PDT.

InSight will be the first mission to peer deep beneath the Martian surface, studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listening for marsquakes. It will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet's deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars' formation will help us better understand how other rocky planets, including Earth, were and are created.

Launching on the same rocket as InSight is a separate NASA technology experiment known as Mars Cube One (MarCO). These two mini-spacecraft are the first test of miniaturized CubeSat technology in deep space. They are designed to test new communications and navigation capabilities for future missions and may aid InSight communications.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management. The MarCOs were built by JPL, which manages InSight and MarCO for NASA. They were funded by both JPL and NASA's SMD.

A prelaunch mission briefing will be held at 1 p.m. PDT at building 836 and air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

L-0 Day (Saturday, May 5) Public Viewing Sites
There are two official public viewing sites in Lompoc (one hosted by the city of Lompoc and the other hosted by St. Mary's Episcopal Church) that are open to all. For more information on these sites, visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/mission/timeline/launch/watch-in-person/.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live launch coverage will begin at 3:30 a.m. PDT. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit https://www.nasa.gov/live.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of InSight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 3:30 a.m. as the countdown milestones occur.

Additional information about InSight and MarCO for the media is available in the launch press kit: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/insight/

Learn more about the InSight mission by visiting: https://www.nasa.gov/insight & https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/

Join the conversation on social media by following the InSight mission on Twitter and Facebook at: https://twitter.com/NASAInSight & https://www.facebook.com/NASAInSight/

NASA Planet Hunter on Its Way to Orbit

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched on the first-of-its-kind mission to find worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life.

TESS, which is expected to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars, lifted off at 6:51 p.m. EDT Wednesday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At 7:53 p.m., the twin solar arrays that will power the spacecraft successfully deployed.

"We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "With missions like the James Webb Space Telescope to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe."

Over the course of several weeks, TESS will use six thruster burns to travel in a series of progressively elongated orbits to reach the Moon, which will provide a gravitational assist so that TESS can transfer into its 13.7-day final science orbit around Earth. After approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing, the spacecraft will begin its work.

"One critical piece for the science return of TESS is the high data rate associated with its orbit," said George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research in Cambridge. "Each time the spacecraft passes close to Earth, it will transmit full-frame images taken with the cameras. That's one of the unique things TESS brings that was not possible before."

For this two-year survey mission, scientists divided the sky into 26 sectors. TESS will use four unique wide-field cameras to map 13 sectors encompassing the southern sky during its first year of observations and 13 sectors of the northern sky during the second year, altogether covering 85 percent of the sky.

TESS will be watching for phenomena called transits. A transit occurs when a planet passes in front of its star from the observer's perspective, causing a periodic and regular dip in the star's brightness. More than 78 percent of the approximately 3,700 confirmed exoplanets have been found using transits.

NASA's Kepler spacecraft found more than 2,600 exoplanets, most orbiting faint stars between 300 and 3,000 light-years from Earth, using this same method of watching for transits. TESS will focus on stars between 30 and 300 light-years away and 30 to 100 times brighter than Kepler's targets.

The brightness of these target stars will allow researchers to use spectroscopy, the study of the absorption and emission of light, to determine a planet's mass, density and atmospheric composition. Water, and other key molecules, in its atmosphere can give us hints about a planets' capacity to harbor life.

"The targets TESS finds are going to be fantastic subjects for research for decades to come," said Stephen Rinehart, TESS project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's the beginning of a new era of exoplanet research."

Through the TESS Guest Investigator Program, the worldwide scientific community will be able to conduct research beyond TESS's core mission in areas ranging from exoplanet characterization to stellar astrophysics, distant galaxies and solar system science.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT and managed by Goddard. George Ricker, of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, serves as principal investigator for the mission. TESS's four wide-field cameras were developed by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

Kennedy Space Center Traffic and Road Closures for April 14-16

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Planet-Hunting Mission

On a mission to detect planets outside of our solar system, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is scheduled to launch no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT Monday, April 16. Prelaunch mission coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website Sunday, April 15, with three live briefings.

TESS is NASA's next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system, known as exoplanets, including those that could support life. The mission is expected to catalog thousands of planet candidates and vastly increase the current number of known exoplanets. TESS will find the most promising exoplanets orbiting relatively nearby stars, giving future researchers a rich set of new targets for more comprehensive follow-up studies, including the potential to assess their capacity to harbor life.

TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

For the latest schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/content/tess-prelaunch-briefings-and-events

New Research Heading to Space Station Aboard 14th SpaceX Resupply Mission

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station soon will receive a delivery of experiments dealing with how the human body, plants and materials behave in space following the 4:30 p.m. EDT launch Monday of a SpaceX commercial resupply mission.

A SpaceX Dragon lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with more than 5,800 pounds of research investigations and equipment, cargo and supplies that will support dozens of the more than 250 investigations aboard the space station.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Norishige Kanai and NASA astronaut Scott Tingle will use the space station's robotic arm to capture Dragon when it arrives at the station Wednesday, April 4. Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will air on NASA Television and the agency's website beginning at 5:30 a.m. April 4. Installation coverage is set to begin at 8:30 a.m.

Among the research arriving on Dragon is a new facility to test materials, coatings and components, or other large experiments, in the harsh environment of space. Designed by Alpha Space and sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) provides a platform for testing how materials react to exposure to ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen, ionizing radiation, ultrahigh vacuum, charged particles, thermal cycles, electromagnetic radiation, and micro-meteoroids in the low-Earth orbit environment.

The Canadian Space Agency's study Bone Marrow Adipose Reaction: Red or White (MARROW) will look at the effects of microgravity on bone marrow and the blood cells it produces — an effect likened to that of long-term bed rest on Earth. The extent of this effect, and bone marrow's ability to recover when back on Earth, are of interest to space researchers and healthcare providers alike.

Understanding how plants respond to microgravity also is important for future long-duration space missions and the crews that will need to grow their own food. The Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS) arriving on Dragon uses a newly-developed passive nutrient delivery system and the Veggie plant growth facility currently aboard the space station to cultivate leafy greens. These greens will be harvested and eaten by the crew, with samples also being returned to Earth for analysis.

Dragon also is carrying an Earth observatory that will study severe thunderstorms and their role in the Earth's atmosphere and climate, as well as upgrade equipment for the station's carbon dioxide removal system, external high-definition camera components, and a new printer for the station's crew.

This is SpaceX's 14th cargo mission to the space station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon is scheduled to depart the station in May and return to Earth with more than 3,500 pounds of research, hardware and crew supplies.

For more than 17 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,300 research investigations from researchers in more than 100 countries.

NASA Kennedy Announces Recipients of 2018 Chroniclers Awards

NASA will honor three veteran space chroniclers who have excelled at sharing U.S. space exploration news from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Brass strips engraved with each awardee's name will be added to "The Chroniclers" wall in the Kennedy Space Center Press Site during a ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 4, 2018.

The honorees, each of whom covered the U.S. space program from Kennedy for 10 years or more and are no longer working full-time in the field, were selected by a committee of working media, and current and former representatives of NASA Kennedy's Office of Communication, March 21.

The recipients join a distinguished list of broadcasters, journalists, authors, contractor public relations representatives and NASA public affairs officers honored as Kennedy "Chroniclers," including Walter Cronkite of CBS News, ABC News' Jules Bergman and two-time Pulitzer winner, John Noble Wilford of the New York Times.

For a list of "The Chroniclers" and their bios, see: https://go.nasa.gov/2GiEtg9

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

Packed with almost 5,800 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit, at which point it will deploys its solar arrays and begins a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the International Space Station.

Grapple and berthing to the space station is targeted for April 4. Expedition 55 Flight Engineers Norishege Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, backed up by NASA astronaut Scott Tingle, will supervise the operation of the Canadarm2 robotic arm for Dragon's capture. After Dragon capture, ground commands will be sent from mission control in Houston for the station's arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station's Harmony module.

For the latest schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/content/spacex-crs-14-briefings-and-events/

InSight Mars Lander to launch from West Coast

NASA's next mission to Mars is the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport spacecraft (InSight) will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch period runs May 5 through June 8.

InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface, studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listening for marsquakes. It will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet's deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars' formation will help us better understand how other rocky planets, including Earth, were and are created.

The spacecraft will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket lifting off from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg, making it also the first planetary mission to take off from the West Coast.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

NASA's Mission to Study Mars Interior

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander Friday is at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where it's currently undergoing final tests for its May launch.

InSight also will be the first planetary spacecraft to take off from the West Coast, launching aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg. Currently scheduled for May 5, the two-hour launch window opens at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT).

NASA Kennedy Seeks Media Nominations for 2018 'Chroniclers'

"The Chroniclers" program honors broadcasters, journalists, authors, contractor public relations representatives and NASA public affairs officers who excelled in sharing news from Kennedy about U.S. efforts in space exploration with the American public and the world.

Past honorees, all of whose names are displayed on "The Chroniclers" wall in the Kennedy Press Site, include Walter Cronkite of CBS News, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, John Noble Wilford of the New York Times, and Reuters' Mary Bubb, the first female reporter of the space program. Nominees must have covered the U.S. space program primarily from the Kennedy Space Center for 10 years or more and are no longer working full-time in the field.

Each nomination must include a brief paragraph with rationale for its submission.

Email nominations to Al Feinberg, Kennedy Office of Communication, at al.feinberg@nasa.gov. Please make "Chroniclers Nomination(s)" the subject line.

Awardees will be selected by a committee of working broadcasters, journalists, public relations professionals, and present and former representatives of Kennedy's Office of Communication.

Brass strips engraved with each awardee's name will be added to "The Chroniclers" wall in Kennedy's Press Site during a ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 4. The following day, May 5, will be the 57th anniversary of Alan Shepard's historic flight as America's first human in space. Shepard awarded the first Chronicler honorees their award certificates during a similar ceremony in 1995.

For a current list of Chroniclers, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/chroniclers/chronos-index.html

Planned Launch of NASA's Newest Planet-Hunting Spacecraft

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is targeted to launch no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT April 16 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The mission will find planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, that periodically block part of the light from their host stars as they pass by, or transit.

TESS will search for thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest and nearest stars outside our solar system during a two-year period of surveying our solar neighborhood. In its mission to identify new worlds, the spacecraft will monitor more than 200,000 stars, looking for a telltale sign: a decrease in a star"s brightness that occurs when an orbiting planet transits between its star and an observing spacecraft, temporarily blocking the star's light.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and managed by NASA"s Goddard Space Flight Center. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission.

Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participating in the mission.

NASA, ULA Launch Advanced NOAA Weather Satellite

NASA successfully launched the second in a series of next-generation weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at 5:02 p.m. EST Thursday.

NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) lifted off on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

GOES-S mission managers confirmed at 8:58 p.m. the spacecraft's solar arrays successfully deployed and the spacecraft was operating on its own power.

The satellite will provide faster, more accurate and more detailed data, in near real-time, to track storm systems, lightning, wildfires, coastal fog and other hazards that affect the western United States.

"We at NASA Science are proud to support our joint agency partner NOAA on today's launch of GOES-S, a national asset that will impact lives across the Western Hemisphere each and every day," said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science, who attended today's launch.

Once GOES-S is positioned in a geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above Earth, in approximately two weeks, it will be renamed GOES-17. Later this year, after undergoing a full checkout and validation of its six high-tech instruments, the new satellite will move to the GOES-West position and become operational. From there, it constantly will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather.

In addition to improving weather forecasts, GOES-17 will help forecasters locate and track wildfires - invaluable information that emergency response teams need to fight fires and evacuate people out of harm's way. GOES-17 also will be an important tool for forecasters to track and predict the formation and dissipation of fog, which can disrupt airport operations.

GOES-17 will work in tandem with GOES-16, the first satellite in NOAA's new geostationary series, now at the GOES-East position. GOES-17 will extend observational high-resolution satellite coverage of the revolutionary new technology aboard GOES-16 to most of the Western Hemisphere, from the west coast of Africa to New Zealand, and from near the Arctic Circle to near the Antarctic Circle. The satellite will provide more and better data than is currently available over the northeastern Pacific Ocean, the birthplace of many weather systems that affect the continental U.S.

NOAA manages the GOES-R Series program through an integrated NOAA/NASA office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA also oversees the acquisition of the spacecraft, instruments and launch vehicles. Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and is responsible for spacecraft development, integration and testing.

Mission operations will be performed by NOAA at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland. Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Florida, provided the main instrument payload, the Advanced Baseline Imager, and the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data receipt. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management. ULA of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.

NASA Women Take Part in Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Anchored by NASA's Kennedy Space Center, DEEP will provide classrooms with live access to women from around the agency who are leaders in their fields. In 30-minute blocks, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, they'll speak about their NASA careers and experiences as women in STEM fields, then answer questions from students.

Among the NASA experts making presentations will be Janet Petro, KSC's deputy director; Dr. Gioia Massa, life science project scientist for the Vegetable Production System (Veggie); and Janet Gobaira, Kennedy flight systems engineer (en Espanol).

Last year, more than 13,000 students participated or observed the day's programming via NASA live streaming.

NASA's participation in Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is one of many events highlighting National Engineers Week (Feb. 18-24) and coincides with the worldwide celebration of Girl Day on Feb. 22.

To watch via the NASA DEEP live stream, go to https://bit.ly/NASASpeakersBureau. Tweet questions using #NASADEEP or use the chat window next to the video player.

NOAA's GOES-S

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) is scheduled to launch on Thursday, March 1, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 is targeted for 5:02 p.m. EST at the opening of a two-hour launch window. Launch coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website at 4:30 p.m.

GOES-S is the second in the GOES-R Series of weather satellites that includes GOES-R (now GOES-16), -S, -T and -U. GOES-S will be renamed GOES-17 when it reaches geostationary orbit. Once the satellite is declared operational late this year, it will occupy NOAA's GOES-West position and provide faster, more accurate data for tracking wildfires, tropical cyclones, fog and other storm systems and hazards that threaten the western United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Central America and the Pacific Ocean all the way to New Zealand.

NOAA manages the GOES-R Series program through an integrated NOAA/NASA office collocated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center that oversees the acquisition of the program ground system. NASA oversees the acquisition of the spacecraft, instruments and launch vehicles. Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and is responsible for spacecraft development, integration and testing.

Mission operations will be performed by NOAA at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland. Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Florida, provided the main instrument payload, the Advanced Baseline Imager, and the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data receipt. NASA's Launch Services Program is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET. Coverage will conclude after solar array deploy. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of GOES-S will be available on https://www.nasa.gov. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET as the countdown milestones occur. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/goes/.

NASA to Host National Space Council Meeting at Kennedy Space Center

After his arrival on Tuesday, Vice President Pence will tour Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch facilities and participate in a commercial spaceflight federal reception. On Wednesday, Vice President Pence will lead the National Space Council meeting inside Kennedy's Space Station Processing Facility. "Moon, Mars, and Worlds Beyond: Winning the Next Frontier" will include testimonials from leaders in the civil, commercial, and national security sectors about the importance of the United States' space enterprise. The Vice President will conclude his visit with a tour of Kennedy Space Center.

This will be the second meeting of the National Space Council, which President Trump re-established last year.

Images and video highlights from the meeting and tours will be available at: https://www.nasa.gov/mediaresources
For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

A Dragon cargo spacecraft, previously flown on SpaceX's eighth commercial resupply mission to the station for NASA, will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

Highlights of space station research that will be facilitated by Dragon's arrival are:

Among the cargo that will enable National Laboratory research, which is managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, is a platform that will enable testing of materials, coatings, and components in the harsh environment of space, and investigations into the process of antibiotic release and technology for the evaluation of drug safety and effectiveness.

This is the 14th SpaceX mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 220 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA's TESS Spacecraft

TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of the solar system orbiting other nearby, bright stars. The mission will find these planets (e.g., "exoplanets") that periodically block part of the light from stars while transiting across the star. The media event is an opportunity to photograph the spacecraft and interview project and program team members.

TESS is targeted to launch this spring on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force (CCAFS) Station in Florida.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission. NASA's Launch Services Program is responsible for launch management. SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, is the provider of the Falcon 9 launch service.

Upcoming NOAA GOES-S Satellite Launch

Scheduled launch Thursday, March 1, of the second in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) series of next-generation geostationary weather satellites.

NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) is scheduled to launch at 5:02 p.m. EST on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. GOES-S is the second in the GOES-R Series of weather satellites that includes GOES-R (now GOES-16), -S, -T and -U.

GOES-S will be renamed GOES-17 when it reaches geostationary orbit. Once the satellite is declared operational late this year, it will occupy NOAA's GOES-West position and provide faster, more accurate data for tracking wildfires, tropical cyclones, fog and other storm systems and hazards that threaten the western United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Central America and part of South America.

NOAA manages the GOES-R Series program through an integrated NOAA/NASA office and oversees the acquisition of the program ground system. NASA oversees the acquisition of the spacecraft, instruments and launch vehicles. Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and is responsible for spacecraft development, integration and testing.

Mission operations will be performed by NOAA at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland. Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Florida, provided the main instrument payload, the Advanced Baseline Imager, and the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data receipt. NASA's Launch Services Program is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.

NASA, 45th Space Wing discuss the 60-Year Anniversary of Explorer 1 Launch

The successful launch of Explorer 1 on Jan. 31, 1958, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, marked the beginning of U.S. space exploration. The primary science instrument on board was a cosmic ray detector, which led to Explorer principal investigator James Van Allen's discovery of Earth's radiation belts, later named the Van Allen belts in his honor. The Air Force Space and Missile Museum is located at the launch site where this pioneering mission began.

A new NASA website provides extensive historical information about Explorer 1, including archival imagery and videos: https://explorer1.jpl.nasa.gov

America's space program continues to build on 60 years of scientific exploration and discovery that followed Explorer 1 with new missions that will expand our view of the universe, our solar system, and our home planet. For more information about NASA programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov

NASA Invites Media to View Orion Test Capsule, Recovery Hardware

NASA's Orion spacecraft and the hardware that will be used to recover the spacecraft upon its return from space.

In preparation for Exploration Mission-1, NASA and the U.S. Navy will conduct testing Jan. 17-23 for recovery of the agency's Orion spacecraft from the sea following its first uncrewed flight on the Space Launch System rocket. This test is part of a series to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures and hardware for recovery operations.

Orion is America's exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to deep space destinations, including the Moon, Mars and beyond.

For more information about Exploration Ground Systems, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems
For more information about Orion, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/orion

NASA: NOAA Weather Spacecraft — March Launch Scheduled

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S), the second in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) series of next-generation geostationary weather satellites.

The spacecraft is at the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida.

The GOES-R satellite series, which includes GOES-R, -S, -T and -U, is the nation's most advanced fleet of geostationary weather satellites that will extend the availability of the operational GOES satellite system through 2036.

GOES-S is scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 5:02 p.m. EST Thursday, March 1, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity.

NOAA manages the GOES-R Series Program through an integrated NOAA-NASA office and is responsible for the science and data applications. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides spacecraft project management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and is responsible for spacecraft development, integration and testing.

Mission operations will be performed by NOAA at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland. Harris Corp., of Melbourne, Florida, provided the main instrument payload, the Advanced Baseline Imager, the antenna system for data receipt and the ground segment. NASA's Launch Services Program is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.

For more information about the GOES-R Series Program, visit: https://www.goes-r.gov

2017

NASA Sends New Research to Space Station Aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

Dragon lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with more than 4,800 pounds of research equipment, cargo and supplies that will support dozens of the more than 250 investigations aboard the space station.

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba will use the space station's robotic arm to capture Dragon when it arrives at the station. Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will air on NASA Television and the agency's website beginning at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 17. Installation coverage is set to begin at 7:30 a.m.

Research materials flying inside Dragon's pressurized area include an investigation demonstrating the benefits of manufacturing fiber optic filaments in a microgravity environment. Designed by the company Made in Space, and sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the investigation will attempt to pull fiber optic wire from ZBLAN, a heavy metal fluoride glass commonly used to make fiber optic glass. Results from this investigation could lead to the production of higher-quality fiber optic products for use in space and on Earth.

NASA's Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS-1, will measure the Sun's energy input to Earth. TSIS-1 measurements will be three times more accurate than previous capabilities, enabling scientists to study the Sun's natural influence on Earth's ozone, atmospheric circulation, clouds and ecosystems. These observations are essential for a scientific understanding of the effects of solar variability on the Earth system.

The Space Debris Sensor (SDS) will measure the orbital debris environment around the space station for two to three years. Once mounted on the exterior of the station, this one-square-meter sensor will provide near-real-time debris impact detection and recording. Research from this investigation could help lower the risks posed by orbital debris to human life and critical hardware.

This is SpaceX's 13th cargo flight to the space station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon is scheduled to depart the station in January 2018 and return to Earth with more than 3,600 pounds of research, hardware and crew supplies.

For more than 17 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,100 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on social media at: https://instagram.com/iss
and https://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

NASA Television Updates Broadcast Schedule for Cargo Resupply Mission

Packed with almost 4,800 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Launch coverage will begin at 10 a.m., followed at noon by a post-launch news conference with representatives from NASA's International Space Station Program and SpaceX.

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit and deploy its solar arrays. A carefully choreographed series of thruster firings will bring the spacecraft to rendezvous with the space station Sunday, Dec. 17. NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba will capture Dragon using the space station's robotic arm. Ground controllers then will send commands to robotically install the spacecraft on the station's Harmony module.

The Dragon spacecraft will spend approximately one month attached to the space station, returning to Earth in mid-January with results of previous experiments.

Also on Sunday, Scott Tingle of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station at 2:21 a.m. (1:21 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

NASA Awards Contract for Safety, Mission Assurance Support

SMASS III is a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a two-year base period and three one-year options. The total potential value of the contract is approximately $52 million.

The services to be performed include safety and mission assurance risk assessments, inspections, investigations, engineering analyses, and evaluations of work performed by other government contractors and NASA organizations. SMASS III customers include NASA's Commercial Crew, Launch Services and International Space Station programs.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

A SpaceX Dragon loaded with about 4,800 pounds of research, hardware and crew supplies bound for the International Space Station is targeted to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than 11:46 a.m. EST, Dec. 12.
Credits: NASA

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is now targeting its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for no earlier than 11:46 a.m. EST Tuesday, Dec. 12.

The Dragon spacecraft will spend approximately one month attached to the space station, returning to Earth on Jan. 13 with results of previous experiments.

NASA: Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for 1:20 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 8. Coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website Thursday, Dec. 7, with two briefings.

Loaded with about 4,800 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket. The payloads include crucial materials to directly support several of the more than 250 science and research investigations to be conducted on the orbiting laboratory during Expeditions 53, 54 and 55.

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit and deploy its solar arrays. A carefully choreographed series of thruster firings are scheduled to allow the spacecraft to rendezvous with the space station. NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba will grapple Dragon using the space station's robotic arm. It then will be installed on the station's Harmony module.

Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will begin at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, on NASA TV, with installation coverage set to begin at 7:30 a.m.

The Dragon spacecraft will spend approximately one month attached to the space station. It will remain until Jan. 6 when the spacecraft will return to Earth with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 12:45 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-13 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 12:45 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the newsroom at 321-867-2468. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at http://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex.

Post-Launch News Conference on NASA TV
A post-launch news conference will occur at about 3 p.m. in Kennedy's Press Site TV Auditorium and air live on NASA Television and the agency's website at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-13 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA to Highlight Science on Next Resupply Mission to Space Station

SpaceX is targeting an early December launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

NASA Launches NOAA Weather Satellite Aboard United Launch Alliance Rocket to Improve Forecasts

NASA has successfully launched for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the first in a series of four highly advanced polar-orbiting satellites, equipped with next-generation technology and designed to improve the accuracy of U.S. weather forecasts out to seven days.

The Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) lifted off on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 1:47 a.m. PST Saturday.

Approximately 63 minutes after launch the solar arrays on JPSS-1 deployed and the spacecraft was operating on its own power. JPSS-1 will be renamed NOAA-20 when it reaches its final orbit. Following a three-month checkout and validation of its five advanced instruments, the satellite will become operational.

"Launching JPSS-1 underscores NOAA's commitment to putting the best possible satellites into orbit, giving our forecasters -- and the public -- greater confidence in weather forecasts up to seven days in advance, including the potential for severe, or impactful weather," said Stephen Volz, director of NOAA's Satellite and Information Service.

JPSS-1 will join the joint NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite in the same orbit and provide meteorologists with observations of atmospheric temperature and moisture, clouds, sea-surface temperature, ocean color, sea ice cover, volcanic ash, and fire detection. The data will improve weather forecasting, such as predicting a hurricane's track, and will help agencies involved with post-storm recovery by visualizing storm damage and the geographic extent of power outages.

"Emergency managers increasingly rely on our forecasts to make critical decisions and take appropriate action before a storm hits," said Louis W. Uccellini, director of NOAA's National Weather Service. "Polar satellite observations not only help us monitor and collect information about current weather systems, but they provide data to feed into our weather forecast models."

JPSS-1 has five instruments, each of which is significantly upgraded from the instruments on NOAA's previous polar-orbiting satellites. The more-detailed observations from JPSS will allow forecasters to make more accurate predictions. JPSS-1 data will also improve recognition of climate patterns that influence the weather, such as El Nino and La Nina.

The JPSS program is a partnership between NOAA and NASA through which they will oversee the development, launch, testing and operation all the satellites in the series. NOAA funds and manages the program, operations and data products. NASA develops and builds the instruments, spacecraft and ground system and launches the satellites for NOAA. JPSS-1 launch management was provided by NASA's Launch Services Program based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Today's launch is the latest example of the strong relationship between NASA and NOAA, contributing to the advancement of scientific discovery and the improvement of the U.S. weather forecasting capability by leveraging the unique vantage point of space to benefit and protect humankind," said Sandra Smalley, director of NASA's Joint Agency Satellite Division.

Ball Aerospace designed and built the JPSS-1 satellite bus and Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite instrument, integrated all five of the spacecraft's instruments and performed satellite-level testing and launch support. Raytheon Corporation built the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite and the Common Ground System. Harris Corporation built the Cross-track Infrared Sounder. Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems built the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder and the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System instrument.

To learn more about the JPSS-1 mission, visit: http://www.jpss.noaa.gov/ and https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss-1

NASA Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite Rescheduled for Nov. 18

The launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) satellite, the first in a new series of four highly advanced National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) polar-orbiting satellites, now is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Launch coverage will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for 4:47 a.m. EST (1:47 a.m. PST).

NASA TV launch coverage begins at 4:15 a.m. and will conclude after the deployment of four small satellite missions, called CubeSats, which will accompany JPSS-1 as payload on the Delta II rocket. There is no planned post-launch news conference. A post-launch news release will be issued as soon as the state-of-health of the spacecraft is verified.

JPSS represents significant technological and scientific advancements in observations used for severe weather prediction and environmental monitoring. JPSS is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA. The JPSS system will help increase weather forecast accuracy from three to seven days.

Additional launch day coverage will be available on NASA.gov. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 4:15 a.m. as countdown milestones occur. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/jpss.

To learn more about the JPSS-1 mission, visit: https://www.jpss.noaa.gov and https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss-1

Join the conversation and follow the JPSS-1 mission on social media by using Twitter and Facebook at: https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites and https://www.facebook.com/NOAANESDIS/

JPSS-1 Now Scheduled for Nov. 14

NOAA's National Weather Service uses JPSS data as critical input for numerical forecast models, providing the basis for mid-range forecasts. These forecasts enable emergency managers to make timely decisions to protect American lives and property, including early warnings and evacuations.

JPSS satellites circle the Earth from pole-to-pole and cross the equator 14 times daily--providing full global coverage twice a day. Polar satellites are considered the backbone of the global observing system.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 1:15 a.m. PST. Coverage will conclude after CubeSat deployment. There is no planned post-launch news conference. A post-launch news release will be issued as soon as the state-of-health of the spacecraft can be verified. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the JPSS-1 flight will be available on http://www.nasa.gov. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 1:15 a.m. PST as the countdown milestones occur. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/jpss.

Learn more about the JPSS-1 mission by visiting:
www.jpss.noaa.gov
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss-1

Join the conversation and follow the JPSS-1 mission on social media by using Twitter and Facebook at:
https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites
https://www.facebook.com/NOAANESDIS/

NASA Coverage Set for Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA are preparing for the upcoming launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), the first in a series of four highly advanced NOAA polar-orbiting satellites designed to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts out to seven days.

JPSS-1 is scheduled to launch at 4:47 a.m. EST (1:47 a.m. PST) Friday, Nov. 10, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. NASA Television and the agency's website will provide live coverage.

JPSS-1 will use the most-advanced technology NOAA has ever flown in a polar-orbiting satellite to capture more precise observations than ever of our atmosphere, land and waters. It will provide meteorologists and other scientists with a variety of observations, including atmospheric temperature and moisture, sea-surface temperature, ocean color, sea ice cover, volcanic ash and fire detection.

NASA TV live coverage will begin at 4:15 a.m. Coverage will conclude after spacecraft separation. There is no planned post-launch news conference. A post-launch news release will be issued as soon as the state-of-health of the spacecraft can be verified.

To learn more about the JPSS-1 mission, visit: http://www.jpss.noaa.gov/ and https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss-1

Join the conversation and follow the JPSS-1 mission on social media by using Twitter and Facebook at: https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites
and https://www.facebook.com/NOAANESDIS/

NASA Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

The uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, which was flown on SpaceX's sixth commercial resupply mission to station for NASA, will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch will be the first this year from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

This is the 13th SpaceX mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. In addition to supplies and equipment, Dragon will deliver several science investigations to the space station, including a NASA instrument called Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS-1, which will measure the Sun's energy input to Earth, and a fiber optic payload. Also manifested on this flight is an investigation sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space known as Biorasis – Glucose Biosensor, which seeks to improve the accuracy of a wireless medically implantable continuous glucose biosensor for day-to-day diabetes management.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to Mars.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Landsat 9 Mission

The total cost for NASA to launch Landsat 9 is approximately $153.8 million, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.

Landsat 9 is a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to continue the Landsat program's critical role in monitoring, understanding, and managing the land resources needed to sustain human life. Today's increased rates of global land cover and land use change have profound consequences for weather and climate change, ecosystem function and services, carbon cycling and sequestration, resource management, the national and global economy, and human health and society. Landsat is the only U.S. satellite system designed and operated to repeatedly make multi-spectral observations of the global land surface at a moderate scale that shows both natural and human-induced change.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the ULS launch service. The Landsat 9 Flight Project office is located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and manages spacecraft development for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in partnership with USGS in Washington.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1)

NASA TV live coverage will begin at 1:15 a.m. PT. Coverage will conclude after spacecraft separation. There is no planned post-launch news conference. A post-launch news release will be issued as soon as the state-of-health of the spacecraft can be verified. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the JPSS-1 flight will be available on http://www.nasa.gov. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 1:15 a.m. PT as the countdown milestones occur. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/jpss.

Learn more about the JPSS-1 mission by visiting:
www.jpss.noaa.gov
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss-1

Join the conversation and follow the JPSS-1 mission on social media by using Twitter and Facebook at:
https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites
https://www.facebook.com/NOAANESDIS/

NASA Awards Contract for Integration, Launch Services of U-Class Payloads

U-Class payloads are miniature space research satellites that typically use commercial, off-the-shelf electronic components. The U-Class payloads flown by NASA primarily are developed by a variety of education and government organizations.

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov

NASA Successfully Launches Latest Communications Satellite

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M), which is the third and final in a series of next generation communications satellites, has successfully been placed into orbit following separation from an United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. TDRS-M launched Friday at 8:29 a.m. EDT from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Ground controllers report the satellite is in good health at the start of a four-month checkout in space by its manufacturer, Boeing. NASA will conduct additional tests before putting TDRS-M into service early next year. When ready, TDRS-M will become part of NASA's Space Network providing navigation and high-data-rate communications to the International Space Station, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, rockets and a host of other spacecraft.

"The TDRS fleet is a critical connection delivering science and human spaceflight data to those who can use it here on Earth," said Dave Littmann, the TDRS project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "TDRS-M will expand the capabilities and extend the lifespan of the Space Network, allowing us to continue receiving and transmitting mission data well into the next decade."

The mission of the TDRS project, established in 1973, is to develop, launch and deliver data communications relay spacecraft to support NASA's Space Network, which provides high-data-rate communications and accurate navigation. The TDRS-M spacecraft is effectively identical -- in both function and performance -- to the TDRS-K and -L spacecraft launched in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The TDRS fleet began operating during the space shuttle era with the launch of TDRS-1 in 1983. Of the TDRS spacecraft launched to date, only two have been retired and five of the nine operational satellites have exceeded their design life and continue to provide essential communications and navigation services.

Boeing conducted spacecraft integration and testing earlier this year at its satellite factory in El Segundo, California. After testing and confirming the spacecraft was ready for shipment, launch processing began following TDRS-M's arrival in Florida June 23.

NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program, known as SCaN, is part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington, and is responsible for the Space Network. The TDRS project office at Goddard manages the TDRS development program. Management of the launch service for TDRS-M is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ULA provided the Atlas V rocket launch service.

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence Demonstration

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for the flight series. The research is under NASA's Commercial Supersonic Technology project. NASA's supersonic research, spanning decades, is leading toward quieting the sonic boom to more of a quiet "thump."

SonicBAT flights will begin Aug. 21 and extend over approximately two weeks. NASA F-18 aircraft will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers on the ground measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence on sonic booms.

The project aims to collect data in three different conditions, including low turbulence, medium turbulence and significant turbulence, to obtain a stronger understanding of how the variations impact sonic booms.

SonicBAT is a continuation of the 2016 successful supersonic research flights flown at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, located in the dry atmosphere at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The project now looks to gather similar data in the humid atmosphere at Kennedy.

For more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/features/sonic_boom_tests_set_for_ksc.html

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Communications Satellite

NASA is targeting 8:03 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 18, for the launch of its next Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) mission atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch, and related activities that begin Thursday, Aug. 17, will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

TDRS-M, built by Boeing, will provide NASA's Space Network the ability to support critical space communication into the mid-2020s, ensuring scientists, engineers and control room staff can readily access data for missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 7:30 a.m. Coverage will conclude after spacecraft separation. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. Launch coverage also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the TDRS-M flight will be available on http://www.nasa.gov. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 7:30 a.m. as the countdown milestones occur. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/tdrs/

Learn more about the TDRS-M mission by visiting:
http://www.nasa.gov/tdrs
Join the conversation and follow the TDRS-M mission on social media by using Twitter and Facebook at:
https://twitter.com/NASA_TDRS
https://www.facebook.com/NASA.TDRS/

NASA Awards Contract for Infrastructure, Applications, Communications

KIAC is a firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract with FFP and labor hour indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity components. The contract has a two-year base period followed by one two-year option and one one-year option. If all options are exercised, the maximum potential value for the contract is approximately $319 million.

The KIAC contract is the primary provider of infrastructure and application services, communication services, and multimedia support services for NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This contract delivers products and services to both NASA and the Department of Defense, and provides benefit to other government agencies, contractors, academia, news media organizations, and various space-related industry entities.

The contractor will provide products and services including: application operations and software development; data center operations; voice, imaging and data communications; multimedia services support; documentation and reproduction; and research and library management.

Products and services will be provided to customers at Kennedy, NASA facilities at the adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and other locations.

NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station Aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

Experiments seeking a better understanding of Parkinson's disease and the origin of cosmic rays are on their way to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft following today's 12:31 p.m. EDT launch.

Carrying more than 6,400 pounds of research equipment, cargo and supplies, the spacecraft lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the company's 12th commercial resupply mission. It will arrive at the space station Wednesday, Aug. 16, at which time astronauts Jack Fischer of NASA and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) will use the space station's robotic arm to capture it.

NASA Television and the agency's website will provide live coverage of spacecraft rendezvous and capture beginning at 5:30 a.m., followed by installation coverage at 8:30 a.m.

Research materials flying inside the Dragon's pressurized area include an experiment to grow large crystals of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), a protein believed to be the greatest genetic contributor to Parkinson's disease. Gravity keeps Earth-grown versions of this protein too small and too compact to study. This experiment, developed by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Anatrace and Com-Pac International, will exploit the benefits of microgravity to grow larger, more perfectly-shaped LRRK2 crystals for analysis on Earth. Results from this study could help scientists better understand Parkinson's and aid in the development of therapies.

The Kestrel Eye (NanoRacks-KE IIM) investigation is a microsatellite carrying an optical imaging payload, including a commercially available telescope. This investigation, sponsored by the U.S. National Laboratory, tests the concept of using microsatellites in low-Earth orbit to support critical operations, such as lowering the cost of Earth imagery in time-sensitive situations such as tracking severe weather and detecting natural disasters.

The Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass instrument will be attached to the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility on the space station, and measure the charges of cosmic rays. The data collected from its three-year mission will address fundamental questions about the origins and histories of cosmic rays, building a stronger understanding of the basic structure of the universe. Dragon is scheduled to depart the space station in mid-September, returning more than 3,300 pounds of science, hardware and crew supplies to Earth.

For more than 16 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth to enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,900 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter at: http://instagram.com/iss
and
http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

NASA Awards Contract for Modification of Mobile Launcher

The value of this fixed price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract is not to exceed $30 million. The performance period is five years.

RS&H will provide architectural engineering and design services necessary to modify and develop structural, mechanical and electrical systems to renovate the mobile launcher. Modifications will include facility infrastructure, ground support systems and ground support equipment.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

Loaded with more than 6,400 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket. The payloads include crucial materials to directly support several of the more than 250 science and research investigations to be conducted on the orbiting laboratory during Expeditions 52 and 53.

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit and deploy its solar arrays. A carefully choreographed series of thruster firings are scheduled to allow the spacecraft to rendezvous with the space station. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli will grapple Dragon using the space station's robotic arm. It then will be installed on the station's Harmony module.

Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will begin at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, on NASA TV, with installation coverage set to begin at 8:30 a.m.

The Dragon spacecraft will spend approximately one month attached to the space station. It will remain until mid-September when the spacecraft will return to Earth with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

Launch Equipment Test Facility The LETF tests all the launch umbilicals for the Mobile Launcher. This site is a versatile test and development area that supports the entire spectrum of operational programs. It has been upgraded and refurbished to support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) program, and is used to test a wide variety of large-scale hardware and ground support equipment components. Equipment at the facility can recreate liftoff and operational conditions to test component performance, and can supply cryogenics, hydraulics, electrical, ECS and other commodities to enable "test-as-you-fly."

NASA TV Launch Coverage NASA TV live coverage will begin at noon. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-12 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA Awards Laboratory Support Services and Operations Contract at Kennedy

LASSO is a cost plus fixed-fee contract that includes a two-month phase-in period, which begins Aug. 2, followed by a two-year base period and three one-year options. The total potential value of the contract is approximately $69.4 million. The LASSO contract also includes the option to add 'flex' hours to cover additional work.

The scope of this contract includes program management; laboratory maintenance and support; operational laboratory services; and professional and technical support for scientific research and engineering analysis, test and evaluation in laboratory environments.

LASSO supports: Center Management and Operations; Ground Systems Development and Operations; International Space Station; Launch Services; U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station; Advanced Exploration Systems; programs in NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate; other NASA centers; Kennedy Spaceport customers; commercial entities; and other government agencies.

NASA Opens Media Accreditation for Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to Mars.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

TDRS-M Spacecraft

The addition of TDRS-M to the fleet will provide the Space Network (SN) the ability to support space communications to the mid-2020s. The network consists of TDRS satellites that transmit data to and from ground stations on Earth for NASA missions and expendable launch vehicles. Without the Space Network, scientists, engineers and control room staff would be unable to readily access data from missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.

Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems in El Segundo, California., built TDRS-M. NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program, part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, is responsible for the TDRS network. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance provides the Atlas V rocket and launch service.

Vice President Pence Visits NASA's Multi-User Spaceport – Kennedy Space Center

Vice President Mike Pence speaks at NASA's KSC.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks before an audience of NASA leaders, U.S. and Florida government officials, and employees inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pence thanked employees for advancing American leadership in space. Behind the podium is the Orion spacecraft flown on Exploration Flight test-1 in 2014.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Vice President Mike Pence thanked employees at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for their commitment to America's continued leadership in the space frontier during a visit to America's multi-user spaceport on Thursday.

Vice President Mike Pence at Lockheed Martin

Vice President Mike Pence speaks to Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson during a tour of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the Orion spacecraft is being readied for a trip beyond the moon on its first integrated flight with the Space Launch System rocket. Walking with them, from left to right, are U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (Florida), NASA Astronauts Reid Wiseman and Pat Forrester, and NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

"Let us do what our nation has always done since its very founding and beyond: We've pushed the boundaries on frontiers, not just of territory, but of knowledge. We've blazed new trails, and we've astonished the world as we've boldly grasped our future without fear," the Vice President told employees, government dignitaries and space industry leaders in remarks at the facility's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, where the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft will be prepared ahead of launches to the moon, and eventually to Mars and beyond. "From this 'Bridge to Space,' our nation will return to the moon, and we will put American boots on the face of Mars."

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot thanked Vice President Pence and the administration for their strong support, and pointed out the evidence of government and industry cooperation on display at Kennedy.

"Here, of all places, we can see we're not looking at an 'and/or proposition'," Lightfoot said. "We need government and commercial entities. We need large companies and small companies. We need international partners and our domestic suppliers. And we need academia to bring that innovation and excitement that they bring to the next workforce that we're going to use to actually keep going further into space than we ever have before."

Vice President Pence also got a first-hand look at the public-private partnerships at Kennedy during a tour that showcased both NASA and commercial work that will soon lead to U.S.-based astronaut launches and eventual missions into deep space. The Vice President started his visit with a concrete example of public-private development, as Air Force Two touched down on the Shuttle Landing Facility, the former space shuttle landing strip now leased and operated by Space Florida. After his remarks in the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Vice President shook hands with employees before departing on a tour, accompanied by Lightfoot, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, and NASA astronauts Pat Forrester and Reid Wiseman.

The Vice President visited the center's Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, where the Orion spacecraft is being prepped for its first integrated flight with SLS in 2019. Orion has elements made in America by workers at more than 1,500 companies in 48 states, and some of that work, including components of Orion's protective heat shield, were on display during the tour.

A driving tour showcased the mobile launch platform being readied for SLS flights as well as two commercial space facilities: Launch Complex 39A, the historic Apollo and shuttle pad now leased by SpaceX and used for commercial launches, and Boeing's facility, where engineers are prepping the company's Starliner capsule for crew flights to the space station in the same facility once used to do the same thing for space shuttles.

"We are in a great position here at Kennedy, we made our vision a reality; it couldn't have been done without the passion and energy of our workforce," said Kennedy Space Center Director Cabana. "Kennedy is fully established as a multi-user spaceport supporting both government and commercial partners in the space industry. As America's premier multi-user spaceport, Kennedy continues to make history as it evolves, launching to low-Earth orbit and beyond."

The Vice President also discussed President Trump's executive order signed on June 30, re-establishing the National Space Council to coordinate all aspects of the nation's space power. The Vice President said the Council will bring a renewed sense of purpose to America's space policy by strengthening our economy and unlocking new opportunities, inspiring our children, enhancing our common defense and advancing the security of the American people.

For more information about NASA's missions and activities, including video and images of Vice President Pence's tour of the Kennedy Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov

NASA Provides Coverage of Vice President Pence's Visit to Kennedy Space Center

NASA TV and the agency's website will air live coverage for parts of the visit starting at noon EDT with Air Force Two's arrival at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility runway, followed by a special address to the center's workforce in the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at 1 p.m.

The vice president will tour Kennedy and learn more about the center's work as a multi-user spaceport for commercial and government clients, as well as see the agency's progress toward launching from U.S. soil on spacecraft built by American companies, and traveling past the moon, and eventually on to Mars and beyond with the help of NASA's new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

For images of the vice president's tour, visit NASA's homepage and the agency's headquarters Flickr account.

Coverage on NASA's social media accounts will include Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.

Vice President Pence to Visit NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA Television and the agency's website will provide live coverage for parts of the visit starting at noon EDT with Air Force Two's arrival at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility runway, as well as a special address to the center's workforce at 12:50 p.m.

The Vice President will tour Kennedy and learn more about the center's work as a multi-user spaceport for commercial and government clients, as well as see the agency's progress toward launching from U.S. soil on spacecraft built by American companies, and traveling past the moon, and eventually on to Mars and beyond with the help of NASA's new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA Awards Contract for Institutional Support Services

KISS IV begins Aug. 1 with a 14-month base period, followed by three one-year options and a five-month option. If all options are exercised, the maximum potential value for the indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contract is $65 million.

Apache-Logical will provide services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in areas such as clerical support, financial management support, personnel program activity, employee benefits, personnel action processing, procurement acquisition, administration and analysis, business systems, records and property management.

For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov

Launch of NASA's Newest Communications Satellite

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)-M

NASA is preparing to launch the next satellite in the agency's space network fleet – the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)-M. TDRS-M is targeted to liftoff on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:02 a.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 3.
Credits: NASA

The addition of TDRS-M to the fleet will provide NASA's Space Network the ability to support space communication for an additional 15 years. The network consists of TDRS satellites that transmit data to and from ground stations on Earth for NASA missions and expendable launch vehicles. The Space Network allows scientists, engineers and control room staff to readily access data from missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.

Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems of El Segundo, California, built TDRS-M. NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program, a part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, is responsible for the TDRS network. Launch management of the Atlas V launch service for TDRS-M is the responsibility of the mission directorate's Launch Services Program at Kennedy.

New NASA Experiments, Research Headed to International Space Station

Major experiments that will look into the human body and out into the galaxy are on their way to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft following its 5:07 p.m. EDT launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.

The Dragon lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 6,000 pounds of research equipment, cargo and supplies are packed into the cargo craft that is now in Earth orbit and headed to the station.

NASA Television and the agency's website will provide live coverage of the rendezvous and capture beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 5. NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson will use the space station's robotic arm to capture SpaceX's Dragon when it arrives at the station.

Research materials flying inside the Dragon's pressurized area include an experiment studying fruit flies to better understand the effects on the heart of prolonged exposure to microgravity. Because they're small, age rapidly, and have a well-known genetic make-up, they are good models for heart function studies. This experiment could significantly advance understanding of how spaceflight affects the cardiovascular system and could aid in the development of countermeasures to help astronauts.

The Systemic Therapy of NELL-1 for osteoporosis investigation tests a new drug that can rebuild bone and block further bone loss, improving crew health. When people and animals spend extended periods of time in space, they experience bone density loss, or osteoporosis. In-flight countermeasures, such as exercise, prevent it from getting worse, but there isn't a therapy on Earth or in space that can restore bone. The results from this ISS National Laboratory-sponsored investigation build on previous research also supported by the National Institutes for Health and could lead to new drugs for treating bone density loss in millions of people on Earth.

Three payloads inside Dragon's unpressurized area will demonstrate new solar panel technologies, study the physics of neutron stars, and host an array of Earth-viewing instruments.

This mission is SpaceX's eleventh cargo flight to the station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations during the station's Expeditions 52 and 53.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to depart the space station in early July, returning with more than 3,400 pounds of science, hardware and crew supplies.

For more than 16 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,900 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at: http://www.nasa.gov/station
Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter at: http://instagram.com/iss and http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station
Learn more about SpaceX's resupply mission at: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

SpaceX CRS-11

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting its eleventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for 5:55 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 1. Launch coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website at 5:15 p.m.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will liftoff on the company's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying almost 6,000 pounds of science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 52 and 53 crew members. The unpressurized trunk of the spacecraft also will transport solar panels, tools for Earth-observation and equipment to study neutron stars.

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit. It then will deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. When it arrives to the space station, Expedition 52 Flight Engineers Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson of NASA will grapple Dragon.

Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, June 4, on NASA TV, with installation coverage set to begin at 11:30 a.m. If the launch does not occur on June 1, the next launch opportunity is 5:07 p.m. Saturday, June 3, with NASA TV coverage starting at 4:30 p.m.

The Dragon spacecraft will remain at the space station until approximately July 2, when it will return to Earth with research and return cargo in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Baja California.

This will be the 100th launch, and sixth SpaceX launch, from this pad. Previous launches include 11 Apollo flights, the launch of the unmanned Skylab in 1973, 82 shuttle flights and five SpaceX launches.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 5:15 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-11 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 5:15 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex

Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-11 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA Astronauts Inducted into Hall of Fame, Live May 19 on NASA Television

Two NASA astronauts, both with one-of-a-kind career credits, will be honored Friday, May 19, when they are inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. The ceremony will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website at 1 p.m. EDT.

Bob Cabana, 2008 hall of famer and current director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will speak at the induction ceremony about the distinguished careers of honorees Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to go into space and current director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and former astronaut Michael Foale, the only U.S. astronaut to serve on both the International Space Station and Russian space station Mir.

The ceremony will be held at the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Media interested in covering the event should contact Rebecca Shireman at 321-449-4273.

Ochoa was selected as a NASA astronaut in January 1990. A veteran of four flights, Ochoa logged more than 978 hours in space, serving as mission specialist on space shuttle mission STS-56, payload commander on STS-66, and both flight engineer and mission specialist on STS-96 and STS-110. She has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA's highest award.

Foale was selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1987. A veteran of six missions, he logged more than 374 days in space and four spacewalks totaling almost 23 hours, including a spacewalk to perform repairs and upgrades to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. He also is the only American citizen to have served on both Mir and the International Space Station. Foale retired from NASA in 2013.

For NASA TV schedules and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA Invites Media to Robotics Mining Competition at KSC Visitor Complex

Teams of undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the nation will demonstrate their excavator robots May 22-26 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

More than 45 teams have designed and built remote-controlled excavator robots to traverse the simulated Martian terrain and excavate simulated Martian dirt. During the competition, the teams' robots will go head-to-head to determine which machine can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time.

The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and math or STEM fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could potentially be used on NASA's journey to Mars.

NASA's Women in STEM mentoring event will facilitate discussions between more than 40 female NASA engineers and scientists and several hundred RMC student participants about career paths in science, technology, engineering and math.

Although the competition is for college students, the event offers many opportunities for students of all ages. NASA is hosting a college recruitment fair for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, showcasing STEM education opportunities available at top colleges and universities across the nation. The event also will offer additional STEM activities for students of all ages.

For more information on the competition, associated activities and social media links to participate virtually, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasarmc

Video highlights of the practice and competition will air on the NASA Television Video File. For downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

Next SpaceX Space Station Cargo Launch

Launch of the next SpaceX commercial cargo resupply services mission to the International Space Station, is currently targeted for Thursday, June 1.

The uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This is the eleventh mission by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. In addition to supplies and equipment, Dragon will deliver several science investigations to the space station, including:

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA Space Station Cargo Launches aboard Orbital ATK Resupply Mission

Orbital ATK's seventh cargo delivery flight to the station launched at 11:11 a.m. EDT Tuesday on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Expedition 51 astronauts Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Peggy Whitson of NASA will use the space station's robotic arm to grapple Cygnus, about 6:05 a.m. Saturday. The spacecraft will remain at the space station until July before its destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere, disposing of several thousand pounds of trash.

This is the fourth flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft, and the third using the Atlas V launch system. The spacecraft for this mission is named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. Glenn, who died in December at age 95, was one of NASA's original seven astronauts and a retired U.S. Senator from Ohio. The mission, which is under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, will support dozens of new and existing investigations as Expeditions 51 and 52 contribute to approximately 250 science and research studies.

Highlights from the new experiments will include studies on cancer-fighting drugs, crystal growth and atmospheric reentry.

In microgravity, cancer cells grow in 3-D, spheroid structures that closely resemble their form in the human body, enabling better tests for drug the efficacy. The ADCs in Microgravity investigation tests drugs designed as targeted cancer therapies called antibody-drug conjugates, developed by Oncolinx. These conjugates combine an immune-activating drug with antibodies and target only cancer cells, which could potentially increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduce side-effects. Results from this investigation could help inform treatments for cancer patients and provide insight into how microgravity affects a drug's performance.

The Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA) investigation originally was operated successfully aboard the station in 2002. Updated software, data acquisition, high definition video and communication interfaces will help advance understanding of the processes involved in semiconductor crystal growth. Investigations such as the CLYC Crystal Growth experiment will be conducted in the SUBSA Furnace and inserts. High-quality crystals are essential to a variety of applications, and a microgravity environment can produce better quality crystals. CLYC crystals grown aboard station can help researchers understand the exact conditions needed to produce the highest-quality, defect-free crystals.

The Thermal Protection Material Flight Test and Reentry Data Collection (RED-Data2) investigation studies a new type of recording device that rides alongside a spacecraft as it reenters Earth's atmosphere, recording data about the extreme conditions it encounters. Scientists, so far, have been unable to monitor those conditions on a large scale, and a better understanding could lead to more accurate spacecraft breakup predictions, better spacecraft designs, and materials capable of better resisting the extreme heat and pressure during the return to Earth.

For more than 16 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,900 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at: https://www.nasa.gov/station

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter: http://instagram.com/iss and http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

Orbital ATK CRS-7 Briefings and Events

NASA commercial cargo provider Orbital ATK is targeting its seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for 11:11 a.m. EDT Tuesday, April 18, the start of a 30-minute launch window.

Orbital ATK has contracted with ULA for its Atlas V rocket for the launch service, which will lift off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Under NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services contract, Cygnus will carry more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the crew members.

NASA Television launch coverage will begin at 10 a.m. EDT. Coverage will resume for solar array deployment at about 12:40 p.m. The post-launch news conference will occur at 2 p.m.

If the launch does not occur on April 18, the next launch opportunity is 10:48 a.m. Wednesday, April 19, with NASA TV coverage starting at 9:45 a.m.

The new experiments will include magnetized tools to make it easier to reproduce experiments on Earth, an antibody investigation that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment, and an advanced plant habitat for studying plant physiology and growing fresh food in space. Cygnus also is carrying 38 CubeSats, including many built by university students from around the world as part of the QB50 program, which are scheduled to deploy from either the spacecraft or space station in the coming months.

Cygnus will remain on the station until mid-July when it will depart with several tons of trash for a fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Prior to re-entry, a third experiment will be conducted to study how fire burns in space.

Prelaunch News Conference on NASA TV
A prelaunch status briefing will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at 10:30 a.m. NASA TV will provide live coverage.
Participants will be:

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 10 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 8:15 a.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

Learn more about the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Announces 2017 'Chroniclers'

"The Chroniclers," a program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, recognizing those who helped spread news of American space exploration, will soon have six new names on its wall of fame.

Five of the 2017 "Chroniclers" are retired, and one is deceased. They represent TV and print journalism, as well as NASA's public affairs office.

A selection committee chose the six on March 22 from among broadcasters, journalists, authors, contractor public relations representatives and NASA public affairs officers who, while still working, excelled at sharing news from Kennedy with the world.

Bruce Hall, a veteran CBS News and NBC News correspondent and producer who covered space for more than 20 years, starting with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975 and continuing through the early years of the shuttle program, the Challenger accident and NASA's recovery, and the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Scott Harris, Orlando TV reporter and anchor for more than 40 years, and widely regarded for his live coverage of space shuttle launches from Kennedy. Harris worked both the first shuttle launch in April 1981 and the liftoff of the final shuttle mission in July 2011, one month before his passing at age 64.

Bill Johnson, NASA Public Affairs professional whose career at Kennedy spanned more than 45 years. Longtime chief of Media Services, responsible for dissemination of NASA news from and operation of the Kennedy Space Center newsroom and Press Site, Johnson was an awardee of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

Warren Leary, science writer and correspondent for the Associated Press and The New York Times for more than 35 years. An award-winning journalist, Leary covered spaceflight, technology, engineering, aeronautics, and medical science, as well as the investigation into the cause of the 2003 Columbia accident.

Robert B. (Bob) Murray, NASA's first videographer to provide live, airborne TV coverage of space shuttle launches and landings. For more than 23 years, Murray's primary aerial imagery was seen on television networks and stations, as well as in publications worldwide.

Phil Sandlin, a photographer for UPI and then AP, covered the U.S. space program beginning with the Apollo moon shots and continuing with the shuttle program until his retirement in 2011. Sandlin was winner of the National Press Photographers Association's prestigious Joseph Costa Award in 2016.

The six honorees, each of whom covered the U.S. space program at Kennedy for ten years or more and are no longer working full time in the media, were selected by a committee of working broadcasters, journalists, public relations professionals, and present and former representatives of NASA Kennedy's Office of Communication. The committee considered a total of 20 nominees for this year's awards.

Past honorees include Walter Cronkite of CBS News, Jules Bergman of ABC News and two-time Pulitzer winner John Noble Wilford of The New York Times.

Brass strips engraved with each awardee's name will be added to "The Chroniclers" wall in the Kennedy Space Center newsroom at the Press Site during a ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 5, 2017, the 56th anniversary of Alan Shepard's historic flight as America's first human in space. Coincidentally, it was Shepard from whom the first Chronicler honorees received their award certificates in 1995.

NASA Unveils New Searchable Video, Audio and Imagery Library for the Public

NASA officially has launched a new resource to help the public search and download out-of-this-world images, videos and audio files by keyword and metadata searches from NASA.gov. The NASA Image and Video Library website consolidates imagery spread across more than 60 collections into one searchable location.

https://images.nasa.gov

NASA Image and Video Library allows users to search, discover and download a treasure trove of more than 140,000 NASA images, videos and audio files from across the agency's many missions in aeronautics, astrophysics, Earth science, human spaceflight, and more. Users now can embed content in their own sites and choose from multiple resolutions to download. The website also displays the metadata associated with images.

Users can browse the agency's most recently uploaded files, as well as discover historic and the most popularly searched images, audio files and videos. Other features include:

The library is not comprehensive, but rather provides the best of what NASA makes publicly available from a single point of presence on the web. Additionally, it is a living website, where new and archival images, video and audio files continually will be added.

Orbital ATK CRS-7

NASA commercial cargo provider Orbital ATK is targeting its seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for 9 p.m. EDT Friday, March 24, at the start of a 30-minute launch window. An option exists to move the launch earlier to March 23 if the Eastern Range becomes available.

If launch remains on March 24, NASA Television coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EDT. Coverage will resume for solar array deployment at about 10:30 p.m. and will include post-launch interviews with mission managers.

If the launch does not occur on or before March 24, the next launch opportunity is 8:37 p.m. Saturday, March 25, with NASA TV coverage starting at 7:30 p.m.

The new experiments will include magnetized tools to make it easier to reproduce experiments on Earth, an antibody investigation that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment, and an advanced plant habitat for studying plan physiology and growing fresh food in space. Cygnus also is carrying 38 CubeSats, including many built by university students from around the world as part of the QB50 program, which are scheduled to deploy from either the spacecraft or space station in the coming months.

When Cygnus arrives to the space station, Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will use the space station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, to take hold of the spacecraft. After Canadarm2 captures Cygnus, ground commands will be sent for the station's arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station's Unity module.

Cygnus will remain on the station until June, when it will depart with several tons of trash for a fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Prior to re-entry, a third experiment will be conducted to study how fire burns in space.

NASA's Space Launch System Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage
The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage is the in-space propulsion planned for the first launch of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The ICPS is part of the overall "payload" on the top of the rocket between the core stage and Orion. It is a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-based system, and will provide the thrust needed to send the spacecraft and 13 secondary payloads beyond the moon before Orion returns to Earth. The flight hardware completed manufacturing in Alabama and has shipped to a ULA Facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for final testing before shipping to Kennedy Space Center for integration with the rocket.

NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 8 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 8:15 p.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

Learn more about the Orbital ATK CRS-7 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Joint Polar Satellite System-2 Mission

The total cost for NASA to launch JPSS-2 is approximately $170.6 million, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.

JPSS is a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. This interagency effort is the latest generation of NOAA polar-orbiting environmental weather satellites. JPSS-2 is one of five satellites that will comprise the JPSS constellation. These spacecraft gather global measurements of atmospheric, terrestrial and oceanic conditions, including sea and land surface temperatures, vegetation, clouds, rainfall, snow and ice cover, fire locations and smoke plumes, atmospheric temperature, water vapor and ozone. JPSS delivers key environmental observations that provide support for the nation's essential products and services. This includes forecasting severe weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes, predicting blizzards days in advance, and assessing other environmental hazards such as droughts, forest fires, poor air quality and harmful ocean conditions, particularly along the coasts. Further, JPSS will provide continuity of critical, global Earth observations — including our atmosphere, oceans and land.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the ULS launch service. The JPSS Flight Project office is located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and manages spacecraft development for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in partnership with NOAA in Washington, D.C.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

Cygnus at Kennedy for Upcoming Cargo Delivery Mission

The seventh commercial resupply services mission for Orbital ATK, CRS-7, is targeted for liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida March 19 at 10:56 p.m. EDT, which is at the opening of a 30-minute launch window.

Orbital ATK uses the Cygnus to perform space station resupply flights under the Commercial Resupply Services contract. Cygnus consists of a pressurized cargo module for crew supplies, scientific experiments and equipment, together with an associated service module providing solar power and propulsion. This mission will be the fourth flight of the extended variant of Orbital ATK's Cygnus pressurized cargo module, which increases the spacecraft's interior volume capacity by 25 percent, enabling more cargo to be delivered with each mission. The CRS-7 freighter will be delivering more than 7,500 pounds of cargo and science experiments to the station, including an advanced plant habitat system and other experiments to be conducted in the U.S. National Lab ranging from targeted cancer cell therapies to growing crystals. Cygnus will also carry dozens of small satellites including 28 from universities around the world in coordination with NanoRacks and the Von Karman Institute's QB50 CubeSats program.

For more information about the Orbital ATK resupply mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbital
For more information about the International Space Station, its crew and research, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Cargo Headed to Space Station Includes Important Experiments, Equipment

SpaceX's Dragon cargo craft launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the first commercial launch from Kennedy's historic pad.

Astronauts Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) and Shane Kimbrough of NASA will use the space station's robotic arm to capture Dragon when it arrives at the station. Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will begin at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 on NASA TV and the agency's website, with installation coverage set to begin at 8:30 a.m.

Research materials flying inside the Dragon's pressurized area include a crystal growth experiment that will crystallize a monoclonal antibody that is undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of immunological diseases. Growing the crystal in space will allow it develop more than it could on Earth where gravity causes crystals to collapse on themselves. Preserving these antibodies in crystals allows researchers a glimpse into how the biological molecules are arranged, which can provide new information about how they work in the body. So far, Earth-grown crystalline suspensions of monoclonal antibodies have proven to be too low-quality to fully model.

Better defining how some bacteria become drug-resistant is the focus of another experiment that aims to develop medicines that counter the resistance. Stem cells like those used to treat strokes and other occurrences also will be studied using experiment supplies brought up on this flight.

The equipment aboard the Dragon includes a major instrument that will survey Earth's upper atmosphere in a continuation of one of NASA's longest-running Earth-observing programs. Called SAGE III for Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment, the instrument examines the levels of ozone, aerosols, nitrogen dioxide and water vapor in the stratosphere and troposphere high above Earth. It is the latest version of an experiment that began in 1979 and has created a multi-decade record of measurements. The 2,200-pound instrument will be connected to the outside of the station to make daily observations for several years.

The mission is the company's tenth cargo flight to the station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations during the station's Expeditions 50 and 51.

Dragon is scheduled to depart the space station in late March, returning nearly 5,000 pounds of science, hardware and crew supplies.

For more than 16 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,900 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at: http://www.nasa.gov/station

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter at: http://instagram.com/iss
and http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

SpaceX CRS-10 Briefings and Events

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is targeting liftoff on the company's Falcon 9 rocket at 10:01 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 50 and 51 crew members.

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit, deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. SpaceX also is planning to attempt to land its Falcon 9 first stage on land.

After a two-day trip, Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will use the station's robotic arm to capture Dragon when it arrives on station. The spacecraft will be berthed to the Earth-facing port on the Harmony module. By the next day, the crew will pressurize the vestibule between the station and Dragon, and then open the hatch that leads to the forward bulkhead of Dragon.

Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture Monday, Feb. 20, will begin at 7:30 a.m. on NASA TV, with installation set to begin at 11:30 a.m.

For about a month, crew members will unload the spacecraft and reload it with cargo to return to Earth. About five-and-a-half hours after it departs the station March 21, it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

Media at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will have the opportunity to participate in special tours and briefings Feb. 16 and 17, as well as view the launch. The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed. For more information about media accreditation, contact Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov.

If the launch does not occur Saturday, Feb. 18, the next launch opportunity is 9:38 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, with NASA TV coverage starting at 8 a.m.

"WHAT'S ON BOARD" SCIENCE BRIEFING ON NASA TV
Friday, Feb. 17 (L-1 day): A science, research and technology briefing will air live at 8:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency's website, at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv. This briefing is for NASA Social participants.

PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Friday, Feb. 17 (L-1 day): A prelaunch status briefing will be held at Kennedy's Press Site TV Auditorium at 11:30 a.m. and air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
Participants will be:

LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A BRIEFING
NASA and SpaceX will host a briefing, followed by a question-and-answer period, in front of SpaceX's Launch Complex 39A. The event at 3 p.m. will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
Participants will be:

POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Saturday, Feb. 18: A post-launch news conference will occur at about noon in Kennedy's Press Site TV Auditorium and air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
Participants will be:

NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Saturday, Feb. 18 (L-0 Day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 8:30 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 8:15 a.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-10 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 8:30 a.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the newsroom at 321-867-2468.
You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex
Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-10 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

TWITTER
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy FACEBOOK
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

New Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Tribute

The ceremony at 11 a.m. EST will be hosted by Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana and air live on NASA Television. The ceremony and visit the new tribute, will be open to the public at 11:30 a.m. EST. For information about Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA's Next Orbital ATK Cargo Resupply Mission

Cygnus will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The spacecraft will carry crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory to support the Expedition 50 and 51 crews.

Investigations scheduled on this launch include an Advanced Plant Habitat, which will integrate new technology to increase overall efficiency, reliability, and robustness of plants grown on station. This experiment will build on the success of NASA's Veggie, the first fresh food growth system on station, and will provide ongoing research for the development of food production systems for long-duration exploration missions.

Manipulating cell cultures in space is challenging as the cells can spontaneously grow in 3-D. Another new investigation bound for the U.S. National Laboratory will look at using magnetized cells and tools to make it easier to handle cells and cultures, and improve the reproducibility of experiments. The Slosh Coating experiment will investigate a special type of coating that can repel liquids when applied to container walls. If effective, the liquid repellent could be used to design more efficient storage tanks for propellant and other fluids used in space exploration.

There also will be a number of CubeSats onboard Cygnus that will be deployed from the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployment on the space station, including a NASA science payload known as IceCube, which will provide data to scientists' understanding of ice clouds and their role in climate change.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

The NASA TV schedule and video streaming information is available online. Visit the agency's website for more information about the mission including launch countdown coverage and NASA's launch blog.

NASA Unveils Tribute to Crew of Apollo 1

A new tribute opened Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, dedicated to the lives, accomplishments and memories of the three astronauts who perished 50 years ago in a launch pad fire while training for the flight of Apollo 1. The tribute exhibit stands only a few miles from the long-abandoned Launch Complex 34, the launch pad where the fire took place. The pad was dismantled in 1968 after the launch of Apollo 7.

Called "Ad Astra Per Aspera - A Rough Road Leads to the Stars," the permanent exhibition carries the blessings of the families of Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White II and Roger Chaffee. It showcases clothing, tools and models that define the men as their parents, wives and children saw them as much as how the nation viewed them.

The tribute also displays for the first time the three-section hatch from the Apollo 1 capsule that caught fire at Launch Complex 34 on Jan. 27, 1967. The astronauts were not able to escape the smoke and blaze inside the spacecraft before they asphyxiated despite their own efforts and those of numerous pad crew members who braved thick fumes and scorching temperatures to try to get the men out.

"Although the fire took place across the river on Launch Pad 34, their story didn't end there and their legacy lives on today," said Sheryl Chaffee, daughter of Roger Chaffee.

The new tribute features displays that tell the full story of the lives of the astronauts, the fire and the work the NASA team put in to rebound from the devastating loss.

"Ultimately, this is a story of hope, because these astronauts were dreaming of the future that is unfolding today," said former astronaut Bob Cabana, center director at Kennedy. "Generations of people around the world will learn who these brave astronauts were and how their legacies live on through the Apollo successes and beyond."

The main focus was to show the astronauts to generations who never met them and may not know much about them or the early space program.

"This lets you now meet Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee as members of special families and also as members of our own family," said NASA's Luis Berrios, who co-led the tribute design that would eventually involve more than 100 planners and workers to realize. "You get to know some of the things that they liked to do and were inspired by. You look at the things they did and if anyone does just one of those things, it's a lifetime accomplishment and they did all of it and more."

For Grissom, one of NASA's Original Seven astronauts who flew the second Mercury mission, a hunting jacket and a pair of ski boots are on display, along with a small model of the Mercury spacecraft and a model of an F-86 Sabre jet like the one he flew in the Korean War. There is also a slide rule and engineering drafts that typify his dedication to detail.

The small handheld maneuvering thruster that Ed White II used to steer himself outside his Gemini capsule during the first American spacewalk features prominently in a display case of the West Point graduate whose athletic prowess nearly equaled his flying acumen. An electric drill stands alongside the "zip gun," as he called the thruster.

"It was great to juxtaposition it with a drill which was also a tool that Ed loved to use," Berrios said. "He had a tremendous passion for making things for his family."

Roger Chaffee, for whom Apollo 1 would have been his first mission into space, was an esteemed Naval aviator who became a test pilot in his drive to qualify as an astronaut later. Displayed are board games like those he played with his wife and kids on rare evenings free of training.

The three men had worked an earlier mission together as astronauts, but not as crewmates. During Gemini 4, the mission in which Ed White made his landmark spacewalk, Grissom and Chaffee served as CAPCOMs, talking to White and mission commander James McDivitt.

After the fire, NASA set out on an exhaustive examination of every element of the spacecraft and launch systems.

Beside the failed hatch is one element of the improvements, a redesigned hatch that would fly on all subsequent Apollo missions. Full of modifications that let the hatch open in five seconds in an emergency, the redesigned hatch is displayed as a symbol of all the improvements made throughout the Apollo spacecraft and NASA itself that would set the agency on a successful course to land 12 men on the moon.

"That part of the exhibit is a story of determination and resolve and also something as elemental as a hatch – the complexities of just one component in a vehicle that has over 2 million parts," Berrios said. "After the loss of the crew in that tragic event, NASA learned how to really look at every piece of a rocket and imagine what could happen and it made the spacecraft safer and allowed us to get to the moon, land on it and even with Apollo 13, to recover that crew safely."

After seeing the hatches, visitors will walk through a gateway and down the same metal walkway astronauts used later to get to the Apollo spacecraft as it stood on a Saturn V rocket poised for the moon.

"Grissom, White, Chaffee, President Kennedy - I think these names are appropriately mentioned together," said Michael Collins, the command module pilot for Apollo 11. "Apollo 1 tragically cost three lives, but I think it saved more than three lives later. Without it, very likely we would've not landed on the moon by the end of the decade."

Information for the Next SpaceX Space Station Cargo Launch

The uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The exact launch date and time still are under review.

This is the tenth mission by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. In addition to supplies and equipment, Dragon will deliver several science investigations to the space station, including:

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

Kennedy Space Center Observes NASA Day of Remembrance Jan. 26

NASA Kennedy Space Center will pay tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues, during the agency's Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 26.

The ceremony also will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy and will be held at 10 a.m. EST at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Hall in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The ceremony will be carried live on NASA Television.

A wreath laying will follow the ceremony onsite, at the Space Mirror Memorial. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will provide flowers for visitors to place at the memorial.

NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that built and maintains the Space Mirror Memorial. The mirror was dedicated in 1991 to honor all astronauts who lost their lives on missions or during training. It has been designated a National Memorial by Congress.

2016

Kennedy Space Center Counts Down to Santa's Toy Delivery Mission

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is counting down to support Santa Claus during his annual mission to deliver toys and other presents to children around the world.

Once again, the agency is making the latest technology available for Santa's global trip this Christmas Eve. Soon he will have access to the most accurate, up-to-date weather forecasts using the new GOES-R weather satellite.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) GOES-R spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 19, 2016, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Claus may want to take advantage of the satellite's advanced instruments to observe weather conditions in the western hemisphere. The satellite will help forecasters improve the accuracy of their predictions, providing increased abilities to track storm intensity and development. It also is equipped with sensors that can pick up signals from emergency beacons as part of the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System.

Should Santa fly his sleigh through the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere, he also can benefit from the improved space weather sensor aboard GOES-R (renamed GOES-16 upon reaching geostationary orbit). Geosynchronous satellites orbit about 22,000 miles above the Earth, keeping them over the same location.

As St. Nick crosses the world's oceans, he may benefit from data supplied by the Jason-3 satellite launched Jan. 17, 2016, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Jason-3 is monitoring and precisely measuring global sea surface heights and the intensification of tropical cyclones. Data from Jason-3 now is supporting scientific, commercial and practical applications related to ocean circulation and climate change.

Since Christmas of 2000, the jolly old fellow's annual trip has included one extraterrestrial destination -- the International Space Station. In addition to Santa's delivery, crews aboard the space station received supplies in July launched from Cape Canaveral. The SpaceX CRS-9 lifted off on the company's Falcon 9 rocket, boosting a Dragon spacecraft with about 4,900 pounds of supplies. The delivery included new science experiments and an International Docking Adapter. The adapter was installed on the station during a spacewalk in August to facilitate docking of commercial crew spacecraft, including the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon.

In the near future, Claus may join astronauts after they have launched from U.S. soil to the space station aboard new spacecraft as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The effort is an agency partnership including Boeing and SpaceX to take astronauts to the orbiting laboratory.

CCP was formed to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of reliable and cost-effective access from U.S. soil to the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit.

Supporting multiple agencies and companies launching from the Florida spaceport is part of Kennedy's role as a premier multi-user spaceport, with a variety of commercial and government partners working at Kennedy and using the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).

Kennedy's three-mile long runway will be available should Santa and his reindeer need it for a rest stop during their long, Christmas Eve trip. Space Florida now operates the SLF under a 30-year property agreement with NASA.

Kennedy is a high-tech space center, as well as home to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, providing a 140,000-acre habitat for hundreds of wildlife species, including alligators, manatees and deer.

While pausing at Kennedy, St. Nick may want to check out some of the technology he may need when he is ready to visit future pioneers living and working on Mars. The crew module for the Orion spacecraft designated for the Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1, flight is being prepared in the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building.

The first integrated mission of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft, EM-1 will lift off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy in late 2018. On the mission, the spacecraft will venture 40,000 miles beyond the orbit of the moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever traveled, testing the systems needed for the agency's Journey to Mars.

While interplanetary exploration may be a few years away, the intervening time gives Santa Claus the opportunity to map out his gift-giving strategy no matter where astronauts venture beyond Earth.

New NASA Hurricane Tracking Mission on Track

NASA confirmed Friday morning that all eight spacecraft of its latest Earth science mission are in good shape. The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) will provide scientists with advanced technology to see inside tropical storms and hurricanes like never before.

CYGNSS launched into orbit at 8:37 a.m. EST Thursday aboard an Orbital ATK air-launched Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The rocket was dropped and launched from Orbital's Stargazer L-1011 aircraft, which took off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida.

"The launch of CYGNSS is a first for NASA and for the scientific community," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "As the first orbital mission in our Earth Venture program, CYGNSS will make unprecedented measurements in the most violent, dynamic, and important portions of tropical storms and hurricanes."

The CYGNSS constellation will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds in and near a hurricane's inner core, including regions beneath the eyewall and intense inner rainbands that previously could not be measured from space. CYGNSS will do this by using both direct and reflected signals from existing GPS satellites to obtain estimates of surface wind speed over the ocean.

"CYGNSS will provide us with detailed measurements of hurricane wind speeds, an important indicator of a storm's intensity," said Christopher Ruf, CYGNSS principal investigator at the University of Michigan's Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering in Ann Arbor. "Ultimately, the measurements from this mission will help improve hurricane track and intensity forecasts."

CYGNSS is the first orbital mission competitively selected by NASA's Earth Venture program, managed by the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program Office at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. This program focuses on low-cost, science-driven missions to enhance our understanding of the current state of Earth and its complex, dynamic system and enable continual improvement in the prediction of future changes.

"There is a feeling of pride and joy knowing that you have been a part of something that is much bigger than yourself and will potentially have a significant positive impact on the general public safety," said Jim Wells, ESSP mission manager.

Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio led the development, integration and operation of the CYGNSS microsatellites. The Space Physics Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan College of Engineering leads the overall mission execution, and its Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering department leads the science investigation. The Earth Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate oversees the mission. The NASA Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, was responsible for spacecraft/launch vehicle integration and launch management. Orbital ATK Corp. of Dulles, Virginia, provided the Pegasus XL launch service to NASA.

NASA Targets Wednesday for Launch of Small Satellite Constellation

NASA is rescheduling the launch of its Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft for no earlier than Wednesday, Dec. 14, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, during a one-hour window that opens at 8:20 a.m. EST.

Live launch commentary will begin at 7 a.m. from nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center, and carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website. A prelaunch program by NASA EDGE will begin at 6 a.m.

CYGNSS will take off aboard an Orbital Sciences ATK air-launched Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The rocket is scheduled for deployment at 8:25 a.m. over the Atlantic Ocean from Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft.

Monday's launch was aborted due to an issue with the launch vehicle release system on the L-1011 Stargazer. A hydraulic system operates the mechanism that releases the Pegasus rocket from the carrier aircraft. The hydraulic system functioned properly during the pre-flight checks of the airplane.

The current targeted Wednesday launch time will allow for a replacement L-1011 carrier aircraft component to arrive from Mojave, California, and be installed, as well as support the required crew rest requirements.

Once in orbit, CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the lifecycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The CYGNSS constellation consists of eight microsatellite observatories that will measure surface winds in and near a hurricane's inner core, including regions beneath the eyewall and intense inner rainbands that previously could not be measured from space.

Live coverage also will be available on social media at: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy &
https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

Live countdown coverage on NASA's Launch Blog begins at 7 a.m. Coverage will include live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as video clips highlighting launch preparations and the flight.

Kennedy Director Statement on Passing of John Glenn

"I had just turned 13 when I watched John Glenn become the first American to orbit the earth back in February of 1962. John epitomized what it was to be a Marine, a pilot, and an astronaut, and he was one of my heroes. After I was fortunate enough to become an astronaut myself, our paths crossed many times. I so much enjoyed, and now treasure, the time I was able to spend with him discussing the early days of our space program, and the space program's importance to our country and our future.

"More than a senator, or an astronaut, John defined himself as a Marine and a pilot. He was very proud that he was able to pass his medical even when he turned 90, and he loved to talk about flying. He was definitely in his element when he returned to the astronaut office in 1998, at the age 77, to train and fly on STS-95 aboard Discovery. He had always wanted to fly in space again. He was the consummate professional, a leader of the highest caliber, and a genuinely nice man. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to get to know him and his lovely wife Annie. John was truly one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known and he will be greatly missed."

NASA Awards Launch Services Program Support Contract

The Expendable Launch Vehicle Integrated Support 3 (ELVIS 3) contract is cost-plus-fixed-fee, with an award-term option incentive and a provision for obtaining additional requirements on an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) basis. The base contract value is approximately $48.1 million, and the maximum ordering value of the IDIQ portion is $55. Including eight options, the total potential value of the contract is $387.6 million.

The contract has a two-month phase-in period that begins Feb. 1, 2017 followed by a 1.5-year base period extending from April 1 through Sept. 30, 2018. A one-year option period and seven award-term option periods are available, which would bring the total period of performance to 9.5 years.

Services under this contract include: supporting LSP with launch service insight activities through launch vehicle system engineering and mission analysis; providing launch site engineering support for mission planning, as well as launch vehicle and spacecraft ground processing activities; supporting LSP's safety, reliability, and quality engineering activities; providing communication engineering support, along with operations and maintenance of NASA LSP's communications and telemetry systems; performing technical integration services, information technology services, special studies, and other services as tasked; supporting LSP launch operations; and supporting NASA facility maintenance at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity portion of ELVIS 3 includes NASA facility upgrades, modifications, repairs, design work and construction required at Vandenberg.

NASA Sets Coverage for Briefings, Launch of Small Satellite Constellation

The launch of NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft is scheduled for 8:24 a.m. EST Monday, Dec. 12. News briefings, live launch commentary, photo opportunities and other media events will be held at nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

During the one-hour window, which opens at 8:19 a.m., CYGNSS will take off aboard an Orbital Sciences ATK air-launched Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The rocket is scheduled for deployment over the Atlantic Ocean from Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft.

CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the lifecycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The CYGNSS constellation consists of eight microsatellite observatories that will measure surface winds in and near a hurricane's inner core, including regions beneath the eyewall and intense inner rainbands that previously could not be measured from space.

Kennedy will be hosting a Facebook Live event at noon from the Skid Strip runway at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Briefers will highlight both the science involved in the CYGNSS mission, as well as the L-1011 aircraft and the Pegasus rocket, and participants will get a view inside the airplane. The event will stream live on Kennedy's Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

Because this Pegasus launch occurs with a chase plane equipped with a television camera, there will be live coverage on NASA Television beginning at 6:45 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12. Coverage begins prior to departure of the L-1011 aircraft and will conclude after final spacecraft separation, 14 1/2 minutes after Pegasus ignition. Launch commentary and audio of all Pegasus/CYGNSS briefings will be available on the "V" audio circuits, which may be dialed directly at 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260. Mission audio of the launch conductor's countdown operations without NASA TV launch commentary will be available by dialing 321-867-7135.

Also on launch day, Dec. 12, NASA Television will simulcast a special prelaunch program carried by NASA EDGE starting at 5:45 a.m. The program is live and featured on the NASA web and social media sites. It will cover the CYGNSS mission and its launch aboard the Pegasus XL rocket.

NASA Web Prelaunch And Launch Coverage Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the launch of CYGNSS will be available on NASA's home page at: http://www.nasa.gov

The CYGNSS prelaunch news conference and the mission briefing will be carried live on the web Saturday, Dec. 10. A prelaunch webcast for the CYGNSS mission will be available on NASA's YouTube channel and NASA's website on Sunday, Dec. 11. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 6:30 a.m., Monday, Dec. 12. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as video clips highlighting launch preparations and the flight. For NASA's Launch Blog, visit: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cygnss

The Space Physics Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan College of Engineering in Ann Arbor leads overall mission execution in partnership with the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Department at the University of Michigan leads the science investigation. The Earth Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate oversees the mission.

The NASA Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for spacecraft integration and launch management. Orbital ATK Corp. of Dulles, Virginia, provides the Pegasus XL launch service to NASA.

For more information about NASA's CYGNSS mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/cygnss

NASA Invites Media to Talk with Cast of Hidden Figures at Kennedy Space Center

Media are invited to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to participate in a news conference at 3 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 12, with cast members from the 20th Century Fox motion picture Hidden Figures.

The film is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly, and chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson -- African-American women working at NASA as "human computers," who were critical to the success of John Glenn's Friendship 7 mission in 1962.

The news conference will be held in the Kennedy TV Auditorium and will air on NASA Television and the agency's website.

NASA Selects Launch Services for Global Surface Water Survey Mission

The total cost for NASA to launch SWOT is approximately $112 million, which includes the launch service; spacecraft processing; payload integration; and tracking, data and telemetry support.

Designed to make the first-ever global survey of Earth's surface water, in addition to high-resolution ocean measurements, the SWOT mission will collect detailed measurements of how water bodies on Earth change over time. The satellite will survey at least 90 percent of the globe, studying Earth's lakes, rivers, reservoirs and oceans, at least twice every 21 days, aid in freshwater management around the world, to improve ocean circulation models and weather and climate predictions. The SWOT spacecraft will be jointly developed and managed by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the SpaceX launch service. The SWOT Project office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages spacecraft development for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Successfully Launches NOAA Advanced Geostationary Weather Satellite

NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) lifted off at 6:42 p.m. EST on its way to boost the nation's weather observation capabilities, leading to more accurate and timely forecasts, watches and warnings.

"The launch of GOES-R represents a major step forward in terms of our ability to provide more timely and accurate information that is critical for life-saving weather forecasts and warnings," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "It also continues a decades-long partnership between NASA and NOAA to successfully build and launch geostationary environmental satellites."

After it reaches its final designated orbit in the next two weeks, GOES-R will be renamed GOES-16. The new satellite will become operational within a year, after undergoing a checkout and validation of its six new instruments, including the first operational lightning mapper in geostationary orbit.

"The next generation of weather satellites is finally here," said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan. "GOES-R will strengthen NOAA's ability to issue life-saving forecasts and warnings and make the United States an even stronger, more resilient weather-ready nation."

Forecasters will use the lightning mapper to hone in on storms that represent the greatest threats. The satellite's primary instrument, the Advanced Baseline Imager, will provide images of Earth's weather, oceans and environment with 16 different spectral bands, including two visible channels, four near-infrared channels, and 10 infrared channels.

Improved space weather sensors on GOES-R will monitor the sun and relay crucial information to forecasters so they can issue space weather alerts and warnings. In all, data from GOES-R will result in 34 new or improved meteorological, solar and space weather products.

"NOAA and NASA have partnered for decades on successful environmental satellite missions," said Sandra Smalley, director of NASA's Joint Agency Satellite Division at the agency's Headquarters in Washington, which worked with NOAA to manage the development and launch of GOES-R. "Today's launch continues that partnership and provides the basis for future collaboration in developing advanced weather satellites."

Beyond weather forecasting, GOES-R also will be part of the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) System, an international satellite-based search and rescue network operated by NOAA. The satellite is carrying a special transponder that can detect distress signals from emergency beacons.

There are four satellites in the GOES-R series: –R, –S, –T and –U, which will extend NOAA's geostationary coverage through 2036.

NOAA manages the GOES-R Series Program through an integrated NOAA-NASA office. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, acquired and managed the United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch service and led the countdown. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, oversees the acquisition of the GOES-R series spacecraft and instruments.

For more information about GOES-R, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goes-r/index.html
and http://www.goes-r.gov

NASA Sets GOES-R/Atlas V Launch

Once in geostationary orbit, GOES-R will be known as GOES-16 and will provide images of weather patterns and severe storms as regularly as every five minutes or as frequently as every 30 seconds. These images can be used to aid in weather forecasts, severe weather outlooks, watches and warnings, lightning conditions, maritime forecasts and aviation forecasts. It also will assist in longer term forecasting, such as in seasonal predictions and drought outlooks. In addition, space weather conditions will be monitored constantly, including the effects of solar flares to provide advance notice of potential communication and navigation disruptions. It also will assist researchers in understanding the interactions between land, oceans, the atmosphere and climate.

On Monday, Nov. 14, NASA Television will carry the GOES-R prelaunch news conference beginning at 1 p.m. The NOAA GOES-R mission briefing will follow at 2 p.m.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the GOES-R "Social" presentations to the social media will be broadcast on NASA Television from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, NASA Television will simulcast a special prelaunch program carried by NASA EDGE starting at 3 p.m. The program is live and featured on the NASA web and social media sites. It will cover NOAA's GOES-R mission and its launch aboard the Atlas V rocket.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, NASA Television launch coverage and commentary will begin at 4 p.m. Coverage will conclude after spacecraft separation from the Centaur and the GOES-R solar arrays are deployed, which occurs approximately 3 ½ hours after launch. At that time the spacecraft initial state of health can be determined and will be confirmed on the air. There is no planned post-launch news conference.

A post-launch news release also will be issued as soon as the state-of-health of the spacecraft can be verified. Representatives will be available at the Press Site to answer questions.

For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv On launch day, "mission audio" of the launch conductor's countdown activities will be carried with a live picture of the Atlas V at the launch pad on the NASA Media Channel starting at 2 p.m. The audio also may be accessed on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135 starting at that time. After launch coverage begins at 4 p.m., mission audio of the launch conductor's countdown operations without NASA TV launch commentary will continue to be available on 321-867-7135. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County. NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the liftoff of the GOES-R spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home page at: http://www.nasa.gov

The GOES-R prelaunch news conference and the mission briefing will be carried live on the web. A prelaunch webcast for the GOES-R mission will be available on NASA's YouTube channel and NASA's website on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 2:15 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 15. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For NASA's Launch Blog, visit: http://blogs.nasa.gov/goes-r To view the webcast or to learn more about the GOES-R mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/goes

Social Media
Join the conversation and follow the GOES-R mission online by using Twitter and Facebook at:
https://www.twitter.com/NOAASatellites
https://www.facebook.com/NOAANESDIS

Throughout the launch countdown, the NASAKennedy Twitter and Facebook accounts will be updated continuously throughout the launch countdown at:
http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

NASA's Orion Test Capsule, Recovery Hardware

This is the Orion test capsule and the hardware that will be used to recover the spacecraft after its return from space, and talk with team members involved in the recovery operations, seen at the Naval Base San Diego. NASA and the U.S. Navy are conducting tests to prepare for recovery of the agency's Orion crew module following its first uncrewed flight atop the Space Launch System rocket on Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1, scheduled for 2018. This week they are at sea conducting tests aboard the USS San Diego (LPD 22) to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures and hardware prior to the test.

EM-1 will send Orion on a path thousands of miles beyond the moon over a course of three weeks, farther into space than human spaceflight has ever travelled before. The spacecraft will return to Earth and safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The mission will advance and validate capabilities required for the Journey to Mars.

For more information about the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems

Kennedy Space Center Closing in Advance of Hurricane Matthew

Once the storm has passed, center facilities and infrastructure will be assessed and employees will be cleared to return when it is safe to do so. The Kennedy Space Center codaphone at 321-867-2525 will be updated periodically with Kennedy hurricane status. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 6, and Friday, Oct. 7. Visitor complex officials anticipate reopening Saturday, Oct. 8, at 9 a.m. after a thorough assessment of the property has been completed.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Speeds Toward Asteroid Rendezvous

"Today, we celebrate a huge milestone for this remarkable mission, and for this mission team," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "We're very excited about what this mission can tell us about the origin of our solar system, and we celebrate the bigger picture of science that is helping us make discoveries and accomplish milestones that might have been science fiction yesterday, but are science facts today."

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is designed to rendezvous with, study, and return a sample of the asteroid Bennu to Earth. Asteroids like Bennu are remnants from the formation of our solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists suspect that asteroids may have been a source of the water and organic molecules for the early Earth and other planetary bodies. An uncontaminated asteroid sample from a known source would enable precise analyses, providing results far beyond what can be achieved by spacecraft-based instruments or by studying meteorites.

OSIRIS-REx separated from its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 8:04 p.m. The solar arrays deployed and are now powering the spacecraft.

"With today's successful launch, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft embarks on a journey of exploration to Bennu," said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson. "I couldn't be more proud of the team that made this mission a reality, and I can't wait to see what we will discover at Bennu."

In 2018, OSIRIS-REx will approach Bennu – which is the size of a small mountain – and begin an intricate dance with the asteroid, mapping and studying Bennu in preparation for sample collection. In July 2020, the spacecraft will perform a daring maneuver in which its 11-foot arm will reach out and perform a five-second "high-five" to stir up surface material, collecting at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of small rocks and dust in a sample return container. OSIRIS-REx will return the sample to Earth in September 2023, when it will then be transported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for examination.

The OSIRIS-REx mission will be the first U.S. mission to carry samples from an asteroid back to Earth and the largest sample returned from space since the Apollo era. "It's satisfying to see the culmination of years of effort from this outstanding team," said Mike Donnelly, OSIRIS-REx project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "We were able to deliver OSIRIS-REx on time and under budget to the launch site, and will soon do something that no other NASA spacecraft has done – bring back a sample from an asteroid."

Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. The University of Arizona leads the science team and observation planning and processing. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the agency's New Frontiers Program for its Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Launch and countdown management is the responsibility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For images, video, and more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex
and http://www.asteroidmission.org

NASA Awards Safety, Mission Assurance Support Services Contract

The Safety and Mission Assurance Support Services (SMASS) III contract is cost-plus-fixed-fee and has a two-year base period and three one-year options, with a maximum potential value of $47.5 million.

Customers under the SMASS III contract include NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations, Commercial Crew Program, Launch Services Program, International Space Station, and Agency Management and Operations (AMO), including Range Safety, Independent Assessment, Metrology and Calibration, and Expendable Launch Vehicle Payload Safety. Safety, quality, and mission assurance service will be accomplished through performance of activities such as risk assessments, inspections, investigations, engineering analyses, and evaluations of work performed by other contractors and NASA organizations.

Kennedy has transformed into a multi-user spaceport to support both government and commercial customers. Its dynamic infrastructure is designed to host many kinds of spacecraft and rockets sending people on America's next adventures in space – to an asteroid, Mars and other destinations in our solar system.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA's Asteroid Mission, Launch

NASA is gearing up to launch the United States' first mission to sample an asteroid, with the spacecraft launch Thursday, Sept. 8.

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket between 7:05 and 9 p.m. EDT Sept. 8 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, neighboring Kennedy in Florida.

OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid. OSIRIS-REx will travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, arriving in 2018, to survey the surface, retrieve at least 60 grams (2.1 ounces) of surface material, and return it to Earth in 2023 for study. Analysis of the sample will reveal the earliest stages of the solar system's evolution and the history of Bennu over the past 4.5 billion years.

Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. The University of Arizona leads the science team and observation planning and processing. Lockheed Martin Space Systems built the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the agency's New Frontiers Program for its Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Launch management is conducted by the Launch Services Program at Kennedy.

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Mars 2020 Rover Mission

The design of NASA's Mars 2020 rover leverages many successful features of the agency's Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012, but it adds new science instruments and a sampling system to carry out the new goals for the 2020 mission. Credits: NASA NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Centennial, Colorado, to provide launch services for a mission that will address high-priority science goals for the agency's Journey to Mars.

Mars 2020 is targeted for launch in July 2020 aboard an Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rover will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers.

Additionally, scientists will use the instruments aboard the rover to identify and collect samples of rock and soil, encase them in sealed tubes, and leave them on the surface of Mars for potential return to Earth by a future mission to the Red Planet.

The mission will build on the achievements of Curiosity and other Mars Exploration Program missions, and offer opportunities to deploy new capabilities developed through investments by NASA's Space Technology Program and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, as well as contributions from international partners.

The Mars 2020 rover mission presents new opportunities to learn how future human explorers could use natural resources available on the surface of the Red Planet. An ability to live off the land could reduce costs and engineering challenges posed by Mars exploration.

The total cost for NASA to launch Mars 2020 is approximately $243 million, which includes: the launch service; spacecraft and spacecraft power source processing; planetary protection processing; launch vehicle integration; and tracking, data and telemetry support.

NASA is on an ambitious journey to Mars that includes sending humans to the Red Planet. The robotic missions of NASA's Planetary Science Division are leading the way with the upcoming Mars 2020 rover, the InSight lander mission targeted for 2018, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers currently exploring the Martian surface, Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft currently orbiting the planet, and the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) orbiter, which is helping scientists understand what happened to the planet's atmosphere.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage and oversee the Atlas V launch service for Mars 2020. The Mars 2020 Project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars 2020 spacecraft development for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

For more information about NASA's Mars 2020 rover, visit: http://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices

NASA Prepares for NOAA's GOES-R November Launch

GOES-R weather and environmental satellite will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:40 p.m. EDT., currently planned for Nov. 4.

GOES-R is the first of four satellites to be launched for NOAA in a new and advanced series of spacecraft. Once in geostationary orbit, it will be known as GOES-16 and will provide images of weather patterns and severe storms across the continental U.S. as regularly as every five minutes, with smaller, more detailed images of areas where storm activity is present as frequently as every 30 seconds. These images can be used to aid in formulating regular forecasts, severe weather outlooks, and watches and warnings, assessing lightning conditions, and improving maritime and aviation forecasts. It also will assist in long-term forecasting, such as seasonal predictions and drought outlooks. In addition, the satellite constantly will monitor space weather conditions, such as solar flares, to provide advance notice of potential communication and navigation disruptions. The satellite also will assist researchers in understanding the interactions between land, oceans, the atmosphere and climate.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides spacecraft project management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance for GOES-R. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft for NASA, who will turn it over to NOAA for operational use after on-orbit checkout. Launch management is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy, with United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, providing the Atlas V launch service.

Starliner Crew Access Arm and White Room Installation

NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) will mark the installation of the CST-100 Starliner Crew Access Arm and White Room to the Crew Access Tower on Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Media are invited to view the lift and installation operations on Saturday, Aug. 13, with a back-up of Monday, Aug. 15. Operations are dependent on weather conditions and launches supported by the Air Force Eastern Range.

Representatives from NASA, Boeing and ULA will be available for interviews at SLC-41. The installation of the Crew Access Arm and White Room will complete the major construction of the first new Crew Access Tower to be constructed along Florida's Space Coast since the Apollo era. The arm will serve as the connection that astronauts will walk through prior to boarding Boeing's Starliner spacecraft when stacked atop ULA's Atlas V rocket.

SLC-41 is one of the most active launch complexes on the Space Coast, and construction of this tower has taken place between launches, with segments of the structure being built off-site and then assembled at the pad. Under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with NASA, the Starliner system, currently in development, will be certified by NASA's Commercial Crew Program to fly crews to and from the International Space Station.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Extends Ground Systems Support Contract at Kennedy Space Center

NASA has exercised the second option to extend to Sept. 30, 2018, the period of performance of its Test and Operations Support Contract (TOSC) with Jacobs Technology Inc. of Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Jacobs Technology Inc. will provide continued overall management and implementation of ground systems capabilities, flight hardware processing and launch operations in support of the International Space Station, Ground Systems Development and Operations, Space Launch System and Orion Programs, as well as select support services for the Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The cost-plus-award-fee option was exercised at a value of $232.3 million for the baseline work with a performance period of two years. The contract's indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity ordering provision, valued up to $500 million for the life of the contract, also was extended for a concurrent two-year period.

Jacobs Technology Inc. will provide ground processing for launch vehicles, spacecraft and payloads in support of emerging programs, commercial entities and other government agencies designated by NASA. Services include advanced planning and special studies, development of designated ground systems, operational support for design and development of flight hardware and ground systems, servicing and processing of spacecraft, payload, and launch vehicles, ground systems services, and logistics and other processing support services at Kennedy.

Kennedy has transformed into a multi-user spaceport to support both government and commercial customers. A dynamic infrastructure is designed to host many kinds of spacecraft and rockets sending people on America's next adventures in space – to an asteroid, to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA's Asteroid-Bound Spacecraft

OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to launch at 7:05 p.m. Sept. 8 from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The spacecraft will travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu to survey the surface, then retrieve at least 60 grams (2.1 ounces) of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The spacecraft will rendezvous with the asteroid in 2018. The sample return is planned in 2023.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations after launch. Dante Lauretta, of the University of Arizona, is the mission's principal investigator.

OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages New Frontiers for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about the OSIRIS-REx mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

NASA Orders Second SpaceX Crew Mission to International Space Station

NASA took another important step Friday in returning U.S. astronaut launches from U.S. soil with the order of a second post-certification mission from commercial provider SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. Commercial crew flights from Florida's Space Coast to the International Space Station will restore America's human spaceflight launch capability and increase the time U.S. crews can dedicate to scientific research, which is helping prepare astronauts for deep space missions, including the Journey to Mars.

"The order of a second crew rotation mission from SpaceX, paired with the two ordered from Boeing will help ensure reliable access to the station on American spacecraft and rockets," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "These systems will ensure reliable U.S. crew rotation services to the station, and will serve as a lifeboat for the space station for up to seven months."

This is the fourth and final guaranteed order NASA will make under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts. Boeing received its two orders in May and December of 2015, and SpaceX received its first order in November 2015. Both companies have started planning for, building and testing the necessary hardware and assets to carry out their first flight tests, and ultimately missions for the agency.

At a later time, NASA will identify which company will fly the first post-certification mission to the space station. Each provider's contract includes a minimum of two and a maximum potential of six missions.

SpaceX met the criteria for this latest award after it successfully completed interim developmental milestones and internal design reviews for its Crew Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9 rocket and associated ground systems.

"We're making great progress with Crew Dragon, with qualification of our docking adapter and initial acceptance testing of the pressure vessel qualification unit completed" said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX president and chief operating officer. "We appreciate the trust NASA has placed in SpaceX with the order of another crew mission and look forward to flying astronauts from American soil next year."

SpaceX is building four Crew Dragon spacecraft at its Hawthorne facility -- two for qualification testing and two for flight tests next year. The company also is in the process of modifying Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from which the company will launch future crewed missions to the space station.

A standard commercial crew mission to the station will carry as many as four crew members and about 220 pounds of pressurized cargo, and remain at the station for as long as 210 days, available as an emergency lifeboat during that time.

"With the commercial crew vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX, we will soon add a seventh crew member to space station missions, which will significantly increase the amount of crew time to conduct research," said Julie Robinson, NASA's International Space Station chief scientist. "Given the number of investigations waiting for the crew to be able to complete their research, having more crew members will enable NASA and our partners to significantly increase the important research being done every day for the benefit of all humanity."

Orders under the CCtCap contracts are made two to three years prior to actual mission dates in order to provide time for each company to manufacture and assemble the launch vehicle and spacecraft. Each company also must successfully complete a certification process before NASA will give the final approval for flight.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program manages the CCtCap contracts and is working with each company to ensure commercial transportation system designs and post-certification missions will meet the agency's safety requirements. Activities that follow the award of missions include a series of mission-related reviews and approvals leading to launch. The program also will be involved in all operational phases of missions.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Awards Protective Services Contract at Kennedy Space Center

This firm-fixed-price contract, resulting from a small business set-aside competition, will begin Oct. 1. The contract has a possible total performance period of five years and a maximum potential value of $146.3 million.

Chenega Infinity, LLC will provide physical security operations, personnel security, secure access procedures, 911 dispatch, firefighting, fire prevention and protection engineering, aircraft rescue, advance life support ambulance services, emergency management and protective services training.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Sends Trailblazing Science, Cargo to International Space Station Aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

Instruments to perform the first-ever DNA sequencing in space, and the first international docking adapter for commercial spacecraft, are among the cargo scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station after Monday's launch of the SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services-9 (CRS-9) mission.

SpaceX's Dragon cargo craft launched at 12:45 a.m. EDT on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with almost 5,000 pounds of cargo. The spacecraft will be grappled to the space station at 7 a.m. Wednesday, July 20, by NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, supported by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins.

"Each commercial resupply flight to the space station is a significant event. Everything, from the science to the spare hardware and crew supplies, is vital for sustaining our mission," said Kirk Shireman, NASA's International Space Station Program manager. "With equipment to enable novel experiments never attempted before in space, and an international docking adapter vital to the future of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft, we're thrilled this Dragon has successfully taken flight."

The mission is the company's ninth cargo flight to the station under NASA's CRS contract. Dragon's cargo will support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations during the station's Expeditions 48 and 49.

DNA testing aboard the space station typically requires collecting samples and returning them to Earth. The Biomolecule Sequencer seeks to demonstrate, for the first time, that DNA sequencing is feasible in microgravity using a crew-operated, miniaturized device to identify microbes, diagnose diseases, monitor crew health and possibly help detect DNA-based life off the Earth.

Maintaining safe temperatures is difficult in space where there is no atmosphere to moderate the extreme heat and cold provided by direct, unfiltered sunlight. The Phase Change Heat Exchanger, a NASA investigation to test temperature control technology for future spacecraft, uses a continual process of freezing and thawing to maintain temperatures inside a spacecraft, thereby protecting crews and equipment.

Millions of Americans experience bone loss resulting from disease or the reduced effects of gravity that can occur in immobilized patients. New ground-based studies are using magnetic levitation equipment to simulate these gravity-related changes. Research delivered under the station's role as a U.S. National Laboratory includes OsteoOmics, a test to determine whether magnetic levitation accurately simulates the free-fall conditions of microgravity by comparing genetic expression in different types of bone cells.

Improved understanding of the mechanisms behind bone loss could lead to better ways to prevent it during space missions. This also could contribute to better prevention of, and treatments for, bone loss as a result of diseases like osteopenia and osteoporosis, or from prolonged bed rest.

Another National Lab investigation called Heart Cells studies how microgravity changes the human heart, and how those changes vary from one individual to another. Future exploration of the moon, asteroids or Mars will require long periods of space travel, which creates increased risk of health problems such as muscle atrophy, including possible atrophy of heart muscle. Heart cells cultured aboard the space station for one month will be analyzed for cellular and molecular changes. Results could advance the study of heart disease and the development of drugs and cell replacement therapy.

Dragon is scheduled to depart the space station Monday, Aug. 29. After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, more than 3,300 pounds of science, hardware, crew supplies and spacewalk tools will be returned to shore.

For more than 15 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A truly global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,900 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.

SpaceX CRS-9

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is targeting liftoff on the company's Falcon 9 rocket at 12:45 a.m. from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida, carrying science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 48 and 49 crew members.

As part of prelaunch activities, NASA TV will air a prelaunch briefing conducted by mission managers on Saturday, July 16, at 2 p.m. The briefing also will stream live on the agency's website at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

After a two-day trip, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams will use the station's 57.7-foot (17.6-meter) robotic arm to reach out and capture the Dragon spacecraft as he operates from the station's cupola. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins will serve as the backup. Ground commands will be sent from Houston for the station's arm to install Dragon on the Earth-facing side of the station's Harmony module for its stay at the space station. By the next day, the crew will pressurize the vestibule between the station and Dragon, and then open the hatch that leads to the forward bulkhead of Dragon.

Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture July 20 will begin at 5:30 a.m. on NASA TV, with installation set to begin at 9:45 a.m.

During the next five weeks, crew members will unload the spacecraft and reload it with cargo to return to Earth. About five-and-a-half hours after it departs the station Aug. 29, it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

In addition to SpaceX's arrival, Roscosmos is scheduled to launch its next cargo resupply mission on the ISS Progress 64 cargo resupply mission at 5:41 p.m. EDT, Saturday, July 16, with a docking Monday night. NASA Television of launch coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m.

If the launch does not occur Monday, July 18, the next launch opportunity is midnight Wednesday, July 20, with NASA TV coverage starting at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 19.

Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-9 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
TWITTER
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
FACEBOOK
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

Next SpaceX Commercial Cargo Launch Now No Earlier Than July 18

An uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying crew supplies and station hardware, will lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), adjacent to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This is the ninth mission by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Among the almost 4,900 pounds of supplies, equipment and science research Dragon will carry is the first of two international docking adapters, which will allow Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to dock to the station when transporting astronauts in the near future as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA Issues Notice for Kennedy Space Center Land Use

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has released a notice of availability for undeveloped land to potentially support activities in launch operations and support, assembly, testing and processing of space systems, renewable energy, research and development, and vertical launch and landing. The announcement is part of Kennedy's transformation to a multi-user spaceport based on effectively utilizing land assets identified in the center's 20-year Master Plan.

"We look forward to new commercial partnerships as KSC supports emerging space markets. Making this land available is yet another step in our evolution as a diverse spaceport that supports NASA and the commercial space industry," said Scott Colloredo, director of Kennedy's Center Planning and Development.

The center has transformed from a government-focused launch base to a multi-user spaceport that can accommodate different vehicles, systems and commercial launch providers. Kennedy features a host of launch and processing facilities, a one-of-a-kind runway and laboratories suited to multiple requirements. The center is well-equipped to support the full spectrum of needs for space launch service companies.

The official announcement and additional details can be found at: http://go.nasa.gov/1XuxYLw
Kennedy's Master Plan is available at: http://masterplan.ksc.nasa.gov/
For information on additional partnership opportunities at Kennedy, visit: http://kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov/

Next SpaceX Commercial Cargo Launch Targeted for Mid-July

This is the ninth mission by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Among the supplies, equipment and science research Dragon will carry is the first of two international docking adapters, which will allow Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to dock to the station when transporting astronauts in the near future as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

Launch of First U.S. Spacecraft to Sample Asteroid Set for September

OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Sept. 8. The two-hour launch window opens at 7:05 p.m. EDT.

OSIRIS-REx will retrieve at least 60 grams (2.1 ounces) of surface material. Scientists suspect Bennu may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of the water and organic molecules that may have made their way to Earth.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta is the mission's principal investigator at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft.

OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. The agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the New Frontiers Program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Launch and countdown is managed at Kennedy.

For more information about the OSIRIS-REx Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

NASA Invites Media to Robotics Mining Competition at KSC Visitor Complex

Teams of undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the nation will demonstrate their excavator robots May 16-20 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

More than 45 teams have designed and built remote controlled mining robots to traverse the simulated Martian terrain and excavate simulated Martian dirt. During the competition, the teams' robots will go head-to-head to determine which machine can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time.

Although the competition is for college students, the event offers many opportunities for students of all ages. NASA is hosting a college recruitment fair for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors showcasing STEM education opportunities available at top colleges and universities across the nation. The event also will offer additional STEM activities for students of all ages.

For more information on the competition, associated activities and social media links to participate virtually, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasarmc

Video highlights of the practice and competition will air on the NASA Television Video File. For downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA Selects Orbital ATK to Begin Negotiations for Space in Iconic Vehicle Assembly Building

The prospective property use agreement, which also will include a mobile launcher platform, reflects Kennedy's transformation to a multi-user spaceport supporting both government and commercial organizations.

"Over the past few years, the people of Kennedy have worked diligently to transform the center. We are now a true multi-user spaceport supporting a variety of different partners successfully," said Bob Cabana, Kennedy director. "We look forward to working with Orbital ATK in the future to help expand the capabilities of this unique, historic asset."

NASA will remain the primary user of the VAB for the Space Launch System and Orion programs. If an agreement is negotiated, NASA will act as the overall site operator for the facility.

The potential agreement is the result of a competitive Announcement for Proposals the agency released in June 2015.

The VAB, a national landmark, was completed in 1966 for the assembly of the Apollo/Saturn V moon rockets. For 30 years, it acted as the final assembly point for all space shuttle missions. The building is 525 feet tall and 518 feet wide.

Essentially a large steel box, a mobile launcher platform measures 160 by 135 feet. The platform's surface features wide openings that align with a space-bound vehicle's engines and direct the rocket's blast into the flame trench below.

For more information about partnership opportunities with Kennedy, visit: http://kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov
For more information about Orbital ATK, visit: https://www.orbitalatk.com/
For more information on NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Celebrates Earth Day with Public Events, Online Activities

Earth Day in the Nation's Capital
Thursday and Friday — 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Union Station main hall, 40 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Washington
NASA Hyperwall and Science Gallery exhibits, hands-on activities and demonstrations. NASA scientists will give talks April 22 at the Hyperwall stage following the opening ceremony at 11 a.m., featuring NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan, Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in Washington, and others.

Earth Day at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Thursday — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Space Station Processing Facility Conference Center at Kennedy
Friday — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Activities will showcase sustainability themes, including energy saving solutions and renewable energy. More than a dozen electric cars will be on display with test drives available. Master gardeners and pollinator specialists will answer questions and offer tips. And wildlife and natural conservation specialists will discuss methods to safeguard wildlife, preserve natural resources, and protect Florida waters. Approximately 50 exhibitors from around the United States will be attending.
http://www.nasa.gov/24Seven

NASA Earth #24Seven Social Media Event
Friday — Online
NASA is inviting people all around the world to share on social media what they are doing to celebrate and improve our home planet. In return, the space agency will also share what makes up a "day in the life" of NASA Earth science, capturing everything that's involved in better understanding and protecting our home planet.

NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. The agency develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records, shares this unique knowledge, and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing.

Swarmathon Robotics Competition at Kennedy Visitor Complex

Students from minority-serving universities and community colleges around the country will demonstrate their programming for "Swarmie" robots April 20-21 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

Twelve teams developed search algorithms for small robots that can operate autonomously and are programmed to communicate and interact as a collective swarm, similar to ants foraging for food. During the competition, the teams' algorithm will run on the Swarmie robots in an official competition arena. Groups will be ranked by the number of resources their search algorithm is able to locate in a specified period of time.

The competition is a NASA Minority University Research Program project, which strives to ensure that underrepresented and underserved students participate in NASA education and research. The Swarmies were designed through collaboration between the University of New Mexico and NASA Kennedy Space Center's Swamp Works Facility.

As NASA expands human presence in the solar system, like the journey to Mars, the goal of the Swarmathon competition is to develop integrated robotic platforms that could revolutionize space exploration though the utilization of extraplanetary resources.

For more information about the competition, visit: http://nasaswarmathon.com/
For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

NASA Cargo Headed to Space Station Includes Habitat Prototype, Medical Research

Tucked in the trunk of the latest commercial cargo spacecraft to head for the International Space Station is an expandable structure that has the potential to revolutionize work and life on the space station.

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is delivering almost 7,000 pounds of cargo, including the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), to the orbital laboratory following its launch on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:43 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The mission is SpaceX's eighth cargo delivery through NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations taking place on the space station during Expeditions 47 and 48.

"The cargo will allow investigators to use microgravity conditions to test the viability of expandable space habitats, assess the impact of antibodies on muscle wasting, use protein crystal growth to aid the design of new disease-fighting drugs and investigate how microbes could affect the health of the crew and their equipment over a long duration mission," said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman.

Dragon will be grappled at 7 a.m. Sunday, April 10, by ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Tim Peake, using the station's Candarm2 robotic arm, with help from NASA astronaut Jeff Williams.

BEAM will arrive in Dragon's unpressurized trunk and, after about five days, will be removed and attached to the station. Expansion is targeted for the end of May. The module will expand to roughly 10 feet in diameter and 13 feet long. During its two-year test mission, astronauts will enter the module for a few hours several times a year to retrieve sensor data and assess conditions. Expandable habitats are designed to take up less room on a rocket, but provide greater volume for living and working in space once expanded. This first in situ test of the module will allow investigators to gauge how well the habitat protects against solar radiation, space debris and contamination.

Crew members experience significant decreases in bone density and muscle mass during long-duration spaceflight without appropriate nutrition and exercise. One life science investigation on its way to the orbiting laboratory will assess myostatin inhibition as a means of preventing skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness in mice exposed to long-duration spaceflight. Drugs tested on the space station could progress to human clinical trials back on Earth to validate their effectiveness for future space missions.

Dragon also will deliver Microchannel Diffusion, a study of fluids at the nanoscale, or atomic, level. Nanofluidic sensors could measure the air in the space station, or be used to deliver drugs to specific places in the body. The laws that govern flow through nanoscale channels are not well understood, and this investigation simulates those interactions by studying them at the larger microscopic level. This type of research is possible only on the space station, where Earth's gravity is not strong enough to interact with the molecules in a sample, so they behave more like they would at the nanoscale. Knowledge gleaned from the investigation may have implications for drug delivery and particle filtration, as well as future technological applications for space exploration.

Another experiment onboard Dragon is a protein crystal growth investigation focused on drug design and development. Growing protein crystals in microgravity can help researchers avoid some of the obstacles inherent to protein crystallization on Earth, such as sedimentation. One investigation will study the effect of microgravity on the co-crystallization of a membrane protein to determine its three-dimensional structure. This will enable scientists to chemically target and inhibit, with "designer" compounds, an important human biological pathway thought to be responsible for several types of cancer.

The spacecraft is scheduled to depart the space station May 11 for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, bringing almost 3,500 pounds of science, hardware and spacewalking tools back to Earth for further study, including biological samples from NASA's one-year mission.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about SpaceX's mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Progresses Toward SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA provider SpaceX is scheduled to launch its eighth Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station on Friday, April 8. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is targeting lift off on the company's Falcon 9 rocket at 4:43 p.m. from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida, carrying science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 47 and 48 crews.

About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit, deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station.

The spacecraft will arrive at the station Sunday, April 10, at which time NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Tim Peake will use the station's robotic arm to capture the Dragon spacecraft. Ground commands will be sent from Houston to the station's arm to install Dragon on the bottom side of the Harmony module for its stay at the space station. Live coverage of the rendezvous and capture will begin at 5:30 a.m. on NASA TV, with installation set to begin at 9:30 a.m.

The following day, the crew will pressurize the space between the station and Dragon and open the hatch between the two spacecraft.

The Dragon spacecraft will deliver almost 7,000 pounds of supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital outpost and its crew. The cargo includes the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which will be attached to the space station to test the use of an expandable space habitat in microgravity. Scheduled to return to Earth in May, the Dragon capsule will bring back biological samples from astronauts, including those collected during NASA's one-year mission.

The new experiments arriving to the station will help investigators study muscle atrophy and bone loss in space, use microgravity to seek insight into the interactions of particle flows at the nanoscale level and use protein crystal growth in microgravity to help in the design of new drugs to fight disease.

Dragon is scheduled to return to Earth on May 11. About five-and-a-half hours after it leaves the station, it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

If the launch does not occur on Friday, April 8, the next launch opportunity is 4:20 p.m. Saturday, April 9.

NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Friday, April 8 (Launch day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

IN-FLIGHT NASA TV COVERAGE
If launch occurs April 8, NASA TV will provide live coverage of the arrival of the SpaceX CRS-8 Dragon spacecraft to the space station. NASA TV will cover the rendezvous and capture of the spacecraft beginning at 5:30 a.m. with installation taking place at approximately 10 a.m. Coverage of the installation of Dragon will begin at 9:30 a.m.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-8 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 3:30 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Gregory B. Harland at 321-861-7401. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex
Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-8 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

TWITTER
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

FACEBOOK
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

NASA's 'Spaceport of the Future' Reaches Another Milestone

NASA has completed a major milestone on its journey to Mars and is ready to begin another phase of work on its spaceport of the future, where the next generation of astronauts will launch to Mars and other deep-space destinations.

The agency recently wrapped up a comprehensive and successful review of plans for the facilities and ground support systems that will process the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"NASA is developing and modernizing the ground systems at Kennedy to safely integrate Orion with SLS, move the vehicle to the pad, and successfully launch it into space," said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Development Division at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "Modernizing the ground systems for our journey to Mars also ensures long-term sustainability and affordability to meet future needs of the multi-use spaceport."

Over the course of a few months, engineers and experts across the agency reviewed hundreds of documents as part of a comprehensive assessment. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO), responsible for processing SLS and Orion for flight and ensuring all systems and facilities are ready, completed its critical design review (CDR) of the facilities and ground support systems plans in December 2015.

This was followed in January by the completion of an independent assessment by a Standing Review Board, a team of aerospace experts that assessed program readiness and confirmed the program is on track to complete the engineering design and development process on budget and on schedule.

In the final step before actual fabrication, installation and testing of Kennedy's ground systems, the GSDO program and review board briefed the results of their assessments to NASA's Agency Program Management Council, led by Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot.

Engineers are transforming Kennedy's launch infrastructure to support the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The heavy-lift rocket will be stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building on the mobile launcher and roll out to Launch Pad 39B atop a modified crawler transporter. The Orion spacecraft will be fueled with propellants in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at Kennedy prior to stacking atop the rocket. The launch team will use the new command and control system in the firing room as the clock counts down to liftoff of SLS's first flight.

"The team is working hard and we are making remarkable progress transforming our facilities," said Mike Bolger, GSDO Program Manager. "As we are preparing for NASA's journey to Mars, the outstanding team at the Kennedy Space Center is ensuring that we will be ready to receive SLS and Orion flight hardware and process the vehicle for the first flight in 2018."

The council also heard the results of the Orion CDR, completed at the program level in October 2015. The evaluation assessed the primary systems of the spacecraft, including the capsule's structures, pyrotechnics, Launch Abort System jettison, guidance, navigation and control and software systems among many other elements.

For the spacecraft's first mission on the SLS rocket, ESA (European Space Agency) is providing Orion's service module, which powers, propels, cools and provides consumables like air and water in space. Results from ESA's service module design review, which began this month, will be assessed and incorporated into Orion development and integration plans later this summer. Systems unique to the first crewed flight will be addressed at a review in the fall of 2017.

Progress continues on Orion at NASA facilities across the country. The underlying structure of the crew module arrived at Kennedy in early February for outfitting, which is currently underway. Over the next 18 months, thousands of Orion components will arrive and be installed.

Meanwhile, a structural representation of the service module is being tested at NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, where engineers conducted a successful solar array wing deployment test on Feb. 29 and are preparing for a variety of tests to confirm it can withstand the harsh conditions of launch.

For more information on GSDO, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/groundsystems
For more information on Orion, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

NASA Sends Fire, Meteor Experiments to International Space Station on Commercial Cargo Spacecraft

An Atlas V launch vehicle lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft on the Orbital ATK CRS-6 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:05 p.m. EDT. The spacecraft will deliver 7,500 pounds of supplies, science payloads and experiments. Credits: NASA

Orbital ATK's fifth cargo delivery flight under its Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA launched at 11:05 p.m. EDT Tuesday on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Cygnus is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory Saturday, March 26. The station's Expeditions 47 and 48 crews will employ these science payloads to support experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science – research that improves life on Earth -- including:

Saffire-1 will remain on the spacecraft once all the other supplies are unloaded, and the vehicle will be attached to the space station for about two months. Once it departs and the spacecraft is a safe distance from the space station, engineers will remotely conduct the first Saffire experiment before the Cygnus' destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Before detaching from the station, Cygnus will also be filled with about 3,000 pounds of trash, which will be burned up over the Pacific Ocean.

This is the second flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft, and the second using the Atlas V launch system. The cargo freighter features a greater payload capacity, supported by new fuel tanks and solar arrays, and an extended pressurized cargo module that increases the spacecraft's interior volume by 25 percent, enabling more cargo to be delivered with each launch.

The space station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about Orbital ATK's mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Targets Early April for Eighth SpaceX Cargo Launch

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft is targeted for launch at 4:43 p.m. EDT Friday, April 8.

The Dragon capsule will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida, carrying science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 47 and 48 crews. The flight also includes the Bigelow Aerospace expandable habitat module that will be attached to the space station for testing. In its scheduled return to Earth in May, the Dragon capsule will bring back biological samples from astronauts, including those collected during NASA's one-year mission. This launch is the eighth contracted mission by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about commercial cargo resupply missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialresupply

Fifth Orbital ATK Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA commercial provider Orbital ATK is scheduled to launch its fifth mission to the International Space Station Tuesday, March 22, under the agency's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

The company's Cygnus spacecraft is set to lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 11:05 p.m., the start of a 30-minute launch window, from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Cygnus will carry almost 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory to support dozens of science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 47 and 48.

The new experiments will inspire future scientists and explorers, with experiments such as an investigation that looks at the properties and behavior of regolith, or "soil" found on asteroids, comets, the moon, and other airless worlds; an instrument for the first-ever, space-based observations of the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere; a technology demonstration of an adhesive device that can stick on-command in the harsh environment of space; and the second generation of a portable onboard 3-D printer, among others.

The spacecraft will arrive at the station on Saturday, March 26, at which time Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra of NASA and Flight Engineer Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) will grapple Cygnus, using the space station's robotic arm, at approximately 6:40 a.m. NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and grapple will begin at 5:30 a.m.

After Cygnus' capture, ground commands will be sent from mission control in Houston to the station's arm to rotate and install the spacecraft on the bottom of the station's Unity module. Coverage of installation will begin at 9:15 a.m. Cygnus will remain at the space station until May, when the spacecraft will be used to dispose of several tons of trash during its fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Under Orbital ATK's Commercial Resupply Services contract, the company will fly 10 missions.

This will be the second flight to the station of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft, which has an extended pressurized cargo module that increases the spacecraft's interior volume capacity by 25 percent and enables more cargo to be delivered with each mission. Dubbed the S.S. Rick Husband, the spacecraft is a tribute to U.S. Air Force Col. Rick Husband, commander of space shuttle Columbia's STS-107 mission, which was lost during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the Orbital ATK CRS-6 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 10 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Tracy Young at 321-867-2468. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital
Learn more about the Orbital ATK CRS-6 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

TWITTER
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

FACEBOOK
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

Commercial Cargo Mission

Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The spacecraft will carry crew supplies and hardware to the orbital laboratory to support the Expedition 47 and 48 crews.

This launch is the fifth contracted mission by Orbital ATK under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract and will be followed later this year by an Orbital ATK resupply mission launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

The Cygnus Orbital ATK CRS-6 Cargo Module

The fifth commercial resupply services mission for Orbital ATK is targeted for liftoff atop a commercial United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 22 at approximately 11:05 p.m. EST.

Orbital ATK uses the Cygnus to perform ISS resupply flights under the Commercial Resupply Services contract. Cygnus consists of a pressurized cargo module for crew supplies, scientific experiments and equipment, together with an associated service module providing solar power and propulsion. This mission will be the second flight of the enhanced variant of Orbital ATK's Cygnus pressurized cargo module, which will be delivering approximately 7,700 pounds of cargo to the station.

For more information about the Orbital ATK resupply mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbital

For more information about the International Space Station, its crew and research, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

Next Commercial Space Station Cargo Mission

The launch of Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for Thursday, March 10, during a 30-minute window that opens at approximately 3 a.m. EST. The launch is a commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.

This launch is the fifth contracted mission by Orbital ATK under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract and will be followed later this year by an Orbital ATK resupply mission launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Science payloads heading to the space station on this launch include:

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

Orion Crew Module Arriving at Kennedy Space Center

Orion Crew Module at Kennedy Space Center

Welding work on the pressure vessel, or underlying structure, of the Orion crew module
was completed at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. It will be shipped to
the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Feb. 1 for outfitting and processing.
Credits: NASA

The upcoming arrival of the Orion crew module pressure vessel that will fly atop the Space Launch System rocket on the first integrated flight test, Exploration Mission-1, (EM-1). Delivery of this major Orion hardware marks an important milestone as NASA continues making progress on its journey to Mars.

At 3 p.m. EST, Monday, February 1, Orion's recently completed pressure vessel, or underlying structure of the crew module, is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy's Landing Facility aboard NASA's Super Guppy cargo aircraft.

NASA and Lockheed Martin are tracking several milestones for Orion in 2016. The processing of Orion for flight at Kennedy will include outfitting the crew module with the spacecraft's heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems including electrical power storage and distribution, thermal control, cabin pressure control, command and data handling, communications and tracking, guidance, navigation and control, reaction control system propulsion and flight software and computers.

The Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space.

Jason-3 Launches to Monitor Global Sea Level Rise

Jason-3, a U.S.-European oceanography satellite mission with NASA participation that will continue a nearly quarter-century record of tracking global sea level rise, lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Sunday at 10:42 a.m. PST (1:42 p.m. EST) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Jason-3 is an international mission led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with NASA, the French space agency CNES, and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

"Jason-3 will take the pulse of our changing planet by gathering environmental intelligence from the world's oceans," said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service.

The mission will improve weather, climate and ocean forecasts, including helping NOAA's National Weather Service and other global weather and environmental forecast agencies more accurately forecast the strength of tropical cyclones.

"Jason-3 is a prime example of how our nation leverages NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration to help address critical global challenges in collaboration with NOAA and our international partners," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The measurements from Jason-3 will advance our efforts to understand Earth as an integrated system by increasing our knowledge of sea level changes and the ocean's roles in climate."

Minutes after Jason-3 separated from the rocket's second stage, the spacecraft unfolded its twin sets of solar arrays. Ground controllers successfully acquired the spacecraft's signals, and initial telemetry reports showed the satellite was in good health.

Jason-3 entered orbit about 15 miles (25 kilometers) below Jason-2. The new spacecraft will gradually raise itself into the same 830-mile (1,336-kilometer) orbit and position itself to follow Jason-2's ground track, orbiting a couple of minutes behind Jason-2. The two spacecraft will fly in formation, making nearly simultaneous measurements for about six months to allow scientists to precisely calibrate Jason-3's instruments.

Jason-3 begins full science operations after a six-month checkout phase, joining Jason-2, which launched in 2008. From low-Earth orbit, Jason-3 will precisely measure the height of 95 percent of the world's ice-free ocean every 10 days.

Coordinating orbits and combining measurements from Jason-2 and Jason-3 should allow even more frequent coverage of the global oceans. Together, the two spacecraft will double global data coverage. This tandem mission will improve our knowledge of tides in coastal and shallow seas and internal tides in the open ocean, while improving our understanding of ocean currents and eddies.

Measurements of sea-surface height, or ocean-surface topography, reveal the speed and direction of ocean currents and tell scientists how much of the sun's energy is stored by the ocean. Combining ocean current and heat storage data is key to understanding global climate changes.

Since the Topex/Poseidon-Jason satellite missions began in 1992, researchers have observed a total global sea level rise of 2.8 inches (70 millimeters) – an average rate of 0.12 inches (3 millimeters) a year. Because it is a measure of both ocean warming and loss of land ice, sea level rise is an important indicator of human-caused climate change.

"As human-caused global warming drives sea levels higher and higher, we are literally reshaping the surface of our planet," said Josh Willis, NASA project scientist for Jason-3 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "These missions tell us how much and how fast."

Data from Jason-3 will be used for other scientific, commercial and operational applications, including modeling of deep-ocean waves; forecasts of surface waves for offshore operators; forecasts of tides and currents for commercial shipping and ship routing; coastal forecasts to respond to environmental challenges such as oil spills and harmful algal blooms; coastal modeling crucial for marine mammal and coral reef research; and forecasts of El Nino and La Nina events.

CNES provided the Jason-3 spacecraft bus. NASA and CNES are jointly providing the primary payload instruments. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management and countdown operations for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. JPL manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about the Jason-3 mission, visit: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jason-3

To find out more about NASA's Earth science research, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earth

NOAA's Jason-3 Spacecraft Ready for Launch

The launch of Jason-3, an international mission led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to continue U.S.- European satellite measurements of the topography of the ocean surfaces, is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 4 East is targeted for 10:42:18 a.m. PST (1:42:18 p.m. EST) at the opening of a 30-second launch window. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on the Western Range on Jan. 18 at 10:31:04 a.m. PST (1:31:04 p.m. EST).

Jason-3 will maintain the ability to monitor and precisely measure global sea surface heights, monitor the intensification of tropical cyclones and support seasonal and coastal forecasts. Data from Jason-3 will support scientific, commercial and practical applications related to ocean circulation and climate change. Additionally, Jason-3 data will be applied to fisheries management, marine industries and research into human impacts on the world's oceans. The mission is planned to last at least three years with a goal of five years.

Jason-3 is a four-agency international partnership consisting of NOAA, NASA, the French Space Agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), and EUMETSAT (the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites). Thales Alenia of France built the spacecraft.

NOAA in collaboration with the international European partners is responsible for the Jason-3 mission. JPL is responsible for NASA Jason-3 project management. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida provides launch management. SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, is NASA's launch service provider of the Falcon 9 rocket.

For more information about the Jason-3 mission, visit: http://nesdis.noaa.gov/jason-3/

2015

NASA Kennedy Space Center Counts Down to Santa's Annual Toy Delivery Mission

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is counting down to support Santa Claus during his annual mission to deliver toys and other presents to children around the world. As always, the jolly old fellow will have the opportunity to take advantage of the agency's latest advances in technology.

Claus will have access to the most recent findings on the amounts of moisture and frost in the Earth's surface. NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, satellite, is providing the latest measurements of the Earth's soil moisture distribution and freeze/thaw rates. This global data could be valuable in helping Claus determine the best places to land his sleigh.

Additionally, Claus and his reindeer will be given the opportunity to use Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility if a rest stop is needed during their long Christmas Eve trip. During the past year, NASA signed a 30-year property agreement with Space Florida for the operations and management of the facility. Now that Kennedy is a 21st century multi-user spaceport, a variety of commercial and government partners may use the three-mile-long runway.

If he does choose to touch down at the Shuttle Landing Facility, Claus' reindeer will feel right at home at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Alongside the many high-tech facilities at the Florida spaceport, Kennedy employees work in an animal sanctuary that is home to hundreds of wildlife species. The diverse, 140,000-acre landscape provides a habitat for many varieties of animals, including alligators, manatees and deer.

Claus has one extraterrestrial destination this year -- the International Space Station. The crew recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of permanent occupancy of the orbiting laboratory. The first expedition crew docked with the station on Nov. 2, 2000, and began activation of the station and scientific research that has continued nonstop.

On Dec. 6, an Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft successfully lifted off with more than 7,000 pounds of additional research equipment to support science investigations by the station crew.

In addition to St. Nick's Christmas Eve delivery, crews aboard the ISS received supplies in April when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on its sixth commercial resupply services mission. The SpaceX Dragon capsule brought up 4,300 pounds of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations and supplies.

Soon, astronauts can join Claus by flying from U.S. soil to the space station aboard new spacecraft as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The effort is a partnership that will include Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon taking astronauts to the orbiting laboratory.

Should Claus wish to visit future pioneers living and working on Mars, recent findings should aid St. Nick when he visits the Red Planet. Earlier this year, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provided the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. Dark streaks appear to ebb and flow in numerous locations when temperatures rise above 10 degrees below zero Fahrenheit and disappear at colder times.

As future explorers reach farther into the solar system, Claus may want to pay them a visit. Launched from the Cape on Jan. 19, 2006, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft provided the first close-up observations of Pluto on July 14 of this year. While human exploration may be years away, it gives the jolly old fellow time to map out his gift-giving strategy no matter where astronauts venture into the cosmos.

NASA Orders Second Boeing Crew Mission to International Space Station

NASA took an important step Friday to establish regular crew missions that will launch from the United States to the International Space Station with the order of its second post-certification mission from Boeing Space Exploration of Houston.

"Once certified by NASA, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon each will be capable of two crew launches to the station per year," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "Placing orders for those missions now really sets us up for a sustainable future aboard the International Space Station."

This is the third in a series of four guaranteed orders NASA will make under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts. Boeing and SpaceX received their first orders in May and November, respectively, and have started planning for, building and procuring the necessary hardware and assets to carry out their first missions for the agency. NASA will identify at a later time which company will fly a mission to the station first.

Boeing met the criteria for NASA to award the company its second mission with the successful completion of interim developmental milestones and internal design reviews for its Starliner spacecraft, United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and associated ground system.

Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is seeing the buildup of the Starliner structural test article, and nearby, the main column of the crew access tower is in place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. Flight trainers are nearing completion in Boeing's St. Louis facility and rocket parts are starting to come together in Huntsville, Alabama.

"As our company begins its second century, our Starliner program continues Boeing's tradition of space industry innovation with commercial service to the space station," said John Mulholland, vice president and manager of Boeing's commercial crew program. "We value NASA's confidence in the Starliner system to keep their crews safe."

Commercial crew missions to the space station will restore America's human spaceflight capabilities and increase the amount of time dedicated to scientific research off the Earth, for the Earth and beyond. A standard commercial crew mission to the station will carry up to four NASA or NASA-sponsored crew members and about 220 pounds of pressurized cargo. The spacecraft will remain at the station for up to 210 days, available as an emergency lifeboat during that time.

"With the commercial crew vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX, we will soon add a seventh crew member to International Space Station missions, which will significantly increase the amount of crew time to conduct research," said Kirk Shireman, manager for the International Space Station Program. "This will enable NASA and our partners to ramp up the important research being done every day for the benefit of all humanity."

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
To stay up-to-date on commercial crew progress, bookmark the program's blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

As SpaceX plans its next blastoff, here's how it aims to stick the landing

The Falcon 9 Rocket Launch is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19th at 8:25pm from Launch Pad 40.

NOAA's Jason-3 Spacecraft Ready for Launch

NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE
NASA Television will carry the prelaunch news conference starting at 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST) on Friday, Jan. 15. The prelaunch news conference also will be webcast at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

On launch day, Jan. 17, NASA TV launch commentary coverage of the countdown will begin at 8 a.m. PST (11 a.m. EST). Launch is targeted for 10:42:18 a.m. PST (1:42:18 p.m. EST). The launch window is 30 seconds in duration. Spacecraft separation from the rocket occurs 55 minutes after launch.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
For extensive prelaunch, countdown and launch day coverage of the liftoff, including the prelaunch webcast of Jason-3 aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, go to: http://blogs.nasa.gov/Jason-3

Social Media
Join the conversation online and follow the Jason-3 mission on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/Jason-3

Throughout the launch countdown, the NASA Launch Services Program and NASA JPL Twitter and Facebook accounts will be continuously updated at:

NASA JASON-3 AND FALCON 9 NEWS CENTER
The Jason-3 and Falcon 9 News Center at the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office will open Monday, Jan. 11. To speak with a NASA communications specialist, call 805-605-3051 beginning at that time. A recorded launch status report also will be available by dialing 805-734-2693.

NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station Aboard Orbital ATK Resupply Mission

"NASA is delighted at the continued progress made possible by our investment in commercial space," said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman. "As we celebrate Orbital ATK's success with its fourth cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, we look forward to the next milestones of our other commercial partners, including commercial crew launches from American soil in the near future. All these missions are critical to our journey to Mars – a journey we have already begun."

The Atlas V launch vehicle lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 4:44 p.m. EST. Science payloads include experiments that will study the behavior of gases and liquids and clarify the thermo-physical properties of molten steel; and evaluations of flame-resistant textiles.
Credits: NASA

The mission is Orbital ATK's fourth cargo delivery flight to the station through NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. This is the first flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft to the station. The cargo freighter now features a greater payload capacity, new UltraFlex solar arrays and new fuel tanks. Cygnus' pressurized cargo module has been extended and increases the spacecraft's interior volume capacity by 25 percent, allowing more cargo to be delivered with each mission. It's also the first Cygnus mission using the Atlas V launch system.

Science payloads will support science and research investigations that will occur during the space station's Expeditions 45 and 46, including experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science -- research that impacts life on Earth. Investigations 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 and clarify the thermo-physical properties of molten steel and evaluations of flame-resistant textiles.

The Space Automated Bioproduct Lab is a new space life science facility that is designed to support a wide variety of fundamental, applied and commercial space life sciences research, as well as education-based investigations for students from kindergarten through university. The facility will support research on microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeast, algae, fungi, and viruses, as well as animal cells and tissues and small plant and animal organisms.

NanoRacks-MicroSat-SIMPL is a modular, hyper integrated satellite designed to provide complete satellite functionality in a nanosatellite scale. It will be the first NanoRacks microsatellite deployed from the space station and the first propulsion-capable satellite deployed from the NanoRacks-MicroSat-Deployer known as Kaber. The commercial deployer system aims to address the growing market of customers wanting to deploy microsatellites in orbit.

The Packed Bed Reactor Experiment studies the behavior of gases and liquids when they flow simultaneously through a column filled with fixed porous media, which is of interest in many chemical and biological processing systems, as well as numerous geophysical applications.

BASS-M (Burning and Suppression of Solids – Milliken) will evaluate flame retardant and resistant textiles as a mode of personal protection from fire-related hazards. Studying flame retardant and resistant behavior of different materials in microgravity will aid in better designs for future textiles and benefit those who wear protective clothing, such as military personnel and civilian workers in the electrical and energy industries.

The Nodes satellites, sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate and developed by the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, consist of two CubeSats weighing 4.5 pounds each and measuring 4 inches by 4 inches by 6.5 inches. They are an example of how technology drives innovation, as they will test new network capabilities for operating swarms of spacecraft in the future.

In addition, Cygnus 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.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, from his vantage point aboard the International Space Station, photographed the launch of Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credits: NASA

Cygnus will be grappled at approximately 6:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9, by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, using the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft. Scott Kelly of NASA will support Lindgren in a backup position. The spacecraft will spend more than a month attached to the space station before its destructive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, disposing of about 3,000 pounds of trash.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about Orbital ATK's mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA TV Coverage Set for Orbital ATK Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA UPDATES

NASA confirmed the launch date at the conclusion of Tuesday's launch readiness review at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. During the meeting, senior NASA, U.S. Air Force, Orbital ATK and United Launch Alliance managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft, United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and personnel are ready for launch.

Cygnus is set to lift off on the Atlas V at 5:55 p.m., the beginning of a 30-minute launch window, from CCAFS Space Launch Complex 41. 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 via streaming video on the agency's website.

The new experiments arriving to the orbital 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 UltraFlex 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 re-entry into Earth's atmosphere in January 2016, disposing of about 3,000 pounds of trash.

For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1MzW1Cj

For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA TV Coverage Set for Fourth Orbital ATK Resupply Mission to Space Station

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wednesday, Dec. 2 (L-1 day): An ISS Science, Research and Technology briefing will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at 1 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.

PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Wednesday, Dec. 2 (L-1 day): A prelaunch status will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at 2 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.

POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Thursday, Dec. 3: A post-launch news conference will occur at approximately 8 p.m. and NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 4:15 p.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

IN-FLIGHT NASA TV COVERAGE
If launch occurs Dec. 3, NASA TV will provide live coverage Dec. 6 of the arrival of the Cygnus cargo ship to the International Space Station. Grapple and berthing coverage will begin at 4 a.m. EST with grapple at approximately 5:30 a.m.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the Orbital ATK CRS-4 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 4:30 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital

Learn more about the Orbital ATK CRS-4 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

TWITTER
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

FACEBOOK
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Orders SpaceX Crew Mission to International Space Station

NASA took a significant step Friday toward expanding research opportunities aboard the International Space Station with its first mission order from Hawthorne, California based-company SpaceX to launch astronauts from U.S. soil.

This is the second in a series of four guaranteed orders NASA will make under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts. The Boeing Company of Houston received its first crew mission order in May.

"It's really exciting to see SpaceX and Boeing with hardware in flow for their first crew rotation missions," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "It is important to have at least two healthy and robust capabilities from U.S. companies to deliver crew and critical scientific experiments from American soil to the space station throughout its lifespan."

Determination of which company will fly its mission to the station first will be made at a later time. The contracts call for orders to take place prior to certification to support the lead time necessary for missions in late 2017, provided the contractors meet readiness conditions.

Commercial crew missions to the space station, on the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, will restore America's human spaceflight capabilities and increase the amount of time dedicated to scientific research aboard the orbiting laboratory.

SpaceX's crew transportation system, including the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, has advanced through several development and certification phases. The company recently performed a critical design review, which demonstrated the transportation system has reached a sufficient level of design maturity to work toward fabrication, assembly, integration and test activities.

"The authority to proceed with Dragon's first operational crew mission is a significant milestone in the Commercial Crew Program and a great source of pride for the entire SpaceX team," said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating office of SpaceX. "When Crew Dragon takes NASA astronauts to the space station in 2017, they will be riding in one of the safest, most reliable spacecraft ever flown. We're honored to be developing this capability for NASA and our country."

Commercial crew launches will reduce the cost, per seat, of transporting NASA astronauts to the space station compared to what the agency must pay the Russian Federal Space Agency for the same service. If, however, NASA does not receive the full requested funding for CCtCap contracts in fiscal year 2016 and beyond, the agency will be forced to delay future milestones for both U.S. companies and continue its sole reliance on Russia to transport American astronauts to the space station.

A standard commercial crew mission to the station will carry up to four NASA or NASA-sponsored crew members and about 220 pounds of pressurized cargo. The spacecraft will remain at the station for up to 210 days, available as an emergency lifeboat during that time.

"Commercial crew launches are really important for helping us meet the demand for research on the space station because it allows us to increase the crew to seven," said Julie Robinson, International Space Station chief scientist. "Over the long term, it also sets the foundation for scientific access to future commercial research platforms in low- Earth orbit."

Cygnus Cargo Module Nov. 13

The launch is currently targeted for Thursday, Dec. 3 during a 30-minute window that opens at approximately 6 p.m., aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Next Tracking, Data Relay Satellite

The total cost for NASA to launch TDRS-M is approximately $132.4 million, which includes the launch service, spacecraft processing, payload integration, tracking, data and telemetry, and other launch support requirements.

TDRS-M will join other TDRS spacecraft of the NASA Space Network, which provides voice, data, video and telemetry services for low-Earth orbiting satellites, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, weather and environmental monitoring satellites. The Space Network also captures real-time telemetry data from expendable vehicles during launch and early orbit. Customers using data from scientific satellites can also take advantage of TDRS-M. Signals will be sent through the primary TDRS ground station located in White Sands, New Mexico.

NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages and oversees the Atlas V 401 launch services for TDRS-M. The TDRS Project at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages TDRS-M spacecraft development for the agency's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices

Space Station Crew Celebrates 15 Years of Human Space Exploration in Low-Earth Orbit

Station Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren of NASA, Flight Engineers Mikhail Kornienko, Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Volkov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will take questions from U.S., Russian and Japanese media during the news conference.

Expedition 1 arrived at the orbital outpost Nov. 2, 2000, its first residents including Commander William Shepherd of NASA and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko of Roscosmos. Their mission marked the start of an uninterrupted human presence on the complex that has seen the station grow from a modest pair of U.S. and Russian modules, to a sprawling laboratory and home the size of a football field.

Orbiting 250 miles above the Earth, astronauts aboard the station are conducting research not possible on the ground, such as the one-year mission with Kelly and Kornienko to research the effects on the human body of an extended stay in a microgravity environment. The space station also is facilitating the growth of a robust commercial market in low-Earth orbit for research, technology development, and crew and cargo transportation.

For more information about the International Space Station and its crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Kennedy Space Center Issues Results of Land Use Call for Proposals

Kennedy is transforming as a multi-user spaceport under a 20-year master plan. As part of that plan, the center released an Announcement for Proposals (AFP) June 2 to alert the public to a potential opportunity to develop commercial vertical launch capabilities at two launch sites on Kennedy Space Center.

Several major aerospace launch providers already are located at Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. An initial market analysis, more than a year before issuing the AFP, indicated there may be a need for more.

A review of the AFP proposals and the current commercial market demand indicated the market wasn't sufficiently mature to make the commitment NASA sought when it issued the announcement.

The two sites mentioned in the AFP are the only locations in the center's master plan suitable for vertical launch capabilities. As a result, Kennedy will keep them for this purpose. While no decision has been made at this time to issue another AFP, as demand grows, Kennedy will look to make the sites available for commercial partnerships in the future.

For more information about Kennedy's master plan and other partnership opportunities, visit: http://kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA Awards Venture Class Launch Services Contracts for CubeSat Satellites

The three companies selected to provide these new commercial launch capabilities, and the value of their firm fixed-price contracts, are:

"LSP is attempting to foster commercial launch services dedicated to transporting smaller payloads into orbit as an alternative to the rideshare approach and to promote the continued development of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry," said Jim Norman, director of Launch Services at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "VCLS is intended to help open the door for future dedicated opportunities to launch CubeSats and other small satellites and science missions."

LSP supports the agency's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) by providing launch opportunities for more than 50 CubeSats that are awaiting launch during the next three years. The VCLS contracts will demonstrate a dedicated launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science SmallSat and CubeSat missions.

Small satellites already are used to provide imagery collection for monitoring, analysis and disaster response. In the future, CubeSat capabilities could include ship and aircraft tracking, improved weather prediction, and the provision of broader Internet coverage.

The Earth Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington has partnered with LSP to fund the VCLS contracts. These VCLS launches of small satellites are able to tolerate a higher level of risk than larger missions and will demonstrate, and help mitigate risks associated with, the use of small launch vehicles providing dedicated access to space for future small spacecraft and missions.

"Emerging small launch vehicles have great potential to expand the use of small satellites as integral components of NASA's Earth science orbital portfolio," said Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division. "Today's CubeSat technology fosters hands-on engineering and flight research training; with the addition of reliable, affordable, and dedicated access to space on small launchers, constellations of SmallSats and CubeSats could revolutionize our science-based spaceborne Earth-observing systems and capabilities. We're eager to work with the VCLS providers as they develop new launch capabilities for the Earth science community."

For more information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html

Media Accreditation Open for Orbital ATK Mission to Resupply Space Station

The Cygnus will lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida. The mission will be the first flight of the enhanced variant of Orbital ATK's Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft, capable of delivering more than 7,700 pounds of essential crew supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the station.

Science payloads include a new life science facility that will support studies on cell cultures, bacteria, and other micro-organisms; a microsatellite deployer and the first microsatellite to be deployed from the space station; experiments that will study the behavior of gases and liquids and clarify the thermo-physical properties of molten steel; and evaluations of flame-resistant textiles.

For more information about the Orbital ATK resupply mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbital

For more information about the International Space Station, its crew and research, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Innovation Expo Highlights Kennedy Technology Advances on Journey to Mars

Beginning on Friday, Oct. 16, Kennedy and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will showcase some of these key innovations in the fourth annual Innovation Expo. The theme of this year's expo is "From Earth to Mars." The event will include many exhibits such as space mining robots, Robonaut and an exhibit of growing food in space, along with presentations by astronaut Nicole Stott and NASA scientists.

The expo will remain on display to visitor complex patrons through Saturday, Oct. 17.

New ideas and creativity are essential in Kennedy's transition into a 21st century, multi-user space launch complex. The Innovation Expo is designed to inspire participants by sharing past successes, current ideas and NASA's vision of the future.

For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA to Announce Selections for Small Satellite Launch Contract

The vehicles expected to meet the VCLS requirement represent an emerging class of commercial launch services for small satellites -- often called CubeSats or nanosatellites -- and science missions that are currently limited to ride-share arrangements, flying only when space is available on NASA and other launches.

This new class of launch services is intended to help open the door for future dedicated opportunities for CubeSat launches and science missions, so that a single rocket would be able to send dozens of the tiny spacecraft into orbit at once and on paths that best suit their scientific goals. The services acquired through such a contract will constitute the smallest class of launch services used by NASA.

In addition to the benefit of having a dedicated launch capability, this contract will save NASA the costs of developing a launch vehicle of its own for this purpose, instead paying for the launches as a service. The boosters will be developed by the commercial provider, with rocket costs supported by a wide market of users, also enabling the agency to enjoy cost savings.

VCLS is an element of a strategic initiative led by LSP and focused on assuring long-term launch services availability while also promoting the continued evolution of the U.S. commercial space launch market.

LSP supports the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) by providing innovators at non-profits and educational institutions an accessible way to participate in space exploration. More than 50 CubeSats currently are awaiting launch over the next three years. NASA's Earth Sciences Division anticipates future recurring science missions requiring LSP support and use of a dedicated capability for launching smaller payloads into orbit.

Small satellites, including CubeSats, are playing an increasingly larger role in exploration, technology demonstration, scientific research and educational investigations at NASA. These miniature satellites provide a low-cost platform for NASA missions, including planetary space exploration; Earth observations; fundamental Earth and space science; and developing precursor science instruments like cutting-edge laser communications, satellite-to-satellite communications and autonomous movement capabilities. They also allow educators an inexpensive means to engage students in all phases of satellite development, operation and exploitation through real-world, hands-on research and development experience on NASA-funded rideshare launch opportunities.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA Awards Flight Operations and Maintenance Support Services Contract

The firm-fixed price contract begins Oct. 1. It has a maximum value of $7 million with a potential performance period of five years.

The contractor will provide services to meet NASA requirements that include flight operations that are conducted under NASA and FAA regulations, and are under the direction of the Chief of Flight Operations based at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility. The contractor shall provide support for flight, maintenance and operations of the three UH-1H-II aircraft.

Media Invited to View Kennedy's 9/11 Tribute Ceremony

A section of I-beam that once strengthened the World Trade Center in New York has made
its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will serve as a memorial to
the 343 fire/rescue personnel who gave their lives to save others on Sept. 11, 2001.
Credits: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Media are invited to attend an event memorializing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center at 10 a.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 11, at Fire Station 1 on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The event will pay tribute to the 343 fire and rescue personnel that lost their lives during the attack. In addition, a piece of the New York City World Trade Center will be on display at the event.

The ceremony will be hosted by Kennedy's Associate Director Kelvin Manning. Representatives from the Spaceport Integration and Services Directorate and local fire, rescue and police personnel will attend.

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA TV to Air Grand Opening of Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility

Boeing, one of two companies under contract with NASA's Commercial Crew Program to restore America's ability to launch crews to the International Space Station from the United States, will debut the modernization of the former space shuttle Orbiter Processing Facility-3, which now is home to Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft. Inside, there are more than 150 pieces of hardware, as well as the structural test article and service module that together will be used to prove the design Boeing is developing to accomplish flight tests and crew missions to the space station.

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy
For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Three Space Station Crews to Answer Media Questions from Orbit

This will be the first time since November 2013 that nine crew members are aboard the station simultaneously.

The trip enables Roscosmos to rotate a crew member and a Soyuz spacecraft. Volkov will remain aboard the station for the next six months, returning in March 2016 with one-year mission crew members Kelly and Kornienko in the Soyuz TMA-18M. Padalka, who launched in March with Kelly and Kornienko in the Soyuz TMA-16M, will return to Earth in that spacecraft on Friday, Sept. 11, with Mogensen and Aimbetov. Each Soyuz remains in orbit for about six months.

In the coming months, Expedition 45 crew members will conduct more than 250 science investigations in fields such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences, and technology development.

For the full schedule of docking and landing coverage, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA's Modified Mobile Launcher for Space Launch System

Modifications of the mobile launcher that will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) have been completed. SLS is the agency's new rocket that will launch astronauts in the Orion spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars.

For more information about NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/groundsystems

NASA Selects Contractor to Prepare Launch Structure for Agency's Journey to Mars

The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Mobile Launcher Ground Support Equipment Installation contract is a firm, fixed-price contract that extends for 455 calendar days and has a maximum value of $45.8 million. Significant subcontractors are Core Electric of Melbourne, Florida; MDI Services, LLC of Orlando, Florida; and Bragg Crane & Rigging of Long Beach, California.

J.P. Donovan Construction will install and integrate ground support equipment onto the existing Mobile Launcher to modify the structure with systems necessary to assemble, process and launch NASA's integrated Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

GSDO's primary objective is to prepare Kennedy to process and launch the next-generation vehicles and spacecraft designed to achieve NASA's goals for space exploration. To achieve this transformation, program personnel are developing the necessary ground systems while refurbishing and upgrading infrastructure and facilities to meet tomorrow's demands. This modernization effort keeps flexibility in mind, in order to accommodate a multitude of government, commercial and other customers.

For more information about NASA programs for the journey to Mars, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/groundsystems

New Small Class Vehicle Launch Pad 39C

An aerial view of Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center shows
the small launch area called Pad C in the southeast corner of the perimeter.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida took another step forward in its transformation into a 21st Century multi-user spaceport with the creation of a new launch pad that is designed to attract smaller aerospace companies and enable them to develop and launch their vehicles from the center.

A ceremony will be hosted on July 17th by Kennedy Director Bob Cabana and representatives from the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Kennedy's Center Planning and Development and Engineering Directorates.

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA Selects Astronauts for First U.S. Commercial Spaceflights

"I am pleased to announce four American space pioneers have been selected to be the first astronauts to train to fly to space on commercial crew vehicles, all part of our ambitious plan to return space launches to U.S. soil, create good-paying American jobs and advance our goal of sending humans farther into the solar system than ever before," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "These distinguished, veteran astronauts are blazing a new trail -- a trail that will one day land them in the history books and Americans on the surface of Mars."

Video Presentation By These Astronauts

We selected four astronauts to train and prepare for commercial spaceflights that will return American launches to U.S....
Posted by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Thursday, July 9, 2015

NASA named experienced astronauts and test pilots Robert Behnken, Eric Boe, Douglas Hurley and Sunita Williams to work closely with The Boeing Company and SpaceX to develop their crew transportation systems and provide crew transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

"Today, NASA announced that it has selected four, veteran astronauts to be the first to fly to space on commercial carriers," said John Holdren, assistant to the President for Science and Technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "Their selection allows NASA to move forward with the training necessary to deliver on President Obama's ambitious plan for returning the launch of U.S. astronauts to U.S. soil, while creating good-paying American jobs, and moving us closer to the President's goal of sending astronauts to Mars in the 2030s."

The commercial crew astronauts will work closely with company-led teams to understand their designs and operations as they finalize their Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and operational strategies in support of their crewed flight tests and certification activities as part of their contracts with NASA.

"This is a new and exciting era in the history of U.S. human spaceflight," said Brian Kelly, director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "These four individuals, like so many at NASA and the Flight Operations Directorate, have dedicated their careers to becoming experts in the field of aeronautics and furthering human space exploration. The selection of these experienced astronauts who are eligible to fly aboard the test flights for the next generation of U.S. spacecraft to the ISS and low-Earth orbit ensures that the crews will be well-prepared and thoroughly trained for their missions."

The Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts with Boeing and SpaceX each require at least one crewed flight test with at least one NASA astronaut on board to verify the fully-integrated rocket and spacecraft system can launch, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station, as well as validate all systems perform as expected, and land safely.

"We are excited to have such an experienced group of astronauts working with the Commercial Crew Program, Boeing and SpaceX and ultimately flying on the companies' flight test missions," said Commercial Crew Program Manager Kathy Lueders. "Naming these astronauts is a key step forward and consistent with past approaches to involve the crew in the design and development of new systems."

Once the test program is completed successfully, and the systems are certified by NASA, the companies will conduct between two and six crew rotation missions to the space station. Each mission will transport four NASA crew members and at least 220.5 pounds of pressurized cargo to and from the orbiting laboratory.

Commercial Provider Statements

"Congratulations to Bob, Doug, Eric and Suni on being the first group of astronauts selected for flight training as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program," said Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX. "We look forward to working with them even more closely as we prepare for the first human missions to the space station on Crew Dragon. Human spaceflight is why SpaceX was founded, and we look forward to supporting our nation's exploration efforts by launching astronauts from America again."

The Commercial Crew Astronauts

Behnken flew on space shuttle missions STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010, logging more than 29 days in space, including more than 37 hours during six spacewalks. He earned bachelor's degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University in 1992, and a master's and doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1993 and 1997, respectively. Behnken has served as chief of the Astronaut Office since 2012. U.S. Navy Capt. Chris Cassidy is replacing Behnken as chief of the Astronaut Office.

Eric Boe, also a U.S. Air Force colonel, was born in Miami and grew up in Atlanta. As an Air Force pilot, he flew more than 5,000 hours in more than 45 different aircraft before NASA selected him as an astronaut in July 2000. A veteran of two spaceflights, STS-126 in November 2008 and STS-133 in February of 2011, Boe has spent more than 28 days in space.

While in the Astronaut Office, Boe's technical assignments included serving as the NASA director of operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, and as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. He earned a Bachelor of Science in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1987 and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997.

Douglas Hurley, a retired U.S. Marine colonel, was born in Endicott, New York, and considers Apalachin, New York, his hometown. Hurley retired from the military in 2012 after more than 24 years of service as a Naval aviator who flew more than 4,500 hours in more than 25 different types of aircraft. He also was selected as an astronaut in 2000, and spent more than 28 days in space, flying as the pilot of STS-127 in July 2009 and STS-135 in July 2011, the last flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

Hurley served in several technical assignments within the Astronaut Office including as the NASA director of operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. His most recent assignment was as the assistant director of New Programs for the Flight Operations Directorate at Johnson. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1988.

Sunita Williams, a U.S. Navy captain, was born in Euclid, Ohio, and considers Needham, Massachusetts, her hometown. Williams received her commission in the Navy in May 1987 and became a helicopter pilot, logging more than 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. NASA chose Williams for the astronaut program in 1998.

A veteran of two long-duration spaceflights, Williams spent a total of 322 days in space and currently holds the record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut (50 hours and 40 minutes). She now ranks sixth on the all-time U.S. endurance list, and second all-time for a female astronaut. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 with a bachelor of science in physical science, and from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1995 with a master of science in engineering management.

For the latest information about Commercial Crew progress, follow the blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

'Forever Remembered' Exhibit Honoring Challenger and Columbia Opens at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Forever Remembered exhibit honoring Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

A permanent memorial, "Forever Remembered," is unveiled June 27 in the
Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
in Florida. NASA and astronaut families collaborated on the memorial designed
to honor the crews lost on missions STS-51L and STS-107, pay tribute to shuttle
vehicles Challenger and Columbia, and emphasize the importance of learning from
the past. Encompassing nearly 2,000 square feet, the memorial contains the largest
collection of memorabilia and personal items of both flight crews. It also includes recovered
hardware from both Challenger and Columbia, never before displayed for the public.
Credits: Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA and the families of the crews of space shuttle missions STS-51L and STS-107 have collaborated to create a new, permanent memorial designed to honor the astronauts, pay tribute to orbiters Challenger and Columbia, and emphasize the importance of learning from the past. "Forever Remembered" opened Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, where it completes NASA's 30-year Space Shuttle Program story told throughout the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit.

Encompassing nearly 2,000 square feet, the memorial contains the largest collection of personal items of both flight crews. It also includes recovered hardware from both Challenger and Columbia, never before on display for viewing by the public.

Family members were present at a small ceremony as the memorial was formally opened by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, both veteran shuttle astronauts.

"The crews of Challenger and Columbia are forever a part of a story that is ongoing," Bolden said. "It is the story of humankind's evolving journey into space, the unknown, and the outer-reaches of knowledge, discovery and possibility. It is a story of hope."

The Space Shuttle Program story is full of spectacular successes. From its maiden voyage in 1981 to its final touchdown in 2011, the capable, reusable delta-winged vehicle captivated a generation. Teams of astronauts pulled off seemingly impossible feats in Earth orbit while a cast of thousands supported them from the ground.

But the shuttle story also includes the losses of 14 courageous astronauts and the nation's first two shuttles, Columbia and Challenger. The tragedies galvanized the agency to learn from these painful events, not only to safely return the shuttle fleet to flight, but to help assure the safety of future explorers.

Temperatures at Kennedy Space Center were just a few degrees above freezing on the morning of Jan. 28, 1986, as Challenger lifted off on its 10th mission, STS-51L. One minute and 13 seconds into the flight, a booster failure caused an explosion that destroyed the vehicle, resulting in the loss of the crew of seven astronauts: Commander Francis Scobee, Pilot Michael Smith, Mission Specialists Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka and Ronald McNair, and Payload Specialists Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire schoolteacher.

Seventeen years later, on Jan. 16, 2003, NASA's flagship orbiter Columbia thundered into orbit on STS-107, a 16-day science mission. On board were Commander Rick Husband, Pilot Willie McCool, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Clark, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut. On Feb. 1, 2003, the orbiter broke apart in the skies above east Texas as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere on the way to a planned landing at Kennedy. Seven more lives were lost.

"I believe that it's important to share this story with everyone, and not just push it aside, or try to hide it," Cabana said. "These crews and these vehicles are part of who we are as an agency, and a nation. They tell the story of our never ending quest to explore, and our undying spirit to never give up."

"Forever Remembered" is designed to be an emotional experience, according to NASA's Mike Ciannilli, who has been NASA's lead on the memorial project since it began about four years ago. At the time, Ciannilli was a NASA Test Director and Landing Recovery Director.

"Emotion is timeless," Ciannilli explained. "It's important that we don't lock this experience into a certain time, a certain place."

Visitors enter the memorial through a doorway flanked by the STS-51L and STS-107 mission patches. The orbiter and crew are remembered through individual collections lining the walls: Challenger on the left, Columbia on the right. The items were carefully chosen to share each astronaut's passions, talents and achievements, allowing their personalities to shine through.

Items include Husband's cowboy boots and Bible, a small aircraft Smith hand-carved for his wife, Anderson's vintage Star Trek lunch box, and a research paper authored by Judy Resnik, displayed alongside sheet music for violin and piano. There are flight jackets, family photographs and numerous other artifacts offering a glimpse into the people behind the names on the mission patches. Many items were loaned by the families; others belong to NASA.

"The families have been unbelievably gracious, inspiring, warm and giving," Ciannilli said. "There were times they provided comfort to me as I worked on this, and still do."

At the end of the first hall, the warmth of the astronauts' collections gives way to a small gallery where guests will see firsthand the toll these events took on the shuttle hardware. A section of Challenger's fuselage displaying the American flag stands at left; on the right, the flight deck windows of Columbia are placed at eye level.

"When I look into those windows, I see John Young and Bob Crippen preparing to launch on the boldest test flight in history, the first flight of America's space shuttle, Columbia," Cabana said.

"I see a much younger Bob Cabana launching to space on his first command, and I see Rick and Willie and the rest of the 107 crew smiling and experiencing the wonders of space on the final flight of Columbia."

While great care has been taken to preserve the pieces, they're real, bearing the scars of the trauma each shuttle endured.

"Forever Remembered" concludes with a focus on the recovery and return-to-flight efforts, including the emotional toll these events had on the nation, the challenges involved in recovery, and the triumph of return to flight. A looping video shares heartfelt letters written by children as they shared their condolences and messages of hope.

After each loss, investigators spent months looking at recovered hardware, poring over data and conducting analysis to determine what had gone wrong. A second video reveals rarely seen photos and footage of this painstaking process.

The space shuttle team pulled together to fix the problems and return the program to flight each time. Any less effort would not have honored the fallen astronauts or their missions. Shuttle Atlantis, on display nearby, flew the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program, STS-135.

"The artifacts here on display are not easy to look at. Many of them are on display for the very first time," Bolden said. "It is our hope that by making them available for the public to view, we will help remind the world, that every launch, every discovery, every measure of progress, is possible only because of the sacrifice of those we have lost."

For information about Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Opens New Exhibit Saturday

Street view of the Space Shuttle Atlantis building at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex

The 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility, home to the now-retired space shuttle
Atlantis, is a crowd pleaser at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
Credits: NASA/Dan Casper

For information about Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA Signs Agreement with Space Florida to Operate Historic Landing Facility

Runway at the Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL

This aerial photo of the runway at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility looks north. Longer and wider than most
commercial runways, it is 15,000 feet long, with 1,000-foot paved overruns on each end, and 300 feet wide,
with 50-foot asphalt shoulders. The runway is used by military and civilian cargo carriers,
astronauts' T-38 trainers, Shuttle Training Aircraft and helicopters, as well as the Space Shuttle.
Credits: NASA

A new agreement marks another step in the transformation of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to a multi-user spaceport. NASA's historic Shuttle Landing Facility, the site of one of the longest runways in the world, has a new operator.

"Our journey to Mars goes straight through Florida, and this agreement helps amplify the many ways that our critical Kennedy Space Center can support the next generation of human spaceflight," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

A 30-year property agreement for the operations and management of the facility, located at Kennedy, has been signed by NASA and Space Florida, the aerospace and spaceport development authority for the state of Florida.

"Following the final space shuttle landing in 2011, the site has transformed into a multi-user facility supporting a variety of commercial and government partners," said Bob Cabana, Kennedy director. "We look forward to partnering with Space Florida to expand upon the multi-use of this historical asset."

Private companies frequently request time on the Shuttle Landing Facility. That demand is expected to increase as businesses that were commercial startups evolve into mature enterprises. The new arrangement with Space Florida is expected to maximize opportunities to use the runway creatively while maintaining its ability to serve NASA and the center, which has transformed to a multi-user spaceport.

"This marks the dawn of a new era for horizontal spaceflight in Florida and the country as a whole," said Space Florida's president and CEO Frank DiBello. "The most storied runway in the world will now become the cornerstone of Florida's next generation commercial spaceport."

Built in 1974 for space shuttles returning to Kennedy, the facility opened for flights in 1976. The concrete runway is 15,000 feet long and 300 feet wide and is capable of supporting all types and sizes of aircraft and horizontal launch and landing vehicles.

For more information about partnership opportunities with Kennedy, visit: http://kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov
For more information on Space Florida, visit: http://www.spaceflorida.gov
For more information on NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA TV Coverage Set for Seventh SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida carrying
the Dragon resupply spacecraft on the sixth commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA commercial partner SpaceX currently is targeting Sunday, June 28, for the launch of its seventh cargo delivery to the International Space Station under the agency's Commercial Resupply Services contract. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 9 a.m. EDT.

The company's Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 10:21 a.m. carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft to the station from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft will be filled with more than 4,000 pounds of supplies and payloads, including critical materials for the science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 44 and 45.

In addition to launch coverage, NASA also will host a series of prelaunch news conferences and events on Friday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All briefings will air live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

Science payloads will offer new insight to combustion in microgravity, perform the first space-based observations of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere, continue solving potential crew health risks and make new strides toward being able to grow food in space. Research continues to support the twins study and one-year mission investigations with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.

This mission also is launching more than 30 student experiments, all of which are flying to the U.S. National Laboratory managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).

The first of two International Docking Adapters for the station will be delivered in Dragon's unpressurized trunk. The adapters will enable space station docking of commercial crew spacecraft, including the Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon.

A Sunday launch will result in the Dragon spacecraft arriving at the space station on Tuesday, June 30. Expedition 44 Flight Engineer Scott Kelly of NASA will use the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and capture Dragon at approximately 7 a.m. Station commander Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will support Kelly as they operate from the station's cupola.

NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and grapple of Dragon will begin at 5:30 a.m. Coverage of Dragon's installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module will begin at 8:30 a.m.

If the launch does not occur on Sunday, the next launch opportunity would be at 9:58 a.m. on Monday, June 29, resulting in a grapple and berthing on Thursday, July 2.

After more than five weeks at the space station, the spacecraft will return with more than 1,400 pounds of cargo, including science experiments, crew supplies, hardware and computer resources, space station hardware, and trash.

ISS SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PANEL ON NASA TV
Friday, June 26 (L-2 days): An ISS Science, Research and Technology briefing will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at 1 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.
Participants will be:

INTERNATIONAL DOCKING ADAPTER/COMMERCIAL CREW/PRELAUNCH PANEL ON NASA TV
Saturday, June 27 (L-1 day): A briefing covering the International Docking Adapter, Commercial Crew and a prelaunch status will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at 2 p.m. EDT. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.
Participants will be:

POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON NASA TV
Sunday, June 28: A post-launch news conference will be held at approximately 90 minutes after launch. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming Internet coverage.
Participants in the post-launch news conference will be:

NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Sunday, June 28 (Launch day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 9 a.m. EDT and conclude at approximately 11 a.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 8:30 a.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

IN-FLIGHT NASA TV COVERAGE
If launch occurs June 28, NASA TV will provide live coverage June 30 of the arrival of the Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station. Grapple and berthing coverage will begin at 5:30 a.m. EDT with grapple at approximately 7 a.m.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-7 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 9 a.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog and learn more about the SpaceX CRS-7 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/SpaceX

TWITTER
The Kennedy Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
FACEBOOK
The Kennedy Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the feed, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Solicits Proposals for Use of Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2

The Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is a unique
facility capable of stacking rockets as high as 450 feet tall using its 325-ton cranes.
Credits: NASA

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has released an announcement for proposals (AFP) for private companies interested in using its Vehicle Assembly Building, High Bay 2 (VAB HB2) for assembly, integration and testing of launch vehicles.

In addition to VAB HB2, the center has three Mobile Launcher Platforms (MLPs) available for reuse in commercial space operations. This announcement supports Kennedy's transformation to a multi-user spaceport that effectively utilizes assets identified in the center's 20-year Master Plan.

"Making unique capabilities like the VAB available to commercial companies is yet another step in our evolution to a diverse spaceport that supports government and commercial partners," said Scott Colloredo, director of Center Planning and Development at Kennedy. "The Space Launch System relies on the VAB for assembly and integration, but High Bay 2 will be available in 2016 for commercial users, and we want to fully explore who might have a need for a massive integration facility at Launch Complex 39."

The VAB is a unique facility capable of stacking rockets as high as 450 feet tall using its 325-ton cranes. The facility is in close proximity to heavy lift launch pads located along the Eastern Range and has connectivity to Kennedy's integration, checkout and launch infrastructure. High Bay 2 is located on the west side of the facility.

Kennedy has transformed from a government-focused launch base to a multi-user spaceport that can accommodate different vehicles, systems and commercial launch providers, and continues to evolve to support changing markets. Kennedy features a host of launch and processing facilities, a one-of-a-kind runway and laboratories suited to multiple needs. The center is well-equipped to support the full spectrum of needs for space launch service companies.

The official announcement, and additional details concerning criteria and requirements, can be found at: http://go.nasa.gov/1DHaDrI
Kennedy's Master Plan is available at: http://masterplan.ksc.nasa.gov/
For information on additional partnership opportunities at Kennedy, visit: http://kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov/

NASA Issues Request for Proposals for New Class of Launch Services

NASA plans to award one or more firm fixed-price VCLS contracts to accommodate 132 pounds (60 kilograms) of CubeSats in a single launch or two launches carrying 66 pounds (30 kilograms) each. The launch provider will determine the launch location and date, but the launch must occur by April 15, 2018.

At present, launch opportunities for small satellites and science missions are primarily limited to ride-share type arrangements, flying only when space is available on NASA and other launches. NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) seeks to develop alternatives to this approach and help foster other launch services dedicated to transporting smaller payloads into orbit. The services acquired through such a contract will constitute the smallest class of launch services used by NASA.

The services acquired under the RFP mean NASA does not have to support a CubeSat launch vehicle on its own or pay for its development. The agency can buy the launch service as any other customer could and enjoy the savings since the rocket's costs are supported by a wide market of users. The boosters would be developed privately, and a single rocket would be able to send dozens of the tiny spacecraft into orbit at once on paths that best suit their scientific goals. Some of the tiny craft that contain experiments and sensors inside the form factor of a 4 inch cube may even be sent beyond Earth orbit to send back reports from deep space.

NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative provides innovators at non-profits, educational institutions, and NASA sponsor missions with an accessible way to participate in space exploration. Universities, science clubs and organizations with an idea for a Kickstarter campaign can afford to build a small satellite and compete to get it flown whereas traditional large satellites require a great deal more resources and involvement of many agencies and institutions to accomplish. For example, past CubeSats have been built with parts from smartphones, while others are a custom blend of materials and equipment. The next CubeSat launch opportunity through the CubeSat Launch Initiative will be released in early August.

CubeSats already are used in the commercial sector for purposes, such as imagery collection and analysis, and are being used for operational purposes instead of being limited to research and development.

"This will start to open up viable commercial opportunities," said Mark Wiese, chief of the flight projects office for LSP. "We hope to be one of the first customers for these companies, and once we get going, the regular launches will drive the costs down for everyone."

The emerging uses are for data valuable to a number of industries including farming, shipping, data networking and the insurance field. The uses for the satellites, even as small as they are, require them to be in particular orbits in some cases, so piggybacking on the launch of another mission that may be heading to an orbit that is not as useful is no longer acceptable for the CubeSat market, Wiese said.

Dedicated rockets for small satellites also will benefit NASA's missions by pushing cutting-edge technology faster from the research level to usable stage. A sensor that works well in the lab, but has not been flown in space will find it difficult to get a trip to Mars on a major spacecraft, for instance. On the other hand, if that sensor could be flown on a CubeSat and show its effectiveness, a future use becomes more practical more quickly.

"It proves the technology for our larger spacecraft," said Garrett Skrobot, Educational Launch of Nano-satellite (ELaNa) mission manager. "If we find a sensor or a battery that works better, we can fly it on one of these and show whether it works. Then the team that uses it on something else does so with a lot more confidence."

The drive comes as CubeSat designers learn how to build observatories capable of studying distant black holes and cosmic X-ray background to track geomagnetic storms of Earth's weather patterns.

"As we drive costs down, that frees up more money for science," Wiese said. "We see this emerging capability to launch CubeSats as something the world is going to need."

For more information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html

NASA's Launch Services Program is focused on assuring the availability of long-term launch services for NASA while also promoting the continued evolution of the U.S. commercial space launch market. The capability anticipated to meet the requirement for a smaller launch vehicle represents an emerging category of launch services.

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html

Next SpaceX Station Resupply Launch

For more information about the SpaceX resupply mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
For information about the International Space Station, its crew and research, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Mourns Loss of Former Launch Commentator Jack King

John W. (Jack) King, former chief of Public Information at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, died June 11, 2015. He was 84. A resident of Cocoa Beach, Florida, King worked in the space agency's Public Affairs office from 1960 until 1975. He returned to Kennedy in 1997, working for space shuttle contractor United Space Alliance until his 2010 retirement. According to Hugh Harris, retired director of NASA Public Affairs at Kennedy, King was instrumental in instituting open communications with the public during the beginning of America's civilian space program.

"Jack helped establish the original systems to ensure the news media received timely and accurate information about both the early human flight programs and the unmanned missions," Harris said.

Born in the Brighton section of Boston, Massachusetts, in April 1931, King was the son of the sports editor for the Associated Press. In 1953 he earned a bachelor's degree in English from Boston College.

King was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army artillery corps immediately after graduation and served two years in Korea and Japan from 1953 through 1955.

After his military service, King followed in his father's footsteps as a news reporter in the Associated Press Boston Bureau. Shortly after the United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958, King was assigned to cover the fledgling space program from Cocoa Beach, Florida.

In 1960, Kurt Debus, Kennedy Space Center's first director, hired King to serve as NASA's chief of Public Information based on his experience as the space reporter and bureau chief for the Associated Press Cape Canaveral Bureau from 1958 to 1959. Many of the launches were classified military rockets and a new mindset was required at the growing launch center.

"The biggest PR job I had to do was with our own people in order to get information that I could pass out to the news media," King said during an interview for an oral history project in June 2002. "These were the early days when things were just starting out."

During that time, the attention of the world and many of America's leaders focused on Cape Canaveral. Three weeks after Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, 1961, President John F. Kennedy raised the sights of the space program even further.

"Right after the Shepard launch is when Kennedy said, let's go to the moon," King said. "After (John) Glenn was launched ... Kennedy was at (Cape Canaveral) welcoming him back."

King served as manager of press operations for 12 years, spanning the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.

During that time, King was the "voice of launch control" for virtually every human mission from Gemini 4 to Apollo 15. He described countdown events as millions around the world watched the liftoff of the Saturn V rocket that carried the Apollo 11 astronauts to the moon.

In 1972, King became director of Public Affairs for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. There he had wider responsibilities for directing programs that included education outreach, exhibits and astronaut appearances, as well as intergovernmental and community relations.

After the United States and Soviet Union agreed to a mission in which an Apollo spacecraft would link up with a Soyuz in July 1975, King joined a three-member team that negotiated the joint information plan for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, or ASTP. The resulting agreement included the first live television coverage of a Russian rocket launch and Soyuz landing at the end of the Russian portion of the flight.

After ASTP, King moved to Washington, D.C., accepting a position as director of Public Affairs for the Department of Energy Research and Development to build an agencywide publicity program in solar, fossil and nuclear energy.

King left government service in 1977 to work for Dr. Armand Hammer, chairman of Occidental International Corp., for whom he developed and implemented a wide-ranging public relations program. He also served as the chairman's speech writer and coordinator of media events in connection with his numerous travels and philanthropic activities.

After Hammer's death in December 1990, King served as vice president of Powell Tate, a leading communications and public affairs firm in Washington, specializing in defense, space technology and energy issues.

King returned to Florida's Space Coast in 1997, assuming responsibilities for news media relations for United Space Alliance (USA), NASA's prime contractor for day-to-day Space Shuttle Program operations.

King was a two-time recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and winner of the Aviation/Space Writer's Lawrence Award as the outstanding U.S. government public information officer in 1969. In 2000, he was one of the first two recipients of the Harry Kolcum Memorial News and Communications Award presented by the National Space Club Florida Committee, recognizing the highest standards in journalism and public affairs work.

King retired from USA in October 2010, but continued to serve as a NASA public affairs volunteer.

A widower, King and his wife Evelyn were married 39 years prior to her death in 2005. They had three children and five grandchildren.

For more information about the Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Achieves Pad Abort Milestone Approval

NASA has approved a $30 million milestone payment to SpaceX under the agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement with the company following a recent and successful pad abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Data gathered during the test are critical to understanding the safety and performance of the Crew Dragon spacecraft as the company continues on the path to certification for crew missions to the International Space Station, and helping return the ability to launch astronauts from the United States.

The Crew Dragon's eight SuperDraco engines fired at 9 a.m. EDT on May 6 for about six seconds, each instantly producing about 15,000 pounds of thrust and lifting the spacecraft off a specially built platform at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The spacecraft traveled 3,561 feet (1,187 meters) up before jettisoning its trunk and safely splashing down under three main parachutes in the Atlantic Ocean, 3,606 feet (1,202 meters) from the launch pad.

"This test was highly visible and provided volumes of important information, which serves as tangible proof that our team is making significant progress toward launching crews on American rockets from America soon," said Jon Cowart, partner manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "The reams of data collected provide designers with a real benchmark of how accurate their analyses and models are at predicting reality. As great as our modern computational methods are, they still can't beat a flight test, like this, for finding out what is going on with the hardware."

The successful test of SpaceX's Crew Dragon launch escape capabilities demonstrated the spacecraft's ability to save astronauts in the unlikely event of a life-threatening situation on the launch pad.

"This is the first major flight test for a vehicle that will bring astronauts to space for the entire Commercial Crew Program," said Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX. "The successful test validated key predictions as it relates to the transport of astronauts to the space station. With NASA's support, SpaceX continues to make excellent and rapid progress in making the Crew Dragon spacecraft the safest and most reliable vehicle ever flown."

The approval of the pad abort test milestone payment follows NASA's authorization for Boeing to begin work toward its first post-certification mission. These steps ensure continued progress in the agency's effort to return to U.S. soil American crew launches to the International Space Station. SpaceX is expected to receive its authorization to proceed with work on a post-certification mission later this year. The determination of which company will fly the first mission to station will be made at a later time.

NASA Selects Eight Projects for 2016 X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge

The challenge, which is led by NASA and the National Space Grant Foundation, has teams designing systems, concepts and technologies that will help improve NASA's exploration capabilities and provide undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in technology development.

"These strategic collaborations lower the barrier for university students to assist NASA in bridging gaps and increasing our knowledge in architectural design trades, capabilities and technology risk reduction related to exploration activities that will eventually take humans farther into space than ever before," said Jason Crusan, director of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) division.

Teams are encouraged to use multidisciplinary approaches, partner with experts and industry and engage in outreach. The experience is designed to enhance the science, technical, leadership and project skills for the selected student teams and encourage studies to pursue spaceflight-related disciplines.

Student teams submitted proposals earlier this year. Their selection kicks off a year-long process covering the 2015-2016 academic year. Project teams will meet a series of milestones to design, manufacture, assemble and test their systems and concepts in close cooperation with members of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. NASA staff from the directorate's Space Life and Physical Sciences and AES divisions will work with students in areas including additive manufacturing, advanced life support systems, space habitation and systems for food production in space.

The X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge 2016 teams and projects are: AES In-space Manufacturing sponsored:

The National Space Grant Foundation will administer the grants, which range from $10,000 to $30,000, to the universities on behalf NASA to fund design, development and evaluation of the projects by the selected teams during the 2015-2016 academic year.

For more information about previous challenges and current challenge requirements, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/x-hab and http://www.spacegrant.org/xhab/
For information about NASA and its programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

Astronaut Nicole Stott Retires From NASA

"NASA's Flight Operations team wishes Nicole the very best in her new endeavors. Nicole has always cared deeply about America, our youth, and the importance of STEM education and inspiration," said Brian Kelly, director for the Flight Operations Directorate at Johnson Space Center. "Her positive approach, knowledge, experience and fun style will serve her very well in her future pursuits."

Stott was born in Albany, New York, and her hometown is Clearwater, Florida. She received degrees from both Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Central Florida before joining NASA as an operations engineer in the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center.

During her time at Kennedy, she held a variety of positions associated with the Space Shuttle Program including Shuttle Flow Director for Endeavour, Orbiter Project Engineer for Columbia, NASA Convoy Commander for space shuttle landings and Vehicle Operations Engineer, preparing space shuttles for their next mission. She also worked at Huntington Beach, California, for two years as part of the ISS Hardware Integration Office as a program lead between the flight hardware manufacturing site and launch site at Kennedy.

In 1998, she transitioned to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to work as a Flight Simulation Engineer on the Shuttle Training Aircraft, helping train astronaut pilots to land the space shuttle.

She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000. She held numerous assignments, including as a crew member on the undersea NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 9 mission, for which Stott still holds the women's world record for the longest saturation dive of 18 days, before being assigned to her first spaceflight mission.

In 2009, Stott flew aboard space shuttle Discovery STS-128 to the space station for a long-duration mission. As part of her 91 days supporting scientific research in space, Stott conducted a nearly seven-hour-long spacewalk and she also guided the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm for the first track and capture of a visiting cargo vehicle. At the completion of her mission, returning on the space shuttle Atlantis, she was the last station crew member to return to Earth via a space shuttle.

She flew again in 2011, as a mission specialist on STS-133, the 39th and final mission for space shuttle Discovery. During the 13-day flight, the crew delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), completing the U.S. assembly portion of the ISS.

Stott returned to Kennedy for a one-year assignment as the Astronaut Office representative to the Commercial Crew Program and the team responsible for selecting contractors to build our next U.S. human-rated spacecraft. In her most recent assignment at Johnson, Stott served as Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office in the Astronaut Office/Flight Operations Directorate. Her last day with NASA was May 31.

Stott's full biography can be found here: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/stott-np.pdf

NASA Issues Announcement for Kennedy Space Center Land Use Proposals

"We strongly encourage companies to provide proposals for developing space launch services and capabilities at the Kennedy Space Center," said Scott Colloredo, director of Kennedy's Center Planning and Development. "We have transformed to a multi-user spaceport and look forward to new commercial partnerships as KSC supports emerging space markets. Making this land available is yet another step in our evolution to a diverse spaceport that supports NASA and commercial partners."

As a separate activity, Kennedy also will release a notice of availability for undeveloped land not suitable for launch operations to potentially support vertical landings, launch assembly, testing and processing support activities.

The center has been transforming for the past several years from a government-focused launch base to a multi-user spaceport that can accommodate different vehicles, systems and commercial launch providers. Kennedy features a host of launch and processing facilities, a one-of-a-kind runway and laboratories suited to multiple needs. The center is well-equipped to support the full spectrum of needs for space launch service companies.

Four NASA Heroes Inducted into U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

Dan Brandenstein, John Grunsfeld & Steve Hawley

NASA's Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld and former astronauts Steve Lindsey, Kent Rominger, and M. Rhea Seddon were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Saturday, bringing the total number of Hall of Fame space explorers to 91.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden addresses the crowd at U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony on May 30, 2015, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Ceremony emcee John Zarrella is seated behind Bolden. Credits: NASA

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a 2006 hall of famer, and 2008 inductee Bob Cabana, director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, presided over the ceremony at Kennedy's visitor complex to welcome the new inductees.

"To John Grunsfeld, Steve Lindsey, Kent Rominger, Rhea Seddon – I offer my deepest congratulations," said Bolden. "You have my deepest respect for all you have achieved in space, for the example you set for others, and the inspiration you have given future generations to take us on a journey to Mars."

Grunsfeld was selected as a NASA astronaut in March 1992. A five-flight veteran, he logged more than 58 days in space, including 58 hours and 30 minutes of extravehicular activity during eight spacewalks. Three of his missions focused on repairing and upgrading NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

He went on to serve as the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, managing the science programs for Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in October 2018. Grunsfeld was selected in January 2012 to his current position at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Lindsey was selected for NASA's astronaut corps in March 1995. A veteran of five spaceflights, he logged more than 63 days in space. Lindsey served on several notable missions, including STS-95 alongside former astronaut and U.S. senator John Glenn, STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission after the loss of space shuttle Columbia, and STS-133, the final flight of space shuttle Discovery.

NASA selected Rominger to become an astronaut in 1992. Also a veteran of five spaceflights – three as pilot and two as commander – he logged more than 67 days in space. Several of Rominger's missions were integral to the beginnings of the International Space Station. As commander of the STS-96 mission, Rominger oversaw the first docking of a space shuttle to the station.

Seddon was selected by NASA in January 1978 to the first U.S. astronaut class to include women, and became an astronaut in August 1979. A three-flight veteran, she logged more than 30 days in space. In addition to participating in and leading numerous science and medical experiments during her flights, Seddon also helped develop and implement a variety of programs and plans for the shuttle program.

For Grunsfeld's biography, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/grunsfeld_biography.html
Biographies for Lindsey, Rominger and Seddon are available at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/astrobio_former.html
For more information about the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA NEWS AND HISTORY
HEROES AND LEGENDS GROUNDBREAKING

Concept of the KSC VC Heroes and Legends Theater

Concept image of the Heroes and Legends Theater.
(Photo: KSC Visitor Complex)

Opening in 2016, Heroes and Legends will not only bring to life the enthralling stories of America's pioneering astronauts, but also invite guests to vicariously experience the thrills and dangers of America's earliest missions.

The highlight of the experience is a 3D omni-directional theater, designed to make guests feel as though they are floating in the vastness of space. Stunning images will envelope them from every direction, as legendary astronauts including Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Jim Lovell and Neil Armstrong invite them to join in their epic journeys into the vast unknown.

Early space artifacts from the Mercury and Gemini programs, such as the original Mercury Mission Control room, will be brought to life by high-tech, interactive show elements and special effects, including simulated holograms and augmented reality. Inside the new U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, guests may get to know each of the 91 heroes and legendary astronauts who have been inducted through 2015.

Ultimately, the stories of NASA's space heroes will resonate with guests as they find parallels in their own challenges and triumphs.

Transforming the space previously occupied by Early Space Exploration, the new Heroes and Legends, will be incorporated into the Rocket Garden, giving guests a new and elevated perspective of the towering collection of historic rockets.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Celebrates 25th Anniversary of U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame at 9:45 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 29, with a surprise announcement and a groundbreaking ceremony for a major new attraction that will open in 2016.

Past, present and future pioneers of the American space program have been invited to participate in a special celebration, including members of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, and students from Apollo Elementary School in Titusville, Florida.

The event will take place in the Debus Conference Facility at the visitor complex. The groundbreaking will take place immediately following the program directly outside of the conference facility, and media interview opportunities will be available after the groundbreaking.

Speakers for the program include NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Chief Operating Officer Therrin Protze, President of Delaware North's parks and resorts business Jim Houser, and Chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's board of directors Dan Brandenstein.

For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: www.kennedyspacecenter.com.

Commercial Crew Milestones Met; Partners on Track for Missions in 2017

The Commercial Crew Program ordered its first crew rotation mission from The Boeing Company. SpaceX, which successfully performed a pad abort test of its flight vehicle earlier this month, is expected to receive its first order later this year. Determination of which company will fly its mission to the station first will be made at a later time. The contract calls for the orders to take place prior to certification to support the lead time necessary for the first mission in late 2017, provided the contractors meet certain readiness conditions. Missions flown to the station on Boeing's Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 and SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft will restore America's human spaceflight capabilities and increase the amount of scientific research that can be conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory.

"Final development and certification are top priority for NASA and our commercial providers, but having an eye on the future is equally important to the commercial crew and station programs," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "Our strategy will result in safe, reliable and cost-effective crew missions."

Boeing's crew transportation system, including the CST-100 spacecraft, has advanced through various commercial crew development and certification phases. The company recently completed the fourth milestone in the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) phase of the program, the delta integrated critical design review. This milestone demonstrates the transportation system has reached design maturity appropriate to proceed with assembly, integration and test activities.

"We're on track to fly in 2017, and this critical milestone moves us another step closer in fully maturing the CST-100 design," said John Mulholland, Boeing's vice president of Commercial Programs. "Our integrated and measured approach to spacecraft design ensures quality performance, technical excellence and early risk mitigation."

Orders under the CCtCap contracts are made two to three years prior to the missions to provide time for each company to manufacture and assemble the launch vehicle and spacecraft. In addition, each company must successfully complete the certification process before NASA will give the final approval for flight. If NASA does not receive the full requested funding for CCtCap in fiscal year 2016 and beyond, NASA will have to delay future milestones for both partners proportionally and extend sole reliance on Russia for crew access to the station.

A standard mission to the station will carry four NASA or NASA-sponsored crew members and about 220 pounds of pressurized cargo. The spacecraft will remain at the station for up to 210 days and serve as an emergency lifeboat during that time. Each contract includes a minimum of two and a maximum potential of six missions.

"Commercial Crew launches are critical to the International Space Station Program because it ensures multiple ways of getting crews to orbit," said Julie Robinson, International Space Station chief scientist. "It also will give us crew return capability so we can increase the crew to seven, letting us complete a backlog of hands-on critical research that has been building up due to heavy demand for the National Laboratory."

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
For the latest on Commercial Crew progress, bookmark the program's blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Television to Air U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony May 30

Joining the hall of fame this year are NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld, and former astronauts Steve Lindsey, Kent Rominger, and M. Rhea Seddon. Their induction brings the total number of space explorers enshrined to 91.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a 2006 hall of famer, and Kennedy Director Bob Cabana, inducted into the hall of fame in 2008, will deliver remarks at the event.

Lindsey was selected as a NASA astronaut in March 1995. A veteran of five spaceflights, he logged more than 1,510 hours in space. Lindsey served on several notable missions, including STS-95 alongside Sen. John Glenn, STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission after the loss of Columbia, and STS-133, the final flight of shuttle Discovery.

Rominger was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 1992. A veteran of five spaceflights – three as pilot and two as commander – he logged more than 1,600 hours in space. Several of Rominger's missions were integral to the beginnings of the International Space Station. As commander of STS-96, Rominger oversaw the first docking of a space shuttle to the space station.

Seddon was selected by NASA in January 1978 and became an astronaut in August 1979 as part of the first U.S. astronaut class to include women. A three-flight veteran, she logged more than 722 hours in space. In addition to participating in and leading numerous science and medical experiments during her flights, Seddon also helped develop and implement a variety of programs and plans for the shuttle program.

Reporters interested in covering the event should contact Andrea Farmer at 321-449-4318 or Liz Perez at 321-449-4273.

For NASA TV schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
For Grunsfeld's biography, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/grunsfeld_biography.html
For biographies for Lindsley, Rominger, and Seddon visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/astrobio_former.html
For more information about the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

Launch of Ocean-Measuring Satellite

The Jason-3 mission, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will launch from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Due to U.S. Air Force security requirements, international media must apply for accreditation at least 30 days before the launch.

Jason-3 is the latest in a series of U.S.-European satellite international missions that have been measuring the height of the ocean surface for 23 years. Sea level height is a critical piece of evidence about Earth's natural cycles and climate change. Knowing sea level height also improves hurricane forecasts, navigation and the efficiency of fisheries and other offshore industries.

The Jason-3 project is managed within NASA by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

For more information about the Jason-3 mission, visit: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jason-3

Next SpaceX Station Resupply Launch

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket at approximately 11:09 a.m. EDT on the company's seventh NASA-contracted cargo mission and its eighth visit to the station. The flight will deliver several tons of supplies, such as new science experiments and technology research, as well as the first of two International Docking Adapters. These adapters will be installed on the station to facilitate docking of commercial crew spacecraft, including the Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon.

NASA Robotics Mining Competition at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

More than 45 teams have designed and built remote-controlled mining robots that can traverse the simulated Martian terrain features and excavate simulated regolith. During the competition, the teams' robots will go head-to-head to determine which machine can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time.

The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that potentially could be applied to future NASA missions.

Although the competition is for college students, the event offers many opportunities for students of all ages. NASA is hosting a college recruitment fair for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors showcasing STEM education opportunities available at top colleges and universities across the nation. The event also will offer additional STEM activities for students of all ages.

For more information about the competition, associated activities and social media links to participate virtually, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasarmc
For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA on Draft Solicitation for New Class of Launch Services

At present, launch opportunities for small satellites -- often called CubeSats or nanosatellites -- and small science missions are mostly limited to ride-share type arrangements, flying only when space is available on NASA and other launches. The Launch Services Program seeks to develop alternatives to this approach and help foster other launch services dedicated to transporting smaller payloads into orbit. The services acquired through such a contract will constitute the smallest class of launch services used by NASA.

This solicitation, and resulting contract or contracts, is intended to demonstrate a dedicated launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science and CubeSat missions. CubeSats already are used in markets, such as imagery collection and analysis. In the future, CubeSat capabilities will include abilities, such as ship and aircraft tracking, improved weather prediction, and broader Internet coverage.

NASA intends to award one or more firm fixed-price VCLS contracts to accommodate 132 pounds (60 kilograms) of CubeSats a single launch or two launches carrying 66 pounds (30 kilograms) each. The launch provider will determine the launch location and date, but the launch must occur by April 15, 2018.

To listen to the media teleconference, call 321-867-1220, 321-867-1240 or 321-867-1260 or listen online at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

The draft RFP is open for written questions and comments from industry entities until Wednesday, May 20. The final RFP, if issued, is anticipated to be released in June. The draft RFP may be accessed at: http://go.nasa.gov/1KMTeDR

For more information about NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html

NASA Seeks Industry Comment on Kennedy Space Center Land Use

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is seeking industry comments on a draft announcement for proposals (AFP) for potential future land use at the multi-user spaceport. Kennedy's transformation to a multi-user spaceport is based on effectively utilizing land assets identified in the center's 20-year Master Plan.

The purpose of the announcement is to provide advance notice of an upcoming opportunity for launch service companies interested in developing commercial vertical launch sites at the center. The comments will be taken into consideration prior to the release of the final announcement for proposals scheduled to be issued later this year. After the release of the final announcement the center will begin accepting formal proposals for developing land at Kennedy for launch and related uses by private companies.

"We designed the master plan with commercial needs and potential uses in mind. What we want to do now is bring in industry that can apply their own creativity and innovation for their business using our unique location and capabilities," said Scott Colloredo, Director of Kennedy's Center Planning and Development. "It's a win-win situation for companies that want to provide space launch services and for the American taxpayers who get to see their space-related assets used in the most effective manner possible."

In addition to the primary land use for vertical launch capabilities, the final announcement will allow industry to propose other ancillary uses for areas at Kennedy as outlined in the Master Plan.

NASA welcomes comments and questions on all sections of the Draft AFP and particularly is interested in receiving comments on the following:

SpaceX Targets May 6 for Pad Abort Test of New Crew Spacecraft

SpaceX now is targeting Wednesday, May 6, for a pad abort test of its Crew Dragon, a spacecraft under final development and certification through NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The test window will open at 7 a.m. EDT.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of the test, which will simulate an emergency abort from a test stand on Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

The ability to abort from a launch or pad emergency, and safely carry crew members out of harm's way, is a critical element for NASA's next generation of crewed spacecraft. SpaceX will perform the test under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement with NASA, but can use the data gathered during the development flight as it continues on the path to certification.

Under a separate Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract, NASA's CCP will certify SpaceX's Crew Dragon, Falcon 9 rocket and ground and mission operations systems to fly crews to and from the International Space Station.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
For up-to-the-minute coverage of the test, visit the Commercial Crew Blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert D. Cabana Receives 2015 National Space Trophy

The National Space Trophy is presented annually to an outstanding American who has made major contributions to our nation's space program. Nominations are voted upon by the RNASA Foundation's Board of Advisors that includes a who's who list of individuals intimately involved with the space program, including NASA center directors, presidents of aerospace corporations, military, news media, academic and political leaders, and previous Trophy winners.

Previous National Space Trophy winners include NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, President George H.W. Bush and Neil A. Armstrong.

Rodolfo González, President of the RNASA Foundation said, "The Foundation is overwhelmed with the number of nominators that came forward with a submittal for Col. Cabana. We are pleased the board of advisors selected him."

Cabana was nominated by Dr. Ellen Ochoa, director, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Michael L. Coats, former director, NASA Johnson Space Center, Rick Hieb, vice president of Lockheed Martin Civil Programs, John Zarella, Elliot Holokauahi Pulham, chief executive officer of Space Foundation, and Dr. Michael D. Griffin, former NASA administrator, and chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Schafer Corporation, "for his exceptional leadership and executive guidance in leading the evolution of the NASA Kennedy Space Center as the world's premier multi-user spaceport in support of NASA's exploration goals."

Cabana said, "I am extremely honored to receive the National Space Trophy. The previous awardees are my heroes, and it means so much to me that the board considered me worthy to be among them."

Cabana is serving as the tenth director of Kennedy, the primary United States launch site that has been used for every NASA human spaceflight since 1968. In this role, Cabana manages all NASA facilities and activities at Kennedy, leading a team of civil service and contractor personnel who operate and support numerous space programs and projects. He has been instrumental in ensuring the successful transition from the space shuttle and establishing the center as a true multi-user spaceport of the future.

Cabana was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008. He is the recipient of The Daughters of the American Revolution Award for the top Marine to complete naval flight training in 1976, is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School, and has logged over 7,000 hours in 50 different kinds of aircraft.

Cabana is a Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, an Associate Fellow in the AIAA, and has received numerous awards and decorations, including the De La Vaulx medal by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in 1994, the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award, and most recently he was honored with the National Space Club 2013 Dr. Kurt H. Debus Award.

His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, two NASA Medals for Outstanding Leadership, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, and four NASA Space Flight Medals.

A veteran of four spaceflights, Cabana has logged over 910 hours in space. He served as pilot on STS-41 (October 6-10, 1990) and STS-53 (December 2-9, 1992), and was commander on STS-65 (July 8-23, 1994) and STS-88 (December 4-15, 1998), the first International Space Station assembly mission.

The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation was founded by the Space Center Rotary Club of Houston, Texas in 1985 to organize and coordinate an annual event to recognize outstanding achievements in space and create greater public awareness of the benefits of space exploration. The nonprofit Foundation presents the National Space Trophy and Stellar Awards each year.

For more information on RNASA and the National Space Trophy, visit: http://www.rnasa.org/
For more information on NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Celebrates Hubble Space Telescope 25th Anniversary

SpaceX Commercial Crew Pad Abort Test

As a development test, it has a higher likelihood of encountering an issue than an operational mission does. SpaceX currently is targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 5, for the test flight. The company will have a four-hour window to conduct the test, beginning at about 9:30 a.m. EDT. SpaceX has an additional test opportunity on May 6.

The ability to abort from a launch or pad emergency and safely carry crew members out of harm's way is a critical element for NASA's next generation of crew spacecraft. SpaceX will perform the test under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement with NASA, but can use the data gathered during the development flight as it continues on the path to certification. Under a separate Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract, NASA's Commercial Crew Program will certify SpaceX's Crew Dragon, Falcon 9 rocket, ground and mission operations systems to fly crews to and from the International Space Station.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
For up-to-the-minute coverage of the test, go to the Commercial Crew Blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Awards Architect-Engineer Services Contract for Launch Infrastructure

Two indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contracts will be awarded, one for each of the respective firms. Each contract will be for five years and will not exceed $20 million.

The scope of work includes architect-engineer services for complex civil infrastructure including preparation of studies, designs, specifications, reports and other contract documents for construction, roadways, parking facilities, traffic signalization, specialized ground transportation infrastructure for flight hardware, railroads, airport runways and hangars, wharf facilities and dredging, security systems and force protection, water distribution, wastewater collection, storm-water management, coastal management, and geotechnical evaluations. Services also include the study and design of new facilities, refurbishment of existing facilities, and deconstruction of existing facilities.

These facilities may vary from small to large scale commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and/or laboratories. The architect-engineer services also include the application of sustainability concepts through an integrated design approach and designing in accordance with various Executive Orders and the U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. The architect-engineer services will be performed across all project phases including planning and feasibility studies, environmental studies, environmental permitting, preliminary design, final design, engineering services during construction, activation and commissioning.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA TV Coverage Set for Sixth SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

The company's Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 4:33 p.m., carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft. Dragon is filled with more than 4,300 pounds of supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support about 40 of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 43 and 44.

Science payloads will study new ways to possibly counteract the microgravity-induced cell damage seen during spaceflight, the effects of microgravity on the most common cells in bones, gather new insight that could lead to treatments for osteoporosis and muscle wasting conditions, continue studies into astronaut vision changes and test a new material that could one day be used as a synthetic muscle for robotics explorers of the future.

A Monday launch will result in the Dragon spacecraft arriving at the space station Wednesday, April 15. Expedition 43 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) will use the station's 57.7-foot robotic arm to reach out and capture Dragon at approximately 7 a.m. Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA will support Cristoforetti as they operate from the station's cupola. NASA TV coverage of grapple will begin at 5 a.m. Coverage of Dragon's installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module will begin at 9:15 a.m.

If the launch does not occur on Monday, the next launch opportunity would be at approximately 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, April 14.

After about five weeks at the space station, Dragon will return to Earth filled with more than 3,000 pounds of cargo including crew supplies, hardware and computer resources, science experiments, and space station hardware.

NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Monday, April 13 (Launch day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT and conclude at approximately 5:30 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 3 p.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

IN-FLIGHT NASA TV COVERAGE
If launch occurs April 13, NASA TV will provide live coverage Wednesday, April 15, of the arrival of the Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station. Grapple and berthing coverage will begin at 5 a.m. with grapple at approximately 7:14 a.m. Berthing coverage begins at 9:15 a.m.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX CRS-6 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 3:30 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Nancy Bray at 321-867-9112. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog and learn more about the SpaceX CRS-6 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/SpaceX

TWITTER
The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

FACEBOOK
The NASA News Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA Facebook feed, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Solar Probe Plus Mission

The SPP spacecraft will launch aboard a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch is targeted for July 31, 2018, at the opening of a 20-day launch period. The total contract award amount for launch services is $389.1 million.

SPP will be the first mission to fly through the sun's outer atmosphere -- the solar corona -- to examine two fundamental aspects of solar physics: why the corona is so much hotter than the sun's surface, and what accelerates the solar wind that affects Earth and our solar system. Understanding these fundamental phenomena has been a top-priority science goal for more than five decades. SPP will orbit the sun 24 times, closing to within 3.9 million miles of its surface with the help of seven Venus flybys.

The Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for management and oversight of the Delta IV Heavy launch services for SPP. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is designing and building the spacecraft for NASA's Living with a Star Program, managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Solar Probe Plus Mission

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/

NASA Announces Small Business Industry Awards

The SBIA Program recognizes the outstanding Small Business Prime Contractor, Small Business Subcontractor, and Large Business Prime Contractor that support NASA in achieving its mission in the identified fiscal year. Nominations were received from all 10 agency centers.

"American small businesses are critical to our success as the world leaders in space exploration and scientific discovery," said Small Business Program Associate Administrator Glenn Delgado. "As NASA continues to reach for new heights and advance an ambitious journey to Mars, we're helping to create jobs and support small businesses right here on Earth."

The Agency Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year award went to a.i. solutions, Inc., of Lanham, Maryland. The company works with NASA's Launch Services Program, supporting launches of several of the agency's science spacecraft. The company also supported the International Space Station Slosh experiment, looking at how liquid in motion behaves in microgravity.

Advanced Aerospace Solutions, LLC, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was named Agency Small Business Subcontractor of the Year. The company is working with NASA on a concept for aircraft operations called Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR) Analysis and Development. This onboard automation tool will help compute route changes to improve flight efficiency while avoiding conflicts with hazards and other air traffic. Two airlines are pursuing formal agreements with NASA to implement TASAR in their regular operations.

Raytheon Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, was named Agency Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland, nominated Raytheon for their work on the Earth Observing System Data and Information System Evolution and Development contract supporting the agency's Earth Science Data and Information System. As the Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year, Raytheon has actively encouraged small business subcontractors, helping to meet NASA's small business goals.

To learn more about NASA's Small Business Program, visit: http://www.osbp.nasa.gov

NASA Spacecraft in Earth's Orbit, Preparing to Study Magnetic Reconnection

Following a successful launch at 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASA's four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft are positioned in Earth's orbit to begin the first space mission dedicated to the study of a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. This process is thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in our solar system.

The spacecraft, positioned one on top of the other on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 421 rocket, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. After reaching orbit, each spacecraft deployed from the rocket's upper stage sequentially, in five-minute increments, beginning at 12:16 a.m. Friday, with the last separation occurring at 12:31 a.m. NASA scientists and engineers were able to confirm the health of all separated spacecraft at 12:40 a.m.

"I am speaking for the entire MMS team when I say we're thrilled to see all four of our spacecraft have deployed and data indicates we have a healthy fleet," said Craig Tooley, project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

As an Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the background, the launch also can be seen on the countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Center's Press Site. The rocket is carrying NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, spacecraft. Image Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

Artist's concept of the MMS observatory fleet with rainbow magnetic lines. Image Credit: NASA

Over the next several weeks, NASA scientists and engineers will deploy booms and antennas on the spacecraft, and test all instruments. The observatories will later be placed into a pyramid formation in preparation for science observations, which are expected to begin in early September.

"After a decade of planning and engineering, the science team is ready to go to work," said Jim Burch, principal investigator for the MMS instrument suite science team at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio (SwRI). "We've never had this type of opportunity to study this fundamental process in such detail."

The mission will provide the first three-dimensional views of reconnection occurring in Earth's protective magnetic space environment, the magnetosphere. Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic fields connect, disconnect, and reconfigure explosively, releasing bursts of energy that can reach the order of billions of megatons of trinitrotoluene (commonly known as TNT). These explosions can send particles surging through space near the speed of light.

Scientists expect the mission will not only help them better understand magnetic reconnection, but also will provide insight into these powerful events, which can disrupt modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation, and electrical power grids.

By studying reconnection in this local, natural laboratory, scientists can understand the process elsewhere, such as in the atmosphere of the sun and other stars, in the vicinity of black holes and neutron stars, and at the boundary between our solar system's heliosphere and interstellar space.

The spacecraft will fly in a tight formation through regions of reconnection activity. Using sensors designed to measure the space environment at rates100 times faster than any previous mission.

"MMS is a crucial next step in advancing the science of magnetic reconnection – and no mission has ever observed this fundamental process with such detail," said Jeff Newmark, interim director for NASA's Heliophysics Division at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "The depth and detail of our knowledge is going to grow by leaps and bounds, in ways that no one can yet predict."

MMS is the fourth mission in the NASA Solar Terrestrial Probes Program. Goddard built, integrated and tested the four MMS spacecraft and is responsible for overall mission management and operations. The principal investigator for the MMS instrument suite science team is based at the SwRI. Science operations planning and instrument commanding are performed at the MMS Science Operations Center at the University of Colorado Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

NASA Challenge Invites Students to Help Design Journey to Mars Systems

College students have the opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation for NASA's journey to Mars by designing systems for future space habitats and exploration systems through the agency's Exploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge.

The challenge is designed to engage students directly in the design, research and development of functional components of future habitats. As NASA develops missions to send astronauts to destinations far into the solar system, such as an asteroid and Mars, a habitat to sustain the crews pioneering deep space environments will be needed.

The challenge also will help develop strategic partnerships with universities in order to increase knowledge in critical exploration capabilities and technology risk reduction activities.

To apply for the challenge, student teams must submit their plans for designing, manufacturing, assembling and testing systems for evaluation by engineers and scientists in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, which leads and oversees the agency's human space operations in low-Earth orbit and beyond. Applications for the challenge will be accepted through April 30.

This year's challenge includes a broad array of topics such as power distribution systems, deployable structures, habitat architectural layout studies and food production systems. Previous projects have included a remotely-operated plant growth system and a deployable airlock structure.

The X-Hab Challenge is part of a continuing effort to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. Exposing students to engineering and design processes used in the aerospace industry will benefit both NASA and the participants.

The challenge is managed by the National Space Grant Foundation for NASA. Teams selected for the challenge will receive a monetary stipend to assist in producing functional products based on their designs.

For more information on the 2016 X Hab Challenge application process, visit: http://www.spacegrant.org/xhab/
For more information on NASA's journey to Mars, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasas-journey-to-mars

NASA Sets Coverage for Launch of Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

MMS will study magnetic reconnection, a fundamental process that occurs throughout the universe when magnetic fields connect and disconnect explosively, releasing energy and accelerating particles up to nearly the speed of light. Unlike previous missions that have observed only evidence of magnetic reconnection events, MMS has sufficient resolution to observe and measure reconnection events as they occur. While MMS will fly through reconnection regions in less than a second, key sensors on each spacecraft are able to capture measurements 100 times faster than any previous mission. In addition, MMS consists of four identical observatories, which together will provide the first ever three-dimensional view of magnetic reconnection.

The mission observes reconnection directly in Earth's protective magnetic space environment known as the magnetosphere. By studying reconnection in this local, natural laboratory, MMS helps scientists understand reconnection elsewhere, such as in the atmosphere of the sun and other stars, in the vicinity of black holes and neutron stars and at the boundary between our solar system's heliosphere and interstellar space.

NASA Television Coverage
On Tuesday, March 10, NASA Television will carry the MMS prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m. EDT. On Wednesday, March 11, NASA Television will carry the MMS mission science briefing at 1 p.m. EDT.

On Thursday, March 12, NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 8 p.m. and conclude after the MMS spacecraft deployments from the Atlas V are complete, which occurs one hour, forty-seven minutes after launch.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the liftoff of the MMS spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home page at:
http://www.nasa.gov

The MMS prelaunch news conference and the mission science briefing will be carried live on the web. A prelaunch webcast for the MMS mission will be available on NASA's YouTube channel and NASA's website on Wednesday, March 11. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 12. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Nancy Bray at 321-867-9112. For NASA's Launch Blog, visit:
blogs.nasa.gov/mms

To view the webcast or to learn more about the MMS mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mms

Social Media
Join the conversation and follow the MMS mission online by using #MMS on Twitter and Facebook at:
http://www.twitter.com/mms
https://www.facebook.com/mms

Throughout the launch countdown, the NASA Kennedy Twitter and Facebook accounts will be continuously updated throughout the launch countdown at:
http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

View Move of the Vehicle to Transport Orion Spacecraft and Rocket for Launches on the Journey to Mars Feb. 23

Crawler-transporter 2, known as CT-2, is being modified to extend the lifetime of the crawler's systems to allow it to carry NASA's new Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft, as well as other future space program vehicles, to Kennedy's launch pad. Using these vehicles, NASA will send astronauts farther than ever before, first to an asteroid, and onward to Mars. The modifications will enable the crawler to continue supporting human spaceflight for another 20 years. The move also marks 50 years since the crawler was put into commission.

Video highlights of the move will air during Video File segments on NASA Television, although the move will not be shown live.

NASA's two crawler-transporters are unique. They originally were built in 1965 to carry the massive Saturn V rocket and Apollo spacecraft from Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39. After the moon landing and Skylab programs, the crawlers continued their work, taking space shuttles to their launch pads for 30 years.

NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing the crawler upgrade work. For more information about the program, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems

Video B-roll of the move will air on NASA TV's Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Information extracted from a media press release.

Boeing Commercial Crew Access Tower Groundbreaking

The new crew access tower at SLC-41 will reach 200 feet in height and include an elevator, as well as means for quick evacuation from the structure in the event of an emergency. SLC-41 is one of the most active launch complexes on the Space Coast, so construction of this tower is scheduled to take place between launches, with segments of the structure being built off site, then assembled at the pad.

Under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with NASA, Boeing's Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft, currently in development, will be certified by NASA's Commercial Crew Program to fly crews to and from the International Space Station. The spacecraft will launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket from SLC-41.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
Information extracted from a media press release.

NASA: Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

MMS is a NASA mission led by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The instrument payload science team consists of researchers from a number of institutions and is led by the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.

MMS is an unprecedented NASA mission to study magnetic reconnection, a fundamental process that occurs throughout the universe. Unlike prior missions which have observed the evidence of magnetic reconnection events, the MMS mission will have sufficient resolution to measure characteristics of ongoing reconnection events as they occur. It has the primary task of collecting data to understand the mystery of how magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect, explosively converting magnetic energy into particle energy via a process known as magnetic reconnection. MMS consists of four identical observatories that will provide the first three-dimensional view of magnetic reconnection. The four MMS observatories will fly through reconnection regions in a tight formation in well under a second, so key sensors on each spacecraft are designed to measure the space environment at rates faster than any previous mission.

The mission observes reconnection directly in Earth's protective magnetic space environment known as the magnetosphere. By studying reconnection in this local, natural laboratory, MMS helps us understand reconnection elsewhere as well, such as in the atmosphere of the Sun and other stars, in the vicinity of black holes and neutron stars, and at the boundary between our solar system's heliosphere and interstellar space.

For more information about the MMS Program, visit: http://mms.gsfc.nasa.gov
Information extracted from a media press release.

NASA TV Coverage Set for NOAA DSCOVR Launch Feb. 10

Following a launch scrub on Sunday, officials from NOAA, the U.S. Air Force and NASA chose Feb. 10 for the next launch attempt because of more favorable weather forecasts for Tuesday and Wednesday compared to Monday. While it is not required for flight, SpaceX will leverage the extra time to replace a video transmitter on the first stage in advance of the next attempt.

DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. DSCOVR will maintain the nation's solar wind observations, which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts, forecasts, and warnings. Space weather events like geomagnetic storms, caused by changes in solar wind, can affect public infrastructure systems such as power grids, telecommunications systems, and aircraft avionics.

NASA Launches Groundbreaking Soil Moisture Mapping Satellite

About 57 minutes after liftoff, SMAP separated from the rocket's second stage into an initial 411- by 425-mile (661- by 685-kilometer) orbit. After a series of activation procedures, the spacecraft established communications with ground controllers and deployed its solar array. Initial telemetry shows the spacecraft is in excellent health.

SMAP now begins a three-year mission that will figuratively scratch below Earth's surface to expand our understanding of a key component of the Earth system that links the water, energy and carbon cycles driving our living planet. SMAP's combined radar and radiometer instruments will peer into the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of soil, through clouds and moderate vegetation cover, day and night, to produce the highest-resolution, most accurate soil moisture maps ever obtained from space.

The mission will help improve climate and weather forecasts and allow scientists to monitor droughts and better predict flooding caused by severe rainfall or snowmelt -- information that can save lives and property. In addition, since plant growth depends on the amount of water in the soil, SMAP data will allow nations to better forecast crop yields and assist in global famine early-warning systems.

"The launch of SMAP completes an ambitious 11-month period for NASA that has seen the launch of five new Earth-observing space missions to help us better understand our changing planet," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Scientists and policymakers will use SMAP data to track water movement around our planet and make more informed decisions in critical areas like agriculture and water resources."

SMAP also will detect whether the ground is frozen or thawed. Detecting variations in the timing of spring thaw and changes in the length of the growing season will help scientists more accurately account for how much carbon plants are removing from Earth's atmosphere each year.

"The next few years will be especially exciting for Earth science thanks to measurements from SMAP and our other new missions," said Michael Freilich, director of the Earth Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Each mission measures key variables that affect Earth's environment. SMAP will provide new insights into the global water, energy, and carbon cycles. Combining data from all our orbiting missions will give us a much better understanding of how the Earth system works."

SMAP will orbit Earth from pole to pole every 98.5 minutes, repeating the same ground track every eight days. Its 620-mile (1,000-kilometer) measurement swath allows SMAP to cover Earth's entire equatorial regions every three days and higher latitudes every two days. The mission will map global soil moisture with about 5.6-mile (9-kilometer) resolution.

"SMAP will improve the daily lives of people around the world," said Simon Yueh, SMAP project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "Soil moisture data from SMAP has the potential to significantly improve the accuracy of short-term weather forecasts and reduce the uncertainty of long-term projections of how climate change will impact Earth's water cycle."

The SMAP team is engaged with many organizations and individuals that see immediate uses for the satellite's data. Through workshops and tutorials, the SMAP Applications Working Group is collaborating with 45 "early adopters" to test and integrate the mission's data products into many different applications. Early adopters include weather forecasters from several nations, as well as researchers and planners from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United Nations World Food Programme.

During the next 90 days, SMAP and its ground system will be commissioned to ensure they are fully functional and are ready to begin routine science data collection. A key milestone will be the deployment of the spacecraft's instrument boom and 20-foot- (6-meter)-diameter reflector antenna. The observatory will be maneuvered to its final 426-mile (685-kilometer), near-polar operational orbit, and the antenna will spin up to 14.6 revolutions per minute.

SMAP science operations will then begin, and SMAP data will be calibrated and validated. The first release of SMAP soil moisture data products is expected within nine months. Fully validated science data are expected to be released within 15 months.

SMAP is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington by JPL, with instrument hardware and science contributions made by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. JPL built the spacecraft and is responsible for project management, system engineering, radar instrumentation, mission operations and the ground data system. Goddard is responsible for the radiometer instrument and science data products. Both centers collaborate on science data processing and delivery to the Alaska Satellite Facility, in Fairbanks, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida was responsible for launch management. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
Follow SMAP on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NASASMAP

NASA TV Coverage Set for NOAA DSCOVR Launch Feb. 8

NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 3:30 p.m. In addition to launch coverage, NASA TV will also air a prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7.

DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force and will maintain the nation's solar wind observations. These observations are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts, forecasts, warnings and space weather events like geomagnetic storms caused by changes in solar wind, which affect public infrastructure systems including power grids, telecommunications systems and avionics aboard aircraft. DSCOVR will succeed NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) in supporting solar observations and provide 15- to 60-minute warning time to improve predictions of geomagnetic storm impact locations.

For in-depth prelaunch, countdown and launch day coverage of the liftoff of DSCOVR aboard the Falcon 9, visit: http://blogs.nasa.gov/DSCOVR

For NASA TV schedules and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information about the DSCOVR mission, visit: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR

PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE
Saturday, Feb. 7 (L-1 day): The prelaunch news conference for the DSCOVR mission will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at 1 p.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage, as well as streaming on the Internet.

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 3 p.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the DSCOVR flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 3:30 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur.

Follow the launch countdown on NASA's launch blog which may be accessed at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/DSCOVR

On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Nancy Bray at 321-867-9112.

TWITTER
NASA will update Twitter throughout the launch countdown. For updates, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

FACEBOOK
NASA also will update Facebook throughout the launch countdown. For updates, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

WEB ACTIVITIES UPDATES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To learn more about the DSCOVR mission by going to NOAA's mission home page at: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/

Launch of NASA Soil Moisture Mapping Mission Set for Saturday

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission (SMAP) now is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 9:20 a.m. EST (6:20 a.m. PST) Saturday, Jan. 31, on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 7 a.m.

Managers from NASA and United Launch Alliance gave a "go" to proceed with the launch following completion of minor repairs to the Delta II rocket. During inspections following the Thursday launch attempt, minor "debonds" to the booster insulation were identified. A standard repair was implemented.

Weather forecasters are predicting a 100 percent chance of favorable conditions for launch.

SMAP will provide high-resolution, space-based measurements of soil moisture and its state -- frozen or thawed -- a new capability that will allow scientists to better predict natural hazards of extreme weather, climate change, floods and droughts, and help reduce uncertainties in our understanding of Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles.

The mission will map the entire globe every two to three days for at least three years and provide the most accurate and highest-resolution maps of soil moisture ever obtained. The spacecraft's final circular polar orbit will be 426 miles (685 kilometers), at an inclination of 98.1 degrees. The spacecraft will orbit Earth once every 98.5 minutes and repeat the same ground track every eight days.

For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1xaYUzD

For in-depth prelaunch, countdown and launch day coverage of the liftoff of SMAP aboard the Delta II rocket, go to: http://blogs.nasa.gov/smap

For NASA TV schedules and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA Hosts Social Media for "State of NASA" Events at Agency Centers

Events at NASA centers will include presentations on the cutting-edge technologies developed and under development, as well as the scientific discoveries made as NASA studies our changing Earth and the infinite universe, and progresses toward the next generation of air travel.

Additionally, each center will connect via NASA Television with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden at 1:30 p.m. EST at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Bolden will address the agency's scientific and technological achievements and the exciting work ahead as we push farther in the solar system and lead the world in a new era of exploration.

Audio and visuals from the media teleconference will be streamed live on NASA's website and on Ustream at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

The NASA budget and supporting information will be available online Monday afternoon at: http://www.nasa.gov/budget

NASA TV Coverage Reset for Launch of Newest Earth-Observing Mission

For an updated schedule of prelaunch events and NASA TV coverage, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1xaYUzD

For in-depth prelaunch, countdown and launch day coverage of the liftoff of SMAP aboard the Delta II rocket, go to: http://blogs.nasa.gov/smap

For NASA TV schedules and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Kennedy Space Center Observes NASA Day of Remembrance Jan. 28

At 10:30 a.m. EST, Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro, Kennedy associate director Kelvin Manning, and President and Chief Executive Officer of The Astronauts Memorial Foundation Thad Altman will hold a wreath-laying ceremony at the Space Mirror Memorial located in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Petro will make brief remarks at the observance.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will provide flowers for visitors to place at the memorial.

NASA Awards Power System Upgrade Contract

The firm-fixed price contract begins Jan. 23. It has a maximum value of $8.8 million with a potential performance period of approximately two and a half years.

The contractor will provide services to meet NASA requirements that include refurbishing substation buses, installing new controllers, relay management systems, metering and protection packages, demolition and replacement of underground medium-voltage cable. Additional services include low-voltage wiring, communication cable, manholes, cable trays, control wiring, installing neutral grounding resistors, surge arrestors, generator plant equipment, and pad mounted transformers.

NASA, Boeing, SpaceX Discuss Plan for Launching American Astronauts from U.S. in 2017

Under Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts for NASA's Launch America initiative, Boeing and SpaceX will develop safe and reliable crew transportation to and from the International Space Station on American spacecraft launched from the United States. This initiative returns the American industry to the forefront of human exploration technology and operations and ends the nation's sole reliance on Russia for crew transportation to the space station.

NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert D. Cabana to Receive the 2015 National Space Trophy

Rodolfo Gonz�lez, president of the RNASA Foundation said, "The Foundation is overwhelmed with the number of nominators that came forward with a submittal for Col. Cabana. We are pleased the board of advisors' selected him, and look forward to honoring him at the 2015 RNASA Space Awards Gala."

Cabana was nominated by Dr. Ellen Ochoa, director, NASA Johnson Space Center, Mr. Michael L. Coats, former director, NASA Johnson Space Center, and Dr. Michael D. Griffin, former NASA administrator, and chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Schafer Corporation, "for his exceptional leadership and executive guidance in leading the evolution of the NASA Kennedy Space Center as the world's premier multi-user spaceport in support of NASA's exploration goals."

Rick Hieb, vice-president of Lockheed Martin Civil Programs, also nominated Cabana, "for outstanding leadership, commitment, vision and public service benefiting America's security and our Nation's human space exploration program."

John Zarrella said, "I have known Bob for decades while I was covering the U.S. Space Program for CNN. During those years it became very evident, very quickly that no one cared more about the successes of the program. No one hurt more over the failures. And no one had greater hope about the future."

And Elliot Holokauahi Pulham, chief executive officer of Space Foundation said "I can think of no one more deserving of the 2015 National Space Trophy than Bob Cabana."

Cabana said, "I am extremely honored to be receiving the National Space Trophy. The previous awardees are my heroes, and it means so much to me that the board considered me worthy to be among them."

Cabana currently is serving as the tenth director of Kennedy, the primary United States launch site that has been used for every NASA human space flight since 1968. In this role, Cabana manages all NASA facilities and activities at Kennedy, leading a team of civil service and contractor personnel who operate and support numerous space programs and projects. He has been instrumental in ensuring the successful transition from the space shuttle and establishing the center as a true multi-user spaceport of the future.

A veteran of four space flights, Cabana has logged over 910 hours in space. He served as pilot on STS-41 (October 6-10, 1990) and STS-53 (December 2-9, 1992), and was commander on STS-65 (July 8-23, 1994) and STS-88 (December 4-15, 1998), the first International Space Station assembly mission.

The RNASA Foundation invites members of the public and the aerospace community to attend the black-tie event on April 24, 2015 at the Houston Hyatt Regency where Cabana will be recognized with the National Space Trophy. This year will be RNASA's 29th annual National Space Trophy Banquet. For more information, go to: http://www.rnasa.org/

About RNASA: The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation was founded by the Space Center Rotary Club of Houston, Texas in 1985 to organize and coordinate an annual event to recognize outstanding achievements in space and create greater public awareness of the benefits of space exploration. The nonprofit Foundation presents the National Space Trophy and Stellar Awards each year.

MUOS-3 satellite ready for launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The third MUOS satellite for improving secure mobile satellite communications for the military is ready for launch in Florida.

Lockheed Martin, who made the satellite for the U.S. Navy, said the Mobile User Objective System satellite will be carried into orbit on Tuesday evening from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

"The launch of MUOS-3, and the near-term certification of our fourth and final Radio Access Facility, brings us to the brink of the global coverage we anticipate for MUOS communications," said Iris Bombelyn, vice president of Narrowband Communications at Lockheed Martin.

"To deliver a satellite like MUOS is no small task and the team worked around the clock and through every holiday. We are honored to do so, because we know that our warfighters never stop in their own mission to keep us safe."

The constellation of MUOS satellites operates like a smart phone network and provides users on-demand, beyond-line-of-sight capability to transmit and receive high-quality voice and mission data on a high-speed Internet Protocol-based system.

MUOS satellites carry two payloads to ensure access to UHF narrowband communications as well as new capabilities. Once in operation they will provide 16 times the capacity of the legacy UHF system now in use.

NASA SMAP Observatory Ready for Launch

SMAP is the first U.S. Earth-observing satellite designed to collect global observations of surface soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. High resolution space-based measurements of soil moisture and whether the soil is frozen or thawed will give scientists a new capability to better predict natural hazards of extreme weather, climate change, floods and droughts, and will help reduce uncertainties in our understanding of Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles.

The mission will provide the most accurate and highest-resolution maps of soil moisture ever obtained, mapping the globe every two to three days from space for a least three years. The spacecraft's final circular polar orbit will be 426 miles (685 kilometers) at an inclination of 98.1 degrees. The spacecraft will orbit the Earth once every 98.5 minutes and repeats the same ground track every eight days.

For extensive prelaunch, countdown and launch day coverage of the liftoff of SMAP aboard the Delta II rocket, go to: http://blogs.nasa.gov/smap

A prelaunch webcast for the SMAP mission will be streamed on NASA's website at noon PST (3 p.m. EST) on Wednesday, Jan. 28. To view the webcast and the countdown blog or to learn more about the SMAP mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/smap

Join the conversation online and follow the SMAP mission on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NASASMAP

Throughout the launch countdown, the NASA Launch Services Program and NASA JPL Twitter and Facebook accounts will be continuously updated at:
https://www.twitter.com/NASA_LSP
https://twitter.com/NASAJPL
https://www.facebook.com/NASALSP
https://www.facebook.com/NASAJPL
https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog begins at 4 a.m. PST (7 a.m. EST). Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Nancy Bray at 321-867-9112. January 10, 2015

NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

The mission is the company's fifth official cargo delivery flight to the station through NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support more than 250 experiments that will be conducted by the station's Expeditions 42 and 43 crews.

"We are delighted to kick off 2015 with our first commercial cargo launch of the year," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Thanks to our private sector partners, we've returned space station resupply launches to U.S. soil and are poised to do the same with the transport of our astronauts in the very near future. Today's launch not only resupplies the station, but also delivers important science experiments and increases the station's unique capabilities as a platform for Earth science with delivery of the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System, or CATS instrument. I congratulate the SpaceX and NASA teams who have made today's success possible. We look forward to extending our efforts in commercial space to include commercial crew by 2017 and to more significant milestones this year on our journey to Mars."

The CATS instrument measures the location, composition and distribution of pollution, dust, smoke, aerosols and other particulates in the atmosphere. CATS will be attached outside the station on the Japanese Experiment Module. By gaining a deeper understanding of cloud and aerosol coverage, scientists can create a better model of their role in Earth's changing global climate.

A new biological study will use flatworms as a model organism to see how gravity affects tissue regeneration and the rebuilding of damaged organs and nerves. Flatworms regenerate their cells, replacing them as they age or are damaged. This investigation studies the cell signaling mechanisms the worms use while regenerating their tissue in microgravity. Its results could provide insight into how wounds heal in space.

Also making the trip as model organisms will be fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Scientists will study the flies' immune systems as a model for the human immune system, to explore how spaceflight can make organisms more susceptible to disease, especially since microbes can become more virulent in space.

The new Micro-5 investigation aims to understand the risks of in-flight infections in space explorers during long-term spaceflight. It will study the interactions between the host and bacteria, cellular responses and the effectiveness of countermeasures during spaceflight. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm) will be studied along with the microbe Salmonella typhimurium, which is known to cause food poisoning in humans.

Dragon will be grappled at 6:12 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12, by Expedition 42 Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore of NASA, using the space station's robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will support Wilmore in a backup position. Dragon is scheduled to spend about a month attached to the space station before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, Mexico, carrying more than 3,800 pounds of cargo, including crew supplies, hardware and computer resources, science experiments, space station hardware and trash.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about SpaceX's mission to the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Satellite Set to Get the Dirt on Soil Moisture

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will take the pulse of a key measure of our water planet: how freshwater cycles over Earth's land surfaces in the form of soil moisture. The mission will produce the most accurate, highest-resolution global maps ever obtained from space of the moisture present in the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of Earth's soils. It also will detect and map whether the ground is frozen or thawed. This data will be used to enhance scientists' understanding of the processes that link Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles.

"With data from SMAP, scientists and decision makers around the world will be better equipped to understand how Earth works as a system and how soil moisture impacts a myriad of human activities, from floods and drought to weather and crop yield forecasts," said Christine Bonniksen, SMAP program executive with the Science Mission Directorate's Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "SMAP's global soil moisture measurements will provide a new capability to improve our understanding of Earth's climate."

Globally, the volume of soil moisture varies between three and five percent in desert and arid regions, to between 40 and 50 percent in saturated soils. In general, the amount depends on such factors as precipitation patterns, topography, vegetation cover and soil composition. There are not enough sensors in the ground to map the variability in global soil moisture at the level of detail needed by scientists and decision makers. From space, SMAP will produce global maps with 6-mile (10-kilometer) resolution every two to three days.

Researchers want to measure soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state better for numerous reasons. Plants and crops draw water from the soil through their roots to grow. If soil moisture is inadequate, plants fail to grow, which over time can lead to reduced crop yields. Also, energy from the sun evaporates moisture in the soil, thereby cooling surface temperatures and also increasing moisture in the atmosphere, allowing clouds and precipitation to form more readily. In this way, soil moisture has a significant effect on both short-term regional weather and longer-term global climate.

In summer, plants in Earth's northern boreal regions -- the forests found in Earth's high northern latitudes -- take in carbon dioxide from the air and use it to grow, but lay dormant during the winter freeze period. All other factors being equal, the longer the growing season, the more carbon plants take in and the more effective forests are in removing carbon dioxide from the air. Since the start of the growing season is marked by the thawing and refreezing of water in soils, mapping the freeze/thaw state of soils with SMAP will help scientists more accurately account for how much carbon plants are removing from the atmosphere each year. This information will lead to better estimates of the carbon budget in the atmosphere and, hence, better assessments of future global warming.

SMAP data will enhance our confidence in projections of how Earth's water cycle will respond to climate change.

"Assessing future changes in regional water availability is perhaps one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world today," said Dara Entekhabi, SMAP science team leader at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. "Today's computer models disagree on how the water cycle -- precipitation, clouds, evaporation, runoff, soil water availability -- will increase or decrease over time and in different regions as our world warms. SMAP's higher-resolution soil moisture data will improve the models used to make daily weather and longer-term climate predictions."

SMAP also will advance our ability to monitor droughts, predict floods and mitigate the related impacts of these extreme events. It will allow the monitoring of regional deficits in soil moisture and provide critical inputs into drought monitoring and early warning systems used by resource managers. The mission's high-resolution observations of soil moisture will improve flood warnings by providing information on ground saturation conditions before rainstorms.

SMAP's two advanced instruments work together to produce soil moisture maps. Its active radar works much like a flash camera, but instead of transmitting visible light, it transmits microwave pulses that pass through clouds and moderate vegetation cover to the ground and measures how much of that signal is reflected back. Its passive radiometer operates like a natural-light camera, capturing emitted microwave radiation without transmitting a pulse. Unlike traditional cameras, however, SMAP's images are in the microwave range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is invisible to the naked eye. Microwave radiation is sensitive to how much moisture is contained in the soil.

The two instruments share a large, lightweight reflector antenna that will be unfurled in orbit like a blooming flower and then spin at about 14 revolutions per minute. The antenna will allow the instruments to collect data across a 621-mile (1,000-kilometer) swath, enabling global coverage every two to three days.

SMAP's radiometer measurements extend and expand on soil moisture measurements currently made by the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, launched in 2009. With the addition of a radar instrument, SMAP's soil moisture measurements will be able to distinguish finer features on the ground. SMAP will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket and maneuver into a 426-mile (685-kilometer) altitude, near-polar orbit that repeats exactly every eight days. The mission is designed to operate at least three years.

SMAP is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, with instrument hardware and science contributions made by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. JPL is responsible for project management, system engineering, radar instrumentation, mission operations and the ground data system. Goddard is responsible for the radiometer instrument. Both centers collaborate on science data processing and delivery to the Alaska Satellite Facility, in Fairbanks, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, at the University of Colorado in Boulder, for public distribution and archiving. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

SMAP will be the fifth NASA Earth science mission to launch within a 12-month period. NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

NASA Statement on GAO Decision to Deny Commercial Crew Contract Protest

"The GAO has notified NASA that it has denied Sierra Nevada Corporation's protest of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract awards. NASA is pleased the GAO's decision allows the agency to move forward and continue working with Boeing and SpaceX on the Launch America initiative that will enable safe and reliable crew transportation to and from the International Space Station on American spacecraft launched from the United States, ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia for such transportation. The case remains under the protective order and blackout until the GAO releases its decision."

2014

NASA Commercial Crew Partners Complete 23 Milestones in 2014, Look Ahead to 2015

"To say we've been busy would truly be an understatement," said Kathy Lueders, manager of the Commercial Crew Program. "Our partners at Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corporation and SpaceX have made tremendous strides in their respective systems throughout the year and we're happy to have supported them along their way. My team and I are excited to continue to work with our partners in the coming year."

Blue Origin continued the development of its Space Vehicle spacecraft designed to carry people into low-Earth orbit. The company also continued work on its subscale propellant tank assembly through an unfunded Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) agreement with NASA, which was recently extended until April 2016. In the coming year, Blue Origin will further test its propellant tank and BE-3 engine.

Both Boeing and SpaceX began work on the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts to develop systems to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

In 2014 Boeing closed out its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement and Certification Products Contract (CPC) with NASA. The company also completed its first two CCtCap milestones. Boeing worked with the agency to set an operating rhythm and path toward certification of the CST-100 spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

NASA evaluated the designs of the company's ground-based systems that will be used to carry crews to the station, including the launch complex, crew training, countdown operations mission control facilities, landing locations and post-landing operations.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) performed incremental tests of its reaction control system that will help maneuver its Dream Chaser spacecraft in space. SNC achieved its CCiCap milestone in November and built on previous propulsion system development efforts by implementing a compact prototype thruster operating in a vacuum chamber to simulate an on-orbit environment. This year, the company also performed wind tunnel and risk-reduction testing under its CCiCap agreement and closed out its Certification Products Contract with NASA. In 2015, the company will perform the second free-flight of its Dream Chaser test article at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

SpaceX performed two milestones, its Dragon Primary Structure Qualification and Delta Crew Vehicle Critical Design Review, in November as part of its CCiCap agreement. Under that agreement, SpaceX also performed other critical design reviews of its systems and operations this year. The company continued to provide NASA with data in preparation for the company's Certification Baseline Review under its CCtCap contract, which was approved this month. SpaceX also closed out its CPC contract with NASA in 2014. Next year, SpaceX will perform two abort tests for its Crew Dragon spacecraft under its CCiCap agreement.

"Our partners and providers are working on real hardware and will be doing exciting tests next year," Lueders said. "Pad infrastructures, processing facilities, hardware and crew training mock-ups, which are all key elements crucial to flying crew safely in just a few years, will take a more cohesive shape next year."

NASA's goal for the Commercial Crew Program is to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. With the CCtCap contracts announced Sept. 16, NASA's goal is to certify crew transportation systems in 2017 that will return the ability to launch astronauts from the United States to the International Space Station.

For more information on NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Commercial Crew Partners Complete 23 Milestones in 2014, Look Ahead to 2015

Both Boeing and SpaceX began work on the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts to develop systems to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. In 2014 Boeing closed out its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement and Certification Products Contract (CPC) with NASA. The company also completed its first two CCtCap milestones. Boeing worked with the agency to set an operating rhythm and path toward certification of the CST-100 spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

For more information on NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Video Gives Astronaut's-Eye View Inside NASA's Orion Spacecraft

Among the first data to be removed from Orion following its uncrewed Dec. 5 flight test was video recorded through windows in Orion's crew module. Although much of the video was transmitted down to Earth and shown in real time on NASA Television, it was not available in its entirety. Also, the blackout caused by the superheated plasma surrounding the vehicle as it endured the peak temperatures of its descent prevented downlink of any information at that key point. However, the cameras were able to record the view and now the public can have an up-close look at the extreme environment a spacecraft experiences as it travels back through Earth's environment from beyond low-Earth orbit.

The video begins 10 minutes before Orion's 11:29 a.m. EST splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, just as the spacecraft was beginning to experience Earth's atmosphere. Peak heating from the friction caused by the atmosphere rubbing against Orion's heat shield comes less than two minutes later, and the footage shows the plasma created by the interaction change from white to yellow to lavender to magenta as the temperature increases.

As Orion emerges safely on the other side of its trial by fire, the camera continues to record the deployment of the series of parachutes that slowed it to a safe 20 mph for landing and the final splash as Orion touched down on Earth.

Orion was then retrieved by a combined NASA, U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin team and carried back to shore aboard the Navy's USS Anchorage. After returning to shore, it was loaded onto a truck and driven back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it arrived on Thursday.

Orion traveled 3,600 miles above Earth on its 4.5-hour flight test – farther than any spacecraft built for humans has been in more than 40 years. In coming back from that distance, it also traveled faster and experienced hotter temperatures – 20,000 mph and near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. Orion will travel faster and experience even higher temperatures on future missions, when it returns from greater distances, but this altitude allowed engineers to perform a good checkout of Orion's critical systems – in particular its heat shield.

Orion's flight test was a critical step on NASA's journey to Mars. Work already has begun on the next Orion capsule, which will launch for the first time on top of NASA's new Space Launch System rocket and travel to a distant retrograde orbit around the moon.

To view the video of Orion's re-entry, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtWzuZ6WZ8E
For information about Orion, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

SpaceX Completes First Milestone for Commercial Crew Transportation System

NASA has approved the completion of SpaceX's first milestone in the company's path toward launching crews to the International Space Station (ISS) from U.S. soil under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with the agency.

By Steven Siceloff, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

During the Certification Baseline Review, SpaceX described its current design baseline including how the company plans to manufacture its Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 v.1.1 rocket, then launch, fly, land and recover the crew. The company also outlined how it will achieve NASA certification of its system to enable transport of crews to and from the space station.

"This milestone sets the pace for the rigorous work ahead as SpaceX meets the certification requirements outlined in our contract," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "It is very exciting to see SpaceX's proposed path to certification, including a flight test phase and completion of the system development."

On Sept. 16, the agency unveiled its selection of SpaceX and Boeing to transport U.S. crews to and from the space station using their Crew Dragon and CST-100 spacecraft, respectively. These contracts will end the nation's sole reliance on Russia and allow the station's current crew of six to increase, enabling more research aboard the unique microgravity laboratory.

Under the CCtCap contracts, the companies will complete NASA certification of their human space transportation systems, including a crewed flight test with at least one NASA astronaut aboard, to verify the fully integrated rocket and spacecraft system can launch from the United States, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station, and validate its systems perform as expected.

Throughout the next few years, SpaceX will test its systems, materials and concept of operations to the limits to prove they are safe to transport astronauts to the station. Once certified, the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket will be processed and integrated inside a new hangar before being rolled out for launch. This will all take place at the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Crew Dragon is expected to be able to dock to the station for up to 210 days and serve as a 24-hour safe haven during an emergency in space.

"SpaceX designed the Dragon spacecraft with the ultimate goal of transporting people to space," said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer. "Successful completion of the Certification Baseline Review represents a critical step in that effort—we applaud our team's hard work to date and look forward to helping NASA return the transport of U.S. astronauts to American soil."

By expanding the station crew size and enabling private companies to handle launches to low-Earth orbit -- a region NASA has been visiting since 1962 -- the nation's space agency can focus on getting the most research and experience out of America's investment in ISS.

NASA also can expand its focus to develop the Space Launch System and Orion capsule for missions in the proving ground of deep space beyond the moon to advance the skills and techniques that will enable humans to explore Mars.

For more information on NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA's Orion Arrives Back at Kennedy, Media Invited to View Spacecraft

The spacecraft's cross-country return, a 2,700 mile road trip from Naval Base San Diego to Kennedy, sets the stage for in-depth analysis of data obtained during Orion's trip to space and will provide engineers detailed information on how the spacecraft fared during its two-orbit, 4.5-hour flight test, completed on Dec. 5.

"Orion's flight test was a critical step on our journey to send astronauts to explore deep space destinations," said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We stressed Orion to help us evaluate its performance and validate our computer models and ground-based evaluations, and the information we gathered will help us improve Orion's design going forward."

Data was gathered in real time during the flight test, and more was removed from the vehicle when it arrived on land in San Diego before it was crated for the drive to Florida.

"The flight itself was such a great success, but that's only the beginning of the story," said Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer. "Now we get to dig in and really find out if our design performed like we thought it would. This is why we flew the flight. We demonstrated on Dec. 5 that Orion is a very capable vehicle. Now we're going to keep testing and improving as we begin building the next Orion."

An initial inspection of the crew module turned up nothing unexpected. There were indications of some micrometeoroid orbital debris strikes on the sides of Orion, which was anticipated.

With the spacecraft back at Kennedy, where it was assembled and prepared for launch, engineers will be able to remove the back shell of the spacecraft and perform inspections of its cabling, fluid lines, propulsion system and avionics boxes. Heat shield samples already have been removed and sent to a laboratory where their thickness, strength and charring will be examined.

The information will be used to make improvements to Orion's design before its next flight, Exploration Mission-1, when it will launch uncrewed on top of NASA's new Space Launch System for the first time into a large orbit around the moon.

While the information is being gathered from the flight test, testing also will continue on Earth. On Dec. 18, engineers dropped a test version of the Orion capsule from a C-17 aircraft 25,000 feet above U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The latest in a series of tests designed to certify Orion's parachute system, the test simulated a failure of one of Orion's three main parachutes for a first-time demonstration of several modifications made to the parachute system to improve its performance.

Panels for the pressure vessel that will form the inner structure for the next Orion crew module are in production and set to be welded together at the end of summer 2015. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency is building the test article of the Orion service module they will be supplying for Exploration Mission-1, and assembly of the launch abort system for that flight will begin in April.

NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program managed Orion's cross-country trip from Naval Base San Diego to Kennedy. The crew module will be refurbished for use in Ascent Abort-2 in 2018, a test of Orion's launch abort system.

For more information about the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems
For information about Orion, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

NASA, SpaceX Update Launch of Fifth SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

The new launch date will provide SpaceX engineers time to investigate further issues that arose from a static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 16 and will avoid beta angle constraints for berthing the Dragon cargo ship to the station that exist through the end of the year.

A beta angle is the position of the sun relative to mechanical structures on the space station. During the time of high beta angles, which run from Dec. 28 through Jan. 7, thermal and operational constraints prohibit Dragon from berthing to the station.

Space station managers will meet Monday, Jan. 5, for a readiness review in advance of the launch attempt Jan. 6. The launch postponement has no impact on the station's crew or its complement of food, fuel and supplies and will not affect the science being delivered to the crew once Dragon arrives at the station.

The launch is scheduled at approximately 6:18 a.m. EST. NASA Television coverage will begin at 5 a.m.

A launch on Jan. 6 will result in a rendezvous and grapple of Dragon Thursday, Jan. 8, at approximately 6 a.m. NASA TV coverage will begin at 4:30 a.m. Installation coverage will begin at 9 a.m.

Prelaunch briefings at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 5, with times still to be determined.

For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1FrjDEO
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

The total cost for NASA to launch TESS is approximately $87 million, which includes the launch service, spacecraft processing, payload integration, tracking, data and telemetry, and other launch support requirements.

TESS's science goal is to detect transiting exoplanets orbiting nearby bright stars. During a three-year funded science mission, TESS will sample hundreds of thousands of stars in order to detect a large sample of exoplanets, with an emphasis on discovering Earth- and super-Earth-sized planets in the solar neighborhood.

The Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for management and oversight of the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch services for TESS. The TESS Mission is led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with oversight by the Explorers Program at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices

Deep Space Climate Observatory

DSCOVR is a mission led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, in partnership with NASA and the U.S. Air Force, having a primary task to collect measurements to enable space weather forecasting by NOAA. The DSCOVR spacecraft will make unique space measurements from its orbit one million miles away from Earth.

For more information about the DSCOVR Program, visit: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/

NASA, SpaceX Update Launch of Fifth SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

The change of launch date allows SpaceX to take extra time to ensure they do everything possible on the ground to prepare for a successful launch. Both the Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon spacecraft are in good health.

An on-time launch on Dec. 19 will result in the Dragon spacecraft arriving at the space station on Sunday, Dec. 21. Expedition 42 Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore of NASA will use the station's 57.7-foot robotic arm to reach out and capture it at approximately 6 a.m.

Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency will support Wilmore as they operate from the station's cupola. NASA TV coverage of grapple will begin at 4:30 a.m. Coverage of Dragon's installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module will begin 9 a.m.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA's New Orion Spacecraft Completes First Spaceflight Test

NASA marked a major milestone Friday on its journey to Mars as the Orion spacecraft completed its first voyage to space, traveling farther than any spacecraft designed for astronauts has been in more than 40 years.

"Today's flight test of Orion is a huge step for NASA and a really critical part of our work to pioneer deep space on our Journey to Mars," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The teams did a tremendous job putting Orion through its paces in the real environment it will endure as we push the boundary of human exploration in the coming years."

Orion blazed into the morning sky at 7:05 a.m. EST, lifting off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. The Orion crew module splashed down approximately 4.5 hours later in the Pacific Ocean, 600 miles southwest of San Diego.

During the uncrewed test, Orion traveled twice through the Van Allen belt where it experienced high periods of radiation, and reached an altitude of 3,600 miles above Earth. Orion also hit speeds of 20,000 mph and weathered temperatures approaching 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it entered Earth's atmosphere.

Orion will open the space between Earth and Mars for exploration by astronauts. This proving ground will be invaluable for testing capabilities future human Mars missions will need. The spacecraft was tested in space to allow engineers to collect critical data to evaluate its performance and improve its design. The flight tested Orion's heat shield, avionics, parachutes, computers and key spacecraft separation events, exercising many of the systems critical to the safety of astronauts who will travel in Orion.

On future missions, Orion will launch on NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket currently being developed at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. A 70 metric-ton (77 ton) SLS will send Orion to a distant retrograde orbit around the moon on Exploration Mission-1 in the first test of the fully integrated Orion and SLS system.

"We really pushed Orion as much as we could to give us real data that we can use to improve Orion's design going forward," said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager. "In the coming weeks and months we'll be taking a look at that invaluable information and applying lessons learned to the next Orion spacecraft already in production for the first mission atop the Space Launch System rocket."

A team of NASA, U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin personnel aboard the USS Anchorage are in the process of recovering Orion and will return it to U.S. Naval Base San Diego in the coming days. Orion will then be delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will be processed. The crew module will be refurbished for use in Ascent Abort-2 in 2018, a test of Orion's launch abort system.

Lockheed Martin, NASA's prime contractor for Orion, began manufacturing the Orion crew module in 2011 and delivered it in July 2012 to the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Facility at Kennedy where final assembly, integration and testing were completed. More than 1,000 companies across the country manufactured or contributed elements to Orion.

For more information about Orion, its flight test and the Journey to Mars, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion and http://go.nasa.gov/1pVQu0S

New Display Counts Down for New Generation

The new generation of human space exploration spacecraft is getting a new generation clock to count it down for launch on December 4.

The new forms of both the spacecraft and clock and clock will look familiar, but carry substantial changes and are run by modern technology. In the same way that NASA's Orion is a capsule shape akin to Apollo, the new countdown display at Kennedy Space Center's Press Site doesn't look all that different from its predecessor. And again, just as in the case of Orion and Apollo, the new version of the countdown display is far more capable and boasts technology more akin to a stadium television than a simple wristwatch.

The new display, which sits on the same mount as the former countdown clock, is already up and running and has been showing NASA TV images along with a test countdown in the lower corner. The completion of the display came about a week before Orion heads to space on its first flight test. News media, families of center employees and NASA guests will do as so many have done before: follow the progress of the countdown on the grassy area around the turn basin while looking out toward the launch pad for the rocket to ignite.

This time though, they will be able to get far more from the display than the clicking lights and numbers. NASA's whole prelaunch program will be available to showcase on the display. So if the numbers stop counting down, those following along won't have to wonder whether it is a built-in hold or a technical glitch with the rocket – they'll know quickly from the screen.

"I think this is an upgrade that will really surprise news media with how much more information they will get to see while they are outside to watch the launch," said George Diller, a NASA Public Affairs officer whose launch commentary has accompanied dozens of countdowns for space shuttles and expendable rockets. "It's really neat to be able to see the launch pad up close on the monitor while still experiencing the magic of seeing the countdown and then the rocket rise above the tree line."

The new display is very similar in size to the historic clock, with a screen nearly 26 feet wide by 7 feet high. While not true high-definition, the video resolution will be 1280 x 360.The new countdown clock sports a widescreen capability utilizing the latest breakthroughs in outdoor LED display technology. The display, which comes at a cost of $280,000, will provide images from multiple sources, as well as the countdown launch time. Also, streaming video will be an option.

"Visually it will be much brighter and support whatever mission it is called upon," said Timothy M. Wright of IMCS Timing, Countdown and Photo Services at Kennedy. "Hopefully the new display will be accepted like its predecessor."

The pressure to improve the display was high for many reasons, technical as well as nostalgia. The former countdown clock earned its place in space lore as an icon familiar to everyone who watched an Apollo or shuttle launch on TV. Media members and visitors took thousands of pictures of themselves in front of the clock as proof of their pilgrimage to the Florida spaceport. The clock was even the centerpiece of several Hollywood scenes, the 4-foot-high, 2-foot-wide numbers helping add tension for the audience as a launch drew near.

"It is so absolutely unique -- the one and only -- built for the world to watch the countdown and launch," Wright said. "From a historical aspect, it has been very faithful to serve its mission requirements."

The new display is expected to become just as ingrained in the public's awareness as Orion progresses from uncrewed flight tests to deep space missions taking astronauts past the moon. The display will also chronicle launch days for the private companies working with NASA's Commercial Crew Program to launch astronauts from American soil to the International Space Station in 2017.

Of course, the display also will mark the time before the liftoff of NASA's scientific satellites from Florida, something the former clock watched over as well. The countdown clock became part of the Kennedy landscape during the Apollo era. It ticked off the progression of launches ranging from moon landings to Skylab crew launches to the historic liftoff of the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975 that saw NASA and the Soviet space program connect in space, a presage of the cooperation in full effect now in the form of the International Space Station and its crucial research. All the space shuttle missions and scores of planetary probes and Earth-focused observatories also lifted off in the background of the steadily clicking clock.

While launch days were clear, the clock structure took a beating from the Florida weather on more than one occasion, including sustaining damage from three hurricanes in 2004. In another parallel to the transition into the next space age, the older display could not be sustained and there was not going to be a better time to replace it than when the whole of Kennedy is transforming into a spaceport of modern infrastructure and abilities.

"We've been refurbishing our structures and facilities here for more than three years and I think this new countdown display is symbolic of the way we can meet the demands of the future using modern technology without losing sight of our landmark accomplishments," said Bob Cabana, director of Kennedy Space Center and former shuttle commander.

Even the network that will control the clock has been modernized during the previous three years. The center now uses Global Positioning Satellites to coordinate timing across the center rather than the timing facility that was housed in the Central Instrumentation Facility at Kennedy, a building better known as the CIF.

The clock is controlled from the Launch Control Center by the Timing and Imaging Technical Support Group, also known as the "timing crew." From their consoles, technicians monitor and distribute the official time to NASA facilities, including the firing rooms.

Before a launch, the launch director performs the traditional call to stations and the countdown clock is activated and begins to count down eventually to T-zero in hours, minutes and seconds. After launch, the clock runs forward, recording mission-elapsed time.

While the new display takes over the watch for launch day, the former clock will be set up again at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex where the public will see it up-close beginning in early 2015.

"Many feel this clock is as much of an icon as Apollo and shuttle," Berrios said. "At the visitor complex, it would ignite the magic surrounding a launch, and begin the countdown to explore Kennedy Space Center as part of the entry experience for the guests of the visitor complex."

http://www.nasa.gov/content/new-display-counts-down-for-new-generation/#.VHzsUot9zRx

Boeing Completes First Milestone for NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Systems

The Certification Baseline Review is the first of many more milestones, including flight tests from Florida's Space Coast that will establish the basis for certifying Boeing's human space transportation system to carry NASA astronauts to the space station. The review established a baseline design of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft, United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, and associated ground and mission operations systems.

"The work done now is crucial to each of the future steps in the path to certification, including a flight test to the International Space Station," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "This first milestone establishes an expected operating rhythm for NASA and Boeing to meet our certification goal."

On Sept. 16, the agency unveiled its selection of Boeing and SpaceX to transport U.S. crews to and from the space station using their CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft, respectively. These contracts will provide U.S. missions to the station, ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia and allowing the station's current crew of six to grow, enabling more research aboard the unique microgravity laboratory.

The CCtCap contracts are designed for the companies to complete NASA certification of their human space transportation systems, including a crewed flight test with at least one NASA astronaut aboard to verify the fully integrated rocket and spacecraft system can launch from the United States, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station, as well as validate all its systems perform as expected. Once the test program has been completed successfully and the systems achieve NASA certification, the contractors will conduct at least two, and as many as six, crewed missions to the space station. The spacecraft also will serve as a lifeboat for astronauts aboard the station.

During the review, Boeing provided NASA with a roadmap toward certification, including its baseline design, concept of operations and management and insight plans. The Boeing team also detailed how the CST-100 would connect with the station and how it plans to train NASA astronauts to fly the CST-100 in orbit.

"It's important for us to set a robust plan for achieving certification upfront," said Boeing Commercial Crew Program Manager John Mulholland. "It's crucial for us to achieve our 2017 goal, and the plan we've put in place will get us there."

By expanding the crew size and enabling private companies to handle launches to low-Earth orbit -- a region NASA has been visiting since 1962 -- the nation's space agency can focus on getting the most research and experience out of America's investment in the International Space Station. NASA also can expand its focus to develop the Space Launch System and Orion capsule for missions in the proving ground of deep space beyond the moon to advance the skills and techniques that will enable humans to explore Mars.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Sets Prelaunch Activities, Television Coverage for Orion Flight Test

Orion will launch, uncrewed, on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at 7:05 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The window for launch is two hours 39 minutes.

NASA TV launch commentary of the flight, designated Exploration Flight Test-1, begins at 4:30 a.m. and will continue through splashdown in the Pacific Ocean approximately 600 southwest of San Diego.

During its 4.5 hour trip, Orion will orbit Earth twice and travel to an altitude of 3,600 miles into space. The flight is designed to test many of the elements that pose the greatest risk to astronauts and will provide critical data needed to improve Orion's design and reduce risks to future mission crews.

NASA SOCIAL: http://www.nasa.gov/social-orionflighttest-kennedy/
TWITTER: The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: @NASA and @NASAKennedy
FACEBOOK: The NASA News Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA Facebook feed, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/NASA and http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE: Thursday, Dec. 4: (Launch day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 4:30 a.m. and conclude after splashdown. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For NASA TV schedule and video streaming information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Ionospheric Connection Explorer

ICON is targeted to launch in June 2017 from the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands aboard a Pegasus XL launch vehicle from Orbital's "Stargazer" L-1011 aircraft.

The total cost for NASA to launch ICON under this new firm-fixed price launch services task order is approximately $56.3 million. This includes spacecraft processing, payload integration, tracking, data and telemetry and other launch support requirements.

ICON will study the interface between the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere and space in response to a recent scientific discovery that the ionosphere, positioned at the edge of space where the sun ionizes the air to create charged particles, is significantly influenced by storms in the lower atmosphere. ICON also will help NASA better understand how atmospheric winds control ionospheric variability.

NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for management and oversight of the Pegasus XL launch services. The ICON mission is led by the University of California, Berkeley, with oversight by the Explorers Program at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Awards Agencywide Acquisition of Liquid Hydrogen Contract

This firm-fixed price contract begins Dec. 1 and has a maximum value of $53 million, with a potential performance period of five years.

The contract consolidates the liquid hydrogen requirements of four NASA locations, including the agency's Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Kennedy Space Center, Florida; Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; and Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Liquid hydrogen is used as the fuel for rocket engine development, testing and launch of spacecraft. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which are cryogenic propellants, are supplied to engines that produce the thrust necessary to meet mission objectives.

NASA Commercial Crew Partners Continue System Advancements

Blue Origin conducted an interim design review of the subsystems in development for its Space Vehicle spacecraft designed to carry people into low-Earth orbit. The September review was performed under an unfunded Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) agreement with NASA. In October, NASA and Blue Origin agreed to add three additional unfunded milestones to the agreement to continue the development work and partnership. Those milestones will include further testing of Blue Origin's propellant tank, BE-3 engine and pusher escape system.

"The team at Blue Origin has made tremendous progress in its design, and we're excited to extend our partnership to 2016," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "It's important to keep a pulse on the commercial human spaceflight industry as a whole, and this partnership is a shining example of what works well for both industry and the government."

Boeing successfully closed out its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement with NASA, which significantly matured the company's crew transportation system, including the CST-100 spacecraft and Atlas V rocket. Meanwhile, both Boeing and SpaceX began work on the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts the agency awarded them Sept. 16 to develop systems to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station while the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) considers the GAO bid protest filed by Sierra Nevada Corporation.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) continued to perform incremental tests of its reaction control system as it prepares for a CCiCap milestone review for NASA that details the system, which would help maneuver the Dream Chaser spacecraft in space. SNC also is preparing for the CCiCap free-flight milestone test of its Dream Chaser test vehicle at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

SpaceX held several CCiCap meetings with NASA, including one in August that covered the company's launch and mission operations plans and the associated ground systems at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. The company also held a series of technical interchange sessions with the agency's spaceflight experts to discuss the intricacies of the progress, testing and plans associated with the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 v 1.1 rocket.

"Our partners' detailed progress on launch and spaceflight capabilities expands domestic access to space and does so in a unique and revolutionary manner," said Lueders. "Their success is a critical part of NASA's integrated approach to advance the frontier of exploration."

NASA's goal for the Commercial Crew Program is to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. With the new CCtCap contracts announced Sept. 16, NASA's goal is to certify crew transportation systems in 2017 that will return the ability to launch astronauts from American soil to the International Space Station.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Arrives at Launch Pad, Hoisted onto Rocket Ahead of its First Spaceflight

Orion will travel almost 60,000 miles into space Thursday, Dec. 4, during an uncrewed flight designed to test many of the spacecraft's systems before it begins carrying astronauts on missions to deep-space destinations. The spacecraft, which includes the crew and service modules, launch abort system and the adapter that will connect it to the rocket, was completed in October and has since been awaiting its rollout inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Although storms in the area delayed its move slightly, Orion completed its 22-mile journey with no issues.

"This is the next step on our journey to Mars, and it's a big one," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations. "In less than a month, Orion will travel farther than any spacecraft built for humans has been in more than 40 years. That's a huge milestone for NASA, and for all of us who want to see humans go to deep space."

Once it arrived at Space Launch Complex 37, Orion was hoisted up about 200 feet and placed atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket that will carry it into orbit. Over the course of the three weeks that remain until liftoff, the spacecraft will be fully connected to the rocket and powered on for final testing and preparations.

"We've put a lot of work into designing, building and testing the spacecraft to get it to this point and I couldn't be prouder of the whole team," said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager. "Now it's time to see how it flies. Sending Orion into space will give us data that is going to be critical to improving the spacecraft's design before we go to an asteroid and Mars."

Orion is scheduled to lift off at 7:05 a.m. Dec. 4. During its two-orbit, 4.5-hour flight test, Orion will travel 3,600 miles beyond Earth. From this distance, Orion will return through Earth's atmosphere at speeds approaching 20,000 mph, generating temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its heat shield. The flight will allow engineers to test systems critical to safety, including the heat shield, parachutes, avionics and attitude control.

For information about Orion and its first flight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Set to Roll out to Launch Pad for its First Flight

At 4:30 p.m. EST, NASA Television will air a news briefing live from the LASF before Orion's move.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Orion is in the final stages of preparation for its uncrewed flight test, targeted for Dec. 4, that will take it 3,600 miles above Earth on a more than four hour flight to test many of the systems critical for future human missions into deep space. After two orbits and 60,000 miles, Orion will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at almost 20,000 mph before its parachute system deploys to slow the spacecraft for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. On future missions, the Orion spacecraft will help carry astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before, including to an asteroid and Mars. For more information about Orion, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

NASA's Orion Spacecraft's First Flight

To provide more detail on what this first flight entails, NASA will host a preflight briefing at 11 a.m. EST Nov. 6 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The news conference will be broadcast live on NASA TV and on the agency's website.

"This is just the first of what will be a long line of exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit, and in a few years, we will be sending our astronauts to destinations humans have never experienced," said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development "It's thrilling to be a part of the journey now, at the beginning."

The December flight test will send Orion 3,600 miles from Earth on a two-orbit flight intended to ensure the spacecraft's critical systems are ready for the challenges of deep-space missions.

During the 4.5-hour flight, called Exploration Flight Test-1, Orion will travel farther than any crewed spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years, before returning to Earth at speeds near 20,000 mph and generating temperatures up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

For information about Orion and its first flight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

Boeing Concludes Commercial Crew Space Act Agreement for CST-100/Atlas V

NASA in July approved the Critical Design Review Board milestone for Boeing's crew transportation system, confirming the detailed designs and plans for test and evaluation form a satisfactory basis to proceed with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and testing. It is the culmination of four years of development work by Boeing beginning when the company partnered with NASA during the first round of agreements to develop commercial crew transportation systems. To get to this point, extensive spacecraft subsystem, systems, and integrated vehicle design work has been performed, along with extensive component and wind tunnel testing.

Boeing is one of eight companies NASA partnered with during the last four years to develop a human-rated transportation system capable of flying people to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. NASA's unique approach encouraged companies to invest their own financial resources in the effort and open up a new industry of private space travel. Other current NASA partners Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corporation and SpaceX all are deep in development of their own commercial crew transportation systems under separate Space Act Agreements.

NASA's spaceflight specialists from a variety of technical expertise areas not only assisted the companies but also worked closely with them in judging progress and deciding whether milestones in the Space Act Agreements were met.

The partnership with Boeing began in 2010 when NASA selected the company as one of five awardees for the first phase of commercial crew development. NASA's second round of development awards in April 2011 also included Boeing and called for the CST-100 crew transportation system design to be advanced to the preliminary design review point.

The CCiCap initiative, the third phase of development, began in August 2012 when NASA announced an agreement with Boeing totaling $460 million to advance the design of the integrated transportation system. NASA added an optional milestone in 2013, bringing the total level of NASA investment in Boeing for CCiCap to $480 million.

Development work aligned with milestone goals of the initiative, and work took place at numerous locations across the country to take advantage of unique facilities.

Engineering teams tested and modified mission flight software, including launch, docking, on-orbit, and re-entry and landing maneuvers. Teams conducted mission simulations to advance communications and mission operations planning. Models of the CST-100 and the Atlas V launch vehicle were tested in wind tunnels. Launch abort engines and thrusters the spacecraft will use for maneuvering in space were test-fired. Work was done to refine the spacecraft and service module designs and make modifications required for human rating the existing commercially available United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Ground systems design and operation included launch site modification plans for crews and pad workers. Landing and recovery details also were conceived, reviewed, tested and approved.

All this work ensured Boeing's crew transportation system matured to the verge of flight test article construction.

NASA's goal for the Commercial Crew Program is to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. The next and final phase of commercial crew development was announced recently with the award of Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts to Boeing and SpaceX. With the new contracts, NASA's goal is to certify crew transportation systems in 2017 that will return the ability to launch astronauts from American soil to the International Space Station using privately built spacecraft.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Soil Moisture Mapper Arrives at Launch Site

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft arrived Wednesday at its launch site on California's central coast after traveling from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. The spacecraft will undergo final tests and then be integrated on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for a planned Jan. 29 launch. A NASA spacecraft designed to track Earth's water in one of its most important, but least recognized forms -- soil moisture -- now is at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to begin final preparations for launch in January.

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft arrived Wednesday at its launch site on California's central coast after traveling from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. The spacecraft will undergo final tests and then be integrated on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for a planned Jan. 29 launch. SMAP will provide the most accurate, highest-resolution global measurements of soil moisture ever obtained from space and will detect whether the ground is frozen or thawed. The data will be used to enhance scientists' understanding of the processes that link Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles.

Soil moisture is critical for plant growth and supplies aquifers, which are underground water supplies contained in layers of rock, sand or dirt. Through evaporation, water in the soil cools the land surface and lower atmosphere while seeding the upper atmosphere with moisture that forms clouds and rain. High-resolution global maps of soil moisture produced from SMAP will allow scientists to understand how regional water availability is changing and inform water resource management decisions.

"Water is vital for all life on Earth, and the water present in soil is a small but critically important part of Earth's water cycle," said Kent Kellogg, SMAP project manager at JPL. "The delivery of NASA's SMAP spacecraft to Vandenberg Air Force Base marks a final step to bring these unique and valuable measurements to the global science community."

SMAP data also will aid in predictions of plant growth and agricultural productivity, improve weather and climate forecasts, and enhance our ability to predict the extent and severity of droughts and where floods may occur. SMAP's freeze/thaw data will also be used to detect changes in the length of the growing season, which is an indicator of how much carbon plants take up from the atmosphere each year.

Among the users of SMAP data will be hydrologists, weather forecasters, climate scientists, and agricultural and water resource managers. Additional users include fire hazard and flood disaster managers, disease control and prevention managers, emergency planners and policy makers.

To make its high-resolution, high-accuracy measurements, SMAP will combine data from two microwave instruments -- a synthetic aperture radar and a radiometer -- in a way that uses the best features of each. The instruments can peer through clouds and moderate vegetation cover day and night to measure water in the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of the soil.

SMAP will fly in a 426-mile (685-kilometer) altitude, near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit that crosses the equator near 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time. SMAP is designed to operate for at least three years, producing a global map of soil moisture every two to three days.

SMAP is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington by JPL with participation by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. JPL is responsible for project management, system engineering, instrument management, the radar instrument, mission operations and the ground data system. Goddard is responsible for the radiometer instrument. Both centers collaborate on the science data processing and delivery of science data products to the Alaska Satellite Facility and the National Snow and Ice Data Center for public distribution and archiving. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

SMAP is planned to be the final of five NASA Earth science missions launched into space in a 12-month period, the most new NASA Earth-observing mission launches in that timespan in more than a decade. NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

NASA Partners with X-37B Program for Use of Former Space Shuttle Hangars

The OPF bays were last used during NASA's Space Shuttle Program. With the agency's transition to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, the agency currently does not have a mission requirement for the facilities. This agreement ensures the facilities will again be used for their originally-intended purpose -- processing spacecraft.

"Kennedy is positioning itself for the future, transitioning to a multi-user launch facility for both commercial and government customers, while embarking on NASA's new deep-space exploration plans," said Kennedy Center Director Robert Cabana. "A dynamic infrastructure is taking shape, designed to host many kinds of spacecraft and rockets."

In addition to vehicle preparation for launch, the X-37B Program conducted testing at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility to demonstrate that landing the vehicle at the former shuttle runway is a technically feasible option.

The Boeing Company is performing construction upgrades in the OPFs on behalf of the X-37B Program. These upgrades are targeted to be complete in December.

Groundbreaking for New Kennedy Space Center Headquarters

The new headquarters building will be the keystone to the Central Campus makeover and will take place in several phases. Headquarters will be a seven-story, 200,000-square-foot structure that will consolidate all shared services and administrative office functions and will be located north and east of the current headquarters building.

The ceremony will be hosted by Kennedy director Bob Cabana and representatives from companies involved in the project, Kurt Hazen from Hensel Phelps and Steve Belflower from Hunton Brady.

NASA's Orion Spacecraft, Rocket Move Closer to First Flight

Orion was moved Sunday out of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Delta IV Heavy rocket, built by United Launch Alliance, made its move Tuesday night, to nearby Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was raised Wednesday from the horizontal position into its vertical launch configuration.

"We've been working toward this launch for months, and we're in the final stretch," said Kennedy Director Bob Cabana. "Orion is almost complete and the rocket that will send it into space is on the launch pad. We're 64 days away from taking the next step in deep-space exploration."

Orion now is ready for the installation of its last component -- the launch abort system. This system is designed to protect astronauts if a problem arises during launch by pulling the spacecraft away from the failing rocket. During the December, uncrewed flight, the jettison motor, which separates the launch abort system from the crew module in both normal operations and in an emergency, will be tested.

Once the launch abort system is stacked on the completed crew and service modules, and the three systems are tested together, the Orion spacecraft will be considered complete. It then will wait inside the launch abort system facility until mid-November, when the Delta IV Heavy rocket is ready for integration with the spacecraft.

The rocket's three Common Booster Cores were tested, processed and attached to each other to form the first stage that will connect to Orion's service module.

Following its targeted Dec. 4 launch, the Delta IV Heavy will send Orion 3,600 miles above Earth to test the spacecraft's systems most critical to crew safety. After orbiting Earth twice, Orion will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at 20,000 miles per hour, generating temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, before it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.

Orion is being built to send humans farther than ever before, including to an asteroid and Mars. Although the spacecraft will be uncrewed during its December flight, which is designated Exploration Flight Test-1, the crew module will be used to transport astronauts safely to and from space on future missions. Orion will provide living quarters for up to 21 days, while longer missions will incorporate an additional habitat to provide extra space.

For information about Orion and its first flight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

NASA Awards Agencywide Helium Contract

Air Products and Chemicals Inc. supply helium to the agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This firm-fixed price contract begins Oct. 1 and has a maximum value of $28.8 million, with a potential performance period of five years.

Linde LLC will supply helium to NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Johnson Space Center in Houston; Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California; Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California; Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia; Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

This firm-fixed price contract begins Oct. 1 and has a maximum value of $14.8 million, with a potential performance period of five years.

Helium is used throughout NASA as a cryogenic agent for cooling various materials and in precision welding applications, as well as lab use. Helium also is used as an inert purge gas for hydrogen systems and as a pressurizing agent for ground and flight fluid systems of space vehicles.

NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station Aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

The mission is the company's fourth cargo delivery flight to the space station through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support experiments to be conducted by the crews of space station Expeditions 41 and 42.

One of the new Earth science investigations heading to the orbital laboratory is the International Space Station-Rapid Scatterometer. ISS-RapidScat monitors ocean winds from the vantage point of the space station. This space-based scatterometer is a remote sensing instrument that uses radar pulses reflected from the ocean's surface from different angles to calculate surface wind speed and direction. This information will be useful for weather forecasting and hurricane monitoring.

Dragon also will deliver the first-ever 3-D printer in space. The technology enables parts to be manufactured quickly and cheaply in space, instead of waiting for the next cargo resupply vehicle delivery. The research team also will gain valuable insight into improving 3-D printing technology on Earth by demonstrating it in microgravity.

New biomedical hardware launched aboard the spacecraft will help facilitate prolonged biological studies in microgravity. The Rodent Research Hardware and Operations Validation (Rodent Research-1) investigation provides a platform for long-duration rodent experiments in space. These investigations examine how microgravity affects animals, providing information relevant to human spaceflight, discoveries in basic biology and knowledge that may have direct impact toward human health on Earth.

The Dragon spacecraft also will transport other biological research, include a new plant study. The Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC) hardware has supported a variety of plant growth experiments aboard the space station. The BRIC-19 investigation will focus on the growth and development in microgravity of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, a small flowering plant related to cabbage. Because plant development on Earth is impacted by mechanical forces such as wind or a plant's own weight, researchers hope to improve understanding of how the growth responses of plants are altered by the absence of these forces when grown in microgravity.

Dragon is scheduled to be grappled at 7:04 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, by Expedition 41 Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, using the space station's robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft. NASA's Reid Wiseman will support Gerst in a backup position. Dragon is scheduled to depart the space station in mid-October for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, bringing from the space station almost 3,200 pounds of science, hardware and crew supplies.

The space station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. NASA recently awarded contracts to SpaceX and The Boeing Company to transport U.S. crews to and from the space station with the goal of certifying those transportation systems in 2017.

For more information about SpaceX's fourth cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Chooses American Companies to Transport U.S. Astronauts to International Space Station Selection

U.S. astronauts once again will travel to and from the International Space Station from the United States on American spacecraft under groundbreaking contracts NASA announced Tuesday. The agency unveiled its selection of Boeing and SpaceX to transport U.S. crews to and from the space station using their CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft, respectively, with a goal of ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia in 2017.

"From day one, the Obama Administration made clear that the greatest nation on Earth should not be dependent on other nations to get into space," NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Thanks to the leadership of President Obama, the hard work of our NASA and industry teams, and support from Congress, today we are one step closer to launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on American spacecraft and ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia by 2017. Turning over low-Earth orbit transportation to private industry will also allow NASA to focus on an even more ambitious mission – sending humans to Mars."

These Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts are designed to complete the NASA certification for human space transportation systems capable of carrying people into orbit. Once certification is complete, NASA plans to use these systems to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station and return them safely to Earth.

The companies selected to provide this transportation capability and the maximum potential value of their FAR-based firm fixed-price contracts are:

NASA's Commercial Crew Program will implement this capability as a public-private partnership with the American aerospace companies. NASA's expert team of engineers and spaceflight specialists is facilitating and certifying the development work of industry partners to ensure new spacecraft are safe and reliable.

The U.S. missions to the International Space Station following certification will allow the station's current crew of six to grow, enabling the crew to conduct more research aboard the unique microgravity laboratory.

"We are excited to see our industry partners close in on operational flights to the International Space Station, an extraordinary feat industry and the NASA family began just four years ago," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "This space agency has long been a technology innovator, and now we also can say we are an American business innovator, spurring job creation and opening up new markets to the private sector. The agency and our partners have many important steps to finish, but we have shown we can do the tough work required and excel in ways few would dare to hope."

The companies will own and operate the crew transportation systems and be able to sell human space transportation services to other customers in addition to NASA, thereby reducing the costs for all customers.

By encouraging private companies to handle launches to low-Earth orbit -- a region NASA's been visiting since 1962 -- the nation's space agency can focus on getting the most research and experience out of America's investment in the International Space Station. NASA also can focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep space missions, including flights to Mars.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and CCtCap, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA to Make Major Announcement Today About Astronaut Transport to the International Space Station

NASA will make a major announcement today at 4 p.m. EDT regarding the return of human spaceflight launches to the United States. The agency will make the announcement during a news conference from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Nears Completion, Ready for Fueling

Engineers finished building the Orion crew module, attached it and the already-completed service module to the adapter that will join Orion to its rocket and transported the spacecraft to a new facility for fueling.

"Nothing about building the first of a brand new space transportation system is easy," said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager. "But the crew module is undoubtedly the most complex component that will fly in December. The pressure vessel, the heat shield, parachute system, avionics -- piecing all of that together into a working spacecraft is an accomplishment. Seeing it fly in three months is going to be amazing."

Finishing the Orion crew module marks the completion of all major components of the spacecraft. The other two major elements -- the inert service module and the launch abort system -- were completed in January and December, respectively. The crew module was attached to the service module in June to allow for testing before the finishing touches were put on the crew module.

The adapter that will connect Orion to the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket was built by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It is being tested for use on the agency's Space Launch System rocket for future deep space missions.

NASA, Orion's prime contractor Lockheed Martin, and ULA managers oversaw the move of the spacecraft Thursday from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy, where it will be fueled with ammonia and hyper-propellants for its flight test. Once fueling is complete, the launch abort system will be attached. At that point, the spacecraft will be complete and ready to stack on the Delta IV Heavy.

Orion is being built to send humans farther than ever before, including to an asteroid and Mars. Although the spacecraft will be uncrewed during its December flight test, the crew module will be used to transport astronauts safely to and from space on future missions. Orion will provide living quarters for up to 21 days, while longer missions will incorporate an additional habitat to provide extra space. Many of Orion's critical safety systems will be evaluated during December's mission, designated Exploration Flight Test-1, when the spacecraft travels about 3,600 miles into space.

New NASA App Encourages Kids to Play Along In Adventure of Rocketry

NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP), based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, specializes in preparing rockets and their complex scientific payloads for missions that sometimes take them far out into the solar system.

That sense of long-distance adventure with a touch of precision inspires all the activities in this app. Peter the Payload guides participants through 24 pictures to color and many other activities such as Word Search, Asteroid Maze, Solar System Match and Planet Crossword. Drawing options throughout the app include more than a dozen colors and are adaptable to young participants but also include the freestyle options for markers and crayons that older children crave as they express themselves.

There is even a space-related recipe to take care of the appetite built up during all the fun!

Successful completions of some activities are met with cheers and congratulations, too, to keep kids coming back.

Participants will be able to get a certificate of achievement for completing the mission.

The application was developed by the Kennedy Information Technology Mobile Team in conjunction with LSP. The LSP Activity Book is available for iPad users via iTunes at: http://go.nasa.gov/1sx0Em8

NASA Awards Contract Option on Test and Operations Support Contract

The cost-plus-award-fee option was exercised Aug. 21 at a value of $172.8 million for the baseline work with a performance period of two years. The contract's indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity ordering provision, valued up to $500 million for the life of the contract, also was extended for a concurrent two-year period.

Jacobs Technology Inc. will provide ground processing for launch vehicles, spacecraft and payloads in support of emerging programs, commercial entities and other government agencies as designated by the government. Services include advanced planning and special studies; development of designated ground systems; operational support for design and development of flight hardware and ground systems; spacecraft, payload and launch vehicle servicing and processing; ground systems services; and logistics and other processing support services at Kennedy.

Kennedy Space Center is transforming to a multi-user spaceport to support both government and commercial customers. The center is looking toward the future. A dynamic infrastructure is taking shape, designed to host many kinds of spacecraft and rockets sending people on America's next adventures in space – to an asteroid, to Mars and to other destinations in the solar system.

NASA and Commercial Partners Review Summer of Advancements

Blue Origin, The Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corporation and SpaceX are partners with NASA in these initiatives to develop a new generation of safe, reliable, and cost-effective crew space transportation systems to low-Earth orbit. Company engineering representatives meet regularly with NASA engineers and specialists to survey advancements. As progress is checked off, larger, more formal reviews are conducted to show the achievement of milestones in system development. Each of the reviews also addresses points brought up in prior sessions and ends with areas to look into before the next session is held.

"These discussions capitalize on all the aspects of working as partners instead of working solely as a customer and supplier," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "The partners are innovative in a number of developmental areas. We have a set of detailed criteria drawn up so we can adequately evaluate what they are doing and they can tell us where adjustments fit in with their system's overall success. It's exactly what we had in mind when we kicked off this effort four years ago."

The next milestone for Blue Origin will be a subsystem interim design review that will assess the progress of the company's Space Vehicle design.

Development of the Boeing CST-100 continued throughout July with two milestone reviews conducted. The spacecraft phase two safety review demonstrated the CST-100 design follows the NASA safety analysis process, including documenting spacecraft hazard reports. The integrated critical design review demonstrated the design maturity of the integrated spacecraft, launch vehicle and ground systems are at their appropriate points.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which is working on the Dream Chaser lifting-body spacecraft, is expected to complete the review of its fifth design cycle in the coming weeks. The company also completed a review of the engineering test article with CCP and NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center specialists ahead of its second free-flight test later this year. SNC continues to vacuum test its reaction control system ahead of its incremental milestone test review.

SpaceX will conduct a critical design review of its ground systems and mission and crew operations plans toward the end of August as it advances Dragon V2 through development. The company also is coming up on the primary structure qualification for the Dragon V2, which is a more advanced version of the cargo-only spacecraft SpaceX uses to transport supplies to the International Space Station.

In August or September, NASA plans to award one or more contracts that will provide the agency with commercial services to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station by the end of 2017.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA, Navy Prepare for Orion Spacecraft to Make a Splash

After enduring the extreme environment of space, Orion will blaze back through Earth's atmosphere at speeds near 20,000 mph and temperatures approaching 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Its inaugural journey will end in the Pacific, off the Southern California coast, where a U.S. Navy ship will be waiting to retrieve it and return it to shore.

"We learned a lot about our hardware, gathered good data, and the test objectives were achieved," said Mike Generale, NASA recovery operations manager in the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. "We were able to put Orion out to sea and safely bring it back multiple times. We are ready to move on to the next step of our testing with a full dress rehearsal landing simulation on the next test."

NASA and Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin teamed up with the U.S. Navy and the Defense Department's Human Space Flight Support Detachment 3 to try different techniques for recovering the 20,500-pound spacecraft safely during this second "underway recovery test." To address some of the lessons learned from the first recovery test in February, the team brought new hardware to test and tested a secondary recovery method that employs an onboard crane to recover Orion, as an alternative to using the well deck recovery method, which involves the spacecraft being winched into a flooded portion of the naval vessel.

"Anchorage provided a unique, validated capability to support NASA's request for operational support without adversely impacting the Navy's primary warfighting mission," said Cmdr. Joel Stewart, commanding officer of the Navy vessel. "This unique mission gave Anchorage sailors an opportunity to hone their skills for the routine missions of recovering vehicles in the well deck and operating rigid-hulled inflatable boats in the open water while supporting NASA. The testing with NASA was a success and Anchorage sailors continue to raise the bar, completing missions above and beyond any expectations."

Learn more about NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at: http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems

NASA Partners Punctuate Summer with Spacecraft Development Advances

NASA engineers and specialists continue their review of the progress as the agency and partners move ahead with plans to develop the first American spacecraft designed to carry people into space since the space shuttle.

"Our partners are making great progress as they refine their systems for safe, reliable and cost-effective spaceflight," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "It is extremely impressive to hear and see the interchange between the company and NASA engineering teams as they delve into the very details of the systems that help assure the safety of passengers."

The next milestone for Blue Origin will be a subsystem interim design review that will assess the progress of the company's Space Vehicle design.

The Boeing Company, which is designing the CST-100 spacecraft, has two reviews later this summer. A full critical design review (CDR) will examine the detailed plans for the spacecraft, launch vehicle and a host of ground support, processing and operations designs. The second review will come soon after -- the Spacecraft Safety Review is designed to show the design of the spacecraft and its systems are in line with Boeing's CDR-level design.

Sierra Nevada Corporation completed risk reduction testing on the flight crew systems in development for its Dream Chaser spacecraft. The team evaluated crew ingress and egress using the full-scale mockup of the Dream Chaser pressurized cabin, as well as the visibility from inside the cockpit, controls and displays, and seat loading. The company reviewed tests conducted on the thermal protection system for its spacecraft as well as the composite structure, life support system and thermal control systems. Later this summer, the reaction control system will undergo an incremental test to further its design.

SpaceX currently is completing a qualification test milestone for the primary structure of its Dragon spacecraft. Following this milestone, the company, which is using its own Falcon 9 launch vehicle, will outline its ground systems, crew and mission operations plans in an operational review that will put the company's processes through a rigorous examination.

Later this year, NASA plans to award one or more contracts that will provide the agency with commercial services to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station by the end of 2017.

For more information on NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Awards Construction Contract at Kennedy Space Center

The maximum value of this firm fixed-price contract is $64,823,000, including base work and five awarded options. The contract award begins Thursday.

The new headquarters building is the cornerstone for Kennedy's central campus consolidation. The campus construction will enable demolition of approximately 900,000 square feet of buildings and supporting infrastructure in what is known as the Kennedy Industrial Area, while rebuilding only about 450,000 square feet. Kennedy will save an estimated $400 million during the next 40 years because of the 50 percent reduction in square footage and the lower operation and maintenance costs associated with the new energy-efficient facilities.

Hensel Phelps will provide all the construction and installation of required civil, structural, electrical, plumbing, environmental, mechanical, fire suppression, and communication infrastructure. Under the five options, the company will remove U-Shaped Pre-Cast Panel and Pre-Cast, add additional landscaping, add seven dual-station electric vehicle battery charge stations in parking areas, provide LED light fixtures instead of fluorescent and compact light fixtures, and upgrade the 800-kw emergency generator environmental rating from tier 2 to tier 4 and provide future utility system interconnection capability.

For more information about NASA and agency's programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Updates Time for Facility Renaming Ceremony in Honor of Neil Armstrong

The event will include remarks from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Kennedy Center Director Robert Cabana, and Apollo 11 crew members, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.

The ceremony will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Sunday, July 20, is the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 crew's moon landing in 1969.

The Operations and Checkout Building was built in 1964 and previously was known as the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building. The facility has played a vital role in NASA's spaceflight history. The high bay was used during the Apollo program to process and test the command, service and lunar modules. The facility is being used today to process and assemble NASA's Orion spacecraft as the agency prepares to embark on the next giant leap in space exploration, sending astronauts to an asteroid and Mars.

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA Awards CubeSat Hardware and Integration Services Contract

The five companies are 406 Aerospace LLC of Bozeman, Montana; Applied Technology Associations of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Spaceflight Inc. of Tukwila, Washington; TriSept Corp. of Chantilly, Virginia; and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems LLC of Irvine, California. Each were awarded a firm fixed-price indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract. The total potential value of the combined contracts is $9.5 million dollars, if the maximum amount of work is ordered.

All contractors will provide all services, facilities, and resources necessary to support this work effort for the task orders they are awarded.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

For more information about the Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lspeducation

NASA Renaming Ceremony in Honor of Neil Armstrong

The event will include remarks from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Kennedy Center Director Robert Cabana and Apollo 11 crew members Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.

The ceremony will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website at 9:00am.

For more information on NASA's future human exploration plans, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA Launches New Carbon-Sensing Mission to Monitor Earth's Breathing

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) raced skyward from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Approximately 56 minutes after the launch, the observatory separated from the rocket's second stage into an initial 429-mile (690-kilometer) orbit. The spacecraft then performed a series of activation procedures, established communications with ground controllers and unfurled its twin sets of solar arrays. Initial telemetry shows the spacecraft is in excellent condition.

OCO-2 soon will begin a minimum two-year mission to locate Earth's sources of and storage places for atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas responsible for warming our world and a critical component of the planet's carbon cycle.

"Climate change is the challenge of our generation," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "With OCO-2 and our existing fleet of satellites, NASA is uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of documenting and understanding these changes, predicting the ramifications, and sharing information about these changes for the benefit of society."

OCO-2 will take NASA's studies of carbon dioxide and the global carbon cycle to new heights. The mission will produce the most detailed picture to date of natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their "sinks" -- places on Earth's surface where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. The observatory will study how these sources and sinks are distributed around the globe and how they change over time.

"This challenging mission is both timely and important," said Michael Freilich, director of the Earth Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "OCO-2 will produce exquisitely precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations near Earth's surface, laying the foundation for informed policy decisions on how to adapt to and reduce future climate change."

Carbon dioxide sinks are at the heart of a longstanding scientific puzzle that has made it difficult for scientists to accurately predict how carbon dioxide levels will change in the future and how those changing concentrations will affect Earth's climate.

"Scientists currently don't know exactly where and how Earth's oceans and plants have absorbed more than half the carbon dioxide that human activities have emitted into our atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial era," said David Crisp, OCO-2 science team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "Because of this we cannot predict precisely how these processes will operate in the future as climate changes. For society to better manage carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere, we need to be able to measure the natural source and sink processes." Precise measurements of the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide are needed because background levels vary by less than two percent on regional to continental scales. Typical changes can be as small as one-third of one percent. OCO-2 measurements are designed to measure these small changes clearly.

During the next 10 days, the spacecraft will go through a checkout process and then begin three weeks of maneuvers that will place it in its final 438-mile (705-kilometer), near-polar operational orbit at the head of the international Afternoon Constellation, or "A-Train," of Earth-observing satellites. The A-Train, the first multi-satellite, formation flying "super observatory" to record the health of Earth's atmosphere and surface environment, collects an unprecedented quantity of nearly simultaneous climate and weather measurements.

OCO-2 science operations will begin about 45 days after launch. Scientists expect to begin archiving calibrated mission data in about six months and plan to release their first initial estimates of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in early 2015.

The observatory will uniformly sample the atmosphere above Earth's land and waters, collecting more than 100,000 precise individual measurements of carbon dioxide over Earth's entire sunlit hemisphere every day. Scientists will use these data in computer models to generate maps of carbon dioxide emission and uptake at Earth's surface on scales comparable in size to the state of Colorado. These regional-scale maps will provide new tools for locating and identifying carbon dioxide sources and sinks.

OCO-2 also will measure a phenomenon called solar-induced fluorescence, an indicator of plant growth and health. As plants photosynthesize and take up carbon dioxide, they fluoresce and give off a tiny amount of light that is invisible to the naked eye. Because more photosynthesis translates into more fluorescence, fluorescence data from OCO-2 will help shed new light on the uptake of carbon dioxide by plants.

OCO-2 is a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Program mission managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, built the spacecraft bus and provides mission operations under JPL's leadership. The science instrument was built by JPL, based on the instrument design co-developed for the original OCO mission by Hamilton Sundstrand in Pomona, California. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. Communications during all phases of the mission are provided by NASA's Near Earth Network, with contingency support from the Space Network. Both are divisions of the Space Communications and Navigation program at NASA Headquarters. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

OCO-2 is the second of five NASA Earth science missions scheduled to launch into space this year, the most new Earth-observing mission launches in one year in more than a decade. NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
Follow OCO-2 on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/IamOCO2

Launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Rescheduled for July 2

The launch team has completed troubleshooting of the launch pad water suppression system that resulted in the scrub of the launch attempt Tuesday. A valve that is part of the pulse suppression water system, which had operated properly during tests shortly before the launch countdown, failed to function properly during the final minutes of the launch attempt. The failed valve has been replaced with a spare, and the system is being tested in preparation for Wednesday's launch attempt.

The OCO-2 mission will produce the most detailed picture to date of natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their "sinks" -- places on Earth's surface where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. The observatory will study how these sources and sinks are distributed around the globe and how they change over time.

The launch weather forecast is unchanged with a 100 percent chance of favorable conditions at liftoff, which is targeted for 5:56:23 EDT (2:56:23 PDT) at the opening of a 30-second launch window.

NASA Television coverage will begin at 3:45 a.m. EDT (12:45 a.m. PDT) Wednesday. For NASA TV downlink and schedule information and streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is responsible for project management of OCO-2. Orbital Sciences Corp., built the OCO-2 spacecraft. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida provides launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is NASA's launch service provider for the Delta II rocket.

NASA Awards Launch Complex 39B Refurbishment Contract for Kennedy

The firm-fixed price contract with two options was awarded June 30 and has a maximum value of $11.23 million with a performance period of 412 days.

Precision Mechanical Inc. shall furnish all labor, equipment, materials and related activities necessary for the refurbishment/replacement of the Environmental Control System (ECS) at KSC Building J7-337, better known as Launch Complex (LC) 39B. The completed ECS will provide conditioned clean purge air to various compartments of the new Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle. The refurbishment/replacement includes the following components: chillers, large volume blowers, high-pressure ducts, piping, industrial process PLC-based controls, humidifiers and boilers, and associated electrical equipment. All cooling tower equipment including fill, fans, gear boxes, pumps, valves, piping, grating and handrails will be replaced and the concrete structure repaired/refurbished.

The project also will include two options for the installation of four additional compartment purge circuits and appurtenances from the main distribution plenum to above the pad surface and the replacement of existing post-cooling coils for three cooling chambers.

NASA's Commercial Crew Partners Focus on Testing, Analysis to Advance Designs

To meet milestones established in Space Act Agreements with NASA, the companies are completing specific assessments such as materials stress tests, engine firings and analysis, and system tests. The companies' engineers use data gathered from these tests to refine the design, then NASA's team uses the data to ensure the tests satisfy milestone objectives that provide confidence a spacecraft system or program is progressing toward its goals.

"A vast array of testing and work goes into even the smallest subsystem of a spacecraft, so getting to the point where our partners evaluate integrated spacecraft, launch systems and operation details is a massive achievement for our partners," said Kathy Lueders, program manager for CCP.

Blue Origin continues to make steady progress in the development of its Space Vehicle as the company moves toward an interim design review of the spacecraft's subsystems.

The Boeing Company is preparing for a critical design review that will determine whether the integrated design, systems, software and operations plans for its CST-100 spacecraft are ready for the production of models for extensive testing that simulates the demands of space travel.

In May, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) tested the main propulsion and reaction control systems (RCS) of its Dream Chaser spacecraft to advance its design to a production version. SNC is preparing to perform additional RCS vacuum environment tests, simulating flight-like conditions that will enable the company to further examine and certify system performance.

SpaceX is preparing to test the structural integrity of its Dragon spacecraft to verify it will stand up to the forces and stresses exerted on it during launch, while in orbit and through re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

Milestones achieved by NASA's CCP partners continue to advance commercial spacecraft and transportation systems from design to reality. The successes of NASA and American aerospace companies are ushering in a new generation of space transportation capabilities, which will enable new opportunities for people to live and work in space.

Later this year, NASA plans to award one or more Commercial Crew contracts that will provide the agency with commercial services to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station by the end of 2017.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Invites Public Comment on Mars 2020 Draft Environmental Impact Statement

During the comment period, NASA will host an online public meeting from 1-3 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 26, at: https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/mars2020

The meeting site will be accessible to participants at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The meeting will include briefings about the proposed mission, its power source options, and the findings of the DEIS. A question-and-answer session and an open period for the public to submit live written comments will follow. Advance registration for the meeting is not required.

The DEIS addresses the potential environmental impacts associated with carrying out the Mars 2020 mission, a continuation of NASA's in-depth exploration of the planet. The mission would include a mobile science rover based closely on the design of the Curiosity rover, which was launched in November 2011 and is operating successfully on Mars.

The mission is planned to launch in July or August 2020 from Florida on an expendable launch vehicle.

NASA will consider all received comments in the development of its Mars 2020 Final Environmental Impact Statement and comments received, and responses to these comments, will be included in the final document.

The DEIS, background material on the proposed mission, and instructions on how to submit comments on the DEIS are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/agency/nepa/mars2020eis

After the conclusion of the virtual public meeting, an on-demand replay of the event also will be available at the above link. Additional information on NASA's National Environmental Policy Act process and the proposed Mars 2020 mission can be found at: http://www.nasa.gov/agency/nepa/ and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mars2020/

NASA Awards Liquid Nitrogen and Liquid Oxygen Contract to PRAXAIR Inc.

PRAXAIR Inc. will supply approximately 175,000 liters of liquid nitrogen and approximately 52,400 tons of liquid oxygen to support operations at the aforementioned NASA centers and partner facilities. Nitrogen is used by the agency for pneumatic actuation, purging and inerting, pressurization, and for its cooling value. Oxygen is used as an oxidizer in cryogenic rocket engines.

NASA Awards Liquid Nitrogen and Liquid Oxygen Contract to Linde LLC

The firm-fixed price contract with an Economic Price Adjustment begins July 1. It has a maximum value of $23 million with a potential performance period of five years.

Linde LLC will supply approximately 361,176 tons of liquid nitrogen and approximately 64,000 tons of liquid oxygen to support operations at the aforementioned NASA centers and facilities. Nitrogen is used by the agency for pneumatic actuation, purging and inerting, pressurization, and for its cooling value. Oxygen is used as an oxidizer in cryogenic rocket engines.

NASA Awards Liquid Nitrogen and Liquid Oxygen Contract to Air Products and Chemicals Inc.

The firm-fixed price contract with an Economic Price Adjustment begins July 1. It has a maximum value of $10.5 million with a potential performance period of five years.

Air Products and Chemicals Inc. will supply approximately 150,690 tons of liquid nitrogen and approximately 600 tons of liquid oxygen to support operations at the aforementioned NASA centers. Nitrogen is used by the agency for pneumatic actuation, purging and inerting, pressurization, and for its cooling value. Oxygen is used as an oxidizer in cryogenic rocket engines.

NASA's OCO-2 Observatory Ready for Launch

OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup.

The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.

The spacecraft's final circular polar orbit will be 438 nautical miles (705 kilometers) at an inclination of 98.2 degrees.

NASA Selects Five Projects for 2015 X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge

The selections are the first milestone in a yearlong design and development effort for these five projects. Throughout the 2014-2015 academic year, the teams must meet a series of milestones to design, manufacture, assemble and test their systems and concepts in close cooperation with members of the NASA Exploration Augmentation Module (EAM) concept team.

EAM is a new agencywide technology development concept managed by the Advanced Exploration Systems Division in NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The EAM will combine several capabilities into a prototype system to augment Orion's habitation and extravehicular activity capabilities for extended deep space missions.

"This is the fifth year of the X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge, and we continue to be impressed by the innovative university proposals to advance capabilities for spaceflight," said Tracy Gill, NASA lead for the X-Hab Challenge. "We look forward to lending our experience to the teams, to learning from their fresh approaches and to guiding the efforts through the systems engineering process."

The challenge is a university-level participatory exploration effort designed to encourage studies in spaceflight-related disciplines. The challenge encourages multidisciplinary approaches and strengthens partnerships between NASA, academia and industry. This design challenge requires undergraduate students to explore NASA's work on development of deep space habitats while also helping the agency gather new ideas to complement its current research and development. NASA selected these five projects from among a group of proposals received in May. The X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge 2015 teams and projects are:

The National Space Grant Foundation will administer the grants to the universities for NASA to fund design, development and evaluation of the systems by members of the NASA teams during the 2014-2015 academic year.

For further information about previous challenges and current challenge requirements, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/x-hab and http://www.spacegrant.org/xhab/

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Stacks Up for First Flight

Engineers began stacking the crew module on top of the completed service module Monday, the first step in moving the three primary Orion elements – crew module, service module and launch abort system – into the correct configuration for launch.

"Now that we're getting so close to launch, the spacecraft completion work is visible every day," said Mark Geyer, NASA's Orion Program manager. "Orion's flight test will provide us with important data that will help us test out systems and further refine the design so we can safely send humans far into the solar system to uncover new scientific discoveries on future missions."

With the crew module now in place, the engineers will secure it and make the necessary power connections to the service module over the course of the week. Once the bolts and fluid connector between the modules are in place, the stacked spacecraft will undergo electrical, avionic and radio frequency tests.

The modules are being put together in the Final Assembly and System Testing (FAST) Cell in the Operations and Checkout Facility at Kennedy. Here, the integrated modules will be put through their final system tests prior to rolling out of the facility for integration with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket that will send it on its mission.

Orion is being prepared for its first launch later this year, an uncrewed flight that will take it 3,600 miles above Earth, in a 4.5 hour mission to test the systems critical for future human missions to deep space. After two orbits, Orion will reenter Earth's atmosphere at almost 20,000 miles per hour before its parachute system deploys to slow the spacecraft for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Orion's flight test also will provide important data for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and ocean recovery of Orion. Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have built an advanced adapter to connect Orion to the Delta IV Heavy rocket that will launch the spacecraft during the December test. The adapter also will be used during future SLS missions. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, based at Kennedy, will recover the Orion crew module with the U.S. Navy after its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

NASA Announces Briefing on New Mission to Track Global Carbon Dioxide

The briefings will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website.

OCO-2, NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, is set for a July 1 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Its mission is to measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate. OCO-2 replaces a nearly identical spacecraft lost in a rocket launch mishap in February 2009.

OCO-2 is one of five NASA Earth science missions scheduled for launch in 2014. NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

JPL manages the OCO-2 mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and updated scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information about NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/oco2

NASA's Orion Spacecraft is Ready to Feel the Heat

"It is extremely exciting to see the heat shield in place, ready to do its job," said Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The heat shield is such a critical piece, not just for this mission, but for our plans to send humans into deep space."

The heat shield is made of a coating called Avcoat, which burns away as it heats up in a process called ablation to prevent the transfer of extreme temperatures to the crew module. The Avcoat is covered with a silver reflective tape that protects the material from the extreme cold temperatures of space.

Orion's flight test, or Exploration Flight Test-1, will provide engineers with data about the heat shield's ability to protect Orion and its future crews from the 4,000-degree heat of re-entry and an ocean splashdown following the spacecraft's 20,000-mph re-entry from space.

Data gathered during the flight will inform decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, and authenticate existing computer models and new approaches to space systems design and development. This process is critical to reducing overall risks and costs of future Orion missions -- missions that will include exploring an asteroid and Mars.

Orion's flight test also will provide important data for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and ocean recovery of Orion. Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have built an advanced adapter to connect Orion to the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket that will launch the spacecraft during the December test. The adapter also will be used during future SLS missions. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will recover the Orion crew module with the U.S. Navy after its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The heat shield was manufactured at Lockheed Martin's Waterton Facility near Denver. Construction was completed at Textron Defense Systems near Boston before the heat shield was shipped to the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy, where Orion is being assembled.

In the coming months, the Orion crew and service modules will be joined and put through functional tests before the spacecraft is transported to Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for fueling. The spacecraft then will be transferred to the Launch Abort System (LAS) Facility to be connected to the LAS before making the journey to Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 for pad integration and launch operations.

NASA and Industry Complete First Phase to Certify New Crew Transportation Systems

NASA's Commercial Crew Program and industry have completed the first step in the certification process that will enable American-made commercial spacecraft safely to ferry astronauts from U.S. soil to and from the International Space Station by 2017. The completion of the Certification Products Contracts (CPC) marks critical progress in the development of next-generation American space transportation systems that are safe, reliable and cost-effective.

"We're making great strides toward returning human spaceflight launch capability to U.S. soil," said Phil McAlister, director of Commercial Spaceflight at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This certification is important to ensuring our crew members have reliable transportation to and from the space station where they are conducting research essential to advancing human exploration farther into the solar system."

Under the contracts, The Boeing Company, Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems (SNC) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completed reviews detailing how each plans to meet NASA's certification requirements to transport space station crew members to and from the orbiting laboratory. NASA awarded the contracts totaling $30 million in December 2012.

"There's more than one correct way to build a spacecraft, and CPC has been an invaluable learning process for our industry partners and the agency," said Kathy Lueders, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager. "It is extremely exciting to see the unique approach each company brings to the table."

Throughout the CPC process, the companies provided plans to show safety has been a key element in the design of their spacecraft and demonstrate how their systems will meet NASA's performance requirements.

"It's allowed them to mature their plans and gave us additional insight into each company's approach," said Ed Burns, systems engineering and integration acting manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "It also gave our NASA team and the partners a chance to work together towards certifying their systems."

The second phase of the certification process, the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), is open to any company with system designs at a maturity level consistent with the completion of the first certification phase. NASA will announce one or more CCtCap awards later this year. This second phase will include at least one crewed flight test per awardee to verify the spacecraft can dock to the space station and all its systems perform as expected. Contracts also will include at least two, and as many as six, crewed, post-certification missions to enable NASA to meet its station crew rotation requirements.

Although CCtCap will enable NASA to acquire a capability to transport crews to the space station, NASA intends that U.S. providers market and use their systems for other customers.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Seeks Input on Kennedy Space Center Land Use

Kennedy is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to identify potential partnership opportunities for the expansion of non-NASA launch operations and launch support functions at Kennedy, activities related to the assembly and processing of payloads or launch vehicles, and additional ventures that encourage activities in space.

The Master Plan describes the vision and supporting activities that will enable the center to continue to evolve into a multi-user spaceport supporting both government and commercial operations. The Master Plan is available at: http://masterplan.ksc.nasa.gov/
To access the RFI, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1mzVWl5
For more information about Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

From Wind Tunnel Tests to Software Reviews, NASA's Commercial Crew Partners Continue to Advance

Working in wind tunnels, software laboratories and work stations across America, NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) partners continue to make strides in advancing the designs of the American spacecraft and rockets that will carry humans safely and reliably into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil by 2017.

Blue Origin, The Boeing Company, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) are accomplishing milestones established through Space Act Agreements as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Development Round 2 and Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiatives.

CCP's engineering team is working closely with its partners as they develop the next generation of crewed spacecraft and work toward challenging evaluations and tests this year. Ultimately, NASA intends to certify and use American-made commercial systems to fly astronauts from U.S. soil to the International Space Station and back, ending our sole reliance on Russia to get to space.

"What we have seen from our industry partners is a determination to make their components and systems work reliably, and in turn they've been able to demonstrate the complex machinery that makes spaceflight possible will also work as planned," said Kathy Lueders, Commercial Crew Program manager. "These next few months will continue to raise the bar for achievement by our partners."

Boeing completed its most in-depth evaluation in April of the software planned to operate the CST-100 spacecraft. Called a critical design review, or CDR, the evaluation confirmed the computer coding can be used in flight tests. Spacecraft are increasingly dependent on computers that automate systems and perform split-second commands, making the software one of the most crucial elements of the spacecraft.

SNC put models of its Dream Chaser spacecraft through rigorous wind tunnel tests at facilities across America as it refined the design by studying its reaction to subsonic, transonic and supersonic conditions it will encounter during ascent into space and re-entry from low-Earth orbit. Several Dream Chaser scale model spacecraft were subjected to multiple wind tunnel tests in various configurations, including the integrated launch stack of Dream Chaser on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

SpaceX conducted an integrated critical design review in April to demonstrate major hardware and software elements of the company's Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. The critical design review took into account a host of previous reviews of the design of the vehicles along with the testing involved in verifying the systems.

As in building a house or other complex structure, these advancements set the stage for upcoming accomplishments on the path to a completed space transportation system. Blue Origin is closing in on an interim design review for the subsystems of its Space Vehicle design, a biconic spacecraft the company is developing to carry humans into low-Earth orbit.

Boeing will complete a critical design review that will cover all elements of the crewed spacecraft, rocket, as well as ground and mission operations in the coming months.

SNC is preparing to share its results from a series of tests of the reaction control system motors for the Dream Chaser spacecraft at a subcontractor facility, and main engine motor tests at SNC's Poway, California, facility.

SpaceX continues to develop hardware for a series of flight tests later this year that will put the Dragon's launch abort system through simulated emergencies to make sure it will perform for astronauts in the unlikely event of a mishap during launch or ascent into orbit.

Milestones achieved by CCP's partners continue to advance commercial spacecraft and transportation systems from design to reality. The successes of NASA and American aerospace companies are ushering in a new generation of space transportation capabilities, which will enable new opportunities for humans to live and work in space.

For more information about CCP and its aerospace industry partners, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Robotics Mining Competition at KSC Visitor Complex

More than 35 teams have designed and built remote-controlled mining robots that can traverse the simulated Martian terrain features and excavate simulated regolith. During the competition, the teams' robots will go head-to-head to determine which machine can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time.

Although the competition is for college students, the event offers many opportunities for students of all ages. NASA is hosting a college recruitment fair for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors showcasing STEM education opportunities available at top colleges and universities across the nation. The event also will offer additional STEM activities for students of all ages.

For more information about the competition, associated activities and social media links to participate virtually, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasarmc

Video highlights of the practice and competition will air on the NASA Television Video File. For downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA Hosts KSC's NASA MOVES!
Fitness Challenge Kickoff With Bob Cabana and Florida State Surgeon General, Dr. John Armstrong

The Chief Health and Medical Officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington is sponsoring a two-week agencywide fitness challenge called NASA Moves! from Sunday, May 18, to Saturday, May 31.

The event will be hosted by Kennedy Director Bob Cabana and will include Florida State Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong, as well as the directors of health from Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, Orange and Indian River counties.

The challenge will encourage the center's workforce to accomplish at least 20 minutes of physical activity every day. Examples include walking at lunch; walking up one flight of stairs or down two instead of taking the elevator whenever possible; parking farther away from the workplace entrance; or anything that increases physical activity. The challenge complements the State of Florida Healthiest Weight Initiative, which is intended to promote a healthier lifestyle among the state's population.

NASA TV to Air U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony May 3

Former astronauts Shannon W. Lucid and Jerry L. Ross will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during Saturday's ceremony at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction in Florida.

A veteran of five missions and a member of NASA's first astronaut class to include women, Lucid logged more than 223 days in space. From August 1991 to June 2007, she held the record for the most days in orbit by any woman in the world. Lucid is the only American woman who served aboard the Russian Mir space station, where she lived and worked in 1996 for more than 188 days -- the longest stay of any American on that spacecraft.

Ross flew on seven shuttle missions, logged more than 58 days in space, and conducted nine spacewalks totaling 58 hours and 18 minutes. He was the first person to be launched into space seven times. Ross' time spent conducting spacewalks is the all-time second highest among U.S. astronauts.

The induction of Ross and Lucid brings the total number of space-exploring Hall of Famers to 87.

For more information about the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA Seeks Partners for Technology Development Projects

Technological areas of emphasis for the challenge include: robotics, telerobotics and autonomous systems; human health, life support and habitation systems; human exploration destination systems; ground and launch systems processing; modeling, simulation, information technology and processing; thermal management systems; and communication and navigation.

Proposals will be accepted from U.S. educational institutions, private industry and non-profit organizations through May 9, 2014.

For more information on how to submit a proposal and to view the Cooperative Agreement Notice, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1rrFXpa

For more information on NASA's research and technology programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/oct/

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Among NASA Cargo Launching to Space Station

The experiment, Veg-01, provides lighting and nutrient delivery for efficient plant growth in space. The plants grown in VEGGIE can support a wide spectrum of uses, from research and education outreach to a fresh food source and recreational gardening activities for long-duration space missions.

SpaceX-3 is NASA's third contracted resupply mission to the space station by U.S. company SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft launched atop the company's Falcon rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:25 p.m. EDT.

SpaceX developed its Dragon capsule, the only cargo spacecraft currently servicing the space station with the capability to return cargo back to Earth, with NASA and now successfully has completed three missions to the orbiting outpost. Expedition 39 crew members captured the SpaceX-3 Dragon using the station's robotic arm at 7:14 a.m. Sunday, April 20. The capsule is scheduled to remain attached to the station unit May 18. It then will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast California. It will return samples from scientific investigations currently underway aboard the space station.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has had continuous human occupation since November 2000. In that time it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about the SpaceX-3 mission and the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Selects Commercial Crew Program Manager

"This is a particularly critical time for NASA's human spaceflight endeavors as the Commercial Crew Program enters into contract implementation," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Kathy's experience and leadership skills developed during the ISS commercial resupply contract activity will be critical to safely and effectively leading commercial crew transportation activities for NASA."

Lueders, who will be assigned to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, previously served as the International Space Station Program's transportation integration manager, where she managed commercial cargo resupply services to the space station. Lueders also was responsible for NASA oversight of international partner spacecraft visiting the space station, including the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle, the Japanese Space Agency's H-II Transfer Vehicle, and the Russian Federal Space Agency's Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.

"It's exciting to think that I'll be continuing to utilize my background and leadership experience with the International Space Station to help the Commercial Crew Program team and our industry partners execute the next phase," said Lueders.

Lueders began her NASA career at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico in 1992, where she managed the Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control Systems Depot. She served in numerous positions in the space station program, including the deputy manager for station logistics and maintenance, the vehicle systems integration manager, and the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services integration manager.

Lueders has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University.

For more information on NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

The mission is the company's third cargo delivery flight to the station through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support more than 150 experiments to be conducted by the crews of ISS Expeditions 39 and 40.

"SpaceX is delivering important research experiments and cargo to the space station," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations. "The diversity and number of new experiments is phenomenal. The investigations aboard Dragon will help us improve our understanding of how humans adapt to living in space for long periods of time and help us develop technologies that will enable deep space exploration."

The scientific payloads on Dragon include investigations into efficient plant growth in space, human immune system function in microgravity, Earth observation, and a demonstration of laser optics communication. Also being delivered is a set of high-tech legs for Robonaut 2, which will provide the humanoid robot torso already aboard the orbiting laboratory the mobility it needs to help with regular and repetitive tasks inside the space station.

Dragon also will deliver a second set of investigations sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the portion of the space station that is designated a U.S. National Laboratory. The investigations include research into plant biology and protein crystal growth, a field of study experts believe may lead to beneficial advancements in drug development through protein mapping.

On its way to the ISS, SpaceX's Falcon rocket jettisoned five small research satellites known as CubeSats that will perform a variety of technology demonstrations. The small satellites are part of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ElaNa, mission, and involved more than 120 students in their design, development and construction. One of the satellites, PhoneSat 2.5, is the third in a series of CubeSat missions designed to use commercially available smartphone technology as part of a low-cost development effort to provide basic spacecraft capabilities. Another of the small satellites, SporeSat, is designed to help scientists study the mechanisms by which plant cells sense gravity -- valuable research in the larger effort to grow plants in space.

Dragon will be grappled at 7:14 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, by Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, using the space station's robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft. NASA's Rick Mastracchio will support Wakata in a backup position. Dragon is scheduled to depart the space station May 18 for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, bringing from the space station nearly 3,500 pounds of science, hardware, crew supplies and spacewalk tools.

The ISS is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about SpaceX's third cargo resupply mission and the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

SpaceX Launch of NASA Cargo to Space Station Set for Friday, Spacewalk Wednesday

The company's April 14 launch to the orbiting laboratory was scrubbed due to a helium leak in the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the Dragon spacecraft to the space station.

Dragon is carrying to the space station almost 5,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies, vehicle hardware and spacewalk tools -- all to support the crew and more than 150 scientific investigations planned for Expeditions 39 and 40. If needed, another launch attempt will take place at 3:02 p.m. Saturday, April 19.

NASA Television coverage of Dragon's arrival at the space station will begin at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, April 20. Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will use the space station's robotic arm to capture the spacecraft at approximately 7 a.m. NASA's Rick Mastracchio will support Wakata during the rendezvous. NASA Television coverage will resume at 9:30 a.m., as the Dragon is attached to the Earth-facing port of the space station's Harmony module.

An April 18 launch will allow the space station program to plan for a spacewalk on Wednesday, April 23, to replace a failed multiplexer-demultiplexer (MDM) relay system. The prime MDM, which is operating normally, and the failed backup computer provide commands to some space station systems, including the external cooling system, Solar Alpha Rotary joints and Mobile Transporter rail car.

For the latest information on the SpaceX mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For the latest information on the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Signs Agreement with SpaceX for Use of Historic Launch Pad

NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., on Monday for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities.

"It's exciting that this storied NASA launch pad is opening a new chapter for space exploration and the commercial aerospace industry," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "While SpaceX will use pad 39A at Kennedy, about a mile away on pad 39B, we're preparing for our deep space missions to an asteroid and eventually Mars. The parallel pads at Kennedy perfectly exemplify NASA's parallel path for human spaceflight exploration -- U.S. commercial companies providing access to low-Earth orbit and NASA deep space exploration missions at the same time."

Under a 20-year agreement, SpaceX will operate and maintain the facility at its own expense. "As the world's fastest growing launch services provider, SpaceX will maximize the use of pad 39A both to the benefit of the commercial launch industry as well as the American taxpayer," said Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX.

The reuse of pad 39A is part of NASA's work to transform the Kennedy Space Center into a 21st century launch complex capable of supporting both government and commercial users. At the same time, NASA and Lockheed Martin are assembling the agency's first Orion spacecraft in the Operations and Checkout Building while preparing Kennedy's infrastructure for the Space Launch System rocket, which will lift off from the center's Launch Complex 39B and send American astronauts into deep space, including to an asteroid and eventually Mars.

"Kennedy Space Center is excited to welcome SpaceX to our growing list of partners," Center Director Bob Cabana said. "As we continue to reconfigure and repurpose these tremendous facilities, it is gratifying to see our plan for a multi-user spaceport shared by government and commercial partners coming to fruition." Launch Complex 39A originally was designed to support NASA's Apollo Program and later modified to support the Space Shuttle Program. Because of the transition from the shuttle program to NASA's Space Launch System and Orion programs, the agency does not have a need for the complex to support future missions.

Pad 39A was first used to launch Apollo 4 on Nov. 9, 1967; it is the site where Apollo 11 lifted off from on the first manned moon landing in 1969; and the pad was last used for space shuttle Atlantis' launch to the International Space Station on July 11, 2011, for the STS-135 mission, the final shuttle flight. This agreement with SpaceX ensures the pad will be used for the purpose it was built -- launching spacecraft.

For more information about Launch Complex 39A and ongoing work to transform Kennedy Space Center into a 21st century launch complex, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Powers through First Integrated System Testing

The spacecraft ran for 26 uninterrupted hours during the final phase of a major test series completed April 8 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The test verified the crew module can route power and send commands that enable the spacecraft to manage its computer system, software and data loads, propulsion valves, temperature sensors and other instrumentation.

"This has been the most significant integrated testing of the Orion spacecraft yet," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA's human exploration and operations at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "The work done to test the avionics with the crew module isn't just preparing us for Orion's first trip to space in a few months. It's also getting us ready to send crews far into the solar system."

In October 2013, NASA and Lockheed Martin engineers powered on Orion's main computer for the first time. Since then, they have installed harnessing, wiring and electronics. This was the first time engineers ran the crew module through its paces to verify all system actuators respond correctly to commands and all sensors report back as planned. More than 20 miles of wire are required to connect the different systems being powered.

"Getting all the wiring right, integrating every element of the avionics together, and then testing it continuously for this many hours is a big step toward getting to deep space destinations," said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager.

Engineers now are preparing the crew module for vibration testing, scheduled for the week of April 14. In May, the heat shield will be installed and, shortly thereafter, the crew module will be attached with the service module.

During EFT-1, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will take a four-hour trip into space, traveling 15 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station. During its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, Orion will be traveling at 20,000 mph, faster than any current spacecraft capable of carrying humans, and endure temperatures of approximately 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The data gathered during the flight will inform design decisions to improve the spacecraft that will one day carry humans to an asteroid and eventually Mars. EFT-1 is targeted for launch in December.

NASA Coverage Set for SpaceX Mission to Space Station

The company's Falcon 9 rocket, carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft, will lift off at approximately 4:58 p.m. EDT. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 3:45 p.m. If for any reason the launch is postponed, the next launch opportunity is Friday, April 18 at approximately 3:25 p.m.

The mission, designated SpaceX-3, is the third of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the space station. It will be the fourth trip by a Dragon spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory.

The spacecraft will be filled with almost 5,000 pounds of scientific experiments and supplies. The Dragon will remain attached to the space station's Harmony module until mid-May and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California with more than 3,000 pounds of experiment samples and equipment returning from the station.

PaR Systems Celebrates One-Year Anniversary in Hangar N

"This is a unique facility that provides a critical capability to the aerospace community here at the Cape," Cabana said, "and it also employs technicians that have the highest standard of training in nondestructive test and evaluation."

Under a 15-year lease agreement, PaR Systems will operate the Hangar N facility and utilize its unique nondestructive testing (NDT) equipment. Some of the NDT systems were used during the Space Shuttle Program.

"Our partnership with NASA goes back many years, and Hangar N is only a recent example of the partnership that we had with NASA," said Brian Behm, president, Aerospace Robotics, PaR Systems. "We think the future is bright with some good opportunities and we look forward to being a valued member of the space community. It's truly the case where our commercial partnership is good for NASA, good for the local community and good for PaR Systems."

PaR Systems is operating the facility at its own expense and is using the facility to perform nondestructive evaluation testing and other related aerospace, marine and industrial products and services.

"We have entered into a partnership with NASA to ensure the world-class inspection capabilities developed during the space shuttle era will remain in place to support future human spaceflight programs launching from Kennedy Space Center," said Tony Corak, manager of NDT Services for PaR Systems.

"The equipment and expertise developed over a 30-year period of space shuttle processing provides a significant differentiating factor over others," Corak said. "It exemplifies why Kennedy stands out as the preeminent launch facility in the world, as well as providing a product launching pad for PaR's commercial endeavors."

The partnership agreement was established by Kennedy's Center Planning and Development Directorate (CPDD). Space Florida and the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast also had integral roles in the development of the Hangar N partnership.

"The agreement we have with PaR systems has been an outstanding example of the types of partnerships we are seeking to create the multi-user spaceport at Kennedy. The supply chain activities such as this are an integral component of the success of all of the partnerships we have," said Tom Engler, deputy director of the CPDD.

PaR Systems Inc. is a privately held business specializing in process automation, robotic solutions and services for critical applications in demanding environments. Additional support for PaR's work at Hangar N is being provided by PaR's LaserUT Center of Excellence in Fort Worth, Texas, and its Robotics Headquarters in Shoreview.

Kennedy is positioning itself for the next era of space exploration, transitioning to a 21st century launch facility with multiple users, both private and government.

For more information about partnership opportunities, visit: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA Commercial Crew Partners Complete Space System Milestones

The achievements in February are the latest development in a cycle that is seeing all four industry partners meet their milestones in their Commercial Crew Integrated Capability and Commercial Crew Development Round 2 agreements with the agency.

Blue Origin, The Boeing Company, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and Space Exploration Technology (SpaceX) are developing unique transportation systems and face challenging evaluations and tests in 2014. CCP's engineering team is working closely with its partners as they develop the next generation of crewed spacecraft. Ultimately, NASA intends to certify and use commercial systems to fly astronauts from the United States to the International Space Station, and back.

"We have been very pleased to see all the companies in this extraordinary partnership continue to hold to schedules of development that keep us on a path to resume flights into space for astronauts on American-made spacecraft lifting off from U.S. soil," said Kathy Lueders, acting CCP program manager.

Blue Origin completed a review of the design, manufacture and assembly of its sub-scale propulsion tank, a smaller version of the tank that will boost the company's Space Vehicle into low-Earth orbit. Engineers will use the results to evaluate design features and manufacturing processes for orbital operations.

Boeing wrapped up a critical design review of the primary structures for its CST-100 spacecraft in late February that advances the design of many of the spacecraft structures to a point at which fabrication can begin. The primary structures are comprised of two major components -- the crew module and the service module. The crew module is the pressurized shell where the crew sits during a mission. The shell also contains the computers, cooling systems and other critical components to keep the flight crew and their cargo safe during flight. The service module houses propulsion and abort systems, used to maneuver the spacecraft during flight.

The critical design review was backed up by significant materials testing to verify the materials would hold up to the strenuous demands of spaceflight. One of the challenges in developing a primary structure for spacecraft is to make it light, but still have the strength to tolerate the rigors of spaceflight, and to safely house the vehicle's critical components.

Also in February, SpaceX completed an early design review for the ground systems it anticipates using at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to launch the company's crewed Dragon spacecraft on the company's Falcon 9 rocket. NASA engineers reviewed plans to adapt existing structures at Kennedy to accommodate the rocket. Because the Dragon spacecraft will be flying people, the ground system designs have to include ways for the crew to safely enter the spacecraft at the top of the rocket, plus a means for them to evacuate the pad quickly in the unlikely event of an emergency.

All four of NASA's industry partners continue to meet their established milestones in developing crew transportation systems and are preparing for several more. Blue Origin is working toward the interim design review of its space vehicle subsystems. Boeing's next milestone comes in April when the software for the CST-100 goes through a critical design review.

As with hardware elements of the spacecraft, the software has undergone numerous tests and simulations to confirm it will hold up to the demanding realm of spaceflight. SNC is preparing to evaluate the data from numerous wind tunnel tests of its Dream Chaser spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket integrated stack configurations at NASA's Langley and Ames Research Centers. SNC also is actively conducting several reaction control systems and main engine motor tests at their Poway, Calif., facility. These evaluations and tests are crucial tools for advancing SNC's spacecraft. Also in April, SpaceX will complete an integrated critical design review that will cover all elements of the crewed Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. This precedes a busy summer for the company as preparation continues on two launch abort system test flights later this year.

For more information about CCP and its aerospace industry partners, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for CYGNSS Mission

This is a firm-fixed price launch-service task order contract worth approximately $55 million. Contract services include spacecraft processing, the launch service payload integration, tracking, data and telemetry, and other launch support requirements.

CYGNSS will produce measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes, which could help lead to forecasting weather better. The mission, led by the University of Michigan, will use a constellation of small satellites that will be carried to orbit on a single launch vehicle. CYGNSS's eight micro-satellite observatories will receive direct and reflected signals from GPS satellites. CYGNSS is the first award for space-based investigations in the Earth Venture-class series of rapidly developed, cost-constrained projects for NASA's Earth Science Division. NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., manages the Earth System Science Pathfinder program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for management and oversight of the Pegasus XL launch services. Langley provides management for the CYGNSS mission.

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

NASA Marks Major Programmatic Milestone for Spaceport of the Future

"We've pushed the boundaries of space exploration for more than 50 years and are making progress getting ready to move the frontier even further into the solar system," said Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for exploration system development at NASA Headquarters in Washington. ''The work being done to transform our abilities to prepare and process spacecraft and launch vehicles at Kennedy is a critical piece of our efforts to send astronauts in Orion on top of the Space Launch System to an asteroid and ultimately Mars."

Unlike previous work at Kennedy focusing on a single kind of launch system, such as the Saturn V rocket or space shuttle, engineers and managers in GSDO are preparing the spaceport's infrastructure to support several different spacecraft and rockets in development for human exploration. This includes NASA's development of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. They will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit with the flexibility to launch spacecraft for crew and cargo missions to destinations in the solar system, including an asteroid and Mars.

"The preliminary design review is incredibly important, as it must demonstrate the ground systems designs are on track to process and launch the SLS and the Orion from Kennedy," said Mike Bolger, GSDO program manager.

In December 2012, the GSDO Program completed a combined system requirements review and system definition review to determine the center's infrastructure needs for future programs and establish work plans for the preliminary design phase. That successful completion confirmed the groundwork needed to launch the SLS and Orion spacecraft.

For more information about Orion, SLS and NASA's future human spaceflight exploration plans, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

SpaceX Launch to Space Station Reset for March 30

NASA Television launch coverage begins at 9:45 p.m. for the company's third contracted resupply mission to the orbital laboratory. If for any reason the launch is postponed, the next launch opportunity is 9:39 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, with NASA TV coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m.

NASA TV also will air a prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A 2 p.m. briefing on the science and technology cargo being delivered to the space station by SpaceX will follow.

A March 30 launch would result in SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft arriving at the station on Wednesday, April 2, at approximately 7 a.m. NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and berthing will begin at 5:45 a.m. for a 7 a.m. capture. Coverage of Dragon's installation will begin at 9:30 a.m.

NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE
Sunday, March 30 (Launch day): NASA TV live coverage will begin at 9:45 p.m. EDT and conclude at approximately 11 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 9 p.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

IN-FLIGHT NASA TV COVERAGE
If launch occurs March 30, NASA TV will provide live coverage on Wednesday, April 2, of the arrival of the Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station. Grapple and berthing coverage begins at 5:45 a.m. for a grapple at 7 a.m. Berthing coverage begins at 9:30 a.m.

NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
Prelaunch and launch day coverage of the SpaceX-3 flight will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and text updates beginning at 9:45 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video, podcast and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Nancy Bray at 321-867-9112. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog and learn more about the SpaceX-3 mission by going to the mission home page at: http://www.nasa.gov/SpaceX

TWITTER
The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

FACEBOOK
The NASA News Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA Facebook feed, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

WEB ACTIVITIES UPDATES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For updates to these SpaceX-3 prelaunch activities, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/SpaceX
For video b-roll and other International Space Station media resources, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews
For further information about the International Space Station, research in low-Earth orbit, NASA's commercial space programs and the future of American spaceflight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station
For more information about SpaceX, visit: http://www.spacex.com

NASA Associate Administrator to Highlight Rocket for Orion's Flight Test

The uncrewed flight will provide engineers with important data about Orion's heat shield and other elements that will help engineers improve the spacecraft that will carry humans to an asteroid and eventually Mars during future missions.

NASA has adjusted the times and content of previously scheduled events on Friday, March 14. For an updated schedule of SpaceX-3 prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage items, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1dsh9dp

For further information about the International Space Station, research in low-Earth orbit, NASA's commercial space programs and the future of American spaceflight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana Presents Memento to Six-Year-Old Connor Johnson

NASA Kennedy Director Bob Cabana will present a memento to inspire the youngster at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex at 11 a.m. EDT on Saturday, March 15. Media are invited to photograph the event scheduled to take place at the Rocket Garden, where a Robot Rocket Rally is being held to celebrate NASA's robotic marvels, including the engineering model of Robonaut's legs that will be launched to the International Space Station on Sunday.

Connor Johnson is continuing his dream of becoming an astronaut as a guest of the visitor complex. He and his family are making their first visit to the space center and will view their first launch, the SpaceX-3 Falcon 9, at 4:41 a.m. Sunday.

In December 2013, he launched an online petition to save NASA's funding from budget cuts. Since the age of three, he has dreamed of becoming an astronaut and discovering new worlds and asteroids.

Cabana flew four missions as a NASA astronaut, logging 38 days in space as the pilot on STS-41 and STS-53 and the commander of STS-65 and STS-88. His fourth flight was the first assembly mission of the International Space Station in December 1998. He currently serves as the tenth director of Kennedy.

For more information on NASA and its missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
For more information on SpaceX-3, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
For information on the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

NASA Awards Contract to Modify Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3

Hensel Phelps will receive a fixed-price contract for $99.57 million, consisting of the base amount and three options. The period of performance is 782 calendar days, or about 2 years and one month. The potential maximum value of this contract is $112.70 million, if additional awarded options are exercised.

Contract services include all required management, labor, facilities, materials and equipment, other than government-furnished equipment, to modify the VAB and construct new vehicle access platforms and related systems for the SLS. The work consists of removing, modifying or reusing current structural component systems, and constructing and installing new structural, mechanical and electrical material, systems and equipment.

The work done on this contract will support Kennedy's Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. Building on five decades of launch and processing excellence, GSDO is transforming Kennedy into a multi-user spaceport capable of accommodating a wide array of government and commercial space activities.

NASA is developing the heavy-lift SLS rocket to expand human presence to deep-space destinations including an asteroid and Mars. The SLS will take astronauts farther into space than ever before, while engaging the U.S. aerospace workforce here at home.

March 16 SpaceX Mission to Space Station

The company's Falcon 9 rocket, carrying its Dragon cargo capsule, will lift off at 4:41 a.m. EDT. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 3:45 a.m. If for any reason the launch is postponed, the next launch opportunity is Monday, March 17, at 4:19 a.m., with NASA TV coverage beginning at 3:15 a.m. The mission, designated SpaceX-3, is the third of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the space station. It will mark the fourth trip by a Dragon capsule to the orbiting laboratory.

The capsule will be filled with almost 5,000 pounds of scientific experiments and supplies. The Dragon will remain attached to the space station's Harmony module for more than three weeks, and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California on April 17 with more than 3,500 pounds of experiment samples and equipment returning from the station.

TWITTER
The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

FACEBOOK
The NASA News Facebook feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To access the NASA Facebook feed, visit: www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

NASA Kennedy Space Center Names Abacus Technology Small Business Prime Contractor of Year

The award was presented to IMCS Program Manager Patty Stratton by Kennedy's director, Bob Cabana, during the space center's Honor Awards Ceremony on Feb. 25. "Congratulations for exemplary work that has earned you this honor," said Cabana, in his letter informing the company of the selection.

In accepting the recognition, Stratton gave credit to the Abacus and QinetiQ team of employees who do the day-to-day work supporting the IMCS contract. "We are privileged to have highly skilled, experienced and dedicated people providing our customers with world-class service," she said. "We are committed to assisting Kennedy in its evolution to a world-class, multi-user spaceport for the 21st century."

Based in Chevy Chase, Md., Abacus Technology provides information technology and communications services to NASA, the Department of Defense, contractors and worldwide news media organizations. In addition to Abacus, the IMCS team includes QinetiQ North America.

The Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year award recipient is selected based on the company's performance by operating on schedule, within cost, exhibiting responsiveness to contractual requirements and providing innovative solutions to problems and issues.

Abacus has achieved a five-year contract underrun by one percent translating into a savings of $3.62 million. The company's "Best Practice" safety program at Kennedy was recognized by the United Safety Council with its Gold Award for Corporate Safety in 2013.

The IMCS contract facilitates the sharing of systems, information and data on an enterprise-level basis in accordance with NASA's strategic plan. The work includes information technology, such as data center operations, website and software development and security. Communications services involve voice, radio, telephone, imaging, closed-circuit television, television production and transmission of mission networks. Administrative services provided includes printing and duplication, forms, library, engineering documentation, microimaging, graphics, public affairs writing, publications and Web content.

"We will continue to implement efficient and innovative solutions to help the space agency modernize Kennedy's facilities and systems," Stratton said. "Our goal is to provide quality mission support on the NASA Launch Services, Commercial Crew, Commercial Resupply Services and Space Station programs."

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA Commercial Crew Partners Complete Space System Milestones

"Already this year, NASA and its industry partners are making tremendous progress toward achieving the nation's goal of restoring America's capability to launch commercial passengers, including astronauts, from U.S. soil to low-Earth orbit," said Kathy Lueders, CCP's acting program manager. "This year, we'll see hardware testing, flight demonstrations and the award of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract. We're excited for what the rest of this year holds and look forward to highlighting the tremendous progress our partners make to advance commercial human spaceflight."

Working under Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreements with NASA, Boeing and SNC met key milestones in late December and throughout January. Boeing worked with United Launch Alliance to complete milestones in the development of an emergency detection system and launch vehicle adapter for the Atlas V rocket planned to launch Boeing's CST-100.

"United Launch Alliance was an integral partner in both of these milestones, ensuring that the launch vehicle adapter and emergency detection system were fully functioning and safe for our future passengers," said John Mulholland, vice president and program manager of Boeing Commercial Programs. "A tireless engineering development and analysis effort since the preliminary design review early last year has led to the success of two critical milestone completions."

The CST-100's emergency detection system is an integrated set of hardware and software that will operate with the avionics systems of the Atlas V rocket as it lifts off and ascends into orbit. In the event of a confirmed emergency, the detection system will send a signal to the CST-100 to trigger escape thrusters on the spacecraft to push the crew out of harm's way and return them safely to Earth.

Engineers ran the software through a series of emergency scenarios to verify the performance of the escape system, carefully tracking how changes in one component might affect another. The launch vehicle adapter that connects the CST-100 to the top of the rocket also received significant attention during the critical design review. Boeing demonstrated that pilots could take over control of the CST-100 and fly it through various phases of a mission successfully.

Chris Ferguson, director of Boeing's Crew and Mission Operations and former space shuttle commander, led the testing. Sitting inside a simulator replica of the spacecraft, Ferguson demonstrated how the CST-100's flight computers would immediately relinquish control of the spacecraft to the pilot -- a NASA requirement for crewed spacecraft destined for low-Earth orbit. The feature is comparable to turning off the autopilot function of a commercial aircraft.

SNC's team recently concluded an incremental critical design review of the Dream Chaser lifting body spacecraft and its related systems. The company also completed a database validation review based on data gathered during the company's first free-flight test in October 2013. The review confirmed that the Dream Chaser flies and navigates as designed and can perform both controlled descents and landings.

"SNC's Dream Chaser program is continuing its steady progress toward flight certification," said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC's Space Systems."By completing these important milestones, SNC is confident that our vehicle design is sound and that the spacecraft can successfully fly within established and expected flight boundaries. SNC is now advancing and upgrading the Dream Chaser test spacecraft in preparation for additional flight tests in 2014."

All four of NASA's industry partners continue to meet their established milestones in developing crew transportation systems and are preparing for several more. Blue Origin is preparing to complete its two remaining milestones under an unfunded Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) initiative extension. Later this year, NASA will review the company's propellant tank assembly and subsystem interim design. The primary structure design of Boeing's CST-100 will go through a critical design review that will determine if the spacecraft as a whole is ready for manufacturing. SNC is preparing for a review of data from numerous wind tunnel tests, which will further mature the Dream Chaser Space System design. In the coming months, SpaceX will host increasingly detailed reviews of the company's integrated systems and progress on its ground systems. SpaceX also will conduct two flight tests of Dragon's launch abort systems, powered by two SuperDraco thrusters that will push the spacecraft into the sky rather than pulling it up, as previous launch abort systems have done.

Milestones achieved by CCP's partners continue to push commercial spacecraft and transportation systems from design to reality. The successes of NASA and American aerospace companies are ushering in a new generation of space transportation capabilities, which will enable new opportunities for humans to live and work in space.

For more information about CCP and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Kennedy Space Center Observes NASA Day of Remembrance Jan. 31

At 10:30 a.m. EST, Kennedy Director Bob Cabana and Deputy Director Janet Petro will hold a wreath-laying ceremony at the Space Mirror Memorial located in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Cabana will make brief remarks at the observance. Media interested in covering the service should contact Andrea Farmer at 321-223-1091.

NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will provide flowers for visitors throughout the day to place at the memorial.

NASA Launches Third Generation Communications Satellite

Ground controllers report the satellite -- part of a network providing high-data-rate communications to the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, launch vehicles and a host of other spacecraft -- is in good health at the start of a three-month checkout by its manufacturer, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems of El Segundo, Calif. NASA will conduct additional tests before putting TDRS-L into service.

"TDRS-L and the entire TDRS fleet provide a vital service to America's space program by supporting missions that range from Earth-observation to deep space discoveries," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "TDRS also will support the first test of NASA's new deep space spacecraft, the Orion crew module, in September. This test will see Orion travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years."

The mission of the TDRS Project, established in 1973, is to provide follow-on and replacement spacecraft to support NASA's space communications network. This network provides high data-rate communications. The TDRS-L spacecraft is identical to the TDRS-K spacecraft launched in 2013.

"This launch ensures continuity of services for the many missions that rely on the system every day," said Jeffrey Gramling, TDRS project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

The TDRS fleet began operating during the space shuttle era with the launch of TDRS-1 in 1983. Of the 11 TDRS spacecraft placed in service to date, eight still are operational. Four of the eight have exceeded their design life.

Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems completed the TDRS-L integration and testing at its satellite factory in El Segundo in November and launch processing began after the spacecraft arrived in Florida Dec. 6.

TDRS-M, the next spacecraft in this series, is on track to be ready for launch in late 2015.

NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program, part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) at the agency's Headquarters in Washington, is responsible for the space network. The TDRS Project Office at Goddard manages the TDRS development program. Launch management of the launch service for TDRS-L is the responsibility of HEOMD's Launch Services Program based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. United Launch Alliance provided the Atlas V rocket launch service.

To learn more about the many ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: www.nasa.gov/connect

Sierra Nevada Corporation Announces New Space Plans for NASA's Kennedy Space Center

The announcement included the purchase of an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA) for the launch, sharing the Operations and Checkout (O&C) development and testing facility with Lockheed Martin Space Systems, establishing an operation center at Kennedy Space Center and using the former Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway at Kennedy. The steps are considered substantial for SNC and important to plans by NASA and Space Florida for Kennedy's new availability to both commercial and government customers.

"Today's announcement is the latest major milestone in the transformation of the Kennedy Space Center into a 21st century launch complex, serving both private sector and government users," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "I salute Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana for his leadership in transitioning the space coast for the future, and applaud Sierra Nevada Corporation on their decision to carry out their ground-breaking work at Kennedy."

SNC said it plans to work with ULA to launch the company's winged Dream Chaser spacecraft into orbit from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

"SNC is thrilled to confirm a launch date for our country's return to orbital human spaceflight and the restart of human spaceflight operations from Florida's Space Coast," said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC's Space Systems. "We could not have done this without the spirit and engagement from our national and state governments, the best aerospace companies in the industry, and several major universities, which all hail from over 30 states. Together these passionate people will return our astronauts to space on American spacecraft and rockets launched from America's space coast right here in Florida."

The Dream Chaser spacecraft is designed to carry crew and critical cargo to destinations, as well as perform servicing and science in low-Earth orbit. SNC said intends to complete Dream Chaser missions with a landing on the 3.5-mile runway at the SLF. Space Florida, which will operate the SLF in the future, will negotiate the terms and conditions for the runway's use with SNC.

"We are pleased to see continued growth of the State's investment into KSC facilities like the O&C," said Space Florida President Frank DiBello. "It is clear that the future of commercial space growth is happening right now in Florida and we couldn't be happier to work with companies like Sierra Nevada to realize their Florida-based expansion goals."

The company said it plans to prepare the Dream Chaser spacecraft in the high bay of the O&C building at Kennedy, with Lockheed Martin performing the work. The facility also is used for the development, assembly and testing of NASA's deep-space Orion spacecraft. Dream Chaser testing will take place without disrupting Orion, NASA's flagship human exploration vehicle.

"The O&C is a state-of-the-art facility that will greatly enhance Dream Chaser's future operations through an innovative co-use plan with Orion," said Vice President and General Manager, Civil Space, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, James H. Crocker. "The result will maximize efficiency for both the Dream Chaser spacecraft and Orion and will provide continuity for our highly trained, motivated and certified workforce."

SNC also plans to lease office space at Exploration Park, located just outside Kennedy's gates.

"We have been diligent in our efforts, and I consider this a strong vote of confidence from a company that expects to be a major force in the future of human spaceflight," said Bob Cabana, Kennedy center director. "Sierra Nevada Corporation will find in our workforce and facilities the same dynamic and professional people who have made successful missions from here for more than 50 years."

Cabana said SNC's involvement with the Florida spaceport shows the conversion to a 21st century spaceport is succeeding, although work remains to keep the transformation on pace.

"We are honored that Sierra Nevada Corporation has reserved a proven Atlas V to launch its first flight test in 2016," said Michael Gass, United Launch Alliance president and CEO. "With 42 successful missions spanning a decade of operational service, the commercially-developed Atlas V is uniquely qualified to provide launch services for the Crew Transportation System. Because Atlas is already certified by NASA to fly the nation's most complex exploration missions, ULA is able to provide a wealth of flight data, design implementation, detailed system and subsystem analysis, qualification and certification documentation to support the Atlas V for human spaceflight." The Dream Chaser spacecraft is deep into development of flight hardware and specific plans ranging from ground support equipment to what to include in a mission operations center.

"I had the privilege of piloting and commanding five space shuttle flights as a NASA astronaut," said Steve Lindsey, former NASA astronaut and SNC's senior director and Dream Chaser program manager. "This included the last flight of Discovery which was processed, launched, and on March 9, 2011, made its final landing at the SLF after 39 flights and 148 million space miles. Mark, the entire SNC Dream Chaser team, and I look forward to seeing Dream Chaser continue this legacy from Discovery when it flies in 2016."

For more information about Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser, visit: www.SNCDreamChaser.com

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Tests Dragon Parachute System

The test was part of an optional milestone under NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative and approved by the agency in August. Through the Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX is one of NASA's commercial partners working to develop a new generation of U.S. spacecraft and rockets capable of transporting humans to and from low-Earth orbit from American soil. NASA intends to use such commercial systems to fly U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

The 12,000-pound test craft was lifted 8,000 feet above sea level by an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter and flown over the Pacific Ocean.

Following Dragon's release, two drogue parachutes were released from the top of the spacecraft to slow its decent, before the three main parachutes deployed. The craft splashed down and was quickly recovered by the Sky Crane and carried back to shore.

"The parachute test is essential for the commercial crew effort because it helps us better understand how SpaceX's system performs as it safely returns crew," said Jon Cowart, NASA Partner Integration deputy manager working with SpaceX. "Like all of our partners, SpaceX continues to provide innovative solutions based on NASA's lessons learned that could make spaceflight safer."

During a normal spacecraft landing, the parachutes will be aided by the Dragon's SuperDraco thrusters to provide a soft controlled landing. This redundancy on both the parachutes and thrusters is designed to ensure safe landings for crews.

"SpaceX is working diligently to make the Dragon spacecraft the safest vehicle ever flown," said Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX.

"The parachute system is an integral part of Dragon's ability to provide a safe landing for nominal and abort conditions -- with this successful test we are well-positioned to execute a full end-to-end test of the launch escape system later this year."

The parachute test puts SpaceX a step closer to launch abort system tests. The company currently is manufacturing the spacecraft and rocket to be used for these flight tests.

SpaceX is on track to complete all 15 of its CCiCap milestones in 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including SpaceX, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA's Commercial Crew Partners Aim to Capitalize, Expand on 2013 Successes in 2014

The year will be pivotal for NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) as the agency looks to announce one or more awards by August for Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts that would lead to operational crewed flights to the International Space Station. NASA intends to use new commercial systems to fly U.S. astronauts to and from the station within the next three years.

NASA's industry partners are pursuing ambitious milestones this year as CCP moves forward. The partners are Blue Origin of Kent, Wash.; The Boeing Company of Houston; Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) of Sparks, Nev.; and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif.

Milestones planned by the companies include sophisticated software demonstrations, a free flight to evaluate a vehicle in a simulated space environment and launches to test the first of a new generation of launch abort systems. The goal of CCP is to develop a new generation of U.S. human transportation systems capable of delivering humans to low-Earth orbit from American soil.

"Our partners have steadily moved pieces from the drawing boards and computer screens to factory floors and test stands across the country," said Kathy Lueders, acting manager of CCP. "The new year offers exciting opportunities for these companies to demonstrate the reach and potential of their hard-earned innovations."

Blue Origin test-fired its BE-3 engine in 2013. It plans this year to review its assembly of a subscale propellant tank and conduct a review of the space vehicle's subsystems design.

With the completion of a detailed design review in 2013, Boeing continued to develop its spacecraft, the CST-100, confirming in this review the service module propulsion system was ready to move into the next phases: production and integration with the CST-100 spacecraft.

Boeing's certification plan for the CST-100 detailed several aspects of its development and operation, including plans for testing components and systems along with the spacecraft as a whole -- a plan that takes the spacecraft through development to the launch pad and on to mission operations.

"Boeing's goal is to develop a safe and reliable commercial space transportation system and these reviews are vital to meet that goal," said Gennaro Caliendo, NASA's Integration Team lead for Boeing. "They help ensure that the spacecraft and its myriad systems will work together to accomplish challenging missions, which require the utmost attention to detail."

NASA worked with a team of engineers and designers from SNC in 2013 to review detailed certification and systems safety plans for its Dream Chaser Space System.

"The roadmap to understanding how safe and reliable a crew transportation system is takes a lot of details and dedication from all parties involved," said Cheryl McPhillips, NASA's Partner Integration Team lead for SNC. "When building a system that is to be trusted enough to carry humans into space, the most important part is building in safety from the start. SNC has made significant progress with its Dream Chaser to date."

SNC plans to build on that progress in 2014 with wind tunnel tests and further advancement of its innovative main propulsion and reaction control systems, and a second free-flight test of the Dream Chaser.

SpaceX's first commercial satellite launch on an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket gave NASA engineers an opportunity to review the vehicle's performance in flight following the Sept. 28 liftoff and ascent of the Falcon 9 v1.1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The company anticipates using the upgraded rocket to launch humans to destinations in low-Earth orbit.

"With the upgrade from version 1.0 to a 1.1, SpaceX introduced a number of new systems including new engines, new software and new avionics," said Derek Hassmann, NASA Partner Integration Manager working with SpaceX. "The overall conclusion is that SpaceX is on the right track. The goal really isn't to judge their design, but to see how they cope with anomalies, see how they track their processes and control their hazards and how they're able to deal with the unexpected."

The 2014 calendar for SpaceX includes increasingly detailed reviews of the company's integrated systems and progress on its ground systems. SpaceX will conduct two flights to test the Dragon's launch abort systems, powered by two SuperDraco thrusters that will push the Dragon into the sky instead of pulling the spacecraft up as previous launch abort systems have done.

Milestones achieved by CCP's partners are continuing to push commercial spacecraft and transportation system designs closer to reality. The successes of NASA and American aerospace companies are ushering in a new generation of space transportation capabilities, which will enable new opportunities for humans to live and work in space.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Sets TDRS-L/Atlas V Launch Events Coverage Schedule

Prelaunch media briefings and launch commentary coverage will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

The TDRS-L spacecraft is the second of three next generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for NASA by expanding the lifespan of the fleet, which now consists of eight satellites in geostationary orbit. The spacecraft provide tracking, telemetry, command, and high bandwidth data return services for numerous science and human exploration missions orbiting Earth. These include NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. TDRS-L has a high-performance solar panel designed for more spacecraft power to meet the growing S-band communications requirements.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, NASA Television will carry the TDRS-L prelaunch news conference and mission science briefing live beginning at 1 p.m. EST. Question-and-answer capability will be available from other NASA field centers. Call-in questions also will be taken by dialing 321-867-2468 no later than 15 minutes before the start of each briefing to establish a position in the queue.

On Thursday, Jan. 23, NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 6:30 p.m. and conclude after the TDRS-L spacecraft has separated from the Atlas V, which occurs one hour, forty-six minutes after launch. Live launch coverage will be carried on all NASA Television channels.

For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and streaming video, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv

Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County.

Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the liftoff of the TDRS-L spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home page on the Internet at: www.nasa.gov

A prelaunch webcast for the TDRS-L mission will be streamed on NASA's website at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 23. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Nancy Bray at 321-867-9112. For NASA's Launch Blog, visit: http://blogs.nasa.gov/tdrs-l

To view the webcast or to learn more about the TDRS-L mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/tdrs

Throughout the launch countdown, the NASAKennedy Twitter and Facebook accounts will be continuously updated throughout the launch countdown at:
www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy
https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

Melbourne School Experiment among NASA Cargo on Space Station

Designed by students in grades 10-12, the experiment, entitled "A Study of How Microgravity Affects the Activity of Enzymes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis using the Model of Papain and Gelatin," is part of the NanoRacks-National Center for Earth and Space Science Education-Falcon II payload.

This experiment seeks to explore the reasons behind why people suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, cannot break down the neurotransmitter glutamate. The inability causes the neurons to die and patients to lose control of voluntary muscles. The students selected a non-biological model to study this phenomenon, testing the effect of the enzyme papain (papaya extract) on the breakdown of proteins in gelatin by measuring the amount of protein remaining after the reaction.

Orbital-1 is NASA's first contracted resupply mission to the space station by U.S. company Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va. Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft launched atop the company's Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia on Jan. 9.

Expedition 38 crew members captured the Orbital-1 Cygnus using the space station's robotic arm at 6:08 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 12.

Orbital developed its Antares and Cygnus with NASA and successfully completed a test mission to the space station in September, enabling the first of eight planned contract resupply flights by the company. The capsule is scheduled to remain attached to the station through mid-January. It then will return for a destructive re-entry in Earth's atmosphere.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has had continuous human occupation since November 2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about the Orbital-1 mission and the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Kennedy, Florida Institute of Technology, MIT Experiment Among NASA Cargo on Space Station

This experiment seeks to examine how liquids move around inside containers in microgravity. This investigation will allow middle-school and high-school students to control the Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) as part of a planned outreach program to continue to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Expedition 38 crew members captured the Orbital-1 Cygnus using the space station's robotic arm at 6:08 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 12.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has had continuous human occupation since November 2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about the Orbital-1 mission and the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station

2013

Kennedy Space Center in 2013: A Year of Accomplishments and Milestones

Launch Services Program
The Launch Services Program (LSP), managed at Kennedy, began 2013 with the successful launch of NASA's TDRS-K satellite Jan. 30 aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

LSP followed up with another launch, less than a month later, when NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission roared into space Feb. 11 aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

A second LSP launch from the west coast occurred on June 27, when NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph spacecraft was placed in orbit by the Pegasus XL rocket.

On Nov. 18, a ULA Atlas V lifted off from CCAFS and sent the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft on its way to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere. Scientists expect data gathered during the MAVEN mission will help explain how Mars' climate has changed over time due to the loss of atmospheric gases.

MAVEN will enter a Mars orbit in July 2014 to begin its one-year research mission.

The program also successfully launched 16 CubeSats as secondary payloads on rocket launches.

Ground Systems Development and Operations Program
The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program continued to upgrade or modify several facilities and ground support equipment to be ready to support the processing and launch of NASA's Exploration Flight Test 1 in 2014 and the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft in 2017.

At Launch Pad 39B, construction crews have removed the space shuttle-era flame deflector and Apollo-era brick walls from the flame trench that sits below and between the crawler tracks to make way for a new flame deflector and brick walls. On the surface of the pad, a new elevator has been constructed. All of the crawler track panels were removed so that the concrete surface below and the catacomb roof can be inspected and repaired. New crawler track panels will be installed in 2014.

Upgrades, including new roller shaft bearings, were installed on crawler-transporter 2 so it can support the added weight of the mobile launcher and SLS on its journey to Pad 39B. Crawler-transporter 1 (CT-1) received new jacking, equalizing and leveling, or JEL, hydraulic cylinders and was taken for a test ride to Launch Pad 39A to undergo a leveling and turning test. CT-1 continues to be modernized so that it is available to carry a variety of launch vehicles to the pad.

The crawlerway leading to pads A and B was upgraded to improve the foundation and prepare it to support the weight of the SLS and mobile launcher on the crawler-transporter during rollout. Workers removed the original Alabama river rock and restored the layer of lime rock below to its original depth of three feet. New river rock was added on top.

The Multi-Payload Processing Facility is undergoing extensive upgrades and modernizations to support processing of Orion spacecraft. The building, originally constructed in 1995, primarily will be used for Orion hypergolic fueling, ammonia servicing and high-pressure gas servicing and checkout. Upgrades include installing new pneumatics systems, hypergolic systems and a ground cooling system.

With crewed launches on the SLS and Orion spacecraft approaching, GSDO led the effort to select an emergency egress vehicle that future astronauts could use to quickly leave the Launch Complex 39 area in case of an emergency. The first of four refurbished Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles was shipped from the U.S. Army Red River Depot in Texarkana, Texas, and arrived at the center Dec. 5. They will be modified to meet NASA's emergency egress requirements.

Commercial Crew Program
Aerospace companies working closely with NASA closed out 2013 with a string of milestone achievements that the industry intends to build on in 2014 as America continues to develop a privately funded alternative to launch astronauts to destinations in low-Earth orbit. Blue Origin of Kent, Wash.; The Boeing Company of Houston; Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) of Louisville, Colo.; and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., are NASA's commercial partners working to develop a new generation of U.S. spacecraft and rocket combinations capable of transporting humans to low-Earth orbit from American soil. NASA intends to use new commercial systems to fly U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station in 2017.

In February, Blue Origin signed an unfunded agreement with NASA to extend its Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) partnership. In November, the company conducted a test of its BE-3 rocket engine on a stand at the company's West Texas facility. The engine fired for 2 1/2 minutes, then paused for several minutes before re-igniting for a minute in a pattern that simulated a suborbital mission.

In March, SNC put its Dream Chaser spacecraft through a ground resonance test at the company's facilities in Louisville, Colo. In July and August, the company performed low- and high-speed ground tow tests of the Dream Chaser at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) in Edwards, Calif. The first free-flight test of the Dream Chaser occurred in October over DFRC and Edwards Air Force Base. Data collected will help to characterize its aerodynamic and flight handling capabilities.

In April, Boeing successfully completed a preliminary design review of the component that would connect the company's crew capsule to the ULA Atlas V rocket. In July, two NASA astronauts conducted pressurized flight suit evaluations inside a fully outfitted test version of the company's CST-100 spacecraft. It was the first time the world got a glimpse of the crew capsule's interior. In August, Boeing conducted an interface test between Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center and the CST-100 spacecraft, and in September, it moved one step closer to liftoff after a gauntlet of test firings of its steering jets at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, N.M.

In August, the Commercial Crew Program prepared to enter its final phase of NASA certification efforts. At Kennedy, agency officials met with company representatives who are interested in competing for a contract during the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability phase.

NASA issued a request for Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract proposals in December and answered questions from potential industrial bidders.

As the agency moved ahead with its plans and defined its needs for the next generation of American spacecraft, the companies continued their detailed development and testing regimens along with careful reviews.

Orion
Using hydraulic actuators, the Orion crew module underwent a static loads test, which simulated the massive loads the spacecraft would experience during its mission, in the Operations and Checkout Building in April.

During the year, the main components of the Launch Abort System, or LAS, were delivered to Kennedy and are being processed in the Launch Abort System Facility. In May, the launch abort motor was connected to the attitude control motor. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of the SLS rocket.

In June, a series of tests on the explosive bolts that separate Orion from the launch abort system were performed on the ground test vehicle in the Launch Equipment Test Facility. Data was collected on the effect of the shock waves during the explosive bolt separation. In August, a stationary recovery test was performed on the Orion boilerplate test article and support equipment aboard a U.S. Navy ship at the Naval Station Norfolk near NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. The stationary recovery test allowed the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in a controlled environment before conducting a second recovery test next year in open waters.

In October, the Orion crew module was powered on for the first time. The spacecraft's avionics system was installed and powered up for a series of systems tests that marked a major milestone in the final year of preparations for flight.

In December, the heat shield for the Orion spacecraft arrived at Kennedy aboard the Super Guppy aircraft and was transported to the Operations and Checkout Building for processing. The largest of its kind ever built, the heat shield is planned for installation on the Orion crew module in March 2014. Also in December, one of three main parachutes for Orion arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility and was transported to the Operations and Checkout Building high bay for processing.

Center Planning and Development
The Center Planning and Development Directorate facilitated agreements with several companies for the use of some of Kennedy's legacy facilities.

A new partnership agreement with United Paradyne Corp. of Santa Maria, Calif., will allow the company to use the shuttle-era Hypergolic Maintenance Facility. A new partnership agreement with PaR Systems Inc. of Shoreview, Minn., will give the company use of the Hangar N facility and its unique nondestructive equipment. An agreement with Micro Aerospace Solutions of Melbourne, Fla., will allow the use of an offline hardware processing "clean room" laboratory and office space in the center's Space Station Processing Facility.

International Space Station and Payload Processing
NASA's Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS), an optical technology demonstration experiment for the space station, arrived at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) July 11 from the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

The nearly 600-pound experiment is being prepared for delivery to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply capsule on the company's Falcon 9 rocket early next year.

Kennedy supported the space station by integrating two Orbital Replacement Units and successfully demonstrating the high-pressure Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System capability, which will be ready for flight fill operations in 2014. Also, workers outfitted more than 10 science labs that supported the SpaceX-2 mission.

Technology
A meteorological airship containing a "Cloud Lab" flew over Kennedy in September, carrying components of NASA's Microorganisms in the Stratosphere (MIST) experiment. The microbes for MIST were developed by NASA scientists at the Space Life Sciences Laboratory near the center.

In December, NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander underwent two free-flight tests at the north end of Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility, near the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology (ALHAT) field. The field contains rocks, craters and other hazards. Project Morpheus tests ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces.

To learn more about the other missions and programs NASA's Kennedy Space Center supports, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA Kennedy Space Center Counts Down to Santa's Annual Toy Delivery Mission

Claus can take advantage of agency technology advances, such as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system, already aiding the annual Christmas Eve flight.

Not long after Claus' trip last year, NASA launched TDRS-K, part of the next-generation series of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services. Claus now has this system available, providing almost uninterrupted communications services with his mission control center at the North Pole.

Claus also will have access to up-to-date imagery of the changes on the Earth provided by the Landsat Data Continuity Mission spacecraft, which launched in February. This could aid Claus in knowing exactly where to touch down in areas of recent population growth.

As Santa makes his way along Florida's Space Coast, Kennedy's mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) always makes an easy-to-spot landmark. Spaceport employees celebrated the 50th anniversary of the VAB this year and modifications are under way that will result in the ability to process multiple vehicles such as the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft while simultaneously restacking toys into Santa's sleigh.

As Claus and his reindeer make their deliveries, they could make a fly-by of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex where the space shuttle Atlantis now is on display following its grand opening in late June.

If Claus and his reindeer need a rest stop during their long Christmas Eve trip, they are invited to use Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility. There, Claus could check out a rock-and crater-filled planetary scape that has been built so engineers can test an autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT. NASA engineers are testing the new system with Project Morpheus and a similar system could prove useful as Claus touches down in varied terrains around the world.

Claus has one extraterrestrial destination this year -- the International Space Station. Crews aboard the orbiting laboratory recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. Soon, astronauts can join Santa by flying aboard new spacecraft launching from U.S. soil; NASA's Commercial Crew Program is partnering with private industry on launch vehicle and spacecraft development options for taking astronauts to low-Earth orbit and the station.

Like Claus' annual world-wide delivery mission, the space station is a multinational effort including the United States, Japan, Canada, Russia and the 11 members of the European Space Agency -- Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. And like Santa's sleigh, the space station can be seen flying through the sky from locations around the world: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

To learn more about the other missions and programs NASA's Kennedy Space Center supports, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for InSight Mission

InSight will launch in March 2016 aboard an Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The total cost for NASA to launch InSight is approximately $160 million, including spacecraft processing, payload integration, tracking, data and telemetry, and other launch support requirements.

InSight is scheduled to land on Mars in September 2016 to begin a two-year science mission. InSight is a lander that will address one of the most fundamental issues of planetary and solar system science -- understanding the processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system more than 4 billion years ago. The mission will investigate the interior structure and processes of Mars to understand better the evolution of rocky planets such as Earth. InSight will perform this science using two instrument packages.

NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for management and oversight of the Atlas V launch services. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., provides management for the InSight mission. United Launch Services LLC operates as a subsidiary of United Launch Alliance.

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

The TDRS-L spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Friday, Dec. 6. After being unloaded from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft, it was unpacked and inspected to ensure it sustained no damage on its flight from the Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems satellite factory in El Segundo, Calif.

As a vital information pipeline for space-based research and exploration, TDRS fulfills NASA's broadest communication demands. For more than 30 years, the TDRS fleet has provided critical communication support to NASA's human spaceflight endeavors that began during the space shuttle era and continues with support of the International Space Station. It also provides communications support to an array of science missions, as well as several launch vehicles.

"The launch of TDRS-L ensures continuity of services for the many missions that rely on the system every day," said Jeffrey Gramling, TDRS project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

TDRS-L is the second of three replenishment satellites for the TDRS constellation, which currently consists of eight spacecraft. TDRS-K was launched in January 2013. The last of the three, TDRS-M, is on track to be ready for launch as early as 2015. Of the 11 TDRS satellites launched, eight still are operational. Four of those already are beyond their design life. Two have been retired. One was lost in a space shuttle accident.

These three constitute the third-generation of TDRS satellites, which changes the location for communication signal processing of some services from the spacecraft to the ground. This change supports the evolving needs of the users, providing more flexibility and unique tailoring options for use of these services, including unscheduled access on demand.

NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program, a part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, is responsible for the TDRS network. Launch management of the Atlas V launch service for TDRS-L is the responsibility of the mission directorate's Launch Services Program at Kennedy.

For more information about the Space Communications and Navigation Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scan

Heat Shield for NASA's Orion Spacecraft Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

The heat shield, the largest of its kind ever built, is to be unloaded Thursday and is scheduled for installation on the Orion crew module in March, in preparation for Orion's first flight test in September 2014.

"The heat shield completion and delivery to Kennedy, where Orion is being prepared, is a major step toward Exploration Flight Test-1 next year," said Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development in Washington. "Sending Orion into space for the first time is going to give us crucial data to improve our design decisions and develop Orion to send humans on future missions to an asteroid and Mars."

The heat shield began its journey in January 2012 in Colorado, at Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin's Waterton Facility near Denver. That was the manufacturing site for a titanium skeleton and carbon fiber skin that give the heat shield its shape and provide structural support during landing. They were shipped in March to Textron Defense Systems near Boston, where they were used in construction of the heat shield itself.

Textron installed a fiberglass-phenolic honeycomb structure on the skin, filled each of the honeycomb's 320,000 cells with the ablative material Avcoat, then X-rayed and sanded each cell to match Orion's design specifications. The Avcoat-treated shell will shield Orion from the extreme heat it will experience as it returns to Earth. The ablative material will wear away as it heats up during Orion's re-entry into the atmosphere, preventing heat from being transferred to the rest of the capsule.

"Many people across the country have poured a tremendous amount of hard work into building this heat shield," said Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer. "Their efforts are a critical part of helping us understand what it takes to bring a human-rated spacecraft back safely from deep space."

Before and during its manufacture, the heat shield material was subjected to arc-jet testing at NASA's Ames Research Center in California and NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Arc jets heat and expand gasses to very high temperatures and supersonic and hypersonic speeds, thus simulating the heating conditions that a returning spacecraft will experience.

The heat shield delivered to Kennedy will be used during Exploration Flight Test-1, a two-orbit flight that will take an uncrewed Orion capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles. The returning capsule is expected to encounter temperatures of almost 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it travels through Earth's atmosphere at up to 20,000 mph, faster than any spacecraft in the last 40 years.

Data gathered during the flight will influence decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, authenticate existing computer models, and innovative new approaches to space systems and development. It also will reduce overall mission risks and costs for future Orion missions, which include exploring an asteroid and Mars.

To learn more about Orion and Exploration Flight Test-1, visit www.nasa.gov/orion

NASA Commercial Crew Partner Blue Origin Test-Fires New Rocket Engine

Blue Origin conducted the test of its BE-3 rocket engine on a stand at the company's West Texas facility near Van Horn on Nov. 20. The engine fired for 2 1/2 minutes, then paused for several minutes before re-igniting for a minute in a pattern that simulated a suborbital mission.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) has been working with the company on several aspects of the engine's development. The program supported testing of the BE-3 under the agency's Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) initiative and continues to offer technical support. NASA and Blue Origin also are partnered in review and tests of the company's Space Vehicle design.

"Blue Origin has made steady progress since the start of our partnership under the first Commercial Crew Development round," said Phil McAlister, NASA's director of Commercial Spaceflight Development. "We're thrilled to see another successful BE-3 engine test fire."

During the test, the engine demonstrated a full mission duty cycle, mimicking the flight of the company's suborbital New Shepard vehicle by thrusting at 110,000 pounds in a 145-second boost phase, shutting down to simulate coast through apogee. The engine then restarted and throttled down to 25,000 pounds thrust to simulate controlled vertical landing.

Blue Origin's Orbital Launch Vehicle will use the BE-3 engine to propel the company's Space Vehicle into orbit. Unlike other boosters that burn once and then fall away to never be used again, the Reusable Booster System is designed to send a crew into space and then make a soft landing on Earth before being refurbished for another mission. The Space Vehicle is envisioned to carry people into orbit and could potentially carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

"Working with NASA accelerated our BE-3 development by over a year in preparation for flight testing on our New Shepard suborbital system and ultimately on vehicles carrying humans to low-Earth orbit," said Rob Meyerson, president and program manager of Blue Origin. "The BE-3 is a versatile, low-cost hydrogen engine applicable to NASA and commercial missions."

The engine firing comes about a year after the BE-3's thrust chamber was tested at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Developing a new rocket engine is one of the most difficult aspects of launch vehicle design because of the dynamics involved with creating a powerful machine that can safely operate in a range of -423 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of liquid hydrogen, to more than 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit in the engine during a firing. The BE-3 is the first new liquid-hydrogen rocket engine built for production since the RS-68, which was developed more than a decade ago for the Delta IV rocket family.

All of NASA's industry partners, including Blue Origin, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Advances Effort to Launch Astronauts Again from U.S. Soil to Space Station

NASA took another step Tuesday to restore an American capability to launch astronauts from U.S. soil to the International Space Station by the end of 2017, subject to the availability of adequate funding. The agency's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) requested proposals from U.S. companies to complete development of crew transportation systems that meet NASA certification requirements and begin conducting crewed flights to the space station.

"NASA is committed to launching American astronauts from U.S. soil in the very near future, and we're taking a significant step toward achieving that goal today," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "Our American industry partners have already proven they can safely and reliably launch supplies to the space station, and now we're working with them to get our crews there as well. However, we will require that these companies provide spacecraft that meet the same rigorous safety standards we had for the space shuttle program, while providing good value to the American taxpayer."

This phase of the CCP, called Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), will enable NASA to ensure a company's crew transportation system is safe, reliable and cost-effective. The certification process will assess progress throughout the production and testing of one or more integrated space transportation systems, which include rockets, spacecraft and ground operations. Requirements under CCtCap also will include at least one crewed flight test to the space station before certification can be granted.

"The U.S. commercial space industry has made tremendous progress designing and developing the next generation of U.S. crew transportation systems for low-Earth orbit," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations in Washington. "Finalizing these systems in accordance with NASA's certification requirements will not be easy. The acquisition approach we are using is designed to leverage the innovative power of industry with the expertise, skill and hard-learned lessons from NASA. This request for proposals begins the journey for a new era in U.S. human spaceflight."

As with all of NASA's human spaceflight activities, astronaut safety will be a priority. CCtCap ensures a strong emphasis on crew safety through its requirements, including NASA insight throughout development and thorough testing of the space transportation systems. "NASA is taking its years of expertise in human spaceflight systems and partnering with industry to develop a safe and reliable crew transportation system for NASA and for the nation," said Phil McAlister, NASA's director of Commercial Spaceflight Development. "These certification contracts are part of a strategy that will help ensure human safety."

NASA expects to award one or more CCtCap contracts no later than September 2014.

CCtCap is the second phase of a two-phased effort that began last year. It builds on the accomplishments of a first certification phase, called Certification Products Contracts (CPC). CPC required companies to deliver a range of products that establish a baseline for their integrated system certification. CCtCap is open to any company with systems at the design maturity level consistent with the completion of the first certification phase.

CCtCap contractors will plan, manage and execute long-term production and operational plans for their systems. The firm-fixed price contracts, based on the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), will include at least one crewed flight test to verify the spacecraft can dock to the space station and that all its systems perform as expected. CCtCap contracts also will include at least two and as many as six crewed, post-certification missions to enable NASA to meet its station crew rotation requirements.

While CCtCap will enable NASA to acquire a capability to transport crews to the space station, systems developed by U.S. industry can be marketed and used by other customers.

As NASA works with U.S. industry partners to develop commercial spaceflight capabilities to low-Earth orbit, the agency also is developing the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration. Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS and Orion will expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system. www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Achieves Milestone in Safety Review

The detailed overview of safety practices the company is implementing was a major milestone for SpaceX under a funded Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP).

SpaceX is one of NASA's commercial partners working to develop a new generation of U.S. spacecraft and rockets capable of transporting humans to and from low-Earth orbit from American soil. NASA intends to use new commercial systems to fly U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station within the next four years.

A team of NASA engineers went to SpaceX headquarters for two days of detailed presentations and question-and-answer sessions that reviewed the company's safety practices.

"The milestone is not the end of the safety discussion, it's really the beginning," said Jon Cowart, deputy manager of the NASA Partnership Integration Team for CCP. "Because we've been doing this for so long, we all have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't and how safety processes can be strengthened to increase our confidence in the system."

Teams from NASA and SpaceX are working closely together to make sure the innovative technologies employed meet the rigorous requirements that come with flying crews in space. "We greatly appreciate NASA's support and feedback throughout this process," said Garrett Reisman, commercial crew project manager at SpaceX and a former astronaut. "Together we are taking all the necessary steps to make Dragon the safest, most reliable spacecraft ever flown." SpaceX already has flown several cargo missions to the space station using its Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, but those spacecraft have not yet transported astronauts. Through NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative, the company is deep into the design process of the integrated crew-capable Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.

SpaceX plans to test its launch abort system next year at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Two flight tests will demonstrate the ability of the Dragon spacecraft abort system to lift an uncrewed spacecraft clear of a simulated emergency.

The first test will simulate an abort from the pad prior to launch in the second quarter of 2014. The second test, targeted for the third quarter of 2014, calls for the spacecraft to separate from a Falcon 9 booster in flight and parachute safely into the Atlantic Ocean. The company is building the spacecraft for the flight tests, and manufacturing of the rocket is expected to begin shortly.

This safety review was the ninth milestone for SpaceX under CCiCap. The company is on track to complete all 15 of its CCiCap milestones by the third quarter of 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including SpaceX, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Awards Ground Systems Development and Operations Support Contract

The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract includes a base period, four option periods and an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) component. The contract will begin in February 2014, following a 30-day phase-in period. With all options and ID/IQ included, the total potential contract value is $97.2 million and the potential performance period is five years.

GSDO provides support to NASA's Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket. The contract work includes ground and spaceflight systems planning and design; project management and integration; operations, integration and analysis; technical requirements development; management and compliance; and cost, risk and schedule integration and analysis.

Subcontractors to Millennium are Avatar Technologies of Melbourne, Fla.; Booz Allen Hamilton of McLean, Va.; All Points Logistics LLC of Merritt Island, Fla.; and Red Canyon Engineering and Software of Denver.

NASA Administrator to View Orion Spacecraft and MAVEN Launch Preparations

Media are invited to meet with Bolden at 2:30 p.m. EST in Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building where the Orion crew capsule is being prepared for its first flight test in 2014. At 3:30 p.m., media then can accompany Bolden to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 where NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on a 10-month journey to the Red Planet on Monday, Nov. 18.

MAVEN launch credentials will be used for these events. For U.S. media who require new credentials to cover these events, contact the Kennedy Public Affairs Office at 321-867-2468. New credentialing for international media is closed.

Media will leave Kennedy's Press Site for the Operations and Checkout Building at 2 p.m. and return from Space Launch Complex 41 by 4:35 p.m. Media wishing only to attend the Orion event may return to the Press Site at 3 p.m. Journalists who plan only to attend the MAVEN event may depart from the Press Site at 2:30 p.m.

For information about NASA's programs and missions, including Orion and MAVEN, visit: www.nasa.gov

NASA Launches Mission to Study Upper Atmosphere of Mars

The agency's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft separated from an Atlas V Centaur rocket's second stage 53 minutes after launch. The solar arrays deployed approximately one hour after launch and currently power the spacecraft. MAVEN now is embarking on a 10-month interplanetary cruise before arriving at Mars next September.

"MAVEN joins our orbiters and rovers already at Mars to explore yet another facet of the Red Planet and prepare for human missions there by the 2030s," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "This mission is part of an integrated and strategic exploration program that is uncovering the mysteries of the solar system and enabling us to reach farther destinations."

In the next four weeks, MAVEN will power on and check out each of its eight instruments. Upon arrival at Mars in September, the spacecraft will execute an orbit insertion maneuver, firing six thrusters that will allow it to be captured by Mars' orbit. In the following five weeks, MAVEN will establish itself in an orbit where it can conduct science operations, deploy science appendages, and commission all instruments before starting its one-Earth-year scientific primary mission.

"After 10 years of developing the mission concept and then the hardware, it's incredibly exciting to see MAVEN on its way," said Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator at the University of Colorado Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) in Boulder, Colo. "But the real excitement will come in 10 months, when we go into orbit around Mars and can start getting the science results we planned."

MAVEN is traveling to Mars to explore how the Red Planet may have lost its atmosphere over billions of years. By analyzing the planet's upper atmosphere and measuring current rates of atmospheric loss, MAVEN scientists hope to understand how Mars transitioned from a warm, wet planet to the dry desert world we see today.

"The team overcame every challenge it encountered and still kept MAVEN on schedule and on budget," said David Mitchell, MAVEN project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The government, industry and university partnership was determined and focused to return to Mars sooner, not later."

MAVEN's principal investigator is based at CU/LASP. The university provided science instruments and leads science operations, as well as education and public outreach, for the mission. Goddard manages the project and provided two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory provided science instruments for the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., provides navigation support, Deep Space Network support, and Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.

For more information about the MAVEN mission, visit NASA's mission website: www.nasa.gov/maven

NASA's Orion Sees Flawless Fairing Separation in Second Test

The panels, called fairings, encase Orion's service module and shield it from the heat, wind and acoustics it will experience during the spacecraft's climb into space. The service module, located directly below the crew capsule, will contain the in-space propulsion capability for orbital transfer, attitude control and high-altitude ascent aborts when Orion begins carrying humans in 2021. It also will generate and store power and provide thermal control, water and air for the astronauts. The service module will remain connected to the crew module until just before the capsule returns to Earth. During Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), the spacecraft's flight test next year, a test service module will be attached to the capsule.

"Hardware separation events like this are absolutely critical to the mission and some of the more complicated things we do," said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We want to know we've got the design exactly right and that it can be counted on in space before we ever launch."

Unlike conventional rocket fairings, these panels are designed to support half of the weight of Orion's crew module and launch abort system during launch and ascent, which improves performance, saves weight and maximizes the size and capability of the spacecraft. Each panel is 14 feet high and 13 feet wide.

The fairings' work is done soon after launch. They must be jettisoned when Orion has reached an altitude of about 560,000 feet. To make that possible, six breakable joints and six explosive separation bolts are used to connect the fairing panels to the rocket and each other. In a carefully timed sequence, the joints are fired apart, followed shortly by the bolts. Once all of the pyrotechnics have detonated, six spring assemblies will push the three panels away, leaving the service and crew module exposed to space as they travel onward.

This test, conducted by Orion's primary contractor, Lockheed Martin, at the company's Sunnyvale, Calif., facility, was the second test of the fairing separation system. The first occurred in June, when one of the three fairing panels did not completely detach. Engineers determined the issue was caused when the top edge of the fairing came into contact with the adapter ring and kept it from rotating away and releasing from the spacecraft. Because of the engineers' confidence in successfully eliminating the interference, they maintained plans to increase this week's test fidelity by emulating the thermal loads experienced by the fairings during ascent. They used strip heaters to heat one of the fairings to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and simulate the temperatures the panels will experience.

Exploration Flight Test-1 is scheduled for September 2014. During that flight, an uncrewed Orion will launch to an altitude of 3,600 miles, more than 15 times farther into space than the International Space Station. It will orbit Earth twice before re-entering the atmosphere as fast as 20,000 mph.

The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, authenticate existing computer models, and innovative new approaches to space systems development It also will reduce overall mission risks and costs for subsequent Orion missions to an asteroid and eventually Mars.

NASA's Orion Spacecraft Comes to Life

Orion's avionics system was installed on the crew module and powered up for a series of systems tests at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week. Preliminary data indicate Orion's vehicle management computer, as well as its innovative power and data distribution system -- which use state-of-the-art networking capabilities -- performed as expected.

All of Orion's avionics systems will be put to the test during its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1(EFT-1), targeted to launch in the fall of 2014.

"Orion will take humans farther than we've ever been before, and in just about a year we're going to send the Orion test vehicle into space," said Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development in Washington. "The work we're doing now, the momentum we're building, is going to carry us on our first trip to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. No other vehicle currently being built can do that, but Orion will, and EFT-1 is the first step."

Orion provides the United States an entirely new human space exploration capability -- a flexible system that can to launch crew and cargo missions, extend human presence beyond low-Earth orbit, and enable new missions of exploration throughout our solar system.

EFT-1 is a two-orbit, four-hour mission that will send Orion, uncrewed, more than 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface --15 times farther than the International Space Station. During the test, Orion will return to Earth, enduring temperatures of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit while traveling 20,000 miles per hour, faster than any current spacecraft capable of carrying humans. The data gathered during the flight will inform design decisions, validate existing computer models and guide new approaches to space systems development. The information gathered from this test also will aid in reducing the risks and costs of subsequent Orion flights.

"It's been an exciting ride so far, but we're really getting to the good part now," said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager. "This is where we start to see the finish line. Our team across the country has been working hard to build the hardware that goes into Orion, and now the vehicle and all our plans are coming to life."

Throughout the past year, custom-designed components have been arriving at Kennedy for installation on the spacecraft -- more than 66,000 parts so far. The crew module portion already has undergone testing to ensure it will withstand the extremes of the space environment. Preparation also continues on the service module and launch abort system that will be integrated next year with the Orion crew module for the flight test.

The completed Orion spacecraft will be installed on a Delta IV heavy rocket for EFT-1. NASA is also developing a new rocket, the Space Launch System, which will power subsequent missions into deep space, beginning with Exploration Mission-1 in 2017.

NASA Partner SpaceX Completes Review of 2014 Commercial Crew Abort Test

This review of the in-flight abort test plan provided an assessment of the Dragon's SuperDraco engines, the software that would issue the abort command, and the interface between the Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 rocket on which the spacecraft will be launched.

"It's critical to have a launch abort system in which NASA and SpaceX can have confidence," said Phil McAlister, director of Commercial Spaceflight Development at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "When you put humans aboard, safety and reliability are paramount and this review and the upcoming tests will help prove their space transportation system is on the right track."

Experts from NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration attended the review of the in-flight abort test plan Sept. 17 at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. Attendees also had the opportunity to view the Dragon test spacecraft, which is being manufactured for an upcoming pad abort test and, potentially, the in-flight abort test.

"With NASA's support, SpaceX continues to implement the necessary modifications to equip Dragon to fly crew," said Garrett Reisman, commercial crew project manager at SpaceX. "SpaceX and NASA believe in rigorous flight testing and we are looking forward to putting our SuperDraco launch abort system through these critical tests, starting with the pad abort test in the spring and followed by the in-flight abort test in the summer."

The in-flight abort test will take place along Florida's space coast. During the test, a Dragon spacecraft will launch on a standard Falcon 9 rocket and an abort command will be issued approximately 73 seconds into the flight. At that point, the spacecraft will be flying through the area of maximum dynamic pressure, or Max Q, where the combination of air pressure and speed will cause maximal strain on the spacecraft.

Dragon will be outfitted with about 270 special sensors to measure a wide variety of stresses and acceleration effects on the spacecraft. An instrumented mannequin, similar to a crash test dummy, also will be inside. The spacecraft's parachutes will deploy for a splashdown in the Atlantic, where a ship will be pre-positioned for simulated rescue operations. The test spacecraft will be returned to Port Canaveral by barge so data can be retrieved and incorporated into the system's design.

SpaceX is one of three companies working under NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative to develop spaceflight capabilities that eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil. This review was the eighth milestone for SpaceX under CCiCap. The company is on track to complete all 15 of its CCiCap milestones by the summer of 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including SpaceX, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Awards Construction Task Order for Kennedy

The firm-fixed price task order was awarded against the General Construction indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract Sept. 19. It has a maximum value of $11.1 million with a performance period of one year.

Sauer Inc. will build the Kennedy Data Center (KDC) computer data center building. The KDC will facilitate the closure of five existing inefficient data centers (totaling 25,000 square feet of compute space), in exchange for one state-of-the-art, Tier 2 power-efficient facility (with 5,300 square feet of compute space). The new facility will allow Kennedy to effectively meet the objectives of OMB's Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative, which targets reductions to the number of data centers and associated information technology systems at federal installations, which will result in significant reductions to the center's electrical power and cooling costs. The facility will pay for itself out of energy and operations savings in approximately eight years.

NASA Awards Follow-on Mail Services Contract

The firm-fixed price contract begins Oct. 1. It has a maximum value of $11.5 million with a potential performance period of five years. AWRC will provide mail services, including mail distribution and courier services for 92 buildings and 670 mail stops, as well as operating several mailrooms at Kennedy.

NASA Awards Construction Contract for Kennedy

The firm-fixed price contract was awarded to A. West Enterprise Sept. 25 and has a maximum value of $5.7 million with a performance period of two years.

A. West Enterprise will provide construction services for the revitalization of Kennedy Space Center's medium voltage electrical distribution systems in the industrial and payload processing areas. Work includes the demolition, replacement and installation of underground medium voltage cable systems. Also included in the project will be the installation of underground duct systems for medium-voltage and low-voltage cable systems, as well as replacing various transformer and substation equipment.

NASA Awards Follow-on Custodial Services Contract for Kennedy

The firm-fixed price contract begins Oct. 1. It has a maximum value of $30.4 million with a potential performance period of five years. Brevard Achievement Center will provide custodial services, including recurring general cleaning and non-recurring custodial support for launch services, special events, and emergency cleanup for about 3.2 million square feet of general office, shop, warehouse and support areas at Kennedy.

NASA Commercial Partner Boeing Tests CST-100 Spacecraft Thrusters

Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne recently completed the tests, which simulated the demanding environment of space. The tests assessed how the thrusters -- which fire with 1,500 pounds of force -- will speed up, slow down and move the spacecraft while carrying NASA astronauts in Earth's orbit.

Boeing is developing a fully integrated crew transportation system, which includes the CST-100 spacecraft and the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). New commercial spaceflight capabilities being developed by NASA partners through commercial crew initiatives eventually could provide services to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station, launching from American soil. Boeing is working on development milestones that are part of NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative.

"Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne continue to show a path forward for NASA's low-Earth orbit crew transportation needs by implementing cutting-edge technologies and showcasing decades of human spaceflight experience," said Ed Mango, CCP manager.

The CST-100's orbital maneuvering and attitude control (OMAC) system has 24 thrusters, giving it the ability to perform critical maneuvers in space such as those required to refine the CST-100's orbit, as well as the braking maneuver near the end of a mission that slows the spacecraft down before re-entry. The OMAC thrusters will be jettisoned when the service module is released from the capsule just before re-entry. Positioned in four clusters of six on the service module of the spacecraft, the thrusters could steer the spacecraft in case an emergency calls for it to separate from its rocket during launch or ascent.

During the tests, the OMAC thrusters were fired in a vacuum chamber that simulated the space-like environment at an altitude of 100,000 feet. These evaluations put the thrusters through the burns and stresses they would encounter during a real flight. Engineers equipped the jets with a host of instruments to measure changes in the smallest components.

"The CST-100 OMAC thrusters are an example of leveraging proven flight hardware solutions to ensure mission supportability," said John Mulholland, Boeing vice president and manager for commercial programs. "We are very pleased with the data collected during this second series of tests and with our overall team performance as we continue to progress through CCiCap milestones on time and on budget."

Previous tests of the OMAC thrusters verified their durability in extreme heat, evaluated the opening and closing of their valves and confirmed continuous combustion and performance. Designers are using the results of these tests to validate or adjust their complex computer models that predict how a thruster and spacecraft will work during a mission.

"The OMAC engines met CCiCap test objectives," said Terry Lorier, Aerojet Rocketdyne's CST-100 Service Module Propulsion Program manager. "Aerojet Rocketdyne and Boeing are both pleased with the results and look forward to continuing our partnership."

With the completion of Milestone 9, Boeing is on track to meet all 20 of its CCiCap milestones by summer 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including Boeing, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Partner Boeing Completes Mission Control Center Interface Test

Boeing has partnered with NASA to develop a fully integrated crew transportation system, with its CST-100 spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). New commercial spaceflight capabilities being developed by NASA partners through commercial crew initiatives could eventually provide services to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station, launching from U.S. soil.

The August test verified that Boeing could send and receive data from its Avionics Software Integration Facility to the MCC. The company's software facility and CST-100 spacecraft simulator are serving as precursors to integrated flight operations training.

"Every day, our connection to the humans living and working in space comes through the historic and hallowed MCC in Houston," said Ed Mango, NASA's CCP manager. "As low-Earth orbit opens to a growing commercial space industry, the ability of new spacecraft to communicate with existing space infrastructure is critical."

Through a reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA's Mission Operations Directorate, which began during CCP's second phase of development, Boeing is collaborating with the agency on mission planning, training and flight operations for its CST-100.

"Our continued partnership with NASA Mission Operations Directorate brings valued experience to our Commercial Crew Program," said John Mulholland, vice president of Boeing Commercial Crew Programs. "This fully integrated team will ensure that we can safely and affordably conduct missions."

Additional interconnectivity assessments conducted by Boeing will include software avionics testing for the ascent phase of flight and demonstrations that will put a human at the controls of the spacecraft simulator. A pilot will run through the critical phases of flight, including rendezvous and docking by firing thrusters, navigating state changes and adjusting the spacecraft attitude.

Boeing is on track to meet all 20 of its Commercial Crew integrated Capabilities (CCiCap) milestones by summer 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including Boeing, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA Awards Kennedy Space Center Grounds and Pest Contract

The firm fixed-price contract has a one-year base period beginning Oct. 1, 2013, and four one-year options with a maximum value of $10.6 million.

This procurement provides for the continued maintenance of Kennedy Space Center grounds, including cutting grass, edging trees, pruning shrubs, removing trees and stumps, weeding, mulching, leaf gathering, fertilization, vegetation cutting and removal, sod installation, emergency clean up, land clearing and pest control services.

NASA Partner Sierra Nevada Corporation Completes Second Dream Chaser Captive-Carry Test

During the two-hour test, an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter picked up a test version of the Dream Chaser flight vehicle and flew it a distance of three miles over a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base at a maximum altitude of approximately 12,400 feet. The spacecraft followed the projected path it will fly during future approach and landing tests at Dryden. Dream Chaser's flight computer, along with its guidance, navigation and control systems were tested. The landing gear and nose skid also were deployed during flight.

"Today is the first time we have flown a fully functional Dream Chaser flight vehicle, and we are very pleased with the results," said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC's Space Systems. "Our team represents the very best in collaboration between industry and government. We have worked closely with NASA, Dryden and the Air Force to reach this important milestone in our flight test program.

We look forward to seeing Dream Chaser land on the same runway as the space shuttle orbiters once did as we move forward in the development of the next-generation crew transportation vehicle."

This was the second captive-carry test of the Dream Chaser flight vehicle and its first captive-carry at Dryden. Data obtained from the test will provide SNC valuable information about the Dream Chaser hardware and ground operations. The test paves the way for upcoming free-flight tests at Dryden this fall as part of the company's agreements with NASA.

SNC is working with NASA to develop Dream Chaser, planned to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, through the agency's Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) and Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiatives. New commercial spaceflight capabilities being developed by NASA partners through these initiatives eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil.

"It's great to see real American-made hardware taking flight right here in the U.S.," said Ed Mango, NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) manager. "This is just the start of an exciting flight test campaign for SNC's Dream Chaser at Dryden."

Work leading up to the captive-carry test included an evaluation of the performance of Dream Chaser's braking and landing systems, during ground tow tests, at increasing speeds. SNC engineers also verified the spacecraft's computer and software systems, instrumentation and steering performance. The company held a thorough flight test readiness review with engineers, technical experts and representatives from NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

SNC's CCDev2 Space Act Agreement with NASA is set to culminate with an upcoming approach-and-landing free-flight test at Dryden. SNC also is on track to complete all 12 of its CCiCap milestones by the summer of 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including SNC, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

NASA Explores New Uses for Historic Launch Structures

A Request for Information (RFI) released Friday will gauge the interest of commercial or government entities for using the three nearly identical mobile launcher platforms in support of either commercial launch activity; deconstruction; or an alternative option that benefits the public, environment or other entities not associated with space.

The three mobile launch platforms were used to hold Saturn rockets and space shuttles as they made their way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pads in preparation to travel into space. The platforms are two-story, hollow steel structures on which Saturn rockets and space shuttles launched. They are 25 feet tall, weigh around 8.2 million pounds, and are 160 feet long and 135 feet wide. Each platform features numerous pathways, compartments and plumbing and electrical cabling systems.

The RFI is the latest in the work to transform Kennedy into a multi-user spaceport for both government and commercial clients and to support NASA's future spaceflight programs and initiatives. These include plans to launch astronauts from Kennedy to study an asteroid and work with commercial companies to send crews to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station from Florida's Space Coast in the next four years.

NASA Exercises Expendable Launch Vehicle Contract Option

The two-year Option Period 1 on the Expendable Launch Vehicle Integrated Support (ELVIS) 2 contract, operated by a.i. solutions Inc. of Lanham, Md., begins Oct. 1 and is valued at about $56.5 million. The contract contains another potential option period that would begin in October 2015, if exercised.

The ELVIS 2 contract began in April 2012 and has a potential maximum value of $138.1 million. This contract resulted from a competitive small business set-aside.

The ELVIS 2 contract supports NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) and LSP-sponsored missions, activities and strategic initiatives for multiple NASA programs, the Defense Department and other government agencies and commercial launch activities. The contractor will support program management; vehicle engineering and analysis; launch site engineering; communications and telemetry; technical integration services; LSP programmatic safety, reliability and quality assurance; LSP operations at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California; information technology; and special studies.

NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Completes Orbit and Entry Review

SpaceX is one of three commercial space companies working under NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative to develop spaceflight capabilities that eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil.

During the preliminary design review at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., company engineers presented NASA representatives and aerospace industry experts detailed analyses of Dragon systems critical to keeping crews safe in orbit and during re-entry operations. From basic life support functions, including pressurizing Dragon with breathable air, to stocking the capsule with enough food and water for as many as seven crew members, the spacecraft must be designed to protect humans in the harsh conditions of space. Company designers and NASA engineers dissected the plans carefully to make sure no details were overlooked.

"NASA has learned a lot about keeping our astronaut crews safe throughout a mission, and we don't want those lessons to be forgotten," said Ed Mango, NASA's CCP manager. "So, we're sharing a lot of what we already know, and the company is adding its own innovations to suit its needs and meet its challenges."

The review detailed equipment and software aboard Dragon that would help guide crews to the International Space Station for rendezvous and docking operations. This included discussion on SpaceX's planning for software code which, in this modern era of spaceship design, is just as critical as the hardware design. The company also described how the spacecraft will be operated both by its onboard crew and by ground controllers.

While SpaceX works to further develop its crewed Dragon spacecraft, it also is preparing for the upcoming launch of the third of at least 12 cargo missions to the space station with a remotely controlled Dragon under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

"SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft was designed from the outset to accommodate the upgrades necessary to safely carry people, so we're excited to have reached the halfway point in our agreement with NASA to design those features," said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX president and chief operating officer. "As we leverage our experience successfully delivering cargo both to the International Space Station and back to Earth, SpaceX remains committed to providing the safest manned flights ever conducted."

In December, the company completed preliminary design reviews covering the ground systems and ascent, which are the first two phases of flight. Completion of the orbit and entry review clears the way for SpaceX to proceed with detailed designs for its integrated space transportation system, comprised of its Dragon spacecraft, Falcon 9 rocket and supporting ground systems.

The review was the seventh milestone for SpaceX under CCiCap. The company is on track to complete all 15 of its CCiCap milestones by the summer of 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including SpaceX, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA, Commercial Crew Partners Fund Additional Development Milestones

NASA is supporting the development of these capabilities through its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative. As part of this initiative, NASA is exercising and funding specific additional milestones for these next generation space transportation systems. The agency has extended the Space Act Agreements (SAAs) for The Boeing Company of Houston, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) of Louisville, Colo., to include one or two additional milestones each under CCiCap.

"Our commercial partners are on-track developing innovative, new space systems that can safely, reliably and affordably transport astronauts and end the gap in U.S. human spaceflight capabilities," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "These additional milestones are specifically targeted by NASA and our partners to reduce risk and improve development efforts."

In their respective CCiCap SAAs, which were awarded in August 2012, NASA's partners listed optional milestones that could be exercised to continue the development and maturation of their space systems. After negotiation with the partners, NASA decided to fund revised portions of existing CCiCap optional milestones and extend the period of performance for the CCiCap SAAs from May 2014 to August 2014. The industry partners also will be contributing financially to the execution of these milestones. The revisions, in the form of amendments to the SAAs, are posted online at: http://commercialcrew.nasa.gov/page.cfm?ID=38

While NASA works with U.S. industry partners to develop and advance new commercial space capabilities, the agency also is developing the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS), a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration. Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS and Orion will expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and enable new missions of exploration in the solar system, including to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about NASA's commercial space initiatives, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercial

Orion Stationary Recovery Testing

Orion is America's new spacecraft that will take astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have an emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space. The first spacecraft will launch on Exploration Flight Test-1 in September 2014, an uncrewed mission that will allow engineers to examine many of Orion's systems.

NASA Begins Launch Preparations for Next Mars Mission

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft is undergoing detailed testing and fueling prior to being moved to its launch pad. The mission has a 20-day launch period that opens Nov. 18.

The spacecraft will conduct the first mission dedicated to surveying the upper atmosphere of Mars. Scientists expect to obtain unprecedented data that will help them understand how the loss of atmospheric gas to space may have played a part in changing the planet's climate.

"We're excited and proud to ship the spacecraft right on schedule," said David Mitchell, MAVEN project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "But more critical milestones lie ahead before we accomplish our mission of collecting science data from Mars. I firmly believe the team is up to the task. Now we begin the final push to launch."

Over the weekend, the team confirmed the spacecraft arrived in good condition. They removed the spacecraft from the shipping container and secured it to a rotation fixture in the cleanroom. In the next week, the team will reassemble components previously removed for transport. Further checks prior to launch will include software tests, spin balance tests, and test deployments of the spacecraft's solar panels and booms.

The spacecraft was transported from Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo., on Friday, aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Littleton, Colo., designed and built the spacecraft and is responsible for testing, launch processing, and mission operations.

"It's always a mix of excitement and stress when you ship a spacecraft down to the launch site," said Guy Beutelschies, MAVEN program manager at Lockheed Martin. "It's similar to moving your children to college after high school graduation. You're proud of the hard work to get to this point, but you know they still need some help before they're ready to be on their own."

Previous Mars missions detected energetic solar fields and particles that could drive atmospheric gases away from Mars. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a planet-wide magnetic field that would deflect these solar winds. As a result, these winds may have stripped away much of Mars' atmosphere.

MAVEN's data will help scientists reconstruct the planet's past climate. Scientists will use MAVEN data to project how Mars became the cold, dusty desert planet we see today. The planned one-year mission begins with the spacecraft entering the Red Planet's orbit in September 2014.

"MAVEN is not going to detect life," said Bruce Jakosky, planetary scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder and MAVEN's principal investigator. "But it will help us understand the climate history, which is the history of its habitability."

MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder. The university provides science instruments and leads science operations, education and public outreach.

Goddard manages the project and provides two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory provides science instruments for the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., provides navigation support, Deep Space Network support, and Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.

NASA Selects Launch Services Contract for OSIRIS-REx Mission

The OSIRIS-REx mission is scheduled to launch in September 2016 aboard an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

This new firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, launch service task order contract is valued at about $183.5 million. This price includes payload processing, integrated services, telemetry and other launch support requirements.

OSIRIS-REx will survey near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu to understand its physical, mineralogical and chemical properties; assess its resource potential; refine the impact hazard; and return a sample to Earth. The spacecraft will rendezvous with the asteroid in 2018. Sample return is planned in 2023. Analysis of the sample returned will reveal the earliest stages of the solar system's evolution and the history of Bennu over the past 4.5 billion years.

OSIRIS-REx also will study the Yarkovsky effect, a non-gravitational force affecting the orbit of this potentially hazardous asteroid, and provide the first direct measurements for telescopic observations of this type of asteroids.

NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for program management of the Atlas V launch vehicle. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., provides overall mission management for OSIRIS-REx.

Space Station Sighting Opportunities for Central Florida

The space station, with its six-member Expedition 36 crew, is about 260 miles above Earth and will celebrate its 13th anniversary of continuous occupancy in November. Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineers Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Chris Cassidy and Karen Nyberg of NASA, and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency are conducting important science and technology experiments aboard the orbiting laboratory.

At 9:48 p.m. EDT on Saturday, the station will approach from the southwest, and for about six minutes, it will be almost two-thirds of the way up in the sky as it moves to the north/northeast.

On Sunday at 5:58 a.m., the station will appear in the northwest sky and be visible for six minutes at a maximum elevation of 80 degrees, moving to the southeast. At 8:59 p.m. Sunday, the complex will move from south/southwest to northeast and be visible for six minutes, almost two-thirds of the way up in the sky.

The station can be seen every day at various locations around the world just befoire sunrise and just after sunset.

NASA's Spot the Station service sends you an email or text message several hours before the space station passes over your house: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

For the latest information about the International Space Station, its crews and scientific research taking place onboard, visit: www.nasa.gov/station

For updates about activities at Kennedy, visit the NASA Kennedy News Twitter feed at: www.twitter.com/nasakennedy

Tenth Parachute Test for NASA's Orion Adds 10,000 Feet of Success

The 10th in a series of evaluations to check out the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle's parachute system dropped the test capsule from a C-17 aircraft at its highest altitude yet, 35,000 feet above the Arizona desert. One of three massive main parachutes was cut away early on purpose, leaving the spacecraft to land with only two. The test at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground was the highest-altitude test of a human spacecraft parachute since NASA's Apollo Program.

During previous tests, a mock capsule was dropped from a height of 25,000 feet and the parachutes deployed at no higher than 22,000 feet. The extra 10,000 feet of altitude at the beginning of Wednesday's test made the demonstration the best so far of Orion's parachute flight and landing.

"The closer we can get to actual flight conditions, the more confidence we gain in the system," said Chris Johnson, project manager for the Orion capsule parachute assembly system at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "What we saw today -- other than the failures we put in on purpose -- is very similar to what Orion will look like coming back during Exploration Flight Test-1's Earth entry next year." During its return from space, Orion's parachute system will begin to deploy 25,000 feet above the ground.

Engineers gathered data on the effects of losing a parachute during the descent. The team already proved Orion can land with just two of its three main parachutes, but this was the first opportunity to study how one parachute pulling away in mid-flight might affect the remaining two. "We wanted to know what would happen if a cable got hooked around a sharp edge and snapped off when the parachutes deployed," said Stu McClung, Orion's landing and recovery system manager at Johnson. "We don't think that would ever happen, but if it did, would it cause other failures? We want to know everything that could possibly go wrong, so that we can fix it before it does."

The test was part of a series of parachute tests that will enable NASA to certify Orion to carry humans into space. The system already has met the necessary requirements for Orion's first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), in September 2014. During that flight, Orion will travel 3,600 miles into orbit then return to Earth at speeds as fast as 20,000 mph, putting the parachute system to the test again as it lands in the Pacific Ocean.

NASA Signs Agreement with BRS Aerospace for Use of Unique Facility

The PRF previously was used during NASA's Space Shuttle Program to manufacture and refurbish the solid rocket booster parachutes. Because of NASA's transition from the shuttle to future commercial and government mission activities, this agreement allows NASA to preserve the unique facility capabilities for future spaceflight projects.

"Kennedy continues working with the commercial community to bring new partnerships to the center, and this latest agreement is a great example of pairing a NASA facility having a previously specialized focus with a U.S. company that has a similar engineering and manufacturing focus," said Kennedy Director Bob Cabana. "This partnership would not have been possible without the support of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast. We welcome BRS Aerospace to Kennedy Space Center and look forward to a long-standing partnership."

BRS Aerospace is engaged in the business of developing and commercializing parachutes, including whole-airframe emergency recovery parachute systems, personnel parachute systems, low-cost aerial delivery systems, and precision guided aerial delivery systems. The company will utilize the facility to establish a technical research and development center for advanced parachute systems and for manufacturing prototype systems.

Under a 10-year lease agreement, BRS Aerospace will operate and maintain the facility at its own expense. The company will access the facility to begin work on Sept. 3 and will hire approximately 34 full-time employees by the end of the year.

Kennedy's center planning and development team and the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast worked with the company to establish the agreement.

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA's OPALS To Beam Data From Space Via Laser

The Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS), an optical technology demonstration experiment, could improve NASA's data rates for communications with future spacecraft by a factor of 10 to 100. OPALS has arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. It is scheduled to launch to the space station later this year aboard a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply capsule on the company's Falcon 9 rocket.

"OPALS represents a tangible stepping stone for laser communications, and the International Space Station is a great platform for an experiment like this," said Michael Kokorowski, OPALS project manager at JPL. "Future operational laser communication systems will have the ability to transmit more data from spacecraft down to the ground than they currently do, mitigating a significant bottleneck for scientific investigations and commercial ventures."

OPALS will be mounted on the outside of the International Space Station and communicate with a ground station in Wrightwood, Calif., a mountain town near Los Angeles.

"It's like aiming a laser pointer continuously for two minutes at a dot the diameter of a human hair from 30 feet away while you're walking," explained OPALS systems engineer Bogdan Oaida of JPL.

The OPALS instrument was built at JPL and is slated to fly on the Dragon capsule in late 2013. The mission is expected to run 90 days after installation on the station.

The OPALS Project Office is based at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Announces Space Station Research and Development Conference

The theme of the conference is "Discoveries, Applications and Opportunities." It is the only annual conference offering details on the full breadth of research and technology development on the space station, including the full suite of prospects for future research over the life of the station.

Plenary sessions will discuss top station discoveries in microgravity; benefits and applications in Earth science, materials and education; uses of the station for medical advancements and Earth applications; and station technology applications for future space exploration. Parallel technical sessions will include findings from the life, physical, Earth and space sciences; human research; education; and technologies enabling exploration. Scientists will receive updates on significant accomplishments within their areas of expertise.

Keynote speakers include International Space Station Program Manager Michael Suffredini and CASIS Chief Operating Officer Duane Ratliff.

Special guests include NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations William Gerstenmaier and station program managers from the Canadian, European, Japanese and Russian space agencies. In a recorded presentation, Nobel laureate Samuel Ting will present preliminary results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment currently underway aboard the space station. Astronaut Don Pettit will share his experiences living and working aboard the orbiting outpost. Organizations that manage and fund research on the space station, including NASA and CASIS, will provide overviews of upcoming opportunities.

The conference will include a workshop designed to help interested users develop their own ideas for experiments aboard the space station. Potential future station users will learn what they can accomplish, how to get started and sources for funding.

For details on the conference program and online registration, visit: www.astronautical.org

For information about research on the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Announces Space Station Research and Development Conference

Keynote speakers include International Space Station Program Manager Michael Suffredini and CASIS Chief Operating Officer Duane Ratliff.

For details on the conference program and online registration, visit: www.astronautical.org

For information about research on the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/station

NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Completes Two Human-Critical Reviews

These were the fifth and sixth milestones for SpaceX, a partner in NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The company is on track to complete all 14 of its CCiCap milestones by mid-2014.

In a human certification plan review May 7, SpaceX outlined all the steps the company plans to take to certify its system for crewed missions, including testing, demonstrations, analyses, inspections, verifications and training events. This was a key milestone to ensure SpaceX's integrated Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule will be safe to carry humans to and from low-Earth orbit beginning in the middle of this decade.

At its pad abort test review, SpaceX presented plans for a pad abort test, currently targeted for later this year or early next year from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. The review successfully demonstrated the adequacy of the test plan objectives and the pad abort scenario.

"The beauty of having the pad abort test review was it allowed both NASA and SpaceX to start coalescing toward an understanding of what will be tested and how we'll measure success," said Ed Mango, NASA's CCP manager. "We're really looking forward to seeing SpaceX's pad abort system take off from along Florida's Space Coast."

During the upcoming pad abort test, SpaceX will perform a recovery operation following a simulated Falcon 9 anomaly. Plans call for the company to put one of its Dragon capsules on a launch pad test stand, countdown to T-0, ignite the system's SuperDraco abort engines and initiate a separation command. At around 5,000 feet, the spacecraft's parachutes will deploy resulting in a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX is one of three U.S. companies participating in NASA's CCiCap initiative. Future development and certification initiatives eventually will lead to the availability of human spaceflight services for NASA to send its astronauts to the International Space Station.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA AND SPACE FLORIDA BEGIN PARTNERSHIP DISCUSSIONS

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected Space Florida, the aerospace economic development agency for the state of Florida, for negotiations toward a partnership agreement to maintain and operate the historic Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Robert Cabana, announced the selection during a news conference Friday at Kennedy's Visitor Complex in Florida.

"This agreement will continue to expand Kennedy's viability as a multiuser spaceport and strengthen the economic opportunities for Florida and the nation," Bolden said. "It also continues to demonstrate NASA's commitment and progress in building a strong commercial space industry so that American companies are providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations."

NASA issued a request for information to industry in 2012 to identify new and innovative ways to use the facility for current and future commercial and government mission activities. Space Florida's proposal is aligned closely with Kennedy's vision for creating a multiuser spaceport.

"The SLF is a significant asset for the center that ties our historical past to the vision of the future," said Cabana. "I had the privilege of landing two space shuttle orbiters at the facility and look forward to beginning discussions with Space Florida on a future partnership that will fully utilize this unique resource."

"The SLF provides a unique capability for new and expanding suborbital launch providers, unmanned aerial vehicle operators and other aerospace-related businesses to thrive in a location that maximizes the resources of the space center and Eastern Range operations," said Space Florida President Frank DiBello. "We look forward to working with NASA and KSC leadership in the coming months to finalize the details of this transaction in a way that will provide the greatest benefit to incoming commercial aerospace businesses."

The SLF, specially designed for space shuttles returning to Kennedy, opened for flights in 1976. The concrete runway is 15,000 feet long and 300 feet wide. The SLF is capable of handling all types and sizes of aircraft and horizontal launch and landing vehicles.

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy

NASA LAUNCHES SATELLITE TO STUDY HOW SUN'S ATMOSPHERE IS ENERGIZED

"We are thrilled to add IRIS to the suite of NASA missions studying the sun," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "IRIS will help scientists understand the mysterious and energetic interface between the surface and corona of the sun."

IRIS is a NASA Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves, gathers energy and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere. This interface region between the sun's photosphere and corona powers its dynamic million-degree atmosphere and drives the solar wind. The interface region also is where most of the sun's ultraviolet emission is generated. These emissions impact the near-Earth space environment and Earth's climate. The Pegasus XL carrying IRIS was deployed from an Orbital L-1011 carrier aircraft over the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 39,000 feet, off the central coast of California about 100 miles northwest of Vandenberg. The rocket placed IRIS into a sun-synchronous polar orbit that will allow it to make almost continuous solar observations during its two-year mission.

The L-1011 took off from Vandenberg at 6:30 p.m. PDT and flew to the drop point over the Pacific Ocean, where the aircraft released the Pegasus XL from beneath its belly. The first stage ignited five seconds later to carry IRIS into space. IRIS successfully separated from the third stage of the Pegasus rocket at 7:40 p.m. At 8:05 p.m., the IRIS team confirmed the spacecraft had successfully deployed its solar arrays, has power and has acquired the sun, indications that all systems are operating as expected.

"Congratulations to the entire team on the successful development and deployment of the IRIS mission," said IRIS project manager Gary Kushner of the Lockheed Martin Solar and Atmospheric Laboratory in Palo Alto, Calif. "Now that IRIS is in orbit, we can begin our 30-day engineering checkout followed by a 30-day science checkout and calibration period."

IRIS is expected to start science observations upon completion of its 60-day commissioning phase. During this phase the team will check image quality and perform calibrations and other tests to ensure a successful mission.

NASA's Explorer Program at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., provides overall management of the IRIS mission. The principal investigator institution is Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center. NASA's Ames Research Center will perform ground commanding and flight operations and receive science data and spacecraft telemetry.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory designed the IRIS telescope. The Norwegian Space Centre and NASA's Near Earth Network provide the ground stations using antennas at Svalbard, Norway; Fairbanks, Alaska; McMurdo, Antarctica; and Wallops Island, Va. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for the launch service procurement, including managing the launch and countdown. Orbital Sciences Corporation provided the L-1011 aircraft and Pegasus XL launch system.

LAUNCH OF NASA'S NEW SOLAR MISSION RESCHEDULED TO JUNE 27

Because of a significant power outage at Vandenberg earlier this week, certain Western Range facilities will not be ready to support the original June 26 launch date. Range officials believe they will be able to restore power to the affected facilities in time to support a launch Thursday evening. Managers will assess the situation at the Launch Readiness Review Wednesday.

The launch of IRIS on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus XL rocket is targeted for the middle of a five-minute window.

IRIS is a NASA Small Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves, gathers energy and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere. This interface region between the sun's photosphere and corona powers its dynamic million-degree atmosphere and drives the solar wind.

The drop of the air-launched Pegasus from Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft will occur over the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 39,000 feet, about 100 miles northwest of Vandenberg off the central coast of California, south of Big Sur.

The IRIS News Center at Kennedy's Vandenberg Resident Office may be reached between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 805-605-3051.

For complete details on media registration, media events, and live launch coverage on NASA TV, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/13L6djG

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv

Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the IRIS spacecraft will be available on NASA's home page at: www.nasa.gov

To view the IRIS webcast and launch blog, and learn more about the mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/iris

NASA STATUS UPDATES ON FUTURE HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAMS

The Orion spacecraft, managed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, will be launched on missions by the agency's heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS), an entirely new capability for human exploration, beginning in 2017. Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft from Kennedy for crew and cargo missions, SLS will expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages SLS. Kennedy manages the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, which is preparing to process and launch the next-generation vehicles and spacecraft designed to achieve NASA's goals for space exploration.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program, managed at Kennedy, is an innovative partnership to help the aerospace industry in the United States develop space transportation systems that can safely launch astronauts to the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations.

NASA ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2012 GEORGE M. LOW AWARD FOR QUALITY

NASA recognizes URS Federal Technical Services Inc. of Germantown, Md., in the large business award category and ATA Engineering Inc. of San Diego, Calif., in the small business award category.

"NASA's industry partners are crucial in our work to reach new destinations and expand our nation's capabilities, and we're happy to recognize these two companies with the high honor of the George M. Low Award," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Their success both in space and on the ground has demonstrated excellence and innovation that will help us reach our challenging goals and keep America the leader in space exploration."

URS Federal Technical Services Inc. is the institutional services contractor at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. With 1,100 employees and subcontractors, the company maintains 1,250 facilities, roadways, railroad tracks and an airfield; provides utilities, indoor climate control, life support and propellant storage; conducts non-destructive evaluation; cleans, samples and calibrates components; and coordinates logistics.

Evaluators cited URS' automation initiative, which deployed tablet computers to employees to reduce their paperwork burden; its process for ensuring customer satisfaction; and the breadth of its safety program in an industrial environment with so many potential hazards.

ATA Engineering Inc. supported development of the Mars Science Laboratory and its robotic rover, Curiosity, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. With 93 employees, the company played a key role in the mission by conducting detailed mechanical simulation work to support spacecraft's challenging entry, descent and landing at Mars in August last year.

Evaluators cited ATA's problem-solving ability, demonstrated with the design of Curiosity's sampling scoop; its emphasis on contracting with small business and hiring young talent with high potential; and its strong culture of teamwork.

"I congratulate these companies for winning our premier award. It's our recognition for their management's leadership and employee commitment to the highest standards in performance," said Terrence Wilcutt, the agency's chief of safety and mission assurance. "For NASA to do the kind of things the country asks us to do in exploration, science, research, and technology development, we depend on our contractors to operate at an exemplary level. URS Federal Technical Services Inc. and ATA Engineering Inc. have set the example for all of us."

The Low award demonstrates the agency's commitment to promoting excellence and continual improvement by challenging NASA's contractor community to be a global benchmark of quality management practices.

The award was established in 1985 as NASA's Excellence Award for Quality and Productivity. It was renamed in 1990 in memory of George M. Low, an outstanding leader with a strong commitment to quality products and workforce during his 27-year tenure at the agency. Low was NASA's deputy administrator from 1969 to 1976 and a leader in the early development of space programs.

NASA'S ORION SPACECRAFT PROVES SOUND UNDER PRESSURE

When Orion launches on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), which is targeted for September 2014, it will travel farther from Earth than any spacecraft built for humans in more than 40 years. The spacecraft will fly about 3,600 miles above Earth's surface and return at speeds of approximately 25,000 mph. During the test, Orion will experience an array of stresses, or loads, including launch and re-entry, the vacuum of space, and several dynamic events that will jettison hardware away from the spacecraft and deploy parachutes.

To ensure Orion will be ready for its flight test next year, engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida built a 20-foot-tall static loads test fixture for the crew module with hydraulic cylinders that slowly push or pull on the vehicle, depending on the type of load being simulated. The fixture produced 110 percent of the load caused by eight different types of stress Orion will experience during EFT-1. More than 1,600 strain gauges recorded how the vehicle responded. The loads ranged from as little as 14,000 pounds to as much as 240,000 pounds.

"The static loads campaign is our best method of testing to verify what works on paper will work in space," said Charlie Lundquist, NASA's Orion crew and service module manager at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This is how we validate our design."

In addition to the various loads it sustained, the Orion crew module also was pressurized to simulate the effect of the vacuum in space. This simulation allowed engineers to confirm it would hold its pressurization in a vacuum and verify repairs made to superficial cracks in the vehicle's rear bulkhead caused by previous pressure testing in November.

The November test revealed insufficient margin in an area of the bulkhead that was unable to withstand the stress of pressurization. Armed with data from that test, engineers were able to reinforce the design to ensure structural integrity and validate the fix during this week's test.

To repair the cracks, engineers designed brackets that spread the stress of being pressurized to other areas of the module that are structurally stronger. During these tests, Orion was successfully pressurized to 110 percent of what it would experience in space, demonstrating it is capable of performing as necessary during EFT-1.

NASA PREPARES FOR LAUNCH OF NEXT SOLAR SATELLITE

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission will observe how solar material moves, gathers energy, and heats up as it travels through this largely unexplored region of the solar atmosphere. The interface region, located between the sun's visible surface and upper atmosphere, is where most of the sun's ultraviolet emission is generated. These emissions impact the near-Earth space environment and Earth's climate.

The IRIS spacecraft was designed and built by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif. It will launch aboard a Pegasus XL rocket deployed by an Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central California coast.

"IRIS data will fill a crucial gap in our understanding of the solar interface region upon joining our fleet of heliophysics spacecraft," said Jeffrey Newmark, NASA's IRIS program scientist in Washington. "For the first time we will have the necessary observations for understanding how energy is delivered to the million-degree outer solar corona and how the base of the solar wind is driven."

IRIS carries an ultraviolet telescope that feeds a multi-channel imaging spectrograph. The satellite is the first mission designed to use an ultraviolet telescope to obtain high-resolution images and spectra every few seconds and provide observations of areas as small as 150 miles across the sun.

"Previous observations suggest there are structures in this region of the solar atmosphere 100 to 150 miles wide, but 100,000 miles long," said Alan Title, IRIS principal investigator at Lockheed Martin. "Imagine giant jets like huge fountains that have a footprint the size of Los Angeles and are long enough and fast enough to circle Earth in 20 seconds. IRIS will provide our first high-resolution views of these structures along with information about their velocity, temperature and density."

After launch, IRIS will travel in a polar, sun-synchronous orbit around Earth, crossing nearly directly over the poles in such a way that it moves over the equator at the same local time each day. The spacecraft will orbit at an altitude range of 390 miles to 420 miles. This orbit allows for almost continuous solar observations on IRIS' two-year mission.

NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., will provide IRIS mission operations and ground data systems. The Norwegian Space Centre in Oslo, Norway, will provide regular downlinks of science data. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch management.

IRIS is a NASA Small Explorer Mission, which the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages for the Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The goal of the Explorers Program is to provide frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space utilizing innovative, streamlined and efficient management approaches within the heliophysics and astrophysics science areas.

Other IRIS contributors include the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass.; Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont.; Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.; and the University of Oslo in Norway.

NASA COMMERCIAL CREW PARTNER BOEING COMPLETES NEW SPACECRAFT, ROCKET MILESTONES

Boeing and ULA also worked together to test a newly developed component of the Atlas V's Centaur upper stage. Boeing now has completed two of eight performance milestones under CCiCap and is on track to complete all 19 of its milestones around mid-2014.

"The Centaur has a long and storied past of launching the agency's most successful spacecraft to other worlds," said Ed Mango, NASA's CCP manager at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Because it has never been used for human spaceflight before, these tests are critical to ensuring a smooth and safe performance for the crew members who will be riding atop the human-rated Atlas V."

The wind tunnel tests, which began in March and wrapped up in May at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., were the first interface tests of Boeing's spacecraft, launch vehicle adaptor and launch vehicle. A scale model of the integrated spacecraft and rocket was placed in Ames' 11-foot diameter transonic wind tunnel. The data gathered provides Boeing with critical information it needs to ensure its system is safe for launching crews to low-Earth orbit.

The Centaur liquid oxygen-feed duct line was tested in March in Murrieta, Calif., to characterize how liquid oxygen moves from the stage's oxygen tank to its two engines where the propellant will be mixed with liquid hydrogen to create thrust. The Centaur, which takes over after the Atlas V first stage runs low on propellants, will push the spacecraft to its intended orbit. The Centaur has an extensive and successful history of delivering spacecraft to their destinations, including carrying NASA's Curiosity science rover to Mars.

"The CST-100 and Atlas V, connected with the launch vehicle adaptor, performed exactly as expected and confirmed our expectations of how they will perform together in flight," said John Mulholland, Boeing vice president and program manager for Commercial Programs.

Boeing is one of three U.S. companies NASA is working with during CCiCap to set the stage for a crewed orbital demonstration mission around the middle of the decade. Future development and certification initiatives eventually will lead to the availability of human spaceflight services for NASA to send astronauts to the International Space Station from the United States.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

NASA ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR ROBERT LIGHTFOOT VISITS SPACE COAST JUNE 3-4

On June 3, Lightfoot will join Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana for an open house event with Craig Technologies from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT at the Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

In June 2012, NASA and Craig Technologies entered into a partnership under a five-year, non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement to use the unique manufacturing equipment previously used to support the Space Shuttle Program for other hi-tech purposes. The Craig Technologies Aerospace Defense and Manufacturing Center provides custom avionics, precision machining and fabrication, specialty manufacturing and test and evaluation services for commercial and government customers.

NASA recently announced plans to find, study, capture and relocate an asteroid for exploration by astronauts. The asteroid initiative is a strategy to leverage human and robotic activities for a first human mission while accelerating efforts to improve detection and characterization of asteroids.

The goal of KaBOOM is to prove technologies that will allow future systems to characterize near-Earth objects in terms of size, shape, rotation/tumble rate and to determine the trajectory of those objects. Radar studies can determine the trajectory 100,000 times more precisely than can optical methods.

Current NASA radar systems are limited in both resolution and the distance at which they are effective. KaBOOM is the penultimate, low-cost step before proceeding with a high-power, high-resolution radar system. NASA expects this proof of concept to be completed in about two years.

LANDSAT 8 SATELLITE BEGINS WATCH

The event marks the beginning of the satellite's mission to extend an unparalleled four-decade record of monitoring Earth's landscape from space. Landsat 8 is the latest in the Landsat series of remote-sensing satellites, which have been providing global coverage of landscape changes on Earth since 1972. The Landsat program is a joint effort between NASA and USGS.

NASA launched the satellite Feb. 11 as the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). Since then, NASA mission engineers and scientists, with USGS collaboration, have been putting the satellite through its paces -- steering it into its orbit, calibrating the detectors, and collecting test images. Now fully mission-certified, the satellite is under USGS operational control.

"Landsat is a centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science program," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in Washington. "Landsat 8 carries on a long tradition of Landsat satellites that for more than 40 years have helped us learn how Earth works, to understand how humans are affecting it and to make wiser decisions as stewards of this planet."

Beginning Thursday, USGS specialists will collect at least 400 Landsat 8 scenes every day from around the world to be processed and archived at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls. The newest satellite joins Landsat 7, which launched in 1999 and continues to collect images. Since 2008, USGS has provided more than 11 million current and historical Landsat images free of charge to users over the Internet.

"We are very pleased to work with NASA for the good of science and the American people," said U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell in Washington. "The Landsat program allows us all to have a common, easily accessible view of our planet. This is the starting point for a shared understanding of the environmental challenges we face."

Remote-sensing satellites such as the Landsat series help scientists observe the world beyond the power of human sight, monitor changes to the land that may have natural or human causes, and detect critical trends in the conditions of natural resources.

The 41-year Landsat record provides global coverage at a scale that impartially documents natural processes such as volcanic eruptions, glacial retreat and forest fires and shows large-scale human activities such as expanding cities, crop irrigation and forest clear-cuts. The Landsat Program is a sustained effort by the United States to provide direct societal benefits across a wide range of human endeavors including human and environmental health, energy and water management, urban planning, disaster recovery, and agriculture.

With Landsat 8 circling Earth 14 times a day, and in combination with Landsat 7, researchers will be able to use an improved frequency of data from both satellites. The two observation instruments aboard Landsat 8 feature improvements over their earlier counterparts while collecting information that is compatible with 41 years of land images from previous Landsat satellites.

NASA'S NEXT SOLAR MISSION LAUNCH

IRIS is a NASA Small Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves, gathers energy, and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere. This interface region between the sun's photosphere and corona powers its dynamic million-degree atmosphere and drives the solar wind. The region is the origin of most of the ultraviolet solar emission that impacts the near-Earth space environment and Earth's climate.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: www.nasa.gov/ntv

NASA EDUCATION OFFERS SUMMER OF INNOVATION 'MINI-AWARDS'

NASA will grant "mini-awards" of as much as $2,500 each to encourage a wide variety of educational partners, such as museums, schools or school districts, and youth organizations to infuse existing summer and after-school student programs with STEM content.

"Fun and interactive learning experiences are a perfect way to keep students' minds sharp during the summer break," said Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for education in Washington. "NASA centers and other national partners offer great Summer of Innovation opportunities, but the mini-awards allow smaller, non-traditional partners to inspire students in their local communities through creative educational activities."

In 2012, NASA's Office of Education gave more than 200 mini-awards to groups, such as scout troops, church summer camps and similar community-based organizations. The agency expects to issue between 180 and 200 awards this year.

The Summer of Innovation project is designed to improve skills and enhance American middle school students and educators' engagement with STEM disciplines. It provides hands-on learning opportunities and professional development activities through educational activities unique to NASA during the summer. Summer of Innovation is a key component of the agency's broader education program to increase student interest in STEM courses, particularly among those in underserved sectors of the academic community.

To learn more about Summer of Innovation and apply for a 2013 mini-award, visit: www.nasa.gov/soi

ARCHIVESNASA Press Releases2008 - 2018National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899

To 2019 Press Releases

2018

Kennedy Space Center Traffic and Road Closures for December Launch Activities

ICESat-2 Launch Events from California

NASA Spacecraft that will Study the Frontier of Space

Mobile Launcher Progresses to First Flight of NASA's Deep Space Exploration System

NASA, ULA Launch Parker Solar Probe on Historic Journey to Touch Sun

NASA's Launch of ICESat-2 from West Coast

Parker Solar Probe Events

NASA Administrator Bridenstine visits Kennedy Space Center

NASA's Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Will "Touch" the Sun

NASA to Launch a Mission to "Touch" Sun

New NASA Research, Hardware Heading to Space Station on 15th SpaceX Resupply Mission

NASA's Janet Petro Selected for Induction to Florida Women's Hall of Fame

NASA Issues Notice for Kennedy Space Center Land Use

NASA's New Mission to Study the Frontier of Space

Upcoming Launch of Science to Space Station

NASA Hosts the 2018 Robotic Mining Competition, Women in STEM Networking Forum at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

NASA, ULA Launch Mission to Study How Mars Was Made

InSight Briefings and Events

NASA Planet Hunter on Its Way to Orbit

Kennedy Space Center Traffic and Road Closures for April 14-16

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Planet-Hunting Mission

New Research Heading to Space Station Aboard 14th SpaceX Resupply Mission

NASA Kennedy Announces Recipients of 2018 Chroniclers Awards

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

InSight Mars Lander to launch from West Coast

NASA's Mission to Study Mars Interior

NASA Kennedy Seeks Media Nominations for 2018 'Chroniclers'

Planned Launch of NASA's Newest Planet-Hunting Spacecraft

NASA, ULA Launch Advanced NOAA Weather Satellite

NASA Women Take Part in Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

NOAA's GOES-S

NASA to Host National Space Council Meeting at Kennedy Space Center

Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

NASA's TESS Spacecraft

Upcoming NOAA GOES-S Satellite Launch

NASA, 45th Space Wing discuss the 60-Year Anniversary of Explorer 1 Launch

NASA Invites Media to View Orion Test Capsule, Recovery Hardware

NASA: NOAA Weather Spacecraft — March Launch Scheduled

2017

NASA Sends New Research to Space Station Aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

NASA Television Updates Broadcast Schedule for Cargo Resupply Mission

NASA Awards Contract for Safety, Mission Assurance Support

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

NASA: Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

NASA to Highlight Science on Next Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA Launches NOAA Weather Satellite Aboard United Launch Alliance Rocket to Improve Forecasts

NASA Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite Rescheduled for Nov. 18

JPSS-1 Now Scheduled for Nov. 14

NASA Coverage Set for Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite

NASA Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Landsat 9 Mission

Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1)

NASA Awards Contract for Integration, Launch Services of U-Class Payloads

NASA Successfully Launches Latest Communications Satellite

Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence Demonstration

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Communications Satellite

NASA Awards Contract for Infrastructure, Applications, Communications

NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station Aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

NASA Awards Contract for Modification of Mobile Launcher

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

NASA Awards Laboratory Support Services and Operations Contract at Kennedy

NASA Opens Media Accreditation for Upcoming Space Station Cargo Launch

TDRS-M Spacecraft

Vice President Pence Visits NASA's Multi-User Spaceport – Kennedy Space Center

NASA Provides Coverage of Vice President Pence's Visit to Kennedy Space Center

Vice President Pence to Visit NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA Awards Contract for Institutional Support Services

Launch of NASA's Newest Communications Satellite

New NASA Experiments, Research Headed to International Space Station

SpaceX CRS-11

NASA Astronauts Inducted into Hall of Fame, Live May 19 on NASA Television

NASA Invites Media to Robotics Mining Competition at KSC Visitor Complex

Next SpaceX Space Station Cargo Launch

NASA Space Station Cargo Launches aboard Orbital ATK Resupply Mission

Orbital ATK CRS-7 Briefings and Events

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Announces 2017 'Chroniclers'

ARCHIVES
NASA Press Releases
2008 - 2018
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899