Station Crew Works with Experiments, Transfers Cargo

The Expedition 21 crew of the International Space Station conducted science experimentation Tuesday and completed transferring cargo to and from the soon-departing unpiloted Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).

Flight Engineer Robert Thirsk worked with the Binary Colloidal Alloy Test (BCAT-5) experiment that provides data on the performance of colloids. Colloids are a broad class of consumer and engineered products including paint, plastics, food, cosmetics and medicines that change state over time. The data provided may lead to improvement in materials fabrication processes.

Thirsk also spent time working with an experiment that documents changes in the maximum oxygen uptake for crew members aboard the station. The information helps maintain crew health during long-duration space exploration. The data also provides valuable insight into the aerobic capacity of teams in closed environments on Earth, such as arctic bases and submarines.

Commander Frank De Winne conducted an amateur radio session, speaking with students at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland.

Flight Engineers Roman Romanenko, Jeff Williams and Nicole Stott removed final items and secured trash in the HTV that will be unberthed from the station on Friday. After it is unberthed, the HTV will then re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere for destruction over the Pacific Ocean.

A problem with the Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) has put it out of commission for the time being. Blockage is suspected between the Distillation Assembly and the Fluid Control Pump Assembly. The crew is scheduled to perform maintenance on the UPA Friday, giving engineers on the ground more time to develop troubleshooting procedures.

Mirinae Intensifying While Moving Away from the Northern Marianas

Typhoon Mirinae is moving west and away from the Northern Marianas Islands on a track to a landfall in the Philippines by the weekend. As Mirinae has moved west, NASA's infrared and microwave satellite imagery have seen high, strong thunderstorm development, and a developing eye.

Typhoon Mirinae's maximum sustained winds are now up to 98 mph (157 km/hr), and its center is approximately 930 nautical miles (that's 1,070 miles or 1,722 kilometers) east of Manila, Philippines. The coordinates of its center are 16.2 North latitude and 136.9 East longitude. Mirinae is moving west at 17 mph.

Tropical storm-force winds extend out to 100 miles from Mirinae's center, while typhoon/hurricane-force winds extend 20 miles out from its center. Mirinae is stirring up waves up to 22 feet high.

Mirinae is intensifying in part because of "strong radial outflow and warm sea surface temperatures," according to forecasters at the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). JTWC is the organization that forecasts storms in the Western Pacific Ocean. Radial outflow is important in a tropical cyclone development because it spreads ice particles outward from the center of the storm, spreading clouds and precipitation. Basically it helps the storm grow larger.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured a microwave and infrared image of Mirinae on October 28 at 12:35 a.m. local Asia/Manila Time.

The infrared imagery revealed that the cloud tops of Mirinae are close to the top of the troposphere. That means they are strong thunderstorms, where temperatures are colder than -63 Fahrenheit.

AIRS data is also coupled with data from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) that flies with AIRS on Aqua to create microwave images of storms. The AMSU image uses the radiances of the 89 GHz channel, and the cold areas in those images indicate where there is precipitation or ice in the cloud tops.

Mirinae has intensified steadily and will continue to do so until landfall in the Philippines on Saturday. Landfall in Luzon between the cities of Soliven and San Jose is still expected to occur around 0600 UTC (2 a.m. EDT, 2 p.m. Asia/Manila local time) on Halloween.

Crew & Researchers in Front of the DC-8

Crew and researchers gathered in front of the DC-8 before an early morning flight on Oct. 24, to measure sea ice in the Weddell Sea. The mission was the fifth flight of Operation Ice Bridge since the Antarctic campaign began.

Robot Armada Might Scale New Worlds

An armada of robots may one day fly above the mountain tops of Saturn's moon Titan, cross its vast dunes and sail in its liquid lakes.

Wolfgang Fink, visiting associate in physics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena says we are on the brink of a great paradigm shift in planetary exploration, and the next round of robotic explorers will be nothing like what we see today.

"The way we explore tomorrow will be unlike any cup of tea we've ever tasted," said Fink, who was recently appointed as the Edward and Maria Keonjian Distinguished Professor in Microelectronics at the University of Arizona, Tucson. "We are departing from traditional approaches of a single robotic spacecraft with no redundancy that is Earth-commanded to one that allows for having multiple, expendable low-cost robots that can command themselves or other robots at various locations at the same time."

Fink and his team members at Caltech, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Arizona are developing autonomous software and have built a robotic test bed that can mimic a field geologist or astronaut, capable of working independently and as part of a larger team. This software will allow a robot to think on its own, identify problems and possible hazards, determine areas of interest and prioritize targets for a close-up look.

The way things work now, engineers command a rover or spacecraft to carry out certain tasks and then wait for them to be executed. They have little or no flexibility in changing their game plan as events unfold; for example, to image a landslide or cryovolcanic eruption as it happens, or investigate a methane outgassing event.

"In the future, multiple robots will be in the driver's seat," Fink said. These robots would share information in almost real time. This type of exploration may one day be used on a mission to Titan, Mars and other planetary bodies. Current proposals for Titan would use an orbiter, an air balloon and rovers or lake landers.

In this mission scenario, an orbiter would circle Titan with a global view of the moon, with an air balloon or airship floating overhead to provide a birds-eye view of mountain ranges, lakes and canyons. On the ground, a rover or lake lander would explore the moon's nooks and crannies. The orbiter would "speak" directly to the air balloon and command it to fly over a certain region for a closer look. This aerial balloon would be in contact with several small rovers on the ground and command them to move to areas identified from overhead.

"This type of exploration is referred to as tier-scalable reconnaissance," said Fink. "It's sort of like commanding a small army of robots operating in space, in the air and on the ground simultaneously."

A rover might report that it's seeing smooth rocks in the local vicinity, while the airship or orbiter could confirm that indeed the rover is in a dry riverbed - unlike current missions, which focus only on a global view from far above but can't provide information on a local scale to tell the rover that indeed it is sitting in the middle of dry riverbed.

A current example of this type of exploration can best be seen at Mars with the communications relay between the rovers and orbiting spacecraft like the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. However, that information is just relayed and not shared amongst the spacecraft or used to directly control them.

"We are basically heading toward making robots that command other robots," said Fink, who is director of Caltech's Visual and Autonomous Exploration Systems Research Laboratory, where this work has taken place.

"One day an entire fleet of robots will be autonomously commanded at once. This armada of robots will be our eyes, ears, arms and legs in space, in the air, and on the ground, capable of responding to their environment without us, to explore and embrace the unknown," he added.

Papers describing this new exploration are published in the journal "Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine" and in the Proceedings of the SPIE.

NASA Awards Space Radiobiology Research Grants

NASA is funding 12 proposals from nine states to investigate questions about the effects of space radiation on human explorers. The selected proposals from researchers in Alabama, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington have a total value of approximately $13.7 million.

The ground-based studies will address the impact of space radiation on astronaut health. Research areas will include risk predictions for cancer and models for potential damage to the central nervous system and the heart.

"The proposals funded this year using systems biology and state-of-the-art cell and molecular biology approaches will lead to improved understanding and identification of approaches to mitigate the risks to astronauts living in space," said Francis A. Cucinotta, chief scientist for the Human Research Program Space Radiation Program Element at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The Human Research Program provides knowledge and technologies to improve human health during space exploration and identifies possible countermeasures for known problems. The program quantifies crew health and performance risks during spaceflight and develops strategies that mission planners and system developers can use to monitor and mitigate health risks.

The 12 projects were selected from proposals that were reviewed by scientific and technical experts from academia and government laboratories.

Still Holding Ares I Rocket

The launch team is extending the hold due to weather going "red" because of continuing concerns over upper-level clouds. A new T-0 time will be 11:08 a.m., with the clock starting again at 11:04 a.m.

New Target Launch Time

The launch team has decided to focus in on the best period of predicted weather, and now target a liftoff at 11 a.m. EDT. Weather Officer Kathy Winters' evaluation of the trends, based on weather reconnaissance flights, indicate the troublesome upper-level clouds should clear enough to go "green" during that time, with only a 20 percent chance of violations. That would start the countdown clock at 10:56 a.m.

Atlantis Preps on Hold for Ares Launch

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis was secured last night at Launch Pad 39A in anticipation of the launch of the Constellation Program's Ares I-X flight test. The flight test is lifting off from Launch Pad 39B -- only about a mile north of the shuttle launch pad.

After the Ares I-X launch, technicians will be allowed to return to pad A to continue making final system checks in the aft, or back, section of Atlantis. The waste collection system also will be tested later today.

Meanwhile, STS-129 Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Pilot Barry E. Wilmore are completing their payload-related tasks at Kennedy, and will fly their T-38 jets to Edwards Air Force Base in California for additional mission training.

The agency's Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, for Atlantis' flight to the International Space Station is set for Oct. 29 at Kennedy. NASA managers will announce an official launch date at a post-meeting briefing, which will be broadcast on NASA TV.

Space shuttle Atlantis' launch currently is targeted for 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16.

Visiting Vehicle Operations Keep Station Crew Busy

A Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) will be unberthed from the International Space Station on Friday then re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere for destruction over the Pacific Ocean. On Monday, the crew reviewed robotics operations and prepared Russian cargo for stowage inside the HTV. Flight Engineers Robert Thirsk and Nicole Stott will be at the robotics work station to grapple, unberth and release the HTV.

Space shuttle Atlantis is planned for a docking at the orbital laboratory in mid-November on the STS-129 mission. Prior to docking, the shuttle performs a back-flip allowing the station crew members to photograph its heat shield for analysis by ground specialists. Stott and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams practiced their photography techniques using cameras with 400 and 800 mm lenses. Stott also restarted scrubbing the metal oxide canisters that remove carbon dioxide from the U.S. spacesuits in advance of the three spacewalks taking place during STS-129’s stay.

Cosmonauts Roman Romanenko and Maxim Suraev were in the Russian segment of the station transferring hardware, performing routine maintenance and working with science experiments.

Commander Frank De Winne, Williams and Thirsk worked on the new COLBERT exercise system performing tests. De Winne also held a weekly conference with European Space Agency officials and helped with the preparation of the HTV unberthing.

JPL's 'Green' Space Flight Building Debuts with Ribbon-Cutting

NASA's "greenest" building to date -- an environmentally friendly Flight Projects Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. -- is now open for business, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony today attended by lawmakers and local dignitaries.

The building houses missions during their design and development phases. It will enable engineers and scientists from various countries to collaborate more closely during these critical mission phases.

"It seems fitting that the new building, where teams will plan future space missions that use new technologies, also has the latest 'green' technologies to help JPL do its part to improve our environment here on Earth," said JPL Director Charles Elachi, who helped cut the ribbon at today's ceremony.

Also attending today's ceremony were U.S. Rep. David Drier; La Canada-Flintridge Mayor Laura Olhasso; staff representing U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff; and Caltech President Jean-Lou Chameau.

The building has received the "LEED Gold Certification" under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, set up by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first NASA building to achieve that certification. To qualify, buildings must meet several criteria. For example, they must make efficient use of water, energy and resources, and provide a healthy and comfortable indoor workspace.

The many "green" features of the new building include:

• A living roof to keep the building cool in summer months and warm in the winter. Desert plants on the roof and other landscaping require 72 percent less water than a typical Southern California landscape design.
  
• Outdoor lighting is used for safety purposes only and is directed toward the ground, reducing the amount of light pollution that escapes to the night sky.
  
• Low-flow faucets and toilets reduce water use by 40 percent compared with typical fixtures.
  
• Improved wall insulation, efficient chillers and boilers and window shading devices.
  
• The paints and other surface materials have low levels of toxic fumes.
  
• The heating and cooling system is "smart" -- it knows whether people are in a room and adjusts the temperature and ventilation accordingly.
  
• The janitorial staff uses green cleaning products and practices.

More than 75 percent of the waste generated during construction of the new building was diverted from a landfill to a local recycling facility. Wood was acquired from Forest Stewardship Council-certified suppliers, ensuring sustainable harvesting of trees.

By Last Light

Sunset at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida finds the Ares I-X rocket awaiting the approaching liftoff of its flight test.

This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad.

Ares I-X at the Launch Pad

NASA's Ares I-X rocket is seen on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X, scheduled for today, Oct. 27, 2009, will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

NASA's Fermi Telescope Celebrates First Year of Gamma-Ray Science

NASA will hold a news teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 28, to discuss the first-year science results from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. This event replaces the originally scheduled Oct. 29 media conference at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Fermi studies gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light. Findings discussed will include measurements relevant to the search for new theories of gravity.

The panelists are:
- Jon Morse, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters
- Julie McEnery, Fermi project scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
- Peter Michelson, Fermi Large Area Telescope principal investigator, Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
- Robert Kirshner, professor of astronomy, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.
- Mario Livio, astrophysicist, Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore

New Target Time: 11:24 a.m. EDT

The launch team is now planning to come out of the current T-4 minute hold at 11:20 a.m. EDT, aiming for a liftoff at 11:24 a.m. The vehicle and its system are all still "go." The main issue remains the weather, and Weather Officer Kathy Winters continues to update the team on conditions at and near the launch pad.

Tattooed Mars

This high-resolution picture from the HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows twisting dark trails criss-crossing light-colored terrain on the Martian surface. Newly formed trails like these had presented researchers with a tantalizing mystery but are now known to be the work of miniature wind vortices known to occur on the red planet, in other words Martian dust devils. Such spinning columns of rising air heated by the warm surface are also common in dry and desert areas on planet Earth. Typically lasting only a few minutes, dust devils become visible as they pick up loose red-colored dust leaving the darker and heavier sand beneath intact. Ironically, dust devils have been credited with unexpectedly cleaning the solar panels of the Mars rovers.

Atlantis Gets Final Checks; Commander and Pilot at Kennedy

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A will begin final system checks in the aft, or back, section of space shuttle Atlantis today.

Also, a retest of Atlantis' main propulsion pressure valve system, or engine piping, will take place today. This "closeout" work will be in progress all week.

Meanwhile, the STS-129 astronauts will be practicing for the mission's third spacewalk in the massive swimming pool, called the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

This afternoon, STS-129 Commander Charlie Hobaugh and Pilot Barry Wilmore will fly their T-38 jets to Kennedy for training associated with the mission's space station payload.

NASA Selects Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission Lithium-Ion Battery Contractor

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., has selected ABSL Space Products in Longmont, Colo. to provide the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Lithium-Ion Battery. The total value of this fixed price contract is $6,200,034 including options.

The contractor shall provide the design, development, fabrication, testing and delivery of the GPM Lithium-Ion Battery assembly. The contract has an option for additional spare flight batteries. The period of performance of this contract is 18 months and the work will be performed at the Contractor’s facility.

The GPM mission is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The GPM observatory is scheduled to launch in 2013 from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan, by a JAXA H-IIA expendable launch vehicle.

Icebergs in Pine Island Bay

After breaking away from Pine Island Glacier, ice is set adrift in Pine Island Bay. The icebergs were visible from the DC-8 during the Operation Ice Bridge science flight on Oct. 20, 2009, to map the glacier.

Two at the Pad

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, processing of the Ares I-X rocket nears completion on Launch Pad 39B, in the foreground, as space shuttle Atlantis, seen in the distance on Launch Pad 39A, awaits liftoff on mission STS-129 to the International Space Station.

Weather Remains the Question for Ares I-X Launch Tomorrow

During this morning's Ares I-X status briefing, the launch team reported that the vehicle is ready to go, even if the weather may not be. Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported that there remains a 60 percent "no-go" tomorrow, but an improving 40 percent "no-go" during Wednesday's window.

Launch preparations continue on schedule, heading toward an 8 a.m. EDT liftoff tomorrow. Overnight at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B, technicians installed the flight door on the fifth segment simulator. This morning, the sound suppression water system tank at the pad was filled with 300,000 gallons of water.

Launch preparations also are under way a few miles from the pad in the Launch Control Center's Young-Crippen Firing Room. In addition, at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Mission Director’s Center, the Launch Vehicle Data Center and the telemetry lab are being configured for launch.

The launch team's "call to stations" will come at 12:30 a.m. tomorrow, with the seven-hour countdown beginning at 1 a.m.

Astronauts to Fly Amelia Earhart Watch, Scarf

Along with the obvious thrill of launching into space, astronaut Shannon Walker's flight to the space station next year will hold a sentimental and historical significance. Flying alongside Walker will be the watch of Amelia Earhart, the legendary aviator who was the first woman to fly as a passenger across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart later became the first woman to pilot a plane across that same ocean in a solo flight.

Earhart was one of the first female pilots best known for her two trans Atlantic flights. She was also a charter member and the first president of The Ninety-Nines, an international organization of licensed women pilots from 35 countries that has more than 5,500 members worldwide. While there are other female pilot organizations in various states and countries, nearly all women of achievement in aviation are past or current members of The Ninety-Nines. Walker is among those women.

Earhart wore the watch during her two trans Atlantic flights, “one as a passenger and one as a solo flight,” said Joan Kerwin, director of The Ninety-Nines and member for 39 years.

When asked how she feels about the watch flying into space, Kerwin described it as “kind of scary in a way and Amelia is such an icon with women in aviation and now with women in space. We are thrilled that Shannon is a Ninety-Nine and will be taking Amelia into space with her.”

Kerwin presented the watch to Walker at Ellington Field in Houston on Oct. 22.

H. Gordon Selfridge, Jr. gave Earhart a watch in one of his shops in America. In return, she gave him the watch she wore on her two trans Atlantic flights.

“Shortly after Amelia disappeared the watch was given (by H. Gordon Selfridge, Jr.) to Fay Gillis Wells, a charter member of The Ninety-Nines, and she kept it in her Washington, D.C., apartment until she founded the Forest of Friendship to honor other individuals in aviation. She needed funds for the Forest of Friendship in Amelia’s hometown of Atchison, Kan., so the watch was auctioned off,” said Kerwin, who bought the watch at the auction.

“She is a fascinating lady,” Walker said in regard to Earhart.

A licensed pilot since 1995, Walker learned to fly in a Cessna 150. Her grandmother served as an air traffic controller at William P. Hobby airport in Houston and had a private pilot’s license. Walker’s mother was also a pilot.

“One thing I really like about flying is that it is an activity that my mother and I can do together,” Walker said. “There is something quite special about getting into a plane with my mother and going somewhere.”

Walker said “it was something that I had wanted to do for a long time,” regarding her inspiration to become a pilot.

At age 30 Walker flew her first solo flight which was “the required short flight as part of pilot training.” Earhart was 24 years old when she flew her first solo flight in 1921.

Recognizing the significance of Earhart’s watch going into space with her, Walker says she is “very excited and honored to fly the watch” and hopes “that by flying the watch people will become interested in the continuing story of women in aviation, and perhaps draw some new pilots to the field.”

Walker shares some words of inspiration for women in aviation: “If you work hard, the things to which you aspire can happen. Flying gives me a tremendous sense of freedom and I hope that anyone who wishes to learn has the opportunity to do so.”

Along with the watch, another personal belonging of Earhart’s will soon fly into space. Astronaut Randy Bresnik, grandson of Earhart’s only authorized photographer, will take a scarf of Amelia’s with him aboard space shuttle Atlantis as part of STS-129, scheduled to launch in November 2009.

Once the watch comes back to Earth from being in orbit with Walker next year it will be put on display in The Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots in Oklahoma City.

NASA App Now Available from App Store

The NASA App for the iPhone and iPod touch is now available free of charge on the Apple App Store. The NASA App delivers a wealth of NASA's mission information, videos, images and news updates to people's fingertips.

"Making NASA more accessible to the public is a high priority for the agency," said Gale Allen, director of Strategic Integration and Management for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. "Tools like this allow us to provide users easy access to NASA information and progress at a fast pace."

The NASA App collects, customizes and delivers an extensive selection of dynamically updated information, images and videos from various online NASA sources. Users can access NASA countdown clocks, the NASA Image of the Day, Astronomy Image of the Day, online videos, NASA's many Twitter feeds and other information in a convenient mobile package. It delivers NASA content in a clear and intuitive way by making full use of the iPhone and iPod touch features, including the Multi-Touch user interface. The New Media Team at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., developed the application.

The NASA App also allows users to track the current positions of the International Space Station and other spacecraft currently orbiting Earth in three views: a map with borders and labels, visible satellite imagery, or satellite overlaid with country borders and labels.

"We're excited to deliver a wide range of up-to-the-minute NASA content to iPhone and iPod touch users," said Gary Martin, director of the New Ventures and Communications Directorate at Ames. "The NASA App provides an easy and interesting way for the public to experience space exploration."

Expedition 21 Busy With Science and Exercise Activities

Numerous science activities were underway Friday including setting up and photographing experiments. The station residents also exercised throughout the day on the treadmill and advanced resistive exercise device.

Cosmonauts Maxim Suraev and Roman Romanenko worked together on the Russian experiment PILOT-M, which tests piloting skills in conjunction with the stress factors of long duration spaceflight. Romanenko wore an electrode cap during the experiment while Suraev assisted him and photographed activities.

An ultrasound analyzer was used to measure the background environment of the treadmill vibration isolation system (TVIS). The TVIS was powered up with Romanenko exercising on it for the measurement.

Canadian astronaut and Flight Engineer Robert Thirsk replaced a rope on the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED). The ARED provides strength training and a countermeasure to the long-term effects of spaceflight.

Flight Engineers Nicole Stott and Jeff Williams worked with the U. S. spacesuits preparing tools then terminating the scrubbing process which cleans carbon dioxide from the suits. Three spacewalks are planned from the U.S. Quest airlock when space shuttle Atlantis arrives at the station in November.

Commander Frank De Winne set up equipment then participated in a ham radio session with students in Nova Scotia, Canada. From inside the Columbus module, the commander also spoke to the International Conference on Human Space Exploration in Prague, Czech Republic.

Undergrad Proposal Deadline Nears for NASA Reduced Gravity Flights

The deadline is fast-approaching for undergraduate students to submit their team proposals to NASA's Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program. Proposals must be received by 11:59 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, Oct. 28.

NASA's Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program gives aspiring explorers a chance to propose, design and fabricate a reduced gravity experiment. Selected teams will get to test and evaluate their experiment aboard a modified Boeing 727 jetliner provided by the Zero-Gravity Corporation of Las Vegas. Zero-Gravity Corporation will conduct the flights in cooperation with the Reduced Gravity Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The aircraft will fly approximately 30 roller-coaster-like climbs and dips during experiment flights to produce periods of weightlessness and hyper-gravity ranging from 0 g to 2 g.

"Today's students will be conducting tomorrow's space exploration," said Douglas Goforth, the program manager at Johnson. "Conducting a hands-on research and engineering project in a truly reduced gravity laboratory gives students a head start in preparing for those future ventures."

All applicants must be full-time students, U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old. NASA will announce selected teams Dec. 9. Teams will fly in the summer of 2010. Selected teams also may invite a full-time, accredited journalist to fly with them and document the team's experiment and experiences.

Through this program, NASA continues its tradition of investing in the nation's education programs. It is directly tied to the agency's education goal of strengthening NASA and the nation's future workforce. Through this and other college and university programs, NASA will identify and develop the critical science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills and capabilities needed to carry out its space exploration mission.

NASA Sets Ares I-X Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details

News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are set for the upcoming Ares I-X flight test. The rocket is targeted to lift off at 8 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The launch will be carried live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's Web site.

A launch day blog will update the countdown beginning at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch.

ARES I-X BRIEFING AND EVENTS SCHEDULE

L-4 Days - Friday, Oct. 23
5 p.m. (time approximate): Flight Test Readiness Review news conference

L-2 Days - Sunday, Oct. 25
10 a.m. - Launch Status Briefing
- Jeff Spaulding, NASA test director, Kennedy
- Kathy Winters, weather officer
12 p.m. - Media Briefing (not televised)
- Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager
- Ed Mango, Ares I-X launch director
1 p.m. - Ares I-X 101 Briefing (not televised)
- Steve Davis, Ares I-X deputy mission manager

L-1 Day - Monday, Oct. 26
10 a.m. (approximately) - Ares I-X Launch Readiness news conference
- Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager
- Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager
- Ed Mango, Ares I-X launch director
- Kathy Winters, weather officer
9 p.m. - Ares I-X rocket photo opportunity (not televised)

Launch Day - Tuesday, Oct. 27
1 a.m. - Launch countdown officially begins (not televised)
5 a.m. - Live launch commentary begins on NASA TV
8 a.m. - Launch

Launch + 2 hours - Post-launch news conference
- Doug Cooke, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
- Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager
- Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager
- Ed Mango, Ares I-X launch director

Countdown Highlights
T-7 hours
- First weather balloon is launched to collect atmospheric thermal properties
T-4 hours, 30 minutes
- Technicians remove the external environmental control systems that provide cool airflow to the vehicle
- Onboard navigation unit begins system alignment
- Additional subsystems complete testing and remain powered on
First stage avionics module access platform is retracted
T-3 hours, 30 minutes
- Six additional weather balloons begin to launch to evaluate if the conditions are suitable for flight
T-3 hours
- Fault tolerant inertial navigation unit completes alignment and begins navigation testing
T-2 hours, 30 minutes
- C-band beacon transponder is powered up and tested with the range
- Range safety system verification walk down is completed
- Auxiliary power unit is verified for system health
T-2 hours
- Vehicle stabilization system is retracted and secured
- Ground control station system begins monitoring for commands from the Launch Control Center
- Sound suppression water control is transferred to the ground control station
- Video, operational flight instrumentation and developmental flight instrumentation are checked
T-1 hour, 45 minutes
- Safety personnel begin the process of securing launch pad
T-1 hour, 15 minutes
- Ground command, control and communication initiates launch commit criteria monitoring
- Developmental flight instrumentation covers are removed
- Fault tolerant inertial navigation unit executes final alignment after the vehicle stabilization system is retracted
T-1 hour
- All personnel depart Launch Pad 39B for the safe haven
- Range verifies all "go/no-go" interfaces
T-43 minutes
- Flight termination system is activated and set to safe
T-30 minutes
- Developmental flight instrumentation, with the exception of cameras, are powered on and recording
T-4 minutes, built-in hold
- Enter 10-minute built-in hold (vehicle can remain in this hold status for up to four hours)
- Six video cameras and low power transmitters are powered up
- Telemetry is verified, and readiness for launch is established
- Range safety issues cleared for launch
- Countdown clock initiates automated count
T-3 minutes, 55 seconds and counting
- Sound suppression system is verified for pressure, water tank level and power
- Flight termination system and solid rocket motor ignition are set to arm
- Power to avionics cooling fans is terminated
- Onboard data recorder begins taking data
T-1 minute, 40 seconds
- Flight control system is enabled and prepared for flight
- Inertial measurement subsystem executes final alignment
T-1 minute, 20 seconds
- Flight control system receives the start count
- Signal is sent to the operational flight instrumentation and developmental flight instrumentation data streams to synchronize
T-35 seconds
- Flight control system transfers from alignment to navigation mode
- Inertial and navigation data are verified for accuracy
- Auxiliary power unit start sequence is initiated
T-21 seconds
- Reusable solid rocket motor thrust vector control gimbal test performed by rocking and tilting each axis approximately 1.5 degrees
T-16 seconds
- Ground control station issues commands for sound suppression, opening the valves to flood the mobile launch platform with water (At its peak, water will flow at a rate of 900,000 gallons per minute.)
T-0, liftoff
- Reusable solid rocket motors ignite, and hold-down bolts fire

Kennedy News Center office hours for Ares I-X
Times may be adjusted depending on events
Friday, Oct. 23 --- (Launch minus 4 days) --- 8 a.m. until one hour after Flight Test Readiness Review news conference
Saturday, Oct. 24 --- (Launch minus 3 days) --- closed
Sunday, Oct. 25 --- (Launch minus 2 days) --- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 26 --- (Launch minus 1 day) --- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27 --- (Launch) --- 4 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Media Badging Schedule
News media representatives may obtain Ares I-X flight test credentials from the Kennedy Space Center Pass and Identification Office on State Road 3. Office hours of operation are:
Friday, Oct. 23 --- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24 --- closed
Sunday, Oct. 25 --- 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 26 --- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27 --- 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Journalists are required to be under NASA Public Affairs escort at all times while at Kennedy Space Center, except when at the news center or the Complex 39 cafeteria. No photography is allowed anywhere other than the press site unless prior permission is granted by NASA Public Affairs.

Journalists are allowed at the press site only when Public Affairs personnel are on duty and the NASA news center is open.

Official Launch Date Selected for the launch of Ares I-X

Following today's Ares I-X Flight Test Readiness Review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managers announced Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. as the launch date for the new rocket's flight test.

Doug Cooke, associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, said the group was unanimous in their assessment that with no technical issues, they are ready to go.

During a news conference following the review meeting, Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager, described today as the culmination of their review cycle and said, "We're good to fly next week."

"It's great to be part of a team that put a rocket together in the time it took," said Ed Mango, Ares I-X launch director. "The team is ready to go fly; the vehicle is ready to go fly."

A few miles away at Launch Pad 39B, technicians have been conducting a second day of integrated systems tests. Today's checkouts involve the launch pad and ground systems, and ground support equipment.

On Thursday, the rocket was fully tested, including a successful "hot fire" of the auxiliary power units. The rotating service structure was opened in the afternoon and will be moved back into place after an evening test of the Xenon lights is completed tonight.

A countdown simulation with full launch team support is set for Saturday, with vehicle closeouts scheduled for Sunday. Launch countdown preparations will begin on Monday, with the countdown starting at L-7 hours at 1 a.m. on Tuesday. At this point, launch weather is 40 percent "go" for Tuesday.

Shuttle Preps Continue; Crew Review Spacewalk Techniques

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A are progressing with hypergolic loading of various systems in space shuttle Atlantis. They finished filling storage tanks in the orbital maneuvering system, which are the steering jets on the shuttle and the reaction control system. Today, loading of the auxiliary power units will take place.

During the weekend, pad techs will perform hypergolic load cleaning before starting final checks of Atlantis' aft, or back, section planned for next week.

Today, the six STS-129 crew members will review spacewalking procedures and timelines at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The agency's Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, for the STS-129 mission is set for Oct. 29 at Kennedy. Afterward, NASA will announce an official launch date and broadcast a post-meeting briefing on NASA TV.

NASA Sponsors Women in Astronomy and Space Science 2009 Conference

Space science research institutions have traditionally been populated by a strong male workforce, but this structure is rapidly changing. Today’s workforce is much more diverse with individuals from various cultures and backgrounds, a higher percentage of women, and in many cases, up to six generations in the same workplace.

Both management and employees are in need of tools to help them understand where they are headed and how to get there successfully together. To help meet these challenges, the "Women in Astronomy and Space Science 2009: Meeting the Challenges of an Increasingly Diverse Workforce," conference is being held on Oct. 21-23, 2009, at the Inn and Conference Center, University of Maryland University College, Adelphi, Md.

"NASA has a high concentration of dedicated scientists," stated Anne Kinney, Director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "The goal of this conference is to foster diversity and help build a stronger workforce in science, engineering and technology which will open doors for everyone."

This three-day conference highlights the diversity of today’s scientific professions by establishing the statistics of the current workforce and defining the roles of institutions and professional societies in preparing future scientists to succeed in their chosen fields. Discussions will provide strategies for fostering a successful work environment, allowing both managers and employees to explore pertinent topics including management best practices, early career needs, work/life balance, and managing future expectations.

Professional societies, institutions and organized groups have always played an important part in improving the status of women and minorities in the scientific workforce. Topics presented include best practices for recruiting, promoting, mentoring, and retaining women and minorities in majority-dominated fields. Speakers will share their personal route to careers in areas such as international development, science management, non-profit organizations, and aerospace administration and answer questions.

Opening day remarks will be presented by Anne Kinney, Director of the Solar Exploration Division at NASA Goddard, and the keynote welcome by Ed Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington.

The keynote address will be presented on the final day of the conference by Congresswoman Donna Edwards, and a panel discussion, "What It Takes to Become a Principal Investigator, Project Scientist, or Instrument Scientist," will be chaired by Nobel laureate and NASA Senior Astrophysicist John Mather of NASA Goddard.

A tour of the White House will cap off this exciting conference with a discussion with Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls. The discussion will focus on women in science, engineering, technology and math and where they are headed in future.

In conjunction with the Women in Astronomy (WIA) and Space Science 2009 Conference, a professional skills development COACH workshop was held on Tuesday, October 20. The participants learned negotiation skills through interactive means including case studies, personal assessments, and role-playing.

Pine Island Bay

The DC-8 makes a turn over Pine Island Bay on Oct. 20, 2009, as it heads back up the glacier for another mapping run during Operation Ice Bridge's third science flight. Credit: NASA/Jane Peterson, NSERC

Icebergs in Pine Island Bay

After breaking away from Pine Island Glacier, ice is set adrift in Pine Island Bay. The icebergs were visible from the DC-8 during the Operation Ice Bridge science flight on Oct. 20, 2009, to map the glacier.

Enigmatic Titan

Titan’s golden, smog-like atmosphere and complex layered hazes appear to Cassini as a luminous ring around the planet-sized moon. The world beneath that haze has become slightly less mysterious under the gaze of Cassini and its Huygens probe, but many new discoveries await.

This mosaic view of Titan represents "Target 3" in the fall 2009 edition of the Cassini Scientist for a Day contest. The contest is designed to give students a taste of life as a scientist by challenging them to write an essay describing the value of one target choice among three for Cassini to image.

Images taken using red, blue and green spectral filters were combined to create this color view. Six images – two sets of three colors – were combined to create the mosaic. The images were acquired with the Cassini wide-angle camera on Oct. 12, 2009 at a distance of 145,000 kilometers (90,000 miles) from Titan.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

Building an Original

Platforms surround the Ares I-X in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building before it was moved to the launch pad on Oct. 20, 2009. Closer in height to the hulking Saturn V moon rockets than the space shuttle, Ares I-X looks unlike any rocket that's ever stood at Launch Complex 39. But it blends familiar hardware from existing programs with newly developed components.

Four first-stage, solid-fuel booster segments are derived from the Space Shuttle Program. A simulated fifth booster segment contains Atlas-V-based avionics, and the rocket's roll control system comes from the Peacekeeper missile. The launch abort system, simulated crew and service modules, upper stage, and various connecting structures all are original.

NASA's Fermi Telescope Celebrates First Year of Gamma-Ray Science

NASA will hold a news briefing at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 29, to discuss the first-year science results from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The briefing will be held in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. S.W., in Washington. It will be carried live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's Web site.

Fermi studies gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light. Findings discussed will include measurements relevant to the search for new theories of gravity.

The panelists are:
- Jon Morse, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters
- Julie McEnery, Fermi project scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
- Peter Michelson, Fermi Large Area Telescope principal investigator, Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
- Robert Kirshner, professor of astronomy, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.
- Mario Livio, astrophysicist, Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore

Galaxy Cluster Smashes Distance Record

The most distant galaxy cluster yet has been discovered by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical and infrared telescopes. The cluster is located about 10.2 billion light years away, and is observed as it was when the Universe was only about a quarter of its present age.

The galaxy cluster, known as JKCS041, beats the previous record holder by about a billion light years. Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound objects in the Universe. Finding such a large structure at this very early epoch can reveal important information about how the Universe evolved at this crucial stage.

JKCS041 is found at the cusp of when scientists think galaxy clusters can exist in the early Universe based on how long it should take for them to assemble. Therefore, studying its characteristics -- such as composition, mass, and temperature -- will reveal more about how the Universe took shape.

"This object is close to the distance limit expected for a galaxy cluster," said Stefano Andreon of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Milan, Italy. "We don't think gravity can work fast enough to make galaxy clusters much earlier."

Distant galaxy clusters are often detected first with optical and infrared observations that reveal their component galaxies dominated by old, red stars. JKCS041 was originally detected in 2006 in a survey from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). The distance to the cluster was then determined from optical and infrared observations from UKIRT, the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope in Hawaii and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Infrared observations are important because the optical light from the galaxies at large distances is shifted into infrared wavelengths because of the expansion of the universe.

The Chandra data were the final - but crucial - piece of evidence as they showed that JKCS041 was, indeed, a genuine galaxy cluster. The extended X-ray emission seen by Chandra shows that hot gas has been detected between the galaxies, as expected for a true galaxy cluster rather than one that has been caught in the act of forming.

Also, without the X-ray observations, the possibility remained that this object could have been a blend of different groups of galaxies along the line of sight, or a filament, a long stream of galaxies and gas, viewed front on. The mass and temperature of the hot gas detected estimated from the Chandra observations rule out both of those alternatives.

The extent and shape of the X-ray emission, along with the lack of a central radio source argue against the possibility that the X-ray emission is caused by scattering of cosmic microwave background light by particles emitting radio waves.

It is not yet possible, with the detection of just one extremely distant galaxy cluster, to test cosmological models, but searches are underway to find other galaxy clusters at extreme distances.

"This discovery is exciting because it is like finding a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil that is much older than any other known," said co-author Ben Maughan, from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. "One fossil might just fit in with our understanding of dinosaurs, but if you found many more, you would have to start rethinking how dinosaurs evolved. The same is true for galaxy clusters and our understanding of cosmology."

The previous record holder for a galaxy cluster was 9.2 billion light years away, XMMXCS J2215.9-1738, discovered by ESA's XMM-Newton in 2006. This broke the previous distance record by only about 0.1 billion light years, while JKCS041 surpasses XMMXCS J2215.9 by about ten times that.

"What's exciting about this discovery is the astrophysics that can be done with detailed follow-up studies," said Andreon.

Among the questions scientists hope to address by further studying JKCS041 are: What is the build-up of elements (such as iron) like in such a young object? Are there signs that the cluster is still forming? Do the temperature and X-ray brightness of such a distant cluster relate to its mass in the same simple way as they do for nearby clusters?

The paper describing the results on JKCS041 from Andreon and his colleagues will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls Chandra's science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass.

Ares I-X Undergoes Testing at the Pad

Technicians at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B continue preparing the Ares I-X test launch vehicle for its targeted liftoff on Oct. 27.

On Thursday, technicians conducted a full test of the rocket, including a "hot fire" of the auxiliary power units as part of the integrated systems test. The rotating service structure was opened at midday and will be moved back into place after an evening test of the Xenon lights is completed tonight.

Also today, the Ares I-X Flight Test Readiness Review will be held at Kennedy, which is expected to include the selection of an official launch date. At the launch pad, technicians will test the launch pad and ground systems, and ground support equipment.

A launch countdown simulation is set for Saturday, with vehicle closeouts scheduled for Sunday.

Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X
Targeted Launch Date: Oct. 27
Launch Window: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39B
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

NASA's first flight test for the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system, called Ares I-X, will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals. The flight test will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

Hypergolics Loading Scheduled Today

Launch Pad 39A has been cleared of personnel today so oxidizers can be loaded into the orbital maneuvering system and reaction control system tanks on space shuttle Atlantis. The OMS and RCS are thruster systems used predominantly to steer the shuttle in space. The OMS engines are used to slow the shuttle down before it enters the atmosphere for landing.

Both of the units use hypergolic propellants, which are chemicals that burn on their own when they come in contact with each other. That is different from the oxygen and hydrogen mixture that fuels the shuttle's three main engines at launch.

Atlantis is being prepared for a launch targeted for Nov. 16 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The astronauts continue practicing their launch routine, as well. They are rehearsing ascent procedures during part of the day in the motion base simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA Researchers Explore Lightning's NOx-ious Impact on Pollution, Climate

Every year, scientists learn something new about the inner workings of lightning.

With satellites, they have discovered that more than 1.2 billion lightning flashes occur around the world every year. (Rwanda has the most flashes per square kilometer, while flashes are rare in polar regions.) Laboratory and field experiments have revealed that the core of some lightning bolts reaches 30,000 Kelvin (53,540 ºF), a temperature hot enough to instantly melt sand and break oxygen and nitrogen molecules into individual atoms.

And then there is this: each of those billion lightning flashes produces a puff of nitrogen oxide gas (NO_x) that reacts with sunlight and other gases in the atmosphere to produce ozone. Near Earth’s surface, ozone can harm human and plant health; higher in the atmosphere, it is a potent greenhouse gas; and in the stratosphere, its blocks cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

In 1827, the German chemist Justin von Liebig first observed that lightning produced NO_x—scientific shorthand for a gaseous mixture of nitrogen and oxygen that includes nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Nearly two centuries later, the topic continues to attract the attention of scientists.

Fossil fuel combustion, microbes in the soil, lightning, and forest fires all produce NO_x. Scientists think lightning's contribution to Earth's NO_x budget—probably about 10 percent—is relatively small compared to fossil fuel emissions. Yet they haven't been sure whether global estimates of NO_x produced by lightning are accurate.

"There's still a lot of uncertainty about how much NO_x lightning produces," said Kenneth Pickering, an atmospheric scientist who studies lightning at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Indeed, even recent published estimates of lightning's global NO_x production still vary by as much as a factor of four. We're trying to narrow that uncertainty in order to improve the accuracy of both global climate models and regional air quality models."

Using data gleaned from aircraft observations and satellites, Pickering and Goddard colleague Lesley Ott recently took steps toward a better global estimate of lightning-produced NO_x and found that lightning may have a considerably stronger impact on the climate in the mid-latitudes and subtropics—and less on surface air quality—than previously thought.

According to a new paper by Ott and Pickering in the Journal of Geophysical Research, each flash of lightning on average in the several mid-latitude and subtropical thunderstorms studied turned 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) of nitrogen into chemically reactive NO_x. "In other words, you could drive a new car across the United States more than 50 times and still produce less than half as much NO_x as an average lightning flash," Ott estimated. The results were published July.

When the researchers multiplied the number of lightning strokes worldwide by 7 kilograms, they found that the total amount of NO_x produced by lightning per year is 8.6 terragrams, or 8.6 million metric tons. "That's somewhat high compared to previous estimates," said Pickering.

More remarkable than the number, however, is where the NO_x is produced. A decade ago, many researchers believed cloud-to-ground lightning produced far more NO_x per flash than intracloud lightning, which occurs within a cloud and far higher in the atmosphere.

The new evidence suggests that the two types of lightning produce approximately the same amount of NO_x per flash on average. But since most lightning is intracloud, this suggests a great deal more NO_x is produced and remains higher in the atmosphere. Compounding this effect, the research also shows that strong updrafts within thunderstorms help transfer lower level NO_x to higher altitudes in the atmosphere.

"We've really started to question some of our old assumptions as we've gotten better at measuring lightning in the field," said Ott.

The observations spring out of field projects conducted in Germany, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, and Oklahoma between 1985 and 2002. For example, in a NASA field campaign called the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers Florida – Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE) aircraft flew headlong through anvil-shaped thunderheads to measure the anatomy of the thunderstorms. Sensors sampled the pressure, humidity, temperature, wind, and the amount of trace gases such as NO_x and ozone.

Later, Ott input this data, as well as additional data from the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network and NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), into a complex computer model that simulated the six storms and calculated the amount of NO_x that the average flash of lightning produced. With that number, she could then estimate the amount of NO_x that lightning produces globally each year.

"One of the things we’re trying to understand is how much ozone changes caused by lightning affect radiative forcing, and how that might translate into climate impacts," said Pickering.

There's a possibility that lightning could produce a feedback cycle that accelerates global warming. "If a warming globe creates more thunderstorms," Pickering noted, "that could lead to more NO_x production, which leads to more ozone, more radiative forcing, and more warming," Pickering emphasizes that this is a theory, and while some global modeling studies suggest this is indeed the case, it has not yet been borne out by field observations.

The new findings also have implications for regional air quality models. Scientists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for example, are already plugging the new numbers into a widely-used air quality model called the Community Multi-scale Air Quality Model. "Lightning is one of the smaller factors for surface ozone levels, but in some cases a surge of ozone formed from lightning NO_x could be enough to put a community out of compliance with EPA air quality standards during certain times of the year," said Pickering.

Pickering offered one important caveat to the findings: The value of 7 kilograms per flash was derived without consideration of lightning from storms in the tropics, where most of the Earth’s lightning occurs. Only very recently have data become available for tropical regions, he noted.

John McTigue, Betty Love Honored as Eagles

Retired long-time NASA Dryden Flight Research Center employees John McTigue and Betty Love were among four individuals honored as 2009 Eagles by the Flight Test Historical Foundation during the group's annual Gathering of Eagles event Oct. 16. The foundation supports operation and improvements to the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards Air Force Base.

This year's Gathering of Eagles, held at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster, Calif., focused on the 50th anniversary of the X-15 rocket plane's first glide and powered flights.

After serving as project engineer of X-15 number three during his earlier years at NASA Dryden, McTigue went on to become the Deputy Director of Flight Operations and then Chief of the Flight Support Division at Dryden, then under the management of NASA's Ames Research Center. His well-earned reputation as an engineer and manager perched him perfectly as a 2009 Eagle.

Love began her NASA career as a human computer, preparing and reducing flight data on research projects over two decades from the X-1 to the X-15 eras. Her well-known "can do" attitude and encouragement to others during her working years, as well as her dedication to voluntarily supporting Dryden's history office to ensure accurate documentation of Dryden's illustrious history in recent years, earned her the well-deserved honor as an Eagle of the foundation.

Also honored as 2009 Eagles during the event were retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert White, a former X-15 pilot and Air Force Flight Test Center commander, and retired flight test engineer Robert Hoey, who supervised mission planning and data analysis for many Air Force / NASA X-15 flights.

NASA Selects 18 University Proposals for Steckler Space Grants

NASA has chosen 18 proposals from universities around the country to receive up to $70,000 for Phase One of the NASA Ralph Steckler Space Grant Colonization Research and Technology Development Opportunity.

Grant money will support university research and technology development activities that support a sustained human presence in space, increase understanding of the moon's environment and develop basic infrastructure for future space colonies.

"I'm excited that many of the awards will provide a dual benefit to exploration and to Earth conservation by focusing on important issues such as water recycling, food production and power storage," said Frank Prochaska, manager of the Steckler Space Grant Project at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA selected two proposals from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and the University of Arizona in Tucson and one proposal from each of the following academic institutions:

• Desert Research Institute in Reno
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge
• Montana State University in Bozeman
• New Mexico State University in Las Cruces
• Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland
• Old Dominion University Research Foundation in Norfolk, Va.
• Pennsylvania State University in University Park
• Texas Tech University System in Lubbock
• University of California in San Diego
• University of Central Florida in Orlando
• University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn.
• University of Idaho in Moscow
• University of North Texas in Denton
• University of Wisconsin in Green Bay

The projects selected to receive Steckler Space Grants will be implemented through three funding and development phases. Phase One will last nine months with a maximum award up to $70,000. The purpose of Phase One is to establish the scientific and technical merit and feasibility of a proposed innovation, research, or technology development effort that could enable space colonization or settlement. Primary exploration elements include habitation, rovers, surface power, communications and extravehicular activity systems.

Phase Two, which lasts two years, will provide a maximum of $250,000 each to four of the most promising Phase One projects through a competitive selection based on scientific and technical merit. The purpose of Phase Two is to begin conducting the research and technology development effort. Two awards of up to $275,000 each will be given for the third phase, also two years, during which time the Phase Two efforts will be integrated with NASA programs or projects.

NASA received 35 proposals. The agency released the cooperative agreement notice inviting lead institutions of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to submit proposals for these grants in November 2008. The Space Grant national network includes more than 850 affiliates from universities, colleges, industry, museums, science centers, and state and local agencies supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research and public outreach efforts for NASA's aeronautics and space projects. These affiliates belong to one of 52 consortia in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Ralph Steckler was an assistant film director and photographer from southern California who had a lifelong interest in space colonization. He left part of his estate to NASA for the colonization of space and the betterment of mankind. Those funds are now providing universities with NASA research opportunities based on his vision.

With this program and NASA's other college and university programs, the agency continues its tradition of investing in the nation's education programs with the goal of developing science, technology, engineering and math skills and capabilities critical to achieving the nations' exploration goals.

NASA Announces Global Climate Change Education Awards

NASA has awarded $6.1 million in cooperative agreements to 15 organizations across the United States to enhance learning through the use of NASA's Earth Science resources. The selected organizations include colleges and universities, nonprofit groups, museums, science centers and a school district.

The winning proposals illustrated innovative approaches to using NASA content to support elementary, secondary and undergraduate teaching and learning, and through lifelong learning. There is a particular emphasis on engaging students using NASA Earth observation data and Earth system models.

Each cooperative agreement is expected to leverage NASA's unique contributions in climate and Earth system science. These grants support NASA's goal of engaging students in the critical disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and inspiring the next generation of explorers.

The 15 proposals will fund organizations in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Dakota, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Winning proposals were selected through a merit-based, peer-reviewed competition. The awards have up to a three-year period of performance and range in value from about $170,000 to $650,000.

NASA to Hold News Conference about Next Space Shuttle Launch

NASA has scheduled a news conference for approximately 6 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 29, to discuss the status of the next space shuttle launch. The news conference, originating from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will begin after the conclusion of the Flight Readiness Review. The review will assess preparations for shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station.

The review is expected to include the selection of an official launch date. Atlantis currently is targeted to launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16.

The briefing participants are:

- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- John Shannon, manager, Space Shuttle Program, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston
- Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director, Kennedy

NASA Television and the agency's Web site will broadcast the briefing live. Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations and should contact their preferred NASA center to confirm its participation.

STS-129 Crew Returns to JSC

After two days of prelaunch mission practice at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the six STS-129 mission astronauts returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. There, they will continue their training and perform customary housekeeping projects for Atlantis' upcoming flight to the International Space Station.

The crew members are scheduled to return to Kennedy to complete the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, on Nov. 2 and 3. At that time, they will participate in a full launch countdown exercise, safety briefings and payload bay walkdown.

Meanwhile at Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, technicians continue to check systems to verify there was no damage to the space shuttle from a lightning strike at the pad last week. So far no damage has been found.

Also at the pad today, workers are testing the solid rocket booster hydraulic system and completing the shuttle interface test -- which means confirming the various components and connections are "talking" to each other.

The agency's Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, for the STS-129 mission is set for Oct. 29 at Kennedy. Afterward, NASA will announce an official launch date and broadcast a post-meeting briefing on NASA TV.

70th Anniversary

NASA's Ames Research Center employees formed a "70" in commemoration of the center's platinum anniversary.

Lunar Regolith Challenge

Nineteen teams pushed their robot competitors to the limit, and three teams claimed a total of $750,000 in NASA prizes at this year's Regolith Excavation Challenge on Oct. 17-18. This is the first time in the competition's three-year history that any team qualified for a cash prize, the largest NASA has awarded to date.

After two days of intense competition hosted at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., organizers conferred first place prize of $500,000 to Paul's Robotics of Worcester, Mass. Terra Engineering of Gardena, Calif., was a three-time returning competitor and was awarded second place prize of $150,000, and Team Braundo of Rancho Palos Verde, Calif., took the third place of $100,000 as a first-time competitor.

Competitors were required to use mobile, robotic digging machines capable of excavating at least 330 pounds of simulated moon dirt, known as regolith, and depositing it into a container in 30 minutes or less. The rules required the remotely controlled vehicles to contain their own power sources and weigh no more than 176 pounds.

The winning excavator lifted 1,103 pounds within the allotted time. Runners-up excavated 595 pounds and 580 pounds, respectively. Team E-REX of Little Rock, Ark., earned a special mention for transferring the most regolith in a single deposit -- 165 pounds.

Shown here is the Braundo Rancho excavator digging up simulated lunar dust, known as regolith.