Houston February 12, 2007 - An unexpected circuit breaker trip early Sunday caused a power outage on the International Space Station. All systems were back up by Monday morning with no impact to operations on board. The safety of the Expedition 14 crew and the complex was never an issue.

The first indications of a problem came with the loss of communications between the station and mission control. Just after 12:00 a.m. CST Sunday when an electrical switching unit experienced a brief malfunction that appropriately caused a breaker to trip, protecting the electrical system of the station much like a circuit breaker protects electrical systems and equipment in a home.

Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Suni Williams -- awake since mid-evening Saturday -- took immediate action and followed procedures on board to recover the communications link with mission control, Houston, at about 1:35 a.m.

During the remainder of Sunday and through early Monday, restoration of systems continued.

The systems affected included:

• One of two redundant communications systems
• One of four gyroscopes used to maintain the station's position, or orientation
• Several scientific facilities, including the freezer containing experiment samples
• The Ku Band high data rate and television system
• Several smoke detectors and various heaters that maintain a thermal balance of external components, including the robotic arm and its mobile base

None of these systems was permanently affected, and the equipment's temporary shut down did not impact research work or upcoming planned activities.

In addition to the recovery from the power outage, the crew also began early preparations for the next spacewalk by Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria. During that spacewalk scheduled for Feb. 22, the two will free a stuck antenna on the ISS Progress 23 supply craft and survey navigation systems for the European Automated Transfer Vehicle's docking capability to the Zvezda Service Module. They will try to secure or remove the antenna to preclude any interference during undocking in April. The spacewalk will be the 10th for Lopez-Alegria, which will be a US astronaut record. The two will wear Russian Orlan suits for the excursion out of the Pirs docking compartment.

Washington February 12, 2007 - NASA and its international partners have named the crews that will live and work aboard the International Space Station for the next two years. The crewmembers make up three expeditions to the station and represent four space agencies.

The assignments include the first long-duration station flight for a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut and the second long-duration station flight for an astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA). The JAXA and ESA astronauts will work on the installation and checkout of the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo and European Columbus laboratories on the station.

NASA astronaut and veteran station crewmember Peggy A. Whitson will command Expedition 16, set to begin in fall 2007. The flight engineers for the mission include cosmonaut and Russian Air Force Col. Yuri I. Malenchenko, ESA astronaut and French Air Force Brig. Gen. Leopold Eyharts and NASA astronaut Garrett E. Reisman.

• Malenchenko will command the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that will carry him and Whitson to the station and return them to Earth in spring 2008. They will join NASA astronaut Daniel M. Tani aboard the station.
• Eyharts will fly to the station on space shuttle mission STS-122, which is expected to deliver the Columbus lab this fall. Eyharts will remain on the station to oversee activation and checkout of the laboratory, while Tani takes the shuttle home.
• Reisman will fly on shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission to replace Eyharts. Reisman will remain on the station for about six months and return on shuttle mission STS-119, targeted for summer 2008.

Russian Air Force Lt. Col. Sergei Volkov will command Expedition 17. Expedition 17 flight engineers include cosmonaut Oleg D. Kononenko and NASA astronaut Sandra H. Magnus.

• Kononenko will command the Soyuz spacecraft that will carry him and Volkov to the station in spring 2008 and bring them home in fall 2008.
• Magnus will arrive on STS-119 and remain aboard the station. Magnus will return on the STS-126 mission targeted for summer 2008.

NASA astronaut and station veteran Air Force Lt. Col. E. Michael Fincke will command Expedition 18. Expedition 18 flight engineers include cosmonaut and veteran station crewmember Russian Air Force Col. Salizhan S. Sharipov, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata and NASA astronaut Gregory E. Chamitoff.

• Sharipov will command the Soyuz that will carry him and Fincke to the station in fall 2008 and back to Earth in spring 2009.
• Wakata will fly to the station on STS-126 to replace Magnus. Magnus will return to Earth on STS-126.
• Chamitoff will fly to the station on the STS-127 mission, targeted for winter 2008, the third and final flight for assembly of the Japanese Kibo lab. Wakata will return to Earth on STS-127. Chamitoff will return home on a later shuttle or Soyuz mission.

Expedition 16 backup crewmembers:

• Fincke for Whitson
• Sharipov for Malenchenko
• ESA astronaut Frank DeWinne for Eyharts
• NASA astronaut Army Lt. Col. Timothy L. Kopra for Reisman.

Expedition 17 backup crewmembers:

• Cosmonaut and veteran station crew member Sergei Krikalev for Volkov
• Cosmonaut Russian Air Force Col. Maxim V. Suraev for Kononenko
• NASA astronaut Nicole P. Stott for Magnus.

Expedition 18 backup crew members:

• NASA astronaut Dr. Michael R. Barratt for Fincke
• Cosmonaut Russian Air Force Lt. Col. Yuri V. Lonchakov for Sharipov
• JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi for Wakata
• NASA astronaut Army Col. Timothy J. Creamer for Chamitoff.

NASA Selects Woodbury School for 'Weightless Wonder' Flight

February 13, 2007 - NASA has selected Woodbury Jr/Sr High School to fly their experiment aboard the agency's reduced gravity aircraft, the "Weightless Wonder," a modified McDonnell Douglas DC-9.

The school was one of 20 NASA Explorer School (NES) teams selected for this unique experience, which will give teachers a feel of space as the aircraft carefully executes a series of parabolic maneuvers. To produce each parabola, the C-9 will make a steep climb followed by an equally steep dive, creating about 25 seconds of weightlessness.

The teachers and students have already finished designing and building their proposed project, which is now flight-ready. Colleen Fitzgerald, ninth grade biology teacher at the school is already at NASA's aircraft facility at Ellington Field, Johnson Space Center in Houston to prepare for the flight.

Other Woodbury High School teachers Antoinette Allen, Ari Ford and Dan Jones will arrive at Ellington this week to participate in the flight scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 15. Following their flight, at 12:30 p.m., EST the teachers will be able to share their experiences and immediate findings with their students back at home via video conferencing technology through NASA's Digital Learning Network.

The school was selected a NASA Explorer School in 2004, giving the school an opportunity to propose a reduced gravity experiment. The program, which now has 175 teams nationwide, allows schools and their communities to work with NASA in a three-year partnership to develop the nation's future science, technology, engineering and mathematics work force.

Woodbury's experiment, Robots in Space, will explore the effects of reduced gravity on the performance of simple robotic designs that will make future space exploration possible. Students will compare these results with data collected during earlier ground experiments. Following analyses, the student team will issue a final report about the scientific findings and conclusions drawn from the results.

With this program, NASA continues the Agency's tradition of investing in the Nation's education programs. It is directly tied to the Agency's major education goal of attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, disciplines. To compete effectively for the minds, imaginations, and career ambitions of America's young people, NASA is focused on engaging and retaining students in STEM education programs to encourage their pursuit of educational disciplines critical to NASA's future engineering, scientific and technical missions.

February 13, 2007 - NASA has selected Indian River School to fly their experiment aboard the agency's reduced gravity aircraft, the "Weightless Wonder," a modified McDonnell Douglas DC-9.

The school was one of 20 NASA Explorer School (NES) teams selected for this unique experience, which will give teachers a feel of space as the aircraft carefully executes a series of parabolic maneuvers. To produce each parabola, the C-9 will make a steep climb followed by an equally steep dive, creating about 25 seconds of weightlessness.

Teachers and students have already finished designing and building their proposed project, which is now flight-ready. Nan Munsey, a fifth grade teacher at the school is already at NASA's facility at Ellington Field, Johnson Space Center in Houston to prepare for the flight.

Other Indian River schoolteachers will arrive at Ellington this week to participate in the flight scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16. Following their flight, at 10:30 a.m., EST the teachers will be able to share their experiences and immediate findings with their students back at home via video conferencing technology through NASA's Digital Learning Network.

The school was selected a NASA Explorer School in 2004, giving the school an opportunity to propose a reduced gravity experiment. The program, which now has 175 teams nationwide, allows schools and their communities to work with NASA in a three-year partnership to develop the nation's future science, technology, engineering and mathematics work force.

Indian River's experiment, Fluid Dynamics, will explore the effects of reduced and hyper-gravity on the mixing or separation of different density fluids. This experiment will allow the team to study the difference in fluid behavior in hyper and reduced gravity environments, which should lead to different mixing and separation times. Within three months the student team will issue their final report about the scientific findings and conclusions drawn from the results.

With this program, NASA continues the Agency's tradition of investing in the Nation's education programs. It is directly tied to the Agency's major education goal of attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, disciplines. To compete effectively for the minds, imaginations, and career ambitions of America's young people, NASA is focused on engaging and retaining students in STEM education programs to encourage their pursuit of educational disciplines critical to NASA's future engineering, scientific and technical missions.

Seattle February 13, 2007 - Charles Simonyi, Ph.D., the fifth private space explorer, announced today that his Web site http://www.charlesinspace.com/ now features rich new content including training video and personal interviews. Additionally, Dr. Simonyi is pleased to fully launch "Kids' Space," an interactive, educational portion of http://www.charlesinspace.com/ designed to captivate future space travelers.

Dr. Simonyi has been capturing the intensive preparation for his upcoming flight on video. From centrifuge training to re-entry simulation, these videos show what it takes to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Another new feature of the web site is video interviews with Dr. Simonyi. Hear his answers to questions like "Why are you going?" and "Are you afraid?" To find out why Dr. Simonyi wants to go and what he plans to take along, log onto http://www.charlesinspace.com/.

In addition, the next generation of space explorers can talk directly to a civilian space traveler. In the expanded "Kids' Space" section of http://www.charlesinspace.com/, Dr. Simonyi personally answers questions from kids and uses every opportunity to educate the world's youth about space travel. Kids can learn about the terms astronauts use, take an interactive Space Quiz, and earn an official "Charles in Space Certificate of Achievement." They can also learn about the historic link between scouting programs and astronauts. Plus, resources are available for parents and teachers to inform kids and promote an interest in space.

Committed to sharing his experience in an honest and straightforward way, Dr. Simonyi is preparing for the April 7, 2007 launch of the Soyuz TMA-10 en route to the ISS, a flight provided by Space Adventures, Ltd. He is honored to share this journey and hopes to provide valuable insight into the entire experience. From training to landing, Dr. Simonyi is dedicated to making the experience as tangible as possible. He considers his flight to be one more step in the inevitable progression towards civilian space travel.

Greenbelt MD February 13, 2007 - Astronauts selected for the next space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope are at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., this week for their first formal crew orientation.

Goddard engineers and managers are briefing the crew about Hubble operations, facilities and hardware and discussing the mission's five scheduled spacewalks. Astronauts will install two new science instruments and perform upgrades to the observatory.

"While Johnson Space Center provides underwater training for the astronauts in its Neutral Buoyancy Lab, Goddard offers them hands-on experience using high fidelity mock-ups of Hubble and the specialty tools required for the tasks that lie ahead," said Preston Burch, associate director and program manager for Hubble at Goddard. "Together, we help ensure a flawless servicing mission."

During their visit, astronauts will split their time between classroom activities and exercises inside Goddard's Class 10,000 cleanroom, which houses exact replicas of Hubble's electrical and equipment bays and actual flight hardware. This will be the first space flight for three of the seven astronauts, and this introduction will be their first look at the tools and techniques they will be mastering.

Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final shuttle mission to Hubble. Navy Reserve Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot. The mission specialists are veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Air Force Col. Michael Good and flight engineer and robotic arm operator Megan McArthur.

The two new instruments being delivered to Hubble are the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The COS is the most sensitive ultraviolet spectrograph ever flown on Hubble. The instrument will probe the large-scale structure of the universe, which is traced by the distribution of galaxies and intergalactic gas observed by Hubble. It also will explore the nature and distribution of the mysterious dark matter that sculpts that structure. Dark matter is an invisible form of matter whose total mass in the universe is more than five times that of "normal" matter (i.e., gas, dust, stars, etc.) and which only can be studied by observing its influence on the distribution of normal matter in our universe.

WFC3 is a new camera sensitive across a wide range of wavelengths, including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. The camera will undertake a broad range of studies. It will examine the planets in our solar system, nearby galaxies with stories to tell about the formation of their stars, and early and distant galaxies beyond Hubble's current reach.

Other planned work on the mission includes installation of a refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor that replaces one degrading unit of the three already onboard. The sensors control the telescope's pointing system. An attempt also will be made to repair the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. Installed in 1997, the instrument stopped working in 2004. The instrument is used for high-resolution studies in visible and ultraviolet light of both nearby star systems and distant galaxies, providing information about the motions and chemical makeup of stars, planetary atmospheres, and other galaxies.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, conducts Hubble science operations. The Association of Universities operates the Institute for NASA for Research in Astronomy, Inc., Washington.

Cape Canaveral February 15, 2007 - The space shuttle Atlantis arrived at its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 3:09 p.m. EST on top of the giant vehicle known as the crawler transporter. The next milestone for the upcoming mission, STS-117, is a full launch dress rehearsal as the six-member crew prepares to continue building the International Space Station.

The crawler transporter began carrying Atlantis out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 8:19 a.m. It traveled just under 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey.

While at the pad, the shuttle will undergo final testing, payload installation and a "hot fire" test of auxiliary power units. When testing is completed, the rotating service structure will be moved around the vehicle for protection.

Atlantis' targeted launch date is March 15. During the 11-day mission, the crew will install a new truss segment, retract a set of solar arrays and unfold a new set on the starboard side of the station. The launch marks the first liftoff from Pad 39A in four years.

The astronauts and ground crews for the mission will participate in a launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test, Feb. 21 to 23 at Kennedy. The test provides the crew of each shuttle mission with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency egress training.

Permanently badged media interested in attending the demonstration test events should contact the Kennedy News Center at 321-867-2468 by 4 p.m. Feb. 20. If media have been approved to cover the STS-117 mission, there is no need to reapply for credentials for the demonstration test events. STS-117 mission badges will be available for pick up beginning Feb. 21 from 8 a.m. to noon at the NASA Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3.

The crew includes Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and mission specialists Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson and John "Danny" Olivas.

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA commemorates the 45th anniversary of Americans in orbit with a special multimedia salute to the original Mercury astronauts and new interviews with Sen. John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and Walter Schirra.

On Feb. 20, 1962, an Atlas rocket successfully carried Glenn and the hopes of an entire nation into orbit aboard Friendship 7, a flight that ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. "Glenn's achievement came at a time when there were many unknowns about the ability of humans to survive in space," said NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale.

Glenn was soon followed into orbit by colleagues Carpenter, Schirra and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights, and Donald "Deke" Slayton was grounded by a medical condition until the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975.

NASA remembers the achievements of its first generation of explorers through special programming and interviews on NASA Television and an extraordinary interactive feature on the agency's Internet site, http://www.nasa.gov/, beginning at noon EST, Friday.

A half-hour program that highlights the achievements of Mercury and the 45th anniversary of Americans in orbit will be broadcast on NASA TV. Extended interviews with surviving Mercury astronauts Glenn, Carpenter and Schirra also will be available on NASA TV's Video File feeds for media organizations, as will a special message from the Expedition 14 crew orbiting Earth on board the International Space Station.

The interactive Internet feature is hosted by NASA astronaut Carl Walz and will offer a rare virtual look inside Glenn's Mercury spacecraft, which is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Virginia institutions:

• Mark Dunn, Yorktown, Va. Proposal Title: Fast Scattering Code Development Approximate Amount: $315,000

• Collier Research and Development Corporation, Hampton, Va. Proposal Title: A Multiscale, Validated, Physics-Based Progressive Failure Modeling Tool For Advanced Composite Structures Approximate Amount: $236,000

• University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. Proposal Title: Test Media Effects on Dual-Mode Scram Jet (DMSJ) Mode-Transition Approximate Amount: $225,000

• Proposal Title: Multiscale Computational Model for Multifunctional Nanocomposite Ablator Materials Approximate Amount: $208,000

• Proposal Title: Combustion Efficiency Measurement for Ground Test and Basic Hypersonic Research Approximate Amount: $199,000

• Proposal Title: Reduced Reaction Models for Hypersonic Reacting Flow Simulations: Model Development and Validation Study Approximate Amount: $144,000

• TAO Systems Integration, Inc., Hampton, Va. Proposal Title: High-Sensitivity Heat Flux Gage for Calibrated Heat Transfer Measurements Approximate Amount: $198,000

• National Institute of Aerospace Associates, Hampton, Va. Proposal Title: Multidisciplinary Computational Tool for Accurate and Efficient Rotorcraft Noise Prediction (MUTE) Approximate Amount: $175,000

• Proposal Title: Integrated Algorithms for High-Fidelity Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Predictions within Computational Fluid Dynamics/Computational Structural Dynamics (CFD/CSD)-Coupled Frameworks Approximate Amount: $130,000

• Proposal Title: Probabilistic Analysis and Design Tools for High-Cycle Fatigue Resistant Hypersonic Vehicle Structures Approximate Amount: $98,000

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. Proposal Title: Protected, High Temperature Optical Fiber Sensors, Gauge Elements and Systems Approximate Amount: $157,000

These awards will foster close collaboration with and facilitate the exchange of ideas and information among researchers at NASA, industry, academia, and other government agencies to benefit the nation's aeronautics community.

The Fundamental Aeronautics Program is dedicated to the mastery and intellectual stewardship of the core competencies of aeronautics for the nation across all flight regimes. The corresponding long-term research that the program performs is both focused and integrated across disciplines. Using this research, the program provides feasible solutions to the performance and environmental challenges of current and future air vehicles. The results of our pre-competitive research are widely disseminated and available to support the nation's aerospace industry. Fundamental Aeronautics concentrates research in four areas: Subsonic Fixed Wing, Subsonic Rotary Wing, Supersonics, and Hypersonics

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $150,000 to the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo., for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "High Order Spatial and Temporal Methods for Simulation and Sensitivity Analysis of High- Speed Flows."

The award will foster close collaboration with and facilitate the exchange of ideas and information among researchers at NASA, industry, academia, and other government agencies to benefit the nation's aeronautics community.

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $168,000 to the University of Wisconsin System, Madison, Wis., for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators with Novel Geometries for Subsonic Flow Modification: Experimental Measurements with Development and Validation of a 2-D Fluid Model."

The award will foster close collaboration with and facilitate the exchange of ideas and information among researchers at NASA, industry, academia, and other government agencies to benefit the nation's aeronautics community.

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to New York institutions:

CALSPAN-UB Research Center, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.

Proposal Title: Measuring Wake Flows on Capsule Bodies

Approximate Amount: $171,000

Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.

Proposal Title: Adaptive Identification and Control for Nonlinear

Aerospace Systems by Multi-Parameter Regularization

Approximate Amount: $103,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $300,000 to Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "Plasma Actuators for Turbomachinery Flow Control."

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to North Carolina institutions:

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.

Proposal Title: Development of Hybrid Large-Eddy / Reynolds-Averaged

Navier-Stokes Methods for High-Speed Internal Flows

Approximate Amount: $170,000

Proposal Title: Reconfigurable Robust Gain-Scheduled Control for

Air-breathing Hypersonic Vehicles

Approximate Amount: $157,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Massachusetts institutions:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

Proposal Title: Development and Application of a Higher-Order, Adaptive Method for Aerodynamic and Sonic-Boom Design of Supersonic Aircraft

Approximate Amount: $296,000

Proposal Title: Adaptive Robust Control for Hypersonic Vehicles (ARCH)

Approximate Amount: $177,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $481,000 to the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "Basic Studies for the Production and Upgrading of Fisher-Tropsch Synthesis Products to Fuels."

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Ohio institutions:

The Ohio State University Research Foundation, Columbus, Ohio

Proposal Title: Supersonic Jet Noise Suppression Using Plasma Actuators:

Coupled Experiments, Large Eddy Simulations And Adjoint-Based

Optimization

Approximate Amount: $281,000

Ohio State University, Columbus

Proposal Title: Development of MHz Frame Rate Optical Diagnostics for

Hypersonic Ground Test Facilities

Approximate Amount: $244,000

Proposal Title: Nonequilibrium Ignition and Flame Holding in High Speed

Reacting Flows

Approximate Amount: $170,000

University of Cincinnati, Ohio

Proposal Title: Proper Orthogonal Decomposition and Linear Stochastic

Estimation Analysis of Simultaneous Measurements of Velocity Near Field

Pressure, and Temperature Fluctuations in Coaxial High Subsonic Jet Flow

Approximate Amount: $226,000

Proposal Title: A Study of Thermal Barrier Coating Erosion in Rotorcraft

Engine

Approximate Amount: $177,000

Cleveland State University, Ohio

Proposal Title: Strain-Tolerant Self-Sensing Environmental Barrier

Coatings For SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites And Si3N4 Ceramics

Approximate Amount: $205,000

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland

Proposal Title: Comprehensive Chemical Kinetics of Conventional and

Alternative Jet Fuels for Aeropropulsion Combustion Modeling

Approximate Amount: $149,000

Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland

Proposal Title: Time-Resolved Laser Raman Spectroscopy for Scalar

Measurements of Swirl-Stabilized Liquid-Fueled Combustion at Elevated

Pressures and Temperatures: Toward Combustion Code Validation

Approximate Amount: $141,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to California institutions:

Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, Calif.

Proposal Title: Integrated Large Eddy Simulation of Multi-Phase Turbulent

Reacting Flows for Realistic Gas-Turbine Combustors

Approximate Amount: $354,000

Proposal Title: Detailed Modeling of Combustion Noise Using a Combined

Large-Eddy Simulation/Computational Aeroacoustics Model

Approximate Amount: $350,000

Proposal Title: Emissions Prediction and Modeling of Supersonic Vehicle

Combustion Systems

Approximate Amount: $343,000

Proposal Title: Prediction and Modeling of Supersonic Jet Noise Using

Large-Eddy Simulation

Approximate Amount: $326,000

Proposal Title: High Fidelity Simulations Tools for Space Exploration

Vehicles

Approximate Amount: $200,000

Proposal Title: Hypersonic Mass-flux Sensing with Fiber-Coupled Tunable

Diode Lasers for Ground Test Applications and Flight Evaluation

Approximate Amount: $150,000

Proposal Title: Crashworthiness Analysis of Composite Structures

Approximate Amount: $122,507

University of California, Irvine

Proposal Title: Supersonic Jet Noise Reduction Via Reshaping of the

Exhaust Plume

Approximate Amount: $213,000

University of California, Los Angeles

Proposal Title: Numerical Investigations of Transitional and Turbulent

Flow Physics in Hypersonic Boundary Layers

Approximate Amount: $150,000

Proposal Title: Low-Cost Manufacturing of C/ZrC Composites using Melt

Infiltration/Reaction Approach for Ultrahigh Temperature Thermal

Protection Systems (TPS) Applications

Approximate Amount: $150,000

HUO Consulting LLC, Los Altos, Calif.

Proposal Title: Chemical Reaction and Electron-impact Excitation Rates for

Direct Numerical Simulations and Radiation Transport Modeling in the

Hypersonic Regime

Approximate Amount: $114,000

Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Proposal Title: Development of the Next Generation of Airframe Noise

Prediction Tools

Approximate Amount: $108,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Pennsylvania institutions:

The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.

Proposal Title: Active Combustion Control For Supersonic Low Emission

Combustors

Approximate Amount: $320,000

Proposal Title: A Comprehensive Model for the Prediction of Supersonic Jet

Noise

Approximate Amount: $232,000

Proposal Title: Comprehensive Modeling and Analysis of Rotorcraft Variable

Speed Propulsion System with Coupled Engine/Transmission/Rotor Dynamics

Approximate Amount: $221,000

Proposal Title: Performance Studies of the Ejector Mode of an Unsteady

Pulse Detonation Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) Engine

Approximate Amount: $220,000

Proposal Title: High Fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis and

Validation of Rotorcraft Gear Box Aerodynamics Under Operational and

Oil-Out Conditions

Approximate Amount: $200,000

Proposal Title: Coupled Nonequilibrium Flow, Energy and Radiation

Transport of Hyper Planetary Entry

Approximate Amount: $198,000

Proposal Title: Large Eddy Simulation Modeling of Spectral Multiphase

Radiation and Turbulence/Chemistry/ Radiation Interactions in Reacting

Turbulent Flow

Approximate Amount: $197,000

Materials Research and Design Inc., Wayne, Pa.

Proposal Title: Integrated Durability Model for Ceramic Matrix Composite

Components

Approximate Amount: $150,000

Proposal Title: Design, Fabrication, and Testing of Load-Bearing Thermal

Protection Systems

Approximate Amount: $150,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $205,000 to The University Of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tenn., for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "A Generalized Framework for Constrained Design Optimization of General Supersonic Configurations Using Adjoint Based Sensitivity Derivatives."

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Texas institutions:

University of Texas, Austin

Proposal Title: Experimental Measurements and Computational Predictions of

Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Stationary Cooled Turbine Vane

Approximate Amount: $264,000

Texas Engineering Experiment Station, College Station, Texas

Proposal Title: Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) and Variable-

Resolution Partially-Averaged Navier Stokes (PANS) Models for Separated

Flows

Approximate Amount: $189,000

Proposal Title: Robust Adaptive Guidance for High Mass Entry, Descent and

Landing at Mars

Approximate Amount: $175,000

Proposal Title: Multi-Scale Modeling and Characterization of Carbon

Nanotube Reinforced Multi-Functional Composites as New Lightweight,

Durable Materials for Improved Subsonic, Fixed-Wing Vehicle Performance

Approximate Amount: $150,000

Proposal Title: Thermomechanical Processing and Modeling of High

Temperature Shape Memory Alloys for Multifunctional Engine Components

Approximate Amount: $149,000

Texas Tech University System, Lubbock, Texas

Proposal Title: Novel Nanoparticle-Filled Matrices for Thermal Stress

Reduction in Polymer Matrix Composites: Multi-Scale Modeling and

Experimental Validation

Approximate Amount: $150,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Georgia institutions:

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

Proposal Title: Circulation Control Aerodynamics for Very Efficient High-

Lift and Cruise Performance of Subsonic/Transonic Air Vehicles

Approximate Amount: $283,000

Proposal Title: Subgrid Combustion Models for the Next Generation National

Combustion Code

Approximate Amount: $100,000

Georgia Tech Research Corp, Atlanta

Proposal Title: Detection and Control of Instabilities and Blowoff for Low

Emissions Combustors

Approximate Amount: $256,000

Proposal Title: Combustion Powered Actuators (COMPACT) for Aerodynamic

Flow Control on Rotorcraft Blades

Approximate Amount: $210,274

Proposal Title: Control of Vibration Transmission and Interior Noise

Radiation of Composite Shells with Embedded Passive and Active

Periodicity

Approximate Amount: $100,199

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $90,000 to Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "A Holistic Approach to Flow Control for Turbomachinery Blading: Endwall and Mid-Span."

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Maryland institutions:

-- University of Maryland, College Park

Proposal Title: Detailed Performance, Wakes, Pressures and Loads for

High Speed Single and Coaxial Rotors

Approximate Amount: $310,001

Proposal Title: Fundamental Acoustic Design Tool Development and

Validation for Rotorcraft External Noise

Approximate Amount: $250,390

Proposal Title: A Helicopter Tip-Path-Plane Measurement System Using an

Optics-Based Method

Approximate Amount: $178,527

-- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, Md.

Proposal Title: Electron Microscopy, Spectroscopy and Chemical Analysis

of Aircraft Engine Particulate (solid and volatile) for

Complete Physical and Chemical Characterization

Approximate Amount: $128,000

-- US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.

Proposal Title: Flow Control Under Low-Pressure Turbine Conditions

Using Pulsed Jets

Approximate Amount: $93,000

-- LeaTech, LLC, Frederick, Md.

Proposal Title: Adaptation of Temperature and Pressure Sensitive Paint

Technology for Basic Hypersonic Research

Approximate Amount: $92,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $84,000 to the University of Illinois, Urbana, for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "Shock/Boundary Layer Interactions (SBLI) Flow Control With Micro-Vortex Generators Using Large Eddy Simulations (LES)."

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Connecticut institutions:

United Technologies Research Center, East Hartford, Conn. Proposal Title: Validated Computational Tools for Low Emissions Injector Design Using Superheated/Supercritical Fuels

Approximate Amount: $294,000

Proposal Title: Effect of Particle Sampling Technique and Transport on Particle Penetration at the High Temperature and Pressure Conditions found in Gas Turbine Combustors and Engines

Approximate Amount: $279,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Minnesota institutions:

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Proposal Title: Separation control using plasma actuators on low pressure turbine airfoils with passing wakes: experiments and modeling

Approximate Amount: $263,000

Proposal Title: Advanced Aerothermodynamics Simulation Tools for Heavy Mass Mars Entry Systems (HMMES) Design and Optimization

Approximate Amount: $170,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Indiana institutions:

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

Proposal Title: Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) for Quantitative Temperature and Concentration Measurements in a High-Pressure Gas Turbine Combustion Test Rig

Approximate Amount: $273,000

Proposal Title: Towards Mechanism-Based Models for Laminar-Turbulent Transition on a Representative Airbreathing Forebody: Mach-6 Quiet-Tunnel Experiments

Approximate Amount: $100,000

University of Notre Dame DU LAC, Notre Dame, Ind.

Proposal Title: Advanced Multi-Scale Computational Methods for Hypersonic Propulsion

Approximate Amount: $116,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $175,000 to Optinav Inc., Bellevue, Wash., for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "Improving Phased Array Techniques to Account for Extended Sources of Fan and Jet Noise."

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Iowa institutions:

Vibroacoustics Solutions Inc., Boone, Iowa

Proposal Title: Flushed Air Data System (FADS)-based Reconfigurable

Control and Health Monitoring for Hypersonic Vehicles

Approximate Amount: $201,000

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Proposal Title: Turbulence Models for Flow Separation

Approximate Amount: $115,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has awarded approximately $256,000 to The George Washington University, Washington, for work described in their NASA research announcement proposal entitled "Simultaneous Dual-broadband Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) and Interferometric Rayleigh Scattering."

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Michigan institutions:

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.

Proposal Title: A High Fidelity Model for Numerical Simulation of Complex

Combustion and Propulsion Systems

Approximate Amount: $155,000

Proposal Title: Modeling the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding

Process for Fabrication of Fiber/Metal Hybrid Laminates

Approximate Amount: $116,000

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Proposal Title: Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) Developments for

Metallic/Composite Rotorcraft Configurations

Approximate Amount: $150,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Arizona institutions:

University of Arizona, Tucson

Proposal Title: Quantitative Identification of Physics Based Parameters

Governing Active Separation and Circulation Control on Wings

Approximate Amount: $201,000

Proposal Title: Transition in High-Speed Boundary Layers: Numerical

Investigations using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and Large Eddy

Simulation (LES)

Approximate Amount: $199,000

Arizona State University, Tempe

Proposal Title: Robust Hierarchical Control (Hi-C) for Future Hypersonic

Vehicles with Aero-Thermo-Elastic-Propulsion Interactions

Approximate Amount: $189,000

Honeywell International, Inc., Phoenix, Ariz.

Proposal Title: Optimization of Creep and Fatigue Resistance of Near Alpha

Titanium alloys by Utilizing Beta Processing Route

Approximate Amount: $120,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Florida institutions:

• University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
• Proposal Title: Multi-Loop Adaptive Control of Aerothermoelastic Dynamics
• Approximate Amount: $205,000

• Proposal Title: Shear-Stress Sensor Array Measurement Technology for the Support of Turbulence Model Development for Flow Separation Approximate Amount: $153,000

• Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. Proposal Title: High-Fidelity Numerical Simulations in Jet Aeroacoustics with Application to Chevron Nozzles Approximate Amount: $116,000

• Proposal Title: High-Fidelity Numerical Simulations in Airframe Aeroacoustics
• Approximate Amount: $100,000

Washington February 16, 2007 - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Washington, has announced the following aeronautics research awards to Alabama institutions:

• Auburn University, Auburn, Ala. Proposal Title: Investigation of Strain-Rate Effects on Crack Growth In Graphite-Epoxy Composites with Stiffeners Approximate Amount: $174,000

• The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Proposal Title: Life Prediction of Composite Materials Subjected to Long-Term Mechanical/Environmental Loading Conditions Approximate Amount: $141,000

Houston February 16, 2007 - NASA has awarded Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) of San Diego a 2 1/2-year, $13.5- million financial and administrative system services contract to support the Johnson Space Center, Houston. The value of the contract could total as much as $25 million with two one-year options.

The contract is effective Feb. 16 and involves comprehensive technical and functional support at Johnson for administrative systems supporting the chief financial officer, procurement, the human resources office and the center operations directorate.

SAIC will provide sustaining engineering and system integration support for administrative systems. It also will implement the new Integrated Enterprise Management Program and e-Gov applications, as well as provide reporting and user support for those systems.

Major subcontractors include MEI Technologies, Houston, SpecPro Inc., Anchorage, Alaska, and Quantified Technical Services Inc., Houston.

Houston February 16, 2007 - Two companies that are receiving NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services funds achieved significant milestones this month in their efforts to develop and demonstrate space cargo launch and delivery systems.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completed a preliminary design review for its first orbital demonstration mission. Rocketplane Kistler completed a system requirements review for its cargo services system. The two companies want to offer commercial delivery services for cargo, and possibly crews, to the International Space Station in the future. In August 2006, NASA and the companies signed Space Act Agreements that established a series of milestones and criteria for assessing progress toward their individual goals.

"These milestones demonstrate genuine progress toward a new way of doing business for NASA and pave the way for the commercial purchase of transportation services needed to maintain the International Space Station," said Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. "If these companies can continue this rapid pace, the first demonstration launches are right around the corner."

On Feb. 8 SpaceX, of El Segundo, Calif., received NASA approval of a preliminary design review for the first orbital demonstration of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon reusable spacecraft. That flight, planned for September 2008, will be the first of three outlined in NASA's agreement with SpaceX. The company completed a project management review for the mission in September 2006 and a system requirements review in November 2006. SpaceX delivered its preliminary design review data to NASA Jan. 22. The critical design review is set for this summer.

On Feb. 6, Rocketplane Kistler of Oklahoma City established the requirements for interfaces between its two-stage K-1 reusable cargo transportation system and the International Space Station. The requirements review was the third of numerous milestones NASA will use to measure the company's progress toward a full demonstration of its launch capability. Both the first and second stages completed critical design reviews before Rocketplane Kistler joined the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project. Those vehicle components are being transported to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to begin the assembly phase.

Rocketplane Kistler achieved its first two program milestones, completion of a program implementation plan and an initial round of private financing, in September and November 2006, respectively. Preliminary and critical design reviews of a new cargo module are planned later this year.

SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler both won a 2006 competition to share up to $485 million in NASA funding to help finance their activities. Earlier in February, NASA signed unfunded agreements to work with two other companies with similar goals -- Transformational Space Corp. (t/Space) of Reston, Va., and PlanetSpace Inc. of Chicago.

The overarching goals of NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program are to stimulate commercial enterprises in space; facilitate US private industry development of reliable, cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit; and create a market environment in which commercial space transportation services are available to government and private customers.

Once industry has demonstrated safe and reliable capabilities, NASA may choose to purchase transportation services from commercial providers to support the International Space Station under a second phase of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project.

Washington February 16, 2007 - The upcoming launch of an unprecedented NASA mission to investigate the Earth's atmosphere will feature many firsts, including an African American NASA engineer leading the way to mission success.

Willis S. Jenkins, Jr., is the program executive of the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms mission (THEMIS), scheduled for launch Friday from Florida. Jenkins also oversees NASA's $1 billion, 500 employee-strong Explorer Program. The program includes the THEMIS mission and provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space.

"This is one of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs in my NASA career. Explorer missions are the most cost effective activities for the agency to return important science data to enhance life here on Earth," said Jenkins.

THEMIS' five identical probes will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA ever has launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The constellation of satellites will collect coordinated measurements every four days and be ready to observe dozens of substorms during the two-year mission.

Substorms are atmospheric events visible in the northern hemisphere as a sudden brightening of the Northern Lights. They can cause blackouts to cell phones, navigational systems, cable television and other worldwide communications. These storms also can impact astronaut operations in space.

For the first time, scientists will get a comprehensive view of the substorm phenomena from Earth's upper atmosphere to far into space. Data collected from the five probes will pinpoint where and when substorms begin, a feat impossible with any previous single-satellite mission.

Jenkins began his career with NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in 1994.

Prior to joining NASA, Jenkins enjoyed a successful career in the private sector. He began his career as an electrical engineer at E-Systems, Falls Church, Va. As an electrical systems manager at McDonnell Douglass, Seabrook, Md., he managed the electrical systems for NASA orbital and atmospheric missions and supported the orbital launch service managers on various launch vehicles.

As a production test engineer with American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va., Jenkins trained military personnel and provided expertise in the integration and testing of flight and ground communications. He also developed software for mainframe computers at General Electric, Rockville MD.

Jenkins earned his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. At age 15, Jenkins was accepted to "A Better Chance," a Boston program that placed talented African American youth in schools with rigorous academic programs. He left Washington to join the program and finish high school at public schools in North Andover and Amherst, Mass.

In 2001, he was nominated Black Engineer of the Year. Jenkins is also a recipient of the Professional Excellence in Federal Career Award. Among other awards, Jenkins has received one of NASA's highest honors, the NASA Medal for Exceptional Service, for his contributions to the successful launch of a vital weather monitoring satellite.

In his spare time, Jenkins enjoys spending time with his family, restoring antique Buicks and mentoring children in his community.

"My biggest goal in life is to give back to the community. I encourage students to do that and to tell them that dreams can come true if you are willing to work hard, sacrifice and overcome obstacles that will surely come your way," said Jenkins.

Longeuil PQ February 18, 2007 - A key phase in a project to better understand the northern lights got off the ground last night. Five NASA satellites, launched yesterday from Cape Canaveral, will soon align to form a constellation over northern Canada every four days to gather scientific data about the aurora borealis. A network of 20 observatories will record the same phenomenon from the ground. The Canadian Space Agency is supporting THEMIS ground operations in Canada. THEMIS is a NASA-funded mission led by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and involves scientists from the US, Canada, and Europe. The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of color.

Although we know that the aurora are caused by particles emitted by the sun that have been released into the Earth's magnetosphere, scientists want to know more about how and why northern lights occur. They will be analyzing the spacecraft measurements in combination with data from ground stations located throughout the tundra, from Alaska to Labrador.

"With 16 ground stations spread across its territory, Canada plays an integral part in the THEMIS mission," said Dr. William Liu, senior scientist in Solar-Terrestrial Sciences at the Canadian Space Agency. "Scientists from five Canadian universities have teamed up to operate the observatories, gather data, and analyze it. Combining THEMIS satellite and ground data will improve our understanding of how energy from the sun produces the northern lights and other space weather effects," added Dr. Liu.

The Canadian science team is led by Dr. Eric Donovan of the University of Calgary, and includes scientists from the Universities of Alberta, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan, Athabasca University, and Natural Resources Canada's Geomagnetic Laboratory. The Canadian Space Agency has allocated over $1.4 million to fund current Canadian THEMIS research activities.

Dr. Donovan's team has set up instruments in Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Rankin Inlet, Inuvik, and Whitehorse, among other locations. Each station houses an automated all-sky camera that will take pictures every three seconds each night, over at least a two-year observation period, collecting more than 200 million images.

ATK Composite and Propulsion Technologies Help Launch NASA THEMIS Satellite

Minneapolis February 19, 2007 - Alliant Techsystems propulsion and composite technologies supported Saturday's successful launch of the United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket carrying NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) satellites. Five spacecraft make up the THEMIS configuration.

Nine GEM-40 solid propulsion strap-on boosters manufactured in ATK's Salt Lake City, Utah facility provided augmented thrust for the launch. ATK's Clearfield, Utah facility produced the composite cases for the GEM-40 boosters using an automated filament winding process developed and refined through its 40-year-heritage in composite manufacturing. Six of the boosters ignited at lift-off with the first-stage main engine and provided over 850,000 pound maximum thrust for the launch vehicle. Just over one minute later, the remaining three boosters ignited to provide an additional 450,000 pound maximum thrust. The spent motors were jettisoned from the rocket as it continued its ascent.

Following burnout and separation of the GEM-40 boosters and the rocket's liquid second stage, an ATK-produced STAR(TM) 48B third-stage rocket motor completed payload separation approximately 58 minutes into flight.

The five THEMIS satellites were encapsulated by a 10-ft. diameter composite fairing manufactured by ATK in Iuka, Miss. This launch marked the seventh ATK 10 foot composite fairing flown on a Delta II mission.

United Launch Alliance First East Coast Launch a Total Success

Cape Canaveral FL February 17, 2007 - A Delta II expendable launch vehicle successfully launched NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft today marking the first east coast mission conducted by United Launch Alliance (ULA) since its formation Dec. 1, 2006.

The Delta II rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 17-B at 6:01 p.m., EST. Following a nominal 73-minute flight, the rocket deployed the payload.

"The United Launch Alliance team is proud to support the science and robotic mission of NASA's space exploration program by successfully completing our first east coast launch," said Michael C. Gass, president and chief executive officer of ULA. "While it's the first East Coast ULA Delta II mission, it's the 103rd successful Cape Delta II launch in the program's proud history since its first flight in 1989. We are committed to providing assured access to space for all our customers and it continues with our next launch, an Atlas V with the DoD’s Space Test Program payload in early March at the Cape."

The ULA Delta II 7925-10 configuration vehicle featured an ULA first stage booster powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and nine Alliant Techsystems (ATK) strap-on solid rocket boosters. An Aerojet AJ10-118K engine powered the second stage. A spin-stabilized Star-48B solid-rocket motor built by ATK boosted the third stage. A 10-foot- diameter composite payload fairing encased the payload.

"This is the first of a total of 21 launches we have manifested in 2007 consisting of a dozen Delta IIs, six Atlas Vs and three Delta IVs from the east and west coasts," said Dan Collins, ULA chief operating officer. "As our team proved today, they are up to the task. By focusing on safe practices, customer needs and mission success, I believe 2007 will be a banner inaugural year for ULA."

Formed in 2006, ULA combines the successful Atlas and Delta expendable launch vehicle programs to offer cost-effective and reliable launch services to US government customers, including the Department of Defense, NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office and other organizations. ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala. and Harlingen, Tex. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Canoga Park CA February 17, 2007 - Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's RS-27A rocket engine powered five NASA scientific satellites into orbit today. The purpose of the mission is to unlock the mysteries of Earth's geomagnetic substorms. The engine propelled the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from the pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:01 p.m. Eastern time. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. company.

This was the 213th consecutive successful launch for the RS-27 family of engines, maintaining a 100-percent success record dating back to the 1970s. "Reliability is the strong suit of the RS-27A," said Elizabeth Jones, PWR RS-27A Program Manager. "The mission powered by the RS-27A today will enable us to learn more about what triggers these potentially dangerous substorms."

Firing for slightly over four minutes with 200,000 pounds of thrust as the first stage of the Delta II, the RS-27A positions the rocket for a second stage burn and the successful deployment of the five THEMIS probes.

The THEMIS payload of five probes is one of the largest number of scientific satellites launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. THEMIS stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms. The satellites will gather data on the Northern and Southern Lights to help understand how to mitigate the impact of these energy releases on other satellites, power grids and communications systems.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, offers a complete line of propulsion products from launch vehicles to missile defense to advanced hypersonic propulsion. These have been used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, and high altitude defense systems.

Hampton VA February 17, 2007 - NASA moved the Apollo 1 capsule and related materials approximately 90 feet to a newer, environmentally-controlled warehouse at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., on Saturday, Feb. 17. The move provides better protection for the spacecraft.

Despite routine repairs made throughout the years, the original secure storage container where the vehicle was housed has been deteriorating. NASA officials determined that, due to its age, the container could not be maintained effectively to preserve the capsule.

Astronauts Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee died when a flash fire swept through the spacecraft during a launch pad test at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 27, 1967. Originally known as the AS-204 mission, it was renamed Apollo 1 in honor of the crew.

As directed by the Apollo 204 Review Board, the capsule has been maintained at Langley. The review board's accident report made recommendations that led to design and engineering changes and increased the overall safety for future Apollo missions and six successful lunar landings.

Houston February 20, 2007 - The Coalition for Space Exploration today announced a partnership with the Texas Space Grant Consortium to sponsor the 2007 NASA Means Business competition.

NASA Means Business (NMB) is a program that provides an opportunity for college students in marketing, advertising and media to demonstrate and develop their skills by producing a communications plan that will inform and inspire the public to support America's space program.

The program, now in its ninth year, outlines a different theme in each yearly competition. This year, participating teams are challenged to develop a promotional plan for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. The plans must present strategies for communicating to middle- and high-school students why STEM education is important to them while also communicating to the public why STEM education is important to the US, its economy, its space program and its citizens.

"The mission of NASA Means Business aligns with the goals and objectives of the Coalition," said Joe Mayer, Chair of the Coalition for Space Exploration Public Affairs Team. "Younger generations, in particular, will be the very ones carrying out the next steps of the Vision for Space Exploration, and this competition connects directly to them and NASA. "

"We tell these participants to imagine what it would be like if NASA could advertise," said Burke Fort, Director of NASA Means Business. "We basically ask them, 'What would it look like? What innovative means could the space agency use to communicate using the various tools of advertising, marketing, communications and journalism?'" The teams then develop the various multimedia elements of their plan -- which include a 30-second video production and other radio, print and internet products.

"The program provides a unique opportunity to develop the next generation of professional communicators challenged to convey the value and excitement of science and technology in a highly distributed, dynamic media environment," Mayer added.

Teams assembled last September and submitted their proposals in November. Program executives selected seven finalist proposals in December that demonstrate expertise in both traditional space disciplines and some not normally associated with space. Finalists represent:

• Arizona State University and The Art Institute of Phoenix (ASPIRE)
• Bentley College and Boston University
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Florida campus)
• Miami International University
• Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
• University of Houston - Clear Lake
• University of Northern Iowa

On Feb. 26 and 27, team leaders from the finalist teams will go through an intense orientation at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), where they will meet with NASA officials and employees to learn about the inner workings of the space and exploration programs.

They will tour several JSC facilities -- including the shuttle and space station training centers, space suit lab and Mission Control Center -- to get a complete understanding of the program and its various components. They also will meet with representatives of the JSC Education, Public Affairs and Legal offices, as well as gain access to NASA's entire photograph and video archive for use in their productions.

Prior to the final presentation, teams then meet with NMB coordinators and judges to evaluate their progress, get feedback on their various projects and fine-tune elements of their promotional plan. In May, teams will present their final work to a panel of judges at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"The partnership with the Coalition provides the resources for us to expand this program," said Fort. "Over the course of the competition, we have assembled an amazing collection of ideas and communication tools. Because of the Coalition's support, we will now be able to take this collection to a much broader audience. It is a tremendous opportunity to put the students' applied creativity to its fullest use."

Moffett Field CA February 21, 2007 - NASA officials signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with a US company, Virgin Galactic, LLC, to explore the potential for collaborations on the development of space suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors and hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed of sound.

Under the terms of the memorandum, NASA Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley, and Virgin Galactic LLC, a US-based subsidiary of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, will explore possible collaborations in several technical areas employing capabilities and facilities of NASA's Ames Research Center.

"As we constantly seek to build upon the advances made by explorers who have come before us, we now embark upon an exciting time in space exploration history that realizes the unlimited opportunities presented by a commercial space economy," said Shana Dale, NASA's deputy administrator. "By encouraging such potential collaborations, NASA supports the development of greater commercial collaboration and applications that will serve to strengthen and enhance the future benefits of space exploration for all of mankind."

Dale is a longtime supporter of commercial space development. As the former staff director of the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, she was instrumental in the passage of the Commercial Space Act of 1998. This legislation encourages commercial space development in a variety of areas, including launch vehicles, the International Space Station and the acquisition of space and Earth science data.

"This understanding with Virgin Galactic affords NASA an opportunity to work with an emerging company in the commercial human space transportation industry to support the agency's exploration, science and aeronautics mission goals," said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA Ames Research Center. "Our location in California's Silicon Valley provides a dynamic research and development platform for future potential collaborations with other such companies in support of a robust commercial space industry."

"We are excited to be working with NASA and look forward to future collaborations in exploration and space travel," said Alex Tai, vice president of operations for Virgin Galactic.

The agreement with Virgin Galactic was negotiated through NASA's Space Portal, a newly formed organization in the NASA Research Park at Ames, which seeks to engage new opportunities for NASA to promote the development of the commercial space economy.

"This new type of private-public partnership can benefit the agency while helping to foster a new industry," said Dan Coughlin, NASA's lead for the Virgin Galactic agreement.

The memorandum of understanding will be in effect for two years and stipulates that neither NASA nor Virgin Galactic will be required to pay any fees or provide funds to support the areas of possible collaboration.

Washington February 21, 2007 - Arianespace announced today that it will launch the AMC-21 telecommunications satellite.

AMC-21 is the 26th satellite entrusted to Arianespace by a member of the SES family of companies (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), one of the world's leading satellite operators. The launch of AMC-21 is scheduled for the 2nd quarter of 2008 on an Ariane 5 vehicle from Europe's Spaceport at the Space Center in French Guiana.

AMC-21, under construction by Alcatel Alenia Space, will have a liftoff mass of approximately 2500 kg. The satellite is based on Orbital Science's Star-2 satellite bus, and will provide high-powered satellite services with its payload of 24 active Ku-band transponders.

The AMC-21 satellite, which will be operated by SES AMERICOM, is designed for a minimum operational lifetime of 15 years, and will offer television and enterprise distribution services across the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America from the orbital position of 125 degrees West.

Edward Horowitz, President and CEO of SES AMERICOM, said, "We appreciate that Arianespace has incorporated AMC-21 into their first half 2008 manifest, as there is a high degree of demand for Ku-band capability in North America." He continued, "AMC-21 is an important component in our spectrum of service offerings; it is designed to meet the growth demands of our media, enterprise and new services customers."

Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said, "We are extremely gratified to be chosen again by SES to launch one of their satellites, and advance their coverage of the Americas. It is appropriate that the contract for AMC-21 follows on the heels of Arianespace's recent successful launch of another SES satellite, AMC-18."

Historic Satellite Launch Successful

Cape Canaveral February 21, 2007 - Swales Aerospace (Swales) satellite technology has enabled the deployment of a constellation of five NASA spacecraft that are the central element of the THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) mission. The constellation of satellites was launched successfully under NASA's THEMIS program -- a scientific research mission led by the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at UC Berkeley and managed by the Explorer Office at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Swales developed the THEMIS satellite buses and satellite carrier, which allows for the simultaneous deployment of multiple satellites into space.

The 2-year THEMIS mission will provide critical data about the origin of the explosive geomagnetic substorms, the role they play in severe space weather, and the impact they have on Earth. Although these bursts of energy create the spectacular Northern Lights, the electrically charged storms could also endanger astronauts, interfere with satellite communications, and cause damage to electrical power grids on Earth. To date, the only information available on this space phenomenon has been limited to data from a single satellite.

This marked the first time in NASA's history that five scientific satellites, or what are referred to as probes, have been launched together. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center was responsible for the successful launch of THEMIS aboard a Delta II rocket. The United Launch Alliance conducted launch services.

Once in space, the carrier dispensed the identical dishwasher-sized satellites successfully into orbit. The probes are expected to utilize their hydrazine propulsion system in September 2007 to reach their final, tightly- choreographed orbits that will allow scientists to pinpoint the elusive source of the explosive substorms. The five THEMIS satellites will be aligned in space along the Sun-Earth line once per four days over North America where a network of THEMIS ground observatories will measure the auroral light and substorm space currents. Knowledge gained from the satellites will allow for better protection of communications and energy sources on Earth, as well as safer space travel.

Swales Aerospace CEO Mike Cerneck said, "With a hallmark of offering unparalleled capability to achieve success, Swales is pleased to have developed the carrier and satellite technology that will allow the THEMIS mission to provide more comprehensive scientific information than ever before. The Swales satellite and deployment system technology is a great example of our engineering innovation, and we are pleased to be a part of the talented team on this groundbreaking NASA research program."

Huntsville AL February 21, 2007 - Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has opened an office here to anchor its pursuit of the Instrument Unit contract for the Ares I launch vehicle, as well as strengthen the company's ongoing NASA and defense programs.

"Huntsville has long been home to an important customer base for Ball Aerospace, dating back to the Skylab program of the early 1970s," said David L. Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Ball Aerospace. "Between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Army's Redstone Arsenal, our technologies have contributed to numerous programs and accomplishments. As the Huntsville area continues to grow in importance, it makes sense for us to be closer to our customers in the region."

Ball Aerospace is pursing a contract to provide integration and production support to NASA for the Ares I Instrument Unit. The Ares I launch vehicle will launch the Orion Crew Vehicle, the spacecraft currently being designed to replace the space shuttle after its retirement in 2010. Ares I, and the follow-on Ares V vehicle, are key elements of NASA's return to the moon. The company is lead mission integrator for Discovery missions such as Deep Impact and Kepler. Ball Aerospace also provides key defense technologies such as pointing, acquisition and tracking for missile defense, sensor systems, and engineering support services for the US military.

Ball is a key RF antenna provider for a broad variety of army missile programs, and supports US Army aviation with critical mission enhancements that include delivery of more than 600 silicon vidicon cameras and an upgraded solid-state replacement camera. Ball Aerospace is also under contract to build phased arrays for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.

Ball Aerospace has approximately $24 million in business in the Huntsville area with suppliers that include: Axsys Technologies, Inc., AZ Technology, SEA Wire & Cable Inc, Technical Micronics Control, and the University of Alabama, Huntsville, and many others. These suppliers work with Ball Aerospace on such programs as Kepler, as well as the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope 2008 servicing mission, and the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System.

Washington February 21, 2007 - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured for the first time enough light from planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, to identify signatures of molecules in their atmospheres. The landmark achievement is a significant step toward being able to detect life on rocky exoplanets and comes years before astronomers had anticipated.

"This is an amazing surprise," said Spitzer project scientist Michael Werner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. "We had no idea when we designed Spitzer that it would make such a dramatic step in characterizing exoplanets."

Spitzer, a space-based infrared telescope, obtained the detailed data, called spectra, for two different gas exoplanets: HD 189733b is 370 trillion miles away in the constellation Vulpecula, and HD 209458b is 904 trillion miles away in the constellation Pegasus.

Just as a prism disperses sunlight into a rainbow, Spitzer uses an instrument called a spectrograph to reveal a spectrum by splitting light from an object into different wavelengths. The process uncovers "fingerprints" of chemicals making up the object. The exoplanets Spitzer observed are known as "hot Jupiters" because they are gaseous like Jupiter but orbit much closer to their stars.

The data indicate the two planets are drier and cloudier than predicted. Theorists thought hot Jupiters would have lots of water in their atmospheres, but were surprised when none was found around HD 209458b or HD 189733b. In addition, one of the planets, HD 209458b, showed hints of tiny sand grains, called silicates, in its atmosphere. This could mean the water is present in the planet's atmosphere but hidden under high, dusty clouds unlike anything seen around planets in our own solar system.

"The theorists' heads were spinning when they saw the data," said Jeremy Richardson of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

"It is virtually impossible for water, in the form of vapor, to be absent from the planet, so it must be hidden, probably by the dusty cloud layer we detected in our spectrum," he said. Richardson is lead author of a paper appearing in the Feb. 22 issue of Nature that describes a spectrum for HD 209458b.

A team led by Carl Grillmair of NASA's Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., captured the spectrum of HD 189733b. A team led by Mark R. Swain of JPL focused on the same planet in the Richardson study and came up with similar results. Grillmair's results will be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Swain's findings have been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

"With these new observations, we are refining the tools that we will one day need to find life elsewhere if it exists," said Swain. "It's sort of like a dress rehearsal."

Spitzer teased out spectra from the feeble light of the two planets through the "secondary eclipse" technique. In this method, the telescope monitors a planet as it transits, or circles behind its star, temporarily disappearing from view.

By measuring the dip in infrared light that occurred when the planets disappeared, Spitzer's spectrograph was able to obtain spectra of the planets alone. The technique will work only in infrared wavelengths, where the planet is brighter than in visible wavelengths and stands out better next to the overwhelming glare of its star.

In previous observations of HD 209458b, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope measured changes in the light from the star, not the planet, as the planet passed in front. Those observations revealed individual elements, such as sodium, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen, which bounce around the very top of the planet.

"When we first set out to make these observations, they were considered high risk because not many people thought they would work," said Grillmair. "But Spitzer has turned out to be superbly designed and more than up to the task."

JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology conducts mission science operations.

'Astronaut Moonstalker' Game Launches on GSN.com

Santa Monica February 20, 2007 - GSN.com is adding a multi-level online game today based on recent news of astronaut exploits. The game has been created, in a tongue and cheek fashion, as a "healing" game for every lover who's been cast-off after blast-off.

The game, "Astronaut Moonstalker," features an animated astronaut in a space lander. The lander floats and maneuvers at the hands of the online player. The goal of the game is to navigate the space lander through caverns to collect items for points before successfully landing. If the lander touches down correctly, it terminates the "Love Fest" of the other "happy" astronaut couple. Mission accomplished.

The items which earn points are supplies allegedly found in the astronaut's car when she was arrested. Diapers, knives, pepper spray and mallets, among them. The game is located at www.GSN.com.

The game is challenging to play as users must keep an eye on the fuel gauge and damage to the lander while collecting items. Also, players must stay aware of the lander's most important gauge, the diaper meter. If the diaper meter reaches its fill, then the lander explodes. The diaper meter refreshes each time the player captures an empty diaper. If the player successfully lands the craft without crashing, he then advances to the next level. Each advanced level increases difficulty as moon slugs begin to terrorize the space lander and metal doors appear to deny access.

Players will find "Astronaut Moonstalker" easy-to-play using the left, right, up and spacebar keys on the computer. BB guns earn the player more ammo. Knives and mallets open doors. Pepper spray adds more fuel. Capturing hearts earns big revenge points and loaded diapers refresh the diaper meter.

"Astronaut Moonstalker" is included within GSN's signature suite of minigames. As with all of GSN's Minigames, the games are fast, fun and easy to pass along to friends. GSN Minigames can be copied and links pasted easily on blogs, MySpace pages or into websites. Other popular exclusive GSN games include "Rosie vs. Trump," "Throw the Book at O.J.," "So You Think You Can Drive, Mel?" and "Kim Jong-Il: Missile Maniac."

Redondo Beach CA February 22, 2007 - More than seven years after its launch and more than two years past design life, NASA's Northrop Grumman-built Chandra X-ray Observatory continues to produce data that enables astronomers to make extraordinary discoveries.

Astronomers made headlines earlier this year when they announced that Chandra found evidence for a significant new class of supernova and also uncovered evidence of a powerful outburst from the giant black hole at the Milky Way's center.

Among its most extraordinary discoveries, Chandra provided data that enabled astronomers to independently confirm that the universe is dominated by dark energy - the enigmatic repulsive force that is causing the universe's expansion to accelerate. Although roughly 70 percent or more of the universe consists of dark energy, astronomers still have many more questions than answers about this mysterious force.

"With many discoveries, including that of dark energy, Chandra has far exceeded our expectations for on-orbit performance and for the science it has delivered," said Alexis Livanos, president of Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector. "It has pushed technological and scientific boundaries, providing knowledge that's being applied to new space observatories and opening up new areas of inquiry for astronomers."

Northrop Grumman served as prime contractor for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, building and integrating the structurally advanced observatory at its Space Park manufacturing facility. The company's team developed innovative development and testing approaches that are enabling the construction of new missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope.

These include precision alignment of large mirrors; precision integration and test techniques; and techniques for precision structural stability. Extensive testing and pathfinder, or engineering models, were used to validate the design and reduce the risk of building this complex satellite.

Launched in 1999 from the Space Shuttle, Chandra has produced more than 6,800 observations and more than 42,000 hours of on-target science observing time.

It has also produced notable awards on Earth. In 2003, Northrop Grumman, scientists from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology were given a NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award for their work on the Chandra X-ray Observatory Mission Planning and Review Team.

Washington February 23, 2007 - Friday NASA issued a request for proposal for the Ares I launch vehicle upper stage element. Ares I is the launch vehicle that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle and its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The upper stage proposals are due to Marshall Space Flight Center no later than 1 p.m. CST April 13, 2007.

The request for proposal states the procurement approach for obtaining the upper stage element. The selected contractor will produce the required Ares I upper stage and provide support to a NASA-led design team during the design phase. The contract will provide for the manufacture and assembly of test articles, flight test units, and the operational upper stage elements to support NASA's flight manifest through 2016. Final manufacturing and assembly will take place at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

The Ares I upper stage, with a separately procured upper stage engine and a separately procured instrument ring, will provide the navigation, guidance, control and propulsion required for the second stage of the Ares I ascent. The first stage will consist of a single reusable solid rocket booster and motor similar to those used on the space shuttle but with a fifth motor segment attached.

The contract to manufacture and assemble the Ares I upper stage element will be awarded through a full and open competition and managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. A selection will be made in August 2007.