• 2010 nasa special
    a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses Earth's southern Hemisphere. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow crosses the South Pacific Ocean where it makes no landfall except for Mangaia (Cook Islands) and Easter Island (Isla de Pascua).

NASA Remembers its Fallen Heroes

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On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger accident, Kennedy Space Center observed NASA's Day of Remembrance, Jan. 27, with a wreath-laying ceremony at the KSC Visitor Complex Space Mirror Memorial. The Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the astronaut crews of Apollo 1 and shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

Kennedy's Center Director Robert Cabana, Deputy Center Director Janet Petro, and United Space Alliance's Associate Program Manager for Solid Rocket Boosters Roger Elliott laid the wreath, inscribed with the words, "Remembering our Fallen Heroes," at the memorial, and observed a moment of silence.

A statement issued by President Barack Obama read in part, "Today, on this Day of Remembrance when NASA reflects on the mighty sacrifices made to push those frontiers, America's space agency is working to achieve even greater goals. Through triumph and tragedy, each of us has benefited from their courage and devotion, and we honor their memory by dedicating ourselves to a better tomorrow. Despite the challenges before us today, let us commit ourselves and continue their valiant journey toward a more vibrant and secure future."
USA Associate Program Manager for Solid Rocket Boosters Roger Elliott, left, Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro and Center Director Bob Cabana
United Space Alliance's Associate Program Manager for Solid Rocket Boosters Roger Elliott, left, Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro, and Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana, participate in a Day of Remembrance wreath laying ceremony at the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida 
Image above: Flowers lay at the foot of the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida for NASA's Day of Remembrance to honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Dr. June Scobee Rodgers and NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier


Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, widow of STS-51L Commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee and Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier lay a wreath in front of the names of the fallen Challenger crew members emblazoned on the Space Mirror Memorial. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett


Before a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden also issued a statement that read in part, "The legacy of those who have perished is present every day in our work and inspires generations of new space explorers. Every day, with each new challenge we overcome and every discovery we make, we honor these remarkable men and women. Please join me in working to fulfill their dreams for the future."

"I think it's really important that every year we take a few moments of our day, on this Day of Remembrance, to remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in the quest to explore space," Cabana said. "The loss of their lives would be meaningless if we did not continue. I think it's extremely important to continue our quest to explore and expand our knowledge."

On Jan. 28, The Astronauts Memorial Foundation's remembrance service at the Space Mirror Memorial was attended by NASA officials, dignitaries, families of the fallen, Kennedy workers and the general public.

Moderated by the foundation's President Stephen Feldman, the guest speakers included NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier; Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, widow of STS-51L Commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee and founding chair of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education; Cabana; former astronaut and chairman of The Astronauts Memorial Foundation Mike McCulley; and Rick Soria, 2009 Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award winner.

Scobee Rodgers said, "We're not a nation of naysayers, we're a nation of believers. We're innovators and problem solvers. We're risk-takers with a pioneering spirit. We as a nation are indebted to the space pioneers who blazed a trail of exploration and discovery."

She and the families of the lost Challenger crew came together and created the Challenger Center as a living tribute to their loved ones. Scobee Rodgers said their vision became a reality with the first one in Houston. There are now 48 Challenger Centers throughout the U.S., and also in Canada, England and South Korea.

"It's time for the next 25 years to unfold," Scobee Rodgers said.

McCulley read a portion of the Gettysburg Address, ending with the words, "that we here shall highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain."

Cabana said, "We learned many lessons from the loss of Challenger. And the vehicle that returned to flight two-and-a-half years later may have looked the same, but had hundreds of changes to make it safer and more reliable."

Soria, the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award winner said, "It is fitting to pause and challenge each other to become more involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education of our students. The future beckons."

It's not easy to look back and reflect," Gerstenmaier said. "We learned that little things that seem harmless can become catastrophic events. The human spaceflight team has learned tremendous lessons from these events.

"We seek to answer the most difficult questions imaginable and formulate new questions," Gerstenmaier said. "Rededicate yourselves to expanding the frontier of knowledge in a manner that is fitting of the huge sacrifice made by those who have gone before."

"We will continue to strive to be better. To explore, to expand our knowledge of our universe and to reach beyond," Cabana said.

At the conclusion of the memorial, Scobee Rodgers and Gerstenmaier placed a wreath below the names of the Challenger crew.

The event was open to the general public and the visitor complex provided flowers for attendees to place at the memorial throughout the day.

The Apollo 1 tragedy occurred at Launch Pad 34, Jan. 27, 1967, during a preflight test. Astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee lost their lives when a fire swept through the command module.

Space shuttle Challenger's STS-51L mission ended in tragedy during ascent after lifting off from Launch Pad 39B on Jan. 28, 1986. A faulty O-ring on one of the solid rocket boosters caused a chain of events that resulted in an explosion and the loss of Challenger and its seven crew members. Commander Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Sharon Christa McAuliffe perished in the accident.

Space shuttle Columbia and the seven-member crew of the STS-107 mission perished when the orbiter broke apart during re-entry Feb. 1, 2003. Lost were Commander Rick D. Husband, Pilot William C. McCool, Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson, Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown and Laurel B. Clark, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, with the Israeli Space Agency.

 
 
Linda Herridge
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center

Space Shuttle Mission: STS-133

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Space shuttle Discovery rolls to Launch Pad 39A.  

Image above: Bathed in bright xenon lights, space shuttle Discovery makes its nighttime trek, known as "rollout," from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett


During space shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4.

Steve Bowen replaced Tim Kopra as Mission Specialist 2 following a bicycle injury on Jan. 15 that prohibited Kopra from supporting the launch window. Bowen last flew on Atlantis in May 2010 as part of the STS-132 crew. Flying on the STS-133 mission will make Bowen the first astronaut ever to fly on consecutive missions.

STS-134 Update:
Astronaut Rick Sturckow will serve as a backup commander for the STS-134 space shuttle mission to facilitate continued training for the crew and support teams during STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly's absence. Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was critically wounded in a shooting on Jan. 8 in Tucson, Ariz. Kelly remains commander of the mission, which is targeted for launch on April 19 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

STS-135 Update:
The Space Shuttle Program baselined the STS-135 mission for a target launch date of June 28 at 3:48 p.m. EDT. It is NASA’s intent to fly the mission with orbiter Atlantis carrying the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems.

In late December, the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate requested the shuttle and International Space Station programs take the necessary steps to maintain the capability to fly Atlantis on the STS-135 mission. The Authorization Act of 2010 directs NASA to conduct the mission, and baselining the flight enables the program to begin preparations for the mission with a target launch date of June 28. The mission would be the 135th and final space shuttle flight.

Mars' Apollo 1 Hills

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An image taken from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's PanCam at the spacecraft's landing site shows the nearby hills named after the crew of Apollo 1--Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee. The crew perished in flash fire during a launch pad test of the spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 27, 1967. "Grissom Hill" is located 4.7 miles to the southwest of the rover Spirit's landing site. "White Hill" is 7 miles to the northwest and "Chaffee Hill" is 8.9 miles to the south-southwest.

Image Credit: NASA

An Astronomer's Field of Dreams

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Long Wavelength Array 

Multiple antennas of the LWA-1 station of the Long Wavelength Array in central New Mexico, photographed at sunset. Image credit: LWA Project (at UNM)
 
Aerial View of the Antennas of the Long Wavelength Array station in New Mexico 

All 256 antennas of station LWA-1 of the Long Wavelength Array in Central New Mexico taken on April 1, 2010. Image credit: LWA Project (at UNM)

An innovative new radio telescope array under construction in central New Mexico will eventually harness the power of more than 13,000 antennas and provide a fresh eye to the sky. The antennas, which resemble droopy ceiling fans, form the Long Wavelength Array, designed to survey the sky from horizon to horizon over a wide range of frequencies.
The University of New Mexico leads the project, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., provides the advanced digital electronic systems, which represent a major component of the observatory. 

The first station in the Long Wavelength Array, with 256 antennas, is scheduled to start surveying the sky by this summer. When complete, the Long Wavelength Array will consist of 53 stations, with a total of 13,000 antennas strategically placed in an area nearly 400 kilometers (248 miles) in diameter. The antennas will provide sensitive, high-resolution images of a region of the sky hundreds of times larger than the full moon. These images could reveal radio waves coming from planets outside our solar system, and thus would turn out to be a new way to detect these worlds. In addition to planets, the telescope will pick up a host of other cosmic phenomena. 

"We'll be looking for the occasional celestial flash," said Joseph Lazio, a radio astronomer at JPL. "These flashes can be anything from explosions on surfaces of nearby stars, deaths of distant stars, exploding black holes, or even perhaps transmissions by other civilizations." JPL scientists are working with multi-institutional teams to explore this new area of astronomy. Lazio is lead author of an article reporting scientific results from the Long Wavelength Demonstrator Array, a precursor to the new array, in the December 2010 issue of Astronomical Journal. 

The new Long Wavelength Array will operate in the radio-frequency range of 20 to 80 megahertz, corresponding to wavelengths of 15 meters to 3.8 meters (49.2 feet to 12.5 feet). These frequencies represent one of the last and most poorly explored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. 

In recent years, a few factors have triggered revived interest in radio astronomy at these frequencies. The cost and technology required to build these low-frequency antennas has improved significantly. Also, advances in computing have made the demands of image processing more attainable. The combination of cost-effective hardware and technology gives scientists the ability to return to these wavelengths and obtain a much better view of the universe. The predecessor Long Wavelength Demonstrator Array was also in New Mexico. It was successful in identifying radio flashes, but all of them came from non-astronomy targets -- either the sun, or meteors reflecting TV signals high in Earth's atmosphere. Nonetheless, its findings indicate how future searches using the Long Wavelength Array technology might lead to new discoveries. 

Radio astronomy was born at frequencies below 100 megahertz and developed from there. The discoveries and innovations at this frequency range helped pave the way for modern astronomy. Perhaps one of the most important contributions made in radio astronomy was by a young graduate student at New Hall (since renamed Murray Edwards College) of the University of Cambridge, U.K. Jocelyn Bell discovered the first hints of radio pulsars in 1967, a finding that was later awarded a Nobel Prize. Pulsars are neutron stars that beam radio waves in a manner similar to a lighthouse beacon.
Long before Bell's discovery, astronomers believed that neutron stars, remnants of certain types of supernova explosions, might exist. At the time, however, the prediction was that these cosmic objects would be far too faint to be detected. When Bell went looking for something else, she stumbled upon neutron stars that were in fact pulsing with radio waves -- the pulsars. Today about 2,000 pulsars are known, but within the past decade, a number of discoveries have hinted that the radio sky might be far more dynamic than suggested by just pulsars. 

"Because nature is more clever than we are, it's quite possible that we will discover something we haven't thought of," said Lazio. 

More information on the Long Wavelength Array is online at: http://lwa.unm.edu
The Long Wavelength Array project is led by the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M., and includes the Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M., the United States Naval Research Laboratories, Washington, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The California Institute of Technology manages JPL for NASA.
 
 
Priscilla Vega (818) 354-1357
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
priscilla.r.vega@jpl.nasa.gov

NASA's Hubble Finds Most Distant Galaxy Candidate Ever Seen in Universe

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Astronomers have pushed NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to its limits by finding what is likely to be the most distant object ever seen in the universe. The object's light traveled 13.2 billion years to reach Hubble, roughly 150 million years longer than the previous record holder. The age of the universe is approximately 13.7 billion years.

The tiny, dim object is a compact galaxy of blue stars that existed 480 million years after the big bang. More than 100 such mini-galaxies would be needed to make up our Milky Way. The new research offers surprising evidence that the rate of star birth in the early universe grew dramatically, increasing by about a factor of 10 from 480 million years to 650 million years after the big bang.

Closeup of HUDF WFC3/IR Image Surrounding Object UDFj-39546284 The farthest and one of the very earliest galaxies ever seen in the universe appears as a faint red blob in this ultra-deep–field exposure taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. This is the deepest infrared image taken of the universe. Based on the object's color, astronomers believe it is 13.2 billion light-years away. (Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Bouwens (University of California, Santa Cruz, and Leiden University), and the HUDF09 Team)


"NASA continues to reach for new heights, and this latest Hubble discovery will deepen our understanding of the universe and benefit generations to come,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, who was the pilot of the space shuttle mission that carried Hubble to orbit. “We could only dream when we launched Hubble more than 20 years ago that it would have the ability to make these types of groundbreaking discoveries and rewrite textbooks.”

Astronomers don't know exactly when the first stars appeared in the universe, but every step farther from Earth takes them deeper into the early formative years when stars and galaxies began to emerge in the aftermath of the big bang.

"These observations provide us with our best insights yet into the earlier primeval objects that have yet to be found," said Rychard Bouwens of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Bouwens and Illingworth report the discovery in the Jan. 27 issue of the British science journal Nature.

This observation was made with the Wide Field Camera 3 starting just a few months after it was installed in the observatory in May 2009, during the last NASA space shuttle servicing mission to Hubble. After more than a year of detailed observations and analysis, the object was positively identified in the camera's Hubble Ultra Deep Field-Infrared data taken in the late summers of 2009 and 2010.

The object appears as a faint dot of starlight in the Hubble exposures. It is too young and too small to have the familiar spiral shape that is characteristic of galaxies in the local universe. Although its individual stars can't be resolved by Hubble, the evidence suggests this is a compact galaxy of hot stars formed more than 100-to-200 million years earlier from gas trapped in a pocket of dark matter.

This video is a zoom into the Hubble Space Telescope infrared Ultra Deep Field, first taken in 2009. It is a very small patch of sky in the southern constellation Fornax. The zoom centers on the farthest identified object in the field. The object, possibly a galaxy, looks red because its light has been stretched by the expansion of the universe. Credit: NASA/ESA/G. Bacon, STScI

"We're peering into an era where big changes are afoot," said Garth Illingworth of the University of California at Santa Cruz. "The rapid rate at which the star birth is changing tells us if we go a little further back in time we're going to see even more dramatic changes, closer to when the first galaxies were just starting to form."

The proto-galaxy is only visible at the farthest infrared wavelengths observable by Hubble. Observations of earlier times, when the first stars and galaxies were forming, will require Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The hypothesized hierarchical growth of galaxies -- from stellar clumps to majestic spirals and ellipticals -- didn't become evident until the Hubble deep field exposures. The first 500 million years of the universe's existence, from a z of 1000 to 10, is the missing chapter in the hierarchical growth of galaxies. It's not clear how the universe assembled structure out of a darkening, cooling fireball of the big bang. As with a developing embryo, astronomers know there must have been an early period of rapid changes that would set the initial conditions to make the universe of galaxies what it is today.

"After 20 years of opening our eyes to the universe around us, Hubble continues to awe and surprise astronomers," said Jon Morse, NASA's Astrophysics Division director at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "It now offers a tantalizing look at the very edge of the known universe -- a frontier NASA strives to explore."

Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington.

Hubble Photo Highlights in Galactic Color

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Hubble Photo Highlights in Galactic Color

Hubble Photo Highlights in Galactic Color

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA astronomers have found what they believe to be the most distant and oldest galaxy ever detected by researchers. Their finding, reported in the Journal Nature on Jan. 26, 2011, reports tracking a smudge of light from almost 13.2 billion years ago.
This is just the latest finding sent back from the Hubble, which was sent into space in 1990. At NASA, where space hype is (understandably) hardly in short supply, they have described Hubble as the biggest advance in astronomy since the days of Galileo's telescope. Hyperbole, in this case, may be quite justified. In this gallery, we've assembled some of the more mind-blowing images taken by the Hubble during its gallactic peregrinations. Enjoy
Credit: NASA

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-205_162-10006431.html#ixzz1CDuu6Ce6

 


The Early Cosmos

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Stars are forming in Henize 2-10, a dwarf starburst galaxy located about 30 million light years from Earth, at a prodigious rate, giving the star clusters in this galaxy their blue appearance. This combination of a burst of star formation and a massive black hole is analogous to conditions in the early Universe. Since Henize 2-10 does not contain a significant bulge of stars in its center, these results show that supermassive black hole growth may precede the growth of bulges in galaxies. This differs from the relatively nearby universe where the growth of galaxy bulges and supermassive black holes appears to occur in parallel.

The combined observations from multiple telescopes has provided astronomers with a detailed new look at how galaxy and black hole formation may have occurred in the early universe. This image shows optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope in red, green and blue, X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in purple, and radio data from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array in yellow. A compact X-ray source at the center of the galaxy coincides with a radio source, giving evidence for an actively growing supermassive black hole with a mass of about one million times that of the sun.

Image Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/Virginia/A.Reines et al); Radio (NRAO/AUI/NSF); Optical (NASA/STScI)

Space Shuttle Mission: STS-133

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Technicians repair stringers on Discovery's tank. 

mage above: Space shuttle Discovery is surrounded by work platforms inside the Vehicle Assembly Building so technicians can access all the areas of the shuttle stack, including the top of the intertank region of the external fuel tank. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
 

During space shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4.

Steve Bowen replaced Tim Kopra as Mission Specialist 2 following a bicycle injury on Jan. 15 that prohibited Kopra from supporting the launch window. Bowen last flew on Atlantis in May 2010 as part of the STS-132 crew. Flying on the STS-133 mission will make Bowen the first astronaut ever to fly on consecutive missions.

STS-134 Update:
Astronaut Rick Sturckow will serve as a backup commander for the STS-134 space shuttle mission to facilitate continued training for the crew and support teams during STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly's absence. Kelly's wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was critically wounded in a shooting on Jan. 8 in Tucson, Ariz. Kelly remains commander of the mission, which is targeted for launch on April 19 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

STS-135 Update:
The Space Shuttle Program baselined the STS-135 mission for a target launch date of June 28 at 3:48 p.m. EDT. It is NASA’s intent to fly the mission with orbiter Atlantis carrying the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems.

In late December, the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate requested the shuttle and International Space Station programs take the necessary steps to maintain the capability to fly Atlantis on the STS-135 mission. The Authorization Act of 2010 directs NASA to conduct the mission, and baselining the flight enables the program to begin preparations for the mission with a target launch date of June 28. The mission would be the 135th and final space shuttle flight.

Stringer Modifications on External Tank to Wrap Up This Week

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In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are expected to wrap up all modification work on space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank stringers this week. Teams worked through the weekend, finishing all the radius block attachments to the stringers. The initial insulation foam reapplication was completed this morning.

Work for the rest of the week will involve additional foam spraying and trimming operations. This will support Discovery’s scheduled rollout back to Launch Pad 39A on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. EST.

At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-133 astronauts, including the newly added Steve Bowen, will run through an ascent proficiency session in the motion base simulator today and will review procedures for the mission’s first spacewalk and robotics work in the virtual reality lab.

Challenger's Enduring Mission: 25 years strong

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The  loss of the space shuttle Challenger and her crew of seven a quarter  century ago this Friday marked not just a significant place in American  history, but helped capture the imagination of the country and it's youth.

As Challenger  sat poised to begin the twenty-fifth space shuttle mission, students  around the United States and select countries around the world tuned in  to CNN to watch the launch as it happened. Cable News Network was the  only network to carry the launch live. In fact, the White House staff was tuned to the Atlanta-based network to watch the lift-off.

This  flight attracted both the youth of the nation and their teachers. After all, one of their own was on board -- Teachernaut Sharon Christa  McAuliffe.

McAuliffe, along with Barbara Morgan as her back-up, were chosen by NASA in July  1985 for the Teacher in Space project, and it was McAuliffe's excitement for science and space which created a media likeness toward her.

As the launch neared on that January morning, television sets clicked on in classrooms and student halls.

This reporter was one of those students, and my school's choral room was one of those rooms.

Challenger's crew of seven included commander Richard Dick Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair and payload specialists McAuliffe and Gregory Jarvis.

As  an early-teen, I developed a strong respect for several astronauts in  the corps. including Dr. Resnik. During 1985, I was able to place  several phone calls to her office, including a few letters. She offered a  lot of information about training, strength and the choices you make in  your life.

A beautiful, personally signed portrait and a few items from Dr. Resnik remains in my possession to this day.

Tuesday, January 28, 1986 was extremely cold. Ice coated the launch tower where  Challenger waited passively following a one day delay due to a stuck hatch handle.

I can recall the days leading up to the launch as if it occurred only twenty-five months ago.

Challenger's  STS-51L mission, or STS-33 as the technicians handling Challenger's  prelaunch payloads knew it, was originally targeted for Jan. 24 at 3:43  pm. The delays of the launch of Columbia weeks earlier forced a three  day delay.

Much of America watched the Chicago Bears win in Super Bowl XX, but for the crew of Challenger and the launch support teams it was bedtime before halftime of the game the night before launch.

Challenger was set to lift-off on Monday, but the crew module's hatch handle would  not come off due to a stuck screw. A power drill was brought in as the  crew waited in the cockpit, however the drill's battery was discovered dead upon arrival. Launch control decided to scrub for the day and try again on Tuesday.

The  freezing temperatures forecast for launch morning did cause concern with key managers and their support personal, however almost everyone  concluded late into the night that it would be safe fly.

The concern was the rubber O-ring seals on the solid rocket boosters which  help trap hot gases from leaking out of the several sections which stack  up the booster.

Recalling  that morning before school, I had CNN on watching the smiles on the crew as they left the Operations and Checkout building. I remember thinking, "there (Dr. Resnik) goes."

The  space shuttle Challenger lifted-off into the blue skies over Cape  Canaveral following a delay to allow for outside temperatures to warm up  at 11:38:00 am EST.

"And, lift-off. Lift-off of the twenty-fifth space shuttle mission, and  it  has cleared the tower," launch commentator Hugh Harris announced.

It was the first space shuttle launch from pad 39-B.

It  was to be an exciting mission as McAulliffe planned to make two 15  minute lessons from space from her classroom on the middeck; and collect data on the other space news of the month, comet Halley's return.

A  science satellite called Spartan-Halley would be deployed by Dr. Resnik using the ship robotic arm for forty hours of comet Halley  observations. Experiments on Spartan would look into the ultraviolet  regions of the comet.

Two seconds after the boosters ignited and Challenger began to rise, around  eight puffs of black smoke shot out of the right hand booster and then stopped.

The tenth mission of Challenger was underway, and her crew of seven soared toward super sonic speeds.

In classrooms, teachers and school children cheered the space shuttle as it sailed out over the Atlantic Ocean.

Then it was over in a flash.

As Challenger passed through a region of strong winds, pressures from Challenger's speed and the crosswinds from a recent jet stream forced  the same o-ring seal which had puffed smoke earlier to allow flame to  burn through the seal and lick the lower back section of the external  fuel tank.

The flame burned the booster's lower attach point to the tank, causing the forward nose of the booster to veer into the upper section of the external tank  and puncturing it.

The entire vehicle disintegrated. The orbiter itself did not explode. The force of the disintegration broke apart Challenger.

Challenger's crew cabin was thrown free and traveled upward for a few seconds prior to falling into the ocean.

It's  hard for most to put into words their memories of that day. I never  have wanted to write about this for fear of... I guess I want to keep my  memories to myself, many I will not write about here.

Moments after the tragedy, I finished a math exam and literally ran to the school's front office to call my mother.

I  went home and mourned for weeks. Not just for the space program and the  crew, but for an innocence lost. I grew up a bit and I vowed to improve  myself and aim high.

I  think a lot of students of all ages learned from the loss of  Challenger, and made personal commitments to achieve higher goals.

In  the years that followed, the families of the crew began the Challenger Center for space science education. Today, there are 48 learning centers  across America, Canada and the United Kingdom teaching the science  involved here on earth and in space. They're making math and science fun  for young students, and that's important.

We  all have our heroes, those who inspire us deep down to stay strong and  strive further to meet our dreams. My father who taught me to fly  planes, fish and work a computer at an early age, and Dr. Resnik are  sincerely those two heroes who have reached out and touched the face of  God.

NASA to morph Kennedy Space Center into commercial role

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Space Shuttle retirement forces NASA to consider other roles for Kennedy Space Center

NASAWhether or not NASA launches two or three more shuttle missions, NASA's venerable hub of operations, the Kennedy Space Center will need a new mission.  That's why NASA today said it was looking to morph the center's unique space rocket facilities into a new more commercial role after the shuttles stop flying.

While its facilities would likely rise far above others, NASA could find some competition in any commercial launch venture.  You may recall that in November for example,  Masten Space Systems and Space Florida inked an agreement to perform demonstration launches of the space company's suborbital reusable launch vehicle from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. And Spaceport America in New Mexico put out Requests For Proposals for the day-to-day operations as the facility as it revs up for space operations.

More on commercial opportunities: Eight hot commercial space projects

According to NASA: " KSC seeks to strategically identify, develop, and align the Center's distinctive space transportation assets and capabilities with other government and commercial space markets. KSC seeks to expand partnerships, customer base, and regional economic opportunities consistent with the NASA mission. KSC wishes to promote and enable the widest and fullest utilization of KSC assets and facilities to advance the nation's goals for space exploration and development and maximize the nation's investment in the federal spaceport. These efforts are targeted to enhance space launch and processing infrastructure and capabilities available to both the commercial and government launch and space services industry. "
In the end it seems that if NASA cannot find a suitable mission itself, or within another government enterprise it could even sell the facilities through what it called "established real property disposition processes administered by the General Services Administration (GSA)."
Some of the myriad items that are available at KSC include:
  • Launch Complex 39A - Built for the Apollo Program and modified for the Space Shuttle Program, it includes the launch pad, various fluids and gases systems for Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen and the fixed and rotating service structures for the Space Shuttle.
  • Launch Complex 39B - Also built for the Apollo Program and modified for the Space Shuttle Program, the 39B site includes the launch pad, various fluids and gases systems including dewars for Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen and standalone lightning protection towers. Use of this facility will likely be on a shared basis with other users, NASA stated.
  • Vehicle Assembly Building - This enormous facility contains four high bays, some of which may be made available to non-NASA users for launch vehicle processing and preparation. Use of this facility will likely be on a shared basis with other users, NASA stated.
  • Launch Control Center (LCC) - This facility features four "firing" rooms, engineering support areas and administrative offices. The firing rooms, which are essentially control rooms, contain numerous enclosures, computing hardware, software ( operating systems, command/control applications, displays, operating systems, databases), networks, communications equipment, configuration management, information technology security, and other ancillary tools and engineering processes in support of existing and future spacecraft processing and launch.
  • Merritt Island Launch Area - This complex of facilities was developed to house telemetry tracking equipment and antennas. It contains several buildings including control rooms, administrative and conference rooms and support buildings. The area also contains several large tracking antennas, NASA stated.
NASA said it would look mostly at "entities which operate or directly support space launch or space user missions for the U.S. Government at Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station; and companies that operate or directly support commercial space launch or commercial space user missions, whether or not the U.S. Government is a customer.  NASA will consider other technical, operationally-compatible uses and users which are determined to directly or indirectly support its missions and purposes if underutilized capacity remains available. "


NASA said it will not consider any operations that "fail to show any relevance to NASA's mission or purpose and US Government interests," or violate land use policies, environmental conditions, or pose a negative impact on NASA's mission.  NASA said it will not consider any proposed transfer of title to land, proposed residential uses, or proposed operation of commercial agricultural uses as well.

NASA Explores Potential New Users For Some Kennedy Facilities

8:52 PM Nasa Information , Posted in , , , , , , 0 Comments

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has released a formal Notice of Availability (NOA) and Request for Information (RFI) to identify interest from industry for space processing and support facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The facilities may become available for space-related commercial use following the end of the Space Shuttle Program.

The facilities that may become available are well-suited for entities operating or directly supporting government or commercial launches or space user services.

"Kennedy has been working for some time to enable commercial space activities at the center that are in line with NASA's mission," Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana said. "Partnering with the commercial space industry will help NASA meet its goals and help sustain facility assets to support our nation's space objectives."

The announcement groups facilities into four classes: space vehicle processing and launch facilities; off-line processing facilities; payload processing facilities; and miscellaneous facilities. Facilities listed in the announcement include: Launch Pads 39A and B, the Vehicle Assembly Building, Orbiter Processing Facilities and the Shuttle Landing Facility.

NASA reserves the right to subsequently remove facilities from this list if the agency determines it needs them for its own requirements. NASA also may pursue other options for disposition of the listed facilities if in the government's best interests.

NASA has received previous commercial interest in some of the facilities at the center. This notice is another step in efforts to build awareness with industry about potentially available center assets. It was issued to provide the widest notice about facilities and to ensure fairness to interested parties.

For more information about the NOA/RFI, visit: http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=76#145065

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

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY AND REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SEEKING POTENTIAL INDUSTRY INTEREST AND USES FOR SOME NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER FACILITIES

Synopsis - Jan 24, 2011

General Information

Solicitation Number: N/A
Reference Number: NOA-RFI-OP-OS11-01
Posted Date: Jan 24, 2011
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jan 24, 2011
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Feb 24, 2011
Current Response Date: Feb 24, 2011
Classification Code: X -- Lease or rental of facilities
NAICS Code: 336414 - Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing

Contracting Office Address

NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Procurement, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

Description

PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE AND REQUEST:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is seeking to identify potential industry interest in, and proposed uses for some, agency real property assets located at KSC in Florida. This announcement describes NASA assets that are currently or will soon become underutilized as a result of the transition from the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) to the future mission activities authorized by Congress in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010.

KSC also seeks through this announcement to ensure broad awareness and visibility of the anticipated opportunities for Public-Private and Public-Public Ventures (PPV) between NASA and industry or non-federal public entities. Such ventures are defined as partnering tools in NASA's Real Property Management Program to leverage underutilized Agency real property to maximize utilization and efficiency. NASA may use a PPV to grant a partner an interest in real property for a specified term through an instrument such as a lease, a use permit, or other form of legal agreement authorized by the NASA Space Act of 1958 and the Commercial Space Launch Act. In addition to PPV agreements, NASA may pursue other approaches, as described in this announcement, to enable others to use facilities for which KSC has a current or future need to support NASA's mission.

It is NASA's intent to ensure fairness to all parties and to ensure best value to the Government in granting use of NASA facilities in a manner that optimizes its support for the agency's missions and objectives, and the U.S. national space policy.

To meet these purposes, NASA requests written responses to this announcement to assist KSC to achieve the following objectives:

1. Identify and document specific interest from industry and non-federal public entities in pursuing a real estate agreement with NASA for use of KSC facilities identified in this announcement. 2. Assess the extent of overall interest by industry and non-federal public entities in using underutilized NASA assets on KSC to engage in activities supportive of NASA's missions and purpose. 3. Provide data to support KSC's planning for federal spaceport infrastructure and facility utilization. 4. Enable determination of how underutilized capacity at KSC may be made available in a fair and responsive fashion to industry and/or non-federal public entities to advance agency and national objectives.

KSC is continuing to assess and identify, in cooperation with the cognizant NASA program offices and mission directorates, which KSC assets are required to meet existing and future agency requirements. Therefore, facilities identified in this announcement that are anticipated to be partially or fully available for other users may subsequently be deemed by NASA as unavailable due to the agency's own facility needs.

The Government will apply selection criteria and make facilities and other assets available only if deemed in the Government's best interests. NASA reserves the right to proceed with development and negotiation of one or more proposed PPVs or other partnering and facility utilization agreements with respondents to this announcement, without further notice, if it determines that it has met the purposes, intent, and objectives identified in this announcement.

NASA is not precluded from entering into real estate agreements with other federal entities for use of KSC facilities identified in this Notice of Availability regardless of expressions of interest and proposed use that may be received from industry or non-federal public entities pursuant to this announcement.

NASA will be under no obligation to proceed with any PPVs or any other partnering arrangements with regard to the anticipated availability of underutilized facilities at KSC.

In lieu of using a PPV to grant a partner a real property interest through a lease or other instrument, NASA may employ Space Act authorities to allow use of facilities for specified purposes without granting the user any real property interest. For example, KSC may take such an approach on a facility operated by KSC for both NASA and non-NASA users on a regular basis.

If NASA determines that a facility is going to become idle with no known current or future NASA mission support requirement, but still of value in support of NASA's purpose and national space policy if used by others, NASA may decide to divest the agency of the asset by transfer to another federal agency, or to others through established real property disposition processes administered by the General Services Administration (GSA).

BACKGROUND:

As directed by Congress, NASA will retire the Space Shuttle Program in FY 2011 after 30 years of operation. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 directs that NASA proceed with development of a new Space Launch System that can access cis-lunar space and the regions of space beyond low-Earth orbit.

The NASA Administrator is further directed to carry out a program to prepare infrastructure at KSC for this transition, to enhance the overall capabilities of the Center, and reduce the long term cost of operations and maintenance while taking measures to provide multi-vehicle support, improvements in payload processing, and partnering at KSC. The Act also restated the commitment by Congress to the development of commercially-developed launch and delivery systems to the International Space Station for crew and cargo missions.

NASA is challenged as a key element of this transition to re-scope and, as appropriate, "down size" its infrastructure and facilities foot print to most efficiently support the missions within expected funding levels. KSC capabilities and assets that will become idle or underutilized for near-term NASA requirements, may be re-purposed and used by the commercial space industry and others in direct support of NASA's mission and purpose.

KSC seeks to strategically identify, develop, and align the Center's distinctive space transportation assets and capabilities with other government and commercial space markets. KSC seeks to expand partnerships, customer base, and regional economic opportunities consistent with the NASA mission. KSC wishes to promote and enable the widest and fullest utilization of KSC assets and facilities to advance the nation's goals for space exploration and development and maximize the nation's investment in the federal spaceport. These efforts are targeted to enhance space launch and processing infrastructure and capabilities available to both the commercial and government launch and space services industry.

PRIORITY USES FOR AVAILABLE FACILITIES:

For the facilities identified in this announcement, NASA intends to give priority consideration to prospective uses and users for available facilities which align with the following:

* Entities which operate or directly support space launch or space user missions for the U.S. Government at Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station;

* Entities which operate or directly support commercial space launch or commercial space user missions, whether or not the U.S. Government is a customer NASA will consider other technical, operationally-compatible uses and users which are determined to directly or indirectly support its missions and purposes if underutilized capacity remains available.

USES THAT NASA WILL NOT CONSIDER:

For the facilities identified in this announcement, that may be available for potential PPVs or other partnering arrangements, NASA will not at this time consider responses that:

* Fail to show any relevance to NASA's mission or purpose and U.S. Government interests, or fail to demonstrate a need for use of the requested KSC asset that cannot be met more appropriately at other locations outside the restricted area or off Center;

* Are deemed incompatible with the current KSC Master Plan, land use policies, environmental conditions, or pose a negative impact on NASA's mission;

* Request any proposed transfer of title to land, proposed residential uses, or proposed operation of commercial agricultural uses;

GOVERNMENT's RIGHT TO APPLY CRITERIA:

NASA reserves the right to apply criteria for assessing the "best fit" for alternative uses and users which may be considered for the facilities identified in this announcement. Such criteria may include, but not be limited to:

* The extent of alignment with NASA's mission, purpose, and the long term development objectives and plans for the Kennedy Space Center as a multi-user spaceport;

* Benefits to KSC, NASA, and other U.S. Government interests;

* The alignment of the proposed use and occupancy need dates with the facility's intended purpose, configuration, and availability dates;

* An assessment of the financial capability of the proposed user, as well as the prospects for programmatic funding for the activity (whether serving a government or commercial customer base);

* An assessment of the environmental, safety, and security impacts of the proposed use and user;

* Potential for and degree of expected positive contribution to sustainment of KSC's technical workforce;

* Risks to KSC, NASA, and other U.S. Government interests.

GOVERNMENT'S RIGHT TO DISPOSE OF FACILITIES:

This announcement does not preclude the Government's option to dispose of one or more of the identified facilities should it determine that there is no current or future need related to a NASA mission or purpose, and that it is in the Government's best interest to dispose of the facility rather than to retain it. Such disposal may include, but not be limited to:

* Declaring facility improvements excess to the Government's needs and disposing in accordance with the established processes of the General Services Administration (GSA);

* Deconstruction of the facility to enable re-development of the site at some future date;

* Abandonment in place.

IDENTIFICATION OF FACILITIES ANTICIPATED TO BE AVAILABLE:

This notice encompasses only the facilities as described in the following categories and listing. All of these assets are located within the secured and restricted-access area of KSC, generally referred to as "inside the gates." Support facilities such as office/administrative space and warehousing/logistics space existing as a portion of an operational/processing facility or in separate buildings in close proximity to an operational/processing facility, are considered ancillary uses required to support other user operations or business at the spaceport. Priority consideration for such office/administrative space or warehousing/logistics space will be as identified in association with the priority activities referenced above, in lieu of standalone uses unassociated with other spaceport operational activities.

KSC SPACE VEHICLE PROCESSING AND LAUNCH FACILITIES:

Launch Complex 39A - This launch complex was constructed for the Apollo Program and modified for the Space Shuttle Program. The complex includes the launch pad, various fluids and gases systems including dewars for Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen and the fixed and rotating service structures for the Space Shuttle.

Launch Complex 39B - This launch complex was constructed for the Apollo Program and modified for the Space Shuttle Program. The complex includes the launch pad, various fluids and gases systems including dewars for Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen and standalone lightning protection towers. Use of this facility will likely be on a shared basis with other users.

Vehicle Assembly Building - This facility was constructed for the Apollo Program and modified for the Space Shuttle Program. It contains four high bays, some of which may be made available to non-NASA users for launch vehicle processing and preparation. Use of this facility will likely be on a shared basis with other users.

Launch Control Center (LCC) - This facility was built to support the Apollo Program and was then modified to support the Space Shuttle Program. It contains four "firing" rooms, engineering support areas and administrative offices. The firing rooms, which are essentially control rooms, contain numerous enclosures, computing hardware, software (e.g. operating systems, command/control applications, displays, operating systems, databases), networks, communications equipment, configuration management, information technology security, and other ancillary tools and engineering processes in support of existing and future spacecraft processing and launch.

Orbiter Processing Facilities 1 and 2 - These buildings were constructed for processing of the Space Shuttle Orbiter vehicles. Each one contains a control room for vehicle Environmental Control Systems, high bay and the ability to process hazardous fluids and gases.

Orbiter Processing Facility 3 - This facility was constructed for processing the Space Shuttle Orbiter vehicle. It contains one high bay and a control room for vehicle Environmental Control Systems. Adjacent to the high bay within the building is an area for engine processing known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine Shop.

Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) - The SLF is a single, 15,000 ft concrete runway that is oriented to the southeast and northwest with runways designated 15 and 33 on the approach compass. Uses for horizontal launch and recovery, other space related testing and operations, and supporting compatible or special-purpose aviation operations can be negotiated on an as available basis. While the SLF will be available to multiple users, several associated support facilities and adjacent sites may be made available for qualified users as dedicated assets.

OFF-LINE PROCESSING FACILITIES:

Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (SRB-ARF) - This facility was constructed to support the Space Shuttle Program. It contains high bays and control rooms for the processing of unfueled solid rocket booster segments. It also contains connected office space for administrative personnel and an area for testing of hydrazine powered devices.

Processing Control Center - This facility was constructed to support off-line testing operations for the Space Shuttle Program. It is three stories tall, contains rooms with raised flooring to support computer systems as well as administrative space.

Rotation Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) - This complex of three buildings was constructed to support the Space Shuttle Program. The main facility contains an overhead crane for the rotation of fueled solid rocket booster segments while the two other buildings provide for storage of solid rocket booster segments. Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) - This facility was constructed to support the Space Station Program. The facility contains high, intermediate, and low bays, laboratory space including command and control test-beds to support off-line testing operations and administrative areas.

Hypergolic Maintenance Facility (HMF) - This facility contains several buildings in the KSC Industrial Area. They include hazardous explosion-rated processing buildings, storage areas, waste staging and hypergol support buildings and associated engineering control rooms.

Canister Rotation Facility (CRF) -This facility was built to support the operations and maintenance associated with the canisters used to transport payloads to and from the Space Shuttle processing areas. It contains a high bay with 100-ton bridge crane and a low bay that housed the Canister Transporter.

Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) - This facility was constructed to support the Space Shuttle Program. The thermal protection system or Shuttle tiles, are manufactured and repaired in this facility. This facility will likely be made available to multiple users as a provided service.

Parachute Processing Facility (PPF) - This facility provides for the cleaning (washing) of parachutes from Space Shuttle missions in an outside wash rack and for the repair of these parachutes within several rooms.

KSC PAYLOAD PROCESSING FACILITIES:

Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) - This facility contains three major structures, the main building itself which contains a high bay, a low bay, an equipment airlock and two control centers. There is a communications room connected to the high bay and an annex area with administrative offices.

Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) - This facility has three main structures: the high bay, in which hazardous operations may occur, a support building which contains control rooms and a transporter storage building. This facility will likely be available for operations to multiple users on a shared basis during specific intervals when not required for planetary mission processing. There are known periods of mandatory Government use between 2011 and 2015 and additional periods may be identified at a later date.

MISCELLANEOUS FACILITIES:

Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) - This complex of facilities was developed to house telemetry tracking equipment and antennas. It contains several buildings including control rooms, administrative and conference rooms and support buildings. The area also contains several large tracking antennas.

Far Field Antenna Testing Range - The Far Field Antenna Testing Range, located in the Northeast area of the HMF of KSC, is certified to test antennas from 100 MHz to 18 GHz. It can test a variety of antenna types, which include Parabolic, Dipole, Strip-line, Quad Ridged Horn, Mono-pulse Phased, etc. The range is a variable distance/height testing facility, and can test antennas up to 450 pounds using traditional methods integrated with an advance computer measurement system. The range was first used during the Gemini and Apollo Programs, after which, the building was left unattended. In 1992, the building was retested and reopened in 1993. The facility has been used to test Shuttle antennas, such as the S-Band Quads, Heim-GPS, TACAN L-Band, MSBLS, Radar Altimeter, EVA Airlock, and Payload Bay UHF Antennas. This facility has also been used to test non-Shuttle antennas such as the Dipole Telemetry and GPS Positioning Antennas for the B1-B Strategic Bomber, Commercial Phased Array Antenna Systems for E-Systems, and Multi-Band Multi-Antenna Array for Advanced Systems Development. As of 2011, all positioning and test equipment is fully functional and calibrated.

Additional Non-Real Property Assets: These assets, while not real property, may also be made available to qualified users on a dedicated basis. They are included here for completeness and to provide potential users the opportunity to notify NASA of their interest in these assets.

Mobile Launch Platforms (MLP's) 1, 2 and 3 - These structures were constructed for the Apollo Program and modified for the Space Shuttle Program. They are used for the assembly and launch operations of vertical launch vehicles. They may be made available to individual users for dedicated launch systems or to multiple users.

Mobile Launcher (ML) - This structure was constructed for the Constellation Program for assembly and launch operations of the Ares 1 vehicle. This structure may be made available to individual users for dedicated launch systems or for multiple users.

For additional information on these facilities and assets, please go to http://kscpartnerships.ksc.nasa.gov and go to the link "Kennedy Space Center Resources Encyclopedia under "What's New."

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The purpose of this NOA/RFI is to determine industry's level of interest in quantity and type of facilities. Additional information, if forthcoming, will be synopsized in the NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) and FedBizOps. It is the responsibility of potential users to monitor NAIS for the release of any additional information or synopsis. This NOA/RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for any information solicited. Since this is a NOA/RFI, no evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. Instructions for Responses: Potential users interested in the described KSC assets shall submit statements of interest electronically, via e-mail, to the primary Point of Contact (POC) listed below. The statement of interest shall consist of a one page summary and additional pages of supporting detail as needed. Responses shall contain a minimum font size of 12. To facilitate a prompt review, the one-page summary shall clearly identify facility needs and planned utilization of assets. The one page summary shall include: (1) Company information. Specify organization name, address, primary POC and telephone number, business size and type, and product or service line. (2) Assets. Identify the specific asset requirements and their proposed use. (3) Timetable. Identify when the assets are needed for the proposed use and for what duration. Please note that if you have previously responded to a NASA RFI or submitted a written request for the use of any of the KSC facilities or assets listed in this NOA/RFI, you must provide a response to this NOA/RFI that reaffirms your interest. Include in your response a reference to your previous written response to a NASA announcement, or original written request without repeating it in its entirety. Responses are required no later than February 24, 2011. Information received after this date will only be considered if deemed in the Government's best interest. Please reference this NOA/RFI in any response. Respondents are cautioned to mark any information confidential if it is to be treated as proprietary. All electronic responses should be sent to the POC, identified below, with the message line "Response to KSC Notice of Availability dated January 24, 2011." Any questions you may have are to be submitted in writing, via email, to the POC listed below. Point of Contact:

James Ball james.e.ball@nasa.gov

Point of Contact

Name: Marco Pochy
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 321-867-8567
Fax: 321-867-1188
Email: marco.l.pochy@nasa.gov

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