• 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).
Showing posts with label Nasa Information-Nasa Informations-Nasa Info-Nasa Images-Space Shuttle Space Station-Nasa Tv -Nasa News-Space Station Informations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nasa Information-Nasa Informations-Nasa Info-Nasa Images-Space Shuttle Space Station-Nasa Tv -Nasa News-Space Station Informations. Show all posts

AMS Discoveries Will Surprise, Lead Scientist Predicts

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Nobel Laureate Samuel Ting

Image above Professor Sam Ting, AMS Principal Investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he doesn't know what the instrument will find, but it is expected to test several aspects of theories about the origin and structure of the universe. The experiment, which studies cosmic rays, may also reveal the nature of dark matter. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossman



The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 inside the SSPF.

Image above: The intruments in the AMS are sensitive enough to pick up cosmic rays passing through it even as the instrument sits in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller


The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) destined for the International Space Station already is collecting cosmic ray signatures, even as it sits in a work stand at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said Prof. Samuel Ting, the principal investigator for the program.

It ‘s not making any grand discoveries yet, since the particles it is picking up were stripped of some of their qualities when they passed through Earth's atmosphere. But once in place aboard the space station, the 7 1/2-ton AMS will see charged particles as they exist in the vacuum of space.

Space shuttle Endeavour is to carry the AMS to the station in February 2011, and mount it on the truss that holds the orbiting laboratory's main solar arrays.

So what does Ting expect the AMS to find? Speaking to a standing-room-only audience for the Kennedy Engineering Academy on Oct. 19, Ting said he doesn't know what the detector will find.

"Expert opinion is based on existing knowledge," he said. "Discovery breaks down existing knowledge."

Ting won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976 along with Burton Richter for their discovery of a heavy elementary particle.

Though he doesn't know exactly what to expect, Ting has several ideas of what he hopes to find using the AMS, including the possibility that it opens up an entirely new field of particle physics. Up until now, he said, the study of cosmic rays has been limited to measuring light using telescopes and instruments like those on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

The AMS is to be the first to study charged particles in space, he said.

One of his desires is that the particles recorded by AMS prove the existence of a parallel universe made up of anti-matter, or particles that are, in electrical charge and magnetic properties, the exact opposite of regular particles. Such a universe has been theorized, but not proven. The discovery of massive amounts of anti-matter could answer fundamental questions about the universe's origin.

"Unless you do the experiments, you don't know who is right," Ting explained.

Ting is also searching for proof of what makes up dark matter, the theoretical material that is thought to make up a large part of the universe. Also, AMS may point out whether all matter in the universe is made up of the same two kinds of quarks that make up all the known matter on Earth.

Designing such an experiment, especially one that works in the harsh and unforgiving environment of space, did not happen quickly and Ting says he was taken aback by how difficult it was.

"I did not realize there is really a big difference between doing an experiment on the ground and doing an experiment in space," he said.

Although new particle accelerators were being built on Earth, Ting said he set out to study cosmic rays in space because, "no matter how large an accelerator you build, you can't compete with space."

For example, cosmic rays produce particle energy almost a hundred million times more powerful than the world's largest particle accelerator is capable of, he said.

Ting's work on AMS started in 1994 with a meeting with then-NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. The project grew from there to incorporate more than 500 physicists in some 16 nations around the world. Mostly built in Europe and Asia, the AMS effort also received help from its project office at NASA's Johnson Space Center and from the Department of Energy.

The experiment is filled with cutting-edge technology. It relies largely on a ring of powerful magnets that influence the particles as they move through the AMS. The magnets were changed after Ting's team opted to replace the superconducting versions that would last three years with magnets that did not need to be cooled but would let the experiment run many years longer, possibly as long as the space station itself is operational.

A series of detectors will pick up the ray's movements, in particular how their paths change as they pass through the magnets. Ting said different particles leave unique signatures that researchers will comb through to determine how much anti-matter exists and the nature of it.

The device also requires specialized electronics that run 10 times faster than current space electronics. The electronics have to be so much faster because the cosmic rays AMS will detect move so fast.

The AMS detector was tested in a couple ways. First, a smaller prototype was flown on board space shuttle Discovery in 1998 to prove the concept would work. Shortly before being flown to Kennedy, the AMS-2 was placed in the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, Switzerland. The particle accelerator, the world's largest, was used to help set up the AMS instrumentation.

Buoyed by extensive support in the scientific community, Ting said he was able to overcome numerous sticking points along the way to get the AMS-built and ready to launch on a shuttle.

"If people believe in you, they will find a way to support you," he said.

Steven Siceloff
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center

NASA Simulates the Sun's Power on Earth to Test Hardware Intended for Space

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Testing at the Solar Thermal Test Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center.

The Solar Thermal Test Facility's concentrator mirror is composed of 144 smaller hexagonal segments. When all the mirrors are fully uncovered, the mirror beams about 1,000,000 watts per square meter of solar energy intensity into the vacuum chamber at the focal point. (NASA/D. Oliver)

Testing at the Solar Thermal Test Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center.

The instrument currently being tested only needs 14,700 watts per square meter intensity so the facility covers most of the mirrors, or those that appear white, only uncovering a few with holes, those that look glassy, to beam sunlight into the vacuum chamber. Normal solar intensity at the Marshall Center with no mirrors is 1000 watts per square meter. (NASA/D. Oliver)

Testing at the Solar Thermal Test Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center.

Engineers put the instrument inside this vacuum chamber where the pressure is lowered to the vacuum conditions of space. The black liquid nitrogen cooled walls simulate the super-cold conditions space has to offer. The sun is illuminating the front of the instrument bright white. (NASA/D. Oliver) In the hostile environment of space, satellites could get burned by the ultra-hot sun in front of them and chilled by the frigid cold conditions of space behind them.

Researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., are using their Solar Thermal Test Facility to simulate some of the harshest conditions space has to offer to learn what these extreme temperatures can do to flight hardware close to the sun. They're currently testing Strofio, a unique NASA instrument that will fly aboard an upcoming European Space Agency mission, in this facility to test the thermal balance before the instrument is on its way to Mercury.

The facility looks like it belongs in a galaxy far, far away. A two-story tall curved mirror -- actually is made of 144 separate mirror segments, each hexagonally shaped and about 18 inches in diameter -- forms the backbone of the facility.

About 50 yards away, sitting in a field, lies another mirror tilted at a slight angle. This secondary mirror reflects the sun towards the primary mirror, which captures the energy and then focuses inside a small vacuum chamber mounted in front of the mirror’s focal point.

The giant wall of mirrors works by capturing the light from the sun and redirecting that energy to whatever happens to be sitting in the vacuum chamber. That superheats the instrument, allowing scientists to know how their hardware will behave as it nears the sun. Of course they can't use all 144 mirror segments at once -- that would beam 5000 watts worth of energy onto whatever happens to be inside the vacuum chamber. For the Strofio tests, engineers will only need to partially uncover about 26 mirror segments. They'll reach temperatures hot enough to test their instrument, but not so high that they melt away their hard work.

But that's only half the equation. Thanks to the Southwest Research Institute, the NASA facility has installed a liquid nitrogen shroud on the inside of the vacuum chamber that will flow super-cold liquid nitrogen. That will allow engineers to chill the vacuum chamber to the freezing cold temperatures, just like those in deep space.

In the front, the mirrors expose the instrument to the hotness of the sun. In the back, the nitrogen exposes it to the coldness of a vacuum. Together they accurately mimic the conditions of space, allowing scientists to test how their instrument will perform on its actual mission.

"It really gives you a good opportunity to understand how your instrument will perform in the conditions of deep space," says Dr. Jimmy Lee, mission manager for Strofio. "We're trying to understand on Earth how our tool will perform thousands of miles away in radically different conditions. That’s critical for a mission like ours."

These tests prove vital for equipment like Stofio that are destined to travel close to the sun. Strofio will fly in polar orbit around Mercury where it will determine the chemical composition of Mercury's surface using a technique called mass spectroscopy, providing a powerful new data to study the planet's geological history. It will launch with the ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter mission in 2014.

When Strofio reaches its orbit around mercury, the sun will expose it to temperatures over 120 degrees Celsius or 248 Fahrenheit. That's a stretch even for the relatively resilient NASA computers which historically only operate at around 24 degrees Celsius or 75 Fahrenheit. Engineers will have to continuously test Strofio to handle the tough Mercury conditions.

For now, the Solar Thermal Test Facility's team continues to test Strofio in preparation for its upcoming mission. Hopefully, they'll continue to have the opportunity to bring the conditions of deep space to the middle of Huntsville, Ala.


Kim Newton, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
Kimberly.D.Newton@nasa.gov

NASA astronaut checks in to Foursquare from space

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WASHINGTON — A NASA astronaut on Friday used the popular location-sharing service Foursquare to "check in" from space.

Douglas Wheelock, who is orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station, sent a message from his Twitter account, @Astro_Wheels, saying he had "unlocked the 'NASA Explorer Badge'" on Foursquare.

Foursquare, which boasts more than four million members, allows users to broadcast their whereabouts to other users of the service and earn "badges" for the places they check in from or to become the "mayor."

The NASA Explorer Badge can be earned by those who are "220 miles above the Earth traveling at 17,500 mph," which puts Wheelock in a rarified category.

"Check-ins from around the world have been cool, but this blew my mind!" Foursquare co-founder and chief executive Dennis Crowley said.

"We're psyched to partner with NASA to help users explore the space program and the universe," Crowley said.

NASA has been quick to adopt Facebook, Twitter and other social networking tools and offers Foursquare badges to visitors to a number of NASA facilities, including the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and mission control in Houston.

Timothy Creamer, a NASA flight engineer, sent the first "tweet" from space in January and astronauts have been tweeting regularly since then.

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi earlier this year used Twitpic to send spectacular pictures of Earth as seen from space, including views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Fuji and other landmarks.

NASA's Foursquare page is located at foursquare.com/NASA

The Long Voyage of Discovery

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ISS023-E-022370: Space shuttle Discovery

Space shuttle Discovery is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member as the shuttle approaches the International Space Station during STS-131 rendezvous and docking operations. Image Credit: NASA.

 It has flown to space more than any other craft, and it has carried more crew members to orbit. It was the first spacecraft to retrieve a satellite and bring it back to Earth. It has visited two space stations. It launched a telescope that has seen deeper in space and in time than ever before. And twice it has demonstrated the United States' will to persevere following devastating tragedy, returning America to orbit following the two worst accidents in space history.

Although all five vehicles that have comprised NASA's space shuttle fleet are unmatched in achievements, space shuttle Discovery is unique among the extraordinary.

In 38 trips to space, Discovery has spent 351 days in orbit, almost a full year. Discovery has circled Earth 5,628 times, all the while speeding along at 17,400 miles per hour. It has traveled almost 143 million miles. That equals 288 round trips to the moon or about one and a half trips to the sun.

Discovery has carried more crew members -- 246 -- than any space vehicle. Those have included the first female to ever pilot a spacecraft, the oldest person to fly in space, the first African-American to perform a spacewalk, the first cosmonaut to fly on an American spacecraft and the first sitting member of Congress to fly in space.

S26-31-012: Discovery and TDRS-C satellite

Discovery was used for NASA's Return to Flight Mission following the Challenger accident, during which the STS-26 crew delivered the TDRS-C satellite to Earth orbit. Image Credit: NASA.

 It took four years to build Discovery, the third shuttle orbiter built. Named for past sailing ships of exploration, it rolled out of its Palmdale, Calif. assembly plant in October 1993 and was delivered via piggyback airplane flight to NASA' s Kennedy Space Center the next month. Discovery's first launch was Aug. 30, 1984 on mission STS-41D. That flight launched three communications satellites and tested an experimental solar array wing. The mission was commanded by astronaut Henry W. Hartsfield.

On its second mission, Discovery became the first spacecraft to retrieve a satellite and bring it home. Through a spectacular series of spacewalks using the free-flying Manned Maneuvering Unit jetpacks, two malfunctioning satellites were retrieved and tucked into Discovery's payload bay for the trip home.

In 1985, Discovery became the only shuttle orbiter to fly four times in a single year. One of those missions, STS-51D, counted the first sitting member of Congress among its crew, Utah Senator Jake Garn.

After more than a two and a half year hiatus to add safety improvements throughout the shuttle systems following the January 1986 Challenger accident, Discovery took America back to orbit on mission STS-26 in September 1988. Commanded by astronaut Rick Hauck, the mission tested safety improvements and launched a NASA communications satellite. It was Discovery's seventh flight and the nation's first return to flight.

STS063-711-080: Mir

Cosmonaut Valeriy V. Polyakov, who boarded Russia's Mir Space Station on January 8, 1994, looks out Mir's window during rendezvous operations with the Space Shuttle Discovery. Image Credit: NASA.

 One-time cold war adversaries found common ground above the Earth aboard Discovery in February 1994 on mission STS-60, as Sergei Krikalev of Russia became the first cosmonaut to fly on a U.S. spacecraft. The eight-day research flight was commanded by astronaut Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

Discovery moved the fledgling partnership closer on mission STS-63 one year later as it became the first shuttle to rendezvous with the Russian Mir Space Station. As Discovery flew to within 40 feet of the orbiting complex, the mission broke other barriers as well. Commanded by astronaut James D. Wetherbee, the crew included the first female to pilot a U.S. spacecraft -- astronaut Eileen Collins.

Discovery's only other visit to Mir came on mission STS-91 in June 1998, a docking with the space station that ended the Shuttle-Mir Program. The cooperative effort had seen nine shuttle missions dock to the Russian station since Discovery's trailblazing rendezvous in 1995.

STS095-362-034: Scott E. Parazynski and John Glenn

Astronaut Scott E. Parazynski (left), STS-95 mission specialist, prepares to withdraw blood from the arm of U. S. Senator John H. Glenn, Jr. (D.-Ohio), payload specialist, positioned in his sleep station on the space shuttle Discovery's middeck. Image Credit: NASA.

 In October 1998, Discovery flew a science mission that again broke barriers on Earth and in space. The crew included the oldest astronaut to fly to space -- astronaut John Glenn, who at age 77 made his second trip to orbit on Discovery's STS-95 mission. In 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. In addition to other duties with the STS-95 crew, Glenn was a test subject for a host of experiments that studied aging.

In October 2000, Discovery launched on the 100th mission of the Space Shuttle Program, a flight to the new and growing International Space Station on mission STS-92. The 12-day mission installed a shuttle docking port on the station and the first piece of the station's exterior truss structure, setting the stage for the arrival of its first resident crew only a few weeks later.

In February 2003, the world again mourned as the shuttle Columbia and her crew were lost during reentry. America resolved to continue the shuttle program and again improve the safety of flight, and NASA again turned to Discovery to return the nation to space on mission STS-114 to the International Space Station. The mission, commanded by Eileen Collins, included new procedures to ensure the shuttle heat shield was in good condition for the trip home, among them a first of its kind "back flip" as Discovery approached the station to enable the station crew to capture high resolution imagery of the shuttle's heat shield.

S114-E-6645: Stephen Robinson on Canadarm2

Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, anchored to a foot restraint on the International Space Station’s Canadarm2, participates in the mission’s third spacewalk. Image Credit: NASA.

 NASA's final mission of 2006 was expected to be one of its most challenging. Discovery's STS-116 mission to the space station called for installation of the port five truss segment and a major overhaul of the station's electrical power system. Problems arose while retracting one of the station's solar arrays, which was to be relocated on a future flight. During the retraction, the array snagged. During two spacewalks, astronauts Bob Curbeam, Suni Williams and Christer Fuglesang assisted in the retraction by hand, successfully troubleshooting the problem and folding the array.

Discovery participated in another space milestone in October 2007 as mission STS-120 marked the first time that two female commanders were in space together. Discovery Commander Pam Melroy flew the shuttle to dock with the space station, which was under the command of astronaut Peggy Whitson. The mission installed the Harmony module on the complex and relocated and deployed the solar array that had been folded on STS-116. The crew and ground had to improvise as the array was unfolded, installing straps that mended and stabilized the panel.

On STS-124 in May 2008, Discovery headed back to the station to deliver the centerpiece of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo experiment laboratory. STS-124 was the second of three shuttle flights that delivered the elements to complete the Japanese lab.

On its final flight in November 2010, Discovery will deliver a final module to the U.S. segment of the station, the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module, as well as the first humanoid robot to fly in space, Robonaut2. The new module will be a storeroom and provide additional research space. Robonaut2 is a technology demonstration to learn how humanoid robots can assist crews in orbit. Discovery also will carry a host of spare equipment to be stored aboard the complex. Befitting the milestones that have punctuated Discovery's career, its final visit to the station will coincide with the 10-year anniversary of a permanent human presence aboard the outpost.

Expedition 25 Getting Ready for Progress and Shuttle

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Flight Engineer Scott Kelly
Image above: Flight Engineer Scott Kelly peers into a viewfinder that measures visual perception. The PASSAGES experiment takes place inside the Columbus laboratory. Credit: NASA TV

The six-member Expedition 25 crew is preparing to host two visiting vehicles – a cargo craft and a space shuttle – over the next two weeks. They also conducted a periodic fire drill to ensure everyone is prepared to respond in the unlikely event of such an emergency.

The ISS Progress 40, a Russian resupply craft, is due to deliver cargo, supplies and other gear to the International Space Station on Oct. 30. Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to arrive on Nov. 3 to install the new Permanent Multi-Purpose Module (PMM) during the STS-133 mission.

The docked ISS Progress 39 spacecraft fired its engines at 3:41 p.m. EDT Wednesday boosting the space station to the correct altitude for the docking of both vehicles.

The station residents are reviewing the activities they will conduct during Discovery’s stay. Besides the installation of the PMM, the STS-133 crew members will conduct two spacewalks and transfer cargo to and from the station.

The newest Expedition 25 crew members, Scott Kelly, Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka, continue familiarizing themselves with station systems. The three flight engineers arrived at the station aboard the Soyuz TMA-01M on Oct. 9.

Commander Doug Wheelock spent some time swapping fluid lines on the rack flow control assembly which is part of the station’s internal thermal control system. Wheelock and Kelly also participated in the PASSAGES experiment which measures visual perception during long-duration missions in microgravity. From inside the Columbus laboratory the participants look into a viewfinder that observes their gaze parallel to the ground.

Flight Engineer Shannon Walker continued her work with the Japanese experiment HydroTropi. The botanical experiment takes place in the Kibo laboratory and studies how plants, such as a cucumber, grow at a molecular level in microgravity. Data obtained from the results may lead to significant advancements in agricultural production on Earth.

Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin checked the U.S. video cameras that will be attached to Russian Orlan spacesuits to be worn during the Russian EVA 26 planned for Nov. 15. He also inventoried gear to be disposed on the ISS Progress 37 vehicle which is scheduled to undock Oct. 25.

Obama signs Nasa up to new future

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Falcon 9 launch (AP)


The legislation calls for funds to be allocated to the development of commercial crew launch services

The US space agency (Nasa) has been given a new direction, one that will seek to put astronauts in orbit using privately-run launch services.

The change comes into effect with the signing by President Barack Obama of the Nasa Authorization Act 2010.

The legislation, passed by Congress last week, mandates the agency to fly the space station until 2020 and to launch one extra shuttle next year.

It also instructs Nasa to start work on a rocket for deep-space exploration.

The president's signature on the act brings to an end eight months of fractious debate on Capitol Hill about the future course of the agency.

“Start Quote

"If we can't develop a new rocket for $11.5bn, building on a lot of the technologies that were already developed in spending $9bn... we ought to question whether we can build a rocket”

End Quote Democratic Senator Bill Nelson

Nasa's Administrator Charles Bolden told reporters: "Our nation's leaders have come together and endorsed a blueprint for Nasa, one that requires us to think and act boldly as we move our agency into the future. This legislation supports the president's ambitious plan for Nasa to pioneer new frontiers of innovation and discovery."

The act will mark a sea change in the way Nasa does some of its business, particularly in the realm of human spaceflight.

The legislation calls for $1.3bn to be allocated to the development of commercial crew services over the next three years.

The money will seed private companies to design and build rockets and capsules capable of delivering astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

The legislation also signals a formal end to the Constellation programme begun under President George Bush that sought to return humans to the Moon with a new spaceship called Orion and two new rockets called Ares 1 and Ares 5.

Some $9bn was spent on Constellation. Much of its technology and know-how will now be directed into an alternative rocket system big enough to launch a spaceship, or at least some of its elements, on missions that go far beyond the ISS.

Atlantis shuttle (Nasa)
Nasa will aim to fly one last shuttle to the space station, probably in June or July 2011

These ventures are likely to include asteroids and, eventually, Mars.

Legislators want Nasa to receive $11.5bn over the next six years to have the new heavy-lift rocket ready for operation by 31 December 2016.

Some critics of the legislation have questioned whether the funding being requested is sufficient for the task, but Florida Senator Bill Nelson who helped build bipartisan support for the legislation said it should be ample.

"If we can't develop a new rocket for $11.5bn, building on a lot of the technologies that were already developed in spending $9bn - if we can't do it for that then we ought to question whether we can build a rocket."

The act authorises $19bn for Nasa in the federal year 2011, a significant increase on 2010.

This would allow the agency to expand its activities in a number of areas, including in Earth observation where some missions have been allowed to run past their nominal lifetimes without replacements being ordered up in time to prevent data gaps.

Lockheed Martin

Work done on Constellation will now be directed into the new heavy-lift launch system

"I think it's wonderful that we're now at this stage," commented Dr Sally Ride, the first American woman in space and one of a group of experts tasked by President Obama with reviewing human spaceflight policy when he came into office.

"The extensive discussion of the president's budget and the deliberation of the elements of this bill I believe have resulted in legislation that will strengthen Nasa and the space programme."

The $19bn is not completely guaranteed. The money still has to be allocated by congressional appropriators, but Senator Nelson said he thought wide support on Capitol Hill for Nasa would ensure its activities were not denied funding as a result of more general arguments over federal spending and the need to reduce the nation's deficit.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

American Aerospace Courts India While Bolden Courts China

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US may outsource lightweight satellite launches to India, India Strategic

"Lockheed Martin's India Chief Executive Roger Rose told India Strategic that as the US was moving towards longer distance and more sophisticated probes, it made commercial sense to outsource launching of some satellites. There was a dearth of low-cost launching facilities in the world but ISRO and Antrix had a commendable track record in this regard. Lockheed Martin was also interested in cooperating with ISRO on India's manned space flights. The corporation had substantial technological inputs on many or most of the US space missions, and some of these could be shared with India. He said that senior executives from Lockheed Martin had visited Bangalore in August and held discussions with ISRO and Antrix. Some of the US satellites assigned to Lockheed Martin could be outsourced to India and they could "ride piggyback on Indian rockets."

US may outsource lightweight satellite launches to India, Economic Times

"The United States could outsource lightweight satellite launches to India. Lockheed Martin, the biggest US defence, aerospace
and military technology corporation, broached the subject recently with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its export arm, Antrix."

Keith's note: While Charlie Bolden is in China looking for ways that America and China can cooperate in space - including human spaceflight - corporate America is looking to partner with China's arch-rival India on the very same things. Ouch - Bad timing.

Orbiter Test Conductors Keep Watchful Eyes on Shuttle Fleet

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During the final minutes of a space shuttle launch countdown, you can almost hear the proverbial pin drop across Launch Complex 39 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside Firing Room 4, launch controllers monitor their systems and listen intently as the ground launch sequencer takes over the countdown and the final prelaunch milestones are checked off. Three miles to the east, strapped into their seats inside the shuttle's crew module, the astronauts hear the orbiter test conductor's voice in their headsets as the countdown clock ticks downward.

T-2 minutes and counting.

"Close and lock your visors and initiate O2 flow," Orbiter Test Conductor Roberta Wyrick instructs the flight crew. It's a scripted line, instructing the astronauts to pull down their helmet visors and turn on the air inside their pressurized suits. It's also the last time during the countdown that anyone from the firing room will talk directly to the flight crew.

The United Space Alliance Test Operations Group includes 24 orbiter test conductors (OTCs), with six scheduled to support each launch. And although the position gets the most visibility during the final hours of the launch countdown, the OTC is an integral part of the team that shepherds each shuttle orbiter through its complex schedule of prelaunch preparations known as the "processing flow."

"From the time the shuttle is handed over to Kennedy after landing -- whether it's here or at Edwards Air Force Base in California -- until they launch again, anything that has to do with the orbiter involves us," explains Wyrick, an OTC since 1981. "We also support the external tank and solid rocket booster work during normal processing."

The space shuttle comprises three primary components: the white, winged orbiter, the twin solid rocket boosters and the bulky, orange external fuel tank. Prepping the shuttle for an upcoming flight begins almost immediately following its last landing, when the vehicle is towed to the nearby processing facility where it undergoes several months of refurbishment, clean-up, testing and checkout. At the same time, the boosters are stacked and any remaining tank work is completed.

Orbiter test conductors are involved every step of the way, working closely with NASA's shuttle managers to coordinate the intricate processing schedule and integrating it with other center operations. Team members follow the shuttle's progress on a daily basis, monitoring activities either in person or from the OTC console in the firing room's second row.

At this same console, the test team members take turns through the three-day launch countdown, ensuring two test conductors are present on each shift, with the "prime" scheduled for the liftoff shift. A tank/booster test conductor -- known by the call sign TBC -- joins the OTC during the final three shifts of the countdown to look after those components, freeing up the OTC to focus entirely on orbiter systems and activities.

The console provides up to eight video screens the OTC can use to display system status or live operational video from the launch pad. Additionally, up to eight audio channels allow launch controllers to listen and interact on several communication loops simultaneously. During the countdown, the OTC answers to the NASA test director and speaks with the support astronauts who prepare the shuttle's crew cabin for the astronauts about to board. Once the flight crew is strapped in, the OTC performs a voice communication check with each astronaut and offers periodic reminders to complete specific preflight tasks.

Wyrick quickly points out that the astronauts don't need reminders. These short exchanges simply help the launch team keep track of which tasks are complete.

"They know the script, and they know there are certain things they have to do," she explains. "We're not telling them anything they don't know. We just want to hear their positive feedback that something's been done."

After the final "go for launch" polls and the launch director's official farewell to the crew, the countdown resumes at T-9 minutes and the ground launch sequencer (GLS) assumes control of all the shuttle's critical functions.

"We can watch the GLS screen on one of our monitors," Wyrick says. "It's there, sending all the commands. We're telling the flight crew to start the auxiliary power units, clear caution and warning memory, close and lock their visors . . . but everything else is by the computer.

"We're watching, just like everybody else."

As the orbiter access arm is retracted with seven-and-a-half minutes to go, the OTC wishes the crew a successful flight. From that point on, all spoken lines are scripted, including the cue to close their visors with only two minutes left before liftoff.

Wyrick has been with the team through all but the first shuttle mission, but insists it's never routine.

"I don't care how many times you've done it or how many times you've seen it," she says. "Your heart beats harder, and you just want to see everything go smoothly."
Anna C. Heiney,
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center

Shuttle flight director to speak Wednesday night in Dayton

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DAYTON — Paul Dye, a NASA official who is shuttle director at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, will speak at the Dayton Engineers Club on Wednesday at 7 p.m. about his experiences with the nation’s shuttle program.

Dye has participated in 37 missions as a shuttle flight director, and nine as lead flight director. He has served as flight director for all flights of the joint U.S.-Russian shuttle Mir project.

After the shuttle Columbia’s airborne disintegration over Texas in 2003, he coordinated the search for shuttle debris.

His appearance at the Dayton Engineers Club is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the National Park Service in Dayton at (937) 225-7705.

Chandra: What Lies Beneath? Magnetar Enigma Deepens

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Observations with NASA’s Chandra, Swift and Rossi X-ray observatories, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and ESA’s XMM-Newton have revealed that a slowly rotating neutron star with an ordinary surface magnetic field is giving off bursts of X-rays and gamma rays. This discovery may indicate the presence of an internal magnetic field much more intense than the surface magnetic field, with implications for how the most powerful magnets in the cosmos evolve.

The neutron star, SGR 0418+5729, was discovered on June 5, 2009, when the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected bursts of gamma-rays from this object. Follow-up observations four days later with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) showed that, in addition to sporadic X-ray bursts, the neutron star exhibits persistent X-ray emission with regular pulsations that indicate that the star has a rotational period of 9.1 seconds. RXTE was able to monitor this activity for about 100 days. This behavior is similar to a class of neutron stars called magnetars, which have strong to extreme magnetic fields 20 to 1000 times above the average of the galactic radio pulsars.

As neutron stars rotate, the radiation of low frequency electromagnetic waves -- or winds of high-energy particles -- carry energy away from the star, causing the rotation rate of the star to gradually decrease. Careful monitoring of SGR 0418 was possible because Chandra and XMM-Newton were able to measure its pulsation period even though it faded by a factor of 10 after the initial detection. What sets SGR 0418 apart from other magnetars is that careful monitoring over a span of 490 days has revealed no detectable decrease in its rotation rate.

The lack of rotational slowing implies that the radiation of low frequency waves must be weak, and hence the surface magnetic field must be much weaker than normal. But this raises another question: Where does the energy come from to power bursts and the persistent X-ray emission from the source?

The generally accepted answer for magnetars is that the energy to power the X-ray and gamma-ray emission comes from an internal magnetic field that has been twisted and amplified in the turbulent interior of the neutron star. Theoretical studies indicate that if the internal field becomes about ten or more times stronger than the surface field, the decay or untwisting of the field can lead to the production of steady and bursting X-ray emission through the heating of the neutron star crust or the acceleration of particles.

A crucial question is how large an imbalance can be maintained between the surface and interior fields. SGR 0418 represents an important test case. The observations already imply an imbalance of between 50 and 100. If further observations by Chandra push the surface magnetic field limit lower, then theorists may have to dig deeper for an explanation of this enigmatic object.

This discovery is the result of an international teamwork from CSIC-IEEC, INAF, University of Padua, MSSL-UCL, CEA-Saclay, Sabanci University and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. These results appear in the Oct. 14 issue of Science Express, which provides electronic publication of selected science papers in advance of print.

The Marshall Center manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls Chandra's science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass.

For More Information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/news/10-137.html

Welcome to the Super 8 Motel at NASA, a Houston, Texas hotel near Houston Space Center

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The Super 8 Motel at NASA is ideally located in Houston in the Heart of the NAs8frontSA Space Center Area. Guests will enjoy the many different near by attractions.

This Houston hotel is minutes from the Houston NASA Space Center and the Kemah Board Walk. The nearby Clear Lake offers Boating, Fishing, Water Sports and a large Park.

Area attractions include the Kemah Board Walk, Clear Lake, Galveston Beach, Shlitterbahn Water Park, NASA Space Center Houston, Gulf GreyHound Park, Old Seabrook, Battleship Texas, San Jacinto Monument and Moody Gardens.

The hotel is the perfect stop for those traveling to Galveston Island, Kemah Board Walk or looking for an Outer Space Adventure. Nearby Bay Brook Mall provides easy access to all the major retailers. Enjoy many local shops and a variety of restaurants nearby.

NASA's MAVEN pushes to meet its launch date to Mars

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President Obama wants to send humans to Mars by the mid-2030s. While that is still more than two decades away, there is an unmanned mission to Mars in the meantime that will help astronomers learn more about the red planet’s atmosphere.

Called MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission), the mission will measure sun’s effect on Mars’ atmosphere. Astronomers theorize that solar winds stripped Mars of much of its atmosphere over the last few billion years.

Last Friday, NASA gave the green light to the mission managed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder to move into the development stage.

Although this latest NASA approval is a huge positive step for MAVEN, there are still obstacles and potential roadblocks that need to be cleared before it launches at the end of 2013- and it does need to be 2013, people involved with the mission said.

“There are people who believe that their lives are controlled by the planets. With the MAVEN launch window, our lives are controlled by how close Earth and Mars are to each other,” said Nick Schneider, a member of the MAVEN team at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. “There’s an optimal placing of Earth and Mars where we can get there with the least amount of fuel.”

That leaves a window of Nov. 18 to Dec. 7 in 2013. And if not then? MAVEN won’t be able to launch until early 2016, because the two planets won’t be that close to each other again for another 26 months.

“Delaying this long would be a problem for MAVEN, partly because of the additional budget requirements,” said Mary Mellott, the NASA headquarters program scientist for the mission. “However, more centrally, because we would then be launching in a time period when the Sun is relatively inactive, which would limit the probability of MAVEN’s achieving its science objective of determining the effects of solar activity on the Martian atmosphere.”

With NASA’s latest approval, the mission can now get ready for the critical design review in July 2011. Bruce Jakosky, the mission’s principal investigator, said the team will make sure they know where everything will go on the spacecraft and where the key components will be built to get ready for the critical design review.

“The process has been writing down a requirement, making a design that meets those requirements, building the thing and testing it,” he said. “And then countdown to launch. All that has to happen between now and November 18, 2013.”

Both NASA and MAVEN team members from the University of Colorado are confident the mission will touch the sky on time.

"We are as certain as we can be. The Confirmation Review last week went very well,” Mellott said. “Everybody on the review board seemed pleased the team demonstrated that they understand what has to be done and how to do it, and that they have the capability to do it. There is the full expectation that MAVEN will be ready to go on launch day.”

Schneider said there is nothing about the mission that worries team members at the Boulder lab.

“Everybody involved has done this kind of thing before, but not this exact combination,” he said. “We’re not surprised yet, and we hope not to be in the next couple of years.”

Despite his confidence in the technology, Schneider feared that there are factors out of the MAVEN team’s control that could delay the mission. Although NASA has already put more than $400 million into the mission, he thought funding could still be an issue. The launch vehicle for the spacecraft could cost up to $200 million, Jakosky said.

“With other projects, NASA has sometimes said, ‘We cannot afford all of your workforce,’” Schneider said. “So they might say, ‘Cut your workforce in half and take twice as long.’”

However, Mellott said money will not be an issue for MAVEN.

“Within the Mars program so far, we have been lucky enough to have sufficient resources to keep MAVEN on the path towards its scheduled launch,” she said.

Muncy students prepare to become ‘NASA employees’

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MUNCY - In an age when video games are all the rage, it's not easy to gain the attention of fourth-, fifth- and eighth-grade students when teaching them science and mathematics.

That may be about to change for those in science and math classes at the Muncy School District, who are about to send climate data to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In essence, they are becoming NASA employees.

Muncy School Board learned about the experience Monday night and how later this week students will begin to observe a series of five satellites known as the A Train.

The satellites, sent into orbit by NASA, are sending information to scientists about changes in climate as well as weather data as they circle the planet at more than 15,000 mph in the same path in the sky, the teachers at the special topics meeting said.

But the satellites are looking from space down, not the other way. The students can give information to NASA from the ground up, creating a three-dimensional image for the space agency and valuable teaching tools for the school districts taking part.

They are studying atmospheric conditions such as cloud types, temperature and humidity, downloading the information and sending it to NASA scientists. The satellites generally are overhead at about 1 p.m.

"We have two plans to use NASA resources," said Edie Shull, a fourth-grade science teacher.

"Water vapor is a greenhouse gas affecting climate change so if we're increasing cloud coverage, NASA wants to know that because they are studying climate change," Shull said.

The next type of satellite going up is studying carbon emissions, which could help provide more knowledge about the melting of the polar ice caps, whether the theories of overall climatic change are related to earth's cyclical nature or if use of fossil fuels is speeding up that process.

The students get to try out practical problem-solving because Shull and two other instructors Mark Temons, a veteran science and biology teacher, and Woody Fry, who teaches fifth-grade math, went together to Goddard Space Center in Maryland, where they spent four nights and three days learning about satellites and what they measure and getting resources that are available for teachers to use in the school district. Then, they traveled to Immaculata University near Philadelphia for additional work on how to apply the information in their classes.

The learning experience arrives at a critical time when there is national pressure on teachers to have students meet demanding standards in science and mathematics, where many of tomorrow's jobs will be found.

"They are very excited," Shull said. "We're collecting data and sending it to NASA. (Students) are essentially employees of NASA and they will see scientists working on the satellites, learning different cloud types and collect temperature data."

"No matter the grade level, you solve one comment students often ask: 'What good is it?' " Temons said. "The nice thing is you're doing science and math. You're working with people who send astronauts into space. Their information is valued, not as an assessment grade, but by NASA. They all know NASA, but the kids are doing science and math without realizing it."

Fry noted the critical thing is integration, taking the data and analyzing it.

"You're not just crunching numbers in a textbook to have a test on Friday," he said. "You're actually crunching numbers to support something that is far above what we even understand. That makes it easier to do. It gives an excitement to mathematics and purpose behind it and is more than - get it right so you can do well on that test."

They are bringing what they learned from NASA and the college back to Muncy to have students apply it in class and that is exciting, according to Dr. Portia Brandt, district superintendent.

The program is conducted through the Math-Science Partnership and the National Science Foundation, among others.

Pending approval, the district is signing up for next year, Brandt said.

Once a month, the information is reviewed at institutes of higher learning, such as Bucknell University.

"It promised to be a good model for our teachers," Brandt said, "to translate into a model for our kids."

Future of Aeronautics

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It's been awhile since we've posted a blog. What a long winter it's been. Our team is happy to have our current program on line this month. We had a great time producing this one. After a trip to Dryden filming with Johnny Alonso and Fay Collier's X48B team, we headed back to Langley to film in the Full Scale Tunnel with Jennifer. We were the last film crew to shoot in this historic facility. Plans are already underway to remove this great landmark. When we arrived for a site survey we found electricity to be an issue. After working with the facility manager we restored power for lights, but not heat. It was cold that morning! Tom, our B camera operator had to walk in socks because of the noise produced by his sneakers while we were rolling cameras. Jennifer was shaking between takes.
Our camera was mounted on a large jib that morning. We tried to capture just how massive this tunnel really is. The platform is about 20 feet above the floor, and the top of the tunnel is 30 feet higher. It truly is a magnificent building. You can see some pictures on our Webshots page.
Another part of the program was shot at Newport News International Airport with Anna McGowen. Tom, Kevin, and Johnny spent an afternoon on the tarmac filming the interview and gathering some footage for the program.
Our friend Gary Banziger, who films for NASA Langley Public Affairs, shot some great footage for us at the gantry. An MD500 helicopter was dropped to test a new airbag system. We had some cool slo-mo footage provided to us as well. It was a long edit session to get all this footage together. Thanks to everyone who helped us with this endeavor. Enjoy the program, we had a blast producing this one.

NASA Cameras Spot Meteors From Obscure Shower

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It's a strange-sounding name for a constellation, coming from the Greco-Roman word for giraffe, or "camel leopard". The October Camelopardalids are a collection of faint stars that have no mythology associated with them -- in fact, they didn't begin to appear on star charts until the 17th century.

Even experienced amateur astronomers are hard-pressed to find the constellation in the night sky. But in early October, it comes to prominence in the minds of meteor scientists as they wrestle with the mystery of this shower of meteors, which appears to radiate from the giraffe's innards.

The October Camelopardalids are not terribly spectacular, with only a handful of bright meteors seen on the night of Oct. 5. It may have been first noticed back in 1902, but definite confirmation had to wait until Oct. 2005, when meteor cameras videotaped 12 meteors belonging to the shower. Moving at a speed of 105,000 miles per hour, Camelopardalids ablate, or burn up, somewhere around 61 miles altitude, according to observations from the NASA allsky meteor cameras on the night of Oct. 5, 2010.

So they aren't spectacular. Their speed is calculated. Their "burn up" altitudes and orbits are known. So what's the mystery?

Camelopardalids have orbits -- see diagram at right -- which indicates that they come from a long period comet, like Halley's Comet. But the Camelopardalids don't come from Halley, nor from any of the other comets that have been discovered.

Hence the mystery: somewhere out there is -- or was -- a comet that passes close to Earth which has eluded detection. These tiny, millimeter size bits of ice leaving pale streaks of light in the heavens are our only clues about a comet of a mile, maybe more, in diameter.

This is why astronomers keep looking at the Camelopardalids meteors. They hope that measuring more orbits may eventually help determine the orbit of the comet, enabling us to finally locate and track this shadowy visitor to Earth's neighborhood.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/camelopardalis.html

NASA's WMAP Project Completes Satellite Operations

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After nine years of scanning the sky, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) space mission has concluded its observations of the cosmic microwave background, the oldest light in the universe. The spacecraft has not only given scientists their best look at this remnant glow, but also established the scientific model that describes the history and structure of the universe.

"WMAP has opened a window into the earliest universe that we could scarcely imagine a generation ago," said Gary Hinshaw, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who manages the mission. "The team is still busy analyzing the complete nine-year set of data, which the scientific community eagerly awaits."

WMAP was designed to provide a more detailed look at subtle temperature differences in the cosmic microwave background that were first detected in 1992 by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). The WMAP team has answered many longstanding questions about the universe's age and composition. WMAP acquired its final science data on Aug. 20. On Sept. 8, the satellite fired its thrusters, left its working orbit, and entered into a permanent parking orbit around the sun.

"We launched this mission in 2001, accomplished far more than our initial science objectives, and now the time has come for a responsible conclusion to the satellite's operations," said Charles Bennett, WMAP's principal investigator at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

WMAP detects a signal that is the remnant afterglow of the hot young universe, a pattern frozen in place when the cosmos was only 380,000 years old. As the universe expanded over the next 13 billion years, this light lost energy and stretched into increasingly longer wavelengths. Today, it is detectable as microwaves.

WMAP is in the Guinness Book of World Records for "most accurate measure of the age of the universe." The mission established that the cosmos is 13.75 billion years old, with a degree of error of one percent.

WMAP also showed that normal atoms make up only 4.6 percent of today's cosmos, and it verified that most of the universe consists of two entities scientists don't yet understand.

Dark matter, which makes up 23 percent of the universe, is a material that has yet to be detected in the laboratory. Dark energy is a gravitationally repulsive entity which may be a feature of the vacuum itself. WMAP confirmed its existence and determined that it fills 72 percent of the cosmos.

Another important WMAP breakthrough involves a hypothesized cosmic "growth spurt" called inflation. For decades, cosmologists have suggested that the universe went through an extremely rapid growth phase within the first trillionth of a second it existed. WMAP's observations support the notion that inflation did occur, and its detailed measurements now rule out several well-studied inflation scenarios while providing new support for others.

"It never ceases to amaze me that we can make a measurement that can distinguish between what may or may not have happened in the first trillionth of a second of the universe," says Bennett.

WMAP was the first spacecraft to use the gravitational balance point known as Earth-Sun L2 as its observing station. The location is about 930,000 miles or (1.5 million km) away.

"WMAP gave definitive measurements of the fundamental parameters of the universe," said Jaya Bapayee, WMAP program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Scientists will use this information for years to come in their quest to better understand the universe."

Launched as MAP on June 30, 2001, the spacecraft was later renamed WMAP to honor David T. Wilkinson, a Princeton University cosmologist and a founding team member who died in September 2002.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/wmap-complete.html

NASA Updates Media About Space Shuttle Launch Status

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Space Shuttle managers will brief reporters this afternoon about NASA's Space Shuttle Return to Flight mission (STS-114). The news conference starts no earlier than 5:30 p.m. EDT, and it will be carried live on NASA TV from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Managers and engineers are meeting today to review data and possible troubleshooting plans for a liquid hydrogen low-level fuel sensor inside the External Tank. The sensor failed a routine pre-launch check during the launch countdown Wednesday, causing mission managers to postpone Discovery’s first launch attempt.

A new official launch date will be scheduled when a troubleshooting plan is complete and engineers are working on a solution.

NASA TV is carried by MPEG-2 digital signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, it's available in analog through Return to Flight on AMC-7, at 137 degrees west longitude, Transponder 18, at 4060 MHz, vertical polarization, audio at 6.8 MHz. Today’s news conference is available on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv



For the latest information about the STS-114 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight

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Iridium Selects SpaceX to Launch Next-Generation Satellites

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selected Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to launch its next-generation satellites into space during the middle of the decade, as the world's largest satellite-communication provider updates its current constellation.

Under the contract, which is valued at $492 million, SpaceX will provide launch services to send Iridium new-generation satellites into a low-earth orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California between 2015 and 2017. The deal is so far the largest single commercial launch deal ever signed, the companies said in a statement.

SpaceX will use its new launch-vehicle Falcon 9 for the task.

The company earlier this month made history with the successful launch of Falcon 9, the first privately funded spaceship capable to putting people into space. It opened what is likely to become a new chapter in manned space exploration as the Obama administration wants NASA to outsource cargo and astronaut transportation to the international space station for at least a decade.

Iridium, which said Wednesday it is also in talks with at least one other launch-service provider, last month reported it swung to a first-quarter loss on higher costs while revenue increased 8%.

Iridium Selects SpaceX to Launch Next-Generation Satellites

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selected Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to launch its next-generation satellites into space during the middle of the decade, as the world's largest satellite-communication provider updates its current constellation.

Under the contract, which is valued at $492 million, SpaceX will provide launch services to send Iridium new-generation satellites into a low-earth orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California between 2015 and 2017. The deal is so far the largest single commercial launch deal ever signed, the companies said in a statement.

SpaceX will use its new launch-vehicle Falcon 9 for the task.

The company earlier this month made history with the successful launch of Falcon 9, the first privately funded spaceship capable to putting people into space. It opened what is likely to become a new chapter in manned space exploration as the Obama administration wants NASA to outsource cargo and astronaut transportation to the international space station for at least a decade.

Iridium, which said Wednesday it is also in talks with at least one other launch-service provider, last month reported it swung to a first-quarter loss on higher costs while revenue increased 8%.

Soyuz rocket blasts off on two-day flight to station

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Lighting up the predawn Kazakhstan sky, a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a veteran Russian cosmonaut and two NASA astronauts roared to life and vaulted into orbit Tuesday, kicking off a two-day flight to the International Space Station.

Station veteran Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA astronauts Douglas Wheelock, a shuttle veteran, and rookie flight engineer Shannon Walker lifted off aboard the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft at 2:35:19 p.m. PDT Tuesday (3:35:19 a.m. Wednesday local time) from Yuri Gagarin's launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

(Credit: NASA TV)

Riding atop a torrent of fiery exhaust from its multiple first-stage rocket engines, the Soyuz quickly climbed away from the launch pad and arced away to the east through a clear, dark sky.

There were no apparent problems during the climb to space. Shutdown and separation of the first-stage strap-on boosters was clearly visible on NASA television, and all three crew members appeared relaxed and in good spirits, as the rocket accelerated.

Eight-and-a-half minutes after launch, the spacecraft slipped into its planned preliminary orbit with a high point of 161 miles and a low point of 134 miles. A few moments later, its solar arrays and antennas deployed, as planned, to complete the ascent.

"OK, guys, all the best to you," a Russian flight controller radioed in an interpreted feed. "That's it."

Including manned space shuttles and Soyuz capsules, along with unmanned Russian, European, and Japanese cargo ships, this was the 100th launch supporting space station operations since assembly began in 1998.

Walker, a private pilot and wife of shuttle astronaut Andrew Thomas, was trained to serve as Soyuz flight engineer, assisting Yurchikhin in critical phases of flight.

Soyuz commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, left, and flight engineer Shannon Walker, right, moments after reaching orbit.

(Credit: NASA TV)

"Only a handful of us have been trained as the co-pilots on the Soyuz, and it's quite an extensive training process," Walker said in a NASA interview. "I've spent the better part of the last three years over in Russia, working with my Russian colleagues and my Russian instructors to learn how to be the co-pilot, so it's quite an endeavor."

A member of the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, Walker carried a watch into space that was worn by Amelia Earhart during a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In a NASA news release, Walker said she hoped that by honoring the legendary flier, "people will become interested in the continuing story of women in aviation, and perhaps draw some new pilots to the field."

If all goes well, Yurchikhin and Walker will oversee an automated approach to the International Space Station, docking at the Zvezda command module's aft port around 3:25 p.m. Thursday.

After leak checks, hatches will be opened, and Yurchikhin, Walker, and Wheelock will be welcomed aboard by Expedition 24 commander Alexander Skvortsov, Mikhail Kornienko, and Tracy Caldwell Dyson, who were launched to the station April 2. This will be the first time a long-duration station crew has included two women.

Yurchikhin, Walker, and Wheelock, who plan to spend 164 days in space, are replacing Expedition 23 commander Oleg Kotov, Timothy Creamer, and Soichi Noguchi, who returned to Earth two weeks ago aboard the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft after five-and-a-half months in space.

The new additions, in turn, will form the core of the Expedition 25 crew when Skvortsov, Kornienko, and Caldwell Dyson depart in late September.

Space station flight engineer Mikhail Kornienko, left, commander Alexander Skvortsov, center, and NASA flight engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson, right, monitor the launch of the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft in a video feed from Houston.

(Credit: NASA TV)

"Our increment is going to be pretty busy," said Wheelock, who will command Expedition 25. "We'll see a fairly long gap for the next shuttle flight to arrive, and so we have a fair amount of EVAs, or spacewalks, we'll be doing as well. We have three Russian EVAs. Fyodor and our Russian colleagues will go outside and be doing some configuration on the outside of the Russian segment, and we'll also have two U.S. EVAs in August to do the very same thing, to outfit the station to be a little more independent of the heavy lift capability that the shuttle was bringing to the station."

Only two more shuttle flights currently are planned, one with Discovery and one with Endeavour. Discovery is officially targeted for launch September 16, but the flight is expected to slip to around October 29 because of payload issues. Endeavour currently is targeted for launch in late November, but that flight is expected to slip to February because of payload and launch conflict issues.

NASA managers are lobbying the Obama administration for permission to fly one additional shuttle mission next June to deliver critical equipment and supplies. A decision is expected around the end of the month.

"It's actually bittersweet to see the shuttle go," Wheelock said. "But it's really an exciting time as well, because we're also going to be the first increment to really go to full utilization of the space station as an orbiting laboratory.

"All of our international partners--we've pulled together and done things in the engineering world that only 10 years ago seemed to be impossible. Did we think we'd get to this point sooner? Yes. Did we think we'd get to this point cheaper? Yes...We had big dreams and visions. I think that now we're just getting to that point where we're going to begin to really see the return on investment for us."

Looking beyond the space station, Bill Gerstenmaier, director of space operations for NASA, told the crew to give some thought to how the station might be used to help pave the way for future missions into deep space.

"I'd like to congratulate the crew on being ready and completing their training," Gerstenmaier told the astronauts in a preflight meeting. "That's a tremendous accomplishment. The teams in Houston, Canada, and Japan are all ready to support your efforts. Have a good time on station, we look forward to your activities and work...And I have a special request for you: ...in addition to your normal tasks and things [for] which you were trained, think about how [the] station can be used for the future and as a stepping stone to new and bigger things."

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