NASA Robot Completes Test Drive of Exploration Capabilities

May 31, 2007

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726

RELEASE: 07-128

NASA ROBOT COMPLETES TEST DRIVE OF EXPLORATION CAPABILITIES

WASHINGTON - In late May, a NASA-funded robot successfully navigated
one of the world's deepest sinkholes. The mission could be a prelude
to a future mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, believed to contain a
liquid water ocean. The Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer (DEPTHX) is a
3,300-pound, computerized, underwater vehicle that makes its own
decisions. With more than 100 sensors, 36 onboard computers, and 16
thrusters and actuators, it decides where to swim, which samples to
collect and how to get home.

DEPTHX dove repeatedly into the depths of Mexico's mysterious Sistema
Zacaton sinkhole, or cenote, testing a variety of sensors, sonars,
and other equipment. The robot also obtained numerous samples of
water and the gooey biofilm that coated the cenote walls. Reaching
depths of 1099 feet, the battery-powered robot traveled deeper into
the sinkhole than human divers could reach. Though initially operated
on a data-tether, DEPTHX also operated autonomously, without a tether
or human guidance, for up to eight hours at a time.

On May 26, DEPTHX autonomously descended into Zacaton, collected a
wall core sample and safely returned to the surface, all without
scripted instructions. Two days later, again operating without a
tether, DEPTHX further explored and mapped Zacaton, using a novel
form of three-dimensional navigation known as Simultaneous
Localization and Mapping.

Both of these capabilities - autonomous science operations and
autonomous navigation and mapping - will be useful to a new
generation of planetary robotic systems.

Funded by NASA's Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring
Planets program and led by principal investigator Bill Stone of Stone
Aerospace, Inc., Austin, Texas, the project now is ready to take the
next step in Earth exploration.

"The successful tests in Mexico pave the way for a trip to
Antarctica's Lake Bonney in late 2008. There, conditions more closely
resemble those on Europa," said John Rummel, senior scientist for
astrobiology at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "We're learning how to
explore Europa by first exploring analogue environments here on
Earth."

Although NASA's long-term goal is to build a smaller robot that can
function independently on another world, DEPTHX is generating
important new discoveries. For the first time, scientists can collect
specimens from the undisturbed world of sinkholes or other deep
watery environments, bringing back new types of bacteria that one day
may lead to earthly benefits such as advanced medical therapies or
new kinds of materials.

While DEPTHX engineers aimed to build a machine that behaves like a
microbiologist, smaller versions of the robot also might be equipped
as safety inspectors to examine underwater dams or drilling
platforms.

The robot explored the underwater environment and navigated back to
the surface at the end of each day using 500 three-dimensional maps
continually updated in real time on supercomputers built by
scientists at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.

DEPTHX is a $5 million, three-year project that includes scientists
and engineers from Stone Aerospace; Carnegie Mellon University; the
University of Texas at Austin; the Colorado School of Mines, Golden;
the University or Arizona, Tucson; and the Southwest Research
Institute, San Antonio, Texas.

To see learn more about the DEPTHX and other NASA projects, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Gives "Go" for Space Shuttle Launch on June 8

May 31, 2007

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 07-127

NASA GIVES "GO" FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH ON JUNE 8

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Thursday, NASA senior managers selected June
8 as the official launch date for space shuttle Atlantis. Commander
Rick Sturckow and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 7:38
p.m. EDT on the STS-117 mission to the International Space Station.

During the 11-day mission and three spacewalks, the crew will work
with flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, to
install a 17-ton segment on the station's girder-like truss and
deploy a set of solar arrays. The mission will increase the
International Space Station's power capability in preparation for the
arrival of new science modules from the European and Japanese space
agencies.

Atlantis' launch date was announced at the Flight Readiness Review.
During the two-day meeting, top NASA and contractor managers assess
any risks associated with the mission and determine whether the
shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for
flight. The first Flight Readiness Review for STS-117 was held Feb.
27-28. A hail storm on Feb. 26, however, damaged Atlantis' external
fuel tank and delayed the planned mid-March launch.

"While we cannot control the weather, this team can ensure that when
we do launch, it will be as safely as possible," said Associate
Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, who chaired the
meetings. "This second Flight Readiness Review was as thorough as the
first. The discussions were open, healthy, and are evidence of a team
that is ready for a complicated and important station assembly
mission."

Joining Commander Sturckow on STS-117 will be Pilot Lee Archambault
and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, John
"Danny" Olivas, Jim Reilly and Clayton Anderson. Anderson will
replace current station crew member Sunita Williams, who has lived on
the station since December. Williams will return to Earth on
Atlantis.

For more information about the STS-117 mission, including images and
interviews with the crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

University of Michigan astronomers capture the first image of surface features on a sun-like star

University of Michigan astronomers capture the first image of surface features on a sun-like star from PhysOrg.com

University of Michigan astronomers combined light from four widely separated telescopes to produce the first picture showing surface details on a sun-like star beyond our solar system.[...]

NASA, 13 Space Agencies Release Exploration Strategy Framework

May 31, 2007

Melissa Mathews/Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1272/1979

RELEASE: 07-126

NASA, 13 SPACE AGENCIES RELEASE EXPLORATION STRATEGY FRAMEWORK

WASHINGTON - NASA and 13 space agencies from around the world are
releasing the latest product of their Global Exploration Strategy
discussions. The document, "The Global Exploration Strategy: The
Framework for Coordination," reflects a shared vision of space
exploration focused on solar system destinations where humans may
someday live and work.

The framework document allows for the establishment of a voluntary,
non-binding mechanism by which space agencies can exchange
information on their respective space exploration plans. This
coordination mechanism will play a key role in helping to identify
gaps, overlaps and synergies in the space exploration plans of
participating agencies.

The framework document is an important step in an evolving process
toward a comprehensive global approach to space exploration. Although
the document is non-binding, its contents are consistent with ongoing
bilateral and multilateral discussions that NASA intends to lead to
cooperative agreements for specific projects. In addition to NASA,
representatives from agencies in Australia, Canada, China, the
European Space Agency, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy,
Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea and Ukraine participated in the
Global Exploration Strategy discussions. Many participants are
meeting this week in Spineto, Italy, to discuss the development of
the coordination mechanism and other issues.

The framework document is available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/178109main_ges_framework.pdf

To learn more about NASA's future space exploration plans, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Statement in Response to Inquiries Related to NPR Press Release

May 30, 2007

David Mould
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1898

RELEASE: 07-125

STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES RELATED TO NPR PRESS RELEASE

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin responded Wednesday to inquiries
related to a National Public Radio press release. The radio network's
release contained excerpts from an interview that included comments
on global climate change.

"NASA is the world's preeminent organization in the study of Earth and
the conditions that contribute to climate change and global warming.
The agency is responsible for collecting data that is used by the
science community and policy makers as part of an ongoing discussion
regarding our planet's evolving systems. It is NASA's responsibility
to collect, analyze and release information. It is not NASA's mission
to make policy regarding possible climate change mitigation
strategies. As I stated in the NPR interview, we are proud of our
role and I believe we do it well."

For additional information about NASA and its programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Updates Aeronautics Research Announcement

May 30, 2007

J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-5241

RELEASE: 07-124

NASA UPDATES AERONAUTICS RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT

WASHINGTON - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has
amended its NASA Research Announcement to seek additional research
topics. NASA is soliciting research in several new topic areas for
the Airspace Systems Program's Next Generation Air Transportation
System Airportal Project and the Fundamental Aeronautics Program's
Supersonics Project.

The Airportal Project will investigate innovative new technologies,
approaches and procedures with the goal of enabling capacity
enhancements at airports and terminals. These efforts will help meet
the Next Generation Air Transportation System goals.

The Supersonics Project is a broad based effort designed to develop
knowledge, capabilities and technologies that support all vehicles
that fly at supersonic speeds.

Specific evaluation criteria, deadlines and points of contact for
these research topics and other project areas are available in the
announcement at:

http://nspires.nasaprs.com

For more information about NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission
Directorate, visit:

http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA to Preview Mercury Mission's Flight Past Venus

May 30, 2007

Dwayne Brown/Tabatha Thompson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726/3895

Paulette Campbell
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
240-228-6792

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-60

NASA TO PREVIEW MERCURY MISSION'S FLIGHT PAST VENUS

WASHINGTON - NASA will host a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT on
Monday, June 4, to preview the June 5 flyby of the MErcury Surface,
Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft
through the Venus system. The probe, the first space mission designed
to orbit the planet closest to the Sun, will use Venus's gravity once
again to guide it closer to Mercury's orbit.

During the flyby, the full suite of the spacecraft's instruments will
be directed at Venus, providing several unique science opportunities
that may offer insight never before revealed about the cloud-shrouded
planet. The encounter also presents the opportunity to conduct
collaborative and complimentary observations with the European Space
Agency's Venus Express mission.

Briefing participants are:
-- Marilyn Lindstrom, MESSENGER program scientist, NASA Headquarters,
Washington
-- Sean Solomon, MESSENGER principal investigator, Carnegie
Institution of Washington
-- Eric Finnegan, MESSENGER mission systems engineer, Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
-- Hakan Svedhem, Venus Express project scientist, European Space
Agency, Paris

To participate in the teleconference, reporters in the United States
should call 1-888-324-6998 and use the pass code "Venus."
International reporters should call 1-210-234-0009.

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

At the time of the briefing, related images will be available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/messenger

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

UPI Poll: Chinese space program a threat

UPI Poll: Chinese space program a threat from PhysOrg.com

More than 60 percent of respondents to a UPI-Zogby International polled said the Chinese space program represents a threat to U.S. security. [...]

NASA TV Sets Interviews for Next Shuttle Mission Flight Director

May 25, 2007

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4769

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-59

NASA TV SETS INTERVIEWS FOR NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION FLIGHT DIRECTOR

HOUSTON - The lead flight director for NASA's first space shuttle
mission this year, STS-117, will be available for satellite
interviews from 6-8 a.m. CDT Friday, June 1.

STS-117 Lead Space Station Flight Director Kelly Beck, raised in
Cahokia, Ill., will oversee a flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The
flight continues construction of the International Space Station and
brings a new crew member to orbit to begin a five-month stay and will
return home a station resident who has been in orbit since December.
Atlantis is targeted for launch at 6:38 p.m. CDT June 8 on an 11-day
mission.

Beck will lead a team of flight directors, flight controllers, support
personnel and engineering experts that will staff mission control in
Houston, 24/7 during the mission. The ground control teams and
spaceflight crews have used past missions' experiences, both
challenges and successes, as a guide for this next step in space
station assembly. At least three spacewalks will be conducted during
Atlantis' flight.

Beck's interviews will be conducted live via the NASA Television
analog satellite. To participate, media must contact Tim Hinson at
NASA's Johnson Space Center newsroom, 281-483-5111, no later than 2
p.m. Thursday, May 31.

The NASA TV analog satellite is AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude;
transponder 5C, 3800 MHz, vertical polarization, with audio at 6.8
MHz. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about STS-117 and its crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Spacecraft Aids in Forecast of Solar Radiation Storms

May 25, 2007

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
RELEASE: 07-123

NASA SPACECRAFT AIDS IN FORECAST OF SOLAR RADIATION STORMS

WASHINGTON - NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) now
enables scientists to forecast solar radiation storms, giving future
astronauts, traveling to the moon and Mars, time to seek shelter and
ground controllers time to safeguard satellites. The new method for
the first time offers as much as one hour advance notice when a storm
is approaching.

"Solar radiation storms are notoriously difficult to predict. They
often take us by surprise, but now we've found a way to anticipate
these events," says Arik Posner, a physicist in NASA's Science
Mission Directorate, Washington. Posner is on temporary assignment to
NASA from Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio. Posner developed
the technique. His study appears in a recent issue of the journal
Space Weather.

Solar radiation storms are swarms of electrons, protons and heavy ions
accelerated to high speed by explosions on the sun. On Earth, humans
are protected from these particles by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic
field. Astronauts in Earth orbit also are protected since Earth's
magnetic field extends far enough to shield them. Solar radiation
storms are a potential risk factor for astronauts working on the
surface of the moon or Mars since neither has a substantial magnetic
field.

"A one hour warning would reduce the odds of being caught in a solar
storm outside of a lunar habitat, where astronauts are most
vulnerable," says Francis Cucinotta, chief scientist for the NASA
Space Radiation Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston.

Spacecraft and satellites would also benefit. Subatomic particles
striking computer processors and other electronics can cause onboard
computers to suddenly reboot or issue nonsense commands. If a
satellite operator knows that a storm is coming, the craft can be
placed in a protective "safe mode" until the storm passes.

The type of particle most feared by safety experts is the ion, an atom
that has lost one or more of its charge-balancing electrons.
Energetic ions can damage tissue and break strands of DNA, an effect
not fully understood in terms of human disease.

The goal of researchers is to forecast when the ions will arrive. "The
key is electrons. They are always detected ahead of the more
dangerous ions," says Posner. While this has been known for years,
only recently has this research turned the "electrons first" aspect
of radiation storms into a tool for forecasting.

Every radiation storm is a mix of electrons, protons and heavier ions.
The electrons, being lighter and faster than the others, race out
ahead. By measuring the "rise time and intensity of the initial
electron surge" Posner could predict how many ions were following and
when they would arrive.

The key to the breakthrough was the Comprehensive Suprathermal and
Energetic Particle Analyzer (COSTEP) instrument on board the
observatory. COSTEP counts particles coming from the sun and measures
their energies. Posner looked at hundreds of radiation storms
recorded by COSTEP between 1996 and 2002, and was able to construct
an empirical, predictive matrix that involved plugging an electron
data into the matrix, and an ion forecast emerging.

After testing the results, the matrix was used on COSTEP data gathered
in 2003, a year not yet analyzed and which formed no part of the
matrix itself. The matrix was applied to the electron data and as a
result, it successfully predicted all four major ion storms of 2003
with advance warnings ranging from 7 to 74 minutes.

"While the method is not yet perfect, I'd like to improve that,"
Posner says. Improvements will come as Posner works his way through
even more of COSTEP's dataset.

"Launched with SOHO in 1995, COSTEP has been operating through an
entire solar cycle including the recent solar maximum in 2001, and it
is still going strong," says Prof. Bernd Heber, COSTEP's principle
investigator at the University of Kiel, Germany.

The method is being considered by planners at the Johnson Space Center
in their design of future lunar missions. "Posner's technique reduces
the odds of exposure by more than 20 percent compared to current
methods, allowing astronauts to venture farther from their outpost.
That's good for both science and exploration," says Cucinotta.

"NASA's Vision for Space Exploration will lead humans away from
Earth's protective magnetic cocoon and into the unprotected seas of
outer space," says Posner. "New scientific knowledge concerning basic
processes of space will ensure safe, effective achievement of NASA's
future space exploration activities."

SOHO is a project of international cooperation between the European
Space Agency and NASA. For more information on NASA's study of the
solar system, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/soho/index.html

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Announces News Conference on Next Shuttle Launch

May 24, 2007

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-58

NASA ANNOUNCES NEWS CONFERENCE ON NEXT SHUTTLE LAUNCH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA managers have scheduled a news conference
at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., no earlier than 2 p.m. EDT, Thursday,
May 31, to discuss the status of the upcoming space shuttle mission.
The news conference will begin after the conclusion of a Flight
Readiness Review, a two-day meeting to assess preparations for
shuttle Atlantis' mission, designated STS-117.

The May 30-31 review may produce a number of key decisions about the
flight, including selection of an official launch date for Atlantis'
voyage to the International Space Station. The current target launch
date is June 8 at 7:38 p.m. The briefing participants are:

-- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations
-- Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Program manager
-- Mike Leinbach, NASA launch director

Also on May 31 at 9 a.m., the 13th and final edition of "NASA's
Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight and Beyond"
will be released. The implementation plan demonstrated NASA's
progress in safely returning shuttles to flight. This edition
includes information on changes and modifications tested during the
two Return to Flight missions, STS-114 in 2005 and STS-121 in 2006.
This completes the Return to Flight effort that concluded with
STS-121. For more details about NASA's Space Shuttle Program,
previous versions of the implementation plan and the STS-117 mission,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

The briefing will air live on NASA Television and the agency's Web
site. Media will be able to ask questions from participating NASA
locations. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling
information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Reviews Document NASA's Progress on Next Human Spacecraft

May 24, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272

Kelly Humphries/John Ira Petty
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

RELEASE: 07-122

REVIEWS DOCUMENT NASA'S PROGRESS ON NEXT HUMAN SPACECRAFT

HOUSTON - NASA this week wrapped up six months of system requirements
reviews for the Orion spacecraft, the Ares launch vehicles and other
support systems, bringing together the Constellation Program's list
of basic capability needs.

The Constellation Program is developing a new space transportation
system that will take astronauts to Earth orbit, the moon, and
eventually to Mars.

The basic program architecture for design, development, construction
and operation of the rockets and spacecraft remains unchanged as a
result of the reviews, but it now has a firmer foundation built
through extensive requirements allocation, reconciliation, analyses
and validation testing.

A "baseline synchronization" on May 23 followed individual systems
requirements reviews, or SRRs, by the Constellation Program and the
Orion, Ares, Ground Operations, Mission Operations and Extravehicular
Activity (spacewalk) projects. The synchronization effort was
designed to identify any conflicts or gaps between and among the
projects and the program and to establish a plan for resolving those
issues.

"This has been an eventful spring, known as the 'season of SRRs,'"
said Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager at NASA's Johnson
Space Center, Houston. "This summer will bring a new season of
rolling system definition reviews that will finish our requirements
for initial mission capability and set us up for our first
preliminary design reviews."

The Constellation requirements work was completed at the same time the
program was dealing with other significant challenges, including
development of an integrated test schedule, a mission manifest and a
budget profile that will support its next 20 years of work.

The program also closely followed the work of NASA's Lunar
Architecture Team, which is formulating the requirements for a lunar
surface outpost development and scientific research activities. A
lunar architecture system requirements review is expected in spring
of 2009. "This is an impressive accomplishment in a short period of
time, and I'm pleased with the dedication and cooperation across
projects and attention to detail that has gotten us this far," said
Chris Hardcastle, Constellation Program systems engineering and
integration manager at Johnson.

The next series of reviews will begin with the Orion system definition
review in August and continue through another Constellation Program
baseline synchronization in March 2008. System definition reviews
focus on emerging designs for all transportation elements and compare
the predicted performance of each element against the currently
baselined requirements.

The next significant milestones for the Constellation Program are a
preliminary design review series in summer 2008 and a critical design
review series in early 2010.

For more information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Funds Universities' New Experiments for Suborbital Flights

May 23, 2007

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726

RELEASE: 07-121

NASA FUNDS UNIVERSITIES' NEW EXPERIMENTS FOR SUBORBITAL FLIGHTS

WASHINGTON - NASA has selected four universities to conduct suborbital
scientific research that is a new step in reinvigorating the agency's
sounding rocket science program.

Managed out of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.,
the sounding rocket program offers a low-cost test bed for new
scientific studies and techniques, scientific instrumentation and
spacecraft technology. Launches take place world-wide, including from
Wallops, the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., and Poker Flat Research
Range, Alaska.

"NASA's sounding rocket program also is one of the most cost effective
ways to train future orbital science mission team members and
principle investigators, giving them hands-on space flight
experience," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for the Science
Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington. "I hope this
effort will be a catalyst for more suborbital work conducted for
space science and Earth science research."

NASA's Science Mission Directorate funded approximately $4.2 million
in grants. Two are university-led science investigations from
proposals selected by the directorate's heliophysics division, and
the directorate's astrophysics division selected two others. These
four payloads supplement the existing astrophysics and heliophysics
rocket programs.

Proposals, evaluated by a NASA scientific panel and external
reviewers, were selected based on scientific and technical merits,
costs and relevance to NASA programs. Grants will be funded from
between two to five years with research launches planned to occur
between 2008 and 2010.

The newly selected university payloads are:

University of Wisconsin, Madison/Kenneth Nordsieck, Principle
Investigator (PI)
"Exploring New Astrophysical Diagnostics with the Far-Ultraviolet
SpectroPolarimeter." The payload will make astronomical polarization
measurements in the far ultraviolet and explore new diagnostics of
the geometry and magnetic fields in stellar envelopes and
interstellar medium.

Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H./Kristina Lynch (PI). Partnering
universities: University of Alaska, Fairbanks; University of New
Hampshire, Durham; Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
"The Changing Aurora: in Situ and Camera Analysis of Dynamic Electron
Precipitation Structures." The payload will perform multi camera
investigations of substorm auroras and their variations.

University of Colorado, Boulder/James Green (PI)
"Imaging and Spectroscopy in the Far Ultraviolet." The payload will
perform investigations of the ratio of molecular hydrogen to carbon
monoxide found in gas clouds of other galaxies to accurately
determine the masses of those galaxies.

University of Southern California, Los Angeles/Darrell Judge (PI)
"A New Advanced Extreme Ultraviolet Optics Free Spectrometer." The
payload will test a new photoelectron focusing system that may be
used for future solar observations for calibration for space
research.

NASA sounding rockets provide brief flights into space for payloads
that include atmospheric probes, astronomy telescopes, detectors and
other technology and science investigations. Users include
corporations, universities and a host of government agencies and
other institutions.

Numerous high profile NASA satellite missions have been enabled or
enhanced by technology and techniques developed using sounding
rockets. Many NASA instrument and mission principal investigators
received their start in space experimentation participating in
sounding rocket missions.

For more information on NASA's science programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA, AOL and Mad Science Choose Pennant Design Challenge Winner

May 23, 2007

Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761

RELEASE: 07-120

NASA, AOL AND MAD SCIENCE CHOOSE PENNANT DESIGN CHALLENGE WINNER

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, NASA, AOL's kids service, KOL, and Mad
Science announced that Tapasya Das of Mount Laurel, N.J., is the
winner of the NASA Space Pennant Design Challenge. The winning
pennant, titled "Education 4 Exploration," will fly on space shuttle
Endeavour's STS-118 mission, targeted to launch this August. The
grand prize also includes the opportunity for the winner to view the
launch.

The competition received thousands of entries showcasing students'
vision for space. The entries required students to research, apply
what they learned, and write an explanation of their design and how
their pennant incorporates their knowledge about the STS-118 shuttle
flight or America's long-term exploration strategy, known as the
Vision for Space Exploration. The Vision for Space Exploration is the
program that will see humans return to the moon and then travel to
Mars and beyond.

Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission will mark the first flight
for Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, an educator who is fully
trained as an astronaut. This mission is an important step in the
ongoing assembly of the International Space Station.

Through the NASA Space Pennant Design Challenge, NASA continues its
tradition of investing in the nation's education programs. To compete
effectively for the minds, imaginations and career ambitions of
America's young people, NASA is focused on engaging and retaining
students in education efforts that encourage their pursuit of
disciplines critical to NASA's future engineering, scientific and
technical missions.

For more information on the winning pennant and essay and a list of
the finalist, visit:

http://www.KOLexpeditions.com

For more information about NASA's STS-118 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/sts118

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Satellites Bolster Research on Barren Mid-Ocean Regions

May 22, 2007

Tabatha Thompson/Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3895/1726

RELEASE: 07-119

NASA SATELLITES BOLSTER RESEARCH ON BARREN MID-OCEAN REGIONS

WASHINGTON - NASA satellite data have helped scientists solve a
decades-old puzzle about how vast blooms of microscopic plants can
form in the middle of otherwise barren mid-ocean regions. A research
team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole,
Mass., has used the data in its work to show that episodic, swirling
current systems known as eddies act to pump nutrients up from the
deep ocean to fuel such blooms.

Dennis McGillicuddy, a Woods Hole oceanographer and leader of the
Eddies Dynamics, Mixing, Export, and Species composition (EDDIES)
project, found that ocean productivity was surprisingly high when
stirred by certain types of mid-ocean eddies. These huge parcels of
water were teeming with diatoms - a type of phytoplankton - in
concentrations 10,000 to 100,000 times the norm, among the highest
ever observed in the Sargasso Sea.

"Past research has shown that the open ocean is far more productive
than we could explain based on what we knew about nutrients in the
surface water," said McGillicuddy. "Scientists have been trying to
figure out where the nutrients come from to make these oases in the
oceanic desert, and some of us hypothesized that eddies were part of
the answer. The EDDIES project has validated that suspicion."

McGillicuddy and colleagues published their work in the May 18 issue
of the journal Science. The National Science Foundation primarily
funded the work, while NASA satellite measurements helped guide
shipboard sampling. Data sets came from NASA's TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason,
Aqua and QuikSCAT satellites with additional contributions from the
Navy's Geosat Follow-on mission and the European Space Agency's ERS-2
satellite.

The Sargasso Sea, like other mid-ocean regions of the world, is
warmer, saltier, bluer and clearer than most other parts of the North
Atlantic. The prevailing oceanographic wisdom has suggested that such
open waters were mostly desert-like, unproductive regions populated
by smaller plant species. Yet observations showed oxygen and other
biologically important elements being consumed at a higher rate than
the theories and models could account for. Scientists believed there
had to be some natural nutrient source.

McGillicuddy and his colleagues found that eddy-driven nutrient
transport actually primes the ocean's "biological pump," fertilizing
the waters with nutrients from the deep. Fed by this unusual
upwelling, the phytoplankton population greatly increases and, in
turn, attracts more zooplankton and other animals higher up the food
chain. The fate of all of that biomass also is important, as plankton
blooms can remove substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from surface
waters and sink it to the deep ocean. The plants in the bloom either
die and sink when the bloom runs its course or are consumed by
animals, which then make fecal pellets that drop to the sea floor.

The EDDIES project team included chemists, biologists, and physical
oceanographers from Woods Hole; the Bermuda Institute of Ocean
Sciences, Ferry Reach, Bermuda; Rutgers University, New Brunswick,
N.J.; the University of Southampton, Southampton, U.K.; the
University of California, Santa Barbara, the Virginia Institute of
Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Va.; Humboldt State University,
Arcata, Calif.; and the University of Miami, Fla.

"Eddies are the internal weather of the sea," said McGillicuddy, "the
oceanic equivalent of storms in the atmosphere." The largest eddies
can contain up to 1,200 cubic miles of water and can last from months
to a year.

These distinct parcels of water are formed by differences in ocean
temperature and salinity that give water different densities. On a
rotating planet, these different water masses tend to dance around
one another rather than mix. The density inside an eddy can be higher
or lower than the surrounding water, like high and low-pressure
systems in the atmosphere. The balance pressure differences and
Earth's rotation give eddy currents their distinctive clockwise or
counterclockwise spin. The direction of the spin depends on whether
the eddy contains a cooler or a warmer core.

Working from a long-debated but mostly untested hypothesis, EDDIES
investigators measured how these swirling currents can perturb the
layers of the ocean and cause an upwelling of nutrient-rich water
into the sunlit "euphotic" zone - the top 330 feet that light
penetrates.

In nearly six months of ship-based work in the summers of 2004 and
2005, the researchers employed a combination of remote sensing, video
plankton recorders, ocean drifters, tracers and traditional
measurements of water properties and current speeds.

The team started with NASA satellite measurements of sea surface
height to locate eddies in the Sargasso Sea, south and east of the
Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic.

For more information about the EDDIES project, visit:

http://science.whoi.edu/users/olga/eddies/EDDIES_Project.html

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Mars Rover Spirit Unearths Surprise Evidence of Wetter Past

May 21, 2007

Dwayne Brown/Tabatha Thompson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726/3895

Natalie Godwin/Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-0850/6278

RELEASE: 07-118

MARS ROVER SPIRIT UNEARTHS SURPRISE EVIDENCE OF WETTER PAST

PASADENA, Calif. - A patch of Martian soil analyzed by NASA's rover
Spirit is so rich in silica that it may provide some of the strongest
evidence yet that ancient Mars was much wetter than it is now. The
processes that could have produced such a concentrated deposit of
silica require the presence of water.

Members of the rover science team heard from a colleague during a
recent teleconference that the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a
chemical analyzer at the end of Spirit's arm, had measured a
composition of about 90 percent pure silica for this soil.

"You could hear people gasp in astonishment," said Steve Squyres of
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for the Mars
rovers' science instruments. "This is a remarkable discovery. And the
fact that we found something this new and different after nearly
1,200 days on Mars makes it even more remarkable. It makes you wonder
what else is still out there."

Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer observed the patch,
and Steve Ruff of Arizona State University, Tempe, noticed that its
spectrum showed a high silica content. The team has laid out plans
for further study of the soil patch and surrounding deposits.

Exploring a low range of hills inside a Connecticut-sized basin named
Gusev Crater, Spirit had previously found other indicators of
long-ago water at the site, such as patches of water-bearing,
sulfur-rich soil; alteration of minerals; and evidence of explosive
volcanism.

"This is some of the best evidence Spirit has found for water at
Gusev," said Albert Yen, a geochemist at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. One possible origin for the silica could
have been interaction of soil with acid vapors produced by volcanic
activity in the presence of water. Another could have been from water
in a hot spring environment. The latest discovery adds compelling new
evidence for ancient conditions that might have been favorable for
life, according to members of the rover science team.

David Des Marais, an astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, Calif., said, "What's so exciting is that this could
tell us about environments that have similarities to places on Earth
that are clement for organisms."

Spirit and its twin rover Opportunity completed their original
three-month prime missions in April 2004. Both are still operating,
though showing signs of age. One of Spirit's six wheels no longer
rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. That
churning has exposed several patches of bright soil, leading to some
of Spirit's biggest discoveries at Gusev, including this recent
discovery.

Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said,
"This unexpected new discovery is a reminder that Spirit and
Opportunity are still doing cutting-edge exploration more than three
years into their extended missions. It also reinforces the fact that
significant amounts of water were present in Mars' past, which
continues to spur the hope that we can show that Mars was once
habitable and possibly supported life."

The newly discovered patch of soil has been given the informal name
"Gertrude Weise," after a player in the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League, according to Ray Arvidson of Washington
University in St. Louis, deputy principal investigator for the
rovers.

"We've looked at dozens of disturbed soil targets in the rover tracks,
and this is the first one that shows a high silica signature," said
Ruff, who last month proposed using Spirit's miniature thermal
emission spectrometer to observe this soil. That instrument provides
mineral composition information about targets viewed from a distance.
The indications it found for silica in the overturned soil prompted a
decision this month to drive Spirit close enough to touch the soil
with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer. Silica commonly occurs on
Earth as the crystalline mineral quartz and is the main ingredient in
window glass. The Martian silica at the Gertrude Weise patch is
non-crystalline, with no detectable quartz.

Spirit worked within about 50 yards of the Gertrude Weise area for
more than 18 months before the discovery was made. "This discovery
has driven home to me the value of in-depth, careful exploration,"
Squyres said. "This is a target-rich environment, and it is a good
thing we didn't go hurrying through it."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Opportunity has been
exploring Victoria Crater for about eight months. "Opportunity has
completed the initial survey of the crater's rim and is now headed
back to the area called Duck Bay, which may provide a safe path down
into the crater," said John Callas, project manager for the rovers at
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

For images and information about the rovers, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/rovers

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Rededicates Flying Observatory on Lindbergh Anniversary

May 21, 2007

Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668

Beth Hagenauer
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
661-276-7960

RELEASE: 07-117

NASA REDEDICATES FLYING OBSERVATORY ON LINDBERGH ANNIVERSARY

WACO, Texas - Monday, NASA dedicated a unique astronomy aircraft to
pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh on the 80th anniversary of his
historic transatlantic flight. Erik Lindbergh, the pilot's grandson,
joined NASA for the event May 21, in Waco, Texas.

NASA's new Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is
a highly modified 747 airliner that carries a 45,000-pound infrared
telescope system. Pan American Airways originally christened the
plane the "Clipper Lindbergh" in 1977. At the rededication ceremony,
NASA officials discussed the similarities between Lindbergh's
accomplishments and SOFIA's potential to capture scientifically
important infrared images unavailable to earthbound telescopes. The
SOFIA aircraft was modified at L-3 Systems in Waco and is wrapping up
a series of functional checkout flights before heading to NASA's
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for
further tests and systems integration.

Erik Lindbergh unveiled a plaque commemorating Clipper Lindbergh.
"This project is a fantastic blend of a 20th century legacy aircraft
and a 21st century platform for exploration," he said.

Intended to fly above 40,000 feet, SOFIA will place its infrared
telescope above nearly 99 percent of the Earth's atmospheric water
vapor, greatly enhancing its abilities to study the cosmos. Its
state-of-the-art telescope will be able to carry out scientific
missions with greater flexibility and ease of upgrade than a
satellite-borne observatory.

NASA's partner in SOFIA is the German Aerospace Center, which provided
the telescope. NASA modified the aircraft. A 16-foot-high opening has
been cut into the aft fuselage to permit observations to be made at
altitude. Once it arrives at Dryden, SOFIA will continue flight and
systems testing for about two years while its observatory system
hardware and software are integrated with the aircraft. The
telescope's first images are expected in 2009.

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

China aims to launch moon probe this year

China aims to launch moon probe this year from PhysOrg.com

China aims to launch its first lunar orbiter later this year, part of a three-step plan it hopes will eventually see moon samples brought back to Earth, state media said Sunday. [...]

NASA Dryden Awards Facilities Maintenance Pact to Pride Industries

May 17, 2007

David E. Steitz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1730

Alan Brown
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
661-276-2665

CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-24

NASA DRYDEN AWARDS FACILITIES MAINTENANCE PACT TO PRIDE INDUSTRIES

EDWARDS, Calif. - NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center has awarded a
sole-source contract to Pride Industries of Roseville, Calif., for
facilities support and maintenance operations at the center, located
at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

The contract has a base period of two years with two additional
two-year options and a potential value of approximately $36 million
if all options are exercised. The first two-year base period, valued
at approximately $12 million, started April 1 and will extend through
March 2009. Follow-on option periods, valued at approximately $12
million each, could extend the period of performance through March
2013.

The contract covers facilities operations, maintenance, improvements
and repairs, minor construction, custodial and grounds-keeping
services at Dryden, and includes both buildings and associated site
infrastructure and utilities. The majority of services will be
performed on a firm fixed price basis, with facilities repair and
minor construction efforts performed on an indefinite-delivery,
indefinite-quantity basis.

Pride Industries is a nonprofit corporation focused on creating
employment for people with disabilities. Some of the employees
working on the Dryden contract will be people with severe
disabilities.

NISH, of Vienna, Va., facilitated the agreement between Dryden and
Pride Industries. NISH is one of two central nonprofit agencies that
create employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities
under the federal AbilityOne program, the highest preference program
of contracting under Part 8.7 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Presents at the 2007 American Geophysical Union Meeting

May 17, 2007

Grey Hautaluoma/Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3895/0668

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-57

NASA PRESENTS AT THE 2007 AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION MEETING

WASHINGTON - NASA researchers will present findings on a variety of
Earth and space science topics at the 2007 Joint Assembly Meeting of
the American Geophysical Union. The meeting runs May 22-25 at the
Acapulco Convention Center, Acapulco, Mexico. Sessions are open to
registered news media.

Following are noteworthy NASA presentations, in chronological order
(all times CDT):

Using Time Series of Impervious Cover and Tree Cover to Study Urban
Dynamics in the Upper Delaware River Basin
TIME: Tuesday, May 22, 11:40 a.m., Room ACC 04
SESSION: H22B-06
Scientists using satellite data to examine recent urban growth
patterns in the Upper Delaware River Basin will discuss results that
are helping to simulate future urban growth, an important tool for
urban planning in the watershed.

Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Real-Time Ocean
Forecasting System off the California Coast
TIME: Tuesday, May 22, 2:30 p.m., Room ACC 07
SESSION: OS23H-03
Scientists will discuss ongoing work to develop and implement a
real-time ocean forecast system based on the Regional Ocean Modeling
System off the coast of California.

Intercontinental Transport of Aerosols: Implication for Regional Air
Quality
TIME: Tuesday, May 22, 4:50 p.m., Room ACC 02
SESSION: A24A-03
Researchers will discuss findings from a NASA computer model that
estimates the hemispheric impact of anthropogenic sulfate aerosols
and dust from major air pollution sources.

Mars News from Ground Level and From Orbit
TIME: Wednesday, May 23, 10:20 a.m. and 11:20 a.m., Room ACC 13
SESSION: P32A and P32A-05
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission science team members will
present initial results from the orbiter's composition-mapping
spectrometer and its high-resolution camera, including information
about layers of minerals that form under wet conditions. NASA's Mars
Exploration Rovers science team will discuss past environmental
conditions from exposed layers of bedrock viewed by Opportunity at
Victoria Crater and from soil and rocks examined by Spirit in Gusev
Crater.

Insights into Mega-City Ozone Pollution from the INTEX Ozonesonde
Network Study, 2004 and 2006
TIME: Wednesday, May 23, 11:35 a.m., Room ACC 02
SESSION: A32A-06
NASA-led field campaigns have observed highly variable levels of ozone
throughout the lower atmosphere. Researchers will show how this
variability is due to complex interactions between weather and
chemistry and natural and human-made contributions to ozone.

Linking Aerosol Source Activities to Present and Future Climate
Effects
TIME: Thursday, May 24, 5:00 p.m., Room ACC 03
SESSION: A44A-03
NASA's Dorothy Koch discusses a global model to connect specific
aerosol emission sectors (transport, power, industry, residential,
biomass burning) to climate effects for recent and future special
reports on emission scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change.

A Trend in the Northward Transport of Saharan Dust and its Links to
the Trend in North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Energy
TIME: Friday, May 25, 12:05 p.m., Room ACC 02
SESSION: A52A-08
NASA computer simulations show how a decline in Saharan dust during
the past two decades, combined with warming sea surface temperatures
related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, may be working in
concert to increase tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic.

The Role of Irrigation in North American Hydroclimates
TIME: Friday, May 25, 3:15 p.m., Room ACC 05
SESSION: H53F-06
Researchers will discuss new insights in improving weather and climate
predictions by including land irrigation in operational prediction
systems, using advanced computer simulations.

Drought, Wetland and Flood Monitoring with Satellite Scatterometer
TIME: Friday, May 25, 3:20 p.m., Room ACC 01
SESSION: U53B-05
NASA's QuikScat satellite detects surface soil moisture changes and
corresponding changes in vegetation. Scientists will show how
QuikScat data are being used to monitor droughts, wetlands and
floods.

Mechanistic Response of Terrestrial Plant Productivity and Surface
Energy Budget to Routine Aerosol Loading over the Eastern United
States
TIME: Friday, May 25, 4:35 p.m., Room ACC 02
SESSION: A54B-02
Aerosols created from air pollution and other human-made and natural
sources can act to cool or warm Earth. Researchers will present
findings suggesting that moderate air pollution may help reduce
greenhouse warming by trapping more carbon dioxide in forests.

For more information about the 2007 Joint Assembly Meeting, visit:

http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja07/

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Not enough hours in the day? Look to Mars

Not enough hours in the day? Look to Mars from PhysOrg.com

Scientists have proved it is possible to pack another hour into the day in a study which could help prepare humans for life on Mars.^^^

NASA Sets Briefing to Preview Space Station Spacewalks

May 16, 2007

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-56

NASA SETS BRIEFING TO PREVIEW SPACE STATION SPACEWALKS

HOUSTON - NASA will preview a pair of International Space Station
spacewalks during a briefing at 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday, May 23. The
briefing from Johnson Space Center, Houston, will air live on NASA
Television. Questions will be taken from media at participating NASA
sites. Reporters should call their preferred NASA center to confirm
its availability.

For the spacewalks on May 30 and June 6, Expedition 15 Commander
Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov will wear Russian
Orlan spacesuits. They will install orbital debris protection panels
on the Zvezda Service Module and replace experiments on the hull of
Zvezda. Flight Engineer Suni Williams remain inside and monitor
station systems.

Participants in the briefing are:
- Kirk Shireman, deputy International Space Station program manager
- Bob Dempsey, Expedition 15 lead flight director
- Heather Rarick, International Space Station spacewalk flight
director
- Daryl Schuck, Expedition 15 lead spacewalk officer

The May 30 spacewalk will begin at 1:20 p.m. NASA TV coverage will
begin at 12:30 p.m. The start time for the June 6 spacewalk has yet
to be determined. For NASA TV downlink, schedules and streaming video
information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the crew's activities and station sighting
opportunities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Hubble Telescope Finds Ring of Dark Matter

Hubble Telescope Finds Ring of Dark Matter from PhysOrg.com

US astronomers on Tuesday presented the most solid proof yet of the existence of dark matter, a mysterious substance believed to make up more than a quarter of the universe. ...

NASA's Shuttle Atlantis Rolls Back Out to Launch Pad

May 15, 2007

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 07-116

NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ROLLS BACK OUT TO LAUNCH PAD

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis is back at its launch
pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Teams are preparing Atlantis
for its mission, STS-117, to the International Space Station. Launch
is targeted for June 8.

Atlantis rolled out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 5:02
a.m. EDT Tuesday on a massive crawler transporter. Traveling less
than 1 mph, the journey ended with Atlantis atop the launcher
pedestals at Launch Pad 39-A at 11:47 a.m. The total trip time was
six hours and 45 minutes. Electrical and mechanical connections of
Atlantis to the launch pad are under way. With the refurbishment of
Pad 39-A, this launch will be the first from the pad in four years.

Atlantis originally was targeted for launch in March, but a hail storm
damaged foam insulation on the shuttle's external fuel tank and
forced managers to roll the spacecraft back into the Vehicle Assembly
Building to make repairs.

Atlantis' payload, consisting of the S3/S4 truss, will be installed
into the shuttle's payload bay on Wednesday. Beginning May 23,
propellants will be loaded into Atlantis' storage tanks. The
propellant will be used by the orbital maneuvering system and
reaction control system to move the spacecraft while it is in orbit.

The flight readiness review meeting, where the official launch date is
scheduled, will be held May 30-31 at Kennedy. For a launch on June 8
at 7:37 p.m., the 43-hour countdown would begin on June 5.

STS-117 Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and mission
specialists Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, John
"Danny" Olivas and Clay Anderson are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy
on June 4.

During their 11-day mission, the astronauts will work with the space
station crew and ground teams to install the girder-like S3/S4 truss
segment, unfold a new set of solar arrays and retract one array on
the starboard side of the station.

STS-117's terminal countdown demonstration test, which is a launch
dress rehearsal, was held in February and will not need to be
repeated.

For more information about the STS-117 crew and mission, visit:

www.nasa.gov/shuttle

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Finds Vast Regions of West Antarctica Melted in Recent Past

May 15, 2007

Grey Hautaluoma/Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668/1726

Alan Buis
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-0474

RELEASE: 07-115

NASA FINDS VAST REGIONS OF WEST ANTARCTICA MELTED IN RECENT PAST

WASHINGTON - A team of NASA and university scientists has found clear
evidence that extensive areas of snow melted in west Antarctica in
January 2005 in response to warm temperatures. This was the first
widespread Antarctic melting ever detected with NASA's QuikScat
satellite and the most significant melt observed using satellites
during the past three decades. The affected regions encompass a
combined area as big as California.

Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and
Konrad Steffen, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in
Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, led
the team. Using data from QuikScat, they measured snowfall
accumulation and melt in Antarctica and Greenland from July 1999
through July 2005.

The melting occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far
inland, at high latitudes and at high elevations, where melt had been
considered unlikely. Evidence of melting was found up to 560 miles
inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 310
miles from the South Pole) and higher than 6,600 feet above sea
level. Maximum air temperatures at the time of the melting were
unusually high, reaching more than 41 F in one of the affected areas.
They remained above melting for approximately a week.

"Antarctica has shown little to no warming in the recent past with the
exception of the Antarctic Peninsula, but now large regions are
showing the first signs of the impacts of warming as interpreted by
this satellite analysis," said Steffen. "Increases in snowmelt, such
as this in 2005, definitely could have an impact on larger scale
melting of Antarctica's ice sheets if they were severe or sustained
over time."

The satellite's scatterometer instrument sends radar pulses to the ice
sheet surface, measuring the echoed pulses that bounce back. When
snow melts and then refreezes, it changes to ice, just as ice cream
crystallizes when it is left out too long and is then refrozen.
QuikScat can differentiate this icy fingerprint in the snow cover and
can map on a continental scale the extent of strong snowmelt over the
subsequently formed ice layer. Available ground station measurements
validate the satellite result.

The 2005 melt was intense enough to create an extensive ice layer when
water refroze after the melt. However, the melt was not prolonged
enough for the melt water to flow into the sea.

"Water from melted snow can penetrate into ice sheets through cracks
and narrow, tubular glacial shafts called moulins," Steffen said. "If
sufficient melt water is available, it may reach the bottom of the
ice sheet. This water can lubricate the underside of the ice sheet at
the bedrock, causing the ice mass to move toward the ocean faster,
increasing sea level."

Changes in the ice mass of Antarctica, Earth's largest freshwater
reservoir, are important to understanding global sea level rise.
Large amounts of Antarctic freshwater flowing into the ocean also
could affect ocean salinity, currents and global climate.

Nghiem said while no further melting had been detected through March
2007, more monitoring is needed. "Satellite scatterometry is like an
X-ray that sees through snow and finds ice layers beneath as early as
possible," he said. "It is vital we continue monitoring this region
to determine if a long-term trend may be developing."

QuikScat data are helping scientists better understand how Antarctica
and Greenland's ice sheets gain or lose mass. "We need to know what's
coming in and going out of the ice sheets," Nghiem said. "QuikScat
data, combined with data from NASA's IceSat and Gravity Recovery and
Climate Experiment satellites, along with aircraft and ground
measurements, all contribute to more accurate estimates of how the
polar ice sheets are changing."

The study, "Snow Accumulation and Snowmelt Monitoring in Greenland and
Antarctica," appears in the recently published book "Dynamic Planet."

For more information about this study, contact Jim Scott of the
University of Colorado, Boulder, at 303-492-3114 or Adriana Raudzens
Bailey of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental
Sciences, Boulder, at 303-492-6289.

For more information on QuikScat, visit:

http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Astronomers Find Ring of Dark Matter With Hubble Space Telescope

May 15, 2007

Grey Hautaluoma/Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668/1726

Donna Weaver/Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore
410-338-4493/4514

RELEASE: 07-114

ASTRONOMERS FIND RING OF DARK MATTER WITH HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

WASHINGTON - Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have
discovered a ghostly ring of dark matter that formed long ago during
a titanic collision between two galaxy clusters. Dark matter makes up
most of the universe's material. Ordinary matter, which makes up
stars and planets, comprises only a small percent of the universe's
matter. The ring's discovery is among the strongest evidence yet that
dark matter exists.

Astronomers have long suspected the existence of the invisible
substance and theorized that it is the source of additional gravity
that holds galaxy clusters together. Such clusters would fly apart if
they relied only on the gravity from their visible stars. Although
astronomers do not know what composes dark matter, they hypothesize
that it is a type of elementary particle that pervades the universe.

"This is the first time we have detected dark matter as having a
unique structure that is different from both the gas and the galaxies
in the cluster," said astronomer M. James Jee of Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore. Jee is a member of the team that spotted the
dark matter ring.

The ring, which measures 2.6 million light-years across, was found in
the cluster CL0024+17, located 5 billion light-years from Earth. The
team unexpectedly found the ring while it was mapping the
distribution of dark matter within the cluster. Although astronomers
cannot see dark matter, they can infer its existence in galaxy
clusters by observing how its gravity bends the light of more distant
background galaxies. During the team's analysis, they noticed a
ripple in the mysterious substance, somewhat like the ripples created
in a pond from a stone plopping into the water.

Jee said, "Although the invisible matter has been found before in
other galaxy clusters, it has never been detected to be so largely
separated from the hot gas and the galaxies that make up galaxy
clusters. By seeing a dark matter structure that is not traced by
galaxies and hot gas, we can study how it behaves differently from
normal matter."

Jee explained, "I was annoyed when I saw the ring because I thought it
was an artifact, which would have implied a flaw in our data
reduction. I couldn't believe my result. But the more I tried to
remove the ring, the more it showed up. It took more than a year to
convince myself that the ring was real. I have looked at a number of
clusters, and I haven't seen anything like this."

Curious about why the ring was in the cluster and how it had formed,
Jee found previous research that suggested the cluster had collided
with another cluster 1 to 2 billion years ago. The research,
published in 2002 by Oliver Czoske of the Argelander-Institute for
Astronomy at the University of Bonn, was based on spectroscopic
observations of the cluster's three-dimensional structure. The study
revealed two distinct groupings of galaxies clusters, indicating a
collision between two clusters.

Astronomers have a head-on view of the collision because it occurred
along Earth's line of sight. From this perspective, the dark-matter
structure looks like a ring.

The team created simulations showing what happens when galaxy clusters
collide. As the two clusters smash together, the dark matter, as
calculated in the simulations, falls to the center of the combined
cluster and sloshes back out. As the dark matter moves outward, it
begins to slow down under the pull of gravity and pile up, like cars
bunched up on a freeway.

"By studying this collision, we are seeing how dark matter responds to
gravity," said team member Holland Ford, also of Johns Hopkins
University. "Nature is doing an experiment for us that we can't do in
a lab, and it agrees with our theoretical models."

Tracing dark matter is not an easy task because it does not shine or
reflect light. Astronomers can detect its influence only by how its
gravity affects light. To find dark matter, astronomers study how
faint light from more distant galaxies is distorted and smeared into
arcs and streaks by the gravity of the dark matter in a foreground
galaxy cluster. This powerful phenomenon is called gravitational
lensing. By mapping the distorted light, astronomers can deduce the
cluster's mass and trace how dark matter is distributed in the
cluster.

"The collision between the two galaxy clusters created a ripple of
dark matter that left distinct footprints in the shapes of the
background galaxies," Jee explained. "It's like looking at the
pebbles on the bottom of a pond with ripples on the surface. The
pebbles' shapes appear to change as the ripples pass over them. So,
too, the background galaxies behind the ring show coherent changes in
their shapes due to the presence of the dense ring."

Jee and his colleagues used Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys to
look behind the cluster to detect the faint, distorted, faraway
galaxies that cannot be resolved with ground-based telescopes.
"Hubble's exquisite images and unparalleled sensitivity to faint
galaxies make it the only tool for this measurement," said team
member Richard White of the Space Telescope Science Institute in
Baltimore.

Previously, observations of the Bullet Cluster with Hubble and the
Chandra X-ray Observatory presented a sideways view of a similar
encounter between two galaxy clusters. In that collision, the dark
matter was pulled apart from the hot cluster gas, but the dark matter
still followed the distribution of cluster galaxies. CL0024+17 is the
first cluster to show a dark matter distribution that differs from
the distribution of both the galaxies and the hot gas.

The team's paper has been accepted for publication in the June 1 issue
of Astrophysical Journal.

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

To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope, including images and
more information about dark matter ring in cluster CL0024+17, visit:

www.nasa.gov/hubble

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Undersea Crew Available for Live Satellite Interviews

May 14, 2007

John Yembrick
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0602

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-54

NASA UNDERSEA CREW AVAILABLE FOR LIVE SATELLITE INTERVIEWS

HOUSTON - The crew members of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission
Operations (NEEMO) project will be available for satellite interviews
from inside the Aquarius underwater habitat from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.
CDT on Wednesday, May 16.

NASA sent a flight surgeon, two astronauts and a Cincinnati doctor
into the ocean depths off the Florida coast May 7 for a 12-day
undersea mission. The crew is testing space medicine concepts,
robotic telesurgery operations and moon-walking techniques.

Veteran space flyer Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper leads the undersea
mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Aquarius underwater laboratory. NASA Flight Surgeon Josef
Schmid, NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez and Dr. Tim Broderick of the
University of Cincinnati complete the crew.

To participate in the interviews, contact producer Karen Svetaka at
281-483-8684, or the Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281-483-5111 by
2 p.m. Tuesday. The interviews will be carried live on the NASA
Television analog satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude;
transponder 5C, 3800 MHz, vertical polarization, with audio at 6.8
MHz.

Aquarius is the world's only permanent underwater habitat and
laboratory. Similar in size to the International Space Station's
living quarters, the 45-foot long, 13-foot diameter complex is three
miles off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,
about 62 feet beneath the surface.

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington operates Aquarius on
behalf of NOAA as part of NOAA's Undersea Research Program. The NEEMO
missions are a cooperative project among NASA, NOAA and the
university. For information about the NEEMO 12 mission, including
crew journals and pictures, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/neemo

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Space Station Crew and U.S. Record Holder Available for Interviews

May 14, 2007

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-55

SPACE STATION CREW AND U.S. RECORD HOLDER AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

HOUSTON - After being separated for nearly five months, the
International Space Station Expedition 14 crew has reunited and
returned to the United States for post-mission debriefs. Commander
Mike Lopez-Alegria, Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and European Space
Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter will be available Thursday, May 17,
for satellite interviews from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston.

The three crew members will be available from 6-8:30 a.m. CDT. To
participate, media should contact Michael Hare at 281-483-8631 or the
Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 16.

The three worked together on-orbit between Sept. 20 and Dec. 19, 2006.
Reiter, originally part of the Expedition 13 crew, transitioned to
Expedition 14 and returned to Earth on space shuttle Discovery's
STS-116 mission in December. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin remained on the
station until their return on a Soyuz spacecraft that landed in
Kazakhstan on April 21.

During Expedition 14, Lopez-Alegria completed five spacewalks and
broke three U.S. space records: most number of spacewalks, most
cumulative spacewalk time, and longest duration of a single
spaceflight. Lopez-Alegria has completed 10 spacewalks in his career,
logging a cumulative spacewalk time of 57 hours, 40 minutes. He spent
more than 215 days on the station.

The interviews and b-roll of Expedition 14 activities will air live on
NASA Television. The b-roll airs Thursday at 5:30 a.m. and again at 7
a.m. For NASA TV downlink and streaming video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information on the space station and the expedition crews,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

25 Schools Join Unique Partnership With NASA

May 11, 2007

Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761

Debbie V. Nguyen
Jonson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

RELEASE: 07-113

25 SCHOOLS JOIN UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP WITH NASA

HOUSTON - On Friday, NASA will name 25 new NASA Explorer School teams
nationwide to begin a special three-year partnership with the agency.
The announcement is part of a program on NASA Television's digital
Education channel at 12 p.m. CDT.

The goal of the NASA Explorer School program is to use NASA's unique
missions to inspire student learning in science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, and geography.

"NASA is committed to encouraging and working closely with our schools
to foster learning opportunities that highlight innovative science
and mathematic instruction," said Joyce Winterton, NASA associate
administrator for Education, Headquarters, Washington. "Many of the
students in the program today will join us and our many partners as
the scientists, engineers, explorers and researchers of tomorrow."

Each school team will develop a strategic plan to address its
students' needs in mathematics, science and technology education.
Schools also may apply for technology grants of up to $17,500 over
the three-year period to help implement their plans.

The NASA Explorer School Program began in 2003 in collaboration with
the National Science Teachers Association, Arlington, Va. The program
targets fourth through ninth grades. Currently, 200 teams are in the
program. The teams represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

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

For television downlink and scheduling information and links to
Internet streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about NASA's education programs, visit:

www.nasa.gov/education

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA's SOFIA to be Rededicated on Historic Lindbergh Anniversary

May 11, 2007

Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668

Beth Hagenauer
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
661-276-7960/3449

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-52

NASA'S SOFIA TO BE REDEDICATED ON HISTORIC LINDBERGH ANNIVERSARY

WACO, Texas - On May 21, Charles Lindbergh's grandson Erik will help
NASA dedicate a special 747 astronomy aircraft to the trailblazing
aviator. May 21 is the 80th anniversary of Lindbergh's historic solo
New York-to-Paris flight. The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. CDT,
at the Texas State Technical College Airport in Waco.

The unique Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA,
incorporates a 98.4 inch infrared telescope mounted in a highly
modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. The airborne observatory is a
partnership between NASA and the German Aerospace Center. Lindbergh's
grandson will rededicate the aircraft, called "Clipper Lindbergh,"
during the event. Lindbergh recreated his grandfather's solo
transatlantic crossing in 2002. Along with program managers and
scientists, he will be available for live video interviews at the
SOFIA aircraft.

The SOFIA 747 was originally christened by Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
widow of the famous aviator, when it began service as an airliner in
1977. The plane has a 16-foot-high door in the aft fuselage that will
open, allowing the 45,000-pound telescope to capture astronomical
data in the infrared spectrum at altitudes that could exceed 40,000
feet. By flying above 90 percent of the Earth's atmospheric water
vapor, SOFIA will significantly exceed the capabilities of infrared
observatories on Earth.

News media wishing to attend the event must request accreditation by
May 16 from the public affairs office at NASA Dryden Flight Research
Center, Edwards, Calif. Reporters should submit their full name,
media affiliation, date and place of birth, and telephone number.
Requests on company letterhead may be faxed to 661-276-3088 or
e-mailed to beth.hagenauer-1@nasa.gov. Information also may be
submitted by telephone to 661-276-7960 or 661-276-3449. For more
information about SOFIA, visit:

http://www.sofia.usra.edu/

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA TV Broadcasts Cargo Ship Arrival to Space Station

May 11, 2007

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-53

NASA TV BROADCASTS CARGO SHIP ARRIVAL TO SPACE STATION

HOUSTON - A cargo ship with more than two tons of supplies for the
International Space Station will launch Friday night from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin and flight engineers Oleg Kotov and Suni Williams will
receive the shipment of food, fuel and supplies on Tuesday, May 15.

NASA TV will not broadcast the launch of the unpiloted Progress 25
spacecraft but will broadcast its arrival at the International Space
Station. NASA TV coverage will begin at 11:30 p.m. CDT, May 14. The
Progress is scheduled to dock automatically to the Zvezda Service
Module of the station at 12:10 a.m.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information on the space station and the expedition crews,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Completes Constellation Ground Operations Review

May 11, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 07-112

NASA COMPLETES CONSTELLATION GROUND OPERATIONS REVIEW

WASHINGTON - NASA has established a requirements baseline for ground
systems to be developed in support of the Constellation Program. The
systems requirements review was conducted at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center in Florida on May 5.

"Completion of the systems requirements review marks a major milestone
in executing the development of ground systems, as well as operations
strategies to support the next generation of space vehicles," said
Tip Talone, Constellation's Ground Operations Project manager at
Kennedy. The space center will be the launch site for future missions
to low Earth orbit, the moon and other destinations in the solar
system.

The review was an in-depth look at the basic capabilities necessary to
support space vehicle integration and ground processing; launch
processing infrastructure, including the vehicle assembly building,
launch pads and launch control center; launch vehicle protection
systems; launch checkout and control; crew safety and emergency
egress; and fault tolerance requirements for the systems. Agency and
contractor engineers from across the country reviewed the
requirements. The requirements will be applied to all launch, landing
and recovery activities for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, Ares
I crew launch vehicle and Ares V cargo launch vehicle.

The ground operations team established plans for ensuring the
requirements will be clearly communicated to hardware developers so
the systems developed will comply with all relevant agency program
and project requirements.

After completion of all project-level reviews, the Constellation
Program plans an integrated review in late May to update and
synchronize all Constellation Program baseline requirements. For more
information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

NASA Updates Plans for Hubble 'Ring Of Dark Matter' Briefing

May 10, 2007

Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668

Susan Hendrix
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-7745

Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore
410-338-4514

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-51a

NASA UPDATES PLANS FOR HUBBLE 'RING OF DARK MATTER' BRIEFING

GREENBELT, Md. - NASA will hold a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT
on May 15 to discuss the strongest evidence to date that dark matter
exists. This evidence was found in a ghostly ring of dark matter in
the cluster CL0024+17, discovered using NASA's Hubble Space
Telescope. The ring is the first detection of dark matter with a
unique structure different from the distribution of both the galaxies
and the hot gas in the cluster. The discovery will be featured in the
June 20 issue of the Astrophysical Journal.

Briefing participants are:
-- Dr. Myungkook James Jee, associate research scientist, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore
-- Dr. Richard White, astronomer, Space Telescope Science Institute,
Baltimore
-- Dr. Richard Massey, postdoctoral scholar, California Institute of
Technology, Pasadena
Reporters should contact Ray Villard at the Space Telescope Science
Institute at 410-338-4514 prior to the media teleconference for the
call in number and passcode. Audio for the briefing will stream live
on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

At the start of the briefing, images and supporting graphics will be
posted on the Web at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/news/dark_matter_ring.html

For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Back to the Future - NASA Style

May 10, 2007

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4769

Lindsay Crouch
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-864-3189

Kevin Crossett
Jamestown 2007, Wiliamsburg, Va.
757-253-4534

RELEASE: 07-111

BACK TO THE FUTURE - NASA STYLE

JAMESTOWN, Va. - What do Captain John Smith and Space Shuttle
Commander Rick Sturckow have in common? Or Pocahontas and NASA
astronaut Suni Williams? These explorers may be separated by 400
years, but they share the same spirit of adventure and discovery.

As an official partner with the Jamestown 2007 Commemoration
Commission, NASA will demonstrate this connection to the thousands of
visitors to Jamestown, Va., May 11 - 13 for America's Anniversary
Weekend.

Sunday, May 13, will be a highlight of the weekend with a visit from
President George W. Bush. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin will
introduce a special message from the crew of the International Space
Station, which includes Williams, during the president's visit.

NASA will debut an interactive exhibit that highlights the connections
between settlers in Virginia almost 400 years ago and NASA's plans to
explore space and establish a presence on other worlds. This exhibit
gives visitors the chance to make a personalized "Space Postcard;" be
photographed as an astronaut or settler; and win prizes for
participating in a NASA trivia game.

America's long-term exploration policy, the Vision for Space
Exploration, is working to return humans to the moon and develop the
tools needed to further explore Earth, the moon, Mars and beyond. The
road to discovery, much like the path to Jamestown, involves
searching for water, accommodating human needs, developing new forms
of transportation and establishing a settlement or space colony.
These four themes will be demonstrated through interactive displays
and hands-on activities in the NASA exhibit.

America's Anniversary Weekend is the national observance of the 400th
anniversary of the founding of Jamestown - the first permanent
English colony in America. The weekend will feature historical
interpretations, demonstrations, musical performances and educational
displays.

In June, a little piece of history will hitch a ride on space shuttle
Atlantis during its next mission, targeted for launch on June 8. A
lead cargo tag, dating back to the 1600s, is tucked inside a box in
the shuttle's middeck. The tag is the only thing found in 13 years by
the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
archeological digs at Jamestown Island that contains the word "Yames
Towne" on it. The tag's trip celebrates the link between explorers
past and present.

For details on America's Anniversary Weekend, visit:

http://www.Americas400thAnniversary.com

For more information on NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

High School Winners Chosen in NASA Aeronautics Essay Contest

May 10, 2007

J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202 358-5241

Kathy Barnstorff
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-864-9886

RELEASE: 07-110

HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS CHOSEN IN NASA AERONAUTICS ESSAY CONTEST

HAMPTON, Va. - NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has
identified the winners of its high school contest to describe "Air
Transportation in 2057." Sarah Vaden from Roanoke Valley Governor's
School in Roanoke, Va., and Emma Peterson from Burnsview Secondary
School in Delta, British Columbia, won top prizes for their essays on
the theme.

Teens from across the United States and six foreign countries
submitted 88 essays in four categories: U.S. individual, U.S. team,
international individual and international team. In all, 14 teams and
75 individual students submitted essays to NASA's Fundamental
Aeronautics Program, which sponsored the contest. The top U.S. team
was Tyler Pennington, Morgan Harless, and Jared Hagan from Linwood
Holton Governor's School in Abingdon, Va. The top international team
was Nombuso Ndlovu, Shoki Kobe, and Lerato Mthembu from the Lotus
Hardens High School in Pretoria, South Africa.

"I wish I had been that articulate in high school," said Juan Alonso,
director of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, NASA
Headquarters, Washington. "What's particularly gratifying is that
many of the students said they were interested in working for NASA in
the future. And now we've learned that South Africa has just
designated the aeronautics contest the official international section
of their aviation science program, which will allow even more schools
to participate."

NASA will award the top scoring essays from the United States with a
trophy and a cash prize of $1,000 (to be shared, in the case of the
team). Non-U.S. students will receive a trophy but are not eligible
for cash prizes. All participants will receive a NASA certificate and
a personal letter of commendation from a NASA official.

The essays were reviewed by 24 NASA managers and engineers from four
NASA centers: Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., Dryden
Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., Glenn Research Center,
Cleveland, and Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. They based their
scores on how well students focused their essays and how well they
addressed four basic criteria: informed content, creativity and
imagination, organization and writing.

Following top individual student Vaden were two teens who tied for
second place: Michael Donelson, a junior from Flagstaff High School,
Flagstaff, Ariz., and Meghan Ferrall, a junior from Freedom High
School in Tampa, Fla. Jacob Monat, a senior from Kee High School in
Lansing, Iowa, was awarded the third place individual award.
Honorable mention awards went to Tamara Cottam, a junior from
Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, Ky.; Sam Rochelle, a
freshman from Cary Academy, in Cary, N.C.; and Daniel Ho, a junior
from the High School of Economics and Finance in New York.

The second and third place individual international awards went to
senior level students from India. Second place went to Yashraj
Khaitan from the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai, and
third place was awarded to Ketan Sharma from the Amity International
School in Haryana.

The second place U.S. team winners were two students from Midwood High
School in Brooklyn, N.Y. Third place went to a four-member team from
Lourdes High School, in Rochester, Minn. Honorable mention went to
another team also from Midwood High School. In the international team
contest, second place was awarded to four seniors from Pakistan, and
third place went to two 10th graders from Romania.

Most of the students who participated were high school juniors, but
entries also came in from freshmen, sophomores and seniors. Some of
the American high school students say they plan to study
aerospace-related subjects in college. One senior student wrote that
he planned to pursue aerospace at the Air Force Academy. Another
senior, a National Merit Scholar, expects to major in aerospace
engineering this fall at Iowa State University.

For a complete list of all the winners, visit:

http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/edu_fa_essay_contest_07.htm

For more information on NASA's aeronautics program, visit:

http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov