NASA Completes Space Station, Fosters Commercial Spaceflight And Makes Amazing Discoveries During Ambitious Year Of Exploration

Dec. 20, 2010
Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 10-333
NASA COMPLETES SPACE STATION, FOSTERS COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT AND MAKES AMAZING DISCOVERIES DURING AMBITIOUS YEAR OF EXPLORATION
WASHINGTON -- NASA in 2010 set a new course for human spaceflight,
helped rewrite science textbooks, redefined our understanding of
Earth's nearest celestial neighbor, put the finishing touches on one
of the world's greatest engineering marvels, made major contributions
to life on Earth, and turned its sights toward the next era of
exploration.
"This year, NASA's work made headlines around the world," NASA
Administrator Charles Bolden said. "More importantly, it enlarged our
understanding of the universe and our home planet, inspired people,
and opened new frontiers for our dreams and aspirations."
"NASA achievements this year across the spectrum -- from science, to
aeronautics, education and human spaceflight - provided incredible
value to our nation," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "We
continue to build upon our rich history, taking on new challenges and
doing the things that no one else can do -- all for the benefit of
humanity."
The following are some of NASA's top stories for the past calendar
year:
PRESIDENT OBAMA LAYS OUT NEW PLANS FOR SPACE EXPLORATION
After announcing a new direction for NASA in February, President Obama
visited the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 15 to
discuss details of his plans for space exploration. The president
committed NASA to a series of developmental goals leading to new
spacecraft for reaching low Earth orbit and new technology for
potential missions beyond the moon. Discussing his ambitious goals
for human spaceflight, the president said of his strategy, "We will
not only extend humanity's reach in space -- we will strengthen
America's leadership here on Earth."
http://www.nasa.gov/about/obamaspeechfeature.html

SPACE STATION CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF HABITATION AND GETS ANOTHER
DECADE FOR RESEARCH
NASA and its international partners celebrated 10 years of permanent
human habitation on the International Space Station on Nov. 2. More
than 600 different research and technology development experiments
have been conducted aboard the orbiting lab, many of which are
producing advances in medicine, environmental systems and our
understanding of the universe. As the station transitions from its
assembly phase to use as a unique scientific outpost, NASA is
investing in the laboratory's future by ensuring a wide pool of
organizations outside the agency have access. The NASA Authorization
Act of 2010, in addition to extending station operations until at
least 2020, also directed NASA to select an independent, nonprofit
research management organization to develop and manage a portion of
the U.S. share of the station as a national laboratory.
With NASA's space shuttle fleet nearing retirement, three missions
helped put finishing touches on the station this year. The STS-130
mission in February delivered a cupola with seven windows and a
robotic control station. The cupola provides a panoramic view of
Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. The STS-131 mission
in April delivered science racks and new crew sleeping quarters. In
May, the STS-132 crew delivered the Russian-built Mini Research
Module-1 known as Rassvet to the orbiting laboratory. The module
provides additional storage space and serves as a new docking port
for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/living/10years.html

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

COMPANIES MAKE HUGE STRIDES AS FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT
SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED AND RECOVERED
Commercial companies made major progress in 2010, highlighted by
SpaceX's successful Dec. 8 launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon
capsule. The flight was the first for NASA's Commercial Orbital
Transportation Services (COTS) program, which is developing
commercial supply services to the International Space Station. SpaceX
became the first commercial company to launch and return a spacecraft
from low Earth orbit. After NASA's space shuttle retires, SpaceX is
expected to launch at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from
the station. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft also are being
designed to eventually carry astronauts into low Earth orbit.
Orbital Sciences Corp., the other participant in the COTS program, had
a successful year also. In November, Orbital test-fired the
first-stage rocket engine for its Taurus II rocket and opened the
mission control center that will support the company's COTS program
missions. The company shipped the Taurus II stage-one core in
December to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for assembly.
Orbital is under contract with NASA to fly eight cargo missions to
the International Space Station.
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/spacexfeature.html

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

NASA AIDS TRAPPED CHILEAN MINERS
NASA responded in late August to a request from the government of
Chile for technical advice to assist with the rescue of 33 trapped
miners in a copper and gold mine near Copiapo. As part of its
support, NASA sent two medical doctors, a psychologist and an
engineer to Chile. The team offered expert advice about medical,
nutritional and behavioral health issues based on the agency's long
experience in protecting humans in the hostile environment of space.
NASA also provided suggestions regarding the rescue cages designed to
transport the miners out of the mine. Dr. Michael Duncan, deputy
chief medical officer in the Space Life Sciences Directorate at
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, led the team. The other
members were physician James Polk and psychologist Albert Holland
from Johnson; and Clint Cragg, principal engineer with the NASA
Engineering and Safety Center at the agency's Langley Research Center
in Hampton, Va.
http://www.nasa.gov/ news/chile_assistance.html

NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH DISCOVERS LIFE BUILT WITH TOXIC CHEMICAL
NASA-funded researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of
California's Mono Lake discovered the first known microorganism on
Earth that is able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical
arsenic. The microorganism substituted arsenic for phosphorus in its
cell components. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and
sulfur are the basic building blocks of all known forms of life on
Earth. Researchers successfully grew microbes from the lake on a diet
that was lean on phosphorus, but included generous helpings of
arsenic. The research team included scientists from the U.S.
Geological Survey, Arizona State University, Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and the
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in Menlo Park.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/astrobiology_toxic_chemical.html

NASA AIDS U.S. DISASTER RESPONSE TO GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL
NASA aided the U.S. response to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill.
Advanced remote-sensing instruments on NASA Earth-observing
satellites and aircraft provided data on the spill's location, oil
concentrations, and impact on ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA
data were distributed to federal and state agencies and organizations
that worked to contain the spill and lead recovery efforts. NASA also
sent several research aircraft to make targeted observations that
continue to help federal and state agencies document changes in the
marshes, swamps, bayous, and beaches along the Gulf Coast.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/index.html

NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH FINDS POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EXOPLANET
A team of planet hunters sponsored by NASA and the National Science
Foundation announced the discovery of a planet with three times the
mass of Earth orbiting a nearby star in a zone that might allow the
planet to support life. The research placed the planet in an orbit
where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed,
the find would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and a
strong candidate for the first that is potentially habitable. To
astronomers, a potentially habitable planet is one that could support
life, not necessarily one that humans would find hospitable. This
discovery was the result of more than a decade of observations using
the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, one of the world's largest
optical telescopes.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/gliese_581_feature.html

NEW EYE ON THE SUN DELIVERS STUNNING FIRST IMAGES
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, returned initial images
that confirmed an unprecedented new capability for scientists to
better understand our sun's dynamic processes. Images from the
spacecraft showed never-before-seen detail of material streaming
outward and away from sunspots. Others showed extreme close-ups of
activity on the sun's surface. The spacecraft also provides images of
the sun with 10 times greater resolution than high-definition
television in a broad range of ultraviolet wavelengths. These solar
events can greatly affect Earth. Launched on Feb. 11, SDO is the most
advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/first-light.html

COMET GIVES UP SECRETS TO EPOXI
NASA's EPOXI spacecraft successfully flew past comet Hartley 2 on Nov.
4, providing unprecedented images and giving scientists new
information about the comet's volume and material erupting from its
surface. The EPOXI spacecraft revealed a cometary snowstorm. The
snowstorm was created by carbon-dioxide jets spewing out tons of
golf-ball to basketball-sized fluffy ice particles from the
peanut-shaped comet's rocky ends. At the same time, a different
process was causing water vapor to escape from the comet's smooth
mid-section. The information sheds new light on the nature of comets
and their role in the formation of planets. EPOXI is an extended
mission that used the Deep Impact spacecraft.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/epoxi/epoxi20101104b.html

NASA UNCOVERS THE MOON'S BURIED TREASURES
Scientists announced in 2010 new data about the moon uncovered by
NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and
the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. Scientists determined the
soil in the moon's shadowy craters is rich in useful materials,
including water in the form of mostly pure ice crystals. Researchers
also found the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. By
understanding the processes and environments that determine the
delivery of water to the moon, where water ice is, and the active
water cycle, future mission planners may be able to better determine
which locations will have easily-accessible water.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/lro-lcross-impact.html

NASA CREATES OFFICE OF THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST, EMBARKS ON
TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED FUTURE
NASA created a new Office of the Chief Technologist in February and
named Bobby Braun to lead the effort. A professor of space technology
at Georgia Tech and former engineer at NASA's Langley Research
Center, Braun leads the new Space Technology Initiative targeting
technologies that could be transformational in their ability to
improve the agency's knowledge and capabilities, while reducing cost
and expanding the reach of future aeronautics, science and
exploration missions. In December, NASA provided the National
Research Council (NRC) with 14 technology area roadmaps drafted by
agency experts as NASA works toward a long-range
technology-investment plan. An NRC panel will gather public comments
on the draft technology plans and make recommendations back to NASA
by January 2012.
http://www.nasa.gov/oct

SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITES HELP PUBLIC ENGAGE WITH NASA
NASA expanded its online engagement of the public and was honored to
be recognized as a government leader in social media and web use.
People now can find NASA, the agency's centers, programs and projects
on more than 200 locations across Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube
and UStream. The agency's website, NASA.gov, won its second
consecutive Webby award in 2010, and was joined this year by two
other Webby-winning NASA sites, NASA Home and City 2.0, and Global
Climate Change. NASA.gov expanded its reach with the release of a new
video player that was used to view six million videos in its first
eight months. A version of the site focusing on breaking news, videos
and social media updates was optimized for mobile devices.
NASA launched partnerships with geolocation services Gowalla and
Foursquare to engage with people at the agency-related sites they
visit. More than four million people have viewed NASA videos on the
agency's YouTube channel. The NASA App now is available for iPhone,
iPad and iPod Touch. NASA also made the online engagement personal by
inviting hundreds of participants to multiple Tweetup events that
provided behind-the-scenes access across the agency. Find all the
ways to connect and collaborate with NASA at:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

NASA PURSUES NEW AIRCRAFT CONCEPTS AND GREEN AVIATION TECHNOLOGY
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate focused again in 2010
on green aviation initiatives that seek to reduce aircraft noise,
emissions and fuel consumption, and ensure the safe evolution of the
aviation system. In April, NASA completed an 18-month research effort
to visualize the passenger airplanes of the future. The advanced
concept studies for airplanes that may enter service in 20-25 years
produced exotic new designs for developing airframe and propulsion
technologies enabling significantly quieter, cleaner, and more
fuel-efficient aircraft, with better passenger comfort.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/future_airplanes_index.html

SUMMER OF INNOVATION PROGRAMS FOCUS ON MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS
NASA kicked off a new education initiative called the Summer of
Innovation in June 2010. The program aligns with President Obama's
Educate to Innovate campaign and seeks to keep middle school students
engaged in meaningful science, technology, engineering and math
activities during the summer break. In the 2010 pilot year, NASA
reached more than 78,000 students across the country through more
than 150 events and activities led by NASA and about 130 partners in
13 states and the District of Columbia. Plans for the 2011 Summer of
Innovation program are under way. The agency hopes to significantly
expand the number of participating students as the effort matures and
grows.
http://www.nasa.gov/soi

NASA Television's Video File newsfeed will include items featuring
these top stories beginning at noon EST, Dec. 20. For NASA TV
streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Visitors to NASA's website can vote on the top NASA story of the year
at:
http://www.nasa.gov/news/10_YIR_poll.html

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