Sometimes Missions get terminated early, Sometimes they don't make it to orbit, Then again OK.

----------------------------------------
Contact lost, India terminates first moon mission
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE57S13B20090830

BANGALORE, India (Reuters) - India terminated its first mission to the moon Sunday, a spokesman for the national space agency said, a day after scientists lost all contact with an unmanned spacecraft orbiting the moon.

"Our efforts to establish contact have failed. The mission has been terminated," said S. Satish, spokesman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). "There was no point continuing with the mission."
snip
----------------------------------------
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0908/31longmarch/
Anomaly spoils China's string of successful launches
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: August 31, 2009

Breaking a 13-year streak of successful launches, a Chinese Long March rocket failed to deliver an Indonesian communications satellite to its planned orbit Monday.
snip
----------------------------------------
-- NASA STS-128 MCC Status Report #06 1 p.m. CDT Monday, Aug. 31, 2009
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=32217
-- NASA STS-128 Execute Package FD04
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=32216
-- NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 31 August 2009
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=32215

"Pilot Kevin Ford and Expedition 20 Flight Engineer Mike Barratt will use the station robotic arm to move the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from Discovery's payload bay to the Earth-facing port on the station's Harmony module. They're expected to start the nearly three-hour maneuver just after 2:30 p.m. Mission specialists Christer Fuglesang of the European Space Agency and Tim Kopra will assist with the attachment and activation activity. After leak checks and pressurization, the teams are expected to open the hatches to the cargo module at 12:34 a.m. Tuesday. The MPLM is carrying 15,000 pounds of supplies and equipment for use on the station, including more science facilities. The crew will spend the next several days
unloading the hardware."
----------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
Giving NASA a clear mission
---
A common refrain among space advocates is that NASA is given too much to do and too little funding to accomplish it. G. Ryan Faith makes the case for giving NASA a straightforward mission -- space exploration -- and prioritizing its tasks accordingly.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1456/1

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/M09-165_Orion_PDR_telecon.html
MEDIA ADVISORY : M09-165
NASA to Brief Media about Completion of Orion Vehicle Design Review

WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a teleconference Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m. EDT to discuss the conclusion of the preliminary design review for the Orion crew exploration vehicle.

The preliminary design review is one of a series of reviews that occurs before hardware manufacturing may begin. As the review process progresses, detailed parts of the vehicle design are assessed to ensure the overall system can meet all NASA requirements for safe and reliable flight. The Orion Project's review process culminates in a board meeting held at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston beginning Aug. 31.

The briefing participants are:
-Geoff Yoder, director, Constellation Systems Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington
-Jeff Hanley, manager, Constellation Program, NASA's Johnson Space Center
-Mark Geyer, manager, Orion Project, NASA's Johnson Space Center

Reporters should contact Grey Hautaluoma at 202-358-0668, or Ashley
Edwards at 202-358-1756, by noon Sept. 1 for dial-in information.

To listen to live streaming audio of the call, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For more information about the Orion crew exploration vehicle, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion

snip
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-II_Transfer_Vehicle

The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) is a unmanned resupply spacecraft to resupply the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) and the rest of the International Space Station (ISS). The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been working on the design since the early 1990s. Originally intended to be launched in 2001, The first mission is scheduled on September 11, 2009.
snip
============================================================>==

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Measuring Return on Investment for Government Programs and Agencies

Is it worth it? Where is my Return On Investment?
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/ppm/ppm68.htm
Program/Project Management Resource List #68

Revised May 2009

"The same prudence which in private life would forbid our paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public moneys." - Thomas Jefferson

Government agencies are among the major drivers in the American economy. It behooves them to demonstrate that their programs will benefit the citizens. However, some programs will have it easier than others: A program to fix storm-damaged lighthouses will have an easier time demonstrating its usefulness than a program for installing sculptures in city parks. Often, the intangible benefit to society from programs such as the latter is termed social return on investment. This webpage is a list of resources that will help the reader to measure the return of investment in government programs.

For more information on how NASA's inventions and discoveries flow into America's economy as profitable products, please see Benefits of Space Exploration and Diffusion of Innovations. For some information on how the return on investment in NASA programs has improved NASA's
image, please see Public Opinion of the American Space Program. You may also find useful material in our webpages on The Government Performance and Results Act and Measuring Organizational Effectiveness in Research and Development Organizations.

All items are available at the Headquarters Library, except as noted.
NASA Headquarters employees and contractors: call x0172 or email Library@hq.nasa.gov for information on borrowing or in-library use of any of these items. Members of the public, contact your local library for the availability of these items. NASA Headquarters employees can request additional materials or research on this topic. The Library welcomes your comments or suggestions about this webpage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinders/spinoff.htm
Benefits of Space Exploration

Revised: May 2009

One of the familiar complaints that NASA receives when its budget comes up for approval is that "...the money really ought to be spent down here instead of up there". Leaving aside the fact that NASA's civil servants and contractors all live here on Earth, and thus the money is spent here, NASA's fifty years of research and development have resulted in a wide range of inventions and processes, ranging from the complexity of image processing through the simplicity of fire-resistant kid's pyjamas.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What good for me? Is it good for you?
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/ppm/ppm39.htm
Diffusion of Innovations

Revised June 2009

Provided by the NASA Headquarters Library

Technology transfer is the process by which inventions and practices that were developed at an organization flow into the American economy at large. NASA is required by law to share its discoveries and inventions as widely as possible. For instance, devices that were designed to keep track of the astronauts' health while in space are now used in hospitals to monitor patients. Also, NASA will adopt products developed elsewhere to fit its needs, sometimes to such a degree that the product is identified with NASA. Tang is the classic example. This bibliography covers how technology transfer works within America. For the rules and regulations covering technology transfer with other countries, please see International Cooperation in Space. For resources on NASA's contributions to America's economy, please see Benefits of Space Exploration. If you are a NASA HQ employee, please consider subscribing to our news alert on commercialization and technology transfer to get the latest news.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have heard it said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
So what do you see?
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinders/opinion.htm
Public Opinion of the American Space Program

Revised: Sept. 2007

"With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed." - A. Lincoln

NASA depends on the will of the people, as expressed through their senators and representatives and the president, for its funding and direction. NASA has to take the pulse of the American people and obtain its good will. This has not been easy.

NASA had to play "catch-up" through much of its first five years, as the Soviets launched one space spectacular after another. It has had to recover America's trust after several fatal accidents and other misfortunes, such as the losses of the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1998 and the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. However, NASA does not work alone. Several space advocacy organizations work at the grassroots level to get people interested in space exploration and to write to Washington to ask for better finding for NASA. This pathfinder covers how the American people's opinion of NASA is shaped. For additional perspectives on this subject, please see the library's pathfinders on scientific literacy and communicating science. Note: The grassroots space advocacy organizations listed in the Internet resources section in this pathfinder are intended to be a guide to researchers and not to be seen as an endorsement by NASA.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get the facts man, get the facts.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinders/scilit.htm
Scientific Literacy
Revised: June 2009

Provided by the NASA Headquarters Library

"The trouble with people is not that they don’t know but that they know so much that ain’t so." - Josh Billings.

Scientific literacy is a familiarity with the concepts and processes of science. Since the Industrial Revolution, scientific literacy has been as much a goal of a well rounded education as a familiarity with the events and currents of American history. Recently, several questions have arisen about scientific literacy:

* Which of these concepts and processes should be taught in American primary and secondary schools?
* How scientifically literate are Americans, compared to people from other nations?
* How many Americans are willing and able to enter technically oriented jobs, especially as more and more jobs in our economy depend on workers' high-tech skills?
* Will there be enough young scientists, engineers, and technicians to fill the vacant jobs that will be left after Baby Boomers retire?

This bibliography covers the state of American scientific literacy.
You may also find some interesting resources at our webpages on Human Capital Management in the Technical Fields and Science Education.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What can I say, what would you like to hear, how can I be of service?
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinders/edusci.htm
Communicating Science

Revised: March 2009

"If you don't toot your own horn, who'll do it for you?"

In its founding statutes, NASA is expected to tell the public about its inventions and discoveries. Although daring exploits, strange sights, and exotic places have an attraction that predates NASA by thousands of years, the wonders that NASA can tell are often hard to understand. This bibliography is designed to help people who normally talk about what they do only with other specialists to spread the word to members of the general public. The NASA HQ library also has
resources on methods of teaching science and on scientific literacy, the general public's level of familiarity with scientific concepts.

All items are available at the Headquarters Library, except as noted.
NASA Headquarters employees and contractors: call (358-0172) or email Library@hq.nasa.gov for information on borrowing or in-library use of any of these items. Members of the public, contact your Local Library for the availibilty of these items. NASA Headquarters employees can
request additional materials or research on this topic. The Library welcomes your comments or suggestions about this webpage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever want to read more about what has happened?
Take a look at these on-line publications.
- LRK -
http://history.nasa.gov/series95.html
NASA History Series Publications


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=14480
The print issue of Space News this week has an interesting article about a proposal that Bigelow Aerospace has presented to the Augustine panel. They propose that a simplified "stripped down" version of the Orion capsule could be developed and flown on an Atlas V by 2013. This would reduce the "Gap" in US human spaceflight capability by at least 2 years (unless the Falcon/Dragon reaches crew capability before 2015).

Bigelow and ULA have been studying a human rated version of the Atlas V for a couple of years (e.g. see this BA press release from Feb.5.08). The Orion Lite concept was unveiled to the panel in a private briefing in July.

Lockheed-Martin is a prime contractor to NASA for the Orion project.
Neither Gold nor L-M would say whether L-M is directly involved in the Orion Lite design. Sources said that L-M does have several preflight Orion capsules in the planning stage that could be converted to the lightweight Orion flight vehicles. The article has a picture of a full-scale mock-up that Bigelow has built of the Orion Lite. From the outside it looks similar to the standard NASA Orion except for the Bigelow emblem on the side.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/090806-moon-nuclear-power.html
NASA Steps Closer to Nuclear Power for Moon Base
By Tariq Malik
Managing Editor
posted: 06 August 2009
06:37 pm ET

NASA has made a series of critical strides in developing new nuclear reactors the size of a trash can that could power a human outpost on the moon or Mars.

Three recent tests at different NASA centers and a national lab have successfully demonstrated key technologies required for compact fission-based nuclear power plants for human settlements on other worlds.

"This recent string of technology development successes confirms that the fission surface power project is on the right path," said Don Palac, NASA's fission surface power project manager at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, in a statement.

Power on the moon

NASA's current plan for human space exploration is to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 on sortie missions that could lead to a permanent outpost for exploring the lunar surface and testing technologies that could aid a manned mission to Mars.

The space agency has been studying the feasibility of using nuclear fission power plants to support future moon bases. Engineers performed tests in recent weeks as part of a joint effort by NASA and the Department of Energy.

Nuclear fission power plants work by splitting the nuclei of atoms in a sustainable, controllable reaction that releases heat, which can then be funneled through a power converter to transfer that energy into usable electricity.

A small fission-based nuclear reactor coupled with a Stirling engine could provide up to 40 kilowatts of usable energy, enough to support a moon base or Mars outpost, project scientists said. That's about the same amount of power needed to supply eight houses on Earth, NASA
officials have said.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Moon Landings - The Eagle Has Landed and more

Bob sent me the link below and recommended that I watch it in Full
Screen on my computer.
I did and a very nice presentation of a lot of the problems the Apollo
Astronauts had in going to the Moon.

If you click on it the file will begin to load and it is a long
program that probably will require some bandwidth.
It worked fine here even though I had a virus checker running but I
have a cable modem.
- LRK -
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=60850&category=60664&title=6914
Moon Landings
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are a number of videos and this one falls under the category of
Full Episodes.
Since I missed viewing the TV program, much thank Bob.
[No ads was nice - LRK -]
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/

There is more information about the National Geographic Channel if you
are interested.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/
NGC Home

If you are outside the USA you might want to look at this link.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/international/

My apologies if it doesn't work where you are but thought you might be
interested.
At least there is an interest in letting the public participate in the
40 year anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, July 20 1969.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/40th/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/index.html
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://wechoosethemoon.org/
We Chose To Go To The Moon

An interactive web site. Standby for the launch sequence. - LRK -
snip
==============================================================
http://www.popularmechanics.com/apollo11turns40/
Apollo Turns 40
snip
==============================================================
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/07/apollo-11s-40th-anniversary-goes-anything-but-unnoticed.ars

Apollo 11's 40th anniversary goes anything but unnoticed

During the period in July that marks the 40th anniversary of the
Apollo 11 mission, several parties have stepped up to commemorate the
event.
By Casey Johnston | Last updated July 21, 2009 6:11 PM CT

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW COMMITTEE CANCELS Aug. 24 CONTINGENCY MEETING

--------------------------------------------------

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09_160_Committee_Cancels.html
August 20, 2009

Doc Mirelson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4495
doc.mirelson@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-160
HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW COMMITTEE CANCELS MEETING

WASHINGTON -- The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee
determined the Aug. 24 contingency meeting announced in the Federal
Register is not required. The committee has no plans for any
additional public meetings.

For committee information, materials, presentations and biographies,
visit:
http://hsf.nasa.gov

For information about NASA and agency activities, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

-end-
--------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/index.html

You still have ways of contacting the committee. - LRK -
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/contact_us/index.html

At the rate we are going I may not see the USA on the Moon with humans
and probably a lot of you are in the same situation.
What about the kids and grand kids?

How many would elect to live at the South Pole here on Earth?
Not many, but they might like to work for companies that do science at
the Poles.

How many would like to live under the ocean permanently?
Probably not all that many, but would they like a job that uses the
resources of the ocean?

Some have said that NASA is just a job shop and all the employees want
is to protect their jobs.
I certainly found it interesting supporting the work that NASA was
doing at Ames and it paid my electric bill for ~20 years.

Some say we should go to the asteroids.
Whether that is with rockets and robots or with humans might be debated.
Just the same it would be rewarding to get paid to find ways to keep
asteroids from sneaking up on us unannounced and to find ways to use
them as a material resource.

--------------------------------------------------
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/national/dpg_NASA_Struggles_to_Keep_Up_With_Asteroids_mb_08122009_2920295
or TinyURL for above - http://tinyurl.com/mstr63
NASA Struggles to Keep
Up With Asteroids

Updated: Wednesday, 12 Aug 2009, 3:42 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 12 Aug 2009, 3:42 PM EDT

* By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON - NASA is charged with seeking out nearly all the asteroids
that threaten Earth but doesn't have the money to do the job, a
federal report says.

That's because even though Congress assigned the space agency this
mission four years ago, it never gave NASA money to build the
necessary telescopes, the new National Academy of Sciences report
says. Specifically, NASA has been ordered to spot 90 percent of the
potentially deadly rocks hurtling through space by 2020.
snip
--------------------------------------------------

Wouldn't the kids like to play with model engines and then find out
they could be used to provide electricity for some base on another
moon or planet?

You don't need to go the the Moon to enjoy the opportunities it might
present to you, even if you are not one of the few that might go and
set up a base.
- LRK-

--------------------------------------------------
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23247/
A Lunar Nuclear Reactor
Tests prove the feasibility of using nuclear reactors to provide
electricity on the moon and Mars.
By Brittany Sauser

snip
"We are not building a system that needs hundreds of gigawatts of
power like those that produce electricity for our cities," says Don
Palac, the project manager at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland,
OH. The system needs to be cheap, safe, and robust and "our recent
tests demonstrated that we can successfully build that," says Palac.

To generate electricity, the researchers used a liquid metal to
transfer the heat from the reactor to the Stirling engine, which uses
gas pressure to convert heat into the energy needed to generate
electricity. For the tests, the researchers used a non-nuclear heat
source. The liquid metal was a sodium potassium mixture that has been
used in the past to transfer heat from a reactor to a generator, says
Palac, but this is the first time this mixture has been used with a
Stirling engine.

"They are very efficient and robust, and we believe [it] can last for
eight years unattended," says Lee Mason, the principal investigator of
the project at Glenn. The system performed better than expected, Palac
says, generating 2.3 kilowatts of power at a steady pace.
snip
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2009/08/18/nasa-nuclear-reactors-moon-base/
NASA Looks to Nuclear Reactors for Moon Base
Posted
by
Doug Messier
on August 18, 2009, at 9:35 pm
in Constellation, NASA, News and human spaceflight

A Lunar Nuclear Reactor
Technology Review

Researchers at NASA and the Department of Energy recently tested key
technologies for developing a nuclear fission reactor that could power
a human outpost on the moon or Mars. The tests prove that the agencies
could build a “safe, reliable, and efficient” system by 2020, the year
NASA plans to return humans to the moon.

A fission reactor works by splitting atoms and releasing energy in the
form of heat, which is converted into electricity. The idea for using
nuclear power in space dates back to the late 1950s, when they were
considered for providing propulsion through Project Orion. In the
1960s a series of compact, experimental space nuclear reactors were
developed by NASA under the Systems Nuclear Auxiliary Power program.
But public safety concerns and an international treaty banning nuclear
weapons in space stopped development.

Now nuclear power is being considered for lunar and Mars missions
because, unlike alternatives such as solar power, it can provide
constant energy, a necessity for human life-support systems,
recharging rovers, and mining for resources. Solar power systems would
also require the use of energy storage devices like batteries or fuel
cells, adding unwanted mass to the system. Solar power is further
limited because the moon is dark for up to 14 days at a time and has
deep craters that can obscure the sun. Mars is farther away from the
sun than either the Earth or the moon, so less solar power can be
harvested there.

Read Full story at: http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23247/
snip
==============================================================
http://www.stirlingengine.com/
American Stirling Company
Beautiful Stirling engines and Kits

Check out our newest heat of your hand Stirling Engine the model MM-7.
The MM-7 Stirling engine will run on a temperature difference of only
7.2 degrees F (4 degrees C). You can place it on a small heat source
and safely run it for weeks or months or years. It comes the closest
to magic of any of our engines.
New Low Cost Engine: At only $49.00 our new Eco Power Stirling
engine kit is a price breakthrough. It's fun to build and a great
introduction to the world of Stirling engines.
Our FAQ offers a good overview of Stirling Engines, but the best
way to really understand Stirling engines is to hold one of our
transparent engines in your hands and carefully watch it run. So enjoy
our web site, but make sure to come back and browse our Stirling
engine store.
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee Meeting 24 August 2009

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.rss.spacewire.html?pid=32022

STATUS REPORT
Date Released: Friday, August 7, 2009
Source: NASA HQ

[Federal Register: August 7, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 151)] [Notices]
[Page 39715-39716] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr07au09-99]

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (09-071)]

Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee; Meeting

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public
Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration announces a meeting of the Review of U.S. Human Space
Flight Plans Committee. This is a contingency public meeting if
required by the committee and is subject to cancellation on short
notice. For the most up-to-date information, refer to the Committee
Web site (http://hsf.nasa.gov) or contact the NASA Designated Federal
Official by e-mail (philip.mcalister@nasa.gov) or phone
(202-358-0712).

DATES: Monday, August 24, 2009, 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: JW Marriott Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 1331 Pennsylvania
Avenue, Washington, DC 20004, phone: 202-626-6906.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Philip R. McAlister, Office of
Program Analysis and Evaluation, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, Washington, DC 20546, at 202-358-0712.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The agenda topics for the meeting include
Committee deliberations on the Final Report. The meeting will be open
to the public up to the seating capacity of the room. It is imperative
that the meeting be held on this date to accommodate the scheduling
priorities of the key participants.

Dated: August 4, 2009. P. Diane Rausch, Advisory Committee Management
Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [FR Doc.
E9-19003 Filed 8-6-09; 8:45 am]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If not canceled, one more meeting.
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/index.html
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/pagedetails.action?granuleId=E9-19003&packageId=FR-2009-08-07&acCode=FR
74 FR 39715 - Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee; Meeting

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2009-08-07/pdf/E9-19003.pdf
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[Notice (09–071)]
Review of U.S. Human Space Flight
Plans Committee; Meeting
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee

Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee - Contact the Committee by E-Mail or Postal Mail
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/maildocument.html

Email a Document
hq-humanspaceflight@mail.nasa.gov
*Please state if documents submitted via e-mail may be used publicly.
**If you do not have email configured on your computer
simply copy and paste the email into your preferred email software.

Mailing Address
Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington DC 20024-3210
*Please state if documents submitted via mail may be used publicly.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to add your word and weight to the commission's report then best do so quickly as they are wrapping up.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/related_documents/what-the-committee-is-doing.html
08.14.2009 - Today, Norm Augustine and the committee members met with OSTP and NASA senior management. It was basically a recapitulation and honing of what was presented in the public session on Wednesday, August 12. As we have advertised, this committee was governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act and the members took that charge seriously. OSTP/NASA got essentially what the public got on Wednesday. The next step is to prepare the final report which will add more depth and text around what was presented and decided on Wednesday, but it will contain all the same primary messages. Report availability date is TBD.
08.14.2009 - The public meeting on Wednesday went very well, albeit longer than we anticipated. The members fully discussed and deliberated on all the options under consideration for human space flight. They described and discussed the options, the financial considerations for each option, and the evaluation criteria for assessing each option. Then, they down selected the options and discussed all of the evaluation criteria applicable to each option, including scoring them."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course one can sit back and just watch and see who will be the first to set up a Lunar Base and start manufacturing plants.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/08/11/330691/the-bears-stars-shine-brighter.html

DATE:11/08/09
SOURCE:Flight International

The Bear's stars shine brighter
By Rob Coppinger
As the first decade of the 21st century comes to a close the nation that sent the first man into space is planning a new crewed spacecraft for lunar and International Space Station missions, all in the wake of a tumultuous period of decline, stagnation and commercial rebirth.
Before 2005 the situation had been grim for the Russian space programme. The two government five-year plans that ran from 1991 to 2000 had little funding, and the 2001-5 plan saw the industry struggle with inadequate cashflow, achieving just 40% of its objectives and with only 73% of the necessary financing provided. In 2005 the Russian Federal Space Agency announced its first ever Rb305 billion ($9.77 billion) 10-year plan for 2006 to 2015.
While it set out Moon, Mars and Venus missions and human spaceflight ambitions, it was largely about restoring and enhancing Russia's space-based infrastructure. This infrastructure is meteorological, Earth observation and telecommunication networks of spacecraft and ground stations.
And then, perhaps with an eye to the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik in October 2007, Russian Federal Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov announced on 31 August of that year a 30-year vision with greater ambition. This vision includes Moon bases and a manned Mars mission in the 2035 timeframe.
snip

The decisions that Obama's government makes could lead to Russia being a primary beneficiary, with an increased need for NASA to purchase crew transport.
For a nation whose space industry struggled so much 10 years ago, the next decade will see it prosper from its international co-operation, delivering partnerships that could see a Russian boot on the Moon by 2030.
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Foot prints in time, wish they were mine.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
Info on e-mail address and snail mail address and links to some of the posts. - LRK -
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/maildocument.html

Email a Document
hq-humanspaceflight@mail.nasa.gov
*Please state if documents submitted via e-mail may be used publicly.

Mailing Address
Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington DC 20024-3210
*Please state if documents submitted via mail may be used publicly.

Public-Submitted Documents
- ABC Radio Commentary-1991 (pdf, 107k)
- America at the Threshold America's Space Exploration Initiative (Synthesis Group) - Executive Summary (pdf, 835k)
- Applying a Macro-Economic Analysis to Space Policy (pdf, 943k)
- Everyone's going to the Moon (pdf, 34k)
- A Goal For the Human Spaceflight Program (pdf, 116k)
- Letter from Senator Mitch McConnell (pdf, 9.5MB)
- Letter to Augustine Committee (doc, 47k) - submitted by Jeff Woytach
- HERRO: A Science-Oriented Strategy for Crewed Missions Beyond LEO (pdf, 480k) - Submitted by George R. Schmidt, PhD, PE
- Humans to Mars: Logical Step or Dangerous Distraction? (pdf, 339k) - Submitted by James A. Vedda, Ph.D.
- Comment for the Augustine Commission June 2nd 2009 (doc, 34k) - Submitted by Amalie Sinclair
- The moon as a stepping stone for a spacefaring civilization (pdf, 500k) - Submitted by Dr. rer. nat. Kai Multhaup
- Supporting Slide for The moon as a stepping stone for a spacefaring civilization (jpg, 93k) - Submitted by Dr. rer. nat. Kai Multhaup
- A role for public participation in space exploration planning and policy making (doc, 31k) - Submitted by Linda Billings, Ph.D.
- A Perpetual Space Station (doc, 36k) - Submitted by Dick Jacobson
- 21st Century Space (pdf, 63k) - Submitted by Thomas Lee Elifritz
- NASA Solicitation JSC-COTS-2 (pdf, 169k) - Submitted by Thomas Lee Elifritz
- Human Space Flight - A New Direction (pdf, 103k) - Submitted by Thomas Lee Elifritz
- Creating a Sustainable Manned Space Flight Program (pdf, 193k) - Submitted by Michael Patrick O'Hara
- Commercial Lunar Robotics to Enhance Human Exploration (doc, 36k) - Submitted by John Kohut, CEO Astrobotic Technology, Inc.
- A Lunar Surface Rendezvous (LSR) Architecture Proposal (pdf, 332k) - Submitted by Daniel R. Adamo
- A Letter to the President concerning the Promise and Challenge of Space (doc, 53k) - Submitted by Alex Michael Bonnici
- Letter to Review of Human Spaceflight Committee (pdf, 102k) - Submitted by Marion Blakey, Aerospace Industries Association
- The Role of Space in Addressing America's National Priorities (pdf, 3.63MB) - Submitted by Aerospace Industries Association
- Did you see the weather report for this world? (doc, 31k) - Submitted by Brent Morgan
- Recommendations to the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee (rtf, 13k) - Submitted by Hans L.D.G. Starlife
- NASA World Tree (png, 347k) - Submitted by Hans L.D.G. Starlife
- Letter to the Committee (txt, 2k) - Submitted by O Glenn Smith NASA/JSC retired
- Suggestions For The U. S. Human Space Flight Plan (doc, 38k) - Submitted by Arthur M. Collins, Retired Aerospace Engineer
- Managing environmental impact of space flight, alternate Ares V architecture to NASA June 2008 recommendation and changes to Ares I first stage (doc, 1.34MB) - Submitted by Peter Egan
- The Global Space Administration (GSA) (doc, 87k) - Submitted by Miguel Cooper
- Requirements for Manned Space Flights to Mars: Should NASA Skip Returning to the Moon? (pdf, 16k) - Submitted by Nickolaus E. Leggett, Analyst
- Man on Mars by 2019 using 3 Shuttles (pdf, 32k) - Submitted by Michael J. Coppi,
- Depot-Centric Human Spaceflight (pdf, 103k) - Submitted by Jonathan Goff
- Briefing for Political/National Leaders on Options Available for the US Space Program (pdf, 2MB) - Submitted by Michael Brazelton
- What are the appropriate destinations and sequences of exploration for human exploration beyond LEO (docx, 16k) - Submitted by Gary Kitmacher
- Letter to the Committee (pdf, 15k) - Submitted by Eric Christiansen
- Propellantless Space Travel Using Recycled Kinetic Energy (pdf, 733k) - Submitted by Phil Turek
- Impulse Engine (pptx, 2.8MB) - Submitted by Phil Turek
- Explore Our Stepping Stone - First Understand What The Moon Offers (pdf, 58k) - Submitted by Arlin Crotts, Professor of Astronomy, Columbia University
- Letter from Alan W. Harris (pdf, 10k) - Submitted by Alan W. Harris
- Response to Beyond LEO (pdf, 26k) - Submitted by Michael Ayres
- Moon on the Way to Mars (doc, 41k) - Submitted by Rob Edmonds
- Changing NASA (doc, 700k) - Submitted by Edgar Zapata
- Feedback (pdf, 46k) - Submitted by Mark Laurent
- Recommendations for the Human Space Flight Committee (pdf, 21k) - Robert E. Bruccoleri, Ph.D.
- Proposal (pdf, 240k) - Submitted by Gary Kitmacher
- Flexibility for EVA Missions (doc, 26k) - Submitted by Thomas A. Sullivan, Ph.D., HEFD Manager for Constellation
- Reflections on Human Space Flight and Science Productivity for the Review of Human Space Flight Committee (pdf, 104k) - Submitted by Dan Lester, Research Fellow University of Texas at Austin
- Space Shuttle Retirement and the Cyrus Space System (wpd, 45k) - Submitted by Daniel Sterling Sample
- Cyrus Spacecraft at Mars image (jpg, 53k) - Submitted by Daniel Sterling Sample
- Provisional pg 1 11-12-08 (jpg, 137k) - Submitted by Daniel Sterling Sample
- Provisional pg 2 11-12-08 (jpg, 187k) - Submitted by Daniel Sterling Sample
- Provisional pg 3 11-12-08 (jpg, 241k) - Submitted by Daniel Sterling Sample
- Provisional Space Platform pg 4 11-12-08 (jpg, 173k) - Submitted by Daniel Sterling Sample

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/index.html
Review of U.S. Space Flight Plans Comittee
Home

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/related_documents/what-the-committee-is-doing.html
08.14.2009 - Today, Norm Augustine and the committee members met with OSTP and NASA senior management. It was basically a recapitulation and honing of what was presented in the public session on Wednesday, August 12. As we have advertised, this committee was governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act and the members took that charge seriously. OSTP/NASA got essentially what the public got on Wednesday. The next step is to prepare the final report which will add more depth and text around what was presented and decided on Wednesday, but it will contain all the same primary messages. Report availability date is TBD.
08.14.2009 - The public meeting on Wednesday went very well, albeit longer than we anticipated. The members fully discussed and deliberated on all the options under consideration for human space flight. They described and discussed the options, the financial considerations for each option, and the evaluation criteria for assessing each option. Then, they down selected the options and discussed all of the evaluation criteria applicable to each option, including scoring them."
08.11.2009 - Tomorrow (August 12) figures to be a major public meeting. If things go according to plan, we will get a presentation on the content, assumptions, and variations of the human space flight options. The options have been refined and fleshed out since last week. Then we should see the Aerospace-led analysis on the cost and schedule of the options. Next, we will hear about the evaluation criteria that will be used to assess each of the options, and then (hopefully) we will agree on the options to be forwarded to NASA/OSTP/OMB for consideration.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

NASA's future gets bleaker: Obama faced with manned-space dilemma

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-augustine-committee-aftermath-081409,0,7324210.story
By Mark K. Matthews and Robert Block Sentinel Staff Writers
5:54 p.m. EDT, August 14, 2009
Orlando Sentinel
President must decide to either find more money for manned space or support an emasculated program that critics will dismiss as irrelevant

WASHINGTON - When President Barack Obama named a panel to review NASA's manned-space program, his aides said privately they were hoping the group would recommend scrapping NASA's troubled Ares I rocket program and finding another, cheaper way to get humans back to the moon.

But the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee came to a troubling conclusion this week: NASA's current budget offers no hope of sending humans past the international space station for 20 years or more.

And that confronts the administration with an enormous dilemma: how, in an era of trillion-dollar deficits, to find money to reinvigorate human space exploration and avoid pulling the plug on a program that just celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first lunar landing.

snip
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am afraid that by the time it is decided that we should catch up with others going to the Moon, it will be too late for me to see it happen.

Hope you have the genes for a long life.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=da2553d771&view=lg&msg=12325e44792c26b4
[link may not work as it comes up with my gmail account - LRK -]
FLORIDA SPACErePORT
August 17, 2009

Get Daily SPACErePORT Updates HERE.
http://spacereport.blogspot.com/

Space Panel Finds No Good Options (Source: Aviation Week)
With 18 days left in which to finish its work, the Augustine Panel is focusing on several options ranging from maintaining NASA's current plans to deferring lunar exploration in favor of direct visits to Mars and other deep space locations. NASA's current program of record -- retiring the shuttle and closing down the Space Station by 2016, developing the Ares I/Orion system as a shuttle replacement, and mounting a lunar return by 2020 -- simply doesn't fit within the FY '10 guidance, Sally Ride said. "There was not enough money to even start the lunar systems," she said.

However, the "less constrained" option, which ramps up to $3 billion a year more than the FY-10 plan, allows a lunar return by 2025. This budget, Ride said, is fairly close to what NASA's original exploration planners assumed they would have for the Constellation program several years ago. Also considered was an "ISS-focused" option that would extend station operations to 2020 but essentially sacrifice near-term exploration development in order to stay within the FY-10 plan. While a heavy-lift launcher system would be available in 2028 under this option, it would have nothing to lift, as no money would have been spent on lunar surface systems. More promising were the so-called "Deep Space" options, which would defer lunar exploration in the
near-term in favor of trips to other locations in the solar system.

Editor's Note: I have attempted to describe the various scenarios in a chart posted here. (8/13)
http://twitpic.com/e0jo2
http://twitpic.com/e0jo2/full

Augustine Panel Narrows NASA Options (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's Project Constellation cannot be executed within the $81.5 billion budgeted for human spaceflight through 2020 -- a $26.5 billion drop from previous projections -- so the Augustine Panel will bring it forward only as a reference mission. Missions to Mars -- while an ultimate goal -- will not be among scenarios offered up. The idea of doing a "Dash Out Of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) is also being dropped. It appears the Ares I rocket will be on the chopping block, while the
panel supports increasing investment in the development of commercial crew transportation services.

snip
==============================================================
http://spacereport.blogspot.com/2008/08/august-17-news-items.html
August 17 News Items
Iran Launches Home-Built Satellite Rocket (Source: AFP)
Iran said it had launched a rocket carrying a test-satellite into space on Sunday, in a move that could further exacerbate tensions with the West over its nuclear drive. "The Safir (Ambassador) rocket was successfully launched. All its systems...are Iranian made," Reza Taghipour, head of Iran's space agency, said, adding that a "test satellite was put into orbit." Western governments, which suspect Iran is trying to build an atomic weapon, have voiced concern that the Islamic republic's space program could be put to military use. (8/17)

Obama: Let's Go to Moon, and Maybe Mars (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Sen. Barack Obama released a comprehensive space policy Saturday that endorsed sending astronauts back to the moon by 2020 as a possible precursor for going to Mars -- the first time he has committed to that goal -- and said the reach for the stars should be a U.S.-led international effort. "Human exploration beyond low-earth orbit should be a long-term goal and investment for all space-faring countries, with America in the lead," the policy paper said. It was notably silent on what role might be played by Kennedy Space Center, which faces the loss of as many as 6,500 jobs when the shuttle stops flying. Obama did promise to "work with the space industry to ensure retention of workforce and technical capabilities" during the gap. Obama's campaign released the seven-page paper to four Florida newspapers Saturday, 24 hours ahead of its national unveiling. It showed a clear effort to seize the initiative on space policy in Florida from his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, who is scheduled to meet privately with aerospace industry officials in Cocoa on Monday. (8/17)

snip

Obama Campaign Releases Space Policy Plan (Source: Obama Campaign)
Following a series of meetings with space industry leaders, the Obama campaign has finalized a space policy document titled: Advancing the Frontiers of Space Exploration. The document contains sections dealing with Space Science and Exploration; Earth-Oriented Research; Promoting International Cooperation and Keeping Space Secure; Developing New Technologies; and Educating the Public. The document is posted at
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/policy/Space_Fact_Sheet_FINAL.pdf.
(8/16)

snip
==============================================================
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1185467.html
NASA's moon plan too ambitious, Obama panel says
A panel reviewing NASA's current plans for human space flight will report that there is no realistic way to return to the moon by 2020 -- or even 2028.

BY JOEL ACHENBACH
Washington Post Service

WASHINGTON -- NASA doesn't have nearly enough money to meet its goal of putting astronauts back on the moon by 2020 -- and it might be the wrong place to go, anyway. That's one of the harsh messages emerging from a sweeping review of NASA's human space flight program.

The Human Space Flight Plans Committee, appointed by President Barack Obama and headed by retired aerospace executive Norman Augustine, has been trying to stitch together some kind of plausible strategy for America's manned space program. The panel has struggled to find options that stay under the current budget and include missions worthy of the cost and effort.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.spudislunarresources.com/Opinion_Editorial/A_Moon_Full.htm
A Moon Full of Opportunity

NASA gave six reasons for going back to the Moon when only one was needed
Paul D. Spudis

The 2nd Space Exploration Conference held December 2006 in Houston outlined several reasons for a human return to the Moon. Remarkably, some complain that the reason for going to the Moon is still unclear. Possibly the sheer scope of the envisioned surface activities diffuses its impact. Almost 200 activities were described for the Moon, grouped under six major “themes” (as the agency calls them), including settlement, global cooperation, science and preparation for Mars.

This diffusion is both deliberate and unavoidable.

From the beginning, there was dissention within NASA and the broader space community about the meaning of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE). Was it a call for a permanent moon base? Was it all about sending humans to Mars? Perhaps it was really a stalking horse to terminate human spaceflight completely. The alt-space community whined about it being another big government boondoggle. The Mars Society whined about the focus on the Moon. The scientific community just whined. Much of this confusion stems from preconceived interpretations about the new policy and has been exacerbated by resulting changes to the status quo. This confusion, nurtured by design or misinformation, must be corrected and the Vision’s direction clearly understood.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

NGC presents ALIEN EARTHS and HAWKING'S UNIVERSE (8/23 at 9 and 10PM ET/PT)

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Overview

Received some information from Minjae Ormes on upcoming space related National Geographic TV programs that she thought might be of interest.
If you don't have access to the programs, at least know that folks are interested in what is out there and trying to inform the public.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------------------

Hi Larry –
I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to let you know about a couple of upcoming, space-related programs on National Geographic Channel. ALIEN EARTHS and NAKED SCIENCE: HAWKING’S UNIVERSE will air back-to-back on Sunday, August 23.

Below are respective program descriptions, links to the program Website, as well some images and embeddable videos:
[note - left the embedded code out of note - LRK -]

ALIEN EARTHS
Sunday, August 23 at 9PM ET/PT
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview
Join leading astronomers on a visual journey beyond our solar system in search of planets like Earth. Using CGI animation, we’ll explore bizarre worlds that stretch our imagination: planets with iron rain and hot ice, with diamonds everywhere, and endless oceans of gas. Planets with abnormal orbital patterns and planets with no pattern at all that drift alone in the Milky Way. Planets so strange we never could have predicted them before. Could life exist there?

Video #1 – Extreme conditions abound on planemos. But spring and fall are just right. Can life survive beyond the Goldilocks Zone?
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07058_00

Video #2 – Adrift in space with no star to keep them warm, some planemos still manage to support life.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07059_00

Video #3 – “Planetary zombies” can orbit a pulsar, but radiation makes it impossible for life of any kind to survive on them.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07080_00

On our ALIEN EARTHS program Website, you can also:

Navigate the Planetary Investigation Lab and explore 3D life form rotations, videos, photos and high resolution concept art.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview#tab-interactive

Learn about current and future NASA missions, including the Keck Interferometer Telescopes, Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Kepler Mission.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview#tab-missions

Check out a photo gallery of the planets, and more.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview03#tab-search-for-earth


NAKED SCIENCE: HAWKING’S UNIVERSE
Sunday, August 23 at 10PM ET/PT
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Overview
Stephen Hawking is one of the world’s most famous scientists. But ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, has left him almost totally paralyzed and it is progressing. Unable to walk, talk, or write, his only way of communicating is through a computer program that turns a small movement of a finger or the blink of an eye, into words from a vocal synthesizer. But Hawking remains determined to discover a theory of everything, a complete set of rules for the Universe. Where did the Universe come from and where is it going? What is the nature of time?
Will it ever come to an end? This program will explore Hawking’s major contributions to the understanding of our Universe - from his revolutionary proof that our Universe originated in a Big Bang; to his ground breaking discovery that Black Holes are not completely black,
but rather emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear, to his insights on string theory. Will he unlock the secret of creation before his time runs out?

Video #1 – No one's found the Theory of Everything yet, but when Hawking discovers that black holes emit radiation, he gets very close.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Videos/07078_00

Video #2 – When Hawking loses his voice to a tracheotomy, new speech software technology keeps his research on track.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Videos/07079_00

Please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information. Thank you for your time and have a great week!

Best,
Minjae

snip
http://minjaeormes.com/
---------------------------------------------------------

I hope we continue to have TV programs that inform us about space and help generate an interest exploring the unknown.

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
Next mission to the ISS and NASA letting us know who is going. - LRK -
Stockton CA just up the road from me, maybe one of these Astronauts from your neighborhood.
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-149

INDIANA ASTRONAUT TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, who was born in Portland, Ind., and considers Montpelier, Ind., his hometown, will serve as the pilot on space shuttle Discovery's next mission to the International Space Station.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-150_Texas_astronaut.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-150

TEXAS ASTRONAUT TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, will make his third journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery's next mission to the International Space Station.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-151_California_astronauts.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-151

TWO CALIFORNIA ASTRONAUTS TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.-- NASA's next space shuttle mission will carry two California- born astronauts into orbit.

Veteran space flier Rick Sturckow, from Lakeside, Calif., will command shuttle Discovery's mission to the International Space Station. Jose Hernandez, who considers Stockton, Calif., his hometown, will make his first trip to space.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-152_Florida_Astronaut.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-152

FLORIDA NATIVE TO LIVE ABOARD INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Nicole Stott, a native of Clearwater, Fla., will make her first journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery's upcoming mission to the International Space Station. She will live and work aboard the station for three months.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-153_Texas_Native_to_Fly_on_Shuttle.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-153

TEXAS NATIVE TO FLY ON NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Danny Olivas, born and raised in El Paso, Texas, will conduct three spacewalks during the upcoming space shuttle mission to the International Space Station. This is the first shuttle flight to feature two Latino astronauts, Olivas and Jose Hernandez who are both of Mexican descent.

Discovery is targeted to launch at 1:36 a.m. EDT, Aug. 25, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To cover the launch on-site, U.S. reporters must request Kennedy credentials online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

snip
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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-154_Virginia_Astronaut.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-154

VIRGINIA ASTRONAUT TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester, whose hometown is Springfield, Va., will make his third journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery's next mission to the International Space Station.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_09-187_STS-134_crew.html
RELEASE: 09-187

NASA ASSIGNS CREW FOR STS-134 SHUTTLE MISSION, CHANGE TO STS-132

WASHINGTON -- NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-134 to the International Space Station. The flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter and the origin and structure of the universe.

Navy Capt. Mark Kelly will command the STS-134 mission. Retired Air Force Col. Gregory H. Johnson will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Air Force Col. Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff and Andrew Feustel. European Space Agency astronaut and Italian Air Force Col. Roberto Vittori also will serve as a mission specialist.

The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of the space station using both the shuttle and station arms. The AMS will be attached to the right side of the station's truss, or backbone.

NASA also has named Air Force Col. Michael Good to replace Karen Nyberg on shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission, targeted to launch in May 2010. Nyberg is being replaced due to a temporary medical condition. Nyberg will be assigned to a technical role while she awaits a future assignment.

Kelly previously served as the pilot of STS-108 in 2001 and STS-121 in 2006, and commander for STS-124 in 2008. He was born in Orange, N.J., and considers West Orange, N.J., to be his hometown. Kelly has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, King's
Point, N.Y., and a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

Johnson previously flew as a pilot on STS-123 in 2008. He was born in South Ruislip, Middlesex, United Kingdom, but graduated from Park Hills High School in Fairborn, Ohio. Johnson has a bachelor's from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and master's degrees from Columbia University and the University of Texas, Austin.

Fincke is a veteran of two long-duration missions aboard the space station. He served as the NASA science officer and flight engineer on Expedition 9, and commander for Expedition 18. He was born in Pittsburgh and considers Emsworth, Pa., his hometown. He has an Associate Science degree from El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., two bachelor's degrees from the assachusetts Institute of Technology, and master's degrees from Stanford University and the University of Houston - Clear Lake.

Chamitoff, also a veteran of a long-duration spaceflight, served as NASA science officer and a flight engineer on Expeditions 17 and 18. He was born in Montreal and grew up in San Jose, Calif. He holds a bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic State University, a master's degree from the California Institute of Technology, a second master's degree from UHCL and a doctorate from MIT.

STS-134 is the second mission for Feustel, who flew as a mission specialist on STS-125 in May. He has an Associate Science degree from Oakland Community College, Mich., a bachelor's and a master's degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and a doctorate from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Feustel considers Lake Orion, Mich., his hometown.

Vittori is a veteran of two prior spaceflights to the space station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He was born in Viterbo, Italy. He received his bachelor's degree from the Italian Air Force Academy and earned master's degrees from the University of Naples and University of Perugia.

This will be the second mission for Good, who flew on STS-125. He was born in Parma, Ohio, and considers Broadview Heights, Ohio to be his hometown. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame.

For complete astronaut biographical information, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/bios

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

DAWN resumes extended thrusting - June 30, 2009 and at Glenn Research - A more efficient spacecraft engine

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/main/index.html
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/23120/page1/

Matt asked if I had heard anything about a new Voyager mission and I
didn't remember hearing anything so went looking with Google.
I found a mission, (IBEX Interstellar Boundary Explorer) that was
looking at the boundary of our Solar System, -
http://ibex.swri.edu/ - which made me think of the Voyagers and the
Pioneer 10-11 missions, but it is in an Earth like orbit.

The New Horizons mission to Pluto is going out there but more like the
Pioneer 10 craft than a Voyager.
---------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html
Where is the New Horizons Spacecraft Now?

New Horizons Sees Changes in Jupiter System

New Horizons' voyage through the Jupiter system in 2007 provided a
bird's-eye view of a dynamic planet that has changed since the last
close-up looks by NASA spacecraft. A combination of trajectory, timing
and technology allowed it to explore details no probe had seen before,
such as lightning near Jupiter’s poles, the life cycle of fresh
ammonia clouds, boulder-size clumps speeding through the planet’s
faint rings, the structure inside volcanic eruptions on its moon Io,
and the path of charged particles traversing the previously unexplored
length of the planet’s long magnetic tail.

snip
---------------------------------------------------------

In the process of looking I also found reference to the DAWN mission
and ION propulsion.
The Voyager's 1 and 2, were just launched by chemical rockets and used
gravitational assists to flip them around the Solar System.

DAWN was launched with a Delta II Heavy Lift chemical rocket with 8
boosters, but it also has an ION Thruster to keep pushing it along.
- LRK -
---------------------------------------------------------
http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/index.asp
Welcome to the Dawn Mission!

Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the
solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail two of the
largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formations. Ceres
and Vesta reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter
together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt.
Each has followed a very different evolutionary path constrained by
the diversity of processes that operated during the first few million
years of solar system evolution.
snip
---------------------------------------------------------

Here is a 13 minute video about the mission.

---------------------------------------------------------
DAWN Mission Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5412000236766165719&hl=en
snip
---------------------------------------------------------

DAWN was in a coasting phase and new software was up-loaded for the computer.
They have now started the ION thruster with the new software and it
works. Whew!
That aught to have been a nail biter. You can read about it in the link below.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------------------
http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.asp
Dawn Resumes Extended Thrusting
June 30, 2009
Dawn resumed its routine of long-duration thrusting with its ion
propulsion system on June 8. The spacecraft is now following the same
pattern it used for most of 2008, with only a single weekly
interruption in thrusting to point the main antenna to Earth. Dawn had
spent most of the time since October 31, 2008 coasting. In contrast,
most of the time from now until arrival at Vesta will be devoted to
thrusting.
snip
---------------------------------------------------------

Glenn Research has been working on ION engines for some time and work
is being done to make ones bigger than flew on DAWN and DS1.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/history/ds1.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/fs21grc.html

---------------------------------------------------------
http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=8950
Tuning Up Ion Propulsion
by Administrator on August 5, 2009

A story on MIT’s Technology Review -
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/23120/page1/ - site looks at
ion propulsion, and specifically at improvements made in the
technology at Glenn Research Center. Comparing the recent work to the
engines used in the Deep Space 1 and Dawn missions, the story quotes
GRC’s Michael Patterson as saying, “We made it physically bigger, but
lighter, reduced the system’s complexity to extend its lifetime, and,
overall, improved its efficiency.”

That’s good news, of course, and Patterson presented it to the AIAA’s
Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit this week in Denver. With
sessions on everything from Electric Propulsion Thruster Wear and Life
Assessment to Advanced Propulsion Concepts, Denver was clearly the
place to be for propulsion mavens. An entire session was devoted to
the new ion thrust work, which goes under the name NASA’s Evolutionary
Xenon Thruster (NEXT).
snip
---------------------------------------------------------

and back here on Mother Earth -
- LRK -

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NASA Science News for August 10, 2009

Like bugs streaking down the side window of a moving car, colorful
Perseid Earthgrazers could put on a pleasing show after sunset on
Tuesday, August 11th.

FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/10aug_horseflies.htm?list965414

snip
---------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://aiaa.org/agenda.cfm?lumeetingid=1980&viewcon=agenda&formatview=1&DateGet=03-Aug-09
snip
Session 5- EP-3 NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) and Other
Gridded Ion Techology Development 505
Chaired by: M. CROFTON, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA, and
C. FARNELL, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
snip
http://pdf.aiaa.org/preview/CDReadyMJPC09_1980/PV2009_4819.pdf
Near-Term High Power Ion Propulsion Options for Earth-Orbital Applications
Michael J. Patterson* and Luis Pinero†
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, 44135
and
James S. Sovey‡
AlphaPort Inc., Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, 44135

There is a convergence in requirements among various elements of the U.S. government
and commercial industry relative to high-power electric propulsion systems for arthorbital applications, and in the advancement of high power lightweight photovoltaic array technologies. Some of these requirements and capabilities align well with NASA electric propulsion technologies, and specifically ion propulsion. NASA’s investment strategy in electric propulsion over the last decade has established the ground work for the development of a number of high power ion thruster concepts, which have evolved to various levels of technology readiness. Some of these concepts could provide the basis for the development of flight ion propulsion systems consistent with Earth-orbital applications needs. This could
allow for the fielding of high power systems (20 – 80 kW) with single thruster power
handling capability of up to 20 kW and higher, and do so within a decade. This paper
identifies and examines a number of thruster options. Assessments of technology readiness level, development roadmaps, technology challenges, and schedule are provided.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/launch/index.html
DAWN Launch Archive

Spacecraft: Dawn
Launch Vehicle: Delta II
Launch Location: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17-B
Launch Date: September 27, 2007
Launch Time: 7:34 a.m. EDT

Launch Video
http://anon.nasa-global.edgesuite.net/anon.nasa-global/ksc/ksc_092707_dawn_launch.asx
snip
==============================================================
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9117571/NASA_All_systems_go_on_IBEX_probe_to_map_edge_of_solar_system

NASA: All systems go on IBEX probe to map edge of solar system Onboard computer is running smoothly and solar-fed batteries are already fully charged
By Sharon Gaudin
October 20, 2008 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - NASA engineers are remotely testing systems aboard the IBEX spacecraft launched yesterday on a mission to map and capture images of the edge of the solar system.

And so far, said Eric Christian, program scientist for NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer program, all systems are go. The computer onboard the spacecraft, which was launched from a Pegasus rocket on Sunday, is already up and running, and the batteries are fully charged.

snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

"To The Stars"

Excuse me, tears in my eyes.

Just finished watching Dragonheart where in the end the dragon dies and goes to the stars.

When the group feels lost and asks what will they do now, the spirit of the dragon tells them look "To The Stars".
- LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonheart
snip
When the rebels invade the castle, Draco begs Bowen to kill him, as his death is the only way to end Einon's reign. After some reluctance, Bowen kills Draco in order to save Kara. This releases Draco's soul to the dragons' heaven — where he becomes a new star in the constellation — and kills Einon in the process. The film concludes with an epilogue by Brother Gilbert stating that Bowen and Kara went on to lead the people in an era of peace and prosperity, and that, whenever things were particularly difficult, Draco's star shone "for those who knew
where to look".
snip
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116136/
Dragonheart
snip
User Comment
snip
Dragonheart is an incredibly uplifting film. In a day when a lot of movies are chilling visions of the world around us, we need something to show us hope. Dragonheart, with its tale of a knight who lost his faith and a dragon who was trying to restore his honor, paints a beautiful picture of kindness, friendship, love, and sacrifice that never fails to inspire me. I am not a man given to displays of emotion, really...but the film makes me laugh and cry throughout everything.

And the soundtrack certainly helps. It is a textbook example of the proper use of a soundtrack to emphasize the plot and emotion. The beautiful "To the Stars" remains one of my absolute avorite songs. I can never listen to the soundtrack without seeing the movie happening again before my eyes.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTKSUlMbp9A
Randy Edelman - To The Stars
--------------------------------------------------------------
Have a listen. - LRK -

"for those who knew where to look".

Can I say that again - "for those who knew where to look".

Let me rephrase that - do we know where to look? Could it just be to the stars!
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------
Space Porch Open for Business

NASA Science News for August 7, 2009

The International Space Station's new "space porch" is open for business. Barely two weeks after it was installed by the crew of space shuttle Endeavour, the Japanese-built platform is already bustling with experiments in astronomy and space physics--and that's just for starters.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/07aug_spaceporch.htm?list965414
--------------------------------------------------------------

How are you looking to the stars?
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------
-- Unveiling the true face of a gigantic star
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28918

"An international team of astronomers, led by Keiichi Ohnaka at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn, has made the most high resolution images of a dying giant star to date. For the first time they could show how the gas is moving in different areas over the surface of a distant star. "

--------------------------------------------------------------

When are we going to get up close and personal?
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------
-- Surface features on Titan form like Earth's, but with a frigid twist
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28916

"Saturn’s haze-enshrouded moon Titan turns out to have much in common with Earth in the way that weather and geology shape its terrain, according to two pieces of research to be presented at the XXVII General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Wind, rain, volcanoes, tectonics and other Earth-like processes all sculpt features on Titan’s complex and varied surface in an environment more than 100°C colder on average than Antarctica."

--------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for having an eye to the stars.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------

Hubble Readies for Full Operation
August 3, 2009 | It took five grueling spacewalks by Space Shuttle astronauts and a billion-dollar investment to restore the Hubble Space Telescope to good health. Now NASA astronomers are nearly ready to show us just how good the 19-year-old space observatory is.
> read more - http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/52369857.html

It's hard to believe that 2½ months have passed since the crew of Atlantis wrapped up their extensive repairs and refurbishment of the Hubble Space Telescope.

So when will Hubble get back to work? In a sense, it already has. When Australian amateur Anthony Wesley spotted the "powder burn" in Jupiter's atmosphere from an apparent impact on July 19th, Hubble managers hustled to turn its 94-inch (2.4-meter) eye on the new feature so that the just-installed Wide Field Camera 3 could take some snapshots.

snip
--------------------------------------------------------------

OK, dried the tears, but I do hope we learn to get out there and maybe even go "To The Stars".
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================

Martian Meteorite in 3-D
August 7, 2009 | Rolling along over the sandy Meridiani Plain on Mars, the tireless rover Opportunity has chanced upon a hefty iron-nickel meteorite. Grab your 3-D glasses for an eye-popping closer look! > read more
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/52642607.html

snip
==============================================================

Podcast: The Soundtrack of Space
August 4, 2009 | Astrophysicist Neil Cornish (Montana State University) talks about recent progress in the hunt for gravitational waves. > read more
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/semeniuk/52461332.html

Podcast: The Soundtrack of Space
Astronomy is the ultimate “seeing” science. Unlike our experience of everyday reality, there’s no sound out in the cosmos, so the processes and events that we observe in the universe unfold before us like a silent movie.

Now some researchers are trying to add a soundtrack to that movie.
They are the ones searching for gravitational waves — ripples in space-time caused by the rapid motion of massive objects. If detected, these waves will offer an entirely new way to perceive the universe — one that has more in common with hearing than seeing.

snip
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NASA Science News for August 6, 2009

NASA's new planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has detected the changing phases and atmosphere of a planet a thousand light years away.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/06aug_kepler2.htm?list965414

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml!

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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