NASA News: NASA And Tor-Forge Books Partner In Themed Science Fiction Works
GREENBELT, Md. -- In an effort to introduce, inform and inspire
readers about NASA, the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md. has partnered with Tor-Forge Books to develop and
publish a series of science-fiction-themed books.
Referred to as "NASA Inspired Works of Fiction," these books will be
based on concepts pertinent to current and future agency missions and operations.
"Ultimately this agreement will benefit the public, as we look for
innovative ways to communicate our past and current achievements,
while focusing on the needs of the future," said Nona Cheeks, who
directs Goddard's Innovative Partnerships initiatives.
Many people who work in science and technology often credit science
fiction as a significant inspiration for their career choices. The
enormous popularity of science fiction is a key element in this
collaboration to make the books a gateway to the general public and
generate awareness of the significant role NASA plays in our everyday live.
NASA will pair scientists and engineers with Tor-Forge writers to help
raise awareness and enhance public interest in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM). NASA's goal is to attract and
retain students focused on STEM studies, strengthening the agency and
the nation's future workforce.
For more information about available technologies from Goddard, visit:
http://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov
For more information about ways to partner with NASA, visit:
http://octpartneringtool.nasa.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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NASA Aeronautics Is Focus Of Research And Technology Roundtable
WASHINGTON -- NASA officials will meet with aeronautics industry,
academia, and government leaders Aug. 25 to kick off a series of
roundtable discussions about future directions for aeronautics
research and technology. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will
address the participants.
The roundtable is sponsored by NASA and organized by the National
Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and National
Academy of Engineering. Its purpose is to facilitate candid dialogue
among participants, to foster greater partnership among the
NASA-related aeronautics community and, where appropriate, carry
awareness of consequences to the wider public.
The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT in Room 100
of the Keck Building at 500 Fifth St. NW in Washington, DC. The
administrator's remarks are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Bolden will
join NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics research, Jaiwon
Shin, in open dialogue with members of the roundtable.
Overview presentations of programs managed by NASA's Aeronautics
Research Mission Directorate are scheduled from 10:45 a.m. to noon.
During a working lunch, participants will discuss the organization
and operation of future roundtables. Beginning at 1 p.m.,
participants will turn their attention to topics including the state
of the aviation industry, major needs and opportunities for
aeronautics in the next 10 to 20 years, promising areas for
integrated systems-level research to motivate rapid technology
transition, and public-private partnership success stories.
The Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable was established at
NASA's request by the National Research Council's Aeronautics and
Space Engineering Board. The 25-member panel includes a broad range
of executives, entrepreneurs and experts representing airframe and
engine manufacturers, general aviation companies, academia, industry
associations, and other federal agencies.
NASA has a long history of aeronautics research for public benefit.
Through scientific study, NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission
Directorate works to find practical solutions to the problems of
flight. In the past five years, the directorate has revitalized its
aeronautics research investment portfolio with a back-to-basics
philosophy balanced by a growing portfolio of systems-level research
efforts that ensures excellence in broad-based fundamental research
with robust mechanisms for community participation.
During several recent site visits with U.S. aerospace companies, NASA
officials learned there are many productive avenues for future
innovation with the aeronautics sector. They sought the National
Research Council's assistance expanding this communication to enable
more vigorous public-private collaboration in pre-competitive areas
of common interest.
Two additional roundtable meetings are anticipated in early and mid 2012.
News media interested in attending the roundtable should contact Beth
Dickey by e-mail or telephone no later than 4 p.m. EDT on Aug. 23.
For information about the Aeronautics Research and Technology
Roundtable, visit:
http://sites.
For information about NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, visit:
http://www.aeronautics.nasa.
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NASA Hosts News Conference On Upcoming Mission To Moon
WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a news conference at 11 a.m. EDT, onThursday Aug. 25, to discuss the upcoming launch of the Gravity
Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission.
Scheduled to launch Sept. 8, GRAIL will help answer longstanding
questions about Earth's moon and provide a better understanding of
how Earth and other rocky planets in our solar system formed.
The briefing will take place in the NASA Headquarters James E. Webb
Auditorium, located at 300 E St. SW in Washington. It will air live
on NASA Television and the agency's website.
The news conference panelists are:
-- Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters,
Washington
-- Maria Zuber, GRAIL principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge
-- David Lehman, GRAIL project manager, NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
-- Leesa Hubbard, teacher in residence, Sally Ride Sciences, San Diego
Reporters who are unable to attend may ask questions from
participating NASA centers or by telephone. To participate by phone,
reporters must contact Steve Cole at 202-358-0918 or
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov by 10 a.m. on Thursday.
The news conference will also be streamed live, with a chat available, at:
http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2
For more information about the GRAIL mission, visit:
http://grail.nasa.gov
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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Communications, Navigation And In-Space Propulsion Technologies Selected For NASA Flight Demonstration
WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected three proposals as Technology
Demonstration Missions to transform space communications, deep space
navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities. The projects will
develop and fly a space solar sail, deep space atomic clock, and
space-based optical communications system.
These crosscutting flight demonstrations were selected because of
their potential to provide tangible, near-term products and infuse
high-impact capabilities into NASA's future space operations
missions. By investing in high payoff, disruptive technology that
industry does not have today, NASA matures the technology required
for its future missions while proving the capabilities and lowering
the cost of government and commercial space activities.
"These technology demonstration missions will improve our
communications, navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities,
enable future missions that could not otherwise be performed, and
build the technological capability of America's space industry," said
NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun at NASA Headquarters in
Washington. "Optical communication will enable rapid return of the
voluminous data associated with sending spacecraft and humans to new
frontiers. High-performance atomic clocks enable a level of
spacecraft navigation precision and autonomous operations in deep
space never before achieved, and solar sails enable new space
missions through highly efficient station-keeping or propellant-less
main propulsion capabilities for spacecraft."
The proposals selected for demonstration missions are:
-- Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, David J. Israel,
principal investigator at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md.
-- Deep Space Atomic Clock, Todd Ely, principal investigator at the
California Institute of Technology/NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, Calif.
-- Beyond the Plum Brook Chamber; An In-Space Demonstration of a
Mission-Capable Solar Sail, Nathan Barnes, principal investigator at
L'Garde Inc., of Tustin, Calif.
Technology Demonstration Missions are a vital element in NASA's space
technology maturation pipeline. They prove feasibility in the
environment of space and help advance innovations from concept to
flight and use in missions.
The advances anticipated from communications, navigation and in-space
propulsion technology will allow future NASA missions to pursue
bolder and more sophisticated science, enable human missions beyond
low Earth orbit, and enable entirely new approaches to U.S. space operations.
The Laser Communications Relay demonstration mission will fly and
validate a reliable, capable, and cost-effective optical
communications technology. Optical communications technology provides
data rates up to 100-times higher than today's systems, which will be
needed for future human and robotic space missions. The technology is
directly applicable to the next generation of NASA's space
communications network. After the demonstration, the developed space
and ground assets will be qualified for use by near-Earth and deep
space missions requiring high bandwidth and a small ground station
reception area.
The Deep Space Atomic Clock demonstration mission will fly and
validate a miniaturized mercury-ion atomic clock that is 10-times
more accurate than today's systems. This project will demonstrate
ultra-precision timing in space and its benefits for one-way radio
navigation. The investigation will fly as a hosted payload on an
Iridium spacecraft and make use of GPS signals to demonstrate
precision orbit determination and confirm the clock's performance.
Precision timing and navigation is critical to the performance of a
wide range of deep space exploration missions.
The Solar Sail demonstration mission will deploy and operate a sail
area 7 times larger than ever flown in space. It is potentially
applicable to a wide range of future space missions, including an
advanced space weather warning system to provide more timely and
accurate notice of solar flare activity. This technology also could
be applied to economical orbital debris removal and propellant-less
deep space exploration missions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration is collaborating with NASA and L'Garde Inc. on the demonstration.
The clock and solar sail will be ready for flight in three years. The
optical communications team anticipates it will take four years to
mature the technology for flight. NASA's Office of the Chief
Technologist plans to make a total investment in these three missions
of approximately $175 million, contingent on future appropriations.
Each of the selected teams also will receive funding from partners
who plan on using the technologies as part of future space missions.
Projects include all elements of the flight test demonstration
including test planning, flight hardware, launch, ground operations,
and post-testing assessment and reporting. Each team has proposed
between one and two years of spaceflight operations and data
analysis. To reduce cost, the technology demonstrations will ride to
space with other payloads aboard commercially provided launch
vehicles. Launches are anticipated in 2015 and 2016.
The Technology Demonstration Missions program is managed by NASA's
Office of the Chief Technologist. For more information about the
program, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/oct
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