NASA News: NASA Hosts News Briefing About Tracking Space Weather Events
WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a news briefing at 2 p.m. EDT, Thursday,
Aug. 18, to discuss new details about the structure of solar storms
and the impact they have on Earth. The new information comes from
NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, or STEREO, spacecraft
and other NASA probes.
The briefing will take place in NASA Headquarters' James E. Webb
Auditorium, located at 300 E St. SW in Washington, and will air live
on NASA Television and the agency's website.
The briefing panelists are:
-- Madhulika Guhathakurta, STEREO program scientist, NASA Headquarters
-- Craig DeForest, staff scientist, Southwest Research Institute,
Boulder, Colo.
-- David Webb, research physicist, Institute for Scientific Research,
Boston College
-- Alysha Reinard, research scientist, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado, Boulder
Reporters 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 11
a.m. on Thursday.
STEREO is part of NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes Program in the
agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The program seeks
to understand the fundamental physical processes of the space
environment from the sun to Earth and other planets.
For more information about NASA's STEREO mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/stereo
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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NASA Names Terry Wilcutt Agency Safety Chief
WASHINGTON -- Terrence W. Wilcutt has been appointed NASA's chief ofsafety and mission assurance, effective Sept. 1.
Wilcutt is a retired Marine colonel and veteran astronaut who is
serving as director of safety and mission assurance at NASA's Johnson
Space Center in Houston. He will assume the post from Bryan O'Connor,
who will retire from the agency on Aug. 31.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the appointment Tuesday.
"As NASA looks beyond the space shuttle to new programs of human
exploration, technology development and scientific research, we
remain committed to the highest standards for mission success and the
well-being of our work force," Bolden said. "Terry Wilcutt has more
than 20 years of experience in human spaceflight and safety, as well
as the integrity and courage necessary to lead what arguably is
NASA's most important support organization, the Office of Safety and
Mission Assurance, and serve as my conscience on issues of safety as
did Bryan O'Connor during our time together. I am delighted Terry
stepped forward to guide us safely into the future."
In his new role, Wilcutt will be responsible for the development,
implementation and oversight of safety and mission assurance policies
and procedures for all NASA programs.
"I look forward to continuing Bryan's work and to meeting the
challenges of the next chapter in human space exploration as well as
the rest of NASA's diverse portfolio," Wilcutt said.
Wilcutt joined NASA as an astronaut in 1990. He was the pilot on two
space shuttle missions, STS-68 in 1994 and STS-79 in 1996. He
commanded two others, STS-89 in 1998 and STS-106 in 2000. He served
as manager of safety and mission assurance for the Space Shuttle
Program, and as Johnson's deputy director of safety and mission
assurance before becoming director in 2008.
Wilcutt will maintain offices in Houston and Washington. For his
complete biography, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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NASA'S Exploration Associate Administrator Doug Cooke To Retire
WASHINGTON -- Doug Cooke, who worked for nearly 38 years in NASA's
space shuttle, International Space Station and exploration systems
programs, will retire from the agency effective Oct. 3.
Cooke most recently served as NASA's associate administrator for the
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), which is responsible
for developing capabilities for sending humans deeper into space.
Before retiring, Cooke will serve as deputy associate administrator
for the agency's new Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.
"Doug has been a long-time friend and co-worker since my early days
with NASA. His hard work and expertise have been essential to the
space shuttle, International Space Station and exploration programs,"
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "His leadership has helped
NASA open the next great chapter of human spaceflight."
Cooke had postponed his retirement until the consolidation of ESMD and
the Space Operations Mission Directorates was complete, providing a
good time to transition leadership.
"We've worked through key technical and programmatic decisions on the
Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle and the Space Launch System," Cooke
said. "I'm confident that NASA is well prepared to face tomorrow's
challenges and reach for destinations in our solar system with human
explorers and their machines."
For Cooke's complete biography, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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