NASA News: NASA Kennedy Space Center Hosts Launch: Energy Forum Nov. 11 - 13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and partners from the LAUNCH: Energy
forum will discuss innovative ideas during a three-day forum Nov.
11-13. Reporters are invited to attend the forum at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida. Reporters must register in advance by
contacting David Steitz at: david.steitz@nasa.gov by noon EDT Nov. 4.

LAUNCH: Energy is part of an ongoing initiative to identify, showcase
and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges
through a series of forums. It is the third forum in the series.

LAUNCH allows NASA to propel innovative solutions that help those
outside the agency make the connection between our lives on Earth and
how we live and work in space. Through the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID)'s involvement, LAUNCH places a
special emphasis on accelerating innovations poised for large scale
impact in improving the lives of people in the developing world.

During the forum, 10 international participants will showcase new
innovations that could address energy problems on Earth and in space.
NASA, USAID, Nike Inc., and the U.S. Department of State are LAUNCH
founding partners. The partners all contributed to planning the
forum, selecting innovators and recruiting other event participants.
A list of the innovators and innovations will be available online
prior to the forum at:

http://www.launch.org

A link to live video of the conference via UStream will be posted to
the Launch.org website by 10 a.m. Nov. 10. To participate as part of
the LAUNCH: Energy community, the public may access and engage in the
conversation online via MindMapr at:

http://mindmapr.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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NASA Hosting Media Teleconference About Antarctic Ice Mission

WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT, on
Thursday, Nov. 3, to discuss the largest airborne campaign ever to
study the dynamics of Earth's polar regions. Operation IceBridge is
enhancing scientists' understanding and predictions of how glaciers
contribute to global sea level rise.

The survey began in 2009 using instruments to map Arctic and Antarctic
areas once a year for six years. From their location in Chile --
where this year's observation flights take place - NASA Project
Scientist Michael Studinger and NASA Mission Director Walter Klein
will preview the discovery of a massive Glacier crevasse that
suggests an iceberg soon may fall from it. They also will discuss new
information from this year's observations and newly visualized data
from previous years.

To participate in the teleconference, journalists may call
210-234-8217 or 888-989-9822 and use the passcode ICEBRIDGE. Any
inquiries prior to the teleconference should be sent to Patrick Lynch
onsite in Chile at: patrick.lynch@nasa.gov.

Briefing materials will be available shortly before the start of the
teleconference at:
http://www.nasa.gov/icebridge

For more information about Operation IceBridge, visit:
http://www.espo.nasa.gov/oib

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Philadelphia Eagles To Honor NASA Astronaut Chris Ferguson During Monday Night Football Nov. 7

HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson will return to his hometown
on Nov. 7 to serve as the Philadelphia Eagles' Honorary Captain
during the NFL's "Monday Night Football" game. The Eagles are hosting
the Chicago Bears at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia,
beginning at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

Ferguson will be recognized on the field for his dedication to
America's space program and his leadership commanding the final
flight of space shuttle Atlantis. The 13-day mission marked the end
of the shuttle program's 30-year legacy with Atlantis' touchdown on
July 21, 2011.

Ferguson, who joined the astronaut corps in August 1998, is visiting
Philadelphia to spread NASA's message about the importance of space
research and exploration. Before the game, Ferguson will visit the
Please Touch Museum from 1 to 2:30 p.m. While at the children's
museum he will participate in story time and sign autographs.

To schedule an interview or for more information about Ferguson's
appearances in Philadelphia, contact Tammie Letroise-Brown at
281-483-4942 or tammie.r.letroise-brown@nasa.gov.

For more about NASA and its programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

For complete biographical information on Ferguson and other astronaut
information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts

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NASA's Fermi to Reveal New Findings About Pulsars

WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT on
Thursday, Nov. 3, to discuss new discoveries about pulsars by the
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

A pulsar is the closest thing to a black hole astronomers can observe
directly. Pulsars are capable of crushing half a million times more
mass than Earth into a sphere no larger than a city. Some of these
objects spin tens of thousands of revolutions per minute, faster than
the blades of a kitchen blender.

Participants are:
- Paulo Freire, astrophysicist, Max Planck Institute for Radio
Astronomy in Bonn, Germany
- Pablo Saz Parkinson, astrophysicist, University of California at
Santa Cruz
- Bruce Allen, director, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational
Physics in Hannover, Germany
- Victoria Kaspi, physics professor, McGill University in Montreal

For dial-in information, media representatives should e-mail their
name, media affiliation and telephone number to Trent Perrotto at
trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov.

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live on NASA's website at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For more information about NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/fermi

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