NASA News: Space Station Trio Lands Safely in Kazakhstan
HOUSTON -- Three International Space Station crew members safelyreturned to Earth on Monday, wrapping up nearly six months in space
during which NASA and its international partners celebrated the 11th
anniversary of continuous residence and work aboard the station.
Expedition 29 Commander Mike Fossum, Flight Engineers Satoshi Furukawa
of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Sergei Volkov of the
Russian Federal Space Agency landed their Soyuz spacecraft in frigid
conditions on the central steppe of Kazakhstan at 8:26 p.m. CST Nov.
21 (8:26 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Nov. 22). The trio arrived at the
station on June 9. They spent 167 days in space and 165 days on the
complex. Volkov, a two-time station crew member, now has accumulated
366 days in space.
Before leaving the station, Fossum handed over command to NASA's Dan
Burbank, who leads Expedition 30. Burbank and Flight Engineers
Anatoly Ivanishin and Anton Shkaplerov of Russia will continue
research and maintenance aboard the station.
The remaining Expedition 30 crew members, NASA astronaut Don Pettit,
European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, and cosmonaut Oleg
Kononenko, are scheduled to launch Dec. 21 from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome and dock with the station on Dec. 23.
To follow Twitter updates from Burbank, visit:
http://twitter.com/
To view social media updates from Fossum's mission, visit:
http://twitter.com/astro_aggie
and
http://go.nasa.gov/oZgHtl
For more information about Expedition 29 and the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
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NASA Updates Prelaunch Events For Mars Science Lab Mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has updated the news conferences, eventsand operating hours for the press site at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center, Fla., for the agency's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Curiosity rover launch.
MSL is scheduled to liftoff at 10:02 a.m. EST on Nov. 26 from Space
Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS).
NASA Television's countdown launch commentary begins at 7:30 a.m. on
Nov. 26. That also is when a NASA blog will begin providing countdown
updates. Originating from CCAFS Hangar AE, the blog is the definitive
Internet source for information leading up to liftoff.
Detailed lists of news briefing times and participants, prelaunch
media tours and photo opportunities and hours of operation for
Kennedy's press site are available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_
The Curiosity rover has 10 science instruments to search for evidence
about whether Mars had environments favorable for microbial life,
including the chemical ingredients for life. The rover will use a
laser to look inside rocks and release their gasses so its
spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth.
Free wireless Internet access currently is not available at Kennedy's
press site. Media representatives must bring their own equipment for
wireless connectivity.
For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For the latest online information on the MSL mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/msl
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NASA Awards New Protective Services Contract
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- NASA has awarded Excalibur Associates Inc. ofAlexandria, Va., a contract to provide protective services at the
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and the Michoud
Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La.
The firm-fixed-price contract begins January 1, 2012, with a
nine-month base period, followed by four one-year options and a one
three-month option which may be exercised at NASA's discretion. The
performance period, including all options, has a total mission
services price of $43.1 million and an additional maximum
indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity value.
Under the contract, Excalibur will be responsible for providing
support for physical and personnel security, technology protection
and emergency management and training.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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Smithsonian Channel To Air Special "Arthur Christmas" Segment Featuring NASA Spinoff Technology
WASHINGTON -- Have you ever been curious about where all thetechnology in your school, home, car, computer, or office comes from?
You might be surprised that a great percentage of the technology we
rely on each day was developed or enhanced by NASA. We all know about
NASA's outstanding accomplishments in space, but few of us know just
how much the space agency has accomplished right here at home. Except
for Arthur. Arthur Christmas, that is.
This year in the holiday release of "Arthur Christmas," Santa's North
Pole has turned to high technology to run a precise operation in
getting billions of gifts delivered around the world. Run by
thousands of computer-savvy elves, the North Pole uses NASA-style
technology to track the delivery of gifts around the Earth as they
are being delivered by Santa's high speed S-1. The S-1 is a giant
spacecraft in the shape of a sleigh.
Sony Pictures Animation team created a special one-minute segment from
the film to help bring attention to the many high tech gadgets and
everyday items that come from NASA technology. The educational
segment will premiere on the Smithsonian Channel during primetime on
Tuesday, Nov. 22. It also can be downloaded for use by educators and
media at:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/
"This was an exciting opportunity for us to have real examples of
space technology being used right here on Earth featured in a family
holiday film," said Daniel Lockney, NASA's technology transfer
program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "NASA is
constantly creating innovative technologies to enable our current and
future missions. Many of these technologies get further developed and
turned into consumer products by American industries, creating jobs,
fueling the economy, and saving and improving lives around the planet."
NASA's technology transfer program provides corporations and
innovators with opportunities to bring technology initially developed
for space to consumers around the world. Hundreds of examples of NASA
spinoff technologies and innovations that have become viable
commercial products and are now used in our everyday lives can be
found at NASA's Spinoff website:
http://spinoff.nasa.gov
Sony Pictures Animation is the creator of "Arthur Christmas," directed
by Sarah Smith. The film is a 3D holiday feature animation, starring
the voices of James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy and Imelda
Staunton. Sony Pictures Animation is one of the leading animation
companies in the industry, producing exciting and advanced animated
family entertainment.
Arthur Christmas opens Nov. 23.
For more information about the Smithsonian Network, visit:
http://www.smithsonianchannel.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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