This Week @ NASA 02-10-09

This Week At NASA

SHUTTLE UPDATE KSC
Space shuttle Discoverys mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch no earlier than Feb. 22. And when STS-119 literally gets off the ground, Mission Specialists Ricky Arnold and Joe Acaba wont be the only first-time flyers. Pilot Tony Antonelli is also making his premiere venture into space.

Toni Antonelli: "Its exciting; this is what we come here to do. It took a little while getting here and then it took a little while getting assigned, working the way up the ladder to be next, but its pretty exciting. Im ready to go."

Space flight veterans John Phillips, Steve Swanson and Koichi Wakata and Commander Lee Archambault round out the STS-119 crew. Together, theyll help install the final piece of the complexs structural backbone, and switch out Wakata for Sandy Magnus on the station; shell return aboard Discovery after three months away from Earth.

STEEP-TERRAIN ROVER - JPL
Its nimble and versatile, and could help future explorers, in space and on Earth. Engineers from the Jet Propulsion Lab and students at CalTech have designed and tested Axel, a low-mass robot that can rappel off cliffs, travel over steep and rocky terrain, and delve into deep craters.

Issa Nesnas: "This is a rover thats fully symmetric, so there is no way to flip this over. It operates right upside down, right side up."

Pablo Abad-Manterola SOT: "This robot has met and exceeded all my expectations basically, just in terms of the way it has performed; going down ninety degree slopes, to traversing to flat ground, and getting over rocks, and all that kind of stuff. Its been great, and Im really happy with it!."

Axel could be used by robotic spacecraft to improve exploration of Mars and other foreign worlds. The new rover also may prove valuable to public safety personnel in treacherous search-and-rescue operations.

AEROSPACE DAY LaRC c2
Representatives from the Langley Research Center and the Wallops Flight Facility joined with Virginias business community for Aerospace Day in Richmond. Center directors, Lesa Roe and John Campbell, of Langley and Wallops, respectively, met with members of the Virginia General Assembly to tout the importance of aerospace in the commonwealths economy. Roe and Campbell also spoke about how Virginias investment in science, technology, engineering and math education can ensure the future of the aerospace industrys workforce.

Lesa Roe: "Each and every day the scientists, engineers, and technicians at NASA Langley are helping to transform the nations air transportation system, ensuring ever safe, more environmentally friendly, and efficient air travel. Theyre contributing to the science that will enable a better understanding of our home planet, and helping to develop the vehicles that are going to replace the shuttle and carry humans back to the moon, this time to work and live there."

Other activities included a demonstration by Langley education experts of NASAs long distance learning capability.

HUBBLE CONTEST STScI c2
What will be Hubbles next discovery? To celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, NASA wants you to select one from among six astronomical objects for the Hubble Space Telescope to photograph. These are objects yet to be captured by Hubble: from far-flung galaxies to dying stars. Hubble will create a high resolution image of the winning celestial body; itll be released during the International Year of Astronomys 100 Hours of Astronomy April 2 to the 5th. But you only have until March first to vote, at http://YouDecide.Hubblesite.org All voters will be entered into a random drawing to receive one of a hundred copies of the winning image. The fifth and final Hubble servicing mission is targeted to begin with the launch of space shuttle Atlantis May 12.

NASA ANNIVERSARY: STS-82, Second Hubble Servicing Mission, Feb. 11, 1997

Launch announcer: " 2-1 ignition and liftoff, Discovery now on its way to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope."

Twelve years ago, Hubbles second servicing mission got underway. On flight day 3, Mission Specialist Steve Hawley, who'd first deployed the telescope seven years earlier during STS-31, successfully used shuttle Discovery's grapple arm to retrieve the telescope from its orbit and place it on a special work platform. Four EVAs were then performed to service and upgrade Hubble's inner workings.

STS -82 CREW: "Doors just sprung open. It sure did. How about that?"

During the second excursion, spacewalkers Greg Harbaugh and Joe Tanner discovered cracks and wear on the telescopes sun-facing insulation so astronauts Mark Lee and Steve Smith performed an unplanned fifth EVA to attached several thermal insulation blankets to an area housing Hubble's key data processing, electronics and scientific instrument telemetry packages.

STS-82's five spacewalks totaled more than 33 hours.

And that's This Week At NASA!

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