NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., and m2mi Corp., Moffett Field, Calif., announced Thursday they are taking a revolutionary step forward in improving telecommunications and networking from space.
Under the terms of a cooperative research and development agreement, only the third in NASA's history, NASA Ames and m2mi will work together to develop very small satellites, called nanosats, for the commercialization of space.
"NASA wants to work with companies to develop a new economy in space," said NASA Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden. "m2mi has great technology that fits excellently with our goals, while enhancing the commercial use of NASA-developed technologies."
Nanosatellites are small satellites weighing between 11 and 110 pounds. A large number of these satellites, called a constellation, will be placed in low Earth orbit for the new telecommunications and networking system.
"The constellation will provide a robust, global, space-based, high-speed network for communication, data storage and Earth observations," said m2mi Chief Executive Officer Geoff Brown. "Nanosatellites take advantage of the significant technological advances in microelectronics and will be produced using low-cost, mass-production techniques."
Under the agreement, NASA and m2mi will cooperate to develop a fifth generation telecommunications and networking system for Internet protocol-based and related services. The cooperative effort will combine NASA's expertise in nanosensors, wireless networks and nanosatellite technologies with m2mi's unique capabilities in software technology, sensors, global system awareness, adaptive control and commercialization capabilities. Fifth Generation, or 5G, incorporates Voice Over Internet Protocol, video, data, wireless, and an integrated machine-to-machine intelligence layer, or m2mi, for seamless information exchange and use.
"This initiative shows great promise in revolutionizing mobile communications critical in meeting future needs," said Badri Younes, NASA deputy associate administrator for Space Communications and Navigation. "This project also will leverage m2mi's capabilities in software expertise to automate global system awareness and provide intelligent adaptive control."
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NASA has selected General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., to build the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft. Under the terms of the $116,306,179 delivery order, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems will be responsible for the design and fabrication of the LDCM spacecraft bus, integration of the government furnished instruments, satellite-level testing, on-orbit satellite check-out, and continuing on-orbit engineering support. They also will provide a spacecraft/observatory simulator. LDCM is a component of the Landsat Program conducted jointly by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) of the Department of Interior. NASA is providing the LDCM spacecraft, the instruments, the launch vehicle, and the mission operations element of the ground system. USGS is providing the mission operations center and ground processing systems, as well as the flight operations team. The delivery order was awarded under NASA's Rapid II Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract. The Rapid II contract is for core spacecraft systems, with non-standard services such as operations, launch services, components and studies to meet the government's space science, Earth science and technology needs. The contract includes fabrication and testing of the spacecraft with mission specific design modifications; generation of interface control documents, instrument and full spacecraft integration; testing, shipment to the launch site, launch vehicle integration support and on-orbit checkout. With a five-year design lifetime, the LDCM satellite will continue the series of measurements begun with the Landsat-1 mission for the collection, archiving and distribution of multi-spectral imagery. This imagery will provide global, synoptic, and repetitive coverage of the Earth's land surfaces at a scale where natural and human-induced changes can be detected, differentiated, characterized and monitored over time. The LDCM goal is consistent with the Landsat programmatic goals derived from the Land Remote Sensing Act of 1992. This policy requires that the Landsat Program provide data into the future that is sufficiently consistent with previous Landsat data to allow the detection and quantitative characterization of changes in or on the land surface of the globe. The LDCM was conceived as a follow-on mission to the highly successful Landsat series of missions that have provided coverage of the Earth's continental surfaces since 1972. The data from these missions constitute the longest continuous record of the Earth's surface as seen from space.
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NASA has awarded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, a NASA Launch Services contract for the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles.
The NASA Launch Services contracts are multiple awards to multiple launch service providers. Twice per year, there is an opportunity for existing and emerging domestic launch service providers to submit proposals if their vehicles meet the minimum contract requirements.
The contract is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract where NASA may order launch services through June 30, 2010, for launches to occur through December 2012. Under the NASA Launch Services IDIQ contracts, the potential total contract value is between $20,000 and $1 billion, depending on the number of missions awarded.
The contract seeks a launch capability for payloads weighing 551 pounds or heavier into a circular orbit of 124 miles at an orbital inclination of 28.5 degrees. Payloads would be launched to support three NASA mission directorates: Science, Space Operations and Exploration Systems.
Because an IDIQ contract has been awarded to SpaceX, it can compete for NASA missions using the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles as specified by the NASA Launch Services contract process.
NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for program management. This award to SpaceX adds to the stable of launch vehicles available to NASA under previously awarded contracts. The original request for proposal was issued in 1999.
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Educators soon may be able take the "learning can be fun" adage to another level using computer-simulation games with new technologies created by NASA and a yet-to-be-selected game developer.
NASA Learning Technologies sponsored a workshop today to present its concept of delivering NASA content through a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) educational game to interested development partners. Designed to enhance learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), such an online educational game would draw players into a synthetic environment that can serve as a powerful "hands-on" tool for teaching a range of complex subjects.
"NASA will continue to pursue innovative strategies to encourage students to improve their interest and performance in STEM and related careers," said Dr. Joyce Winterton, NASA assistant administrator for education. "The use of online educational games can capture student interest in NASA's missions and science."
The daylong workshop provided more than 200 potential development partners the opportunity to learn directly from NASA officials about the vision, goals, and expectations for the development of an MMO educational game. Participants heard top NASA scientists and education officials talk about NASA's future plans for space exploration and how the agency is planning to leverage the game to enhance education efforts across the country.
The Learning Technologies Project Office is collaborating with the Innovative Partnerships Program Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to develop the project's business strategy, which includes a formal request for proposals for development partners and planning for today's workshop. The Innovative Partnerships Program Office acts as a matchmaker between NASA and commercial businesses, research institutions, and other government laboratories to form mutually beneficial collaborative agreements for research and licensing.
Workshop sessions underscored the importance of stimulating STEM, the value of NASA partnerships to the U.S. economy, and information about current and future science missions. Participants at the workshop also were provided with the opportunity to register for one-on-one briefing sessions with NASA officials to discuss specific questions about the request for proposals.
The power of games as educational tools rapidly is gaining recognition. Virtual worlds with scientifically accurate simulations could permit learners to experiment with chemical reactions in living cells, practice operating and repairing expensive equipment, and experience microgravity. The goal is to make it easier to grasp complex concepts and transfer this understanding quickly to practical problems.
NASA's MMO educational game will function as a persistent, synthetic environment supporting education as a laboratory, a massive visualization tool, and a collaborative workspace that simultaneously draws students into challenging game-play.
NASA Learning Technologies expects the MMO to appeal mainly to teenagers, ranging from middle-schoolers through high-school and college students.
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NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the International Space Station, returned to Earth at approximately 4:30 a.m. EDT Saturday, ending a mission during which she conducted five spacewalks and set a new record in American spaceflight.
Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, members of the 16th crew to live and work aboard the station, safely landed their Soyuz spacecraft in the steppes of Kazakhstan. Spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi also returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz. The landing was approximately 295 miles from the expected landing site, delaying the recovery forces’ arrival to the spacecraft by approximately 45 minutes.
Whitson, 48, has accumulated more time in space than any U.S. astronaut in history. She and Malenchenko, who launched to the station on Oct. 10, 2007, spent 192 days in space. This was Whitson’s second flight to the station. She served almost 185 days as a flight engineer on the Expedition 5 crew, which launched June 5, 2002, and returned to Earth Dec. 7, 2002. Whitson has totaled 377 days in space during two missions. On April 16, she surpassed the 374-day record set by astronaut Mike Foale during his six flights.
Malenchenko, 46, a Russian Air Force colonel, completed his third long-duration spaceflight. He spent 126 days aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1994, and commanded Expedition 7, spending 185 days in space in 2006. He also was a member of the STS-106 crew of shuttle Atlantis on a 12-day mission to the station in 2000. He has accumulated 515 days in space during his four flights. That is the ninth highest total of cumulative time.
The Expedition 16 crew worked with experiments across a wide variety of fields, including human life sciences, physical sciences and Earth observation. Many of the experiments are designed to gather information about the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body, which will help with planning future exploration missions to the moon and Mars.
The Expedition 16 crew members undocked their Soyuz spacecraft from the station at 1:06 a.m. The deorbit burn to slow the Soyuz and begin its descent toward the Earth began at 3:40 a.m.
Before undocking, Whitson and Malenchenko bid farewell to the new station crew, Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov and Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Garrett Reisman. Volkov and Konenko launched to the station April 8. They were accompanied by Yi who flew under a commercial contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. Reisman came to the station aboard shuttle Endeavour on the STS-123 mission, which launched March 11.
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The Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has not changed its current estimates for the very low probability (1 in 45,000) of an Earth impact by the asteroid Apophis in 2036.
Contrary to recent press reports, NASA offices involved in near-Earth object research were not contacted and have had no correspondence with a young German student, who claims the Apophis impact probability is far higher than the current estimate.
This student's conclusion reportedly is based on the possibility of a collision with an artificial satellite during the asteroid's close approach in April 2029. However, the asteroid will not pass near the main belt of geosynchronous satellites in 2029, and the chance of a collision with a satellite is exceedingly remote.
Therefore, consideration of this satellite collision scenario does not affect the current impact probability estimate for Apophis, which remains at 1 in 45,000.
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Several instruments that will help NASA characterize the moon's surface have been installed on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. The powerful equipment will bring the moon into sharper focus and reveal new insights about the celestial body nearest Earth.
Engineers and technicians on the LRO Integration and Test Team work almost around the clock in a clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., to ready the spacecraft for testing and eventual launch later this year. "The spacecraft really is coming together now," said Cathy Peddie, LRO deputy project manager at Goddard. "We are in the space assembly homestretch and making solid progress. You can begin to see what LRO will look like in all of its glory."
Four of six instruments have been mated to the spacecraft, with one to be installed soon and one to arrive in the near future. The instruments are:
The Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project was built and developed at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The instrument will map the entire lunar surface in the far ultraviolet spectrum and search for surface ice and frost in the polar regions. It will provide images of permanently shadowed regions that are illuminated only by starlight.
The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation, or CRaTER, was built and developed by Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. CRaTER will characterize the lunar radiation environment, allowing scientists to determine potential impacts to astronauts and other life. It also will test models on the effects of radiation and measure radiation absorption by a type of plastic that is like human tissue. The results could aid in the development of protective technologies to help keep future lunar crew members safe.
Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment was built and developed by the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Diviner will measure surface and subsurface temperatures from orbit. It will identify cold traps and potential ice deposits as well as rough terrain and other landing hazards.
The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter was conceived and built by scientists and engineers at Goddard. The instrument will measure landing site slopes and lunar surface roughness and generate high resolution three-dimensional maps of the moon. The instrument also will measure and analyze the lunar topography to identify both permanently illuminated and shadowed areas.
The Russian-built Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector has arrived from the Institute for Space Research in Moscow. The detector will create high-resolution maps of hydrogen distribution and gather information about the neutron component of lunar radiation. Its data will be analyzed for evidence of water ice near the moon's surface.
The remaining instrument, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera from Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., will provide high resolution imagery to help identify landing sites and characterize the moon's topography and composition. It should arrive at Goddard in May.
Also on board will be the Mini-RF Technology Demonstration experiment sponsored by NASA's Exploration Systems and Space Operations Mission Directorates. The miniaturized radar will be used to image the polar regions and search for water ice. The communications capabilities of the system also will be tested during the mission.
The satellite is scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in late 2008 on an Atlas V rocket. It will spend one year in low polar orbit on its primary exploration mission, with the possibility of three more years to collect additional detailed scientific information about the moon and its environment. That information will help ensure a safe and productive human return to the moon.
The spacecraft is being built and managed by Goddard for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. It will transition to the Science Mission Directorate in 2010.
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NASA has awarded a sole-source contract to Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International Inc., Windsor Locks, Conn., for water production services aboard the International Space Station. The firm fixed-price contract has a potential value of $65 million and extends through Sept. 30, 2014.
Hamilton Sundstrand will provide equipment that uses the station's excess carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce water and methane. The methane will be vented into space, and the water will be fed into the station's waste water system, where it will undergo treatment before it is used.
Under the contract, NASA will not buy hardware, but instead will purchase the water service. If the system does not work, NASA will not pay for it.
"This is a fundamental shift in the way we do business," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations. "In the business arrangement we have negotiated for water production services, the contractor is responsible for all system development and performance. The only requirements we have imposed are those associated with safety and interfaces. This provides a procurement and technology test bed for future exploration systems, which need to operate in an environment far from Earth, where routine resupply is not feasible."
The equipment employs a chemical process known as a Sabatier reaction. The process is named for French Nobel laureate and chemist Paul Sabatier, who discovered that hydrogen and carbon dioxide produce methane and water at elevated temperatures and pressures.
The Hamilton Sundstrand-provided hardware will be flown during shuttle mission STS-130, which is targeted for launch in late 2009. A checkout of the system is planned for May 2010. Hamilton Sundstrand will retain title to the hardware and ensure it meets NASA's space station safety and interface requirements.
Water is used on the space station for a variety of purposes, including drinking, food preparation, oxygen generation, electronic equipment cooling and hygiene. About half of the station's water needs are obtained through recycling. The rest of its water currently is transported by the space shuttle or supply ships, including the Russian Progress and European Automated Transfer Vehicle.
"We are very excited to provide this service to NASA," said Ed Francis, Hamilton Sundstrand Space, Land & Sea vice president and general manager. "Our experience providing environmental control and life support systems and other hardware for the space station gives us the insight needed to recognize areas we can help NASA. This is a great example of how NASA and industry can work together to benefit both."
Hamilton Sundstrand provides a number of systems for the space station, including those that control electrical power and process water, waste and air. The company has been the prime contractor to NASA for astronaut spacesuits since 1981.
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NASA engineers have adjusted the flight path of the Phoenix Mars Lander, setting the spacecraft on course for its May 25th landing on the Red Planet.
"This is our first trajectory maneuver targeting a specific location in the northern polar region of Mars," said Brian Portock, chief of the Phoenix navigation team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The mission's two prior trajectory maneuvers, made last August and October, adjusted the flight path of Phoenix to intersect with Mars.
NASA has conditionally approved a landing site in a broad, flat valley informally called "Green Valley." A final decision will be made after NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter takes additional images of the area this month.
The orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera has taken more than three dozen images of the area. Analysis of those images prompted the Phoenix team to shift the center of the landing target 8 miles southeastward, away from slightly rockier patches to the northwest. Navigators used that new center for planning today's maneuver.
The landing area is an ellipse about 62 miles by 12 miles. Researchers have mapped more than five million rocks in and around that ellipse, each big enough to end the mission if hit by the spacecraft during landing. Knowing where to avoid the rockier areas, the team has selected a scientifically exciting target that also offers the best chances for the spacecraft to set itself down safely onto the Martian surface.
"Our landing area has the largest concentration of ice on Mars outside of the polar caps. If you want to search for a habitable zone in the arctic permafrost, then this is the place to go," said Peter Smith, principal investigator for the mission, at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Phoenix will dig to an ice-rich layer expected to lie within arm's reach of the surface. It will analyze the water and soil for evidence about climate cycles and investigate whether the environment there has been favorable for microbial life.
"We have never before had so much information about a Mars site prior to landing," said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis. Arvidson is chairman of the Phoenix landing-site working group and has worked on Mars landings since the first successful Viking landers in 1976.
"The environmental risks at landing -- rocks and slopes -- represent the most significant threat to a successful mission. There's always a chance that we'll roll snake eyes, but we have identified an area that is very flat and relatively free of large boulders," said JPL's David Spencer, Phoenix deputy project manager and co-chair of the landing site working group.
Today's trajectory adjustment began by pivoting Phoenix 145 degrees to orient and then fire spacecraft thrusters for about 35 seconds, then pivoting Phoenix back to point its main antenna toward Earth. The mission has three more planned opportunities for maneuvers before May 25 to further refine the trajectory for a safe landing at the desired location.
In the final seven minutes of its flight on May 25, Phoenix must perform a challenging series of actions to safely decelerate from nearly 13,000 mph. The spacecraft will release a parachute and then use pulse thrusters at approximately 3,000 feet from the surface to slow to about 5 mph and land on three legs.
"Landing on Mars is extremely challenging. In fact, not since the 1970's have we had a successful powered landing on this unforgiving planet. There's no guarantee of success, but we are doing everything we can to mitigate the risks," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
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NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale will present the keynote address to launch a daylong event at the University of Miami's BankUnited Center celebrating the space agency's 50th birthday.
NASA's Miami Future Forum focuses on how space exploration benefits Florida's economy and is part of a yearlong series. Media are invited to attend the day's events, as well as a media-only question-and-answer session at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Astronaut Carl Walz, director of the Advanced Capabilities Division in NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, will provide an overview of the agency's plans to return to the moon and explore beyond. Astronaut Steve Frick, who commanded space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission to the International Space Station in February, will deliver the luncheon address.
The event schedule for NASA's Miami Future Forum is:
- 9:00 a.m. Welcome by the mayor and/or other local officials, including Sergio Gonzalez, vice president for university advancement and external affairs, University of Miami
- 9:15 a.m. Keynote address by The Honorable Shana Dale, NASA deputy administrator
- 9:50 a.m. Overview of NASA's Exploration Program by Carl Walz, director of the Advanced Capabilities Division
- 10:30 a.m. Media briefing
- 10:30 a.m. Innovation Panel - "Unleashing the Power of Technology and Creativity"
Moderator -- Doug Comstock, director of NASA's Innovative Partnership Program
Steve Kohler, president and CEO, Space Florida
Manny Mencia, Sr. vice president for international trade and business development, Enterprise Florida
Jean Michel Caffin, managing editor, Axis Americas, LLC, and Beacon Council Executive Cabinet (head of the international committee)
Tom Krug, associate and senior engineer, Geosyntec Consultants
- 11:15 a.m. Astronaut presentation
- 11:30 a.m. Discovery Panel - "Pushing the limits of knowledge to inspire new generations"
Moderator -- Russell Romanella, director, International Space Station and spacecraft processing, Kennedy Space Center
James Tien, University of Miami, dean of engineering
Dennis Mills, UTC/Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne
Robert Atlas, director, NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
- 12:30 p.m. Luncheon with keynote presentation by space shuttle Commander Steve Frick
- 1:30 p.m. Barrington Irving, first African-American and youngest person to fly solo around the world
- 1:50 p.m. Inspiration Panel - "Building Idea Factories for the Future"
Moderator -- Penny Haskins, associate director, Florida Space Grant Consortium
Okhee Lee-Salwen, University of Miami, College of Education
Bernice Alston, NASA deputy assistant administrator for education
Frank Brogan, president of Florida Atlantic University, former Florida lieutenant governor
Steve Frick, astronaut and commander of the STS-122 space shuttle mission
- 3:00 p.m. Closing remarks and wrap-up
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Michael R. Luther has been named deputy associate administrator for programs in NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the directorate, made the announcement Wednesday.
Luther will be responsible for overseeing the safe and successful execution of the directorate's 36 missions currently in formulation and development, as well as 54 operating science missions. Prior to this appointment, Luther was deputy director for programs in the Science Mission Directorate's Earth Science Division.
"Mike brings an unprecedented amount of knowledge in overall science programs along with extensive experience in Earth research. That experience will be invaluable as we prepare for upcoming Earth-related launches and campaigns," said Weiler.
Luther began his tenure at NASA Headquarters in 1987 and has served as program manager of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite and Earth science flight program director. He has worked at NASA since 1981 when he joined Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. In 2005, Luther received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.
"It is an honor and a privilege to assist Ed Weiler and Deputy Associate Administrator Chuck Gay in managing the world's premier civilian space science organization," Luther said. Luther's predecessor, Todd May, who served in the position since 2007, will return to Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
NASA's Science Mission Directorate conducts research and scientific programs to observe the Earth, study space weather and explore the solar system and the universe beyond. To achieve these scientific goals, NASA manages a diverse constellation of spacecraft and conducts an assortment of grant-based research programs.
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NASA has selected nine proposals for negotiation of Phase 2 contract awards in the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. The selected projects have a total value of approximately $5.4 million. The contracts will be awarded to nine hi-tech firms partnered with nine universities in 12 states.
The STTR program is a highly competitive, three-phase award system. It provides qualified small businesses -- including women-owned and disadvantaged firms -- with opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet specific research and development needs of the federal government. In addition, the STTR program requires a collaborative research effort between small business and research institutions.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) manages the STTR program for the federal government. NASA is one of the federal agencies required by the STTR program to reserve a portion of its research and development funds for awards to small business and works closely with SBA to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) manages the STTR program as part of its focus on emerging technologies and efforts to advance technological innovation for NASA purposes. NASA also partners with U.S. industry to introduce pioneering technologies into NASA missions and transition them into commercially available products and services.
As an investment opportunity, STTR innovations address specific technology gaps in agency mission programs, provide a foundation for future technology needs, and are complementary to other NASA research investments.
Participating firms and research institutions submitted 25 Phase 2 proposals. The criteria used to select the winning proposals included technical merit and innovation, Phase 1 results, value to NASA, commercial potential, and company capabilities.
Phase 1 was feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Awards are for up to twelve months in amounts up to $100,000. Phase 2 expands on the results of the development in Phase 1. Awards are for up to two years in amounts up to $600,000. Phase 3 is for the commercialization of the results of Phase 2 and requires the use of private sector or non-STTR federal funding. These NASA awards are for the second-phase in this competitive process.
Some examples of STTR technologies being pursued in current selected proposals include:
# New photovoltaic power systems capable of operating in harsh environments with high temperature and extreme radiation exposures. These systems use materials developed for short optical wavelength and high radio frequency power applications. The new systems could be used in power systems for exploratory spacecraft.
# Optically-based sensors for making temperature and other complex measurements in propulsion systems in ground and flight test environments. The sensors could be used in both new and retrofit commercial aircraft as control sensors for propulsion systems.
NASA's STTR program is managed at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., with executive oversight from NASA Headquarters in Washington. Individual projects are managed by NASA's field centers.
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NASA will hold a series of news media briefings May 1 to discuss the upcoming space shuttle Discovery mission, STS-124. NASA Television and the agency's Web site will provide live coverage of the briefings from the Johnson Space Center, beginning at 8 a.m. CDT. Questions also will be taken from participating NASA locations.
Discovery's 13-day mission is targeted for launch to the International Space Station on May 31. It is the second of three flights to launch components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The shuttle also will deliver the lab's robotic arm system that will support operations outside of Kibo.
Following the briefings, members of the STS-124 crew will be available for a series of round-robin interviews. Media planning to attend the interviews or participate by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 by noon April 29. All reporters who are foreign nationals must contact Johnson to arrange credentials no later than April 9.
Mark Kelly will command the seven-member crew of STS-124, which includes Pilot Ken Ham, Mission Specialists Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and Greg Chamitoff. Chamitoff will replace Expedition 16/17 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman and remain aboard the station as a member of the Expedition 17 crew. Reisman will return to Earth with the STS-124 crew.
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