Monthly Archives: April 2013

Astronomy, Science and Technology

Briefing on first results of the ISS Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02)

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Last month, Sam Ting, head of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) experiment on the International Space Station hinted that they have found some very interesting results. (See Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to release first results -BBC – Feb.18.13.) Tomorrow the results will be discussed at the CERN accelerator center in Geneva, Switzerland and on NASA TV: First Results of the AMS-02 experiment to be presented on April 3rd at CERN

[ Update: The presentation at CERN is starting at 11:00 am ET today: LIVE WEBCAST Today @ 11 am ET: AMS Science Seminar by Nobel Laureate Sam Ting – Space.com

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NASA TV Briefing Discusses Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Results

WASHINGTON — NASA will hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 3, to discuss the first results of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) experiment. AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector located on the exterior of the International Space Station.

The briefing will be held in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters at 300 E St. SW in Washington. It will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency’s website.

The participants include:
— William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations
— Samuel Ting (participating by video link), AMS principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
— Michael Salamon, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science program manager for AMS
— Mark Sistilli, NASA AMS program manager

Media representatives may ask questions from participating NASA centers or by telephone. To participate by phone, reporters must contact Rachel Kraft at 202-358-1100 or rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov by noon, April 3.

AMS was constructed, tested and operated by an international team of 56 institutes from 16 countries and organized under U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science sponsorship. NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston manages the AMS Integration Project Office.

AMS was launched on space shuttle Endeavour on May 16, 2011. Operations on the space station began three days later. AMS continues operations aboard the station today.

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about AMS and the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

Activism, Space participation

Results of a citizen scientist survey

A survey of  people participating in the Galaxy Zoo project provides a profile of the average citizen scientist  : What Makes Citizen Scientists Tick? – MIT Technology Review

The results are curious. Unsurprisingly, Galaxy Zoo volunteers are overwhelmingly male with 82.1per cent being men. There is also a particular over-abundance in the 50-60 age group. Overall, the volunteers have an average age of 43 and over 60 per cent come from the US and UK.

What is mildly surprising is their motivation for taking part. The survey asked volunteers to give their primary reason and this turned out not to be things like enjoying looking at pretty pictures of galaxies or the fun of it all. Instead, more than 40 per cent of volunteers say that the desire to contribute to science is their primary motivation.

Education, In Space Infrastructure

SciShow looks at space trash

Hank of SciShow talks about space debris and possible ways to reduce it:

Background materials can be found at SciShow 2 April 2013 References – Google Drive

Contests and Games, Education, Space Settlement

NAS’s eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Challenge invites student team applications

NASA’s  eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge invites student teams to submit proposals for systems for deep-space habitats for the 2013-2014 round of the program. (See also this recent report on the 2013 projects: 2013 X-Hab Innovation Challenge Progress Update – NASA – Feb.11.13)

College and university students now have a chance to help design a deep-space habitat. The Exploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge, first offered in 2010, is now accepting applications for the 2014 challenge.

But they need to act fast. May 1, 2013 is the deadline for student teams to submit their plans for designing, manufacturing, assembling and developing test systems for use on NASA’s deep-space habitat prototype.

X-Hab

The eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge
is a university-level competition designed to engage and retain students
in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines.

Past projects have included an inflatable loft for crew sleeping quarters, plant growth systems, sample handling tools, stowage systems and habitat layout designs. This year, students from multiple disciplines may choose projects from a variety of possibilities such as photovoltaic solar arrays, in-space manufacturing workstations, virtual window telepresence systems and habitation systems. Students will work together on potential solutions to the challenges future astronauts may face as they live and work farther and farther away from Earth.

“X-Hab is a win-win for NASA and students — human space exploration greatly benefits from students’ energy and creative designs, and students get a terrific boost from their direct interaction with NASA experts,” said Lora Bailey, Deep Space Habitat project manager at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We all share in the excitement that student designs could become the basis for future human habitat technologies and concepts!”

The X-Hab Challenge is part of a continuing effort to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, and provide a real-world challenge exposing them to engineering and design processes. NASA will benefit directly from the innovative habitation-related concepts and technologies.

The challenge is run by the National Space Grant Foundation for the Deep Space Habitat project team at Johnson, a part of NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program. The goal of for the X-Hab Challenge is to help NASA inspire the workforce and explorers of the future. Winners will receive between $10,000 and $20,000 to produce functional products based on their designs. Proposals are due May 1, and awardees should expect to deliver their product to NASA in May or June 2014.

To learn more about the X-Hab Challenge, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/x-hab
http://www.spacegrant.org/xhab/

Education, History, Space Collecting

NASA offers space program artifacts to schools and museums

An announcement from NASA about historical space items available for schools and museums:

NASA Announces 17th Screening of Space Program Artifacts

WASHINGTON — NASA is inviting eligible educational institutions, museums and other organizations to screen and request historical space artifacts.

The artifacts represent significant human spaceflight technologies, processes and the accomplishments of NASA’s many programs. NASA and the General Services Administration worked together to ensure broad access to space artifacts and to provide a web-based electronic artifacts viewing capability. This is the 17th time since 2009 NASA has made this opportunity available.

The web-based artifacts module is located at: http://gsaxcess.gov/NASAWel.htm

Eligible participants may view the artifacts and request specific items at the website through May 6. Only schools and museums are eligible to receive artifacts. They must register online using an assigned Department of Education number or through the state agency responsible for surplus property.

The artifacts are free of charge. Eligible organizations must cover shipping costs and any special handling fees. Shipping fees on smaller items will be relatively inexpensive, while larger items may involve extensive disassembly, preparation, shipping and reassembly costs. NASA will work closely with eligible organizations, on a case-by-case basis, to address any unique special handling costs.

Special items, such as space shuttle thermal protective tiles and packages of three packets of astronaut food, also are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Instructions for requesting artifacts and special items are linked on the website home page.

To date, more than 7,700 artifacts from programs, including the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, space shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope, have been given to eligible museums, schools, universities, libraries and planetariums in all 50 U.S. states. Artifacts are on display for 42 days. NASA organizations must register their requests within the first 21 days. All other eligible organizations may register their requests after the first 21 days. After the viewing period ends, organizations will be notified about the status of their requests.

For more about NASA and agency programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov