1 00:00:07,100 --> 00:00:14,750 This Week at NASA… 2 00:00:14,750 --> 00:00:20,590 After handing over the reins of the International Space Station to NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, 3 00:00:20,590 --> 00:00:26,750 Expedition 33 Commander Suni Williams of NASA, Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Flight 4 00:00:26,750 --> 00:00:32,529 Engineer Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, all of whom have been 5 00:00:32,529 --> 00:00:37,780 on the station since July 17, made a safe parachute-assisted landing in their Soyuz 6 00:00:37,780 --> 00:00:42,239 spacecraft in Kazakhstan on Nov. 19 local time. 7 00:00:42,239 --> 00:00:47,570 Expedition 34 crewmembers Ford, Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin will be joined onboard 8 00:00:47,570 --> 00:00:54,280 the station by Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, NASA’s Tom Marshburn and Chris Hadfield 9 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,760 of the Canadian Space Agency. 10 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:04,449 Their arrival Dec. 21 will restore to six the number of people aboard the orbiting laboratory. 11 00:01:04,449 --> 00:01:08,210 “We hear you loud and clear aboard the International Space Station. 12 00:01:08,210 --> 00:01:09,210 Welcome aboard!” 13 00:01:09,210 --> 00:01:15,321 The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Moving Beyond Earth gallery was among 25 North 14 00:01:15,321 --> 00:01:20,210 American locations at which participants of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program 15 00:01:20,210 --> 00:01:26,810 (SSEP) plugged into life onboard the International Space Station during a live video-conference 16 00:01:26,810 --> 00:01:28,229 with the ISS. 17 00:01:28,229 --> 00:01:33,670 The event gave U.S. and Canadian students an opportunity to ask station crew members 18 00:01:33,670 --> 00:01:36,670 about daily activities onboard the orbiting laboratory. 19 00:01:36,670 --> 00:01:42,179 “What advice can you give young kids like me about pursuing our dreams?” 20 00:01:42,179 --> 00:01:46,071 “Just have your eyes wide open and get ready for all of those challenges – because they’ll 21 00:01:46,071 --> 00:01:51,000 be out there but they’ll be fun and the rewards are great if you try hard, work hard 22 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:52,249 and do your best.” 23 00:01:52,249 --> 00:01:57,039 A panel of spaceflight and science experts also fielded questions -- including astronaut 24 00:01:57,039 --> 00:02:01,499 Leland Melvin – NASA’s Associate Administrator for Education. 25 00:02:01,499 --> 00:02:06,499 The SSEP program is a joint venture between the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 26 00:02:06,499 --> 00:02:12,210 the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), NASA, and the U.S. Department 27 00:02:12,210 --> 00:02:13,930 of Education. 28 00:02:13,930 --> 00:02:17,930 “One, two three … space!” 29 00:02:17,930 --> 00:02:23,050 A new NASA service will help sky watchers pinpoint where and when the International 30 00:02:23,050 --> 00:02:26,160 Space Station will make an appearance in the skies above them. 31 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:31,630 NASA’s “Spot the Station” service sends a text or email to anyone with an email account 32 00:02:31,630 --> 00:02:38,070 or an SMS-enabled phone to alert them when the ISS is scheduled for a flyover in the 33 00:02:38,070 --> 00:02:39,070 area. 34 00:02:39,070 --> 00:02:43,540 Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center compiles sighting opportunities for 4,600 35 00:02:43,540 --> 00:02:44,830 locations worldwide. 36 00:02:44,830 --> 00:02:48,760 To sign up, visit spotthestation.nasa.gov. 37 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:54,590 If your city or town isn’t listed, just pick one that’s close by! 38 00:02:54,590 --> 00:03:00,730 Hi, I’m Ashwin Vasavada, the deputy project scientist for the Curiosity rover and this 39 00:03:00,730 --> 00:03:03,400 is your Curiosity rover update. 40 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,820 A lot of what this mission is about is figuring out the possibility that ancient Mars was 41 00:03:07,820 --> 00:03:09,100 a habitable environment. 42 00:03:09,100 --> 00:03:11,650 But we’re also studying the present environment. 43 00:03:11,650 --> 00:03:15,740 Two instruments that help with that are the RAD instrument and the REMS instrument. 44 00:03:15,740 --> 00:03:18,480 The RAD instrument is a radiation assessment detector. 45 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:24,100 It measures the high-energy radiation coming up from the cosmic rays and the sun. 46 00:03:24,100 --> 00:03:32,420 That radiation is changed as it goes through Mars’ atmosphere to where we detect it on 47 00:03:32,420 --> 00:03:33,420 the surface. 48 00:03:33,420 --> 00:03:38,640 By measuring the radiation at Mars’ surface Curiosity is helping prepare for human missions 49 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:39,640 to Mars. 50 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:43,890 Another instrument that Curiosity has that measures the modern environment is called 51 00:03:43,890 --> 00:03:46,340 the rover environmental monitoring station. 52 00:03:46,340 --> 00:03:48,180 It’s basically our weather station. 53 00:03:48,180 --> 00:03:52,850 We measure a lot of things including pressure, and humidity, temperature and wind. 54 00:03:52,850 --> 00:03:58,080 It’s been seeing little dips in pressure around noon that seemed like the signature 55 00:03:58,080 --> 00:03:59,430 of dust devils. 56 00:03:59,430 --> 00:04:02,930 Only thing is our pictures haven’t turned up any dust devils. 57 00:04:02,930 --> 00:04:06,650 Spirit and Opportunity saw lots of dust devils moving across the horizon. 58 00:04:06,650 --> 00:04:11,340 Our best guess at what’s going on is that Curiosity is seeing dust devils go right over 59 00:04:11,340 --> 00:04:12,340 it, only thing is we’re not seeing the dust devils. 60 00:04:12,340 --> 00:04:16,840 So what we think is happening is the same sorts of vortexes, driven by convection are 61 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:21,120 occurring on Mars at the Curiosity’s site but just not picking up dust. 62 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:23,980 Another thing that REMS has been measuring is winds. 63 00:04:23,980 --> 00:04:26,810 Turns out we’re in a pretty interesting place inside of Gale Crater. 64 00:04:26,810 --> 00:04:31,050 We’re right at the base of a 5-kilometer high mountain to the south of us and then 65 00:04:31,050 --> 00:04:34,351 there’s a pretty tall crater rim to the north of us and we’re sitting in kind of 66 00:04:34,351 --> 00:04:36,750 a flat depression between the two. 67 00:04:36,750 --> 00:04:41,010 The winds blow up and down the mountain as the temperature changes during the day and 68 00:04:41,010 --> 00:04:45,260 up and down the crater slopes and then along the depression where we’re at. 69 00:04:45,260 --> 00:04:48,490 So right now we’re trying to figure out from the REMS data exactly which parts of 70 00:04:48,490 --> 00:04:51,060 that wind field we’re measuring. 71 00:04:51,060 --> 00:04:54,851 With Thanksgiving coming up we’ve been preparing a few days worth of commands to send up to 72 00:04:54,851 --> 00:04:58,780 the rover to keep it busy while people here take some much needed time off. 73 00:04:58,780 --> 00:05:02,800 The rover will be acquiring a big panorama of our surroundings while we’re away. 74 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:09,090 I’m Ashwin Vasavada and this has been your Curiosity rover update. 75 00:05:09,090 --> 00:05:14,150 NASA has announced the successful completion of the Kepler space telescope’s baseline 76 00:05:14,150 --> 00:05:17,600 mission to search for planets in other solar systems. 77 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:23,960 Since its launch in 2009, scientists using Kepler have identified more than 100 exoplanets 78 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,000 and another 23-thousand-plus candidates. 79 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,440 “The tapestry of everything that goes on in the Kepler. 80 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:32,000 It’s really a team mission. 81 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:36,240 It’s an enormous number of people who come together to make this kind of mission happen.” 82 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:41,930 In April of this year, NASA awarded the Kepler mission up to four more years of funding, 83 00:05:41,930 --> 00:05:47,840 allowing the telescope to continue its planetary census and to help scientists better understand 84 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:53,220 solar system and planetary formation. 85 00:05:53,220 --> 00:05:58,570 Engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center are using a new, cost-saving method to create 86 00:05:58,570 --> 00:06:02,730 intricate metal parts for America’s next heavy-lift rocket. 87 00:06:02,730 --> 00:06:08,810 Called “Selective Laser Melting” the process uses a high-energy laser to melt a fine metal 88 00:06:08,810 --> 00:06:11,900 powder into a computer-aided designed pattern. 89 00:06:11,900 --> 00:06:18,139 A hybrid of 3-D printing and artistic welding, SLM creates intricately-designed parts with 90 00:06:18,139 --> 00:06:25,090 complex geometries that are more strong and safe in less time, saving millions in manufacturing 91 00:06:25,090 --> 00:06:26,090 costs. 92 00:06:26,090 --> 00:06:35,500 These new, SLM-created parts will be on the first SLS test flight in 2017. 93 00:06:35,500 --> 00:06:40,840 The Goddard Space Flight Center hosted a 2012 Veterans Day Recognition Program, with former 94 00:06:40,840 --> 00:06:46,480 NASA astronaut and retired Navy captain Scott Altman serving as featured speaker. 95 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:54,020 Altman, who flew four space shuttle missions and commanded STS-125, the final Hubble servicing 96 00:06:54,020 --> 00:07:03,320 mission, praised those who’ve defended and upheld those freedoms upon which our nation 97 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,610 stands. 98 00:07:05,610 --> 00:07:10,770 Hundreds of students celebrated the 20th annual Young Astronauts Day at the Glenn Research 99 00:07:10,770 --> 00:07:11,770 Center. 100 00:07:11,770 --> 00:07:16,650 They competed in a variety of activities testing their skills in science and engineering. 101 00:07:16,650 --> 00:07:21,830 Meeting with the students was Center Director Ray Lugo, and NASA astronaut and Ohio native, 102 00:07:21,830 --> 00:07:27,260 Greg Johnson, who serves as Associate Director of External Programs at Glenn. 103 00:07:27,260 --> 00:07:31,210 This year's event was sponsored by Glenn's Exploration Flight and Development Project 104 00:07:31,210 --> 00:07:37,280 Office and the Northern Ohio Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. 105 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:44,930 Providing support was the center’s Educational Programs Office. 106 00:07:44,930 --> 00:07:50,139 At the fifth annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium in Huntsville, Marshall Space Flight 107 00:07:50,139 --> 00:07:57,080 Center personnel and guests discussed a wide range of topics, including human space exploration, 108 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:03,460 space commerce, national space security and policy, and trends in engineering education. 109 00:08:03,460 --> 00:08:08,300 The von Braun Symposium, organized by the American Astronautical Society in conjunction 110 00:08:08,300 --> 00:08:14,070 with UA - Huntsville, the National Space Club of Huntsville and NASA strives for the advancement 111 00:08:14,070 --> 00:08:21,760 of astronautics in the Unites States. 112 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:27,660 Registration is now open for the 20th annual Great Moonbuggy Race, scheduled for next April 113 00:08:27,660 --> 00:08:32,110 25 thru 27 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. 114 00:08:32,110 --> 00:08:36,820 The Marshall-sponsored event provides high school, college and university students from 115 00:08:36,820 --> 00:08:42,749 around the world with real-world engineering experience, and inspiration to pursue careers 116 00:08:42,749 --> 00:08:49,860 in science, technology, engineering and math. 117 00:08:49,860 --> 00:08:56,139 For details, go to moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov/. 118 00:08:56,139 --> 00:09:03,300 I'm Jeanne Lynch and I'm Chief of the Flight Dynamics Division in the Mission Operations 119 00:09:03,300 --> 00:09:04,300 Directorate. 120 00:09:04,300 --> 00:09:08,529 The Flight Dynamics Division is responsible for the trajectory of the International Space 121 00:09:08,529 --> 00:09:15,050 Station so that includes the visiting vehicles and how they fly to the ISS, as well as where 122 00:09:15,050 --> 00:09:19,470 the ISS is located; basically the altitude of how far it is from the Earth. 123 00:09:19,470 --> 00:09:22,119 My grandmother’s grandmother was Cherokee. 124 00:09:22,119 --> 00:09:26,459 We moved to Florida next to my grandmother and my mother started getting more involved 125 00:09:26,459 --> 00:09:30,370 in the genealogy and our culture. 126 00:09:30,370 --> 00:09:35,360 So when I was in high school and even in college before I moved away, I participated in a number 127 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:40,470 of the local Pow-Wows and other Native American Functions. 128 00:09:40,470 --> 00:09:45,019 When I started for NASA, I was actually a new hire right out of college so I wasn't 129 00:09:45,019 --> 00:09:51,410 a Co-Op, but I did do my senior project when I was in engineering school that was a NASA 130 00:09:51,410 --> 00:09:56,790 funded project through my university where we essentially built a little kind of lunar 131 00:09:56,790 --> 00:09:59,670 servicing station for a lunar lander.\h 132 00:09:59,670 --> 00:10:02,889 And it was amazing and a lot of fun.\h 133 00:10:02,889 --> 00:10:07,779 In any job you have, you need to give it your all; you need to take personal responsibility 134 00:10:07,779 --> 00:10:13,269 for the quality of your work, getting it done, and really being passionate about what you 135 00:10:13,269 --> 00:10:14,269 do.\h 136 00:10:14,269 --> 00:10:18,779 And I know if you do that, then it gets noticed and everyone appreciates it and then your 137 00:10:18,779 --> 00:10:28,819 career will just continue to grow. 138 00:10:28,819 --> 00:10:35,550 Fourteen years ago, on Nov. 20, 1998, Zarya, the first component of the new International 139 00:10:35,550 --> 00:10:40,420 Space Station was launched atop a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome 140 00:10:40,420 --> 00:10:42,100 in Kazakhstan. 141 00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:47,290 During the initial assembly stage of the ISS Zarya provided the station with propulsion, 142 00:10:47,290 --> 00:10:53,170 guidance, battery power, fuel storage, and rendezvous and docking capability for Soyuz 143 00:10:53,170 --> 00:10:55,399 and Progress space vehicles. 144 00:10:55,399 --> 00:11:00,540 Now that specialized components handle those chores for the station, Zarya is primarily 145 00:11:00,540 --> 00:11:09,370 used for storage. 146 00:11:09,370 --> 00:11:20,230 Three years ago on November 16, 2009 Space Shuttle Atlantis rose skyward from the Kennedy 147 00:11:20,230 --> 00:11:26,470 Space Center on STS-129 – an assembly flight to the International Space Station. 148 00:11:26,470 --> 00:11:32,639 Atlantis’ crew consisted of Commander Charlie Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission specialists 149 00:11:32,639 --> 00:11:37,850 Bobby Satcher, Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. 150 00:11:37,850 --> 00:11:43,709 Atlantis delivered parts to the space station, including a spare gyroscope and a UHF communications 151 00:11:43,709 --> 00:11:48,350 unit to be used for future station flights by SpaceX. 152 00:11:48,350 --> 00:11:53,230 The mission, the final space shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the space station, 153 00:11:53,230 --> 00:11:59,199 also returned to Earth NASA astronaut and station crew member Nicole Stott. 154 00:11:59,199 --> 00:12:00,730 And that’s This Week @NASA.