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NASA Seeks Comments On Possible Airship Challenge

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Image Caption: Artist's concept for a high-altitude, long-duration airship that could be used as a research platform or for commercial purposes. Credit: Mike Hughes (Eagre Interactive)/Keck Institute for Space Studies

Provided by Elizabeth Landau/Preston Dyches, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Airships arent just powered balloon-like vehicles that hover above sporting events. Researchers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are floating the idea that airships have potential for important scientific and commercial uses.

NASA is considering issuing a challenge for developing stratospheric airships that can break records in terms of duration of flight at high altitudes. The agency has issued a request for information for this contemplated 20-20-20 Airship Challenge. Submissions will be accepted until December 1.

We are seeking to take astronomy and Earth science to new heights by enabling a long-duration, suborbital platform for these kinds of research, said Jason Rhodes, an astrophysicist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who is leading the effort on the possible challenge.

A blimp is one example of an airship; a zeppelin, which has a rigid body, is another. By definition, an airship must be powered, navigable, and lighter than air.

The idea behind the 20-20-20 Airship Challenge would be to achieve unprecedented airship milestones. The first tier of competition would be to get an airship with a 44-pound (20 kilogram) payload to stay at an altitude of 65,000 feet (20 kilometers) for 20 hours. More ambitious ship-builders can aim for the second tier, with the same height but carrying a 440-pound (200-kilogram) payload for 200 hours.

The 65,000-foot mark is the sweet spot where the airship would get as high as possible while still having enough air to propel against, because it needs propulsion to stay in the same spot. Its also a good altitude in terms of average wind speed, Rhodes said.

So far, no powered airship has been able to sustain this altitude for more than eight hours. Balloons do fly at this height for example, weather balloons but they are subject to prevailing winds, and may be less reliable.

In the framework being considered, the total airship prize purse may range from 2 to 3 million dollars, and could be split into multiple prize awards for successful demonstrations of the two competition tiers.

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NASA Seeks Comments On Possible Airship Challenge

NASA Coverage Set for Fifth SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

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The fifth SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract is scheduled to launch Tuesday, Dec. 16, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 1:15 p.m. EST.

The company's Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 2:31 p.m., carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft. It is loaded with more than 3,700 pounds of scientific experiments, technology demonstrations and supplies, including critical materials to support 256 science and research investigations that will take place on the space station during ISS Expeditions 42 and 43.

In addition to launch coverage, NASA also will host a series of prelaunch news conferences Monday, Dec. 15 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All briefings, which are subject to a change in time, will air live on NASA TV and the agency's website.

The mission, designated SpaceX CRS-5, is the fifth of 12 SpaceX flights NASA contracted with the company to resupply the space station. It will be the sixth trip by a Dragon spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory.

The science research aboard the Dragon includes the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS), which will characterize and measure the worldwide distribution of clouds and aerosols -- the tiny particles that make up haze, dust, air pollutants and smoke; model organism research using fruit flies to study the biological effects of spaceflight; and, a new study using flatworms to better understand wound healing in space.

During panel discussions Monday at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., scientists and researchers will discuss the onboard science and research studies, including CATS and supplies for research on the risks of in-flight infections in astronauts, as well as research on degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.

The series of briefings Monday will conclude with a prelaunch news conference at 2 p.m. A post-launch briefing will be held approximately 90 minutes after liftoff Tuesday.

NASA TV also will provide live coverage of the arrival of the Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station Thursday, Dec. 18. Grapple and berthing coverage will begin at about 4:30 a.m. with grapple at approximately 6 a.m. Berthing coverage begins at 7:30 a.m.

The Dragon spacecraft will remain attached to the space station's Harmony module for more than four weeks and then splash down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Baja California, bringing with it almost two tons of experiment samples and equipment from the station.

Media may request accreditation to attend the prelaunch news conferences, events and launch online at:

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NASA Coverage Set for Fifth SpaceX Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA requests comment on airship challenge

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NASA has submitted a request for information in order to gauge the interest of industry, academia, innovators and enthusiasts regarding a potential airship design challenge. The agency hopes that the 20-20-20 Airship Challenge would incentivize the development of innovative airships, such as blimps and zeppelins with the ability to maintain position high in Earth's stratosphere, providing a platform not only for astronomy and Earth sciences, but also for commercial uses.

Whilst some inflatables (such as weather balloons) already operating in the stratosphere have their uses, there also have many drawbacks. For example, whilst a weather balloon is capable enough at gathering meteorological data, it's completely at the mercy of the winds, and is therefore incapable of gathering targeted data. An airship has no such weakness they are designed to be lighter than air and capable of holding their position under their own steam, providing stability and maneuverability that's valuable for numerous industries.

It is because of these strengths that companies and agencies such as Lockheed Martin, Thales Alenia Space and NASA hope to harness the flexibility of the airship for a number of roles. For example, telescopes could be mounted on either end, transforming it into an adjustable stellar imaging platform. The airship could also be utilized to monitor climate change in a static region, or even provide telecommunication and wireless services to remote communities.

"You would be able to follow weather patterns, even get above a hurricane. A satellite can't do that because its orbit can't be changed," states JPL astrophysicist Jason Rhodes.

Whilst the potential applications of the project are manifold, NASA has stated that at this point there are no plans to accept proposals for a manned airship, although the agency has not ruled it out for future development.

To help incentivize the project, NASA is planning to put up a US$2-3 million prize purse to be split between the two competition tiers. Tier 1 of the competition would require entrants' airships to achieve a stable altitude of 20 km (12 miles) with a 20 kg (44 lb) payload. The airship must then hold position within 5 km (3 miles) diameter of the station area and safely return the payload to the surface intact. Tier two of the competition follows the same pattern as the first, but requires airships to haul a 200 kg (440 lb) payload to be carried to the target altitude where it must remain for a period of 200 hours.

If the competition is deemed viable, the agency hopes to initiate the 20-20-20 Airship Challenge some time in 2015, the first and second tier taking place over the following 3- 4 years.

Source: NASA

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NASA requests comment on airship challenge

NASAs Van Allen Probes Spot Impenetrable Radiation Barrier in Space

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Visualization of the radiation belts with confined charged particles (blue & yellow) and plasmapause boundary (blue-green surface). Credit: NASA/Goddard

Its a well-known fact that Earths ozone layer protects us from a great deal of the Suns ultra-violet radiation. Were it not for this protective barrier around our planet, chances are our surface would be similar to the rugged and lifeless landscape we observe on Mars.

Beyond this barrier lies another a series of shields formed by a layer of energetic charged particles that are held in place by the Earths magnetic field. Known as the Van Allen radiation belts, this wall prevents the fastest, most energetic electrons from reaching Earth.

And according to new research from NASAs Van Allen probes, it now appears that these belts may be nearly impenetrable, a finding which could have serious implications for future space exploration and research.

The existence of a belt of charged particles trapped by the Earths magnetosphere has been the subject of research since the early 20th century. However, it was not until 1958 that the Explorer 1 and Explorer 3 spacecrafts confirmed the existence of the belt, which would then be mapped out by the Explorer 4, Pioneer 3, and Luna 1 missions.

Two giant belts of radiation surround Earth. The inner belt is dominated by protons and the outer one by electrons. Credit: NASA

Since that time, scientists have discovered much about this belt, including how it interacts with other fields around our planet to form a nearly-impenetrable barrier to incoming electrons.

This discovery was made using NASAs Van Allen Probes, launched in August 2012 to study the region. According to the observations made by the probes, this region can wax and wane in response to incoming energy from the sun, sometimes swelling up enough to expose satellites in low-Earth orbit to damaging radiation.

This barrier for the ultra-fast electrons is a remarkable feature of the belts, said Dan Baker, a space scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder and first author of the paper. Were able to study it for the first time, because we never had such accurate measurements of these high-energy electrons before.

Understanding what gives the radiation belts their shape and what can affect the way they swell or shrink helps scientists predict the onset of those changes. Such predictions can help scientists protect satellites in the area from the radiation.

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NASAs Van Allen Probes Spot Impenetrable Radiation Barrier in Space

The Chandra X ray Observatory Celebrates 15 Years of Science / NASA / HUBBLE – Video

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The Chandra X ray Observatory Celebrates 15 Years of Science / NASA / HUBBLE
Fifteen years ago, NASA #39;s Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Since its deployment on July 23, 1999, Chandra has helped revolutionize our ...

By: Amazing Space

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The Chandra X ray Observatory Celebrates 15 Years of Science / NASA / HUBBLE - Video

NASA Armstrong’s Flight Loads Laboratory 50th Anniversary – Video

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NASA Armstrong #39;s Flight Loads Laboratory 50th Anniversary
NASA #39;s Armstrong Flight Research Center commemorates the 50th anniversary of its Flight Loads Laboratory. Over its accomplished history, the Flight Loads Laboratory has sought to understand...

By: NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

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NASA Armstrong's Flight Loads Laboratory 50th Anniversary - Video

NASA clears Orion spacecraft for first test flight next week

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By Miriam Kramer

An artist's illustration of a portion of Orion's first test flight just after launch.(NASA)

NASA's newest deep space capsule Orion, is getting ready for its first uncrewed test flight, launching next week.

The space agency and Lockheed Martin - the company that manufactured Orion for NASA - have given the "go" to proceed with the capsule's robotic test on Dec. 4. The company and agency finished their "Flight Readiness Review" on Nov. 20, clearing the way for Orion's first test flight.

"The FRR [Flight Readiness Review] is a rigorous assessment of the spacecraft, its systems, mission operations and support functions needed to successfully complete Orions first voyage to space," NASA officials said in a statement. [See images of the Orion spacecraft]

NASA officials hope that Orion will eventually be able to take humans to deep space destinations like Mars, but first, the capsule's systems need to get through a series of flight tests starting with the first one next week.

Orion is scheduled to launch to space atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket from Florida. The spacecraft is outfitted with more than 1,000 sensors to gather data about how the capsule performs under the harsh conditions in space and during re-entry.

In total, the test flight should last about 4.5 hours. Orion will make two orbits of Earth with one of them taking it as high as 3,600 miles from the planet. The spacecraft will gain speed as it comes back down from its position in orbit, before re-entering the atmosphere. Orion's heat shield is the largest of its kind ever manufactured, and the test will help scientists see if it can efficiently protect the capsule during re-entry.

The test called Exploration Flight Test-1 will also help officials check out Orion's parachute system, designed to slow down the spacecraft before its expected splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Officials will be on hand to fish Orion out of the ocean after it returns to Earth.

NASA, U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin officials have started to prepare for activities after splashdown.

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NASA clears Orion spacecraft for first test flight next week


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