1. NASA

Category Archives: NASA

NASA Needs Federal OK to Study GM Ignition Flaw

Posted on by

NASA says it's not helping GM with the technical issues surrounding an ignition switch defect that has sparked the recall of 2.6 million vehicles but it stands ready to assist other federal agencies with their investigations.

The switch defect can cause the engine to turn off unexpectedly, and that's been linked to dozens of crashes and at least 13 deaths. The issue has been the focus of an investigation by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, stormy congressional hearings, lawsuits and a Justice Department probe.

NASA's engineering expertise can come in handy for such investigations. In 2011, at the behest of the NHTSA, the NASA Engineering and Safety Center issued a report concluding that faulty electronics were not to blame for the unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles.

Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, displays a GM ignition switch similar to those linked to 13 deaths and dozens of crashes of GM cars.

NASA could take on a similar role in the GM case: A source at GM who is familiar with the recall investigation told NBC News correspondent Gabe Gutierrez that the details of any cooperation with NASA were "being worked out." The source said there were plans for GM officials to meet with NASA next week but provided no further details.

For now, "NASA is not working with GM on its ignition switch issue," agency spokesman Chris Rink told NBC News.

Another NASA representative, Bob Jacobs, explained that it would be difficult for the space agency to assist GM directly. "That would require considerable interagency coordination, just because of the existing investigations," Jacobs told NBC.

It's more likely that NASA would respond to a request for help from the NHTSA. "If the investigating agencies asked for assistance, we would provide help as we have in past instances," Jacobs said.

NHTSA spokeswoman Kathyrn Henry said that "it's logical" to ask NASA for technical help if it's needed, but that the investigation was still in its early stages. "We're in the process of receiving the requested documents from GM," she told NBC News.

NBC News' Gabe Gutierrez contributed to this report.

See the article here:

NASA Needs Federal OK to Study GM Ignition Flaw

Space station android to get legs, says NASA

Posted on by

NASA has built a pair of legs for Robonaut 2, a robotic torso currently orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station.

A robotic humanoid astronaut on the International Space Station is about to get its legs.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

NASA has crafted a pair of space legs forRobonaut 2, its robotic astronaut torso on the space station now. The legs will fly to space aboard SpaceX's unmanned Dragon capsule, set to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Monday (April 14).

Once installed, the legs will give Robonaut 2 which is currently attached to a support post on the orbiting outpost an extended leg span of 9 feet (2.7 meters), according to NASA. The legs are expected to allow Robonaut 2 (R2 for short) the flexibility to move about the station. Eventually, NASA officials hope that R2 will be able to perform repetitive tasks inside and outside the space laboratory, allowing astronauts to focus on more complex work. [See more photos of Robonaut 2 on Earth and in space]

"The new legs are designed for work both inside and outside the station, but upgrades to R2's upper body will be necessary before it can begin work outside the space station," NASA officials said in a statement released in March.

R2's legs are not like a human's lower limbs. The legs each have seven joints and in place of feet, the robot will have an "end effector" attached to the end of each leg, NASA officials said. The end effector allows R2 to use sockets and handrails inside and outside the station, and the two devices also come equipped with vision tools that controllers can use to visualize and automate the movements of the legs, NASA added.

Robonaut 2 has been onboard the space station since February 2011, and since that time, it has performed a variety of tasks to show its usefulness in microgravity. The $2.5 million humanoid robot can flip switches, press buttons and turn nobs.

"In preparation for future spacewalks, R2 has worked inside the space station with space blankets and other flexible materials, both through ground control and through teleoperation by the on-board crew," NASA officials added.

Go here to see the original:

Space station android to get legs, says NASA

NASA Tests Supersonic Flying Saucer for Future Mars Missions

Posted on by

By Alan Boyle

Eat your heart out, Marvin the Martian: NASA is building its own flying saucer as part of a project to get bigger payloads to Mars. The disk-shaped object is called a Low Density Supersonic Decelerator, and it's due to fly for the first time this June.

Journalists got an advance peek at the saucer this week at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., where it's being readied for the test flight. The saucer will be taken to Hawaii and then lofted up to an altitude of 120,000 feet (37 kilometers) on a high-altitude balloon. It'll fire a rocket engine to rise even higher, to 180,000 feet (55 kilometers). And then it'll start falling.

During its Mach 3.5 descent, it will inflate like a pufferfish to increase atmospheric drag, slowing its speed to about twice the speed of sound. That will trigger the deployment of a super-strong 100-foot-wide (33.5-meter-wide) parachute, which should slow down the test vehicle enough for a gentle splashdown.

Why go to all that trouble? NASA had to use a complex, rocket-powered sky crane to get its 1-ton Curiosity rover safely down to the surface of Mars in 2012, but the payloads required for human missions to Mars are expected to weigh significantly more as much as 100 tons. The sky-crane system can't handle payloads that heavy. That's why NASA says it'll need the supersonic decelerator to send astronauts to Mars.

Let's just hope those astronauts don't face the Q-36 explosive space modulator when they get there.

Journalists are dressed in special suits inside a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as they get a look at the saucer-shaped test vehicle for the agency's Low Density Supersonic Decelerator project on Wednesday.

The Low Density Supersonic Decelerator is designed to inflate balloon-like pressure vessels during its descent, to increase atmospheric drag and slow the vehicle down from Mach 3.5 to Mach 2.

First published April 10 2014, 7:35 PM

Alan Boyle is the science editor for NBC News Digital. He joined MSNBC.com at its inception in July 1996, and took on the science role in July 1997 with the landing of NASA's Mars Pathfinder probe. Boyle is responsible for coverage of science and space for NBCNews.com.

Read the rest here:

NASA Tests Supersonic Flying Saucer for Future Mars Missions

NASA Ames Launches Nanosatellites, Science Experiments on SpaceX Rocket

Posted on by

NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., will launch a variety of experiments into space aboard NASA's next commercial cargo resupply flight of the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. These experiments include a next-generation smartphone satellite, 100 stamp-sized nanosatellites and life science experiments to better our understanding of how spaceflight affects the human body, the growth of cells and plants. Future astronauts on long-term space missions in low-Earth orbit, to asteroids, other planets and beyond will benefit from these technologies and need to understand how to prevent illnesses during space travel.

The company's third commercial resupply mission to the space station is scheduled to lift off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 1:58 p.m. PDT Monday, April 14. If the launch is postponed, the next launch opportunity is Friday, April 18 at approximately 12:25 p.m. The mission will deliver several tons of supplies, including new science and technology research experiments.

The three Ames-supported satellites, which were selected for launch by NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, are scheduled to deploy from the Falcon 9 rocket or Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbits between 200 and 250 miles (325 and 400 kilometers) above Earth.

PhoneSat 2.5 is a one-unit (1U) cubesat spacecraft built at Ames. It measures 10 centimeters square (approximately four inches on each side) and uses commercially available smartphones. This latest PhoneSat is fifth in a series and has three objectives: determine if a low-cost commercially available attitude determination and control system can work in space; verify if a smartphone can support space-based communications systems; and provide further confidence in the PhoneSat concept and components by investigating its ability to survive long-term in the radiation environment of space. PhoneSat 2.5 is equipped with a higher-gain S-Band antenna, which serves as a pathfinder for future NASA missions, including the Edison Demonstration of Satellite Network (EDSN) mission scheduled to launch later this year. EDSN plans to launch eight identical 1.5U cubesats (10-by-10-by-15 centimeters and 2.5 kilograms) based on the PhoneSat architecture in order to demonstrate the utility of multiple small spacecraft cooperatively working together. PhoneSat 2.5's smartphone camera will attempt to transmit photographs to the ground station at Santa Clara University in California to gather information for future low-cost star trackers. The PhoneSat series of technology demonstration missions is funded by the Small Spacecraft Technology Program, in NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and the Engineering Directorate at Ames.

SporeSat is an autonomous, free-flying spacecraft that will investigate how germinating plant cells sense and respond to gravity. Researchers are studying spores in space to gain a more detailed understanding of molecular and biophysical mechanisms for gravity sensing. Specifically, it will investigate how germinating single-celled spores of the aquatic fern Ceratopteris richardii sense and respond to gravity. The 3U spacecraft, built at Ames, weighs approximately 12 pounds and measures 10-by-10-by-30 centimeters (14 inches long, four inches wide, four inches tall). The science payload includes three lab-on-a-chip devices, called BioCDs, developed by researchers at Purdue University in Lafayette, Ind., for variable gravity electrophysiology studies of single cells. Each disc-shaped BioCD holds up to 32 spores. During the experiment, two of the BioCDs will spin to simulate gravity and the third will remain stationary. SporeSat was developed through a partnership between Ames, which managed the development of the mission, and the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue, where Jenna Rickus and Amani Salim are the principal investigators. SporeSat is funded by the Space Biology Project at Ames and the Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.

KickSat is a 3U cubesat technology demonstration mission designed to deploy and operate in space a prototype 3.5-by-3.5 centimeter (1.4-by-1.4 inch) Sprite "ChipSats" developed at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., with support from the Ames Office of the Chief Technologist. A 1U avionics bus provides power, communications, attitude control functions, command and data handling, while a 2U deployer houses 100 Sprites in individual spring-loaded slots. Each Sprite is a tiny spacecraft with power, sensor and communication systems on a printed circuit board. It is intended as a general-purpose sensor platform for micro-electro-mechanical and other chip-scale sensors with the ability to downlink data to ground stations from low Earth orbit. Chipsats such as the Sprite represent a disruptive new space technology that has the potential to both open space access to hobbyists and students and enable a new class of science missions. The hardware for the KickSat mission was funded by the crowdsource-funding website Kickstarter.

In addition to deploying three Ames-supported nanosatellites, Dragon also will deliver several life science experiments developed in collaboration with Ames, including:

T-Cell Activation in Aging is an investigation of the genetic and molecular mechanisms that underlie diminished T-cell activation that occurs in the aging population and astronauts. T-cell activation is a critical event during which T-cells, which are specialized immune system cells, recognize infections within the body and initiate a defensive response. The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the sponsoring agency for the mission.

"This experiment's unique approach to studying molecular mechanisms that contribute to decline of T-cell function will add to our understanding of the effects of zero gravity on the immune function, as well as provide insights about immune suppression, a major issue affecting older people," said Felipe Sierra Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Aging Division of Aging Biology. "Hopefully, this will help lead to new interventions to prevent infection not only for those on space travel but also for those with compromised immune systems, including the elderly."

Follow this link:

NASA Ames Launches Nanosatellites, Science Experiments on SpaceX Rocket

NASA Signs Agreement with German, Canadian Partners to Test Alternative Fuels

Posted on by

NASA has signed separate agreements with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to conduct a series of joint flight tests to study the atmospheric effects of emissions from jet engines burning alternative fuels.

The Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise Emissions (ACCESS II) flights are set to begin May 7 and will be flown from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.

"Partnering with our German and Canadian colleagues allows us to combine our expertise and resources as we work together to solve the challenges common to the global aviation community such as understanding emission characteristics from the use of alternative fuels which presents a great potential for significant reductions in harmful emissions," said Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics research.

NASA's DC-8 and HU-25C Guardian, DLR's Falcon 20-E5, and NRC's CT-133 research aircraft will conduct flight tests in which the DC-8's engines will burn a mix of different fuel blends, while the Falcon and CT-133 measure emissions and observe contrail formation.

Cooperation between DLR and NASA is based on a strong mutual appreciation of our research work, said Rolf Henke, the DLR Executive Board member responsible for aeronautics research. We are very pleased to be performing joint test flights for the first time, and thus set an example by addressing pressing research questions in global aviation together.

ACCESS II is the latest in a series of ground and flight tests begun in 2009 to study emissions and contrail formation from new blends of aviation fuels that include biofuel from renewable sources. ACCESS-I testing, conducted in 2013, indicated the biofuel blends tested may substantially reduce emissions of black carbon, sulfates, and organics. ACCESS II will gather additional data, with an emphasis on studying contrail formation.

Understanding the impacts of alternative fuel use in aviation could enable widespread use of one or more substitutes to fossil fuels as these new fuels become more readily available and cost competitive with conventional jet fuels.

Within NASA, ACCESS II is a multi-center project involving researchers at Armstrong, NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and the agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. This research supports the strategic vision of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, part of which is to enable the transition of the aviation industry to alternative fuels and low-carbon propulsion systems.

As part of an international team involved in this research, NASA will share its findings with the 24 member nations that make up the International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR). DLR and NRC are participating members of IFAR and NASA is the current Chair.

Here is the original post:

NASA Signs Agreement with German, Canadian Partners to Test Alternative Fuels

NASA Looks to Go Beyond Batteries for Space Exploration

Posted on by

NASA is seeking proposals for the development of new, more capable, energy storage technologies to replace the battery technology that has long powered America's space program

The core technologies solicited in the Wednesday call for proposals will advance energy storage solutions for the space program and other government agencies, such as the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) through ongoing collaboration with NASA and industry.

"NASA is focusing on creating new advanced technologies that could lead to entirely new approaches for the energy needs of the agency's future Earth and space missions," said Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for space technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Over the next 18 months, NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate will make significant new investments that address several high priority challenges for achieving safe and affordable deep-space exploration. One of these challenges, advanced energy storage, offers new technology solutions that will address exploration and science needs while adding in an important and substantive way to America's innovation economy."

NASA's solicitation has two category areas: "High Specific Energy System Level Concepts," which will focus on cell chemistry and system level battery technologies, such as packaging and cell integration; and, "Very High Specific Energy Devices," which will focus on energy storage technologies that can go beyond the current theoretical limits of Lithium batteries while maintaining the cycle life and safety characteristics demanded of energy storage systems used in space applications.

Proposals will be accepted from NASA centers and other government agencies, federally funded research and development centers, educational institutions, industry and nonprofit organizations. NASA expects to make approximately four awards for Phase I of the solicitation, ranging in value up to $250,000 each.

Through solicitations and grants, NASA's investments in space technology provide the transformative capabilities to enable new missions, stimulate the economy, contribute to the nation's global competitiveness, and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.

The Advanced Energy Storage Systems Appendix is managed by the Game Changing Development Program within NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), and is part of STMD's NASA Research Announcement "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2014" (SpaceTech-REDDI-2014) for research in high priority technology areas of interest to NASA.

The SpaceTech-REDDI-2014-14GCDC1 Advanced Energy Storage Systems Appendix is available through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System at:

http://go.nasa.gov/ru9LgH

More here:

NASA Looks to Go Beyond Batteries for Space Exploration

NASA-mars-reuters-100414.JPG

Posted on by

April 10, 2014

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope snapped this portrait of Mars within minutes of the planet's closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years in this picture taken by NASA on August 27, 2003. Reuters pic, April 10, 2014.A NASA robot has snapped pictures showing glints of light on the Martian horizon, which some UFO enthusiasts have seized on as a sign of alien life on the Red Planet.

Not so, said the US space agency.

More likely, the images of bright spots taken on April 2 and April 3 are a product of the sun's glare or cosmic rays, NASA said in a statement.

In fact, similar glints of light are seen all the time in images taken by the Curiosity rover, a multibillion dollar unmanned vehicle equipped with cameras and drilling instruments that is exploring Mars.

"In the thousands of images we've received from Curiosity, we see ones with bright spots nearly every week," said Justin Maki of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"These can be caused by cosmic-ray hits or sunlight glinting from rock surfaces, as the most likely explanations."

Furthermore, the "bright spots appear in images from the right-eye camera of the stereo Navcam, but not in images taken within one second of those by the left-eye camera," the space agency said in a statement.

NASA's explanation may not dampen enthusiasm among believers in alien life on Mars, such as the website operated by UFO Sightings Daily which said the lights could offer proof of extraterrestrial beings.

"This could indicate there there is intelligent life below the ground and uses light as we do," the site proclaimed.

Read the original here:

NASA-mars-reuters-100414.JPG

Mars Blueberries: Traces of Life That Once Called the Red Planet Home? | NASA’s Unexplained Files – Video

Posted on by


Mars Blueberries: Traces of Life That Once Called the Red Planet Home? | NASA #39;s Unexplained Files
In January 2004, all eyes were on NASA #39;s Opportunity rover as it descended onto Mars. Once the rover began transmitting data, scientists encountered geology ...

By: Science Channel

Original post:

Mars Blueberries: Traces of Life That Once Called the Red Planet Home? | NASA's Unexplained Files - Video


  1. NASA