AUSTIN, Texas, March 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Astrotech Corporation, (ASTC), a leading provider of commercial space services, today announced that its Astrotech Space Operations (ASO) subsidiary has been awarded a NASA task order contract to provide payload processing services for the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite at ASO's Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, facility.

SMAP is the second mission awarded by NASA under the current Not-to-Exceed $16 million Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) task order contract that runs through December, 2017. The Jet Propulsion Lab satellite, scheduled to launch in October, 2014, will gather global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state from space. The three-year applied science mission will enhance weather forecasts and climate monitoring and prediction capabilities.

"Astrotech is proud to have been selected by NASA for this important earth science mission," stated ASO General Manager Don M. White, Jr. "We are excited to be part of a mission that will provide valuable information about our planet. SMAP will increase understanding of the conditions that influence floods and droughts, wildfires, ecosystem health, water resources, agriculture and forestry."

In January, NASA awarded a Not-to-Exceed $12.1 million Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) task order contract to ASO Florida to provide commercial payload processing services for satellites launched at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

From Titusville, Florida, and Vandenberg AFB, California, Astrotech Space Operations provides all support necessary for Government and commercial customers to successfully process their satellite hardware for launch, including advance planning; use of unique facilities; and spacecraft checkout, encapsulation, fueling, and transport. In its 31-year history, Astrotech has supported the successful processing of more than 300 spacecraft.

About Astrotech Corporation and Astrotech Space Operations (ASO)

Astrotech is one of the first space commerce companies and remains a strong entrepreneurial force in the aerospace industry. We are leaders in identifying, developing and marketing space technology for commercial use. Our Astrotech Space Operations (ASO) has been a global satellite processing leader since 1981. With more than 300 successful spacecraft missions to date, Astrotech continues to provide adaptable and flexible services for its Government and commercial customers. Astrotech Space Operations provides all support necessary for successful spacecraft processing to prepare for launch on a variety of domestic and foreign launch vehicles. Spacecraft undergo pre-launch hardware integration and testing, satellite encapsulation, and fueling before transport to the pad. Astrotech Space Operations business unit serves our satellite and spacecraft customers with pre-launch services on the Eastern Range (Kennedy Space Center) and Western Range (Vandenberg Air Force Base).

The Astrotech Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7456

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, trends, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from the forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, continued government support and funding for key space programs, product performance and market acceptance of products and services, as well as other risk factors and business considerations described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings including the annual report on Form 10-K. Any forward-looking statements in this document should be evaluated in light of these important risk factors. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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NASA Awards Task Order Contract to Astrotech Space Operations - California for SMAP Spacecraft Processing

Public release date: 14-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dewayne Washington Dewayne.a.washington@nasa.gov 301-286-0040 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

A new NASA-developed, laser-based space communication system will enable higher rates of satellite communications similar in capability to high-speed fiber optic networks on Earth.

The space terminal for the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD), NASA's first high-data-rate laser communication system, was recently integrated onto the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. LLCD will demonstrate laser communications from lunar orbit to Earth at six times the rate of the best modern-day advanced radio communication systems.

"The successful testing and integration of LLCD to LADEE is a major accomplishment," said Donald Cornwell, LLCD mission manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "It demonstrates that this new technology is robust and ready for space. This is the first time NASA has had such a communication system pass all its tests and be certified flight ready."

The LLCD mission will use a highly reliable infrared laser, similar to those used to bring high-speed data over fiber optic cables into our workplaces and homes. Data, sent in the form of hundreds of millions of short pulses of light every second, will be sent by the LADEE spacecraft to any one of three ground telescopes in New Mexico, California and Spain.

The real challenge of LLCD will be to point its very narrow laser beam accurately to ground stations across a distance of approximately 238,900 miles while moving. Failure to do so would cause a dropped signal or loss of communication.

"This pointing challenge is the equivalent of a golfer hitting a 'hole-in-one' from a distance of almost five miles," said Cornwell. "Developers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory have designed a sophisticated system to cancel out the slightest spacecraft vibrations. This is in addition to dealing with other challenges of pointing and tracking the system from such a distance. We are excited about these advancements."

The LLCD mission will also serve as a pathfinder for the 2017 launch of NASA's Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD). That mission will demonstrate the long-term viability of laser communication from a geostationary relay satellite to Earth. In a geostationary orbit the spacecraft orbits at the same speed as Earth, which allows it to maintain the same position in the sky.

Engineers believe that future space missions will be able to use laser communication technology with its low mass and power requirements, to provide increased data quantity for real-time communication and 3-D high-definition video. For example, using S-band communications aboard the LADEE spacecraft would take 639 hours to download an average-length HD movie. Using LLCD technology that time would be reduced to less than eight minutes.

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NASA 's first laser communication system integrated, ready for launch

NASA has launched a new website to share details of meteor explosion events as recorded by U.S. military sensors on secretive spacecraft, kicking off the project with new details of last month's fireball over Chelyabinsk, Russia.

The new "Fireball and Bolide Reports" website, overseen by NASA's Near-Earth Object Program, debuted Friday (March 1) with its first entry: a table with a chronological data summary of the Russian meteor explosion of Feb. 15 gleaned from U.S. Government sensor data. Scientists are calling the event a "superbolide," taken from the term "bolide" typically used for fireballs created by meteors.

Sharing the information publicly is part of a renewed collaboration between the U.S. military and the scientific community.

"And what better way to kick this site off than the Chelyabinsk superbolide the most energetic recognized-fireball event since Tunguska in 1908," said Don Yeomans, a senior research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. He is also manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL.

"This website is meant to be the vehicle for future reports of fireballs/bolides as seen by U.S. government sensors," Yeomans told SPACE.com. "This is the first posting of its kind on this site. Future data on bright fireballs will be added to this table. We won't capture every fireball event only the unusually bright ones," he said.

"I consider this a major step forward since these fireball events are by far the most frequent impactors into the Earth's atmosphere," Yeomans said. "And these reports will go a long way toward defining the annual flux of small Earth impactors." [Russian Meteor Explosion Explained (Infographic)]

New Russian meteor details

The Feb. 15 Russian meteor event is the first entry on this new site, and it provides the following information about the fireball:

Time of maximum brightness: 03:20:33 GMT on Feb. 15

Geographic location of maximum brightness: Latitude: 54.8 deg. N Longitude: 61.1 deg. E

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NASA Fireball Website Launches with New Russian Meteor Explosion Details

NASA | The Moon #39;s Permanently Shadowed Regions
As you watch the Moon over the course of a month, you #39;ll notice that different features are illuminated by the Sun at different times. However, there are som...

By: NASAexplorer

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NASA | The Moon's Permanently Shadowed Regions - Video

NASA Dryden Highlights 2013: Writing the Stories of the Future Today
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/home/index.html Prefaced by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director David McBride #39;s comments at the California Science...

By: DrydenTV

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NASA Dryden Highlights 2013: Writing the Stories of the Future Today - Video

NASA Does The Harlem Shake | Video
The team at Wallops Range Control joined in on the latest Internet dance craze, the "Harlem Shake".

By: VideoFromSpace

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NASA Does The Harlem Shake | Video - Video

Next Space Men Ready for Launch on This Week @NASA
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and his Expedition 35/36 crewmates have completed final training for their upcoming mission to the International Space Station. ...

By: NASAtelevision

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Next Space Men Ready for Launch on This Week @NASA - Video

Back in 2010, NASA Astronaut T.J. Creamer made history. He didnt discover a new element, or find life on Mars. He sent the first tweet from space.

It was simple, and it was elegant and it was extremely calculated. According to NASA Social Media Manager John Yembrick, getting astronauts to tweet was a focus and a struggle for him. It was new and no one understood what it was, he says. And the technical capabilities werent there. In fact, that tweet from Creamer that you, me, and everyone you know favorited wasnt technically the first sent from space. Mike Massimino was going to fly the Hubble service mission, and he said, Sure Ill try.

So he went up there, and he would actually write emails from the space shuttle and a public affairs officer on the ground would tweet them out from his account to his followers.

As connectivity improved, the tweet that made the earth stand still (but not really) came to be and many more have followed since. Now we have 47 tweeting astronauts in the agency, Yembrick says. And we dont really have to explain to them the value anymore. They get it.

In addition to those 47 Twitter-happy astronauts, NASA is also the proud owner of some 487 social and Web accounts, which all run through Yembrick (who is the second person to hold the position). For NASA, its certainly a job, he says of social network management. We have 3.7 million Twitter followers, a large presence on Google+, up to 430 folks in the circle, and 1.8 milion likes on Facebook. Were easily one of the most successful federal agencies on social media.

SXSW 2013 marks NASAs first showing at the social media expo of sorts, and its an appropriate time. Within the last few years, the agency has made the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms its homes and been posting tweets, pictures, and streaming video through these networks to connect the world with the frontier that lies just beyond it. These efforts began back in 2008, with one measly Twitter account: @marsphoenix. At the time, the handle had about 75,000 followers, making it the fifth most popular Twitter account. The impetus to join Twitter was to show the world more than the Space Shuttle take off or a moon landing. The moments between the big events, it turns out, are inspiring us just as much. There is always news breaking [with NASA], says Yembrick. All the time, and we wanted to show people these cool developments.

When youre seeing history being written, you dont know it. But now its all being documented, so you can go back and see these groundbreaking developments that you were around for. And possibly watching a live-tweet of.

So is there any platform preference? Yembrick insists they each have their own function, but admits that Twitter holds a special place in NASAs heart (it remains the most active and popular federal agency on Twitter). We started off in Twitter. It started a community for us.

We started out doing NASA tweetups [which started in 2009 at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab] where we would invite people to come and see behind the scenes what we were doing, and these people would communicate to their followers what we were doing. The program has since been expanded into NASA Social, bringing users from Facebook and Google+ into the mix.

Yembrick says Google+, in fact, has become a beloved tool for NASA for two reasons: The community and Hangouts. I like it because its a different community than we have on Twitter and Facebook. It seems like there are a lot of people who are educated about space, and the Hangout feature allows us to have face to face connections with people. Indeed it does: Just last month, NASA held its first Hangout from space, video chatting with astronauts from the International Space Station. It was the first time someone anyone could ask something on social media and watch it answered right there in real time.

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Nasa wants to beat Bieber in the Twitter wars (#weapprove)

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 47 (Monday, March 11, 2013)] [Notices] [Page 15378] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2013-05486]

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice: (13-022)]

NASA Advisory Council; Science Committee; Planetary Science Subcommittee; Meeting

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a meeting of the Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). This Subcommittee reports to the Science Committee of the NAC. The meeting will be held for the purpose of soliciting, from the scientific community and other persons, scientific and technical information relevant to program planning.

DATES: Thursday, April 4, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday, April 5, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Local Time.

ADDRESSES: This meeting will take place at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW., Rooms 6H45 and 3H46, respectively, Washington, DC 20546.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Marian Norris, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, (202) 358-4452, fax (202) 358-3094, or mnorris@nasa.gov.

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NASA Advisory Council Science Committee Planetary Science Subcommittee Meeting 4-5 April 2013

NASA revealed more details this weekend about the telescope destined to take over from the ageing Hubble Space Telescope.

At the SXSW technology converence in Austin, Texas, NASA showed off a full-scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope - built to look back to the dawn of time, the moments just after the Big Bang.

The 21-foot infrared-optimised telescope will be able to see across billions of light-years - capturing images of distant galaxies just after they formed.

It is scheduled to launch in 2018. NASA describes the JWST as the 'successor' to Hubble.

The instrument has cost $8.8 billion - 5.9 billion - to develop, according to Space.com.

Webb's lens is so large it will have to unfold in space after launch. Built mainly for infrared imaging, it will see through clouds of dust that Hubble cannot.

Hubble, which launched in 1990, still generates 360 gigabytes of image data every month - but is no longer being serviced after a final repair mission in 2009.

When it stops functioning, a rocket will attach a propulsion system to Hubble so it can safely 'de orbit' - the telescope is too big to fully burn up on re-entry.

[Related: The 25 computer which is teaching children to code]

"The mission is primarily to see the first light created after the Big Bang," says Scott Willoughby, Program Manager for Webb at Northrop Grumman. "That light is very far back in the distance; and you see farther back in time the farther away you look."

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NASA shows off space telescope which will take over after Hubble

DENVER, March 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Students from kindergarten through 12th grade will have the opportunity to play a unique role in the future of human spaceflight through participation in NASA's Exploration Design Challenge. Developed through a partnership between NASA and Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], the program challenges students to research and design solutions to protect astronauts from space radiation.

"Space exploration has inspired and fascinated young people for generations, and the Exploration Design Challenge is a unique way to capture and engage the imaginations of tomorrow's engineers and scientists," said Marillyn Hewson, CEO and President of Lockheed Martin, speaking at an announcement event today at NASA's Johnson Space Center. "We know nothing teaches like real hands-on experience and that's what this program brings to a new generation of explorers."

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to NASA for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the nation's first interplanetary spacecraft designed to carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit on long-duration, deep-space missions. Protecting astronauts on these distant travels is an important and very real problem that needs to be solved.

"America's next step in human space exploration is an ambitious one and will require new technologies, including ways to keep our astronauts safe from the effects of deep-space radiation. That is the focus of this challenge, and we are excited that students will be helping us solve that problem," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

Students in grades K-12 can study the effects of radiation on human space travelers and analyze different materials that simulate space radiation shielding for Orion. After participating in activities guided by their teachers, students will recommend materials that best block harmful radiation.

Students in grades 9-12 can take the challenge a step farther and design shielding to protect a sensor inside the Orion capsule from space radiation. The winning design will be flown in the Orion capsule during Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) scheduled for September 2014. All students in grades K-12 that participate in this challenge can join students from around the world to celebrate EFT-1 by having their names flown on-board as honorary crew members.

Lockheed Martin is collaborating with the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) to produce the Exploration Design Challenge and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) engagement activities tied to the EFT-1. Lockheed Martin has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA for a strategic alliance on education and public outreach activities. An annex to the agreement covers the scope of work Lockheed Martin will provide for the Education Design Challenge to engage and inspire future generations of scientists and engineers.

NASA's Exploration Design Challenge brings cutting-edge learning to educators and students with standards-based activities, print and video resources developed by leading education experts at NIA with content from Prairie View A&M University, and technical guidance from Lockheed Martin and NASA's Teaching From Space program at Johnson Space Center.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

Media Contact:Gary Napier Lockheed Martin Tel: (303) 971-4012 Email: gary.p.napier@lmco.com

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NASA And Lockheed Martin Launch Exploration Design Challenge For Students

March 11, 2013

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

As a way of inspiring the next generation of astronauts, NASA has launched a new program, Exploration Design Challenge, which asks students to think about and design ways to protect space explorers from deadly cosmic radiation.

Americas next step in human space exploration is an ambitious one and will require new technologies, including ways to keep our astronauts safe from the effects of deep-space radiation, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden upon announcing the program. That is the focus of this challenge, and we are excited students will be helping us solve that problem.

The program is the result of a public-private venture, or called the Space Act Agreement, between NASA and Lockheed Martin Corp.

Space exploration has inspired and fascinated young people for generations, and the Exploration Design Challenge is a unique way to capture and engage the imaginations of tomorrows engineers and scientists, saidLockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson.

The design challenge is focused primarily on NASAs Orion project, which is dedicated to deep-space exploration. The project is part of NASAs expanding pursuit of longer space missions that will take humans outside the protection of Earths atmosphere and magnetosphere. Along with its private partners, NASA is already developing new materials and designs to better protect future space explorers from the dangers of space radiation.

The first Orion test mission, called Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), is set to lift off in 2014. One section of the design challenge website asks teachers and student to enroll as honorary, virtual crew members for the upcoming flight.

Exploration Flight Test-1 is set to launch next year, so participating in this challenge will give the students a real sense of being part of the NASA team, said NASA Associate Administrator for Education and former astronaut Leland Melvin. They will be able to chart Orions progress as it moves closer to the test launch. Thats important because these students represent our future scientists, engineers and explorers.

In the challenge, younger students, grades kindergarten through 4 and 5 through 8, will analyze potential shielding materials that might be used to protect the crew inside the Orion craft. The student scientists will research and select materials that best block the harmful radiation.

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NASA ’s New Launch: Exploration Design Challenge

The danger of space radiation is one of the biggest obstacles to the manned exploration of deep space, and NASA is hoping today's kids can help overcome it.

NASA has launched an exploration design challenge asking K-12 students around the world to help protect astronauts and spacecraft hardware from the high levels of space radiation they will experience beyond Earth's protective magnetosphere, the agency announced today (March 11).

"America's next step in human space exploration is an ambitious one and will require new technologies, including ways to keep our astronauts safe from the effects of deep-space radiation," NASA chief Charles Bolden said in a statement. "That is the focus of this challenge, and we are excited students will be helping us solve that problem."

Kids in elementary and middle school will recommend materials that could be used as astronaut-protecting shielding on NASA's Orion deep space capsule, which is currently in development. High schoolers will be tasked with actually designing shielding that protects an Orion sensor from space radiation; the winning design will ride to space on an Orion test flight in 2014, officials said. [Photos: NASA's Orion Space Capsule]

The student challenge which is a joint effort involving NASA, aerospace firm Lockheed Martin and the National Institute of Aerospace aims to get kids excited about science, technology, engineering and math.

"Space exploration has inspired and fascinated young people for generations, and the Exploration Design Challenge is a unique way to capture and engage the imaginations of tomorrow's engineers and scientists," Lockheed Martin CEO and president Marillyn Hewson said in a statement.

NASA is gearing up to send people farther from Earth than they've ever gone before. In 2010, President Barack Obama directed the agency to get astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025, then on to the vicinity of Mars by the mid-2030s.

They will get there using Orion and NASA's huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The pair are slated to fly together for the first time in 2017, with SLS launching Orion on an unmanned flight around the moon.

Orion will reach space before then, however, blasting to Earth orbit atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 heavy rocket in 2014 on an unmanned mission called Exploration Flight Test 1.

"Exploration Flight Test 1 is set to launch next year, so participating in this challenge will give the students a real sense of being part of the NASA team," NASA associate administrator for education Leland Melvin said in a statement. "They will be able to chart Orion's progress as it moves closer to the test launch. That's important because these students represent our future scientists, engineers and explorers."

Originally posted here:

NASA Launches Space Radiation Challenge for Students

NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

This self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of images taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager on Feb. 3. The portrait was taken at the rock target "John Klein," where the rover collected the first ever bedrock sample of Mars using its drill on Feb. 8.

By Tariq MalikSpace.com

NASA will reveal new discoveries about Mars gleaned from the Curiosity rover's first rock powder sample in a high-profile news conference on Tuesday.

The Mars rover news conference, which will be held at the agency's headquarters in Washington, will begin at 1 p.m. EDT. It will be broadcast live on NASA's TV and webcast channels, a departure from recent teleconferences that have been a staple of Curiosity rover mission updates.

You can watch the Mars rover press conference on Space.com here.

NASA officials said theconference will "discuss the Curiosity rover's analysis of the first sample of rock powder ever collected on Mars."

Curiosity drilled into a Mars rock for the first time on Feb. 8 using a percussive drill tool mounted to its robotic arm. The rover drilled a 2.5-inch (6.4 centimeters) hole into a flat Mars rock called "John Klein," named after a NASA Curiosity rover project manager who died in 2011.

The first sample drilling on Mars revealed an odd, gray interior of Martian rockthat stood out in stark contrast to the ubiquitous orange-red of the Red Planet's surface. Curiosity scooped up a sample of the gray rock powder and placed it inside two onboard laboratories, called the Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument and Sample Analysis at Mars, to determine its chemical makeup. [1st Mars Drilling on Mars by Curiosity (Photos)]

NASA is expected to discuss the results from those tests on Tuesday and include presentations by the following scientists:

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NASA to unveil new Curiosity discoveries

Given recent budget cuts, it's refreshing to see a politician lobbying for additional NASA funding. Astrophiles may be less encouraged, however, to learn the rationale behind Congressman Frank Wolf's plea. Wolf claims that a Chinese national with ties to a potentially dangerous organization brought sensitive NASA information back to his native country, and the representative wants to channel resources into tightening security at the space agency.

"I was recently contacted by whistleblowers who provided me with a report alerting me to a very potential situation at NASA Langley Research Center involving a Chinese national who was allegedly provided access and information he should have otherwise been restricted from receiving," said Wolf in a press conference. "It is my understanding that this Chinese national is affiliated with an institution in China that has been designated as an 'entity of concern' by other U.S. government agencies."

The national in question was able to return to China and share the information he learned with others, Wolf said. While NASA itself is not allowed to hire Chinese nationals unless they have U.S. citizenships or green cards, subcontractors that provide the agency with talent may employ whomever they wish.

In addition to security concerns, Wolf cites preserving and growing the American aerospace industry as a reason behind his irritation. "If we can't keep cutting-edge technology protected from espionage, we will never be able to commercialize it and create the jobs our country needs," he said.

Wolf points out that there may be dozens of other Chinese nationals working for NASA subcontractors, workers who, if granted continued access to sensitive information, could jeopardize U.S. security. He also calls for the immediate takedown of a NASA website that shares sensitive, but declassified information with the world, including interested parties in China and Iran. [See also: Thirty Years of NASA Space Shuttle Missions]

While the story presents some discomfiting information, many details are still sketchy. Wolf did not cite a name or a particular position for his potential Chinese spy. Furthermore, much of Wolf's previous work in Congress has been directed towards curbing the influence of the Chinese government in American affairs.

Wolf plans to work along with Congress and NASA in order to prevent a repeat incident. To this end, he is willing to increase NASA's funding something that the U.S. government has been very hesitant to do lately.

"I am prepared to approve a reprogramming from NASA to reallocate additional funding and staffing for agency security-related functions, including center security, export control and counterintelligence," stated Wolf. "There is no reason that these positions at any center or headquarters should not be fully staffed and resourced."

Refining protocol may not directly lead to better technology to explore space, but ensuring that NASA is fully staffed without resorting to contractors is a promising first step. Wolf makes seven security recommendations in total; now it's up to NASA and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to see how many they can implement.

Follow Marshall Honorof@marshallhonorof. Follow us@TechNewsDaily,FacebookorGoogle+.

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Congressman Suspects NASA Let in Chinese Spies

NASA will reveal new discoveries about Mars gleaned from the Curiosity rover's first rock powder sample in a high-profile press conference on Tuesday (March 12).

The Mars rover press conference, which will be held at the agency's headquarters in Washington, will begin at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT). It will be broadcast live on NASA's TV and webcast channels, a departure from recent teleconferences that have been a staple of Curiosity rover mission updates.

You can watch the Mars rover press conference on SPACE.com here.

NASA officials said the Tuesday press conference will "discuss the Curiosity rover's analysis of the first sample of rock powder ever collected on Mars."

Curiosity drilled into a Mars rock for the first time on Feb. 8 using a percussive drill tool mounted to its robotic arm. The rover drilled a 2.5-inch (6.4 centimeters) hole into a flat Mars rock called "John Klein," named after a NASA Curiosity rover project manager who died in 2011.

The first sample drilling on Mars revealed an odd, gray interior of Martian rock that stood out in stark contrast to the ubiquitous orange-red of the Red Planet's surface. Curiosity scooped up a sample of the gray rock powder and placed it inside two onboard laboratories, called the Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument and Sample Analysis at Mars, to determine its chemical makeup. [1st Mars Drilling on Mars by Curiosity (Photos)]

NASA is expected to discuss the results from those tests in Tuesday's press conference, which will include presentations by the following scientists:

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity landed on the Red Planet on Aug. 5 to begin a two-year primary mission aimed at determining if the planet is now, or could ever have been, capable of supporting primitive life. The $2.5 billion Curiosity is about the size of a car, making it the largest rover ever to explore Mars. It carries 10 different science instruments to study the Red Planet in unprecedented detail.

Curiosity landed inside the huge Gale Crater on Mars and is currently at a site called Yellowknife Bay, which is home to the John Klein rock. The rover is ultimately destined to a region dubbed Glenelg, which is near the base of a 3-mile-high (5 kilometers) mountain rising from the center of Gale Crater.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him@tariqjmalikandGoogle+. Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+.Original article on SPACE.com.

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NASA Unveiling New Mars Discoveries by Curiosity Rover Tuesday

Something unexpected is happening on the Sun, Nasa says:

Nothing.

While all predictions suggest that 2013 should mark the high point of solar activity over a regular 11-year sunspot cycle - the so-called 'Solar Max' - our star is actually in a remarkably quiet mood.

Nasa said that since the start of the year there has been a pronounced lack of major solar flares and other activity which should be seen at this point in the Sun's cycle.

Above: a picture released by Nasa illustrating low solar activity

Nasa said that "sunspot numbers are well below their values from 2011, and strong solar flares have been infrequent."

It went on:

However, there is no reason to panic. Nasa explains in a lengthy and interesting post that the solar cycle is very complex, and can have multiple peaks and troughs over time. It's worth a read if you're interested or terrified.

Meanwhile solar flares are still occurring - one forced the Mars rover Curiosity into safe mode earlier this week - and the current lull is described as a "quiet interlude" rather than a potential source of humanity's ultimate downfall.

Excerpt from:

Nasa : 'Something Is Wrong With The Sun'

NASA TV

The International Space Station's robotic arm unloads grapple-bar assemblies from the unpressurized "trunk" of SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule on Wednesday.

By Miriam Kramer Space.com

NASA engineers used a robotic arm on Wednesday to unpack the first exterior cargo ever delivered to the International Space Station by an American-built commercial supply ship.

A robotics team at NASA Mission Control in Houston remotely controlled the space station's 58-foot (17-meter) Canadarm2 robotic arm to unload two so-called grapple bars from the unpressurized "trunk" of the privately built unmanned Dragon space capsule. The Dragon's trunk is a cylindrical cargo section beneath the spacecraft's re-entry module.

The Dragon spacecraft, built by California-basedSpaceX, was launched to the space station on Friday and arrived two days later, delivering about 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of supplies to the orbiting lab. It's the second of 12 scheduled SpaceX cargo deliveries for NASA under a $1.6 billion agreement.

SpaceX launched a demonstration flight to the space station last May and made its first cargo delivery inOctober. But both of those missions only carried items inside the Dragon's pressurized capsule, which is accessible to astronauts on the station through a docking hatch. [See photos of Dragon's space station arrival]

The current mission marks the first time SpaceX has ever delivered gear meant for the outside of the space station using the Dragon's trunk. SpaceX built the support hardware holding the grapple bars in place on the Dragon capsule, company officials said.

The six astronauts living aboard the space station finished unloading the pressurized cargo section on Monday, leaving only the grapple bars to be retrieved. "These bars, which together weigh about 600 pounds [272 kilograms], can be used to remove failed radiators on the stations S1 and P1 truss segments, should that ever be deemed necessary," NASA officials said in a statement.

The grapple bars will be stored in a temporary spot on the International Space Station exterior for now, but will eventually be mounted to a permanent storage point, NASA officials said.

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NASA unpacks 'trunk' of SpaceX's cargo craft

March 8, 2013

Image Caption: This artist's concept features NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, a mobile robot for investigating Mars' past or present ability to sustain microbial life. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT), Tuesday, March 12, to discuss the Curiosity rovers analysis of the first sample of rock powder ever collected on Mars.

The briefing, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agencys website.

The participants will be:

Michael Meyer, lead scientist, Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington John Grotzinger, Curiosity project scientist, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. David Blake, principal investigator for Curiositys Chemistry and Mineralogy investigation, NASAs Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Paul Mahaffy, principal investigator for Curiositys Sample Analysis at Mars investigation, NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

During a two-year prime mission, researchers are using Curiositys 10 science instruments to assess whether the Gale Crater area on Mars ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv .The event will also be streamed live on Ustream at: http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl .

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Briefing On Curiosity's Analysis Of Mars Rock Held By NASA

HOUSTON -- NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will host a crew news conference at 1 p.m. CDT (2 p.m. EDT) Tuesday, March 19, to preview the May launch of an American, an Italian and a Russian to the International Space Station.

NASA Television and the agency's website will broadcast the briefings live.

Karen Nyberg of NASA, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency will discuss their Expedition 36-37 mission. The trio is set to launch to the station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft May 28 and return to Earth in mid-November. Social media followers, who will be at Johnson for a NASA Social focusing on scientific research aboard the space station, will participate in the briefing and ask questions of the crew.

Nyberg, Parmitano and Yurchikhin are three of the six crew members comprising Expeditions 36 and 37. When they arrive at the station, they will join NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexsandr Misurkin.

Following the news conference, interview opportunities are available in-person, by phone or through the Internet. To reserve an interview opportunity, news media representatives must contact Johnson's newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 5 p.m., Friday, March 15.

For those attending the briefing in Houston, the deadline for U.S. reporters to request credentials is March 15. The deadline for international journalists is Wednesday, March 13. Reporters who want to ask questions from other NASA centers should contact those centers' newsrooms for specific deadlines.

To participate by telephone, reporters must contact Johnson's newsroom at least 15 minutes before the briefing. Media will not be able to connect after the briefing has started. Journalists participating in person will receive priority. Questions by phone and social media will be taken as time permits.

For more information on the NASA Social event registration visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/social_ISS_JSC_mar2013.html

To see training and mission posts from Parmitano on Twitter, follow: @astro_luca

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NASA Briefing Highlights Expedition 36-37 Space Station Crew