Space debris: Space can be sprinkled with jagged junk resulting from satellite collisions.

Work is underway to create a spacecraft that won't be rocketed into outer space but will be purposely destroyed on the ground.

DebriSat is a 110-pound satellite that's a double for a modern low-Earth orbit spacecraft in terms of its components, materials used, and fabrication procedures. But once fabricated and tested, DebriSat is doomed.

The spacecraft will be the target of a future hypervelocity impact experiment to examine the physical characteristics of debris created when two satellites collide.

NASA and the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center are co-sponsors of DebriSat. The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston is leading the effort. [Photos: Space Debris Images & Cleanup Concepts]

Data gleaned from demolishing DebriSat will be valuable in the short- and long-term, said J. C. Liou of NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office.

"Collision fragments are expected to dominate the future orbital debris environment," Liou told SPACE.com. Therefore, he said, a high fidelity breakup model describing the outcome of a satellite collision in terms of the fragment size, mass, area-to-mass ratio, shape, and composition distributions is needed for reliable short- and long-term impact risk assessments.

Those appraisals deal with debris as small as 1 millimeter for critical space assets and for good orbital debris environment definition, Liou said. Some of the distributions for "large" fragments can be obtained from the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN) observations. But the SSN data are limited to 4 inches and larger objects. "Laboratory-based experiments are necessary to collect data for smaller debris," he said.

As a modern satellite target, obliterating DebriSat is expected to improve the NASA standard satellite breakup model.

Liou pointed out that the Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA have conducted quite a few laboratory-based impact tests in the past. One of the key experiments supporting the development of the NASA and DoD satellite breakup models was called SOCIT, short for Satellite Orbital debris Characterization Impact Test series.

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NASA to demolish spacecraft for science

The outcome of the 2012 presidential election is unlikely to have a profound impact on the future direction of American spaceflight and exploration, experts say.

While Republican candidate Mitt Romney has revealed few details about his space plans, a Romney Administration probably wouldn't dramatically alter the path NASA is currently pursuing under President Barack Obama, according to some observers.

"There are unlikely, as a result of the election, to be seismic changes," said space policy expert John Logsdon, a professor emeritus at George Washington University.

The status quo

In 2010, President Obama directed NASA to work toward getting astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025, then on to the vicinity of Mars by the mid-2030s. [Gallery: President Obama and NASA]

To reach these deep-space destinations, the agency is developing a huge rocket called the Space Launch System and a crew capsule called Orion. NASA hopes the SLS-Orion combo will begin launching astronauts by late 2021.

The Obama Administration has also encouraged NASA to hand over crew and cargo activities in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to private American companies. The aim is to fill the void left by the 2011 retirement of the space shuttle program, which was set in motion by President George W. Bush back in 2004.

NASA has doled out a total of $1.4 billion in the past two years to firms developing crewed vehicles. The agency wants at least two crewed commercial spaceships to be up and running by 2017; until then, the United States will remain dependent on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to provide this orbital taxi service.

The progress has been faster on the cargo front, with California-based SpaceX completing the first of 12 contracted supply flights to the International Space Station with its robotic Dragon capsule last month. NASA has also inked a resupply deal with Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp., which aims to launch a demonstration mission to the orbiting lab in the coming months.

- Space policy expert John Logsdon

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Election outcome won't affect NASA, experts say

International Space Station. Credit: NASA

Published: Nov. 5, 2012 at 7:42 PM

HOUSTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- NASA has announced a service that will send people an email or text message to help them catch sight of the International Space Station when is passes overhead.

The "Spot the Station" program was announced to mark the 12th anniversary of crews continuously living and working aboard the International Space Station, the space agency said.

When the station is visible, usually at dawn and dusk, it is the brightest object in the night sky, other than the moon, and can be seen as a fast moving point of light similar in size and brightness to the planet Venus, NASA officials said.

"It's really remarkable to see the space station fly overhead and to realize humans built an orbital complex that can be spotted from Earth by almost anyone looking up at just the right moment," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations.

People who sign up at spotthestation.nasa.gov can choose to receive alerts about morning sighting opportunities, evening sightings or both, NASA said.

The sighting information is calculated by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for more than 4,600 locations worldwide, all of which are available on "Spot the Station."

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NASA helps watchers spot space station

Predictions say NASA funding is unlikely to rise under either a Democratic or Republican president. However, NASA's priorities under Obama or Romney might be different.

The outcome of today's (Nov. 6) presidential election is unlikely to have a profound impact on the future direction of American spaceflight and exploration, experts say.

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While Republican candidate Mitt Romney has revealed few details about hisspace plans, a Romney Administration probably wouldn't dramatically alter the path NASA is currently pursuing under President Barack Obama, according to some observers.

"There are unlikely, as a result of the election, to be seismic changes," said space policy expert John Logsdon, a professor emeritus at George Washington University.

In 2010, President Obama directed NASA to work toward getting astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025, then on to the vicinity of Mars by the mid-2030s. [Gallery: President Obama and NASA]

To reach these deep-space destinations, the agency is developing a huge rocket called theSpace Launch Systemand a crew capsule called Orion. NASA hopes the SLS-Orion combo will begin launching astronauts by late 2021.

The Obama Administration has also encouraged NASA to hand over crew and cargo activities in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to private American companies. The aim is to fill the void left by the 2011 retirement of thespace shuttle program, which was set in motion by President George W. Bush back in 2004.

NASA has doled out a total of $1.4 billion in the past two years to firms developing crewed vehicles. The agency wants at least two crewed commercial spaceships to be up and running by 2017; until then, the United States will remain dependent on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to provide this orbital taxi service.

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Will election results affect NASA funding?

President Barack Obama's re-election Tuesday night (Nov. 6) means NASA will likely continue along its current path, working to get astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 among other goals.

A change of course for the space agency was possible had Mitt Romney won the presidency, as the Republican candidate pledged to reassess NASA's path forward. But we'll never know what a Romney-revised path may have looked like, for President Obama won the day.

Here's a brief look at some of NASA's larger aims and ambitions, which it should continue to work toward over at least the next four years.

An asteroid, then Mars

In 2010, President Obama directed NASA to get astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025, then on to the vicinity of Mars by the mid-2030s. [Gallery: Presidential Visions for Space Exploration]

To reach these deep-space destinations, the agency is developing a huge rocket called the Space Launch Systemand a crew capsule called Orion. NASA hopes the SLS-Orion combo will begin launching astronauts by late 2021.

The Obama Administration has also encouraged NASA to hand over crew and cargo activities in low-Earth orbit to private American companies. The goal is to fill the void left by the 2011 retirement of the space shuttle program, which was set in motion by President George W. Bush back in 2004.

NASA has awarded a total of $1.4 billion in the past two years to firms developing crewed vehicles. The agency wants at least two such commercial spaceships to be up and running by 2017. Until then, the United States will remain dependent on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to ferry its astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

The progress has been faster on the cargo front, with California-based SpaceX completing the first of 12 contracted supply flights to the orbital lab last month with its robotic Dragon capsule.

NASA's cargo deal with SpaceX is worth $1.6 billion. The agency has also signed a $1.9 billion resupply contract with Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. to make eight unmanned flights with its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft. Orbital aims to launch a demonstration mission to the space station in the coming months.

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Obama Win Keeps NASA on Course — Toward an Asteroid

A team of NASA scientists has captured amazing radar images of a huge, mile-wide asteroid as it drifted silently millions of miles from Earth its closest approach to our planet for the next 200 years.

Astronomers with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., used the agency's Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, Calif. to capture three new radar views of asteroid 2007 PA8 between Oct. 28 and 30. By the end of the cosmic photo session, the asteroid was about 5.6 million miles (9 million kilometers) from Earth.

As of Monday (Nov. 5), the asteroidwas about 4 million miles (6.5 million km) from our planet. That is about 17 times the distance between the Earth and moon.

"The radar images of asteroid 2007 PA8 indicate that it is an elongated, irregularly shaped object approximately one mile (1.6 km) wide, with ridges and perhaps craters," officials with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., wrote in an image description on Monday. "The data also indicate that 2007 PA8 rotates very slowly, roughly once every three to four days."

The new images of asteroid 2007 PA8 reveal views of the space rock from above its north pole. The images were generated from multiple radar observations taken by the 230-foot (70 meters) antenna at Goldstone. [How Radio Telescopes Probe Asteroids (Video)]

As its name suggests, asteroid 2007 PA8 was discovered in 2007 by astronomers with the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory. Since then, scientists have continued to learn more about the near-Earth asteroid, NASA officials said.

"The trajectory of asteroid 2007 PA8 is well understood," they wrote. "This flyby was the closest Earth approach by this asteroid for at least the next 200 years."

This isn't the first time NASA has used radar observations to capture new images of nearby asteroids. Just last year, on Nov. 8, 2011, the huge asteroid 2005 YU55 passed Earth well inside the orbit of the moon as astronomers and telescopes watched from around the world. The observation campaign captured unprecedented radar and optical images of the big asteroid, which was nearly 1,300 feet wide (400 meters).

NASA scientists and astronomers around the world regularly track near-Earth asteroids and search for previously unknown space rocks with telescopes on Earth and in space. The work is aimed at determining if any asteroids pose an impact threat to our planet.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory oversees the space agency's Near-Earth Object Program Office and includes the Asteroid Watch program, which serves as a public outreach effort. Today (Nov. 6), Asteroid Watch scientists said another space rock, the asteroid 2012 VD5, just zoomed by Earth just beyond the moon's orbit.

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NASA Photos Show Mile-Wide Asteroid in Deep Space

NASA Celebrates Atlantis as Pioneer, Inspiration
Astronauts and senior NASA management noted the contributions of space shuttle Atlantis as they signed the spacecraft over for a new mission of inspiration as it goes on public display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.From:nvdktubeViews:0 0ratingsTime:03:31More inScience Technology

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NASA Celebrates Atlantis as Pioneer, Inspiration - Video

The 2MIN News [November 3, 2012]
I DO NOT OWN THIS VIDEO http://www.youtube.com http://www.youtube.com ============================================== Collapsing Atmosphere/Magnetic Shield: youtu.be STARWATER: youtu.be TODAY #39;S LINKS Quake half Hot Springs: http://www.cbc.ca Debt Limit: http://www.chicagotribune.com SAMPEX: http://www.nasa.gov XRay Sat for Nanoflares: http://www.nasa.gov Queensland Heat: http://www.weatherzone.com.au Western Australia Hail: http://www.weatherzone.com.au REPEAT LINKS Spaceweather: spaceweather.com [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density] HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu [Click online data, and have a little fun] CERES JPL: ssd.jpl.nasa.gov SDO: sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth] Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org SOHO: sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth] Stereo: stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side] SunAEON: http://www.sunaeon.com [Just click it... trust me] SOLARIMG: solarimg.org [All purpose data viewing site] iSWA: iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers] NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov US Wind Map: hint.fm NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov RADIATION Network: radiationnetwork.com NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov RSOE: hisz.rsoe.hu [That cool alert map I use] GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov JAPAN Radiation Map: jciv.iidj.net LISS: earthquake.usgs.gov Gamma Ray Bursts: grb.sonoma.edu [Really? You can #39;t figure out what this ...From:psxoopsandfailsViews:0 0ratingsTime:02:56More inNews Politics

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The 2MIN News [November 3, 2012] - Video

Dragon #39;s Safe Return on This Week @NASA
The SpaceX Dragon capsule that splashed down Sunday in the Pacific off Mexico #39;s Baja California coast is back on dry land. Its recovery ship returned the spacecraft to San Pedro, California, laden with more than 3-quarters of a ton of cargo from the International Space Station, much of it related to science experiments conducted in space to benefit us here on Earth. Also, successful spacewalk; Endeavour #39;s new digs; Atlantis #39; final move; KSC #39;s future; Curiosity report; and more!From:MysteriesHunterViews:0 0ratingsTime:09:39More inScience Technology

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Dragon's Safe Return on This Week @NASA - Video

Apollo 1: FACTS - Part B (Film Archival Compilation Tape Series)
JSC-1592B_Apollo_1_FACTS.wmv (1996) APOLLO 1 FACTS (FILM ARCHIVAL COMPILATION TAPE SERIES) JSC1592A-B - (1996) Part B - 50 Minutes - Apollo 1 post fire inspection (CBS pool footage); Apollo 204 de-stacking, vehicle inspection and accident review board; Grissom and Chaffee funerals at Arlington, VA; and White funeral at West Point, NY NASA/ JSC - courtesy of nasaimages.orgFrom:HumanHistoryArchiveViews:2 0ratingsTime:51:40More inScience Technology

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Apollo 1: FACTS - Part B (Film Archival Compilation Tape Series) - Video

Angry birds space gameplay mac: ep 2
This is the 2 part of the Playtrough for the new Angry Birds Space for mac, made by Rovio and NASA. story: The chase is on! After a giant claw kidnaps their eggs, the Angry Birds chase it into a wormhole and find themselves floating in a strange new galaxy -- surrounded by space pigs! Luckily the Angry Birds have super powers of their own... Angry Birds Space introduces you to new adventures on planets and in zero gravity, resulting in spectacular gameplay ranging from slow-motion puzzles to lightspeed destruction. With brand new birds, brand new superpowers, and a whole galaxy to explore, the sky is no longer the limit! Also featuring the DANGER ZONE, the most difficult Angry Birds levels ever! Can you master the Danger Zone?From:KILLERF00TViews:0 0ratingsTime:09:17More inGaming

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Angry birds space gameplay mac: ep 2 - Video

NGC 6362
This video starts with a broad view of the Milky Way. We close in gradually on a fuzzy blob in the southern constellation of Ara (The Altar). This is one of more than 150 globular star clusters that orbit the centre of our galaxy. The main image of the globular cluster NGC 6362 used here comes from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO #39;s La Silla Observatory in Chile and the final detailed view of the centre from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.From:Kowch737Views:0 0ratingsTime:01:44More inScience Technology

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NGC 6362 - Video

Tungli Moon
My almost 2 yo son is mesmerized by the moon. So I took the liberty of mixing images from Nasa with a beloved icelandic singer Didd performing a song from 1978 called Tungli, tungli taktu mig. (Moon, moon take me and carry me up to the skies). A song I constantly sing for son but not as good as Didd so now he can have his moon and the song all in one when real moon is hiding behind the clouds. Originals: http://www.youtube.com http://www.youtube.comFrom:beddarinnViews:1 0ratingsTime:12:47More inPeople Blogs

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Tunglið Moon - Video

Hurricane Sandy from Goes 13
This NASA animation of satellite imagery shows the life of Hurricane Sandy from its development in the Caribbean Sea on Oct. 21, through its track up the US East coast and landfall. The animation continues through Oct. 31 when Sandy had weakened to a remnant low pressure area. Credit: NASA GOES ProjectFrom:knowledgeorbViews:0 0ratingsTime:03:23More inScience Technology

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Hurricane Sandy from Goes 13 - Video

Large Green Rod UFO at ISS.
3 Nov. 2012. Link - http://www.nasa.govFrom:Streetcap1Views:0 0ratingsTime:00:31More inScience Technology

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Large Green Rod UFO at ISS. - Video

NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis arrival at Kennedy Space Center
On Friday, Space Shuttle Atlantis made its final voyage, marking the last time an orbiter in America #39;s shuttle program would be on the move. Check out more pictures of its arrival at Kennedy Space Center here: http://www.engadget.comFrom:engadgetViews:1 0ratingsTime:02:13More inScience Technology

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NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis arrival at Kennedy Space Center - Video

Constellation " Earth - Moon - Mars" 720p
NASA Video "Constellation" program.From:SatSatTSi8HDViews:0 0ratingsTime:13:18More inScience Technology

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Constellation " Earth - Moon - Mars" 720p - Video

NASA's lone remaining space shuttle, the Atlantis, departed the Kennedy Space Center on Friday for its final journey, a 10-mile trek to the spaceport Visitor Complex, where it will go on display.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- By dawn's early light today, the shuttle Atlantis was hauled out of the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building for the last time, rolling not to the launch pad but to the spaceport Visitor Complex 10 miles away, where it will go on public display next year -- the last of the iconic winged orbiters to make the transition to Earth-bound museum duty.

Mounted atop a 76-wheel transporter, Atlantis was slowly rolled out of the VAB starting at 3:30 a.m. PT, cheered on by a crowd of several hundred spaceport workers; a throng of reporters and photographers; and the ship's last crew.

The shuttle Atlantis begins its final voyage, a 9.8-mile trip to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where it will go on display next year.

Commander Christopher Ferguson, pilot Douglas Hurley, flight engineer Rex Walheim, and Sandra Magnus watched the final shuttle rollout with a mixture of emotions. They were on board when Atlantis blasted off on NASA's 135th and final shuttle flight on July 8, 2011.

"It's great to see Atlantis again," said Ferguson, who now works for Boeing. "Strange to see it horizontal in the VAB. My opinion is it looks better vertically!... But it's got a new role. The visitor's center here is going to be gorgeous, that's a very fitting display."

The long-awaited move marked the last time a space shuttle would be seen in motion, following similar museum runs for the prototype shuttle Enterprise, now on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City; the shuttle Discovery, on display at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport outside Washington; and the shuttle Endeavour, which was hauled through the streets of Los Angeles last month to the California Science Center.

"I went to see Discovery at the Smithsonian, which was great, but I walked in and that first look was like, 'oh, this doesn't belong here, this belongs in space!'" said Magnus, now the executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

"But it was really neat to stand there and look at all the people, they were all excited to see the space shuttle and there were conversations going on and I passed parents who were pointing out things to their kids. And that was really neat, to see people appreciating them the way they need to be appreciated."

Christopher Ferguson, commander of Atlantis' final mission, shared anecdotes about the orbiter before rollout Friday.

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Shuttle Atlantis, NASA's last orbiter, departs for museum duty

NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, already the longest-working spacecraft ever sent to Mars, will switch to some fresh, redundant equipment next week that has not been used since before launch in 2001.

Like many spacecraft, this orbiter carries a pair of redundant main computers, so that a backup is available if one fails. Odyssey's "A-side" computer and "B-side" computer each have several other redundant subsystems linked to just that computer. The Odyssey team has decided to switch to the B-side computer to begin using the B-side's inertial measurement unit. This gyroscope-containing mechanism senses changes in the spacecraft's orientation, providing important information for control of pointing the antenna, solar arrays and instruments.

"We have been on the A side for more than 11 years. Everything on the A side still works, but the inertial measurement unit on that side has been showing signs of wearing out," said Odyssey Mission Manager Chris Potts at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We will swap to the B side on Nov. 5 so that we still have some life available in reserve on the A side."

In many potential problem situations, the Odyssey's autonomous fault-protection response would switch the spacecraft from the active side to the other side. By preserving the capability of switching back to a fully functional A side, the mission continues to have the available protection of switching sides temporarily and correcting any fixable anomaly on the B side.

"The spare inertial measurement unit is factory new, last operated on the day before launch," Potts said.

Odyssey launched April 7, 2001, began orbiting Mars on Oct. 24 of that year, began systematic science observations of Mars in early 2002, and broke the previous record for longest-working Mars spacecraft in December 2010.

The side swap on Nov. 5 will intentionally put Odyssey into a reduced-activity status called "safe mode." As the team and the spacecraft verify all systems can operate well over the following several days, the orbiter will return to full operations, conducting its own science observations, as well as serving as a communications relay for NASA's active Mars rovers Opportunity and Curiosity.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which shares the data relay return responsibility for the rovers at Mars, will carry the full burden of relay support for both rovers -- Opportunity and Curiosity -- during Odyssey's side-swap period. There will be a reduction in the total amount of relay data returned from Mars. The rover teams will reduce the amount of data planned for downlinking until Odyssey returns to full capacity after the side swap is complete, and will maintain near-normal tactical operations in the interim.

Odyssey's longevity enables continued science, including the monitoring of seasonal changes on Mars from year to year, and continued communication-relay service.

Odyssey is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. JPL and Lockheed Martin collaborate on operating the spacecraft. For more about the Mars Odyssey mission, visit: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey .

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NASA's Mars Odyssey Orbiter Switching Computers

LOS ANGELES (AP) A California judge has tentatively ruled in favor of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former computer specialist who alleged he was singled out in part because of his belief in intelligent design.

Superior Court Judge Ernest Hiroshige issued a tentative ruling Thursday saying he was leaning toward finding in favor of JPL, which had argued at trial that David Coppedge was let go because he was combative and did not keep his skills sharp, not because of his belief that life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone.

Hiroshige, who presided over the civil trial in April, ordered a final ruling drawn up and distributed within 30 days.

Coppedge, a self-described evangelical Christian, had worked on NASA's Cassini mission to explore Saturn for 15 years until he was dismissed in 2011.

His attorney, William Becker, argued that Coppedge was let go because he advocated for intelligent design in the workplace, handed out DVDs on the theory and argued with a colleague about Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California.

In his lawsuit, Coppedge claimed he was demoted in 2009 and then let go for engaging his co-workers in conversations about his views.

Becker argued at trial that a supervisor told Coppedge to "stop pushing your religion," and that Coppedge was retaliated against for disputing a written warning and filing a lawsuit against the lab.

The case has been closely followed by intelligent design supporters, but Becker said the one-paragraph tentative ruling should not be seen as a referendum on the theory.

"It does not specify the court's reasoning and it would be foolhardy to discern from its general language that the court had anything to say about the validity of intelligent design as a scientific theory or as a religious belief," Becker said. "We don't believe it was about religious belief, but David's co-workers perceived it as one and that's equally offensive under the law."

At trial, JPL attorney Cameron Fox contended Coppedge was a stubborn and disconnected employee who decided not to heed warnings to get additional training, even when it became clear the Cassini mission would be downsized and computer specialist positions eliminated.

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Judge backs NASA lab in work discrimination case