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NASA to Test New Augmented Reality Glasses For Astronauts

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Washington: NASA is developing augmented reality glasses that could help ISS astronauts carry out difficult repairs in space.

NASA is teaming up with military tech company Osterhout Design Group (ODG) for the project and plans on testing the glasses this year in its giant underwater training facility in the Gulf of Mexico.

If the testing is successful, the glasses will then go with astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

After that, NASA plans on using the glasses for helping out astronauts with its Orion spacecraft, which is supposed to eventually land humans on asteroids and Mars.

San Francisco-based ODG's glasses include a processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sensors for figuring out where the user is looking. The glasses have been primarily used by various US military agencies, but ODG is also launching a version for consumption.

For NASA, equipping astronauts with these glasses could make space flight a lot more manageable for astronauts.

The main use would be sending instructions straight to the user's eye for maintaining and repairing equipment on space shuttles.

The glasses could also send live video feed back to someone who is knowledgeable about a piece of equipment and send audio or visual instructions to the wearer of the smart glasses.

This could potentially cut down on the enormous amount of time astronauts have to spend on the ground training for missions to space, 'Forbes.com' reported.

"The amount of savings in training could be staggering," said Sean Carter, the manager of new business development at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

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NASA to Test New Augmented Reality Glasses For Astronauts

NASA's MMS prepping to study magnetic reconnection phenomenon

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This is an artist's concept of the MMS observatory fleet with rainbow magnetic lines. (Credit: NASA)

Provided by Susie Hendrix, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Following a successful launch at 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASAs four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft are positioned in Earths orbit to begin the first space mission dedicated to the study of a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. This process is thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in our solar system.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft onboard launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, March 12, 2015, in Florida. (Credit: NASA)

The spacecraft, positioned one on top of the other on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 421 rocket, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. After reaching orbit, each spacecraft deployed from the rockets upper stage sequentially, in five-minute increments, beginning at 12:16 a.m. Friday, with the last separation occurring at 12:31 a.m. NASA scientists and engineers were able to confirm the health of all separated spacecraft at 12:40 a.m.

I am speaking for the entire MMS team when I say were thrilled to see all four of our spacecraft have deployed and data indicates we have a healthy fleet, said Craig Tooley, project manager at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

[VIDEO: Next stop Mars: NASA tests most powerful booster ever created]

Over the next several weeks, NASA scientists and engineers will deploy booms and antennas on the spacecraft, and test all instruments. The observatories will later be placed into a pyramid formation in preparation for science observations, which are expected to begin in early September.

After a decade of planning and engineering, the science team is ready to go to work, said Jim Burch, principal investigator for the MMS instrument suite science team at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio (SwRI). Weve never had this type of opportunity to study this fundamental process in such detail.

The mission will provide the first three-dimensional views of reconnection occurring in Earths protective magnetic space environment, the magnetosphere. Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic fields connect, disconnect, and reconfigure explosively, releasing bursts of energy that can reach the order of billions of megatons of trinitrotoluene (commonly known as TNT). These explosions can send particles surging through space near the speed of light.

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NASA's MMS prepping to study magnetic reconnection phenomenon

NASA spacecraft in Earth's orbit, preparing to study magnetic reconnection

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IMAGE:This is an artist's concept of the MMS observatory fleet with rainbow magnetic lines. view more

Following a successful launch at 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASA's four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft are positioned in Earth's orbit to begin the first space mission dedicated to the study of a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. This process is thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in our solar system.

The spacecraft, positioned one on top of the other on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 421 rocket, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. After reaching orbit, each spacecraft deployed from the rocket's upper stage sequentially, in five-minute increments, beginning at 12:16 a.m. Friday, with the last separation occurring at 12:31 a.m. NASA scientists and engineers were able to confirm the health of all separated spacecraft at 12:40 a.m.

"I am speaking for the entire MMS team when I say we're thrilled to see all four of our spacecraft have deployed and data indicates we have a healthy fleet," said Craig Tooley, project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Over the next several weeks, NASA scientists and engineers will deploy booms and antennas on the spacecraft, and test all instruments. The observatories will later be placed into a pyramid formation in preparation for science observations, which are expected to begin in early September.

"After a decade of planning and engineering, the science team is ready to go to work," said Jim Burch, principal investigator for the MMS instrument suite science team at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio (SwRI). "We've never had this type of opportunity to study this fundamental process in such detail."

The mission will provide the first three-dimensional views of reconnection occurring in Earth's protective magnetic space environment, the magnetosphere. Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic fields connect, disconnect, and reconfigure explosively, releasing bursts of energy that can reach the order of billions of megatons of trinitrotoluene (commonly known as TNT). These explosions can send particles surging through space near the speed of light.

Scientists expect the mission will not only help them better understand magnetic reconnection, but also will provide insight into these powerful events, which can disrupt modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation, and electrical power grids.

By studying reconnection in this local, natural laboratory, scientists can understand the process elsewhere, such as in the atmosphere of the sun and other stars, in the vicinity of black holes and neutron stars, and at the boundary between our solar system's heliosphere and interstellar space.

The spacecraft will fly in a tight formation through regions of reconnection activity. Using sensors designed to measure the space environment at rates100 times faster than any previous mission.

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NASA spacecraft in Earth's orbit, preparing to study magnetic reconnection

Sea surface temperature and ocean current along the U.S. West coast – Video

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Sea surface temperature and ocean current along the U.S. West coast
The visualization of one year sea surface temperature and ocean current along the U.S. West coast. Images from http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=3912 Credit : NASA/Goddard...

By: Hajoon Song

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Sea surface temperature and ocean current along the U.S. West coast - Video

NASA's Hubble observations suggest underground ocean on Jupiter's largest moon

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IMAGE:In this artist's concept, the moon Ganymede orbits the giant planet Jupiter. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed aurorae on the moon generated by Ganymede's magnetic fields. A saline ocean under... view more

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has the best evidence yet for an underground saltwater ocean on Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon. The subterranean ocean is thought to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface.

Identifying liquid water is crucial in the search for habitable worlds beyond Earth and for the search of life as we know it.

"This discovery marks a significant milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy crust of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth."

Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system and the only moon with its own magnetic field. The magnetic field causes aurorae, which are ribbons of glowing, hot electrified gas, in regions circling the north and south poles of the moon. Because Ganymede is close to Jupiter, it is also embedded in Jupiter's magnetic field. When Jupiter's magnetic field changes, the aurorae on Ganymede also change, "rocking" back and forth.

By watching the rocking motion of the two aurorae, scientists were able to determine that a large amount of saltwater exists beneath Ganymede's crust affecting its magnetic field.

A team of scientists led by Joachim Saur of the University of Cologne in Germany came up with the idea of using Hubble to learn more about the inside of the moon.

"I was always brainstorming how we could use a telescope in other ways," said Saur. "Is there a way you could use a telescope to look inside a planetary body? Then I thought, the aurorae! Because aurorae are controlled by the magnetic field, if you observe the aurorae in an appropriate way, you learn something about the magnetic field. If you know the magnetic field, then you know something about the moon's interior."

If a saltwater ocean were present, Jupiter's magnetic field would create a secondary magnetic field in the ocean that would counter Jupiter's field. This "magnetic friction" would suppress the rocking of the aurorae. This ocean fights Jupiter's magnetic field so strongly that it reduces the rocking of the aurorae to 2 degrees, instead of the 6 degrees, if the ocean was not present.

Scientists estimate the ocean is 60 miles (100 kilometers) thick - 10 times deeper than Earth's oceans - and is buried under a 95-mile (150-kilometer) crust of mostly ice.

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NASA's Hubble observations suggest underground ocean on Jupiter's largest moon

Public Invited to NASA Goddard Hubble Space Telescope 25th Anniversary Celebration

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GREENBELT, Md., March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will mark 25 years since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope with a free public event at its visitor center on Saturday, March 28, 2015, from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EDT. There are ongoing activities and two sessions, one beginning at 7 p.m. and the second beginning at 9 p.m. Anyone wishing to attend isasked to register because space is limited.

On April 24, 2015, NASA will mark the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's launch. Since its launch, Hubble has allowed astronomers to observe the universe in stunning clarity, revealed properties of space and time, and shed light on many of the great mysteries of the universe making conjectures certainties. Today, Hubble continues to provide views of cosmic wonders never before seen and is at the forefront of many new discoveries.

To participate in one of the event's two presentation sessions, guests must preregister online at http://socialforms.nasa.gov/goddard-visitor-center-hubble-25. Registration is not required to participate in the event's other activities.

The first presentation session will include engaging lectures that will start at 7 p.m., with a second session at 9 p.m. for those who miss the first session. Presenters include Michael Soluri, a New York City-based documentary photographer, speaker and author; and Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, a senior astrophysicist at NASA Goddard where she serves as the senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope.

Soluri's photography has appeared in numerous American, European and Brazilian print and online publications like Time, Discover, Air & Space, NPR.org, Family Circle, Mother Earth News, Wired UK, Grazia, Amica, Vogue Brasil and Claudia. His recently published book, "Infinite Worlds," has been cited in Quest, Air & Space, Discover, Spaceflight Insider and Space Collect, among other publications. Images from the book are currently being exhibited in "Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity" at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington; "Hubble@25" at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York; and the space shuttle Atlantis pavilion at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Wiseman previously headed the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory at Goddard. She studies the formation of stars in interstellar clouds using optical, infrared and radio telescopes. She discovered a comet while pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University.

Soluri will open Session 1 at 7 p.m. and Session 2 at 9 p.m. Wiseman will follow Soluri in Session 1 at 7:30 p.m., and in Session 2 at 9:30 p.m.

Soluri will share the insights of his three-year photographic journey documenting the final Hubble servicing missions. Wiseman will highlight stunning space images, references to key scientific advancements and a description of unexpected discoveries enabled by the success of Hubble.

Throughout the evening, additional activities will include:

Guests should arrive at least 15 minutes before their registered session to allow for time to parking and checking in.

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Public Invited to NASA Goddard Hubble Space Telescope 25th Anniversary Celebration

Balloon Makes First Commercial Flight to Near Space

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A company that plans to send tourists to near-space by balloon has just completed its first commercial flight.

The Arizona-based companyWorld View lofted two payloads during an umanned balloon flight Sunday from southeastern Arizona. The mission was part of NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorates Flight Opportunities Program, which flies experiments designed by students, educators and researchers.

World View is committed to furthering stratospheric exploration and research, Taber MacCallum, World Views chief technology officer, said in a statement. Our first flight as a NASA flight service provider marks the launch of our commercial efforts to aid research and education by providing a new way for NASA and others to access near-space.

One of the experiments measured the properties of cosmic rays, which are believed to emanate from supernova explosions. The payload was developed by 18 undergraduate students and three faculty members at Gannon University in Pennsylvania.

The second experiment, known as the Planetary Atmospheres Minor Species Sensor, is designed to measure the distribution of gases in the air of Earth and other worlds. It was designed by students from the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida.

Many types of space applications and research need more access to near-space than has been possible previously, World View chief scientist Alan Stern, who is also principal investigator of NASAs Pluto-bound New Horizons mission, said in the same statement..

With this flight, Stern added, World View illustrates its ability to provide expanded access to the near-space environment for NASA, private corporations and universities.

In February, Arizona-based World View announced it had broken the world altitude record for a parafoil flight. The altitude of 102,200 feet (31,151 meters) is the same that officials hope to reach when they loft passengers, officials added.

World Views passenger flights would cost $75,000 per person and would soar high enough for passengers to see black sky and the curvature of the Earth. Last year, the organization said it plans to offer these flights starting in 2016.

Follow Elizabeth Howell@howellspace, or Space.com Originally published onSpace.com.

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Balloon Makes First Commercial Flight to Near Space

World View Completes First Commercial Flight For NASA

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Thu, Mar 12, 2015

Commercial balloon spaceflight company World View, has completed their first commercial flight carrying research payloads as part of NASA Space Technology Mission Directorates Flight Opportunities Program.

This program gives students, researchers and educators the opportunity to fly their experiments and payloads with proven commercial flight companies.

World View is committed to furthering stratospheric exploration and research, said Taber MacCallum, World Views Chief Technology Officer. Our first flight as a NASA flight service provider marks the launch of our commercial efforts to aid research and education by providing a new way for NASA and others to access near-space.

Through this flight, World View has demonstrated that they can provide commercial access to near space to advance science and technology of interest to NASA, said Dr. LK Kubendran, Program Executive for NASA Flight Opportunities.

This flight carried two university experiments to the edge of space. In one experiment, eighteen undergraduate students and three faculty members from Gannon University developed and flew equipment designed to measure new aspects in the composition of cosmic rays, a long standing research topic in astronomy. For the second experiment, students from the Florida Space Institute at University of Central Florida tested their Planetary Atmospheres Minor Species Sensor (PAMSS), which is designed to detect the amount and distribution of gases in the atmospheres of Earth and other planets.

Many types of space applications and research need more access to near-space than has been possible previously, said Dr. Alan Stern, World Views Chief Scientist. With this flight, World View illustrates its ability to provide expanded access to the near-space environment for NASA, private corporations and universities.

(File image provided by World View Experience)

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World View Completes First Commercial Flight For NASA

World View Makes 1st Commercial Balloon Flight to Near Space

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A company that plans to send tourists to near-space by balloon has just completed its first commercial flight.

The Arizona-based companyWorld View lofted two payloads during an umanned balloon flight Sunday (March 8) from southeastern Arizona. The mission was part of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate's Flight Opportunities Program, which flies experiments designed by students, educators and researchers.

"World View is committed to furthering stratospheric exploration and research," Taber MacCallum, World View's chief technology officer, said in a statement. "Our first flight as a NASA flight service provider marks the launch of our commercial efforts to aid research and education by providing a new way for NASA and others to access near-space."

One of the experiments measured the properties of cosmic rays, which are believed to emanate from supernova explosions. The payload was developed by 18 undergraduate students and three faculty members at Gannon University in Pennsylvania.

The second experiment, known as the Planetary Atmospheres Minor Species Sensor, is designed to measure the distribution of gases in the air of Earth and other worlds. It was designed by students from the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida.

"Many types of space applications and research need more access to near-space than has been possible previously," World View chief scientist Alan Stern, who is also principal investigator of NASA's Pluto-bound New Horizons mission, said in the same statement..

"With this flight," Stern added, "World View illustrates its ability to provide expanded access to the near-space environment for NASA, private corporations and universities."

In February, Arizona-based World View announced it had broken the world altitude record for a parafoil flight. The altitude of 102,200 feet (31,151 meters) is the same that officials hope to reach when they loft passengers, officials added.

World View's passenger flights would cost $75,000 per person and would soar high enough for passengers to see black sky and the curvature of the Earth. Last year, the organization said it plans to offer these flights starting in 2016.

Follow Elizabeth Howell@howellspace, or Space.com@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebookandGoogle+.Originally published onSpace.com.

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World View Makes 1st Commercial Balloon Flight to Near Space

US betting on 3D printing to win the space race

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NASA is now using 3D printing techniques to manufacture rockets in order to regain competitiveness versus the Russian space industry.

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Centre(MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama is currently using 3D printing in pursuit of an objective which sounds as if it came straight out of the pages of the Cold War annals: building 100%-US-made space rockets with superior performance to those being made by Russian manufacturers. Since the demise of the USSR, the United States has seriously neglected its own equipment production and has instead been buying a huge amount of space gear from the old enemy. In the early 1990s, the abundant, reliable and low-cost Russian rockets provided a highly attractive alternative to the expensive American variety. This cooperative trend continued unabated until the recent cooling of relations between the two countries.

3D printing should enable the US government to build space rockets faster and at a lower cost

In order to reduce dependence on Russian rockets which are today used to take satellites that are vital for national security up into orbit the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently made massive investments in the MSFC, which, back in the 1960s, was one of the flagship US space industry bases. The major issue is how to become competitive again given that the US has been importing Russian rockets for over twenty years. The main hopes of NASAs revitalised rocket programme are resting on state-of-the-art digital technology combining computer modelling and additive layer manufacturing (ALM), popularly known as 3D printing. One of the project management team, Steve Cook, who was quizzed recently by the Popular Science website, underlined that this approach is likely to save both a great deal of time and considerable amounts of raw material.

To take just one example, agas generator injector, which would take fifteen months to build using traditional assembly methods, can now be built in just fifteen days, with a 70% reduction in the cost of manufacturing. Moreover, the process of superimposing layer upon layer of material to create a solid object without welds, joins or fasteners, which is characteristic of the 3D printing method, also considerably reduces the weight of the part, thus freeing up precious pounds of thrust that can then be used for payload. In the same vein, printing out a thrust chamber (the main part of the engine, which includes the combustion chamber and fuel nozzle), will cost an estimated 35% less than assembling it in the traditional way, while at the same time the additive manufacturing approach will save months of work. In the longer term, most of the rocket components could be printed, resulting in a powerful, cost-effective, fast-built engine. A first demonstration model is expected to be available sometime in 2018.

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US betting on 3D printing to win the space race

Space rocket passes key test ahead of Nasa deep-space launcher flight

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The motor is 25% more powerful than the four-segment engines used to help lift the space shuttle

A beefed-up space shuttle solid rocket motor passed a two-minute test firing in Utah on Wednesday, a key milestone toward the debut flight of Nasas deep-space launcher in 2018, the US space agency said.

Anchored horizontally to a test stand in the desert in Promontory, Utah, the five-segment motor, built by Orbital ATK, ignited at 9.30am local time.

Bright flames shot out the rear of the rocket for two minutes, marking the first full-duration burn of the enhanced solid-fuel shuttle booster rocket, a live Nasa broadcast showed.

It looked really clean. Were very excited. Great result, said Charlie Precourt, an Orbital ATK vice-president and former Nasa astronaut.

The 177-foot (54-meter) motor is 25% more powerful than the four-segment engines used to help lift the space shuttle. The shuttles were retired in 2011 after 135 flights, two of which ended in disaster.

Several shuttle-era components are being incorporated into the new rocket program, known as the Space Launch System. The motor tested on Wednesday included hardware flown on the first shuttle mission in 1981, Nasa spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz said.

The test was the first of two planned before two boosters are paired with four liquid-fueled modified shuttle main engines and topped with an Orion capsule for an unmanned debut run around the moon in 2018. Orion, flying on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket, made its initial test flight in December.

United Launch Alliance is a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Nasa is spending about $3bn a year to develop the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule, which are designed to fly astronauts to asteroids, the moon, Mars and other destinations beyond the International Space Stations 260-mile-high (418km) orbit.

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Space rocket passes key test ahead of Nasa deep-space launcher flight

Sarah Brightman creates space song with Andrew Lloyd Webber

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Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman's ex-husband Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber has written a song for her to sing in space.

The 54-year-old classical singer will travel to the International Space Station later this year and intends on becoming the ever international artist to perform live from space.

Sarah wants the track to be something special so she enlisted the help of the revered composer - who she divorced in 1990 - to create a

poignant piece of music.

Speaking at a press conference in London on Tuesday (10.03.15) to announce her journey into space, she said: "I've been working on something with my ex-husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber and he's thought of the most beautiful line for something so we're just taking it slowly at the moment. Because of the complexities of this, I don't want to promise too much because there is a reality to all this."

Sarah - who is believed to have paid 35 million to fund the trip - is also taking into consideration the difference between singing on Earth and in zero gravity.

She explained: "I've been working on various things, it's finding a song which suits the idea of space and something that's incredibly simple because to sing in micro-gravity is a very different thing to singing down on Earth."

Sarah has been training as an astronaut since January after being accepted by the Russian Federal Space Agency as a space-flight participant for a planned flight arranged by Space Adventures, Ltd. The singer has been learning everything from wilderness survival to the Russian language in preparation for her journey and 10-day stay on the International Space Station.

For Sarah it is the realisation of a life-long dream to go into space.

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Sarah Brightman creates space song with Andrew Lloyd Webber

Deep Space Flight and Communications: Exploiting the Sun …

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The majority of books dealing with prospects for interstellar flight tackle the problem of the propulsion systems that will be needed to send a craft on an interstellar trajectory. The proposed book looks at two other, equally important aspects of such space missions, and each forms half of this two part book.

Part 1 looks at the ways in which it is possible to exploit the focusing effect of the Sun as a gravitational lens for scientific missions to distances of 550 AU and beyond into interstellar space. The author explains the mechanism of the Sun as a gravitational lens, the scientific investigations which may be carried out along the way to a distance of 550 AU (and at the 550 AU sphere itself), the requirements for exiting the Solar System at the highest speed and a range of project ideas for missions entering interstellar space.

Part 2 of the book deals with the problems of communicating between an interstellar spaceship and the Earth, especially at very high speeds. Here the author assesses a range of mathematical tools relating to the Karhunen-Love Transform (KLT) for optimal telecommunications, technical topics that may one day enable humans flying around the Galaxy to keep in contact with the Earth. This part of the book opens with a summary of the authors 2003 Peek Lecture presented at the IAC in Bremen, which introduces the concept of KLT for engineers and newcomers to the subject. It is planned to include a DVD containing the full mathematical derivations of the KLT for those interested in this important mathematical tool whilst the text itself will contain the various results without outlines of the mathematical proofs. Astronautical engineers will thus be able to see the application of the results without getting bogged down in the mathematics.

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Deep Space Flight and Communications: Exploiting the Sun ...


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