Date: March 27th 2009

There are 5 messages totalling 191 lines in this issue

Topics of the day:

STS-119 MCC Status Report #22
NASA'S LUNAR ROVER CONCEPT VISITS HOUSTON ROBOTICS COMPETITION
DALLAS FAMILY'S TRADITION BOOSTS NASA FOR 100 FLIGHTS
NEW ASTRONAUT CREW LAUNCHES TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
STS-119 MCC Status Report #23

Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:38:07 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-119 MCC Status Report #22

STS-119 Report #22 Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 7:30 a m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

A last inspection of the thermal protection system is the order of the day for the crew members on board space shuttle Discovery as they make their way home to Earth

The crew was awakened at 5:13 a m CDT today with the song Ã‚Â“Enter SandmanÃ‚Â” by Metallica, played for Mission Specialist Joseph Acaba Within a few hours he and Pilot Tony Antonelli will use the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to kick off todayÃ‚Â’s inspection

Starting with the reinforced carbon-carbon panels that line the leading edge of the shuttleÃ‚Â’s starboard wing, the crew will guide the OBSS so its cameras and laser sensors can examine the orbiter for signs of damage from orbital debris The inspection proceeds from the starboard wing, to the nose cap, to the port wing The OBSS should be returned to its berth on the starboard sill of the payload bay starting at 2:43 p m

Throughout the day the crew members have time set aside for exercise to prepare them for the pull of gravity theyÃ‚Â’ll start to feel on the way to touchdown Landing is scheduled for 12:38 p m Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida For Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus, it will be her first encounter with gravity in 134 days since her mid-November launch She has two exercise sessions on her schedule today

Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt of the 19th International Space Station crew launched in their Soyuz from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:49 a m today With Padalka and Barratt is second-time spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi, flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency Padalka will serve as commander of Expeditions 19 and 20 aboard the station Barratt will serve as a flight engineer for those two missions

The next status report will be issued this evening or earlier if events warrant

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Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:07:31 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: NASA'S LUNAR ROVER CONCEPT VISITS HOUSTON ROBOTICS COMPETITION

March 26, 2009

Debbie V Nguyen Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Report #J09-007

NASA'S LUNAR ROVER CONCEPT VISITS HOUSTON ROBOTICS COMPETITION

HOUSTON Ã‚Â– NASA's next-generation lunar rover will visit hundreds of high school students as they flex their own robotic muscles at this year's FIRST Robotics Competition Lone Star Regional

The public can view demonstrations of the Lunar Electric Rover from 10:30 a m to noon and 1 p m to 4 p m Friday, March 27, and from 10:30 a m to 2 p m Saturday, March 28, at Discovery Green Media viewing and interview opportunities are available during Friday's demonstrations

NASA's Constellation Program is building the next vehicles that will send humans back to the moon This time, astronauts will further explore the moon to build an outpost and transform the moon into a launching pad to other worlds The Lunar Electric Rover is a concept pressurized vehicle that will house and enable those astronauts to explore the lunar surface for up to two weeks The pickup truck-sized moon buggy features six pairs of wheels that can turn separately in any direction and raise and lower to conquer rough terrain

The 10th annual Houston FIRST -- or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology -- Robotics Competition Lone Star Regional will be held from 8 a m to 5 p m March 26-28 across the street from the rover at the George R Brown Convention Center The general public can attend this event at no charge to see the studentsÃ‚Â’ robotic creations tackle the FIRST LUNACY challenge, which pays homage to NASAÃ‚Â’s 40th anniversary of Apollo 11Ã‚Â’s lunar landing In total, 63 teams from the Greater Houston area, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have come to play

For more information about the Lunar Electric Rover, and NASA's return to the moon, visit:

http://www nasa gov/exploration/home/LER html

#

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Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:40:55 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: DALLAS FAMILY'S TRADITION BOOSTS NASA FOR 100 FLIGHTS

March 26, 2009

James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Report #J09-008

DALLAS FAMILY'S TRADITION BOOSTS NASA FOR 100 FLIGHTS

For 21 years and 100 shuttle missions, Mission Control has been graced with a bouquet of roses, displayed proudly amid trademark data screens and tracking maps Delivered during each mission, the flowers come with a simple card wishing all well

They have become a staple for the team in Houston, and they have become a tradition for a family near Dallas The bouquets include a rose of a similar color for each astronaut in space during the mission, plus a single white rose in memory of those astronauts whose lives have been lost in NASA's exploration of space

They first arrived during mission STS-26 in 1988, the flight that returned the shuttle to space following the 1986 Challenger tragedy Welcomed by the busy team of flight controllers, their origin was a mystery

"When I first walked into the control room I noticed them right away, because it was so different, and I walked over and read the card," said JSC Associate Director Milt Heflin, who was a shuttle flight director at the time "It was very simple, saying congratulations and wishing everyone the best on the mission It was signed but it didn't have any contact information for the senders "

The card was signed by Mark, Terry and their daughter MacKenzie Shelton Heflin took the initiative to find out how to reach the family

Mark Shelton has been a fan of America's space program since a childhood trip to visit Johnson in the 1960s Following the Challenger accident, he wanted to find a quiet, personal way to let NASA know that he and his family support the agency's work He pondered the thought of sending flowers to Mission Control as NASA prepared to return the shuttle to flight following that accident

"I didn't actually decide to do it until the day the STS-26 mission was to land, and I didn't know that I even could get it done in time," Shelton said "I called information to find a florist near the space center, and then I asked the florist if they could deliver roses to Mission Control At first they said they couldn't do it but then they said they would try But I had no idea if they actually made it or not "

Heflin made a personal call to thank the family promptly after Discovery landed, confirming to Mark Shelton that his effort had succeeded The rest became a part of space shuttle program history

"It really impressed us that NASA took the time and reciprocated on such a personal level," Shelton said "We just wanted to show in our way the appreciation that we think many, many people feel for the space program "

The flowers have become a tradition for the Sheltons, and they have found a place at the heart of mission control NASA's activities sometimes get worldwide attention, but these flowers seem to have a longer and deeper effect on the team of flight controllers Why?

"I think it means so much because we never asked for it," Heflin said "We never expected it We believe it truly represents the sentiment of a large part of the public, as well as a very personal gesture "

And that is just the reaction hoped for long ago by Mark Shelton

"It makes me feel that it has been the right thing to do," he said "I never dreamed it would become the sort of personal connection it has, though Sometimes we get Christmas cards from people in mission control, or letters, and we were invited to a launch and to visit JSC We just wanted the flowers to mean something to them and to let them know we are still out here and we still care "

"The Sheltons have sort of become a part of our team in Mission Control," Heflin said "I almost look at them as a kind of distant back room, just like the technical support rooms located around the control center It gives me a very warm feeling "

NASA will honor the Sheltons during the landing of STS-119, as they visit Johnson and are recognized in ceremonies on Friday, March 26 Media may cover those activities and interview the Sheltons by contacting the JSC newsroom

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Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:40:06 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: NEW ASTRONAUT CREW LAUNCHES TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

March 26, 2009

Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-3749

Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Report #H09-069

NEW ASTRONAUT CREW LAUNCHES TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

HOUSTON -- The 19th crew to live and work aboard the International Space Station launched into orbit Thursday morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, aboard a Soyuz spacecraft NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, and spaceflight participant and U S software engineer Charles Simonyi lifted off at 6:49 a m CDT

They are scheduled to dock with the station at 8:14 a m Saturday, March 28 Padalka will serve as commander of Expeditions 19 and 20 aboard the station Barratt will serve as a flight engineer for those two missions Padalka and Barratt's other crewmate is Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency He arrived to the station March 17 on space shuttle Discovery

Simonyi, flying to the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency, previously visited the complex in April 2007 He is the first spaceflight participant to make a second flight to the station and will spend 10 days aboard Simonyi will return to Earth April 7 with Expedition 18 Commander Michael Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov, who have been on the station since October 2008

The Expedition 19 crew will continue science investigations and prepare for the arrival of the rest of the station's first six-person contingent Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk will launch from Baikonur on May 27, arriving at the station on May 29 After all the astronauts are aboard, Expedition 20 will begin, ushering in an era of six-person station crews This mission also will be the first time the crew members represent all five International Space Station partners

For more information about the space station and how to view it from Earth, visit:

http://www nasa gov/station

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Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:51:09 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-119 MCC Status Report #23

STS-119 Report #23 Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 6 p m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

HOUSTON Ã‚Â– DiscoveryÃ‚Â’s crew is on its way home after todayÃ‚Â’s final inspection of the thermal protection system, which began around 9:28 a m

Pilot Tony Antonelli used the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System enabling the cameras and laser sensors to scan Discovery for signs of damage from orbital debris The five-hour inspection included the nose cap and wing leading edges

Imagery experts will review the data and report their assessment to the Mission Management Team tomorrow to formally clear the orbiter for re-entry Landing is scheduled for 12:39 p m Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a second opportunity one orbit later at 2:14 p m

At todayÃ‚Â’s Mission Status Briefing, lead shuttle flight director, Paul Dye, reported the total transfer from the shuttleÃ‚Â’s middeck to the International Space Station (ISS) was 2,025 pounds and from the ISS to Discovery was 1,963 pounds The transfer from DiscoveryÃ‚Â’s payload bay to the ISS was 30,937 pounds (S6 truss)

DiscoveryÃ‚Â’s crew is scheduled to go to bed shortly after 8 p m and awaken tomorrow at 4:13 a m to begin its deorbit preparations, including cabin stowage and check out of the flight control surfaces Those surfaces will guide the orbiterÃ‚Â’s unpowered flight through the atmosphere to a landing

Shortly after 10 a m , the astronauts will test fire the reaction control system thrusters, which control the shuttleÃ‚Â’s orientation as it descends and begins its re-entry through the atmosphere That test will be followed by a deorbit briefing for all crew members beginning around 11:30 a m

NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, and spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi lifted off at 6:49 this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, aboard a Soyuz spacecraft They are headed for a linkup with the ISS on Saturday with docking scheduled to occur at 8:14 a m

The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake up, or earlier if events warrant

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End of HSFNEWS Digest - 26 Mar 2009 to 27 Mar 2009 (#2009-30)

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