There are 2 messages totalling 114 lines in this issue

Topics of the day:

1. NASA'S ORION SPACECRAFT PROVES SOUND UNDER PRESSURE
2. MASSACHUSETTS STUDENTS SPEAK WITH SPACE STATION ASTRONAUTS

Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2013 10:54:01 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: NASA'S ORION SPACECRAFT PROVES SOUND UNDER PRESSURE

June 6, 2013

Brandi Dean Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Rachel Kraft Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100

Report #13-174

NASA'S ORION SPACECRAFT PROVES SOUND UNDER PRESSURE

WASHINGTON -- After a month of being poked, prodded and pressurized in ways that mimicked the stresses of spaceflight, NASA's Orion crew module successfully passed its static loads tests on Wednesday

When Orion launches on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), which is targeted for September 2014, it will travel farther from Earth than any spacecraft built for humans in more than 40 years The spacecraft will fly about 3,600 miles above Earth's surface and return at speeds of approximately 25,000 mph During the test, Orion will experience an array of stresses, or loads, including launch and reentry, the vacuum of space, and several dynamic events that will jettison hardware away from the spacecraft and deploy parachutes

To ensure Orion will be ready for its flight test next year, engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida built a 20-foot-tall static loads test fixture for the crew module with hydraulic cylinders that slowly push or pull on the vehicle, depending on the type of load being simulated The fixture produced 110 percent of the load caused by eight different types of stress Orion will experience during EFT-1 More than 1,600 strain gauges recorded how the vehicle responded The loads ranged from as little as 14,000 pounds to as much as 240,000 pounds

"The static loads campaign is our best method of testing to verify what works on paper will work in space," said Charlie Lundquist, NASA's Orion crew and service module manager at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston "This is how we validate our design "

In addition to the various loads it sustained, the Orion crew module also was pressurized to simulate the effect of the vacuum in space This simulation allowed engineers to confirm it would hold its pressurization in a vacuum and verify repairs made to superficial cracks in the vehicle's rear bulkhead caused by previous pressure testing in November

The November test revealed insufficient margin in an area of the bulkhead that was unable to withstand the stress of pressurization Armed with data from that test, engineers were able to reinforce the design to ensure structural integrity and validate the fix during this week's test

To repair the cracks, engineers designed brackets that spread the stress of being pressurized to other areas of the module that are structurally stronger During these tests Orion was successfully pressurized to 110 percent of what it would experience in space, demonstrating it is capable of performing as necessary during EFT-1

For information about Orion, visit:

http://www nasa gov/orion

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NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov with the following command in the body of your e-mail message: "unsubscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) or from another account, besides the account used to subscribe: "unsubscribe hsfnews youremail@yourdomain com" (no quotes)

Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2013 12:46:29 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: MASSACHUSETTS STUDENTS SPEAK WITH SPACE STATION ASTRONAUTS

June 6, 2013

Tammie Letroise-Brown Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Ann Marie Trotta Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1601

Report #M13-093

MASSACHUSETTS STUDENTS SPEAK WITH SPACE STATION ASTRONAUTS

WASHINGTON -- Expedition 36 crew members Chris Cassidy, Luca Parmitano, and Karen Nyberg will speak from the International Space Station to students at Douglas Public Schools in Massachusetts at 11:35 a m EDT, Monday, June 10

Students will be able to ask the astronauts questions about life, work and research aboard the orbiting laboratory Media representatives are invited to attend and cover the 20-minute space-to-ground event, which will be broadcast on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website

To attend the event, journalists must contact Beverly Bachelder at 508-476-3332 or bbachelder@douglas k12 ma us The Douglas Public School District is located at 21 Davis Street in Douglas, Mass

NASA activities have been incorporated into classes at local schools in preparation for the conversation with the space station astronauts Linking directly to the astronauts aboard the station provides students with an authentic experience of space exploration, space study, the scientific components of space travel, and possibilities of life in space

This in-flight downlink is one in a series with educational organizations in the United States to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning It is an integral component of NASA's Teaching From Space program, which promotes learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of space and NASA's human spaceflight program

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www nasa gov/ntv

For information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www nasa gov/education

For information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www nasa gov/station

To follow Twitter updates from Expedition 36 astronauts, visit:

http://twitter com/AstroKarenN

and

http://twitter com/astro_luca

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NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov with the following command in the body of your e-mail message: "unsubscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) or from another account, besides the account used to subscribe: "unsubscribe hsfnews youremail@yourdomain com" (no quotes)

End of HSFNEWS Digest - 6 Jun 2013 to 7 Jun 2013 (#2013-46)