There are 2 messages totalling 140 lines in this issue

Topics of the day:

1. International Space Station Science, New Crew Mission highlighted in Back-to-Back NASA TV Programs
2. NASA's Newest Wind Watcher Arrives at Launch Site

Date: Thu, 15 May 2014 08:19:04 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: International Space Station Science, New Crew Mission highlighted in Back-to-Back NASA TV Programs

May 14, 2014

Dan Huot Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100

Report #MEDIA ADVISORY M14-092

International Space Station Science, New Crew Mission highlighted in Back-to-Back NASA TV Programs

Scientific research to prepare astronauts to venture farther into the solar system than ever before and provide real benefits to life on Earth happens every day aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Starting at 3:30 p m EDT Wednesday, May 21, join NASA, the current space station commander and a panel of experts as they discuss current and future research aboard this one-of-a-kind orbiting laboratory

The discussion, entitled "Destination Station: ISS Science Forum," will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston The dialogue is open to members of the research and science community, the media, students and social media followers This will be the first in a new series of public discussions dedicated to science aboard the station

The forum's panelists include: -- Elizabeth R Cantwell, co-chair of the National Research Council's decadal study, "Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration" -- Julie Robinson, chief program scientist for the International Space Station -- Marshall Porterfield, director of the Space Life and Physical Sciences, NASA Headquarters -- Duane Ratliff, Chief Operating Officer, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)

The forum also will include a live, interactive conversation with NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, who currently is serving as commander for the space station's Expedition 40 crew, orbiting 260 miles above Earth

Preceding the ISS Science Forum, Johnson Space Center will host a news conference on NASA TV at 2 p m to preview the upcoming Expedition 40/41 mission aboard the space station

The International Space Station Program Overview briefing will cover mission priorities and objectives The two expeditions will involve increasing research on the orbital laboratory; up to five spacewalks -- three U S and two Russian -- arrival of the final European cargo ship; and the flights of two U S commercial resupply spacecraft: Orbital Sciences' Cygnus and SpaceX's Dragon

The Expedition 40/41 overview briefing participants are: -- Dan Hartman, deputy International Space Station Program manager -- Greg Whitney, Expedition 40 lead flight director

Reid Wiseman of NASA, Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency are scheduled to launch to the space station at 3:57 p m EDT May 28 on a Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan They will join Expedition 40 crewmates Swanson, Maxim Suraev and Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, who have been aboard the station since late March

Anyone who wants to attend either event must call the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than noon May 20 Media unable to attend either event can participate through a phone bridge by contacting the newsroom no later than 1:45 p m for the news briefing and 3:15 p m for the forum Anyone unable to attend the events in person may ask questions via Twitter using the hashtag #asknasa

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

http://www nasa gov/nasatv

For more information on the International Space Station and its crews, visit:

http://www nasa gov/station

For video and other media resources, visit:

http://www nasa gov/stationnews

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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, 15 May 2014 15:44:55 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: NASA's Newest Wind Watcher Arrives at Launch Site

May 15, 2014

Dan Huot Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918

Alan Buis Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif 818-354-0474

Report #RELEASE 14-148

NASA's Newest Wind Watcher Arrives at Launch Site

Components of NASA's International Space Station-RapidScat instrument rest side by side in Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility after arrival ISS-RapidScat will measure Earth's ocean surface wind speed and direction from the station, data that will be used for weather and marine forecasting Image Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

A new NASA Earth-observing mission that will measure ocean winds from the International Space Station has arrived at NASA�s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final preparations for launch

The International Space Station (ISS)-RapidScat scatterometer instrument arrived May 12 after a cross-country trip from NASA�s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California The instrument, built at JPL, now will undergo final tests before being stowed aboard a SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo resupply spacecraft The Dragon will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, no earlier than August

ISS-RapidScat is NASA's first scientific Earth-observing instrument specifically designed and developed to operate from the exterior of the space station It will measure near-surface ocean wind speed and direction in Earth�s low and middle latitudes during its two-year mission Its data will be used to support weather and marine forecasting, including tracking storms and hurricanes, as well as climate studies

Winds over the ocean are a critical factor in determining regional weather patterns and studying climate High winds in severe storms also can inflict major damage to shore populations and shipping In some regions, ocean winds drive warm surface ocean waters away from coastlines, causing nutrient-rich deep water to rise to the surface, where they provide a major source of food for coastal fisheries Changes in ocean winds also help us monitor large-scale changes in Earth�s climate variations, such as El Nino and La Nina

Since 1999, NASA�s QuikScat satellite, along with satellites operated by international partners, has provided ocean surface winds information for use by the science and operational weather forecasting communities In 2009, after 10 years of successful operations, QuikScat�s scatterometer instrument stopped providing ocean wind data

Scatterometers are radar sensors that bounce microwaves off the ocean surface and measure the strength and direction of the echoes that return The echoes are scattered by the presence of wind-driven waves on the ocean surface ISS-RapidScat will help fill the gap left by the loss of these data and will extend a 15-year ocean wind climate record

ISS-RapidScat�s berth on the space station will put it in an orbit that is unique from any other wind-measuring instrument currently in space This orbit, with an altitude that varies from 233 to 270 miles (375 to 435 kilometers), will give scientists the first near-global direct observations of how ocean winds vary over the course of the day, while adding extra eyes in the tropics and midlatitudes to track the formation and movement of tropical cyclones Its 560-mile-wide (900-kilometer) observation swath creates a map of winds over most of the ocean between 51 6 degrees north and south of the equator every 48 hours

ISS-RapidScat also will extend the continuity and usefulness of the scatterometer data record from the international constellation of ocean wind satellites Currently, satellites in the constellation observe at different times of the day Using the space station�s orbit, it will be possible for ISS-RapidScat to observe areas where the orbits of the other scatterometers in the constellation intersect at the same time This capacity will allow scientists to correct for previously unknown relative errors between the different wind satellites and extend QuikScat�s 10-plus-year record to create a continuous record

ISS-RapidScat was developed in just a year-and-a-half, at roughly one-tenth the cost of developing a traditional satellite mission Its development approach leverages space station capabilities and a combination of new industrial-grade hardware and older inherited hardware used to develop and test QuikScat Additional cost savings are achieved by launching the instrument aboard a scheduled space station cargo resupply mission

After arriving at the space station, ISS-RapidScat will be installed on the external payload facility on the Columbus module using the station�s robotic arm The arm will be controlled from the ground during installation ISS-RapidScat is an autonomous payload, requiring no interaction from station crew members

ISS-RapidScat is a partnership between JPL and the International Space Station Program Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, with support from the Earth Science Division of NASA�s Science Mission Directorate in Washington Other mission partners include Kennedy; NASA�s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; the European Space Agency; and SpaceX JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena

For more information about ISS-RapidScat, visit:

http://winds jpl nasa gov/missions/RapidScat/

NASA monitors Earth�s vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth�s interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet

ISS-RapidScat is the third of five NASA Earth science missions scheduled to be launched this year, the most new NASA Earth-observing mission launches in the same year in more than a decade

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:

http://www nasa gov/earthrightnow

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www nasa gov/station

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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 - 15 May 2014 to 16 May 2014 (#2014-34)