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Topics of the day:

1. NASA Astronauts David Leestma and Andrew Thomas Retire
2. NASA, Partners Announce Top Achievements in Space Station Research

Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:20:26 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: NASA Astronauts David Leestma and Andrew Thomas Retire

June 18, 2014

Jay Bolden Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100

Report #RELEASE 14-187

NASA Astronauts David Leestma and Andrew Thomas Retire

NASA astronauts David Leestma and Andrew Thomas are retiring from the astronaut corps after a combined 66 years in federal service

Image Credit: NASA

NASA has bid farewell to two veteran astronauts who have retired after a combined 66 years of federal service

David Leestma has retired after more than 44 years of government service A veteran of three spaceflights, Leestma served as a space shuttle mission specialist on STS-41G in 1984, STS-28 in 1989 and STS-45 in 1992

Before joining NASA, Leestma served in the U S Navy as a pilot and flew missions in the Mediterranean/North Atlantic areas while assigned to the USS John F Kennedy He was selected to join the astronaut corps in 1980 After flying in space, Leestma held multiple technical and leadership assignments, including director of Flight Crew Operations In his last role, Leestma led the Technical Transfer and Commercialization Efforts office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston

"From the day we came together as astronaut classmates, Dave stood out as a remarkable leader, friend, and loyal teammate," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, who flew with Leestma on shuttle Atlantis' STS-45 mission "He possessed seemingly infinite wisdom of the space shuttle and all its systems and never ceased to amaze me with his performance We wish him the best "

Leestma holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, and a Master of Science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California

A retired Navy captain, Leestma has logged more than 3,500 flight hours He ends his NASA career having logged more than 23 days in space on three shuttle missions

Andrew Thomas also has retired from NASA after more than 22 years of service to the agency

Thomas, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering, was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps in 1992 Before joining NASA, Thomas worked in private industry as a research scientist responsible for designing vehicle aerodynamics, flight controls and propulsion systems

"Andy is an extraordinary researcher, engineer and astronaut who has done it all in his 22 years as a NASA astronaut," said Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations at Johnson "In his 177 days in space over four missions, Andy served as the payload commander for a dedicated research mission, lived aboard the Russian Mir space station, conducted a spacewalk during an International Space Station assembly mission and served a vital role as a crew member on our crucial Return to Flight mission, STS-114, following the tragic Columbia accident Since his last flight, Andy has helped shape NASA's future through his tireless work supporting the development of future exploration technology We will miss him deeply "

Thomas traveled to Mir in 1998 to assist in the transition to space station operations He was the last American to live on Mir and performed numerous life and physical sciences experiments during the course of his stay His research aboard Mir provided the framework for the multinational cooperation and collaborative research on today's International Space Station

Thomas held multiple technical and leadership assignments during his NASA career, including deputy chief of the Astronaut Office

For Leestma's complete biography, visit:

http://www jsc nasa gov/Bios/htmlbios/leestma html

For Thomas' complete biography, visit:

http://www jsc nasa gov/Bios/htmlbios/thomas-a html

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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, 19 Jun 2014 14:23:04 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: NASA, Partners Announce Top Achievements in Space Station Research

June 19, 2014

Susan Anderson Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100

Report #RELEASE 14-191

NASA, Partners Announce Top Achievements in Space Station Research

NASA, the American Astronautical Society and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) have announced 14 awards for the top research and technology achievements of 2013 made possible by the International Space Station

The third annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference in Chicago this week brought together the best investigators in academia, industry and government to discuss the broad scope of research and technology development on the space station This research not only supports NASA in preparing astronauts for long-duration missions farther into the solar system than ever before, but it also provides lasting benefits to life on Earth

Past, present and potential participants of space station research and technology development attended the conference to share, learn and expand the possibilities for future microgravity research The event also provided a forum for researchers interested in sending their research projects to the orbiting laboratory to learn more about the benefits to both individual research projects and entire industries and scientific disciplines

"The goal of this conference is to bring people together to share their stories, findings and experiences and to entice, excite and encourage all to bring forward new ideas to capitalize on the unique opportunity for microgravity research," said Allyson Thorn of NASA's International Space Station Research Integration Office at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston "This will be an exciting decade for the space station as we continue to learn more and turn ideas into opportunities, results and plans for humanity's future "

The theme of this year's conference was discoveries, applications and opportunities: discoveries in microgravity, space and Earth science, as well as engineering and education; applications benefitting Earth, enabling technology and forwarding exploration; and opportunities for use of this innovative laboratory

The awards are presented to recognize investigations and technological developments that support NASA's long-term missions of exploration and improving life on Earth The winners represent two companies, six governmental organizations and six universities from 12 states, Japan and Russia The award categories were: most compelling results; biotechnology, health and education; engineering development and technology maturation, with a focus on commercial and exploration applications; and, discoveries

For a complete list of award winners and their research, visit:

http://go nasa gov/1lCDTNd

For more information about the American Astronautical Society, visit:

http://www astronautical org/

For more about CASIS, visit:

http://www iss-casis org/

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 - 14 Jun 2014 to 20 Jun 2014 (#2014-44)