Dec. 16, 2011 Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979/5241 michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov / j.d.harrington@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-253 FOURTH STATUS REPORT ON COMMERCIAL PARTNERS PROGRESS RELEASED WASHINGTON - NASA released the fourth in a series of 60-day reports today showing that commercial spaceflight development programs are moving forward. The agency's U.S. industry partners continue to make progress in developing a transportation system to ferry cargo and U.S. astronauts ...Continue Reading

Dec. 16, 2011 Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979/5241 michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov/j.d.harrington@nasa.gov George H. Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 george.h.diller@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-252 MEDIA ACCREDITATION NOW OPEN FOR NASA/SPACEX LAUNCH CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., -- Media accreditation for NASA's second Commercial Orbital Transportation Services demonstration flight is open. Liftoff of a Space Exploration Techn ...Continue Reading

:Product: Solar Region Summary :Issued: 2011 Dec 16 0030 UTC # Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, # Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force. # Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Region Summary SRS Number 350 Issued at 0030Z on 16 Dec 2011 Report compiled from data received at SWO on 15 Dec I. Regions with Sunspots. Locations Valid at 15/2400Z Nmbr Location Lo Area Z LL NN Mag Type 1374 S18W25 352 0160 Dso 03 05 Beta 1375 N08W30 358 0050 Hsx 02 01 Alpha 1377 N11E29 ...Continue Reading

The following sections have been updated in the past 1 days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- DUST, SMOKE, AND HAZE (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- DUST STORM IN SYRIA AND IRAQ Dust plumes blew through Syria and Iraq in early December 2011. * http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=76664&src=nha *** MODIS(Aqua) image from Dec 12, 2011 (Posted on Dec 14, 2011 4:37 PM) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Natural Haza ...Continue Reading

Dec. 15, 2011 Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979/5241 michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2497 candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov RELEASE: 11-419 NASA TAKES NEXT STEP IN DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM COMPETITIVE AGREEMENTS WILL KEEP U.S. COMMERCIAL SPACE PROGRAM ON TRACK WASHINGTON -- NASA announced today a modified competitive procurement strategy to keep on track the agency's plan to have U.S. companies trans ...Continue Reading

Dec. 15, 2011 Trent J. Perrotto Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0321 trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov RELEASE: 11-419 NASA'S RXTE DETECT 'HEARTBEAT' OF SMALLEST BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE WASHINGTON -- An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The evidence comes from a specific type of X-ray pattern, nicknamed a "heartbeat" because of its resemblance to an electrocardiogram. The pattern until now ...Continue Reading

Readers:      With great sadness, our office announces the recent death of Boris Chertok, a towering figure in Soviet and Russian space history.  Chertok’s four-volume memoir, /Rockets and People/, has received wide acclaim.  The first three volumes of this series, edited by Dr. Asif Siddiqi, are available electronically from the links below and hard copies may be obtained through _http://history.nasa.gov/series95.html#order_ online.  The fourth and final volume, subtitled /The Moon ...Continue Reading

Dec. 15, 2011 Michael Braukus/Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979/5241 michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov jbuck@nasa.gov Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 candrea.thomas@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-250 NASA TO DISCUSS PLANS FOR COMMERCIAL CREW DEVELOPMENT WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a media teleconference today, Thursday, Dec. 15, at 11:30 a.m. EST, to discuss a modified competitive procurement strategy for the Commercial Crew Program. The program will assist industry in develop ...Continue Reading

:Product: Solar Region Summary :Issued: 2011 Dec 15 0030 UTC # Prepared jointly by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, # Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.S. Air Force. # Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Region Summary SRS Number 349 Issued at 0030Z on 15 Dec 2011 Report compiled from data received at SWO on 14 Dec I. Regions with Sunspots. Locations Valid at 14/2400Z Nmbr Location Lo Area Z LL NN Mag Type 1366 N18W81 062 0050 Hsx 02 01 Alpha 1374 S18W11 352 0120 Dso 03 04 Beta 1375 N08W16 ...Continue Reading

Dec. 14, 2011 Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979/5241 michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Kimberly Newton Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 kimberly.d.newton@nasa.gov Cassie Kloberdanz Sierra Nevada Corp., Louisville, Colo. 720.407.3264 cassie.kloberdanz@nscorp.com RELEASE: 11-418 NASA CENTER SIGNS COMMERCIAL AGREEMENT WITH SIERRA NEVADA WASHINGTON-- NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., is entering into a sp ...Continue Reading