WASHINGTON -- NASA is extending its contract with the Association of
Universities for Research in Astronomy for the agency's Hubble Space
Telescope Science Operations activities at the Space Telescope Science
Institute in Baltimore, Md., for 36 months.
The option the agency chose to exercise has a total estimated value of $76 million and extends the period of performance through April 30, 2016.
The contractor will continue to be responsible for providing the products and services required to execute the science program and process, archive, and distribute the science data from Hubble. The contractor also will maintain and calibrate the onboard instruments; maintain the science operations ground systems; administer grants; conduct public and educational outreach; and conduct astronomical research.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
The option the agency chose to exercise has a total estimated value of $76 million and extends the period of performance through April 30, 2016.
The contractor will continue to be responsible for providing the products and services required to execute the science program and process, archive, and distribute the science data from Hubble. The contractor also will maintain and calibrate the onboard instruments; maintain the science operations ground systems; administer grants; conduct public and educational outreach; and conduct astronomical research.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
Ongoing Science as Crew Counts Down to Dragon Departure, New Trio
03.22.13
Commander Chris Hadfield dresses in green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Credit: NASA
Science was the main focus aboard the International Space Station while
preparations continued for the Dragon spacecraft release, now set for
Tuesday, and Thursday’s launch and docking of three new Expedition 35
crew members. After their lunch hour, the current Expedition 35 trio
conducted an emergency drill simulating a pressure loss.
More than three weeks after arriving at the station, the SpaceX Dragon
spacecraft is ready for the trip back to Earth, now scheduled for
Tuesday, March 26. Dragon's return date, originally scheduled for March
25, was postponed due to inclement weather developing near its targeted
splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean. The additional day spent attached
to the orbiting laboratory will not affect science samples scheduled to
return aboard the spacecraft. NASA Television will provide coverage of
Dragon's departure beginning at 4 a.m. EDT.
The actual removal of Dragon from the space station begins at 4:05 a.m.,
with release scheduled for 7:06 a.m. Dragon will conduct a series of
engine burns to take it away from the space station with the third and
final departure burn taking place around 7:16 a.m. NASA TV coverage will
conclude once Dragon leaves the vicinity of the space station.
Dragon’s deorbit burn will take place approximately 11:40 a.m. with
splashdown scheduled for 12:36 p.m. about 246 miles off the coast of
Baja California. Dragon will take about 30 hours to return to port, at
which point several critical science samples will be handed over to NASA
for a return trip back to Houston that day.
Commander Chris Hadfield worked with the Microgravity Science Glovebox
(MSG) for the Coarsening of Solids in Liquid Mixtures experiment. He
vented a water line in the MSG and checked the temperature and humidity
inside the experiment device.
In advance of Dragon’s departure targeted for Tuesday morning he swapped
out research gear inside the EXPRESS Rack 2. A Commercial Generic
Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA) was removed and replaced inside the rack
with the older CGBA to be returned inside the Dragon commercial resupply
spacecraft.
Hadfield also took part in proficiency training answering questions for a
self-assessment test as part of his role as the station’s Crew Medical
Officer. He later activated and checked out the functionality of a
communications unit to be used from inside the station during Dragon’s
release and separation.
Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn worked on the Gradient Heating Furnace
(GHF) in the Kibo laboratory’s Kobairo rack. He installed alloy
semiconductor sample cartridges then measured the insulation resistance
of the heating units inside the GHF which is used for high quality
crystal growth experiments.
He also participated in the Energy experiment that observes the negative
energy balance crew members experience in space and explores exercise
as a countermeasure. He then set up the Kubik gear, using the European
Drawer Rack‘s laptop located in the Columbus laboratory module, for
telemetry downloads. The Kubik incubator/cooler uses seeds, cells, and
small animals for life science experiments.
Veteran cosmonaut and flight engineer Roman Romanenko continued his work
on an ongoing suite of Russian experiments. He copied data recorded for
the Identification experiment which records the physical stress on the
space station during dynamic events such as reboosts, spacecraft
dockings and spacewalk. He also continued his photography for the Uragan
and Ekon Earth observation studies.
› Watch an interview with Dr. Jud Ready about his station science experiment
› Read more about Coarsening of Solids in Liquids Mixtures
› Read more about the CGBA
› Read more about Coarsening of Solids in Liquids Mixtures
› Read more about the CGBA
NASA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
ayabaca@gmail.com
ayabaca@hotmail.com
ayabaca@yahoo.com
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