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NASA's Space Station Astronauts to "Swear In" Navy Sailors
by Arthur Rowe 27 Jan '07

27 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Jan. 26, 2007 > > Allard Beutel > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-4769 > > Nicole Cloutier > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-511 > > > NASA'S SPACE STATION ASTRONAUTS TO "SWEAR IN" NAVY SAILORS > > NASA astronauts on the International Space Station will link up > Monday, Jan. 29, with sailors on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for a > special re-enlistment ceremony. The Eisenhower is the Navy's flagship > for the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, > > The special call is set for 4:20 a.m. CST. It can be seen on NASA > Television at 10:30 a.m. Aboard the space station, Expedition 14 > Commander and Naval Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, assisted by his > Flight Engineer and fellow Naval Commander Suni Williams, will > conduct the long-distance re-enlistment of 16 sailors. At the time, > the station should be flying about 220 miles above the southern > Indian Ocean. > > Lopez-Alegria has been in orbit since September 2006 and will return > to Earth in April. Williams has been aboard the orbiting laboratory > since December 2006 and will return to Earth in July. Both are > graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy and Navy pilots. > > For NASA TV downlink, schedules and streaming video information, and > more information about the space station, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/ntv > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > > > > >

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ISS Status Report: SS07-04
by Arthur Rowe 27 Jan '07

27 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Jan. 26, 2007 > > John Yembrick > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-0602 > > John I. Petty > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > STATUS REPORT: SS07-04 > > INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS07-04 > > HOUSTON - This week, the crew aboard the International Space Station > prepared for an unprecedented series of spacewalks. NASA astronauts > Mike Lopez-Alegria and Suni Williams are scheduled to begin a > 6.5-hour spacewalk from the station around 9 a.m. CST on Wednesday, > Jan. 31. It will be the first of a record four spacewalks planned > during the next month. > > Lopez-Alegria and Williams will conduct other spacewalks on Feb. 4, 8 > and 22. The first three spacewalks will originate from the station's > Quest airlock and the astronauts will use U.S. spacesuits. > Lopez-Alegria and cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin will use Russian > spacesuits for the last spacewalk and will exit the station from the > Pirs airlock. > > The three U.S. spacewalks will rearrange the station's cooling system, > bringing online new portions of the system that were activated during > a shuttle mission in December 2006. The Russian spacewalk will free a > stuck antenna on the ISS Progress 23 cargo craft docked to the aft > end of the station, ensuring that craft can safely undock in April. > > The crew began the week unloading some of the more than 2.5 tons of > food, fuel and supplies that were delivered to the station on Jan. 19 > by the ISS Progress 24 cargo craft, which included fresh produce, > gifts from home, new clothing, spare parts, oxygen and water. > > The crew's attention quickly turned to preparations for the upcoming > spacewalks. On Monday, the crew began working with the U.S. > spacesuits. Batteries for the suits were charged, and the suit > cooling systems were cleaned. > > On Tuesday, Lopez-Alegria and Williams trained using an onboard, > laptop computer-based simulation. The training refreshed their skills > operating the Simplified Aid for Extravehicular Activity Rescue, or > SAFER, jetpack that is worn on spacesuits. The backpack allows > spacewalkers to fly back to the station in the event they become > separated from the complex. > > On Thursday, ground controllers in Houston commanded the station's > robotic arm to maneuver into the position it will occupy for the > start of the spacewalk. Aboard the station, the crew reviewed the > plans for the first spacewalk. > > Lopez-Alegria and Williams continued checks of their spacesuits and > checks of the SAFER backpacks Friday. The SAFER backpacks are > propelled by compressed nitrogen gas, and, during the checkout, the > harmless gas was released, depleting the nitrogen in one unit below > the usable quantity. Two other usable SAFER backpacks remain onboard, > however, and the loss of the third unit does not affect plans for the > upcoming spacewalks. > > The crew took time during their work on Monday to speak with > television host Martha Stewart. Crew members also took time to field > questions by amateur radio from two schools, one in Ottawa, Ontario, > Canada, and another in Winnebago, Neb. > > For more about the crew's activities and station sighting > opportunities, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > >

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NASA SETS BRIEFING TO PREVIEW ISS SPACEWALKS
by Arthur Rowe 26 Jan '07

26 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Jan. 23, 2007 NASA Sets Briefing to Preview Series of Space Station Spacewalks HOUSTON - NASA will preview an unprecedented series of four spacewalks to be conducted from the International Space Station during the next month in a media briefing scheduled for Friday, Jan. 26. The briefing will air live on NASA Television and streamed on the Internet at http://www.nasa.gov. The 1 p.m. CST briefing will originate from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, and will include questions from media representatives at participating NASA locations. Reporters are asked to call their preferred field center before the briefing and spacewalks to confirm its availability. Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Suni Williams will begin the series of spacewalks with a six and a half hour excursion on Jan. 31 and subsequent spacewalks scheduled on Feb. 4 and Feb. 8. Those three spacewalks will be conducted using U.S. spacesuits and will each start from the station's Quest airlock. The fourth spacewalk, scheduled for later in February, will be conducted by Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin using Russian spacesuits from the station's Pirs airlock. Participants in the Friday, Jan. 26, press briefing will include: -- Kirk Shireman, deputy International Space Station program manager -- Derek Hassmann, International Space Station spacewalk flight director -- Glenda Laws, lead spacewalk officer for Expedition 14 -- Julie Robinson, International Space Station acting program scientist The U.S. spacewalks will bring on line new portions of the station's cooling system, expanded with components that were activated during a space shuttle mission in December. Lopez-Alegria and Williams also will assist in the retraction of heat-rejecting radiators on the station's P6 truss, install some external devices to stow cargo and install cabling for a new power transfer system for future shuttle flights, among other tasks. On the fourth spacewalk, Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will remove a stuck antenna from the Russian ISS Progress 23 cargo spacecraft docked to the aft end of the station. Removing the antenna will ensure it can safely undock in early April. Coverage of the Jan. 31 spacewalk on NASA TV will begin at 8 a.m. Coverage of the Feb. 4 and 8 spacewalks will begin at 6:30 a.m. Media briefings will follow the conclusion of each spacewalk and also will air on NASA TV and the agency's homepage. For NASA TV downlink, schedules and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html> For more about the crew's activities and station sighting opportunities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html>

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Crew Unloads Supplies, Preps for Spacewalk
by Arthur Rowe 26 Jan '07

26 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Crew Unloads Supplies, Preps for Spacewalk* ISS014-E-12161 -- Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin Image above: Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin holds camera equipment as he floats in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA TO VIEW PICTURE GO TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html The Expedition 14 crew members began the week unloading more than 2.5 tons of supplies that were delivered to the station by the ISS Progress 24 cargo craft. Supplies included food, gifts from home, clothing, spare parts, oxygen and water. The crew members also started preparations for the upcoming spacewalks, with the first spacewalk scheduled for January 31. They readied the spacesuits to be worn by Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams. Lopez-Alegria and Williams also used computer-based training to refresh their skills with the Simplified Aid For Extravehicular Activity Rescue (SAFER) jet pack. The SAFER backpack allows space walkers to fly themselves back to the station in the event they become untethered and separated from the complex. + Expedition 14 Mission Status Briefing Materials, Jan. 26, 2007 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ms…> The crew took time out from their work on Monday to speak with television host Martha Stewart. They also took time to field questions from schools in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and another in Winnebago, Neb. by amateur radio.

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Next Space Tourist is Radio Ham
by Thomas Frey 26 Jan '07

26 Jan '07

Next Space Tourist is Radio Ham On Thursday, December 14, astronaut Tim Kopra and future space participant Charles Simonyi took and passed their amateur radio license exams. Read more at http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2007/next_space_tourist.htm Mit freundlichen Grüssen, Regards, 73 Thomas Frey, HB9SKA ______________________________________________________________________ Thomas Frey, Holzgasse 2, CH-5242 Birr, Tel. + Fax: 056 444 93 41 http://home.datacomm.ch/th.frey/ Packet Radio (AX.25): HB9SKA @ HB9PD.CHE.EU

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NASA and Woods Hole Linkup Connects Space and Sea Explorers
by Arthur Rowe 25 Jan '07

25 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Jan. 25, 2007 > > John Yembrick > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-0602 > > Nicole Cloutier > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-511 > > > NASA AND WOODS HOLE LINKUP CONNECTS SPACE AND SEA EXPLORERS > > Two extreme explorers will connect in a unique call Friday, Jan. 26, > linking the depths of the ocean with the heights of Earth orbit. NASA > and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Mass., will host the > ultra-long distance call between International Space Station > astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams and marine biologist Tim Shank in > the Alvin research submersible. > > The call will take place at 1:45 p.m. CST, and will be broadcast > tape-delayed on NASA Television between 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., > immediately following the conclusion of a station status media > briefing from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. Williams, > orbiting 220 miles overhead, and Shank, conducting research two miles > undersea in the Alvin submersible, will compare notes on science and > exploration. Additionally, they will field questions submitted by > students and educators. > > Williams, a Massachusetts native and commander in the U.S. Navy, > served as a diver and helicopter pilot prior to being selected as an > astronaut. Williams was a member of a NASA crew in 2002 that lived > underwater for nine days in the Aquarius habitat off the Florida > coast. She boarded the space station on Dec. 11, 2006, as a flight > engineer for the Expedition 14 crew, joining Commander Michael > Lopez-Alegria and fellow Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. Williams > will spend six months on the complex. > > Shank, a marine biologist in the Woods Hole's Department of Biology, > is currently conducting research diving in the Alvin at the > hydrothermal vent field on the East Pacific Rise. He is leading a > National Science Foundation-funded research expedition as part of the > RIDGE2000 program. Alvin is owned by the Navy and operated by Woods > Hole as a part of the National Deep Submergence Facility. > > For NASA TV downlink, schedules and streaming video information, and > more information about the space station, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/ntv > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > > > To subscribe to the list, send a message to: > hqnews-subscribe(a)mediaservices.nasa.gov > To remove your address from the list, send a message to: > hqnews-unsubscribe(a)mediaservices.nasa.gov > >

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Crew Preps for Spacewalk
by Arthur Rowe 25 Jan '07

25 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Crew Preps for Spacewalk* Image above: New Orleans, Louisiana is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crew member on the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA TO VIEW PICTURE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html The Expedition 14 crew members are accelerating their preparations for three U.S. spacewalks with the first starting next week. They readied safety items and reviewed safety procedures such as aiding a crewmate incapacitated by decompression sickness. Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams also reviewed updated spacewalk timelines and tagged up with ground specialists to address certain questions. Williams also set aside some time to conduct a ham radio session with students at the École élémentaire publique Le Prélude in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…>

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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
by Arthur Rowe 25 Jan '07

25 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 PERMISSION GRANT BY EAGLE-TRIBUNE - ANDOVER, MA.. Mission accomplished: After 5 million-mile space journey, T-shirt returns to Haverhill school By Mike LaBella , Staff Writer Eagle-Tribune HAVERHILL. MA. - It seems almost everyone at Golden Hill Elementary School has one of those purple T-shirts bearing the school's name and the image of an eagle, the school mascot. Members of the track team wear them. So do members of the Student Council and even students not involved with any organized group. But one of the shirts that looks the same as all the others has a special story to tell, a tale about a journey of more than 5 million miles - all the way from the school to Florida, then into space and back again. Yesterday, students and staff gathered in the school auditorium to welcome the shirt back home. It had traveled 5.3 million miles, orbiting Earth 202 times during space shuttle Discovery's 13-day mission. The journey began two years ago when students in teachers Mary Larcome and Joann Atwood's classes contacted NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, the man chosen to pilot Discovery. Kelly attended the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., with U.S. Naval Reserve Cmdrs. John Zaino and his wife, Terri Zaino. They are the brother and sister-in-law of Judy Zaino, supervisor of elementary curriculum for Haverhill schools. During a family gathering, John Zaino asked his nephew and niece, Golden Hill students Joshua Zaino and Lia Zaino, what they were studying in school. Joshua told him he was learning about space. John Zaino talked about his friendship with Kelly and his work with NASA. One thing led to another, and soon students in Larcome and Atwood's classes were e-mailing questions about space travel to John Zaino, who in turn relayed the questions to Kelly. But Joshua and his sister had an even better idea. After talking with their grandmother Barbara Zaino of Wilmington, they decided to ask Kelly if he would take one of their school T-shirts into space. "I thought it would be a cool thing to do," Joshua said. "I really didn't think the shirt would come back to us." John Zaino told his niece and nephew that it would be a difficult thing to get approved, but he would do his best to make it happen - and he was successful. "I think this is a fairly rare situation," John Zaino said moments before addressing yesterday's crowd. "There are very limited and restrictive packing requirements on the space shuttle." Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan was there to witness the shirt's return to Golden Hill and applauded the efforts of students whose idea to contact NASA culminated in this historic event. "There are 16,000 school districts in America and 38 million elementary students out there," Buchanan told the crowd. "It's quite an honor that we can bring recognition to this school." The students were ecstatic during the event. "Both classes of students and both teachers had signed the Golden Hill T-shirt," fifth-grader Sarah Slocum said during yesterday's ceremonies. "Astronaut and pilot Mark Kelly came through for us big time," fifth-grader Ashley Boulanger said. Along with the shirt, Kelly sent three shuttle mission patches to Golden Hill. Principal Bonnie Antkowiak raffled them. The winners were second-grader Angelica Castro, third-grader Arielle Angiuano and sixth-grader Anthony Quinney. "I'm going to put the patch in a safe spot," Anthony said after receiving it. No one will ever get to wear the shirt that went into space. It is going on display at the school. There is another shirt, however, one that did not go into space but was signed by shuttle pilot Kelly. Golden Hill plans to raffle that shirt and use the proceeds to buy science materials. Tickets are $1 each and are available at the school at 140 Boardman St. Haverhill, Ma.01830 Travels of the Golden Hill T-shirt Is carried almost 1,500 miles from Haverhill to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Blasts off into space July 4, 2006, aboard the space shuttle. Orbits Earth 202 times, traveling 5.3 million miles. Lands back in Florida July 17, 2006. Returns to Golden Hill School in Haverhill yesterday. Students' questions to astronaut Mark Kelly Q. What does zero gravity feel like? A. It feels like you're going over the top of the roller coaster initially. Then you get used to it and you can fly around the spaceship like Superman. It is a lot of fun! Q. If you squeeze toothpaste in the space shuttle, will it float? A. Everything floats. Q. What kinds of food do you eat in space? A. There are about 500 things on the menu that you can choose from. One of my favorites is the shrimp cocktail. I also like the Mexican scrambled eggs, the chicken in peanut sauce and of course, the spinach. Q. Is it hard to walk in a spacesuit? A. The suits we launch in are called launch and entry suits. They're probably about 70 pounds so it is hard to walk into and out of the space shuttle. The suits that we do the spacewalks in are about 700 pounds, but we only wear those in zero gravity so then they don't weigh anything. Q. What does the launch feel like? A. Like a runaway train going 1,000 miles per hour.

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International Space Station Heads of Agencies meet at ESA Headquarters
by Thomas Frey 24 Jan '07

24 Jan '07

International Space Station Heads of Agencies meet at ESA Headquarters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The heads of the International Space Station partners, space agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States, met at European Space Agency Headquarters in Paris, France, on 23 January 2007, to review ISS cooperation. Read more: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMKQ7SMTWE_iss_0.html Mit freundlichen Grüssen, Regards, 73 Thomas Frey, HB9SKA ______________________________________________________________________ Thomas Frey, Holzgasse 2, CH-5242 Birr, Tel. + Fax: 056 444 93 41 http://home.datacomm.ch/th.frey/ Packet Radio (AX.25): HB9SKA @ HB9PD.CHE.EU

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Heads of Agency International Space Station Joint Statement
by Arthur Rowe 24 Jan '07

24 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 NASA News wrote: > Jan. 23, 2007 > > Michael Braukus > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-1979 > > > HEADS OF AGENCY INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION JOINT STATEMENT > > PARIS - The heads of the International Space Station partners, space > agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States, > met at European Space Agency Headquarters in Paris, France, on > January 23, 2007, to review ISS cooperation. > > In their discussions, the Heads of Agency noted the significant > accomplishments of the partnership in implementing the space station > configuration and assembly sequence endorsed at their last meeting in > March 2006. Among the milestones acknowledged by the Heads of Agency > were reestablishment of three-person ISS crew and re-initiation of > station assembly activities; three extremely challenging Space > Shuttle missions with outstanding extravehicular accomplishments by > American, Russian, Canadian and European astronauts; continued > exceptional performance of the Canadarm2 including, on-orbit > operation by a Canadian astronaut; and the uninterrupted flow of > Russian Soyuz and Progress vehicles that provided essential crew and > cargo delivery and return. Successful completion of these assembly > activities has paved the way for the planned arrival of Node 2 > followed by two new laboratories, the European Space Agency Columbus > module and the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo, as well as the > Canadian two-armed Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator Dextre > within a year. > > The Heads of Agency reviewed the status of current ISS development, > configuration and operations activities across the partnership. > Transportation capabilities, including the European Space Agency > Automated Transfer Vehicle, the Japanese H-2 Transfer Vehicle, the > Russian Soyuz and Progress vehicles, the U.S. Space Shuttle, > Commercial Orbital Transportation and Crew Exploration Vehicle were > discussed. Also the timely achievement of a six person crew and > completion of space station assembly were reviewed. > > The Heads of Agency expressed their continued appreciation for the > outstanding work by on-orbit crews and ground support personnel to > bring the space station to its full productive capacity. They > acknowledged the strength of the partnership that characterizes the > ISS and the importance of international cooperation in achieving > mutual objectives in the exploration and utilization of space. > > For more information about the International Space Station, visit the > Internet at: > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > > > > >

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