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NASA EDGE BLOG

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Space Ops Associate Administrator,Bill Gerstenmaier,on Colbert Tonight! Is this an attempt to gain 2009 Mission Madness Support? Posted on Mar 10, 2009 03:03:14 PM | NASA EDGE: Until now, 2009 Mission Madness has had only minor, anticipated controversy. An agency with hundreds of valuable missions will certainly go through some expected growing pains as they narrow the field of competing missions.

Tonight, however, features a new controversial second front. Mr. Gerstenmaier is appearing tonight on the excessively popular and influential news show, The Colbert Report. Even if Mr. Gerstenmaier doesn't mention any of Space Operations' 16 participating missions, will his appearance have an unfair influence on 2009 Mission Madness voting?

As self appointed Commissioner of Astronautics, medianaut, and 2009 Mission Madness watchdog, I may have to look into this matter further.

What do you, the real voters, have to say?

Ever watchful,

The Co-Host; Permalink Comments
Trash Talk,Missing Missions and three weeks of Mission Mania Posted on Mar 09, 2009 09:02:20 AM | NASA EDGE: "40 years later, and the Apollo astronauts still have a better 40 yard dash time than any rover."

"Apollo 11 was great, but where is the science."

"You might want to keep an eye on Expedition 16. They have quite a following."

"Lunar Prospector 1 was the original LCROSS"

"Orion?!? That's like nominating a film in pre-production for Best Picture."

Get used to it, folks. This is what you will be hearing over the next three weeks as people begin to sort through and size up the matchups for the 2009 Mission Madness Tournament. And this is where you want to come to make your case for your favorite mission (ER2 is the real front runner) or trash missions that face some pretty tough odds*. Of course, there are also plenty of missions that didn't make the field of 64. We really want to hear from you. Remember, all information exchanged during this year's competition will be evaluated by the Selection Committee for next year's competition. So don't be afraid to let your opinions be known.

Good luck, and may the best mission win!

The Co-Host

P.S. I know I don't need to say it, but please refrain from using profanity, foul language or any other abusive language. Not only is it not going to be posted... it will count against your mission.

*2009 Mission Madness does not support gambling of any kind. The use of the term odds here is merely coincidental.; Permalink Comments
And the 2009 Mission Madness 64 Missions are... Posted on Mar 05, 2009 10:09:01 PM | NASA EDGE: Ok, we are literally hours away from announcing the field of 64 Missions competing in 2009 Mission Madness.

And this year’s field of missions will no doubt spark some controversy. Some will be angry about their favorite mission not being among the top 64. Some will be angry that their mission is going up against Apollo 11. Some will demand that all missions be judged on the amount of science they have generated. Some will demand that the greatest mission should simply be the coolest mission imaginable. Tensions may run high, tempers may flare.

So, I would like to suggest the following guidelines to ensure a successful outcome:

1.    Print and fill out 64 brackets to account for all winning scenarios.

2.     Fill out your bracket in pencil in order to make adjustments less obvious.

3.    Create decoy brackets for your friends that disagree with you. When they leave their desk to go to a meeting, switch their bracket with your better bracket. If you do this enough, you may actually influence their votes.

4.     (For those folks whose favorite mission was overlooked) Find out who is actually on the selection committee, befriend them, use your skills of persuasion to influence them in the selection process for next year.

5.     Vote like mad. Voting doesn’t begin until the 19th, but you are allowed to vote as many times as you like. So, print your bracket next week, and then when voting begins, vote away. NOTE: By following guideline number 3, you can possibly reduce your need to vote incessantly by half.

This list is not complete, but it should offer some initial strategy to select the winner for 2009 Mission Madness.

Of course, you could just download the NASA EDGE 2009 Mission Madness Selection Show on Monday and vote for the missions that the Co-Host is supporting. Just a thought.

The Co-Host; Permalink Comments
Ares I-X CM LAS Lands at NASA Kennedy Posted on Jan 28, 2009 01:40:15 PM | NASA EDGE: Credit: Ron Beard/NASA EDGE; Permalink Comments
Ares I-X: CM LAS Heading to NASA Kennedy Posted on Jan 28, 2009 10:35:59 AM | NASA EDGE: I'll be posting pics through out the day.

Final Call for Ares I-X: CM/LAS flight to NASA Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Ron Beard, NASA EDGE

Sean Smith, NASA Langley Research Center Photographer. Credit: Ron Beard, NASA EDGE

Is the Co-host able to fit in there? Credit: Ron Beard, NASA EDGE

C-5, transporting the Ares I-X CM/LAS, taking off from Langley Air Force Base. Credit: Franklin "Everyman" Fitzgerald, NASA EDGE

Credit: Franklin "Everyman" Fitzgerald, NASA EDGE

Funny story. Franklin was hanging out in front of the Langley Air Force Base runway on Armistead Ave. The cops came by and told him and a few others they had to leave. There were about 20 NASA Langley workers watching the C-5 take off. Everyman managed to slip off the road in front of the main gate and take a couple of pics. Great job Everyman.; Permalink Comments
Ares 1-X CM LAS Pics Posted on Jan 27, 2009 04:04:14 PM | NASA EDGE: Here are some pics of the Ares 1-X Crew Module/Launch Abort System (CM/LAS) being loaded into an Air Force C-5 cargo plane. Enjoy.

Credit: Ron Beard, NASA EDGE

Credit: TBD; Permalink Comments
NASA EDGE- A Year in Review Posted on Dec 31, 2008 12:44:08 AM | NASA EDGE: 2008 was a great year for NASA EDGE. Even though our two-year anniversary is not until March 18, 2009, this past year was our first full year as a vodcast. We released 19 vodcasts (11 NE@ segments and 8 standard). Along our travels we covered many topics and visited many places, some old and some new. We visited NASA Johnson Space Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Glenn Research Center, and of course our home base, NASA Langley Research Center. We covered the NASA events at the X Games, the Daytona 500, and Yuri’s Night. We met NASCAR driver, Kurt Busch, Astronauts Drew Fuestel and Mike Good and the rest of the STS-125 crew, Stephanie Stockman from NASA Goddard, Jennifer Madsen, Barbara Romig, and Joe Kosmo from NASA JSC, Shana Dale from NASA HQ, the NASA CoLab crew from Ames, Mike Weiss - Deputy Project Manager for Hubble, Dick DeLombard and the eZLS crew from NASA Glenn. And we can’t forget one of our fav 5, Shari Olson, from NASA Dryden. There are too many people to list but we want to thank everyone who provided us help throughout the year on the vodcasts. We can’t forget about our social networking friends, especially those on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Thank you for all the feedback and support this past year!

I think our pinnacle for 2008 was being on ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning. Even though we didn’t release a vodcast, Blair and I had the opportunity to play the game, “Is it Earth Food or Space Food”, with the hosts, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. The NASA EDGE vodcast was originally based off of “Mike and Mike in the Morning. “ You can check out some of the "Behind the Scenes" footage on our Facebook page.

Well, where do we go from here? We’ve been asked to take it up another notch in 2009. What does that mean? We are still in the planning stages and have a few ideas to get approved. Hopefully our first idea will start in March but we’ll see. In 2009 we plan to cover another round of cool topics including the Orion Launch Abort System, the Pad Abort-1 test, Ares 1-X flight test, the STS-125 launch, LRO and LCROSS, Constellation work at NASA KSC, Ares I and V, the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, and much much more. So send us your ideas and we’ll put them in the vault.

On behalf of the NASA EDGE team, I want to thank everyone for their support in 2008 and keep watching NASA EDGE, an inside and outside look at all things NASA.

Happy New Year!

Chris
Host

Note: If you leave a comment then please don't provide an outside link or we cannot approve you comment. Thank you.; Permalink Comments
Successful Test!! Posted on Nov 20, 2008 11:43:28 PM | NASA EDGE: What a day at ATK! NASA, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and ATK successfully performed a ground firing test of the abort motor for NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle Launch Abort System. The abort motor fired for five seconds with the exhaust plume flames reaching an estimated 100-130 ft. It was a sight to see. Check out the first six frames of 15+ pics we took of the firing test using our Nikon D200 camera.

Congratulations to the entire Launch Abort System team on a job well done! On to Pad Abort-1 at White Sands in 2009. NASA EDGE would like to give special thanks to the following cool ATK employees: Trina Patterson, Julie Lucus-Keller, Justin Ellingford, Trevor Brasfield, and Jennie Campbell. Special thanks to Julie and Justin for helping us out with gear, work space, and everything else. They are a great group of people to work with. Signing off from ATK.

All the best,
The NASA EDGE team at ATK
(Chris, Blair, Ron, and Don)

P.S. We also wants to thank all of the NASA EDGE fans at ATK for making us feel so welcome. It was great to meet everyone. Hopefully, we will be back for more tests in the future.; Permalink Comments
Orion Launch Abort Motor Full-Scale Test Firing - Dry Run Posted on Nov 19, 2008 10:53:37 PM | NASA EDGE: **Before I begin this post, let me warn you ahead of time that anything typed in another color other than black should be taken very lightly. The Co-host has been color happy lately.**

The NASA EDGE team is in Promontory, Utah at the ATK Test Facility covering the Orion Launch Abort Motor full-scale test firing. If you've never been to the test facility here's what you see as you drive up to the main entrance. I actually suggested that they refer to this event as a test hiring rather than a test firing. I got nothing.

ATK Test Facility, Promontory, Utah. Credit: NASA EDGE/Chris Giersch

On November 20, NASA, ATK, and the Orion Project team will conduct the first full-scale test fire of the Launch Abort Motor for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. A full-scale test like this has not been conducted since the days of the Apollo Program. This test and earlier motor and component tests are paving the way for the Pad Abort-1 Flight Test scheduled for the spring of 2009.

The Abort Motor stands over 17 feet tall, spans three feet in diameter and is equipped with a manifold that has four nozzles and turns the flow of the flames to create a pulling motion.

Abort Motor attached to the vertical test stand. Credit: NASA EDGE/Chris Giersch

It is the primary motor in the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS). The LAS will be able to pull the crew module to safety away from the Ares I launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the pad or during the initial phase of ascent up to 300,000 feet. Speaking of scale, this thing is huge. It always seems smaller in the animations we use on the show.

In the picture above, the Abort Motor is fitted into the vertical test stand, with the nozzles pointed skyward. The burn time for the test is five seconds. I believe the flames exiting the nozzles may reach a height of 100 feet. So we'll see what happens during burn time. Should be fun.

Today we had a chance to view the dry test run from the control room. The dry run took about 45 minutes and involved a series of checks before a they ignited a small charge. Import Dry Run Note: Remember not to drink a 64 oz. cafe latte before the test. The script doesn't call for bathroom breaks.

Control room for the Abort Motor test firing. Credit: NASA EDGE/Chris Giersch

The team from ATK did a great job and I think everyone is ready for the test on Nov. 20. Our coverage of the Abort Motor test is part of a NASA EDGE vodast we are doing on the Orion Launch Abort System. Today we had a chance to conduct a few interviews for the vodcast.

Chris and Blair interviews Heather Angel from Lockheed Martin. Credit: Linda Singleton
WHAT!?!?!?! Ron is a set therapist for ATK too!

Heather Angel is a propulsion engineer for Lockheed Martin. She's been with the company for a little over six months and has done an outstanding during her short tenure. We expect big things from her in the years to come.

Blair, Steve Gaddis, Barry Meredith, and Chris. Credit: NASA EDGE/Ron Beard
Did you notice the gradual increase in height from left to right? For the record, we were on a slant.

We can't produce a LAS vodcast without interviewing the head honcho for LAS, Barry Meredith. Barry currently works at NASA Langley Research Center and has been with NASA for 40 years. He works in the same directorate as me at Langley. I can't say enough about Barry. He's a straight shooter who knows how to get the job done. Unfortunately Barry is leaving us in December and is retiring from NASA. I am definitely looking forward to his retirement party. And for his final act before retirement, Berry Meredith names Blair Allen as the nations top Medianaut with an emphasis in Magnetospherence! If that doesn't work, I can always emcee his retirement party. I just bought a new karaoke machine.

Anyway enough rambling for one day. Hey, the test firing is right around the corner and I think Ron is setting up the cameras. We'll be back to give you our take on the test firing and see if Blair's hotdogs survived the burn.

All the best,
Chris; Permalink Comments
Return to Tashi Station with SPR Posted on Oct 24, 2008 11:24:28 PM | NASA EDGE: Blair had a problem with a power converter on his T-34 heading to Tashi Station, and Mos Nocohost was the nearest place that sold power converters. As we approached Black Point Lava Flow, we happened to see a bunch of tents in the distance. Using stealth like techniques, we decided to investigate. Avoiding all imperial entanglements, we managed to get some cool pics of a very cool looking small pressurized rover concept.

Small Pressurized Rover Concept. Credit: NASA EDGE

NASA is now testing a new generation of rovers that will be used when we return to the moon by the end of the next decade. One of these rover concepts is the Small Pressurized Rover or SPR. The SPR consists of a Mobility Chassis and an SPR cabin module.

SPR showing the "crab style" movements. Credit: NASA EDGE

The SPR concept offers many advantages over the rovers of the Apollo days. It will increase the potential range of exploration, provide protection for the astronauts, reduce the amount of time astronauts must wear pressurized suits and allow for more scientific research.

The SPR in action. Credit: NASA EDGE

Another unique advantage of the SPR system is the crew lock concept, providing a rapid EVA ingress/egress. The crew lock will allow the crew to enter and exit the EVA suit while never having to bring the suit inside, keeping the internal space mostly free of dust.

EVA mock-up suit. Credit: NASA

Well, the second power converter died on the T-34 and we were stuck out on the lava flow with no transport to get to Mos Nocohost. As the Sun drifted away below the horizon and temperatures falling near freezing, I asked Blair if we had a back up plan. "Back up plan?" responded Blair. Have no fear, SPR is here. The SPR team is a great group of engineers and technicians. They definitely have the "right stuff" and have been working hard the past couple of years on lunar rover concepts. In fact, they managed to find time to bail us out and provide a lift into town.

SPR in action at night. Credit: NASA

We had a great time covering the SPR test at Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona. Look for an NE@ segment in the next month or so featuring Astronaut Mike Gernhardt taking us on a test drive in the SPR.

All the best,
Chris
Host; Permalink Comments

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