NCSA Aquifer Dance

For "Dance: Re-Imagining the Proscenium," performers executed choreographed and spontaneous dance moves to music composed by New York-based composer James Lo as they roamed throughout the University of Illinois' Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The dancers were part of a November 2008 modern dance performance showcasing the area's reliance on the Mahomet Aquifer that flows deep beneath the ground. The performance's creator, Illinois dance professor Jennifer Monson, is interested in environmental issues.

This distinctive dance experience was executed with the assistance of numerous collaborators including some from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications' (NCSA) Advanced Visualization Lab. Jeffrey Carpenter, Robert Patterson and Stuart Levy created visualizations like the one pictured here behind the dancers (created by Carpenter). This particular visualization depicts a persistent ground of dark, shimmering sand perpetually in motion, evoking the opaque and porous substrates of the aquifer through which water moves and from which it is drawn. Slowly, an isomorphic image of the aquifer rises and turns to open, inviting viewers to move within the exposed mystery of its negative space. Then, gradually a graphic representation of the aquifer resolves until it is superimposed across the 3-D outlines of the aquifer. The images linger only a short time until the reality of the aquifer--dense, dark and subterranean--is reasserted.

The visualizations were projected on the rear walls of stages and rooms and around corners, surrounding and immersing the dancers and the audience and expanding their experience into new dimensions.

The performance was part of the Institute for Advanced Computing Applications and Technologies (IACAT) computing and creativity research theme, which is exploring, among other things, the use of new technology for creating innovative performances.

(Date of Image: November 2008)

Credit: Background visualization by Jeffrey Carpenter, NCSA/University of Illinois; photo by Robert Patterson, NCSA/University of Illinois

Bird Song Yields a New Understanding of Cooperation

The site of a volcano isn't the first place one might think of to study cooperation. But neuroscientist Eric Fortune of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues went to the slopes of Antisana volcano in Ecuador to study cooperation as it plays out with a very special songbird, the plain-tailed wren. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation, the researchers report their observations in the Nov. 4, 2011, issue of Science.

Rapidly alternating their singing back and forth, female and male wrens cooperate to sing a duet that sounds as if a single bird sang it. The researchers assumed that the brain of each bird would have a memory of its own part of the duet, and also have a memory of the cues from its partner. They were surprised to find that both brains had a record of the complete duet--a performance that neither bird can do by itself.

As with humans dancing a tango, one could assume that both people know their own parts of the dance and the cues from their partner, but this research suggests that both partners' brains have a powerful representation of the complete tango performance.

This simple insight from these dueting wrens is a new way to looking at cooperation. Perhaps in human endeavors it is more important to have an image of what a group wants to achieve than each participant's own tasks.

More information on this research is available in this news release from Johns Hopkins University.

-NSF-

Atlantis Crew Awakened by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe

Today’s wakeup song was ‘Man on the Moon,” by celebrity Michael Stipe of R.E.M., played at 1:29 a.m. EDT, which included a special message from Stipe: “Good morning, Atlantis. This is Michael Stipe from R.E.M. We wish you much success on your mission and thank all the women and men at NASA who have worked on the shuttle for three decades. From Earth, a very good morning to you.”

Stipe provided the following information:

I recorded 'Man On The Moon' for NASA in Venice, Italy, where Galileo first presented to the Venician government his eight-power telescope, and in 1610 wrote 'The Starry Messenger'(Sidereus Nuncius), an account of his early astronomical discoveries that altered forever our view of our place in the universe.

--Michael Stipe, July 2011

Atlantis and Expedition 28 crews are about halfway done transferring equipment and supplies from the shuttle middeck and the Raffaello multi-purpose module to the International Space Station. They will continue that work today, field questions from reporters, and enjoy some well deserved time off.

Composer Debuts Fanfare Honoring Final Shuttle Mission

Sarah Ramsey

Headquarters, Washington                              

WASHINGTON -- Emmy-nominated celebrity composer Bear McCreary, known for his television scores, has composed a fanfare specifically to commemorate the final space shuttle flight. After composing four seasons of music for a television show set in space, creating music inspired by a historic NASA mission was a natural fit. The composition will be played first on Friday morning at the NASA launch TweetUp.

People viewing the launch from some of the other locations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will also be able to hear the composition.

McCreary composed the music for the television series Battlestar Galactica; The Walking Dead; Eureka; Human Target; and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He also worked with film music legend Elmer Bernstein, who composed the music for The Magnificent Seven and The Ten Commandments.

NASA has worked with artists since 1962, when Administrator James E. Webb invited a group of artists to illustrate and interpret agency missions and projects. Artists, songwriters, musicians and playwrights have offered their unique perspectives on spaceflight ever since. NASA also has a long and storied connection with pop culture, frequently working with creators of science fiction films and television programs to discuss science fact.

For more information about Bear McCreary, visit http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/.

For more information about space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

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NASA Commemorates Moonshot Moment's Golden Anniversary Agency Looks to the Future and Beyond Low-Earth Orbit

David S. Weaver

Headquarters, Washington

WASHINGTON -- Fifty years ago, a young president struggling with deepening international issues set a fledgling space agency on a course that would change the history of human exploration. NASA commemorates President John F. Kennedy's historic speech that sent humans safely to the moon with a series of activities and a commitment to continue the journey of discovery and exploration that started with a desperate race into space.

"We are moving into a bright new future that builds on a challenge presented to us 50 years ago," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "It is important that we remember our history but we must always look forward toward a brighter future. Our advantage now is that we have five decades of accomplishment and world leadership in space on which to build. The dreams President Kennedy helped make real for our world, and the dreams we still hold, may appear to be just out of reach but they are not out of our grasp."

On this date in 1961, Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress, with a worldwide television audience, and announced, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." This was seen as a bold mandate because America's experience up to this point was Alan Shepard's suborbital Freedom 7 mission, which launched just a few weeks earlier and lasted about 15 minutes.

"Today, we have another young and vibrant president who has outlined an urgent national need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build our competitors and create new capabilities that will take us farther into the solar system, and help us learn even more about our place in the universe," Bolden added. "We stand at a moonshot moment once again, where we have a chance to make great leaps forward to new destinations, develop new vehicles and technologies, and new ways of exploring."

To commemorate the address that launched NASA into history, the agency has scheduled several events and historic multimedia perspectives, including:

-- A special concert at 7 p.m. EDT tonight at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. The one-hour concert will feature the Space Philharmonic, Administrator Bolden, astronauts, Kennedy family representatives and special guests. There are a limited number of tickets available for the public. For more information, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/jTOKZt

-- Video and other multimedia material from President Kennedy's speech are available on NASA Television and on the agency's Internet homepage http://www.nasa.gov along with information about the agency's future exploration initiatives.

-- A message from the administrator about NASA's next moonshot moment and moving beyond Earth orbit is available on his blog at: http://bit.ly/fNjTS2

-- An announcement later today that represents an important step in executing the president's exploration objectives and could pave the way for extending humanity's reach beyond low-Earth orbit and further into space

-- NASA and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington present "NASA | ART," from May 28 to Oct. 9. The exhibit features more than 70 paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and other forms of art illustrating the agency's mission. Admission is free, and the exhibit is located at the Air and Space Museum's building at Sixth Street and Independence Ave. SW.

For more information about NASA and its missions, connect with the agency online at http://www.nasa.gov , http://www.twitter.com/nasa , http://www.facebook.com/nasa and http://www.youtube.com/nasatelevision.

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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NASA Honors Human Spaceflight Achievements At Kennedy Center Concert

Katherine Trinidad                               

Headquarters, Washington                               

WASHINGTON -- NASA is inviting the general public and journalists to a special concert at 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 25, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington to honor American achievements in human spaceflight. The event, “Human Spaceflight: the Kennedy Legacy” is a musical celebration on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s speech to Congress when he challenged our nation to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth.

The one-hour concert will feature the Space Philharmonic under the baton of celebrity conductor Emil de Cou. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, astronauts and special, surprise guests will participate in the event along with local high school musical groups and the Soldier’s Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band.

A limited number of tickets is available for the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. To attend the free event, please contact NASA Guest Operations at 202-358-1750. Tickets for those who RSVP will be available at NASA's Will Call tables, which will be staffed in front of the Concert Hall (in the Grand Foyer) from 5-6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Reporters, who would like to cover the event, must contact Katherine Trinidad at 202-358-3749 or katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov by 12 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24.

To see video, audio and a transcript of President Kennedy's 1961 speech and learn about NASA's plans for future human space exploration, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/kennedy_moon_speech.html.

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NASA and Music Producer Pharrell Williams Encourage Virginia Students to Reach for the Stars

Ann Marie Trotta

Headquarters, Washington                                    

 

Amy Johnson

Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.

HAMPTON, Va. -- NASA and celebrity producer and recording artist Pharrell Williams will host an education event on Saturday, April 23, at Williams Farms Park in Virginia Beach, Va. The event is designed to encourage students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies and careers.

NASA's Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin who is a former astronaut and Williams, a Hampton Roads, Va., native, will deliver remarks. Williams' charitable organization, From One Hand to Another, is supporting the development of the Pharrell Williams Resource Center, which is scheduled to open in 2013 in the park. The center will run academic enrichment programs and engage youth in STEM activities.

Saturday's program also will feature NASA exhibits and showcase the accomplishments of students from Hampton Roads who participated last year in NASA's inaugural Summer of Innovation camps. More than 500 students who participated in the camps sponsored by NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., will be in attendance.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT, is free and open to the public and reporters. To attend, news media should contact Ann Marie Trotta at 202-358-1601 or Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022 by 5 p.m. Thursday. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at Bayside Middle School, 965 Newton Road, Virginia Beach.

NASA's Summer of Innovation is a key part of President Obama's Educate to Innovate campaign, which was launched to help keep middle school students engaged during school breaks. For more information about the program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/soi.

For more information about NASA's education initiatives, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education.

For more information about From One Hand to Another, visit http://www.fohta.org.

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NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Perform First Space-Earth Flute Duet

Stephanie Schierholz

Headquarters, Washington                                        

 

James Hartsfield

Johnson Space Center, Houston

WASHINGTON -- Harmony reached new heights recently as NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, circling Earth aboard the International Space Station, and celebrity musician Ian Anderson, founder of the rock band Jethro Tull, collaborated for the first space-Earth duet.

Coleman, an amateur flutist, and Anderson played a portion of the song "Bourree," an arrangement of which Anderson and Jethro Tull performed during their 1969 U.S. tour as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped on the moon. Coleman played her part from 220 miles above Earth late last week. Anderson played his part while on tour in Perm, Russia, during the weekend. The two parts were then joined.

Video from the performance is on NASA's website at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=79119001.

Coleman and Anderson's performance saluted 50 years of human spaceflight and the anniversary of the first launch of a human to space. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin completed that milestone on April 12, 1961.

"Thanks Col. Catherine Coleman in the International Space Station," Anderson said following the performance. "We should remember that today's cosmonauts, scientists and astronauts are still every bit the rocket heroes they were 50 years ago."

Coleman is an avid fan of Anderson's and carried one of his flutes with her for a six-month stay aboard the station, along with her own instrument. She also carried a penny whistle and Irish flute from members of the musical group The Chieftans.

"It is really different to play up here," Coleman said earlier during her stay on the station. "I've been having the nicest time up in our cupola. I float around in there. A lot of the times I play with my eyes closed."

The video also is available on NASA Television. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink info, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For more information about the flutes Coleman has aboard the station, visit http://go.nasa.gov/Cady_Coleman_Flute.

To view an image gallery from Gagarin's historic flight, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/gagarin/gagarin.html.

NASA's interactive feature commemorating the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle's first flight, visit http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/the_shuttle.

To learn more about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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NASA Opens Voting For Original Songs To Awaken Next Shuttle Crew

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                                        

 

Kyle Herring

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- NASA is inviting the public to vote for its favorite original song to wake up space shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates during their STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. Voting runs from Tuesday, March 29 through launch day, which currently is targeted for April 19.

Electronic voting is open to the public on NASA's Space Rock website, which includes the songs, inspiration and biographical information about the 10 finalists https://songcontest.nasa.gov/.

Songwriters and performers from around the world submitted 1,350 songs, including 693 from 47 states, 105 from Canada, and 552 from 61 other countries. The song contest began Aug. 20, 2010 and ended Jan. 31. The finalists were notified on Feb. 18.

Below are the original song finalists (alphabetical by song title):

"Boogie Woogie Shuttle," by Ryan McCullough (Savannah, Ga.)

"Dreams You Give," by Brian Plunkett (Halfway, Mo.)

"Endeavour, It's a Brand New Day," by Susan Rose Simonetti (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)

"I Need My Space," by Stan Clardy (Statesville, N.C.)

"I Want to Be an Astronaut," by Michael J. Kunes (Phoenix)

"Just Another Day in Space," by Kurt Lanham (Jacksonville, Fla.)

"Rocket Scientist," by Tray Eppes (Cullen, Va.)

"Spacing Out," by Jeremy Parsons (Nashville, Tenn.)

"Sunrise Number 1," by Jorge Otero (Ovideo, Spain)

"The Countdown Blues (Hymn for Tim)," by Sharon Riddell (Nashville, Tenn.)

The two songs with the most votes will be the first original songs chosen by the public to be played as wakeup music for a shuttle crew. The STS-134 Original Song Contest ran concurrently with the Top 40 Song Contest for shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission. The Top 40 Song Contest ended earlier this month.

The song contests join the ongoing "Face in Space" project offering the opportunity to send a picture to space via an electronic transfer. During Discovery's mission, more than 194,000 images flew in space. So far, almost 117,000 images have been submitted to fly aboard shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 flight. To send your face to space aboard Endeavour, or Atlantis on the STS-135 mission targeted for June, visit http://faceinspace.nasa.gov.

The 14-day mission will be the 36th flight to the space station and the 25th, and final, flight for Endeavour. Pilot Greg H. Johnson and mission specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency will join Kelly.

They will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics detector designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. The crew also will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, a platform that carries spare parts to sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired later this year.

For more information on the Space Shuttle Program and Endeavour's final mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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NASA Opens Voting For Original Songs To Awaken Next Shuttle Crew

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                                         

 

Kyle Herring

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- NASA is inviting the public to vote for its favorite original song to wake up space shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates during their STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. Voting runs from Tuesday, March 29 through launch day, which currently is targeted for April 19.

Electronic voting is open to the public on NASA's Space Rock website, which includes the songs, inspiration and biographical information about the 10 finalists https://songcontest.nasa.gov/.

Songwriters and performers from around the world submitted 1,350 songs, including 693 from 47 states, 105 from Canada, and 552 from 61 other countries. The song contest began Aug. 20, 2010 and ended Jan. 31. The finalists were notified on Feb. 18.

Below are the original song finalists (alphabetical by song title):

"Boogie Woogie Shuttle," by Ryan McCullough (Savannah, Ga.)

"Dreams You Give," by Brian Plunkett (Halfway, Mo.)

"Endeavour, It's a Brand New Day," by Susan Rose Simonetti (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)

"I Need My Space," by Stan Clardy (Statesville, N.C.)

"I Want to Be an Astronaut," by Michael J. Kunes (Phoenix)

"Just Another Day in Space," by Kurt Lanham (Jacksonville, Fla.)

"Rocket Scientist," by Tray Eppes (Cullen, Va.)

"Spacing Out," by Jeremy Parsons (Nashville, Tenn.)

"Sunrise Number 1," by Jorge Otero (Ovideo, Spain)

"The Countdown Blues (Hymn for Tim)," by Sharon Riddell (Nashville, Tenn.)

The two songs with the most votes will be the first original songs chosen by the public to be played as wakeup music for a shuttle crew. The STS-134 Original Song Contest ran concurrently with the Top 40 Song Contest for shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission. The Top 40 Song Contest ended earlier this month.

The song contests join the ongoing "Face in Space" project offering the opportunity to send a picture to space via an electronic transfer. During Discovery's mission, more than 194,000 images flew in space. So far, almost 117,000 images have been submitted to fly aboard shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 flight. To send your face to space aboard Endeavour, or Atlantis on the STS-135 mission targeted for June, visit http://faceinspace.nasa.gov.

The 14-day mission will be the 36th flight to the space station and the 25th, and final, flight for Endeavour. Pilot Greg H. Johnson and mission specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency will join Kelly.

They will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics detector designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. The crew also will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, a platform that carries spare parts to sustain station operations once the shuttles are retired later this year.

For more information on the Space Shuttle Program and Endeavour's final mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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NASA Hosts STS-133 Song Contest Winner Live In Mission Control

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Kyle Herring

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- For the first time, NASA astronauts aboard an orbiting spacecraft were awakened by a live performance from Mission Control, as Todd Park Mohr and three other members of Big Head Todd and the Monsters performed "Blue Sky" live at 2:23 a.m. CST.

The live performance was broadcast to space shuttle Discovery Commander Steve Lindsey and the other five crew members, as they orbited 220 miles above the southern tip of South America. The song started the crew's last full day in space after spending eight days in joint operations, with the shuttle docked to the International Space Station. Discovery's landing is scheduled for 10:57 a.m. CST Wednesday, March 9, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"Blue Sky" was written by the band as a tribute for Discovery's return to flight mission (STS-114) in 2005. The song received the most votes in NASA's "Top 40 song contest." The top two songs were played as wakeup music for the shuttle crew.

Receiving 722,662 votes (29 percent), "Blue Sky" outdistanced the "Theme from Star Trek." The theme received 671,133 votes (27 percent) and was played to wake the crew Monday morning with a special introduction by William Shatner, the actor who played Captain James T. Kirk.

After the performance, Mohr briefly talked with Lindsey.

"Well, that was terrific, we really appreciate it and congratulations on winning the contest," Lindsey said.

"On behalf of Big Head Todd and the Monsters and songwriters and artists everywhere, we just want to thank you so much for your courage, your bravery and your effort in just giving all of us a better shot at knowing more," Mohr told Lindsey and the crew. "It's very inspirational to the arts as well."

"We all wish you could see what we can see when we look out at the Earth; and hopefully, everybody will be able to do that one of these days. Hopefully sooner rather than later," Lindsey replied.

To watch the group play "Blue Sky" for Discovery's crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?collection_id=14554&media_id=70058841.

For information about the Discovery song contest and the Original Song Contest for STS-134, visit https://songcontest.nasa.gov.

For information about the Space Shuttle Program, the STS-133 mission and to view pictures and video from the wakeup performance, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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