Space Shuttle Endeavour

Space shuttle Endeavour is seen atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Monday, Sept. 17, 2012 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The SCA, a modified 747 jetliner, will fly Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display at the California Science Center. This is the final ferry flight scheduled in the Space Shuttle Program era.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Shuttle Endeavour Ferry Flight Rescheduled to Sept. 19

Rachel Kraft

Headquarters, Washington                   

202-358-1100

rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov

 

Michael Curie

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

321-867-2468

michael.curie@nasa.gov

 

Laura J. Brown

Federal Aviation Administration

202-267-3455

laura.j.brown@faa.gov

WASHINGTON -- NASA's ferry flight of space shuttle Endeavour atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19 due to an unfavorable weather forecast along the flight path on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Endeavour now is expected to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Friday, Sept. 21.

On Oct. 11, 2011, NASA transferred title and ownership of Endeavour to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The decision to reschedule the flight was made Monday in coordination with the science center to ensure a safe flight for Endeavour and the SCA. Weather predictions are favorable Wednesday for the flight path between Houston and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where the flight will originate.

In cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, the SCA is scheduled to conduct low-level flyovers at about 1,500 feet above locations along the planned flight path. The exact timing and path of the ferry flight will depend on weather conditions and operational constraints. Some planned flyovers or stopovers could be delayed or cancelled. If the ferry flight is postponed again, an additional advisory will be issued.

At sunrise on Sept. 19, the SCA and Endeavour will depart Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility and perform a flyover of various areas of the Space Coast, including Kennedy, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base.

The aircraft will fly west and conduct low flyovers of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. As it arrives over the Texas Gulf Coast area, the SCA will perform low flyovers above various areas of Houston and Clear Lake before landing at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center.

At sunrise on Thursday, Sept. 20, the aircraft will depart Houston, make a refueling stop at Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas, and conduct low-level flyovers of White Sands Test Facility near Las Cruces, N.M., and NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, before landing around mid-day at Dryden.

Options for the NASA Social at Dryden are being evaluated. Attendees for the event will be notified by the NASA social media team once plans are decided.

On the morning of Sept. 21, the SCA and Endeavour will take off from Dryden and perform a low-level flyover of northern California, passing near NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., and various landmarks in multiple cities, including Sacramento and San Francisco. The aircraft also will conduct a flyover of many Los Angeles sites before landing about 11 a.m. PDT at LAX.

Social media users are encouraged to share their Endeavour sightings using the hashtags #spottheshuttle and #OV105, Endeavour's orbiter vehicle designation.

After arrival at LAX, Endeavour will be removed from the SCA and spend a few weeks at a United Airlines hangar undergoing preparations for transport and display. Endeavour then will travel through Inglewood and Los Angeles city streets on a 12-mile journey from the airport to the science center, arriving in the evening on Oct. 13.

Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.

Endeavour completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles.

For information about NASA's transfer of space shuttles to museums, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition.

For more about NASA missions and programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

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NASA'S 2013 Lunabotics Competition Open For Registration

Ann Marie Trotta

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1601

ann.marie.trotta@nasa.gov

 

Tracy Young

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

321-867-2468

tracy.g.young@nasa.gov

WASHINGTON -- NASA is accepting applications from teams of U.S. and international undergraduate and graduate students for the fourth annual Lunabotics Mining Competition. The event will be held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida May 20-24, 2013.

Participants in the competition will design and build a remote controlled or autonomous robot. During the competition, the teams' designs, known as lunabots, will go head-to-head to determine which machine can excavate and deposit the most simulated lunar dirt within 10 minutes.

Registration is limited to the first 50 teams submitting applications.

The competition is designed to engage and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines critical to NASA's missions.

For information on the competition and to apply online, visit http://www.nasa.gov/lunabotics.

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

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NASA Sets Radiation Belt Storm Probes Mission Launch Events Coverage

J.D. Harrington

NASA Headquarters, Washington

202-358-5241

j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

 

George H. Diller

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

321-867-2468

george.h.diller@nasa.gov

 

Geoffrey Brown

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.

240-228-5618

geoffrey.brown@jhuapl.edu

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) are set to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Aug. 23. The 20-minute launch window for the twin probes at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 begins at 4:08 a.m. EDT.

Launch commentary coverage, as well as prelaunch media briefings, will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

RBSP will explore space weather -- changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- that can disable satellites, create power grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will allow researchers to understand fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe.

Prelaunch News Conference

A prelaunch news conference on NASA TV will be held at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Press Site at 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20.

Briefing participants are:

-- Michael Luther, deputy associate administrator for programs, NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington

-- Tim Dunn, NASA launch director, Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

-- Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions, United Launch Alliance, Denver, Colo.

-- Richard Fitzgerald, RBSP project manager, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory,

Laurel, Md.

-- Kathy Winters, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station, Fla.

RBSP Mission Science Briefing

Immediately following the prelaunch news conference, an RBSP mission science briefing will be held and carried on NASA TV.

Briefing participants are:

-- Mona Kessel, RBSP program scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington

-- Nicola Fox, RBSP deputy project scientist, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

-- Craig Kletzing, principal investigator, University of Iowa, Electric and Magnetic Field

Instrument Suite and Integrated Science instrument

-- Harlan Spence, principal investigator, University of New Hampshire, Energetic Particle,

Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite instrument, Durham, N.H.

-- Lou Lanzerotti, principal investigator, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Radiation Belt

Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment, Newark, N.J.

The science briefing is scheduled to conclude by 3 p.m.

A post-launch news conference also will be held approximately 2 1/2 hours after launch on Aug. 23.

Accreditation and Media Access Badges for Kennedy

U.S. media who want to cover the RBSP prelaunch news conference and mission science briefing in-person must apply for credentials online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/

The deadline for international media to apply for launch accreditation has passed.

Atlas V Launch Vehicle Rollout

Tuesday, Aug. 21: There will be a media opportunity to observe rollout of the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad. Media should be at Kennedy's Press Site at 9 a.m. for transportation to the viewing location near Space Launch Complex 41.

Remote Camera Placement at Space Launch Complex 41

Tuesday, Aug. 21: Photographers who wish to set up remote sound-activated cameras at the Atlas V launch pad will transported to Space Launch Complex 41. Media should meet in the Kennedy Press Site parking lot at 1:30 p.m. Media also should plan to use a timer that can be set for more than 24 hours. Only news media representatives establishing a remote camera at the pad will be permitted for this activity.

Launch Day Press Site Access

Thursday, Aug. 23: Media will cover the RBSP launch from Kennedy's Press Site. Access will be through Gate 3 on State Road 405, east of the Kennedy Center Visitor Complex beginning at 12:30 a.m.

Kennedy Press Site Hours

Monday, Aug. 20: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 21: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 22: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 23: 12:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

NASA Television Coverage

On Monday, Aug. 20, NASA Television will carry the RBSP prelaunch news conference and mission science briefing live beginning at 1 p.m.

On Thursday, Aug. 23, NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 1:30 a.m. and conclude after the second of the two RBSP spacecraft has separated from the Atlas V, which occurs 91 minutes and six seconds after launch. Live launch coverage will be carried on all NASA Television channels.

A post-launch news conference will be held at Kennedy's Press Site approximately 2 1/2 hours after launch. Spokespersons also will be available at the Press Site for interviews and to answer questions.

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

A prelaunch webcast for the RBSP mission will be streamed on NASA's website at noon, Wednesday, Aug. 22. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 23. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Jeanne Ryba at 321-867-7824.

To view the webcast and the blog or to learn more about the RBSP mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp.

Social Media

Join the conversation online by using the #RBSP hashtag or by following RBSP on Twitter at @RBStormProbes or on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/QR9agm.

Throughout the launch countdown, the @RBStormProbes and @NASAKennedy Twitter feeds will be continuously updated with the latest mission updates and news.

http://www.twitter.com/RBStormProbes and http://www.twitter.com/nasakennedy.

Recorded Status

Recorded status reports and updates to the media advisory on the RBSP launch will be provided through the Kennedy media phone line starting Monday, Aug. 20. The telephone number is 321-867-2525.

Wireless Capability

Wireless capability for the news media is available at Kennedy's Press Site.

RBSP is part of NASA's Living with a Star program, managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., built the pair of RBSP spacecraft and will manage the mission for NASA. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.

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NASA Administrator Offers Condolences on the Passing of Former Kennedy Center Director Forrest McCartney

David Weaver

Headquarters, Washington  

202-358-1600

david.s.weaver@nasa.gov

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement Wednesday on the death of former Kennedy Space Center Director Forrest McCartney:

"On behalf of the entire NASA family, I wish to express our condolences on the passing of Retired United States Air Force Lt. General and former Kennedy Space Center Director Forrest S. McCartney.

After 35 years of distinguished service in the Unites States Air Force, McCartney was named Kennedy Space Center director in 1987, only months after the fateful Challenger accident had shocked the nation and put the shuttle program on hiatus. McCartney's visionary leadership resulted in the shuttle's return-to-flight and a stellar safety record during his five-year tenure.

In the 50-year history of Kennedy Space Center there have been only 10 directors. Forrest McCartney was one of the finest. As an engineer, a patriot and a leader, McCartney leaves an indelible mark on America's space program. His service to his country and to Kennedy earned him distinguished service medals from both the Air Force and NASA.

We are grateful for his many contributions and we honor his legacy by rededicating ourselves to the values of exploration, education and inspiration that were the hallmarks of his life. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Ruth and the McCartney family."

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