NASA Science Chief Statement on Naming of Space Telescope Science Institute's Astronomical Database for Senator Mikulski

Dwayne Brown

Headquarters, Washington                                   

202-358-1726

dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

WASHINGTON -- The following is a statement from NASA's Chief Scientist, Waleed Abdalati, on the Space Telescope Science Institute naming its astronomical database the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). MAST holds science data from the Hubble Space Telescope and 14 other NASA missions.

"The Space Telescope Science Institute's decision to name its database for Senator Mikulski is an honor very much deserved. She is a tremendous advocate and supporter for science, NASA and the astrophysics community.

"Thanks to Hubble and other space observatories, our view of the universe and our place within it has forever been changed. Space research holds tremendous benefits for our lives here on Earth. Images and data capture the imagination of people everywhere, especially of our youth. Images from this collection have permeated American society and culture and are internationally recognized icons of science and exploration.

"We live in an age of extraordinary scientific advancement with astronomy at the forefront. NASA is committed to conducting world-class science from our space observatories, and the data that will be returned to the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes are sure to yield many exciting new discoveries."

For more information about NASA, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

For more information about MAST, visit http://archive.stsci.edu/.

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NASA'S Next-Generation Space Observatory Comes To Baltimore

Dwayne Brown / Trent J. Perrotto
Headquarters, Washington     

Lynn Chandler

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

WASHINGTON -- Media representatives are invited to an up-close look at a full-size model of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope at the Maryland Science Center, located at 601 Light Street in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

The model will be displayed from Oct. 14-26 as part of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) annual conference being held in Baltimore. ASTC is a nonprofit organization of science centers and museums dedicated to furthering public engagement with science among increasingly diverse audiences. Several supporting activities are planned with scientists and engineers to talk about the unprecedented science capabilities of the largest space telescope ever built.

On Friday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. EDT, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will make brief remarks, take questions from reporters and tour the Webb model.

A press conference will culminate the 13-day public display on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 9:45 a.m., at the Maryland Science Center. Participants will include:

- U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)

- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver
- John Mather, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics and Webb telescope senior project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
- Adam Riess, recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, professor of astronomy and physics at the Johns Hopkins University, and a senior member of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore
- Riccardo Giacconi, recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics and university professor at the Johns Hopkins University
- John Grunsfeld, deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute and a former astronaut who participated in three spaceflights to service Hubble

For more information or access to events, media representatives should contact Lynn Chandler at 301-286-2806 or lynn.chandler-1@nasa.gov.

The Webb telescope will provide images of the first galaxies ever formed and explore planets around distant stars. The unique observatory is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

For more information about the Webb telescope, visit http://jwst.nasa.gov.

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NASA Ushers In New Space Exploration Era At Wallops Flight Facility

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                                        

 

Keith Koehler

Wallops Flight Facility, Va.

WASHINGTON -- NASA ushered in a new era of space exploration at its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Tuesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony opening the new Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF).

The HIF will support medium-class mission capabilities. The first customer to use the facility will be Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., with its Taurus II launch vehicle.

"With this state-of-the-art building, NASA demonstrates its commitment to the success of the nation's commercial launch industry," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, "We have already seen some fantastic progress and are looking forward to more this year. Wallops, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and Orbital have been working together to bring the Taurus II vehicle to the launch pad this coming fall under tough mission schedules. That effort is impressive and a model we should emulate whenever possible."

Orbital will conduct missions for NASA under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project and Commercial Resupply Services contract. Integration of the Taurus II at the new facility will begin this month, with the first launch expected later this year.

"Today is about bringing jobs, jobs and more jobs to the Lower Shore -- jobs for today and jobs for tomorrow," said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, chairwoman of the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science, which funds NASA. "I'm so happy to see our federal facilities like Wallops bringing the innovation economy to the community with this world-class international launch site that will soon launch science missions and take cargo to the International Space Station."

"The Horizontal Integration Facility is a vital part of our operation at the Wallops Flight Facility," said Dave Thompson, chairman and CEO of Orbital Sciences Corp. "The capability it provides to process two Taurus II vehicles simultaneously puts us in an excellent position to support NASA with missions to the International Space Station."

The facility is 250 feet long, 150 wide and 60 feet high. Its bay provides dual horizontal processing with 70-and 50-ton bridge cranes. Built in approximately 16 months, the HIF has adjacent laboratory and warehouse space. Its safety features include a deluge fire suppression system and a blast-attenuating wall.

For more information about Wallops, visit http://www.nasa.gov/wallops.

For more information about the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project, visit http://www.nasa.gov/cots.

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NASA Unveiling New Rocket Integration Facility At Wallops

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Keith Koehler

Wallops Flight Facility, Va.

 

WASHINGTON -- NASA will unveil its new rocket integration facility at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. EDT on March 22.

The Horizontal Integration Facility will support medium-class mission capabilities. The first customer to use the facility will be Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., with its Taurus II launch vehicle.

Orbital will conduct missions for NASA under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project and Commercial Resupply Services program. Integration of the Taurus II in the facility will begin this month, with the first launch expected later this year.

Participants in the ceremony are:

- Sen. Barbara Mikulski

- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier

- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Director Rob Strain

- NASA Wallops Flight Facility Director William Wrobel

- Orbital Sciences Corp. Chairman and CEO David Thompson

The ribbon-cutting ceremony initially was scheduled for Jan. 21, but was postponed because of bad weather. Media representatives interested in attending this event must contact Keith Koehler at keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov or 757-824-1579 by noon on March 18.

For more information about Wallops, visit http://www.nasa.gov/wallops.

For more information about the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project, visit http://www.nasa.gov/cots.

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NASA Unveiling New Rocket Integration Facility At Wallops

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Keith Koehler

Wallops Flight Facility, Va.

 

WASHINGTON -- NASA will unveil its new rocket integration facility at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. EDT on March 22.

The Horizontal Integration Facility will support medium-class mission capabilities. The first customer to use the facility will be Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., with its Taurus II launch vehicle.

Orbital will conduct missions for NASA under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project and Commercial Resupply Services program. Integration of the Taurus II in the facility will begin this month, with the first launch expected later this year.

Participants in the ceremony are:

- Sen. Barbara Mikulski

- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier

- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Director Rob Strain

- NASA Wallops Flight Facility Director William Wrobel

- Orbital Sciences Corp. Chairman and CEO David Thompson

The ribbon-cutting ceremony initially was scheduled for Jan. 21, but was postponed because of bad weather. Media representatives interested in attending this event must contact Keith Koehler at keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov or 757-824-1579 by noon on March 18.

For more information about Wallops, visit http://www.nasa.gov/wallops.

For more information about the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project, visit http://www.nasa.gov/cots.

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NASA Unveiling New Rocket Integration Facility At Wallops

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Keith Koehler

Wallops Flight Facility, Va.

 

WASHINGTON -- NASA will unveil its new rocket integration facility at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 21.

The Horizontal Integration Facility will support medium class mission capabilities. The first customer to use the facility will be Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., with its Taurus II launch vehicle.

Orbital will be conducting missions for NASA under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project and Commercial Resupply Services program. Integration of the Taurus II at the facility will begin in February with launch expected later this year.

Participants in the ceremony:

- Sen. Barbara Mikulski

- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier

- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Director Rob Strain

- NASA Wallops Flight Facility Director William Wrobel

- Orbital Sciences Corp. Chairman and CEO David Thompson

Media representatives interested in attending this event must contact Keith Koehler at keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov or 757-824-1579 by noon on Wednesday, Jan. 19.

For more information about Wallops, visit http://www.nasa.gov/wallops.

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