Media Invited to Simulation of Asteroid Mission

J.D. Harrington / Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington

Brandi Dean

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON – An astronaut and geologist will camp out in a prototype Space Exploration Vehicle this week to simulate an asteroid mission at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Astronaut Al Drew and geologist Jose M. Hurtado of the University of Texas in El Paso will spend three days and two nights living inside the Space Exploration Vehicle, or SEV's, cabin.

Media representatives interested in seeing part of the simulation at 2:30 p.m. CST Thursday, Jan. 19, must contact Brandi Dean at brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

The public is invited to ask the crew questions via Twitter @Desert_RATS for a Twitterview the crew will participate in at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20. Questions should be marked #SEV. RATS stands for Research and Technology Studies.

The SEV will be placed on an air-bearing floor to allow it to virtually float, much the way a hockey puck floats on an air hockey table. This will allow the crew to see how the SEV would handle in a microgravity environment and evaluate the view from the vehicle's windows.

During the media opportunity, one crew member will be conducting a simulated spacewalk in the virtual reality laboratory as the other assists from inside the SEV. Journalists also will be able to see the rover moving on the air-bearing floor as the crew simulates driving it in microgravity.

For information about the RATS tests, visit http://www.nasa.gov/desertrats.

For more information about the SEV, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/SEV.html.

Follow the RATS via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Desert_RATS.

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NASA Twitter Followers Will Fly Shuttle Simulator During Tweetup At Johnson Space Center

Stephanie L. Schierholz

Headquarters, Washington

 

Amiko Kauderer

Johnson Space Center, Houston

 

HOUSTON -- So you think you can pilot the space shuttle? NASA will give 30 of its Twitter followers a chance to test their skills at space shuttle ascent, rendezvous or landing aboard the same simulator astronauts use to train for their missions.

NASA's Johnson Space Center is hosting a daylong Tweetup on July 19, during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Participants will get a behind-the-scenes tour at Johnson and a hands-on opportunity aboard the shuttle simulator to take control in a training scenario. The tour includes a look at the Mission Control Center and astronauts' training facilities. Visitors also will have the opportunity to speak with flight directors, trainers, astronauts and managers.

Atlantis is targeted to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:26 a.m. CDT on July 8. If it launches as planned, the Tweetup will take place one day before the last orbiter of the shuttle fleet makes its final landing.

Tweetup registration opens at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28, and closes 24 hours later at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29. NASA will select 30 individuals randomly from the online registrants.

Reporters are invited to cover the Tweetup from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Media representatives planning to attend should contact Tammie Letroise-Brown at 281-483-4942.

For more information about the Tweetup and to register, visit http://www.nasa.gov/tweetup.

To follow NASA programs and astronauts on Twitter, visit http://www.nasa.gov/connect.

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

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