Month: November 2018

On Monday, Nov. 19, Northrop Grumman flew the L-1011 Stargazer and Pegasus XL rocket carrying NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, spacecraft back to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. On Nov. 20, Northrop Grumman completed the de-mate of Pegasus from the L-1011 and transported the rocket safely into the integration facility.

The Northrop Grumman/NASA team continues its investigation into the off-nominal data observed during the Nov. 7 launch attempt. Once the analysis is complete, a new launch date will be determined. ICON will launch out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The ICON spacecraft, which uses Northrop Grumman’s LEOStar-2 platform, is monitored at all times and remains healthy.

Commercial Resupply Services Mission: SpaceX CRS-16
Launch: 1:38 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018
Lift Off: Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9, 230 feet-tall
Spacecraft: Dragon, 20 feet high, 12 feet-in diameter
Payload: Dragon will deliver supplies and payloads, including materials to directly support dozens of the science and research investigations that will occur during the space station’s Expeditions 57 and 58.
Return to Earth: After about one month attached to the space station, Dragon will return with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
Payloads on Board: Includes the Robotic Refueling Mission 3, or RRM3, and the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar, or GEDI.

For countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

Commercial Resupply Services Mission: SpaceX CRS-16
Launch: 1:38 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018
Lift Off: Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9, 230 feet-tall
Spacecraft: Dragon, 20 feet high, 12 feet-in diameter
Payload: Dragon will deliver supplies and payloads, including materials to directly support dozens of the science and research investigations that will occur during the space station’s Expeditions 57 and 58.
Return to Earth: After about one month attached to the space station, Dragon will return with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
Payloads on Board: Includes the Robotic Refueling Mission 3, or RRM3, and the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar, or GEDI.

For countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

NASA and Northrop Grumman have made the decision to fly the L-1011 Stargazer and Pegasus XL rocket carrying NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, spacecraft back to its integration facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The ferry flight will take place early next week. Returning to the environmentally-controlled integration facility allows the team to further investigate off-nominal data observed during the Nov. 7 launch attempt.

Once the investigation is complete, a new launch date will be determined. ICON will launch out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The ICON spacecraft, which uses Northrop Grumman’s LEOStar-2 platform, is monitored at all times and remains healthy.

The modern high-tech world is full of conveniences such as computers and cellular telephones. All make daily life easier. But, eventually, these products become waste when they are replaced with the latest developments. Employees at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida partnered with Goodwill Industries and several other local organizations to ensure much of the no-longer-needed items don’t become pollution.

On Nov. 14 and 15, Kennedy’s Spaceport Integration and Services Directorate encouraged employees to bring in materials such as new or gently used household items, personal electronic waste and other items for recycling.

The effort was part of America Recycles Day. The national emphasis focuses on opportunities not to discard items that can be recycled, giving them new life. According to Jeanne Ryba, an Environmental, Sustainability Program specialist, the annual event started out at Kennedy focusing on collecting electronic waste and now has expanded to include even more.

“For other charities, we collected phones for Cellphones for Soldiers, used eyeglasses for the Lyons club, bread tags for Danielle Cares for Chairs, coupons, valid up to six months expired, for Coupons for Troops, pop-top tabs for Ronald McDonald House and greeting cards and corks for local programs such as senior homes and craft organizations,” she said.

During the two-day event, hundreds of Kennedy employees turned in goods to be recycled, dropping them off in the parking lots of the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Kennedy Data Center.

All totaled, spaceport employees made approximately 253 drop-offs.

America Recycles Day is a program of Keep America Beautiful and is nationally recognized as a time dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling across the nation. Every year in mid-November, event organizers work to educate neighbors, friends and colleagues about the value of not discarding no-longer-needed items.

Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people end littering, increase recycling and beautify America’s communities. Among the organization’s most effective efforts was their 1971 ad campaign discouraging roadside litter.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, recycling contributes to American prosperity and the protection of our environment.

“The recycling rate has increased from less than 7 percent in 1960 to the current rate of 35 percent,” the statement said. “An EPA study found that every 10,000 tons of materials recycled supports nearly 16 jobs and $760,000 in wages.”

Recycling is encouraged year-round at Kennedy. Blue containers for recycling glass, aluminum and plastic are located in many areas at the spaceport. When recycling containers are three-quarters full, visit the STAR website at http://star.ksc.nasa.gov to request that the container be emptied.

For information on the center’s recycling program, employees may call 321-867-3305.

Seniors from Brevard County area high schools were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, ate lunch with an astronaut, and participated in a roundtable discussion with Kennedy engineers, scientists and business experts at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Nov. 7, 2018.

The students heard from astronaut Bob Springer, a member of the second class of NASA astronauts, who flew on the STS-29 and STS-38 missions. Mixing pertinent information with humor, Springer shared his experiences in training and flying on a space shuttle, and the astronaut selection criteria.

The annual event, hosted by the NASA Academic Engagement Office at the center, also provided information about NASA’s internships and scholarships. At the end of the day, each student received a certificate of recognition. From there, they were invited to tour the visitor complex and view the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit.

“Each year, the schools select a superb group of students to participate,” said Denise Coleman, Education Program specialist. “They were engaged and eager to see and hear as much as possible about Kennedy, NASA missions, and how all of that might relate to their future.”

NASA and Northrop Grumman are continuing to investigate the off-nominal data observed during the Pegasus XL rocket’s Nov. 7 launch attempt for the agency’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, mission. The next launch attempt will be evaluated once the investigation is complete. The ICON spacecraft remains healthy.

For updates, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/icon

NASA and Northrop Grumman have postponed the Nov. 7 launch attempt of NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, mission due to off-nominal data observed on the Pegasus XL rocket, during the captive carry flight. The L-1011 Stargazer carrier aircraft returned to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and the team will begin an investigation into the issue. The ICON spacecraft remains healthy. The team is evaluating the next launch attempt.

For updates, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/icon

NASA and Northrop Grumman completed their Launch Readiness Review on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There are no technical issues being worked at this time. NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite mission is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Nov. 7, by Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, which will be carried aloft by the company’s L-1011 Stargazer aircraft taking off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The 90-minute launch window opens at 3 a.m. EST, with a targeted release at 3:05 a.m. Ignition of the Pegasus XL rocket occurs five seconds after release from the Stargazer.

The official weather forecast calls for a 90 percent chance for favorable conditions for launch. The primary launch weather concerns are cumulous clouds.

ICON is designed to study the dynamic zone high in the atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above.

Follow the launch coverage on NASA Television at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Tuesday, Nov. 6
3 p.m. – NASA EDGE webcast from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will discuss ICON spacecraft operations, science and engineering, as well as launch processing of the Northrop Grumman L-1011 Stargazer with the Pegasus rocket.

Wednesday, Nov. 7
2:45 a.m. – Launch coverage begins at 2:45 a.m. EST

Learn more about NASA’s ICON mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/icon