Page 10 - Aerotech News and Review 7-17-15

Space & Technology News

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The call everyone was waiting for ton. “While this historic event is still

is in. NASA’s New Horizons space- unfolding —with the most exciting

craft phoned home just before 9 p.m., Pluto science still ahead of us — a

EDT, July 14 to tell the mission team new era of solar system exploration is

and the world it had accomplished the just beginning. NASA missions will

KLVWRULF¿UVWHYHUÀ\E\RI3OXWR unravel the mysteries of Mars, Jupiter,

“I know today we’ve inspired a Europa and worlds around other suns

whole new generation of explorers in the coming years.”

with this great success, and we look Pluto is the first Kuiper Belt ob-

forward to the discoveries yet to ject visited by a mission from Earth.

come,” NASA Administrator Charles New Horizons will continue on its ad-

Bolden said. “This is a historic win venture deeper into the Kuiper Belt,

for science and for exploration. We’ve where thousands of objects hold fro-

truly, once again raised the bar of hu- zen clues as to how the solar system

man potential.” formed.

The preprogrammed “phone call” “Following in the footsteps of plan-

— a 15-minute series of status mes- etary exploration missions such as

sages beamed back to mission opera- Mariner, Pioneer and Voyager, New

tions at the Johns Hopkins University Horizons has triumphed at Pluto,”

Applied Physics Laboratory in Mary- says New Horizons principal investi-

land through NASA’s Deep Space gator Alan Stern of the Southwest Re-

Network — ended a very suspenseful search Institute in Boulder, Colo. “The

21-hour waiting period. New Hori- New Horizons flyby completes the 1$6$SKRWRJUDSKE\%LOO,QJDOOV
zons had been instructed to spend the ¿UVWHUDRISODQHWDU\UHFRQQDLVVDQFH
day gathering the maximum amount 1HZ+RUL]RQV)OLJKW&RQWUROOHUVFHOHEUDWHDIWHUWKH\UHFHLYHGFRQ¿UPDWLRQIURPWKHVSDFHFUDIWWKDWLWKDGVXFFHVVIXOO\
of data, and not communicating with a half century long endeavor that will FRPSOHWHGWKHÀ\E\RI3OXWR7XHVGD\-XO\LQWKH0LVVLRQ2SHUDWLRQV&HQWHURIWKH-RKQV+RSNLQV8QLYHUVLW\
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forever be a legacy of our time.”

Earth until it was beyond the Pluto New Horizons is collecting so much

system. data it will take 16 months to send it tion they demonstrated to reach this who worked tirelessly to ensure the mission, science team, payload opera-
³:LWKWKHVXFFHVVIXOÀ\E\RI3OXWR all back to Earth. historic milestone,” said APL Director success of this mission.” tions and encounter science planning.
Ralph Semmel. “We are proud to be New Horizons is part of NASA’s New
we are celebrating the capstone event “On behalf of everyone at the Johns APL designed, built and operates
Hopkins University Applied Physics
in a golden age of planetary explora-

tion,” said John Grunsfeld, associate Laboratory, I want to congratulate the a part of a truly amazing team of sci- the New Horizons spacecraft and man- Frontiers Program, managed by the

administrator for NASA’s Science New Horizons team for the dedica- entists, engineers, and mission opera- ages the mission for NASA’s Science agency’s Marshall Space Flight Cen-

Mission Directorate in Washing- tion, skill, creativity, and determina- tions experts from across our nation Mission Directorate. SwRI leads the ter in Huntsville, Ala.

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NASA has selected four astronauts to train and transportation services to and from the Interna- ¿HOGRIDHURQDXWLFVDQGIXUWKHULQJKXPDQVSDFH group of astronauts working with the Commercial
SUHSDUHIRUFRPPHUFLDOVSDFHÀLJKWVWKDWZLOOUH- tional Space Station. exploration. The selection of these experienced Crew Program, Boeing and SpaceX and ultimate-
turn American launches to U.S. soil and further DVWURQDXWVZKRDUHHOLJLEOHWRÀ\DERDUGWKHWHVW O\À\LQJRQWKHFRPSDQLHV¶ÀLJKWWHVWPLVVLRQV´
open up low-Earth orbit transportation to the pri- “Today, NASA announced that it has selected ÀLJKWVIRUWKHQH[WJHQHUDWLRQRI86VSDFHFUDIWWR said Commercial Crew Program Manager Kathy
vate sector. IRXUYHWHUDQDVWURQDXWVWREHWKH¿UVWWRÀ\WRVSDFH the ISS and low-Earth orbit ensures that the crews Lueders. “Naming these astronauts is a key step
on commercial carriers,” said John Holdren, assis- will be well-prepared and thoroughly trained for forward and consistent with past approaches to
The selections are the latest major milestone in tant to the President for Science and Technology their missions.” involve the crew in the design and development
the Obama Administration’s plan to partner with DQGGLUHFWRURIWKH:KLWH+RXVH2I¿FHRI6FLHQFH of new systems.”
U.S. industry to transport astronauts to space, cre- and Technology Policy. “Their selection allows The Commercial Crew Transportation Capabil-
ate good-paying American jobs and end the na- NASA to move forward with the training neces- ity (CCtCap) contracts with Boeing and SpaceX Once the test program is completed success-
tion’s sole reliance on Russia for space travel. sary to deliver on President Obama’s ambitious HDFKUHTXLUHDWOHDVWRQHFUHZHGÀLJKWWHVWZLWKDW IXOO\DQGWKHV\VWHPVDUHFHUWL¿HGE\1$6$WKH
plan for returning the launch of U.S. astronauts to least one NASA astronaut on board to verify the companies will conduct between two and six crew
“I am pleased to announce four American space U.S. soil, while creating good-paying American fully-integrated rocket and spacecraft system can rotation missions to the space station. Each mis-
SLRQHHUVKDYHEHHQVHOHFWHGWREHWKH¿UVWDVWUR- jobs, and moving us closer to the President’s goal launch, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space sion will transport four NASA crew members and
QDXWVWRWUDLQWRÀ\WRVSDFHRQFRPPHUFLDOFUHZ of sending astronauts to Mars in the 2030s.” station, as well as validate all systems perform as at least 220.5 pounds of pressurized cargo to and
vehicles, all part of our ambitious plan to return expected, and land safely. from the orbiting laboratory.
space launches to U.S. soil, create good-paying The commercial crew astronauts will work
American jobs and advance our goal of sending closely with company-led teams to understand To meet this requirement, the companies also “Congratulations to Bob, Eric, Doug and Sunita
humans farther into the solar system than ever be- WKHLUGHVLJQVDQGRSHUDWLRQVDVWKH\¿QDOL]HWKHLU must provide the necessary training for the crew and welcome to the Commercial Crew team,” said
fore,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon space- to operate their respective vehicles. NASA is ex- John Elbon, Boeing vice president and general
“These distinguished, veteran astronauts are blaz- craft and operational strategies in support of their tensively involved with the companies and reviews manager, Space Exploration. “We look forward
ing a new trail — a trail that will one day land FUHZHGÀLJKWWHVWVDQGFHUWL¿FDWLRQDFWLYLWLHVDV their training plans. to working with such a highly-skilled and expe-
them in the history books and Americans on the part of their contracts with NASA. “This is a
surface of Mars.” new and exciting era in the history of U.S. human “We are excited to have such an experienced See ASTRONAUTS, Page 12
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NASA named experienced astronauts and test Operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in
pilots Robert Behnken, Eric Boe, Douglas Hur- Houston. “These four individuals, like so many at
ley and Sunita Williams to work closely with The NASA and the Flight Operations Directorate, have
Boeing Company and SpaceX to develop their dedicated their careers to becoming experts in the
crew transportation systems and provide crew

“Today, NASA announced that it has selected four, veteran
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Their selection allows NASA to move forward with the training
necessary to deliver on President Obama’s ambitious plan for
returning the launch of U.S. astronauts to U.S. soil, while cre-
ating good-paying American jobs, and moving us closer to the
President’s goal of sending astronauts to Mars in the 2030s.”

10 Aerotech News and Review July 17, 2015

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