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This Week @NASA…
President Obama and family members arrived Friday afternoon at the Cape Canaveral AFS
aboard Air Force One for a visit to NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center. The First Family boarded the Marine One
helicopter and headed to the Orbiter Processing Facility at KSC for a tour.
Inside the OPF, the Obamas were given a close-up look of orbiter Atlantis, which is undergoing
pre-flight preparations for its – and the shuttle program’s
final mission, STS-135. That flight has been targeted for
late June.
The president also visited Kennedy’s Launch Control Center, where he briefly met and talked
with Endeavour commander, Mark Kelly and the five
other STS-134 crew members.
Less than three hours after their arrival, the Obamas were bound for Miami, where the
president was scheduled to deliver a commencement address
The scheduled launch of space shuttle Endeavour around which the president’s visit had been
planned was scrubbed due to a heater problem on one
of the orbiter’s three Auxiliary Power Units.
“Today the Orbiter is not ready to fly and as we always say in this business, we will
not fly before we’re ready, so that’s the case we’re in today.”
The APUs provide hydraulic power to steer the shuttle during ascent and entry. Heaters
keep the APUs’ hydrazine from freezing on orbit.
NASA joined forces with the U.S. Agency for International Development to collaborate on
helping find scientific and technological solutions to
worldwide problems. The two agencies sealed their partnership
with the signing of a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony held in Headquarters’ Webb
Auditorium.
(applause)
Under this formal agreement, NASA and USAID will tackle challenges like global health,
climate change, food security, and disaster mitigation and
response.
“Our new MOU will serve to document our mutual commitment to expanding our efforts
in this and other important programs. NASA and USAID are also
working to turn breakthrough science and technology innovations into real applications of benefit
to both agencies and most importantly to people around the
world. “
“To bring together, NASA representing all of what we can do when we put our minds together
and try to solve tough problems and USAID representing
our challenge of getting our values and core compassion and
commitments transmitted to the farthest corners of the globe; it’s just a very special and
unique opportunity for me to join.”
Highlighted were SERVIR and LAUNCH, two NASA-USAID programs already working to improve life on
our home planet. NASA and USAID employees were joined in the audience by area high school
and university students.
“The first time we ever put anybody into space and Al was a good person to represent
us on that. He was outstanding and he deserved it.
“We were always proud of him.”
Alan B. Shepard Jr., the first American in space, was posthumously honored with NASA’s
Ambassador of Exploration Award during a ceremony held
at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Md.
Shepard graduated from the Naval Academy and, in April 1959, was selected as one of NASA's
original seven Mercury astronauts. On May 5, 1961,
he launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard the Freedom
7 spacecraft on a 15-minute, suborbital flight that carried him to an altitude of 116 miles,
and into the history books.
“Roger 2-G, Cabin Holding”
“That was part of my life, was the challenge. And here you had, yes a new environment but,
for fighter pilots who fly upside down a lot of the time,
zero gravity wasn’t that big of a deal.”
Shepard’s family was presented with the award, a moon rock encased in Lucite.
“Julie, Alice and I take great pride in presenting NASA’s Ambassador of Exploration
award to the United States Naval Academy for display in the Naval
Academy museum.”
The sample was among the 842 pounds of lunar material collected during six Apollo missions
from 1969 to 1972. During Shepard’s second spaceflight,
as the commander of Apollo 14, he and crewmate Edgar
Mitchell activated a number of scientific instruments and collected and returned to
earth almost 100 pounds of lunar samplings.
The Ambassador of Exploration Award recognizes the sacrifices and dedication of the Apollo,
Gemini and Mercury astronauts and others who supported
America’s journeys to the moon.
Shepard’s Freedom 7 flight was among the key moments in human spaceflight history celebrated
and discussed at a symposium at NASA headquarters.
Sponsored by the agency’s History Program Office
and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Division of Space History, the joint
event focused on 50 years of human spaceflight using
1961 and 1981 as focal points for broader investigation
and dialogue.
After more than 30 years of space travel, NASA’s twin Voyagers drift closer to the
edge of our solar system. Scientists and flight managers talked
about what the two spacecraft are exploring right now and
their impact on history during a special Science Update at NASA headquarters.
“Every three years Voyager I travels one billion miles, so we shouldn’t have too
many more years to wait before we pass the next major milestone in
humanities farthest journey.”
Voyagers 1 and 2 and were launched in September and August of 1977. They continue to operate
and return data from a full complement of science
instruments. Scientists believe that both spacecraft may
have enough electrical power and propellant to continue their mission through 2025. Poised
to enter the area known as interstellar space just a few
short years away, the Voyagers are more than 9 billion miles
from our sun.
And now, Centerpieces…
Promoting student participation in STEM, science, technology, engineering and math courses and
careers got a boost from recording artist Pharrell Williams, who along with NASA, hosted
an education event at Williams Farm Park in Virginia Beach,
Va. designed to encourage students to pursue these
fields.
Williams, a Hampton Roads, Va., native and Leland Melvin, NASA's Associate Administrator
for Education and former astronaut spoke during
the program and encouraged students to follow their
dreams.
“STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. You guys are the future and there’s
nothing you can’t do.”
“It takes action; it takes hard work; it takes dedication; it takes belief in yourself.”
More than 500 Hampton Roads area students, who were part of NASA’s inaugural Summer
of Innovation camps last year, took part in the day’s
activities, which featured NASA exhibits and showcased student
accomplishments completed during camp.
Along with NASA, the event was sponsored by Williams’ charitable organization, From
One Hand to Another. In 2013, if all goes as planned,
the Williams Farm Park will be the site of the Charities future
Resource Center which will feature academic enrichment programs and engage youth in STEM
activities.
NASA's Summer of Innovation is a key part of President Obama's Educate to Innovate campaign,
launched to keep middle school students engaged during school breaks.
And that’s This Week @NASA. For more on these and other stories, log onto:
www.nasa.gov.