The Road to MSL

Confessions of a Space Geek
My MSL NASA Tweetup Story

Chapter 1: The Road to MSL

I have always been a "fan" of NASA and have always thought of myself as a bit of a "space geek." I have vivid memories of watching Apollo mission events on television at school and at my father's television store as a boy. I remember thinking "how cool" the moon buggy was and wanting to someday drive one. I remember watching in fascination as our first orbiting laboratory, SkyLab, was launched and utilized. I recall lying on my back one summer evening in Iowa, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Apollo-Soyuz linkup as it flew overhead on one of its orbital passes. I followed the entire shuttle program, being one of those children who thought the prototype orbiter deserved a better name than the one chosen by the powers that be, and sending in my postcard vote to have it christened "Enterprise." I mourned the losses of Challenger and Columbia. I celebrated the successes of the shuttle program, including the three astronaut catch of the disabled satellite, missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope, the launches of the first American women and African Americans into space, and the construction of the International Space Station.

STS-135
©MWilkinson

I watched countless launches and landings on television, and when regular television deemed them unworthy of air time, I listened on the radio and watched on NASAtv on the computer. I got up before dawn to watch shuttles on night launches streak across the eastern sky and in July 2011, was able to take my family to Kennedy Space Center to witness the final shuttle launch, STS-135 Atlantis, in person.

Ferguson & Magnus
©MWilkinson

About a year ago, I rediscovered NASA astronauts tweeting on their preparation for missions and started following various NASA Twitter accounts. When I learned that NASA held special events for their Twitter followers, I began to apply. First for STS135 Launch, then JSC Shuttle Simulator, followed by GRAIL and Juno launch TweetUps. I became what some of my fellow SpaceTweeps called a Tweetject. Then in September of 2011, I was finally selected to participate in a post mission Tweetup for STS-135 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Even though this was a very short event, lasting only a couple of hours, it affirmed all I had thought a Tweetup would be. A chance to hear from people who were at the heart of space exploration and share that with people who shared my own enthusiasm and interest. I was able to meet several of my Tweeps in person and extend our virtual friendships to the physical world.

©NASA/JPL

When it was announced that there would be a Tweetup for the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, I knew I would once again put my name in for consideration. I immediately recalled those first images sent back from Mars in 1976 by the Viking probe. I remember how exciting it was that summer to see the surface of Mars for the first time. The image of a rock strewn landscape and a cloudless sky first in black and white and then in Martian ocre, are forever etched in my memory. Several probes and rovers followed, each contributing to our understanding of our neighboring planet. Curiosity is the most sophisticated of all the robotic probes that have been sent to explore space and I found myself totally captivated by its design and potential. Being more connected to this important mission was very compelling. So, my application was submitted and the wait for a reply began.

On October 9 I opened my email to find a message from NASAHQ. As excited as I was to read it, I also didn't want to see the fateful "regret to inform that you were not selected" phrase I'd seen on my other attempts. Sure enough, that's exactly what it contained. But wait, there was a glimmer of hope this time, I WAS on the Waitlist! It would take another two weeks before I would hear that I had been moved from the Waitlist to the list of Attendees for the MSL Launch Tweetup. I was so stunned when the second message arrived, I hardly reacted. Once I convinced myself, after SEVERAL re-reads of the message, that I was indeed invited, the celebration began! I was going to be at Kennedy Space Center to help send off Curiosity on its mission to Mars!


Upcoming Chapters
Compelled to bring into curriculum
NASA is NOT Closed
Who Says Smart Isn't Cool?
Lift-Off
#NASATweetup Reflections
It Continues to be Relevant

MSL/Curiosty Launches to Mars

At the Countdown Clock on the Morning of Launch

We arrived before dawn to meet Astronauts Doug Wheelock, Leland Melvin, Charlie Bolden along with Lori Garver, Bill Nye, and Will.I.Am to witness this mornings launch. A few photos until I can prepare a proper post.

Bill Nye The Science Guy

Lori Garver, NASA Assistant Director

MW and Astronaut Doug Wheelock

Astronaut Leland Melvin,
NASA Director of Eduction

 

Astronaut Charlie Bolden, NASA Director

Will.i.am Speaks about the importance
of Math, Science and the Arts

Atlas V Launches from Pad 41
 carrying MSL/Curiosity
©mwilkinson

Launch -1 Day

Tomorrow is LAUNCH DAY! If all goes well, MSL/Curiosity will leap into space aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle at 10:02 a.m. A full day of presentations and tours. Each of the project members who presented were so enthusiastic about their work. I will share more about the presentations and more photos. I don't have the time or energy to write a proper post tonight an d have to get up very early tomorrow morning to be at the launch. In the mean time, here are couple of favorites from the tour today.

Inside the VAB
It's 40 stories to the top.
The entire Saturn V could stand erect in this room!

The VAB at Dusk

Pad 34
Abandon In Place

MSL Ready for Launch

MSL and Atlas V Launch Vehicle

Pre NASATWEETUP Activities

The past two days have been a wonderful opportunity to explore Kennedy Space Center and get to know some of my fellow SpaceTweeps. We spent Wednesday afternoon exploring the northern end of Merritt Island and the Wildlife Refuge there. Saw a lot of birds, including cormorant, pelicans, osprey, bald eagles, egrets and great blue herons. We also saw a manatee.

The next stop was Playalinda Beach, in the shadow of Launch Complex 39, where all of the Apollo and Shuttle launches took place. As the sun set, we were treated to a spectacular display of color and clouds.

Thanksgiving Day was spent at the Visitors Complex. About a third of the Tweeps attended "Lunch with an Astronaut" hosted by J O Creighton, 3-time shuttle astronaut. Creighton shared a description of the shuttle training flow and shared reflections from his missions. Later in the afternoon, I had an opportunity to ask him why he thought it was important for human space exploration to continue. He responded, "There a lot of reasons, but I think that the human desire to explore is one of the biggest reasons. So much [spin off] has come from the space program. It inspired an entire generation to explore science, math and engineering. And not just by those like myself who went on to become astronauts, or to work directly in the space program, but countless others who pursued careers in math, science and engineering." He concluded, "The robotic missins are learning a lot, but there is another dimension added when a human being is experiencing it directly."

I took a ride on the "Shuttle Launch Experience," a simulation of a shuttle launch. It was a lot of fun, and gave a great impression of what the launch might feel like.

After the simulation concludes, you exit down a spiraling ramp. Along the rail are plaques for each of the STS missions from 1 through 135. Each plaque featured a photograph of the crew, their names, and mission patch. It was a very moving exhibit, raising emotions, especially as you approached the Challenger and Columbia missions.

I also saw a full scale models of Curiosity and the Orion capsule, took part in a Lego build, and shared the day with some great people who all share my interest and passion for space exploration.

Now, it's time to get some rest before the official TweetUp begins tomorrow morning.


Happy Thanksgiving from Kennedy Space Center!

NASATweetup Registration

It's official! I am now fully registered for NASATweetup. The official #NASATweetUp badge is my passport to the events. It's also an easy way to connect the person to the Twitter handle. Spent the day exploring Merritt Island with other SpaceTweeps

MSL Tweetup Details

I'm currently in flight on my way to Florida's Space Coast. NASA has sent out more details about the really cool things we will be doing this week. On Friday morning, we will hear a variety of presentations from various scientists and engineers with the MSL mission. On Friday afternoon we will get a special tour of Kennedy Space Center. From my email from NASA: "The really cool part about this is it means when we visit Launch Complex 41, we’ll be able to see the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on the launch pad! We also get to go inside the Vehicle Assembly Building and will get to see space shuttle Endeavour there. We’re very lucky to have such great access!" It's going to be an incredible day spent with other NASA geeks!

On Friday we will have a group photo taken by the countdown clock, a Tweetup tradition. Then of course, the main event, the launch of MSL/Curiosity on an Atlas V rocket! I will have the special privilege of watching the launch from the closest allowed vantage point. It should be spectacular.

After the launch, we will enjoy another round of presentations from Doug Ellison JPL Mars Rovers Programs, astronaut Doug Wheelock, Bill Nye the Science Guy, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, astronaut and head of NASA Education Leland Melvin, and a special guest to be announced tomorrow.

A portion of the Tweetup on Friday will be broadcast live on NASATv, as will the launch on Saturday. The televised portion of the program will begin at 11 a.m. and continue through to 12:45 p.m. It will be broadcast on UStream at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tweetup and NASA TV’s Education Channel available at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/edu_flash.html.

In the mean time, I will be exploring the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex with other SpaceTweeps. We plan to ride on the shuttle launch simulator and have Thanksgiving lunch with an astronaut.

As for tomorrow, that's registration day and time to make plans with everyone.

Out to Launch

Just finishing things up here in my classroom. Everything is packed and I'm ready to head to the airport for the first leg of the MSL NASATweetup and Launch trip.

Looking forward to meeting the scientists and engineers who have worked on planning this incredible mission. Also looking forward to meeting my twitter friends in person. Should be a lot of fun. Kennedy Space Center here I come!

Curiosity

A drawing by one of my third grade science students. Curiosity at work.

MSL launch delayed to Saturday, Nov. 26

The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has been delayed one day to allow time for the team to remove and replace a flight termination system battery. The launch is rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The one hour and 43 minute launch window opens at 10:02 a.m. EST.

MSL GO!

Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) 11/18/11 1:51 PM One week to launch! @NASA gave me the "GO" to proceed toward liftoff, 10:25am ET, Nov 25. Countdown page: bit.ly/rxAEkz

Plants in Space

Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) 11/18/11 12:49 PM Sergei Volkov studies plant life in space for potential nutrition on future missions. go.usa.gov/Ife pic.twitter.com/PukeZ60s

NPP update

Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 11/18/11 12:22 PM ARTICLE: NPP arrives on final orbit, enjoys early success ahead of pathfinder operations - tinyurl.com/7k26ueh #NPP

ISS Flyover Thursday Morning

Thursday, November 17, 2011 6:12 a.m. (EST)

Thursday morning just before dawn will be the next opportunity to see the International Space Station (ISS) fly over the New York metro area. The ISS will rise in the southwest and travel in front of the moon and directly overhead before setting in the northeast. Look for a large, slow moving dot of light. It will appear as a large, bright star but with a steady motion across the sky. This pass will last about six minutes because it will be so high in the sky. The unfortunate thing is the weather forecast right now. It may not have cleared enough to see the ISS. 

Satellite Name (Peak Magnitude)
	Pass	Time	El	Az	Range
Sunset:		4:36:36 PM
Midnight:		12:00:00 AM
ISS (-3.0)
	Start:	6:12:14 AM	10°	230°(SW)	856 mi
	Peak:	6:15:18 AM	81°	146°(SE)	236 mi
	End:	6:18:22 AM	10°	56°(NE)	852 mi
Sunrise:		6:44:51 AM

Pass predictions by GoSatWatch
www.gosoftworks.com

Why Go To Mars?

As the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Curiosity Rover draw closer, I have been sharing the mission objectives and launch preparations with my 4th and 5th grade math and science students (9-11 year olds). These discussions have been an incredible mix of excitement, fascination, awe, and serious thinking. I asked them, “Why should we go to Mars?” I have collected their responses to share with you here:

Many students responded that they are concerned at the demands humans have placed on our Earth ecosystem. With more than 7 billion people on the planet, they are concerned with the availability of resources and space to support an ever growing population. They also shared concerns with the damage humans have done to the ecosystem and are concerned that human actions may be making the Earth less habitable. From these concerns, they spoke to humans needed other options of places where we can survive. Finding that Mars could support life, might mean that it could be somewhere humans could colonize and take some of the pressure off of Earth. “Curiosity will help us figure out if Mars is safe [for humans].”

Along these lines, some of my students also thought that there might be minerals or other resources on Mars that we could exploit. Things that might lead to new medicines or improve our condition here on Earth in some way.

Many students spoke to the sheer curiosity, sense of adventure, and exploration for the sake of exploration. If we can explore and study it, why not?! “I just want to know if alien life is out there.”

Finally, they also shared their concerns and need for caution as humans explore space. “We already made a bit of a mess here, we don’t want to just junk up Mars the way we have Earth.” Curiosity will help us “understand the Martian ecosystem so we don’t mess it up.” “If we go there, we don’t want to mess it up by doing something wrong.”

Of course my students have a little more information that other children their age might, just because they are in my classes. But at the core of all this is deep thinking about how our planet functions and the needs of living things. They care deeply about their home and their future. To them, Curiosity brings a sense of hope in that future. It sparks the imagination, excites the spirit. We are going to Mars!

Post Script:

I appreciate so much the thoughts of my students and enjoy the discussions we have. I am honored to share their thoughts with my followers. If you care to share your comments, please do so using the Blogger commenting feature and I will share them with my students.

ISS Expedition 29 L-1 Day

The next three crew members to the Interenational Space Station launch from Kazahkstan on Sunday 13 Nov at 11:14p EST. The Soyuz TMA-22 will carry NASA Astronaut Daniel C. Burbank, and Russian Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin to the ISS for rendezvous and docking after midnight on Wednesday 16 Nov. This is the last scheduled flight of the TMA-22. The next launch, scheduled for 21 Dec, will be a TMA-22-M.

Photo Gallery of TMA-22 rollout from NASAHQPhoto

The ISS will be at full crew of six for a about a week, when Mike Fossom will hand over command to Dan Burbank and returns to Earth with Sergey Volkov, Russia and Satoshi Furukawa, Japan on 21 Nov.

The ISS will be making passes over the Eastern US in the early mornings before sunrise beginning on 14 Nov and lasting into early Dec. Several passes, depending on cloud cover, should be good opportunities to see the ISS. I will make some recommendations in a subsequent post.

MSL/Curiosity Briefing

L-15 Days Mission Briefing from NASA HQ in Washington DC. 10 Nov 2011

Doug McCuistion, Mars program director, left, Ashwin Vasavada, MSL deputy project scientist, and Pete Theisinger, MSL project manager, share a laugh during a news briefing, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Curiosity, NASA's most advanced mobile robotic laboratory, will examine one of the most intriguing areas on Mars. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is set for launch from Florida's Space Coast on Nov. 25 and is scheduled to land on the Red Planet in August 2012 where it will examine the Gale Crater during a nearly two-year prime mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

The briefing began with the quote, "[MSL/Curiosity is] The largest most capable rover to date." There was no lack of enthusiasm throughout the briefing, and if you weren't already excited about this mission, you certainly would be after this.

Doug McCuistion began his description of Curiosity with, "It's not your father's rover. It's the most complex machine ever placed on another planet. It is the best of US imagination and innovation. With Curiosity, we will excite and inspire the nation. Curiosity is a flagship mission for the agency (NASA). As important as Hubble." 

MSL is a truly international effort with science and engineering contributions to the mission from Germany, Spain, France, the US, Russia, and Canada.

Ashwin Vasavada remarked that Curiosity is "a Mars scientist's dream." Curiosity is the biggest rover ever, standing about six feet tall and carrying a six foot robotic arm and to fully equipped science laboratories. The arm sports a jackhammer drill that will allow the first ever sampling of the inside of Martian rocks. The rock dust can then be analyzed in one of the onboard labs to look for organic material and minerals that could support life. Curiosity also has HD cameras and closeup cameras that will allow scientist an unprecedented view of Mars. A laser eye sensor will allow Curiosity to take measurements of rocks at a distance of up to 20 feet from the rover.

Curiosity is scheduled to land in Gale Crater in August of 2012. Gale was chosen because its structure and composition and "likely contains the entire history of Mars." The crater is 100 miles in diameter with a 3 mile high mountain of layered rock in the center. The crater and its mountain show signs of being formed in the presence of liquid water, with layers of clay, sulfites, and dust.

I personally, think that the descent stage is the coolest piece of engineering I've seen on any spacecraft. Pete Theisinger spoke to the design of the lander in response to the question, "The sky crane seems, well, um, scary." Theisinger explained, the rover, at 900 kg (2000 lbs) is too big for an air bag landing, so it had to be propulsive. There are two options, propulsion on top, or propulsion below. If the propulsion unit were under the rover, the challenge is how to get something the size and weight of an automobile off the top of it. That left the sky crane as the most viable option. The capsule containing Curiosity and lander is 4.5 m in diameter, larger than an Apollo capsule. The transit to Mars will take 8 1/2 months at a speed of about 12,000 mph. Once on the Martian surface, Theisinger remarked, "It will take time to learn how MSL will work on Mars." Once the operational protocals have been developed in the Martian environment, Vasavada's team of scientists can get to work collecting data for the 2+ year mission. The rover will move at a speed of about 0.1 mph on the Martian surface. This slow rate will ensure it is able to navigate over and around obstacles safely as safe operation is limited by how far Curiosity can see.

Vasavada reminded us all that, "We are looking for habitable environments, not life itself." Curiosity and MSL contain "fabulous organic detection system," however, so "finding life would be a home run." 

In response to the question, "How likely Mars had/has life?" McCuistion joked, "Not sure any of us want to take that question." He went on to say, "Mars keeps surprising us. No one expected to find briny liquid water or 'blueberries' (hematite crystals). There is evidence of liquid water in Gale Crater in the Martain past and that is why it was chosen as the landing site."

MSL/Curiosity will directly help to prepare for a human mission to Mars. With a smaller landing ellipse, robotic handling of samples, launching and landing larger masses, measurements of the Martian atmosphere and radiation exposure over long-term missions, NASA will gain critical knowledge. 

Are you ready for launch? I know I am. I don't think I've been this excited about an unmanned mission since the first Viking photos came back when I was in Middle School. I cannot wait to participate in the NASATweetup on 22 November to learn more about this amazing mission! 

Mars, or bust!

Curious about Curiosity? Good basic info & pictures about the next Mars rover mission here: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Thanks to SpaceTweeps @stephist, @deliciousblur, @chrisastro, and @therealdjflux for helping me curate the briefing for this blog post.

Thinking About Mars

A lot of Mars activity this week. the Mars Science Laboratory was stacked on its launch vehicle at KSC launch complex 41, and the Mars500 mission "landed."

 

In the mean time, my 4th grade science class has been exploring the basic elements of a sustainable ecosystem. My students decided that the essential components of the ecosystem were energy from the sun, nitrogen in the soil, water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. With these elements, the ecosystem could support algae and bacteria in a sustainable system. How is this relevant to Mars, you ask? Earth is a special planet where these elements have come together in just the height combination to support life. My students were curious to know if we knew of life anywhere else. I asked them how they could find a planet that might support life. Almost immediately, students suggested that looking for planets the right distance from a sun that had evidence of water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen. What life would you look for? Bacteria and algae! 

 

Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity rover will be doing just that. With 10 different experiments on board, Curiosity will explore the are around the Gale crater looking for evidence that Mars has, or could now or in the future, support life. Adjacent to the Gale crater is a mountain formation that appears to have been built in layered deposition in an aquatic environment. 

 

MSL/Curiosity is scheduled for launch on Friday, November 25th. In the coming weeks I will be sharing more about the mission and the work my students are doing. On Wednesday, November 23rd I will be participating in a NASA TweetUp at Kennedy Space Center in conjunction with the launch. 

MSL/Curiosity Stacked!

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) was moved from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) to Space Launch Complex 41 during the early morning of Nov. 3 and hoisted atop the Atlas V rocket. MSL was hoisted atop the payload transporter in the PHSF on Nov. 2 after being integrated into the Atlas V rocket payload fairing.

Curiosity has 10 science instruments to search for evidence about whether Mars has had environments favorable for microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release the gasses so that its spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth.

Curiosity Mission Trailer video

More information about Curiosity is online at: http://www.nasa.gov/msl or http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

STS-135 NASA TweetUp at NASA HQ

On Thursday, October 13th, I had the privilege of participating in a NASA TweetUp. The TweetUp was held at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. This was a gathering of 150 Twitter followers of @NASATweetUp and STS-135 CMDR Chris Ferguson (@Astro_Ferg) and MS1 Sandy Magnus (@Astro_Sandy). Organized by Stephanie Schierholtz (@Schierholz) NASA's Social Media Director, the attendees represented 25 different states, Germany, India, Canada, and Australia.

Stephanie Schierholz opens the TweetUp

Upon entering NASA HQ, Stephanie was there to greet each attendee in person and presented each of us with our official NASA "swag bags" containing an assortment of NASA and STS-135 momentos. My personal favorites: The Space Shuttle 30th Anniversary lapel pin, made from metal that flew on a space shuttle, and the STS-135 mission sticker, and of course my NASATweetUp ID badge. And what would a TweetUp be without the SpaceTweeps? Having time to connect face-to-face is, as the old commercial says, priceless. SpaceTweeps are an interesting and diverse group. Sharing time discussing the space program, swapping shuttle launch stories, sharing about our lives, and speculating on the future of NASA and human space flight were all lively conversations.

It's official! TweetUp badge and NASA HQ.

SVPTweetUp Alumni

SpaceTweeps

The TweetUp program included the presentation of the STS-135 Mission Highlights film, featuring a soundtrack by RUSH and a song they had composed to mark the occasion of the launch of STS-1. Ferguson and Magnus shared several anecdotes of their mission and training flow, ranging from the humorous, to serious science and space geekdom. They engaged in a Q&A session, taking questions from the floor at the end of the presentation. The great thing about the event, is that Ferguson and Magnus clearly understood that this was an "inside" audience. The stories they shared were not the same ones we had heard in the various interviews throughout the mission flow. In a couple of cases, they shed more light on stories we had heard. The infamous T-31 sec "been cap" glitch and hold for example. Ferguson commented that, "this wasn't something that had been in the SIMS. It wasn't something that had ever happened." "I was incredulous." The image of the four of them on the flight deck trying to figure out what was going on, much like all of us were doing watching the launch, was  a great one. The image of Ferguson in his CMDR voice, telling everyone on the flight deck to be quiet so he could hear brought images of a family car trip to mind." Ferguson commented further on the hold, "Once I understood what the problem was, I could see it was clear, but [launch control] wouldn't take my word on it."

Magnus shared stories of the difficulties growing up as a young girl with dreams of being an astronaut. "I kept it secret, because I didn't think anyone would understand." Her story affirms how important it is that we provide young girls with positive female role models. Women that they can see as the embodiment of their own dreams. 

I was chosen to ask the final question of the TweetUp. I had several questions for Ferguson and Magnus, ranging from space/STEM geek questions about mission minutiae, to their thoughts and hopes for the next steps with NASA for them personally as well as programatically. The final question had to be something summative and lasting.

MW: "What do you see as the most important skills for children to develop in preparation for their future?"

CF & SM: "Becoming a life-long learner. Adaptability."

Considering more than 60% of our students will take a job that does not yet exist, I think these are great recommendations.

NASATweetup with STS135

Thursday is Tweetup day! I get to visit NASA HQ in Washington DC to join 150 other SpaceTweeps and STS135 Commander Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus. Ferguson and Magnus are two of the four final shuttle astronauts. I've been following them for the better part of a year now, as they went through their training flow, witnessed the launch from Kennedy Space Center on July 8, and met them (briefly) at an autograph signing event at the Intrepid in August. I am looking forward to meeting them and hearing first hand their memories of the mission and their hopes and dreams for our space exploration future. It will also be really fun to meet some of the people I only know through Twitter. It should be a great event.

Satellite passes for Thursday, September 22, 2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011
(GMT-04:00)

Satellite Name (Peak Magnitude)
	Pass	Time	El	Az	Range
Sunset:		6:53:08 PM
Midnight:		12:00:00 AM
ISS (-3.0)
	Start:	5:14:43 AM	46°	210°(SW)	331 mi
	Peak:	5:15:30 AM	71°	141°(SE)	258 mi
	End:	5:18:41 AM	10°	57°(NE)	886 mi
Sunrise:		6:43:40 AM

Pass predictions by GoSatWatch
www.gosoftworks.com

ISS Flyover Monday, September 19, 2011

Just before dawn on Monday, September 19th, the ISS will flyover the NY metro area. This should be a good pass to watch as it will be nearly overhead and the rising sun should make it very bright. 

Monday, September 19, 2011
(EDT)

Satellite Name (Peak Magnitude)
	Pass	Time	El	Az	Range
Sunset:		6:58:59 PM
Midnight:		12:00:00 AM
ISS (-2.9)
	Start:	6:33:58 AM	10°	232°(SW)	884 mi
	Peak:	6:37:09 AM	86°	146°(SE)	246 mi
	End:	6:40:22 AM	10°	55°(NE)	887 mi
Sunrise:		6:41:20 AM

Pass predictions by GoSatWatch
www.gosoftworks.com

GRAIL Twin Satellites Successfully Launch for Moon

Video of launch on NASA's YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1elSL-w1B8g&sns=em

Saturday morning, the twin GRAIL satellites launched aboard a Delta2 rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The satellites will measure the gravity fields of the moon in order to learn more about the interior structure of the moon. They are scheduled for lunar orbit insertion on New Years Eve and New Years Day.

For more information, check out

GRAIL MoomKam
https://www.moonkam.ucsd.edu/home

NASA GRAIL Mission
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/main/index.html

Landing Reflections

STS-135 "By The Numbers a review of the mission statistics
STS-135 Atlantis landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning, July 21.


I spent two sleepless nights keeping vigil watching NASA TV as Atlantis undocked from the ISS on Wednesday and then deorbited and landed on Thursday. Sleepless not out of any concern but not wanting to miss a single moment or milestone of this mission. It is always a moving scene when the shuttle undocks and backs away from the Harmony Node of the ISS. Ron Garan rang the bell and wished Atlantis "soft landings." He added, "Gonna miss you guys, see you in a couple months." I always feel a tug at my heart when the shuttle undocks and I hear the bell and the farewell message, but this time, the feelings were predictably stronger. This was the last time a shuttle would be docked at the ISS, and we do not know when the next NASA vehicle will dock at the ISS.

Following the undocking, the ISS rotated to present Atlantis with her "long-axis" with the solar arrays and truss assemblies in line with the shuttle's flyaround pilot Doug Hurley guided Atlantis through an amazing flight around the ISS, providing views of the station we have never seen. It was magnificent, and more than worth staying up to see. A few hours, and a short nap later, the STS-135 crew held their final press event and said their last goodbyes and thank yous before the k-band antenna, which allows for video transmissions, was stowed.

Then Thursday night was spent watching the activities in Houston Mission Control Center, listening to the communications between Atlantis and MCC as final preparations for deorbited were made. I watched as people I've watched and listened to for years finished their last shift working in Shuttle Flight Control. Then the landing team took their final shift. At 4:30 a.m., Atlantis began her 200th and final orbit of the Earth. Pulling every computer together, I tracked Atlantis' final orbit and landing on GoogleEarth Ground Track on one, watched NASA TV on another, ran Mission Clock on the iPad, and chatted with fellow "SpaceTweeps" on Twitter.

NASA - Station Crew Views Shuttle Landing http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2014.html

Astronaut Mike Fossum captured an incredible image as Atlantis re-entered the Earth's atmosphere over Central America in a glowing ball of plasma. Mission Specialist Rex Waldheim described it as "returning in a meteor." A few minutes before 6:00 a.m., the twin sonic booms were heard over Central Florida and Cmdr. Chris Ferguson and Plt. Doug Hurley lined up Atlantis on final approach. Hurley gently guided Atlantis to wheels down on the 5 mile long runway, known as the SLF. Lit by high intensity xenon lights, Atlantis landed with contrails streaming from her wing tips, released the drag chute, and came to wheel stop.

As the sun rose, the STS-135 crew of 4 made their way off Atlantis. Rex Waldheim was the first off, his duties completed. Next came Sandy Hurley, followed by Doug Hurley. After a few emotional words Chris Ferguson turned over Atlantis to the ground crew and left the flight deck one final time.
After a brief medical exam and clearance, the crew were greeted by NASA director Charlie Bolden, Launch Director Mike Leinbach, among hundreds of other KSC employees assembled for this final shuttle landing. Brief statements, congratulations, and welcomes home and the Astronauts were on their way to crew quarters. Meanwhile the ground crew continued "safeing" the orbiter before attaching a tug to her nose gear and towing Atlantis on her victory lap to the Orbiter Processing Facility. The celebratory parade ended at the OPF where those who worked on maintaining the orbiters were assembled with their families to mark the end of a thirty year long mission.

NASA Photo Gallery of Landing
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/multimedia/index.html

It has been an amazing ride. So much has been learned through the shuttle program. Literally tens of thousands of people worked daily to make the shuttles fly. Astronauts, engineers, ground control, trainers, the people who crafted by hand every uniform, space suit, cargo bag, assembled each of five orbiters, their engines, the solid rocket boosters, the external file tanks. The crews that assembled each shuttle stack in the VAB. The operators of the crawlers as they ferried the shuttle from the VAB to the launch pad. Those who loaded the cargo, choreographed the missions, and countless other jobs. I think of all these people daily, as many are now out of work. It will be a difficult transition and I wish them all, Safe Landings. Thank you for your dedication and service.

STS-135 Atlantis Landing Thursday Morning

With about 14 hours to landing, I'm planning to be up all night following the final hours of the Space Shuttle Program. While all hope there is a bright and exciting future at NASA, this is the close of a 30 year long story of achievement, challenges, loss, and above all exploration and learning. The shuttle program opened the door to hundreds of astronaut hopefuls from all backgrounds, races, and both genders. It showed us the best of the human spirit of cooperation and exploration.

Even if you don't stay up all night with me, at least set your alarm to see the landing, scheduled for 5:56 am EDT on NASATV. I recommend tuning in at least by 5:30 am to follow Atlantis he on the last leg of her victory lap. The last of her kind. And them stay tuned to see what NASA does next on human space exploration. If there is one thing witnessing the launch two weeks ago comfirmed for me, there is no substitute for direct, human observation.

42 Years Ago Today

On July 16, 1969 at 9:32 am, Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin launch aboard Apollo 11 from Launch Pad 39A headed for the first moon landing. 39A is the same launch pad used for last week's launch of STS-135 Atlantis. The Saturn V launch vehicle is the most powerful and most complex machine built by humans.

For more on Apollo 11, check these websites:

Smithsonian Air & Space: http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/apollo11/
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html

One Week Ago

It seems hard to believe, but another week has sped by. Just one week ago today, I and a few million other NASA geeks and spacetweeps went through an entire range of emotions. Anticipation, yet preparing for disappointment. Skeptical of the weather, but hoping it would clear. Excited that the clouds were clearing and the sun was coming out, then worried it would kick up the convection and set up storms. As the countdown proceeded through each scheduled hold, and the possibility of a launch looked more likely, the energy rose, then the clock stopped at T-31! The utter disbelief,the fear of something gone wrong. Then, the clock resumes, and as MS2 Rex Waldheim said today in an interview, "The clock restarted and we had no time to think. It was like, ready, set, go!"

Joy, jubilant cheers, thunderous applause, tears, and utter shock. The awesome beauty and power was beyond belief.

Here are a few of my photographs from the launch. Click the photo below to open the album and launch the slide show.

STS135Launch

EVA and Teamwork

Today was a re-entry day for me. My first full day back in New York after spending the weekend in "ShuttleLand." I spent most of the day glued to NASA TV watching the last Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) a.k.a. "spacewalk" to be supported by the space shuttle and her crew. As if the feats of working in microgravity to move, manipulate, install and remove various components on the ISS weren't enough, there was such an amazing display of teamwork. Today's activities made it so clear that these missions are not just about the astronauts in the crew, but thousands of people who make what they do possible.

The morning began with Ferguson and Satoshi getting Fossum and Garan suited up. On the ground in Houston, Mission Control Center was helping ensure that all procedures were followed to ensure the safety of the astronauts and the success of the EVA. CAPCOM was Bennett from STS133 Discovery. Good to have a seasoned spacewalker on hand as coach and interpreter. After their pre-breath activities in which they purge the nitrogen from their blood, the airlock was depressurized. Fossum experimented with whistling in the low pressure atmosphere, and it turns out, one cannot. There isn't enough air to create a sound. Once they cleared the airlock and stepped out into space, Waldheim took the role of EVA director, running checklists, and coordinating communication between Mission Control and Fossum and Garan. As if that went enough Magnus and Hurley operated the robotic arm to move astronauts and hardware into position between the shuttle's payload bay and locations on the ISS. Think of the communication required to successfully move someone on the end of a 50 foot arm into position and make tiny adjustments so the person on the end of the arm could

Somewhere in hour five of the six hour EVA, Garan remarked, "When you're hanging out here in no man's land, it's good to know there is a whole team behind you."

This level of teamwork and professionalism was nothing less than inspirational. It is truly a goal for all of us to achieve, doing our part to the best of our abilities and calling upon the support of our friends, colleagues, or team mates to successfully achieve whatever task or goal we have set out to complete. None of us can function alone. We are all part of a community. Garan asks, "What kind of world do you want?" I want a world where we can work together to achieve greatness.

Thank you to STS-135, ISS Expedition 28, Mission Control Center, and all the engineers, trainers and support personnel for demonstrating the true spirit of collaboration.

STS-135: The Last Shuttle Mission

NASA has a special start page for STS-135 Mission Coverage. http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/135_splash/index.html

A Spectacular Launch Day

I'm trying to gather my thoughts and emotions on this incredible and historic day. About two hours ago, STS-135 rocketed from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. It has taken me about that long to almost feel I could begin to articulate my feelings and thoughts. Seeing the shuttle launch was a 30 year dream for me. Ever since those first test flights of Enterprise and then STS-1 in 1981, I have always hoped I could find a way to see a launch. Despite traveling to Florida a handful of times, I was never able to time the trip when a launch was scheduled. About ten years ago, I discovered NASATV over the Internet, and despite a lack of coverage on television, I was able to follow several of the missions and watched many launches and landings over the years. About a year and a half ago, I even got up at three in the morning to watch the shuttle fly over New York's eastern sky on launch. Then of course sharing the final missions of Discovery and Endeavour from launch to landing with my students. Not bad, I'd say. Hadn't I fully experienced it?

Well, old dreams die hard. With one last chance to see a shuttle launch in person, I began to feel that itch again to travel to Florida to see it. It wasn't so much that this was the final shuttle launch, but my last chance to see it in person. If you've been following me on this blog or on twitter, you know that I put my name into the lottery for the NASATweetup and the chance to be a special guest of NASA for the launch. When I (along with more than 5000 other "Tweeps") weren't among the lucky 150, I couldn't imagine how I could get there. With a lot of encouragement and family support, I found tickets and arranged transportation not only for me, but the whole family!

I was about to embark on something I had thought would never happen!
I can't believe I finally witnessed it in person!
I can't believe I got to share it with my family!

Had I fully experienced a shuttle launch? Definitively, No. I still find it difficult to find the words, but there is something in witnessing a launch in person that simply does not get felt watching on video. I have been deeply moved and felt such excitement watching launch videos, but this was a completely different level.

The hours preceding the launch were full of excitement and nervousness. It is a strange mix of emotion. On the one hand, you want desperately for the launch to go. I had invested a lot of time, energy and money to be here. At the same time, one never wants another shuttle crew to be unnecessarily put at risk due to weather constraints at launch. So we held our breath with the 30% chance of launch as we watched the weather conditions change every 15 - 30 minutes from red "no go" to green "go" and back to red "no go." I followed the updates of the changing conditions through Twitter, trying to remain optimistic, but also seeing the dense cloud cover surrounding the skies over Cape Canaveral.  We even witnessed a couple of flyovers by Astronaut. Rick Sturchow as he flew the "shuttle training aircraft" through the clouds to get first hand observations of the conditions the shuttle would have to fly through.

We came up to the 9 minute hold and then the clock resumed. Were we really gong to launch? Conditions continued to go back and forth and the 70% "no-go" for weather held. Then the 2 minute hold... and the clock resumed. We are going to launch! And then at T-31 seconds, the clock stopped! The entire crowd stopped, held their breath in total confusion. Did the clock really just stop? What was wrong? A collective "oh no!" We strained to hear the calls between launch directors and technicians at the Launch Control Center. Then we heard launch director Mike Leinbach's voice say, "resume the count on your mark." and the emotional, choked voice of the woman with countdown, "T-31 on my mark, 3, 2, 1. T-30, and counting..." and the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

We watched the main engines ignite on the jumbotron television, then at zero the solid rocket boosters light. That's the point of no return. Atlantis was going! In a few seconds a bright yellow-white fireball erupted from the tree line as Atlantis climbed skyward. We followed Atlantis and the flames of the SRBs as she left a trail of grey and white hanging behind her. Then she disappeared in the clouds and the reappeared just before going supersonic and then she was gone in the clouds. But wait, the sound! We were 6 miles away, so it takes a while for the sound to reach you. It begins as an inaudible pressure wave that you feel in your entire body. Then the chest begins to rumble, and finally the thunderous roar begins to reach your ears as it rolls to you. And it keeps coming, and coming, and then, slowly, begins to fade. We watched on the screen as the SRBs finished their burn and then separated. We watched as the external tank continued fuel the main engines, then MECO (main engine cutoff) with the liquid fuel in the orange tank was finally consumed. Cheers, tears, hugs, smiles. There is nothing like being there. Experiencing it with ALL your senses! As the crowd started to quiet again and people began to disperse, we watched to giant column of exhaust widen and drift, and then get pulled into a zig-zag pattern with the wind shear aloft. The plume hung in the air for more than a half an hour after launch, reminding us all that yes, we really did just see Atlantis escape Earth's gravity and rocket into space! I learned on twitter that those at the NASATweetup cold smell the rocket fuel in the air about a half an hour after the launch! ALL your senses!

Lift Off of STS-135!

I am still trying to gather my thoughts for my post about the launch experience. Yes, it was that powerful and an extremely emotional experience. For now, I will share one of my launch photos. I was able to capture Atlantis as it climbed toward space at the moment it went supersonic. The pressure wave, known as a sonic boom, causes a condensation plume. Notice the twin plumes from the nose cones of the solid rocket boosters.

STS135 Goes Supersonic
©2011 MWilkinson, Snake3Productions

Launch Day

After rising at 2am, we made our way to catch the bus from Orlando to Kennedy Space Center to see the launch of STS-135 Atlantis on its mission to the International Space Station. The bus ride took a little over an hour and then by about 5:30 we had staked out our seats near the Rocket Garden.

Pre-dawn at the Rocket Garden
MWilkinson

It is all "so amazing" as Alexandra said. A day full of emotion. Anticipation of the launch, the excitement and awesome power as the shuttle lifts off. Uncertainty with the weather, which while comfortable for us human types, with a slight breeze and reasonable temps. But there are some dense clouds in the area that could prevent the launch. We are waiting to hear the report from the weather briefing at about 7:30am.

There is a constant buzz of energy in the crowd as people pass the time visiting, eating, sleeping, watching NASA tv, playing games, tweeting, taking photos. There is a beautiful shot of Atlantis on the jumbo tv screen. Clouds rolling in from all different directions and heights. Patches of blue directly overhead. It's all up to Kathy Winters (NASA meteorologist) and her team now.

The crew is suiting up now. We shall see what happens next.

@mwilkinson3, 7/8/11 3:13 AM

Michael Wilkinson (@mwilkinson3) 7/8/11 3:13 AM Half asleep but on our bus for KSCVC to hopefully see #STS135 launch. #svptweetup remote crew. http://t.co/lf1t8ku

L-1

Twas the night before travel and all through the house tweeting, packing, and charging and "do we really need this?" was heard. Well somehow we've managed to get everything into the proper bags. All of our tech gear is charged. Various cables and chargers gathered. I'm going to try to get a few thoughts down here before bed.

I've been following the twitter feeds throughout the day, connecting with my fellow "spacetweeps" as we all share the excitement of the launch. People all over the country are going through the same preparations as we have. Some are already on the Space Coast. I have to agree with a comment Mike Leinbach (launch director) made during the press briefing Wednesday morning, "it's great to see all the interest in the shuttle... just wish it had come earlier in the program." the shuttle program quietly went about its business, building the space station, conducting science, and all for less than Americans spend annually on pet food. Now the powers that be have decided that less than one half of one percent of the Federal budget is too much for space exploration. Yes I believe we will continue a human space program, but it is going to take a considerable amount of time to get a new launch vehicle off the ground. Seems criminal that we are turning these beautiful space craft; Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis into museum artifacts when they are still such functional and space worthy vehicles. Seems like we should somehow be able to keep the shuttles flying while figuring out the next new thing.

Kathy Winters (meteorologist) gave her weather forecast for launch day. It's not a good one, 70% no-go for weather. A tropical wave is moving into Florida and may create conditions that would cause the launch to scrub. The last thing I want is an unsafe launch, but I sure do hope that the weather will ease up for the launch window. There are two more chances over the weekend and then they would have to wait until next Saturday for the next chance. Florida weather is highly variable, so here's to a different forecast tomorrow.

L-3 Days! Travel - 2 Days!

Talk about being excited! It's torture waiting! I find myself being so distracted, thinking about the trip when I need to focus on other things. We've started packing, with a "staging area" set up on the living room rug. The pile of cameras, chargers, and everything else we think we are going to need. Trying to weed out everything that is extra and that we don't really need to have along. I find myself constantly checking Twitter to see what the other people coming to the launch are doing and thinking, looking for bits of helpful advice. Constantly looking at the weather forecasts...

The fact that we are really going to go to the Cape to see the launch is starting to feel real.

Launch Tickets to KSC Visitors Complex

Our launch tickets arrived!

Now that adds to the excitement! We now have tickets in hand for the bus from Orlando to Kennedy Space Center for launch day and our tickets to the Visitor's Complex. We plan to watch the launch from the Rocket Garden.

Firsts and Lasts

I'm struck by the extreme contrasts in this mission. For me, it is the first launch that I will be attending and the first launch that I will be documenting personally and directly. For thousands of NASA employees, each milestone brings another, "this is the last time we will..." Every day, they complete tasks in preparation for the launch of STS-135 Atlantis that will never be done again. It's sad to think that so many of these highly skilled and dedicated people will be out of a job after this mission. It all makes this mission very important. This mission honors everyone who ever worked on any aspect of the US space program. All the way from Goddard and Von Braun to everyone involved in STS-135. That's something to celebrate this Independence Day weekend! So while my first launch is going to be the last launch, I am hopeful that NASA will continue to boldly go where no one has gone before.

This isn't the end of human spaceflight, the ISS is fully operational and doing some really great science and sending inspiring tweets and photos daily. This weekend, the ISS orbit and clear skies over New York have made some absolutely beautiful fly-overs. When I took the kids out Thursday night, it reminded me of when I was about their age and I went out to watch for the Apollo-Soyuz flyovers one summer. That dot of light was the sign if six human lives flying 230 miles above earth at 17500 mph!

L-7 Days

One week to launch!
The STS-135 Crew moves into quarantine this weekend. Mission specialist Sandy Magnus tweeted Friday night that she was trying to figure out where she wanted to go out to eat on her last night before quarantine. The quarantine period is to prevent the astronauts from getting exposed to something that could make them sick during their mission.

Personally, I am in the midst of preparations for my own launch experience. It is really hard to describe all that I am feeling about getting the chance to witness the shuttle launch in person. I have been a follower of the space program since the Apollo days and the missions to moon. Later I followed Skylab, and then of course the beginning of the Shuttle program. Getting the chance to see the shuttle launched into space in person is truly a lifelong dream. Being able to share that with my family adds a whole other layer of emotions. And, through this blog, I can also share it with all of you.

This blog has mainly been used so far to share information about the Shuttle missions and ISS Expeditions. I will continue to share some of that with you, but I hope you will also indulge me as I share more personal thoughts.