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.