太空探索工程 卫星发射 剪报评论

kl90

New Candidate For Top NASA Job Emerges
A retired Air Force major general who has a background in strategy and policy as well as a personal relationship with President-Elect Barack Obama is emerging as a leading candidate to be nominated for the top job at NASA.

Maj. Gen. Jonathan Scott Gration retired in 2006 as the Director of Strategy, Policy, and Assessments with the United States European Command. He was a top advisor with the Obama presidential campaign.

He served as a White House fellow who worked directly with former NASA Deputy Administrator Hans Mark during the early 1980s, according to sources familiar with the incoming Obama adminsitration's review of NASA.

His nomination for the NASA Administrator job could come within the next few days. Gration then would face confirmation hearings before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transporation. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson sits on that committee and chairs its Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences Subcommittee.

You can read Gration's official Air Force biography here: http://www.af.mil/bios/bio_print.asp?bioID=5605&page=1

You can see and hear Gration speak at a Tribute To Retired Generals that took place just before Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last summer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NttDOQcO2bM

Other potential candidates for the job reportedly include former astronaut Charlie Bolden, former astronaut Sally Ride, former NASA science chief Alan Stern, former NASA science chief Wesley Huntress and Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's Ames Research Center and a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

The nomination of a military officer to head NASA likely would raise questions about the potential "militarization" of NASA. But people familiar with the incoming administration's review of the agency note that military officers and many retired from the armed services have held high management positions in NASA over the year.

Also likely to be raised are questions about whether the nomination is an indication of the direction the incoming administration might take with regard to the potential use of military rockets to loft NASA's Apollo-style Orion spacecraft. People familiar with the NASA review say that would be reading too much into the selection if Gration indeed is nominated for the NASA Administrator post.

In his last post with the Air Force, Gration was responsible for formulation and staff direction of the execution of basic military and political policy as well as planning for command activities involving relations with other U.S. Unified Commands, allied military and international military organizations and subordinate commands.

He official Air Force bio says he also was responsible for the development of force structure requirements; conducting studies, analyses, and assessments; and for evaluating military forces, plans, programs, and strategies.

Gration's experience in the development of strategy and policy might serve him well if he ends up in the NASA post. The incoming Obama Administration faces a number of key strategy and policy decisions in regard to the scheduled 2010 retirement of NASA's shuttle fleet and the ongoing development of Ares rockets and Orion spacecraft for missions to the moon.

As it stands, the U.S. will rely on Russia to fly American astronauts to and from the International Space Station during an anticipated five-year gap between shuttle fleet retirement and the first piloted flights of the Ares/Orion system in 2015.

Gration's bio shows experience both in international affairs and Russian relations. He took part in the Executive Program For General Officers of the Russian Federation and the United States at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1999.

Gration was raised in Africa and according to sources, he helped Obama put together a trip to the continent during the campaign.

He entered the Air Force in 1974 through the Air Force ROTC program at Rutgers University. He previously served as an operations group commander and two-time wing commander.

Gration also served as Director of Regional Affairs in the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.

He was a command pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours, including more than 2,000 hours as an instructor pilot. He has extensive combat experience in the Middle East and served as the Commander of Task Force West during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Grationâ

kl90

Faulty Valve Scrubs Rocket Launch
Tonight's planned Delta IV Heavy launch has been scrubbed.

Another attempt from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 will be made Thursday at 7:41 p.m.

Technicians are working to resolve a problem with a gaseous nitrogen valve in a piece of ground support equipment, according to United Launch Alliance.

The valve purges air from rocket compartments so super-cold fuels don't cause water in the air to condense.

Today's delay was the second in as many days.

The first attempt on Tuesday was put off after inspectors discovered minor damage to insulating foam on an access door between the rocket's first two stages. Weather would not have cooperated anyway.

Launch controllers identified the valve issue early this afternoon but continued their countdown clock.

The launch window extended from 7:45 p.m. to 11:45 p.m., but a decision to stop the countdown and cancel tonight's attempt came just after 6 p.m.

ULA officials hope the valve issue can be fixed in time to launch Thursday.

Forecasts by Air Force meteorolgists show a 70 percent chance of favorable weather conditions Thursday.

kl90

Shuttle Heads To Launch Pad
Blogger update, 12:25 p.m.: Discovery and its mobile launcher platform were "hard mated" to launch pad 39A at 12:17 p.m., completing a seven-hour, 3.4-mile rollout from Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building.

Shuttle Discovery is making its way to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A today in advance of a planned Feb. 12 launch on an International Space Station construction mission.

With the shuttle mounted atop a mobile launcher platform, a giant tracked transporter is hauling the 11-million-pound load down the river-rock crawlerway that links the launch pad with the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building.

The 3.5-mile mile trip began with a first motion in the VAB at 5:17 a.m. EST -- about 77 minutes later than originally planned.

The slight delay was prompted by a little additional work with the purge on the shuttle solid rocket booster aft skirts and heaters on the launcher platform that must be operating if temperatures dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can watch the rollout live here in The Flame Trench. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of the page to see live coverage or refresh this page for the latest still images from live video feeds in the Launch Complex 39 area.

The shuttle should be out to the pad around 11:15 a.m.

Discovery and seven astronauts are slated to fly a mission to deliver the last segment of the station's central truss to the outpost. The so-called S6 truss is equipped with the last of four massive American solar wings that will provide electrical power to the station.

The 31,000-pound truss was moved from the Space Station Processing Facility to the launch pad on Sunday evening. The payload is to be installed in the orbiter's cargo bay over the weekend.

kl90

Nelson questions NASA candidate's space credentials
Earlier this week, news broke that NASA's top job may go to a retired military general.

In today's newspaper story about the likelihood of Jonathan Gration getting the nod, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was quoted questioning whether or not Gration has the right space background and experience to lead the U.S. space agency.

Read the story and Nelson's comments here.
http://www.floridatoday.com/arti ... r=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

What do you think? Read the story and weigh in yourself by clicking on comment at the bottom of this post.

kl90

PlanetSpace to Protest Cargo Contracts
PlanetSpace has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office over NASA's selection under the ISS Commercial Resupply Services competition.

NASA last month awarded two contracts worth $3.5 billion to SpaceX of California and Orbital Sciences of Virginia. The companies are to carry 20 tons of cargo to the International Space Station.

According to a PlanetSpace statement:

"PlanetSpace offered a superior proposal. It received a higher Mission Suitability score, from NASA's Source Evaluation Board, and was lower in cost than one of the two proposals selected by NASA. Thus, the PlanetSpace proposal represented better value to the Government. We believe that the GAO will find that flaws in the procurement justify award to PlanetSpace. We look forward to the GAO's review of this case.



"PlanetSpace has assembled a subcontract team, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and ATK, with over 150 years of collective experience in supporting NASA spaceflight programs. The resources and record of this team were recognized by the SEB, as it gave the subcontractors an 'excellent' mark for their 'Past Performance.' The commitment and capabilities of the team reduce risk to NASA and will ensure success of the critical mission of assured resupply to the Space Station. Further favoring selection of PlanetSpace, we have proposed an 'ALL-U.S.' solution for CRS - something that ought to be a domestic priority in light of current economic conditions.

"The PlanetSpace ISS CRS proposal provides NASA, and the United States taxpayer, with a credible space transportation system, derived from largely proven hardware, so that NASA will have highly reliable, on-demand, ISS cargo delivery and return services. Our solution reduces ISS resupply risk to NASA and thus will allow NASA to focus its resources on other space priorities, such as moving America's space program beyond low earth orbit."

kl90

Rocket Launch Postponed Again
Today's planned 7:41 p.m. launch of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket has been postponed, United Launch Alliance has announced.

Managers will meet tonight to pick a new launch date.

A faulty valve that scrubbed Wednesday's launch attempt is still a problem, and thick clouds and strong winds produced by a cold front appeared likely, according to ULA.

The rocket's mobile service tower is being rolled forward to shelter the vehicle from the wind.

Another weather briefing is planned at 5 p.m.

We'll update The Flame Trench with more information as soon as it becomes available.

The delay is the mission's third in as many days.

Tuesday, the first available launch date, was skipped after inspectors discovered minor damage to insulating foam that needed to be repaired.

The ongoing issue with a gaseous nitrogen relief valve cropped up Wednesday on a piece of ground support equipment.

Weather forecasts this morning showed a 70 percent chance of favorable weather for launch today and a 60 percent chance Friday, but the picture apparently worsened.

The Air Force's 45th Space Wing has not yet posted an updated forecast.

kl90

$600 Million NASA Stimulus Proposed
This just filed by Eun Kyung Kim in Washington:

WASHINGTON - The monstrous economic stimulus plan introduced Thursday by House Democrats includes $600 million in new NASA funds, but none of it for space exploration.

Instead, most of the money - $400 million - would go toward climate change research.

Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, the New Smyrna Democrat whose district includes Kennedy Space Center, urged congressional leaders to add more - specifically, $2 billion more, mainly for accelerating the Constellation program slated to replace the space shuttles once they are grounded next year.

It also would go toward shrinking the predicted five-year gap between the shuttle's last mission and the first manned launch of its replacement.

"We would be remiss to leave out funding for our manned space exploration program from this recovery package," Kosmas wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

"If the goal of this legislation is to stimulate our economy, support science, and maintain and create high-tech jobs, there is no better place to dedicate resources than to our human spaceflight program," the letter continued.

In addition to the climate-change research, the stimulus package also includes $50 million to repair NASA centers damaged last year by hurricanes and $150 million to improve aviation safety and air traffic control.

The stimulus bill still needs to clear hurdles being set up by House Republicans balking at the measure's price tag.

Editor's note: Give us your opinion. Should stimulus money be used to accelerate Constellation? Should it be spent on NASA at all? Tell us what you think.

kl90

Is flying shuttle longer "rolling the dice"?
Amid all the talk about whether or not it's safe or not safe to extend the service life of NASA's space shuttle fleet last week, the head of United Space Alliance has chipped in his two cents.

In an op-ed piece written for FLORIDA TODAY this week, former astronaut and USA chief Dick Covey says that the idea that flying the shuttle longer is "rolling the dice" and "too risky" is wrongheaded. Here's his take on whether it's safe to fly the shuttle past the existing 2010 deadline. Read it and let us know what you think.

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps ... le?AID=200990113048

You can chip in your two cents by clicking comment below and speaking your mind.

kl90

Next Delta IV Heavy Attempt: Saturday

A Delta IV Heavy rocket's next launch attempt from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station has been scheduled for Saturday at 7:33 p.m., United Launch Alliance announced.

A planned liftoff this evening was scrubbed because of an ongoing valve problem and the probability of high winds and thick clouds.

Mission managers decided to delay the launch until Saturday because of a 70 percent chance of continued high winds forecasted Friday, ULA said.

Saturday's forecast holds only a 20 percent chance of conditions that would prevent a launch.

Today's scrub was the third since Tuesday. ULA has encountered technical problems each day, but weather conditions were iffy Tuesday and today.

Officials said tonight that the faulty launch pad valve would have been repaired in time for a Friday launch attempt.

But strong wind gusts Friday were expected to prevent a launch, and even rollback of the mobile service tower.

The heavy-lift Delta IV rocket is set to deliver a classified satellite into space for the National Reconnaissance Office.

It would be the first unmanned rocket launch from the Cape since last June. ULA has 13 Cape missions on its manifest this year, and five more from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

kl90

Delta IV Heavy Roars Off On Secret Mission
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket roared of its oceanside launch pad at Cape Canaveral tonight and streaked through star-lit skies on its way toward orbit.

Standing 24 stories tall, the behemoth booster and its classified National Reconnaissance Office payload blasted off at 9:47 p.m. -- more than two hours later than originally planned. A series of unspecified technical problems beset the rocket, forcing the ULA launch team to skip liftoff times set at 7:33 p.m., 8:13 p.m. and 9:13 p.m. before the Delta IV Heavy finally thundered aloft.

The triple-bodied booster lit up the horizon on the coast and the powerful engines on each of its common core boosters blazed individual trails as the Delta IV Heavy climbed away from launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The launch was only the third for the nation's largest unmanned expendable launch vehicle, and it looked quite different from a NASA shuttle or Atlas V and other variants of the Delta family of rockets.

The first-stage of the rocket appeared to fly just as expected, and the second stage started up on time. The payload fairing separated from the rocket about seven minutes into flight and United Launch Alliance cut off commentary at the request of their customer: the super-secret NRO, which owns and operates the nation's fleet of spy satellites.

The NRO had no comment on the nature of the payload or its mission. Officials would not comment on whether the payload separated cleanly from the rocket, or at what point in the flight.

The NRO operates photo and radar reconnaissance satellites; signals intelligence satellites; ocean surveillance satellites; and data relay satellites.

kl90

Discovery Crew in for Visit
Discovery's seven astronauts today are scheduled to jet into Kennedy Space Center for three days of training in advance of their targeted Feb. 12 launch.

You can watch the crew's arrival - expected at 11:30 a.m. - and a Q&A session with reporters live here on The Flame Trench. Just click on the NASA TV still image on the right side of this page to launch a live viewer.

You can also track the progress of the crew's T-38 training jets as they fly from Houston's Ellington Field to KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility here.

Air Force Col. Lee Archambault is the STS-119 mission's commander. He's joined by pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists Joe Acaba, Richard Arnold, John Phillips, Steve Swanson and Koichi Wakata.

The training that begins today is called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT.

It culminates Wednesday with a full dress rehearsal of the launch countdown before the crew returns to Houston.

Archambault and Antonelli will also practice landing the Shuttle Training Aircraft, a modified jet that simulates an orbiter's handling on descent.

The crew is preparing for a 14-day mission to install the International Space Station's final pair of power-generating solar wings, completing the station's backbone and power supply.

The flight will also rotate space station crew members. Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to make a long duration spaceflight, will replace Sandra Magnus as a member of Expedition 18. Magnus will return home on Discovery.

kl90

Coming Up: Skylab Flyer Swings Into Town
A world record-setting astronaut will fly back to Florida's Space Coast late this month to unveil his new book on his life, his family and an 84-day mission aboard America's first space station -- Skylab.

Skylab 4 commander Jerry Carr will hold two book signings next week:

++ On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Carr will be at the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum, 4 Main
Street, Titusville. Time: from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact the museum at 321... for more information.

++On Wednesday, January 28, Carr will be at the Cocoa Beach Public Library, 550 North Brevard Ave., Cocoa Beach. Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact Margot Gould at 321-868-1104, or mgould@brev.org, for more info.

Carr was one of the 19 people selected by NASA in April 1966 to serve in the U.S. astronaut corps, and he helped develop the lunar roving vehicle which was used on the surface of the moon by Apollo flight crews.

Carr was commander of the third and final manned visit to the Skylab Orbital Workshop. Flying with science pilot Edward Gibson and pilot William Pogue, the crew launched on Nov. 16, 1973, and returned to Earth om Feb. 8, 1974. At the time, the mission -- 84 days, 1 hour and 15 minutes -- was the longest spaceflight ever.

Carr's official NASA bio notes that the crew successfully completed 56 experiments, 26 science demonstrations, 15 subsystem-detailed objectives, and 13 student investigations during their 1,214 revolutions of the earth.

They also acquired extensive earth resources observation data using hand-held cameras and Skylab's Earth Resources Experiment Package camera and sensor array. They logged 338 hours of operations of the Apollo Telescope Mount, which made extensive observations of the sun's solar processes.

Added up, Carr and his crew set a new world endurance record of 2,017 hrs 16 minutes -- a record not surpassed by another American astronaut until 1995.

His new book -- "Around the World in 84 Days" -- recounts not only the story of the pioneering mission of Skylab 4 but also the personal achievements of Carr before he entered the astronaut program and after leaving it.

With the full assistance of Carr, his family and colleagues detail a very special journey that includes anecdotes not only about his time on Skylab but life before and after the spaceflight.

kl90

Deadline Looms In Name-The-Rover Contest
Calling all kids: NASA needs a moniker for its next robotic Mars explorer, and the deadline for a "Name The Rover" contest is midnight Sunday.

Partnering with Disney-Pixar's WALL-E, NASA is inviting all U.S. students age 5 to 18 to come up with a name for its Mars Science Laboratory and then pen an essay explaining why their choice is the right fit.

About the size of a SUV, the wheeled rover will be the biggest and most capable spacecraft ever sent to Mars. It will search for signs of past or present microbial life.

NASA's smaller Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which have been exploring opposite sides of the the planet for five years, were named in a similar contest before launching from Cape Canaveral in 2003.

"Now we're doing the same for the next rover that goes up there," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said.

Nine finalists will be selected and then the public will have a chance to rank the names before NASA announces a winner.

The Mars Science Laboratory is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral in 2011. For contest information and rules visit: Name The Rover. http://marsrovername.jpl.nasa.gov/

kl90

Crew Begins Launch Training
Shuttle Discovery's crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center around 10:30 a.m. today and has begun training for a launch less than a month away.

The seven astronauts got a first glimpse of their spaceship on its launch pad as they flew T-38 training jets into the spaceport.

"We did a nice pad fly-by on the way in," said mission commander Lee Archambault during a question-and-answer session with reporters. "It's beautiful to see Discovery out there on the pad."

Archambault was joined by pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Koichi Wakata.

Their 14-day mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to blast off Feb. 12 from launch pad 39A.

The crew immediately began training known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, that runs through Wednesday.

Today's activities familiarize the crew - which includes three first-time flyers - with how to drive an M-113 tank that would be used to escape a launch pad emergency.

The lime-green, turret-less tank would peel away from a bunker area and smash through the pad's perimeter fence to reach an area where medical personnel would be on standby.

Archambault and Antonelli will also fly a modified Gulfstream-2 jet, called the Shuttle Training Aircraft, to simulate shuttle landings while wearing their orange launch-and-entry suits.

The TCDT training peaks Wednesday morning with a launch dress rehearsal and countdown that cuts off at T minus six seconds, when the crew will practice a launch pad abort.

"This is really the culmination of our training," Archambault said this morning.

The mission commander closed by thanking "the thousands of people here at the Kennedy Space Center who do so much for our space program. We appreciate it."

The Discovery crew will haul the last set of American-made solar wings to the space station, completing its power supply.

The 31,000-pound "Starboard 6" truss segement holding the packed solar wings was successfully installed in Discovery's payload bay over the weekend.

kl90

Crew Reviews Pad Escape
Shuttle Discovery's seven astronauts this morning have braved blustery winds at Kennedy Space Center from the 195-foot level of launch pad 39A's Fixed Service Structure.

That's where the crew will enter the orbiter Wednesday morning during a countdown dress rehearsal for their targeted Feb. 12 launch to the International Space Station.

It's also where the astronauts would rush to a system of slide wire baskets that would hurtle them to the ground if they needed to escape a fire or other emergency.

The crew this morning learned how to use the basket system, which has never been needed during a mission.

The second of three days of training at KSC continues with briefings in the Launch Control Center.

Discovery's crew is led by mission commander Lee Archambault, and includes pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists Joe Acaba, Richard Arnold, John Phillips, Steve Swanson and Koichi Wakata.

Out at the launch pad today, the crew will also examine their mission's primary payload from the Payload Changeout Room.

Discovery's payload bay doors are scheduled to close at midnight around cargo, a nearly 31,000-pound, $300-million truss segment being delivered to the space station.

The truss segment is the 11th and final piece of the station's backbone, and will unfurl the final pair of power-generating solar arrays.

Also today, Archambault and Antonelli will continue practice landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, a jet modified to handle like an orbiter on descent.

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/090123/5/1dh3q.html

（中央社記者楊明珠東京23日專電）日本三菱重工業與日本宇宙航空研究開發機構今天近午成功地發射了日本自製火箭「H2A」15號機。搭載著觀測溫室效應的衛星「息吹號」及7枚小衛星升空。


搭載觀測技術衛星「息吹號」及其他7枚小型副衛星的「H2A」15號機上午11時54分（台灣時間）時從日本鹿兒島縣種子島的宇宙中心發射升空。一次搭載8枚衛星，創最多紀錄。


火箭發射升空約16分鐘後，「息吹號」在高約670公里高空從火箭分離，進入目的地的軌道。


「息吹號」是約1.75噸，是由日本宇宙機構及環境省（環保署）、國立環境研究所合作開發的中型衛星。首度被用於觀測地球的二氧化碳、沼氣等大氣濃度，將有利於氣候變動的長期精密觀測。


以前，觀測點只有280個，「息吹號」可在5萬6000個地點進行觀測。


「H2A」15號機上還搭載著大阪的中小企業所開發的小型衛星「SOHLA-1號」、「光輝號」等7枚小型副衛星。發射作業花費約346億日圓（約新台幣130億元）。


這次是日本自製「H2A」火箭第九次順利發射升空。火箭製造及發射作業交由三菱重工業進行之後，是三菱重工業第三度發射。

kl90

Cold Weather Chills Practice Countdown
Seven astronauts boarded Discovery at Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A today, taking part in a practice countdown for their planned Feb. 12 launch on a day when temperatures would have been too cold to fly.

STS-119 Mission Commander Lee Archambault and his crewmates donned partial-pressure launch-and-entry suits and rode out to the pad in NASA's customized "Astrovan." The temperature at the launch pad was 36 degrees Fahrenheit when countdown clocks stopped at T-Minus 4 seconds. Sustained winds were nine knots. The overnight low temperature at the pad was 31.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

"We would have actually had to scrub today," said KSC spokesman Allard Beutel.

NASA employs a complex formula that factors in the temperature, wind speed and relative humidity to determine whether conditions are safe for flight in cases where the mercury in the thermostat drops below 48 degrees Fahrenheit. With sustained winds between eight and 14 knots, NASA's Launch Commit Criteria calls for temperatures of at least 37 degrees to give a go for launch.

Archambault leads a crew that includes pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists Joseph Acaba, Richard Arnold, John Phillips, Steve Swanson and Koichi Wakata, the latter of whom will be the first Japanese astronaut to fly an expedition aboard the International Space Station.

The Discovery astronauts will deliver the final segment of the station's central truss to the outpost. The 31,000-pound girder is equipped with the station's fourth and final set of massive American solar wings.

kl90

Martinez Joins NASA Oversight Committee
This report from Eun Kim in Washington:

WASHINGTON - Sen. Mel Martinez has been assigned to the Senate panel that has oversight on NASA.

The Orlando Republican will join his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Bill Nelson, on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation, who already sits on the panel.

The Space Coast also gained an ally last week when Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna, was assigned to the House panel that oversees NASA policy, the Science and Technology Committee.

http://martinez.senate.gov/publi ... mp;CFTOKEN=47977375

kl90

New Class Selected For Astronaut Hall Of Fame
The first commander of the International Space Station will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall Of Fame in May along with a veteran shuttle mission commander and an astronaut who flew untethered in jet backpack during a mission to repair the Solar Max observatory.

Former NASA astronauts William "Bill" Shepherd, James Wetherbee and George "Pinky" Nelson were selected this week as the eighth group of space shuttle-era astronauts to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, which is located just outside the gates to Kennedy Space Center.

The three space fliers will be welcomed to the ranks of legendary pioneers like Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, Sally Ride and John Young.

The addition of the three men will bring the Hall's number of enshrined space explorers to 73, which includes all of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab astronauts.

The 2009 members were selected by a committee of current Hall of Fame inductees, former NASA officials and flight directors, historians and journalists.

A former Navy SEAL and a veteran of four space flights, Shepherd and the crew of Expedition One -- which also included Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko -- gave the International Space Station its unofficial radio call sign "Alpha."

He first flew as a mission specialist on STS-27, a classified Department of Defense mission that was NASA's second post-Challenger shuttle flight.

He also flew as a mission specialist on STS-41, a mission to deploy the Ulysses solar observatory, which explored the polar regions of the sun. Current Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana was the pilot on that flight.

Shepherd also flew on STS-52, a mission to deploy a spacecraft used to gather highly precise measurements of the shape of the planet as well as data that enabled researchers to determine tectonic plate movements associated with continental drift.

The STS-52 mission was led by Wetherbee, the only astronaut to command five shuttle missions. Once a drummer in the all-astronaut band Max Q, Weatherbee also flew another mission as a pilot, bringing to six the number of shuttle flights he flew during 19 years in the NASA Astronaut Corps.

Wetherbee piloted STS-32, a mission to retrieve the Long Duration Exposure Facility, a spacecraft launched in 1984.

He commanded STS-52 as well as STS-63, a mission to rendezvous but not dock with the Russian space statioon Mir. Wetherbee flew shuttle Discovery within 33 feet of Mir during a warm-up for a series of nine shuttle missions to the Russian space station. The shuttle-Mir missions were a prelude to the assembly of the International Space Station.

Wetherbee also commanded STS-86, the longest shuttle-Mir mission and a flight that featured the first U.S.-Russian spacewalk. In 2001 and 2002, Wetherbee commanded missions to the International Space Station.

On STS-102, Wetherbee led a crew that delivered the Expedition Two crew to the station and returned Shepherd and the Expedition One crew back to Earth. On STS-113, Wetherbee commanded a mission to deliver a central truss segment as well as the Expedition Six crew to the station. The Expedition 5 crew returned to Earth at the end of that mission.

Nelson first flew on STS-41C in 1984, the first satellite repair mission to be flown during the shuttle program. Nelson and James "Ox" van Hoften repaired the malfunctioning Solar Max observatory and also tested the Manned Manuevering Unit -- a jet backpack that enabled astronauts to fly untethered from the shuttle.

The Long Duration Exposure Facility -- a large spacecraft that housed 57 space science experiments -- was deployed on that mission.

Nelson also served as a mission specialist on STS-61C. Then U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson, now the senior U.S. Senator from the state of Florida, flew as a payload specialist on that mission, which landed 10 days prior to the 1986 Challenger accident.

Nelson also flew as a mission specialist on STS-26, NASA's first post-Challenger flight in September 1988.

Nelson now is Director of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at Western Washington University.

Wetherbee is a safety auditor with BP Global, one of the world's largest energy companies.

Shepherd went on to become a civilian engineer assigned to the staff of the commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, where he assisted with the development of new capabilities and programs for Navy SEALs and Special Boat Sailors of Tomorrow.

A gala and an induction ceremony will be hosted at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, home to the Hall of Fame, on May 1 and May 2. The public is invited to attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremony May 2.

kl90

NASA improving "high risk" procurement
This just in from Eun Kyung Kim in Washington:

WASHINGTON - NASA's acquisition management remains on a list of federal programs at "high risk" for waste and abuse, but the government auditors who released the report Thursday also praised the agency for taking "significant steps" toward improving long-time concerns.

NASA has made great strides in strengthening project management, improving accuracy in estimating costs and better monitoring contractor performance since a similar report released in 2007 by the Government Accountability Office.

However, the GAO estimates it will take NASA "several years to fully implement these initiations and transform the agency into an organization that delivers the kind of analysis and forward-looking information needed to effectively manage its many complex programs."

Further complicating any changes is NASA's attempt to retire the space shuttle program while beginning work on its replacement, Constellation.

The transition will effect a "large span of NASA's workforce and its contractors and could detract attention from acquisition management reforms," the GAO said. "However, this transition also provides a good opportunity for NASA to implement its reforms."

The GAO originally listed NASA's acquisition management on its biannual report of "high-risk areas" in 1990 because of the way the space agency failed to rein in schedule slippage in most of its major contractor projects, resulting in "persistent cost growth."