Rabu, 04 November 2009

Features

Grey Hautaluoma/Ashley Edwards
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668/202-358-1756
grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov
ashley.edwards-1@nasa.gov

Amber Philman
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
amber.n.philman@nasa.gov

Oct. 23, 2009
MEDIA ADVISORY : M09-206
NASA Sets Ares I-X Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are set for the upcoming Ares I-X flight test. The rocket is targeted to lift off at 8 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The launch will be carried live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's Web site.

A launch day blog will update the countdown beginning at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Originating from Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch. To follow the blog, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX


ARES I-X BRIEFING AND EVENTS SCHEDULE
(All times EDT. All briefings will be held inside the Kennedy press site auditorium and carried live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site, unless otherwise noted.)

L-4 Days - Friday, Oct. 23
5 p.m. (time approximate): Flight Test Readiness Review news conference

L-2 Days - Sunday, Oct. 25
10 a.m. - Launch Status Briefing
- Jeff Spaulding, NASA test director, Kennedy
- Kathy Winters, weather officer
12 p.m. - Media Briefing (not televised)
- Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager
- Ed Mango, Ares I-X launch director
1 p.m. - Ares I-X 101 Briefing (not televised)
- Steve Davis, Ares I-X deputy mission manager

L-1 Day - Monday, Oct. 26
10 a.m. (approximately) - Ares I-X Launch Readiness news conference
- Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager
- Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager
- Ed Mango, Ares I-X launch director
- Kathy Winters, weather officer
9 p.m. - Ares I-X rocket photo opportunity (not televised)

Launch Day - Tuesday, Oct. 27
1 a.m. - Launch countdown officially begins (not televised)
5 a.m. - Live launch commentary begins on NASA TV
8 a.m. - Launch

Launch + 2 hours - Post-launch news conference
- Doug Cooke, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
- Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager
- Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager
- Ed Mango, Ares I-X launch director

Countdown Highlights
T-7 hours
- First weather balloon is launched to collect atmospheric thermal properties
T-4 hours, 30 minutes
- Technicians remove the external environmental control systems that provide cool airflow to the vehicle
- Onboard navigation unit begins system alignment
- Additional subsystems complete testing and remain powered on
First stage avionics module access platform is retracted
T-3 hours, 30 minutes
- Six additional weather balloons begin to launch to evaluate if the conditions are suitable for flight
T-3 hours
- Fault tolerant inertial navigation unit completes alignment and begins navigation testing
T-2 hours, 30 minutes
- C-band beacon transponder is powered up and tested with the range
- Range safety system verification walk down is completed
- Auxiliary power unit is verified for system health
T-2 hours
- Vehicle stabilization system is retracted and secured
- Ground control station system begins monitoring for commands from the Launch Control Center
- Sound suppression water control is transferred to the ground control station
- Video, operational flight instrumentation and developmental flight instrumentation are checked
T-1 hour, 45 minutes
- Safety personnel begin the process of securing launch pad
T-1 hour, 15 minutes
- Ground command, control and communication initiates launch commit criteria monitoring
- Developmental flight instrumentation covers are removed
- Fault tolerant inertial navigation unit executes final alignment after the vehicle stabilization system is retracted
T-1 hour
- All personnel depart Launch Pad 39B for the safe haven
- Range verifies all "go/no-go" interfaces
T-43 minutes
- Flight termination system is activated and set to safe
T-30 minutes
- Developmental flight instrumentation, with the exception of cameras, are powered on and recording
T-4 minutes, built-in hold
- Enter 10-minute built-in hold (vehicle can remain in this hold status for up to four hours)
- Six video cameras and low power transmitters are powered up
- Telemetry is verified, and readiness for launch is established
- Range safety issues cleared for launch
- Countdown clock initiates automated count
T-3 minutes, 55 seconds and counting
- Sound suppression system is verified for pressure, water tank level and power
- Flight termination system and solid rocket motor ignition are set to arm
- Power to avionics cooling fans is terminated
- Onboard data recorder begins taking data
T-1 minute, 40 seconds
- Flight control system is enabled and prepared for flight
- Inertial measurement subsystem executes final alignment
T-1 minute, 20 seconds
- Flight control system receives the start count
- Signal is sent to the operational flight instrumentation and developmental flight instrumentation data streams to synchronize
T-35 seconds
- Flight control system transfers from alignment to navigation mode
- Inertial and navigation data are verified for accuracy
- Auxiliary power unit start sequence is initiated
T-21 seconds
- Reusable solid rocket motor thrust vector control gimbal test performed by rocking and tilting each axis approximately 1.5 degrees
T-16 seconds
- Ground control station issues commands for sound suppression, opening the valves to flood the mobile launch platform with water (At its peak, water will flow at a rate of 900,000 gallons per minute.)
T-0, liftoff
- Reusable solid rocket motors ignite, and hold-down bolts fire

Kennedy News Center office hours for Ares I-X
Times may be adjusted depending on events
Friday, Oct. 23 --- (Launch minus 4 days) --- 8 a.m. until one hour after Flight Test Readiness Review news conference
Saturday, Oct. 24 --- (Launch minus 3 days) --- closed
Sunday, Oct. 25 --- (Launch minus 2 days) --- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 26 --- (Launch minus 1 day) --- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27 --- (Launch) --- 4 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Media Badging Schedule
News media representatives may obtain Ares I-X flight test credentials from the Kennedy Space Center Pass and Identification Office on State Road 3. Office hours of operation are:
Friday, Oct. 23 --- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24 --- closed
Sunday, Oct. 25 --- 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 26 --- 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27 --- 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Journalists are required to be under NASA Public Affairs escort at all times while at Kennedy Space Center, except when at the news center or the Complex 39 cafeteria. No photography is allowed anywhere other than the press site unless prior permission is granted by NASA Public Affairs.

Journalists are allowed at the press site only when Public Affairs personnel are on duty and the NASA news center is open.

The NASA Ares I-X Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown. To follow, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Ares_I_X


For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv


NASA will provide continuous Ares I-X online updates at:

http://www.nasa.gov/aresIX

- end -

text-only version of this release

NASA press releases and other information are available automatically by sending a blank e-mail message to hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov. To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a blank e-mail message to hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov.

Back to NASA Newsroom | Back to NASA Homepage

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Baby Neutron Star Found Inside Supernova Remnant

Baby Neutron Star Found Inside Supernova Remnant

heinkevisual

Scientists have finally identified the mysterious source of X-ray emissions at the center of our galaxy’s youngest supernova: Inside the remains of Cassiopeia A sits a baby neutron star surrounded by a thin layer of carbon.

Twenty times heavier than our sun and 11,000 light years away, Cassiopeia A was a dense star whose explosion was observed from Earth roughly 330 years ago. The supernova left behind a dense central core 12.5 miles wide that was first spotted in 1999 by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. But until now, astronomers hadn’t come up with a model to explain the object’s confusing X-ray emission spectrum. Previous attempts had come up with a stellar radius too small to be a neutron star, or a non-uniform surface temperature, which didn’t make sense.

main-imageNow, combining data from two prior studies, researchers have discovered that Cassiopeia’s X-ray emission pattern can be explained by the presence of a very young neutron star with a low magnetic field and an unusually thin carbon atmosphere.

Published Wednesday in Nature, the findings make Cassiopeia’s core the youngest neutron star scientists have ever encountered.

“This discovery helps us understand how neutron stars are born in violent supernova explosions,” astrophysicist Craig Heinke of the University of Alberta said in a press release. “This neutron star was born so hot that nuclear fusion happened on its surface, producing a carbon atmosphere just 10 centimeters thick.”

Images: 1) A Chandra X-ray Observatory image of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, NASA/CXC/Southampton/W.Ho. 2) A close-up of the same image, with an artist’s rendering of the neutron star at the center of the remnant, NASA/CXC/M.Weiss.

See Also:

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UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

PASADENA, Calif., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- NASA says its Cassini spacecraft has successfully completed another flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus and is sending data from the event back to Earth.

Astronomers said Cassini has approached Enceladus more closely, but Monday's passage took the spacecraft on its deepest plunge yet through the heart of the plume being emitted from the moon's south polar region.

At its closest point Monday, Cassini flew about 60 miles above the surface of Enceladus, officials said.

"Since the discovery of the plume in 2005, scientists have been captivated by the enigmatic jets," NASA said in a statement. "Previous flybys detected water vapor, sodium and organic molecules, but scientists need to know more about the plume's composition and density to characterize the source, possibly a liquid ocean under the moon's icy surface. It would also help them determine whether Enceladus has the conditions necessary for life."

Space agency mission managers said they conducted extensive research before the flyby to make sure the spacecraft could fly safely through the plume and not use an excessive amount of propellant.

Cassini was launched Oct. 15, 1997, and entered into orbit around Saturn July 1, 2004.

-0-

Stairs boost fitness, balance, strength

SCHILLER PARK, Ill., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. fitness experts say climbing up stairs -- and going down them too -- have multiple health benefits such as improved balance and strength.

Representatives at Life Fitness -- a company in Schiller Park, Ill., that manufacturers exercise equipment

such as treadmills say incorporating stairs in a fitness regime will use muscles standard floor exercises don't. Studies, they say, show not only improved balance and strength and improved cholesterol levels in the blood, but longer life. People who climb more than 55 flights of stairs every week live longer, they say.

Among their recommendations for those contemplating adding stair-climbing to their fitness regime, Life Fitness experts suggest:

-- Taking the stairs two at a time, focusing on pushing up with the back of the legs to work the hamstrings rather than pulling with the legs while climbing.

-- Walking down stairs or even downhill has been proven to improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. However, remember to be careful because it's easier to trip on the way down.

-- Stair climbing workouts do add extra pressure to the knees and joints so pay attention to any hip, knee or ankle pain. Be sure to use the handrails for extra balance.

-0-

Early universe supports dark matter theory

STANFORD, Calif., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. and Welsh researchers say they've obtained a detailed picture of the early universe using a telescope in the Antarctic.

The researchers led by Professors Walter Gear of Cardiff University and Sarah Church of Stanford University said their measurements of the cosmic microwave background provide further support for the standard cosmological model of the universe.

They said their findings confirm the model's prediction that dark matter and dark energy make up 95 percent of everything in existence, while ordinary matter makes up just 5 percent.

"When I first started in this field, some people were adamant that they understood the contents of the universe quite well. But that understanding was shattered when evidence for dark energy was discovered," Church said. "Now that we again feel we have a very good understanding of what makes up the universe, it's extremely important for us to amass strong evidence using many different measurement techniques that this model is correct, so that this doesn't happen again."

The study is reported in The Astrophysical Journal.

-0-

Potential leishmaniasis treatments studied

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created a new approach that has identified compounds with a potential for treating leishmaniasis -- a parasitic infection.

Medical scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research screened nearly 200,000 chemical compounds and then regrouped them into chemotypes or chemical classes, both new and known, said senior investigator Professor John Lazo, director of the university's Drug Discovery Institute.

"We are making real progress in our effort to find new drugs to treat what I'd call the most neglected of the neglected diseases," Lazo said. "And the method we've developed could be applied to find treatments for other parasitic infections, which are an enormous global health burden."

Assistant Professor Elizabeth Sharlow, who led the research, said investigators used unconventional approaches to find drug candidates. First, they developed an assay based on the promastigote, the Leishmania life cycle stage that infects the sandfly, to measure the candidate's ability to inhibit the parasite's growth.

"Another unusual step we took was to screen compounds at relatively high concentration, which would make them more likely to affect promastigote growth," Sharlow said. "The aim was to maximize the diversity of the active compounds, which we then clustered into similar chemotypes with powerful computational methods to make further testing more manageable."

The study appears in the early online edition of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.



© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



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NASA’s Messenger reveals Mercury secrets 3:20pm GMT, Wednesday, 4 November 2009


NASA spacecraft flybys over Mercury have revealed interesting facts about the planet, including a higher prevalence of iron on the surface than previously believed.

The Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging spacecraft (MESSENGER) has completed three flybys over the smallest planet in the universe, giving scientists an almost complete view of Mercury’s surface.

According to NASA, approximately 98% of the planet closest to the Sun has now been imaged.

Sean Solomon, Principal Investigator for the mission, said: “Although the area viewed for the first time by spacecraft was less than 350 miles across at the equator, the new images reminded us that Mercury continues to hold surprises.”

The probe discovered that there are richer concentrations of iron and titanium on the planet’s surface than originally supposed. Previous observations had led scientists to believe that Mercury’s crust was generally low in iron.

David Lawrence, a participating mission scientist, said: “Now we know Mercury’s surface has an average iron and titanium abundance that is higher than most of us expected, similar to some lunar mare basalts.”

Other features of the planet discovered by the MESSENGER spacecraft was the existence of a region with a bright area surrounding an irregular depression, which NASA suspects to be volcanic, as well as a double-ring impact basin on the surface of Mercury.

MESSENGER has now completed nearly three quarters of its 4.9 billion mile journey to enter orbit around Mercury.

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NASA to Award $1.65 Million In Prizes for Commercial Spaceflight Successes


In a ceremony this Thursday on Capitol Hill, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will award $1.65 million in prizes to two commercial spaceflight companies, Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace, for completing successful flights in the NASA-funded Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge managed by the X PRIZE Foundation.

Time: Doors open 11:45 am and ceremony begins at noon, Thursday November 5th.

Place: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2325. Open to the public.

Speakers include: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, X PRIZE Foundation CEO Peter Diamandis, and the winning teams.

The NASA-funded Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge (NGLLC) is a $2,000,000 incentive prize program designed to build an industry of American companies capable of routinely and safely flying vertical-takeoff-and-landing rocket vehicles useful both for lunar exploration and for other applications. $350,000 was awarded last year to Armadillo Aerospace, and this year $1,650,000 will be awarded to Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace for successfully completed flights.
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Jumat, 30 Oktober 2009

PRISER(PRIA LASER)

Di suatu kampus ada seorang pemuda melakukan eksperimen tentang cahaya, kemudian tanpa disadari hasil eksperimenya masuk kedalam tubuhnya sehingga tanpa sadar dia sudah berubah DNA, dia akan berubah menjadi cahaya jika dia sangat marah. Dan dia bisa mengeluarkan cahaya sesuai yang dikehendaki sesuai pikiranya. Dan dia di sebut sebagai PRISER(pria laser).
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Senin, 26 Oktober 2009

Alfian, Sempatkan Untuk Mendengar!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

** Asian Brain Newsletter - Think & Succeed! **
Jumlah Pembaca: 100,000 +

Anne Ahira - Publisher

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Teman... Mendengarlah dengan sabar, maka
kita akan menemukan banyak hikmah dari
yang disampaikan orang lain kepada kita"

Dear Alfian,

Hari ini saya ingin menyuguhkan sebuah
artikel yg berhubungan dengan 'seni mendengar'.

Saya yakin Alfian akan menyukainya! :-)
Ok, selamat membaca! Semoga bermanfaat...

Salam hangat selalu!

Dari temanmu,
Anne Ahira
Asian Brain, CEO

http://www.AsianBrain.com
INTERNET MARKETING CENTER

---------------------
Main Article :
---------------------

Sempatkan Untuk Mendengar!

Ditulis oleh: Anne Ahira

Alfian,

Banyak orang bisa 'berkata', namun
sedikit yang mau 'mendengar'.

Padahal jika kita mau kembali ke hukum
alam, seharusnya kita harus lebih
banyak mendengar daripada bicara.
Bukankah Tuhan memberi kita dua
telinga dan hanya satu mulut? :-)

Begitupun jika kita saksikan pada bayi
yang baru lahir. Indra pendengaran
lebih dulu berfungsi daripada yang
lainnya. Lalu, mengapa mendengar lebih
susah daripada berbicara?

Meski secara kasat mata mendengar
adalah hal yang gampang, namun nyatanya
banyak orang yang lebih suka
didengarkan daripada mendengarkan.
Mendengarkan merupakan bagian esensi
yang menentukan komunikasi efektif.
Tanpa kemampuan mendengar yang bagus,
biasanya akan muncul banyak masalah.

Yang sering terjadi, kita merasa bahwa
kitalah yang paling benar. Kita tidak
tertarik untuk mendengarkan opini yang
berbeda dan hanya tergantung pada cara
kita.

Selalu merasa benar, paling kompeten,
dan tidak pernah melakukan kesalahan.
Duh... malaikat kali! :-)

Jika kita selalu merasa bahwa diri kita
benar, dan cara kitalah yang paling
tepat, itu berarti kita tidak pernah
mendengarkan.

Ide dan opini kita sangat sukar untuk
diubah jika fakta tidak mendukung
keyakinan kita. Bahkan kalau ada fakta
pun kita mungkin hanya akan sekedar
meliriknya saja.

Mungkin saat ini kita nyaman dengan
cara kita, tapi untuk jangka waktu yg
panjang, orang-orang akan menolak dan
membenci kita.

Jika kita mau mulai mendengarkan
orang lain, maka suatu saat kita akan
menyadari kesalahan kita. Jawaban
untuk mengatasi sifat ini adalah
mengasah skill mendengar aktif.

Mendengar tidak selalu dengan tutup
mulut, tapi juga melibatkan partisipasi
aktif kita. Mendengar yang baik bukan
berharap datangnya giliran berbicara.

Mendengar adalah komitmen untuk
memahami pembicaraan dan perasaan lawan
bicara kita. Ini juga sebagai bentuk
penghargaan bahwa apa yang orang lain
bicarakan adalah bermanfaat untuk kita.
Pada saat yang sama kita juga bisa
mengambil manfaat yang maksimal dari
pembicaraan tersebut.

Seni mendengar dapat membangun sebuah
relationship. Jika kita melakukannya
dengan baik, orang-orang akan tertarik
dengan kita dan interaksi kita akan
semakin harmonis.

Berikut teknik mudah yang dapat
dipraktekkan oleh Alfian dengan sangat
wajar untuk menjadi seorang pendengar
yang baik :

1. Peliharalah kontak mata dengan baik.
Ini menunjukkan kepada lawan bicara
tentang keterbukaan dan kesungguhan
kita

2. Condongkan tubuh ke depan.
Ini menunjukkan ketertarikan kita
pada topik pembicaraan. Cara ini
juga akan mengingatkan kita untuk
memiliki sudat pandang yang lain,
yaitu tidak hanya fokus pada diri
kita.

3. Buat pertanyaan ketika ada hal yang
butuh klarifikasi atau ada informasi
baru yang perlu kita selidiki dari
lawan bicara kita.

4. Buat selingan pembicaraan yang
menarik. Hal ini bisa membuat
percakapan lebih hidup dan tidak
monoton.

5. Cuplik atau ulang beberapa kata
yang diucapkan oleh lawan bicara kita.
Ini menunjukkan bahwa kita memang
mendengarkan dengan baik hingga hapal
beberapa cuplikan kata.

6. Buatlah komitmen untuk memahami
apa yang ia katakan, meskipun kita tidak
suka atau marah. Dari sini kita akan
mengetahui nilai-nilai yang diterapkan
lawan bicara kita, yang mungkin berbeda
dengan nilai yang kita terapkan.

Dengan berusaha untuk memahami, bisa
jadi kita akan menemukan sudut pandang,
wawasan, persepsi atau kesadaran baru,
yang tidak terpikirkan oleh kita
sebelumnya.

Seorang pendengar yang baik sebenarnya
hampir sama menariknya dengan pembicara
yang baik. Jika kita selalu pada pola
yang benar untuk jangka waktu tertentu,
maka suatu saat kita akan merasakan
manfaatnya.

Prosesnya mungkin akan terasa lama dan
menjemukan, tapi lama-kelamaan akan
terasa berharganya upaya yang telah
kita lakukan. Kita akan merasa lebih
baik atas diri kita, hubungan kita,
teman-teman kita, anak-anak kita,
maupun pekerjaan.

Kesimpulan: Jadilah pendengar yang
baik, karena sifat ini bisa menjadi
kunci untuk mengembangkan pikiran
yang positif, dan merupakan salah satu
tangga Alfian untuk mencapai kesuksesan! :-)

Minggu depan saya akan mengirimkan
artikel tentang "Tips Bagaimana
Menciptakan Perubahan"

So, cek selalu emailnya, dan tunggu
tulisan dari saya berikutnya! :-)


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Asian Brain Newsletter - Think & Succeed!
Kontribusi Anne Ahira & PT. Asian Brain untuk menggali
dan melejitkan potensi masyarakat Indonesia!

Jika tulisan-tulisan Ahira dirasakan bermanfaat
oleh Alfian, tolong sebarkan alamat situs ini:
=> http://www.AsianBrainNewsletter.com

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