Sunday, August 19, 2012
PROGRAM HOPES TO EASE TRANSITION FROM MILITARY TO CIVILIAN LIFE
From left: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dusty Thibodaux, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kasey Schmidt and Marine Corps Sgt. Joshua Johnston attend a Transition GPS pilot program resume class at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Aug. 15, 2012. DOD photo by Terri Moon Cronk
New Program Aims to Better Help Troops Transition to Civilian Life
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2012 - The Defense Department is conducting pilot classes of a new program designed to better prepare service members transitioning out of the military to civilian life.
Transition Goals Plans Success, known simply as Transition GPS, replaces the 20-year-old Transition Assistance Program, or TAP. In a sweeping overhaul of the 20-year-old TAP, as part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act passed in 2011, Transition GPS takes military members through a week-long class, compared to the original TAP's mandatory two to four hours of separation counseling, said Susan Kelly, the Defense Department's deputy director for the newly formed Transition to Veterans Program Office.
"The Defense Department wants our service members to succeed when they become civilians," Kelly said during an American Forces Press Service interview.
"Separating from the military lifestyle is a major life change," she said, pointing out that there are some things that veterans can't control during the transition process, but there are others that they can. "And that's exactly what the Transition GPS helps you do. It's going to walk you through a set of modules, help you build your skills, and takes you through what you need to consider ... [through] deliberate planning that makes you more open to the success you want to be in the civilian work force."
Naval Station Norfolk is one of seven installations now conducting pilot classes of the new five-day Transition GPS workshop. Full use of the program is expected to be in place by the end of 2013, according to a White House release.
Kelly said senior leaders from the Defense Department, the military services, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, the Small Business Administration, the Education Department and the Office of Personnel Management met regularly for a year as the Veterans Employment Initiative Task Force to develop the new program.
"It was President Obama's mandate to DOD and VA to establish the joint Veterans Employment Initiative Task Force," Kelly explained, "that brought all the partners together in a very structured and very goal-oriented way. It was the major impetus for bringing all those lessons learned together and helping us develop a very comprehensive curriculum for our service members."
She said representatives of the agencies contributed in multiple ways to develop Transition GPS, which, she added "we hope will eventually evolve into the military lifecycle transition assistance program."
Transition GPS will be mandatory for service members, Kelly said, including reservists and national guardsmen, with some exceptions. A key part of the weeklong program is a three-day Labor Department Employment Workshop, which is mandated by the VOW to Hire Heroes Act to be in place by Nov. 21.
"Between the mandatory DOL employment workshop, plus the core curriculum for Transition GPS, there is a holistic view that starts with looking at the challenges of transition, and preparing military members to meet those challenges, including family considerations. It also helps plan for the financial changes they'll face as they become civilians," she said.
Kelly said the DOL employment workshop introduces challenges a service member might confront, and how to deal with such stressors. Staff members help them determine what's most important to them in a job -- salary, advancement, stability and other considerations.
The workshop takes service members through job searches using up-to-date technology, and has them look at whether their skills are in demand in the civilian sector, where the best opportunities exist, and whether moving is a consideration. The DOL wants military members to develop a second plan if the first one doesn't pan out.
"They might look at what skills are in demand and how they can fill that gap," Kelly said. "There are some very serious questions to look at."
"There are specific pieces of the new curriculum that give them the information they need to make very well-thought out decisions as well as skills building to help them succeed in whatever pathway they chose," Kelly added.
In the course of five days, about 50 students develop an individual transition plan that maps out financial planning and a budget to follow the first 12 months after separating from the military. It also covers how to write a resume and how to interview for a job, along with exploring how military skills can be carried over into the civilian work force. In addition to the DOL workshop, a Veterans Affairs representative goes over benefits.
If certain skills are not transferrable, service members' personal goals are identified for the type of employment they want to pursue, the education they want to gain from college or technical training schools, or to start their own business, she said.
Optional two-day tracks, to be piloted in the coming months, will include help for those who want to pursue a college degree, or technical training.
"We found that military members weren't making the best of their post-911 GI Bill," Kelly said. "So we are getting them the information to help them choose wisely."
The new GI Bill, she said, is a generous benefit. "Make it work for you, and choose wisely," Kelly suggested.
The Small Business Administration will also offer an optional two-day curriculum to put new veterans on the path to start up small businesses, Kelly said. "The SBA is very passionate about our military members being very innovative, [being] creative, and self-initiating ... and they're going to help them build [business] skills."
The SBA also developed an eight-week online course to help new veterans build a solid business plan, she added. It also assigns a mentor to each military member, who will see them through their small-business startup, sustaining the business, and remain a long-term mentor.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Peter Adams is one such small business candidate. He wants to go into film and video production and start his own company. He said Transition GPS has allowed him to look at reinventing himself.
"The class has given me ways to take my leadership and organization skills and [others] I never would have thought of and how to market them for myself," he said. "It gives me the confidence on my resume and in an interview to say, 'This is what I can do for you,'" Adams said.
Navy Machinist Mate 1st Class Jason Christian has worked in cryogenics throughout his military career, and his goal is to stay in his field in the civilian sector.
He had previously attended the original TAP, and he says the new pilot program is more interactive.
"The technology made everything change significantly," Christian said. Aside from the major companies in his field, he said he found others he didn't know existed. "I plan on coming back and bringing my spouse so she can be involved in this. [We need] to look at housing, the cost of living, what traffic is like, the crime rate and what the schools are like for my children -- things I never took into account."
NAVY PETTY OFFICER SERVES WITH MARINES
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Armando Arias, a religious program specialist, serves with 1st Marine Logistics Group in Afghanistan's Helmand province. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Michele Watson
Face of Defense: Navy Petty Officer Enjoys Serving With Marines
By Marine Corps Sgt. Michele Watson
1st Marine Logistics Group
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2012 - At age 28, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Armando Arias had a bachelor's degree in international business and was working as a real estate agent when he decided to make a drastic life change and enlist.
Arias, a religious program specialist with 1st Marine Logistics Group, had family members who served in the Marine Corps, but decided he wanted to choose a different path for himself.
"I go to my grandpa's house and see Marine pictures everywhere," said Arias, now 32. "I'm always trying to go against everyone. I had to go against the flow."
After making the decision to enlist, Arias, a Baja, Calif., native, looked into all the military branches to determine his options. He finally settled on the Navy when he was offered benefits he was looking for.
"The Navy offered me E-3 going into boot camp and automatic E-4 at six months," he said. "They gave me money, they gave me rank, and they gave me the Marines."
Even though he did not want to join the Marines, Arias said, he still wanted the chance to work with them. The Navy is entirely responsible for providing medical care to the Marine Corps, which does not have its own medical field. But though corpsmen have the highest number of members working with Marines, Arias wanted something else.
"I didn't want to be a corpsman; I can't handle the sight of blood," he said. "But then the recruiter told me about [the religious program specialty]."
Following training, Arias said, he had great leadership that helped to shape him as a sailor and as a leader. "I was really quiet going through my training commands, but when I hit the fleet, I got discipline," he said. "That's when I got really motivated."
The religious program specialists, referred to as RPs, work with chaplains throughout the Navy and Marines. "My mission is to support the chaplains," Arias said. "We provide the right ministry to the right people at the right time."
In addition to assisting with religious services, Arias has another role. Deployed to Afghanistan's Helmand province for a second combat tour, his job here requires him to provide security for the chaplain.
"The chaplains are noncombatants, so I always have to be with them," he explained. "They are not supposed to go out on missions without their RP."
Chaplains do not carry weapons and are not allowed to assault an enemy, regardless of the circumstances, Arias said. "I get to do the bodyguard stuff, the [administrative] stuff, and even if it's just putting a smile on someone's face, I'm helping," he added.
Arias travels with the chaplain on missions to forward operating bases throughout the province. He said being deployed gives him a higher sense of accomplishment in his job. Marines have their own denominations and their own churches, but for any Marine deployed to remote areas, he said, getting a visit from the chaplain is greatly appreciated.
"I actually feel like I'm doing something out here," Arias said. "You put on your gear, go out to the FOB, and the Marines are excited to see the chaplain and have a service. Back in America, you can't do that."
During this deployment, Arias also has had the opportunity to be an instructor for the Corporal's Course here. "I'm all about [professional military education], so teaching Corporal's Course was a great experience," he said.
When sailors attach to Marine units, friendly banter usually ensues between members of the two branches.
"There was a sergeant who always ragged on sailors," Arias said. "So during the course, I pulled the only corpsman from the class aside and told him to beat the Marines. He ended up getting the 'Gung Ho' award for the course. I was really proud."
Once this tour is complete, Arias will be stationed on the USS New Orleans, working on the Navy side in his occupation. While he has worn the Marine Corps uniform for four years, changing over to the blue uniform and working with sailors will benefit his career, he said.
"I am not excited about taking off this uniform," he added. "But I'm still going to wear my [Marine Corps Martial Arts Program] belt. It took me a long time to earn my black belt."
Arias said he also looks forward to going home when his time in Afghanistan is done.
"I miss my family and friends, and I look forward to real American food," he said. "I want to put my feet on carpet. It's the little things in life."
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA ATTENDS FISHER HOUSE FUNDING EVENT
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta August 19, 2012
Remarks by Secretary Panetta at Gooding Car Auction, Monterey, Calif.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON E. PANETTA: Thank you, David. I appreciate your generosity in hosting this and Jay, thank you for your generosity in providing the -- the little Italian car that will be sold here.
This is -- it's a great honor for me to have this opportunity and I -- I appreciate that fact that it's taking place here in my hometown of Monterey, gives me chance to get the hell out of Washington and be able to come home. (Applause.)
I -- I am very proud as -- as Secretary of Defense to represent probably the most powerful military force in the world. And we have, as many of you know, we have great -- great weapons, great fighters, great carriers, great technology -- cutting edge technology and so much, and yet the most important thing we have, none of that is worth much, most important thing we have are men and women in uniform who are willing to serve this country and put their lives on the line. (Applause.)
I -- I can't -- I can't tell you how -- how important it is in our country that there are those that are willing to -- to be in the battle.
As we speak, there are those in Afghanistan who are fighting, and yes, some are dying in order to protect this country.
And so, it is -- it is truly an honor to be able to be at an event that is going to help fund the Fisher House.
We've had a lot of seriously wounded individuals. And I was at Bethesda yesterday, and these kids are stepping on IEDs, on mines and getting the most serious injuries you can image. But because of the Fisher House Foundation, they are able to provide the kind of rehabilitation and help that gives all of these kids a chance to be able to continue their lives, to go back to the communities and really be able to become good, solid Americans by virtue of the generosity of the Fisher House and all it does.
So I am really thankful to Jay for -- for his willingness to -- to put this little Italian car up for sale. As Ray said, it's Odierno, it's Panetta, it's Leno, you better damn well bid on this Italian car and make it a good bid.
Thank you. (Applause.)
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON'S REMARKS ON INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT International Humanitarian Day
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
August 19, 2012
Today, the United States joins the international community to honor those who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and those who continue to bring assistance and relief to people in need.
As the Syrian crisis carries on, we must continue to stand up for innocent civilians in the middle of a conflict they did not provoke. On a recent trip to Turkey, I spoke to refugees from Syria. Whether operating under the red of the Turkish flag, the blue of a UN vest or a local community member pointing the way to safety, every single person who helped them is a humanitarian. The men and women of humanitarian organizations put their lives on the line every day in order to provide life-saving aid to those in need.
The average Turkish citizen may not have volunteered to be a humanitarian – they just happened to live near the crisis. But they have accepted their Syrian neighbors with open arms and have assumed the duty of protecting them. The same is being done in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
The United States is proud to be a leading donor to humanitarian efforts around the world, working with other governments, aid groups and international organizations to save lives and reunite people with their loved ones. But this work does come at a significant cost. We were reminded of that cost earlier this month when USAID Foreign Service Officer Ragaei Abdelfattah died in Afghanistan. His dedication to our humanitarian, economic, and national security efforts is an example of the highest standards of service. We were shocked and saddened by this loss. But we must continue the work that he so passionately believed in.
2012 has been designated by the UN as the year to say, "I was here". We have all been challenged to do one good thing, somewhere, for someone else. From Syria to the Sahel, people of goodwill are finding ways to exemplify what it means to be a humanitarian. So let’s continue to stand up and speak out for those who cannot. Let’s redouble our efforts to this highest and noblest cause.
RECENT PHOTOS FROM THE U.S. NAVY
FROM: U.S. NAVY
Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) watch as the ship travels through the Centennial Bridge during its transit through the Panama Canal on its return to the Pacific Ocean. Cape St. George is en route to its homeport to complete a nine-month deployment during which it supported the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9 in the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher S. Johnson (Released) 120813-N-VY256-176
MAN GETS 15 YEARS FOR MONEY LAUNDERING, TAX EVASION
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEThursday, August 16, 2012
Arizona Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prisonin Money Laundering and Tax Scheme
Gino Carlucci was sentenced to 188 months in prison for his role in conspiracies to commit money laundering and to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and for filing a false income tax return, the Justice Department and the IRS announced today. On July 25, 2011, a federal jury in Phoenix convicted Carlucci of both conspiracies and the tax crime after an eight-day trial.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Carlucci and his co-defendant, Wayne Mounts, stole large sums of money and assets from Joseph Flickinger, a tax return preparer in Ohio who had himself defrauded multiple clients of their life savings in a fraudulent investment scheme. Flickinger pleaded guilty to federal charges in a separate case and was sentenced to 70 months in prison. After defrauding Flickinger of the money, Carlucci and Mounts devised a scheme to have Flickinger arrested by federal officials, and then used the money for their own personal benefit. In addition to money, Carlucci and Mounts defrauded Flickinger out of several high-end vehicles and a condo near Lake Erie, Ohio, which they quickly sold for $210,000. Carlucci had some of the funds transferred into bank accounts held in the name of his wife and father-in-law. Carlucci’s wife and Mounts withdrew more than $300,000 in cash over several months in increments of $10,000 or less so that they could avoid having the bank report their withdrawals to authorities. Carlucci and Mounts spent an additional $150,000 of the funds to buy a 43-foot luxury boat whose existence Carlucci concealed from the government for over two years.
"This sentence demonstrates that those who would hide assets and income from the IRS using phony identifications and bogus documents, all for the purpose of enriching themselves, will be properly punished for their crimes," said Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
"Today, Mr. Carlucci was held accountable for his criminal behavior," said Richard Weber, Chief IRS Criminal Investigation. "He's nothing more than a con man motivated by greed. His sentencing is a victory for honest taxpaying citizens."
Chief Judge Kathryn H. Vratil of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, sitting in Phoenix by special designation, ordered Carlucci to pay $893,716 in restitution to the victims in Flickinger’s case and to the IRS. Judge Vratil further entered a forfeiture order against Carlucci for a money judgment in the amount of $722,841.00. Before trial, the government seized over $155,000 of the funds from Carlucci and Mounts, as well as a new truck Carlucci bought with the funds and the 43 foot boat. Carlucci was detained pending sentencing following the guilty verdict in July 2011. After trial, the government seized many of his remaining assets that he was hiding, including another 39 foot boat, a Chevrolet truck, two Sea Doo personal watercraft vehicles, trailers, three all-terrain vehicles and two vitamin encapsulation machines that he used for one of his businesses. Mounts was sentenced in January 2012 to 63 months in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Keneally commended the joint efforts from the special agents from IRS Criminal Investigation in Ohio and Arizona who investigated the case as well as Tax Division Trial Attorneys Richard Rolwing, Hayden Brockett, and Monica Edelstein, who prosecuted the case. Assistant Attorney General Keneally also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona for their assistance in this matter.
DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA DISCUSSES TRASITION WITH AFGHAN PRESIDENT KARZAI
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the telephone yesterday, discussing the "significant progress" of American and Afghan forces as the transition process moves forward, said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little.
The two leaders talked about the challenges of insider attacks against coalition and Afghan forces, and Panetta thanked Karzai for his recent statements condemning such attacks, Little said in a statement.
"They expressed shared concern over this issue and agreed that American and Afghan officials should work even more closely together to minimize the potential for insider attacks in the future," Little said.
Panetta also encouraged Karzai to maintain ongoing rapport with Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, International Security Assistance Forces commander, in efforts to further strengthen ISAF-Afghan cooperation and counter the insider attack threat, Little said.
Measures to counter the threat include augmented counterintelligence, more rigorous vetting of Afghan recruits and heightened engagement with village elders, who often play a key role by vouching for Afghan security personnel, Little added.
U.S.-OMAN RELATIONS
The United States and Oman concluded a treaty of friendship and navigation in 1833. It was replaced in 1958 by the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights. Diplomatic relations were established in 1972. Since 1980 Oman and the United States have been parties to a military cooperation agreement, which was revised and renewed in 2010.
Oman plays an important role in helping the United States realize its regional stability goals. Oman is strategically located on a key naval chokepoint through which passes 40% of the world’s exported oil shipments. The Government of Oman relies heavily on foreign assistance capacity-building that allows it to keep this critical sea-lane open to naval vessels and commercial traffic.
Oman also faces its own security challenges, which include combating piracy, weapons smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and monitoring and controlling Oman’s borders. The Omani security establishment has had to deploy assets to address increased insecurity along Oman’s land and sea border with Yemen, due to instability in Yemen and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula activities. This has created critical gaps in other areas.
U.S. Assistance to Oman
U.S. assistance helps fund anti-piracy efforts and strengthens Oman’s capability to monitor and control its borders, and improves interoperability of the Omani military with U.S. forces.
Bilateral Economic Relations
The United States and Oman have a free trade agreement. U.S. exports to Oman include machinery, vehicles, aircraft, agricultural products, and optic and medical instruments. U.S. imports from Oman include crude oil, jewelry, plastics, fertilizers, and iron and steel products.
U.S. firms face a small and highly competitive market dominated by trade with Japan and the United Kingdom and re-exports from the United Arab Emirates. The sale of U.S. products also is hampered by higher transportation costs and the lack of familiarity with Oman on the part of U.S. exporters. However, the traditional U.S. market in Oman, oil field supplies and services, should grow as fields and wells expand.
Oman's Membership in International Organizations
Oman and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. Oman is also a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Arab League.
THE LIMITS OF LIFE IN SUBMARINE VOLCANOES
Schematic representation of a typical submarine eruption in the open ocean. From: U.S. Geological Survey
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Scientists Define New Limits of Microbial Life in Undersea Volcanoes
August 6, 2012
By some estimates, a third of Earth's organisms live in our planet's rocks and sediments, yet their lives are almost a complete mystery.
This week, the work of microbiologist James Holden of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and colleagues shines a light into this dark world.
In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they report the first detailed data on methane-exhaling microbes that live deep in the cracks of hot undersea volcanoes.
"Evidence has built that there's an incredible amount of biomass in the Earth's subsurface, in the crust and marine sediments, perhaps as much as all the plants and animals on the surface," says Holden.
"We're interested in the microbes in the deep rock, and the best place to study them is at hydrothermal vents at undersea volcanoes. Warm water there brings the nutrient and energy sources these microbes need."
Just as biologists studied the habitats and life requirements of giraffes and penguins when they were new to science, Holden says, "for the first time we're studying these subsurface microorganisms, defining their habitat requirements and determining how they differ among species."
The result will advance scientists' comprehension of biogeochemical cycles in the deep ocean, he and co-authors believe.
"Studies such as this add greatly to our understanding of microbial processes in the still poorly-known deep biosphere," says David Garrison, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
The project also addresses such questions as what metabolic processes may have looked like on Earth three billion years ago, and what alien microbial life might look like on other planets.
Because the study involves methanogens--microbes that inhale hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce methane as waste--it may also shed light on natural gas formation on Earth.
One major goal was to test results of predictive computer models and to establish the first environmental hydrogen threshold for hyperthermophilic (super-heat-loving), methanogenic (methane-producing) microbes in hydrothermal vent fluids.
"Models have predicted the 'habitability' of the rocky environments we're most interested in, but we wanted to ground-truth these models and refine them," Holden says.
In a two-liter bioreactor at UMass Amherst where the scientists could control hydrogen levels, they grew pure cultures of hyperthermophilic methanogens from their study site alongside a commercially available hyperthermophilic methanogen species.
The researchers found that growth measurements for the organisms were about the same. All grew at the same rate when given equal amounts of hydrogen and had the same minimum growth requirements.
Holden and Helene Ver Eecke at UMass Amherst used culturing techniques to look for organisms in nature and then study their growth in the lab.
Co-investigators Julie Huber at the Marine Biological Laboratory on Cape Cod provided molecular analyses of the microbes, while David Butterfield and Marvin Lilley at the University of Washington contributed geochemical fluid analyses.
Using the research submarine Alvin, they collected samples of hydrothermal fluids flowing from black smokers up to 350 degrees C (662 degrees F), and from ocean floor cracks with lower temperatures.
Samples were taken from Axial Volcano and the Endeavour Segment, both long-term observatory sites along an undersea mountain range about 200 miles off the coast of Washington and Oregon and more than a mile below the ocean's surface.
"We used specialized sampling instruments to measure both the chemical and microbial composition of hydrothermal fluids," says Butterfield.
"This was an effort to understand the biological and chemical factors that determine microbial community structure and growth rates."
A happy twist awaited the researchers as they pieced together a picture of how the methanogens live and work.
At the low-hydrogen Endeavour site, they found that a few hyperthermophilic methanogens eke out a living by feeding on the hydrogen waste produced by other hyperthermophiles.
"This was extremely exciting," says Holden. "We've described a methanogen ecosystem that includes a symbiotic relationship between microbes."
The research was also supported by the NASA Astrobiology Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NASA PHOTOS
FROM: NASA
On Feb. 12, 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless, ventured further away from the confines and safety of his ship than any previous astronaut had ever been. This space first was made possible by a nitrogen jet propelled backpack, previously known at NASA as the Manned Manuevering Unit or MMU.
After a series of test maneuvers inside and above Challenger's payload bay, McCandless went "free-flying" to a distance of 320 feet away from the Orbiter. This stunning orbital panorama view shows McCandless out there amongst the black and blue of Earth and space.
Bruce McCandless Image CreditNASA
Earth's MoonPhotographed by the Expedition 28 crew aboard the International Space Station, this image shows the moon, the Earth's only natural satellite, at center with the limb of Earth near the bottom transitioning into the orange-colored troposphere, the lowest and most dense portion of the Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere ends abruptly at the tropopause, which appears in the image as the sharp boundary between the orange- and blue-colored atmosphere. The
silvery-blue noctilucent clouds extend far above the Earth's troposphere.
Image Credit: NASA
U.S. MARSHALS AUCTION OF JEWELRY, COINS
Washington – The U.S. Marshals Service is conducting a live and Web simulcast auction to sell 255 lots of fine jewelry, watches and gold coins in San Antonio Saturday. The auction starts at 10 a.m. CDT at the Adrian Spears Judicial Training Center, and the Web simulcast is at www.txauction.com. A public preview is scheduled for Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A $1,000 refundable deposit must be made by 10 a.m. CDT Thursday in order to participate in the auction online. A catalog with the expected price range for each item is available on the website (www.txauction.com).
Estimated values for the items vary from below $100 to several hundred thousand dollars, so the auction offers an opportunity for everybody from the average consumer to collectors to resellers to wholesalers.
84 fine gold bullion coins, lot 131, valued up to $131,700
The items being sold were seized from federal court cases nationwide and are now forfeited to the government. The U.S. Marshals Service consolidates pieces from cases nationwide and holds a large auction several times a year. Proceeds generated from the auctions are used to compensate victims of crimes and supplement law enforcement programs.
A platinum necklace, lot 165, valued up to $117,500.
THE MOOSE AND ISLE ROYAL VEGITATION
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
From Lake to Land, in a Land of Lakes
What animal can see only a limited distance, has no top front teeth, and prefers shady, wet areas such as bogs and marshes?
If you guessed a moose, Alces alces, you'd be correct.
When summer or autumn travels take you through northern regions dotted with lakes and ponds, you may glimpse this creature, water dripping from its bell--the flap of skin under its throat. It's most often visible in early morning and at dusk, and in low, wet areas.
Like many of us, moose don't like hot weather. They overheat at summer temperatures above 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). So, on hot days they take to the waters--the edges of wet bogs lined with shade trees.
What moose find there is of interest to ecologists Joseph Bump, Rolf Peterson and John Vucetich of Michigan Technological University.
With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the scientists study relationships between moose, wolves and the environment on a remote island in Lake Superior called Isle Royale. The project has been ongoing for five decades.
Isle Royale is a perfect place for moose: water in every direction; shores lined with pondweed, water lilies and other aquatic vegetation upon which moose feed; and nearby forests laden with other favored moose foods like the buds and twigs of willow, aspen, red dogwood and balsam fir trees.
Moose live in the northern areas of North America, Europe and Eurasia in the cold climates of mixed deciduous-coniferous forests. They're the northern forest's largest herbivores.
Each moose chomps down about three million bites of shrubs and trees and eats three metric tons of leaves and twigs every year. The Ojibwe people, Native Americans long familiar with the animal, call it "mooz," meaning "twig eater."
A typical moose, which weighs almost 800 pounds, may eat up to 70 pounds of food each day. The average adult moose consumes some 9,770 calories per day to maintain its body weight.
Some of a moose's energy comes from vegetation that grows on land, but many land-based plants are low in sodium. The larger plants of lakes, ponds and wetlands, known as aquatic macrophytes, provide moose with the sodium they need. As much as half a moose's diet consists of aquatic macrophytes.
Where do the remains from all this foraging wind up?
They come ashore, according to research conducted by Bump, Peterson and Vucetich, along with Keren Tischler of Common Coast Research & Conservation in Hancock, Mich., and Amy Schrank of the University of Michigan Biological Station.
When moose forage on aquatic macrophytes, which are also rich in nitrogen, then make their way onto land, they're acting as a conduit for the plants' nitrogen. Spots in which moose excrete waste, and where they die, are direct routes from water-to-land for this element.
"Moose transfer significant amounts of aquatic-derived nitrogen to terrestrial [on land] ecosystems," says Bump. "They greatly increase nitrogen in riparian, or shoreline, zones."
The scientists looked at how this process happens by analyzing data on moose densities, foraging parameters, excretion models and moose carcass locations. They published the results in a paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
"Nutrients in salmon, birds, river otters, insects and other animals play a major role in linking aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems," says Bump.
Predators also influence that nutrient transfer. On Isle Royale, when moose are killed by wolves, what's left of their bodies decomposes, transferring nitrogen from the aquatic plants the moose once ate to the land that ultimately lies beneath them.
"It's hard to imagine what species as diverse as moose, salmon and midges, for example, might have in common," says Saran Twombly, program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.
"Yet all three transfer significant quantities of nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial habitats. On Isle Royale, wolves add to this total amount. They kill moose in specific locations and generate 'hotspots' where nitrogen is transferred from lake to shore."
Moose first arrived on Isle Royale in the early 1900s and increased rapidly in what was once a predator-free environment. Then wolves found their way to the island in the late 1940s; they crossed a winter ice bridge that connected Isle Royale with mainland Ontario. "The lives of Isle Royale moose would never be the same," says Vucetich.
The island's moose population is usually between 700 and 1,200 animals. Wolves there, now down to nine, at times have reached nearly 50.
Isle Royale's moose increase soil nutrients and microbial biomass, change soil microbial composition and increase nitrogen in plants near kill sites for at least two or three years after a moose's death.
"It's clear that moose link aquatic macrophytes with terrestrial animal and microbial communities," says Vucetich. "Our analysis of long-term carcass patterns--where moose die--shows exactly where such food web links occur on the landscape.
"Given the circumpolar extent of moose, they and the wolves that prey upon them are an important aquatic-terrestrial resource vector in northern ecosystems."
BASKETBALL ;AND THE TOOLS FOR SOLDIERS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEBy Staff Sgt. Megan Garcia
3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va., Aug. 17, 2012 - He initially joined the Army in hopes of one day playing for the all-Army men's basketball team, a goal he later achieved. But Staff Sgt. Terrell Moorer said he never imagined the tools the game of basketball would give him in leading his soldiers.
"It's what kept me out of the streets, and it's what led me into the Army," Moorer said. "Basketball is my life."
"It taught me teamwork," he added "In basketball if your players don't work together, the team won't score. The same way I depend on my teammates to rotate to the right position [on the court] is the same way I depend on my soldiers."
Moorer is a motor transport operator assigned to the 529th Regimental Support Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment [The Old Guard]. "If my soldiers don't work together to transport those guys to their location, we don't accomplish the mission," the staff sergeant said.
Soldiers of The Old Guard, the U.S. Army's official ceremonial unit, participate in high-profile ceremonies across the nation and around the world. Moorer leads the group of soldiers responsible for driving them to every event.
Capt. Scott Donoughe, 529th RSC commander, said, "Essentially, the 529th Transportation Platoon has a no-fail mission. If we don't get those soldiers there on time for something like a presidential event, it could have national implications." said.
The captain said a leader in the platoon must therefore be agile and adaptive.
"You have to make quick decisions, as you do on the basketball court," Donoughe said. "Staff Sgt. Moorer exemplifies those characteristics."
Moorer attributes his attentiveness and coordination skills to his 16 years in the game.
"When you have been running up and down the court for so long, you have to have a lot of things working for you all at once," said Moorer. "Stamina, endurance and even a good breathing technique; all these things have to work together."
When he was a private first class with few leadership responsibilities, Moore said, those traits were only necessary when he was playing. Now, as a noncommissioned officer in charge of 14 soldiers, he's learned to incorporate them into the workplace.
"It's increased my mental capacity," Moorer said. "It's a lot different going from worrying about yourself and being able to deal with your own problems, to dealing with soldiers and the everyday problems that they may have."
Moorer said he instills this same willpower in the troops he leads.
"My soldiers have to be able to drive long hours and distances on the road and maneuver in and out of traffic without being fatigued," he noted.
During physical training, Moorer teaches his soldiers basketball drills to help them cope with these challenges. He said he believes such drills can help condition and build his soldiers' resilience on the road.
"I always preach to my troops that when you are physically in shape, mentally you feel better and are able to deal with stress a lot better," Moorer said.
Moorer also saw his efforts pay off as his soldiers' Army Physical Fitness Test scores increased by an average of 50 points. He also helped four soldiers lose weight through his diet.
"I started bringing salad to work for lunch so my soldiers could see what I was eating," Moorer said. "Nine times out of 10, if you lead by example, a lot of them will take note and they will do the same thing."
Spc. Brandon Mayer, one of Moorer's soldiers, said the staff sergeant helped him push through challenges and earn the promotion he received June 1 after he earlier failed to meet the APFT and weight requirements.
"He was there as a guardian angel over my shoulder," said Mayer. "He motivated me to work harder and eat healthier. His drills helped me increase my cardio, give me stamina and strengthen my abs. I was able to lose the weight and pass my PT test. I hope to follow in his footsteps one day."
Moorer has played two seasons with the all-Army men's basketball team and said he plans to try out for a third later this year.
"I'm absolutely amazed by basketball," said Moorer. "Some people say it's just a game, but it's more than just a game. I've been able to use it to change soldiers' lives."
Saturday, August 18, 2012
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, COUNTRY CLUB SETTLE DISCRIMINATION CASE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEThursday, August 16, 2012
Justice Department Settles Race Discrimination Case Against Pennsylvania Country Club
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with Valley Club, a former swimming facility located in Huntingdon Valley, Pa, resolving allegations that the company discriminated against persons because of race. The Justice Department’s investigation was conducted under Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and religion in places of public accommodation, such as hotels, restaurants and places of entertainment.
The settlement agreement, which must be approved by the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, also resolves A.B., et al. v. The Valley Club of Huntingdon Valley, PA, a private suit filed by the children and their families, as well as discrimination claims filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. The Chief Magistrate Judge of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania approved the settlement agreement after formal mediation efforts. The department investigated this matter jointly with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
In January 2010, the department filed a complaint following an incident at the Valley Club in June 2009. Creative Steps Inc. a Northeast Philadelphia children’s day camp, had paid the club a fee to give its campers access to the club’s swimming pool for the summer. On the first day they swam, the children reported hearing racial slurs while enjoying the pool. On July 3, 2009, the club refunded the day camp’s membership fee and prohibited the children from returning to swim.
"No one may be denied the right to use a swimming pool because of their race or the color of their skin," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department will continue to protect vigorously the rights of persons of all races to be free from discrimination in public accommodations across the country."
Valley Club filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection in November 2009. The club property was sold in June 2010 for $1,460,000. The settlement agreement stipulates that once the administration of the estate and the bankruptcy case is closed and after paying allowed costs and fees, the remaining assets will be paid to more than 50 children, their camp counselors and to Creative Steps.
"This settlement provides significant opportunity to children who were denied an opportunity based on their skin color," said JoAnn Edwards, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. "Our hope is that this case serves as prevention for years to come and a reminder that discrimination is illegal, and has no place in Pennsylvania."
The settlement also provides that $65,000 will be set aside from the proceeds of the sale of the Valley Club property for the creation of a leadership council that comprises former Valley Club members, Creative Steps counselors, campers and their families. The children and families affected by the Valley Club incident will take leadership roles in planning swimming, educational and recreational opportunities for the community.
GENERAL HAM SAYS AFRICAN EXERCISE ENDED IN SUCCESS
DOD+photo+by+Donna+Miles.jpg)
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Ham Closes Southern Accord Praising U.S.-Botswana Partnership
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
THEBEPHATSHWA AIR BASE, Botswana, Aug. 16, 2012 - The commander of U.S. Africa Command closed one of the largest joint exercises ever conducted on the African continent here today, praising the Botswanan military as a capable partner and an important and positive influence throughout southern Africa.
Army Gen. Carter F. Ham closed Exercise Southern Accord 12, a joint, three-week exercise that included about 700 U.S. soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors and an equal number of their Botswana Defense Force counterparts.
Africom says the purpose of the exercise, the first of seven iterations of Southern Accord to be hosted by Botswana, is to train both militaries in peace keeping operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. An ambitious training schedule covered the gamut, from tactical and peacekeeper training to humanitarian road building and medical outreach missions.
"Over the past few weeks, American and Botswanan forces together have done a tremendous amount of training, and they have provided needed assistance to many people here in the country of Botswana," Ham said.
Though the engineers built roads and ponds during the exercise, he said, "the most important thing they built ... was trust."
That, he told a formation of U.S. and Botswanan troops assembled for the ceremony, helped to deepen an already-strong professional relationship between the two militaries. "It is the friendship, the partnership, the cooperation, the trust that has been built that will endure," he said.
Ham, on his first trip to Botswana since taking command of U.S. Africa Command about a year and a half ago, said the visit reinforced his appreciation for the Botswana Defense Force's capabilities. "From my observation, the Botswana Defense Force is one of the most professional military organizations that I have encountered," he said.
Maj. Gen. Placig Segokgo, deputy commander of the Botswana Defense Force, said the exercise offered his troops a chance to showcase that professionalism. "It provides an opportunity for us to benchmark ourselves against the very best," he said. "And it provides an opportunity for us to show ourselves to our American counterparts."
Achieving the ambitious objectives of Southern Accord with flying colors only enhanced that capability, and well as that of the U.S. participants, Ham said.
"I know that the U.S. military personnel depart Botswana better trained than when they arrived," he said. "And I am confident also that the Botswana Defense Force is better trained at the conclusion of this exercise."
Earlier in the day, Ham got a chance to see that proficiency firsthand during a live-fire field training exercise that culminated three weeks of intensive training exchanges. The scenario included a Botswanan-led air assault onto a landing zone, with Botswanan and U.S. forces moving onto an objective to take out elements of a notional enemy force. "This is a complete integration of U.S. and BDF soldiers," Army Lt. Col. Bill Gray, the joint task force operations officer, told Carter during the pre-mission briefing.
Among lessons reinforced during the exercise is the importance of strong junior- and mid-level officers, noncommissioned officers and warrant officers who serve as models and mentors for younger troops, Ham told reporters before the ceremony.
"We need to empower them, we need to train them, we need to help them become [the best] leaders they can possibly be, because they are the leaders at the tip of the spear," he said.
"Whether it is a combat operation or humanitarian assistance, it is most often a lieutenant or a sergeant or a staff sergeant or a corporal who is leading those soldiers," Ham said. "And the more investment we can make in training those junior leaders, the better off we will all be."
Ham recognized the strong leadership skills both militaries exhibited as they took on the challenges presented to them. "You have all, Botswanans and Americans, demonstrated during this exercise that you are prepared to take on a variety of challenging missions," he said, most importantly, their own national defense.
The nature of Southern Accord, with its mix of joint, combined operations that included interagency and nongovernmental aspects, reflects the type of operations the two countries are likely to conduct, Ham noted. "So the more opportunities we have to rehearse the practice those scenarios in a training exercise such as Southern Accord, the better off we will all be," he said.
This has far-reaching impact in the region, Ham told the assembly. "The Botswana Defense Force is, indeed, an important partner for the United States that provides a very positive influence throughout the Southern African region," he said.
AIR FORCE HISTORICAL PHOTOS
FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE National Guard aviation predated World War I. PFC Beckwith Havens, celebrated as the Guard’s first pilot, is shown here on an aerial photo mission. He first flew for the Guard in joint maneuvers with Guard and Army units in 1912
Gallaudet Tractor biplane rented by the Aviation Detachment, 1st Battalion, Signal Corps, New York National Guard, in 1915.
CURIOSITY LASER READIES FOR MARTIAN TARGETS
FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORYRIGHT: Chem Cam Calibration PreLaunch. PHOTO CREDIT: Los Alamos National Laboratory
ChemCam Laser Sets its Sights on First Martian Target
Rock zapper ready after beaming back images of calibration targets
LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO, August 17, 2012—Members of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover ChemCam team have received the first photos from the instrument’s remote micro imager. The successful capture of ChemCam’s first 10 photos sets the stage for the first test bursts of the instrument’s rock-zapping laser in the near future.
"The successful delivery of these photos means we can begin efforts in earnest for the first images of Mars rocks by the ChemCam instrument and the first use of the instrument’s laser," said Los Alamos National Laboratory planetary scientist Roger Wiens, Principal Investigator of the ChemCam Team. "We anticipate these next steps over the weekend."
The next tasks for ChemCam—the inaugural laser burst and spectral reading—will help scientists determine the integrity of the ChemCam system and the pointing capability of the rover’s mast, which supports ChemCam’s laser and telescope. Scientists and engineers from NASA’s Curiosity rover mission have selected ChemCam’s first target, a three-inch rock designated N-165 located near the rover.
"Rock N-165 looks like your typical Mars rock, about three inches (seven centimeters) wide and it's about 10 feet away," Wiens said. "We are going to hit it with 14 milliJoules of energy 30 times in 10 seconds. It is not only going to be an excellent test of our system, but it should be pretty cool too."
The ChemCam system is one of 10 instruments mounted on the MSL mission’s Curiosity rover—a six-wheeled mobile laboratory that will roam more than 12 miles of the planet’s surface during the course of one Martian year (98 Earth weeks).
When ChemCam fires its extremely powerful laser pulse, it briefly focuses the energy of a million light bulbs onto an area the size of a pinhead. The laser blast vaporizes a small amount of its target up to seven meters (23 feet) away.
The resultant flash of glowing plasma is viewed by the system’s 4.3-inch aperture telescope, which sends the light down an optical fiber to a spectrometer located in the body of the rover. There the colors of the light from the flash are recorded, enabling scientists to determine the elemental composition of the vaporized material. ChemCam also has a high-resolution camera that provides close-up images of an analyzed location. It can image a human hair from seven feet away.
The ChemCam system is designed to capture as many as 14,000 observations throughout the mission.
The laser, telescope, and camera were provided by the French space agency, CNES, while the spectrometers, electronics, and software were built at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which leads the investigation. The spectrometers were developed with the aid of Ocean Optics, Incorporated, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory assisted with various aspects of development.
"THIS WEEK AT NASA..." ARTICLES
NASA's space shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis switched locations today at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and in the process came "nose-to-nose" for the last time in front of Orbiter Processing Facility 3Endeavour was moved from Orbiter Processing Facility 2 to the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be housed temporarily until its targeted departure from Kennedy atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in mid-September. After a stop at the Los Angeles International Airport, Endeavour will move in mid-October to the California Science Center for permanent public display.
Now in the processing facility after leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building, shuttle Atlantis will undergo preparations for its move to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in November, with a grand opening planned for July 2013.
FROM: NASA
This Week at NASA…
PRESIDENT OBAMA THANKS CURIOSITY TEAM – JPL
President Obama: "It is great to talk to all of you and I just wanted you to know that we could not be more excited."
At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Mars Curiosity flight control team took a few minutes from tending to NASA’s newest Red Planet rover to receive a special congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama who was aboard AIR FORCE ONE.
President Obama: "What you’ve accomplished embodies the American Spirit and your passion and your commitment is making a difference and your hard work is now paying dividends, because our expectation is that Curiosity is going to be telling us things that we did not know before and laying the groundwork for an even more audacious undertaking in the future and that’s a human mission to the Red Planet."
JPL Director Charles Elachi thanked the President for his praise – and echoed the commander-in-chief’s hope that the excitement generated by the mission would help inspire a sense of exploration among younger generations.
Charles Elachi, Center Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory: "On behalf of all of us at NASA, we thank you for taking the time to give us a call and hopefully we inspired some of the millions of young people who were watching this landing."
The president also emphasized that this mission is an international effort – offering gratitude to several of the countries that have contributed science instruments and expertise to aid Curiosity’s quest for evidence of microbial life on Mars.
President Obama: "Spain, Russia, Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, Australia … all of them contributed to the instrumentation that Curiosity landed on the Martian surface."
The rover team continues to transition Curiosity to a state of readiness for roving the Martian surface. Here’s a quick report from JPL on what’s been happening since Curiosity’s landing.
This Picasso-like self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity rover was taken by its navigation cameras, located on the now-upright mast. The camera snapped pictures 360-degrees around the rover, while pointing down at the rover deck, up and straight ahead. Those images are shown here in a polar projection. Most of the tiles are thumbnails, or small copies of the full-resolution images that have not been sent back to Earth yet. Two of the tiles are full-resolution.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
MARS ROVER REPORT – JPL (CP) Bobak Ferdowsi Reporting
Hi I’m Bobak Ferdowsi, flight director with the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity and this is your Curiosity Rover Update.
This week, we did a color panorama surrounding the rover with both the Mastcam, in addition to the Navcams, and we also upgraded the software on board on both computers of the rover this week.
This new software is like having new applications with new functionalities on the rover to allow us to do mobility, deploy the arm and get to the science we’re looking forward to on the mission.
We also did a series of instrument checkouts. Those included the ChemCam instrument, The CheMin instrument, RAD science, REMS, APXS, SAM and the additional cameras on the rover, including the MAHLI instrument.
We also downlinked some MARDI high-resolution data images. Those are from the descent imager.
Coming up this week, we’ll be using the ChemCam to zap targets for the first time. We’ll also be deploying the arm and we’ll be checking the mobility system by doing what we call a rover bump, or a short drive.
RECORD BREAKING GALAXY CLUSTER – CXC
Astronomers have found an extraordinary galaxy cluster, one of the largest objects in the universe, that is breaking several important cosmic records. Observations of the Phoenix cluster, located about 5.7 billion light years from Earth, with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the National Science Foundation's South Pole Telescope, and eight other world-class observatories may force astronomers to rethink how these colossal structures and the galaxies that inhabit them evolve.
Stars are forming in the Phoenix cluster at the highest rate ever observed for the middle of a galaxy cluster. The object also is the most powerful producer of X-rays of any known cluster and among the most massive. The data also suggest the rate of hot gas cooling in the central regions of the cluster is the largest ever observed.
Because of their tremendous size, galaxy clusters are crucial objects for studying cosmology and galaxy evolution, so finding one with such extreme properties like the Phoenix cluster is important.
RUSSIAN SPACEWALK PREVIEW – JSC (To be updated on 8/20)
Kieth Johnson, lead U.S. spacewalk officer: "The last EVA that was performed on space station by the U.S. team was by Mike Fossum and Ron Garan during the STS-135 mission."
The Johnson Space Center hosted members of the media to preview two upcoming spacewalks involving U.S., Russian and Japanese crew members aboard the International Space Station.
On August 30, NASA Flight Engineer Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are scheduled to egress the Quest airlock for a 6 1/2-hour excursion to perform electrical work on the truss and install cables for a future Russian laboratory module. It will be Hoshide's first spacewalk and the third for a Japanese astronaut.
Ten days before that EVA, Expedition 32 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency are scheduled to venture outside the Pirs airlock for a six-hour spacewalk to install debris shields on the Zvezda service module and move a telescoping cargo crane from Pirs to the Zarya module.
ORION CHUTE RECOVERY – JSC (CP) Josh Byerly Reporting
While NASA’s teams have been taking a close look at how Orion’s parachutes behave as the 20,000-pound spacecraft descends through the sky, they’ve also been investigating another challenge: How do you recover parachutes that are 100-feet-wide from the water?
NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston was the setting as these teams took some of Orion’s drogue and main parachutes and dunked them in the water. They were noting how long the chutes stayed afloat, and the best ways to get ‘em out of the water and into a boat. Each one of the main chutes weighs close to 300 pounds; the water doubles that weight. So testing ways of handling them – and doing it safely – is important.
Chris Johnson, Orion Parachute Project Engineer: "We learn every time we do a parachute test of something. We find ways to improve the parachute design, so that when we finally fly the parachute system for human space flight, it’s a safe and reliable system."
The Orion team was joined by members of the United States NAVY, as well as the recovery forces that will work Exploration Flight Test -1; Orion’s first unmanned test flight scheduled for 2014. That flight will send Orion more than 3600 miles into space, reaching speeds of more than 20,000 miles per hour, and returning for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This recovery testing on Orion’s parachutes and the capsule itself will continue during the lead up to EFT-1. Orion also has more drop tests planned at the Langley Research Center and parachute tests at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds later this month.
HELIO DECADAL SURVEY – HQ
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan: "The decade we believe will be one of discovery and one of new and innovative approaches and tools –things that we will develop."
The National Research Council has released its second decadal survey in solar and space physics, or heliophysics. The broad-based assessment identifies the highest scientific priorities of the U.S. solar and space physics research enterprise for the next ten years.
Daniel N. Baker, University of Colorado: "It’s truly national in scope, it’s really intended to talk about NASA, NSF, NOAA, DOD – all of the investments that are being made in solar and space physics in various ways."
Requested by NASA and the National Science Foundation, this "decadal survey" follows the NRC’s previous survey in solar and space physics.
FLEXIBLE LEARNING - HQ
Acting Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot and Langley Research Center Director Lesa Roe joined others at a Headquarters recognition ceremony for contributors to a new FlexBook developed by NASA and the non-profit education organization, CK-12. A Flexbook is an open source textbook that can be customized and evolve with the changing needs of a user – and help maximize STEM teaching and learning in grades K-12.
Robert Lightfoot, NASA Acting Associate Administrator: "As we challenge the boundaries of everything – all of the technologies that we need to do that, we’ve got to have the modeling and simulation to allow us to deal with those uncertainties in the environments we’re going to face, the temperatures, the pressures – all of the different things that our spacecraft are going to see. Hopefully this project will help lead to us having that workforce we’re going to need in the future."
The new FlexBook, entitled Modeling and Simulation for High School Teachers: Principles, Problems, and Lesson Plans, is set for broad release this month.
HS3 – WFF (CP) Patrick Black Reporting
An upcoming mission to study the development of Atlantic hurricanes using unmanned aerial vehicles based at the Wallops Flight Facility was discussed during a public presentation at the facility’s Visitor Center. The Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) is a five-year mission specifically targeted to investigate the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensity change in the Atlantic Ocean basin.
Marilyn Vasques, HS3 project manager, Ames Research Center: "If we can understand more about the storms then we can predict that better. We can get people out of harm’s way, we can not evacuate people when they don’t need to evacuate, and we can save human lives by making sure that everyone’s informed and has the best information possible."
HS3 will use two NASA Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles, one with an instrument suite geared toward measurement of the environment and the other with instruments suited to inner-core structure and processes. The aircraft are capable of flight altitudes greater than 55,000 feet and flight durations of up to 30 hours. More than 200 people will be involved in preparing and supporting the aircraft, flight planning and aircraft coordination and conducting the science data collection.
Marilyn Vasques, HS3 project manager, Ames Research Center: "It’s the volume of data that really makes it unique. And the scientists are all going to be working together and communicating and even showing real time data during the mission to help them understand what they’re seeing, and communicate while they’re doing their evaluation. All this stuff is going to be fed into models that can help us better predict storms."
In addition to the 2012 mission, the project also will be conducted from Wallops in 2013 and 2014, providing sustained measurements over several years due to the limited sampling opportunities in any given hurricane season.
SMOKEY CELEBRATES IN HOUSTON – JSC
Smokey Bear visited the Johnson Space Center to celebrate both his 68th birthday and a Space Act agreement between NASA and the U.S. Forest Service. JSC Deputy Director Ellen Ochoa, astronaut Mike Fossum and others rolled out the red carpet for Smokey and members of both the U.S. and the Texas Forest Service – complete with a tour of Mission Control and birthday cake. Smokey also met Robonaut and its designers, and made a special stop at the JSC Child Care center to talk about fire prevention and to plant a tree to symbolize the partnership between NASA and the Forest Service.
NASA Anniversary: Launch of Voyager 2 – August 20, 1977
On August 20, the Voyager 2 spacecraft chalks up another year of exploration. Thirty-five years ago on that date Voyager 2 launched from Cape Canaveral to explore Jupiter and Saturn. After a string of discoveries at those planets the mission of Voyager 2 and its twin Voyager 1, launched less than a month later, was extended to the outer planets of Uranus and Neptune. The duo’s current campaign, the Voyager Interstellar Mission – is helping NASA reach beyond the outer planets to the "Heliosheath", the outermost layer of the heliosphere where the solar wind is slowed by the pressure of interstellar gas. This extended mission continues to characterize the outer solar system environment and search for the heliopause boundary, the outer limits of the Sun's magnetic field and outward flow of the solar wind.
NASA Anniversary: The "Ride Report" released – August 17, 1987
Twenty-five years ago, in 1987 the late Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space headed a group at NASA Headquarters that completed an assessment of NASA's options beyond the space station. On August 17 of that year NASA released that group’s report, "Leadership and America's Future in Space" which came to be known as the "Ride Report". The document recommended major programs to study earth sciences with powerful orbiting sensors and exploration of the solar system with new generations of robotic probes.
And that’s This Week @NASA.
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