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July 23, 2010 Vol. 50, No. 15 Spaceport News John F. Kennedy Space Center - America’s gateway to the universe www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/snews/spnews_toc.html Kennedy releases Gulf Coast sea turtle hatchlings By Steven Siceloff in addition to Kemp’s ridley, may Spaceport News be brought to the Kennedy hatchery. In all, about 50,000 hatchlings ozens of endangered baby normally start their lives on Gulf sea turtles are having an Coast beaches during hatching Dunusual birthday at Ken- season. nedy Space Center with the help of From hand-picking each egg dozens of officials and volunteers from beaches on the northern Gulf who rescued them from the oil spill- of Mexico, to trucking them in threatened northeastern shores of custom vehicles from FedEx to the Gulf of Mexico. incubating them at Kennedy and Two groups of Kemp’s ridley finally releasing them to crawl sea turtle hatchlings have been into the surf, the work is about as released onto Atlantic Ocean delicate as it gets. beaches so far as the unprecedented Left on their own, the turtles operation to save sea turtle nests likely would have been helpless ramps up. against the effects of the BP The Merritt Island National Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Wildlife Refuge was established wildlife officials said. in 1963 as an overlay of Kennedy, “We understand that significant where it shares the land with space risks remain, but the option of shuttle launch pads, rockets and allowing tens of thousands of turtle research and development facilities. NASA/Kim Shiflett hatchlings to crawl into oiled waters In addition, Canaveral National The first group of hatchlings from endangered sea turtle eggs brought from beaches along the northern of the northern Gulf of Mexico Seashore is partially in Kennedy U.S. Gulf Coast are released July 10 into the Atlantic Ocean off Kennedy Space Center. Jane Provan- is not acceptable,” said Rodney also, and together these agencies cha, right, is Kennedy’s lead biologist at the hatchery and is heading-up the project. The photos were Barreto, chairman of the Florida shot using a red filter to protect the hatchlings. provide more 24 miles of sea turtle Fish and Wildlife Conservation nesting beach habitat. life Service, the Florida Fish and Kennedy that have been laid on the Commission. “We are home to many species Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Panhandle and Alabama’s Jane Provancha, the lead of protected wildlife and we hope the National Park Service, NOAA, beaches. biologist and environmental project to provide these sea turtles with a FedEx and conservationists to help The hatchlings are part of the manager for Innovative Health better chance of survival,” Center minimize the risk to this year’s sea same populations of species that Applications (IHA) at the Kennedy Director Bob Cabana said. turtle hatchlings from impacts of lay their eggs on the Atlantic and hatchery, said the first nest was The release and relocation the oil spill. During the next several Gulf coasts. The endangered species received June 26, about 10 days work is part of the environmental months, this plan involves carefully include loggerhead turtles, but nests endeavor by the U.S. Fish and Wild- moving an anticipated 700 nests to from leatherback and green turtles, See TURTLES, Page 3 ARES I-X results Heritage: First Inside this issue . spaceport launch STS-132 crew returns ET-138 arrives Page 2 Page 3 Page 6 Page 7 Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS July 23, 2010 Workshop addresses CRYOTE possibilities By Linda Herridge gies in space. The CRYOTE Lite deployed, the residual Centaur NASA technology-enabled ex- Spaceport News ground test article, assembled by propellant would be transferred ploration strategies, the agency’s Innovative Engineering Solutions into CRYOTE Lite, which would ASA is investigating new Innovative Partnerships Program, in San Diego is a spherical titanium remain attached to the Centaur or and unique ways to launch and CRYOTE demonstration flight tank about 30 inches in diameter Delta IV upper stage. small secondary payloads requirements and desired results. N with a skirt that connects to the Following CRYOTE missions Johnson said part of the prob- aboard future expendable launch vehicle missions. One of these existing expendable launch vehicle would have their own avionics lem in the past with long-duration ways is on a CRYogenic Orbital structure. systems with which to deploy from upper stage or lander stages was TEstbed, or CRYOTE. Various parts of CRYOTE the Centaur. the relative poor performance of To help facilitate the means were donated by United Launch “We would love to get a flight non-cryogenic propulsion. to accomplish a CRYOTE second- Alliance, Sierra Lobo and Ken- off in 2012,” Johnson said. “That He said the cryogenic fluid ary payload mission, the Fluids nedy. CRYOTE would launch as a seems to be a little bit ambitious management community has been secondary payload on the Atlas V but we’d like to get a start in 2012 Test and Technology Development striving for a microgravity demon- or Delta IV, placed between the pri- and fly at least annually.” Branch of Kennedy Space Center’s stration since the late 1960s. mary payload and upper stage. Johnson said the purpose is Engineering Directorate hosted a “There has been a chicken- The cryogenic fluids test that it allows NASA to fly mul- Secondary Cryogenic Payload Tes- and- egg scenario going on for engineer said the purpose of the tiple options with different pieces tbed Workshop, July 14 and 15. 40 years in which long-duration Fluid engineers and experts workshop was to gather experts on of hardware which might fly on a cryogenic storage can’t be base- from industry, trade, academia, cryogenic fluids together and get flagship demonstration or any other lined into a proposed architecture and four NASA centers gathered all the ideas put on the table so the upper stage demonstration. because it has never been demon- to share ideas and determine if and agency has as much information as “It allows us to test multiple strated,” Johnson said. “Since it how they can participate. possible before moving forward to pieces of hardware that do similar “We need your help. We need actual CRYOTE flights. functions to see which one operates isn’t baselined, it has been nearly your ideas,” workshop facilitator “It also allows NASA to the best and how different pieces impossible to get funding for a Wesley Johnson said. “We want ask industry what they see as the of hardware operate together,” demonstration flight. As a sec- to be able to share data. Working best way forward in a much more Johnson said. ondary payload, CRYOTE could together as a team is important.” relaxed and conversational manner Workshop topics included a greatly reduce the cost of technol- CRYOTE is an orbiting labora- than a request for information,” CRYOTE project overview, current ogy demonstration for many tech- tory designed to investigate cryo- Johnson said. CRYOTE status, the technology nologies that need the cryogenic genic fluid management technolo- After the primary payload is demonstration mission program, microgravity environment.” STS-132 crew returns to share highlights with workers By Linda Herridge of the main engines. mission and the 34th shuttle Spaceport News Ham said the cupola, flight to the space station. It which was delivered and also was the 150th launch uring an STS-132 attached to the station on a from Launch Complex 39. crew return pre- previous mission, is like an Crew members took sentation to Ken- D observation deck from which turns describing the launch, nedy Space Center workers, the entire horizon of Earth July 16, Commander Ken the activities and spacewalks can be viewed. involved in delivering and Ham said it’s an immense “It’s an absolutely privilege to go into space attaching the Russian-built amazing place to be,” Ham Mini-Research Module-1 and look back at the planet, said. “It’s all of our respon- and an integrated cargo but with that privilege comes sibility to take care of the carrier to the International responsibility. Earth, keep it running and Space Station, their experi- “That responsibility is to make sure we have some- ences on the station, as well share it with as many people thing to pass on to the next NASA/Cory Huston as landing. as we can. Being in space generation.” Behind the STS-132 crew is a picture of them in their famous “blue jackets,” which Sellers said the station is does give you a bit of a dif- Commander Ken Ham says shows their true identity. Ham says Mission Specialist Space shuttle Atlantis ferent perspective on life and Garrett Reisman was the crew “mojo officer” and told the members when to wear launched the STS-132 mis- nearly complete and weighs our planet,” Ham said. “It the jackets to work. sion from Kennedy’s Launch about 500 tons. is a privilege for us to come main engine shop before sion Specialists Garrett Reis- Pad 39A on May 14, and “It’s an unbelievable back to NASA centers. It’s joining crew mates Steve man and Michael Good were glided to a safe landing at achievement. It’s all for you guys that are part of the Bowen and Piers Sellers not able to attend. the center’s Shuttle Landing peaceful purposes, all for entire team that make the for a slideshow and video Ham said the engine Facility on May 26, after a science. There’s nothing whole operation happen.” presentation, featuring music workers really liked the 12-day mission. but good here. You can all Ham said he and Pilot from Muse, at Kennedy’s STS-132 mission patch be- It was Atlantis’ 32nd feel terribly proud of what Tony Antonelli toured the Training Auditorium.