August 2015 Vol. 2 No. 8 National Aeronautics and Space Administration KENNEDY SPACE CENTER’S magazine NASA’s First Commercial Crew Astronauts NEW HORIZONS PASSING BY PLUTO Earth Solar Aeronautics Mars Technology Right ISS System & NASA’S Research Now Beyond LAUNCH National Aeronautics and Space Administration KENNEDY SPACE CENTER’S SCHEDULE Date: No Earlier Than Aug. 16 SPACEPORT MAGAZINE Mission: HTV5 Cargo Craft with CALET and MUSES Description: The H-II Transfer CONTENTS Vehicle (HTV) is JAXAís unmanned cargo transfer spacecraft that 4 �������������������U�S� space pioneers set to support Commercial Crew delivers supplies to the space station. CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) is an 8 �������������������Microbial monitoring testing for ISS, beyond astrophysics mission. Multi-User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) 10 ����������������Emergency response training eyes technology is a precision-pointing platform that will mount externally to the space KATE CRYDERMAN station. 18 ����������������Extreme Access Flyer takes exploration airborne Date: Sept. 2, 12:34 a.m. EDT I am an engineer on the RESOLVE payload managed at 24 ����������������New Horizons returns up-close photos of Pluto Mission: Expedition 45 Launch to Kennedy Space Center. Our goal is to prospect for water at the space station a lunar pole to understand the feasibility of living off the Description: Expedition 45/46 ����������������Experiment isolates scientists for eight months resources available on other planetary bodies such as the 32 crew member Sergey Volkov of moon, Mars or an asteroid. I work in a lab environment Roscosmos will launch on a Soyuz to integrate and test fluid and gas analysis hardware for 36 ����������������College students ‘Launching 2 Learn’ 44 taxi flight with ESA astronaut risk reduction prior to a projected launch in 2020. I have Andreas Mogensen. Mogensen the amazing opportunity to work hands-on with hardware will return to Earth with Soyuz 38 ����������������GSDO advancing toward Exploration Mission-1 and interface with people from across the RESOLVE Commander Gennady Padalka in subsystems, understanding the importance of a diverse the Soyuz 42 spacecraft in 10 days. 42 ����������������Gemini V paved way for long duration spaceflight team every day. Date: Sept. 21 I began as a co-op student in 2009 in the Safety and Mission 47 ����������������Kelly, Kornienko expand research base Mission: Progress 61P Cargo Craft Assurance Directorate where I learned about the Space Description: The Progress Shuttle Program and the incredible and inspiring work at resupply vehicle is an automated, this center! I was hired in 2011 and later transitioned into unpiloted version of the Soyuz the Engineering Directorate where I have been working on Front Cover: NASA has named four astronauts with Back Cover: This color image of Earth was taken by NASA’s spacecraft that is used to bring RESOLVE since. International Space Station experience to work with Boeing Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, or EPIC, from one supplies and fuel to the space and SpaceX through the final phase of development and million miles away on the Deep Space Climate Observatory, certification of their crew transportation systems. Robert “Bob” or DSCOVR, satellite. The image was generated by combining station. I completed the Foundations of Leadership development Behnken, Eric Boe, Doug Hurley and Sunita “Suni” Williams three separate images to create a photographic-quality image. program in 2013 in which I learned about the many ways also will serve as the pool of astronauts from which NASA will The image was taken July 6, showing North and Central Date: Nov. 21 select when assigning crews for future flight tests. Check America. The central turquoise areas are shallow seas around you can be a leader at Kennedy, no matter what your job out the complete story beginning on Page 4. For more about the Caribbean islands. Mission: Progress 62P Cargo Craft title is. I worked on a team to develop a new leadership NASA’s Journey to Mars, go to http://go.nasa.gov/1HNRiHA For more information about DSCOVR, Description: The Progress visit: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/ development program, called Leading and Influencing resupply vehicle is an automated, Others at NASA (LION), for mid-level career employees unpiloted version of the Soyuz at KSC. It is exciting to see how Human Resources has spacecraft that is used to bring Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest Kennedy Space Center updates. successfully launched this program over the past year! Being supplies and fuel to the space a part of the space program has always been my dream, www.facebook.com/ station. www.twitter.com/nasakennedy and I am lucky enough to know how essential the Kennedy workforce is to its success. Date: Dec. 15 THE SPACEPORT MAGAZINE TEAM Mission: Expedition 46 Launch to the space station Editorial Writers Group Graphics Group Description: NASA astronaut Managing Editor ........... Amanda Griffin Anna Heiney Bob Granath Richard Beard Amy Lombardo Tim Kopra, ESA astronaut Tim Peake, and Yuri Malenchenko of Editor ............................ Frank Ochoa-Gonzales Kay Grinter Linda Herridge Lynda Brammer Matthew Young Roscosmos will launch to the space Assistant Editor ............. Linda Herridge Frank Ochoa-Gonzales Steven Siceloff Greg Lee station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Copy Editor ................... Kay Grinter Kazakhstan. www�nasa�gov SPACEPORT Magazine 3 ROBERT BEHNKEN SUNITA WILLIAMS ERIC BOE DOUGLAS HURLEY Quartet of American space pioneers set to support Commercial Crew BY STEVEN SICELOFF Did You Know? ASA has named four astronauts with Behnken, 44, has two space shuttle STS-121, along with leading operations at NInternational Space Station experience missions under his belt. He performed three the Gagarin Training Center in Russia. to work with Boeing and SpaceX through the spacewalks outside the station while helping “Working with our partners, it will be final phase of development and certification install the Japanese Experiment Module and a tremendous amount of work ahead of us, of their crew transportation systems. Robert the “Dextre” robotic manipulator during but I think we’re up to it and we’re looking “Bob” Behnken, Eric Boe, Doug Hurley and STS-123. Flying again as a mission specialist, forward to it,” Hurley said. Sunita “Suni” Williams also will serve as the Behnken performed three more spacewalks Williams, 50, has lived in space for more pool of astronauts from which NASA will during STS-130 to connect the Tranquility than 322 days during two residencies aboard select when assigning crews for future flight module to the station, along with the cupola. the International Space Station. She has tests. Having served as chief astronaut since 2012, flown aboard the space shuttle and Russian They will train to fly the first crewed Behnken will hand those duties over to Chris Soyuz spacecraft and also accumulated 50 flight test since the space shuttle. Boeing’s Cassidy. “It’s really been the dream of all of us hours and 40 minutes of spacewalking time, integrated CST-100 spacecraft and United to participate in the test of a new vehicle and the most among female astronauts. Prior to Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, and a vehicle like a spacecraft is probably the gem, joining NASA. Williams served as a test pilot SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon if you will, of a career for folks,” Behnken with the Navy’s helicopter force and evaluated 9 rocket are in development with NASA’s said. “I really like to think of myself as one more than two dozen kinds of aircraft in Commercial Crew Program. of those Swiss Army Knife sorts of astronauts numerous aspects.“I think this is the next The Commercial Crew Program and its who may or may not be the best at any one step in engineering development and research partners’ revolutionary human spaceflight thing that’s out there, but better than average as we take our further steps out of low-Earth systems are a “worthy successor” to the at all of them.” orbit into deeper space,” Williams said. tremendous success and trailblazing abilities Boe, 50, served as pilot on STS-126 The flight tests are critical steps in the of the space shuttle, NASA Administrator and STS-133, each time flying the shuttle development of the two spacecraft which will Charlie Bolden said. through complex rendezvous and docking carry four NASA or NASA-sponsored crew All four served as military test pilots for maneuvers to safely attach it to the orbiting members and a small amount of powered their respective services before becoming space station. As an Air Force colonel prior cargo to the station. The resident crew of the astronauts. The four also have built to joining NASA, Boe flew combat missions station would grow by one member, meaning impressive resumes inside NASA, including as an F-15 fighter pilot before becoming seven astronauts and cosmonauts from an flying the space shuttle and living aboard the an Air Force test pilot. Since STS-133, Boe international roster would live and work on International Space Station. Their expertise has served as director of Operations at the the station. Adding just one more person and experience is expected to serve the Gagarin Training Center in Russia and also would mean a doubling in the amount crews and the agency well, as the four work worked on technical aspects of display and of research time the crew would apply to closely with Boeing and SpaceX to refine and control designs for future spacecraft. scientific endeavors, meaning more time to certify the Commercial Crew spacecraft for “It’s very important for us to get make breakthroughs off the Earth for the operational missions carrying astronauts to an independent ability to get to the benefit of those on the Earth. the orbiting laboratory. International Space Station,” Boe said.