NSS Online Report Issue #24 / May 2002

Inside this issue:

• ISDC 2002 Is Less Than Three Weeks Away!
  
• First Light for New Hubble Camera
  
• NASA Administrator Revives Teacher in Space Concept
  
• NSS to Announce Scholarship Recipient
  
• Winner of World Space Week Drawing to Speak at ISDC
  
• Join the Effort to Improve NASA’s Budget
  
• A New Alternative for Asteroid Deflection…
  
• …And 878 Years to Try It Out
  
• World Space Week 2001 Educational Awards Luncheon
  
• New and Improved NSS Website
  

ISDC 2002 IS LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AWAY!

For 21 years, the National Space Society and its predecessor
organization, the L5 Society, have hosted an annual International Space
Development Conference (ISDC). This year the ISDC will take place May 23-27
at the Marriott Tech Center Hotel in Denver, Colorado. The ISDC, with
exhibitors, vendors and other participatory events, will include a day of
professional programming on Friday, including a Planetary Defense seminar,
plus Space Law and Space Business. Programming Friday through Monday will
include, among other things, Moon, Mars, Orbital Applications, Novel
Propulsion Systems, Sci Fi / Sci Fact, Introduction to Space, and a General
Programming track which will feature a variety of presentations. On Monday,
the Conference will present a half-day program about Aerospace Education.

The Conference is offering the following tours:

Cheyenne Mountain, Thursday 12:30 pm, $30.00 (see restrictions on ISDC 2002
web site)

Lockheed Martin, Thursday 8:00 am, $20.00

School of Mines/Coors, Thursday 9:00 am, $40.00

Blackhawk Casinos, Friday 6:00 pm, $30.00

Colorado Springs (Pikes Peak Cog Rail, Garden of the Gods, Air Force
Academy),

Monday 8:00 am, $80.00

Historic Denver, Monday 8:00 am, $45.00

Special Dates to Remember:

May 10- Last day to pre-register. All registrations after this will be at
the door rates.

May 15- Last day to purchase banquet tickets. No guarantee tickets will be
available at door.

May 15- Last day to reserve hotel room at ISDC rates

(rooms may still be available after this date- check with hotel).

If you register in advance, the full Conference costs only $90.00 for adults
and $45.00 for seniors, students and teachers, plus an optional $25.00 fee
for the Friday professional programs. You will have an opportunity to
purchase luncheon, banquet and special tour tickets at an additional charge,
once you have registered for the Conference. Registration at the door will
be $100.00 plus the additional $25.00 if you register for the optional Friday
Professional programs.

You can register online and find more information about the conference at
http://www.isdc2002.org .

FIRST LIGHT FOR NEW HUBBLE CAMERA

The Hubble Space Telescope is reported to be in good condition
following the ambitious servicing mission conducted in March. NASA has
recently released the first images from the one new scientific instrument
installed on that mission, the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The
spectacular images show two star-forming regions and evidence of past and
future galactic collisions. The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object
Spectrometer (NICMOS), which was resuscitated by the installation of a new
cooling system, is expected to resume scientific operations in June after a
four-year hiatus.

NASA Press Release — http://www.nasa.gov/releases/2002/02_074.html
(Links to the ACS images are at the bottom of the Release)

NASA ADMINISTRATOR REVIVES TEACHER IN SPACE CONCEPT

Stating that “Education is part of our core mission,” NASA
Administrator Sean O’Keefe unveiled plans for a new type of space explorer,
an Educator Mission Specialist, during his “vision” speech on April 12.
Shortly after completion of the core elements of the International Space
Station in 2004, according to O’Keefe, NASA will send Barbara Morgan, the
agency’s first Educator Mission Specialist, into space.

Morgan was selected as the backup candidate in 1985 for the Teacher
in Space program. She trained side-by-side with Christa McAuliffe and the
Challenger STS-51L crew at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. The
Teacher in Space program ended when Challenger exploded Jan. 28, 1986,
killing McAuliffe and her six crewmates.

“The time has come for NASA to complete the mission — to send an
educator to space to inspire and teach our young people,” O’Keefe
said. “Working in partnership with Education Secretary Rod Paige, we will
make Barbara’s flight the first in a series of missions in the new Educator
in Space program.”

O’Keefe also outlined the agency’s new vision: “To improve life here,
To extend life to there, To find life beyond” and mission: “To understand and
protect our home planet, To explore the Universe and search for life, To
inspire the next generation of explorers . . . as only NASA can”

“The biggest difference is that we will let specific science
objectives tell us where to go,” according to O’Keefe. “NASA’s mission of
discovery will be carried out with a new commitment to fiscal responsibility
and the synergy that comes from working with other government agencies,
private industry and academia.”

Vision address and supporting info — http://www.nasa.gov/bios/vision.html
Barbara Morgan Bio — http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/morgan.html
Spaceflight Now story — http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0204/12okeefe/

NSS TO ANNOUNCE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

The National Space Society will announce the recipient of the
NSS/International Space University Scholarship at the Awards Banquet at the
International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in Denver on Sunday May
25th. The Scholarship is supported by very generous NSS members and allows a
student the wonderful opportunity to take part in the intensive ISU summer
session covering the principal space-related fields, both technical and non-
technical. Last year’s recipient, Erika Brown, described the value she
gained. “For me, ISU opened doors that cross national boundaries and
professional titles. It opened my eyes to a new understanding of how my work
in the field of micro-gravity physiology fits into the larger picture of
space. I thank the National Space Society for it’s support and an incredible
summer that changed the way I look at humanity’s future among the stars” We
hope that this year’s recipient will enjoy the experience and gain as much
from the opportunity as Erika did.

WINNER OF WORLD SPACE WEEK DRAWING TO SPEAK AT ISDC

Gail Leatherwood, who was chosen as the grand prize winner in our
World Space Week drawing, will present his winning project at ISDC. The
project, called “Gold Goes Into Space”, was designed to show adults and
school age children the impact of the Gold industry on space exploration. A
project team of representatives from local museums, library system, school
district, and mining companies developed static displays and descriptive
materials. Three nights of video presentations on the Gold industry and
space exploration were held and the project leader appeared on local radio
talk shows. We look forward to Gail’s full presentation at ISDC.

JOIN THE EFFORT TO IMPROVE NASA’S BUDGET

You have probably received through the mail NSS’s analysis of the
NASA FY 2003 budget. There are definitely elements that we feel need some
attention and we know that you will want to help us with a monetary
contribution or by sending a letter to the President, Vice-president, your
Representative and Senator. You can do this via e-mail by visiting our
website and taking advantage of our ‘CapWeb’ e-mailing system. Alternatively
you can print our the letter and mail it directly to Capitol Hill. Visit the
NSS website today and make your voice heard!

NSS Web — http://www.nss.org/budget.html

A NEW ALTERNATIVE FOR ASTEROID DEFLECTION…

An obscure phenomenon called the Yarkovsky effect may play a critical
role in the tracking and deflection of near-Earth asteroids, according to
Joseph N. Spitale of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
(LPL). The effect is caused by the fact that, when energy is radiated from
an unevenly heated body, hotter spots experience a greater recoil force than
cooler ones. Although the difference in force is tiny, it can have a
significant effect on the orbit of an asteroid over the many years that it
spends roaming the Solar System. Spitale contends that this force must be
taken into account when predicting the position of an asteroid hundreds of
years or more in the future. He also suggests that changing the thermal
characteristics of near-Earth asteroids smaller than about 0.3 km may be a
good way to ensure that they never come close enough to score a direct hit on
our planet.

Spaceflight Now — http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0204/05deflect/

University of Arizona LPL — http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/

…AND 878 YEARS TO TRY IT OUT

A team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, led by senior engineer
Jon Giorgini, has used radar tracking and optical observations to predict a 1-
in-300 chance that the 1 km diameter asteroid 1950 DA will impact the Earth
on March 16, 2880. Despite eight centuries of warning, this prediction makes
1950 DA, statistically speaking, the most dangerous rock in the Solar System.

1950 DA was discovered by scientists at the Lick Observatory in 1950,
but faded from view until it was reacquired by the Lowell Observatory in
2000. The close approach prediction for this object differs from recent false
alarms in that it is based on a significant quantity of accurate
observational data. But, there is still a high probability that 1950 DA will
pass harmlessly by, sparing the Earth’s 29th century civilization. That is
because the exact trajectory that the asteroid will follow depends largely on
unknown physical characteristics, such as its size, mass, spin, and surface
albedo. Even if 1950 DA does prove to be a threat, Giorgino believes that
various means of changing the asteroid’s surface properties might be used to
successfully push it away from a collision course.

WORLD SPACE WEEK 2001 EDUCATIONAL AWARDS LUNCHEON

The National Space Society co-sponsored the World Space Week
Educational Awards Luncheon recently in Greenbelt, Maryland. The event was
hosted by the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation and
featured Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland as the keynote speaker. The
purpose of the Awards luncheon was to recognize teachers and students from
across the U.S. and other nations for using space in their classroom during
World Space Week. This year’s luncheon honored seven teachers and their
students. As prizes they received a trophy, $500 and a complimentary
membership to the Society. Look for more details and pictures in the
June/July issue of Ad Astra.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TODAY?

Every NSS member can support the NSS Mission every day:

1. Share the Vision with everyone you meet.

2. Be a voter and communicate with your legislators.

3. If you invest, consider space-related companies.

4. Invite others to join NSS.

NEW AND IMPROVED NSS WEBSITE

The NSS web site has recently been revised and updated with a new
format that makes it easier to find its many new features. A downloadable
version of NSS’s “Roadmap for the Settlement of Space” was posted last month,
along with back issues of “L5 News”, published from 1975 to 1987 by the NSS
parent organization of the same name. Other features include an online
digest of NSS’s monthly magazine, “Ad Astra”, extensive resources for
educators, and links to space agencies, organizations, and industries around
the world. If you haven’t checked it out recently, take a minute and see
what you’ve been missing!

NSS Home Page — http://www.nss.org