Astronaut arrives in the U.K. Event organiser Ken Willoughby does it again, event details below. Please contact Ken direct.
Tag Archives: astronaut
Harrison Schmitt U.K Visit Updates
The venue for the event Carleton Community High School have updated their website with details. There is also an updated poster here.
Veteran Space Shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson to Leave Agency
HOUSTON — Astronaut Chris Ferguson, the last commander of a space shuttle mission, has announced his plans to retire from NASA on Dec. 9. He will leave for a new job in the private sector.
“Chris has been a true leader at NASA,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, “not just as a commander of the space shuttle, but also as an exemplary civil servant, a distinguished Navy officer and a good friend. I am confident he will succeed in his next career as he brings his skill and talents to new endeavors.”
Ferguson, a retired U.S. Navy captain, served as the commander for STS-135, the final flight of space shuttle Atlantis and the 135th and final mission of America’s 30-year Space Shuttle Program.
Atlantis’ flight was Ferguson’s third trip to space. During the 13-day mission, he and his crew delivered approximately 10,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. Before his assignment to STS-135, Ferguson served as deputy chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“Chris has been a great friend, a tremendous professional and an invaluable asset to the NASA team and the astronaut office,” said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office. “His exceptional leadership helped ensure a perfect final flight of the space shuttle, a fitting tribute to the thousands who made the program possible.”
Ferguson first flew in space as the pilot of Atlantis on STS-115 in 2006, during which the P3/P4 truss segments were delivered to the station. He next flew as commander of Endeavour on STS-126 in 2008. During the mission, Ferguson and his crew delivered water recycling and habitation hardware to the station and exchanged station crew members. In total, Ferguson logged more than 40 days in space.
Ferguson joined the astronaut corps in 1998. After completing his initial training, he performed technical duties related to the shuttle’s main engines, external tank, solid rocket boosters and flight software. He also served as a spacecraft communicator in mission control for four shuttle missions.
For Ferguson’s complete biography, visit:http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ferguson.html
U.K Astronaut Tim Peake 2012 Lecture
Early details of a lecture to be given by U.K Astronaut Timothy (Tim) Peake on May 11th 2012.
Link here for a pdf leaflet for the event.
About the lecture:
“Where will man go next?” Timothy Peake – ESA Astronaut
11/05/2012 1.30/7pm
All events take place in the Pickavance Lecture Theatre at the Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory. Visit our website for travel information.
A hearing loop is installed in the lecture theatre and disabled access is
available. Please let us know when you book if you require us to make
any adjustments for your visit. Children under 16 must be accompanied
by a responsible adult. Once your booking is made, you will receive a
confirmation by email or by phone, we do not produce hard copy tickets.
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford,
Oxfordshire OX11 0QX
Booking is essential:
Book online
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/forms/ebform.aspx
Email: rltalkingscience@stfc.ac.uk
Or call
01235 445959 24 hour answerphone
About Tim Peake:
Astronaut biography
Timothy Peake
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| Timothy Peake |
European Space Agency astronaut
Personal data
Born in Chichester, the United Kingdom, on 7 April 1972. Married with one son. Peake includes skiing, scuba diving and cross country running among his leisure activities. He also enjoys reading.
Education
Peake completed his secondary education at Chichester High School for Boys in 1990. In 1992, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an officer in the British Army Air Corps. In 2005, he graduated from the Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) in Boscombe Down, where he was awarded the Westland Trophy. He received a Bachelor of Science in flight dynamics and evaluation from the University of Portsmouth in 2006.
Special Honours
Peake was awarded a Certificate for Meritorious Service for exemplary and dedicated service to the British Army in 2006.
Organisations
Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
Experience
Upon becoming an Army Air Corps officer in 1992, Peake served on attachment with the Royal Green Jackets as a Platoon Commander in Northern Ireland, prior to commencing flying training. He was awarded his Army Flying Wings in 1994.
Between 1994 and 1998 he served as a reconnaissance pilot and flight commander in Germany, the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, Kenya and Canada. He also qualified as a Combat Survival and Rescue Instructor and a Flight Safety Officer.
Peake qualified as a helicopter flying instructor in 1998 prior to being selected for an exchange posting with the US Army, flying Apache helicopters at Fort Hood, Texas.(1999-2002). On his return to the UK, Peake was employed as an Apache helicopter instructor from 2002 to 2005, during which time he was instrumental in introducing the Apache into service with the British Army.
On completion of test pilot training, Peake served with Rotary Wing Test Squadron, Boscombe Down, between 2006 and 2009. He was the senior Apache test pilot in addition to test pilot for Special Forces aircraft projects. He was also the Squadron Training Officer and qualified as a Post Crash Management Incident Officer.
On retirement from the British Army in 2009, Peake was employed as a helicopter test pilot for AgustaWestland, flying Apache, Lynx, EH101 and A109 aircraft. He has logged over 3000 hours flying time on more than 30 types of helicopter and fixed wing aircraft, including the Hawk, Dakota, Harvard and Mi-17.
Peake was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. He joined ESA in September 2009 and successfully completed Astronaut Basic Training in November 2010. Among other duties, he is currently training for Eurocom certification, which will allow him to be responsible for the communication between the astronauts in orbit and the ground during spaceflights.
Peake was appointed as an ambassador for UK Science and space-based careers in 2009 and is involved in working with the UK Space Agency in developing the UK’s microgravity research programme. He is currently based at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
July 2011
NASA To Seek Applicants For Next Astronaut Candidate Class
HOUSTON — In early November, NASA will seek applicants for its next class of astronaut candidates who will support long-duration missions to the International Space Station and future deep space exploration activities.”For scientists, engineers and other professionals who have always dreamed of experiencing spaceflight, this is an exciting time to join the astronaut corps,” said Janet Kavandi, director of flight crew operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. “This next class will support missions to the station and will arrive via transportation systems now in development. They also will have the opportunity to participate in NASA’s continuing exploration programs that will include missions beyond low Earth orbit.”
For more information, visit:
A bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or math and three years of relevant professional experience are required in order to be considered. Typically, successful applicants have significant qualifications in engineering or science, or extensive experience flying high-performance jet-aircraft.
After applicant interviews and evaluations, NASA expects to announce the final selections in 2013, and training to begin that August.
Additional information about the Astronaut Candidate Program is available by calling the Astronaut Selection Office at 281-483-5907.
For astronaut portraits please visit the Spaceboosters Online Store
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst to fly to Space Station in 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst has been assigned to fly to the International Space Station on a 6-month mission in 2014, serving as a flight engineer for Expeditions 40 and 41.
Alexander is the second of the new group of European astronauts, which graduated last November, to be assigned to a mission.
He will be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in May 2014, returning to Earth in November 2014.
After conquering remote mountains and working in Antarctica, the 35 year-old geophysicist and volcanologist will become the third German to visit the Station.
He will be accompanied by Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin, as Soyuz commander, and NASA astronaut G. Reid Wiseman.
Cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson will also share part of the mission with Alexander as members of Expeditions 39 and 40.
Alexander’s flight will be the sixth long-duration mission for an ESA astronaut.
“ESA Member States have decided to extend their support to the exploitation of the International Space Station up to 2020,” said Thomas Reiter, ESA’s Director for Human Spaceflight and Operations.
“The appointment of the new group of European astronauts to long-duration missions reflects the commitment of Member States.
“Alexander Gerst will pursue the European goals in a long fruitful German tradition.
“He will now get ready for the challenges ahead in 2014 … and beyond”
Alexander says, “It is a great honour for me to get the chance to contribute to the long tradition of European and German space flight.
“This mission will be a positive challenge not only for me but for all the dedicated people working at ESA and the national space agencies, who make spaceflight possible through their passion and fascination.
“I am looking forward to flying to space on the shoulders of this gigantic team, to the boundaries of our capabilities and knowledge in order to venture out a little further and to shine some more light into the darkness.
“And just as much I am looking forward to returning to Earth six months later with a wide variety of important scientific knowledge and a new perspective on our planet, which I will then gladly share with you.”
Busy time ahead
Alexander has completed pre-assignment training in Russia, the US and Canada.
Based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, he will spend much of his time training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and at Star City, Moscow.
The next European to venture into space will be Andre Kuipers, who will be launched to the Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft not later than 26 December, according to the latest tentative manifest.
Next up will be Luca Parmitano, the first to be assigned from the new group of ESA astronauts. His mission, a flight opportunity provided by the Italian space agency, is planned to begin in May 2013.
All three ESA astronauts will stay aboard the Space Station for almost six months and work as flight engineers. Their responsibilities will include Station maintenance and scientific research, and possibly robotics and spacewalking activities.
Astronauts and more: join us at German Aerospace Day on Sunday
14 September 2011
Space comes down to Earth on Sunday in Cologne when ESA’s Astronaut Centre and the German Aerospace Center open their doors to the public. Europe’s first space tweetup and live webstreams will let you join in and look around.
In a rare event, many astronauts will home in on the European Astronaut Centre this weekend. And you are invited!
On the same campus in the Porz neighbourhood near Cologne–Bonn airport, the DLR German Aerospace Center will display large research aircraft alongside many smaller ones, while opening its research facilities to the public.
The Right Stuff gathering at the EAC astronaut centre on 18 September will include ESA’s Paolo Nespoli and Roberto Vittori with NASA crewmates Catherine Coleman, Gregory Johnson, Michael Finke, Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff.
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Chance to meet European astronauts
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EAC will open its doors at 10:00 CEST, with the exciting presentations beginning at 11:15, starting with the ‘DAMA’ mission.
Last May’s Space Shuttle lofted a major science package to the International Space Station to hunt for ‘dark matter’ – hence the name DAMA for the mission of ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori.
All the Shuttle crew will come to Cologne and talk about their extraordinary flight.
The next EAC highlight is the MagISStra mission. ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli worked on the Space Station for almost six months until last June. His tweets and photos entertained a large audience, and now he will tell the story of his mission assisted by crewmate Catherine Coleman.
Other ESA astronauts, including Thomas Reiter, now leading the Agency’s human spaceflight and operations, Michel Tognini, head of EAC, and most of ESA’s new astronaut group will be also around.
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German Aerospace Day is a crowd-puller
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Not only astronauts
Exploiting the Station as a space laboratory will be to the fore on Sunday. The full-size training mockups of the Station’s modules, Europe’s Columbus laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle will be open to the public, along with real astronaut training and medical monitoring equipment – and the people working with them.
ESA’s Lunar Lander and Space Situational Awareness programmes will also be highlighted.
ESA’s educational teams, targeting schools and university students, will showcase their many activities.
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SOFIA flying observatory
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DLR events
The activities at the DLR campus will also start at 10:00 CEST. The public will be able to visit various DLR institutes and facilities up to 18:00.
In addition, part of the airport tarmac will be open to display planes such as SOFIA – Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy – a Boeing 747 SP airliner modified as a flying observatory for German and other astronomers.
This is SOFIA’s first visit to Europe from its home base in California.
Another rarity on show will be the Airbus A300 Zero-G – the world’s largest aircraft for creating weightlessness for research and astronaut training. You will be able to climb on board 14:00–16:30 CEST.
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Remember: @spacetweetup
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Available online
German Aerospace Day will be an unprecedented web event. ESA and DLR will broadcast live video, and Europe’s first space tweetup will spread the word throughout the day.
ESA and DLR have invited 60 Twitter followers to this informal, educational gathering. They will have exclusive access to places and events, and some of them will meet the astronauts.
If you can’t come to Cologne, go to www.esa.int, subscribe to @spacetweetup and follow the tweetup on Facebook!
Map of the German Aerospace Day venue, for full explanations, see www.tagderluftundraumfahrt.de.
NASA Sets Launch Date For Final Space Shuttle Mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Atlantis’ Commander Chris Ferguson and his three crewmates are scheduled to begin a 12-day mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-135 mission is the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.
The launch date was announced Tuesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station’s equipment, support systems and personnel are ready.
Atlantis’ STS-135 mission will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with supplies and spare parts to sustain space station operations after the shuttles are retired.
The mission also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), an experiment designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space – even satellites not designed to be serviced. The crew also will return an ammonia pump that recently failed on the station. Engineers want to understand why the pump failed and improve designs for future spacecraft.
The crew consists of Commander Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. They are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy on Monday, July 4, for final launch preparations.
STS-135 is the 135th shuttle mission, Atlantis’ 33rd flight and the 37th shuttle mission to the station.
Training for Expedition 28
Attired in a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit, NASA astronaut Mike Fossum participated in spacewalk training in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Divers in the water assisted Fossum in his rehearsal, which helps prepare him and his fellow astronauts for work on the exterior of the International Space Station.
Image Credit: NASA
The 50th Anniversary Of U.S. Human Spaceflight
WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement Thursday, May 5, about the 50th anniversary of United States human spaceflight: “50 years ago today, Alan Shepard rocketed into space on America’s first manned space mission. That flight set our nation on a path of exploration and discovery that continues to this day. “May 5, 1961, was a good day. When Alan Shepard launched toward the stars that day, no American had ever done so, and the world waited on pins and needles praying for a good outcome.
The flight was a great success, and on the strength of Shepard’s accomplishment, NASA built the leadership role in human spaceflight that we have held ever since. “I was a teenager at the time and just sorting out the field of study I wanted to pursue. Though I never dared dream it growing up in segregated South Carolina, I was proud to follow in Alan’s footsteps several years later and become a test pilot myself.
The experiences I’ve had would not have been possible without Alan’s pioneering efforts. The inspiration that has created generations of leaders to enlarge our understanding of our universe and to strive toward the highest in human potential was sparked by those early achievements of our space program. They began with Freedom 7 and a daring test pilot who flew the ultimate experimental vehicle that May day 50 years ago.
“Today we celebrate a first — and we celebrate the future. Project Mercury gave our country something new, including an astronaut corps and the space vehicles that began our human exploration efforts. “I encourage everyone to not only remember that remarkable achievement, but to be reminded that we are still driven to reach for new heights in human exploration. “At NASA, each first is grown and expanded until we make the next breakthrough. 50 years ago, we sent the first American into space. Today we have a space station flying 250 miles overhead right now on which men and women have lived continuously for more than 10 years. “With the same spirit of innovation and grit of those early days of space flight, we now move out on an exciting path forward where we will develop the capabilities to take humans to even more destinations in the solar system.
With our support and assistance, commercial companies will expand access to that rarefied area Alan Shepard first trod for America, allowing NASA to focus on those bigger, more challenging destinations and to enable our science missions to peer farther and farther beyond our solar system. “We are just getting started. Our future, as an agency and as a country, holds many more firsts. We know the next 50 years will be just as exciting as the last – filled with discovery, innovation and inspiration.
Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, right and United States Postal Service Vice President of Finance Steve Masse unveil a pair of stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shepard’s launch into space aboard the Mercury spacecraft “Freedom 7.”
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
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