February Lagniappe available

The February issue of Lagniappe, a monthly newsletter about NASA activities at Stennis Space Center, is available for download. This issue includes a story about NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the test of an Aeroject AJ26 rocket engine; Stennis hosting NASA day at the capitol; a visit by Rep. Steven Palazzo; the "moon tree" planting at Infinity Science Center and more. (Source: Lagniappe, February 2011)

Scheuermann: Budget reflects commitment

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The president's proposed $18.7 billion budget for NASA in fiscal year 2012 reflects a commitment to long-term job growth, said Stennis Space Center Director Patrick Scheuermann. "As in the past, the unique test facilities and technical expertise at the John C. Stennis Space Center will continue to play a key role in the development and certification of new rocket propulsion systems," said Scheuermann. He added that the center's Applied Science and Technology Project Office will support essential scientific research while managing the Gulf of Mexico Initiative for NASA's Applied Sciences Program. (Source: NASA, 02/14/11)

SSC hosts NASA Day at Capitol

Representatives from NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center visited Jackson, Miss., Thursday to meet with Mississippi legislators as part of NASA Day at the Capitol. NASA Day is an annual event to thank Mississippi legislators for their continued support of NASA and to highlight Stennis Space Center's role in America's space program. (Source: NASA, 02/11/11)

Orion shipped out from Michoud

NEW ORLEANS - Lockheed Martin shipped out the first Orion crew module Thursday from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. It's bound for Lockheed's Denver, Colo., facilities, where it will be integrated with a heat shield and thermal protection backshell, then tested to confirm Orion's ability to safely fly astronauts through deep space missions. It will later undergo simulated water landings at Langley's Hydro Impact Basin in Hampton, Va. This Orion ground test vehicle has already validated advanced production processes, equipment and tools required to manufacture the Orion crew module space flight hardware. (Source: Lockheed Martin, 02/10/11)

Engine tested without a hitch

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - A 52-second test of an Aerojet AJ26 rocket engine Monday went without a hitch. Executives from NASA, Aerojet and Orbital Sciences Corp. were on hand for the flight acceptance test of the AJ26, which will be the Stage 1 engine for Orbital's Taurus II space launch vehicle. NASA formed a $1.9 billion contract with Orbital to launch eight cargo missions to the International Space Station through 2015. The Aerojet AJ26, originally made in Russia 50 years ago, was tested at the E-1 test stand at Stennis, which had to be adapted to fire the engine in the vertical position. (Source: Sun Herald, 02/07/11)

AJ26 test scheduled

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and executives from Orbital Science Corp. and Aerojet will be on hand Feb. 7 for a flight acceptance test of an Aerojet AJ26 rocket engine at Stennis Space Center. Members of the media have been invited to see the 4 p.m. test. The engine will be used in Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II space launch vehicle. Once flight acceptance testing on the engine is complete, it will be delivered to Orbital at the Wallops Flight Facility launch site in Virginia for integration with the rocket's first stage core power. NASA has partnered with Orbital to provide eight cargo missions to the International Space Station, with the first scheduled for early 2012. (Source: NASA, 02/04/11)

Sats examined for contamination

Lockheed Martin has been conducting exoneration exercises for A2100-based satellites in various stages of manufacturing to ensure that foreign object debris (FOD) wasn't introduced during manufacturing, according to Aviation Week. FOD in the oxidizer line is thought to have caused the failure of the liquid apogee engine on the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite. The propulsion system for AEHF-1 was built at Lockheed Martin's facility at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., in 2006. (Source: Aviation Week, 02/02/11)

February Messenger available

The February issue of Michoud Messenger, a monthly newsletter about activities at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, is available for download. The issue includes reports about last month's industry day, Contact 2011, which drew 800 participants; the visit by Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise; information on the installation of a GPS station and more. (Source: Michoud Messenger, February 2011)

Moon tree to be planted

School children will mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 14 mission to the moon by planting a "moon tree" near the front promenade of the Infinity Science Center Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa brought seeds of various species on the lunar mission, and they were later planted and resulted in over 450 "moon trees." The science center's mission is to motivate students to take a greater interest in science, technology, mathematics and engineering, and to enhance science literacy in the general public. (Source: Infinity Science Center, 01/27/11)