Space Science

NASA and Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas are holding a media availability at 1:30 p.m. EDT, Thursday, May 23, to discuss the agency's Space Act Agreement with the company for its insight on collaborating with commercial industry on exploration beyond Earth orbit. Participating in the media event are: William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator, human exploration and operations, NASA Robert Bigelow, founder and president, Bigelow Aerospace Under the agreement, Bigelow will work with a variety of commercial space companies to assess and develop options for innovative and dynamic private and public investments to create infrastructure to support domestic and international governmental exploration activities alongside revenue generating private sector enterprises. Bigelow will deliver its analysis by the end of this year. The agreement includes a two-phased approach that will help NASA assess potential opportunities for collaboration. During the first phase, Bigelow will leverage its existing relationships with other private companies and its expertise from continuing operations in space to form common objectives between the private sector and NASA. In the second phase, Bigelow will create a series of options for public-private collaboration that lower costs and takes advantage of rapid implementation. NASA and Bigelow have previously announced an addition of a Bigelow Aerospace inflatable habitat addition to the International Space Station to be lofted to space sometime in the next 36-months.

Guatemala's top court overturned the genocide conviction of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt and ordered on Monday that his trial restart.

A hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives' Science, Space and Technology Committee is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 and will feature astronomers known for their expertise in moon and Mars exploration, as well as a former NASA official and a co-founder of The Planetary Society, a nonprofit dedicated to space exploration. The purpose of the hearing is to examine possible next steps in human space flight and how these options move the United States closer to a human mission to Mars and beyond. In particular, the committee will explore whether the Administration's proposed asteroid rendezvous is a better precursor for an eventual human mission to Mars compared to an Apollo-like follow-on missions to return to the Moon (PDF document). The panel is organized by the Subcommittee on Space, and will be held at the 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. You can watch the broadcast live here. Paul Spudis, a geologist specializing in lunar science at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston Steve Squyres, a Cornell University astronomer who is principal investigator of NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars Douglas Cooke, former associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate who now owns the Cooke Concepts and Solutions consulting company Louis Friedman, co-leader of the Keck Institute for Space Studies Asteroid Retrieval Mission Study and co-founder and executive director emeritus of The Planetary Society

BEIJING (AP) — The owner of a Chinese fishing boat seized for ransom by unidentified North Koreans says the boat and its 16 crew members have been released.

This time lapse mosaic shows Curiosity maneuvering the robotic arm to drill into her 2nd rock target named “Cumberland” to collect powdery Martian material on May 19, 2013 (Sol 279) for analysis by her onboard chemistry labs; SAM & Chemin. The photo mosaic was stitched from raw images captured by the navcam cameras on May 14 & May 19 (Sols 274 & 279). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ken Kremer/Marco Di Lorenzo NASA’s Curiosity rover has just successfully bored inside ancient rocks on Mars for only the 2nd time since her nail biting landing in August 2012 inside Gale Crater as she searches for the ingredients of life. On Sunday, May 20, the rover drilled about 2.6 inches (6.6 centimeters) deep into a target named “Cumberland” to collect powdery samples from the rocks interior that hold the secrets to the history of water and habitability on the Red Planet. “Cumberland” is literally just a stone’s throw away from the first drill target named “John Klein” where Curiosity bored the historic first drilling on an alien world three months ago in February.(...)Read the rest of Curiosity Drills 2nd Hole into Ancient Mars Rocks Searching for the Ingredients of Life (680 words) © Ken Kremer for Universe Today, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Curiosity Rover, Mars, Mars Rovers, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), MSL, NASA, Search for Life Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Utah police say Powell's brother-in-law was "heavily involved" in getting rid of her body.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley skipped Boston College's commencement to protest its decision.

An official says the administration was twice told of the IRS was preparing to make public its targeting of conservative political groups.

(Reuters) - The death toll from a huge tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma on Monday rose to 51, the state medical examiner's office said. Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead, up from 37 fatalities reported earlier. The powerful tornado, rated the second highest strength level of EF4 and packing winds of up to 200 miles per hour, touched down at midafternoon and devastated a wide area of the town. (Reporting By Brendan O'Brien; Writing by Greg McCune; Editing by Bill Trott)

Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Okla. Was Severely Damaged