Space Coast - Society of Women Engineers Awards Banquet

Yesterday I attended the Space Coast's Society of Women Engineers Awards Banquet. I was nominated for the Distinguish New Woman Engineer award. We had guest speaker Dr. Cammy R. Abernathy (Dean, College of Engineering of University of Florida and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering) who gave a great insight about the economic shift in society that has effected the engineering disciplines within universities and industry.

I was selected to receive the award in the category I was nominated for. It was a great honor accepting this award last night and being surrounded by so many women who embrace leadership and give back to their community. I have had great support and encouragement from my mentors who have helped shape me professionally throughout my career. One thing I have learned for sure is that you can never have too many mentors. I learn a variety of qualities from the different people I look up to.

The ceremony was fantastic and I was amazed in the technical leadership of all the nominees. Below are the names of all the honorees that were recognized last night.


Nominees for Space Coast Distinguished New Woman Engineer of the Year
Mrs. Susie Allen-Sierpinski
Ms. Arianna Aron
Ms. Jessica Beahn
Lt. Sofia Calica
Ms. Patricia Del Rio
Mrs. Megan Jaunich
Ms. Brigette Linville-Padgett
Ms. Melissa Mierzwa
Ms. Erin Mulholland
Mrs. Rye Myers
Ms. Tzvetelina Petrova
Ms. Tamalyn Resnick
Ms. Amanda Sandberg
Ms. Damaris Sarria - recipient
Ms. Nicole Titus
Ms. Jessica Towslee
Ms. Sarah Walden

Nominees for Space Coast Technical Achievement Award
Capt. Shana Figueroa
Ms. Helen Garcia
Ms. Catherine Kammerer - recipient
Ms. Barbara Kerschner
Ms. Catheryn Logan
Ms. Teresa Sauter
Mrs. Carlyn Smith
Mrs. Marcella Solomon

Nominees for Space Coast Outstanding Woman Engineer of the Year Award
Ms. Beta Alfonso
Capt. Meredith Beg
Ms. Maria Groh-Hammond
Mrs. Kimberly Guodace
Mrs. Janice Jingle
Ms. Catherine Kammerer
Ms. Barbara Kerschner
Ms. Kathy McLaughlin
Mrs. Elaine Seiler
Mrs. Consuela Smith - recipient
Ms. Nancy Szpara
Ms. Denise Thaller

Endeavour is back, and Discovery is in the VAB

What a day! Preps continue in getting Endeavour back to processing for its next flight (STS-134, November 2010)....and Discovery rolled over to the VAB!!!

This Week in Space

The International Space Station gets a room with a view like no other - many wish NASA had as clear a view of what is next in space. "This Week in Space" talks to the exiled president of the "Constellation Nation" – former NASA boss Mike Griffin – who equates the Obama decision to Richard Nixon's cancellation of Apollo – only worse. And we hear from a leading space entrepreneur – Eric Anderson of Space Adventures - who says the Obama plan is "brilliant... a masterstroke of U.S. space policy."

Endeavour to land at KSC today.....maybe....

Although the skies don't look too bad right now at the Kennedy Space Center, the weather forecast for landing time continues to call for low cloud ceilings and showers in the area.

A final decision whether to land on time will come around 9 p.m., leading to ignition of Endeavour's braking rockets at 9:14:52 p.m. for 2 minutes and 38 seconds to start the trek home. The shuttle would hit the upper atmosphere at 9:49 p.m.

Landing on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 10:20:37 p.m. EST.

If the weather or a problem forces entry flight director Norm Knight to scrub the day's first re-entry opportunity and keep Endeavour in space, there is a backup landing option available one orbit later. That would begin with a deorbit engine firing at 10:50:52 p.m. and a touchdown in Florida at 11:55:50 p.m. EST.

NASA is calling up support from the alternate landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California. So if the weather prevents a landing in Florida, the spacecraft could be diverted there. The first deorbit opportunity will be 12:20:31 a.m. EST and landing on the temporary Runway 22R at 1:25:41 a.m. EST. A second shot into Edwards would come an orbit later.

However, weather forecasters are calling for the chance of low clouds and rain showers at both landing sites tonight. :(

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UPDATE: GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! Weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center are going to cooperate for the space shuttle landing this evening, allowing entry flight director Norm Knight in Mission Control to give final approval for Endeavour to perform the deorbit burn at 9:14:47 p.m. EST that will commit the spacecraft for the journey back to Earth.

Touchdown in Florida on Runway 15 is set for 10:20:32 p.m. EST

Some Awesome Shots from STS-130

Orbiter Updates :)

Lots happening here in the space world. Endeavour is scheduled to return to KSC on Sunday night at 10:25 EST. I haven’t seen a definite weather briefing, but low ceiling clouds may pose a threat to landing at KSC. The weather at Edwards Air Force base in CA. is not favorable on Sunday, but great for Monday. So…we’ll see as it gets closer to the de-orbit burn on Sunday. The hatch closure will occur today at 2:49pm and Endeavour will undock from the ISS at 7:58pm.

Discovery’s launch date has changed to April 5th at 6:27am! Roll over from the OPF will occur on Monday (weather permitting). There will be a 10 day window for this launch.

We’re busily processing Atlantis for its next launch as well. It will be rolling out of the OPF to the VAB on April 8th, rolling out to the launch pad on April 20th, and with a targeted launch date of May 14th.

STS-130: Flight Day 4

We've completed the inspection of the orbiter's imagery and found 2 areas of interest. The first issue we found was a loose ceramic insert around a fastener securing a carrier plate around one of the shuttle's cockpit windows. The fastener is protruding a bit above the surface of the window frame, as shown above. Currently, we're assessing the effects of this insert as debris transport if it were to loosen completely during reentry.

Another area of interest is a repaired tile on the upper surface of the crew module. The repair appears to have degraded and one corner of the tile is slightly protruding higher than the rest of the tile.



Neither issue appears to be a serious threat, but we do need to complete the analysis from a debris transport view and present it to the Mission Management Team.

Overall, Endeavour's surfaces looked very clean. We didn't have to log in any tile damages as none were out of criteria. The orbiter is very clean from a thermal protection standpoint. :)

STS-130: Flight Day 3

Endeavour will dock with the International Space Station at 12:06 am EST.

Today the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) was used in inspecting Endeavour's heat shield. The initial inspection sweeps using the boom have been completed by the crew. Here at Johnson Space Center, we're reviewing the data to be able to declare the heat shield safe for re-entry.

Before docking with the International Space Station, high resolution photos will be taken of the orbiter by the ISS crew and the team I'm on will begin to inspect the imagery. I'm on a overnight shift so I'm just going into work now!

Successful Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-130)!!!

Such a beautiful launch early this morning at 4:14 a.m. EST!!! As the crew of space Shuttle Endeavour is on their way to the International Space Station, I'm on my way to Houston for imagery inspection operations for the Thermal Protection System of the orbiter. Watching a launch feels so rewarding. :)

Weather conditions postpone Endeavour launch 24 hours

24-hr SCRUB!!! Low clouds over Kennedy Space Center prevented space shuttle Endeavour from launching today. Another try will come Monday at 4:14 a.m. EST.

STS-130 Launch Sunday!

The countdown has officially started for Sunday’s STS-130 launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Sunday’s (Feb. 7th) launch is scheduled for 4:39 a.m. EST and there is a 70% favorable weather conditions for lift off!!!!

So where is our Space Program headed?

Earlier this week, President Obama stated NASA’s proposed budget for the fiscal year. Starting Oct. 1 the budget seeks to cancel the current Constellation program intended to send astronauts into orbit and to the Moon. The other major change in Obama's space policy calls for $6 billion to be spent to help private companies develop rockets and crew capsules to carry astronauts to the ISS.

NASA's work on the Constellation Program, including the Ares 1 and Ares V and Orion, will continue this year while Congress examines the proposed changes. We’re all looking very forward to the thorough evaluation that will be performed by Congress of the budgetary framework President Obama has proposed to ensure NASA can sustain a robust and balanced space program of human spaceflight, climate, science, robotics and aeronautics.

So what’s new with me? Well since I was hired under the Space Shuttle Program contract, the retirement of the shuttle fleet does effect me. My plan? To find another position that will advance my career. Our option here is to continue with our position until the end of the program (or until layoffs effect us) or….there may be other opportunities that may come to KSC that we could apply for.

There is also uncertainty over the future of the astronaut corps. Space agency officials declined Tuesday to confirm if NASA's astronaut corps would continue after the space shuttle retires within the year. I have been asked by many how this effects me and if I will continue to aspire to become an astronaut. Of course I will still apply to become an astronaut if the opportunity is there! At the moment I am focusing on my current job responsibilities, looking for what direction I want to take my career next, and continue in advancing my education. I’ve been very involved with volunteering my time to encourage math, science, and technology to students through the Society of Women Engineers and through some school visits. I fully intend to continue being very active in the community wherever my next venture takes me!

Merion Elementary School Visit

Today I visited Merion Elementary School in Merion Station, PA. I have to say I had the biggest grin on my face as soon as I walked into the building. On my way to the front office I saw this sign the kids had made to welcome me!

All throughout the school halls there were more signs and in the auditorium as well. Their art work was heartwarming and greatly appreciated! I gave a special presentation to Mrs. Glackman's brilliant 3rd grade class and then to the rest of the elementary school in the auditorium.


The presentations went great and all the kids were engaged! I tried to answer as many questions as possible, but time was limited. I do encourage the parents or students to post their questions as comments and I'll make sure to answer them! I enjoyed today and I know the students did as well. Now I have some wonderful thank you cards to read through from Mrs. Glackman's class! Thanks everyone!!!

Space Shuttle Program Commemorative Patch

NASA has revealed the 15 patch designs that will compete to become the agency's official commemorative emblem for the end of its space shuttle program later this year. A panel of NASA judges will select the winning artwork to be flown on STS-132, the final flight of space shuttle Atlantis as currently scheduled for launch in May. Before they make their selection though, NASA is giving employees a chance to vote for their favorite.

Collectspace.com is hosting their own voting for the top 15! To cast your vote for your favorite patch, Click Here

85 designs were received in the Space Shuttle Program Commemorative Patch Contest from a wide variety of individuals, including astronauts and former and current civil servants and contractors.

The winning design will be flown on an upcoming shuttle mission, and the winner will be presented with their flown artwork as an award. Click here for the 85 entries that were submitted. The top 15 entries can be viewed here.

Oak Park Elementary School Visit

Today I visited Oak Park Elementary in Titusville, FL. I gave the pre-K class a presentation about the space shuttle and launch preparation processing. They enjoyed the presentation very much and got to handle some blankets and tiles. There favorite part of the presentation was watching a video from the solid rocket booster from launch to splashdown. At the end of my visit they were officially shuttle experts as I stuck a NASA sticker on them. We had a great morning!

Endeavour has begun to roll out to pad 39A!

The official start time for the rollout was clocked at 4:13 a.m. EST. It's very dark out and cold..34 degrees! More photos to come as it gets lighter out.

Happy 2010!!!

Well let's start off 2010 right! I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and I wish you all a successful and healthy 2010. I'm every excited about 2010 because it will be bringing many changes into my life. Hopefully before next launch we should be hearing what route our human spaceflight plans will take and we are all very anxious.

Endeavour will begin to roll out to pad A at 4:00am tomorrow! I have my camera ready since I'll be into work shortly after first motion. Launch is still targeted for February 7th at 4:39am.

Today, the external tank that will be used for STS-131 (Discovery) was towed into the Vehicle Assembly Building today. The next launch is targeted for March 18th, 2010.

Before we go on vacation....

Is everyone ready for this holiday season?

Here at KSC we are! The holiday vacation starts on Thursday and goes through January 3rd. During this time no work will be performed on the orbiters as we’ll all be on vacation (woo hoo!). For half of this week,

Starting with Endeavour….the vehicle is in the VAB and is just awaiting transfer to launch pad 39A which will occur on January 6th, 2010. A new launch date of February 7th, 2010 was approved last week.



Tranquility is a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the space station's life support systems. The cool thing I LOVE about Tranquility is that attached to one end of the node is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directional view will allow the crew to monitor spacewalks and docking operations, as well as provide a spectacular view of Earth and other celestial objects. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency. Here’s the cupola (covered for protection) attached to Tranquility and a picture of it before it was attached to the node.



Discovery and Atlantis are undergoing normal processing, but are also preparing for powering down during this holiday season.

As for me, last week I took my final in the combustion class I've been taking so now I can enjoy my time off of work. I also have about 3 talks to give to schools in January that I am looking forward to!

NASA 2009-2010 Moon Work Design Contest

Listen up college students!!!

NASA has a student design challenge to design tools and instrumentation for human and robotic exploration that will help astronauts perform tasks on the Moon. Students are free to select a task from the following list or propose one of their own:

Navigation in the darkness around the Moon's south pole

Power supplies for rovers in the dark

Sample retrieval and on-site analysis

Radiation detection and avoidance

Communication with lunar outpost, with orbiters, and with Earth

Video capture of sorties for transmission back to Earth

Astronaut recovery and transport back to outpost

Lunar regolith mitigation strategies for rover and space suits

Detect and retrieve water ice for use on the rover

Interested students should submit a letter of intent to enter the contest by Dec. 15. Final entries for the Moon Work challenge are due May 15, 2010. All entries must be from students at U.S. colleges or universities. Although non-citizens may be part of a team, only U.S. citizens may win NASA internships or travel awards.

Check out the website for all the guidelines at: http://moonwork.larc.nasa.gov

This week at KSC

Supporting Atlantis out in Houston went very smoothly and it was a successful 11-day mission with a beautiful landing at Kennedy Space Center. Now Atlantis is back in the Orbiter Processing Facility preparing for its next mission, STS-132.



Next in line for flight is Endeavour with a roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building scheduled for December 12. Roll out to the launch pad is scheduled for January 6th, 2010 with a targeted launch date of February 6th, 2010.

....AND....work continues on the construction of the new Mobile Launch Platform that will serve as the base to launch the Ares I rockets for the Constellation Program. When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access.