[meteorite-list] Media Invited to Simulation of Asteroid Mission

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:21:43 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201201180021.q0I0Lh83002265_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

Jan. 17, 2012

J.D. Harrington / Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-5241/1979
j.d.harrington at nasa.gov / michael.j.braukus at nasa.gov

Brandi Dean
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
brandi.k.dean at nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-009

MEDIA INVITED TO SIMULATION OF ASTEROID MISSION

HOUSTON - An astronaut and geologist will camp out in a prototype
Space Exploration Vehicle this week to simulate an asteroid mission
at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Astronaut Al Drew and
geologist Jose M. Hurtado of the University of Texas in El Paso will
spend three days and two nights living inside the Space Exploration
Vehicle, or SEV's, cabin.

Media representatives interested in seeing part of the simulation at
2:30 p.m. CST Thursday, Jan. 19, must contact Brandi Dean at
brandi.k.dean at nasa.gov by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

The public is invited to ask the crew questions via Twitter
_at_Desert_RATS for a Twitterview the crew will participate in at 4:15
p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20. Questions should be marked #SEV. RATS stands
for Research and Technology Studies.

The SEV will be placed on an air-bearing floor to allow it to
virtually float, much the way a hockey puck floats on an air hockey
table. This will allow the crew to see how the SEV would handle in a
microgravity environment and evaluate the view from the vehicle's
windows.

During the media opportunity, one crew member will be conducting a
simulated spacewalk in the virtual reality laboratory as the other
assists from inside the SEV. Journalists also will be able to see the
rover moving on the air-bearing floor as the crew simulates driving
it in microgravity.

For information about the RATS tests, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/desertrats

For more information about the SEV, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/SEV.html

Follow the RATS via Twitter at:

http://www.twitter.com/Desert_RATS

-end-
Received on Tue 17 Jan 2012 07:21:43 PM PST