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Preparations for the STS-131 mission are under way on several fronts today as Space Shuttle Program managers begin meeting to discuss Discovery’s readiness for flight. The meeting is a precursor to the agency’s executive-level review on March 26, which will establish a firm launch date for this next mission to the International Space Station. The launch is now targeted for April 5.

Launch Pad 39A technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida continue preparations to service Discovery’s hypergolic system in addition to performing leak checks on the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate quick disconnects.

In Houston, the STS-131 astronauts continue their work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as they participate in robotics and spacewalk system refresher training.

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AMSAT-UK has released images on the FUNcube website of the Command, Control and Telemetry (CCT) board being developed for the FUNcube Amateur Radio satellite.

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On March 13, 2008, the International Space Station passed across the field-of-view of Germany’s remote sensing satellite, TerraSAR-X, at a distance of 195 kilometers, or 122 miles, and at a relative speed of 34,540 kilometers per hour, or more than 22,000 mph. In contrast to optical cameras, radar does not ’see’ surfaces. Instead, it is much more aware of the edges and corners which bounce back the microwave signal it transmits. Smooth surfaces such as those on the station’s solar generators or the radiator panels used to dissipate excess heat, unless directly facing the radar antenna, tend to deflect rather than reflect the radar beam, causing these features to appear on the radar image as dark areas. The radar image of the station therefore looks like a dense collection of bright spots from which the outlines of the space station can be clearly identified. The central element on the station, to which all the modules are docked, has a grid structure that presents a multiplicity of reflecting surfaces to the radar beam, making it readily identifiable. This image has a resolution of about one meter (about 39 inches). In other words, objects can be depicted as discrete units–that is, shown separately–provided that they are at least one meter apart. If they are closer together than that, they tend to merge into a single block on a radar image. Since this image as taken, the station has expanded and is more than 90 percent complete, including a full complement of solar arrays. Image Credit: DLR

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The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is holding a symposium titled “Expectations for C

Even with more than 20 percent of its Airmen deployed to the four corners of the globe, the 689th Combat Communications Wing is in full gear honing their physical, mental, technical and combat skill-sets, and preparing for Guardian Challenge 2010.
 
Both the 3rd Combat Communications Group, also known as the 3rd Herd from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. and the 5th Combat Communications Group, known as the 5th MOB from Robins AFB have identified their teams for the "Combat Challenge" competition being incorporated into GC 2010.
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Peterson will host the 2010 Guardian Challenge competition, Air Force Space Command's premier space and cyberspace competition, May 19 to 22.

According to Gen. C. Robert Kehler, Air Force Space Command commander, the event captures the essence of competition through rigorous evaluation and hones the team's skills.

"The members who compete in Guardian Challenge are the best-of-the-best - space, cyberspace, security forces, and communication professionals in Space Command," he said.
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Today at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-131 astronauts will conduct an integrated ascent simulation before participating in their preflight news conference, airing on NASA TV at 2 p.m. EST. Preflight briefings also will air throughout the day on NASA TV, available on the Web at: www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Preparation of space shuttle Discovery continues on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where today technicians are getting ready to service the shuttle’s hypergolic system.

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NASA has exercised a $60 million, one-year extension option for a contract with Science Applications International Corporation of Houston to provide support to safety and mission assurance activities at the agency’s Johnson Space Center.