This Week at NASA...
"3-2-1 ... we have ignition, we have liftoff."
Orbital Sciences Corporation's Cygnus cargo craft launched aboard the company's Antares
rocket from Wallops Flight Facility on a demonstration mission to the International Space Station.
"The International Space Station is our key piece right now for human exploration.
With this successful mission, super-excited about what that opens up for us as an agency."
The Cygnus demo mission is part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
program to develop viable partnerships to resupply the space station.
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 37/38 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov
and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency and NASA Flight
Engineer Michael Hopkins continued preparations for their September 26 launch to the International
Space Station.
They'll join Expedition 37 Commander Fyodor Yurchikin, NASA's Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano
of the European Space Agency onboard the ISS.
After its longest drive yet, the Mars Curiosity rover reached an area with exposed layers
of bedrock, that's being called Darwin.
Analysis of Darwin may provide evidence of whether and how water played a role in the
layering of rocks in this region.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center hosted its annual Innovation & Technology Day expo
to showcase pioneering technology being developed at the Center.
The expo provides an opportunity for the Marshall workforce to learn about the work of and collaborate
with other organizations around the Center.
This week, NASA joined others in celebration of National Aerospace Week.
The annual observance recognizes the contributions of NASA and others in the aerospace industry
to America's economy, global competitiveness and national security.
NASA continues to develop technologies in anticipation of emerging global trends in
the aviation industry.
In conjunction with an event on Capitol Hill honoring the Boys and Girls Club of America's
"Youth of the Year", NASA Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin signed a Space
Act Agreement forming a partnership with the organization.
The event was attended by lawmakers and several celebrities who grew up as members of the
Boys and Girls Club and credit the organization for helping them succeed in life.
Marshall Space Flight Center hosted a "Business to Business Forum" in Mobile, Alabama to provide
area small businesses with information about doing business with NASA and other federal
organizations.
Mobile native and Space Launch System program manager Todd May was on hand with Astronaut
Tony Antonelli to discuss the enabling role of the SLS in of deep space exploration.
Students at Hardy Middle School in Washington, D.C., were treated to a high-energy, hip-hop
physics show -- when FMA Live!
Forces in Motion kicked off its 2013 season.
A collaboration between NASA and Honeywell, the live, interactive ensemble teaches Newton's
Laws of Motion and Universal Laws of Gravity using actors, dance, music videos, science
demonstrations and video interviews with scientists and engineers.
"Ah, Roger.
Liftoff and the clock has started ... reading you loud and clear."
NASA has a collection of historic sounds available for download that you can use for ringtones,
default computer sounds or anything else you can imagine.
So, if you make a mistake on your computer -- instead of this.
It could be this.
"Houston, we've had a problem."
And that's This Week @NASA.
For more on these and other stories, or to follow us on iTunes, Foursquare and other
social media, log on to www.nasa.gov.