NASA Administrator Supports Apollo Engine Recovery

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden regarding the efforts announced this week by Jeff Bezos to recover main engines from the Saturn V first stage rocket of Apollo 11:

“I would like to thank Jeff Bezos for his communication with NASA informing us of his historic find. I salute him and his entire team on this bold venture and wish them all the luck in the world.

“NASA does retain ownership of any artifacts recovered and would likely offer one of the Saturn V F-1 engines to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington under long-standing arrangements with the institution as the holder of the national collection of aerospace artifacts.

Full Story: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/mar/HQ_12-102_Bolden_Bezos_Ap_Eng.html

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NASA Administrator Meets With Apollo Astronauts to Resolve Artifact Ownership Issues

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden regarding the ownership of early space exploration mementos and artifacts:

“Earlier today, I had a good meeting with former Apollo astronauts Jim Lovell, Gene Cernan, Charlie Duke, Rusty Schweickart and other representatives of former astronauts and agency personnel, where we discussed how to resolve the misunderstandings and ownership questions regarding flight mementos and other artifacts.

“These are American heroes, fellow astronauts, and personal friends who have acted in good faith, and we have committed to work together to find the right policy and legal paths forward to address outstanding ownership questions.

Full Story: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/jan/HQ_12-006_Astro_Artifacts.html

NASA Administrator Bolden Lauds Apollo 11 Crew And John Glenn

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden made these remarks today during a ceremony in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where leaders of Congress honored astronauts John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins with congressional gold medals:

“As we embark upon the next great chapter of human space exploration, we stand on the shoulders of the extraordinary men we recognize today. Those of us who have had the privilege to fly in space followed the trail they forged.

America’s leadership in space and the confidence that we can go farther into the unknown and achieve great things as a people rests on the achievements of these brave men.

Full Story: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/nov/HQ_11-390_Gold_Medals.html

US Space Program ‘Embarrassing,’ Says Armstrong

The first man to walk on the moon had some strong words for the U.S. space program on Thursday, telling the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology that the retirement of the space shuttle has left it in an “embarrassing” state, according to AFP reports.

“We will have no American access to, and return from, low Earth orbit and the International Space Station for an unpredictable length of time in the future,” former astronaut Neil Armstrong, one of four space experts testifying before the committee, said, according to a September 22 report by Kerry Sheridan of the French news agency.

“For a country that has invested so much for so long to achieve a leadership position in space exploration and exploitation, this condition is viewed by many as lamentably embarrassing and unacceptable,” the 81-year-old Apollo 11 commander said.

Full Story: http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112387884/us-space-program-embarrassing-says-armstrong/index.html

The Sounds Of NASA Available For Download

Historic and interesting sounds and sound bites from NASA space missions are available for download as ringtones or on your computer for events, errors, alarms and notifications.

The public now can hear the roar of a space shuttle launch or Neil Armstrong’s, “One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind,” every time they get a phone call. A new NASA web page now has a collection of more than 35 different sounds, each approximately 20 seconds. Examples include:

– Apollo 13’s John “Jack” Swigert commenting “Houston, we’ve had a problem”
– Crackle of the historic last launch of the space shuttle, STS-135
– Segments from President John F. Kennedy’s historic moon speech
– Sound wave conversions of the light curve waves created by stars discovered by NASA’s Kepler mission and other sounds of planets and stars

Full Story: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/sep/HQ_11-321_NASA_Sounds.html

New LROC Images Offer Sharper Views of Apollo 12, 14, 17 Sites

Photo by: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

The Arizona State University team that oversees the imaging system on board NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has released the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 sites, more clearly showing the paths made when the astronauts explored these areas.

The higher resolution of these images is possible because of adjustments made to LRO’s elliptical orbit. On Aug. 10 a special pair of stationkeeping maneuvers were performed in place of the standard maneuvers, lowering LRO from its usual altitude of 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) to an altitude that dipped as low as 21 kilometers (nearly 13 miles) as it passed over the Moon’s surface.

Full Story: http://asunews.asu.edu/20110906_apollosites

NASA Announces Media Teleconference on New Apollo Images

NASA will host a media teleconference at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 6, to reveal new images of three Apollo landing sites taken from the agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO.

Full Story: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/sep/HQ_M11-184_LRO_Apollo_Telecon.html