This Week @ NASA, September 11, 2015   
       
   Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 45 crew - including new   
   Commander Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren of NASA, said goodbye to Gennady   
   Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European   
   Space Agency) and Aidyn Aimbetov of the Kazakh Space Agency (Kazcosmos) as the   
   trio climbed aboard their Soyuz spacecraft for the return trip to Earth. The   
   Soyuz landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sept. 11 Eastern time, Sept. 12 in   
   Kazakhstan -- closing out a 168-day mission for Padalka and an 8-day stay on   
   the station for Mogensen and Aimbetov.   
       
   First Orion crew module segments welded   
       
   Engineers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have welded   
   together the first two segments of the next Orion crew module - bringing NASA   
   a small step closer to sending astronauts to Mars. The primary structure of   
   Orion's crew module is made of seven large aluminum pieces welded together   
   using a state-of-the-art technique called friction-stir welding to produce an   
   incredibly strong bond. This Orion will be launched on NASA's new Space Launch   
   System (SLS) rocket on a combined flight test beyond the far side of the moon.   
       
   SLS Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter   
       
   At Marshall Space Flight Center, in Huntsville, Alabama panels for a test   
   version of the Space Launch System's Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter, or LVSA are   
   being welded together. This key piece of hardware connects two major sections   
   of the SLS -- the core stage and the upper stage. When test versions of all   
   the rocket's parts are completed, engineers will move the 56-foot tall   
   structure to a test stand to verify the integrity of the hardware.   
       
   New Ceres imagery   
       
   Images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft are giving scientists the closest-yet views   
   of the gleaming bright spots from Occator crater on the dwarf planet Ceres.   
   The images - a composite view made from two different shots, and virtual   
   fly-around animations of the crater, including a topographic map, have about   
   three times better resolution than the images from a previous Dawn orbit of   
   Ceres in June.   
       
   New Horizons update   
       
   The expected year-long data download begun recently by NASA's New Horizons   
   spacecraft, includes new high resolution images that reveal the diversity and   
   complexity of the Pluto system. Some of the early imagery appears to feature   
   possible dunes; ice flows that apparently oozed out of mountainous regions   
   onto plains; ice lakes; and even networks of valleys that may have been carved   
   by material flowing over Pluto's surface. The images downloaded so far have   
   more than doubled the amount of Pluto's surface seen at resolutions as good as   
   440 yards per pixel.   
       
   9/11 tribute   
       
   A memorial event for the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on New York's World Trade   
   Center was held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.   
       
   The event at the center's Fire Station 1, paid tribute to the 343 fire and   
   rescue personnel who lost their lives during the attack. A piece of the World   
   Trade Center also was also on display at the ceremony.   
       
   On that day, 14 years ago - astronaut Frank Culbertson - the only American off   
   the planet at that time, captured footage of the aftermath from the   
   International Space Station.   
       
   National Preparedness Month   
       
   September is National Preparedness Month . a perfect opportunity to take   
   advantage of emergency training activities offered by your community or place   
   of work. Some employees at NASA headquarters took a CPR class recently. The   
   Emergency Management Teams at all NASA facilities encourage everyone to visit   
   www.ready.gov to learn more about what to do at work and home to prepare for   
   the unexpected.   
       
   And that's what's up this week @NASA .   
       
   For more on these and other stories follow us on social media and visit   
   www.nasa.gov/twan.   
       
       
   Last Updated: Sep. 11, 2015   
       
   Editor: Sarah Loff   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.99   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)