X-34 Program Status

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated the current X-34 program in 1996 as part of the U.S. Space Agencie's effort to dramatically reduce the cost of access to space. The X-34 is the First in a series of 'Pathfinder' vehicles designed to conduct flight testing of key launch vehicle technologies at low cost. The X-34 program has moved rapidly from the drawing board to hardware buildup with the first flight scheduled for 1999. The development of the X-34 has been accomplished by a unique blend of industry and government organizations and personnel working closely together. The program will provide rocket-powered winged vehicles that can fly sub-orbital missions in support of advanced reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology development. In addition, the X-34 vehicles will represent a hypersonic testbed for advanced experiments in the aeronautical sciences

NASA's Space Launch System Progress Report

Exploration beyond Earth will be an enduring legacy for future generations, confirming America's commitment to explore, learn, and progress. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Program, managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center, is responsible for designing and developing the first exploration-class rocket since the Apollo Program's Saturn V that sent Americans to the Moon. The SLS offers a flexible design that may be configured for the MultiPurpose Crew Vehicle and associated equipment, or may be outfitted with a payload fairing that will accommodate flagship science instruments and a variety of high-priority experiments. Both options support a national capability that will pay dividends for future generations. Building on legacy systems, facilities, and expertise, the SLS will have an initial lift capability of 70 metric tons (mT) and will be evolvable to 130 mT. While commercial launch vehicle providers service the International Space Station market, this capability will surpass all vehicles, past and present, providing the means to do entirely new missions, such as human exploration of asteroids and Mars. With its superior lift capability, the SLS can expand the interplanetary highway to many possible destinations, conducting revolutionary missions that will change the way we view ourselves, our planet and its place in the cosmos. To perform missions such as these, the SLS will be the largest launch vehicle ever built. It is being designed for safety and affordability - to sustain our journey into the space age. Current plans include launching the first flight, without crew, later this decade, with crewed flights beginning early next decade. Development work now in progress is based on heritage space systems and working knowledge, allowing for a relatively quick start and for maturing the SLS rocket as future technologies become available. Together, NASA and the U.S. aerospace industry are partnering to develop this one-of-a-kind asset. Many of NASA's space centers across the country will provide their unique expertise to the Space Launch System endeavor. Unique infrastructure to be used includes the Michoud Assembly Facility for tank manufacturing, Stennis Space Center for engine testing, and Kennedy Space Center for processing and launch. As this panel will discuss, the SLS team is dedicated to doing things differently-from applying lean oversight/insight models to smartly using legacy hardware and existing facilities. Building on the foundation laid by over 50 years of human and scientific space flight--and on the lessons learned from the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and Constellation Programs-the SLS team has delivered both technical trade studies and business case analyses to ensure that the SLS architecture will be safe, affordable, reliable, and sustainable

A high-field adiabatic fast passage ultracold neutron spin flipper for the UCNA experiment

The UCNA collaboration is making a precision measurement of the β asymmetry (A) in free neutron decay using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). A critical component of this experiment is an adiabatic fast passage neutron spin flipper capable of efficient operation in ambient magnetic fields on the order of 1 T. The requirement that it operate in a high field necessitated the construction of a free neutron spin flipper based, for the first time, on a birdcage resonator. The design, construction, and initial testing of this spin flipper prior to its use in the first measurement of A with UCN during the 2007 run cycle of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center's 800 MeV proton accelerator is detailed. These studies determined the flipping efficiency of the device, averaged over the UCN spectrum present at the location of the spin flipper, to be ϵ(overbar) = 0.9985(4)

NASA's Space Launch System Progress Report

Exploration beyond Earth orbit will be an enduring legacy for future generations, as it provides a platform for science and exploration that will define new knowledge and redefine known boundaries. NASA s Space Launch System (SLS) Program, managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center, is responsible for designing and developing the first exploration-class rocket since the Apollo Program s Saturn V that sent Americans to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s. The SLS offers a flexible design that may be configured for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle with associated life-support equipment and provisions for long journeys or may be outfitted with a payload fairing that will accommodate flagship science instruments and a variety of high-priority experiments. Building on legacy systems, facilities, and expertise, the SLS will have an initial lift capability of 70 tonnes (t) in 2017 and will be evolvable to 130 t after 2021. While commercial launch vehicle providers service the International Space Station market, this capability will surpass all vehicles, past and present, providing the means to do entirely new missions, such as human exploration of Mars. Building on the foundation laid by over 50 years of human and scientific space flight and on the lessons learned from the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and Constellation Programs the SLS team is delivering both technical trade studies and business case analyses to ensure that the SLS architecture will be safe, affordable, reliable, and sustainable. This panel will address the planning and progress being made by NASA s SLS Program

Efficacy of HIV/STI behavioral interventions for heterosexual African American men in the United States: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis estimates the overall efficacy of HIV prevention interventions to reduce HIV sexual risk behaviors and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among heterosexual African American men. A comprehensive search of the literature published during 1988–2008 yielded 44 relevant studies. Interventions significantly reduced HIV sexual risk behaviors and STIs. The stratified analysis for HIV sexual risk behaviors indicated that interventions were efficacious for studies specifically targeting African American men and men with incarceration history. In addition, interventions that had provision/referral of medical services, male facilitators, shorter follow-up periods, or emphasized the importance of protecting family and significant others were associated with reductions in HIV sexual risk behaviors. Meta-regression analyses indicated that the most robust intervention component is the provision/referral of medical services. Findings indicate that HIV interventions for heterosexual African American men might be more efficacious if they incorporated a range of health care services rather than HIV/STI-related services alone

The Vascular Flora of Doolittle Prairie State Preserve - A Prairie Pothole Wetland Complex

Doolittle Prairie State Preserve is a 10 ha prairie pothole wetland complex located in Story County, central Iowa. A vascular flora of Doolittle Prairie is compiled and the prominent vegetation communities and zones described based on field observations by the authors and several additional investigators from 1982 to 1997. The preserve contains 14 shallow wetlands comprised of low prairie, wet meadow, and shallow emergent plant communities, as well as a disturbed prairie community and fence rows. These communities support a diverse vascular flora of 223 native species, plus 42 non-natives, representing 59 families and 178 genera. The Asteraceae (40), Poaceae (24), and Cyperaceae (22) families contained the greatest number of native plant species. The low prairie community has the highest number of species (104) and the greatest species overlap with the disturbed prairie and wet meadow communities. The fence row/parking area community contains the second highest number of species (101) and the greatest number of non-natives (33), with 78% of the species restricted to that community. Species number decreased in communities with increasing soil moisture. The wet meadow (46 species) and shallow emergent (14 species) communities contained the lowest number of species. A quantitative comparison of floristic composition was made between Doolittle Prairie and three other Iowa state preserves of similar size and vegetation community types. Floristic similarity between Doolittle Prairie and the other preserves ranged from 35-39%

Antitumor Activity of Selected Derivatives of Pyrazole- Benzenesulfonamides from Dilithiated C(α), N-Phenylhydrazones and Lithiated Methyl 2-(Aminosulfonyl)benzoate

Several pyrazole-benzenesulfonamides were subjected to biological evaluation involving tumor formation on potato discs caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This assay led to some excellent and promising initial results with three of the pyrazole compounds showing increased tumor inhibition when compared to a recognized standard, camptothecin. The select pyrazole-benzenesulfonamides were prepared by condensation-cyclization of several dilithiated C(α),N-phenylhydrazones with lithiated methyl 2-aminosulfonyl-benzoate

Propulsion Progress for NASA's Space Launch System

Leaders from NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will participate in a panel discussing the progress made on the program's propulsion systems. The SLS will be the nation's next human-rated heavy-lift vehicle for new missions beyond Earth's orbit. With a first launch slated for 2017, the SLS Program is turning plans into progress, with the initial rocket being built in the U.S.A. today, engaging the aerospace workforce and infrastructure. Starting with an overview of the SLS mission and programmatic status, the discussion will then delve into progress on each of the primary SLS propulsion elements, including the boosters, core stage engines, upper stage engines, and stage hardware. Included will be a discussion of the 5-segment solid rocket motors (ATK), which are derived from Space Shuttle and Ares developments, as well as the RS-25 core stage engines from the Space Shuttle inventory and the J- 2X upper stage engine now in testing (Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne). The panel will respond to audience questions about this important national capability for human and scientific space exploration missions