NASA Daily News Summary For Release: Feb. 10, 2000 Media Advisory m00-025 SUMMARY NEWS RELEASES: AGENCIES WORKING TO IMPROVE AIR TRAFFIC SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY AEROSPACE SAFETY ADVISORY PANEL TO PRESENT REPORT TO NASA VIDEO: ALL TIMES EASTERN Video File for Feb. 10, 2000 ITEM 1 - X-33 AEROSPIKE ENGINE TEST SUCCESSFUL - SSC ITEM 2 - CHOCTAW STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM NASA TECHNOLOGY - SCC (replay) ITEM 3 - NEAR ENCOUNTER WITH EROS (replay) ITEM 4 SRTM B-ROLL (replay) ITEM 5 STS-99 MISSION B-ROLL AND CREW INTERVIEWS (replays) ***************************** AGENCIES WORKING TO IMPROVE AIR TRAFFIC SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are studying ways to reduce the concerns and inconveniences of the flying public by reducing airline delays, improving efficiency and making flying safer. Researchers from both agencies are studying various human factors issues -- involving air traffic controllers, flight crews and dispatchers -- that may occur as the FAA's Free Flight Program evolves over the next 10 to 20 years. Free Flight is a new FAA and aviation industry concept designed to increase operational flexibility and reduce restrictions in the National Airspace System. Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Michael Braukus (Phone 202/358-1979). Contact at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA: Michael Mewhinney (Phone 650/604-3937). Contact at FAA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Tammy Jones (Phone: 202/267-3476). For full text, see: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2000/00-024.txt ----------------------------- AEROSPACE SAFETY ADVISORY PANEL TO PRESENT REPORT TO NASA The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) will present its annual report to NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000, at NASA Headquarters. The report will be presented to the Administrator in the Program Review Center, room 9H40, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC. Each year, the panel reviews and evaluates current and future NASA programs and activities and reports its findings to the Administrator in a public session. Priority is given to programs that involve the safety of human flight. Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Sonja Alexander (Phone 202/358-1761). For full text, see: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/note2edt/2000/n00-005.txt ----------------------------- If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will e- mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list. Index of 2000 NASA News Releases: http://www.nasa.gov/releases/2000/index.html Index of 1999 NASA News Releases: http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html ***************************** Video File for Feb. 10, 2000 ITEM 1 - X-33 AEROSPIKE ENGINE TEST SUCCESSFUL - SSC------TRT 1:04 The aerospike engine that will power the X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator has been undergoing tests at NASAšs Stennis Space Center. The most recent test on Feb. 3, 2000 marked two milestones -- this 125 second test at 100% power was the longest to date and the first demonstration of the enginešs full thrust vector control. The X-33 will use the vector control to steer itself in flight. Contact at NASA Stennis Space Center, Stennis, MS: Lanee Cooksey (Phone 228/688-3341). ITEM 2 - CHOCTAW STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM NASA TECHNOLOGY----TRT 9:00 - SCC (replay) B-roll footage and interviews of NASA Educators interacting with students at the Choctaw Central High School, near Philadelphia, MS. Under a National Space Act Agreement between NASA and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, NASA has established and Educator Resource Center at the school. The educators stress to students the importance of science and technology in education. Contact at NASA Stennis Space Center, Stennis, MS: Paul Foerman (Phone 228/688-688-1880). ITEM 3 - NEAR ENCOUNTER WITH EROS (replay) Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Donald Savage (Phone 202/358-1547). Contact at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD: Helen Worth (Phone 240/228-5113). ITEM 3a - ANIMATION SHOWS NASA'S NEAR SPACECRAFT AS IT ---TRT 1:13 APPROACHES THE 433 EROS ASTEROID The spacecraft is less than 3,500 miles from Eros and is closing in at about 18 mph relative to the asteroid. It is expected to rendezvous on Feb. 14, 2000, and will be the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid. The infrared spectrometer aboard NEAR will be used to determine its mineral composition. ITEM 3b - INTERVIEW EXCERPTS------------------------------TRT :54 Dr. Robert Farquhar, NEAR Mission Director ITEM 3c - INTERVIEW EXCERPTS------------------------------TRT 1:14 Dr. Andrew F. Cheng, NEAR Project Scientist ITEM 3d - INTERVIEW EXCERPTS------------------------------TRT 1:14 Dr. Naom R. Izenberg, NEAR Instrument Scientist ITEM 4 SRTM B-ROLL (replay) ITEM 5 STS-99 MISSION B-ROLL AND CREW INTERVIEWS (replays) ----------------------------- Unless otherwise noted, ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN. ANY CHANGES TO THE LINE-UP WILL APPEAR ON THE NASA VIDEO FILE ADVISORY ON THE WEB AT ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt WE UPDATE THE ADVISORY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. The NASA Video File normally airs at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight Eastern Time. NASA Television is available on GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with vertical polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz, with audio on 6.8 megahertz. Refer general questions about the video file to NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Ray Castillo, 202/358-4555, or Elvia Thompson, 202/358-1696, elvia.thompson@hq.nasa.gov During Space Shuttle missions, the full NASA TV schedule will continue to be posted at: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html For general information about NASA TV see: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/ ***************************** Contract Awards Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition information Service Web site: http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html ***************************** The NASA Daily News Summary is issued each business day at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern time. Members of the media who wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from this list, please send e-mail message to: Brian.Dunbar@hq.nasa.gov ***************************** end of daily news summary