NASA Digest, Vol 42, Issue 6

	November 16, 2016  MEDIA ADVISORY M16-132 Colorado Students to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station Students in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, will have the opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut currently living and working aboard the International Space Station at 12:40 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 18. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado will open the downlink, hosted by Wheat Ridge High School, with a voice check call to the station. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough, who launched to the station Oct. 19, will answer questions from the students. Media interested in covering the event should contact Ashley Verville at ashley.verville@mail.house.gov. Wheat Ridge High School is located at 9505 West 32nd Ave. Teachers have been preparing the ninth through 12th grade students for this call by incorporating space into lessons in each of their core classes – science, math, history, and English. This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of the NASA Office of Education's efforts to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in the United States. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station through this STEM on Station activity provides authentic, live experiences in space exploration, space study and the scientific components of space travel, while introducing the possibilities of life in space. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv For more information, videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
	Press Contacts Sarah Ramsey Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1694 sarah.ramsey@nasa.gov Hayley Fick Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

	November 16, 2016  MEDIA ADVISORY M16-133 US Cargo Ship Set to Depart Space Station, Live NASA TV Coverage Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo craft is seen from the Cupola module windows aboard the International Space Station on Oct. 23, 2016. Credits: NASA One month after launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to leave the International Space Station at 8:20 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 21. Live coverage of the spacecraft departure will begin at 8 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency's website. Cygnus arrived at the space station Oct. 16 with more than 5,100 pounds of cargo to support science experiments from around the world. The spacecraft will be detached from the Earth-facing side of the station's Unity module using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, operated by ground controllers. Robotics controllers will maneuver Cygnus into place, and then Expedition 50 robotic arm operators Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will give the command for its release.                                                                                     Experiments delivered on Cygnus supported NASA and other research investigations during Expeditions 49 and 50, including studies in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science – research that impacts life on Earth. Investigations included studies on fire in space, the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, collection of health-related data, and a new way to measure neutrons. Five hours after departing the station, the Saffire-II experiment will intentionally ignite a fire inside a module aboard the uncrewed spacecraft. The second in a series of three, the experiment allows researchers to study a realistic fire on an exploration spacecraft. Instruments on the Cygnus will measure flame growth, oxygen use and more. Results could determine microgravity flammability limits for several spacecraft materials, validate NASA's material selection criteria, and help scientists understand how microgravity and limited oxygen affect flame size. The investigation is important for the safety of current and future space missions. Cygnus also will release four LEMUR CubeSats from an external deployer on Friday, Nov. 25, sending them to join a remote sensing satellite constellation that provides global ship tracking and weather monitoring. The spacecraft will remain in orbit until Sunday, Nov. 27, when its engines will fire twice, pushing it into Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn up over the Pacific Ocean. Get more information about Orbital ATK's mission at: http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk Check out the full NASA TV schedule and video streaming information at: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at: http://www.nasa.gov/station
	Press Contacts Tabatha Thompson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 tabatha.t.thompson@nasa.gov Dan Huot Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov