NASA Digest, Vol 47, Issue 15

	April 19, 2017  MEDIA ADVISORY M17-045 President Trump Makes Special Long-Distance Call to Record Breaking American Astronaut Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson of NASA performs investigative troubleshooting in December 2016 on the Combustion Integrated Rack aboard the International Space Station. The rack includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel and oxidizer control, and five different cameras for performing combustion experiments in microgravity. Credits: NASA First Daughter Joins International Space Station Call Promoting Women in STEM President Donald Trump, First Daughter Ivanka Trump, and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins will make a special Earth-to-space call Monday, April 24, from the Oval Office to personally congratulate NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson for her record-breaking stay aboard the International Space Station. The 20-minute call will air live on NASA Television and stream on the agency's website and Facebook page at 10 a.m. EDT, and will be made available to schools, museums, and other organizations across the nation and globally. The Department of Education and NASA are working together, on behalf of the White House, to encourage classrooms throughout America to tune-in to this historic event.  They also are making available for voluntary use STEM on Station educational materials that may be helpful to further engage students in the classroom. STEM on Station is comprised of education activities that follow astronauts as they demonstrate STEM concepts such as Newton's Laws of Motion, surface tension and advances in technology. Commander of the station's Expedition 51 crew, Whitson will officially set the U.S. record Monday for most cumulative days in space, surpassing NASA astronaut Jeff Williams' record of 534 days. Additionally, she is the first woman to command the space station twice, and holds the record for most spacewalks conducted by a female astronaut. Whitson will be joined for President Trump's call by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer, who is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory Thursday, April 20. Whitson arrived at the space station Nov. 19, 2016, and is sharing her experiences in space on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Fischer will share his first-time flyer experiences on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter. Check out the latest NASA TV schedule and video streaming information at: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
	Press Contacts Jen Rae Wang Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 jenrae.wang@nasa.gov

	April 19, 2017  RELEASE 17-045 NASA Eyes Fusion Reactor Engines, Extraterrestrial Drilling, Other Far-Out Technologies with Latest Investment Selections NASA has selected 399 research and technology proposals from 277 American small businesses and 44 research institutions that will enable NASA's future missions into deep space, and advancements in aviation and science, while also benefiting the U.S. economy. The awards have a total value of approximately $49.9 million. The agency received 1,621 proposals in response to its 2017 solicitation for its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. From those, NASA selected 338 SBIR and 61 STTR Phase I proposals for contract negotiations. The SBIR Phase I contracts last for six months and STTR Phase I contracts last for 12 months, both with maximum funding of $125,000. "The SBIR and STTR program's selection of nearly 400 proposals for further development is a testament to NASA's support of American innovation by small businesses and research institutions," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This program provides opportunities for companies and institutions to commercialize their innovations while contributing to meeting NASA's goals and objectives across all mission areas." Selected proposals will support the development of technologies in the areas of aeronautics, science, human exploration and operations, and space technology. A sampling of proposals demonstrates the breadth of research and development these awards will fund, including: High temperature superconducting coils for a future fusion reaction space engine. These coils are needed for the magnetic field that allows the engine to operate safely. Nuclear fusion reactions are what power our sun and other stars, and an engine based on this technology would revolutionize space flight Advanced drilling technologies to enable exploration of extraterrestrial oceans beneath the icy shells of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which can be miles thick. This is critical for detecting past or present life in these off-world oceans. New wheels for planetary rovers that dramatically improve mobility over a wide variety of terrains. This new design has multiple applications and could potentially impact any heavy-duty or off-road vehicle in diverse markets such as farming and defense. Software-enabling collaborative control of multiple unmanned aircraft systems, especially in scenarios where uncrewed vehicles fly in close proximity to crewed flights. These types of operations also are of interest to national security and disaster relief missions, including fire management. A leading-edge manufacturing process that enables recycling of used or failed metal parts by placing them into a press, producing a slab of metal, and machining it into a needed metal part in logistically remote environments, such as a space station or long-duration space mission. This area also is of interest to the manufacturing sector, since there is a need to reduce processing footprint. Proposals were selected according to their technical merit and feasibility, in addition to the experience, qualifications and facilities of the submitting organization. Additional criteria included effectiveness of the work plan and commercial potential. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses have created 55% of all jobs in the United States since the 1970s. SBIR and STTR programs are competitive awards-based programs. They encourage small businesses and research institutions to engage in federal research and development, and industrial commercialization, by enabling them to explore technological potential and providing incentives to profit from new commercial products and services. The awards span 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The SBIR program is managed for STMD by NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. STMD is responsible for developing the cross-cutting, pioneering, new technologies and capabilities needed by the agency to achieve its current and future missions.  For a list of selected proposals and for more information about the Small Business Innovation Research program, visit: https://sbir.nasa.gov SBIR: https://sbir.nasa.gov/prg_selection/node/58009 STTR: https://sbir.nasa.gov/prg_selection/node/58010
	Press Contacts Gina Anderson Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1160 gina.n.anderson@nasa.gov Kimberly Williams Ames Research Center, California's Silicon Valley 650-604-4789 kimberly.k.williams@nasa.gov