NASA Digest, Vol 54, Issue 7

	November 16, 2017  MEDIA ADVISORY M17-135 Tennessee Students to Speak with NASA Astronauts on International Space Station Spacewalkers Mark Vande Hei and Randy Bresnik are pictured Oct. 5, 2017, working outside the International Space Station. Credits: NASA Students at Southside Elementary School in Lebanon, Tennessee, will have the opportunity to speak with NASA astronauts living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 10:05 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 20. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Students will have the opportunity to ask Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei questions about life aboard the space station, NASA's deep space exploration plans, and scientific research in space. Southside Elementary hosted a school-wide competition for the submission of questions to the astronauts. This is Bresnik's second mission to the station, and he serves as the station's Expedition 53 commander. Bresnik launched to the orbiting laboratory on July 28 and is scheduled to return to Earth in December. Vande Hei arrived at the space station on Sept. 12 and will return to Earth in February 2018. This is his first space mission. The students at Southside prepared for the downlink by participating in a daily trivia contest. Students also watched videos educating them on the different aspects of living in space such as how astronauts brush their teeth, wash their hair and use the bathroom. In celebration of the downlink, the halls of the school are covered with space themed decorations on the doorways. "Students have researched and written biographies of the three American astronauts currently on station," said Southside teacher Leesa Hubbard, who served as the facilitator for the NASA Educational Workshops at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center from 1999-2002. "It is our hope that this experience will bring the science and exploration of space a lot closer to home." Media interested in attending the event should contact Jennifer Johnson at Jennifer.johnson@wcschools.com or 615-478-6996. Southside Elementary School is at 1224 Murfreesboro Road in Lebanon. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA's Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators. Follow the astronauts on social media: https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/ See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:  https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/
	Press Contacts Katherine Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1288 katherine.m.brown@nasa.gov Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 nicole.cloutier-1@nasa.gov

	November 16, 2017  MEDIA ADVISORY M17-136 NASA Launch of NOAA Weather Satellite Rescheduled for Nov. 18 The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta II carrying the NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, has been rescheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credits: NASA/Glenn Benson The launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) satellite, the first in a new series of four highly advanced National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) polar-orbiting satellites, now is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Launch coverage will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for 4:47 a.m. EST (1:47 a.m. PST). NASA TV launch coverage begins at 4:15 a.m. and will conclude after the deployment of four small satellite missions, called CubeSats, which will accompany JPSS-1 as payload on the Delta II rocket. There is no planned post-launch news conference. A post-launch news release will be issued as soon as the state-of-health of the spacecraft is verified. JPSS represents significant technological and scientific advancements in observations used for severe weather prediction and environmental monitoring. JPSS is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA. The JPSS system will help increase weather forecast accuracy from three to seven days. Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. Additional launch day coverage will be available on NASA.gov. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 4:15 a.m. as countdown milestones occur. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/jpss. To learn more about the JPSS-1 mission, visit: https://www.jpss.noaa.gov and https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss-1 Join the conversation and follow the JPSS-1 mission on social media by using Twitter and Facebook at: https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites and https://www.facebook.com/NOAANESDIS/
	Press Contacts Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov Tori McLendon Kennedy Space Center, Florida 321-867-2468 tori.n.mclendon@nasa.gov John Leslie NOAA, Washington 301-713-0214 john.leslie@noaa.gov