- New Upcoming Event -
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
MSBR Monthly Lunch featuring
Thomas Zurburchen
NASA
To book the event, contact us.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
MSBR Monthly Lunch featuring
Thomas Zurburchen
NASA
To book the event, contact us.
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2020 Event Schedule
January 21 Lunch featuring Dr. Neil Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) February 18 Lunch featuring Thomas Zurburchen, Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA March 17 Lunch featuring Douglas Loverro, Associate Administrator, Human Exploration and Operations, NASA April 24 Annual Gala May 19 Lunch featuring Paul Hertz, Director, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA June 16 Lunch -- Senator Ben Cardin - invited July 21 August 18 - Lunch featuring Dennis Andrucyk, Acting Center Director of Goddard Space Flight Center September 15 October 20 November 10 December 15 2019 Event Schedule Jan 15 - CANCELLED - Lunch featuring Dr. Karen St. Germain, NOAA Feb 12 - Lunch featuring Dr. Hal Weaver, JHU/APL March 19 Lunch featuring Dr. Karen St. Germain, NOAA Presentation April 26 - Annual Gala 6 - 10 pm at Martins Crosswinds Silent Auction and Raffle Featuring STEM student, Keynote speaker (tbd) Entertainment by The Capitol Steps May 21 Lunch featuring Dr. Nicola Fox, Director, NASA Heliophysics Division June 18 Lunch featuring General Lester L. Lyles, USAF (Ret.), Member, National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group July 16 Lunch featuring Preston Burch, Associate Director for the Astrophysics Projects Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Aug 20 Lunch featuring Dr. Christyl Johnson, Deputy Director of Technology and Research Investments, NASA GSFC Presentation Sept 17 Lunch featuring Ryan Whitley Director of Civil Space Policy, National Space Council Sept 17 - MSBR Annual Meeting following the lunch. If attending, RSVP to mdspacebr@aol.com Oct 15 Lunch featuring Dr. Donald Cornwell, Director and System Capability Lead, Advanced Communications and Navigation Technology Division, NASA Presentation Nov 12 Lunch featuring Marshall Smith, Director of Human Lunar Exploration Programs Presentation - Part 1 Part 2 Dec 3 Lunch featuring Dr. Jim Garvin, Goddard Space Flight Center 2018 Event Schedule January 16, 2018 - Lunch featuring Dr. Stephen Volz, Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation & Prediction and NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services PRESENTATION February 20, 2018 - Lunch featuring William Wrobel, Director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA PRESENTATION March 20, 2018 - Lunch featuring Dr. Louis Uccellini, Director National Weather Service April 17, 2018 - Lunch featuring Nancy A. Levenson, Deputy Director, Space Telescope Science Institute PRESENTATION, part 2, part 3 May 11, 2018 - Annual Gala 6pm - 10:30pm at Martins Crosswinds June 19, 2018 - Lunch featuring Colleen Hartman, NASA/GSFC PRESENTATION July 17, 2018 - Lunch featuring Greg Mandt, Director, Joint Polar Satellite System at NOAA August 21, 2018 - Lunch featuring Chris Scolese, Director, Goddard Space Flight Center September 18, 2018 - Lunch featuring Senator Chris Van Hollen October 3, 2018 - GSFC Fall Reception at the National Air & Space Museum October 16, 2018 - Lunch featuring Ben Wu, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development November 13, 2018 - Lunch featuring Antonio Busalacchi, President of University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) December 4, 2018 - Lunch featuring Dr. Jim Garvin Chief Scientist, GSFC 
Senator Mikulski, Rushern Baker, Wallace Loh, Jingli Yang, with the Oxon Hill High School FIRST Robotics Team at the MSBR April 27, 2015 lunch.
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Event News
Luncheons are typically held on the last Tuesday of the month, from 11:30am to 1:30pm, at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD (unless otherwise noted). Luncheon Speaker Notes
 “Final Frontiers” Engineering Competition Winners
December 2019
In addition to Dr. Jim Garvin's informative and entertaining presentation, we also hosted the ReThink STEM school's “Final Frontiers” Engineering Competition Winners and enjoyed a holiday concert from the Goddard Music Arts and Drama Holiday Chorus. October 17, 2017 Steve Jurczyk. Associate Administrator for NASA’s STMD; Space Technology Mission Directorate. The STMD directorate enables new missions beyond Low Earth Orbit. The directorate has a cross cutting focus on the enterprise directorates; in addition to creating new technologies it creates markets for technologies. There are several stages to the STMD efforts from Early Stage through Commercial Partnerships. Early stage innovation to take items from low TRL to higher. Examples include NIAC, Space Tech Research grants, and innovation funds. Game changing takes technologies from TRL 3-4 to 5 or 6 through the death march. Lastly, commercial partnerships for higher level TRLs to increase market presence and value to taxpayers such as tech transfer, prize challenges. Mega drivers for STMD activities include improving access to space while lowering cost; accelerating pace of discovery, democratization of space (broadening participation of citizens and government, along with public private partnerships), increased utilization of space. Six thrust areas and their specific examples include:
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Specific technology progress includes:
September 19, 2017 Dr. Nicola Fox, APL, Parker Solar Probe Nicky Fox is the Parker Solar Probe project scientist. The mission will launch in 2018, and was introduced by a mission trailer. Total solar eclipse in August 2018 provides a good background for the Parker Solar Probe mission. Eclipses were feared in ancient times, but an eclipse provides a method to observe the sun. The Carrington event 1851 -- where he observed solar flares but the effect was not immediately present until the electronic transmissions were interrupted, this proving some insight into the nature of solar activity and its effect on out atmosphere. Solar cycle now is on a decline near absolute minimum but, nonetheless, we saw a x39 flare last week. Solar activity is included in the President’s Daily Brief and White House action plan. Knowledge of activity close to the sun is lacking. Mystery 1: temp rises as you move away from the sun. Mystery 2: why is there a solar wind; and how does the solar wind continually get accelerated? Structures within the corona are visible during the eclipse, for example. In 1958 guidance from Simpson Committee provided 12 missions, but the only one not done yet is solar probe. The reason we haven’t done this to date is that technology wasn’t there yet, namely materials and lightweight durable structures. The heat shield is a Carbon-carbon alloy with aluminum coating 30 million watts input. Solar cells tuck in as we get close to the sun. No RTG’s. Full water driven cooling system throughout the solar arrays. Final testing underway and the heat shield is separate Launch will be on a Delta 4 heavy with upper stage. Launch window July 31 2018from Kennedy with a 6 week commissioning phase. Venus orbit trims momentum as we step into the suns gravity assist. Payload Includes: SWEAP: Includes SPC, a faraday cup operating at 2500 Degrees. FIELDS: Antenna or measure electric fields. IS-SIS: Instrument suite for hi and low particles. WISPER: White light imager to see solar wind structures, shocks, flux ropes, etc. Everything we have previously known about the corona was previously discovered during eclipses. Parker Solar Probe provides science not just for science sake, but also for early warning. February 21, 2017, John Schaub, Director, Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST), NRL Director Schaub provided an overview of the NCST, which provides systems engineering and technical direction to NRL. The lab was a Brainchild of Edison, following the sinking of the Lusitania. Now, 93 years later, NRL serves as the Navy’s full spectrum laboratory for operational and research needs. Research ranges from the mud to the sun and from applied technology to acoustics, from remote sensing to oceanography. NCST funding is dependent on relevance and operational needs; funding for its research is not guaranteed. The center’s most public accomplishment include in house cradle to grave support for space missions and related technologies. Director Schaub provided an overview of their Space Robotics Laboratory, established in 2001. The three research thrusts of the robotics are: controls and algorithms, mechanisms and actuation, and sensing. Projects include a Lidar based grappling system; and related grappling tasks and dynamics. New fellows join NCST through the Carl fellowship, and work on tasks such as Quadriped creature for warfighter assistance. |
