NASA News: NASA, Partners Solicit Creative Waste-Management Solutions

NASA, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the State
Department and Nike today announced a challenge to identify 10
game-changing innovations that could transform waste-management
systems and practices. Waste management is important for planning
long-duration human spaceflight missions to an asteroid, Mars or beyond.

Humans living off the planet require waste solutions that mirror
issues facing people on Earth. In the hostile environment of space,
waste must be eliminated or transformed in the most efficient and
cost-effective manner possible. The innovations, which will be
presented at the LAUNCH: Beyond Waste forum, may lead to practical
applications for astronauts as we send humans deeper into our solar system.

The challenge will be open April 1-May 15 and will seek creative
solutions to minimize waste or transform it into new products in
space and on Earth. Forum partners will select 10 innovators to
present their technology solutions at the LAUNCH: Beyond Waste forum,
hosted by NASA July 20-22, at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, Calif.

NASA and the LAUNCH Council -- thought leaders representing a diverse
and collaborative body of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers,
government, media and business -- will participate in the forum and
help guide these innovations forward. The selected LAUNCH innovators
will receive networking and mentoring opportunities from influential
business and government leaders, as well as portfolio presentations.

Previous LAUNCH forums have focused on water, health and energy. These
forums resulted in innovations, including technology that enables
irrigation using brackish, saline and polluted water; a biodegradable
needle that can deliver vaccines or medicine under the skin using a
pressure device; a tiny holographic microscope attached to a cell
phone that can detect parasites and bacteria in blood and water in
remote locations; a handheld lab-in-a-box that diagnoses a variety of
diseases in a matter of minutes; a modular, flexible smart-grid
distribution technology to provide access to power for those in need;
and a simple, affordable fuel cell that converts biomass directly to electricity.

LAUNCH was created to identify, showcase and support innovative
approaches to global sustainability challenges. LAUNCH searches for
visionaries whose ideas, technologies or programs show great promise
for making tangible impacts on society in the developed and
developing worlds.

For more information about LAUNCH: Beyond Waste and how to enter the
challenge, visit:

http://links.launch.org/beyond-waste

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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NASA Administrator Supports Apollo Engine Recovery

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
regarding the efforts announced this week by Jeff Bezos to recover
main engines from the Saturn V first stage rocket of Apollo 11:

"I would like to thank Jeff Bezos for his communication with NASA
informing us of his historic find. I salute him and his entire team
on this bold venture and wish them all the luck in the world.

"NASA does retain ownership of any artifacts recovered and would
likely offer one of the Saturn V F-1 engines to the Smithsonian
Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington under
long-standing arrangements with the institution as the holder of the
national collection of aerospace artifacts.

"If the Smithsonian declines or if a second engine is recovered, we
will work to ensure an engine or other artifacts are available for
display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, as Jeff requested in his
correspondence with my office. I have directed our staff to begin
work to exercise all appropriate authorities to provide a smooth and
expeditious disposition of any flight hardware recovered.

"I sincerely hope all continues to go well for Jeff and Blue Origin,
and that his team enjoys success and prosperity in every endeavor.
All of us at NASA have our fingers crossed for success in his
upcoming expedition of exploration and discovery."

For more about the Saturn V's F-1 engine, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/features/f1_engine.html

For more about NASA, visit:

www.nasa.gov

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