Marshall Space Flight executive to discuss future of manned space flight at TTU today at 4:30
A NASA space flight propulsion systems expert will discuss the future of human space flight at a 4:30 p.m. Nov. 18 symposium to be held at Tennessee Tech University.
Thomas J. Williams, manager of the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Propulsion Systems Department in Huntsville, Ala., will join TTU President Bob Bell; Adam Kimberlin, NASA student ambassador and mechanical engineering major at TTU; and Sally Pardue, director of the Oakley Center for Teaching and Learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Oakley STEM Center). The symposium will be held at the Nursing and Health Services Building auditorium and is entitled “We are Marshall and Human Space Exploration.” The public is invited to attend.
The symposium’s subject matter is particularly topical because the Obama administration has ordered a review of NASA’s plans to replace the space shuttle with a combination of manned and unmanned Ares rockets, which are part of the Constellation program. The space shuttle program is set to end in 2010.
Williams is especially well qualified to discuss the future of space flight. His department provides engineering design and analyses support for the space shuttle and Ares propulsion systems, and he has worked at several of NASA’s human space flight centers. He possesses a vast amount of development and operational experience associated with the space shuttle program and, most recently, with the Constellation program.
The symposium occurs during a weeklong schedule of exciting activities on the TTU campus celebrating the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on Nov. 16. The mission is especially significant for the TTU campus and residents of the Upper Cumberland region because the shuttle will be piloted by TTU alumnus Barry Wilmore (electrical engineering, ’85, ’94).
On Nov. 22, students from throughout the region who entered the Soaring Eagle Question Contest will be on campus for a special NASA satellite downlink, during which students have an opportunity to ask astronauts questions.
NASA downlink details
Don’t miss your chance to watch the space mission downlink to TTU from the International Space Station on Sunday, Nov. 22. The special event will be broadcast live on WCTE-TV, on statewide public television, on TTU’s cross-campus closed circuit television Channel 4, and via streaming video at http://www.nasa.gov and http://www.wcte.org.
As with any shuttle launch, delays may affect the date of liftoff. In the event the launch date is moved back, the downlink will be delayed as well. Updates will be available on the Oakley STEM Center web site.
The following tentative timeline will be updated after the Nov. 16 launch:
- 10:30 a.m.: WCTE-TV coverage begins
- 10:30-10:45 a.m.: Welcome by TTU President Bob Bell; Sally Pardue, director, Oakley STEM Center; Stephen Parke, chair, TTU Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
- 10:50 a.m.: U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon
- 10:53 a.m.: Live videoconference with the International Space Station astronauts for 20 minutes
- 11:15 a.m.: Closing
Here’s how to watch the live event:
- For the best coverage of both our Tennessee students and the NASA astronauts, watch WCTE-TV (Channel 10 on Charter cable, channel 22 on Dish/Direct/antenna). It will be broadcast on TTU’s campus on closed circuit TV Channel 4. If you are on campus, visit Clement Hall 212 Engineering Auditorium to watch.
- Elsewhere in Tennessee, watch your local public television station’s second digital channel.
- From anywhere in the world, watch live video streaming on NASA TV on the web: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
- Watch NASA-TV if it is provided by your local cable service or satellite televison provider.
- If you have your own satellite dish, tune to satellite AMC-7, 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 5C, 3785.5 MHz, vertical polarization. A Digital Video Broadcast-compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder with modulation of QPSK/DBV, data rate of 6.00 and FEC 3/4 will be needed for reception.
