Mission Update
On Saturday Space shuttle Columbia's astronauts completed an experiment studying the activity of bone cells in microgravity and began final tests with a technology demonstration designed to investigate the behavior of capillary-pumped loops in space as the 16-day international science mission completed Flight Day 10. Columbia is expected to land at KSC Saturday, Feb. 1, at 9:15 a.m.

ELV Update
NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) successfully launched Saturday aboard a Pegasus XL rocket over the Atlantic Ocean. Dropped from the wing of an L-1011 carrier aircraft at 3:14 p.m. EST, separation of the spacecraft from the rocket occurred 10 minutes and 46 seconds after launch at about 3:24 p.m. Initial contact with the satellite was made seven seconds after separation via a NASA communications satellite network. Approximately 21 days after launch, if all is going well, the instruments will start initial science data collection and calibration will begin. The spacecraft will study the Sun's influence on our Earth and will measure from space how the Sun affects the Earth's ozone layer, atmospheric circulation, clouds, and oceans.

Last Week To Register for Environmental & Energy Awareness Week Celebration April 2003
Mark your calendars for April 21-23, to attend the activities for the Environmental & Energy Awareness Week in celebration of Earth Day! If you are interesting in participating in this year's event as an exhibitor and/or presenter, you can still register online by January 31 at the Web site http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/eeaw/eeaw2003/register.htm. If you have any problems with the registration on line, please contact Barbara Naylor at 867-8452 or e-mail Bar-bara.A.Naylor@nasa.gov. Watch for future articles.

STS-113 Crew Return Crew Return
Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart and Mission Specialist John Herrington are currently scheduled to be at KSC on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to talk about their mission. Their presentation to employees will be held in the KSC Training Auditorium from 2 - 3 p.m.

Education Opportunities
The University of Miami will begin accepting applications for the summer 2003 semester of the Master of Science in Management of Technology (MSMOT) and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) degrees. Both programs will be taught at the Space Coast. Courses are held Friday evenings and Saturdays to accommodate working professionals. For more information and to receive an application/brochure, please call Augusto Roca, program administrator, at 1-305-284-4100 or send e-mail to augusto@miami.edu.