In 1983, NASA received delivery of Discovery, the third space qualified vehicle in the agency’s space shuttle fleet. During the launch attempt for the STS-41D mission on June 26, 1984, Discovery’s onboard computers halted the countdown four seconds before liftoff, and after two of its main engines had already ignited. The six astronauts safely egressed [...]
The space station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during its departure and flyaround on Nov. 8, 2021. In 2022 and 2023, NASA awarded Collins Aerospace two task orders under the agency’s xEVAS (Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services) contract. The first task order was to deliver a next generation spacesuit and spacewalking system for potential [...]
5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Imagery captured by a navigation camera aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover on Jan. 23 shows the position of a cover on the SHERLOC instrument. The cover had [...]
SpaceX A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES-U (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) satellite lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, 2024. GOES-U is the fourth and final satellite in the current series of advanced weather satellites; it will provide continuous coverage of weather and hazardous [...]
Bricks produced using mycelium, yard waste and wood chips as a part of the myco-architecture project. Similar materials could be used to build habitats on the Moon or Mars.Credits: NASA As NASA prepares for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars for the benefit of all, a habitat-growing concept selected Wednesday by the agency could help [...]
6 Min Read Surprising Phosphate Finding in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample A microscope image of a dark Bennu particle, about a millimeter long, with a crust of bright phosphate. To the right is a smaller fragment that broke off. Credits: From Lauretta & Connolly et al. (2024) Meteoritics & Planetary Science, doi:10.1111/maps.14227. Early analysis [...]
The first rays of an orbital sunrise reflect off the International Space Station’s roll-out solar arrays that overshadow and augment the orbital outpost’s main solar arrays. Six NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station had a day filled with cargo packing, orbital plumbing, and a spacewalk conference. The orbital outpost’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos spent [...]
6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The JunoCam instrument aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured two volcanic plumes rising above the horizon of Jupiter’s moon Io. The image was taken Feb. 3 from a distance of about 2,400 miles (3,800 kilometers).Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS, Image processing by Andrea Luck (CC BY) Infrared [...]
4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist concept depicting a new novel aerospace concept for NIAC Phase III 2024.Credit: Lynn Rothschild Lynn Rothschild NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) A turtle carries its habitat. While reliable, it costs energy in transporting mass. NASA makes the same trade-off when it transports habitats [...]
5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A lightning strike at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in July 2014. Bolts like this are a regular occurrence in central Florida. Similar lightning strikes sparked the 1998 Florida Firestorm.NASA East central Florida’s natural environment and climate have shaped, [...]
