Nasa Era

On July 12, 2023, the Artemis II crew rehearsed their recovery for when they return to Earth following their upcoming mission to the Moon. The recovery training took place during the Underwater Recovery Test 10 (URT-10) Navy Diver training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The recovery training led by teams from Exploration Ground Systems and the Department of Defense demonstrate future recovery of the crew, which includes being extracted from the spacecraft after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean and being lifted via helicopter to the recovery ship where they will undergo routine medical checks before returning to shore. The Artemis II mission will send NASA Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day flight test around the Moon. Their journey will be the first crewed mission on NASA’s path toward establishing a long-term presence on the Moon. Credit: Riley McClenaghan/Jaden Jennings/Thalia Patrinos

Today, the Artemis II astronauts got their first look at the Orion spacecraft slated to fly them around the Moon in late 2024. The Artemis II crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Artemis II is the first crewed mission on our path to establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon, and is the first mission with astronauts to the Moon's orbit in more than 50 years. The approximately 10-day flight test will launch on the powerful Space Launch System rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space. Learn more about the Artemis II crew and their mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii Credit: NASA

Our SpaceX Crew-6 mission safely returns to Earth, the tech demo hitching a ride on our Psyche spacecraft, and studying ancient life on Earth to better understand Mars … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!

After launching to the International Space Station on March 2, 2023, NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission is wrapping up its time in orbit, with a return to Earth in early September 2023. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev spent their months on the orbiting lab conducting scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, including running a student robotic challenge, studying plant genetic adaptations to space, and monitoring human health in microgravity to prepare for exploration beyond low Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. The astronauts also released Saskatchewan's first satellite, which tests a new radiation detection and protection system derived from melanin. Learn more: https://go.nasa.gov/3OOOR3l Credit: NASA #Crew6 #Science #SpaceStation

On Nov. 16, 2022, the Orion spacecraft launched aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center and embarked on the #Artemis I mission to the Moon and back. Orion orbited the Moon, getting as close as 79 miles to the lunar surface, and successfully splashed back down to Earth 25.5 days later on Dec. 11. Four RS-25 engines and two five-segment solid rocket boosters provided more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust for SLS during liftoff and flight. Thanks in part to development of a new RS-25 engine controller that checks engine health 50 times per second, engineers were able to collect more than 100 measurements on pressures, temperatures, flows, speeds, and vibrations on the four RS-25 engines that helped power Artemis I. The preliminary post-flight data indicates that all SLS systems performed exceptionally and that the designs are ready to support a crewed flight on Artemis II. The Artemis II mission will bring us closer to establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface and landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. This video was captured from the Launch Pad 39B perimeter and was used by engineers to monitor and track the rocket during flight. Video credit: NASA Music credit: Universal Production Music