Universe Unearthed

It’s not rockets and satellites that make NASA soar. It’s people. On season 5 of #NASAExplorers, “Artemis Generation,” meet the scientists and engineers who are studying Moon rocks, building tools, working aboard NASA’s International Space Station, and training astronauts in preparation for landing humans on the surface of the Moon through NASA’s Artemis missions. #S5E0

When Artemis astronauts land on the Moon, they’ll travel to sites never before visited by humans. Namely, they'll explore the South Pole region, home to the Moon’s largest crater, areas of near-constant light and deep shadows, and some of the coldest temperatures in the solar system. Exploring the South Pole will teach us more about the Moon’s history, as well as the history of our solar system. It's home to frozen water, which is crucial for living sustainably on the lunar surface and exploring deeper into the solar system. Artemis astronauts will explore the Moon on behalf of all of us and bring back lunar rocks and soil for analyses by generations of scientists who will help us gain unimaginable insights into our cosmic history. Series Executive Producers: Katy Mersmann/Lauren Ward Season Producers: Lonnie Shekhtman/Stephanie Sipila/James Tralie/Molly Wasser Explorers: Jose Aponte/Natalie Curran/Julie Mitchell/Adam Naids/Noah Petro/Kelsey Young/Jessica Watkins Music: a. “Daylight Falls” by Jay Price b. “Good Omens” by Count Zero and Rohan Stevenson c. “Lightspeed” by Gresby Race Nash d. “Wonders of Life” by Enrico Cacace and Lorzeno Castellarin e. “Hold Still” by Enrico Cacace f. “We Shall Overcome” by Laurent Couson Credit: NASA #NASAExplorers #Artemis #NASA-

Before Jessica Watkins was an astronaut, she was a geologist. Now working on the International Space Station, Jessica and her fellow astronauts are preparing to explore the Moon and beyond. But collecting and investigating rocks on other worlds is very different from digging dirt here on Earth. That’s where tools engineer Adam Naids comes in. Tools designed for Earth geologists may not work in the lower gravity and extreme temperatures of the Moon, and that’s before you bring in the bulky spacesuits! NASA Explorers come together at space school to train astronauts to conduct science on the Moon. Series Executive Producers: Katy Mersmann/Lauren Ward Season Producers: Lonnie Shekhtman/Stephanie Sipila/James Tralie/Molly Wasser Explorers: Jessica Watkins/Adam Naids/Kelsey Young Music: a. “Iced Planet” by Anthony Edwin Phillips and Samuel Karl Bohn b. “The Deep” by Paul Werner c. “Carpe Diem” by Michael James Burns d. “State of Matter” by Markus Gleissner e. “A Grand Enterprise” by Daniel Marantz and Dave Carr f. “Optimistic Attitude 1" by Joel Goodman and Vicente Julio Ortiz Gimeno g. “Dawn Beauty” Laurent Dury h. “Take it Lightly” by Carl David Harms i. “Imaginary Travel” by Claude Pelouse and Olivier Grim Credit: NASA #NASAExplorers #Artemis #NASA

Meet NASA’s rock detectives. Using tiny samples of lunar rock brought back by Apollo astronauts, these NASA Explorers are looking into the origins of our Moon, our planet, and ourselves. They might be among the first scientists to study samples from the Moon’s South Pole that will be delivered to Earth by Artemis astronauts. In episode 2 of “NASA Explorers: Artemis Generation,” we’re joining scientists like Natalie Curran and Jose Aponte, who are looking at clues buried in Moon rocks. Series Executive Producers: Katy Mersmann/Lauren Ward Season Producers: Lonnie Shekhtman/Stephanie Sipila/James Tralie/Molly Wasser Explorers: Natalie Curran/Jose Aponte Music: 1. “Darwin’s Extraordinary Journey” by Laurent Dury 2. “From Small Beginnings” by Jay Price 3. “Life Eternal” by Enrico Cacace and Lorenzo Castellarin 4. “All is Good” by Anders Niska and Klas Johan Wahl 5. “Hyperion” by Gresby Race Nash Credit: NASA #NASAExplorers #Artemis #NASA

These are our explorers. They're the people who will get us to the Moon, collect Moon rocks, deliver them to Earth safely, and ensure that we can study them for years to come. On episode one of “NASA Explorers: Artemis Generation," meet astronaut Jessica Watkins, engineer Adam Naids, Moon rock curator Julie Mitchell, and astrobiologist Jose Aponte. They each had a different path to NASA, from conducting hazardous kitchen chemistry experiments in Lima, Peru, to exploring the Louisiana Bayou, to dissecting a cow’s eye in a science program in Colorado. Each person is a vital part of NASA’s goal to conduct science on the Moon’s surface. Series Executive Producers: Katy Mersmann/Lauren Ward Season Producers: Lonnie Shekhtman/Stephanie Sipila/James Tralie/Molly Wasser Explorers: Jose Aponte/Natalie Curran/Julie Mitchell/Adam Naids/Noah Petro/Kelsey Young/Jessica Watkins Music: a. “Blackbird” by Magnum Opus b. “Optimistic Attitude 1” by Joel Goodman and Vicente Julio Ortiz Gimeno c. “By the Moonlit Lake” by Mark Choi d. “Beside You” by Dominic Marsh and Giovanni Tria e. “Playground Intrigue” by Brice Davoli f. “Momentous” by Le Fat Club and Olivier Grim Credit: NASA #NASAExplorers #Artemis #NASA

NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program nurtures visionary ideas from America's innovators and entrepreneurs that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts. NIAC projects study innovative, technically credible, advanced concepts to turn science fiction to science fact. For more information about NIAC: https://www.nasa.gov/stmd-the-nasa-innovative-advanced-concepts-niac/ More NIAC videos: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/videos Link to download this video: https://images.nasa.gov/details/NASA%20NIAC%20Turning%20Science%20Fiction%20into%20Science%20Fact More information about concepts included in this video: · 0:34 Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT): https://www.nasa.gov/general/lunar-crater-radio-telescope-lcrt-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon/ · 0:58 Super Ball Bot: https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/super-ball-bot/ · 1:00 Triton Hopper: https://www.nasa.gov/general/triton-hopper-exploring-neptunes-captured-kuiper-belt-object/ · 1:04 Contour Crafting: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/home/niac_countour_crafting.html · 1:08 Marsbee: https://www.nasa.gov/general/marsbee-swarm-of-flapping-wing-flyers-for-enhanced-mars-exploration/ · 1:10 Diffractive Solar Sailing: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2022/diffractive_solar_sailing/ · 1:13 Solar Gravitational Lensing: https://www.nasa.gov/general/direct-multipixel-imaging-and-spectroscopy-of-an-exoplanet-with-a-solar-gravitational-lens-mission/ · 1:17 Fluidic Telescope (FLUTE): https://www.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/what-is-the-fluidic-telescope/ · 1:30 On-demand Custom Spacesuits: https://www.nasa.gov/general/the-spacesuit-digital-thread-4-0-manufacture-of-custom-high-performance-spacesuits-for-the-exploration-of-mars/ · 1:35 CubeSat Neutrino Detector: https://www.nasa.gov/general/cube-sat-space-flight-test-of-a-neutrino-detector/ · 1:38 Lofted Environmental Venus Sensors (LEAVES): https://www.nasa.gov/general/lofted-environmental-and-atmospheric-venus-sensors-leaves/#:~:text=The%20LEAVES%20(Lofted%20Environmental%20and,planetary%20body%20with%20a%20prominent · 1:41 Myco-Architecture: https://www.nasa.gov/general/mycotecture-off-planet/ · 1:44 Lunar Pit exploring Robots: https://www.nasa.gov/general/robotic-technologies-enabling-the-exploration-of-lunar-pits/ · 1:56 Bioinspired Ray (BREEZE): https://www.nasa.gov/general/breeze-bioinspired-ray-for-extreme-environments-and-zonal-exploration-2/ · 1:58 Independent Micro-swimmers (SWIM): https://www.nasa.gov/general/swim-sensing-with-independent-micro-swimmers/ · 1:59 Light Bender: https://www.nasa.gov/general/light-bender/ · 2:01 Atmosphere and Cloud Sample Return: https://www.nasa.gov/science-research/planetary-science/planetary-environments-atmospheres/venus-atmosphere-and-cloud-particle-sample-return-for-astrobiology/ · 2:03 Optical Mining: https://www.nasa.gov/general/mini-bee-prototype-to-demonstrate-the-apis-mission-architecture-and-optical-mining-technology/ · 2:06 Nuclear Thermal Propulsion: https://www.nasa.gov/general/new-class-of-bimodal-ntp-nep-with-a-wave-rotor-topping-cycle-enabling-fast-transit-to-mars/ Producer, Writer, Editor: Shane Apple Narrator: Emanuel Cooper Music: Universal Production Music Credit: NASA

On Dec. 5, NASA will air the lunar flyby of the Orion spacecraft on its return trek toward Earth. Orion completed a burn Dec. 1 to exit a lunar orbit thousands of miles beyond the Moon, where engineers have been testing systems to improve understanding of the spacecraft before future missions with astronauts. The return powered flyby burn, in which the spacecraft will harness the Moon’s gravity and accelerate back toward Earth, is expected at 11:43 a.m. (1643 UTC) The spacecraft is expected to fly about 79 miles above the lunar surface at 11:42 a.m. (16:42 UTC) just before the burn. Orion launched aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at 1:47 am EST (0647 UTC) on Nov. 16 from historic Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Orion entered a distant retrograde orbit on at 4:52 p.m. EST (2152 UTC) on Nov. 25, where the spacecraft has been testing systems in a deep space environment. The Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, the SLS rocket, and Kennedy Space Center ground systems. More: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/ Credit: NASA

NASA will begin coverage of the Orion spacecraft performing the first of two maneuvers to exit lunar orbit, called the distant retrograde orbit departure burn, on Dec. 1 at 4:30 p.m. EST (21:30 UTC). The burn is scheduled to occur at 4:53 p.m. EST (21:53 UTC). Orion launched aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at 1:47 a.m. EST (06:47 UTC) on Nov. 16 from historic Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Orion entered a distant retrograde orbit on at 4:52 p.m. EST (21:52 UTC) on Nov. 25, where the spacecraft has been testing systems in a deep space environment. The Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, the SLS rocket, and Kennedy Space Center ground systems. More: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/ Credit: NASA

Cameras on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft give us amazing views of our adventure around the Moon. See up close views of the Moon from external cameras as well as the view from inside the capsule. Orion is the only spacecraft capable of carrying humans from Earth on Artemis missions to deep space and bringing them back to Earth from the vicinity of the Moon. More than just a crew module, Orion has a launch abort system to keep astronauts safe if an emergency happens during launch, and a European-built service module that is the powerhouse that fuels and propels Orion and keeps astronauts alive with water, oxygen, power, and temperature control, as well as a heat shield that can handle high-speed returns from deep space. SLS is the most powerful rocket in the world and the only rocket capable of launching Orion with astronauts and their supplies on Artemis missions to the Moon. Orion launched on the SLS rocket from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test of our SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and exploration ground systems for future Artemis missions—which will provide the foundation to send humans to the lunar surface, develop a long-term presence on and around the Moon, and pave the way for humanity to set foot on Mars. More about Artemis: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/ Credit: NASA

The Earth is seen rising from behind the shadowed surface of the Moon in this video taken on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission by a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays. The spacecraft had just successfully executed the Outbound Powered Flyby maneuver which brought it within 80 miles of the lunar surface, the closest approach of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, before moving into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20, making the Moon, instead of Earth, the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft. Credit: NASA

Nov. 21, 2022 – Earth rises from behind the Moon in this video captured by a camera on one of Orion’s solar array wings. The video was taken at 8:05 a.m. EST on flight day six of the 25.5 day Artemis I mission, shortly after the outbound powered flyby and six minutes after the spacecraft regained connection with NASA’s Deep Space Network. Credit: NASA

The Earth is seen setting from the far side of the Moon just beyond the Orion spacecraft in this video taken on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission by a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays. The spacecraft was preparing for the Outbound Powered Flyby maneuver which would bring it within 80 miles of the lunar surface, the closest approach of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, before moving into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20, making the Moon, instead of Earth, the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft. Credit: NASA

Experience the Artemis I launch from the engine ignition to Orion's separation on it's journey to the Moon.

Raw NASA camera footage, taken from the Space Launch System's (SLS) core stage, shows the SLS separation of the solid rocket boosters two minutes and 11 seconds after liftoff. At 1:47 am EST (6:47 UTC) on November 16, NASA’s Orion spacecraft launched aboard the SLS rocket from historic Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on a path to the Moon, officially beginning the Artemis I mission. This mission is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, the SLS rocket, and Kennedy Space Center ground systems. More: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/ Credits: NASA

NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft launched from launch pad 39B for the Artemis I mission on November 16. This is an uncrewed flight test that will demonstrate the ability of the SLS rocket to safely carry the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and its return and recovery to Earth for the agency’s Artemis Program.

Sustainable aviation, peering deep into the cosmos with the James Webb Space Telescope, and returning explorers to the Moon under Artemis. At NASA, we build on the amazing legacy our workforce has created to guide us where we want to go. We’re building the STEM pipeline to the future, enabling the #Artemis Generation to go farther than ever before. For 12 years in a row, NASA has been named Best Place to Work in the Federal Government. U.S. citizen? Come see why and check out our job postings: https://www.nasa.gov/careers/ https://www.nasa.gov/stem/ Credit: NASA #StateOfNASA #NASA

At NASA, we’re aeronautical pioneers. From developing the world’s first all-electric airplane to improving air traffic control, we’re making aviation safer and more sustainable. We’re working with the Federal Aviation Administration to expand air transportation, shorten taxi times on the runway, and reduce carbon emissions for greener aviation. https://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/index.html Credit: NASA #StateOfNASA

It’s a new era of pioneers, star sailors, and adventurers. The #Artemis Generation will go to the Moon to prepare us for Mars. We are going. https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/ Credit: @NASA #StateOfNASA

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers the State of NASA address for 2023. Learn about our plans to explore the Moon and Mars, monitor and protect the planet, sustain U.S. leadership in aviation and aerospace innovation, drive economic growth and promote equity and diversity within the agency and across the nation, while inspiring the next generation of explorers for the benefit of humanity. To learn more visit: https://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html Credit: NASA

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. To learn more about some of the NASA missions featured in this video, take a deep dive into these links: [0:00] Exploring the Universe: https://universe.nasa.gov/ [0:12] Studying Climate Change: https://climate.nasa.gov/ [0:16] Earth Information Center to Visualize Our Home Planet: https://gis.earthdata.nasa.gov/portal/apps/sites/?#/earth-information-center [0:19] TEMPO - Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution: https://weather.ndc.nasa.gov/tropics/ [0:21] Crew Assignments for Artemis II Mission to the Moon: https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram/ [0:23] Commercial Lunar Payload Services: https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services [0:26] OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return to Earth: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex [0:30] Boeing Crew Flight Test to the Space Station: https://blogs.nasa.gov/oft-2/ [0:35] International Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html [0:37] BioFabrication Facility to Print Organ-like Tissues in Microgravity: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html#id=7599 [:39] Tissue Chips Investigate Diseases and Test Drugs: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/benefits/tissue-chips-investigate-diseases [0:40] Cancer Moonshot Aims to Cut Cancer Death Rate: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-scientists-join-white-house-cancer-initiative [0:42] X-59 Quesst Supersonic Low-boom Aircraft: https://www.nasa.gov/X59 [0:45] Sustainable Flight Demonstrator: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/programs/iasp/sfd [0:52] Artemis Missions to Establish the First Long-term Presence on the Moon : https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/ [0:59] Moon to Mars: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars Follow us on our journey. https://www.nasa.gov/ https://www.facebook.com/NASA https://twitter.com/NASA https://www.instagram.com/nasa/ Music: Universal Production Video Producer: Sonnet Apple Credit: NASA

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

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

As they orbited above Earth early in the morning on Feb. 26, 2023, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata spotted these glowing auroras from the cupola of the International Space Station. Cassada and Mann captured this time-lapse video of the Northern Lights a day later. Listen to Cassada describe the experience in an interview conducted on the station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FfTKo6DTaU&t=676s Credit: NASA

Four astronauts are flying around the Moon on our 10-day Artemis II mission: NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen. Get to know them a little bit better with us—and learn more about Artemis II, which is getting us ready for a long-term human presence on the Moon: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-ii/ Credit: NASA More: www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-ii

The Cardinal Heart experiment used three-dimensional engineered heart tissues, seen in this clip, to study the effects of microgravity on the human heart. The investigation, which took place on station in 2021, confirmed that microgravity exposure causes significant changes in heart cell function and gene expression that could lead to damage. Scheduled to launch on NASA's SpaceX CRS-27 resupply mission in March, Cardinal Heart 2.0 takes this research one step further to test whether certain drugs can reduce or prevent microgravity-induced changes—which could also enable the development of countermeasures for patients at high risk of developing heart disease back on Earth. Learn more about how research aboard the International Space Station is helping our hearts beat strong: https://go.nasa.gov/3jR1KPf