Tag: NASA
-
Using data from InSight, scientists discover that Mars is rotating faster
In December 2022, NASA lost contact with its Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) Mars lander, which had been operating on the Martian surface for just over four years. In the time since InSight’s mission was declared over, scientists have continued to analyze the incredible data the lander collected and have…
-
NASA’s buildings are even older than its graying workforce
It’s big news when a hurricane damages buildings at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center or hits a rocket factory in New Orleans. There’s damage that needs repairing immediately so missions can move forward to launch. But there’s a deeper problem with NASA’s infrastructure. Erik Weiser, director of NASA’s facilities and real estate division, told a blue-ribbon…
-
With NASA’s mobile launcher on the move, here’s a road map to Artemis II
NASA’s repaired and upgraded mobile launch platform moved back to its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center this week. This marks a transition from refurbishment after the launch of the Artemis I mission last year into preparations for Artemis II—the Moon program’s first flight with astronauts. The giant structure sustained more damage than expected…
-
Lockheed Martin, NASA working around the clock to finish Artemis II Orion assembly and hold 2024 launch date
The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission is nearing final assembly and testing at prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) production facility. After a final standalone test on the Orion crew module (CM), it is expected to be mated to the service module (SM) in mid-September. If there are no problems in…
-
Everything is coming together for launch of NASA’s mission to a metal asteroid
TITUSVILLE, Florida—NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is running a year behind schedule before the beginning of its journey to explore a metal asteroid, but mission managers said Friday the probe is essentially ready for launch in less than two months. The spacecraft is heading for asteroid Psyche, the mission’s namesake, about three times farther from the Sun…
-
Everything is coming together for launch of NASA’s mission to a metal asteroid
TITUSVILLE, Florida—NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is running a year behind schedule before the beginning of its journey to explore a metal asteroid, but mission managers said Friday the probe is essentially ready for launch in less than two months. The spacecraft is heading for asteroid Psyche, the mission’s namesake, about three times farther from the Sun…
-
Boeing confident in achieving six flights to the ISS despite Starliner delay
Boeing’s Starliner Crewed Flight Test (CFT) which will carry astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) is now delayed to next year, with the earliest chance for launch in March. However, Boeing is still confident it will complete the six crewed flights ordered by NASA despite the planned…
-
NASA’s Artemis II crew meets their Moonship
The three Americans and one Canadian slated to fly on NASA’s Artemis II circumlunar mission had a “pinch me” moment Monday when they got their first chance to visit the Orion spacecraft that will carry them around the Moon and back to Earth. The astronauts had an opportunity to peer through the hatch of the…
-
After 11 years on Mars, Curiosity continues to climb the slopes of Mount Sharp
On Aug. 6, 2012, NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, comprised of the new Curiosity rover, officially began when Curiosity was successfully lowered onto the Martian surface via a first-of-its-kind skycrane. Curiosity‘s landing location was at the base of Mount Sharp (officially referred to as Aeolis Mons) in Gale Crater — a 3.5 billion-year-old crater that scientists believe was…
-
Jeanette Epps will finally go to space six years after being pulled from flight
NASA confirmed on Friday that Jeanette Epps, a former CIA technology intelligence officer selected as an astronaut in 2009, will finally launch into space in early 2024 on a SpaceX flight to the International Space Station. The crew assignment comes six years after NASA pulled Epps from what would have been her first spaceflight, just…