@NASA, Weeks Ending July 28, 2023 & Aug. 4, 2023
- Our next space station crew rotation flight …
- A launch day simulation for our upcoming Moon mission …
- Visiting the splashdown recovery crew for Artemis II …
- A commercial resupply mission heads to the space station …
- A key piece of hardware for a future Moon mission is on the move …
- And another spacecraft gets ready to spread its wings in deep space … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
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A Preview of Our SpaceX Crew-7 Mission
The members of our SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station, including NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, previewed the mission during a July 25 news conference at our Johnson Space Center. Crew-7 is targeted to launch no earlier than Aug. 17. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara also participated in the news conference. She will launch to the space station in September from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
NASA Completes First Launch Simulation for Artemis II
The Artemis launch team at our Kennedy Space Center recently conducted its first simulation for the Artemis II mission. As we prepare to send the mission’s crew of four astronauts around the Moon and bring them back safely, teams will participate in a wide range of simulations, or “sims,” as they are sometimes called, to ensure support personnel, software, ground systems, and other aspects of the mission are ready for the real thing.
Artemis II Crew Visits Orion Recovery Teams
The Artemis II astronauts visited Naval Base San Diego recently where teams were preparing for Underway Recovery Test-10, or URT-10. URT-10 is designed to ensure that NASA and Department of Defense personnel can safely recover the crew and the Orion spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean after the astronauts return from their trip around the Moon on Artemis II.
NASA at AirVenture Oshkosh 2023
We participated in the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 event with a host of activities, exhibits, demonstrations, and more. The event also featured special announcements from NASA leadership and industry partners about several key missions and projects. This included new exterior paint designs for the X-66A Sustainable Flight Demonstrator aircraft, and the hybrid electric aircraft being developed as part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project.
Commercial Resupply Mission Launches to the Space Station
On Aug. 1, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft launched to the International Space Station from our Wallops Flight Facility. The Cygnus, named after late NASA astronaut Laurel Clark, was filled with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies and scientific research for the crew aboard the space station.
NASA Rocket Hardware Prepped for Shipment to Space Coast
Teams at United Launch Alliance’s Decatur, Alabama facility recently packed up our Space Launch System or SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage for Artemis III. The flight hardware, sometimes referred to as the ICPS for short, was being prepped for a trip to our Kennedy Space Center for final checkouts. During the Artemis III mission, the ICPS will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts inside our Orion spacecraft to the Moon.
Psyche Solar Array Wings Tested and Stowed for Launch
Engineers recently attached the solar array wings for our Psyche spacecraft. The arrays were also tested to make sure they deploy correctly and were then re-stowed in preparation for the spacecraft’s journey to a metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche, that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The huge arrays are designed to give the spacecraft the power it needs to operate in the low light of deep space. The mission is targeted for launch this October. Find out more at nasa.gov/psyche.
Registration Open for Space Apps Challenge
Registration is open for the 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge. The two-day event – scheduled for Oct. 7 and 8 – is the largest annual global hackathon. It is designed for people around the world to come together and use open data from NASA and other space agencies to solve real world challenges on Earth and in space. Learn more at spaceappschallenge.org.
That’s what’s up this week @NASA … For more on these and other stories, follow us on the web at nasa.gov/twan.
