And a small spacecraft prepares for a distinct mission around the Moon … a few of the stories to inform you about– This Week at NASA!
Boeings CST-100 Starliners Historic Test Mission
” Approaching the International Space Station …”– Commentator.
On May 20, Boeings uncrewed CST-100 Starliner spacecraft came to the International Space Station on the Orbital Flight Test-2 or OFT-2 objective for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.
” Soft capture validated.”– Mission Audio.
” Boeings Starliner spacecraft completes its historic first docking to the International Space Station, opening a brand-new avenue of access for crews to the orbiting laboratory.”– Commentator.
The next day– another very first for Starliner, thanks to the efforts of NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines.
” All right– and it looks like the hatch is open to the Starliner. Bob Hines is the first astronaut to enter Starliner in orbit.”– Commentator.
The Starliner spent numerous days at the station, throughout which time groups performed a series of prepared tests, and the station crew moved a number of hundred pounds of cargo and products. Starliner undocked from the station on May 25 and went back to Earth later on the exact same day, making a landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. The OFT-2 mission was developed to check the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system to securely carry astronauts to and from the space station.
Greg Robinson, program director for NASAs James Webb Space Telescope at NASA Headquarters, gives a quick interview on NASA Television as he and the launch group monitor the countdown to Webbs launch Dec. 25, 2021, at Europes Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Webb is a big infrared telescope with a 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) main mirror.
NASAs Webb Program Director Named to TIME100 List.
Gregory Robinson, the program director for NASAs James Webb Space Telescope, was named to the TIME100– the publications annual list of the worlds 100 most prominent people and leaders. Robinson began his career at NASA in 1989 and joined the Webb group in 2018. In his present role, he supervises what will be the leading area observatory for the next decade. The Webb telescope will explore every phase of 13.5 billion years of cosmic history to help us understand our location in deep space.
CAPSTONE over the lunar North Pole: After arrival at the Moon, CAPSTONE will begin its 6-month-long main objective. The mission will validate a near rectilinear halo orbits qualities by demonstrating how to participate in and operate in the orbit. Credit: Illustration by NASA/Daniel Rutter.
CAPSTONE CubeSat Prepares for Lunar Flight.
The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE objective is targeted for launch no earlier than June 6. It is a partnership between NASA and industry that will utilize a microwave oven-sized CubeSat to evaluate a distinct elliptical orbit around the Moon, officially referred to as a near rectilinear halo orbit. The objective will help minimize threat for future spacecraft, including Gateway, a Moon-orbiting station for NASAs Artemis program, by confirming innovative navigation technologies and verifying the dynamics of this halo-shaped orbit.
Diffractive solar sails, illustrated in this conceptual illustration, might allow objectives to hard-to-reach places, like orbits over the Suns poles. Credit: MacKenzi Martin.
NASA-Supported Solar Sail Could Take Science to New Heights.
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, or NIAC program chosen a new solar sail concept for development toward a demonstration mission. The solar sail, which uses a residential or commercial property of light called diffraction to make more effective usage of sunlight, could carry science to brand-new locations.
NASAs Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made a record-breaking 25th flight on April 8, 2022. The navigation camera aboard the rotorcraft captured its longest and fastest flight to date on the Red Planet. The helicopter covered 2,310 feet (704 meters) at a max speed of 12 mph (5.5 meters per second). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Resourcefulness Mars Helicopter Captures Video of Record Flight.
Our Ingenuity helicopter on Mars recorded this black-and-white footage throughout its record-breaking 25th flight. The flight, which occurred on April 18, was also Ingenuitys longest and fastest flight to date. The rotorcraft took a trip over 2,300 feet and reached a speed of 12 miles per hour.
Thats whats up this week @NASA …
The OFT-2 objective was designed to check the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system to securely transport astronauts to and from the area station.
Greg Robinson, program director for NASAs James Webb Space Telescope at NASA Headquarters, provides a quick interview on NASA Television as he and the launch team keep track of the countdown to Webbs launch Dec. 25, 2021, at Europes Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The mission will verify a near rectilinear halo orbits characteristics by demonstrating how to get in into and operate in the orbit. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE objective is targeted for launch no earlier than June 6. The objective will assist minimize risk for future spacecraft, including Gateway, a Moon-orbiting station for NASAs Artemis program, by confirming innovative navigation innovations and validating the dynamics of this halo-shaped orbit.
A commercial crew spacecrafts historic test mission …
Recognizing the leadership of our James Webb Space Telescope group …
