April 18, 2024

This Week @NASA: Historic Artemis I Launch, Power Spacewalk, New Webb Image & X-59 Aircraft

The historical launch of NASAs Artemis I flight test …
A powerwalk outside the area station …

And the beginnings of a brand-new star … a few of the stories to tell you about– This Week at NASA!

” And liftoff of Artemis I.– Launch analyst
A GE Aviation F414-GE-100 engine is set up in NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 airplane, at Lockheed Martins Skunk Works center in Palmdale, California. The 13-foot-long engine packs 22,000 pounds of propulsion energy and will power the X-59 to speeds up to Mach 1.4. Installation of the engine marks a major turning point as the X-59 nears assembly conclusion, taxi tests, and first flight.

Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon
” And here we go …”– Launch commentator
On November 16, NASAs Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lit up the night sky at the Kennedy Space Center, to mark the start of NASAs historic Artemis I flight test.
” And liftoff of Artemis I.– Launch analyst
The planned 25-and-a-half-day mission calls for the uncrewed Orion to tackle 40,000 miles beyond the Moon prior to going back to Earth. The mission will also evaluate all systems prior to flying astronauts on future Artemis missions.
NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada enters the airlock at the end of Tuesdays spacewalk to prepare the station for upcoming solar range upgrades. Credit: NASA TV
A Power Spacewalk Outside the Space Station
On November 15, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio performed a spacewalk to prepare the International Space Station for some new solar varieties that could assist the station produce about 30 percent more power.
The protostar within the dark cloud L1527, revealed in this image from NASAs James Webb Space Telescope Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), is embedded within a cloud of material feeding its growth. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI).
Webb Catches Fiery Hourglass as New Star Forms.
This new Webb Space Telescope image reveals once-hidden functions of a protostar within an hourglass-shaped cloud of gas and dust. The image is offering insight into the beginnings of a new star.
A GE Aviation F414-GE-100 engine is set up in NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft, at Lockheed Martins Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. Installation of the engine marks a significant milestone as the X-59 nears assembly conclusion, taxi tests, and first flight.
Jet Engine Installed on NASAs X-59.
NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 now has the engine that will power it after the assembly of the experimental aircraft is complete. The engine will propel the X-59 to speeds up to Mach 1-point-4 and altitudes as much as about 55,000 feet.
Thats whats up today @NASA …