[NASA HQ News] NASA Science, Cargo Launch on 31st SpaceX Resupply Mission to Station

Nov. 4, 2024

 

RELEASE: 24-138

 

NASA Science, Cargo Launch on 31st SpaceX Resupply Mission to Station

 

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying more than 6,000 pounds of supplies to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 9:29 p.m. EST Monday, on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Credits: NASA

 

Following a successful launch of NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply mission, new scientific experiments and cargo for the agency are bound for the International Space Station.

 

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying more than 6,000 pounds of supplies to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 9:29 p.m. EST Monday, on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Live coverage of the spacecraft’s arrival will begin at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock at approximately 10:15 a.m. to the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module.

 

The resupply mission will support dozens of research experiments conducted during Expedition 72. In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment, to examine solar wind and how it forms. Dragon also delivers Antarctic moss to observe the combined effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity on plants. Other investigations aboard include a device to test cold welding of metals in microgravity and an investigation that studies how space impacts different materials.

These are just a sample of the hundreds of investigations conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Such research benefits humanity and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis campaign, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

 

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until December when it will depart the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

 

Learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook, ISS Instagram, and the space station blog.

 

Learn more about the commercial resupply mission at:

 

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crs-31/

 

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[NASA HQ News] NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts to Discuss Science Mission

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts to Discuss Science Mission

Nov 01, 2024

MEDIA ADVISORY M24-144

 

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pictured left to right, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps.

Credit: SpaceX

After spending 235 days in space, NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts will discuss their science mission aboard the International Space Station during a post-flight news conference at 3:15 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 8, from the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps will answer questions about their mission. The three crew members, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, returned to Earth on Oct. 25. Grebenkin will not participate because of his travel schedule.

NASA will provide live coverage on NASA+ and the agency's website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media.

Media are invited to attend in-person or virtually. For in-person attendance, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. Media participating by phone must dial into the news conference no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the event to ask questions. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA. A copy of NASA's media accreditation policy is available on the agency's website.

The crew spent more than seven months in space, including 232 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, traveling nearly 100 million miles, and completing 3,760 orbits around Earth. While living and working aboard station, the crew completed hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Get the latest NASA space station news, images, and features on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

Learn more about NASA's Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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Inbox Astronomy: NASA's Hubble, Webb Probe Surprisingly Smooth Disk Around Vega

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA's Hubble, Webb Probe Surprisingly Smooth Disk Around Vega

Release date: Friday, November 1, 2024 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Legendary Star Lacks Evidence for Large Planet Construction

Ever since the dawn of human consciousness, skywatchers have been mystified by "wandering stars." These are the five visible planets circling our Sun. It was thought they influenced earthly affairs and allowed for future predictions through the pseudoscience of astrology. But real astronomers asked: where did the planets come from?

In the late 18th century, Immanuel Kant and Pierre-Simon Laplace hypothesized that the planets condensed out of a disk of dust and gas encircling the newborn Sun. This was based on the observations that the planet's orbits are co-planar, and they all move in the same direction, like a spinning phonograph record. In essence, their orbits are the residual skeleton of the long-vanished disk. But astronomers had to wait 200 years before the first telescopic evidence was collected that supported Kant and Laplace's conjecture. With the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), they found a puzzling excess of infrared light from warm dust around the bright blue star Vega in the summer constellation Lyra. This was interpreted as a disk of planet-forming material. Observations with IRAS discovered that such disks are common around young stars. Vega was the first clue.

Teams of astronomers have now used the combined power of the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to revisit the legendary Vega disk. Hubble sees debris the size of smoke particles, and Webb traces roughly sand-grain-sized particles. The big surprise is that there is no obvious evidence for one or more large planets plowing through the disk like snow tractors. This is common around other young stars. However, the Vega disk looks almost as smooth as a pancake, with no signs of planets. Vega is forcing astronomers to rethink the range and variety among planetary systems around other stars. The disk architecture apparently plays out differently around other star systems. Hubble and Webb are showing us that the starry sky is all about unanticipated diversity when it comes to planetary construction yards.

  Read more  

Find additional articles, images, and videos at HubbleSite.org

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Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach

 

Inbox Astronomy: 'Blood-Soaked' Eyes: NASA's Webb, Hubble Examine Galaxy Pair

INBOX ASTRONOMY

'Blood-Soaked' Eyes: NASA's Webb, Hubble Examine Galaxy Pair

Release date: Thursday, October 31, 2024 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

By teaming up, these two space telescopes have delivered the highest resolution image of IC 2163 and NGC 2207 to date in a combination of mid-infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light.

This ghastly galactic “countenance” recalls mythological human-hunters like the Algonquian wendigo — an emaciated figure with ashen flesh and glowing eyes that grows larger and larger as it feasts, and is never satiated.

But this image, captured by the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes, isn’t a case of galactic cannibalism — at least, not yet.

The smaller galaxy to the left, IC 2163, has “slithered” behind the larger one at right, NGC 2207, millions of years ago. Though we can’t wait around for millions of years to see what may happen next, researchers can use this crisp combination of mid-infrared light from Webb, and ultraviolet and visible light from Hubble to learn more about the pair, and improve models that may preview the galaxies’ upcoming “thrills.”

  Read more  

Find additional articles, images, and videos at WebbTelescope.org

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[NASA HQ News] NASA Sets Coverage for SpaceX 31st Station Resupply Launch, Arrival

NASA Sets Coverage for SpaceX 31st Station Resupply Launch, Arrival

Oct 30, 2024

MEDIA ADVISORY M24-143

 

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.

Credit: SpaceX

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 9:29 p.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 4, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This is the 31st SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency.

Filled with nearly 6,000 pounds of supplies, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Live launch coverage will begin at 9:10 p.m. on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

NASA’s coverage of arrival will begin at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module.

In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment, to examine solar wind and how it forms. Dragon also delivers Antarctic moss to observe the combined effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity on plants. Other investigations aboard include a device to test cold welding of metals in microgravity, and an investigation that studies how space impacts different materials.

Media interested in speaking to a science subject matter expert should contact Leah Cheshier at: leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until December when it will depart the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Monday, Nov. 4:

3:30 p.m. – Prelaunch media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

• Bill Spetch, operations and integration manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Meghan Everett, deputy chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Jared Metter, director, flight reliability, SpaceX

Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, by emailing Kennedy’s newsroom at: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

9:10 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

9:29 p.m. – Launch

Tuesday, Nov. 5:

8:45 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.

10:15 a.m. – Docking

NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 9:10 p.m., Nov. 4, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our International Space Station blog for updates.

Attend Launch Virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.

Watch, Engage on Social Media

Let people know you’re watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab

Coverage en Espanol

Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for additional mission coverage.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.

Learn more about the commercial resupply mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-spacex-crs-31

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[NASA HQ News] NASA Sets Coverage for its SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon Station Relocation

NASA Sets Coverage for its SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon Station Relocation

Oct 29, 2024

MEDIA ADVISORY M24-139

 

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov approaches the International Space Station as it orbits 259 miles above Oregon.

Credit: NASA

In preparation for the arrival of NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission, four crew members aboard the International Space Station will relocate the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft to a different docking port Sunday, Nov. 3.

Live coverage begins at 6:15 a.m. EST on NASA+ and will end shortly after docking. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. 

NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will undock the spacecraft from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 6:35 a.m., and redock to the module’s space-facing port at 7:18 a.m.

The relocation, supported by flight controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Mission Control team at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, will free Harmony’s forward-facing port for a Dragon cargo spacecraft mission scheduled to launch no earlier than Monday, Nov. 4.

This will be the fifth port relocation of a Dragon spacecraft with crew aboard following previous moves during the Crew-1, Crew-2, Crew-6, and Crew-8 missions.

Learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook, ISS Instagram, and the space station blog.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched Sept. 28 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and docked to the space station Sept. 29. Crew-9, targeted to return February 2025, is the company’s ninth rotational crew mission as a part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Find NASA’s commercial crew blog and more information about the Crew-9 mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

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[NASA HQ News] NASA Announces STEM Engagement Lead, Chief Economist Retirements

Oct. 28, 2024

RELEASE: 24-135

NASA Announces STEM Engagement Lead, Chief Economist Retirements

Portraits of Mike Kincaid, associate administrator, Office of STEM Engagement (left), and Alexander MacDonald, chief economist (right).

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Monday Mike Kincaid, associate administrator, Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM), and Alexander MacDonald, chief economist, will retire from the agency.

Following Kincaid’s departure on Nov. 30, Kris Brown, deputy associate administrator for strategy and integration in OSTEM, will serve as acting associate administrator for that office beginning Dec. 1, and after MacDonald’s departure on Dec. 31, research economist Dr. Akhil Rao from NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy will serve as acting chief economist.

 

“I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Mike Kincaid and Alex MacDonald for their service to NASA and our country,” said Nelson. “Both have been essential members of the NASA team – Mike since his first days as an intern at Johnson Space Center and Alex in his many roles at the agency. I look forward to working with Kris Brown and Dr. Akhil Rao in their acting roles and wish Mike and Alex all the best in retirement.”

As associate administrator of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, Kincaid led the agency’s efforts to inspire and engage Artemis Generation students and educators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). He also chaired NASA’s STEM Board, which assesses the agency’s STEM engagement functions and activities, as well as served as a member of Federal Coordination in STEM, a multiagency committee focused on enhancing STEM education efforts across the federal government. In addition, Kincaid was NASA’s representative on the International Space Education Board, leading global collaboration in space education, sharing best practices, and uniting efforts to foster interest in space, science, and technology among students worldwide.

Having served at NASA for more than 37 years, Kincaid first joined the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as an intern in 1987, and eventually led organizations at Johnson in various capacities including, director of education, deputy director of human resources, deputy chief financial officer and director of external relations. Kincaid earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M and a master’s degree from University of Houston, Clear Lake.

MacDonald served as the first chief economist at NASA. He was previously the senior economic advisor in the Office of the Administrator, as well as the founding program executive of NASA’s Emerging Space Office within the Office of the Chief Technologist. MacDonald has made significant contributions to the development of NASA’s Artemis and Moon to Mars strategies, NASA's strategy for commercial low Earth orbit development, NASA’s Earth Information Center, and served as the program executive for the International Space Station National Laboratory, leading it through significant leadership changes. He also is the author and editor of several NASA reports, including “Emerging Space: The Evolving Landscape of 21st Century American Spaceflight,” “Public-Private Partnerships for Space Capability Development,” “Economic Development of Low Earth Orbit,” and NASA’s biennial Economic Impact Report.

As chief economist, MacDonald has guided NASA’s economic strategy, including increasing engagement with commercial space companies, and influenced the agency’s understanding of space as an engine of economic growth. MacDonald began his career at NASA’s Ames Research Center in the Mission Design Center, and served at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an executive staff specialist on commercial space before moving to NASA Headquarters. MacDonald received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Queen’s University in Canada, his master’s degree in economics from the University of British Columbia, and obtained his doctorate on the long-run economic history of American space exploration from the University of Oxford.

 

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

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[NASA HQ News] NASA Provides Update on Artemis III Moon Landing Regions

NASA Provides Update on Artemis III Moon Landing Regions

Oct 28, 2024

RELEASE 24-136

 

This image shows nine candidate landing regions for NASA’s Artemis III mission, with each region containing multiple potential sites for the first crewed landing on the Moon in more than 50 years. The background image of the lunar South Pole terrain within the nine regions is a mosaic of LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) WAC (Wide Angle Camera) images.

Credit: NASA

As NASA prepares for the first crewed Moon landing in more than five decades, the agency has identified an updated set of nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its Artemis III mission. These areas will be further investigated through scientific and engineering study. NASA will continue to survey potential areas for missions following Artemis III, including areas beyond these nine regions.

“Artemis will return humanity to the Moon and visit unexplored areas. NASA’s selection of these regions shows our commitment to landing crew safely near the lunar South Pole, where they will help uncover new scientific discoveries and learn to live on the lunar surface,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office.

NASA’s Cross Agency Site Selection Analysis team, working closely with science and industry partners, added, and excluded potential landing regions, which were assessed for their science value and mission availability.

The refined candidate Artemis III lunar landing regions are, in no priority order:

• Peak near Cabeus B
• Haworth
• Malapert Massif
• Mons Mouton Plateau
• Mons Mouton
• Nobile Rim 1
• Nobile Rim 2
• de Gerlache Rim 2
• Slater Plain

These regions contain diverse geological characteristics and offer flexibility for mission availability. The lunar South Pole has never been explored by a crewed mission and contains permanently shadowed areas that can preserve resources, including water.

“The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions,” said Sarah Noble, Artemis lunar science lead at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It offers access to some of the Moon’s oldest terrain, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds. Any of these landing regions will enable us to do amazing science and make new discoveries.”

To select these landing regions, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers analyzed the lunar South Pole region using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a vast body of lunar science research. Factors in the selection process included science potential, launch window availability, terrain suitability, communication capabilities with Earth, and lighting conditions. Additionally, the team assessed the combined trajectory capabilities of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and Starship HLS (Human Landing System) to ensure safe and accessible landing sites.

The Artemis III geology team evaluated the landing regions for their scientific promise. Sites within each of the nine identified regions have the potential to provide key new insights into our understanding of rocky planets, lunar resources, and the history of our solar system.

“Artemis III will be the first time that astronauts will land in the south polar region of the Moon. They will be flying on a new lander into a terrain that is unique from our past Apollo experience,” said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist. “Finding the right locations for this historic moment begins with identifying safe places for this first landing, and then trying to match that with opportunities for science from this new place on the Moon.”

NASA’s site assessment team will engage the lunar science community through conferences and workshops to gather data, build geologic maps, and assess the regional geology of eventual landing sites. The team also will continue surveying the entire lunar South Pole region for science value and mission availability for future Artemis missions. This will include planning for expanded science opportunities during Artemis IV, and suitability for the LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) as part of Artemis V.

The agency will select sites within regions for Artemis III after it identifies the mission’s target launch dates, which dictate transfer trajectories, or orbital paths, and surface environment conditions.

Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

For more information on Artemis, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis

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