A commercial cargo spacecraft safely arrives at the space station …
Space station crewmembers conduct a spacewalk ….
And an update on plans to launch of our Artemis I mission … a few of the stories to tell
you about – This Week at NASA!
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked to the International Space Station on July 16,
two days after launching from our Kennedy Space Center.
The Dragon delivered more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, including nearly 2,500 pounds of
scientific research.
A few of the research projects include a study on the mineral composition of dust in the
atmosphere and its effects on our climate, an investigation into the impacts of space
travel on the human immune system, and a look at how microgravity affects the process of
creating a concrete alternative made with an organic compound and silica, which is found
in lunar and Martian dust.
This was SpaceX’s 25th contracted commercial resupply mission for NASA.
On July 21, Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space
Agency conducted a spacewalk outside the space station to continue outfitting hardware on
the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module, including the installation of platforms around
the European robotic arm.
Nauka and the European robotic arm were launched to the station last July from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
NASA leaders provided an update July 20 on plans to launch the uncrewed Artemis I flight
test around the Moon with our Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.
While the agency has not yet committed to a formal target launch date, Aug. 29, Sept
2, and Sept 5 are the dates currently on hold as potential launch opportunities.
These dates help engineers manage the schedule and build mission timelines while work to
prepare the rocket, spacecraft, and ground systems for the flight continues.
For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog at: blogs.nasa.gov/artemis.
NASA has asked teams working to deliver our water-hunting VIPER rover to the Moon to retarget
delivery from November 2023 to November 2024.
The decision to pursue a 2024 delivery date stems from the agency’s request to Astrobotic
for additional ground testing of the company’s Griffin lunar lander, which will deliver VIPER
to the Moon’s South Pole through our Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS initiative.
The additional tests are aimed at reducing the overall risk involved with delivering
the rover to the Moon.
VIPER’s mission will provide insight into the origin and distribution of water on the
Moon and help determine how lunar resources could be harvested for future human space
exploration.
Our recently launched CAPSTONE CubeSat is targeting late July for its next trajectory
correction maneuver.
It will make several more adjustments on its four-month-long journey to the Moon.
NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System can take you on a virtual ride-along with CAPSTONE.
This 3D interactive data visualization tool provides a simulated real-time view of our
solar system that is based on real data.
The positions of the planets, moons, and various spacecraft – including CAPSTONE – are
all shown where they are right now.
It is one of several interactive web apps you can check out at eyes.nasa.gov.
On July 20, we recognized the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
On that date in 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins
made history.
While Collins orbited the Moon in the mission’s command module, Armstrong and Aldrin safely
landed the “Eagle” lunar module in the region of the Moon known as the Sea of Tranquility.
They later exited the lunar lander to become the first humans to set foot on the surface
of the Moon.
That’s what’s up this week @NASA … For more on these and other stories, follow us
on the web at nasa.gov/twan.